Disclaimer: None of us own Gundam SEED. Goddamn Sunrise… Furthermore, any franchises that make cameos here belong to their respective owners.

"Talking"

'Thinking'

"Radio"

Chapter Two: Building the Guild

Mugen Kano, Bridge, en route to ORB

"So, you said you have ideas for recruits?" Kira asked curiously as her ship cut through the waves of the sea, sitting at the pilots chair, Ryu sitting at the weapons control station.

"A couple, you might have heard of them," Ryu informed. "I know of a ship pilot, Jeff 'Joker' Moreau, Natural, but one of the best ship pilots you would ever meet, met him in the Academy, but he was denied entrance to the Military, partly due to his attitude towards Coordinators, but mostly due to having Vrolik's Syndrome, or Brittle Bones Disease, don't let it fool you though, he's the best I've ever seen, he'll fly this thing through the eye of a needle."

"I have - he'd definitely make a good pilot for the ship, though it'd probably be best if we let him live in the pilot's seat - send up his meals, let him sleep in the chair, that sort of thing."

Ryu snorted. "Believe me, he's done it before," he informed, a fond smile on his face. "We may want to upgrade the chair to something more comfortable though, else we'd never hear the end of his complaints."

"Right," Kira replied, making a mental note to look into that. "Who else?"

"A Mobile Suit Pilot, named Victor Amsel, call sign, Warrior," he said, leaning back slightly as he pulled out cigarette and lit it up. "He's a close ranged specialist, graduated with honors from the ZAFT Military Academy, became a solo merc after running afoul with a member of the PLANT Council."

"I see," she replied. "Well, I'm looking forward to meeting him, too. Anyone else?"

"Well, I do know a couple of EA pilots, but… they wouldn't join us anytime soon," he mused. "Hmm, I know a ship mechanic, name's Akira Saihasa, I've seen her patch a Nazca-class using a single roll of duct tape and some scrap electrical wire."

"Wow, that's pretty impressive," Kira remarked. "She'll definitely be good to have… Anyone else? We could probably use a Captain for the ship for while we're in battle… especially space battles..."

Ryu hummed as he folded his arms across his chest. "Not in mind, but… I know some people who might have some ideas." he informed butting some ash off of the cigarette into an ashtray. "One of whom will be wanting to meet you."

"Right," Kira replied with a nod. "I'm looking forward to meeting them, too."

Ryu snorted, smiling fondly. "Oh you say that now…" he said with a chuckle. "Just wait until you meet the inquisitorial squad."

Kira was slightly confused, but simply shook it off for now. "OK, looks like we're coming up on ORB now…" she remarked, watching the island nation appear and grow larger on the horizon. "Once we put into port we can start looking for any supplies we may need, and if any of your contacts or prospective recruits are here, we can visit them, too."

Ryu nodded. "Right," he agreed. "You have any in mind for recruits?"

"Not really - No one who's actively looking for employment, at least," she remarked. "I might give Samuel a call - see if he has any ideas."

Ryu nodded in understanding. "Right then," he said as he stood up. "I'll go get the jeeps ready for disembarking, you good for docking this thing?"

"Yeah - I've done it several times before," she replied. "The only perk to operating a ship by yourself is that you quickly learn how to do everything that is needed."

Ryu chuckled. "Certainly better than paying shipping fees for all of your equipment," he said. "Took up half my check sometimes."

"I can imagine," Kira replied with a smile and a bit of a chuckle. "Well, at least you won't need to worry about that anymore, right?"

"Load off my back!" he informed as he exited the bridge, heading for the hangar.

She smiled, before busying herself with the task of getting docking clearance and actually docking the ship.

She knew she was going to enjoy working with Ryu… and maybe getting to know him…

Luck of the Irish Pub, Onogoro Island, ORB

"Dontcha think that be enough whiskey?"

A young brown haired man shifted his morose gaze up at the bartender and narrowed his eyes. The barkeep, a rather attractive woman of Irish descent, slightly flinched at the cold gaze. "Right, stupid question."

The young man just gave a hollow smirk and put the glass down. "If you don't mind, I would like some more."

The barkeep, Molly, her name was as he recalled, raised an eyebrow. "Are ye sure ye not drunk?"

"I don't get drunk."

The young man in question was around the age of seventeen, being the drinking age in ORB was sixteen, he wasn't questioned all that much when entering such an establishment. He had eyes that were the deepest sapphire and a rather athletic build. His wavy, brown hair was unkempt, but in a rather attractive way. He also had the shadow of a beard growing on his face, being indicative of not shaving for a couple of days. His face showed no wrinkles save for laugh lines that have long since gone unused.

Yes, Ethan Varrick was not a happy man.

Commander Ethan Varrick was a hero. An ace pilot among the ZAFT military core and a prodigy coming out of the academy. A winner of two Order of the Nebula awards for heroic action at Yggdrasil and Jachin Due, where he piloted a black GINN High Maneuver Type which earned him one of his iconic names, the Black Ghost of Jachin Due.

But a name in which he was truly proud of being given was one he was given by a man he respected and exasperated him to no end. His one rival, the Hawk of Endymion Mu La Flaga had once said at the Battle of Alphonsus Crater, "Damn, this guy moves like he's the Thunder God himself!"

Thus he was crowned, jokingly by his team, ZAFT's Flying Thunder God, or Hiraishin as one Lieutenant Genma Kosaka coined it.

But, luck would not be on his side as he remembered the agonizing screams of his team at the Battle of Endymion Crater.

With that, after waking up in the hospital and accidentally finding out something he wasn't supposed to hear, he resigned his commission and went to his last remaining family in ORB. Which brings us to this moment, in which he is seemingly drowning his sorrows in glass after glass of Ireland's finest whiskey.

He looked at his glass for a moment and raised it. "Well, here's to you my team. Hope you're not fucking around in heaven."

Ethan downed the drink quickly as he then turned towards Molly the barkeep. "Another one Molly."

Molly sighed. "Ye know, ye shouldn't dwell like this."

Ethan gave her a flat look. "Is this the part where you give that stereotypical speech of how my friends, family, and team wouldn't want to see me getting smashed in a bar like this? If you are about to, you can save it."

"Nah, wasn't going to do that speech. It would be too cheesy and ye are making me lots of money by sitting here being a sad sack. All I'm saying is you should stop dwelling on that drink and get something a bit more expensive."

Ethan blinked at the unexpected statement. "I smell bullshit and you are covered in it."

Molly shrugged. "Ye didn't make it easy for me. I had a whole thing goin' and ye ruined it."

The formerly depressed solder could only laugh.

At that moment the doors of the bar opened as Kira and Ryu walked in.

"Hey Molly!" Ryu called out over the din of the bar. "Still trying to seduce men into buying expensive drinks?"

"I dunno what ye talkin' about Ryu."

Ethan snorted. "'Course you don't."

Ryu rolled his eyes as he took a seat at the bar, Kira sitting next to him. "This is my new partner Kira, Kira, this is Molly, she puts me in touch with some new clients and pilots if I need to form a team," he explained. "Bottle of my usual whiskey, two glasses."

Molly only smirked. "Plannin' sumtin' Ryu? Does it have anything to do with the lovely lady sittin' next to you?" She looked Kira over. "I hope she isn't underage."

"Molly, for the love of god…"

"Can't handle the talk, E?"

"No, its not that. It's just if the girl gets any more red she could start smoking."

Indeed Kira was a bright cherry red as she ducked her head to hide her blazing red cheeks, making Ryu chuckle. "She's new to that kinda talk. Mol," he informed. "And it's her birthday soon, so, no worries."

Ethan raised his glass. "Congratulations. I wish you the best."

Molly gave Ethan a flat look. "That's it?"

"That's what?"

"She's turnin' the big 16 and all ye can say is that ye wish her the best?"

He gave her an owlish look. "What do you want me to say? Hey baby, let's go celebrate your birthday in my pants?"

"Well…"

"Molly…head out of the gutter. Please."

Ryu chuckled as Kira's cheeks lit up again. "Hey ease up on my partner, she ain't used to this," he said. "Also, can you get a booth ready, we're waiting on a third."

Molly smirked, "Menage a trois, Ryu? So naughty."

Ethan did a massive spit take. "Molly! What the hell?"

The barkeep could only laugh. "Ye folks are too fun ta tease."

Kira blushed once more. She was having a bit of trouble getting used to all the teasing.

The former ZAFT commander gave Molly a flat look. "I thought I coaxed the teasing out of you last night."

"Nae. Ye only made me more motivated today. Although, if ye want to silence me…"

Ethan smirked. "I think it can be arranged."

Ryu gave Ethan a slight glare. "You're as bad as she is."

"Meh. Not nearly as bad. I just do this to her to try and throw her off guard. You can see how it's failing miserably."

Ryu sensed a but in there."But?"

"Oh I did fuck the living daylights out of her though."

Molly's smirk only grew wider. "Ye know E, I thought we were goin' ta keep that between us."

"You would have used it soon enough."

She huffed. "No fun."

Ethan just chuckled.

Ryu only rolled his eyes in response. "Whatever, it'll be Joker swinging by, so point him to the usual place Molly," Ryu stated as he grabbed the whiskey and cups. "Good luck trying to keep her in control."

The seventeen year-old smirked. "Oh. I have my ways of doing so."

Molly gave a sultry smile. "Does it involve that seal club ye got between those legs?"

"Maybe. By the way, I seem to have run out of whiskey. Do you think you can get me another?"

Rolling his eyes again, Ryu led Kira to a table situated in a darker corner in the bar. "Sorry about her, she's never developed a brain to mouth filter," he informed as he set the glasses down before opening the whiskey bottle and pouring some into both glasses. "Not to mention her brain is directly linked to her pussy so… yeah…"

Kira blushed again. "I… noticed…" she said. "She does seem rather nice, though…"

Ryu shrugged. "Once you get past her sexual talk, then yeah she is," he said taking a sip of his drink with a small hum of appreciation. "I often use her as a go between for clients and other merc pilots if I had a need for them, a lot of both pass through this bar."

"I see," she remarked. "So… I told you about how I became a mercenary… how about you?"

Ryu shrugged. "Got kicked out of the Academy after being subjected to some trumped up court martial charges," he said with disinterest. "I had a friend in the Junk Guild who offered me the CGUE I used at a low price, so I chose to take it and be a merc."

Kira nodded. "I see…" she said. "That must have been hard, at least at first."

Ryu shrugged again. "My dad, a Vice Admiral, put me in touch with a few of his contacts outside of the military, did some work for them and word spread from there," he replied casually. "He's also thrown me a few jobs himself for the stuff his branch can't take care of, either officially or unofficially."

She nodded. That made sense. "Samuel's done the same thing for me," she said. "He's the Terminal Agent who ran that simulation I told you about, and helped me get started."

Ryu hummed in response, pushing the second glass of whiskey over to her. "Drink up, a toast to our partnership," he said, raising his glass.

Kira nodded, raising her own glass. "Cheers," she said, before clinking their glasses together, and then proceeding to take a sip from the glass.

Ryu smirked around his as she coughed from the burn of the alcohol down her throat. "That's the smooth stuff too," he informed her as she coughed. "Some can feel like you're swallowing glass."

"M-my throat feels like it's on fire!" she croaked. "How can you stand drinking that on a regular basis?"

Ryu could only chuckle at the girl. "You'll get used to it after a few drinks."

Kira only shook her head at him. "If you say so…" she said.

They both looked up as a person entered the bar, he was wearing a simple t-shirt and jeans with a ball cap on his head, and had to use crutches to move around. "That's our man," Ryu informed as he watched Joker go up to the bar only for Molly to point him towards their table. "How've you been, Joker?"

"Not too badly, Ryu," Joker said as he joined them, taking a seat and placing an empty glass down, a glass that Ryu quickly poured some whiskey into. "So… you are actually doing it, forming a guild?" he asked, looking over at Kira.

Ryu nodded. "That I am, this is my new partner, Kira, and as it is her ship, she's the one you have to convince to allow you to pilot it."

"Personally, after what I've heard about you, I'd be all for it," she said. "I'd like to test you out first, though - let you take it on a simple 'there and back' run to confirm that you'll do well at the controls before making the final decision."

"I can handle any kind of ship you've got!" Joker declared. "I can fly an Agamemnon-class through the debris belt without hitting a single piece of debris."

"It's a Valiant-Class Transport," Kira informed. "We'll give you your test tomorrow - If you can pass the test, consider yourself part of the crew."

"A Valiant-class?" Joker asked with a low whistle. "Now those are hard to come by…"

"I was given it a year ago - started off my career," Kira replied. "I look forward to seeing how well you can handle her."

Joker grinned in response. "Boss, I'll fly that thing through the eye of a needle without even scratching the paint on it," he informed confidently. "Here I was all worried about you having some old junker that shakes whenever you go past a certain speed."

Kira laughed. "I look forward to seeing the results, then," she said. "We'll see you tomorrow morning at the docks… or we can pick you up from wherever you're staying, if you'd prefer."

"I'll meet you at the docks, I ain't so crippled that I can't get around town," Joker informed as he used his crutches to pull himself to his feet. "I'll see you in the morning then, later!"

Kira nodded as Joker walked off. "Well, there's our helmsman," she remarked to Ryu. "We going to meet anyone else today, or do we want to shop for a more comfortable helm chair for Joker?"

"Well, if I'm going to be upgrading your unit, we'll be needing some parts to do so, I have a contact within Morgenroete here on Onogoro that can get the parts for us," he informed. "Also she's been wanting my opinions on a Mobile Suit that is being developed for ORB, so I can make my consultation fees the parts we're going to need."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Kira replied as the two of them stood up from the table. "Shall we head over there now, then?"

"Sure," Ryu agreed as he stood, picking up the whiskey as he left some cash on the table. "Shouldn't take too long, she just needs some double checking on the framework of the unit."

"Let's get going, then - maybe I can provide some feedback on this thing, as well."

"Feel free," Ryu agreed. "Might be able to squeeze a bit more out of her if you do."

With Takeshi

Takeshi sat in a chair in the lounge area of Terminal's Discovery R&D Base, which he'd been stationed at for the past year.

The Custom Patriot he'd been supplied was much better than even his old Patriot, but he was running into the limits of its response times once again. He was hopeful that Old Man Aeolia would get his custom Prototype finished soon, so he could start trial runs with it. Luckily, they'd managed to settle on a basic design, and a total of seven different bladed weapons.

Hearing someone enter he spotted a red haired, grey eyed woman wearing the Terminal Recruit uniform with a miniskirt and stockings instead of the pants, a white ship on her left shoulder marking her as a bridge operator.

Takeshi smiled at her. "Welcome," he said. "You new here?"

The girl blinked before nodding slightly. "Ah, yeah, just finished boot," she informed as she took a seat in one of the chairs. "I got sent here to be the Mobile Suit Operator on the new ship that's being developed."

Takeshi nodded. He'd heard there was a new ship being built here, in conjunction with his new MS. "Similar for me, only it's a Prototype MS," he said. "My name's Takeshi Yamato. What's yours?"

"Linda… just Linda," she informed with a slight sigh. "It's nice to meet you, Takeshi."

"Nice to meet you too, Linda," Takeshi remarked, blushing slightly as he gazed at her figure. "I'm looking forward to working with you."

Linda noticed his blush and smirked slightly. "Like what you see?" she asked teasingly, gesturing to her body. "Perhaps you're looking forward to seeing more of this?"

"Y… yeah…" Takeshi replied with a rather visible gulp, even as he started blushing harder. "You… you're very beautiful, Linda…"

Linda laughed. "Well, at least you're honest about it, unlike most men," she informed, laughing again. "I was considering changing my Bisexuality to Lesbianism, well, until I met you…"

Takeshi could swear his jaw was on the floor. "You… you're bisexual?" he wondered, shocked. "So… would that mean, if we developed a relationship… you'd want to maybe include a second girl in the relationship, as well?"

Linda smirked coyly at Takeshi. "Oh… already making plans are we?" she teased playfully. "My my, aren't you forward."

Takeshi's cheeks were bright red now. "I… I… uh…" he stammered, brain not really working all that well in reaction to her teasing. "If… if you're willing… I'd definitely like to try getting to know you better… see where we end up?"

Linda laughed again. "Nice recovery," she said between her chuckles. "And, I think I might take you up on that offer."

Takeshi smiled again, thankfully getting his blushing and stammering under control. "Thank you, Linda," he replied. "I look forward to getting to know you better."

Linda chuckled. "Oh, you are going to be so fun to tease," she said with a wide smile. "So innocent and pure…"

"Y… yeah…" Takeshi replied with a slight chuckle of his own. "Never really had a girlfriend before I signed up for Terminal, and didn't have much time for relationships in Boot… honestly, my only constant female interaction until three years ago was my Imouto."

"Your sister?" Linda asked curiously. "Is she in Terminal as well?"

"No," Takeshi replied with a shake of his head. "Kira-Imouto became a solo merc, starting her career last year. She's only 15, if you can believe that!"

Linda blinked. "Wait… you don't mean the Valkyrie, do you?" she asked. "I heard the other recruits talking about her, the youngest Merc who has a near perfect mission success rate!"

"Yeah, that's her," Takeshi remarked, smiling a bit - he'd heard some of the stories about his sister, as well. "She first discovered her potential at 12, when she tried out an MS Simulator Terminal had provided to her school at Copernicus for a day, and practically aced the mission provided to her on her first try!"

"Really?" Linda asked. "I've heard that even some of the seasoned pilots have trouble acing it, wow, she must really be something else then…"

"Yeah, she is," he replied. "She was also really good at Phys Ed Classes at school, and if you got her on a computer network… I swear, she could hack the EA, ZAFT, Orb, and Terminal Mainframes simultaneously if she wanted to."

"Really?" Linda asked in surprised. "Wow, she must be something else then, I'm surprised Terminal or ZAFT haven't tried to recruit her yet…"

"The Terminal Recruiter who ran that simulator suggested joining Terminal to her," Takeshi replied. "According to what he told me later, she wanted to go freelance, rather than be in my shadow, and he actually helped her get set up."

"Wow, to even get a recruiter to set her up with no strings…" Linda whispered. 'That's… really something…"

"Yeah, that she is," Takeshi remarked, proud of his sister. "What about you, Linda? What's your family like?"

Linda sighed again. "My father is an ass through and through, mother wasn't really that much better, being an airhead trophy wife who believes that my father tells her to believe, my little sister though… I kinda feel sorry for leaving her behind, she's a nice kid, and she's really kind, but… I'm worried about my father's Blue Cosmos bullshit affecting her to much," she explained. "I can't really run interference anymore as he disowned me and kicked me out, not that I care much."

Takeshi winced. "That doesn't sound good," he remarked. "Sorry if I brought up bad memories for you."

Linda shrugged. "I don't really care about it anymore," she informed. "Right now, I'm saving up my earnings to hopefully get a place that I can have Flay, my sister, move into, maybe somewhere in Orb where she can get away from all the Blue Cosmos bullshit."

Takeshi smiled a bit at that. "A good goal," he remarked. "You mind having a little help? I've made a fair amount over my time at Terminal, and I don't have too many opportunities to spend it - I'd be happy to help you get your sister out of there."

Linda blinked in surprise, staring at Takeshi in shock. "You would really do that?" she asked. "You would just give money to a person you just met?"

"Like I said, it's not like I'm spending any of it on my own," Takeshi remarked. "Besides, if your former father is as much of an asshole, getting your sister away from him ASAP is the right thing to do, and I'm willing to help in that endeavor, however I can."

Linda grinned. "Thanks, and you better be careful, or you may find yourself strapped to my bed with me riding you all night long," she informed, her voice saucy.

Takeshi's blush returned at full force. "I doubt you'd need to actually strap me to your bed," he remarked. "Even from just this meeting I find myself enjoying your company very well, not to mention admiring your beauty. If it gets to that point, I'd definitely be okay with giving you my virginity."

"Aww, you haven't even popped your cherry~," Linda cooed. "Tell me, is mister righty lonely at night?"

Takeshi sputtered a bit. 'She's definitely going to be interesting,' he thought, even as they continued their conversation. 'And… I definitely wouldn't mind developing a relationship with her…'

With Ryu and Kira, Morgenroete Testing and Production Labs

"Ryu, thank you for coming," a dark blond haired woman with light blue eyes greeted the pair as they waited in the reception area. "Some of the data for the framework isn't matching up with what we want and were hoping for your assistance in the matter."

Ryu shrugged. "Not a problem, Erica," he said. "This is Kira Yamato, I've recently partnered up with her, Kira, this is Erica Simmons, the chief engineer for Morgenroete."

"A pleasure to meet you, Miss Simmons," Kira said with a bow.

"A pleasure to meet you as well Miss Yamato," Erica replied with a bow of her head. "I take it you brought her in to extort even more out of us, Ryu?"

Ryu shrugged. "Of course, Erica, after all, I'm a merc, not a millionaire," he informed, unrepentant. "I got a list for our payment here," he said as he held out a clipboard with a sheet of paper on it.

Erica didn't even glance at it as she accepted it. "We'll deliver it in the usual fashion, another transport ship?" she asked.

Ryu shook his head in denial, before thumbing at Kira. "Valiant-class, Mugen Kano." he informed. "Her ship."

"Gained it a year ago when I started my career, and it's served me well," Kira added. "Though maintenance can often take a fair amount out of a paycheck…"

"I'm sure Ryu would be able to help with that," Erica informed. "He's a fair hand a ship maintenance, although Mobile Suits and Armor are where he really shines. Also as to your request from earlier, the higher ups approved of it in return for a job from you."

Ryu nodded. "It'll have to be within reason, I don't get involved in politics for a very good reason." he informed as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Me, neither," Kira remarked. "I can handle standard military jobs, but if a politician is directly involved in the contract, I usually turn it down and look for something else, not counting for extraordinary circumstances."

"No worries on it being a political job," Erica informed. "It won't be on for another year yet, it'll be an oversight job while your request is being built," her eyes flicked over to Kira. "I take it another one will be added."

"Once I get a grasp on her abilities, yes," Ryu informed with a nod.

Kira tilted her head curiously. "And just what is it my new partner requested from you, Miss Simmons?" she asked. "I'm assuming it's a Mobile Suit of some kind, but I'd like to know for sure."

"A mobile suit he designed himself, originally the higher ups wanted the schematics for it as payment, but Ryu shot that one down quickly," Erica explained as she began to lead them through the hallways of the complex. "But, his skills are enough for a payment on him borrowing a factory for awhile to produce the suit."

"My CGUE is having trouble keeping up with me nowadays," Ryu informed. "Even with all of my modifications, I can only do so much with the base frame, might end up selling it to the highest bidder once I get the new unit produced and ready."

"I'm having the same problem with my Patriot, to be honest," Kira remarked. "My response times are just outpacing those of the Patriot. It's small, barely noticeable at this point, but I can tell it's not moving as fast as I am."

"Then I'll definitely need to pull up some designs," Ryu said with a sigh as they entered into a laboratory like room filled with schematics from everything from Ships to Mobile Suits. "Right then, what are you having trouble with, Erica?"

"The framework seems to be having trouble supporting the weight of the mobile suit's mass," Erica explained as she pulled out a schematic of the base of a mobile suit. "Our contractors want the unit to be more durable than what ZAFT has now, and while we found a type of armor that can be used, we can't fight the right type of frame to support it on."

Ryu closely examined the schematic before him. "Your problem is that you're basing it to much off of the ZAFT GiNN and CGUE lines," he informed as he traced a hand over the shoulders of the frame. "Those units were built specifically for the armor they have now, you might be better off using the Patriot as a base for the unit."

"Yeah, the Patriot would be a good base frame for this thing," Kira remarked, before gaining a quizzical look. "Also, might I ask what you'll be using for armor?"

"Unfortunately it's classified for the most part," Erica informed with a sigh. "It drains the power at a good rate, and its total mass is there on the schematics, that's the most I can tell you, unfortunately."

"Understandable, there's nothing stopping us from selling the plans for it to the highest bidder if you showed us," Ryu said with a nod. "For the Frame, I would suggest using a Titanium-Carbonatite mix, maybe 90-10 mixture level, that should help reduce the strain on not only the weight, but the G-Forces as well, for the circuitry your best best is having a copper lining for it."

"Expensive, but within the budget," Erica agreed as she took down some notes.

Kira nodded. "It definitely looks like you're coming along nicely," she remarked. "I kind of doubt I'd like to be on the wrong side of it when it's done." She then paused. "Also, Ryu, do you think you'd be willing to let me see the design for the machine you've ordered? We can also work on designing a machine for me, if you'd like."

"I have it back on the ship," he informed, making a gesture in the vague direction of the ship. "I'm keeping it close to my chest, a lot of things in it that I have… acquired over the years."

"I see," Kira remarked, making a note at how secretive Ryu was about it. "Well, let's see if we can come up with a decent machine for me - I think the Patriot would be a decent base to start from there, as well."

"Perhaps," Ryu said with a shrug. "I have a simulation that I'll need to run you through before I can get started on the designs, I need to know what you are capable of and what your potential is, the simulation will help me figure that all out."

"Sure," Kira replied. "We can do that now, if Miss Simmons doesn't need us for anything."

"Not for now…" Erica replied as she continued to make notes. "I may call you for more help if I need it."

"Right, see ya later Erica," Ryu said as he and Kira headed out. "Good luck."

Erica absently waved at them as they left, paying attention to her notes as she went to work. Meanwhile, Kira and Ryu started their way to Morgenroete's Mobile Suit Simulators.

Erica almost didn't notice that she had an intruder.

"Did you know the trouble I had to go through to get these plans?"

She looked up at her new guest, who gave her a falsely stern look. "Ethan, you've got them for me! You're such a dear."

Ethan smiled mirthfully. "The things I do for you, darlin'. So what are you working on?"

Erica's smile faltered slightly. "Oh, some special orders for a client or two."

"These clients wouldn't happen to be the famous Dragon and Valkyrie I've been hearing so much about, would they?" Ethan smirked.

Erica deadpanned. "I'm not even going to ask how you know."

"They need to learn that they may be in a bar, but if someone has hearing like mine…"

"Lucky for them, no one has hearing like yours." Erica then turned back to her notes. "Though I could use your help on a problem."

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "What's the problem?"

"My clients suggested that I use a 90-10 mixture of Titanium and Carbonatite to reduce the strain of the weight and G-forces."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's not a bad idea. But I hope they're ready to spend some pretty major cash on that project. Getting that mixture that accurate without any impurities is very hard. It is also very hard to find a supplier that would do it with no questions asked."

"And that's why I need your help, I need you to find suppliers for that," Erica informed. "May be best to use multiple sources."

Ethan shook his head. "That's a very tall order. One thing, being 'retired' I don't have the pull I once had. Two, multiple sources won't work because this mixture has to be very particular. The slightest impurity could compromise the integrity of the entire frame and it would be completely useless. Third, the companies that are the best to talk to about getting this alloy are strictly controlled by both the Earth Alliance and ZAFT. You would have to get their okay if you were going to get that compound."

He continued. "December MetalWorks won't sell to anyone on the Earth. They're controlled by Zala almost exclusively. He trusts no one." He looked at Erica. "The other company is Acteon Industries. Because of that little project going on in Heliopolis…"

Erica's eyes snapped to the brown-haired teen's face in surprise. "How did you…? Never mind, I forgot who I was talking to."

Ethan smirked. "Anyway, you may get them to get you some of their supply, but they are big sticklers on knowing what that will be used for. They will find out if you are lying. Their CEO is a bigwig in LOGOS, so I'm not sure you want to piss them off. At least, not yet."

"Mm, but… there is one more we may be able to turn to, in O.M.N.I… a certain Vice Admiral of the Intelligence Division…" Erica said as she reached into a desk and pulled out a card. "Dragon gave me this if I needed to… acquire resources…"

"Hmm," Ethan went into some deep thought for a second. "Vice-Admiral Hisanaga, huh? An interesting idea, but you are underestimating how paranoid these people are. Besides, you could just use Vibranium. Just as good and much easier to obtain. I mean, doesn't Morgenroete have a monopoly on the stuff?"

"Too heavy and far too expensive for units this size." Erica replied. "We had considered many variations of its application, at most, we may be able to make a ramming shield with it."

He sighed. "Alright, we'll go with your method. Just means I have to go and 'take care of some trash' if you catch my drift. Here was to hoping that I wouldn't have to deal with Blue Cosmos bastards again."

"I highly doubt that the Vice-Admiral is a supporter of Blue Cosmos," Erica informed. "After all, his eldest son, is a Coordinator."

"I wasn't talking about Vice-Admiral Hisanaga. I know he's not a supporter. It's just that the people who run Acteon are also in league with Blue Cosmos. Their head is a Logos member and they are very particular about making sure that their stock is used for theirs, or people with similar ideals, purposes. If they find out the real reason you need the stuff…" He paused. "Well, let's just say you're going to need more than a Vice-Admiral in your pocket just to be safe. Just be cautious."

Erica nodded. "Still, they're our best bet right now, plus… the Dragon's dad is a maverick in his own right," she informed. "So many seem to forget, he got his ranking by being the best commando they've ever had."

Ethan instinctively rubbed his side, where there was a scar. "I certainly didn't forget."

Erica snorted. "Let me guess, you thought to break in didn't you?" she asked. "And ran into the Vice Admiral and his second?"

"In my defense, it was a sanctioned mission and a certain masked piece of crap tried to get me killed by blowing my cover."

"Well, the Vice Admiral was kind enough to leave you alive at least," Erica pointed out. "Without sicking his son on you either, he must like you."

Ethan snorted. "Well, I did tell him I was planning on retiring. Also, my mission wasn't to get information, it was to give it." He rubbed his side again. "Of course, he did stick a Balisong in my side and barely missed my kidney. But I got even. I told him I'd get him a drink the next time we crossed paths as an apology."

Erica laughed. "Well, you survived a meeting with the nightmare of ZAFT's ground forces and lived to tell the tale," she teased. "Maybe he'll give you some new scars on your next meeting."

"I'll repay him in kind if that happens," Ethan then gave a sly smirk. "I did nearly slash his eye out."

Erica simply shook her head with another chuckle as she made a shooing motion with her hand. "Go, duel with the king of the war's underbelly," she said teasingly. "Try to get our materials before you die though."

"Heh. I'll try. By they way, here's the schematics that you wanted. ZAFT's little pet project that they have IDB working on in order to replace the need for Guuls. Meanwhile, I'll give Ryuzaki a call. Maybe I can finally get him that drink."

"Thank you," Erica said as she inserted the flash drive he handed her and looked the file over. "HiMAT, interesting..."

Meanwhile, with Kira and Ryu

Kira sighed a bit as she got out of the simulator. "Finally…" she muttered, before looking over at Ryu. "That was one of the toughest things I've ever done… none of my jobs, or even my first training scenario, ever compared to that."

Ryu chuckled as he looked over the results. "That's how it's supposed to be, or did you think that a test of your latent potential would be a walk in the park?" he asked teasingly. "I should be able to get a good working model going with this, we will be doing more tests to fine tune it later in the development though."

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy, but still…" she said, before perking up a bit. "Still, I'm glad we were able to get the data you needed."

Ryu shrugged. "Now I need to translate this data to creating a mobile suit, I should have the base plans ready in a week or so," he informed, before his phone started to ring. "Hang on a sec. Hisanaga here."

"Hello there, Ryu," came the voice of Ryuzaki Hisanaga over the phone.

"Hey Dad," Ryu responded, a small smile crossing his face. "How's it going, and knives aimed at your back?"

"It's going okay, and knives are always aimed at my back," Ryuzaki replied with a chuckle. "Anyway, I recently heard a rumor that you'd partnered up with someone…"

"Of course you have," Ryu said with a chuckle. "Knowing you you're looking at their file with everything from their favorite food, to the number of hairs on their head."

Another chuckle from Ryuzaki. "A bit of an exaggeration, but yes, I am looking at their - or should I say her - file," he said. "I hope you'll bring her by for a visit sometime - I'd say relatively soon."

Ryu chuckled. "I was expecting that, we're in ORB right now and we'll be testing out a potential pilot for her ship tomorrow, but we should be able to leave after that," he explained. "Should be there in about a week I suppose."

"That's good," Ryuzaki replied. "I'll have a small job for you at that time as well - nothing official, just something I can only trust you with."

"Yeah, not a problem, Dad," Ryu said with a small chuckle. "Let the others know I'll be by soon, will ya? Later." Hanging the phone up, Ryu let out a soft sigh with a gentle smile on his face. "Crazy old man, told him he should've kept distance between us, but what does he go do, hires me at any chance he gets."

"Probably knows he can trust you," Kira replied. "From what you told me, he's EA, right? Well, given that Blue Cosmos seems to run a majority of the EA, I'd imagine there are some things that he can only trust you to take care of."

Ryu shook his head. "No, it's more than that, hell, he has five divisions of commandos loyal to him," he informed. "You should know that the commandos are the only reason the EA is still in this war, no, he's doing this for something else, crazy bastard's planning something crazy…"

"Well, we'll find out for certain when we see him," Kira replied. "Anyway, what's next on the agenda?"

"Getting Joker his seat," Ryu informed with a sigh. "I know a place we can do that, best to go with the civilian sector for it, military doesn't really account for pilots living their lives in the pilots chair."

Meanwhile, with Takeshi and Linda

Takeshi and Linda were now seated next to each other in a meeting room, going over documents and maps.

"Okay, so if we're going to get your sister out from under your former father's thumb," Takeshi was saying, "we need to figure out the following - how to get close to her without your former father knowing it, how to get her out, and most importantly, where we can send her so that she's away from the war and your former father can't get to her."

"ORB would be the best place to bring her," Linda said. "Even Dad isn't willing to risk their wrath over a single person…"

"Right…" Takeshi replied with a nod. "But do we want to bring her to Onogoro, or to one of their space colonies? Heliopolis might be a good choice - yeah, it's close to Artemis, but they're so far away from the fighting that it's not much of a difference - plus, I've heard a few rumors that Terminal is making plans to either purchase or take Artemis from the Eurasians…"

"Heliopolis would be the best bet," Linda informed. "It would be far too easy for him to get the commandos he has in his pocket onto Onogoro Island… but how do we get close?"

"That's going to be the tricky bit," Takeshi remarked. "We can't grab her at his house, it's probably too heavily guarded… do you know where she goes to school? If her security detail there isn't too heavy, we could get close either just before she gets there or just as she leaves, or even sneak her out in the middle of school under some kind of official-sounding pretense."

"She had a minimal security escort when I was still living with them," Linda said. "And her teachers have always favored me over our father…"

"That seems like our best bet, then," Takeshi remarked. "We go to the school, get the help of her teachers, and sneak her out during school, so that your former father doesn't know anything's wrong until we're long gone. Now, securing transport… we could easily use a Terminal Transport to get in and out, but we want this to be untraceable…"

"Wait, you said your sister was a Mercenary right?" Linda asked as an idea hit her. "What about her? Mercs are everywhere, and she would surely have a place where Flay could hide should the authorities search her ship."

Takeshi's eyes widened. "That… that might actually work…" he remarked. He got out his Terminal-issue cell phone and selected one of his speed-dial settings. "Here's hoping Kira-Imouto never changed her phone number…" he muttered as he waited for the signal to go through.

"Take-nii, what's up?" Kira asked as she picked up her phone.

"I have a bit of a job for you, Imouto," Takeshi replied. "Nothing too tough - mainly a simple transport job. Where are you going to be in…" he looked at a nearby calendar as he calculated travel times… "about a week from now?"

He heard Kira say something to someone on the other end of the line, although he couldn't catch what was said. "Ontario," she replied finally. "Formed a partnership and his family wants to meet me, why?"

"One moment," Takeshi replied, before turning back to Linda. "You said your former father's residence was in DC, right?"

Linda nodded. "Yeah, although Flay goes to a boarding school in Michigan," she explained.

Takeshi nodded. "I don't want to discuss the details over phone lines like this, Imouto," he said into the phone. "I'll see you in Ontario in a week, all right? We can go into details then."

"Sure thing, Take-nii," Kira agreed, obviously smiling on the other line. "I'll introduce my new partner to you as well when we meet."

"Sure thing, Imouto," Takeshi replied with a smile. "See you then." He then hung up. "Well, now we need to go get permission from Old Man Aeolia and Captain Aslin to go on this expedition - I'd imagine they'll give it, but it's better to be official than going AWOL."

"I think that would be a good idea," Linda agreed with a wry smirk. "After all, I'd hate to lose my job."

"Agreed," Takeshi replied with an equal smirk. "Come on, let's go swing by Old Man Aeolia's office, first."

With that, the two stood up and left the room, headed to visit with Aeolia in his office.

An hour later, a Terminal Shuttle left Discovery, carrying Takeshi, Linda, and a few additional Terminal Agents to Ontario, to start the operation to retrieve Flay Allster and get her out from under her father's thumb…

END CHAPTER