Update: Tweaked/rewritten September 2020.
Awkward Silences
You're out there somewhere, Athrun thought as he stared out into the hangar. I know I'll see you again. If anyone knew the circumstances and the turmoil he was going though, he or she may wonder whether this pilot was talking about his fiancé or of his friend. Debating his words also, not even Athrun was sure. It was originally meant for Lacus, but after some thought, he realized it could be meant for Kira too. He sighed.
Eclipse looked up at the redcoat in the observation deck above the hangar. He had abandoned any adjustments about a half hour ago and seemed to be lost in his own thoughts ever since. Judging by the look on his face, he wasn't any closer to answering the questions he had been asking when he began his daydreaming and she couldn't help but sympathize. What am I supposed to do about FS and Stray?
She had ended up drifting off to sleep again as she was working and found herself jostled awake when the Vesalius had officially taken off. She had cursed loudly then and had been forced to bring on some reinforcements to help her finish setting up her suit. Before they could begin any meaningful work at the time, Le Creuset had called her to his office and she found herself abandoning her suit once again before anything was finished.
He had explained that he knew about her new assignment and had informed her that he had no intention of hindering those efforts. "This ship will serve more as your temporary residence than a home base. Since your orders were given from the Councilman Zala himself, I have no authority to change them." He then went on explaining how she was going to get valid information—through help at headquarters and her own investigating—and what her role was to be on the ship. She was now a pilot first and foremost, but since there were new mechanics aboard—and the new head mechanic had yet to be introduced—he wanted her to guide them through protocol and repairs when it concerned the prototypes and also to help out as needed on the floor. Not the command she had been hoping for, to say the least, and she couldn't help but wonder if her fellow redcoats had been given similar tasks, but orders were orders.
Only five hours had passed since that particular meeting and almost three days since she had first left for the L4 colony cluster. Suppressing a yawn, she kicked off to land on the hangar floor, looking at the clipboard and to-do list that was handed to her. Most of the repairs and supplying had been done while they were docked, but since they had left earlier than planned, most of duties were only half done. Half of the mechanics were already organizing the supplies and that meant she was left babysitting the new mechanics. She yawned again and nodded when the mechanic said… something. Shaking her head, she pulled the small towel from the pocket of her borrowed mechanic suit and decided against worrying about it. Turning, she looked over to see how the adjustments for the other suits in the hangar were progressing. She caught sight of Athrun in the observation room once more and sighed.
He always looked troubled about something.
"Hey, uh, Lunar Eclipse," one of the new pilots shouted as he headed in her direction, pulling her back to her immediate problems. There were two new greencoated pilots aboard, this guy and his gangly partner next to him. Honestly, she didn't know their names and never bothered to ask, deciding to tell them apart by their hair colors. The one who yelled had short, dark brown hair while the other newbie had short, light brown hair.
"Just Eclipse is fine, sir," she said, too tired to correct her wrong use of "sir." Technically, she was above them in rank, but it just seemed to take too much energy to correct them.
"We'd like you to check out our GINNs."
"Our?"
"Yes, 'our.' We tried to ask someone else, but they said to come directly to you," the light brown pilot said.
"The other mechanics you mean?" They nodded and Eclipse sighed. "Do either of you know when Officer Carter's replacement will be done on the bridge?" They turned to each other first before returning to her with a shrug. Most likely, they hadn't even known who Carter was. She closed her eyes as she felt a headache boiling.
"How bad is the problem?" she asked aloud.
"We just need a diagnostic test," the light brown replied.
"And you two can't do it yourselves?"
"It's not our responsibility," dark brown said.
"But those are your mobile suits and I know you're trained for it." They looked like they were going to respond, but hesitated. Obviously, they knew there was some mechanical work they were supposed to do personally, but in what was probably a desperate move to get out of doing the task, they went to find a mechanic. She frowned.
"You have a lot of guts asking a redcoat to do your job."
Eclipse looked to her right to see Athrun coming towards them, the look on his face rather refreshing after having witness him brooding for the good part of an hour. It wasn't a kind look to the new pilots however based on the uneasy glance that passed between the two after they had saluted. Athrun caught himself on Eclipse's shoulder and she tensed, but his touch didn't linger for long, his feet settling comfortably on the hangar floor.
"If you don't know how to do something, ask. No one around here has the time to do your jobs on top of their own." He looked at each in turn, folding his arms over his chest. "I also advise you take more time memorizing the personnel aboard this ship before you go around giving orders."
"Sir!" They both saluted again, their eyes shifting briefly over to Eclipse and her mechanic outfit.
"Good." He nodded back over towards their suits. "I'll show you how to do it. Meet you there in a moment."
"Thank you, sir." Another salute and the two were gone.
"And you," he began, spinning towards the face of a very unamused Eclipse and forgetting what he was about to scold her for. He hesitated before continuing, noting her look, and his eyebrow arched instead. "What?"
"I suppose you found that amusing."
"Amusing?"
"I have been tasked with supervising and helping out with updates and repairs until the new Head returns from his meeting." She flicked a hand over towards the greencoats now staring anxiously at the console in front of their GINNs. "The mechanics I'm supposed to be training are meant to help them, not you."
Athrun shrugged. "I guess we'll just share the responsibility for a bit then. I could use a distraction." Eclipse's face was still unamused and Athrun found himself surprised yet again. "What?"
"Fine, if you want to help, you can show the mechanics at the same time as the pilots."
"Okay, works for me." He shrugged, turning to look at the GINNs and their unfortunate pilots. "There's no harm in sharing the burden once in a while, you know."
Eclipse snorted. "That's cute coming from you."
Athrun felt the anger rise from his stomach and he whirled on her in that moment to argue, yell, or just to tell her it was none of her business, but instead they got caught in a stare, her eyes saying she understood more than Athrun had been letting on. It was an uncomfortable feeling, he realized, and even more so knowing that this particular redhead wasn't one to hold back. Whether she knew any facts, he didn't know, but his internal battling might not had been as hidden as he had previously been leading himself to believe. Eventually, his anger did dissipate, but not before he snarled out his own response. "You know nothing about it."
Her shoulders shifted in a shrug he didn't stay around to see end, kicking off towards the newbies waiting for him and the teaching opportunity he had blindly plowed into.
"What's the matter?" Le Creuset asked as he glided over to Captain Ades's seat, stopping himself near the captain's right shoulder. The commander had been going over more details concerning Eclipse's new assignment and despite being happy to have a distraction, trying to figure out SIN-ED was giving him a huge headache. Absorbing new information and looking at it rationally was probably a forte of that particular commander, but even digesting SIN-ED's complicated history was eluding him at that moment.
Ades glanced at the commander then, his face betraying the stoic appearance he had been upholding since they were tasked with trying to find Lacus. "We think they're vessels of the Earth Forces," he responded, nodding towards the screen in front of him. "What are they doing out here?"
Le Creuset hesitated a moment before pushing off to the briefing table behind the seat. This was an interesting development. "If the 'Legged Ship' was journeying from Artemis to the moon's Earth Forces Headquarters, what would they do?"
Ades joined him a moment later and stared down at the map as well, lacing his hands behind his back. "So those navel vessels, they're waiting there to supply, or, perhaps, escort?"
"They haven't detected our presence yet, have they?" The captain shook his head. "Don't lose sight of them. Follow them carefully."
"Go after them?" Ades asked, appalled about the decision. They were charged with finding Lacus Clyne, not to keep an eye on suspicious Earth Alliance vessels. "But—"
"Of course, we will also continue our search for Miss Lacus Clyne. At the same time, though, we can't lose this opportunity all because of one girl. I'd hate to be laughed at by historians of future generations."
Ades still wasn't convinced and glancing at the glimmer in his partner's eyes only made the matter worse. If they stopped to have a battle with the Earth Forces, they could lose any distance they might have gained on Lacus's captors, and she was, for the time being, their prime objective.
But Le Creuset was right too, and he frowned.
It sucked being sandwiched between duty and intuition.
Athrun, Eclipse, and the two newbies were called to the bridge soon after the diagnostic tests were finished. With Athrun taking the lead, Eclipse was able to supervise the other tasks on her plate with little hindrance, even handing off the remainder of the to-do list to the new Carter, Officer Hahn.
She ran into Athrun and the others again as she was heading back to her room to change and they shared a nod despite their rather tense exchange earlier. "I'll let them know you're on your way," Athrun said and the three of them continued on towards the bridge. Eclipse changed quickly and joined everyone a few minutes later, saluting as she walked onto the bridge. The greencoats exchanged another shaky look between them, no doubt nervous about their behavior towards her before, and she couldn't help but smirk as she took her place near the briefing table.
"This is the projected course of the enemy ships," Captain Ades pointed out, drawing all attention to the map.
"It's unfortunate the Laconi and Porto teams are joining us later than scheduled," Le Creuset said. "Those vessels may be there to resupply the 'Legged Ship.' We certainly can't ignore them."
"Intercept them?" Athrun asked, drawing all attention to him. "But commander, we've been ordered to—"
"First and foremost, we're soldiers, Athrun. Even if we were sent on a mission to search for Miss Clyne."
Saying the redcoat didn't look pleased was an understatement. Rarely did he show such emotions in front of the commander, but there was no masking the anger on his face. Eclipse debated stepping up and agreeing with his remark, but backed down despite the brief moment of loyalty. Le Creuset had been clear on their course of action and she wasn't really sure there was anything more she could say on the matter.
"I want all of you to be ready in your mobile suits and wait for the order to launch," Ades ordered, breaking the chilling silence that followed Athrun's outburst. "As soon as we finish the job here, we'll continue our search for Lacus Clyne. Do I make myself clear?"
"Sir!" the four pilots saluted and then three left the bridge.
Athrun lingered behind, but what he had hoped to gain, Eclipse wasn't sure. She hadn't seen anyone so eager to openly disagree with their superiors and while a part of her found it curious, her rational brain knew it might end up costing him in the end.
Launching was a strange experience. The facility had some simulations concerning the system and how much force the pilot would feel, but they couldn't stand up to the real thing. Eclipse wasn't affected by the pressure to the extent she couldn't fight when she hit open space, but she was breathless for a few moments.
Being the first one into battle, she had some time to assess the situation and her location. The commander had ordered the three GINNs to arm themselves with M66 "Canus," or put simply, rocket launchers. One was given to each and even though the fire power was appealing, the limited movement was not. Eclipse would have rather done close-quarter fighting because that was where she excelled, but orders were orders and she was stuck using a weapon she wasn't comfortable with. She was also given a 76mm machine gun for her right hand for long range fire, which would have to be enough. Taking a brief moment, she adjusted some of the controls in the OS, stabilizing the unit against the added output of the 76mm. It wasn't generally a one-handed weapon so she would have to keep an eye on it and not overcompensate. The longer shield on her right forearm should help with added protection and after a few more quick calibration adjustments, she was ready.
The other GINNs launched behind her, followed by the Aegis. "Let's go," Athrun said over the communication line, causing a few battle cries to sound from the new pilots. Eclipse sighed and chased after the three of them, not as vocally excited about the battle as her partners. She couldn't deny the fact that she was happy to be in the battle itself instead of watching it on a screen, but never enough to cheer. There were three vessels of the Earth Forces awaiting their demise and only four ZAFT mobile suits to do the work. The odds didn't look promising and when the ships launched four mobile armors each, the odds took another plunge.
The EA warships each had four boosters sticking out from the sides, forming an x-pattern, and a long nose. They were built for speed, Eclipse knew, but the moment she took their armaments for granted would be the moment she was dead. There was no escaping this particular battle and especially with these odds, she needed to be on her game. It didn't matter if she was in a new mobile suit, or that she had unfamiliar weaponry, she couldn't get overrun in her virgin battle.
One of the mobile armors gunned in her direction, taking a shot and missing her, but not by a margin she would have called healthy. Her unit swerved to follow its course past her suit, shooting at it with the machine gun in her suit's right hand. Her aim wasn't perfect, but it was still good enough, clipping the thrusters of that particular mobile armor and sending it spinning awkwardly away from the battle. Two more took its place and she maneuvered backwards and out of the line of fire, doing her best to keep both the missiles and her suit out immediate harm. The last thing she wanted was a stray bullet to hit and blow her up. Taking aim again, she adjusted her shot and managed to get a clean salvo into the base of the mobile armor, not having the luxury of watching its unfortunate demise before the other mobile army charged at her.
It attempted to take her head on, which was an interesting decision, she knew. Angling herself, she brought her right arm up to block its salvo and thrusted forward to meet it, slamming her right forearm and shield onto the base of the armor and shoving it downward, using the sheer dominate power of her suit to throw it off balance. It deflected down and away to her left, a quick course direction and well-aimed salvo finishing off that particular enemy suit.
She checked her cameras quickly as she looked for more enemies, catching sight of the Aegis as it fired its Scylla at one of the warships. She debated backing him up, but his machine was far superior to hers and when she saw him finish off a mobile armor and another one she had merely put half a salvo into, she knew her options in that particular fight were limited.
It wasn't until her sensors alerted her to a plasma blast headed in her direction that she turned and saw the "Legged Ship" enter the battle. She was able to evade in time, but one of her fellow GINNs was not so lucky. There was a loud scream over the intercom, that the redhead figured was the pilot himself, before the unit exploded. Cursing, she didn't have time to dwell on it, two hostiles having launched from the ship itself. One she knew was another, advanced mobile armor called Zero and the other looked to be the famed Strike. She had studied up a bit on the machine and knew the Aegis could take it on speed, but the real question was, given the Strike's current choice in weaponry, could Athrun take him on in close range.
"I'll handle the Strike. You two finish the ships and that last mobile armor," Athrun ordered, leaving no chance for debate.
Well, she would have to wait and see if Athrun's skills could hold out.
"Yes, sir," Eclipse said her Canus still attached to her left arm. Two of the smaller mobile armors did come at her then, trying to surround her machine, from what she gathered by their formation. While the plan may have worked, Eclipse recognized the maneuver and angled herself to shield against the bullets on her right side, and fired at the armor coming from her left. Her shots were gradually getting cleaner and she took out the mobile armor quickly, turning to intercept its partner. The second mobile suit stopped its approach when his partner died and she took her moment. She flew towards her enemy to cover the distance in a rush, bringing her shield up for protection and then thrusting her elbow down hard on the mobile armor when she got close, using the tip of that shield to break through the window and down into the cockpit.
She felt her lips curl up her face, and there was an obvious shift in her mind, as if something had shut off. Or had something "turned on?" She didn't know what to make of the feeling, her heightened senses enjoying the scene unraveling slowly in front of her. Bracing her machine, she pulled the shield loose and released a short laugh at the damaged machine. Kicking it away, she put a salvo in it for good measure and basked at the destruction before turning to see what prey she could encounter next. Now that's more like it, she thought.
"Damnit!" her remaining comrade cursed, turning her towards his battle with the Zero. The greencoat was faring alright until the advanced mobile armor detached the gun barrels on its sides and started sending shots his way. Eclipse used the moment to her advantage, rounding on the Zero and closing the distance quickly before positioning herself under the craft. Her lips smirked again and she aimed her machine gun high on the Zero's haul, firing an almost point-blank shot. It did damage the suit, but not a clean shot, unfortunately, the armor having slipped just to the right and away from her attack. She landed a couple good hits, but not enough to down it, the Zero instead fleeing back to the safety of the "Legged Ship" and its hangar. That things a bit of a pisser.
"Thanks for that, how much damage did you sustain?" the greencoat asked, but Eclipse replied that she was fine, not remembering taking any damage at all.
"Battery's running low though," she did say after another moment and the greencoat confirmed he was in the same situation.
"Let's see how much damage we can do to the EA ships while we still have some energy left."
Eclipse couldn't agree more.
Athrun fared about as well as he had in his previous battles with his old friend. Shots were fired, hits struck, but nothing damaging or even fatal. If Eclipse was paying attention, she probably would've called it dancing again. Actually, that line echoed in the redcoat's head, causing him more than once to lose his concentration. Damn you, he thought, using another vague line that could address either his fellow pilot or his enemy. "Damn you!" he repeated, trying to cripple the Strike with an attack from his saber, but only managing to get it parried.
It was going to be a long fight if they kept matching blows, and not one that had a promising ending.
Eclipse did have the fortunate opportunity to watch a bit of the Aegis versus the Strike, but not enough to form a negative opinion, her attention drawn back to the EA ships and the GINNs coming dangerously close to their return fire. "I'll finish off this sitting duck and you head for the last ship," the greencoat suggested. "The Aegis already took out the thrusters, so they have nowhere to go. I shouldn't need any help."
"Roger that, I'll take the scraps."
Thrusting towards the remaining EA warship, she dodged its cannon fire easily, spinning through its defenses and down past one of its turrets, firing a shot and destroying it as she passed by on her way to the back boosters. The sky lit up to her right, her comrade apparently finishing his half of the plan and she smirked. Such a beautiful explosion. She stopped at the rear of the EA warship, turning and aiming her Canus before the rear defense systems could get a lock on her. She fired the shots and smirked again, watching the ship enter its final moments as she backed away from the blast.
Her machine alerted her to the Vesalius's approach and entrance into the fray and she did a quick systems check.
"How much ammo do you have left?" the greencoat asked.
"I'm running low, but it might be enough to do some damage to that ship," Eclipse responded, turning to the "Legged Ship," and beginning the charge.
"Attention ZAFT forces! This is the warship Archangel of the Earth Alliance Forces."
The two GINNs halted just out of the "Legged Ship's" firing range. What the hell? she thought, and wasn't the only on, she figured.
"Presently under the protective custody of this ship is PLANT Supreme Council Chairman Siegal Clyne's daughter, Lacus Clyne. By chance we came across a lifepod with her inside. We brought her aboard as a humanitarian gesture. However, should you decide to attack this vessel, we shall consider that an abandonment of your responsibilities to protect Miss Clyne. We will then be forced to take matters into our own hands."
Well, isn't that ironic, Eclipse thought with a wry chuckle. We end up finding the girl we're looking for, on the ship we've been chasing, with the people we're trying to kill. How… convenient.
"All units cease hostilities and return to the ship!" came the order through her comm line. "I repeat, all units return to the ship!"
Ridiculous, Eclipse thought, wiping her face with one hand while the other held onto her helmet. The two redcoats were summoned to the bridge as soon as they had docked, leaving no time to freshen up. Eclipse, however, had felt a sudden rush of weariness once she opened her cockpit door, but had forced herself to recover quickly, standing next to Athrun and waiting for their next orders.
Le Creuset sat thoughtfully in his seat, going through the recent events. Out of all the scenarios he anticipated, this one was honestly not in the repertoire.
Helplessness; it was a weird feeling.
"Even if we continue to pursue their ship, we couldn't take any action with Miss Clyne aboard," Captain Ades said, his face matching that of the commander's. Well, the bright side was, they had found Lacus.
"And it's likely their next move will be to rendezvous with the Lunar Fleet," Le Creuset said, a slight annoyance sounding in his voice. Or was that worry? Eclipse held her breath. As soon as the commander got worried, they were on shaky ground indeed.
"So that's it? We sit back and watch them take Lacus to the fleet?" the captain asked.
"Where's the Gamow? How soon is it able to get here?"
"It's now at 6 mark 509 epsilon, zero comma three," Ades answered, knowing Le Creuset would know the precise position he just named. "It'll take at least seven hours before it joins us here."
"The 'Legged Ship' will be linking up with the Lunar Fleet well before then." The commander sighed, not liking any of his options. "This is a tough one."
They were both dismissed after the discussion, leaving them with more questions than answers. Athrun was pissed, as he was expected to be, but for being someone who claimed to hide his emotions well, he was definitely slacking. Immediately after leaving the bridge, the two redcoats returned to the hangar, not following their fellow greencoat's lead and grabbing some much-needed rest.
The time in between the bridge and the hangar was spent in an awkward silence. Eclipse glided a few feet behind her comrade, staring down at the ground and at the walls instead of striking up some kind of conversation. She had thought about bringing up some sort of tactics, but figuring his head was already a hamster carnival, she decided against it. He probably didn't want to hear any of that from her anyway.
Athrun glided up to the Aegis once they opened the door and Eclipse to her GINN. Her eyes narrowed as she approached her machine, growing wide as she realized what she had been looking at was a damaged section of her suit. When did I get hit? What hit me? she asked herself, seeing the gashes in the upper right arm and torso. She sat down in the cockpit and took a moment to try and remember, but still came up blank. The greencoat had said something about her machine getting damaged after she had attacked the Zero, but did it fire at her? Was she so involved with the fighting she didn't even know she got hit? Well, it has happened before, she thought, pulling down the keyboard and calling over a mechanic. Back then it happened plenty of times—wait, does that mean I did it again? Without even realizing it? …Just like that?
"You need my help, soldier?" the mechanic asked, steadying himself just outside the machine.
"Y-yeah," she said, deciding to focus on the repairs of her mobile suit instead of the repairs in her mind.
The GINN, after all, made more sense.
Eclipse was in a very awkward situation. She had a lot of work yet to do on her GINN, but there was a very angry redcoat glaring at her outside of her machine.
She had been helping with the repairs when Athrun had come over to try and convince her to get some proper rest. She kept saying she wanted to finish the repairs first and he was surprisingly frustrated by that response. His frustration level had gotten so high, in fact, he slapped his hand against her machine just outside of the cockpit. "You're not a mechanic anymore. Now, I've been trying to convince you for the past 10 minutes to get some rest and, frankly, I don't know why—you're going to do your own thing anyway. The problem is, I need to rely on you now." Her eyes quickly glanced away from her screen and over to him, a part of her finding his anger more interesting than intimidating. He said it himself, why did he care?
"There's nothing more we can do—there's nothing we're supposed to be doing, especially in the condition we are," he continued. "If something should come up, we need to be ready."
"Have you gotten her out of that cockpit yet?" a mechanic yelled nearby, Eclipse recognizing Officer Hahn's voice.
"Working on it," Athrun shouted back, angling for a moment to give the reply before turning back to her, unamused. "See? You're making the whole hangar angry. Let's just retire for now."
Eclipse finished one more sequence on the OS before sighing, pushing it off to the side and stepping out of the cockpit. What he had said made sense, even if she didn't want to admit it and leave her suit in the hands of those newbie mechanics. She didn't have a choice, however, replying with a brief "Yes, sir," which only annoyed Athrun further.
Officer Hahn gave them a wink and a salute as they passed, passing out orders as soon as they were clear. Eclipse sighed again, but said nothing more, following Athrun out of the hangar and navigating through the hallways towards their respective quarters.
"Did something happen back at the PLANTs?" Athrun asked, stopping a moment to let her catch up to him. She could still tell he was a bit annoyed by her, but the question seemed genuine enough.
"What do you mean?"
"You seem different. More willing to speak out, I guess."
"You think so?" Eclipse cocked her eyebrow, but when he didn't answer right away, she shrugged. "A lot happened, yes, but I'm not so sure I've changed that much and seeing as this is probably the first time you and I have exchanged a proper conversation, you don't have much history to go on. Maybe I've always been this pleasant?" He rolled his eyes and she gave a short laugh. "Why the sudden curiosity anyway? Or are you just trying to get your mind off your fiancé?"
"Well, that's one way to change the subject," Athrun muttered, but ended up sighing anyway. "Either you're very observant or don't like to share."
"How about both?"
"That's a dangerous combination."
She shook her head with another wry laugh and shrugged again. "I think it's just really hard for me to trust people, so when I do open up, it's when I know they won't stab me when my back's turned."
"In other words, you don't trust me."
"Depends on the situation. On a military level, I trust you with my life, or at least I'd better or this team rapport thing we're supposed to be building won't work. But on a personal level?" She paused and thought about it, but just ended up giving yet another shrug. "I haven't quite decided."
"Well then, what kind of people do you trust?"
"The insane kind, apparently."
"Huh?" That answer took Athrun off guard and his flustered look actually made her smile slightly. Or maybe it was because the reality was just as funny.
"Never mind. Y'know, you're giving me this whole speech about disclosure, when you open up less then I do."
"Less?" His face was both unconvinced and unamused, but Eclipse had no retort. They stopped when they reached his quarters, the redhead's roughly two doors further down.
"Perhaps my philosophy is just like yours," he began pulling her attention back to him before she could head off to her own room and the blissful sleep waiting on the other side. "Either that or I'm a shy person by nature, but I'm not really sure yet." He smiled lightly and Eclipse cocked an eyebrow, surprised by the gesture. "For the record though, I'm worried about Lacus and yes, I tried to start that conversation about yourself to get my mind off of it. Sometimes I wish you'd learn to play along."
"Would it make you feel better if I said we'll get her back?"
"No, not really."
"Didn't think so. What if I said, when we get her back, I'll make sure it doesn't happen again?"
"That's a pretty grand promise. How can you even have control over that?" The redhead shrugged and Athrun shook his head.
"Sorry, I thought I'd try something new."
"New?"
"Yeah this 'giving people hope' thing."
"Captain Ades, sir!" one of the bridge members shouted, breaking the captain's conversation with Le Creuset. It was quite fortunate, actually, because they welcomed the interruption, being no closer to solving their current dilemma than they were four hours ago.
"Yes? What is it?"
"The 'Legged Ship' seems to have launched a mobile suit, sir."
"Launched a mobile suit? What could they be thinking?" Ades wondered, turning to Le Creuset for some input, but the other man merely shrugged. "Level one battle stations! Tell the pilots to prepare at once to launch!"
"Yes, sir!"
It was a rude awakening, to say the least, but Eclipse and Athrun were at their mobile suits as soon as they could get there. The greencoated pilot was already in his GINN as the announcement began and they saluted each other before closing their cockpit doors.
"What's all this about?" he asked over the communication line.
"I'm not totally sure. I've been trying to contact the bridge, but they haven't responded," Athrun replied, finishing some minor adjustments. "I guess we'll just have to sit back and see."
"Attention ZAFT vessel! This is the pilot of the mobile suit, Strike. I am from the Earth Alliance vessel, Archangel. I am bringing Lacus Clyne to you. The Nazca-class is to cut its engines. I will hand her over on the condition that we are met only by the pilot of the Aegis. If you do not meet those demands, I cannot guarantee her safety."
A kid? Eclipse thought, listening to the broadcast with interest. He doesn't sound to be any older than us.
"Commander, allow me to go!" Athrun shouted over the line, startling the other GINN pilots.
"Their true intentions are still unknown," Ades responded. "We haven't even confirmed if Miss Clyne is inside it."
"Commander!" Athrun persisted, but why Eclipse didn't know.
Is this pilot the reason Athrun's so confused right now? she thought.
"Alright then; you have permission," Le Creuset finally answered, sending more then one person back on his heels. Even Ades sounded like he was going to argue, but on look from the commander ended the debate before anything more could be said.
"Thank you, I appreciate it."
Eclipse sat back, as ordered, and watched Athrun walk himself into a possible trap. This was either way too easy, or about to get really ugly. She sighed and did some internal checks on her machine. If Athrun really did know the pilot of the Strike, things were about to get complicated. There was no way either side was just going to let this happen and then have everyone go along on their merry ways. They were both being juvenile and naïve.
But now it was too late to stop him.
"Lunar Eclipse, as soon as the transfer is made, I want you to launch with me," Le Creuset ordered over a separate frequency. "This is the perfect chance to get rid of that mobile suit and warship, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, sir," the redhead responded, realizing that she had come to the same conclusion as the commander.
That Strike pilot had no idea what he had just gotten himself into. His noble intentions were only going to get him and his comrades killed.
Le Creuset boarded his CGUE and sighed, strapping himself in. Now we wait, he thought, leaning back and making himself comfortable. Foolish pilot.
"The Strike has lowered its weapon and is parting ways with the Aegis," Ades announced, ordering the Vesalius to start its engines in the same breath.
"Very good. Commander Le Creuset, launching in the CGUE."
Eclipse launched just after and hit open space about the time Le Creuset was giving Athrun the order to return to the ship. She couldn't help but sigh, realizing what his face must look like right now. Considering the circumstances, the Strike pilot probably didn't look any better, wondering how such heroic actions could be punished so.
So naïve.
"Lunar Eclipse, I'm leaving the Strike to you. The Zero seems to have launched as well, so I'm going to take out that fly."
"Roger that, sir."
"Ades, ready the main guns for—"
"Commander Rau Le Creuset! Stop this at once!" a higher voice commanded over the airways. She hadn't recognized the voice, but after deducing it had come from the Aegis, she assumed it was Lacus Clyne.
What a brave girl.
"Are you attempting to make this place a battlefield in the presence of a memorial representative like myself? I will not permit this to happen! You are to cease any and all hostile actions immediately! Can you not hear me?"
Damn, was all Eclipse could think, waiting for the commander to give her the next order. It was hard to tell who was actually in command in that moment and no doubt that confusion alone would piss off Le Creuset. He had practically gotten scolded and now they were about to give away a very real and possibly victorious scenario all because of, what, one girl?
It took a few more moments, but finally Le Creuset's voice sounded over the same frequency. "Lacus Clyne, I understand."
And just like that they had lost all advantages and the possible destruction of a strong, enemy warship. Damn. Eclipse was still impressed. Well played.
"Everyone has been worried sick since your disappearance, Miss Clyne. How good it is to see you back and in good health," Le Creuset cooed, doing his best to look formal even though he was still heated about the missed opportunity.
"How very kind of you to say, commander, and I'm sorry to have caused you all such trouble." Lacus's voice was light, much like it was over the transmission, but not without its commanding edge. She may have stood there next to Athrun in a flawless white dress and pink hair down past her waist, but she didn't sound nearly as innocent as she looked. Some may have questioned her authority before, but after the incident with the commander, Eclipse wasn't about to underestimate her again.
"Oh, no trouble at all, representative. Please, you must be tired. Unfortunately, due to the lack of space on this vessel, we have no separate rooms for you to use. Lunar Eclipse has, however, offered the extra bed in her room if you'd wish to stay there."
I have? Eclipse thought, trying her best to mask her surprise. She was sure there were plenty of other rooms available, so why did he feel the need to lie and stick the Pink Princess in her room? Was he expecting her to entertain Lacus or something?
"If not, I'm sure other arrangements—"
"Sharing a room with Miss Eclipse would be just fine," Lacus interrupted, turning to the redhead and offering a warm smile. Eclipse matched the look with one less perfect and locked glances with Athrun. She tried to send out some kind of SOS, but it fell short when he shrugged and turned back to Le Creuset. The pink, mechanical ball at her side flapped its ears, repeating the phrase "No problem!" as it floated nearby.
"Athrun, Lunar Eclipse, won't you both escort Miss Clyne to her quarters?"
"Sir," they saluted and left the bridge, leaving Ades to deal with the commander and any future plans.
The journey was filled with some talk, mostly between the lovebirds, but that was to be expected. The redhead listened in vaguely, leading them down the hall and trying to decide how someone like her was going to entertain a celebrity like Lacus Clyne. Or maybe she was just meant to keep her alive? The pink ball flew near her and she eyed it wearily, not quite sure what to make of it.
"Here we are, Miss Clyne," Eclipse said eventually, bringing her hand up to stop her momentum in front of her quarters.
"I'll let the mechanics know that you won't be coming down to the hangar right away and to start repairs on your suit without you," Athrun said calmly, helping Lacus through the door as soon as it opened. She sighed, but didn't disagree with the statement, thanking him and turning away to attend to his fiancé after he had left.
"I'm sorry to intrude on you like this," Lacus said, taking a moment to look around the room and eyeing the spare bed.
"No, not at all, miss."
The singer smiled and sat down at the desk, her pink Haro muttering an another "No problem!" before jumping into her open hands.
Eclipse just sighed.
Lacus's residence on the ship was bound to happen given their mission, but staying in the redhead's room was a tad unexpected. However, there she was sitting comfortably in the room's only chair and talking to a robotic ball. "I'm really sorry about this. You probably had some things that you wanted to do," she apologized again. Eclipse shrugged and was about to add a "It's really no problem," when she spoke up again. "Well, don't mind me. Please, do whatever you need to do."
Eclipse nodded slowly, honestly debating taking her up on the offer, but her options would be limited. Since she finally had some downtime, she was going to try and track FS and Stray, but that type of research probably wouldn't look too good to the Chairman's daughter, so instead, she just shook her head. "Don't worry," she lied, "no plans for the day." Eclipse smiled, although it was obviously forced. "Did you want to go anywhere or anything?"
Lacus shook her head. "No, I'm fine here, thanks."
Eclipse had had her full of awkward silences, but she had to admit that this was one of the worst. The PLANTs' most loved celebrity was there in her room with nothing but her Haro to keep her company. No clothes to speak of, and no other effects besides her singing voice, quick wit, and charming personality.
Great.
She liked to think no one had any high expectations of Eclipse in this type of situation and she took a bit of comfort in that, trying to decide whether she should remain standing at attention or if it was proper to relax a bit.
"Am I making you uncomfortable?" Lacus asked as she debated.
"No, not at all. Really, miss, it's okay."
"You can call me Lacus if you like." She smiled again in what Eclipse was beginning to think was just an attempt at making the redhead return the gesture. The singer continued however, her smile faltering slightly in her next statement. "And you don't have to lie on my account. I know this is probably a little awkward and I'm sorry. It's nice to have a conversation like this though, isn't it, Haro?" The Haro flapped its ears and squealed, "Lacus!"
Eclipse paused, and looked at Lacus carefully. She had just been taken hostage on an Earth Alliance ship and she didn't even look the least bit fazed. On top of that, she had apologized for being ordered to stay in Eclipse's room at least half a dozen times. Was this really the same person who had just ordered the commander to abandon an obvious opportunity to get rid of the 'Legged Ship?'
"Are you sure you're not hungry or anything?"
"Nope, I'm alright thank you. They took good care of me over on that ship."
"They did?"
"Yes. There was a young man who was very nice to me."
"Oh, I see." Eclipse paused again, trying to digest what she had just said. Was it that Strike pilot? The same one who had brought her over?
"You're named Lunar Eclipse, correct?"
Eclipse quickly tensed and saluted. "I'm pilot number 8704298 Lunar Eclipse, to be exact." The question had taken her off guard and she instantly felt foolish, hearing the girl's chuckle and seeing her smile.
"Wow, so formal. There's no need to be."
"Uh, right." Eclipse shifted nervously, not quite sure what to make of the effect this person was, for some reason, having on her. This young lady was around her age and despite her relation to the chairman, Eclipse had never been nervous around higher-ranked individuals before. Why her? And why now?
"Lunar Eclipse. That's kind of peculiar. Is that your real name?"
"It was the one I was given, yes."
"Ah, I see, so you're the one on the team who's from that program?"
"What?" The word came out harsher than she had intended and she felt her eyes narrow despite the good nature this girl was clearly exuding. She figured it wasn't that unlikely Siegel Clyne's daughter would know about the training, but then again would a father confide in his daughter about such a secret matter? "How do you know about that?"
Either Lacus didn't notice her threatening look or she didn't let it bother her. Instead, her finger was on Haro, rocking it back and forth on the desk. "Athrun mentioned a new team member when he saw me recently and I vaguely overheard my father yelling about it on the phone. I don't know much," she continued, leaning her head on her upraised palm as she rocked her mechanical friend. "But I know my father disapproved." She stopped and turned to her then, no smile on her lips but a genuine worry in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
Eclipse's threatening look faltered, unable to hold against such a sympathetic look. And it was sympathy, she knew. It was much like the look Heine had given her earlier when he had learned about her training, which, thinking back on it in that moment, was not a look she was used to receiving. Others who knew of her training, used her skills. That's what they were supposed to do. They weren't supposed to feel bad for her. So, why this girl? Why does she know? Why does she even care?
And for fuck's sake, why now?
A/N: Hey all, I thought I'd put this up as an end of the year thing, but I have a feeling it will be put up in '09 instead of '08. (shrugs) Oh well, it's up right? :P A tad on the longer side, and really I planned on having it be even longer, but this was a good spot to end. Lacus finally shows up, huh? And Eclipse sharing a bed with Athrun? Hm, possibilities... O.o Anyway, the next chapter should bring a lot of excitement and a new character! It might be long, so I'm warning ya now.
Death-Scimitar: Yeah, Durandal is pretty much awesome/sexy, I'll agree with you there and the fact that he's a genetics expert just fits all too well with the story. Heh. Honestly, the title wouldn't fit, so I had to undersize it. I'm glad you liked it that much and doesn't it just remind you of DD, BB and HH? Hah! I really have to read those again... Oh yeah, thanks for reading the chapter again... that really meant a lot... jerk...
CSS Stravag: Oh, good review by the way. When everyone said Heine was immature and annoying, I was laughing in the background 'cause I knew what was coming up. :P But, I'm glad you like him now and yes, this did change his perspective on some things-especially what comes up in Destiny. I love Heine! ...Anyway... Eclipse does have a tendency to ignore those around her... 'cept Athrun... huh...
Darkangelsonic: Thanks for the Astray comment. I heard it wasn't very good, and honestly I do have a manga, but it was really cheap... Just seemed like the author tried to hard to tie it in with SEED and Destiny to me. I'll probably ignore it altogether then. I was debating whether or not to take some of the concepts into consideration, but now I won't. Yeah, not quite in love with Athrun yet, 'cause she does have feelings for Heine (hence last chapter) and Stray ('cause he's so sweet) and FS ('cause she'll always love him... and he's sexy), but she does have feelings for that particular dolt. Who knows why... (Destiny reference "Uhh... okay!") Well, we'll just have to find out now won't we?