Gundam SEED: Knights of Summer

By:

Mystwalker

A/N: So, did anyone happen to spot the Game of Thrones reference in the title? Also, apologies for the weird names. I like to be a little sensible in naming characters, but I also like trying to match the style of the source series. And since this is a Gundam series, well…

Mitsuko's personality may be slightly influenced by having the song Caffeine from the RWBY soundtrack being played way too loud while writing this. I regret nothing.

This chapter turned out kind of long. Consider it making up for how short last chapter was. I don't know if I can promise this length for every chapter, but I'm going to try to show about as much stuff as an episode might show in a 'Phase', maybe a little less.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam SEED.

Phase 02: Beneath the Open Sky

April 2, 98 CE

Neutral Space

Space floated outside of her shuttle's window, a vast emptiness populated by a few scattered pinpricks of stars. Mitsuko sat alone in a private compartment on the shuttle, absently fiddling with the thin plastic tablet in her hand. She tapped at the screen with a stylus, scrolling through her social media feed, but her heart wasn't really into it. Her mind was still going back to her conversation with her father, to the awkward family dinner that followed and her hurried departure to get to the shuttle.

The fact of the matter was, Kira Yamato had never approved of her going into the military.

Mitsuko worried her lower lip with her teeth, absentmindedly liking a picture Jasper had posted up of a pair of farm dogs. The caption "Look who's excited to see me! I'm going to miss these guys after graduation." went almost unnoticed.

She understood his concerns, or at least, she assumed she did. He'd been in two of the Bloody Valentine Wars, and although he didn't talk about those days much, she knew they weren't pleasant. She couldn't blame him for having a few nightmares, nor could she blame him for worrying about her. But, the fact of the matter was, she wasn't weak. She was a fantastic pilot, and she had top marks in almost all her other classes. She wasn't the sort of person he had to worry about.

There hadn't been a real war in over twenty years anyway.

She let out a sigh, slumping down in her seat and tucking a strand of pink hair behind her ear. It was tied back in a half-ponytail today, hanging mostly loose down past her shoulders. It would be warm in Orb, so she had dressed appropriately, in a pair of shorts and ruffled white top. She had packed warmer clothes for her trip to Scandinavia, where it was still early spring.

Across from her, White perked up at the movement, the lights in its eyes blinking as it hovered in the air.

"Sad," it said. "Very sad."

"I'm not sad, White," said Mitsuko, looking over her screen at the Haro. The picture she had stopped on—one of Valien spread out on a blanket in the Academy's main hall with a come hither look in his eye and the caption "Spring break, and alone as always. Ladies?"—looked back at her. "I'm just…" She exhaled. "…frustrated."

She had started to think that her father understood, that he wasn't happy with it, but that he had come to terms with the fact that this was what she wanted to do. She didn't have the same political aptitude that her mother did, she couldn't sing, she didn't have much of a public presence. She didn't have enough technical know-how to be an engineer. But she could fly and she was good at it. She thought he had accepted that, and then he had to go pull something like this.

She scrolled past the picture of Valien, replying with a half-hearted "Idiot, take this down before the disciplinary board sees it.", and thought about what it would mean to get posted on the Steadfast. It was ZAFT's flagship and to anyone else it might have been the dream assignment, but to her it was the death knell of her career. Everyone would know why she was there, would know that she was essentially being babysat. Her own piloting skills wouldn't matter. All they'd see of her would be the girl whose father had pulled strings because she wanted to play at being a soldier. Did her father know that? Would he even let her be a pilot, or would she be confined to the bridge?

Studying coordinates and ship functions and communications all day while other people got to do the exciting stuff. She thought it would drive her insane.

She rolled her eyes, clicking past a video of dancing cats—why was she still friends with that girl?—and stopped at an article someone posted about a new type of engine that could halve the travel time to Mars. She glanced at the name and picture next to the article. A blue haired girl, identified only as Mae Z A. Mitsuko's stylus hovered over the article.

Her handheld buzzed as a message came in. She paused, hesitating for a moment, before tapping on the message icon.

It was a link to a news article on recent unrest in Eurasia. The tablet chimed as another message appeared below it. Renner's profile picture was him staring at something off-screen in the lower right, a pose she had dubbed the official profile picture of every 'intense' teenage boy ever.

"Saw this today." the message read. "Aren't you heading over there somewhere?"

Mitsuko felt a smile tug at her lips in spite of herself, and tapped out a reply.

"Worried?" she asked. "That's cute, Ren."

The '…' that indicated him typing stayed at the lower left of her screen for what felt like an inordinate amount of time before the message actually came through.

"It would be boring if I placed first in the exams without any competition."

"Well, you don't have to worry about that," Mitsuko replied, bringing the tablet closer to her face. "I'm going to Scandinavia, not Eurasia. Earth's a big place, spacey."

The '…' appeared just long enough to get her hopes up, disappeared, and appeared again. Mitsuko stared at the screen, feeling an odd mixture of impatience and irritation as she waited for Renner to get his act together.

"You're on the shuttle now?" was what he finally said.

Nice change of subject, Ren…she thought, glancing out the window even as she typed out her response. "Yeah. Should be in Orb in a couple of hours."

"Must be nice."

"Jealous?" she asked. "You'll be sick of this view before you know it."

The elusive '…' appeared, disappeared again. Mitsuko waited for a few moments before her impatience got the better of her and she typed out a message. "You home?"

This time, Renner replied almost instantly. Unfortunately, the message was also short. "Yeah."

"How is it?" she asked.

A pause, and then two messages in a row. "Quiet. It's just me."

She smiled in sympathy, thinking back to last night. "Council's in session, dude. My mom didn't get home until like midnight."

The '…'s appeared again, this time staying on until the message itself. "Mom thinks we should just move to Aprillius, at this rate."

"Your mom's still on duty?" asked Mitsuko.

"Yeah, till the end of the week."

Mitsuko smiled, typing out her next message faster. "Your mom's awesome. She got to keep the kid and the kickass military career."

She could practically hear Renner's wry humor in his response. "There's a reason I'm an only child, you know."

"Trust me," Mitsuko said. "You're not missing anything."

"I know. I've heard you complain enough."

"If you think I complain, you should hear my sis—."

The door to her compartment hissed open, stopping her before she could finish typing out the message. A smiling woman in a flight attendant's outfit peered into the room. "We'll be beginning atmospheric entry soon, Miss," she said. "Please shut off all communication devices."

"Shut off," White echoed, still hovering in the air. "Shut off."

Mitsuko frowned down at her pad, feeling a twinge of disappointment. She sighed, deleting what she had typed out.

"I have to go," she said instead. "We're about to start entry."

"…" again. The symbols hovered there for a while, before vanishing. She imagined Renner deleting whatever it was he'd been about to say.

"K."

She typed out "Talk to you later?" then deleted it, hating how clingy it sounded. Mitsuko exhaled, shutting off the news feed. The tablet's plastic screen rolled up, becoming a narrow metal device only slightly wider than a pen. She placed the stylus into the slot for it, tucking the whole thing back into her purse. Mitsuko settled back into her chair, tugging sullenly at her straps as she secured them for entry.

"Renner?" White chirped from across her. "Miss Renner?"

Mitsuko narrowed her eyes, not sure if the Haro was teasing her or not.

"Don't give me that," she said.

Joule Residence, Martius Three

Renner lowered his handheld to his side as Mitsuko went offline, staring up at the ceiling of his bedroom. All around him, the house was quiet. It was a silence he had grown up with, but it felt oppressive now. His eyes passed over the familiar large room, landing on the scale model of the Eternal he'd assembled as a child, on the poster for a band he wasn't interested in anymore. He'd been gone long enough that his room didn't really feel like his room now.

He exhaled, then held his handheld up over his head again, reading through his conversation with Mitsuko. Renner frowned, not liking how disinterested he sounded. He closed the tab, idly looking over his friends list.

Jasper was offline. The benefit for having ordinary farmers for parents, he supposed, was that he could actually see them. Valien was online, and Renner's thumb hovered over his friend's image for a moment before he lowered the handheld back to the bed, sitting up. He could find something better to do than commiserate with Valien about how alone they were.

He wondered if she thought it was weird that he had sent her a message out of the blue.

Renner shook his head, putting the thought from his mind and deactivating his handheld. He got to his feet as the device folded back into itself, running a hand through his hair. His eyes moved to the wall panel by the window, taking note of the weather schedule. No rain scheduled for today. It would be a good day for a walk.

He left the house, stepping out into the artificial sunshine.

Martius Three's temperature was kept at a balmy 22 degrees C, the perfect representation of a temperate spring. For the majority of PLANT colonies, the seasons were an affectation, and a mild, comfortable one at that. It was really only a handful of the agricultural regions of Junius City where the seasons were a requirement and then only for the benefit of the plants that grew there. He thought about Mitsuko down in Earth, where the weather could change at the drop of a hat, where unpredictability was the norm and couldn't help but feel a little bit jealous.

What would it be like, he wondered, so many people underneath the same sky, breathing the same air, being able to drive for miles without ever reaching a boundary or a wall? What was it like to see the ocean? His own experience with Earth was limited to two weeks doing atmospheric flight training in Australia, and he didn't remember much of that experience except that the outback was boring and hot and there were a surprising number of things that wanted to kill him.

All things considered, he thought he would rather live in the PLANTs. But it was an interesting thought.

He stopped at a vending machine and picked up a soda, then started the circuit of his old haunts. The tech shop in the colony's shopping district—no, the parts he had requested the last time he was on leave still hadn't come in—the bookstore, the hobby shop that sold a variety of scale modes. He had almost bought an assembly kit for one of the historical mobile suits before remembering that he would hardly have the time to assemble it in the next few months. He was just about to walk into the music store when someone came to a stop in front of him.

"Renner?" the boy asked, making him look up. "Renner Joule?"

Renner frowned, studying the newcomer. Dark hair, gray eyes, a face that nagged at his memory. From his primary school, he thought, the son of some scientist or another. His mind supplied the name just as his mouth opened, saving him from embarrassment.

"It's…Xue, right?" he asked. "Xue Ivanov?"

A hint of a smile appeared on the other boy's face. "I'm surprised you remember me," he said.

"It hasn't been that long," said Renner, even though it felt like a lifetime ago.

He'd gone to primary school on Aprillius, some sort of private school that had probably cost an arm and a leg. It worked out both ways for his father—he got to have an education surrounded by the children of quality and his parents didn't need to worry about how seldom they were home. He studied Xue, trying to remember what else he knew about the other boy, before he remembered that they were standing in the middle of a walkway on a crowded day and people were shooting them looks.

"Do you want to grab something to eat?" he asked, gesturing at the food court.

Orb Spaceport, Onogoro Island

Mitsuko ran across the tarmac as soon as the shuttle's doors opened, rushing towards the couple that stood underneath an awning to meet her.

"Grandma! Grandpa!" she yelled, leaping into an embrace. Her grandparents spread their arms wide to catch her and her grandfather laughed, her grandmother tightening her grip.

"You look more grown-up every time I see you," said Caridad Yamato, smiling at her as the three of them disentangled from the hug. "How are you? How are your siblings?"

"Azami's off at her fancy school learning politics and talking about art, and Sieg's as annoying as ever," said Mitsuko, grinning. "So nothing really changed there. I'm doing fine. I'm about to graduate top of my class."

"That's great to hear," said her grandmother. "We're so proud of you."

"How's your father doing, Mitsuko?" asked her grandfather, a hand on her shoulder.

Her smile faltered, thinking back to her conversation with Kira yesterday afternoon. "Fine," she said, looking away and hoping her grandparents didn't notice. "Busy as always. He and Mom are all over the place these days."

Her grandfather chuckled. "We know. We keep tabs on the news," he said. "Kira still looks uncomfortable in front of the press."

"He never really was much of a public speaker," Mitsuko agreed. There was a reason why Yzak had been the one promoted to National Defense Chair while her father got to keep piloting ships. Councilman Joule might be a famous hothead, but he could manage to give a press conference without looking like he thought the cameras were about to eat him.

She found herself smiling at the thought and quickly chased it off because she was supposed to be angry at her father.

"Where's Kei?" she asked, changing the subject. "Wasn't he supposed to come down here too?"

"Kei's in a few meetings and won't be free until later today," said her grandmother. "You can come stay at our house until then if you want, or you can go ahead to the palace. Your aunt and uncle won't be there though. Cagalli's in meetings all day, and Athrun's overseeing something at the docks."

She thought about it. Heading to the palace by herself to be fussed over by servants while she waited for someone to get back sounded like the most boring thing she could possibly do. On the other hand, if she stayed with her grandparents, sooner or later her argument with her father was going to come up, and she didn't want to drag them into that. She frowned, about to make a decision when White rolled up beside her, bumping into her ankle. She glanced down at the Haro and a thought occurred to her, a smile coming onto her face.

"Actually," she said. "Is Mae busy? It would be cool to see what she's working on these days."

Shopping Center Food Court, Martius Three

"I heard you went into the Academy," Xue said, as they took a seat at a table over burgers and fries. "We were talking about that a little while ago."

Renner picked up a fry, half-heartedly dipping it in ketchup and taking a bite. "Was anyone actually surprised?" he asked.

Xue gave him another half-smile, unwrapping his own burger. "No, not really," he said. "We all sort of expected you'd follow in your parents' footsteps. Graduation is soon, isn't it?"

He nodded, even though that wasn't something he particularly wanted to think about. "Final examinations are in a few weeks."

"Nervous?" Xue asked, taking a bite.

"Not particularly." It was the truth. He put on a show for Mitsuko because he knew she enjoyed it, but he wasn't particularly concerned with whether he was first or second place.

"Are you in the pilot program?" Xue asked.

"Of course," he said, with the hint of a smile. "Could you really see me being crew?"

"I could see you driving yourself insane," said Xue, squirting a glob of ketchup onto his tray.

Renner unwrapped his own burger, taking a bite. "What about you?" he asked. "What brings you to Martius Three?"

"I'm working with technology," said Xue.

"The tech college?"

"You could say that." There it was, that little half-smile again. Renner got the disconcerting feeling that he was being made fun of. It wasn't a feeling that he liked. He felt an undercurrent of irritation run through him but suppressed it, taking another bite. "So, the next time I see you, you'll be a redcoat, huh?" Xue asked before he could finish.

Renner swallowed. "That's the plan," he said.

"Do you know where you'll be assigned yet?"

He shook his head. "Not until after the exams. Wherever there's space, I guess."

"You think you'll be shipbound?" asked Xue.

Renner shrugged. "I'm a pilot, aren't I?" he said. "I wouldn't really be that much use on a base."

"True," said Xue, taking a sip of his drink. "I guess there are more opportunities for pilots in space. At least you'll have pirates to fight."

"We do more than fight pirates," said Renner, frowning. "We police ZAFT space."

"Sorry," said Xue, raising a hand. That half-smile was back again. "I didn't mean to offend."

With almost perfect timing, the watch on his wrist started to beep, the screen flashing blue. Xue glanced down at it, tapping a button to make it stop. "I have to go," he said, picking up his food. "I have to meet someone at the college. It was nice seeing you."

"Yeah," said Renner, though he wasn't sure how much he meant it. "Nice catching up."

"Congratulations, by the way," said Xue, as he turned away.

Renner blinked, confused. "On what?" he asked.

"Your father's promotion." Xue smiled. "It was on the news. You must be proud."

"Oh, that. Thanks."

Xue turned, walking away, and Renner stared down at his tray, feeling more unsettled than he had before.

Morgenroete Incorporated, Onogoro Island

"I'm so glad you stopped by," said Maemi, hugging her. "I didn't think I was going to get to see you until dinner."

"Maemi!" White chirped, bouncing around them. "It's Maemi!"

"Ah, well, you know," said Mitsuko, pulling back from the hug and giving her cousin and embarrassed smile. "Thought I'd drop in, see what you were up to."

Maemi frowned at her, a knowing look in her brown eyes. She was dressed in a dark-colored blouse and skirt, a lab coat hanging off her shoulders. Her deep blue hair was longer than it had been the last time she had seen it, falling down to the small of her back. A Morgenroete ID card was clipped to her lab coat's collar, proclaiming her an apprentice technician.

Those eyes made Mitsuko feel slightly uncomfortable. It was always a safe bet that Maemi Zala Athha knew more about a situation than she let on. But instead of asking Mitsuko about it, her eyes moved to Caridad and Haruma Yamato, standing behind her.

"Is it okay if I take Mitsuko on a tour, Aunt Cari?" she asked. "I haven't seen her since I started working here."

"Of course," said Caridad, smiling. "You girls have fun."

"We'll see you at dinner, Mitsuko," said her grandfather, smiling at her.

Mitsuko smiled back, letting Maemi lead her away. They passed through a set of doors that Maemi opened with a swipe of her ID, the doors hissing closed behind them.

"I owe you one," said Mitsuko, falling into step beside her cousin.

"Tell me all about it later," said Maemi, leading her around a corridor.

All around them, Morgenroete was a hive of activity, engineers and technicians moving back and forth. Maemi kept them moving at a fast enough pace that she couldn't stop to stare, which she realized might have been intentional. They were family, but Mitsuko was still about to become ZAFT Military, and the Treaty of Junius still held that Orb couldn't share military technology with any other nation.

Which was a shame, because there were probably enough advancements buried here to make ZAFT's engineers foam at the mouth.

"Is it always this busy?" she asked, following Maemi through another set of doors. She snatched White out of the air, tucking the Haro back into her purse before any of the passing engineers could accuse her of making a recording.

"We have a test run scheduled for later today," Maemi said. "We've been working on the prototypes for a while, so everyone's a little on edge about it. Let me show you what I've been working on first though, I think you'll like it."

"What is it?" asked Mitsuko.

Maemi's secret smile was answer enough. She followed her cousin into a garage and along a narrow catwalk, fighting back the urge to bug her with questions. The girl came to a stop somewhere near the center of the walk, flicking a switch and turning on the lights. Mitsuko's breath caught in her throat.

It was a mobile suit, standing inactive in the huge hangar. The catwalk was level with its torso, and even though it was still gray, she could catch hints of blue-black paint on its surface. She caught sight of the words ORB-03 engraved on the mobile suit's head. The engraving looked fresh. Wires and cords hung from it, hooked up to various instruments around the garage, and it seemed to be missing some of the armor on its left leg.

"Is that a Gundam?" Mitsuko asked, her eyes wide.

"It will be," said Maemi, "If we can ever get the Phase Shift armor to work."

"Variable phase shift?" asked Mitsuko, leaning in for a closer look.

"Not quite," said Maemi. "But close."

"Is it black?" asked Mitsuko, squinting at the paint.

"For a reason."

She leaned forward, dragging her fingers across the nearest metal plating. The outside felt slippery to her, an oily sheen that didn't quite cling to her fingers. Mitsuko frowned. "Mirage Colloid and all its derivations are outlawed under the Treaty of Junius."

"It's not Mirage Colloid," said Maemi, standing next to her.

"But—."

"It might be close."

Maemi rested her arms on the railing, and Mitsuko noticed that her cousin was practically glowing with pride. "That part was my idea," she said. "Whether or not it works depends on whether or not I can program it right."

"Should you be showing this to me?" asked Mitsuko. "I'm going to be ZAFT military, you know."

"It's not going to be mass-produced," said Maemi, shrugging. "It's an ORB model, which means it's built for one specific person. Besides, it's highly unlikely that the PLANTs and Orb are going to go to war in this generation."

"Well, you never know," said Mitsuko, returning Maemi's smile. "I mean, have you seen my dad argue with your mom? Scary." Something in Maemi's words came back to her, and she studied the Gundam again. A mobile suit made for one specific person…

"So this is going to be Kei's personal mobile suit?" she asked.

"That's the plan," said Maemi.

Mitsuko exhaled, staring up at it. "Lucky," she said. "Kei gets all the best toys."

"That's assuming we can get it to work," said Maemi, turning her back to the machine and leaning against the railing. "Chief Simmons is optimistic, but I don't know. I've learned a lot since starting work here, but there's still a lot I don't understand."

Mitsuko's expression softened, watching her cousin. "I'm sure you can get it working," she said. "If anyone can, you can."

"Thanks, Mitsu," said Maemi, smiling. "That means a lot."

"Does it have a name yet?" asked Mitsuko, looking back at the unfinished Gundam.

"It has the name I've started calling it, but I don't think it's going to stick," said Maemi.

"Why not?"

"It's a little too dark for an Orb Prince. But it's going to be ORB-03."

"Is this what you're testing later?" asked Mitsuko, still staring at it. She couldn't bring herself to look away. Gundams were still the top of the line in mobile suit technology. What it would be like to pilot this thing someday.

"No, this is nowhere near being operational," said Maemi.

Mitsuko glanced at her. "So…" she began.

"Come on," said Maemi, taking her hand and smiling. "I'll show you."

Atlantic Federation Panama Base

"Eurasia?" asked the girl, frowning at her companion. She was dressed in the pink uniform of a lower-ranked OMNI member, her long brown hair tied back in a low ponytail. The boy she was speaking to wore the corresponding blue uniform, wiping the sweat off his forehead with one hand as he took a long drink of water with the other. His hair was a light blond, his eyes light gray.

"Yeah," he said. "We're getting shipped out later today. Apparently, they're bringing us in to help out with the situation around the Mediterranean."

"What, they can't deal with a few rebels on their own?" asked the girl, leaning against the wall.

The boy shrugged in response, his eyes moving over the crew assembled around the massive ship. The new vessel would be the pride of the Earth Alliance Navy and Space Forces, if all went well. "I guess they just wanted to take Seraph out for a test run," he said. "The new units too."

"I guess," the girl said, her smile growing uncertain as she watched the men and women around her start loading up the ship. "Man, you have all the luck for getting assigned a post on that thing."

The boy smiled, glancing at her out of the corner of his eye as he took another sip of water. "Tell me I'm lucky when I get back," he said.

"Don't even joke about that," said the girl, frowning. She leaned back against the wall, folding her arms as she continued to watch the ship. "Take care of yourself, Ral."

The boy, Raleigh Wolf, nodded, still watching the ship. He tilted his water bottle back, finishing off the last of the water.

"You too, Lee," he said, not looking back at her.

Morgenroete Incorporated, Onogoro Island

The planes stood gleaming in the sunlight, two of them, painted blue and white. They were sleek and aerodynamically designed, the emblem of the Orb Union emblazoned on their sides. Maemi drew up beside her on the runway, shielding her eyes with her hand as she looked up at them.

"The Seiryu model," she said. "It's still experimental for now, but if it moves past the testing phase, we'll start producing it for our troops."

Mitsuko let out a low whistle. She didn't have too much experience with machines built for atmospheric flight, but she could appreciate good engineering when she saw it. "You're testing this today?" she asked.

Maemi glanced at her watch. "Now, I think, assuming—." She looked up. "—ah, there he is."

Mitsuko looked as well. A blond man was walking towards them, dressed in the uniform of Orb's military. The patch on his chest gave him the rank of Lieutenant Commander. She turned towards him as he drew up to them, resting her hand on her hip.

"They promoted you?" she asked, teasingly. "What were they thinking?"

Keiran Zala Athha, Prince of Orb, glanced at her, returning her smile with one of his own. "They let you loose on Earth?" he asked. "What were they thinking?"

"Technically, I'm not loose," said Mitsuko. "Maemi keeps me very tightly controlled." She stepped back, studying her cousin, her eyes moving between Kei and Maemi. "So…"

Kei nodded. "I'm the test pilot. Well, one of them, anyway," he amended, with a glance at Maemi. "Is Finn here yet?"

"Couldn't make it," said Maemi, already tapping away at the handheld that had unfolded in her hand. "We were just going to do a solo test today. Unless…" Her eyes passed over Mitsuko, a knowing gleam in them.

Mitsuko's eyes lit up, understanding. "Unless?" she prompted, leaning closer to her cousin excitedly.

"Unless you wanted to make things a little more interesting," said Maemi.

"All systems look green on my end," said Maemi, speaking from the bottom right corner of Mitsuko's screen. She was standing inside the building in a control room, White perched over her shoulder. The Haro's ear-like appendages flapped, its lights flashing as it looked down at the screen. "Pilots, how do things look on yours?"

"Looks good," said Kei from the bottom left corner, a frown of concentration on his face as he fiddled with the controls. He was dressed in an orange and white pilot suit, the plastic seal on his helmet down. There wouldn't be any danger of an air leak in atmosphere but when flying untested planes, shrapnel or a crash was an unfortunate possibility. "Engine's heating up nicely. Thrusters are approaching peak efficiency."

"02?" asked Maemi.

"Looks good on my end," said Mitsuko, checking the screens. Her fingers flew over the controls, pulling up various windows and checking the settings. She frowned, catching something out of the corner of her eye and pulling it up. "Is this unit equipped with a guiding program?"

"The original test pilot for the Seiryu-02 was a Natural, for comparison purposes," said Maemi. "Feel free to disable the guidance program if you want. We'll do that comparison test on another day."

"Roger, disabling program," said Mitsuko, keying in the code that would transfer complete control of the plane's functions over to her. AI guidance programs might help Naturals approximate a Coordinator's performance, but to her they always felt like she was piloting with training wheels. Or training wings, in this case. "All systems green," she said.

"Understood," said Maemi, typing something on the keyboard in front of her. "01, 02, I have you both connected to the main database. Remember that this is a test run. Everything you say will be recorded, and you're encouraged to report back on things you find so that we can get a better feel for the condition of the machine."

"Got it," said Kei, placing his hands on the controls.

"Understood." Mitsuko tapped a button on the side of her helmet, lowering the pilot suit's face shield. She flexed her fingers inside of her gloves, resting them on the controls as the plane hummed beneath her.

"01, you are cleared for launch," said Maemi.

"Roger. Keiran Zala Athha, Seiryu-01, launching."

There was a roar from beside her as Kei pressed down on his controls, his plane shooting off down the runway and pulling up into the sky. He continued on an upward trajectory for a bit before leveling off, the plane's engines rotating as he hovered steadily in the air. "Thrusters look good, maneuvering looks good, energy consumption looks good, stability looks good," said Kei. "All systems still green."

"Copy that," said Maemi, tapping at her keyboard. "02, you are clear for launch."

"Got that," said Mitsuko, pushing down on the controls. "Mitsuko Yamato, Seiryu-02, launching."

She felt the familiar push of G-forces as inertia pressed her back into her seat, felt her stomach drop away beneath her as the plane shot off the earth. Electricity coursed through her blood and she couldn't help but grin, pulling the plane into a tight corkscrew as it shot upward. It leveled off beside Kei's plane and her hands flew over the controls, her heart racing as she settled into a stable hover.

"Stability looks good, maneuvering looks good," she said, exhaling as she grinned at Maemi's image. "Handles like a dream."

"Show-off," Kei teased from her screen's lower right.

"We'll begin the targeting and maneuvering portion of the test," said Maemi, pressing a button. Targets floated up from various locations on the island, hovering at a steady altitude in the sky. They looked like balloons, cords binding them to the earth. "Whenever you're ready, 01, 02." .

Mitsuko studied the placement of the targets, moving her hands to the Seiryu's targeting controls.

"What do you say we make this a little more interesting?" asked Kei from beside her, flying up so that they were hovering exactly side-by-side.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" asked Mitsuko, smiling back at her cousin.

"Loser buys lunch?" asked Kei.

"Oh, you're on," said Mitsuko. She shut off Kei's camera feed to concentrate, her hands dropping to the controls as Kei's Seiryu shot past her, its wing mounted guns rotating. The report of gunfire sounded and the first two balloons popped, their cords falling uselessly to the ground as the 01 banked, heading towards the next set of targets.

Mitsuko put on a sudden burst of speed, her Seiryu's engines letting out a keening whine as her plane passed over Kei's. She turned sharply, banking on a dime, and targeted the next pair of balloons out of the corner of her eye, shooting them both down in passing before Kei could reach them and speeding off towards the next set.

Kei rushed past her and turned suddenly, the rush of air kicked up by his Seiryu's passing buffeting her own plane and knocking it off-course. Mitsuko grit her teeth, fighting to get the plane stable, and shot at the next balloon pair. From this distance, her shot missed, and Kei's bullets tore through them, the 01 continuing along its path.

"Current score: 01-4, 02-2," said Maemi, sounding amused.

"Oh, not for long," said Mitsuko, her eyes narrowing as she stabilized her plane.

She placed both her hands on the thrusters, driving them forward and pointing the Seiryu's nose straight at Kei. His eyes widened in alarm as she shot through the air and he quickly pulled upward, the 01 gaining altitude to give her a wider margin as she flew past beneath him. She fired at the next two targets before he could recover, her shots piercing straight through them. Mitsuko didn't ease up on the controls, moving the Seiryu into an extended corkscrew. She was upside-down as she moved past the next two targets, fingers shifting from the thruster controls to manipulate the targeting reticles on her screen. Her thumbs moved to the trigger beside the controls, pressing down twice. The balloons popped as the 02 flew overhead, completing its corkscrew and flying back in a straight line.

"Are you out of your mind?" Kei asked, drawing up beside her.

"Maybe," said Mitsuko, grinning as she flew past. "It's 4-6, coz."

"No," said Kei, his eyes narrowing as his hands shifted on the controls. "It's not."

The 01 shot past her, taking out the next two targets. Mitsuko's eyes narrowed and she moved, taking out the two after that. They continued this way, neck-in-neck, until they nearly completed their circuit of the island.

Mitsuko glanced at the score Maemi had helpfully put up on her screen, her eyes narrowed as she pulled away from Kei. They were tied, 24-24. There was one last pair of balloons, hanging in the air above Morgenroete. She glanced at the plane's radar, but the 01 was still behind her. If she put on a sudden burst of speed, it wouldn't be able to catch up.

She did just that, fixing the last two balloons in her sights.

The crack of gunfire sounded, her radar warning her about two shots passing underneath her. Mitsuko's eyes widened as they moved beneath the balloons, cutting through the cords that bound them to the ground. Unfettered, the balloons started to rise, the air currents lifting them up into the atmosphere and out of the testing area.

"What now?" asked Kei, smirking as he drew up beside her.

Mitsuko grit her teeth, looking up at the balloons and gauging the distance. Before Kei could stop her, she engaged the thrusters, gaining altitude and shooting up into the air. Kei's eyes widened in alarm.

"Mitsuko!" he said, his camera feed popping up in the corner of her screen.

She shut it off, her eyes narrowing as she leaned forward. Air currents slammed against the Seiryu, and something on her console blinked a warning.

"02, you're leaving the testing area," said Maemi. "Please return to testing altitude."

Mitsuko ignored her, trying to catch the balloons in her sights. The air tugged at them, making them bounce. Her first shots missed completely.

"Mitsuko," said Maemi as she continued to climb. "We haven't tested the planes for altitude yet. Come back down."

There was a hiss of escaping air, the Seiryu's console blinking out a warning. Mitsuko spared a split second to glance at the air and pressure controls on her suit, continuing to climb. The plane shook violently with the air currents as she rose higher, the shaking throwing off her aim. Her eyes narrowed and she leaned forward, catching up to the balloons.

There was a crack from somewhere off to her left, the machine shaking as a chunk of metal siding peeled off the left wing.

"Mitsuko!" Maemi cried.

"Stabilizing flight trajectory," said Mitsuko, hands dancing across the controls. Her eyes darted from left to right as her fingers moved, almost too fast to follow. "Accounting for loss in aerodynamics. Suit life support engaged. Autopilot engaged. Shifting propulsion."

The targeting reticles danced across her screen as she lifted her hands from the controls, leaning forward.

"Manual targeting engaged."

The balloons danced in her field of vision as she placed her hands on the wing-mounted gun's controls, adjusting them. She squeezed the trigger, the sights slightly offline.

Both balloons popped as the wind carried them into the trajectory of the bullets. Maemi exhaled in relief as Mitsuko settled back into her seat, pulling the Seiryu into a gentle dive.

By the time she landed on the runway, Morgenroete's technical crew was assembled, waiting to meet her. The Seiryu's left wing was in bad shape, the metal armor pulled away to reveal the circuitry beneath. She landed gently onto the ground, mentally correcting for the pull of atmosphere as she powered the engine off. The cockpit hatch came open and she shut off her suit's life support features, her helmet coming free with a hiss as she sat up.

Mitsuko pulled the helmet off of her head, shaking her sweat-soaked hair out of her face. She took in a deep breath, climbing down from the cockpit onto the wing and landing neatly on the ground. Maemi came up to meet her with Kei beside her, both of them looking worried. The crowd muttered as she landed on the ground, expressions of disbelief and admiration passing through them. Mitsuko offered her cousin a smile.

"The wings don't seem to stand up to pressure all that well," she said. "Might want to fix that."

Kei's response was to reach out, swatting her on the back of the head with a gloved hand. "You really are insane, aren't you?" he asked.

"Ow," said Mitsuko, covering her head with both hands and ducking down. From underneath her hands, she offered her cousin a sheepish smile.

Martius Technical Institution, Martius Three

The room was dark, lit only by the glow of the computer screen. The boy shut the door behind him, making sure to lock it. He walked over to the computer, a thin card in his hand. He glanced at the room's only window, but the blinds had been closed and the curtains drawn down, preventing even a sliver of light from slipping out into the street.

He slid the card into its reader, bending down over the keyboard. The boy typed with one hand, leaning over the desk with the other. All of the mockery was gone from his expression now, his gray eyes grave as he studied the screen.

A security prompt came up, asking a voice sample. He spoke slowly, intoning the words carefully.

"Ivanov, Xue," he said. "Requesting access."

The computer's camera came to life, comparing his face with his records. Various windows popped up on the screen, colors changing from red to green. Photos started appearing, pictures of mobile suits and soldiers, of a Eurasian base.

In the background of his screen was a logo, a five-pointed star and beneath it was a single word.

Starlight.