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 Fourteen: The Desert Tiger


Local Town Near Desert Dawn Base, With Jinn and Hanami


"You really did scare him," Jinn commented as the pair walked hand in hand down the dusty streets, Hanami blushing lightly as she held hands with Jinn. "You can be quite… aggressive if need be…"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hanami smiled, but snuggled closer to Jinn's side anyway as the locals gave the young couple appraising glances.

"Sure, sure," Jinn relented, rolling his eyes slightly. "So… Hanami-chan… I was wondering… what is it you're hoping to get from the future?"

"The future? Ji-Jinn-kun, I-I just want to stay with you and maybe s-s-sta-start a-a…" she trailed off, blushing and poking her fingers together shyly.

"Start a what?" Jinn asked, looking mildly curious. "Hanami-chan?"

"A family…" Hanami whispered as she attempted to get the incoming naughty thoughts out of her head.

Jinn blinked twice as he considered what she just said. "Well… I am not opposed to the thought," he informed. "I think having a family with you would be… enjoyable."

The silverette almost fainted right then and there as the word 'enjoyable' jumped right into the fantasies she was trying to chase off. Instead she managed to force herself to stay conscious, settling for a blush that reached her shoulders. "Jinn-kun… it's just that we're… in a jo-job that puts our li-lives on the line every day, right?"

Jinn nodded in agreement. "True," he agreed. "What is your point?"

"Jinn-kun… promise me that every time yo-you go out there… make sure you come back to me," Hanami fisted her hands in Jinn's shirt. "I don't want to lose you…"

Jinn smiled at her. "Of course I'll come back," he informed her. "After all, it wouldn't do to leave my good luck charm behind," with that he lifted her chin up enough so that he could kiss her.

Hanami's eyes widened in surprise when their lips met, and this time her brain took a bit of time to process what was happening before shutting down from embarrassment - especially from doing it in public. She slumped right onto Jinn, who caught her before she could hit the ground.

Jinn sighed before smiling slightly. "Hello, Kagami-chan, was there anything you wanted to add?" he asked as the alter ego stirred in his arms.

"Considering I'm going to be out there right beside you anyway…" Kagami sighed, looking up at Jinn with a serious expression. "Jinn-kun, make absolutely sure you come back alive every time. I really can't stress that enough…" she pulled her partner's arm into her bosom and leaned against it.

Jinn grinned at her. "I meant what I said, the two of you are my lucky charm," he told Kagami. "When you guys are around… I feel that I can survive anything just knowing you're waiting for me."

Kagami's cheeks, having recovered from Hanami's mad blush earlier, turned a very slight red as she smiled. "That's reassuring. So… can we get back to our date? There's so much here I want to try out - oh, and we gotta pick up some recipe books for Hanami too."

Jinn chuckled as he nodded in agreement. "And hopefully something that will pass for an electronics shop…" he inputted. "Let's go…"


Desert Dawn Base - Command Tent


Kira, Ryu, and Sahib stood around the primary map table in the tent, looking down at the map.

"So, the Desert Tiger commands the forces in this region?" Kira asked.

"Yes," Sahib confirmed with a nod. "He took command a few months ago and quickly expanded ZAFT's territory twice over."

"I see…" Kira replied. "If we're going to drive ZAFT away, we'll need to deal with him first… and it would be easier if we could reduce the strength of his forces, beforehand…"

"Well, that's where I come in," Ryu announced as he looked over the maps the locals provided. "This here," he pointed to what looked like a tunnel network. "Are these old mines?"

"Yes, they are," Sahib replied. "They come from before the Reconstruction War, and have long since been tapped out - we use them now for getting supplies and people around undetected, and we can occasionally use explosives to collapse them, making effective traps if we can lure Mobile Suits over them."

Ryu scratched his chin as he studied the maps. "How large are they?" he asked. "Would a mobile suit be able to fit in there, even if it has to be a belly crawl?"

"Hmm… some of them, but not all," Sahib replied. "I know that some of the deeper tunnels are large enough, but we have not directly visited all the entrances, so we do not know for sure if a Mobile Suit could get down there."

Ryu's eyes narrowed before activating his comm. "Hughes, I want you to take three men and meet me at the command tent," he ordered. "I have a mission for you."

"Gotcha," Hughes replied. "Be there in a few minutes."

"Sahib, who knows the mines the best amongst your people?" Ryu asked. "I need someone to guide my men to this point here," he pointed to a point that led out to a cliff overlooking one of the ZAFT bases. "It'll be a good point to set up a sniper's nest for several of the Tiger's bases."

"That would likely be Ahmed," Sahib remarked. "I will get him here shortly to meet with your people."

Ryu nodded. "They'll be measuring the size of the caves as well," he informed. "To see if we can get a mobile suit through, might have to modify a spare Strike Dagger with sniper equipment and slim its size down, though…"

Sahib nodded. "Very well. Also, there is an arms depot located here," he said, pointing to the base on the map. "If you wish to weaken the Tiger's forces, hitting this base would be a good start - not only does it have munitions for his ground troops and spare ammunition for the Lesseps' guns, it also has a few Mobile Suits stored there, which we might be able to hijack."

Ryu nodded as he folded his arms. "Going to be busy for a while…" he mused. "Anyways, while I start sniping the bases we're going to have mixed squads of our people charging their bases and take them out for good."

"Very well," Sahib remarked. "I shall go and fetch Ahmed to meet with your men."

Ryu nodded in thanks as he continued to study the maps. "Wait… this here," he pointed to a deep point. "This… this map isn't complete, what happened here?"

"I'm… not sure…" Sahib remarked, looking at the area. "We never thought of investigating that area ourselves."

Ryu hummed as he tapped a finger on the map. "First things first," he announced. "I'll be working on modifying a Dagger then, well, once I brief Hughes and the others."

"Right," Kira replied. "I'll see about devising a strategy to hit that Arms Depot."

Ryu nodded as he and Sahib left the tent to prep their team.


Local Town, Restaurant


"Urgh," Jinn announced as he collapsed into a chair, dropping the numerous bags he was carrying he looked at Kagami with a light glare. "You two are shopaholics, aren't you?"

"Well… in my defense, Hanami does need new cutlery and I need some clothes other than what she usually wears," Kagami smiled cheekily. "Yzak didn't seem to like the old ones."

Jinn sighed. "At least I managed to find the parts I needed," he said, rolling his shoulders. "So… I hear that Kabobs are the local delicacy…"

"Sounds delicious!" Kagami grinned widely. "Although I do feel kinda bad for Hanami for missing out on this."

"I'll take her back another time for some," Jinn informed as they placed their order. "Hopefully we can get things settled here soon."

"So do I. So, can I get a recap on what we'll be doing here again?" Kagami nodded.

"Well, we got the electronics we needed, some of the kitchenware and more that you needed, and something that you call clothing," Jinn blushed at the thought of that little detour. "Also, Ryu-nii's been hearing rumours of people asking around for him and Fenrir."

"You say 'something that you call clothing', but I'm pretty sure you enjoyed the session anyway," Kagami winked at Jinn saucily. "People asking for Ryu-san and Fenrir shouldn't be unexpected - it's pretty hard to miss a carrier flying overhead emblazoned with Fenrir's logo, and these days everyone knows he's with Fenrir."

"But… I heard thing about some kind of white Assault Carrier in dock nearby," Jinn informed. "And that they were the ones asking."

"A white assault carrier?" Kagami frowned. "Any clue who they're affiliated with?"

Jinn shook his head. "I think they're freelance," he informed. "From what I heard they may be recently former military."

"Must be a really old assault carrier if the military is willing to let it go, though," Kagami sighed. "Well, maybe we can see if we can make contact with them so Ryu-san will know how to talk to them later?"

Jinn nodded in agreement. "Let's hope they're not looking to cash in on some fame for killing Ryu-nii or anything."

"In the meantime though, I'm starving…" Kagami complained, rubbing her depleted stomach while staring at the menu. "Kabobs kabobs kabobs…"

"Definitely a local specialty," Jinn said with a chuckle as he looked over the menu himself. "Two Kabobs and sodas then."

The waiter nodded, and several minutes later he brought over their food and drink, along with two squeeze bottles, one with chili sauce and the other with yogurt sauce.

"Thank you," Jinn said as they looked the Kabobs over. "What should we top them with?"

"Definitely go with the Yogurt Sauce," came the reply from what looked to be a man in his twenties, with tanned skin and brown hair, wearing a hawaiian shirt and a hat. "It's the only thing that does them justice."

"I know kabobs go well with chili sauce too, but I'm not particularly good with spicy food," Kagami nodded as she grabbed the yogurt sauce squeeze bottle.

"I am personally preferential to spicy foods myself," Jinn informed, grabbing the chili sauce as the man gaped at him.

"Wha-?" the man asked, though Jinn squeezed out the chili sauce over his Kabob.

Jinn shrugged as he folded the Kabob up while Kagami did the same with hers. "I just like it hot," Jinn informed plainly. "Simple as that."

The man sighed. "Such sacrilege, putting Chili Sauce on a perfectly good Kabob…" he muttered. "At least the little lady gets it right."

Kagami chuckled at the mystery man after taking a bite out of her kabob. "To each their own, stranger-san. Maybe a bit of chili sauce might still work, so long as you don't overpower the original taste of the kabob. Now THAT would be sacrilege."

The man chuckled. "Point taken," he replied.

"So, who are you again, stranger-san?" Kagami looked at the newcomer who had appeared out of nowhere to start commenting on sauce choices on kabobs.

"Andy," the man said in introduction as he switched his seat to their table. "So, what brings a pair of teens to this neck of the warzones?"

"Just taking in the sights and enjoying the local cuisine - besides, I'm sure Jinn-kun will protect me if anything happens," Kagami smiled as she hugged Jinn's arm tight into her chest. "It's quite lively here, isn't it?"

"One way of phrasing a warzone," Andy informed with a small smirk, unknown to the trio, a group of people armed with an assortment of weapons, including an RPG wielding terrorist on the rooftop across from them. "Must say, though, it's pretty ballsy to go sightseeing in a town on the border of conflicting sides."

Jinn shrugged. "We are capable of taking care of ourselves, and know when to lay low," he informed. "Plus we're not staying-"

Jinn was interrupted as the terrorist wielding an RPG sprang out of cover. "FOR A BLUE AND PURE WORLD!" he roared out as he depressed the trigger, launching the rocket at the trio.

'Andy' reacted immediately, kicking the table with surprising force to flip it over, the food and sauces spraying all over Kagami, right before Jinn tackled her out of the way of the RPG blast. "ASSHOLES!" 'Andy' shouted as he pulled out a handgun and returned fire from behind the table.

"Ara ara…" Kagami muttered as her brain processed what had just happened to her.

Jinn scowled as he pulled out a handgun of his own, getting a speculative look from 'Andy' as he returned fire, neither of them noticing a lone gunman sneaking up on their flank.

A cold chill filled the air, despite the fact that the town was in the middle of a desert area. Before the gunman could do anything, he was blasted by a focused burst of killing intent that made him drop his gun as he slowly turned to look at the source, all the while leaking cold sweat.

"So much for my date with Jinn-kun…" Kagami smiled innocently, still covered in sauce and kabob as her signature Noh mask appeared floating in thin air right behind her, its menacing glare focused directly on the gunman. "How are you going to pay for ruining the moment, hmm?"

The gunman froze in fear, his eyes widening as the spectre seemed to loom over him. "Wha…?" he managed to whimper out.

"What was that?" Kagami walked closer to the gunman, practically ignoring the gunfight going on around her. "I don't think I heard you correctly…" Another Noh mask materialized to glare at another gunman that had been aiming at her, freezing him in his tracks.

"DE-DE-DEMON!" the first gunman shouted out, pulling out a knife and charging Kagami only for her to drop low and launch a kick right into the parts that made him a man.

"I think I know what to do with you…" she stood over the cowering gunman. "Blue Cosmos scum like you don't deserve to live." With that, she took the knife lying on the ground and casually threw it straight at the man's head. He managed to pass out in shock before it hit… the ground beside his head. "Ara ara, I missed. I guess we'll just have to… interrogate him later…"

Jinn let out a small sigh at his girlfriend's action as 'Andy' stared in shock. "Kagami-chan…" he breathed out, rubbing his forehead slightly before lining up a shot with a sniper and pegging him. Seconds later ZAFT troopers rushed onto the scene, suppressing and arresting the surviving Gunmen.

"Commander Waltfeld, are you alright?" one of the soldiers questioned as he ran up to the trio.

"Yeah, I'm fine," 'Andy' said, taking off his hat and glasses. "Partly thanks to those two."

Jinn blinked twice as he studied the man before him. "Andrew Waltfeld, the Desert Tiger…" he stated. "I'm surprised a man of your stature would be slumming it like this."

"I see you've heard of me," Andrew replied. "Not that I'm surprised… one of the downsides of having a reputation."

Jinn blinked twice again before looking over to Kagami. "Are you alright, Kagami-chan?" he asked the silverette.

"I'm fine, Jinn-kun. Can't say the same about my state of dress, though," Kagami grimaced as she gestured at her dress, which now had additional decorations on it in the form of yogurt and chili sauce. "Yuck."

"I can have someone take care of that," Andrew remarked. "Think of it as my way of apologizing for unintentionally dragging you into this."

Jinn blinked twice once again before turning to Kagami with a raised eyebrow. "Hanami-chan?" he asked, using her 'real' name.

"Well… I don't mind, but we can't get back too late or the others will start to get worried," the silverette frowned, purposely not mentioning anything related to Fenrir.

"No worries, I'll have my men drive you anywhere you need," Waltfeld informed. "DaCosta, bring a jeep around, and phone Aisha, tell her to get a bath ready for the young lady here."

"Yes, sir," DaCosta, a red-haired young man with tanned skin in a ZAFT Uniform, replied.

"Thank you for your kindness," Jinn said gratefully. "But… it is rather odd for a ZAFT Commander to show such kindness for strangers."

"Hey, you two might have just saved my life, so I figure I owe you one," Andrew replied. "Helping you out after what just happened is the least I can do."

"It still feels kind of awkward having one of ZAFT's top aces in our debt…" Kagami mused. "We're just civilians, after all."

Waltfeld gave them a knowing look before chuckling. "Well, I am a strange man, many have told me," he informed with a grin as a jeep pulled up. "Hop in, I'll take you to base."


Local ZAFT Garrison Base


As the jeep pulled into the base they were greeted by an attractive woman with blue hair that had two orange highlights with them. "Oh my, you weren't kidding when you said she needed to be cleaned up, Andy," the woman announced as she came up to the trio. "Hello, I'm Andy's partner, Aisha."

"I'm Hanami Yukikaze. Pleased to meet you… although I wish I could be more presentable," Kagami grumbled, having done her best to clean off the sauce while in the jeep and ending up making an even bigger mess. She was especially irritated that it had gotten in her hair too.

Aisha giggled slightly at the sight. "That is quite alright, Hanami, come, let's get you cleaned up and into some fresh clothes, shall we?" she asked pleasantly.

"Finally… Jinn-kun, I'll see you later then!" Kagami was quite pleased at the prospect of taking a proper bath. She waved at Jinn before following Aisha off, putting a bit of a sway in her hips that had Jinn's eyes glued to her until she disappeared around the corner.

"Come on," Andy said, waving Jinn into what looked like a fancy living room. "Aisha will take good care of your friend, and it makes more sense to wait in here for them."

Jinn nodded in agreement, looking around as Andy fiddled with a coffee maker, his gaze rested upon a imitation of the Evidence-One Fossil.

"Evidence 01… ever see the real thing?" Andy asked.

Jinn shook his head. "Only pictures," he informed. "But it has been an interest of mine for a while."

"Honestly, I can't see why they call it a Whale-stone," Andy remarked as he walked up with a pair of coffee mugs. "I mean, it has wings - and what kind of self-respecting whale would have wings?"

"An alien whale?" Jinn offered, accepting the coffee mug. "After all, who says that alien logic is the same as ours?" he took a sip of the coffee. "This is good."

"Glad you like it - I always pride myself on first-rate coffee," Andy replied. "And yeah, I guess you might have a point."

"I wonder… what they would think if they saw us in this state now?" Jinn questioned. "The Aliens, that is."

"No clue," Waltfeld admitted. "But in a way, this thing could be considered the start of all humanity's current problems."

"How do you believe that?" Jinn asked curiously.

"Well, maybe not the actual start, but a sign of the start - when George Glenn journeyed to Jupiter and brought this back, it proved humanity could go a lot farther than ever thought possible. But there's one thing that stays with humanity, no matter what, and even evidence of extraterrestrial life doesn't stop it."

"Fear," Jinn commented. "Fear is always a constant in human living."

"Yeah," Andy remarked. "And fear can lead humanity to do harsh things to each other."

"But fear can also unite humanity," Jinn commented. "For only when we face a threat greater than our individual selves, does humanity unite to fight against it…"

"Yeah, but when we fear each other, for any reason whatsoever, it leads to things like this war," Andy remarked.

"Then people need to see how similar we really are then," Jinn informed. "Coordinators are nothing more than Humans who know where their potential lies."

"True, but the trick is getting some of the idiots on both sides to see that," Andy replied. "I mean, on the one hand you have Blue Cosmos, and on the other I've heard rumors that there are some people who think that Coordinators are the 'next step in evolution'."

"Then I guess they must be shocked into working together," Jinn retorted. "After all, if evidence of Alien Life sparked the conflict, then absolute proof may very well end it."

"Maybe," Andy commented. "Trick is finding that proof - it's not like Aliens will conveniently visit earth to break up a fight."

"Who ever said they would break up the fight?" Jinn asked. "After all, even amongst humans, not everyone desires peace…"

"Point," Andy remarked.

At that point there was a knock on the door as Aisha called out, "Andy? We're done."

Jinn's brain almost shut down when a vision of beauty entered the room in the form of his silver-haired girlfriend. Kagami gracefully walked into the room, clad in a strapless light purple dress that clung to her curves in a way that emphasized her overdeveloped body without showing too much. Several semi-transparent layers wrapped around the lower half of the dress, giving it an almost floating sensation.

Kagami herself had her wavy hair done in a pair of long bangs that trailed over her shoulders to rest on her front, and was wearing a light hint of makeup - not too much to look fake, but just enough to emphasize her soft features.

"Ara ara, I think I broke him," Kagami laughed, covering her mouth with a hand.

A thump confirmed her statement as Jinn fell face first into the ground. "Ow," his muffled voice commented before he pulled himself to his feet. "You look beautiful, Ka… Hanami-chan."

"Thank you for the compliment," Kagami grinned as she hugged Jinn's arm tight, pressing it into her bosom. "And Aisha-san taught me exactly how to replicate my current look, so…" she trailed off expertly, letting Jinn's imagination do the rest.

Jinn flushed slightly as his imagination filled in the rest. "Umm… wow…" he breathed out, before placing a kiss on her cheek. "Also, you're always beautiful, no matter what you're wearing,"

"Oh Jinn-kun…" Kagami rested her head on Jinn's shoulder lovingly. "You looked like you particularly enjoyed this one anyway, and I'm sure I can find another dress - quite honestly this one is a little… tight around my chest."

Aisha sent the girl a look. "What did your parents feed you?" she questioned. "For a teen to be that large…"

"Actually… I get really, REALLY bad milk cravings during my monthlies," Kagami blushed slightly. "I can actually end up drinking several cartons worth of milk in one day if I'm not careful… and usually I'm not."

Three pairs of eyes stared at her. "Don't know why I'm surprised, I've seen it happen," Jinn commented. "Heck, she almost drank the milk Kira set aside to make her chocolates for her craving…"

"In my defense, I hadn't had milk for a long while before that… 10 minutes, I think?" Kagami thought out loud. "I remember carrying around a large bottle of it those few days, but I thought someone was stealing from it because it ran out so fast… and I kept refilling it every hour or so too. And even the milk I set aside for cooking kept disappearing…"

"We need to get a series of deadbolts, combination keys, and DNA locks for the fridge during that time of the month…" Jinn said with a sigh. "Either that or put a refrigerated safe inside of a larger safe, inside of a vault inside of JOSH-A…"

"But then how would I cook?" Kagami looked at Jinn blankly. "If you lock up the fridge like that I wouldn't be able to get to the ingredients."

"Kira will cook then," Jinn declared firmly. "Our food budget had to be quintupled because of your milk cravings…"

"I can't be that bad, can I?" Kagami groaned. "I mean… my monthlies don't even last for long enough to put a big dent in the budget… right?"

Jinn deadpanned at her before pulling out a smartphone and showed her the grocery purchase, before her monthly, and directly after. "Notice anything?" he asked.

Kagami slumped slightly after a look at the screen. "One extra digit only?" she attempted to salvage her dignity.

"That was just the first bulk purchase," Jinn informed, again in a deadpan as the older couple watched on in amusement.

"Umm… ah…" Kagami racked her brain trying to find some other way to save herself. After half a minute or so of mumbling, she simply gave up and pouted. "Jinn-kun, you meanie."

"We all have our faults," Jinn informed. "Plus it's cute how you never notice your white mustache."

"W-white mustache!?" a scandalized Kagami gasped. "Please tell me you don't have a photo of that…"

"Maybe~" Jinn said in a rare moment of slyness. "What's it worth?"

"How can I be a proper girlfriend if I let my boyfriend get blackmail material on me!?" Kagami groaned out loud as she smacked her own forehead. "Then again… Jinn-kun, I still have that thing that you refuse to call a swimsuit from last time… and I don't think I've worn that semi-transparent nighty dress I bought last time in front of you yet…"

Jinn flushed slightly as the images of her wearing said items popped into his mind. "It's gone," he informed after a couple of quick taps.

"Thanks!" Kagami pressed her lips to Jinn's quickly in a chaste kiss, smiling radiantly.

"Ah, young love, ain't it grand," Andy asked with a chuckle. "I'm sure your clothing has been dried by now, I'll have my men drop you off wherever you want."

"We're quite thankful for your hospitality, Waltfeld-san," Kagami bowed politely in place of a still-dazed Jinn. "Would it be too much to ask to drop by again sometime? Aisha-san drops some of the best beauty tips I've heard in a while, and that's saying something when we hang around with Flay almost every day…"

Andy laughed. "Who knows," he said. "No one really knows just what is going to happen in life - if we do meet up again, I'd be happy to have you visit."

"We'll keep that in mind," Jinn informed, snapping out of his funk. "Again, thank you for your hospitality."

"Alright," Andy replied, as Jinn and Kagami left the room. "See you around!"

Jinn and Kagami waved in return as they were escorted by a Green Coat and driven off base, dropped off at the town they were doing their shopping in before making their way back to base.


Desert Dawn Base, Command Tent


"We got back word from the cave team!" a Fenrir Marine informed as he came into the tent. "Hughes says that if you slim down the armor for one of the Strike Daggers by 50 mm, you would be able to fit it in through the tunnels using a belly crawl."

Ryu nodded his understanding before turning back to the map. "Then that's a confirmation for the sniping," he told Sahib and Kira. "I'll get started on the modifications."

"That's good," Kira replied. "Now, have we sent any teams to that unexplored area yet?"

Ryu shook his head in a negative. "I will lead a team personally when our contract is complete," he informed. "If you'll excuse me."

Kira nodded. "I should probably go, too," she said. "Should probably go spend some time with Shiro."

Sahib nodded. "I'll have our fighters make the preparations for attack," he informed. "But… there is something you should be aware of, I have been getting reports of a great white Assault Carrier appearing in Bode, not far from here, and people from the ship have been asking about your group…"

Kira blinked. "A white Assault Carrier?" she asked. "That's unusual… Ryu, think you can have Hughes look into that?"

Ryu nodded. "I'll send him to investigate," he agreed. "Let's hope people aren't going to try and cash in on our infamy…"

Kira nodded. "Yeah, I'd prefer it if it was people wanting to join us, but not sure how likely that would be," she remarked.

Ryu smiled at her. "I'll let you know when Hughes reports in," he told her, kissing her briefly. "Till then, if you need me I'll be in the hangar."

Kira nodded, as she left the tent, as well.


Aboard the Archangel, Bridge


"Well… so far no luck," Mu informed as he entered the bridge. "Some have seen a Valiant-class moving deeper in country, but not to where…"

"And further in is ZAFT territory, so just going in randomly won't do us any good…" Murrue remarked.

Natarle nodded in agreement. "Well, the word is out that we're looking, so, hopefully we may hear from them," she commented. "How about the locals, how were they?"

"Well, about as normal as you could expect for living next to occupied territory," Mu remarked. "Just going on with their lives, no worries at all about the war."

Murrue hummed in thought before her console beeped. "Bridge here," Murrue announced as she answered the comm.

"This is Security, we got a man claiming to be apart of Fenrir here," one of the Archangel's security staff reported. "Ma'am, this guy is Maes Hughes, formerly second in command for the O.M.N.I Enforcer's intelligence division… he was listed as rogue shortly after disappearing…"

"Meaning he could very well be a member of Fenrir…" she remarked. "Send him up."

"Yes Ma'am," the soldier replied before cutting communication.

"So… looks like we got someone's attention," Mu commented. "I remember Hughes, came to visit Ryu when we were in the Academy…"

"What did you think of him?" Murrue asked.

"As straight of a shooter as a Commando can get," Mu informed. "Loyal to Admiral Ryuzaki completely, and capable of kicking as much ass as needed."

"Right," Murrue replied. "Well, let's hope this works out."

The door to the bridge opened, allowing Hughes to enter in with his security escort. "Well, Mu la Flaga, guess I was right about this being Halberton's secret ship that he was building," Hughes commented as he took in the crew. "And you must be Murrue Ramius, Halberton's protege and Natarle Badgiruel, your lineage is quite impressive…"

"Th… thank you…" Murrue remarked, with a nod from Natarle. "Though, all that really doesn't mean a thing when the EA Brass decides to start covering their asses…"

"They are good at that, aren't they?" Hughes asked with a smirk. "So, may I ask why you are searching for Fenrir?"

"We… we were hoping we could join Fenrir," Murrue replied. "The EA has declared us Rogue, and we can't go to ZAFT, so that leaves joining Terminal, joining Fenrir, joining another mercenary group, or going independent. And we decided to join Fenrir."

Hughes rose an eyebrow at that statement. "What made you choose Fenrir?" he questioned. "Seeing as we are indirectly responsible for your Rogue Status."

"It was my idea, to be honest," Mu remarked. "I knew Ryu back in the academy, and figured that he'd be willing to take us in."

Hughes mused for a minute as he considered it. "Well, how about I call up the bosses so that they can make the decision," he announced finally. "After all, they're, well… the bosses."

Murrue nodded. "That would be alright with us," she said.

Hughes nodded as he walked over to the communications console and quickly dialed up the Mugen Kano where Naomi transferred them to Kira. "Hey Boss, Ryu wrapped up in that project of his?"

"Yeah, he's still going at it," Kira replied. "He should be here in a few minutes, though - what's up?"

"Well, those people from that White Warship that the locals mentioned asking about us?" Hughes prompted. "Found them, they're rogue O.M.N.I. Enforcers, forced into that status by the brass, and they want to join Fenrir because of one Mu La Flaga's connection with Ryu."

"I see…" Kira replied. "Well, we're always willing to take in former military, and if it's one of Ryu's friends-" the sound of a door opening could be heard. "Ah, Ryu!" Kira said, looking offscreen. "Excellent timing! Hughes is on the line."

"Sup, Hughes," Ryu greeted, stepping into the viewscreen, dirt and grease smudged all over him. "Heard most of that, and who's this friend of mine?"

Mu stepped next to Hughes, such that he would be visible to Ryu and Kira. "Long time no see, Ryu," he remarked. "Life seems to be treating you well."

"Well, howdy doody there, La Flaga," Ryu greeted a wide grin on his face. "Life has been treating me well, doesn't look like you can say the same, though."

"Yeah," he replied. "Getting declared Rogue by the Brass just so they can cover their own asses certainly isn't a good thing. That said, we can't go to ZAFT, either, and I figured you'd be willing to take us in, so…"

"Well, I know what you have to offer, Mu," Ryu informed. "But I don't know what your friends and that ship of yours have…"

Murrue chose that moment to step into the view of the image. "The Archangel was built at Heliopolis, just like the G-Weapons," she informed. "It was designed to carry them, in space or on Earth. About the only environment we can't go is underwater, but we can make like a traditional ocean-going vessel in that regard. The ship also has Laminated Armor, and our arsenals include two linear cannons, two dual heavy beam cannons, and two Positron Blaster Cannons"

"Impressive ship," Kira acceded. "What about yourself and your crew, Murrue Ramius?"

"Most of us were involved in the development of the ship or G-Weapons in some form or another," Murrue replied. "I may not have been the intended captain of the ship, but I did receive some command training and had to learn the rest on the fly after Heliopolis. My XO, Natarle, has had command training as well, Murdoch has kept this ship running in peak condition even with our minimal crew, thanks to his technical training, and we all have knowledge on the G-Weapons' construction and maintenance procedures."

Kira and Ryu both shared a look and a silent conversation before turning back to the group. "How 'bout we give you guys a trail run?" Kira suggested. "We are planning an assault on some ZAFT bases in the area, you'll be assigned one of the bases to attack it yourself with three of our mobile suits, plus whatever ones you have, depending on your performance, we'll take you on as members of Fenrir."

Murrue nodded. It seemed like a decent approach. "Alright," she said. "That seems reasonable - just tell us where we'll need to go to pick up your machines."

"I'm sending you the coordinates of the rendezvous, a forward operations base of our employers, not their main one, for obvious reasons," Kira informed. "I hope you give us a good showing, Miss Ramius."

"Thank you," Murrue replied with a nod. "We'll do our best."

Kira nodded. "Hughes will be remaining with you to observe you," she informed. "He'll be giving us a report on your performance, good luck." With that, Kira cut the comm link.

"Alright," Murrue said, turning to Mu and Natarle. "Looks like we have a test to pass before we can officially join, but we'll just have to pull it off."

Mu grinned. "Don't you remember who I am?" he asked braggingly. "I'm the guy who makes the impossible, possible."

Murrue smiled. There was just something about Mu that seemed to draw her to him, to be honest. Mentally shaking her head to clear those thoughts away, she said, "Well, let's get this ship moving to those coordinates she provided. We've got Mobile Suits to pick up and a base to attack."

"Aye Aye, Captain," Nuemann replied from his seat as he began the start up sequence. "Sending out the call for all crewmembers to return."

Within a few minutes, the crew was back aboard, and the ship headed off, heading to the rendezvous point Kira had provided.


Aboard the Gungnir, Bridge


"Looks like they managed to contact Fenrir," the ship's pilot, Nagato Seihan, a black haired brown eyed Natural woman wearing a standard Terminal Uniform, stated as they watched the white warship take flight. "What's next, Captain?"

"We'll remain here, waiting for orders," 'Odin' replied. "We don't know where Command will send us next, and we should be ready to give the Archangel and Fenrir support if they need it."

"Roger that Captain," Nagato responded. "Keeping the engines warm, then."


Gungnir, Takeshi and Linda's Quarters


Takeshi and Linda were seated on the bed in their quarters, which was rather well furnished for Solo quarters on a warship - really, it was more like a fancy hotel room than anything, though the decor was about what one would expect on a warship.

However, currently they were looking at the results of a test the Ship's Doctor had performed on Linda a few hours previous. That morning, she'd woken up rather nauseous, and breakfast hadn't helped any - in fact, her breakfast was now running through the sewage systems on the ship. Worried, they'd gone to the doctor, and he'd run a few simple tests on her. They were looking at a printout of the results now, and they were both surprised at what those results were.

Linda was pregnant.

"Huh…" she stated as she stared at the sheet. "Amazing how one page changes everything…"

"Yeah…" Takeshi replied. "I know we'd talked about having kids, but… I guess talking about it doesn't prepare you for when it actually happens…"

"I know… wonder how it was for Kira, I mean, they weren't even considering it when they had Shiro," Linda commented. "And this… just feels daunting…"

"Yeah…" Takeshi replied. "I do know one thing, though." He kissed Linda on the cheek. "You'll make a great mother."

Linda smiled as she relaxed a bit. "Thanks, Takeshi," she said gratefully. "I'm sure you'll make an excellent father."

"Thanks, Linda," Takeshi replied, before kissing her again, this time capturing her lips with his own.

Linda relaxed further into the kiss as her eyes drifted closed, just enjoying the tender moment with her husband. "I think this counts as one of the happiest days of my life," she informed the brunette.

"Yeah… one of mine, too," Takeshi replied. "I'm glad that we'll be having a child."

Linda let out a happy sigh as she leaned into Takeshi. "I'm glad we met, all that time ago," she informed as her eyes began to droop closed. "That, was another happy day for me."

"Yeah, same here," Takeshi replied. "I'm glad you're here with me, Linda."

Linda hummed slightly as she nuzzled into him a bit more. "I'll always be with you," she informed, her voice slurring slightly. "Forever and ever."

"Thank you, Linda," he replied. Looking down at her, he could tell she was falling asleep. "And I will always protect you, you and our child, no matter what happens."

A slight sigh of relief was his response as Linda's breathing evened out, indicating that she was sound asleep.

"Sleep peacefully, my love," Takeshi whispered to her, gently wrapping an arm around her while his other hand ran through her hair. "I will watch over you."


END CHAPTER!