Update: Tweaked/rewritten October 2020.

Another Coffee Addict

It was another three days before Eclipse made it back to the hangar and her new mobile suit. She hadn't planned it that way, but sometimes life had a tendency to do things she didn't want it to. Say, killing two personal friends and putting a huge gash in her leg. The delay wasn't because of her lack of excitement—far from it, actually—but more like her rehab was taking up more time than anticipated.

Well, that and she really enjoyed taking long trips to the shooting range to put a few holes into some dummies.

She could thank that little menace called "life" for that bit.

"Ah, glad to see you back on your feet. How's the leg?" the mechanic asked, giving her the full body checkout like three days prior. Apparently, he forgot what she looked like.

"Going smoothly, but they're not happy I'm trying to go so fast. Even by Coordinator standards I shouldn't be about without crutches."

"Sounds about right."

"I just have some stubborn genes, I guess."

"Well, that's actually comforting to hear. I'd hate to see your Stealth go down with a weakling in the cockpit." It sounded like he was mocking her, but his face was serious. No lip twitch, no fidgety hands, nothing. He really did take pride in that mobile suit.

"Don't worry, sir," the redhead smirked—going with the joking theory— and walked up to the man with her hands on her hips. Leaning forward, she arched her eyebrows. "You don't have to pilot it."

He just laughed and walked away, tossing her the clipboard he was holding. "You said you did this technical stuff before so just do whatever you want. She's yours, after all."

Eclipse was glad her little comment worked. Not that she didn't like the man—honestly, she found him terribly amusing—but she wanted to explore without "mother's" watchful eye. It was hard enough with every other pilot looking enviously at her and half of them didn't even know what a blow torch was. Such is life, the redhead thought and walked—well, still limped—over to the lift.

"Look at that tail wag!" she heard from across the hangar, deciding the mechanic didn't go too far away after all. Either that or he felt the need to get the last word in. The loud whistle brought some more unwanted attention but Eclipse turned and flashed a mocking smile. She probably could have said something, but she was in deep water as it was. Playing along would have only boosted his ego and the redhead wanted to deflate it, not appease it.

"Oh yeah, I wouldn't mind taking a hold of that one of these days," another chimed in, making Eclipse flush with anger. She was really starting to hate mechanics. Pulling a lever on lift, she ascended towards the Stealth's cockpit, muttering a few choice words.

"Ah, playing hard to get, are you?"

"Y'know, that cockpit is big enough for two people."

You are so dead, the redhead thought, trying to drown out the insidious laughter as she climbed into the cockpit.

"Now there's a view!" she heard one last man yell, knowing what he was talking about, but trying really hard to just ignore it—since she had been doing such a good job of that so far. After all, the easiest way into the machine was head first. No matter how much her valuable assets pleased her onlookers on the main floor, she wasn't about to jeopardize a pain-free entry. Listening to one last whistle echo outside, she heaved a sigh of relief and leaned back in the seat. I must be losing my touch; no one's terrified of me at first glance. I should've kept my mouth shut. Shrugging, she pulled the screen down across the front of her seat, unfolding the keyboard in the same motion.

Setting the clipboard off to the side, she was about to start tinkering with the OS when a manila folder fell down and hit her on the head. Eyes tearing up for a moment—the corner of those things really hurt—she rubbed the spot and grumbled a little before reaching inside. She pulled out six papers. Four looked to be a thorough explanation of the Stealth and all the gadgets, including the CA system Eclipse had been looking forward to ever since Waltfeld joked about it at Banadiya. Choosing not to dive into those just yet, she glanced at the other two papers, withholding a gasp when she realized what they were. "A letter," she breathed, frantically searching for the writer's name at the end. "L-Lathan?" she stammered, glancing down at his messy—but still familiar—signature under the word "love." The redhead just stared, holding onto the paper as if it was going to read itself to her.

How long has it been? she wondered. Months? Years? Shuffling the papers around, she managed to find the first page and began reading. However, she had to stop about halfway through the first paragraph, noting a different form of penmanship—and color of ink—in the margins and around some of the original words. Checking into that for a little longer, she held in a laugh, seeing a little note up in the right-hand corner. "Orange pen = Heine," it read.

Hey, sis! I bet you didn't see this one coming and the fact that you're sitting there in utter shock does, in fact, float my boat. (And mine too, by the way. Ah, beloved, it's so nice to see you again!) You have no idea how long it took me to find you (He didn't try that hard…) and when I figured out you were in some special training program I about shit in my pants. (Only because you can kick his ass now.) How the hell did you get into that mess? Y'know what? Never mind. I'd hate to add insult to injury, so I'll let you keep your nightmares to yourself. I will make you tell me about it sometime, though. I like to be a shoulder to cry on, and all that jazz. (Me too!)

Anyway, I bet you're wondering what I've been up to? (You probably don't care but just appease his better nature, okay? He's pretty sensitive.) Well, I just got into this mechanic thing about four months ago, and, as luck would have it, I was chosen to be one of the few working on this mobile suit. Given, I had a few connections to help me get this far, (And I would be one of them.) but if this'll keep you out of trouble, my job here is done. Inside the packet is information about the CA system I personally designed. (Yeah, yeah. Trust me, Lexi, he's had a huge ego about this for a while now. How the hell did you live with him for 14 years?) It'll probably be handier than you want to believe, so be sure to use it. I know you better than you think I do, so don't you dare just ignore the thing and lie to me later on. Oh, and this might make you laugh; (Huh? Lexi laughs?) I got the idea from the famous Lacus Clyne's pet robot thing. It's not the same pink puff ball, so be of good cheer, (Who honestly talks like that anymore? Lathan's cliché addiction is ridiculous…) but it sparked the design. And here's one last thing about the CA system; I only have one more ear bud, so don't you dare lose or break that one, hear me? Also, since I have it on me at all times, you won't be able to get it until we see each other face-to-face. In other words, don't be stupid. (Lexi stupid? Nah, really? Hah, you can't shoot me so I can say this and not be afraid I'll be singing a few octaves higher.)

(This paragraph seems a little too serious to make any smartass remarks.) Okay, you're probably not going to like this bit of news, but I got a letter from Mom the other day. Now, that isn't the bad part—although, I'd rather not hear from her at the moment either—but, apparently, Cagalli's missing. I'm surprised Mom had enough guts to put something like that in a letter, but I wanted to relay it over to you. I have a feeling you and Cags have gotten out of touch recently—call it a hunch—but I know you're still close. You can't grow up with someone and just drop them cold turkey like they didn't matter. I'm not totally sure what you can do with this information, but maybe you'll hear something on the grapevine. If you do, let me know and I'll tell Mom and Dad. Lord Uzumi's trying to keep it on the lowdown, but I'm sure he's sending out some people to find her as we speak—well, write. Apparently, Colonel Kisaka is missing as well and I'm thinking he followed her. Again, I'm sorry if this causes more worry than anything, but everyone has a right to know what family's up to. Hint, hint, why the hell didn't you write me? Anyway, we'll argue about that later.

Back to the Mom and Dad thing, they've been asking about you. I've been discreetly avoiding the subject, but they're getting nervous. Just wait until they find out you're an elite in the ZAFT military, eh? That'll teach their pacifistic egos to keep their heads up their asses. Oops, sorry, that was a little harsher than intended, but we'll keep that between you, me, and the lamppost, okay? (I won't comment on the cliché again, but do you guys really not like your parents? Lathan refuses to talk about them and I never bothered to ask you. I'm sure you guys have had a falling out, but they're still alive, Lexi. That counts for a lot nowadays. And, obviously, pacifism isn't a bad thing. Okay, none of my business, right? Sorry, I guess we can talk about this later.) I kind of feel bad lying about you, but it's for the best, after all. You were way too sheltered in that place and causing more harm than good, if I do say so myself. How is that anger thing going anyway? Doesn't get you in trouble, does it? Well, if it does, you probably deserved it. You've always been a troublemaker, sis.

Let's see, I'm off in space now. Became close friends with another pilot (That's me!) and have been asked to be his personal mechanic. I didn't even think that happened around here, but since I'm not that high up on the food chain anyway, I guess it doesn't matter. His name is Heine Westenfluss (:D) and, apparently, you two have a history? Need I ask? (He's the one who took it like we had a relationship, so don't hurt me!) At any rate, the guy's hilarious. (Aw…) I'm not sure how long we'll be in space, but I'll try and contact you before long. Because, hey, if I can create such a cool system as the CA one there's no reason I can't hack into it, right? Here's a question, though, will you contact me before I get another chance? That'd be great, just so I know you got this and actually appreciate all the hard work I put into the Stealth. It was made for you, Lexi, so don't get killed. You've changed a lot since we said goodbye at the terminal. A good change? I couldn't tell ya, but from what I've heard from Heine, I'm worried. Yeah, probably not something you want to hear me say, but be careful, okay?

Love,

Lathan Rymyr

(You guys seem really close, that's nice to know. I'll make sure he stays out of trouble, so don't you worry about that. Besides, you're going to be in bigger danger than I am anyway, assuming you're still chasing after SIN-ED. Haven't heard much from them lately, but they—I assume it was them—did break into ZAFT warehouse not too long ago. Seemed like most of the things taken were spare MS parts, but I'm not sure why they did it.You might know a bit more, but I thought I'd let ya know.

Use the suit wisely and even if it's overly armed—you can thank two, concerned guys for that much firepower—don't get reckless. We want a return letter, for sure, but not that you died in the battlefield. Understand? Good. Also, with love from Heine Westenfluss.)

Eclipse smiled—how couldn't she?—and set the letter down on top of the clipboard, taking an extra second to make sure it wouldn't slide off before looking at the other pieces of paper in the folder. Skimming through the first few pages—the mechanic had already explained that stuff a couple of days ago—she stopped at the one talking about the CA, or Communication Alteration, System. "It talks to you," was the first line, both not surprising the redhead in its lack of technical jargon, and getting her frustrated at the same time.

How typical.

"There's an ear bud located in a small compartment just below the screens for your main camera," it went on to explain. Eclipse looked up and saw and amusing orange dot on the indicated spot, causing another smile to grace her lips. "From now on, it should be in your ear—which one is your personal choice. It'll send out electronic signals directly to your eardrum, establishing a link to the main computer in the Stealth. Might be a bit painful at first, but, eventually, it'll go away and you'll be closer to your machine than you ever thought possible. When I mean a direct link, I'm not kidding. Say any order—you'll be verifying the 'command initiating sequence' here in a bit—and the Stealth will comply no matter how far away it is. Oh, and don't worry, your hearing won't be affected and it'll turn off automatically if it comes in contact with moisture. Wouldn't want you to get electrocuted, now, would we?

"Well, back to what it can do," the explanation continued. "It's kind of a work in process, so, yes, you are basically the guinea pig. The whole suit is voice activated. I know most of the things you'll be doing—movements, firing, etc.—require physical handling, but I'm hoping there'll be something you can use this for; especially since you're doing special ops stuff and might not always be near the suit. Say, you're on one side of a PLANT and the Stealth is on the other. Well, just call it to set up a rendezvous point and 'voila' you have a ride and backup fire if need be. Basically, just tinker around with it and you might find some interesting uses. After the battle it'll be the most interesting. There's a program set up to compiles statistics and other data. Well, there's supposed to be. Never finished it so, the next time I see you I'll be sure to work on it, okay? Call it incentive. Oh, and be sure to call me a genius later, since, well, I am."

Eclipse blinked, but ended up smiling a few seconds later. Not only did the system prove he was, in fact, the genius he claimed to be, but his ego was still through the roof—if she would allow herself to steal one of his clichés. Yes, it was a work in progress, but it could probably come in handy. The instant backup was very alluring; especially if she just happened to get pissed at Namarra. Which—she thought for a moment—she actually was. Anyway, her brother tried so hard to create it for her, so she should be proud of it, no?

"Alright, punch in this sequence here," she muttered to herself, going through the step-by-step process Lathan drew up. "And press this button—"

"Initiating voice verification and ear bud sync," the Stealth responded, making the redhead literally jump in her seat. After the first line of Lathan's note being, "It talks to you," Eclipse should have anticipated it, but perhaps the real reason she was so startled was because of the voice. It wasn't just a low, male baritone or a mid-range alto for a female, but a mixture of the two, creating an interesting combination that was both easy on the ears and unique at the same time. Leave it to him to be indecisive, she thought with a small sigh and reached up to open the compartment with the ear piece.

Feeling around inside the dark hole, her fingers passed over a small lump. She wrapped her hand around it and pulled it out, surprised by the size. It was no bigger than the nail on her pinky toe and cone shaped, making it ideal to stick in her ear, but the tip looked so sharp the redhead couldn't help but cringe. Maybe she just didn't want to put the thing next to her delicate eardrum. On the flat end opposite that nightmare point was one, small button, protruding the surface just enough so Eclipse could reach into her ear and push it down. What it was used for, however, was still unknown. And leave it to Lathan to leave out information too, she grumbled again.

"Ear bud sync incomplete. Cannot continue unless the sync is verified," her suit said, the monotone inflection a tad more annoying than she originally thought. Either that or what the Stealth was saying was bothersome.

"Yeah, yeah," the redhead mumbled and took a deep breath, closing her eyes as she slipped the bud into her right ear. At first, she didn't know how far she was supposed to push it in, but the little thing took care of that for her. Zapping her finger away, Eclipse felt tiny, tentacle-like wires latch onto the sides of—or what she figured to be—her eardrum. A panicked yelp escaped her lips from that sharp pain alone and as soon as the bud started firing what Lathan had called "electrical signals," she nearly doubled over. "Damnit!" she screeched, grabbing the sides of her head in a futile attempt to soothe her tortured ear.

"Syncing in progress," her machine stated, but the redhead barely even registered it, too worried about the permanent damage her brother's "work in progress" was committing.

Cursing again, she couldn't help but wonder if he had even bothered to try the thing out himself. Damn you to Hell, Lathan!

She heard a loud click after the outburst, jerking her head slightly to the right and causing a little more dizziness than was appreciated. Offering up a small prayer, she hoped the first thing she did in her new mobile suit wasn't going to be vomiting. Not only had she been doing way too much of that lately, but the Stealth still had the "new" smell and Eclipse would've liked to keep it that way. "Syncing in progress," the Stealth said again, however, this time the frequency was transmitting directly inside her head, feeling—and sounding—like the screeching of too loudly played music on poorly made speakers. Given, the words were hard to make out, but still there nonetheless. "Syncing is complete," it confirmed a moment later, each syllable becoming more and more bearable than the ones before, but even if Eclipse could hear the words, she couldn't make out any other noises. "Syncing is complete," the Stealth repeated, sounding as clear as if she was listening to it in her cockpit.

Blinking away tears, she opened one eye and then the other, cursing the small amount of light passing through the open cockpit in front of her. She half expected a mechanic to be standing there waving his arms in a desperate attempt to get her attention—seeing as she was probably screaming through that whole ordeal—but, alas, no one seemed to care whether or not she had to live with four senses instead of five.

"Syncing is—"

"Yes, I get the idea!" she shouted, pounding the armchair with the effort. But wait, she stopped, staring at her hand and smiling when the realization hit. I could hear that! And out of both ears!

"Voice verified, initiating command code sequence. When ready, punch VCOMM onto the screen and state sequence."

"Huh?" Eclipse muttered, blinking a few times before she finally understood what had happened. She couldn't help but laugh then, both giddy from her returning fifth sense as well as knowing Lathan would be cracking up if he knew that was how the whole thing went down.

After all, she always made the best first impressions.

Okay, now what to do for a command phrase, the redhead thought, leaning back in her seat and staring at the blue screen. Stealth is too obvious and CA is too boring. Calling it "Lathan" would be going overboard and I hate boosting his ego, so—ah-ha! That's it! Typing in the letters indicated earlier, she waited for the Stealth to say the simple word, "Begin," before stating the command sequence. "Coffee Addict."

"Acknowledged."

Eclipse couldn't help but smile sadly, choking back a few sudden tears. Commander Waltfeld would be damned proud of her.

"So, this is where you've been hiding," Nicol shouted, looking up at Eclipse sitting on the lift near the Stealth's cockpit. Legs crossed in Indian style and a computer in her lap, she looked almost comfortable—and the thoughtful expression on her face made the boy wonder what she was up to—but she looked different; more relaxed. "And here I thought you'd be doing something productive like keeping Yzak from throttling Athrun."

"You call that productive?" Eclipse asked, twisting around at the sudden interruption to her work. At first, she didn't recognize her teammate's voice, but as soon as she turned, she couldn't help but smile. It had been a while. "I think Dearka can handle that one on his own, don't 'cha think?"

Nicol just shrugged, taking a step back as to not strain his neck so much. "Sure, he can hold his own, but I think he likes watching those two fight. Must get some sadistic pleasure out of it or something."

"Sounds about right," Eclipse replied, setting the laptop down onto the seat inside the cockpit. Careful of the wires—tripping would hurt a bit—she stepped onto the lift and lowered it to meet the Blitz pilot on the hangar floor. "I bet you missed those two, huh?"

"Is that a rhetorical question, or did you really want me to answer?" Nicol laughed, meeting her halfway. "I had a lot of R and R up there in the PLANTs; it's a pity I had to come back to chaos."

"Sorry." The redhead shrugged. "I tried my hardest, but, in the end, they're still dickheads." The boy blinked at the statement, not responding right away and even managing to work up a hearty laugh. "What?" Eclipse asked, not really sure what was so funny. In fact, she got frustrated when he couldn't even reply right away, still laughing over some ridiculous notion she had no idea about. "What is it?"

"You," he finally managed, wiping a small tear from the corner of his eye. "I never thought I'd hear you be so—okay, 'blunt' probably isn't the best word, but I'm drawing a blank."

"Huh? I've always been blunt."

Nicol started laughing again, genuine happiness on his face when he saw the confused look in the redhead's eyes.

"Yes—trust me—I know you have, but you've never been so—uh—"

"So what?"

"No, never mind," he finished, not willing to say the word "cute" to her face. "Actually, I'm sure Dearka, Yzak, and Athrun can all take care of themselves. I was kind of wondering how you were doing. I heard about your time in Banadiya," he began, noticing Eclipse's body tense. "I do hope penning yourself up in here and fidgeting with your new mobile suit isn't a way to try and avoid anything."

"You think I'm just in here to make myself stop thinking about it?"

"Yes."

The redhead visibly cringed, turning her head down and to the side after the comment. And you said I was blunt? she thought, taking a deep breath before turning to face him again. Her voice caught in her throat and she cleared it, turning away before she could say anything. Nope, not gonna do it, she thought. Any little mention had been sending her spiraling down lately and she bit the inside of her cheek. She didn't need her teammates to see it too.

"You're not okay, are you?"

"I'm fine, so just stop asking."

"Well, that basically said, 'no, I'm lying through my teeth.'"

"Who cares what it sounded like, all that matters is what I said," Eclipse spat, only realizing how immature that must have sounded a few minutes later. Biting her cheek again, she looked away and to the side. "So, when did you and Athrun get here, anyway?" It was a cowardly move on her part by changing the subject, but she wasn't ready to talk about it.

Not yet; maybe not ever.

Right?

Nicol sighed, but didn't answer the question. Instead, he shook his head and turned slightly. "Can't even be honest with me, huh? Maybe you haven't changed after all," he muttered, taking a step towards the hangar opening. "If you won't talk about it, at least don't let it kill you."

The bitter comment surprised her, but she had no comeback for his words. Perhaps even he was getting tired of having closed-off teammates, but what did he expect? "You're too kind, Nicol," she said before he left, causing him to pause.

"So people keep telling me," he said with a sigh.

"Sometimes it's easier to handle things alone."

"Is it easier though?" he asked, catching her eye then and she lost her words again. What did he want her to say? "Enjoy your new suit, Eclipse. I'll talk to you later."

Damnit, she cursed again and watched the pilot walk off. It was a solemn stroll, to be sure, but, for some reason, Eclipse's legs refused to chase after him. What did he expect? Or, maybe, that was the problem.

He was expecting too much of their team.

A sudden beeping sound rang in her ear, scaring her as well as indicating the Stealth's upgrades were finished and moving towards the final stages. The redhead sighed, debating whether or not to return to the cockpit and finish up her adjustments. There weren't many left and she really needed to get them done, but at the expense of Nicol's kindheartedness? She felt like she owed him an apology, but just as she was battling loss, Nicol seemed to be battling his own demons.

Maybe it would be better if they opened up a little more, she realized.

But it wasn't that easy.

Her ear bud beeped again—and even three more times in a row just to make a point—but she just drowned it out and replied. "Coffee Addict, cancel sequence. I'll be back later to re-initiate, but for now be on standby."

"Stealth acknowledges. Switching to standby," her suit replied, cutting the connection and allowing the redhead to issue a small sigh of relief. No matter what Lathan had written in his note, this machine obeying her every command was still iffy by her standards. Not to mention talking to herself looked a tad insane on her part as well.

Pushing aside her inner turmoil, Eclipse gave a small smile and ran out the hangar door. "Nicol—" she started but stopped short, nearly running over another redcoat. "A-Athrun?" Eclipse stammered, backing away a few steps as he did the same.

"Nice to see you too," he said, clearing his throat in a desperate attempt to push away the awkwardness between them. Her staring at him wide-eyed didn't help matters. "If you're looking for Nicol, he just took the jeep back to our quarters. He looked kind of upset. Did you two fight?"

She sighed and shook her head, regaining her composure. "Just a disagreement, and nothing to be terribly concerned about," she replied, trying to sound casual, but not being able to look him in the eye didn't help matters. "So, what are you doing around here?"

"Curious about your suit, to be honest and a bit restless myself."

She put her hands on her hips and rolled her eyes. "Sounds like everyone's been wanting to see it. There's nothing special about the thing. It has a head, body, appendages, a few shiny weapons, and a comfortable enough cockpit. See? Boring."

He shrugged. "We'll have to learn the schematics sooner or later anyway to know what to expect."

She sighed and threw her hands out to the side. There was really no point in arguing. She looked out over his shoulder for a second longer to try and find Nicol, but even that was a lost cause. Jerking her head back into the hangar, she led the way. No doubt Athrun had noticed her limp, but he chose not to say anything. Good choice.

He stopped in front of the machine at a comfortable angle to see it all in one go as Eclipse walked over to one of the consoles and grabbed the clipboard there, holding it out to Athrun as she walked over. "This is the Stealth."

He thanked her for the clipboard and flipped through the pages as she moved to stand next to him. "I heard about Banadiya."

Eclipse sighed loudly, the frustration in her voice coming out in an audible humpf. "Sounds like everyone's heard about Banadiya," she growled, crossing her arms. "Before you ask, no, I don't want to talk about it."

"Wasn't gonna ask, to be fair." He turned to the next page and looked up at the Stealth. "Though I'm sorry to hear how it ended."

She attempted to thank him for the remark, but ended up just acknowledging it instead, a slight nod of the head to accent her appreciation. They were in a war; loss was commonplace. She was just mostly thankful Athrun hadn't prodded the way Nicol had earlier.

"He's gotten better, you know," she said absently, changing the subject abruptly with her words. She felt him turn to her, but she stared up at the Stealth. "Twice—I should've killed him twice. The first time I chickened out and got cocky. I should've self-destructed, but I didn't think of it until it was too late."

"Self-destructed?" he asked, the surprise evident in his voice. Had that never been an option for him before? She turned to him then, the question clearly painted on her face. "It's a viable tactic, you know. Comes at a great risk, of course, but so does not doing it." There was weight to that last comment and she felt her voice crack at the end. She looked away after the rare moment of emotion and cleared her throat before continuing. "The second time he was just… better. I can't tell if he's either gotten used to that suit, found a purpose, or is just a better fighter in Earth's gravity, but he's dangerous."

Athrun sighed then, the clipboard falling to his side as his arms dropped. They stood for a few moments, staring up at the Stealth. Eclipse wasn't sure what her fellow redcoat was thinking and given the tense silence, she thought he might actually say something or admit something to her. Instead, he said nothing, so Eclipse did.

"I'm gonna kill him, Athrun."

She turned her head, looking at him. He seemed neutral about the statement, which actually surprised her. Perhaps it was because he now knew the schematics of her suit, or he knew the full weight of what she had experienced in Banadiya. Either way, her determination was clear and he sighed, breaking the look and handing her the clipboard.

"I know," he said quietly, looking up at the Stealth. "I know."

"Hey, Lunar Eclipse!" a mechanic yelled from the hanger floor. It had been another day since Eclipse had had her run-ins with Nicol and Athrun and the Stealth was almost ready to go. Interruptions like this were making the process run more slowly, however, and her face as she stuck her head out of the cockpit displayed as much. "The Le Creuset Team's wanted in Briefing Room Number 2 on the south end of the complex for a team meeting."

"Got it, thanks," she called back, waving an arm. This was their first meeting as a team since everyone had arrived at Gibraltar. The redcoats had been running into each other throughout the past couple of days, but this was the first formal briefing, which probably meant they had new orders. Stopping her newest adjustments, she climbed out of the cockpit and down to the hangar floor before heading to the gathering. Her limp was almost non-existent by that point, which was both a blessing and surprising. Still, she wasn't about to be unthankful for the quick recovery and flagged down a jeep as she exited the hangar in hopes of getting a quick lift to the other side of the port.

Taking about five minutes by jeep, Eclipse was the third one to the room. Looking much like a classroom—two columns of tables and chairs with a holographic picture of earth on the white board—the place gave the redhead the feeling they were back at school or at least the academy. Dearka sat comfortably at the first table on the right, leaning back into his chair with his arms crossed over his chest. She nodded a greeting to him and he returned the gesture though his mood was sour. Either he was bored or angry, but then again he could just be tired seeing as he was supposed to be keeping Yzak from killing Athrun.

"Please, sir, listen, I can get him; I know it!" Speaking of Yzak, the pilot was standing in front of Commander Le Creuset, with an urgent—even angry—look on his face. While they hadn't been arguing when Eclipse walked in, there was definitely some tension in the room. She felt foolish for not noticing it before. She took the chair and table to the left side of the room, the second one back. Crossing her arms in much the same way, the redhead watched the scene unfold.

"Yzak, calm down," Le Creuset ordered, resting his hand lightly on the desk in front of him. "You're acting far too emotional." Eclipse would have laughed at how true the statement was if someone else was willing to make the first move. Not only would the commander be angry, but Yzak would have a perfectly good reason to throw her out of the second story window. However, the Duel pilot's face was priceless.

A mixture between shock and depression, the only words he could say were an echo of Le Creuset's. "Too emotional?"

He had no idea.

"Eh, excuse me," Athrun muttered from the other side of the door. There was evident hesitation in his voice and judging by how loud Yzak was yelling a moment before, his uncertainty was well placed. Watching the door slide open, Eclipse locked eyes with Nicol and she brightened slightly. She still had the desire to apologize to him for the day before even if she wasn't entirely sure why she held that sentiment. Perhaps she just didn't want for him to be upset.

"Ah Athrun, Nicol, good. We're all here, it seems," the commander began, offering them seats, and they all took to different areas of the room, Yzak took the seat in front of Eclipse, Dearka still to their left, Nicol to the table behind her—they shared a nod in greeting which made her feel better—and Athrun to the table behind Dearka.

"The Earth Forces 'Legged Ship' must be stopped from getting to Alaska with the data it's acquired," the commander began. "However, I'm afraid this mission has already been assigned to the Carpentaria base."

"But, commander, that's our job!" Yzak interrupted, his "emotional" side peeking through once more. She debated kicking the back of his chair. "This is unfinished business for us!"

"I feel the same way, commander," Dearka announced as he pushed himself to his feet. The chair screeched behind him, grinding on the tiled floor in one sickening movement.

"Dearka?" Nicol blinked, the outburst having more effect on him than it did the others. Or maybe his sensitive ears didn't like the blond's sudden movements.

"Yeah, well, I've also been humiliated by those guys," Dearka responded. He met Nicol's eyes for a split second before reverting downward.

The look wasn't lost on Eclipse, in fact she had her own share of pent up anger. Humiliated by the Archangel? Is that the word they were using? We all want to see it go down, she thought, taking a second to glance at Nicol and Athrun. She tried to read what they were thinking, but failed and turned away when Le Creuset started talking again.

"Needless to say, I feel the same," the commander continued. "I have to prepare for 'Operation SpitBreak,' so I must remain here. But if you feel that strongly about it, why don't you try yourselves?"

That got their attention.

"Yes, sir!" Yzak replied immediately, straightened his slumped shoulders with a small grin on his lips. Even Dearka looked pleased.

"Then we'll form a team consisting of Dearka, Yzak, Lunar Eclipse, Athrun, and Nicol. And your commander will be—let me see." He paused, scanning each individual briefly. When his eyes passed over Eclipse, she just looked away. She doubted he even considered her and, frankly, she didn't want it. No, she was better at taking orders. "Athrun, I'm putting you in charge." No one said anything right away, but their faces said it all. Athrun was shocked, Nicol seemed vaguely pleased, Dearka was indifferent, and Yzak was pissed. His face contorting into something shy of the devil, he glared at the Aegis pilot, but the "pretty boy" didn't seem to notice.

Lucky him.

"I'll have you assigned to a submarine carrier in Carpentaria," Le Creuset continued as if the decision was elementary. Perhaps it was. "You should be prepared to leave at a moment's notice."

"M-me, commander?" Athrun stuttered, overwhelmed by it all. Since when did he have the ability to hold such a position?

Le Creuset smiled and walked over to the pilot, setting a comforting, but firm hand on his shoulder. "That ship has been a real thorn in our side, it will not be easy, Athrun." After that, he opened the door, leaving the newly formed team to boil over its assignment.

And boil they would.

"So, now we're the Zala Team? Hah, this should be good," Dearka mocked, slumping back down into his chair and throwing his arms up in surrender. Yzak decided to say nothing—or he couldn't talk—and kept up his award-winning scowl. The phrase, "Your face will end up staying that way," came to Eclipse's mind, but she too kept quiet. After all, she didn't want to make the situation even worse and the look on Athrun's face reminded her he would be the one getting the first blow.

The redhead watched him a bit longer, curious to know what was churning through his mind. He had at least three pilots on his team who wanted nothing more than to see the Archangel burn and based on his hesitation, Eclipse knew Athrun was still dealing with whatever internal battle was raging about that kid named Kira.

I wonder if he's opened up to Nicol about it, the redhead thought, waiting for the others to leave the room before she finally exited. Maybe Nicol and her would have that chat sometime soon, she figured. But first, she owed a message to her fellow Berserker. Her lips scowled at the thought, beginning her trek back to the Stealth. It's about time Namarra got a message from "Bob."

"It took you this long to contact me?" Namarra asked, sitting on the wrought iron park bench, legs crossed, and her head propped upright by her hand on the armrest. It was later in the evening that same day, and the girls decided to meet up in a secluded park just outside the big city near Gibraltar. Maybe not the most ideal place to hold a conversation of their caliber, but, for now, it was good enough. However, the Natural's stance was upsetting to the redhead.

For as pissed as Eclipse was, Namarra looked way too comfortable.

"You're pretty hard to reach," the redhead replied through clenched teeth. She stood across from the Natural, trying to pull off a cocky stance of her own, but only managing hands on her hips and a lean to her left side. "What have you heard of SIN-ED?"

"Can't do the research yourself? Getting lazy are we?"

"Don't push it," Eclipse threatened. "I've had way too much going on for me to worry about them at the moment. The only thing I do know is they raided a ZAFT warehouse a few days ago."

"Try six days ago and they have knocked over two other facilities since then."

"Do you know what they're after?"

Namarra sighed, scratching the back of her head as if in thought. "Mostly data and some spare parts; nothing powerful enough to scare the natives. If I wasn't so sure it was SIN-ED, I'd just ignore the situation altogether."

"What do you think they're up to?"

"Actually, I was hoping you'd be able to answer that question. I don't know how their minds work like you do, but if we don't have any other option, looks like we're just gonna have to ask them personally."

"Some great assassins we are. We don't even know what our prey's up to let alone where they are right now," Eclipse grumbled.

"Not knowing what they're up to is half the fun, but if we really wanted to, we could figure out where they're hiding out."

Eclipse just smirked, matching the Natural's look to almost mirror image. She had a point. After all, most people in their position would just massacre and write up a questionnaire afterwards, never realizing their prisoner was—well—dead. At least these two Berserkers were going to kill them while asking questions.

"Oh," Namarra began a moment later, kicking her right leg up over her left and setting it on the ground, "I've been meaning to talk to you about your last battle." The redhead felt her body go still, waiting to see how far the Natural was willing to take the conversation. After all, Eclipse had been itching for an "anger release" ever since Banadiya. "You did go berserk, didn't you?"

"No, I didn't."

"I've been hearing sweet whispers about a fair redhead stabbing some well-known physician. 'Eyes straight from the ice age and rage as fierce as hell,' one report read. Do you deny it?"

"I snapped afterwards. Our little deal killed two good friends of mine, so the anger seemed justified."

"Oh, so people did get killed and you blame yourself, I see. Figures," Namarra said nonchalant, offering a shrug. "This is a war and you were in the position to choose who lived and who died. You chose your SIN-ED friends; I'm not surprised."

"What?" Eclipse was on her toes by this time, fists clenched painfully at her sides.

"Don't tell me you haven't figured it out yet. That deal offered you a chance to see who—or what—you cared about more. If you went berserk, I'd kill Gluttony and his friend; if you didn't, your new friends would die. I must admit, though, your decision saddens me. Either you have a lot of faith in SIN-ED or you just hate humanity that much. After all, your ZAFT buddies aren't trying to destroy the human race."

That stung.

Sure, she had a point, but there was this little thing called "tact" in the universe. Eclipse scowled. How dare that Natural assume she chose one human being—one life—over another, especially when it concerned her closest comrades. "So, you're saying I had to make a choice?"

"Yup, and you chose poorly, I might add. Tell me, what made you think you had the right to be so bold as to let some good soldiers die in order to allow some crazed lunatics walk all over us? Do you think you're—" Namarra never finished; an enraged redhead slamming a fist into a person's cheek could have such an effect. The Natural crumpled over the armrest, catching herself before she could fly headlong onto the ground. Ribs scraping against the metal through a cotton T-shirt, she merely laughed.

"What the hell gives you the right to judge me?" Eclipse spat.

Namarra continued with her amusement, spitting out some blood from a cut cheek. The metallic taste rested on her tongue for a few seconds, causing another wad of saliva to go crashing to the ground. Scraping a forearm across her mouth she smirked, admiring the stinging bite near corner of her bottom lip. "Nice punch."

"I will not have you place all the blame on me."

"Whatever, you feel guilty and we both know it. And stop trying to play the wounded hero," the black-haired girl began, forcing her body to sit upright once more. "Not only does it curse your image, but I laugh at it too. You, a hero?"

"Fuck you!" Eclipse hissed, this time sending both them and the bench to the ground after one forceful tackle. Landing in a muffled thump, each sprouted their own, interesting combinations of curses. An onlooker might have been embarrassed—or even offended—for them, but thank goodness time was on the Berserkers' side.

Eclipse ended up on top, her knees straddling Namarra's still sitting form awkwardly near her biceps. Her shins were hot with pain as the backrest dug into her legs; however, she was at the point where nothing else mattered, not even her "interesting" positioning. Plopped on her opponent's stomach, her knees had the Natural pinned enough that she couldn't get her arms up for a defense. Eclipse wound up and swung again, connecting soundly with Namarra's right cheek bone.

"Get off me!" Namarra screeched, more than pissed about her predicament. An attempt at a headbutt accented the order, but Eclipse's hold was too good. "I said move!" Tucking in her knees, the black-haired girl rocked backwards, kneeing Eclipse hard in the back. It gave Namarra enough slack to loosen her right arm and wind up for a punch to the stomach. Breathless, the redhead buckled, but didn't bail off the Natural. Only one, strong right jab was able to send her falling off to the left.

The redhead's right shoulder nicked the far armrest as she turned, causing a small yelp to escape her lips, but she didn't have long to worry about that pain when her face hit the cool grass. "S-shit," she coughed, not enjoying the new bruises and how they worked so well with her old ones. The side of her left hand throbbed from trying to catch herself—her leg gash seemed to have reopened—and now she had a tender set of abs and a throbbing cheekbone to worry about. Honestly, the only person she could blame was herself.

However, she would never say she didn't enjoy the adrenaline rush.

"You have some nerve," Namarra breathed somewhere to her right.

"I have some nerve?"

"Here I am just minding my own business—"

"Minding your own business? Hah! There's a good one." Eclipse laughed, rolling onto her side and facing the Natural. Namarra was still on the bench, but looked terribly uncomfortable. Seeing the top of the backrest positioned near her middle back, the redhead figured it had dug in well enough to cause an interesting bruise. Either that or some vertebra cracked when they weren't supposed to.

"It's not my fault you're dumb."

"But it is your fault we're laying here writhing in pain."

"I'm not writhing."

"Then move."

The Natural paused, cringed a bit, but in the end stayed put. "I don't want to," she muttered. "And it's not my fault. You just have to stop thinking with your hormones and use your brain—hey! Would you letme finish a sentence for once?" she yelped, wiping a fair amount of dirt off her face and out of her eyes.

Eclipse had pretty good aim even from lying down.

Grabbing another handful, the redhead tossed more grass and soil Namarra's way. This time, however, the black-haired girl retaliated, raining her own share of earth down upon her opponent. In all definitions of the word, it was pathetic. Two, highly trained assassins had regressed to using dirt instead of grenades and blades of grass instead of throwing knives. Childish was another word—and immature was up there on the list as well—but neither was in the mood to get up and find such weapons. When in doubt, use what was at hand.

Who knew they would take it so literally?

"Uh-huh, not sure what to make of this."

The two girls stopped mid-throw and looked towards the new voice, pure instinct kicking in the second neither recognized it. Namarra did a backwards summersault, landing on her feet, but remained crouched down, reaching inside her boot to grab the dagger hidden there. Apparently, she was armed; just not something she wanted to use on Eclipse. The redhead did much the same thing, flipping backwards and reaching inside her own boot for the same kind of weapon.

Ironic.

"Now, that's just unnerving," the man muttered, issuing a yawn after his fair, tenor-ranged voice chuckled at the sight. "But the question is, what to do with you two now? Who knew a lazy nap would create such an opportunity?"

The girls shared a glance, but they knew they were stuck. Sure, it may have been just one man, but the two 9mms pointed at their foreheads gave them a slight disadvantage. After all, Sloth was known to have flawless aim.

A/N: Hey guys, new chapter. Yes, cliff hanger, I"m sorry; it couldn't be helped. And I'm sure the next thing you all want to hear is how I'm not sure when I'll be getting the next chapter out. O.o School's starting up again here pretty quick and that mixed in with work and coaching is going to be one hell of a time. Then again, I have an easy class I'll probably have a chance to write in, but being so high up on the college food chain doesn't give me much free time. Well, I'll try my hardest, that you can be sure of.

So, what did you all think of the CA system? Let me know! It'll get a little more complex as the story goes on, but for now, tell me if it's an interesting concept or if you downright hate it. I'll enjoy the comment either way!

And Lathan's letter. I'm thinking a bunch of you were amused by that one—actually, I was practically laughing and I wrote the thing!—and I'm hoping it made sense. Heine has an interesting sense of humor—that we already knew—and him being friends with Lathan is ridiculous. A good "ridiculous" though.

Special shoutout to my Betas Death-Scimitar, CSS Stravag, and Maderfole for helping me make this an awesome story. Couldn't do it without 'em.

And a special shoutout to all my reviewers. It means a lot when I can get on the computer and see so many compliments/suggestions. I really can't thank you enough since you guys are the reason I keep writing this thing. Keep 'em coming and remember, I don't mind criticisms. In fact, I love them; they help me write better.

Gripes/Questions:

Asmus: I'm sure you knew I'd pick out this one, but the name Stealth is staying. Honestly, I thought it was a bit unique, but perhaps I'm just a sheltered little kid and had no idea what the big world held. O.o Sorry, thanks for the suggestions, but I really like Stealth for Eclipse's mobile suit.

Until the next chapter. Thanks again!

Strata