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 Twelve: Africa, the Sands of War
Mugen Kano, Shinn and Flay's Room
"So…" Jade started nervously as she, Flay and Shinn sat down in Shinn and Flay's shared room. "What exactly is there to discuss?"
Flay looked over at her. "We have a few things to discuss, Jade," she replied. "First, what are your feelings towards Shinn, and how long have you had them? Be absolutely honest here, not just with Shinn and I, but yourself, too."
Jade sighed as she folded her legs underneath her. "Well," she started off slowly. "I know it's not exactly a crush that I am feeling, I mean I really do care for Shinn, I mean, he's cute, confident, kind, not a half bad cook, and well… I've kinda had these feelings for a while really."
Flay nodded, then turned to Shinn. "Shinn, same question, but regarding Jade. And again, be absolutely honest to me, her, and especially yourself."
Shinn sighed as he scratched his scalp. "Well, I do care for Jade," he informed slowly. "She's got this energy about her that just kinda draws me in, she always is so happy-go-lucky as well, I just really want to be around her, and kinda been like that since we met…"
Flay seemed to consider this for a while. "Jade, you know my relationship with Shinn already," she said. "If you were to pursue your feelings, try and develop a relationship with him… would you be alright sharing him with me?"
Jade looked at Flay in surprise for a heartbeat, before surprising her fellow redhead when she stood up and suddenly capture's Flay's lips in her own, pulling her into a needy kiss.
Flay's eyes widened in shock, then closed slightly as she began returning the kiss. "I… I take it you've been developing feelings for me, too?" she asked.
Jade grinned impishly. "While my feelings for you are a bit more… physical, I think there's some definite chemistry between us," she informed. "Plus, I saw those glances in the communal showers that you sent towards me."
Flay blushed, and nodded. "And you, Shinn," she said. "Would you be willing to share me with Jade?"
Shinn simply nodded in agreement, his eyes glazed over as blood dribbled from his nose.
* * * LEMON ALERT! * * *
Flay grinned at this, before kissing Jade again, taking advantage of Jade's surprise to slip her tongue into her mouth.
Jade moaned in response as she returned the kiss, entwining her tongue with Flay's. Jade's hands quickly went to work on the simple dress Flay was wearing, unzipping the back before allowing it to fall from the other girl's body.
Flay moaned from the sensation of Jade's tongue in her mouth, even as she let her dress fall to the ground. After that was done, her own hands went to work, divesting Jade of her shirt.
Jade gasped as their bra-clad breasts pressed up against each other, the two of them rubbing up against one another as they continued to make out. "I've always wondered," Jade informed as they broke away, Jade looking over to the still dazed Shinn. "How does Shinn Jr. taste?"
Flay giggled. "Well, now's your chance to find out," Flay replied, even as she moved over to him as well and kissed him passionately.
Jade, meanwhile, aimed lower as she quickly divested Shinn of his pants and boxers to reveal his throbbing cock. "Oh my, it certainly looks tasty," she informed as she leaned in and ran her tongue along his shaft, making Shinn groan into Flay's kiss. "Mm, I can't wait to try your milk Shinn," Jade declared before taking the cock into her mouth.
Flay mentally smirked at this, even as Shinn seemed to return to his senses, as he began returning her kiss. She then moaned in pleasure as she felt his hands begin to massage her bra-covered breasts.
Jade dipped her head deeper into Shinn's cock as she reached in under the miniskirt she was wearing and slowly began to tease her own pussy through her panties, her other hand reached up to fondle Shinn's balls as she began to lift and fall on Shinn's cock.
Shinn grunted and groaned as his pleasure rose even higher, Jade's ministrations coupled with the 'show' earlier bringing him very close to an orgasm. "J… Jade…" he groaned out, "…I'm gonna cum!"
Jade's response was to quicken her action as she moaned around his cock, her hand now slipping into her panties to rub her now dripping pussy directly as her other hand left his balls to fondle her own breasts.
"Here it comes, Jade!" Shinn warned, just seconds before he came into her mouth.
Jade moaned again as he spilled his seed into her mouth, gulping at it eagerly as her eyes rolled a bit from the taste. "Really tasty," Jade confirmed as his orgasm finally tapered off, allowing her to pull off of his cock to lick away any of his remaining seed. "I definitely wouldn't mind more…"
"Just imagine how it'll feel entering your womb, Jade," Flay remarked, even as she moved down to her pussy. "Speaking of, though, let's see what you taste like…" she then reached out with her tongue, taking a lick along Jade's slit.
Jade moaned as she felt Flay's tongue run along her slit, her hips bucking slightly from the pleasure. "F-Flay~" she moaned out before looking up at Shinn who held his cock before her. Licking her lips seductively, she looked at Shinn heatedly. "Feel free to fuck my tight little mouth, Shinn, I…" she blushed slightly before continuing. "Likeitrough…"
Shinn blinked, then nodded, and brought his cock back into her mouth, before he began thrusting in and out rapidly as if it were a pussy. Meanwhile, Flay continued licking at Jade's slit, slipping her tongue past it and into Jade's depths, before taking a free hand to begin playing with her clit.
Jade shuddered as she felt Shinn's cock pound into her mouth while her lower half was being assaulted by Flay, her own hands were busy pushing her bra up so that she could attack her own breasts directly, pinching and pulling on her nipples roughly. 'God, this is like that wet dream I had last week,' she thought to herself giddily. 'Shinn tastes soooo good~'
Flay continued her ministrations to Jade's pussy, even as the hand not playing with Jade's clit began fingering her own pussy. This was her first time doing anything bisexual, and it was arousing her so much… she had to admit to herself, it was even more than the times she's made love to Shinn when it had just been the two of them!
Feeling Shinn press up against her throat, Jade looked up at the only male in the room before nodding, signalling his permission to enter into her throat, even as she relaxed it, which was a good thing as he quickly plunged in, groaning at the feeling of her throat spasming around his cock as Jade shuddered underneath him, screaming around his cock as she came from the rough treatment.
Flay eagerly lapped up Jade's juices as she came, making sure not to spill a drop. "Mmm… you taste delicious, Jade," she remarked sultrily after Jade wound down from her orgasm. "I think now it's time for you to see how I taste…"
Shinn pulled out of Jade's mouth, quickly replaced by Flay who sat down on Jade's face forcing Jade to lick her pussy in order to breathe. Jade let out a slight whimper of pleasure as Flay's hands found their way to her breasts, where she began to pinch at them using her nails, sending jolts of pain laced pleasure to Jade's pussy.
As Flay moaned from the pleasure Jade was giving her, she grinned as she saw Shinn move to Jade's pussy, positioning his cock for entry. He looked up at Flay, grinning as well, and the two kissed as Shinn pushed his cock into Jade's pussy.
Jade screamed as Shinn split her pussy apart, her hips jerking in response to Shinn's pounding, her entire body shaking. "More… please…" she managed to gasp out. "I'll be your slut, your bitch, your own personal fuck toy, just please give me more!"
Flay and Shinn mentally smiled at this, and while Shinn tenderly massaged Flay's breasts, driving her pleasure even higher and bringing her closer to an orgasm, he pounded his cock fiercely into Jade's pussy, hitting her cervix with each thrust, while Flay ground her pussy into Jade's face, her hands roughly groping at Jade's breasts, pinching and twisting her nipples.
Jade screamed again as she jerked her hips into Shinn's, her tongue lashing wildly into Flay's pussy, eager to please the two of them. "Fuck your toy, Master," she muffled out from Flay's pussy. "Abuse your bitch, Mistress!"
Flay smirked as she separated from her kiss with Shinn. "Who do you belong to, bitch?" she asked huskily, drawing close to her orgasm. "Who owns your body?"
"Master and Mistress own this slutty body!" Jade cried out as Flay lifted her hips enough for her to speak clearly. "It's yours to abuse, to fuck, to impregnate, bitch's body belongs to Mistress and Master, do with it what Mistress and Master wish!"
"I'm about to cum, slut," Shinn groaned, getting as into it as Flay was. "Beg for it…"
"Please! Please grace this shameless bitch of a slut with your cum, Master!" Jade begged out. "Please, impregnate your slut with your seed!"
"Then take it all!" Shinn bellowed as he buried himself as deeply as possible within her, his seed shooting into her womb. Flay came at the same time, her juices flooding from her pussy over Jade's face.
"T… thank you, Master, for letting this worthless bitch bear your seed!" Jade screamed out as the flood of seed spilling into her womb triggered her own orgasm.
The three rode out their orgasms together, and as they wound down, Flay moved away from Jade's face. "Well, Jade?" she asked. "How do I taste?"
"Delicious, Mistress," Jade responded through her pants. "Thank you for allowing Slut to taste your delicious nectar."
"You're welcome," she replied, before looking at Shinn. "Now… my turn," she said.
Shinn nodded as he began to kiss Flay gently and pushed her down onto the bed, his still hard cock gently sliding into her pussy. "How could I ever forget you, Flay," he questioned rhetorically as he began to thrust in and out of her at an easy pace before turning to Jade. "Slut, pleasure your Mistress."
"Yes, Master," Jade responded automatically before crawling over where she began to fondle and suck on Flay's breasts, searching for Flay's 'sweet points'.
Flay moaned in pleasure, both from Shinn's cock in her pussy, and Jade's ministrations to her breasts. "Shinn…" she moaned. "I love you so much… and… now that we're involved in this war… I'm worried. Worried that we may go into battle sometime… and only one of us will make it back…"
Shinn swallowed tightly. "Flay… I'm worried too," he admitted, not stopping in his thrusts. "We have Jade with us now, but still, I'm not sure what would happen to me without you."
"I know, I feel the same way…" Flay replied. "That's why… even though we're not married just yet… I want something to remember you by, if the worst happens… something we can only make together…"
Shinn swallowed as he caught on to what Flay was saying. "You… want a child?" he asked for confirmation.
"Yes…" Flay replied with a determined nod. "I want to bear a child for you, Shinn… I… I want to be a mother…"
Shinn nodded in agreement. "Alright," he informed as he picked up his pace. "Then I hope you're ready for your womb to be stuffed with my cum till it explodes."
"I'm ready, Shinn!" Flay cried, her orgasm close. "Fill me with your cum! Let me bear your child!"
"I'm going to cum!" Shinn informed as he bottomed out inside of Flay, his seed exploding into her womb. "Cumming!"
Flay screamed her pleasure to the heavens as she came, her pussy spasming around his cock and milking it for every last drop of cum. "Th… thank you, Shinn…" Flay whispered tiredly after her orgasm died down.
"You're… welcome…" Shinn replied as he collapsed between her and Jade.
"Umm, Mistress, Master?" Jade piped up, catching their attention. "Umm, I may have forgotten… somehow, but today was not exactly the safest day for Master to cum inside of me…"
Flay took a moment to register what that meant, and then gulped. "We… we might want to talk to Ryu about this in the morning, then," she replied. "And… and hope he doesn't punish us too harshly for potentially knocking up his sister…"
Jade flushed slightly. "I hope he doesn't, Mistress," she informed. "Besides, this body belongs to you and Master, to use as you wish, if you want me to be breeding stock…"
"You'll never just be breeding stock, Jade," Flay admonished, embracing her. "You mean too much to us for that." She looked at Shinn, who nodded, and continued, "Shinn and I will always be each other's first loves, and we will get married soon, but don't think that means we love you any less!"
Jade sighed and rolled her eyes. "And here I was trying to keep in the role, thanks for ruining it," she said with a giggle. "But… I don't mind being the married couple's… sex slave…"
"The role-playing has a time and a place, and I didn't feel like that was it," Flay replied. "And while we might treat you like a sex slave during our lovemaking, you are more important than that to both of us… we could bring the old term 'concubine' back into use to describe your relationship to us, though…"
Jade giggled as she glomped onto Flay's back, nibbling on her earlobe. "So long as I'm involved, I don't care what you call me," she informed impishly. "So… Master is still hard, shall I deal with it, Mistress?"
Flay grinned. "We'll both take care of it, Slut," she replied. "I want to make absolutely sure that I conceive tonight…"
* * * LEMON END! * * *
Kaguya Spaceport, the next morning
"Good luck up there, Lacus," Ryu said to the pinkette as he, Lacus, and Kira shared a threeway hug. "If you need a safe place to run, find Akira, she'll keep you safe."
"Thank you, Ryu," Lacus replied, before kissing the two of them. "Good luck in the desert, and stay safe. If the situation warrants it, I'll come back to your sides as soon as I can."
Kira nodded. "We'll miss you," she informed. "And our bed will feel empty without you there."
"And my bed will be especially empty without you two in it," Lacus affirmed, before kissing each of them. "And even if I don't need to join you directly, I'll call between once a week and once every two weeks."
The two nodded. "We'll try and come up for a visit if we can," Ryu informed. "Just, please, give me a warning if your father wants to kill me."
"Alright," Lacus replied. "See you later…" Reluctantly, she ended the hug and walked away, towards where her security detail had camped out for the night.
Waving, Kira and Ryu watched as their pink haired lover followed her security detail to the waiting shuttle and boarded it, blowing them a final kiss before disappearing into the shuttle. "Well, I suppose we've got work to do," Ryu announced with a sigh. "Ready, Kira?"
"Yeah," Kira replied with a sigh of her own. "Well, at least we do have some new crew aboard… and I spotted Athrun casting quick glances at Cagalli when she wasn't looking…" her expression brightened as she rubbed her hands together. "Never played matchmaker before…"
Ryu chuckled as he and Kira began heading towards the Mugen Kano. "Well, the green haired kid seemed fairly nice, same with the blond," he commented, referring to the latest additions to the crew. "That silver-haired one may need an attitude adjustment, though."
"Ah, yes, Yzak Joule," Kira replied. "Ran a quick database check on him after waking up this morning… seems he's the son of Councilwoman Ezalia Joule, fairly well-known for being Pro-Coordinator… guess the apple didn't fall far from the tree."
"Going to have to change that, the majority of our contracts are with Naturals," Ryu said with a sigh. "Well, let's get to her, no time like the present to make some money, right?"
"Yeah," Kira replied, as they boarded the ship. Once they were aboard, she said into the Intercom, "Joker, we're all aboard. Get clearance from control and take us out - we're heading to Africa."
"Roger that, beginning launch preparations," Joker informed as the ship's primary reactor began to power up.
As the two continued down the corridors, they came across three people, looking rather sheepish. "Flay? Shinn? Jade?" Kira asked. "What is it?"
"We… we need to talk to the two of you…" Jade said hesitantly.
Kira and Ryu's Quarters
Thirty Minutes Later
Kira and Ryu stared at the trio, who squirmed before them. "Let me get this straight - you, Jade, managed to work yourself into a threesome relationship with Shinn and Flay last night," Ryu said, beginning the summarization. "And then, during the… act you forgot that you were in the middle of your period and let him cum inside of you… several times…" he sighed. "I am torn between being proud of Shinn, for managing to get into a threesome, happy for my sister who's with people she loves… and absolutely wanting to murder Shinn for possibly knocking up my sister… not sure what's winning right now…"
Shinn and Flay were looking decidedly embarrassed and worried at this point. Kira, however, was looking rather shocked. "Personally, I'm more surprised that we weren't the only threesome that developed last night…" she said, before her eyes widened as she realized she had said that thought out loud.
Now Kira and Ryu were the ones under scrutiny as the three teens stared at the married couple. "Wait, didn't Lacus stay the night on the ship last night?" Jade asked, her eyes slowly widening. "And didn't she have dinner in this room… last… night… OH MY GOD MY BROTHER IS FUCKING LACUS CLYNE!"
Kira sighed. She just had to open her mouth… "Sorry, Ryu," she said. "Anyway, yes… she did sleep with us. We… I guess it was a repeat of my whirlwind romance with him, only slightly different circumstances with how we all met."
"So, let me get this straight, last night, there were two separate threesomes going on?" Jade asked. "What is this? A Ship of Debauchery?"
Kira sighed again. "I certainly hope not, but love finds a way to flourish just about anywhere," she remarked. "Anyway, please don't tell anyone else about this, alright? We're trying to keep it a secret for now. If you agree…" she glanced over at Ryu. "I'll keep Ryu from being too hard on you."
"I just need to know one thing, Shinn, do you plan on taking responsibility?" Ryu asked the scared black haired teen.
"Yes…" Shinn replied. "If I did knock Jade up… I'll take care of her and the child." He smiled at both Jade and Flay. "Flay and I decided while we were in the act last night that we wanted a child of our own… but we'll also take care of any child of Jade's."
Ryu sighed. "Dammit, now I can't kill him," he announced jokingly, making the three in front of him chuckle. "But know this, make my little sister cry, and nowhere is safe."
Shinn nodded his head as if his life depended on it. "R-right!" he said. "I promise, I'll never hurt her or make her sad!"
"Unless I ask for it," Jade mumbled out, making Ryu groan as Flay and Shinn flushed. "Jade… just… go, all three of you just go."
They nodded, and left, as Kira went over and soothingly embraced him.
"What's next, Jinn somehow managing to put Kagami and Hanami into separate bodies and knocking them both up?" Ryu asked rhetorically.
"Whatever happens, we'll face it together," Kira told him. "We've faced so much together already… and we'll continue to face even more… but we'll always face it together."
"Yeah, yeah, I guess we will," Ryu agreed with a sigh. "Still, you think we should put up a notice about people using condoms around the ship?"
"If we did, people would start asking why," Kira replied, shaking her head. "That would lead to questions we don't want to answer right now."
"Tell me about it, rather not have the world know we're fucking Lacus Clyne, thank you very much," Ryu said as he rubbed his forehead. "Do other Mercenary Groups have to deal with this much crap?"
"They likely have their own things to worry about," Kira replied. "Everyone is different, after all, and that includes Mercenaries."
"Fair enough, heard anything from your brother recently?" Ryu asked curiously.
"Well, heard that the ship he's on has another job… apparently the EA built a warship on Heliopolis the same time they built the G-Weapons, though the ship managed to lay low long enough to escape undetected, and made its way to Artemis, which was recently bought by Terminal. And now, the ship Take-nii's on is going to be escorting the EA Warship to the moon, unless something else comes up to alter their course."
Ryu nodded his understanding. "Well, here's hoping we don't come across them," he announced. "Rather not have your brother with two assault carriers on our asses, the Mugen Kano is good, but not that good."
"Agreed," Kira replied. "I'd rather we not go against them, either… Take-nii's machine looked pretty deadly, even if it doesn't use the same power source we do."
Ryu nodded, looking like an idea came to him. "S'cuse me for a sec," he muttered to Kira before pulling out his laptop and began to rapidly type away. "Ideas are coming… Upgrade ideas…"
Kira smiled. "Ways to improve our machines even further?" she asked.
"Of course," Ryu affirmed. "I might be pulling an all nighter on these designs, though…"
"Gotcha," Kira replied, as she headed for the door. "I'll keep you informed on how things go, and I'll bring in lunch and dinner when it's ready."
Ryu gave a distracted wave of his hand, indicating that he heard as she left the room, but otherwise didn't look up from his work.
Several Hours Later
Aprilius One Docking Bay
As Lacus stepped out of the shuttle and into the private docking bay, she looked around, smiling bittersweetly. On the one hand, the PLANTs had been home to her all her life, and she was glad to be back… but on the other, she had a new 'home' now, at Kira and Ryu's side, and she was missing their presence already.
"Welcome home, Lacus," her father greeted her as she entered into the Spaceport terminal. "How was ORB?"
"It was a beautiful land, Father," she replied. "And so peaceful, even so far as to lack the constant worry and caution that pervades the PLANTs these days… I wish I could have stayed longer…"
Siegel smiled understandingly. "I'm sure we can arrange for a trip to ORB in the future," he assured her. "How was Athrun, did you get a chance to spend any time with him?"
She sighed at this. "Athrun was doing well, and when I left he already seemed to be adjusting to being a mercenary for a while," she said. "And, Father…" She leaned in close to whisper into his ear, "The marriage you arranged between me and Athrun just won't work out - I see him too much like a brother, and he feels similarly towards me."
Siegel sighed, and gave his daughter a knowing smile as they climbed into the waiting car. "I had a feeling you'd say something like that eventually," he informed, a smile on his face. "So, you would not be bringing this up if you hadn't met someone else, so?"
She sighed again. No going back after this. "Two someones, actually," she replied. "Kira and Ryu Hisanaga."
Siegel froze, staring at his daughter. "I'm sorry, I think I might have misheard you, did you say two people, and the two Mercenaries at that?" he asked weakly.
"I did," she replied. "I never told you directly, but I had thought you'd seen the same hints Athrun had, and at least partially picked up on, that I was bisexual. As for why Kira and Ryu… well… I guess we just managed to click somehow."
Siegel swallowed tightly, and began to massage his temples. "Please, don't misunderstand, but why me?" he questioned. "Do other fathers have to deal with this?"
Lacus smiled soothingly. "I wouldn't be surprised if some of them have to deal with worse," she said. "But, the three of us decided to keep our relationship as secret as possible for as long as possible, to avoid any potential backlash against my image or yours."
Siegel nodded. "A wise decision," he agreed. "I'm afraid Patrick may be looking for any type of ammunition to use against me in the coming election for Supreme Chairman, so… how far did it go?"
Here Lacus blushed. "Umm… we… we went all the way…" she said nervously. "And… well…"
"Oh dear," Siegel announced after a full minute of silence. "So, what are your plans should you… be… well… carrying."
"If that does happen, once I begin showing I'll drop out of the public eye citing 'health issues', and make my way back to Ryu and Kira as soon as possible," Lacus replied. "Keeping it vague like that means questions will be asked, but not directly to us - more like people wondering amongst themselves just what I'm dealing with, and hoping I recover soon. At the very least it would be a lot better for our images for me to be experiencing vague 'health issues' than to reveal that I'm expecting."
Siegel nodded. "And if people see Mercenaries that you happen to be good friends with with a pink-haired baby?" he asked.
"We haven't figured anything definitive out yet, but some options we discussed before we parted ways are that she could be explained away as a cousin I never knew I had, being given to them to care for, or that they discovered some facility trying to clone me for unexplained reasons, and took in one of the few surviving clones… like I said, we never figured out anything definitive on that count."
Siegel nodded. "I wish I could just send you to live with them permanently, Lacus," he told her quietly. "I wish you didn't have to worry about things like public image and the paparazzi."
She smiled. "Thank you, Father… but, there's another reason I'm back here now instead of with them…" She looked out at the PLANTs as she continued, "I volunteered to help them, by way of keeping them apprised of how things go in the Council."
Siegel gave his daughter a long look before letting out a chuckle. "I am surprised at how quickly those two were able to corrupt my daughter over the course of a few days," he informed with a chuckle. "The others might wish to be careful with their children, they will not be the same when they return…"
Lacus giggled. "Though I'd imagine Ezalia's son needs to be exposed to them and change, Father… you know how much she supports Defense Chairman Zala."
He nodded in response as the car pulled into the Clyne Manor. "I am aware," he informed. "I am also hoping that the recent deaths of the Blue Cosmos Leaders will take the wind out of his sails for the election."
She nodded, as well. "Still, I think that, if the worst happens, Kira, Ryu, and Fenrir might be among our best hopes of preventing this war from getting out of hand… which is another reason why I wanted to help them this way."
Siegel nodded in agreement. "I recently spoke with the one overseeing the construction of their new ship," he informed. "And from what I understood, they seem to have some kind of technology far beyond what we have fielded…"
"I didn't hear too much about that," Lacus admitted, "though I did hear a reference from Ryu, who apparently discovered what they use, that it was 'the biggest discovery since Evidence 01'."
Siegel hummed as they entered into their home. "I see, well, he must have his reasons for not sharing it," he remarked as he looked at his watch. "I wish I could talk with you more, dear, but… unfortunately I have a meeting I must attend."
"Alright, Father," Lacus replied. "Good luck… and I would like to hear what happened at the meeting when you get back."
"Of course, dear," he agreed with a smile before taking his leave, leaving Lacus on her own.
Meanwhile - Artemis Airspace
The Archangel and Gungnir made their way away from Artemis, preparing to head along the best course to Earth Alliance Lunar HQ at Ptolemaeus.
"We have been getting a few reports of Pirates attacking along this shipping route," Odin reported over the video phone between the two ships. "It may be a good time to test out that Modified Patriot of yours."
"That would be convenient, yes," Murrue replied. "Lieutenant la Flaga is currently fine-tuning the OS it came with to suit him, with help from that programmer you let us borrow."
Odin nodded in response. "Then we shall contact you if we detect something on our RADAR," he informed. "Gungnir out."
Murrue nodded. "Thank you, Archangel out," she replied, before the link got cut. "Well, it looks like we're at least starting without any problems…" she remarked to Natarle.
Natarle nodded in agreement. "And he did have a good point about using Pirates as practice targets for Lieutenant La Flaga to practice on," she remarked. "We're still not certain if the Phase Shift will even work for the Patriot…"
"Well, we'll see what happens when it happens," Murrue remarked. "By the way, have we gotten any messages from Headquarters? I know we sent off that one message before we entered Artemis, but…"
Natarle shook her head. "Either it got lost or… they're ignoring us," she informed quietly.
Murrue nodded. "Hopefully it's the former, but we'll need to discuss possibilities if it's the latter."
Natarle worried her lip slightly. "As much as I hate to admit it," she whispered. "You're right, Command may have just decided to Abandon us…"
"I know Admiral Halberton wouldn't have, at least not willingly," Murrue remarked, "but I'm not sure about the rest of Command…"
"Things have changed since the Right Hand of Vengeance happened, but… with the situation at Heliopolis and the fact that the EA was building weapons there, they may have had no choice but to write us off as a rogue group," Natarle summarized. "Captain, if they did declare us rogue, what do we do?"
"The most obvious option would be to offer our services to Terminal," Murrue remarked. "Given the reception they gave us at Artemis, I'd imagine they'd be likely to accept us. We could also go independent, or find another Mercenary Group to join…"
"I have a suggestion on that front," Mu announced as he walked in. "Fenrir."
"Fenrir?" Murrue asked. "The group that managed to steal the G-Weapons before ZAFT could?"
Mu nodded with a laugh. "Ryu is an old friend of mine from back in the academy days," he explained. "Then there was that bullshit trial Blue Cosmos put him through, and more recently, you know those rumours of our Commandoes just disappearing off the face of the Earth, well, looking at some of the security footage from Heliopolis, many of them are now a part of Fenrir."
Murrue nodded. "So, if we sought to join Fenrir, he'd likely accept us?" she asked.
"Oh yeah," Mu informed. "Ryu's a smart guy, and what Mercenary Guild would turn down a brand spanking new ASSAULT CARRIER!?"
"Alright, we'll have that as our backup option for if we have been declared rogue," Murrue said, confirming that decision.
"So then, on to the Moon Base?" Mu asked. "Cause the Modified Patriot is ready."
"Yes, on to the Moon Base… and whatever awaits us there," Murrue confirmed.
A few days later, deck of the Mugen Kano
Jinn sighed contently as he leaned against the railing, feeling the sea wind whipping through his hair as the Mugen Kano made it's way to Africa. The deck of the Mugen Kano had been opened up shortly after their departure from ORB for those who wished to sunbathe or just enjoy the sea air like Jinn was doing.
"Jinn-kun?" Hanami stepped out onto the deck, dressed in a simple pale blue dress. "What are you doing here?"
"Hm, oh, hello Hanami-chan," Jinn greeted with a smile. "Just enjoying the fresh air really," he informed before blushing slightly. "Also trying to see if I can see any Dolphins."
"True… I-I've never seen one before either," Hanami confessed. "I guess it… it must be really hard to put a zoo on a space colony after all."
Jinn chuckled with Hanami's giggle. "So, you settling in alright with the 'on-the-move' lifestyle?" he asked in concern. "I know you weren't exactly ready with everything that happened…"
"I'm fine with it… Being able to cook helps take my mind off everything that's been going on. The ba-battles… The idea still scares me, to be honest…" Hanami sighed as she leaned her back against the railing and turned to look up at space.
"Hm," Jinn hummed in response. "Hanami-chan… I… I wanted to apologize," he said finally, as he scratched the back of his head. "You really only got wrapped up in this because of me…"
"I-I-It's fine, Jinn-kun! After all… I-I could only meet you after getting ca-caught up in all this…" the shy silverette shook her head. "Besides… I was the one who wa-wanted to sign up to stop pe-people from getting hurt…" Another sigh ensued as she looked in the rough direction of the ship's mobile suit hangar. "Yet I'm useless in a mobile suit."
Jinn swallowed back the words he wanted to say about her being useless in a mobile suit as he gripped the railing. "Hanami-chan, it doesn't matter if you're good at piloting a mobile suit or not, you… you help a lot of people around here, even without your cooking," he informed, a blush building up on his cheeks. "You help me a lot, too… you help keep me grounded in reality and not my Autism…"
"Jinn-kun…" Hanami's eyes widened as she began turning a similar shade of red. "I-I-I had no idea…"
"Ha… Hanami-chan… w… would you like to join me for a movie, or dinner sometime?" Jinn asked hesitantly. "I… I would… I would like to try dating if you want to…"
The silverette looked like a deer caught in headlights as her usual stammer became even more pronounced, "Da-da-da-date? Ji-Ji-Jinn-kun, re-re-really? Wi-with m-m-me!?"
Jinn nodded in agreement, forcing his blush away a bit. "Y… yeah," he confirmed. "I mean, you're really beautiful… not that that's the only reason why!" he quickly added on. "You're kind, compassionate, and… being with you just feels… right."
Hanami felt her spirits lift with every point Jinn raised as her blush spread to her neck and she smiled radiantly. "Ji-Jinn-kun… YES!" she got out before uncharacteristically tackling Jinn to the ground with a loud crash.
"H… Hanami-chan?" he questioned, panicky, as she tackled him.
"A-a-a-ah," she gasped when she realized what she had done, and looked away for a moment, rubbing her thighs together as she mentally debated whether she should do it or not. Shyly, she turned back towards Jinn and pressed her lips against his in a light kiss.
Jinn blinked twice as he felt Hanami's lips upon his and only one thing was running through his mind. 'Soft…' he thought before he allowed his instincts to dictate his action as his arms found themselves wrapped around Hanami as he returned her kiss.
It felt like several hours before Hanami ended the kiss, and she was quite surprised to find out she hadn't fainted during the kiss like she thought she would. "I… finally did it…" she got out before collapsing right into Jinn's arms.
Jinn blinked dumbly for a couple of seconds before Hanami stirred against him. "Hanami-chan?" he asked. "Was I really that bad?"
"Nope. But she DID get through to you earlier than I thought she would…" the silverette stirred, a wide grin on her face and her red eyes twinkling with mirth.
"Ah… Kagami-chan…" Jinn said in response to the alter-ego's awakening. "I… take it you 'saw' everything?"
"Of course I did, Jinn-kun," Kagami grinned. "Now let's do it again, because I've decided I like you too." Before Jinn could do anything, Kagami moved first and her lips met Jinn's once again.
Jinn blinked twice again in response to the soft lips being pressed up against his lips, in a more aggressive and confident manner than how Hanami did so, before allowing his instincts to take over once again as he returned the kiss.
"It's about time!" came a voice from behind them, startling them as they broke from the kiss and swiveled around, seeing Tolle and Miriallia there.
Jinn flushed slightly in response to Tolle's shout. "Do you mind?" he asked in a deadpan. "This area is occupied."
"Yeah, yeah," Tolle remarked. "Still, it's about time you two got together!"
"Tolle!" Miriallia snapped, slapping him upside the head. "You're being rude!"
"Ara, ara… Jinn-kun, what do you say we should do about these… uninvited guests?" Kagami chuckled darkly with a hand over her mouth, somehow releasing an air of killing intent.
"W-we were just leaving!" Miriallia muttered hastily, before grabbing Tolle by the ear and hauling him away. "Come on, Tolle!"
"Owowowow!" Tolle cried out in pain as he was dragged away. "Not the ear!"
"Huh…" Jinn responded as he looked at the cheekily grinning Kagami. "How did you do that?"
"Ara ara, what in the world could you talking about?" Kagami replied faux-innocently, all traces of killing intent vanishing.
Jinn deadpanned at her before rolling his eyes. "Whatever," he sighed in response. "So… what now?"
"I'm not too sure actually," Kagami tapped her chin with a finger in thought. "Let's see - we've already had lunch, we can't go swimming… and I was hoping to find some use for that swimsuit you picked out for me too, tch. Pity the ship doesn't have a pool."
Jinn flushed in remembrance of that shopping trip that would have resulted in Hanami fainting within seconds were Kagami not already in control. "Do you… want to watch a movie with me?" he asked curiously.
"Oh sure. What kind of movie do you have in mind?" Kagami looked at Jinn curiously.
"Well… I do have pretty much all of the newest released movies downloaded onto my computer," he informed. "Some aren't even out of theaters, some theaters have virtually no protection from hacking…"
"Oho… someone's been pirating stuff," Kagami elbowed Jinn playfully. "Not that I mind anyway. Lead the way, Jinn-kun!"
Jinn smiled as they began walking to his room, Kagami latching onto his arm as she pressed it up against her breasts making him blush as they walked. "Sure, Kagami-chan," he informed with a nod.
Mugen Kano, Bridge, Five Days Later
"Hey Boss!" Joker shouted out over the comms as the Mugen Kano approached the shores of Africa. "We're hitting Land here, what's the plan, dock or fly over?"
"Fly over," Kira replied over the intercom. "Our clients are in the middle of the desert, we're supposed to meet them near the Talbadia area."
"You got it boss," Joker informed. "Lock down all outer hatches, the Mugen Kano is now taking flight!" he ordered over the ship wide comms.
There were a few seconds that passed as everyone entered the interior of the ship, before the ship lifted out of the waves and into the sky.
"And we are airborne," Joker announced. "Lasse! Double-check weapons! Never know if someone may take potshots at us!"
"Gotcha," Lasse, a black-haired man with brown eyes, replied, running tests on all the various weapons emplacements. "Everything looks alright."
"I'm not getting anything on RADAR," Jace informed. "Well, nothing unexpected anyways."
"Comms are silent," Naomi reported. "We're good for now, at least."
"Pray it stays that way people, last I heard, the Desert Tiger was roaming this place," Joker informed. "I'd rather not have our ship totaled by him, thank you."
"Gotcha," Lasse replied. "I'll keep the weapons ready for anything."
"Report," Kira called out as she and Ryu entered the bridge, Ryu carrying Shiro around in a baby holster on his chest. "Anything yet?"
"Nothing yet, Boss," Joker replied. "But I've heard the Desert Tiger is in this area, so I'm not sitting back and relaxing just yet."
"Good call," Kira applauded. "Naomi, anything from the Desert Dawn yet?"
"Nothing ye-" Naomi was interrupted by a beeping from her console. "Hold it, getting something now."
"Fenrir Ship, Mugen Kano, this is Sahib of the Desert Dawn, we have you in our sights, please confirm!"
"Sahib, this is Kira Hisanaga, commanding the Mugen Kano, we hear you," she informed. "Jace, seeing them on RADAR yet?"
"Got 'em, five jeeps off our starboard," Jace informed. "They're on the cliff."
"I thank you for responding, Kira Hisanaga," Sahib returned. "Our base isn't too far from here, please, follow us."
"Roger that, we'll see you in person shortly," Kira replied. "You heard the man, Joker, follow those jeeps."
"Roger that, boss!" Joker confirmed as he shifted the carrier to the same path as the jeeps.
The jeeps led the ship to a canyon, fairly large, where they had established a few tents and facilities in a few caves.
"Well, this brings backs memories of halcyon days..." Ryu said as he looked the camp over. "Reminds me of when we met, eh, Kira?"
"Yeah," Kira replied. "Looks rather similar to that area."
"Looks like they've cleared a place for us to set down, boss," Joker announced as he maneuvered the Mugen Kano to a clearing near the base of the cliffs. "So, what now?"
"We set her down, then Ryu and I go talk with our new employers," Kira replied. "I'd like to keep everyone else on the ship until we've done that, especially our newcomers from ZAFT. I'd rather that any problems that crop up be from personality clashes rather than preconceived prejudices - personality clashes are easier to deal with."
"Roger that, Boss," Joker announced. "Want me to have them on standby in the Ready Room, then?"
"That'd likely be good," Kira replied, heading back to the exit. "Come on, Ryu, let's go see what all is going on."
Ryu nodded as he bounced Shiro a bit, making the baby giggle. "Best drop him with Alex first," he informed. "I think we should give Alex a raise with all the times we dropped Shiro off with her."
"Probably," Kira replied. "Not to mention Shinn and Flay's desire to have a child now, and everything else that's going on… that raise is likely going to have to be substantial, not just for what she's done, but compensation in advance for what she's going to be doing…"
Ryu snorted slightly in response. "She'll be having her hands full, won't she?" he asked. "…We may want to have a dedicated child care facility on the new ship…"
"Yeah," Kira replied. "And not just because of what I've already mentioned - we don't have a dedicated port of call, Ryu. This ship is our home. And I doubt we'll be having only two families with children onboard for very long - as I mentioned to Jade, romance can flourish just about anywhere, and the coed nature of the ship makes that even more true."
Ryu nodded. "Well, the next ship will be even bigger than this one, I know you're attached to the Mugen Kano, but we're definitely going to need to upgrade soon," he informed. "Especially with the way things are going…"
"Agreed," Kira remarked. "I'll hate to retire this ship… but I think we're approaching the limits of what she can do… though, unless it gets heavily damaged, we could sell it to ORB or ZAFT to serve as a trainer or a museum ship… I'd rather not see her scrapped, no matter what happens."
Ryu nodded. "I'll put out some feelers for buyers," he said. "I think I know a war museum that may be looking for exhibits."
"Alright," Kira said as they arrived at the hatch, and the ship touched down. "For now, though, let's go meet with our new employers, learn the situation around here."
Moon Airspace, Archangel, Bridge
"Ma'am!" Jackie Tonomura, the ship's RADAR officer, shouted out. "I'm picking up two ships on approach, Drake-class' Shanghai and Attrition!"
Murrue thought for a moment. "Those two are part of Halberton's command, but he rarely sends them out on picket duty…" she muttered. "Try and hail them."
"Yes Ma'am," Dalida Lolha Chandra II called out. "This is the LCAM-X01A Archangel to the Shanghai and the Attrition, please respond!"
There was no audio response. A few seconds passed before Chandra's console 'pinged' with an incoming text message, and a few seconds after that, the Attrition's Main Cannons opened fire, blasting between the Archangel and the Gungnir, but closer to the former than the latter.
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!?" Mu shouted as the crew began to panic. "What the hell was in that message Chandra!?"
Chandra quickly looked it over, before paling. "I… I think you might need to see for yourself, sir," he said, before transferring the message to the main screen, for all to see.
'To the crew of the Archangel from Admiral Halberton, due to recent events High Command has decided to declare those working on the G-Weapon Project to be a rogue faction of O.M.N.I, please, make your way to a safety, any ship from Seventh Fleet will be 'Firing' upon you to force you to flee, please, make your escape and accept my most sincerest apologies,
Admiral Halberton, O.M.N.I. Enforcer Seventh Fleet'
There was a stunned silence among the crew, as the realization sunk in as to what had happened, before a transmission from the Gungnir cut through it.
"Archangel, this is Gungnir, what the hell is going on here?" Corval shouted out.
"It appears High Command has declared us rogue," Murrue replied as the Shanghai fired its own cannon, passing close by the Archangel on the opposite side. "The ships currently shooting at us are from Admiral Halberton and aren't directly firing on us - they're putting on a show for High Command, but we should get out of here before any other ships arrive."
"Roger that, Archangel," Corval agreed with a nod. "Is the Archangel capable of Atmospheric re-entry?"
"Designed for it," Murrue replied, as both ships began turning away. "We'll need to double-check everything, maybe run a simulation or two… may I ask why?"
"Unfortunately, your closest safe port of call would be in Africa planetside," Corval informed with a grimace. "With everything going on there, there are several Neutral Ports, that's your best bet for the time being."
Murrue nodded. "Alright," she replied. "I'll make sure the crew has everything checked out and ready to go by the time we hit atmosphere."
Corval nodded. "Gunners, return fire but don't hit them!" he shouted out to his crew. "Make it look good boys!"
"Ensign Badgiruel, we might as well do the same," Murrue remarked. "One blast from the Gottfrieds, don't hit, but make it look like we weren't intending to miss."
"Roger that, Captain!" Badgiruel confirmed as she and Romero Pal, the weapons control officer, went to work. "20 degrees off starboard, fire!"
The guns on both the Gungnir and the Archangel fired, their shots passing close to the two Drake-Class vessels, and then the return shots streaked rather close to the Archangel. After that, the two large warships brought their engines up to full, flying away from the Moon and the O.M.N.I. Picket Line.
"So… we're rogue, now?" the ship's pilot, Arnold Nuemann, asked. "What should we do?"
"We have a few options," Murrue announced, looking around the Bridge. "We can join Terminal directly, we can become an independent mercenary warship… or the option that Lieutenant la Flaga and I have agreed as the most likely - seek out and join the Fenrir Mercenary Guild."
The members of the crew swallowed tightly in response to their options. "We should take some time in Africa to consider our options," Mu informed. "After all, some of the crew members have families to worry about…"
"Agreed, and we don't all need to make the same choice," Murrue added. "I will respect your decision, whatever it is you choose to do, even if it means your path differs from that of the ship."
Mu sighed. "Man, this is a hell of a situation we're in, eh?" he asked. "We're rogue and on the run from our own forces, man, this is messed up."
"Agreed," Murrue replied with a sigh of her own. "And Admiral Halburton took a big risk getting that message to us… hopefully it doesn't get him in trouble…"
"He's good at slipping out of trouble like this, plus, he did everything right," he informed. "Made things look good for command so that they have plausible deniability while also providing us a chance to escape."
Murrue nodded. Mu had a point. "I guess all we can do now is make it to Earth, find Fenrir, and offer our services," she remarked. "We'll see what happens after that."
Mu grinned. "I think we'll be welcomed with open arms," he informed. "Like I said before, we are a brand new Assault Carrier, not many would turn that down."
She nodded. "And the fact that they have a large number of personnel already means that even if everyone else chooses a different path, we'll likely still have a full crew."
"Always a plus," Mu agreed, before looking over to the disturbed looking Natarle. "What's wrong, Natarle?"
She looked up at them. "It… it really happened…" she remarked. "I know I suggested they could have declared us rogue, but… I never really thought it could happen…"
Murrue and Mu shared a look. "I suppose it's them saving their own asses in the end," Mu informed. "O.M.N.I. is just getting back on their feet after the whole Blue Cosmos thing, and they really don't want ORB pissed off at them, so…"
"I… all I've ever known was the life of a soldier…" Natarle remarked. "Born and raised military, always taught to follow rules and regulations to the letter… now…"
"Well… you could always consider this to be a second lease of life," Mu suggested. "Focusing on the rules and regs, while to be expected of a 'good' soldier is actually… not that good, you lose sight of the soldiers under your command and just see numbers, and it was through those rules and regs that Blue Cosmos was able to gain such a strong foothold in the O.M.N.I Enforcers."
Natarle barely nodded. "R… right…" she replied. "Ramius, if… if I may be excused for a bit? I have… a bit of thinking to do…"
"Of course, Natarle," Murrue agreed, a slight smile on her face. "Take as much time as you need."
Natarle nodded, before walking off the Bridge in a slight daze.
"Well, hopefully she can figure it out soon," Mu informed with a sigh. "I'm going to go double check the Modified Patriot," he informed. "Knowing Ryu, he'll put us right to work."
"Alright, Mu," Murrue replied. "I think I might help - I may be senior officer on this ship, but I was part of the mechanical staff for the G-Project, so I should likely be able to help somehow."
Mu nodded in agreement. "Sure, could use the help, some of the power couplings with the Striker packs are giving us a bit of trouble…"
"Alright then," Murrue replied as she and Mu left the Bridge. "Neuman, you have the Bridge for now."
"You got it Ca… Ramius," Neumann informed with a nod.
END CHAPTER!
