Finally, here's chapter 4. First, I'd like to thank Princess de la Luna for her reviews of chapters 1 & 3, and Backlash5 for his review. To prevent any confusion, let me start by saying the majrity of the story is from Setsuna's memories, but there are portions of her modern life. Also, a theme song (yes, I gave it a theme song) fitting for this story is Kindan no PENSE. Can anybody guess what anime it's from? Anyway, enjoy and please review!

Chapter 4

I dub thee Orange Knight

South Africa, CE 76:

"Ma'am, are you really sure you want to head out there," asked a mechanic as Setsuna secured her helmet. She decided not to answer immediately and instead used the time taken for the platform to raise her to her mobile suit's cockpit. "The fighting is pretty intense and we can't afford to lose you, Captain."

"I thought by now you would know my beliefs on combat?" Setsuna pushed in the buttons on the side panel required to open her machine's cockpit. "The most important thing on the battlefield is to complete the mission while avoiding as many casualties as possible. If I can save at least four soldiers in exchange for my life, then I'll happily die. Are all the systems functional and up to date?"

"Yes Ma'am," replied the former chief mechanic of the LHM-BB01 Minerva, Madd Aves. "Captain, please don't die on us. I really don't want to lose another commanding officer and I'm positive Hotaru doesn't want to lose another mother." Setsuna nodded to the veteran mechanic prior to closing her hatch and moving her machine to the catapult.

Setsuna took a deep breath and waited for the signal to launch. Despite her calm exterior, she was rather nervous. Even though she'd undergone countless simulations, this was her first real battle that she'd have to adjust to Earth's gravity. Still, her determination did not waver. She was going to complete her mission and bring her troops home to their families. "Terrorists are a real pain," she mumbled before getting the launch signal. "This is Setsuna Meioh, Strike Noir launching!"

Flashback, Park, Aprilius 1:

Setsuna felt rather satisfied from her little encounter with Patrick Zala. She was happy because she was able to show him and any other politician whom was watching that she would not be controlled like some pet. A normal person would not dare speak back to Defense Committee Chairman Patrick Zala like that and still be sure to have a job the next morning. She thought of herself as a teacher giving Chairman Zala a lesson in humility, and thus she'd made her contribution to society. However, she figured that she'd taken up enough time dwelling on her little victory. Now, it was time for her to get back to work. Setsuna scanned over the calculations on her laptop monitor for the fifth or sixth time. As an experienced mobile suit engineer, she knew that correct calculations were crucial to a successful mobile suit. The rules applied to these new models even more because they were going to be nuclear powered, therefore a single miscalculation could cost hundreds or thousands of lives.

"Guess who," said a young girl who'd put her hands over Setsuna's eyes.

"Could it be Hotaru," the older woman answered in a guessing tone. As a reward for guessing correctly, Setsuna was able to get her sight back. She lifted her daughter off of her shoulders and placed the young girl on her lap. "Are you ready to go home," she asked the child, even though she already knew the answer.

"No," Hotaru answered sweetly. "I just wanted to see what you were working on, mama."

Setsuna deeply wanted to answer her daughter's curiosity, but the information was classified above top secret. She couldn't allow anyone to see it, not even her own child. Using the coordinator speed of her hands, the green haired engineer shut down her computer and put it in her purse. "How about this, you go find two swings so I can play with you?" Hotaru's eyes grew and lit up brightly as she ran to secure the swings.

"She's a little bundle of energy isn't she?" Setsuna turned around to see who was behind her. She gasped when she recognized him, and all he did was wink at her.

"Heine! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on duty or something like that?" Setsuna was surprised to see him, but mostly, she was happy that he was there.

"I could ask you the same thing," he replied, making Setsuna feel a little embarrassed. "After all, I hear you've become a big shot with the Council. Other wise, they wouldn't have sent me to guard you… Well, to be honest, I volunteered and begged on my knees, but let's keep that our little secret." He winked at her again and grinned happily. Setsuna let out a giggle hidden behind her hand as a result of the ZAFT soldier's little joke.

"Comm'on mama, I got two swings," yelled Hotaru from the playground. Setsuna got hold of her purse and was about to stand up until Heine extended his hand to her. With a light smile, she accepted his hand and was helped to her feet.

"My, my, chivalry lives," Setsuna commented as her hand was released.

"Of course, I'm living proof of that," he responded with a slight bow. "Now may I escort you to the location of your dear daughter?"

Hito ha dare moumaretaimi o sagahitetoki o samayou no

wasurenai de futatsu no tsukigakasanari au toki o…

"Why thank you for your gracious offer, but I believe I am capable of reaching a swing set on my own. However, you may come and join us." Because he was a humorous person, the oranged haired officer couldn't help but act as if he was contemplating her offer seriously. As predicted by Setsuna, he decided to take her up on her offer and followed the engineer to the spot her daughter held captive.

Ah kimi ha kaze no nakaaozametarakuen o tokihanashi

kimi ha miokuruyokegarenakianohibi no omoide o

amaidokunisasoware

atsuitsumi o okashite

toki no ameniutaretekimi ha mezameru

Hotaru looked up in curiosity at the man standing by her mother's side. In normal situations, she would be scared of the man, but she wasn't afraid since her mother was there. However, that didn't mean she wouldn't be nervous when the man knelt down in front of her. "And who might you be, young lady," he asked. Hotaru looked at her mother for permission to answer the man's question and was given a reassuring smile.

"Hotaru," she told him proudly, "and this is my mama!" Hotaru got up from her swing and took a firm grasp of her mother's leg. Heine couldn't figure out if the little girl was bragging or being protective of her territory, but she looked cute either way.

"And a beautiful mother at that," Heine commented loud enough for Setsuna to hear. He noticed a small red streak forming across the engineer's face and chuckled. She became a bit flustered at his little prank and made her feelings known with a light kick to his side. "You are a very lucky little girl," he complemented as he patted the young child on the head.

kindan no PENSE

aisuruimi o sagashitedaremokizutsuku no

namae mo nakidatenshitachiyo

inoru you niodore

unmei no PENSE

namida no naka de kimi ha umarekawaru

kittoai o dakishimetsuyokunareru

With introductions and all done, Heine watched Setsuna and Hotaru play on the swings. It took him a while to think about it, but this was the same person he stopped from killing herself, just with a whole new outlook on life. He did not go uncompensated for his deeds, because the ZAFT ace was now given a new reason to fight the raging war with all of his strength. He vowed to protect the P.L.A.N.T.s with his life and now he found another precious gift to protect. "Snap out of it Heine, you're a soldier so you don't have time for a relationship," he told himself as he brushed his bangs out of his eyes. In that instant, he caught the silhouette or a person lurking in the darkness and started preparing for the worst.

Unfortunately for Heine, his first assumption was correct. The person was there to kill Setsuna, something he would not allow. As soon as he saw the glimmer from the gun barrel, he made a mad dash for the two women. "Get down," he shouted seconds before tackling them out of the line of fire. As his military training kicked in, the ZAFT lieutenant found himself drawing his own firearm and killing the attacker. He wanted to breath a sigh of relief, but there was a problem with that, the gunman wasn't working alone. As the other assassins joined in the firefight, Heine was forced onto his stomach, from which he crawled to Setsuna and her crying daughter. "Are you injured?" When she told him she was fine, he was able to calm down a bit. At least not everything was going wrong. "I want you to take Hotaru and run east. After two blocks, you'll come to a silver car. I want you to take it and drive as far away from here as you can. Is that understood?" She nodded and made it clear to Heine that she too was scared to death. "Don't stop, don't look back, and don't do anything to put you or Hotaru in danger. Is that clear?" His firm glaze met her trembling eyes, solidifying the fact that she was in this predicament and that lives depended on her. "On my mark, you need to run like the devil… Ready….go!"

Ah kimi ha yume no nakataikutsunashiawasenitsukare hate

kimi ha tanoshimuyozeitakunakanashimi no uragiri o

As a rush of adrenaline overcame her entire body, Setsuna held Hotaru tightly against her chest as she ran as fast as she could. However, not even a coordinator could outrun a bullet. Fortunately for her, Heine was quick on his feet and managed to force one bullet off track by letting it graze his upper leg and take another one dead in the shoulder. His yelps of pain made Setsuna want to stop and go back to him, but she realized that she'd just compromise his entire mission, so she kept running."Please stay alive Heine," she mumbled.

hoshi no kakeraatsumete

akaihana o chirashite

munenitoge o umetekimi ha hohoemu

The ZAFT red coat found himself in a bind since he was outnumbered and injured. He managed to get one of the assailants in range, but when he pulled the trigger, there was only a clicking sound. "Damn," he cursed as he whipped around a telephone pole for cover. Heine quickly searched his pockets for extra clips, but he found none. "Just fucking great," he complained as he tried to figure out a way to reach his last resort. In the chaos of the firefight, he came to a decision that was highly unprofessional and stupid. "What do I have to lose," he yelled as he flung the pistol towards one of the attackers and hit him dead on. Sadly, but fortunately for Heine at the moment, the impact from the flying gun caused the enemy gunman to lose control of his rifle and shoot his comrade. Since he was usually not one to pass up opportunity, Heine took the slight advantage he was given to take out the other assailant. With little, make that no, resistance at all, he commandeered the enemies' weapons as well as their identification cards. "Damnit, how did Blue Cosmos get hold of this information so quickly?" That was an issue that would need solving, but later.

seijuku no PENSE

umaretaimi o sagashitedaremotabidatsu no

namae mo nakidatenshitachiyo

inoru you ninemure

unmei no PENSE

harukanamichi o kimiarukidaseru

daremoshiranaimiraitsukuru

Setsuna found herself cornered by one her assassins with no means of escape. She was starting to give up hope and just waited for the gun shot. Instead, she heard the man screaming, soon drowned out by the sound of jet boosters. When she opened her eyes, she saw the leg of a ZGMF-1017 GINN standing between her and her would-be killer. "Drop your weapon and surrender peacefully," said Heine through the speakers as he aimed the GINN's MMI-M8A3 76mm heavy assault machine gun at the man.

"For the preservation of our blue and pure world," screamed the man as he pressed a button on his chest. He detonated hoping to take out Setsuna and Hotaru with him. However, this was something Heine would not allow and ended up using his mobile suit to shield the women from the blast. When the smoke cleared, Heine felt great relief at seeing the engineer and her daughter were uninjured. He exited his cockpit and slid down the cable to the ground. "Glad to see you're alright," he said while removing his helmet.

"Yes, we're alright," responded Setsuna as she stroked her sleeping daughter's hair, "thanks to you, my knight in shining armor."

kindan no PENSE

aisuruimi o sagashitedaremokizutsuku no

namae mo nakidatenshitachiyo

inoru you niodore

unmei no PENSE

namida no naka de kimi ha umarekawaru

kittoai o dakishimetsuyokunareru…

"No, to be honest, shiny isn't my style," said Heine with a small chuckle. "I prefer being the knight in orange armor."