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 Five: Home

Heliopolis Spaceport, Mugen Kano

"I'm picking up Ryu's shuttle boss," Joker called over to Kira who sat in the captains chair. "I've given him landing clearance."

"Right, let Jinn and Jade know and have them meet me at the Hangar," Kira ordered as she stood and headed to the door.

She made quick time through the ship and got to the hangar at the same time as Jinn and Jade. "Is it really him?" Jade asked for confirmation.

Kira nodded. "It's him." she confirmed. "Let's go greet your brother."

The two nodded as they entered the hangar, just in time for the shuttle door to open, letting Ryu step out. He floated over to the group, his eyes hard. "Mission Accomplished," he stated bluntly.

"Welcome home," Kira returned.

As if that triggered something within him, Ryu blinked, unshed tears filling his eyes as he pulled his younger siblings into his arms and sobbed out.

Kira blinked too, but in shock. 'Was he… keeping his emotions bottled up until he got home?' she wondered.

"I'm sorry, Jinn, Jade, I'm so sorry, I… I should've been here…" he whispered to the two between his sobs. "But… I… I couldn't… I couldn't support you then…"

"It's all right, Ryu-nii…" Jade whispered, tears filling her own eyes. "It's all right… you're here, now… that's what matters…"

All Ryu could do was let out another strangled sob as he held his only living family closer to him, the three of them grieving together at their loss.

An hour later…

After a while, the three had parted, and Jade and Jinn had returned to their room to get a bit of rest before they started looking for a home the next day. Ryu had gone to his room for that purpose, as well, but Kira had followed him, all the way into the room.

"Are you doing okay, Ryu?" she asked once they were in the room and the door had closed behind them. "I could sort of tell what was going on… you suppressed your emotions while you were out there, right?"

"Yeah," Ryu admitted as he sat on his bed, his back against the wall. "It was something my dad taught me, for those situations where your emotions would compromise the mission…"

She nodded. "Makes sense, and sounds like it might be useful," she said, even as she sat down next to him. "I… I'm glad you made it back alright…"

Ryu looked over at her, a ghost of a smile on his lips. "So am I," he whispered, leaning against her slightly. "Tell me, did I do the right thing?"

"I… I think so, at any rate…" she replied. "If you hadn't done that, there's the possibility that Blue Cosmos might have gone after them… and you… next… and not only does depriving their leadership remove that threat, it also means they no longer have a hold on the EA… hopefully cooler heads can prevail and bring this war to an end…"

"I hope so Kira, I truly do," he whispered. "Thank you for taking care of them for me."

"It was the least I could do for you," Kira replied, leaning against him. "We're partners now, after all, and we look out for each other… though it actually goes a bit… deeper… than that…"

Ryu blinked in surprise. "Kira… are… are you saying what I think you are?" he asked cautiously.

"I… I know we haven't known each other for too long, but I… I think I'm falling in love with you, Ryu…" Kira said, blushing a bright red.

"Kira… I… I'm not sure what to say…" Ryu replied slowly, breathing slowly. "Kira… I have grown to care for you, you… I'm not sure how to say it… but… I had been slowly losing hope for my dream, but… you have been restoring that hope, you've been trying to do the same thing, and succeeding, Kira," he let out a deep sigh and placed a hand over Kira's. "Kira, I love you."

Kira smiled gently, looking directly into Ryu's eyes for a moment before leaning in and kissing him.

***Lemon Alert!***

She felt Ryu place a hand on the back of her head, entwining his fingers with her hair while his other wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him. Deepening the kiss, he slowly laid back, pulling Kira on top of him.

Kira moaned slightly from the feeling of her body against his, as his tongue slipped into her mouth. She slipped her hands between them, beginning to undo his flight suit.

Ryu let out a pleased groan as he felt Kira's hands slid into his suit, her hands rubbing against his chest, pulling the suit off of his upper body. "Kira…" Ryu groaned out as their lips broke apart.

Kira smiled at him. "Ryu… let me take your worries away… at least for a while," she said, as she continued to help him out of his suit.

"Thank you… Kira," Ryu breathed out as he felt her lips run along his chest as she pulled the suit off of his body, leaving him in only his boxers.

Kira kissed her way down Ryu's chest, even as she pulled his boxers down, exposing his cock. When she reached it, she smiled slightly before slowly running her tongue along its length.

"Ngh… K-Kira…" Ryu grunted out as he felt her tongue run along the length of his cock, he could feel his entire body tensing from the contact, his nerves bursting with pleasure. "T… that feels so good…"

Kira mentally smiled, a finger reaching down under her pants to begin rubbing her slit as she took the tip of his cock into her mouth, her tongue swirling around it briefly before she began taking it deeper.

Ryu's sharp inhale informed her of the pleasure he felt from the action. "K… Kira, it's warm," he informed, his hands moving to Kira's head, gently rubbing her scalp. "W… Wait, Kira…" Kira blinked in surprise at his request as she looked at him, her head tilted. "Why don't you undress, I can pleasure you as well."

She smiled and nodded, standing up long enough to take off her clothes, leaving her just as naked as he was.

Ryu's breath caught in his throat as he beheld her. "You… you are so beautiful Kira," he breathed out, awe clearly in his voice. "Come here…"

Kira blushed at his praise, even as she walked up to him. "Th… thank you, Ryu…" she said, before kissing him once more.

Ryu kissed her deeply, his hands roaming over her body, before cupping her asscheeks and pulled her even closer. "Want to continue where we left off?" he asked huskily.

"S… sure…" Kira replied, moving to suck on Ryu's cock once more.

As she began to continue her ministrations on his cock, Ryu got to work as he gave a slow, prolonged lick across her slit, enjoying the moist juices that were spilling out of her. "Tasty," he commented.

Kira moaned around his cock from the pleasure he was giving her, even as she continued taking it deeper, her tongue continuing to swirl around it.

Ryu moaned into Kira's pussy, pushing one of his fingers into her pussy, as he moved his tongue to her clit and began to attack it with his tongue.

Kira cried out in surprise and pleasure at the feel of his finger inside her and his tongue attacking her clit. She'd never experienced it before… but she needed more than this. She pulled away from his cock, its tip exiting her mouth with a slight 'pop'. "Ryu… I… I can't wait anymore…" she moaned. "Please… I want you inside me…"

Ryu smiled gently as she moved herself around, placing his cock against her dripping snatch, as he placed his hands on her hips. "Ready when you are," he informed, warmth in his voice.

Kira nodded, before slowly sinking onto his cock, moaning from the sensations as it entered her, her pussy so tight it seemed to suck it in. Ryu's cock went about halfway in before they could both feel it coming up against a barrier.

"Kira, are you sure?" Ryu asked. "You don't have to if you don't want to."

"I'm sure," Kira replied. "I want this. I want you." She lifted herself up slightly, before dropping back down rapidly, breaking her hymen and fully sheathing Ryu's cock inside her.

Ryu ran his hands along her thighs soothingly, before bringing her down for a deep kiss. "It's warm inside of you," he breathed into her ear. "You're coiling around me so tightly."

"And you fill me up so much…" Kira breathed back, her voice cracking slightly from the pain of her hymen breaking. She took a few minutes to get used to the feeling of his cock inside of her, before pushing herself up and lowering herself back down again, moaning in pleasure as this caused Ryu's cock to move inside of her.

"K… Kira…" Ryu groaned out, feeling the coiling of her pussy around his cock. "It… your pussy is so tight."

"Ryu…" Kira moaned. "You fill me up so much… it feels so good~"

Kira sat up straight from the position she had been in of laying ontop of Ryu and began to gyrate her hips with each of her bounces, stealing more breath from Ryu's lungs as the movements stimulated him in a completely new way, something shared by Kira, if her moans were any indication.

Kira was feeling pleasure she'd never even imagined. She was feeling so much pleasure, in fact, that a small part of her wondered if she'd ever be able to get off by masturbating ever again. And she could feel a coil building up within her. "R-Ryu!" she cried out. "I-I'm gonna cum!"

"M… me too, Kira!" Ryu gasped out, tightly gripping her thighs as he erratically bucked his hips up into her. "Kira!"

Kira screamed to the heavens as she came, her pussy spasming around Ryu's cock and milking it for all it was worth, triggering his own orgasm as he shot his seed into her womb.

Collapsing on top of him, Kira panted heavily as her body spasmed slightly from the afterglow of the orgasm, Ryu's arms coming up and around her, holding her closer to him. "Kira," he whispered into her ear, making the brunette shudder at the husky voice as his hot breath rolled across her damp skin. "I give you everything I am, my hopes, my dreams, my very soul, they are all yours, no matter what comes in the future, this Black Dragon will always stand by you."

"Thank you, Ryu…" she whispered back. "And I promise, this Valkyrie will stand beside you no matter what. With you, I feel a strength, and a sense of completion, that I have never had before."

Ryu smiled as his lips brushed along the shell of her ear, alighting Kira's nerves with pleasure, making her shudder before rolling her hips suggestively, his cock springing back to life. "Still eager?" he asked huskily, making Kira shudder once again as she felt his hands clasp her wrists behind her, pinning them. "So am I."

Kira moaned in pleasure as they began again, hopeful that the rooms were soundproofed… or at least that there was enough ship between them and the others to keep them from hearing.

Otherwise, the others might not get any sleep tonight… and she would probably get no end of teasing from Jade in the morning.

***END LEMON!***

The next day, Mugen Kano, Bridge

Joker sighed as he reclined in his chair, rubbing at his eyes, gritty from staring at the screen before him for so long. 'Well, going to have remind the boss to soundproof the rooms later,' he told himself. 'Can't keep having them keep everyone up with that noise, but hot damn, they kept going! Freaking four hours!'

Kira yawned slightly as she stepped into the Bridge, a fairly noticeable limp in the way she walked. "Morning, Joker," she said with another yawn as she stepped up behind him.

"Morning boss," Joker replied as he spun the chair around to face her. "I have a personal request, boss."

"What is it?" Kira asked, a minor, practically unnoticeable look of worry appearing in her eyes. 'Please don't be what I'm worried about, please don't be what I'm worried about…'

"Soundproof the rooms," he informed simply, a bland look and voice showing her exactly what she feared. "We all don't wish to hear it." With that, he turned back to the ship controls, somehow mustering up the courage to not comment on how red his boss had gotten.

Kira sagged. 'Dammit! I should have realized the rooms weren't soundproofed,' she thought, before letting out a sigh. 'I doubt I'll ever hear the end of Jade's teasing…'

"So… you and my brother, huh?" Jade's voice piped up from behind her, showing off how much she learned from not only the feet of her father, but her brother as with how easily she snuck up behind Kira.

Kira almost had a heart attack as she whirled around in shock. "H-how do you DO that?!" she asked, panting slightly to regain the breath she had lost in her shock.

Jade grinned toothily at the young mercenary. "Family Secret," she informed pressing a finger to her lips as she winked. "But… as disturbing as it was to hear, I think last night confirmed that you'll be learning it soon enough…"

Kira sighed. "I guess," she muttered in reply. "Still, try not to do that to me too much, alright? You almost gave me a heart attack!"

Jade grinned widely, her eyes closing as her teeth gleamed, a grin much like a fabled kitsune, Kira noted absently as a shiver ran down her back. "So… you… and… my brother…" Jade repeated, a shadow forming over the upper half of her face as she grinned.

Kira blushed. "Uh… yeah…" she replied. "We… we may not have known each other for long, and might not have known it back when he first introduced me to you all… but… yeah…"

Jade's grin, if possible, widened even further. "Well, since Ma isn't around anymore, I'm going to have to have the… talk, with you."

Kira's blush, if possible, deepened. 'I love Ryu, and that will never change,' she thought, 'but I just hope I'm able to handle his sister!'

The grin on said sister's face made her very much doubt her chances of survival.

With Ryu and Jinn

"So… you and Kira, huh?" Jinn asked as he double-checked his brother's calculations on the math for the mobile suit Ryu was designing for Kira. "Going to want to soundproof the rooms if you don't want to give us nightmare fuel."

Ryu chuckled as he scrolled through the latest update on cutting tech given to him by his contacts. "Sorry 'bout that… kinda unplanned," he admitted. "Does she meet your approval?"

"She does," Jinn replied. "To be honest, she seems perfect for you… and I could tell there was something connecting the two of you when I first met her."

Ryu smiled slightly. "Yeah, I guess there is," he agreed, looking up from his work a bit. "It's strange, we met as the opposite sides of the battlefield, and now… this." He made a sweeping gesture, as if to indicate everything. "Just goes to show you can't predict the future…"

"Agreed," Jinn replied. "Anyone who thinks they can predict the future is deluding themselves. Even Astrology, trying to predict the future from the stars, is a load of Elephant Dung."

"We always seem to believe the stars have all the answers, don't we?" Ryu asked humorously. "Even now, we hoped that space would've solved the problems with coordinators… well, guess we never got an answer on that, did we?"

"Not so far, no," Jinn remarked. "Although Evidence 01 has proved to us that there is life out among the stars… though I wouldn't be surprised if they have similar problems to us, if not more."

"More than you might think little brother, more than you might think," Ryu replied, a faraway look on his face.

Jinn looked quizzical. "What do you mean by that?" he asked. "Have you found something?"

"It's best that you don't know, Jinn," Ryu informed, a dark look on his face. "People are willing to do… anything to glean even the slightest hint of information."

Jinn still looked curious, but nodded in consent. "I'll accept that for now," he said. "But I will want to know the full story someday… and you might want to share it with Kira, too - it would be best if you didn't keep any secrets from each other."

"I know, but… I need to sit on this for a bit longer," Ryu informed. "What I have isn't completely secure yet."

"Once you get Jade and I settled in up here, securing it might be a good idea," Jinn remarked. "Either store it here on the ship or place it somewhere no one else would think of looking."

"I have a place, just need to make some final additions to it before the relocation," Ryu informed. "I'll bring Kira up to speed for transportation."

"Good luck with that," Jinn replied, before turning back to the figures. "Now, let's work on designing the best machine we can for her."

"You got it, buddy," Ryu informed as he reached over and ruffled his brother's hair, much to the younger's irritation before they got back to work.

Meanwhile, in Heliopolis

Flay yawned, slightly groggy as she sat up in her bed. She'd spent the last few days settling in to the apartment Linda and Takeshi had managed to acquire for her, and she hadn't gotten all that much sleep. Still, she was here, her former father was dead, and none of his compatriots were likely to find her here.

She then smiled slightly as she looked to the floor beside her, where Shinn was sleeping on a futon they'd barely managed to pull out of a closet. If anything, she thought he'd gotten even less sleep than she had, but she was glad for all the help he'd given her for settling in.

"Flay…" Shinn murmured in his sleep, causing a red flush to creep across her face.

She knew she cared deeply for him, and knew he cared for her. They'd even gone on a small date inside the school grounds just days before the events that forced him out of their previous school. And Flay was glad to be by his side again. This time, nothing would tear them apart for any length of time - she would personally make sure of that.

A bone cracking yawn cut off her musings as Shinn awoke from his slumber, stretching his arms out as he sat up. "M… morning," Shinn said through his yawn. "Sleep well?"

"I did," Flay replied, smiling as she nodded. "Did you?"

"Y… yeah," Shinn informed, yawning again. "I did actually, so… what's the plan for today?"

"Well, I need to get my registration at the Technical College finalized, so I can start attending classes," she replied. "Then see about finding the best restaurants in the area that either deliver or offer take out - I was never that good of a cook." She sighed. "I didn't have to be, between the staff at his house and the school cafeteria, I never had to worry about making my own food."

"Well…" Shinn began slowly, a slight blush on his cheek as he scratched his face. "I actually know how to cook, I'm not the greatest at it, though…"

Flay smiled. "I guess I'll just need to see how good of a cook you are, then," she said. "Dinner tonight, perhaps?"

Shinn flushed slightly but nodded in agreement. "Sounds good," he agreed. "I'll get the things I need for dinner tonight, then."

"Good," Flay said with a smile.

"So, have you heard from your sister?" Shinn asked as he climbed out of the bed.

"Yeah, she said she and Takeshi were needing to head back to Terminal," Flay replied, as she also got out of bed. "They'd gotten official permission to help me out, but they were running out of the time allotted for doing so, so they needed to return to the base they're currently stationed at. They wished us both luck, though."

"Are you… disappointed that she's leaving so soon?" Shinn asked in concern.

"A… a bit, yeah…" Flay replied with a sigh. "We finally reunited after a year apart, and she helped me to escape from him, but we didn't get to spend much leisure time together before she needs to leave. I understand she has responsibilities now, but it's…" She sighed again. "It's so unfair…"

Shinn moved up to his girlfriend and hugged her closely to him. "I know, but… you're not alone, isn't Takeshi's sister staying on Heliopolis for a while?" he asked curiously.

"Yeah… she is," Flay replied, leaning into Shinn's embrace. "She and her ship are staying here until they can get her partner's siblings settled in."

"I'm sure they'll be happy to help you out if you need it, even be your friends," Shinn informed. "So, you're really not alone here, Flay."

"Yeah, I know… and I'm never really alone when you're here with me, either… I love you, Shinn."

"I love you, too, Flay," Shinn replied, gently kissing her scalp. "And I will never leave you again, I promise."

Flay smiled. Meeting Shinn had been one of the best things in her life, and she was going to make sure she never lost him again, even if it was only on a temporary basis.

Terminal R&D Base, Discovery

Aeolia sighed as he looked over the plans for the new line of prototype mobile suits for Terminal. A beep from his console broke him out of his concentration.

Moving over to it, he spotted a received text message. Opening it, his eyebrow raised as he read it.

'A.

Entering the final phase for that item,

Will message for pick up date,

R.'

'So, he's got the location ready then, good,' Aeolia thought to himself as he deleted the message and removed any trace of receiving it. 'Hopefully we can find more artifacts.'

Another beep from the console alerted him to the presence of an approaching shuttle. Checking its IFF and what exterior views he could get, he confirmed it to be the Terminal Shuttle Takeshi and Linda had taken when they set out on their expedition.

"This is Discovery to Shuttle Veranda, do you copy?" Aeolia asked. "How was your mission?"

"We copy loud and clear, Discovery," came Takeshi's voice over the comm system. "Mission Complete - our objective is now safe and secure at her new home."

"Understood, Veranda," Aeolia informed. "Your debriefing will be done in Conference Room five."

"Roger, Discovery," Takeshi replied. "And I have to say, Old Man Aeolia, it's good to be back."

"Good that you have returned," Aeolia returned. "I will see you at the debrief."

"See you then," Takeshi agreed, before the channel closed.

Aeolia remained in his lab for a few minutes, looking out the sole viewport that looked out into space, staring into the black abyss in silent contemplation, before he turned on a heel and left the lab, heading to the conference room for the debriefing.

Meanwhile, Command Center

The base commander sighed as he looked over the various reports coming through the base, most notably, the prototype mobile suits and the prototype stealth carrier being produced in a different facility, although the project lead, Aeolia, still oversaw it.

The Commander looked to be in his late fifties, although his age did little to detract from his presence, powerfully built with his golden blond hair beginning to grey, his Terminal Uniform immaculate and while he only had one eye, the other had been destroyed when a ship he had been commanding went down in flames, resulting in heavy scarring on the left side of his face, the one remaining crystal blue eye pierced through anyone who met his gaze. All in all, he lived up to his call sign of 'Odin'.

A smirk graced his features as his lone eye scanned the name of the ship, Gungnir. 'Aeolia, you sentimental bastard.' he thought to himself with a shake of his head.

"Commander, Agent Yamato's group has returned from their mission and will be in conference room five," an Ensign reported, snapping off a salute.

"Thank you Ensign, return to your duties," Odin informed, as he stood up to his full height of 7'5". "You have the deck, Lieutenant."

"Sir!" The twenty year old, blue haired, red eyed female replied with a salute.

Odin then left the command center, striding through the corridors to get to conference room five. Yes, the mission was a private and personal one for Linda, and likely Takeshi as well, but he still felt the need to know just how it had gone.

"Erik," Aeolia greeted as he stepped into the hallway at an intersection.

"Aeolia," Erik 'Odin' Corval greeted in return. "I saw the name for the new ship."

"I thought it fitting," Aeolia replied. "After all, is it not the weapon wielded by Odin?"

Erik gave his old friend a half hearted glare before letting out a sigh. "Your opinion on the current crew?" he asked. "Will they be up for the task?"

"I believe so," Aeolia replied. "They have been training for this almost non-stop, not to mention the pilots for the prototypes have been doing the same thing."

"Good," he replied. "And Mr. Yamato, from what I understand, you have high hopes for him."

"Indeed," he replied. "His reaction times are superb, even for ace pilots - I've been fine-tuning his Patriot every month or so to try and get it to keep up with him, but he just continues to outpace it, and it's reached the point where I can't tune it anymore. I've had to place his Prototype at the front of the completion list, to hopefully complete it before he tears that Patriot apart simply because it can't keep up!"

Odin nodded in agreement. "A driven young man," he agreed. "Still inexperienced, but a few years will change that, if I remember correctly, isn't his sister the one that partnered with Ryuzaki's eldest?"

Aeolia nodded. "She is," he said. "A shame what happened to Ryuzaki and his wife, but the parties behind it were certainly dealt with quickly."

"He is a result of that project after all," Erik said with a nod. "Have you heard anything interesting for responses?"

"I did receive a message from Ryu recently," Aeolia replied. "He's apparently entering the final stages of finding a storage location for that."

"Hmm, he's being very tightlipped in the information he retrieved from it," Erik commented. "He's like his father in that respect."

"Agreed, but I can understand it," Aeolia remarked. "If it fell into the wrong hands, who knows just how much destruction could be caused?"

Erik nodded in agreement. "It was a bigger discovery than Evidence-01," he said, frowning slightly. "Actual proof of life in the Galaxy."

"Yes, with technology far in advance of anything we could ever do," Aeolia remarked. "I do not fault Ryu for keeping it secret - it could advance us very far, yes, but in our current state of war, it is more of a danger than anything."

"Fair enough," Erik agreed with a sigh as they came to the conference room. "Let's get this over with."

Mugen Kano, Bridge

"Yo, boss!" Joker called out to Kira as he worked away on the console, Kira herself was going over various repairs and adjustments needed for the Mugen Kano at her seat. "Remember the guy that I told you was coming, he's arrived and requesting permission to dock with us."

Kira nodded. "Give him clearance and open the forward bay for him," she said, getting up from her seat. "Then have Ryu meet me outside the hangar."

"Roger that, Boss," Joker confirmed, his hands flying across the controls skillfully. "Ryu will meet you there."

"Good," Kira said as she left the Bridge. It took her a few minutes to get to the hangar, but when she did, Ryu was waiting for her.

"Yo," he greeted with a grin and a nod. "Just in time, his suit's coming in now."

True to his word, seconds later a blood red GiNN HM-Type entered the hanger through the mobile suit airlock, stepping forward Ryu began to guide the unit into berth with a series of hand signals, and seconds later it was locked into place and plugged in to charge.

The cockpit opened up to reveal a man a couple years older than Ryu with shoulder length black hair and a pair of Viridian eyes that swept across the hanger. "Ryu," Victor Amsel greeted in a smooth voice as he walked up to the pair. "It's been awhile, sorry to hear about your parents, how are Jinn and Jade holding up?"

"Well enough," Ryu informed as the two clasped hands. "They're still adjusting to it, but they'll be fine, Victor, this is Kira Yamato, the ship's owner and Captain and the one who suggested building up this little party, Kira, this is Victor Amsel, I doubt you'd find a better Anti-Unit specialist if you tried."

"A pleasure to meet the young Valkyrie I've heard so much about," Victor greeted Kira with an extended hand. "I must say, the stories do not do any justice to your beauty…"

Kira chuckled a bit as she shook his hand. "Thanks for the compliment," she said. "Though, if you were thinking about asking me out, you might want to cancel that thought, as I'm already taken." At this, she wrapped an arm around Ryu's waist.

Victor let out a dramatic sigh in response. "Alas, the young maiden has spurned my advances, you shall rue this day, Ryu!" he declared before laughing.

"Sure sure, whatever you say, Victor," Ryu informed, rolling his eyes as he grinned widely. "So, any questions for him, Kira?"

"A few," Kira admitted. "First, how'd you end up becoming a mercenary?"

Victor shrugged. "I had dared to question an order from Patrick Zala," he informed simply. "Wanted me to 'make an example' of a town of civilian Naturals, I refused."

She nodded. He certainly fit her mindset, and why she was making the guild in the first place. "Next question: Do you have any special weapon/ammo needs on top of the standards for a GiNN HM Type?" She needed to know that when shopping for supplies.

"Unless one of my blades break, then no," he informed, gesturing to the weapons on the unit. "Even then, I got a guy who makes them for me."

"Alright," she remarked. "What condition is your Mobile Suit in? Not just general condition, but in relation to your reaction times?" Ryu would need to know this, just in case they needed to have a new unit built for him.

"Ryu already knows," Victor informed, nodding to Ryu who nodded in return. "A few months ago I approached him about building me a new suit."

"'Bout a month before we met." Ryu inputted with a shrug.

"Alright, that should do it for now," Kira remarked. "Most of the crew quarters are still empty, so feel free to choose the room you want. The only room you can't have is the Captain's quarters - that's where Ryu and I are set up."

Victor nodded, sending a knowing smirk Ryu's way, who only shrugged, placing an arm around Kira's shoulders. "Very well then, I'll get myself squared away," he informed. "Let me know if you have anymore questions for me, I'll be happy to sate your curiosity."

"Alright," Kira replied as they all left the hangar, Victor heading off in the direction of the main crew quarters while Kira and Ryu headed off to the Bridge. "Well, that's another member for the guild," she remarked. "Hopefully we'll get more as the days go on."

Ryu smiled and nodded, kissing her temple. "I'm sure that we'll get many joining us," he informed. "Actually speaking of, how would you feel about having a couple of squads of trained commandos and Intelligence Operatives as a part of the ship's crew?"

"Your father's subordinates, I'm assuming?" Kira asked.

Ryu nodded. "Yup, they know their jobs, and a number of them are trained bridge operators," he informed. "Also all are trained in firearms and self defense."

"That would probably work," Kira remarked. "It'll give us more Bridge Operators, and a decent security staff, as well."

"I'll send out the invites then," he informed. "They'll trickle in, don't want to draw attention with a huge group."

"Sounds good," Kira replied. "By the way, how're your siblings settling in on Heliopolis?"

"I got them set up in a decent sized apartment," Ryu informed. "Jinn enrolling in the Tech University here, same as Flay's actually, Jade's being set up for the Pilot Prep Program, she wants to be a pilot when she's old enough, and mom and dad were planning on enrolling her, so…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"Sounds good," Kira replied. "Given how secluded it is, I doubt any Blue Cosmos Leftovers can reach them here, and I don't think the war will find them, either, unless someone in the Orb Government or Morgenroete decides to do something really stupid."

"There will be someone to keep an eye on them," Ryu informed. "There's no worry about that."

"Good to hear it," Kira said before they stepped back onto the Bridge. "Anything new happen, Joker? Any messages come in while we were meeting our new member?"

"Just one, Boss," Joker informed, working away at the helm. "Simmons from Morgenroete called and said that the factory is ready for your use."

Kira nodded. "Good, we'll need to head there next," she remarked. "Hopefully we can get our new machines done before too long - I don't know why, but I think we're going to need them sooner, rather than later."

"I'll get the hangar ready to transport the jeep over then," Joker informed, typing commands into the console. "It'll be ready to go when you are."

"Right," Kira replied, before turning to Ryu. "Let's go, Ryu - time to start actually building our machines."

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Sure, I'll grab the blueprints and make one last call," he informed. "I'll meet you in the hanger in a few minutes."

"Right, see you there," Kira agreed with a smile. "Keep the ship safe, Joker."

"Will do, boss," Joker confirmed. "And, y'know, try to keep myself from going insane from loneliness and all that."

END CHAPTER