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 Seven: Family
Heliopolis, Morgenroete Private Factory, Six months later
Ryu let out a jaw cracking yawn as he looked down out of a viewport to three incomplete mobile suits, their armor was only done from the feet to near waist height as the machine arms moved over the units, making adjustments to the wiring that ran along the inner frame. "Log Note 126f: the FXS Projects Vidar, Valkyrie and Thor are sitting at 50% completion, the weapons have been tested and are ready for use, what's left is to finish the armoring and thrusters for the units themselves," he said into the computer's recording unit. "Managed to improve upon the Earth Alliance's beam weapon algorithms in certain ways, creating a sniper rifle for the use of the FXS-X001 Vidar, the FXS-X002 Valkyrie using a variant of the Striker Packs, also developed by the Earth Alliance, creating three different weapon packs, the Aegis Pack, a shield based pack using a High Density Ramming Shield and a 50mm Gatling Shield, the Ragnarok heavy weapons pack, uses a triple barreled, 250mm rotary High Density Beam Cannon and a shoulder mounted four barreled, Anti-Mobile Suit missile launcher, loaded with eight micro sledge hammer missiles, finally is the Warrior pack, close range combat utilizing a Anti-ship Beam Saber, and a beam sub machine gun."
Yawning again, he palmed his eyes. "I had also used the information for the proposed HiMAT system to create the Tactical Maneuvering Pack," he continued after a minute. "I wasn't able to match the specs, I used four wing thrusters, but with higher thrust capacity, instead of the proposed six, also included is an EMD Tracking and Radar Disruptor."
Typing in a few commands he switched the schematic showing the Valkyrie to the next one. "Next is the FXS-X003 Thor, a High Performance Close Combat Model, it lacks any true ranged weapons, the heat throwing knives aren't really useful for longer ranges, to that extent I equipped it with a thruster unit called the Burst Thruster System, it'll allow the Thor to quickly close gaps, although it won't allow for in-atmosphere flight."
"The Vidar is mostly focused around the DRAGOON units that ZAFT has planned to use to counter the wired gunbarrels that the Earth Alliance's Zero Corps uses," Ryu said, moving onto the schematic. "I currently have three ready to be equipped, the Heat Fang units which pierce through units, the assault beam units, rapid firing units, and beam cannons, heavy attackers, it is also equipped with an Aerial and Space Maneuvering Pack, a bit of an upgrade to the Aile Flight pack of the GAT-X105 Strike that the EA is developing, allowing for greater maneuverability in atmosphere and space, the greatest upgrade to it is allowing it to double as the storage/recharge station for the DRAGOON units."
"Estimated time for complete completion of the units, a month and a half. End log."
"Looks like they're coming along nicely," Kira remarked as she walked into the room. The 16-year-old-closing-in-on-17 was eight months pregnant at this point, and she was certainly showing it, with her stomach having swollen a fair amount. She was also now wearing a golden ring on her left-hand ring finger, which had an identical counterpart adorning Ryu's right-hand ring finger.
Ryu smiled at his wife of six months, his heart fluttering slightly as he took her in. "Hey, hun," he greeted as the two exchanged a kiss. "You feeling alright?"
"About as alright as I can get with a baby a month away," she replied, before looking down at her belly. "I'm looking forward to this kid getting out for two reasons: One, so I can properly welcome this new life into the world, and two, so I don't have to walk around feeling like a damn blimp!"
Ryu chuckled in response as he guided her to a chair and allowed her to sit. "The baby will be here soon enough," he assured his wife, his eye crinkling as he smiled, they had decided not to learn what gender the child was until it was born. "Hard to believe how much can change with just a single event, huh?"
"Yeah," Kira replied. "Hard to believe we first met on opposite sides of a battlefield over nine months ago, and now look at us: Married, expecting a kid, and leading a Mercenary Guild that's still growing."
Ryu chuckled again as he began to gently massage her soldiers. "Speaking of, how're Maes and his men settling in?" he asked, the former second to Ryuzaki had been among the first to arrive for the new crew of the Mugen Kano, Maes himself quickly settling himself in as the ship's tactical coordinator.
"Rather nicely," Kira replied, moaning slightly as Ryu continued massaging her shoulders. "At first I thought they'd just be security detail, but I had no idea just how much of them had training in other areas! All we need now is a full-time captain for the ship, to handle day-to-day operations and to command whenever I need to launch, and we'll have a full crew!"
"Hmm," Ryu responded with a hum. "I do know a few, both in the EA and ZAFT, but they are pretty dedicated to their jobs right now…"
Kira nodded thoughtfully. "Well, we should still have a bit of time before we need to make a choice… how long until the machines are done?"
"All goes well, in a month and a half," he informed as he stopped massaging her shoulders to wrap his arms around her from behind, his hands resting on her swollen stomach. "So, they'll be done after our baby is born…"
"Mmm…" Kira hummed in agreement. "That'll be good…" she mused. "By the way, have you given any thought to a name for the baby yet?"
"Hmm, if it's a boy… how about… Shiro," Ryu suggested after a minute of thought. "And if it's a girl, how does Yuna sound?"
"Shiro could work," Kira replied, "but Yuna… I don't know, I've always associated that name with what I've heard about Yuna Roma Seiran… what about Ryoko for a girl?"
"Ryoko would be a wonderful name," Ryu agreed as he brushed his face into her neck. "Kira… I love you…"
"I love you, too, Ryu," Kira whispered back. "I'm glad we met each other, and despite all that's happened, I'm glad that I've been there to support you." She then turned her head around and touched her lips to his.
Ryu smiled at her as they separated, his face relaxing the usual tension that he held there as he held his wife. "Thank you for making me so happy," he whispered into her ear. "Y'know, we never did decide on which of our names to use…"
Kira smiled. "No, we didn't," she said, "but I would be happy to become Kira Hisanaga, if you would prefer that over taking my name."
Ryu hummed as he closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of her body against his. "I would be honored if you took my name, Kira," he informed. "I think mom and dad would have been happy with it as well, they were fond of you…"
"Thank you, Ryu…" Kira said, before deciding to test the name out again. "Kira Hisanaga… it has a nice ring to it…"
"That it does, Kira, that it does," Ryu agreed as he finally pulled away from his wife. "So, what's up, did you need something, or were you just coming for a visit?"
"Actually, I wanted to ask you about something," she replied, looking at him. "That… item we were transporting a few months ago… can you tell me any more about it? You definitely seemed a bit more relaxed once we managed to get it where you wanted it."
Ryu frowned slightly before sighing. "I suppose I should tell you," he relented as he hit the lockdown command of the room, and made a sweep for any bugs before bringing out his personal computer. "It was a couple years ago now, one of my first missions as a Mercenary for my father, a group of archaeologists went missing during a research mission on the moon, it was classified to even the highest levels of government, and he couldn't bring in any of his commandos for the mission, either.
"The archaeologists had found ruins on the moon, alien ones," he informed, bringing up a picture of an alien structure that seemed to be residing underground. "Within them, was this."
He brought up a new picture, something that resembled the units that they were developing themselves, the golden V crest standing out on it's forehead. "This unit had been found by the researchers shortly before they were attacked by raiders, when I had arrived, the Raiders were securing the unit for transportation, I managed to destroy the entire band and took some time to research the unit.
"The unit was from a civilization calling themselves the 'Protheans', and with the unit was some sort of beacon. The unit itself was incomplete, only having the inner frame and outer armor complete, no weapons or thrusters even, it looked like a proof of concept model that had been abandoned, heck, it didn't even have a reactor of any sort.
"But it was the beacon itself that was the real prize, I managed to create an interface with it using the raider's and archaeologist's equipment, inside was a massive wellspring of information, among which was the data for the powerplants that I am using now for our units, Cold Fusion Reactors."
Kira's eyes widened. "Cold Fusion?" she asked. "With that kind of power source, we wouldn't even need to worry about N-Jammers! But if you could weaponize something like that… Probably a good reason to keep this safe from being leaked to the EA or ZAFT - despite the power problems it could solve, it also has the potential of bringing WMDs back to the table."
Ryu nodded. "That is the power source of our units, it is also the reason why I kept this thing secret from even my father," his hands clenched into fists as he looked down at the still frame of the Beacon. "But that's all minor when compared to the undeniable proof that life exists outside of our solar system…"
"Yeah… though, did the Beacon say anything at all about what happened to the Protheans? If they had structures on the moon, then we should have encountered them by now if they were still around…" Kira frowned. "And a race with technology like that doesn't just vanish without a trace."
Ryu shook his head. "It was only technical data within it, nothing on other locations or about the Protheans themselves," he informed. "I think they were observing us, before whatever forced them to abandon this project also forced them to abandon their observance of us."
"Hmm… that's a possibility…" Kira agreed. "Still… I wish we knew more about the Protheans… this discovery is even bigger than Evidence 01."
Ryu nodded. "In time I may release the contents of the Beacon, but as things stand now, all it would accomplish is mutually assured destruction," he informed, shaking his head. "The unit itself I gave to Terminal, specifically Aeolia, in return for temporarily keeping the beacon secure, until I could take it to a more secure location, the one we took it to recently."
Kira nodded. "I see," she said. "Well, I can definitely understand that. We'll just need to do our best to help bring this war to an end, and maybe keep an eye out for any other Prothean artifacts, if only so we can keep them from being discovered by the EA or ZAFT."
Ryu nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I agree," he said, quirking his lips at her as he lifted the lockdown. "C'mon, let's go get some lunch."
"Yeah, let's," Kira replied. "Though we probably ought to go into the Colony - you know how much I've been eating recently, and I'd rather not make a dent in the shipboard supplies simply because I'm needing to feed two people."
Ryu chuckled as he wrapped arm around her waist and held her close as they walked out of the observation room. "I don't think our crew would appreciate being eaten out of food," he said in agreement. "C'mon, Jade told me about a pretty good restaurant nearby."
"Sounds good," Kira replied with a nod. "Definitely looking forward to seeing what they have."
Terminal R&D Base Discovery
Aeolia smiled a little as he looked over the next generation units his base was constructing, some of their agents had recently managed to gather intel on the Earth Alliance's beam weapon technology, and their own researchers were now going over the intel to see if there were any improvements that could be made to it.
"How is the progress on the Gungnir?" he asked his assistant who looked over a datapad she was holding.
"The Gungnir is sitting at 90% completion, sir," she reported briskly. "The hull is fully complete while the catapult launcher is almost finished and the weapons are being loaded onto the ship now."
Aeolia nodded his understanding. "And how about the beam weaponry data we acquired?"
"We have modified upon the beam sabers a bit, increasing their energy output about ten percent," the aide reported. "We've managed to increase the recharge and firing rate of the beam rifle."
"Good," Aeolia replied. "And I'm glad we got the data in time to make adjustments to Takeshi's prototype." He looked over at one prototype that was looking almost complete, just a few plates of external armor missing. "Seven different bladed weapons is fine on paper, but Beam Weaponry actually makes it practical, without having to mount the weapons in unusual locations… and I have to admit that his folding sword/gun idea is a lot easier to implement if the gun is a Beam Rifle."
"Yessir," the aide agreed. "Several of our ace pilots have asked for weapons of similar design once we cleared the weapon's testing phase."
"Hmm… Mass Producing a weapon like that would be rather useful," Aeolia mused. "We'll need to see what needs to be done to make it affordable to mass produce…"
"I will see what can be done sir," she informed. "Also, the newest pilot, Yuna Falcon, has just arrived, her wounds from the Cyclops System are almost fully healed."
Aeolia frowned at the mention of the Cyclops System. 'It seems that there are still parties in the Earth Alliance that seek to prolong/expand the war…' he mused to himself. 'I would have thought that Ryu taking out the heads of Blue Cosmos in the EA would have been a turning point, but it hasn't happened as of yet.' "How is she doing, apart from the status of her injuries?" he asked.
"She is doing quite well, in fact," the aide informed. "She is quite eager to start testing out her new unit, from what I hear she is much like her brother in personality…"
Aeolia nodded. "We'll need to ensure that her prototype is finished soon, possibly even as the next one after Takeshi's…"
The aide nodded as she made another note. "Is that all you needed, sir?"
Aeolia shook his head. "That should be all for now," he said.
The aide nodded and turned on her heel and left the room, leaving Terminal's head researcher by himself as he turned back to the units being constructed, after a few seconds he turned to another room that held the alien mobile suit. 'It makes me wonder just what Ryu found on that beacon if he was so willing to hand over this mobile suit to us without even blinking,' he wondered to himself. 'The unit itself has massive potential, but… we cannot properly power it to see what they were constructing it for… just what was on that beacon?'
Meanwhile, Discovery Crew Lounge
"Things are coming along nicely, from what I hear," Takeshi remarked to Linda as they sat down at a table together, having lunch. "Another few weeks, and both my prototype and the new warship will be done."
Linda nodded in agreement. "Captain Odin is having us run drill after drill in preparation," she informed, letting out a tired sigh. "He's a harsh taskmaster."
"Agreed, but he's got good reason," Takeshi replied. "This is going to be Terminal's finest warship to date, and it needs a crew that can properly handle it." He then smiled at Linda. "And I know you're up to the challenge, Linda Yamato."
Linda blushed a bit as she fiddled with the golden ring resting on her finger. "That is true," she agreed. "But I have to wonder, what is going to be our deployment orders, the Gungnir seems a bit too advanced for something like base defence or even being hired out for Mercenary Work."
Takeshi frowned. "Good point," he admitted. "though, given how the war's been heating up, I'd imagine we're going to be seeing some frontline action in some form or another." He then looked up at his wife. "By the way, what's the latest news been from Flay?"
Linda smiled softly. "Well, she's doing well in classes, apparently Jinn has been tutoring her for some of the algorithms that their class has been using," she informed, remembering her latest conversation with her sister. "And she thinks that Shinn's trying to work up some courage to pop the 'question', although she doesn't have any proof of it."
Takeshi smiled. "Those two seem good for each other," he remarked. "I wish them the best of luck. I hope they'll be okay, given what we discovered on the EA's G-Project, but Kira-Imouto and Ryu are there, too, and should be ready in case anything goes wrong."
Linda nodded. "Things seem to be almost calming down since Ryu's… action against the hardliners in the EA, there haven't been any major conflicts for almost half a year now, and a lot of the countries hit heavily by the N-Jammers are recovering thanks to the PLANTs donated supplies… I wonder what's going to happen?"
"I don't know," Takeshi remarked. "Still, I doubt this war's going to come to an end all that soon - it almost feels like… almost feels like there's something going on behind the scenes, forces in the shadows on both sides working to keep the war going, despite the best efforts of those who seek to bring it to an end." (in two separate locations, a blue-haired fruit cup and a blond masked nutjob both sneezed simultaneously)
Linda nodded, her eyes dropping down a bit. "I just hope that when the fighting does break out again, it'll finish quickly, I don't want my sister caught up in this…"
"I hope so, too," Takeshi replied, taking her left hand in both of his. "But if she does get caught up in this war, we will protect her."
Linda smiled and nodded in agreement, squeezing his hand as they shared a moment, a moment that was abruptly ended when the doors of the lounge were smashed open by a booted foot. "FREEDOM!" a blonde woman with bright blue eyes shouted as she entered the lounge. "Freedom from the tyranny and oppression of the infirmary! Booze for everyone!"
Takeshi and Linda looked at the woman incredulously, then at each other, then at the woman again, and then at each other once more. "Uhh… Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot, over?" Takeshi whispered to Linda.
"No goddamn clue," Linda returned, her face showing an incredulous expression.
"Pilot Falcon, we haven't finished your release papers yet!" A nurse shouted as she ran into the lounge. "And Dr. Amagi said no alcohol for 24 hours!"
"No way you are getting me to not drink outside of a hospital!" the woman shouted back. "Fight, drink, and play! That's the motto of Falcon squad and I'll be damned if I ditch that motto now!"
Takeshi facepalmed. "What, is she trying to get back into the hospital?" he asked. "Usually that's what happens when you don't follow the doctor's instructions."
"TYRANNY! OPPRESSION!" the woman shouted as the nurse somehow managed to grab ahold of her ear and drag her out of the lounge.
"She certainly was… lively…" Linda commented. "Although I don't think I've heard of Falcon Squad…"
"Yeah," Takeshi replied. "I almost feel like I have heard of them before, but it's really hard to place…"
"Man," one of the patrons near them groaned out to his friend. "I heard that the Zero Corps were a wild bunch, but she has to take the cake on that one, almost like Captain Falcon like that…"
"Zero Corps?" Takeshi asked the patron. "She was one of the EA's Moebius Zero pilots?"
The speaker looked over. "Yeah, and the leader of one of their ace squadrons too," he informed. "The Falcon Squad was their top squadron, hell, they were capable of putting even some of our Agents down for the count."
"Huh… explains the vague familiarity," Takeshi remarked. "What's she doing here on a Terminal Base, though?"
"You haven't heard? Six months ago ZAFT fifth fleet and the Zero Corps had a huge duke out right above the Corps home base on the moon," the man explained. "Apparently some big wig got a little twitchy and activated a CYCLOPS that was under the Zero Corps base, Falcon there was one of the survivors that was rescued by our Search and Rescue teams, the big wig ended up getting courtmartialed and summarily executed by EA High Command to boot, she and a few other survivors signed on with Terminal."
Takeshi and Linda looked at each other. "That's seriously bad news," Takeshi remarked. "If the EA Brass are willing to use a Cyclops System…"
"That's the thing, they weren't, it was actually undergoing a decommission before the attack, hell there wouldn't have probably been any survivors if it hadn't been," the man informed. "It's just this guy was a coward."
Takeshi nodded. "Well, anyway, thanks for the info," he said. He then paused for a minute. "By the way, I don't suppose you've heard anything on how the brass' plans for acquiring Artemis are going?"
"Pretty well, actually," the man informed, a wide grin on his face. "The Eurasians are desperate for Mobile Suit Technology, so we agreed to help them design a series in return for Artemis, apparently their new unit's supposed to be a real doozie of a tank utilizing the Armor Lumiere that the base itself uses."
"Nice," Takeshi remarked. "Linda and I both have family over on Heliopolis, so getting Artemis will allow a nearby location for quick response if anything happens over there."
The man shrugged. "Well, from what I hear, Artemis would be a good location for it, we're going to be make it a secondary headquarters outside of New Platea," he informed. "Plus we'll be installing a new Production factory there, apparently R&D have been busy with more than just the second gen experimentals."
"Huh, interesting," Takeshi remarked thoughtfully. "I might need to ask Old Man Aeolia about that next time I meet with him. Thanks for the info."
The man shrugged as he turned back to his drinks with his friend. "It always surprises me who is in intelligence and who isn't," Linda said, noting the crossed rifles under an eye patch that rested on the man's shoulders, marking him as a member of Terminal Intelligence and Black Ops. "They're always so… unassuming…"
"Yeah," Takeshi remarked, before finishing off the last of his lunch. "Anyway, you ready to head out? Got a meeting with Old Man Aeolia later today, might be able to ask him about some of the things in the works aside from the prototypes and Gungnir."
"Sure," Linda agreed as she finished her own lunch. "Let's get going."
Heliopolis, Pilot Prep School
Shinn Asuka was thoroughly enjoying himself. About three months ago, his class in Pilot Prep School had advanced from the theoretical classes and simulator work to the next step - actual flying inside the Colony. Granted, most of their craft was usually Two-Seaters, with an instructor in the back seat, but it was still really fun.
Of course, there were those enjoying it even more than he was…
"YEEHAW!" Jade shouted as her jet screeched pasted his own, pure unadulterated joy filling her voice.
"M-Miss Hisanaga, please slow down!" her instructor shouted as she took her jet into a series of maneuvers that most would have considered to be on the border of suicidal. "We're going to crash!"
"C'mon Shinny, I'll race ya!" Jade cheered to Shinn, completely ignoring the panicked former ORB Air Force Pilot in her back seat.
"You're on!" he called out, before looking back at his instructor. "Hope you're strapped in nice and tight back there!" he called out to them before opening the throttle up.
"Not again…" his instructor groaned out. "This is the noodle incident all over again…"
"C'mon Shinny, don't tell me that's all you got!" Jade taunted as she rolled her jet in front of his. "I'm not even trying here!"
"Oh, I'm just getting started," Shinn replied. "Try and keep up!" He opened the throttle all the way, shot out in front of Jade's jet, and then began a Spiral Loop(1.) followed by an Immelman Turn.
Jade's giggle echoed through the airwaves as she suddenly began an ascent. "Oh, you're good Shinny, but not as good as me!" She declared as she used the newly gained altitude to tip into a dive until she was very nearly skimming the colony 'floors', the watching civilians forced to cover their faces as she roared past, the added speed from the dive sending her past Shinn. "WHEEEEE!"
"Oh, it's on now," Shinn muttered, grinning as he dove after her, pushing his engines as far as he could go as his jet practically skimmed the treetops.
"Trainee Hisanaga, Trainee Asuka," the powerful voice of the head instructor broke through their radios. "I thought we talked about your 'races'."
Shinn sighed, not wanting to tick off the head instructor if it could be avoided, and muttered an apologetic "Yes, sir…" as he pulled back to regular altitude and slowed the throttle back down to normal.
"Aww, c'mon, Instructor Takeba!" Jade whined as her own unit slowed down. "It was just getting fun!"
"Your idea of 'fun', Trainee Hisanaga, tends to put yourself, Trainee Asuka, your instructors, and bystanders at unnecessary risk," Instructor Takeba replied. "Suppose one of you lost control of your plane doing one of your stunts, and your plane crashes into either the colony wall or the central shaft - what do you think would happen?"
Shinn could easily see his friend was rolling her eyes. "Have some faith will ya, I've been learning to fly these things since I was old enough to walk!" Jade informed proudly. "You just don't challenge us enough, Instructor!"
"Hmm… perhaps we should take the training up to the next stage, then…" Instructor Takeba mused. "Learning to avoid incoming fire from ground-based and aerial enemies! I'm pretty sure I can get some Militia Patriots here with their guns loaded with paint rounds to shoot at you…"
"Ohh, that sounds so cool~!"
"M-Miss Hisanaga! Please keep your hands on the control stick!"
"For now, bring your planes in," Instructor Takeba ordered. "We'll call it a day for now, and start the evasion training tomorrow - it'll take me that long to get the Patriot Teams who usually assist with this training over here."
"Yay~! I can't wait!" Jade cheered as her Jet banked sharply, turning towards the training hanger. "This is going to be so awesome~!"
As Shinn followed her in, part of his mind thought, 'Jeez, she's looking forward to this. I just hope we're ready…'
Morgenroete Technical College
"The emitter algorithm here would cause issues when integrated with the rest of the power dispersal system," Jinn informed as he pointed out the flaw on the design Flay was working on inside of their classroom. "If the emitter exceeds a certain percentage it will risk a power overload."
"I see," Flay remarked, as she looked over the design. "But on the other hand, if you go below a certain percentage, you don't get the power where it needs to go, right?"
Jinn nodded. "The power output of each machine is unique," he informed as he showed his own calculations. "Even in the same model, sure there are universally accepted output ratios but those don't bring out the full power of that machine."
"So, it's a matter of fine-tuning the output ratios to provide maximum performance, right?" Flay asked.
Before Jinn could reply, a female voice said, "Man, you two are sure focused."
Flay and Jinn turned to see a boy and girl their age walk up to them, the boy having dark brown hair and blueish eyes, while the girl had lighter brown hair and green eyes. Flay recognized them as Tolle Koenig and Miriallia Haw, one of the more 'official' couples their age in the school. Shinn had introduced her to the pair the day she started classes at the Technical College
"I think you two focus on the assignments more than anyone in the class," Miriallia continued, before elbowing her boyfriend. "Perhaps if you followed their example, Tolle, you might have higher grades."
"Yeah, yeah," Tolle grumbled. "Anyway, why are you two so focused on this stuff, anyway? It never really seems to make that much sense to me."
"My brother is a mercenary," Jinn informed as he pushed his glasses up his nose a bit. "I am simply trying to keep him ahead of the curve when it comes to technology."
"Me, I want to be able to help Shinn as much as possible," Flay replied. "And given that he wants to join the Militia to keep me safe, if I can learn to build and maintain his equipment, that will help considerably." She paused for a moment, pondering whether she should let Tolle and Miriallia in on the secret of the G-Project - she considered them good friends, and wanted to warn them of the potential danger, so they could make preparations.
"It's as simple as that," Jinn stated, cutting off her line of thought. "Besides, aren't you behind on that support frame, Tolle?"
"Ugh, don't remind me," Tolle complained. "I know the deadline to finish that project is coming up, but even Sai can't make heads or tails of what it's supposed to be able to do, and he's supposed to be a programming whiz! As it is, that thing's a death trap waiting to spring on whoever is foolish enough to get into it."
"Have you checked the variable frame control algorithm?" Jinn asked, raising an eyebrow. "If it is difficult to control then perhaps the frame controls are not properly sized to the machine."
"Hmm… that could be it…" Miriallia hummed thoughtfully. "I know you're busy, but if you could give the three of us a hand, it'd be welcomed."
"Sure," Flay replied, mentally coming to a decision. "We can meet the three of you after class - I need to talk to you two about something, anyway, but it can wait until after class."
Jinn looked over to Flay with a raised eyebrow, but shrugged in response. "If you can get to the spaceport, my room on my brother's ship has the appropriate equipment we need for it," he informed. "We could also run some tests with the support frame in the ship's hangar."
"Sounds good to me," Miriallia replied. "We'll meet you there after class." The two then headed off, heading over to talk to Sai.
"Are you sure about this course of action, Flay?" Jinn asked as he turned back to his work. "They will be in danger if they know."
"Maybe, but if they don't know, and something happens, they'll be in even greater danger," Flay replied. "I… I don't want to see friends get hurt because the worst happened and they weren't prepared for it…"
Jinn nodded in understanding. "Very well, just in the future, say something first, had I not figured out what you were thinking we could have been in trouble if the EA had been monitoring your apartment with Shinn," he informed. "Because even if he is dead, your father was an important figure in the EA and Blue Cosmos."
Flay frowned. "Hadn't thought of that…" she mused. "I guess I'd forgotten that it isn't as safe here as originally thought, not just because of the threat of attack… Thanks, Jinn."
Jinn nodded again as he got back to work. "You forgot the four again," he pointed out.
Flay blinked, then made the necessary adjustment. "Thanks," she said again.
"You are welcome."
Later that Day, Jinn's room on the Mugen Kano
"Damn, Jinn, when you said your brother was on a ship, I didn't think it would be something like this!" Tolle exclaimed as the group plus Shinn and Jade walked into Jinn's room.
The room was one of the old Officer Quarters that Jinn had taken over and set up several computers, screens and even a work bench with assorted disassembled electronics and even an assault rifle sitting on it.
"My brother gave me this room to work on my projects," Jinn informed as he powered on the assorted computers. "In return I help him with calculations and OS algorithms."
"OK," Flay said, "While Jinn and Sai start looking at you three's project programs for the Support Frame, I have something I need to tell you all."
"Hm?" Mir hummed as she tilted her head. "What is it?"
"First, Shinn knows this part already, but my birth father was George Allster, Foreign Minister of the Atlantic Federation, and then Earth Alliance," Flay began. "He was also primarily Blue Cosmos, and if it wasn't for my older sister Linda, I might have been corrupted by his philosophies."
"What, your father was the Foreign Minister?" Tolle shouted out in shock. "Then why are you here slumming it up with us when you're pretty much a princess in the EA!"
"Two reasons - first, like I said, my sister made sure I wasn't corrupted by his Blue Cosmos Philosophies, and after I had a falling out with him she managed to smuggle me here, so I could be safe from him and any of his followers." She then looked at Shinn. "Then, after I got here, Shinn was the main reason I stayed - I'd first met him in Boarding School in Virginia, and we became close, only for his discovery of Shinn's origins to tear us apart, as we had to get Shinn out of the country and back to Orb." She smiled at Shinn. "Once I met him again at Heliopolis, I was determined not to be separated from him again."
"Wow, it's like a fairy tale, no matter how many times I hear it~" Jade cooed out as she lay on her stomach on Jinn's bed, her feet kicking at the air as her chin rested on her palms. "They are just so cute together~"
"Anyway," Flay remarked, blushing from Jade's comment as Shinn was, "a few days after we'd gotten Shinn out, I overheard him conversing with one of his friends about something that could, in his words, 'turn the tide in the war against the Coordinators.' It was called the G-Project, and it had been contracted out to Morgenroete. You can probably guess what it is."
"Waitaminute, are you saying ORB is producing mobile weapons for the EA!?" Sai asked from his position at the computers.
"Not ORB, Morgenroete," Jinn informed as he continued to type away at the computer. "My theory is that it is a compromise of sorts, ORB allows Morgenroete, who has more advanced technology than the EA's Actaeon Industries, to assist in the development of the EA's first Mobile Suit Series, in return ORB remains neutral, and as Morgenroete is a corporation ZAFT cannot blame ORB for their actions."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean we're safe," Flay added. "If ZAFT finds out about this, there's a chance they might launch an attack to try and steal the prototypes for themselves. If that happens, I don't know what kind of casualty count there would be and… I… I wouldn't be able to live with myself if any of you were hurt because you didn't know and weren't prepared… you are all my friends, and if it's a choice between being safe from reprisal by being in the dark, or prepared for the worst by knowing, I'll choose preparing you for the worst."
"Man, talk about heavy stuff…" Tolle said with a groan as he leaned back into his chair. "Well, I have a question, if it's a Morgenroete and EA deal, then what's your brother and all these Mercenaries doing here?"
"Ryu has his own agreement with Morgenroete for producing Mobile Suits," Jinn replied. "Nowhere near as under-the-table as the G-Project, but he's still kept some of the details of the machines secret from me. That said, I have managed to get him some of the G-Weapon Data, which he's been using to improve his own designs."
"And how could you get that data?" Miriallia asked. "Did you hack their datafiles?"
Flay let out a mirthless laugh. "It's a bit easier than that, Mir," she remarked. "As we said, it's a Morgenroete Project. Now tell me - who owns the Industrial College we're studying at?"
"Wait, are you saying the College is having us aid them in the development of these mobile suits?" Sai asked. "That's… preposterous!"
"Preposterous, maybe," Flay replied. "Still, the various assignments we've been getting - especially from Professor Kato. Seeming nonsense when you just look at the surface, but if you apply it to Mobile Suit Mechanics and Operating Systems…"
"And you have mobile suits…" Tolle finished with a sigh. "Argh, are they idiots, we can't build combat-type frames when they tell us to make support-type ones! Hell, the entire Operating System is completely different! Not to mention the weight differentials of the frame!"
Flay sighed. "Yeah, that's what happens when they need extra help, but project secrecy means they can't tell everything - signals get crossed, and what comes out is vastly different from what comes in, and often unusable at that."
"Man, when those things are completed, their OS is going to be a massive mess," Sai informed as he slumped into his chair. "Seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to use college students for this?"
"No clue," Flay replied. "Still, now that you know, you can work on fixing some of their problems."
"What about a timed stall device?" Tolle asked. "Y'know, something that will cause it to cease functioning after a certain period of time unless a code word is entered?"
"Hmm…" Flay muttered. "That would be good, make sure the EA can't make the most use of them. We might also want to think about taking one or two to give to either Jinn's brother or Terminal, keep the EA from getting them… and if the worst happens, I'd rather not see them end up in ZAFT's hands, either."
"It's simple to add in and to bury in the command coding as well," Sai informed. "I'll make sure to give you the code words later."
Flay nodded. "That's good. Also, we're going to need custom OS made for each of us who wants to pilot one - if the worst happens, not only can we deny them to the EA and ZAFT, but we might be able to use some of them to actually come to the colony's defense."
"Actually… now that I think about it, the EA is developing a new High Performance Mobile Armor alongside the G-Weapons," Jade mused thoughtfully. "If you can get me an OS for that I can definitely handle it."
"I'll see what I can do," Flay replied. "And Shinn, I'll put an OS together for you, too - I think an MS would be better for you."
"Brother and Kira may be able to help you," Jinn commented. "They're not sure what they will be using them for anymore other than emergency defense."
"Gotcha," Shinn replied, even as he seemed to come to a decision, and walked over to Flay. "Before that, though…"
Shinn reached into his pocket, digging for something. "Flay, I love you so much… the reason I started pilot training was so I could better protect you…"
He pulled a small box out of his pocket as he got down on one knee. "I don't know why it's taken so long for me to ask this, but…" he held the box out to Flay and opened it, revealing a golden ring with a beautiful ruby set on the top. "Will you marry me?"
Flay smiled. "Yes…" she whispered, though they could all hear it. "Yes, I'll marry you, Shinn."
"WHOOT!" Jade cheered as she looked over the proceeding engagement. "Aww, you two look so cute together, all blushing and things~ Ohhh, Shinny, did you ask her sister for permission?"
"Can't really get much contact with Linda, given she's in a top-secret Terminal Base, apparently," Flay remarked, even as she and Shinn both blushed. "About the only time I can contact her is when we exchange letters once a month, and those have to go through a known Terminal Satellite Router, and I never know just how they get to her through that router, but they do."
"So…" Jade began slowly, an impish grin spreading across her face. "In other words she doesn't know that Shinny here asked for your hand without her prior knowledge."
"Actually, my last letter mentioned that I suspected he was working up the courage to ask," Flay remarked. "I didn't have any actual PROOF, but I was definitely suspecting it, and let her know."
Jade only giggled in response. "Well Shinny, any best friends in mind for best man/woman?" she asked suggestively.
"W… well…" Shinn began, thoroughly caught off guard, "I… I hadn't really thought about it… but you could definitely take that role if you wanted…"
Jade deadpanned at Shinn. "Shinny, I am your best friend, almost a sister in the end," she informed. "Of course I'm going to take the role, after all, other than Flay here, I'm the only one with all the juicy and embarrassing stories."
Shinn nodded, even as he internally groaned. "R… right…" he said tentatively. "Anyway, back to the main topic of the meeting, does anyone else think they'd be up for piloting?"
"I could pilot if absolutely needed," Jinn informed dispassionately as he continued to work. "I know the Operating Systems almost inside and out and I am certain I can pilot in a pinch."
"I'll pilot, too," Tolle added, and held up a hand to forestall Miriallia's upcoming complaint. "I know it's dangerous, Mir, but like Shinn with Flay, I want to protect you should the worst happen."
"I have a question, if I may," Jade informed. "Bro has all these former commandos as a ship crew right now, several of them are trained pilots, why aren't we talking to him and Kira about this?"
Flay paused for a moment. "Good point, actually," she remarked. "Might be a good idea to get them involved, if nothing else we can get their support should things happen the way I'm fearing…"
Jade rolled her eyes, a wry grin on her face. "Second question, did you really think you could get away with plotting on Kira's ship without them knowing?" she asked again, pointing to the door that opened to reveal the amused pair.
As most of the group stared at the two, shocked, Kira and Ryu walked into the room. "It would be a good idea to have contingency plans," Kira remarked. "There's no sign that ZAFT has found out about the EA's G-Project yet, but we should be ready in case they do."
Ryu let out an amused chuckle. "Not sure if I should be proud that they're plotting to hijack top secret weapons, or disappointed that I found out so easily," he informed, chuckling again.
"To be fair, the meeting's original purpose was simply to brief Tolle, Miriallia, and Sai in on the G-Project," Jinn remarked. "I assume that she had told Shinn already," a nod from both Flay and Shinn indicated that this was indeed the case, "but she wanted to make sure her other friends knew what was going on, in case the worst happened, and I suggested the room you gave me as a safer place to inform them than anywhere in the colony which would likely be monitored. We didn't really start plotting to hijack the G-Weapons until after we'd informed them about the role we've been playing in their development."
"Oh? So Professor Kato is using his students to do his work for him?" Kira asked, her voice a deceptive calm that sent chills down the spines of those who knew her. "I think I will need to have a… talk with the good professor…"
"Should you really be… talking… in your current condition, Kira?" Jinn asked. "But to answer your question, yes, he is having his students work on the G-Project OS… and to make it worse, he's not telling them what it is they're working on, disguising it as working on Support Frames."
"Thank you for your concern, Jinn-kun," Kira said with a motherly smile. "But, I am only going to have a few words with your teacher on the proper methods of teaching students."
"Ooooh, that would be fun to watch…" Jade remarked as Kira left the room, closely followed by an amused Ryu. "Sai~, you think you could hack into the security cameras in Kato's office when Kira-nee goes in? I'll bring the popcorn!"
"I think I could manage it," Sai informed as he started hacking into the School's camera system. "It'll take me a bit, but I should have it before they arrive…"
"Nice," Jade said, hopping out of her chair and heading for the door to the room. "Anyone want anything besides popcorn?"
"The usual," Jinn stated from his chair, not even looking up from his computer.
"Chips and soda." Jade declared. "Anything else?"
"Jelly beans, if you can find some," Miriallia remarked. "Often my alternative to popcorn when watching movies."
"There may be a stash here or there," Jade informed, an impish grin on her face before she disappeared to gather the requested items.
"Maes will be angry," Jinn predicted. "He hordes jelly beans."
"Well, if he barges in here looking for them, we can invite him to come watch," Flay remarked as Shinn sat down in a chair, angling it to face the main monitor in the room as Flay sat on his lap.
"Almost got it, there!" Sai shouted as he got into the network. "Alright now to find our classroom… here we go!"
The screen flickered for a moment before their familiar classroom showed up on it, their professor was working away at the computer he was sitting at.
"Ooooh, this is gonna be fun~!" Jade said as she came back into the room, sitting down and passing out popcorn and the other requested refreshments as, on the monitor, the classroom door opened.
"Professor Kato?" Kira's voice filtered through the speakers, catching the professor's attention as she and Ryu walked in. "We're the guardians of Jinn Hisanaga and the temporary one of Flay."
"Oh, welcome, is there an issue you needed to speak with me about?" he asked in concern. "Did something happen to them, they are two of my most promising students."
Even though the camera didn't have an angle on Kira's face it was quite obvious from Kato's tensing that's Kira faux-kind smile was currently in full force. "Well Professor, that depends, Are you illegally using your own students to assist your creation of Earth Alliance Mobile Suits?" she asked, her voice deceptively cheery as she walked forward. "Because, if so, then not only will my husband and I, but Flay's sister, who entrusted her care and needs to us while she was working with Terminal, will be quite upset with you."
Kato swallowed in response, his eyes bugging out as he took a hasty step back, from the minute shaking in Ryu's shoulders it was quite obvious the mercenary was struggling to not laugh.
"Now, if your student chose to help you that is another matter altogether, provided of course they are paid properly for their input and time they are putting into the G-Weapon Project that Morgenroete is assisting the EA with," Kira continued on. "And the way that I see it you have one of two choices, one, full disclosure to your students about their work and an official job within Morgenroete should they choose to continue to assist you in your endeavors, or completely drop the matter and actually focus on their education.
"Of course you could always continue on as you have been," Kira informed, those who knew her had no doubt that her smile was growing irritated as Kato paled. "Although, should that happen, my husband and I would need to take… action."
Kato's mouth worked as he attempted to say something in response to Kira's accusations and threats. "That will be all Professor," Ryu said, finally speaking, mirth filling his voice. "We hope that my brother and his friends are treated with far more respect than you have been giving them. Oh, and I do have my eyes on you."
With that said, the couple turned and left the room, leaving Kato who was looking to be close to having a heart attack.
Miriallia was laughing harder than she'd ever laughed before. "Oh, that was hilarious!" she cried out. "Did you see the look on Professor Kato's face as Miss Kira started laying into him?"
"I think brother found the entire thing rather amusing," Jinn informed in his usual nonplussed tone, although a hint of a smirk played over his lips. "…As did I to be completely honest."
Flay nodded, grinning. "I did, too, to be honest," she remarked. "Anyway, if he decides to come clean and offer us paid jobs for our help, let's accept the offer - it'll help us in getting things ready in the event of the worst happening. Agreed?"
There were various nods all around as Jade let out a disappointed sigh. "That sucks, I'm in pilot prep, Morgenroete won't be hiring me!" she groaned out in disappointment.
Jinn looked at her. "So?" he asked. "You're the one who wanted to be a fighter pilot. Besides, you're going to be getting that Mobile Armor from the G-Project if and when we need to make our move."
"But I'm not going to be getting paid for it, though!" she mock whined. "They'll be hiring you at the very least, bro, you're a mathematical savant, remember? I swear, at some point you will start speaking in Binary."
"Zero One Zero," Jinn said, causing everyone to stare at him. "What? It was a joke."
"Let's just say you need to work on your sense of humor," Tolle remarked, before getting slapped upside the head by Miriallia. "Hey, I'm just saying!"
"Meh, not the worst joke to come out of his mouth," Jade informed. "The infamous Sausage Incident holds that esteemed honor."
"Of which all participants agreed never to speak of under oath," Jinn informed, his eyes narrowing at his younger sister who shrugged.
"I know, I know, it was embarrassing for all of us," she informed, rolling her eyes as she spoke.
"Anyway, let's get back to work," Flay reminded. "Both on that homework assignment for you three, and our contingency plans."
Everyone present nodded at that.
Outside Kato's classroom
A 16-year old young girl with a generous figure stood just outside the room, her back pressed against the wall and her chest heaving up and down at the news of Kato's involvement in the G-Project. She stood at 5'4" tall, with wavy silver hair cascading down to her waist. A fringe of hair hung down over the right side of her face, partially hiding one of her deep cerulean blue eyes from view, which were currently widened in shock.
"I can't believe Professor Kato was doing something like this… I felt something was up, but this…?" she breathed, hugging a datapad to her D-cup bust.
"I would suggest, young lady, that you forget this ever happened," a masculine voice informed her causing her to start as she turned to see Ryu standing there with a small frown on his face. "Pretend this never happened and just walk away, that is my suggestion to you."
"Who… who are you?" she gulped loudly while taking a few fearful steps back, dropping her datapad. "Is it… is it really true that Professor Kato is helping to develop weapons for the EA?"
"I am only a mercenary," he informed her. "And yes, he is helping develop weapons for the EA, which is why you should pretend this never happened, I am pretty sure that you do not want plainclothes EA officials knocking on your door."
"But if even a mercenary knows about this… then what about ZAFT?" she felt her heartbeat speed up even further. "There's no way ZAFT would let this continue if they did know about it…"
Ryu shrugged. "If they try something within the colony itself then me and my guild will step in as per our contract with Morgenroete during the construction period," he informed, as if he were unconcerned with the whole situation. "Once they ship them out for testing it's the EA's problem, not ours."
"But if they do attack the colony then won't everyone here be in danger as well?" she said, still not really appeased. "My friends, my classmates… People are going to get hurt, aren't they?"
Ryu sighed cracking his neck as he rubbed it. "You in this class?" he asked, pointing to Kato's classroom. "With a kid named Jinn? Real quiet, likes to stare at computers rather than socialize with most people, only talks to a redhead named Flay?"
"Yeah… How do you know them?" she shied back, looking at Ryu suspiciously. "Are you stalking them or something?"
"Or something," Ryu replied noncommittally. "If anything happens, stick with him, he'll make sure you get out of there, as for the rest of the colony, well, hate to sound like an ass, but if they don't follow the protocols and evacuate to the shelters in an emergency, it's their own damn fault."
She sighed defeatedly, unable to find a counter to his statement. "Alright… I'll make sure to keep quiet about this. Thank you for the… the advice." She turned and walked away down the corridor in a slump, completely forgetting about her datapad left behind on the ground.
"Hey kid!" Ryu shouted out as he picked up the datapad, only for her to ignore him as she disappeared down one of the many hallways, looking the datapad over he spotted a name on it. "Hanami Yukikaze… hmm, I'll pass it to Jinn to return." he muttered to himself as he turned and moved towards the exit where his wife would be waiting for him.
END CHAPTER!
Footnotes
1. (Takeshi Yamato) A Spiral Loop is what I call the combination of a classic Loop and a Barrel Roll, because it would look like you're Spiraling through the Loop.
