CHAPTER TWO

ARRIVAL

My eyes were heavy from the continuous flying. I would find myself flying with my eyes half closed or with my head hanging to one side. There was not a chance of staying awake any longer. My hands got weak and let go of the controls as I reached for the compartment left of the pilot seat. My drowsy eyes reached for an orange medicine canister containing caffeine tablets. My fingers perilously searched the container for two pills that I popped in my mouth and swallowed. How long had I been advancing at this disinclined speed. I haven't slept in two days and I was about to drop dead from anxiety. My hands clenched the steel controls once more and faced forward seeing my reflection in the projector. I look like crap.

"Setsuna, we have a direct link with the Ptolemy", Tieria stated interrupting my silence.

His voice was but a mere whisper but it felt like a scream to my now sensitive ears.

"Great, patch us through", I responded soporific.

"We are… in, you should be clear"

"Ptolemy this is Setsuna F. Seiei, can you read me?"

"S…a…ou...espo…set…leas…espond…Setsuna please respond", finally Sumeragi's familiar voice came through.

"I am hear", I said half asleep.

"Setsuna after the explosion I thought you were gone"

"Okay"

"We had lost hope in your survival"

"Uhm?"

"Where are you? We could head to your location and pick you up"

"I am heading in the direction of Lagrange 3"

"Keep heading in that direction"

"I'll be there soon, Setsuna out"

My landing on the PTOLEMAIOS seemed like the longest one ever. Never had I sat in my cockpit that long just to enter the hanger bay. It took me three hours to arrive here after my last chat with Sumeragi over the intercom. My sleep deprived eyes stared at the button on the wall to open the cockpit but made no effort. I was in one of those moments where you are so sleepy, time flies faster if you are doing nothing. Raising an arm had caused enough pain, but I continued the motion pressing the button and stepping out. The entire hanger deck seemed more spacious with its newly replaced walls. A slim pink haired figure was standing by the doorway awaiting my return with red eyes and tears flowing through them. She has seemed to grow taller during my abandonment. She grew her hair out to a reasonable length again with a ponytail behind her head. There was something else I hadn't noticed before I left, I felt a new feeling as I neared her. It was strange and different.

"Setsuna you're still alive", she cried passionately.

"Yeah", I responded with eyes half closed.

"Your head is bleeding come with me so I can get you some help"

"Its fine Feldt, I'll get to it later, I want to sleep"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I am sure"

"Setsuna I just wanted to say that I l…"

"Setsuna!" Miss Sumeragi walked in to the hanger.

"Miss Sumeragi" Feldt and I responded In sync.

"You are needed on the bridge I'll wait for you there"

"Roger", I said as she left. "Damn! I am so tired I need to sleep"

I turned around and saw a pair of aqua green eyes staring into mine. I was tempted to say something but decided against it. I was never good with words any way. She seemed like she had words in her heart but couldn't get them out. Was I that hard to talk to?

"You were gone for quite a long time"

"Yeah, uh"

"What happened?"

"I have no idea"

"Oh"

"I am going to go, I will see you around"

"Bye Setsuna"

I left the hanger and used the walls to get to the med bay to get a bandage for the cut on my head. Then I went back into the hall way and used the wall to impulse myself in the direction of the bridge. The wait seemed longer than I remember. I pulled the pill bottle out of my pilot suit and had two more. As I was coming to the turn I maneuvered myself to push myself off the wall again. When I arrived Miss Sumeragi informed me of the Message she received the moment I boarded the ship. The Message read, Text only, hello celestial whatever is that what passes for gundam these days, you're lucky I didn't shoot you down, after all I needed the location for this ship. I still haven't gotten a proper fight with you, you little imbecile. I will be waiting for you outside your ship. AAS.

"Setsuna we have run matches on all licensed mobile suits and the only one that is operable under a person with the same initials as the message sender is Ali Al Saachez. There is a small possibility that he is still alive and is going to attack"

"What do you mean he is still alive?"

"I know it sounds crazy but look he signed his name on the bottom of the message, there is only one pilot registered with those initials. I don't believe this either but it's not safe to risk it"

"Where are Lockon, Marie, and Allelujah?"

"They got back a soon as they heard that you didn't come back, so I sent them out to search for you constantly for two weeks, in the DYNAMES II, ARCHER II and ARIOS II. We gave up looking for you already. They are on earth now taking some time off"

"Did you repair the old GUNDAMS?"

"Yes, we got new sponsors, why?"

"No reason. Do you know how close Ali is?"

"No, all we know is that he is going to attack"

"Damn, alright, I am launching in the QAN [T]"

"Is it operable?"

"No, the weapons are still down"

"I will get that fixed up kid", Ian interrupted.

"Thanks" I responded."I am going to my room"

"Wait Mr. Seiei I just wanted to welcome you back." the young Mileina said interrupting my walk to the door.

"Oh. Okay. Hi."

I wondered to myself where that young girl got all her energy from everyday, as I pushed off the floor and out of the bridge. On my way to the room I felt something odd, something strange. I couldn't put my finger on it because my head was still in a mess. Then I lost my train of thought when I arrived at my room. I opened my door and went toward my bed. Some of my personal belongings had been moved but seemed like they just placed them back as soon as they realized that I was still alive. I sat down and started staring at the wall. On my shelf was a small box covered in dust. I went over to it and brought it back with me to my bed. Had someone looked through my things? The box wasn't on the same place on my shelf from before but it still had dust on it so it seemed like no one opened it. My hands glided over the top of it and gently tugged on one corner until it lifted. My free hand reached in and pulled out the desert flower that had been given to me two years before, I had been taking care of it making sure it didn't die. Just looking at the flower gave me hope for the future. I remembered the day I had gotten the flower. The voices played back in my head slowly.

"Setsuna".

"Yes Feldt?"

"Take this"

"A flower?"

"Mrs. Linda grew it in the lab and I would like… you to have it"

"Thanks Feldt"

I had lost the flower during the battle but recovered it soon after spending day and night looking for it. I didn't sleep I was starting to lose my mind. Trying to make sense of things I just sat there. I still had no idea what was going on after an hour of doing nothing, that dream I had in the cockpit seemed so real. All the spikes and the pain was real I know it. My eyes stared at the clock to my right, today was November 23, 2314. My body swung into sitting position and sat quietly before going to the bathroom and jumping in the shower. The warm water ran through my hair and down my spine calming my body. I thought back to my final confrontation with the ELS. Everyone around me was risking their lives so I could finish the mission. Graham had overloaded his SOLBRAVE in a successful attempt to get me into the ELS planetoid. There were many GN-XIV pilots that sacrificed themselves that shall not go unnoticed. I shut off the water and dried my face with a blue towel and wrapped it around my waist as I walked out of the wash room. A door on the far side of the room slid open exposing several blue and white uniforms and blue and black pilot suits. I reached for a blue shirt and pants before sliding on the tight and heavy suit used to pilot the QAN [T]. The dark blue helmet floated around the room bumping into walls. There was nothing else to do because I couldn't think. I pushed off the floor toward the door putting my helmet under my arm in the process. My body maneuvered so my legs could use the wall to push away from the bridge and waited to reach the next wall and pushed off again. The walls seemed refurbished just like many other halls on this ship. There was an indentation on the wall coming revealing the elevator. The doors slid open allowing me to enter. My fingers tapped the holographic button all the way on the bottom to the mobile suit hanger. The elevator was designed so it travels up and down the floors silently and smoothly not disturbing anyone. When the doors slid open I stepped inside the hanger to oversee the repairs. I wasn't alone I could tell. Then I noticed Feldt next to the QAN [T] waiting there for me.

"Feldt?"

"Setsuna, I heard you have to sortie again"

"Yeah, I have to… uh… get over to the… uh GUNDAM", the words sputtered out of my mouth. I started to walk trying not to make myself look like a bigger fool.

"Don't die", she said

"Got it", I felt a little odd in the situation.

I again started towards the QAN [T]. That was weird I thought to myself as I continued on my way. I looked around and the mobile suit seemed new after the repairs. I had only used it once and I had already ruined half of the systems.

"How are the repairs coming Ian?" I asked.

"I will be done in five minutes I am just calibrating all of the systems"

"Okay, thank you for doing this Ian"

"No problem, hey I also put a little surprise for you in there"

"Wait what is the surprise?"

"You will see. She is all yours now, don't break it this time"

"Roger"