Lockon Stratos
The past two weeks seemed like nothing more than a crazy dream, and Neil was certain he would wake up any minute. He'd been certain he'd wake up any minute for the past few days. Everything was just...just too surreal. Just a few weeks ago, he'd been living in a dank little apartment, and now he was sitting on the balcony of a mansion, in the middle of a private island, waiting for a ship to whisk him off into space.
When Neil had first joined Celestial Being, he was just a clumsy, barely-adult with good aim and a thirst for vengeance. Over the course of 4 years, he matured quite a bit into a cool-headed marksman with real ideals, and the drive to achieve them. At least, that's what he liked to think. But in all his years as a member of Celestial Being, never did he imagine he'd end up here, in this moment.
It all started two weeks ago.
He headed to his family's grave for what was expected to be a routine rendezvous. As the agent approached him, Neil mentally prepared himself for his next victim. In all honesty, Neil hated being a hitman, but if it was to change the world, then he'd just have to face his sins at a later date. However, instead of receiving the file of a stranger, he received his own. Perplexed, he looked over at the cloaked man.
"Your name is now Lockon Stratos. You've been chosen to be a Gundam Meister of Celestial Being."
And just like that, he was gone, leaving behind a stunned and thoughtful Neil Dylandy...no, that's not right. Leaving behind an honored Lockon Stratos, standing by a family grave that was not his own anymore.
And now that same Lockon Stratos stretched out lazily on his balcony, watching the sun sink into the ocean. If only the rest of the world were this peaceful...but he knew far better than most that even a refuge could become a war zone in the blink of an eye. And that's why, even in this oasis, his hands twitched with a restlessness and a drive to fight.
There was an unfaltering buzz of excitement throughout the Ptolemaios as it approached the Earth. Not only were they about to set foot on land for the first time in nearly half a year, but they were going to get a new Gundam Meister as well. Christina squirmed in her seat; Lichty wouldn't shut up; Lasse was putting up with it better than usual; Feldt had a trace of a smile at all times; and Sumeragi celebrated by depleting her remaining alcohol supply. The only one unaffected by this momentous occasion was Mr. Killjoy himself, Tieria Erde. He just sat by one of the monitors, cool and disinterested, radiating his usual "don't talk to me" aura. And they had no problems whatsoever in complying.
"Beginning atmospheric entry sequence!" Christina chirped, much higher than usual.
"Adjusting to relative velocity of Earth's rotation." Feldt sounded more chipper as well. This was the first time Ptolemy would be entering the Earth's atmosphere outside of simulations. Everyone was just a little (okay a lot) anxious to see if it was successful, or if they'd be burned to a crisp like a wonton piece of debris.
"Commencing forward particle dispersal..."
There was quite a bit of turbulence, and suddenly Sumeragi wished she weren't so buzzed. Or she wished she were more drunk. At this point, anything was better. After a few more agonizing minutes of turbulence and adjustments, the ship smoothed out and everyone breathed a sigh of relief as they broke through the first clouds of Earth's troposphere.
"Stable airspace has been reached!" Christina cried out in relief and excitement.
"Now accelerating to coordinates. Activating outer camouflage." And with that, they were on their way to Wang Liu Mei's private island. With a small 'hmph', Tieria gracefully stood and and briskly walked out of the control room.
"We have got to do something about his attitude." Sumeragi grumbled once the doors slid closed.
"If we're lucky, maybe the new Meister will be able to bring some life into that dull guy." Lichty commented, chuckling lightly.
"Don't get your hopes up. It's more probable that we'll get someone that's even more of a hardass than Tieria." Lasse had succeeded in killing the mood completely.
"C-come on Lasse. Don't make a joke that isn't funny..." Christina attempted to clear the air.
"I'm not trying to be funny. I'm being realistic."
"And why wouldn't someone nice be a realistic Meister?"
"Have you met Tieria?"
"Yeah, but that doesn't mean-"
"Hey, if you kids would stop fighting, you'd see that we're already here." Sumeragi interjected as an island came into view. Everyone immediately went back to their controls, preparing the ship for landing and all that good stuff. All the while, Sumeragi became lost in her thoughts.
Although she tried really hard to ignore it, Lasse's prediction of a second Tieria distressed her to no end. Sure, the boy was a good pilot and had the uncanny ability to follow Veda's orders with near perfection...but he lacked an essential something. How could she put it? He lacked a feeling of...humanity. It wasn't so much his arrogance or his calculating gaze or even his blatant disregard for others. Somehow it felt as if those traits would have been more acceptable if they had some sort of human drive behind it. Yet as it stood, Tieria Erde was all those, yet so alien and incomprehensible at the same time. No matter how hard they all tried, there was just no breaching the steel wall between the crew and Tieria's heart. If he even has one that is...
She was snapped out of her troubling reverie at the sound of Christina's piercing announcement.
"Ptolemy has successfully landed and is beginning unloading sequence. Everyone...it's time to go!" And with that, the brunette dashed out of the control room, eager to set foot on Earth once more. Sumeragi smiled gently and sighed.
"Alright, let's shut down the main systems, disperse camouflage, and finally get the hell off this ship."
"Yes ma'am." Lichty responded, laughing lightly with Lasse. Taking one last look at the monitor before it shut down, Sumeragi could make out three figures existing the mansion in the distance. She prayed silently that everything worked out for the best. And with that, they all proceeded to exit the room and step into their first rays of sun.
Tieria Erde had only ever known space. He'd been created there, lived there, learned there. And now he was expected to leave it behind. Such a notion was in no way absurd; humans needed ground time for their mental and physical well being. It was also a necessary maneuver as determined by Veda. What was absurd was Tieria's anxiety over something so menial. Yes, he was entering a realm he'd never experienced; a fear that was understandable and easily overcome. But no matter how he rationalized it on countless levels, there was one deep rooted area that he couldn't seem to reach.
Swallowing his terror, he proceeded with his day as usual. As they approached the Earth, he fastened himself to an empty seat right in the control room. He was going to face this fear head on, by getting a front row view of the Earth he dreaded so much. Even as the room trembled with turbulence, as it filled with raised voices of alerts and commands, Tieria kept his gaze steady, straight through the particles and lights, ready to stare down the lands below.
Suddenly, the ship smoothed out, bursting through white vapor. Clouds...we're in the troposphere. Out of the dense water vapor, Tieria was suddenly blinded by a light much different than that filtered in space. As his vision returned, he began to make out and identify many earthly landmarks. An ocean. The sky. More clouds. Tiny clumps of land. Islands...we'll be landing on one of them. He thought wistfully as he gazed at the world around him. It was...overwhelming. He felt a cramping in his chest more foreign than the anxiety he experienced earlier, but could feel it was of a similar root. Panic. I'm panicking. He realized this suddenly, just soon enough to react before he showed outward signs. With a small 'hmph', mainly made to choke a small whimper resting in his throat, Tieria quickly stood and made his way hastily out of the room and to his only place of solace.
Inside Veda, nothing could hurt him. Nothing could touch him. Nothing could hear him, see him. Inside Veda, he simply was.
The crew of Ptolemy slowly trickled out onto the sandy beach. Christina had been the first one out, basking in the sun the entire time. The last to exit the ship, of course, was none other than Tieria Erde. It's not like there was any rush per se; the three strangers were still a small ways off. But still, one couldn't feel that he exited last in a dramatic fashion. But 'dramatic' implied intense emotions, none of which could be associated to the violet young man. As if coming out last wasn't enough, Tieria wouldn't even completely leave the ship, instead opting to lean against the doorway at the end of the ramp.
However, one didn't dwell too long on their frustration towards Tieria, as the trio of new faces were soon within greeting range. Leading the group was a petite girl, the same one in that starred in the video message. Behind her were two young men, either of which could easily be the new Gundam Meister. Everyone mentally crossed their fingers, praying it wasn't the rather serious Asian man, whose looks just begged to be labeled as Tieria 2.0.
"Good afternoon everyone. I am Wang Liu Mei, although you all probably knew that by now. It's a great pleasure to finally meet you all." Even more stunning in person, the young girl bowed slightly after her introduction, which prompted a return from the rest of the crew.
"The pleasure is all ours, Miss Wang. I am Sumeragi Lee Noriega, tactical forecaster of Celestial Being."
"Oh please, just call me Liu Mei. I'm sure you all are exhausted. We can continue introductions inside over some light refreshments. But first, let me just acquaint you with my two companions. I can tell from your faces that you're dying to know." She giggled as a few members fidgeted from embarrassment, some even blushing lightly.
"This here", she gestured to the dark haired Tieria 2.0 on her right, "is my partner in crime, Hong Long. Anything you need during your stay can be requested through him should I be unavailable." Everyone resisted the urge to sigh in relief.
"And this here", she began as the brunette man stepped forward, "is in fact your new Gundam Meister." Taking that as a cue, the young man unleashed a dazzling smile, green eyes sparkling in the light.
"My codename is Lockon Stratos, the man who can shoot from beyond the stratosphere. I'll admit it's kinda cheesy, but hey, it's a title I'll definitely live up to. Nice to finally meet everyone!" He radiated an energy that managed to put everyone at ease, and things weren't so formal from then on. The group began their stroll back to the residence, Lockon engaging various people in casual small talk. Sumeragi was relieved to know this man would be their new comrade; God knows they needed a relaxant onboard before someone lost their sanity.
"What I'm most excited about is the surprising number of beautiful young women in the crew!" Lockon announced to no one, yet everyone in particular. Christina laughed, Feldt blushed, and Sumeragi rolled her eyes.
"Don't tell me we'll have to deal with a womanizer on the ship from now on." Sumeragi retorted. Lockon chuckled.
"I promise to be on my best behavior ma'am!" He joked, right hand raised in mock-oath. "By the way, " he added glancing back, "who's that all the way in the back?" Lockon asked slowing his pace a bit.
Sumeragi looked back, already knowing who he meant. Tieria trailed behind the group, arms crossed, eyes focused somewhere in the distance. She sighed a little, following Lockon's lead of slowing down to let Tieria catch up. Lockon looked over at her curiously, noticing her slight drop in mood. She smiled apologetically, almost laughing at his confused expression.
"This right here is none other than Tieria Erde. Your fellow Gundam Meister." Sumeragi announced as they finally matched pace with the prima donna young man. Aware of their presence, his garnet eyes glared cooly over the rim of his classes, focusing first on Sumeragi then Lockon.
"Tieria Erde you say." Lockon smiled amiably at his glaring teammate. Sumeragi was about to begin feeling pity for Lockon, until he did something beyond her wildest imagination. He stepped in front of Tieria, causing both to stop, which in turn caused everyone to stop and watch. Taking one of the younger's hands in his, Lockon smiled charmingly,
"Tieria. A beautiful name for a beautiful lady. I look forward to working with-" Before he could finish his sentence, Tieria had swiped his hand free and proceeded to slap Lockon across the face, hard, his usual cool composure slightly huffed and obviously embarrassed.
"For future reference, I am in fact male. Don't. Touch. Me. Ever. Again." And with that, Tieria strode swiftly away, leaving Lockon to look after in confusion and shock. Before anyone could make a move to lighten the atmosphere, Lockon doubled over in a fit of hearty laughter.
"Wooh! Did NOT see that one coming. Guess I just made a complete ass of myself." He breathed out between his continuous laughing. It was highly contagious. Before they knew it, everyone was either chuckling gently or smiling. Everyone excluding Tieria of course, who just scoffed and began deviating away from the crowd. Lockon ran after him.
"Oy! Tieria, sorry about that! Really, don't run away!" Tieria only sped up his already brisk pace.
"Lockon Stratos, don't you dare come near me." He growled. He just laughed more at the threat.
"Hey now, that's not very nice- oy, hey! Come back!"
"Go AWAY."
Sumeragi watched on in amusement, before walking to the front of the astonished group, motioning for everyone to continue.
"This is going to be fun..."
A/N: Here's where it finally starts getting fun. Yes, I am taking extreme liberties in regards to back stories. Besides the whole terrorist thing, we don't really know much about Neil, and after trolling around enough forums and somewhat cannon sources, this is the most usable of theories to me.
See a grammar mistake? Lemme know! Think someone's character is getting a little outta hand?...well too bad. (jk, holla at me and I'll look it over!)
Shout out to StormyMonday, for not giving up on me and welcoming me back after all these long months xD