I needed something to do while I was up waiting to pick up my sister from a friend's house, so I decided to update my fics. The chapter after this will have a lot more action in it, but I had to use this chapter to set up for it. When I get ambitious enough, I'm going to try and set up a forum from my Eternity fics. I don't know when exactly, but eventually.

The next update will probably not be until September. Unless I get a little more free time, I'm going to be booked. College starts soon, and I haven't done any packing yet. Shame on me.

Review and tell me what your thinking :D

Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Seed or Seed Destiny

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Suzuka could sense it from where she was, staring out of the window of the hospital. They had been set to release her tommorrow, but now she had to leave. Her shoulders were still sore, but there was not much she could do about it.

"Damn it, damn it..."

Letting out a string of vicious curses, she ran down the hallway to her room, and began pulling her uniform on. Drapping her captain's jacket over her shoulders, she ran towards the enterance. The door opened, and Frigg stared at her.

"Frigg-sempai." she looked at the woman.

"I have a jeep ready. Come on."

They raced down the road towards the airfeild. Suzuka drew a piece of white cloth from her pocket, and used it to bind her hair.

"What's the situation?"

"A fleet is headed this way. Enough manpower, ships, and mobile suit to completely level Orb."

"Damn it." she frowned, she let herself space out for too long. She could have done something to prevent it if she had not been...sulking..., "And the Kamaitachi?"

"They are on high alert. I'll be heading to Trinity after this. Hans is in the Pacific, he'll be here shortly. Ralphael was in the Philippines. It'll take him a while to get here. My ship is prepped for battle, the Kamaitachi was just finishing the updates."

Suzuka sighed, slipping her arms into her jacket, and buttoning it. Finally wearing her glasses again, she could see better, and it hurt her eyes less to work late.

"Have they sent any explination yet?"

"None."

They stopped at the ship,

"Good luck, Suzuka." Frigg smiled, "I'll follow your lead."

"Thanks, you too, Sempai."

"Oh, Suzuka?"

She stopped, looking back at her commrade. Frigg chuckled, "Cedric and I are getting married next August."

Suzuka smiled, "You'd better invite me."

"Of course."

Before she drove off, Suzuka caught sight of the golden engagement band on the captain's hand. Feeling a tugging sense in her chest, Suzuka turned around and ran towards her ship.

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Having been aroused and called into duty while he was asleep, Ezekiel was half-awake when he pulled himself onto the bridge. His hair was sticking in every direction, and he was still trying to put his uniform on as he went down the hallway. He had spent most of the night tunning in his hacking skills by hacking into the Eternity files and changing his personal files so that it said he was 65 years old, with purple eyes, and that he was ten feet tall. Whoever would look at his files next would probably be surprised.

The hatch opened as he walked past, and Suzuka climbed in. He was in the middle of hopping on one foot as he was putting on his boots while making his way down the hall.

"Captain!" he smiled.

"Ezekiel." she shut the hatch, "Just wake up?"

"Yes, captain." he nodded.

"Looks like there's trouble. Did you get any rest at all?"

"Some." he said, "Seriously, captain, they gotta find someone else that has the same skills as me. I spent the entire week going from ship, to ship, to HQ updating systems."

"I highly doubt that I'll be able to find someone like that, but I'll make a note of it." she replied, he chuckled.

He was quiet for a moment as they headed for the bridge.

"I'm sorry about Rey-san." he said, "If it helps any, everyone here is upset too."

Suzuka was quiet, and then she smiled saddly at him, "I'll live. Vana?"

"Captain! It's good to see you!" Vana's voice beamed at them, "Welcome back."

"Thanks. Status report?"

"All updates and repairs done on time." she said, "Status is normal."

"Good." she said, "Send a message to high command and tell them I'm here. I will take charge of operations of all Eternity ships. Hail Captain Jule, and tell him that we are on standby for further orders."

"Aye, ma'am."

"Vana, will you do another favor for me?"

"Anything."

"Will you pull up the file of Rey's last CT scan and send them to my office?"

There was a pause. Ezekiel gave his captain a wary look.

"Vana?"

"Understood."

"Good."

The doors opened to the bridge, and everyone stared up at them. There were smiles, greetings, and a hug from Tess. Cedric, however, was not in a good mood. Which surprised Suzuka, because he was finally getting married after waiting for so long.

"Commander." she smiled, "Thank you for doing everything for me."

"No problem." he said, "I promised I would fire him out of a missile tube if anything happened to you."

"Cedric-"

"I guess we'll have to resuce him now." he smirked, "Because I carry out my threats."

She knew he was joking, but could not help but smile anyway. Her brother stood on the bridge, smiling saddly at her. As far as she knew. June did not even know he was on the Kamaitachi yet. Everyone knew there were three defector Twilight soliders on board, but no names were released.

When all of this was over, it was matter that Suzuka intended to bring up.

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"Hail..." Hayworth scanned over the view of the Eternity airfeild. The fleet was holding it's position, and now he was trying to decide which ship to send their demands to.

"This ship." Rey pointed to the radar, "This one will be chosen at the lead ship."

"Why this one?"

Rey frowned, staring at the red and white battleship, "Everyone else seems to be closing off all communication lines to this ship, and the head quarters. They are all linked to it. It also seems to be taking the lead."

"Very well."

"I will make the demands. Open a channel."

"What? That wasn't part of the plan-"

"Do it."

Hayworth glarred at the young man, and then repeated the orders to the CIC controller.

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"Captain-" Tess sat at her station. Her hair was still damp from jumping out of the shower in a flash, "-we're being hailed by the flag ship."

Suzuka sat in her chair, and sighed, "Get me Athrun-san and Cagali-sama on a line first."

"Aye, ma'am."

Cagali stared back at her from the control tower. Athrun's voice came from the background as he shouted orders to everyone else.

"We're being hailed, mi'lady."

Cagali frowned, "They probably want to negotiate our surrender."

"Mi'lady, you're not-"

"Of course, we're not." Cagali said, "Find out what they want. I'll keep this line open and monitor it. Apparently, if they are hailing you and not me, for some reason they want to speak to particular people."

"Understood." Suzuka nodded, "I'll keep in touch."

"Good. Out."

Suzuka bit her lip, "On screen, Tess."

There was a man that came on the screen.

"Captain Hayworth." Suzuka said.

"This is a pleasant surprise. Who would have expected the meek, silent assistant of a red elite was actually the one in command herself?"

Suzuka stood and put her hands on her hips, "Although I disagree with your political convictions, Captain, I do respect you as a fellow solider."

"The feeling is mutual, Captain Kiriyuhi." he said, "By he way, how are your injured shoulders?"

He was sneering at her now, and she wanted to shoot that smirk off his face. Gritting her teeth, she replied,

"I am well, thank you." she said, "Next chance I get, I'll have to pay you back for the hospitality."

"Oh, I don't deserve it." he said, "It was really all thanks to Za Burrel."

Suzuka glared at him, he had meant to sting her and he had done just that.

"Speaking of which, Mr. Za Burrel has a few demands to make."

Her fists tightened slightly, and the color drained from her face. Katsuya frowned, stepping beside her.

"Suzu-"

"I'm alright." she gritted her teeth, "He's attacking me...no...Chairman Trent is attacking me and the rest of Orb. I can handle it."

Katsuya sighed, "You were always stubborn, Suzu."

She gave him a sad smiled, and stood up again, "Fine. Captain, put him on."

Hayworth glared back at her, half-expecting her to say no. He turned and gave a few orders so someone besides him.

Rey walked into the screen, staring back at her. She bit her lip, and took a deep breath,

"Mr. Za Burrel." she said, "What are Chairman Trent's demands?"

Rey stared back at the red-haired girl. So SHE was Captain Suzuka Kiriyuhi.

Suzuka...

"Three AWOL soliders." he said, "Micka Forrester, Vladimir Alexander, and Katsuya Kiriyuhi are to be returned to us at once."

"I refuse."

Rey frowned, "Chairman Trent has assured me, that I have his authority to order the systematic destruction of Eternity and Orb if it is refused."

Suzuka frowned, looking at Katsuya. She had just found her brother again. He was someone who had a life. His wife, his family, his team mates...he was trying to rebuild a life for himself. Away from the killing of innocents and the tyrants who were trying to take over everything. She could not let him give everything up again, just to be executed or tortured in some cell.

"If I can offer you something more important, would you take it?"

Rey looked at her, caulking his head to the side like he always did when he thought, "I do not see anything that you can offer me, captain."

"Myself."

There were a wave of gasps and shocked looks on the bridge.

"Suzuka!" Katsuya roared.

"Captain..." Cedric whispered into her ear, "...that was not our orders. I can not allow you to do this-"

"You're objection is noted."

"Captain, please reconsider. Twilight uses whatever dirty schemes it can. You have no-"

She gritted her teeth, "I said I get it, Cedric."

"But-"

She interrupted him, ignoring his protest, "What about it, Mr. Za Burrel? Would Chairman Trent be satisfied with me instead?"

Rey frowned at her, and then glanced off screen, nodding, "I will consult with my superiors." With this response, the screen flipped off.

Almost emediatly, Tess turned to glance at her captain, "We're being hailed by HQ and by the Voltaire, ma'am."

She had expected that, they probably had watched the whole thing. Captain Jule was probably furious, and Cagali was most likely even more enraged.

"On screen."

The split-screen produced two faces that glowered down at her. Cagali slammed her hand on the console,

"That was out of line, Kiriyuhi! You are lucky that I don't throw you in the brig!"

Yzak, on the other hand, was a little more able to control his anger. It seemed out of character for him, but he was still able to reply in a more sensible fashion.

"You don't have the authority to make such decisions, Captain." he told her.

"I can get back into PLANT, and figure out a way to gain access to Twilight facilities. I already know my way around them, and it will be easy to figure out the security messures."

"From inside a cell?" Cagali roared.

"I am trained professionally in stealth and security, ma'am. I will be able to manage it."

Yzak shook his head, "You are going after Za Burrel. This is a purely personal motivation."

Suzuka fell silent. That was part of it, more then half of it. But there was part that she knew, and knew that Cagali knew as well, that Suzuka would be able to take a crack and figuring out all the Twilight systems by observation alone.

"I am volunteering to do this, sir." she said, "Because it will be a good contribution to all sides."

Everyone was silent again, and it was making her nervous.

"Alright." Yzak replied.

"Jule!" Cagali called, "What-"

"She is right, m'lady." Yzak sighed, scratching his head, "It is the only incentive we can offer Trent. The three new officers we have will give us a lot more of an advantage."

Cagali sighed, and leaned back into her chair, "Alright, I give my permission. But when you return, Kiriyuhi, you will be re-evaluated."

"Yes, ma'am."

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Suzuka walked down the hallway of her ship. Cedric was trailing after her while he yelled, ranted, and raved behind her. The last words of the transmission ran through her head.

Chairman Trent agreed with the compermise...you will be offered in equal trade with the three defectors. There will be a shuttle sent to the checkpoint right away...come alone and unarmed...

The doors to her office opened. Sitting at her laptop, she pulled up the file that she had asked Vana to send her.

"...have you gone insane?" Cedric asked her.

"No." she said, "For the first time in my life, I want something."

He fell silent, and then stared at her curiously as her fingers flew across the keyboard, "What is that?"

"Brain scans. Rey's." she said, "I knew it."

"Knew what?"

He leaned over, and looked at what she was pointing at. At the base of Rey's skull, towards the rear of his head, there was a shadow on the scan. Suzuka frowned, and saved the file.

"What is that?" he repeated.

"Some sort of chip. I suspect they planted it when he was first cloned." she said, "That is whats controlling him."

"Why...why wasn't this reported before?"

"This were taken right before we left for the mission. No one has looked at them yet. I suspected that Twilight had done something like this and that was why they hadn't moved heaven and hell to get him back." she said, "They could use this to control him with a picture, or a gesture, or a word-"

She stopped, feeling herself going numb.

"What?" he stood straight.

"A word." she said, "Back at the Requiem War, with Chairman Dullindal, there were a record of three Advanced soliders that fought of the ship with Captain Neo Lorrnoke. They were controlled by block words or phrases. Drugs were too inefficiant, and sometimes destroyed the nervous systems of the subjects. A word would be subliminally programmed into the mind of the individual to control extreme pain."

"You think that's what was done to Za Burrel?"

"I'm certain of it. Once I remove this chip, he'll be free." she said, opening her desk drawer as she turned off the laptop, "Cedric, I trust that you will keep my ship safe."

"Yes."

"If something happends to me, I have left instructions to make you the official head of the Kamaitachi."

He frowned, "Nothing is going to happen to you. Don't say something like that."

Suzuka smiled, "If something DOES happen, I want you to be my ship's captain. I trust you, and you're a damn good captain."

"But I haven't been promoted to captain status yet."

Suzuka smiled at him, taking a small black box from her desk. Opening it, there were ID papers, a metal, and a few golden pins. She took out the pins and stuck them in the collar of his uniform.

"Now you have." she handed the box to him, "Congradulations, Captain Helms."

He stared at her, shocked. Suzuka threw her arms around his neck, giving him a strong hug.

"Thank you for everything you've done."

Cedric's face fell grim, he then said,

"You're not comming back without him." he said, "If you don't get him back, you're going to die trying."

Suzuka let go of him, and pushed up her glasses slightly.

"Take care of yourself, Cedric."

She left her office, and the doors shut behind her. He let out a sigh, looking towards the floor,

"You too, Suzuka."

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