Update: Tweaked/rewritten December 2020.
Leaving Home to Go Home
The Stealth was just as she had left it, in pristine condition with an added layer of dust. She had heard they had tried finding a new pilot for the suit, but no one was able to step inside the suit let alone get it running. Apparently, they couldn't get the cockpit open. Even brute force ended in failure. Staring up at her suit, she smirked. The two of them shared more things in common than anyone had anticipated. Basic stubbornness being only one of those things. After that plan had failed, the military had decided to scrap it for extra parts. Commander Waltfeld had snagged the suit before that could happen and had it stored in the Eternal until there was need for it. If anything, the HiMat wings could be scrapped and used as a backup pair for the Freedom, so Waltfeld's superiors hadn't argued against his decision.
Bringing her finger up to her right ear, Eclipse started to press it inside, but then stopped when she felt only cotton. Frowning, she dropped her hand back to her side. She had forgotten the earpiece had been torn out. Figures, she thought, a shiver running down her spine when the echo of the sharp pain raced across her memory.
"Cold?" a familiar voice asked, causing Eclipse to turn around and face the newcomer. At first she thought it was DaCosta, coming to tell her it was okay for her to board the machine and hide in there until the Eternal started its military exercise. But instead of the familiar green coat and red hair, she saw a red uniform and orange hair.
"Heine." She smiled. "Is this another one of our meet cutes?"
"Apparently," he said with a laugh. "You know you and I never meet like normal people," he remarked, walking to her side. "You look surprised to see me. I did tell you I was assigned to this pink monstrosity, didn't I?"
Pausing, she tried to figure out what he meant by the statement, but soon chuckled quietly. The Eternal was pink; there was just no other color it could be called. Why the military decided on that color, she had no idea. She had planned on asking Commander Waltfeld, but never got around to it. "Now I remember. Lucky you."
"Yes, lucky me," he mused, turning to look at the Stealth. Eclipse watched him then, noticing how he composed himself. He was calmer, a little less animated. Part of her was sad about that but another part of her liked the changed, realizing he had grown up a little bit. "So, I almost painted the Stealth orange and blue. Complementary colors, ya know. I just wanted to make it—uh—make it," he paused, searching for the right word, "pop!"
Or maybe he hadn't changed as much as she had thought.
Instead of being exhausted like she normally would have, she snorted and tried to hold back a laugh, but failed. "Thank goodness you didn't!"
"Why not?" he asked, matching her smile. "There has to be some way for you to remember me."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Stopping her laughter, she turned towards him. He was looking at her suit again with a frown now on his face. It looks too unnatural there, she thought. "Heine?"
"DaCosta told me you're heading back to Orb."
She nodded. "Yeah. I guess there's no other place for me to go, huh?"
"No other place? Why can't you stay here? After all, your suit seems to enjoy this corner here."
"If I stayed here, ZAFT would just use me again—Hell, I'm not even part of the military anymore. Aren't all of your guys against me being used?"
"Sure, but I didn't say rejoin ZAFT."
She just sighed, knowing what he was probably hinting at some peaceful life in the PLANTs, but not wanting to walk down that road. She knew she would be taken care of if she stayed in space, but—ultimately—she wanted to avoid that. She had to start standing on her own feet if she wanted to figure out what the hell was going to become of her. Opening her mouth, she was about to make some lame excuse, but Heine cut her off by changing the subject.
"You wanna know something though?" he asked, the seriousness in his voice turning Eclipse's head back in his direction. "I've been thinking about it lately and it's probably a good thing you're leaving, even if I don't understand why."
"And why's that?"
"There's a warrant out for your arrest." That surprised her and her face said as much. Staring wide-eyed at him, she nearly started yelling when he childishly poked her in the forehead. "Relax though," he continued. "It's out for Lunar Eclipse and not Lexi Rymyr."
"I thought Lunar Eclipse didn't exist anymore? And wouldn't Lexi Rymyr be on it?"
"Somebody in HR is definitely doing overtime trying to either make sure you're no longer around, or make sure you come back." He shrugged. "Remember though, Lexi Rymyr has familial connections to one of the five families in the Orb government. They state on the warrant you're wanted for deserting in the line of duty and, since Lunar Eclipse was the one listed in the ZAFT military and not Lexi Rymyr, there could be some political disputes if you were ever caught. Fighting with a neutral nation doesn't exactly get you brownie points with the people."
"That still doesn't mean I'm safe."
"How many people actually know you?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, there's a long list of deserters that's accumulated over the years. Even if you're given top priority, there isn't much that can be done. There's still a war going on, remember?"
"And that has a tendency to trump everything else," Eclipse added, feeling a bit better about her criminal status.
"Even if the war was to end, you would still be safe if you stayed in Orb. At least you might be able to hide better there under your real name. I don't see the ZAFT military announcing its direct connections to SIN-ED and the Januarias 4 facility any time soon."
She smiled then, glad to hear she might be able to leave her old life behind. Well, at least for a while. There were way too many questions for her to forget it entirely. "So, what're you gonna do now? I hear your precious Freedom was stolen, so where they stickin' ya? Radar duty? Intelligence again?" She smiled as she spoke, mostly mocking him and his bad fortune, but when she saw the straight line his lips made, she started getting nervous. "Heine? I-I'm sorry—"
"I'm still being assigned a unit and I'm transferring to the Hawkins Team."
Eclipse blinked, still noticing the grim look on his face. When he had told her about the Freedom, he was ecstatic, but now he looked, "Hesitant."
"Huh?"
"You seem so much different than when I met you before. Why the change?"
He shrugged. "I think losing the Freedom and finding out a little of what had happened to you seemed like some kind of sign."
"A sign?"
"Something like I'm getting too old for this shit."
Eclipse laughed and patted his shoulder. "You're only a couple years older than I am and at least ten years younger than half of our superiors." He only smiled in return, that look alone making her feel a bit better. Turning away, he stared up at the Stealth. Eclipse opened her mouth to speak again, but then closed it. She almost told him about the Clyne Faction, figuring he didn't already know anything. He seemed to have come to the same realization most of them had already made but—given his position in the military and his authority as a redcoat—there really wasn't much he could do without the Faction's help. He could try to make some changes on the battlefield, but his choices were limited.
In the end, he would probably always choose his own survival.
The Clyne Faction might be what he had been seeking, so shouldn't she say something? After all, they always needed more members. Still, she hesitated, not wanting to spill anything she shouldn't and then leave without being able to help clean up the consequences. She trusted Heine, but the Clyne Faction was in such a delicate position at the moment. The only reason she was so quickly introduced was probably because she—technically—didn't exist anymore.
"You okay?" he asked, leaning his head down in front of her gaze to grab her attention. Apparently, she had been staring at the Stealth as well.
"Just thinking," she responded. "Don't worry about me so much."
"Hah," was all he said, pushing her shoulder. It was a childish move, but she had to laugh. Their conversation had revolved around cheering each other up so far and not much more than that. They were both hiding something—she could tell that merely by how reserved he was—but neither of them were willing to share what was really on their minds. Maybe they didn't understand, maybe they just didn't want to burden the other person, or maybe they just didn't want to talk about it, choosing a brief silence instead of soiling the goodbye with depressing thoughts.
"I guess I should let you go," he said after a moment. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do."
"Don't you mean don't do anything you would do?" Eclipse replied, a little surprised by his sudden departure, but having the feeling she shouldn't stop him.
"That too."
"Hey, I promise we can meet like normal people as soon as the war is over," she said quickly, a part of her not wanting to leave on such a bleak note. "Deal?"
"Oh?" His face brightened and she felt her lips dip into a frown at the mischievous glint in his eye. "My dear Lexi, is that a date?"
"Cute," she rolled her eyes, and shook her head, leaning on one leg as her hands braced on her hips. "It was just a promise to avoid these random, in-the-middle-of-a-war meetings and act like normal people for a change."
"Normal, huh?" He put his fingers to his chin, stroking his skin thoughtfully as his other hand went to his hip. "Now that's incentive to live."
She smiled and pushed him much like he had pushed her, their mutual laughter lasting only a few moments before he put a hand on her head and ruffled her hair. It seemed so strange and reserved that her first reaction after confusion was anger.
He didn't seem to notice, however, saying a simple, "I'll see you again, Lexi," before starting his trek back to the Eternal interior.
Despite their bantering, his tone betrayed the words and she felt herself start to panic. For the first time, he didn't sound confident, as if he didn't think he would survive the war at all. There was a possibility, he had seen the escalation on both sides and had probably understood his impending role in that. Perhaps even Heine was feeling the weight of his own humanity.
Turning, she yelled his name before he could get too far. He stopped and pivoted back to her, the abruptness of the twist making her hesitate for a moment. "Stay safe," she said, meaning every word, but feeling cheated by them as well. However, he seemed to understand.
He always did.
"You too—and I mean it, you know," he continued, turning away again with a smile and waving an arm above his head. "Whether you like it or not, I'm sure we'll see each other again. If you see Lathan before I do, say hello from me!" he added before he rounded the corner and disappeared.
"Whether I like it or not, huh?" she mused, turning back to her machine. "I guess we have no choice but to survive then, right Coffee Addict?" She didn't expect an answer but was happy still to know she had something to look forward to.
"Stealth, ready to go?" DaCosta asked over the radio. He was using the line from the bridge, and since the Eternal was on a routine military exercise, the crewmembers picked for the ship were all from the Clyne Faction. Really it was just a lucky draw, but Eclipse had been more than thankful for the added assurance.
"Affirmative, bridge. Mirage Colloid initiated and the Stealth is in the starboard airlock as planned." There was a pause on the other end, making Eclipse a bit nervous. With the Colloid active, the plan was for her just to slip out of the side hatch during the exercise. Seeing as it was only scrap metal, they figured her escape would be relatively easy especially after DaCosta had started the rumor it had been fully disabled for parts earlier that day. So far, it was catching on.
"Bridge?" she asked over the transmission, feeling the sweat gather in her palm and dissolve into her red pilot suit. If she was forced to fight her way back to Earth, she wouldn't stand a chance. One suit against an entire army was never good odds and since she had no ammo, the battle would have gotten really ugly and fast. And evoking the Berserker seemed too rash to say the least. "DaCosta—"
"All clear, Stealth," Waltfeld said instead of his second-in-command. The deep voice actually startled her for a moment, thinking the commander was too involved with the exercise to have one last word with her. "You can commence in approximately six minutes." He paused and started talking again before Eclipse could confirm the information. "You're really sure about this?"
She sighed. Waltfeld had been hesitant to let her leave the moment she had sprouted the idea on him three days ago. The timing couldn't have been worse either since Lacus and her father had been officially declared traitors about a half hour after Eclipse shared her news. Since then, Waltfeld and DaCosta had been trying to talk her out of it, but for the first time in her life she was going to stick with the decision she made on her own. No more orders.
"Yes, Commander, I'm sure. If you ever need me—"
"You're a call away, I know," he finished, sounding disappointed in her decision. Eclipse had to smile though. She was glad there was someone who honestly cared about her safety. "Four more minutes, Stealth. Don't miss the drop time. Waltfeld out."
"Thanks, Commander,"
"Good luck, Lexi."
There was some rustling and DaCosta was back on the line. "If everything goes as planned, you'll be arriving in Orb at roughly 0900 their time." He paused. "Keep safe, Lexi, and don't do anything reckless." She could hear the sincerity in his voice and she was touched. Maybe she really shouldn't be leaving.
"But I always do reckless things," she joked, clearing her throat as it croaked a little from emotion. It was tougher to leave space than she had thought, and she had yet to even attempt atmospheric reentry. There was a heavy sigh on the other end of the line and she gave a shaky laugh. "I'll be fine."
"Just follow the reentry path we programmed into the Stealth. Good luck, Lexi."
"Everyone seems to think I need luck or something."
"You do." She laughed abruptly, barely hearing his final transmission of "DaCosta out."
It felt strange how invested she had become in other people all of a sudden. The time when Stray and FS were her only friends seemed like years ago and listening to the deafening silence in her mobile suit only helped accent her loneliness in that moment. Her new attachments came with a price, however, especially when it concerned the Clyne Faction.
There was no guarantee they would survive.
Taking a deep breath, she stared at the counter on the screen in front of her and waited for it to reach zero. Pushing the left lever forward, Eclipse carefully fingered in the code on the panel beside the hatch. There was a loud click and the door opened, falling downward slowly as the trapped oxygen was sucked outside. Looking up and over to her right, she stared at the red emergency light, hoping no one touched the controls after she had altered the wiring. If she had done it right, the sensor should be disabled and the alarm wouldn't start going off until the hatch had opened all the way. She planned on shorting the system long before then so—technically—it would start going off long after she was clear of the Eternal.
The hatch had fallen halfway when Eclipse pulled up the Stealth's operating system to double check the Scylla output in the left hand. Finding the electric output still low, she put the Stealth's hand on the control box and fired. After a loud pop and some fizzling, she pulled the hand away and watched as the hatch stopped. Here we go, she thought and guided the machine through the gap and out into space. The Eternal made a sharp turn away from her position as soon as she was clear and Eclipse couldn't help but take a moment to watch it. "Things are going to be a bit different now," she said, mainly talking to herself, but when the screen in front of her flashed, "No shit," she laughed. After all that time, it was good to know her suit hadn't lost its sense of humor.
Eclipse should have felt more comfortable with atmospheric reentry that time around, knowing the Stealth could actually handle the abuse. Previously, she had survived on a prayer and a robust genetic makeup, but now she had the proper equipment and she unhitched the shielding from the Stealth's back as soon it lined up according to the coordinates on her reentry plan. The idea of doing this alone hadn't bothered her when she had been in the safety of the apartment—and she even remembered laughing it off to a fairly unamused DaCosta and Waltfeld—but now, as the timer ticked down in the corner of her screen and her eyes scanned the surface of the vast, blue planet in front of her, she gulped.
"You're with me on this, right Addict?" she asked, her breath reverberating off the glass of her helmet. "You won't ever abandon me?" With the earpiece most likely in some ZAFT scrapheap by now, she didn't expect to hear the familiar alto and in that moment she didn't, a sentence flashing up on the screen as it had done before.
"The feeling of 'loyalty' seems to be in the next patch of upgrades. I advise you don't begin relying on it now." Eclipse rolled her eyes and laughed despite her nerves.
The Earth was beautiful as it slowly rotated down below, the hypnotic scene doing little to calm the pulse in her throat. Its blue waters, white whisps of clouds, and strangely beautiful landmasses rotated so slowly she couldn't witness the movement, but her suit knew the speed of each turn. The number flashed under the timer to her left as her eyes narrowed, focusing on the Pacific Ocean and knowing her destination was somewhere under that white mass of clouds across her radar. Just north of the Oceania Union and east of the Equatorial Union sat the place she knew the most about and yet wanted the least to do with.
Orb.
The Land of Peace.
"Peace, my ass," she muttered, finding the statement unfair and yet that small surge of anger had quelled the churning in her stomach, even if only for a moment. The timer hit the one-minute mark and the redhead did her final checks, taking a breath and beginning her descent as soon as she was ordered.
"Addict, keep an eye on the angle," she said and locked the Stealth's arms and shields in front of her unit as she felt the gravity begin to take over, the controls shaking with the effort of trying to wrestle the impossible. Eclipse's eyes darted around the cockpit and she reached over to grab the keyboard to bring up the diagnostics. She trusted the engineers and mechanics of her past teams but hearing the specs and living out their durability were two different matters. If she was going to end up burning into popcorn, she wasn't going to go down without a fight.
The silence in her cockpit was gone by that time, the sweet bliss of space replaced with the sound of rushing flames outside of her suit and the unfamiliar creaking of the Stealth's armor as she saw an alert from Addict telling her it was adjusting the angle.
"So far, so good," the CA wrote a minute later and Eclipse took a breath, a drop of sweat slowly coursing down the back of her neck.
Gravity again—Earth again, she thought and finally forced herself to lean back in the cockpit, closing her eyes as she tried to steady herself against the rocking. Orb again…
"Addict, let me know when we enter Orb airspace."
"Roger that," the words flashed, Eclipse opening one eye to read the text. "Though, I'm sure you'll know when I know."
Eclipse sighed and took another breath. Somehow, it feels like I'm leaving home instead of returning to it.
Getting into Orb's airspace wasn't as easy as she had thought it might be, especially when Eclipse considered the fact that she was in a mobile suit attempting to land in the territory without any kind of clearance code. She had given every indication that she had come in peace, but the best reply she could get was being directed off to one of the uninhabited islands near the northern side of the main island. She landed and took a breath, powering down the Stealth as she unbuckled and opened the cockpit, holding out her arms.
"Get out of the machine!"
Keeping her hands up as much as she could, she climbed out onto the front of the Stealth and grabbed the zip chord, staring at the ground as she neared. They had directed her to the open area near a beach, one helicopter on the sand with its blades churning slowly and another in the air. To her right was jungle and a high rockface, the feeling of being backed into a corner evident in that moment.
"Keep your hands up!" the same voice ordered, his tone sharper that time around.
She made eye contact as soon as her feet touched the dirt, putting her hands back into the air near her head. Three military-grade automatics were aimed at her upper torso, the handles resting steadily in their cradles near the sides of three Orb soldiers in white uniform, their various ranks adorning their upper left breast.
"Remove your helmet!"
Sighing, her hands did just that, her fingers slipping under her chin to unhook the clip there and pull the red helmet off, the first breath of fresh, ocean air filling her lungs with more nostalgia than she had cared to admit.
"State your name."
"My name's Lunar Ec—" She stopped herself and sighed. It was about time she got used to saying her name again. "Lexi Rymyr."
"Rymyr?" the same man asked, Eclipse watching the aim of the soldier to his right falter as he turned to his colleague. No doubt that name had raised quite a few flags.
The speaker ordered one of his men to call it in, his gaze never leaving Eclipse's as he did. He was older than the rest of his team, his greying hair and suspicious brown eyes making her tense with the amount of veteran experience he most likely had. She didn't recognize him, which was a brief reminder that her time away had lasted longer than it felt. A man of his rank would have been a common addition to any family gathering she might have attended.
"I'm unarmed," she said slowly, clipping her helmet at her waist and putting her arms up once more.
Nodding to the remaining soldier nearby, the older man pointed to Eclipse and the younger soldier walked over, twisting his weapon across his back and patting her down as they waited for their transmission to be returned.
The wait, thankfully, didn't take long, no doubt the announcement of an unidentified mobile suit entering the airspace having already primed the base for possible contact. "They're wondering if they should send backup," the soldier explained.
The leader hesitated for a moment, still looking at Eclipse as if he either didn't completely believe the name she had given him, or he believed her so much he couldn't believe himself. Finally, he spoke. "Negative. Tell them we're bringing the pilot back with us."
"Roger that."
Eclipse sighed and felt her muscles begin to relax. Sure, it wasn't great news, but she was at least one step closer to proving her identity. But then what? she asked herself. She got to Orb like she had planned but now what the hell was she going to do? I sounded so much surer of myself when I was talking to Athrun and Heine.
They shuffled her into the waiting military helicopter, forcing her to sit between two of the three Orb soldiers and across from the older officer. He narrowed his eyes at her as she placed her helmet in her lap and they put on headsets, but if his gaze meant anything other than suspicion, she didn't know. She grinned and his emotion changed from suspicion to surprise and then to anger, as if annoyed at her antics. The look was so intense—and she felt as if he was getting a bit too personal with his stare—she looked away and out the side just as the helicopter took off.
It didn't take long to get to the main island. When they landed, Eclipse was shuffled out onto the cement and immediately had guns on her back again as soon as her helmet was clipped back to her side. Deciding not to make things worse for herself this time, she stayed silent and followed where they pointed.
"You said over the radio you had Lexi Rymyr? Is that true?" an older soldier asked, running up to the group as soon as they were clear of the helicopter. No one replied and the man walked beside them, glancing every now and again back at Eclipse. Gradually, she became embarrassed, not liking all the attention. She had gone from no one taking a second look at her to people purposefully staring at her. It's like I never left, she thought with a sigh, realizing the moment a couple more older soldiers ran up to the group that it was even worse than before. Either that or she had been too involved in herself to register what had been going on. I wonder if it's still like this for Cags.
"Colonel Kisaka," she heard one of the soldiers say. Her mind—still lost in thought—hadn't realized they had stopped until she nearly ran into the man in front of her. Backing up a couple of inches, she saw the soldiers salute. "Sir."
"What happened? Who's this?" The voice was deep and crisp, but not without the hint of warmth Eclipse had remembered from all those years ago. She couldn't see the colonel because the soldiers were blocking her view, but she still felt his presence; the commanding guardian she had come to respect and the same man she had come to betray by leaving without even writing a letter. Cringing, she looked in the other direction.
"Sir, an unknown mobile suit flew into our airspace about 0900 hours and we directed it over to Farfane Island. The pilot made no motion to attack and we have her here with us now."
"Her? The chatter is true then?"
Eclipse looked up at the soldier talking, seeing him lean forward to whisper to the Colonel. "We brought her here to have you confirm that, sir."
Eclipse watched a firm hand grasp the man's shoulder and pull him aside, revealing a tall man with darker skin and a shadow that towered Eclipse, making her feel even smaller than she had when she was little. His hair was the same shade of blue, surprising her since she expected him to have some grey strands—especially since she figured he was still looking after Cagalli. "Who are you?" he asked.
"Lexi Rymyr," she responded, avoiding his eyes. She was about to make some kind of quip about how if he couldn't recognize her his eyesight must be failing, but she bit her lip, figuring that wasn't the best time. The guns still jamming into her back definitely helped her keep her mouth shut. She felt Kisaka's eyes checking her over carefully, but she still tried not to look into them. Glancing back and forth between the two soldiers at his sides, she stared at one a bit too long by accident and his forehead wrinkled in annoyance. Looking away, she decided to stare at her feet instead.
"Prove it," Kisaka said after another moment.
Hesitating, she tried to remember something. Anything. But that was harder to do than she had anticipated. After repressing so many memories for so long, the last thing she wanted to do was unbury the nightmares.
"Speak."
She sighed, thinking of something, but it wasn't going to make Kisaka look good. "When I was about seven, the princess Cagalli and I snuck under the fence of the main estate. Our parents were away on a two-day conference to the Kingdom of Scandinavia. You," she pointed at Kisaka, "were in charge. We were lost—well, we hid on the property for four hours."
Everyone was silent as she explained, but as soon as she was done, two of the soldiers covered up smiles and one of them behind her whistled quietly. Kisaka, however, must not have been as amused. "Look at me."
No, she thought and almost said it out loud. Hell, she wanted to. Instead, she slowly turned her eyes upward and met his gaze, gradually gaining more confidence as she stared. Now those were exactly like she had remembered. Judgmental, strict, demanding, and—most of all—the gentle eyes of a parent who always understood more than he should have. Eclipse had been scolded so many times by that man and each time she had been scared shitless. Now, she could finally match that look. Either that was a positive thing on her part, or it was a bad thing. After all, if her childhood bodyguard and babysitter couldn't scare her anymore, nothing could.
"Kisaka! Is it true?" Eclipse recognized the voice immediately and even though it had matured over the years, there was no mistaking that tone. Her eyes widened as she heard footsteps running in their direction and her breath stopped when she saw a pale hand grip the colonel's elbow. "Is Lexi really—" She stopped and turned then, probably seeing Eclipse's red coat and red hair out of the corner of her eye. Cagalli's mouth dropped as her expression shifted from hopeful to utter surprise. She was wearing a white uniform similar to the other officers around her, but opposite to Kisaka's purple and black one. There were insignias and badges of prestige Eclipse had never thought she would see grace the breast of her second cousin, and ones she knew were only reserved for either members of the government or those close enough to they could wear the attire. No matter what she wore, however, this was still Cagalli, her blonde hair just to her shoulders and her accusatory golden eyes showing a level of surprise Eclipse hadn't expected. Anger, maybe, but not shock.
For a couple of seconds, they just stared at each other, neither one having the breath to initiate a conversation or even to say the smallest of greeting. The first sign of motion was when the blonde's eyes started glistening with small tears.
"H-hey," Eclipse said, offering a weak smile as well. Cagalli didn't respond right away, her head bowing in a sort of defeated remorse, but when Eclipse saw her hands clench at her sides, her muscles tensed.
"Y-you little—" She didn't finish, her hand coming up and around to try and smack Eclipse in the face. Such a quick attack would have worked when they were younger, but Eclipse had anticipated the assault and snagged her wrist just before her fingers could graze her cheek. The slap was just as loud, however, Eclipse's palm connecting with Cagalli's wrist with a smack that sounded almost threatening as it echoed off the surrounding buildings. The blonde's eye widened in amazement for a moment before she swung her other hand around to try again. Eclipse ducked under that one, still holding onto her other arm.
"Cags, I can explain—"
"You better as hell explain! You and your brother just suddenly disappear and now you both come back to tell me that you've been with—with ZAFT?"
Eclipse blinked, watching Cagalli's shoulders move up and down in rage and deep breaths. "Lathan's here?"
"That's the most important thing you picked from that?" Her voice screeched at the beginning of the sentence, telling Eclipse more about her anger than the words alone. Shit, she was pissed. "Listen when I'm yelling at you, damn it!"
"Oh, trust me, there's no one here who can't help but hear your scolding." Eclipse smirked and tightened her grip when the blonde tried to pull her hand free. Some things just never changed.
"Cagalli," Kisaka said softly, trying to calm the Orb princess.
But it was never that easy.
"I thought I was seeing things back in Banadiya, but here you are, dressed like that and flying in a mobile suit! What were you—why did you—how could—" She lost steam, her muscles relaxing in defeat and her shoulders slumped in exhaustion. The soldiers around them seemed to calm down as well, Eclipse hearing more than a couple thankful sighs.
She let go of Cagalli's hand when she was sure she wouldn't attack again. Seeing her so distressed, Eclipse almost said she was sorry, but bit her tongue. Her apology would have meant nothing and probably would have made her angry again. Besides, a sorry wasn't going to change anything. All it could do was stir up old memories and emotions, not mend them like so many people thought it would. No, the bruises Eclipse had caused couldn't be cured by the mere utterance of words. Hell, she wasn't even sure time would stitch the wounds.
"Come, let's go inside," Kisaka suggested, pulling Cagalli along beside him.
Eclipse waited a couple of seconds before following, listening to the whispers around her and feeling her own anger grow. "I guess that's the real Lexi Rymyr then."
"Yeah," another replied, "I can tell. It would've been a shame if the princess's anger ended up killing her on her grand return though." They laughed lightly at the comment and Eclipse scowled.
"No, it's going to take more than a name change to bring back the old Lexi," she muttered, only taking a step forward when a soldier nudged her after the others.
The next person she saw was Lord Uzumi, Cagalli's father and more of an uncle to Eclipse than any other close relative with a similar title. It was ironic how things turned out sometimes because her uncle by birth was one of those people who enjoyed throwing his money around. The authoritative Lord Uzumi was closer to Eclipse's temperament and she had come to respect him as she had grown up. He was a tall man with longer, greying hair to his shoulders and a stare even stricter than Kisaka's. His mouth was neutral then as well, nearly buried in his full mustache and trimmed beard. Given his position in the Orb government, that was to be expected, but that look was more like something the former representative of Orb would reserve for Cagalli, not for her.
Maybe that was why she felt so nervous.
She had been offered a similar white uniform to Cagalli's to change into, looking much like the blonde just without the ornaments at her breast. The nostalgia was strong and she just took a breath, staring at the three sitting around her at the table. No one had spoken yet even though they had all been standing in the boardroom for a couple of minutes. Like everyone else, Lord Uzumi seemed to be just as surprised to see her and just as speechless. Unlike the other soldiers, however, if he was going to open his mouth it was going to be more of a scolding nature than that of a happy welcome. Perhaps he and his daughter were more alike than she had realized.
"Lexi." She cringed. "I'm glad to see you're safe."
That was unexpected. Cracking open an eye she looked up just in time to watch him reach over and see his hand fall down on top of her head, forcing a blush from her cheeks. Her immediate reaction was to cower away, but she swallowed her pride and stood still. "We were all pretty worried when you and Lathan left, but it's nice to see you both well."
"Thank you," she muttered.
"And your parents will be overjoyed to see you as well."
Eclipse instantly tensed, her muscles stiffening so much she began to shake. Her parents. Oh, Halmeya, my parents. After all of the commotion, her parents had been the last thing on her mind. Sure, she had talked about it a little bit with Waltfeld but—well—she was hoping she'd never get to see them. Futile effort, yes, but she was still wishing.
"I shall inform them immediately."
"No—" she croaked, grabbing the cuff on his jacket as he was pulling away. But, after realizing how foolish she must have looked, she let it go and looked away.
"No?"
"Nevermind."
"You don't want to see them?"
"But, Lexi, they'll be so excited to see you!" Cagalli said, only added kerosene to the fire. "They cried when they saw Lathan so they'll be even happier to know that you're—"
"A ZAFT pilot?" Eclipse cut in and the blonde bit her bottom lip, turning away after the comment. "Yes, I bet they'll be overjoyed."
"But you are safe," Lord Uzumi said, putting a hand on the table. "For a parent, that trumps everything."
"Even my parents?" Eclipse asked, adding a little venom to the question. She loved her parents, but given her past, she wasn't so sure they would willingly accept the fact that their daughter had become a killing machine.
"Any parent," Lord Uzumi stressed, taking a sidelong glance over at Cagalli who looked away. "No matter what happened in the past, we are always happy to see our children safe."
Eclipse had no response to that. Hell, what could she say? She wasn't a parent and even if she thought she knew differently from past experiences, there was that chance her folks had changed over the years. Albeit, a small chance, but it was still there. Perhaps that was what kept her from continuing the argument. Either way, Eclipse had to interact with them eventually. She could avoid it as long as she dared, but it all came down to whether or not she wanted to meet them on her terms or on theirs.
"Whatever the case, please let me be the one to contact them."
"And how do we know you will talk to them?" Kisaka asked, obviously knowing her better than she had anticipated.
"If you don't hear of our meeting within forty-eight hours, you can tell them yourself. Until then, please stay out of it." There was that desperation in her voice again and how Eclipse hated hearing it come out of her mouth. She sounded so pathetic. Not wanting to see her parents? It was as if she had digressed to a toddler all over again.
It took a moment, but Lord Uzumi eventually nodded.
"Thank you."
"Is there anything you'd like to do now?" Cagalli asked. The tone of her voice made her sound eager to get out of the room. Perhaps that accusing glance from her father had given her the uncomfortable itch Eclipse was starting to feel.
"I'd like to get my suit, if you don't mind."
Kisaka and Lord Uzumi exchanged looks, making that itch grow in intensity. Instead of asking, however, she waited for one of them to respond. "Your suit will be under our supervision until you have need of it," Kisaka explained.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"A ZAFT mobile suit flying around on its own will cause an uproar with the people. Not many know you're back home let alone a mobile suit pilot. Now," Lord Uzumi put up a hand when Eclipse opened her mouth to argue, "I understand we have done similar things in the past and you know you are always welcome in Orb, but we must take this precaution. The world's at war and—as you probably know—we have an ex-Earth Alliance ship under our protection."
Eclipse's eyes went wide after that and her breath quickened. They had housed the Archangel before, could it be that ship again? But he had said "ex-Alliance." Why would they leave the military? And if it really was that ship, then that would mean the Strike pilot—
"I don't think you are here because of that," Lord Uzumi continued, cutting off her thoughts, "however, with so much going on, I can't take that chance."
Pausing, Eclipse waited for him to finish before putting the puzzle pieces together. If the ship really was the Archangel, could she even stay in the same country without trying to destroy it? After everything her team had gone through because of that ship, was she willing to stand beside it? Beside that pilot?
"Lexi, do you understand?"
She looked up at her uncle once again and nodded numbly, her mind fighting against personal duty and her duty to the greater good. Lacus was working right then to stop the war up in the PLANTs and Eclipse's pride was wanting to keep it going down on Earth. That just couldn't happen. Swallowing, she turned to Cagalli next. "Can I see Lathan now?"
The blonde seemed confused at first—probably by the sudden topic change—but eventually she nodded, turning to her father for confirmation only after she had agreed. Cagalli hadn't changed much at all. Sure, deep down Eclipse could tell she had matured, but there were some quirks she would never get rid of, particularly her recklessness and stubbornness. It was nice to know there was something stable in Orb she could count on.
After the boardroom it was like a parade as she was led to one of the hangars. Cagalli had to do some asking around to find Eclipse's brother, but as soon as she heard Lathan had been working on one of the new Orb's new mobile suit models, the two girls were off. The only problem Eclipse really had with the parade was all the people coming over to see the "real" Lexi Rymyr.
Damn, she was getting sick of Orb already.
Eclipse saw him first. Well, she saw his ass first. Sticking out of the cockpit of a greyed-out machine was the unmistakable backside of her older brother, swaying back and forth to the music wafting out from the suit. Leave it to him to install the music player before the main operating system. She knew it was him, there was just no other person it could be. Cagalli had said he had arrived roughly three weeks ago and—after taking some days to prove he was back in Orb for good—he had been allowed to start working on Orb's new defense suits, the Astrays. So, there he was, the mechanical extraordinaire and Heine's best friend, scratching his ass.
"Lathan!" Eclipse shouted, running closer to the machine. "Stop itching your hole and get down here to give your sister a hug!"
"Audrey, I told you to stop looking at—" He stopped, his mouth dropping in surprise and his hands flying into the air. "Lexi, by Joe, you're alive!" Eclipse smiled at the expression and waited for the platform to hit the hanger floor before she jumped and wrapped her arms around his neck.
Not ready for such an animate hello, he stumbled backwards a couple of inches. "Ah, my glasses!" She felt his arm reach over her shoulder to push them back up his nose, his short, strawberry blonde hair scratching across her cheek as he moved. He wrapped his arms around her back after the adjustment, squeezing her hard and swinging her about wildly. "Did you get my letter? Oh, I'm sure you did! And how about the CA system? Do you like it? Most of it was Heine's idea, y'know." He put her down on the ground and held her at arm's length before scooping her up once again. "I'm so happy to see you alive!"
"Of course I'm alive, you twit," she replied and patted his back so he would let her go. "You thought I'd die that easily? I'm offended."
"You're right, I practically made the Stealth indestructible."
"You did not." She laughed, catching the sight of a waving Cagalli as she went to busy herself elsewhere. "Sure, it's gone through a lot of scrapes and bruises, but I would never say it was indestructible."
"Aw, now I'm the one offended. And here I worked so hard on that too." Sticking out his bottom lip, his eyebrows lowered in a pout, surprising Eclipse with how convincing it really was. She had never known her brother was capable of such persuasion, but there he was being just as animated as Heine. Awed, she shook her head and punched him lightly on the shoulder. She should have anticipated he would act a lot like that redcoat.
"You're ridiculous."
"Thank you!" He smiled and pulled her into another hug, a more genuine one than the two before it. "Really though, sis, how'd the CA system work out?"
"Well," she began, glancing behind her to see if anyone was near. They had given them some privacy—which was nice—Cagalli talking to a brown-haired mechanic and an older woman Eclipse recognized as Erica Simmons. She would say hello to her later. Turning back to her brother's curious face, she sighed and pointed to the cotton ball in her right ear. "It was working great until an unfortunate run-in with some mad scientists."
"My baby!" Lathan yelled, cupping her face in his hands and twisting her head so that he could get a better look at her damaged ear. Somehow, Eclipse didn't think the "baby" comment was for her.
"Ouch!"
"Where did it go? Helmaya's balls, if someone else got their hand on that technology—Lexi you were supposed to take great care of it! I-I trusted you!"
"Did you miss the part—ow, damn it!" She slapped his hands away. "Did you miss the part about mad scientists?"
He paused, his face slowly twisting from panic down to an angry kind of seriousness. "What do you mean?"
Eclipse looked around again and put two hands on his shoulders. "Can we talk about this somewhere else?"
"Uh, yeah. I have a small work office here." Grabbing one of her wrists, he pulled her back behind the machine he was working on and down to one of the far doors. Eclipse offered up a quick wave to Cagalli—she hoped she saw it—and let Lathan drag her outside and over to a small building just outside the hangar. Stopping at the door, he entered a code and they walked inside.
It looked like a smaller dormitory, a common room with a table, chairs, and a kitchen off to their right with about six rooms branching off from it, each with their own door and separate key code. Walking down to the farthest one on the left, Eclipse looked away as Lathan punched in another code to open the door. Inside was a desk with two computer screens and a stack of papers off to the side. There were small cubicles above the screens filled with books and more paperwork. The rest of the room was filled with cork boards and on those boards were blueprints, an abundance of blueprints. Some overlapped each other there were so many. There were schematics for tanks, small artillery vehicles, helicopters, and the largest amount for mobile suits. She even saw the name MW-979ca STEALTH on one of the rolled-up blueprints in the corner. Reaching down, she picked it up but before she could open it, Lathan took it from her hands. "No, explain first." Pulling over his desk chair, he shoved her into the seat and found a clear spot in the floor to sit down.
After a slow breath, she started at the beginning; there was really no other place. There were times he didn't seem as surprised to hear about what had happened, like when she started talking about the facility on Januarias 4. Most likely Heine would have filled him in a little bit and they might have even done some research on their own since she was directly involved. If they had, however, he didn't say anything, only breaking into her story every now and again to either grab them something to drink or some food. Surprisingly, he seemed fine throughout the whole explanation, nodding at the appropriate places and keeping his mouth shut for the rest of it, letting her tell everything to the best of her memory. When she got to the medical business, though, his entire demeanor changed. Getting up, he started pacing the room, waving his arm to keep her talking when she started hesitating.
"You don't remember anything?"
Eclipse shook her head. "I remember little, not nothing."
"I'm no doctor, but they had to have given you some fucked-up drugs."
"I don't even think you have to be a doctor to know or even agree with that."
"And they were the ones that," he pointed to his right ear and then hers, "took out the system?"
"I think 'tore' is a better word."
He cringed. "I'm sorry I made that thing so permanent. I figured we'd either see each other again so I could take it our properly or—well—" He stopped, looking away and plopping back down onto the floor.
"Or I'd die in battle, right?" He nodded and she sighed. "It's alright to admit it, Lathan. After retelling what I've been through, I can't help but wonder how the hell I survived it all too."
"But I really wanted you to live! Don't think that I—"
"Oh, give me a break, Lathan. I'd never think that."
He smiled weakly. "So, you'll forgive me for the earpiece?"
She blinked. "I didn't know there was anything to forgive. Yes, that thing was a pain in the ass—well—head when it attached to my eardrum, but it was a huge help with maintenance, and just the whole shebang." She paused after saying 'shebang' and scowled at his smug look. "What I mean to say is, it's one of your better ideas, Lathan. The aftereffects I could do without," she pointed to the cotton in her ear, "but if you could make another one, I'd willingly put it back in."
"Really?"
She nodded.
"You're not just saying that because you think I don't have another one, right? I mean, you said it was rather painful."
"You have another one?"
He nodded.
She gulped. "I mean it. Really I do."
"Good, but we'll worry about that later." His smile made her face grow pale. Did she really just agree to have another one of those things attach to her ear? Wow, she must really be getting masochistic if that was the case.
"One condition. Is there any way you can make it less visible? So that it doesn't happen again?"
He thought about that for a moment and then shrugged. "I might be able to come up with something."
"Good," she breathed.
They were quiet for a little bit, Eclipse trying to recall where she had left off in their conversation and Lathan sitting quietly on the floor waiting for her to say something. Or so she figured. "Lathan, back at the medical—"
"Do you know why they did all of that to you?" he interrupted, fiddling with his shoelaces.
Pausing, she tried to remember if she had said anything about her Berserker half and sighed when she remember she had conveniently left that part out. She had told him virtually everything else, so why not go into the supposed reason she had been a lab rat and point out how without that half she probably would really be as dead as he had anticipated. But could she do that? Really let him in on such a sadistic part of herself? But after everything, could she leave him out of it? Every time her other half had come up in conversation, the other person had known about the effects, or at least had a sense of what was going on. Lathan was new to the whole thing and telling him seemed to break some sort of innocence for her. Since the others basically stumbled upon the information accidentally, it seemed unfair to not give her brother a fair warning. After all, seeing the Berserker in action was far worse than hearing about it but this way he wouldn't be caught off guard. It was the best thing to do, right?
"Lathan," she began, trying to find the right words, "there's something different about me; something I can't really explain." She heard him shift to look up at her, but her attention went straight to her hands, not wanting to look into his eyes directly. "I have… this other half of me who's sadistic, warmongering, powerful, and—most of all—completely insane. They call it my Berserker half, even though I'm not entirely sure how it even works or came about. I'm not even sure how I get access to it…" She paused. "I just know I hate it so much, but I am so thankful for it at the same time."
"Thankful for it?"
"It's saved me so many times, but it's just so—just so—impulsive!" she blurted, clenching her hands and feeling them shake in frustration. "It has only one or two impulses and both of them involve some kind of violence. Getting out of that facility was—" She stopped and closed her eyes, blocking out the Berserker's memories once more before they invaded her thoughts. She really didn't want to know what had happened. "Lathan, I let it take over and we got out, that was all I cared about! I don't know how it did it or anything, just that when I was back outside, I was safe again. I-I hate that I had to rely on it!"
"Lexi, stop."
"I should be stronger than that! After all, I was the one to go through all of that training on Januarias 4, not it! I learned all of those things so I should be able to take care of myself!"
"Lexi—"
"I almost killed teammates because of it! I killed soldiers because—because—"
"Lexi!"
"—it wanted to have some fun!" She felt his firm hands on her shoulders and stopped talking, although the shaking was still out of her control.
"Whatever happened, it's over, alright? You're safe now."
"No, I'm not," she spat, feeling the words come out of her mouth like acid on her tongue. "How can I be safe from myself?"
He didn't have an immediate answer, just sighed and shook his head. "I don't know enough about this in order to help you right now, but you have to give me some time. We'll figure it out."
She wanted to say, "No you won't," but stopped herself, realizing it was her Berserker half who really wanted to spit out the words. She bit her lip then and turned away.
"Lexi, no matter what is going on in here," he tapped her forehead. "I need you to understand that you're still safe. Can you do that for me? Can you stay and let me help you?"
She knew the last question was from his past experiences with her and it made her feel foolish. She hadn't changed much at all either, totally relying on herself to do things instead of letting other people in. She thought back to Commander Waltfeld, DaCosta, Lacus, and even Heine in space. They had offered her shelter and protection, but she turned it down to go back to Orb on her own and what? Find herself again? How could she find herself when she was spread between two halves in a country that only cared about her last name? Shouldn't she have been somewhere with people who understood and wanted to help her? Given, Lathan had just proven to her he was going to do all he could to figure things out, but what about the rest of her family? Why did she just abandon her comrades in space to come back to a place she hadn't called home in years?
"Please let me help you," he repeated, shaking her shoulders lightly.
That was why, she realized, feeling her breath clog in her throat and her face grow warmer from the raw emotion hiding behind her eyes. Because I was afraid to let them help me, covering it up with some lame excuse like wanting to start over. How could I start over?
"Lexi?"
"Fine," she said at last, turning her head down and away so that he couldn't see her face. "I'll stay a while."
Eclipse heard him sigh and whisper a small thank you before getting back to his feet. "I'll get us some coffee." She knew it was just a copout so she could have some time alone, but she was thankful for his brotherly intuition. She refused to cry, but if he was in there, she would never gather up enough confidence not to. Gulping down the tears, she raised her head and took a deep breath. Maybe, with Lathan's help, she could finally get some answers.
When Eclipse left Lathan's office, it was well passed dinnertime. She didn't know she had been talking to her brother for well over four hours and now as she walked back outside and back over to the hangar, she couldn't help but wonder where all the military personnel had gone off to. There were some people still left working on some machinery, but—for the most part—the grounds were empty. "Most of the mechanics are either eating right now or have gone home for the night," Lathan explained. "The late shift should be coming in pretty quick, but we try to give some time so the workers can see their families."
She nodded. "Makes sense. So, does that mean you're done for the night too?"
"Me, no? I don't have a family to go back to and I basically live out of my office, so why bother?"
"Lathan—"
"Don't you start patronizing me, sis. I know very well you worked like a dog in space too."
Not wanting to lose the argument, she shut up and followed him back to his machine. She was hoping to run into Cagalli again so that the two of them could catch up, but she doubted her cousin would still be in the hangar. After all, the blonde had to eat as well and no matter how much Cagalli loved hanging around the tech geeks, there was no way her daily duties would let her stay there all day.
Or not.
"Lexi! There you are!" Cagalli shouted, running towards them and waving her arm. She said hello to Lathan as she neared who returned the greeting. "When you didn't come back in an hour or so I went looking for you two."
"Sorry, Cags, we were in my office," Lathan explained. "I have been showing her a bunch of technical stuff."
"I figured as much." The blonde shrugged, making Eclipse happy to know she hadn't been keeping too close of tabs on her. It was nice to know she wasn't being followed for once. "I've just been at the simulation arena most of the day. Wanna go, Lexi?"
Eclipse was surprised by Cagalli's invite and was even more surprised to hear that she had been there most of the day already. Yes, the two of them had taken combat lessons with Kisaka in the past, but she never thought an Orb Princess would have need of mobile suit practice as well. "Well—I—"
"Cagalli!" someone called from the other side of the hangar, walking towards them in much the same manner Cagalli had done a moment earlier. Waving his hand in the air, Eclipse recognized him as being one of the brown-haired mechanics Cagalli had been talking to earlier. "Miriallia and I are going to grab some food. Wanna come with us?" His speech slowed as he turned to see Eclipse, the last few words rolling off his tongue in a slow monotone. "I-I'm sorry, do I know you? You look really familiar."
Eclipse immediately shook her head, narrowing her eyes in order to get a better look at him. He appeared normal enough, but those purple eyes of his were a bit unnerving.
"Oh, Kira, this is my cousin, Lexi. I know you met her brother the other day, but she just arrived this morning," Cagalli said, introducing the two of them.
"K-Kira?" Eclipse breathed, the name falling out of her mouth before he could say anything more. She was stunned. This was Kira? The Kira? For a second, she couldn't move, the irony of seeing him so soon after arriving on Orb soil too much for her mind to comprehend all at once. She must have looked odd with her mouth partly agape, but it didn't take long to close and shift into a scowl when the boy stretched out his hand to shake hers. She felt her eyes narrow, going so far as to give her a slight headache from the intensity of the stare.
"So we do know each other," he said, a light smile curling up his lips.
Eclipse saw it as a smirk, the devilish smile waltzing on his face. His eyes danced with it, showing the age and knowledge behind that purple stare, but Eclipse still saw the devil sitting there flicking her off as if to say, "Come to Hell with me." This was the pilot who had slaughtered Nicol. Who had destroyed Aisha. Who had almost killed Waltfeld.
And had nearly killed Athrun.
The boy stood there for a couple moments longer, Eclipse watching his hand descend slowly back to his side. Something flashed across his eyes, almost as if he suddenly realized where he had recognized her from. If he had remembered Banadiya, then he would have known she was a pilot, or at least a ZAFT soldier.
Others had walked over to see what was going on and started whispering when Eclipse didn't take his hand, their quiet hissing solidifying the idea that she was really standing in Hell. Did they honestly expect her to touch those fingers? To touch the same hand that killed so many close friends? If she was going to take his hand, it should have been to lead him to death, not to welcome him into her life.
"Lexi," she heard Lathan breathe into her deafened right ear, the echo of the word making her regret her actions for just a moment.
She looked at Kira again, trying to find some reason for her to take back her initial reaction. After all, wasn't she supposed to start making amends? Wouldn't forgiving the one pilot she loathed be a good start? As soon as she made eye contact, however, his face softened and his eyes glistened.
Pity.
Well, that only made things worse.
Curling her fingers, her hand went instantly from her side to his left cheekbone, her knuckles scraping across his boyish features and—hopefully—doing more to him than just bruising his ego. He stumbled backwards and to the side, tripping over his feet when there was nothing nearby to steady him. It wasn't the hardest punch she had thrown, but it was enough to make her hand throb from the contact.
"Don't ever pity me, you bastard!"
She was grabbed instantly, but she wasn't about to continue the attack. One punch was enough and with so many spectators, she wasn't about to get in more than that.
"Lexi!" Cagalli shouted, but Eclipse only stared at Kira, watching his mouth move in the most suicidal response he could have given her.
"I'm sorry."
That was it.
The Berserker was pissed.
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean? You're sorry?"
"Lexi!" Lathan screamed, having been the one to restrain her. Still, the Berserker didn't hear him, her attention focused on the crumpled Coordinator. And how crumpled he was. Still shaken, she saw his eyes quivering, but not with sadness.
No, with fear.
Eclipse felt a short laugh leave her throat and a smirk curl up her lips. That pilot deserved to see her other half, the half who was more than willing to turn that surmounting fear into pure petrifaction.
"Lexi!" Cagalli stepped in between the two, putting hands on the Berserker's shoulders and giving them a firm shake. Eclipse snapped back to normal before the blonde could see her eyes. "What are you doing?"
"Stop acting like you understand," Eclipse spat, feeling the words come out of her mouth before she could stop them. The hurt look on Cagalli's face made her regret the comment for a moment, but she shook off Lathan's loosening grip and ran away before she backed down entirely and started apologizing for things she shouldn't be seeking forgiveness for. After all, apologies were nothing but empty words. Like the wounds Cagalli held for her, she wasn't even sure time could stitch the gouges Kira had made.
How do you do it, Athrun? she asked herself, coming to a halt outside the hangar. Not wanting to be found, she snuck around the side of the building and crouched down behind one of the parked vehicles, her back against the wall. How can you so easily forgive him? Folding her hands, she rested them against her forehead. I wish I had asked you—that you could've made me understand. Defeated, her hands slipped back down into her lap. She had barely been in Orb a day and already she had bought too many tickets to too many emotional amusement parks.
And she had yet to talk to her parents.
A/N: Guess what, guys, I'm done with college! I'm not going to say I'm officially done because my grades aren't up yet, but I should be done with that stage of my life! Woot! Now I have to search for a job, but at least I don't have to worry about mindless homework anymore! The good thing about that too is I can focus more on this story and hopefully get it done relatively soon. Thank you all for sticking with me and I hope the chapters will be coming out a lot faster from now on. After all, if I can write this entire chapter over one weekend, I should have no problem with the others, right?
As for other news, I'd like to mention how happy I am to see new faces popping up on the review board. I love hearing from new people, so thank you all so much!
About the chapter: I'm happy to see my little Eclipse evolving. She's definitely turned into one emotional teenager, but I think she's starting to get a handle on things. There's a setback with Kira coming into the picture, but I have a feeling things'll quit being rocking in a little bit. After all, this is the point in the story where everyone is having second thoughts and there are tears, punches, and you name it thrown around everywhere! Well, I'm just happy my redhead is getting a chance to be tossed around as well. She's not exempt from the "war epiphany." I mean, look at the people she hangs around with. She probably has both Lacus and Cagalli on speed dial. Not to mention Namarra and we all know how those conversations end up. O.o
Another huge thanks to the readers and reviewers and—as always—a major thank you to my betas. Their lives are rough too so I'd like you all to give them a round of applause, even if it's in your own mind. They deserve so much more, but, unfortunately, I'm very limited with what I can do to repay them.
There is one last note I'd like to make and I'd like you all to take this seriously. I have been getting a lot of reviews/messages where people are stressing things I have already mentioned in my past Author's Notes. Now, I understand if a person is just trying to catch up on a chapter he/she doesn't have time to read each note—and I don't expect you all to remember everything word for word—but I would appreciate it if you guys would at least skim these. I may not put as much time and effort into these as I do the chapter, but I try to mention past mistakes and corrections as I go along with this story. Like many of the other writers on this site, I am just writing and posting as I go. If I have time, I hope to go back and rewrite this, but for now, I am posting a chapter as soon as I have written it. This story has evolved a lot over the past three years and some things may seem a bit off, or there might be holes in the narrative. I understand that. I am not saying don't bring them up—in fact, I encourage criticism—but please realize I may have already addressed the matter in a previous note. I read everything you guys send my way and would appreciate it if you would return the favor by taking an extra moment to see what I have to say about the story. As a solution to the problem, I have decided that from now on, if there was a major correction I made the to text, I will separate it from the note (like the questions and gripes) so you guys can skip down and just read that if you wish. I hope this clears up any future problems and confusions. (If you have any other suggestions or comments on the matter, please feel free to message me and I will reply as quickly as I can.)
*Corrections to the Narrative:
I am going to change Heine's hair color to orange. So many of you have stated that you always thought he was an orangehead and since there are so many other blondes in the show/story, I figured it was for the best. I can't remember if I made a reference to it this chapter, but—if not—I plan on making other references later on in the story.
Questions/Gripes:
Connor Prafist: (I'm going to focus mainly on the SIN-ED comments.) SIN-ED is a hole in my story. I had big plans for this organization when I started the story a long time ago, but gradually the narrative wanted to evolve in a different direction and I had no choice but to follow along. I am going to bring them back soon—and hopefully answer some of your questions—but, unfortunately, I have to tell you that I can only make subtle hints at things and not just give you a bulk amount of information. There are some secrets that lie with SIN-ED I can't really reveal yet and since Lexi—the main POV character—doesn't really know about/understand them herself, I can't tell everything. I know that might just sound like a copout but please understand I have intentions. Thank you for bringing up so many questions so I know what information to share and what I can still keep secret, but I might not be able to answer every one of your questions.
Maderfole: The Lacus and Lexi time will be coming up soon. I can't remember if I mentioned this or not, but the Archangel, Eternal, and Kusanagi are all in space for about a month. That's a lot of time for them to be doing practically nothing. O.o
Thank you all and I'll see you in the next chapter!
Strata