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 Twenty One: Upgrading


PLANTs Ship Construction Yards


Ryu smirked as he looked out over the newly constructed flagship of Fenrir, next to him on his right was Lacus with Kira on her other side while to his left stood Jinn, Hanami, Shinn, Jade, Flay and Akira. "Turned out even better than I hoped," he said as he ran a critical eye over the ship's sleek lines to the two circular objects resting overtop of the wing mounted secondary thrusters. "Nicely done Akira."

"Thank ya kindly chief!" Akira returned with a mock salute. "Just need to get her to Mendel for the final touches."

"Right," Kira replied. "Very nice looking ship… definitely looking forward to seeing what she can do - hopefully we can also upgrade the Archangel with some elements from this thing."

"What class of ship is it?" Jade asked curiously as she looked it over. "It doesn't look like it has a lot of hangar space."

"The Retribution is a Battleship/Cruiser," Ryu explained. "Hopefully we can start building some more when the Dockyards at Mendel are fully operational."

"Gotcha," Shinn replied. "We'll likely need ships like the Archangel, too - maybe even fully-dedicated Mobile Suit Carriers." He shrugged. "I mean, yeah, that's the Archangel's main purpose, but it's essentially the Jack-of-all-Trades of Warships - good at a bit of everything, but not as good at any one thing as ships specially built to focus on that thing."

"We already have several blueprints prepared for several different ship classes," Jinn informed, adjusting his glasses. "First priority, however, is the modifications to Mendel."

"Right," Lacus remarked from next to Kira and Ryu. "Of course, my first priority at the moment is that press conference Father scheduled, where I announce my retirement from the music industry citing health reasons." She then smiled at her lovers. "Then I can finally cease worrying about the one thing more dangerous than any soldier - paparazzi - and focus entirely on helping the two of you."

Kira and Ryu smiled at their shared lover as they each wrapped an arm around her. "Thankfully the baby bump isn't noticeable yet," Ryu commented. "And you don't bounce around in skimpy outfits… outside the bedroom anyways."

"TMI, Ryu," Flay remarked from next to Shinn and Jade. "TMI."

"Alright, you guys get the ship prepped for launch, me and Kira will be guarding Lacus during her press conference," Ryu announced. "And so help me god, if one of you so much as scratches the ship, I will tie you to the hull for the trip back!"

Shinn, Flay, Jade, Jinn, Hanami, and Akira all saluted.

"We should get you to the prepping room," Ryu said to Lacus, holding his arm out for her to take. "Shall we, princess?"

Lacus let out a little giggle as she took Ryu's arm. "Yeah, let's," she said, as the three headed off.


Later - Clyne Mansion


"Are you sure you're ready for this, Lacus?" Kira asked as an aide touched up the pinkette's makeup. "I can always go out there and shoo them away, y'know."

"I'm sure, Kira," Lacus replied. "I want to focus on helping you and Ryu in Fenrir, and I can't be worrying about the paparazzi while doing that. Retiring like this is the best way to go about it, and I can start focusing on actually training to help you afterwards." She smiled. "Though I doubt I'll be good in a Mobile Suit, I can certainly help in a warship, possibly as the comm officer or combat operator."

Kira smiled at her. "Well, we could always use a public face of Fenrir," she pointed out. "Who better than the pink princess herself?"

"Spokeswoman, you mean?" Lacus asked. "I… I guess that'd work. I'd still like to help out on whatever your flagship is when you and Ryu go on missions, though."

"Of course you will be," Kira actually looked affronted that she would suggest otherwise. "You'd work over comm lines and such, no need to be in person for every little thing. Just the big ones."

Lacus nodded. "Alright, that'd work," she said, as the aide finished up her makeup. "Well, let's do this."

Kira nodded as she fell into step behind Lacus as she made her way to where the conference was being held, Ryu falling into step with them as they neared the room. "Everyone checks out," he informed. "No one has any weapons either."

"Good," Lacus replied. "I'm hopeful I'm just being paranoid, but after what happened with le Creuset at Mendel, I'd rather not take any chances in case Patrick Zala tries something."

"Neither will we," Ryu assured as they stopped outside of the door to the conference room. "Ready?"

Lacus nodded. "I am," she said. "Let's get this over with, so I can help you two in Fenrir full-time."

The two nodded and stepped through the doors, Lacus following shortly after as the crowd of reporters leapt to their feet, flashes of cameras strobing throughout the room as they roared out their questions. "Settle down!" Ryu barked out, causing the reporters to flinch back in surprise. "Miss Clyne will be answering your questions in due time, please allow her to make her announcement before asking her any questions."

There was a brief murmur of agreement as the reporters all sat down again, as Lacus, Kira, and Ryu made their way to the main podium. "Ladies and gentlemen of the press, I thank you for coming here today on such short notice," Lacus started, sending the crowd a grateful and serene smile. "I called you here today, because I have an important announcement, I am going to be retiring from the entertainment industry today," she paused as the crowd began to shout before they were cut off by another shout from Ryu. "Thank you, Ryu," she said to the man, who nodded and stepped back into position.

"While I truly did enjoy my time as a songstress, I find that it is time for me to move on into a different line of work," she continued. "As of today, I have accepted the position of Spokeswoman and Public Representative of the Mercenary Guild, Fenrir."

There was another round of confused shouting, and this time Kira was the one to put it to an end with a focused Death Glare.

"Ask your question one at a time or this press conference is over," Ryu announced calmly. "If you cannot act like civilized humans then please leave."

A blue-haired woman raised her hand, waiting for Ryu to point to her before standing. "Veronica Chambers, Entertainment Daily," she said, introducing herself. "Miss Lacus, are there any other reasons for your decision to leave the entertainment industry?"

"There are several personal reasons that I wish to keep private," Lacus answered. "Although, one of which is the continual hounding of the paparazzi."

Veronica remained standing, though there was a bit of muttering among the rest of the press at Lacus' declaration. "Another question," Veronica said. "Will you continue being a singer even though you'll be in Fenrir?"

"I may release an album from time to time, however, it will no longer be the focus on my attention," Lacus said with a serene smile. "I do love singing, and I do hope to release a few albums."

Veronica nodded, before sitting down.

A number of hands shot up, before Ryu pointed at one, as a blonde man stood up. "Matt Javers, PLANT News Network," the man said. "May I ask why you would join up with Fenrir, Miss Lacus?"

"The reason I am joining Fenrir is simply because it is where I feel I must be," Lacus informed politely. "I believe in the work that Fenrir has done and will continue to do is what I wish to aid them with."

"You do realize Fenrir might be hired to work against ZAFT at some point, right?" Mr. Javers asked. "Does this mean you would approve of any such actions against your home?"

"For the most part Fenrir accepts contracts from small third party groups that are being caught between the Earth Alliance and ZAFT Military Forces," Lacus explained seriously, locking eyes with the reporter, as if daring him to misreport her words. "And while Fenrir is bound to come into conflict with ZAFT Military Forces, both sides are on good enough standing that a peaceful solution can be reached without the need for violence."

The reporter sat before the hands went up again. Ryu pointed to a female with stylishly curled dark brown hair and emerald green eyes.

"Sasha Graystone, Earth Sphere Tonight," the woman began. "Apologies if this ties into the first of Mr. Javers' question, Miss Lacus, but was there any interaction between you and Fenrir in the past that might have led up to your making this choice?"

"Yes, I'm sure many of you recall my… unfortunate encounter during my trip to Junius Seven to pay my respects to the deceased when a Blue Cosmos Cell attacked my vessel," Lacus explained with a small wince at the lives that were lost that day. "Fenrir happened to be in the area and assisted in my rescue and escorted me to ORB where I was able to return to the PLANTs safely, they are also the ones who have harbored me after the attempted assassination of my father."

"I see," Sasha replied. "So you decided to officially join them after they took you in?" she extrapolated.

"I saw they needed a certain position filled and offered my services, yes," Lacus clarified. "I have many dear friends within Fenrir, and I look forward to being able to work alongside them as colleagues."

"Thank you for clarifying that, Miss Lacus," Sasha said, before sitting down once more.

"Thank you to the members of the press who came here today, and I am sorry if I never got to answering your questions," Lacus announced. "I wish you all a good day."

There was a bit of conversation among the reporters as Kira, Ryu, and Lacus stood up and left the conference room.

"Well, this'll be headlining news for a while," Ryu muttered as they stepped out. "Might be good for business… or bad."

"We'll just have to see what happens," Kira remarked. "Still, you did great out there, Lacus."

Lacus smiled at her lover. "Thank you Kira," she returned. "Hopefully I can keep it up working as your representative."

"You'll be fine," Kira said. "Come on, we might as well see your father before we head out - find out how things are going, and see if he has anything for us, such as contracts or anything we could use."

"Yes, that sounds like a good idea," Lacus agreed with a warmer smile. "It'll be nice to see him again."

"Yeah, and it'll be interesting to see how things have developed since we explained things to them in Mendel," Kira replied with a smile of her own. Turning to look at the exit up ahead of them, she said, "Let's get going."

The others nodded in agreement as they headed off to the Supreme Chairman's home office.


Aboard the FC/D-01 Retribution


"Damn, no expense spared for this ship, huh?" Jade asked as she looked over the top of the line bridge that was modeled after the Archangel's. "This must have cost a fortune to build."

"Yeah," Flay replied. "This is one impressive ship… And I think they have some powerful weapons on this thing, too."

"While it doesn't have a Positron Cannon like the Archangel, the Retribution's weapons are able to fire at least 25% faster than anything else on the market right now," Akira explained proudly. "And once we get the chief's special reactor hooked up, it'll increase the charge rate and compression ratios even more."

"Nice," Shinn remarked. "We might need to see about setting one of those reactors in the Archangel, too - it'd definitely be useful for future battles."

"Brother and Kira are still ensuring the crew's loyalty before installing one," Jinn informed, pushing his glasses up slightly as he checked over the computers. "Plus he needs to be able to remove the reactor without doing too much remodelling to the ship's hull."

"Ah," Shinn replied, nodding in understanding. "Yeah, mainly just hoping we can get this war ended soon - we've got much bigger things to worry about."

The others nodded in agreement. "Brother wants us to focus on digging up the Prothean ruins on Mars," Jinn said. "And use that as a prompt to try and get the nations to unite."

"T-That would be nice…" Hanami whispered from beside Jinn, arms firmly interlocked with his as if she was scared of getting lost. "Peace… It feels like w-we haven't had much of it in a while…"

Jade nodded in agreement, leaning into Shinn. "Yeah, peace does sound good," she agreed with a sigh. "How long will it last though?"

"I don't know," Flay replied with a sigh of her own. "Of course, if we really want peace, we'll need to deal with LOGOS and Patrick Zala first… Hopefully we can deal with both of them easily enough, then there shouldn't be any more problems."

"W-Well, we did give LOGOS a huge headache trying to c-clean up their leak…" Hanami let out a small smile, leaning against her partner.

Jinn chuckled as he gently freed his arm from her grasp to wrap around her shoulders. "I find myself actually hoping we get contracts to help clear them out for good," he commented. "People like that… I hate them."

"Agreed," Flay replied. "Creating war for the sake of profit… they're worse than he was." She scowled, thinking about her former father.

Jade hugged her fellow wife tightly in reassurance. "And we'll make sure they won't hurt anyone again," she affirmed seriously. "Especially once they catch a glimpse of this bad momma!"

Flay smiled. "Thanks, Jade," she said. She then looked out the windows. "I wonder how Kira, Ryu, and Lacus' meeting with Chairman Clyne is going right now…"


Clyne Manor, Siegel's Office


"Father!" Lacus shouted as she ran up to her father, the two quickly embracing one another. "I've missed you."

"I missed you, too, Lacus," he said. "I saw your Press Conference earlier - you did really well there."

"Thank you," she said with a small blush. "You're… not upset with my choice to join Fenrir?"

"Not at all," he said. "I actually was somewhat expecting it, to be honest - you're wanting to help out your new lovers meant to me that you're officially joining the group was only a matter of time."

Lacus gave a relieved smile as she hugged him again. "Then, my first order of business as public representative of Fenrir, got anything for us?" she asked with a giggle.

"Well, a couple of things," Siegel replied, before his expression turned serious. "First, we've placed Durandal in custody - his 'Destiny Plan' won't be causing any problems for us."

"That's good," Kira sighed in relief. "Knowing he's out of the way, what's the charge you have him on?"

"Conspiracy to commit treason and crimes against humanity," Siegel replied. "We're keeping his journal for evidence for his trial." He then sighed. "My second piece of news… isn't as good," he continued. "Patrick's created a new line of Mobile Suits based on the technical data you gave us from the EA's G-Weapons."

"And?" Ryu asked with a raised eyebrow. "We expected that when we traded it."

"It's what he's powering them with that's the problem," Siegel informed. "These new machines… are equipped with Neutron Jammer Cancellers."

"…What?" Kira asked flatly.

"They're nuclear powered," Siegel replied. "This has serious consequences - N-Jammer Cancellers would certainly help with Earth's current energy crisis thanks to the N-Jammers, but they also make Nuclear weapons available again. If something like this were to get into the hands of LOGOS… the effects would be catastrophic." He frowned. "And… I don't think this is the worst of it. I'm worried Patrick is making something worse than a traditional nuclear warhead, but still relies on nuclear power - he devoted too much research into developing the N-Jammer Canceller."

"You want us to investigate?" Ryu asked seriously.

"If you can do it without attracting attention, then yes," Siegel replied. "Also… I want to entrust you with at least one of the new machines he's developed - try and at least reduce the number of these prototypes that Patrick has at his disposal."

"Really?" Kira asked, her eyes widening. "What are you giving us exactly?"

"I wish to give you three machines," Siegel replied. "The first is the Freedom - it's a multi-target interceptor with high maneuverability. The next is the Justice - a close-combat machine whose backpack can detach into a Guul-type lifter unit. And last is the Conviction - a multi-purpose unit with a mixture of weapons based on the various weapon packs of the… Strike, I believe it was, only without the need for pack switching."

Ryu hummed as considered the information. "Kira, can you and Lacus oversee the transfer of the units to the Retribution?" he asked, looking over to the two of them. "I think I might have an old contact in Patrick's office, I want to see if it's still valid."

"Sure," Kira replied. "We'll get that taken care of."

Ryu nodded. "If you'll excuse me," he said with a bow of his head to Siegel. "I'll report in as soon as I have something."

"Very well," Siegel replied. "I'll work with Kira and Lacus over the arrangements for transferring the three machines to your ship."

Ryu nodded before turning and stepping out of the room, leaving the three of them. "Alright, so, where are the units being stored right now?" Kira asked as they got down to business.


Secured Location


"How bad has the damage been, Djibril?" A shadowed figure asked over the vidcomm. "Has there been any names released?"

"Fortunately our top echelon is safe for now," Djibril muttered resentfully, cursing whoever had done this to their organization. "The lower ranks have been heavily compromised."

"I hope you have a plan to… correct the situation with the Earth Alliance President," the figure demanded. "His little speech calling for a cease-fire is causing… discontent amongst shareholders."

"Of course," Djibril nodded, for once unclenching his fist. "For his… traitorous behaviour, we'll destroy him and his family as an example. We still have the power to do that!"

"I take it you are planning on deploying the prototype unit?" the man asked. "You had said it wasn't ready for combat yet."

"Heh, we'll make it ready for combat," Djibril smirked. "It doesn't even have to survive the first encounter. So long as we destroy the President, it'll be a good show of power to the whole world - that LOGOS is still powerful, and we'll leave our legacy behind as those who fought for the preservation of our blue and pure world!"

"Very well," the man nodded his head. "So long as you do not screw this up Djibril, Illusive Man out."

As the monitor's visuals vanished into a speck of light, Djibril leaned backwards in his chair and crossed his hands in front of him, even as he let out a chuckle. "Damned Coordinators… Damned Naturals… I'll show you what happens when you corner a dog…"


PLANTs - Private Residence


"How do you plan to proceed now that Rau is dead and the 'Pink Princess' is out of your reach, Zala?" the 'Illusive Man' questioned as his vidcomm to Patrick Zala's private line connected. "This better not stop our plans."

"Tch, it'll require a few changes to our plan, but the eventual goal is still the same!" Patrick Zala slammed his fist on his table. "I need that naive idiot Siegel out of office so I can show the PLANTs that we don't need the Naturals around any more!"

"Then perhaps it is time for some more… drastic measures," the Illusive Man offered. "Show the PLANTs the power that will be theirs if they follow you."

Patrick let a smile creep onto his face. "Yes. After all, it's too late to stop GENESIS now."

"I look forward to seeing the results of GENESIS, Zala," the Illusive Man informed, a pleased tone audible in his voice. "I will be watching with baited breath, Illusive Man out."

Unseen inside of the airduct, a small green and yellow robotic bird tilted its head as it recorded and transmitted the entire conversation.


Aboard the Retribution


"See, I told you upgrading Birdy would come in handy for spying missions," Ryu commented to Kira as they watched the live video feed.

"Agreed," Kira replied, the two of them and Lacus on the Bridge of the Retribution as ZAFT forces loyal to Siegel loaded the three new machines into the ship. "Looks like Patrick's got a quiet backer on the side in this 'Illusive Man'. What I'm really worried about is that 'GENESIS' thing they were talking about. Could that be what Patrick really needed the NJCs for?"

"Possibly, but what could it be, ZAFT disarmed and dismantled all nuclear weapons after Junius Seven," Ryu commented. "So what would he need that much energy for?"

"I guess we'll have to find out," Kira said with a shrug. "I've looked over all the ZAFT wireless networks - nothing."

"Damn," Ryu muttered. "I'll send the recording to Siegel, we'd best get to Mendel and complete the Retribution for whatever is coming."

"Agreed," Kira replied, typing the remote return command for Birdy into their communications link, and the camera view shifted as the little robotic bird began making its way back to them. "Once Birdy gets back and the three new machines are loaded, we'll set out."

Ryu nodded. "It'll be good to get home again," he said with a relieved sigh. "The Engineers should have the housing units finished by now."

"That's good," Lacus replied. "It'll be good to have a full-sized house for a change, so we can still have… fun at night without risking waking up the kids."

Ryu chuckled as he looked over at Lacus. "You are seriously repressed in public, aren't you?" he asked. "I wonder what your fans would think hearing some of the stuff that comes out of your mouth?"

Lacus giggled. "Who knows?" she said. "Still, I'm glad I was able to meet and fall in love with you two."

"So are we, Lacus," Kira said with a grin.

"Maybe when things settle down, the three of us can have a… proper ceremony," Ryu commented.

"Mmm… I'd like that a lot," Lacus replied, smiling at her lovers. "Lacus Hisanaga… it has a nice ring to it."

Ryu chuckled. "You know, I think my mom would have gotten a kick out of getting to know the real you, and not your celebrity persona," he commented. "You remind me of her sometimes."

"Is that so?" Lacus asked. "I would have loved to have met her, then."

Ryu chuckled. "And she you," he agreed. "And I never would have heard the end of it with two wives."

Kira chuckled, before checking a status report. "Well, it looks like the machines are loaded securely," she informed. Birdy then flew up to them. "And Birdy's back, too - I think we're ready to go."

Ryu nodded. "Going to take your seat, boss?" he asked, gesturing to the captain's chair with a grin as he moved to the Pilot's Chair.

Kira nodded, before she took her seat. "Lacus, the comm station, if you will?" Kira asked.

Lacus smiled and nodded as she flipped a mock salute. "As you wish, boss," she agreed teasingly as she slid into the seat. "Want me to raise the crew on intercom?"

Kira nodded and waited for the go ahead. "All hands, this is Kira Hisanaga," she announced as the intercom came online. "The Retribution is now taking flight and will be going to the Mendel Colony to complete its construction, so all hands to your stations, we're taking off."

"PLANT Control this is the FC/D-01 Retribution, requesting clearance for launch," Ryu said as he warmed up the reactors.

"FC/D-01 Retribution, your ship is cleared for departure," PLANT Control responded. "Good Hunting out there, Fenrir."

"Roger that," Ryu responded as he took the controls. "Retribution launching."

Kira sat back and watched as her ship set out, making its way out of the dock.

As soon as they were clear of the docks Ryu began to bring the main thrusters online. "Engaging primary thrusters." The ship jolted slightly as it accelerated. "Damn, faster than I thought it'd be."

"Makes you wonder how fast it'll be with our special reactors," Kira remarked. "I think we might have the fastest ships in the Earth Sphere."

"Damn straight, Kira," Ryu agreed. "And this is a Cruiser/Destroyer," he added. "Man when we get Frigates rolling out, they'll be something else."

"Yeah… though Frigates will likely need to mount their Mobile Suits on the exterior hull," Kira remarked. "They'd likely be too small to carry them internally, but all of our ships will likely need Mobile Suit Capacity."

"Frigates are scouts, Kira," Ryu explained. "They're not meant to engage unless they're within a Fleet, or a wolfpack with a Cruiser, and if they do fight, they use superior speed and maneuverability to do so, think of them like… larger and better armored fighters."

Kira nodded. "So, maybe not necessary for them to have Mobile Suits," she admitted. "Might want to give them external hardpoints for them, anyway, just in case the individual captains want a Mobile Suit as part of their capabilities."

"I'll make sure they're on," Ryu agreed. "Also trying to figure out how to mount a Mirage Colloid Generator onto a frigate without needing one of our special Reactors, we can't just slap those onto every ship without them getting into the hands of the others at some point."

"I think our new machines might help with that," Kira remarked. "We can reverse-engineer the NJC, so we don't need to give every ship and machine our special reactors - just the key ones. Maybe the NJC and Nuclear Power will give us a way to run Mirage Colloid indefinitely…" she trailed off. "And I think I now know at least one reason Patrick needed the NJC - so he could hide whatever this GENESIS is indefinitely until he needed it."

Ryu nodded in agreement. "Nuclear Reactors would indeed make things easier for us," he agreed. "Especially since after the Retribution gets one, the next on the list is Mendel, and that's going to take up the remaining supplies we have for the construction of the reactors."

Kira nodded. "Right," she said. "We'll need to keep our eyes open for supplies for building more MS-sized reactors. I think we might need to upgrade the G-Weapons with them, or build more powerful units to replace them eventually… speaking of, who do you want to put in the new machines from ZAFT? I'm thinking of seeing if Shinn would be up for piloting the Conviction…"

Ryu nodded. "It would fit him well," he agreed. "As for Freedom and Justice… what do you think about having Cagalli and Athrun piloting them?"

"That'd work," Kira replied. "Especially if those two can work through their sexual tension… honestly, I think they'd be good for each other."

"Well…" Lacus started with a sly smirk. "Are you willing to let me handle it?"

Kira chuckled. "Sure, go for it," she said.

Lacus gave her a cheery smile. "It'll be solved in no time," she said with a giggle.


Terminal Warship Gungnir


Takeshi and Linda were in the ship's cafeteria, having lunch.

"That was a pretty decent press conference Lacus gave," Takeshi remarked. "A little surprising she chose to retire from her music career."

"I know, but considering her connection to your sister and brother-in-law, is that really surprising?" Linda asked with a smile, a hand resting on her slightly swollen abdomen.

"Point taken," Takeshi replied. "Though I will admit, I was shocked when Kira-imouto told me Lacus had joined into their relationship, and was expecting a kid."

"Very surprising," Linda agreed. "But, Lacus would make a great mother, don't you think?"

"Yeah," Takeshi replied with a nod. "Just like you will, Linda." He then leaned over the table and kissed her.

Linda grinned in response as they separated. "Mm, I'm looking forward to it," she said. "I just hope everything calms down before I bring our child into the world."

"Definitely," Takeshi replied. "Though it won't be calm for very long, I don't think - remember what Fenrir showed us at the meeting on Mendel." Linda hadn't been at the meeting directly, but Takeshi had shared with her what had happened there.

Linda nodded. "Alien life, and… whatever killed the Protheans," she said with a grimace. "Well, at least we were given warning before hand to get ready."

"Agreed, and Kira-imouto is already making plans to go after those relics on Mars, learn more about these 'Reapers'."

"Man… that's a frightening thought," Linda muttered. "Super advanced machines bent on wiping advanced life out, why not just end it all and kill all life?"

"No clue," Takeshi replied. "And I doubt these Reapers, when they come, are going to be in a mood to explain it…"

Linda nodded in agreement. "But… didn't Sentry say that each 'cycle' was influenced to use the same tech over and over again?" she asked. "Won't we have an advantage with our mobile suits and beam weaponry?"

"Point, but honestly, we have no idea how powerful they are," Takeshi remarked. "We'll need every edge we can get, and just hope it's enough."

Linda nodded. "Let's hope the alien life out there is willing to listen," she said solemnly.

"Agreed," Takeshi replied. He finished off his food. "So, heard anything on the situation with LOGOS from up on the Bridge?"

Linda shrugged. "Not much to be honest, although the Earth Alliance President contacted us about providing security for him," she informed. "He's had three assassination attempts by his own staff funded by LOGOS."

Takeshi winced. "That's not good - and I'd bet they're going to be moving up from that soon enough… we'd better be ready, in case they try some kind of full-scale attack."

Linda nodded. "Actually, expect to be called into the briefing room soon," she whispered. "Apparently High Command is taking this extremely seriously, they want to coordinate with Fenrir, have us deal with LOGOS while they deal with the Zala Faction."

Takeshi nodded. "Alright," he said. He then smiled at her. "Also, sorry I was on shift and couldn't join you for your checkup today - how's the baby doing?"

Linda smiled widely, seemingly glowing in happiness. "The baby is developing just fine," she informed. "I didn't ask for the gender, I wanted it to be a surprise."

"Gotcha," Takeshi replied. "I'm kind of hoping for a girl, to be honest, but if it's a boy, I won't love him any less."

Linda giggled. "Can you handle having more women in your life?" she asked teasingly.

"I think so, yeah," he replied. He then looked at her slightly nervously. "On a related topic… I… I remember when we first met, you… said you were bisexual… Have you been alright with just me in your life?"

Linda blinked in surprise. "Of course," she assured. "I'm not against having someone else enter the relationship if they fit in, but, I am happy with us, Takeshi, never doubt that."

Takeshi nodded, smiling. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad to hear you say that." He kissed her again.

"Although…" she drawled. "I have seen some of the looks you sent towards your squadron commander… anything you want to share?"

He started a bit at that. "Umm… well…" he began, blushing, "I have to admit, she is attractive… and you've chatted with her a few times, yourself, so you know what she's like personally as well as I do…"

"You mean like breaking out of the infirmary after being spaced in combat to get herself drunk?" Linda asked humorously. "She certainly is… energetic."

"Y… yeah…" Takeshi replied, still blushing a bit. "And I… she's nowhere near as beautiful as you are, Linda, but she is still very beautiful… I… I guess I couldn't help but look…"

Linda giggled as she placed a reassuring hand over his. "I'm quite fine with you looking Takeshi," she assured. "No touching though… unless I'm touching too."

Takeshi nodded. "Al… alright…" he said after a moment. "But yeah, I have felt a slight attraction to her… Never really felt like acting on it - I wouldn't cheat on you like that…" He paused a bit. "Though… if… if you were feeling similar attractions… and were okay with it… I wouldn't mind asking…"

"Hmm, invite her up for a private dinner in our quarters," Linda said with a smirk. "We can see how things go from there."

Takeshi nodded. "Al… alright," he said. "Yeah, we can see how things go from there."

Linda gave him a rather… saucy look. "Should make for an interesting night," she commented. "I look forward to it."

Takeshi blushed, but smiled, before giving Linda another kiss.


Mendel Colony - Dry Docks


"Alright, get the Reactor hatchway open and bring it out!" Ryu shouted out to the dock works as they flitted about the Zero-Gee environment. "Well Dearka, ready to be fully inducted into Fenrir with what you're about to see?"

"Yeah," Dearka replied. "I mean, yeah, ZAFT was alright, but I've been having a lot of fun with you guys, and I think I'm perfectly fine with staying."

Ryu nodded as he let out a sharp whistle, waving to the crane operator as the Retribution's Reactor Hatchway was opened to reveal the standard Ship Reactor that was quickly removed. "Alright, bring it out!" he shouted out. "Dearka, take a look at the Warship-class Cold Fusion Reactor, capable of producing five times the power of a Mobile Suit-Class CFR."

Dearka whistled as he saw the new reactor. "Cold Fusion, huh?" he asked. "So this is the secret behind the power of your personal mechs… impressive." He thought for a moment. "I'm assuming this is Prothean tech, like that VI now running the Archangel's systems? I mean, Cold Fusion is something most people only dream about."

"Mostly Prothean," Ryu admitted. "It was in its final stages of its development when they had to abandon its base, I just finished it, unfortunately, the components for it are rare in the Sol System, so we can only develop four Mobile Suit-Class, one Warship-class and now, a Colony-Class."

"Huh," Dearka remarked. "Well, it'll be interesting to see what this ship can do with that reactor… by the way, I noticed three machines being offloaded after you guys docked. What's the story with those?"

"A gift from the Supreme Chairman, officially to keep us on good terms, unofficially so that Zala doesn't have access to them," Ryu explained watching as they loaded the reactor carefully. "Zala's been making some… odd movements, and we now know he's working with someone calling himself the 'Illusive Man' to use something call GENESIS."

"Man, I doubt Athrun's taking that well," Dearka remarked. "I mean, I know Athrun was upset when his mom died at Junius Seven, but his father… from what I can see now, I think Patrick Zala went off the deep end when that happened."

Ryu nodded. "We're trying to find out what this GENESIS is, but, he's keeping all info off wireless networks," he said with a sigh. "And our contacts and agents can't get into his personal staff."

"Ouch," Dearka said. "But yeah, I'd imagine Athrun's taking this pretty hard." He sighed. "If only he'd stop dancing around his feelings for that Orb Princess already, she'd be able to help him get through it… I thought Fubuki announcing their feelings would get them together, but if anything, the tension between them's gotten worse."

"Oh it'll be dealt with soon enough," Ryu informed. "Lacus is on the case."

Dearka nodded. "Alright," he said. "Though, honestly, I kinda feel jealous of him - not the fact that he's falling for an Orb Princess, but that he actually has someone. I'd be jealous of you, too, but I know you're just one really lucky guy."

"Ah, even an idiot like you will find someone, Dearka," Ryu said, half teasingly, half reassuringly. "Just a matter of time before someone gives you pity sex."

Dearka flushed a bit at that. "I admit, I have something of a reputation as a flirt/playboy," he remarked. "Still, can't find someone if you aren't looking, right?"

"Exactly, keep your chin up, maybe explaining that you're in training to become the chief engineer of Fenrir might earn you some points," Ryu offered.

"Huh?" Dearka asked. "Wait, you're wanting me to…?"

Ryu nodded in confirmation. "Don't get me wrong, I'll always be better at it then you, but I'm already busy managing the pilots and the agent network, I just don't have the time to handle the role of Chief Mechanic on top of that, you're still a combat pilot, you'll just have some duties to attend to outside of combat."

"Gotcha," Dearka replied. "I'll try my best, boss."

"Yeah, just don't go chasing after traps," Ryu said. "Don't think Fenrir could survive finding its Chief Engineer in that position."

Dearka vanished from in front of Ryu, reappearing in a nearby corner in a fetal position with a dark aura of gloom around him. "D-Don't remind me of that…" he whimpered.

"Eh? What's wrong, Dearka-kun?" a very familiar voice belonging to a certain trap floated over to the duo.

"Hey there, Fubuki," Ryu greeted, looking over to the feminine looking male. "Dearka here's just regretting some life decisions that he'll never live down, that's all, what brings you here?"

"Oh, alright," an oblivious Fubuki blinked before replying, "Kira-san ordered some coffee from the kitchens for you, knowing you'd still be hard at work. Onee-chan sent me with it."

"Ah, thanks kid," Ryu said, accepting the Zero-gee canister of coffee. "Yeah, looks like it's going to be an all-nighter, interested in doing some Reactor work with us?"

"Well…" Fubuki glanced down at his clothes, consisting of a blouse and a pair of tight jeans that showed off his feminine figure. "I'd like to learn some stuff about reactors, but I'm not in appropriate clothes for working…" he confessed.

"There are some coveralls in the storage room there," he informed. "Plus work shirts that you can have, they're on the small side for the engineers here, probably would fit you though."

"Alright," Fubuki acquiesced and headed off into the storage room Ryu had indicated.

"Geh, you want me to work beside her… him!?" Dearka was still clearly having trouble wrapping his head around the fact that Fubuki was a he and not a she.

"Going to have to get used to it eventually," Ryu pointed out. "Plus, he's a good kid, although he probably could stand to have a bit more… male influence in his life."

"Argh… this is going to be really awkward for me…" Dearka groaned, rubbing the back of his head.

"Get over it," Ryu said with a sigh. "Everyone has to work with someone they feel awkward around at some point, Fubuki is that for you."

"Sorry to keep you waiting…" Fubuki stepped up to the group shyly in a set of baggy orange coveralls.

Ryu looked over waving his hand in dismissal. "No worries," he assured, taking a drink of his coffee. "Alright, let's get in there boys, that reactor won't hook itself up, although that would be incredibly helpful."

"Got it!" Fubuki nodded.


With Lacus


"Hey Athrun, how are you doing?" Lacus chirped as she approached him.

"Hey there, Lacus," Athrun replied. "I've been doing alright - saw your Press Conference, actually."

"Were you surprised that I chose to join Fenrir?" she asked curiously.

"A bit," Athrun admitted. "I mean, I know by now of your relationship with Kira and Ryu - I'm glad you actually managed to find the pair of someones right for you, by the way - and I knew you were thinking of retiring from the music industry, but I hadn't realized you'd made the decision to officially join up with Fenrir."

Lacus shrugged in response. "Well, considering who I am in a relationship and whose child I'm carrying…" she pointed out with a wry grin. "Is it all that surprising?"

"Good point," Athrun admitted with a shrug of his own. "Well, apart from that and the new ship, how was your trip to the PLANTs?"

"Well… there are three new units we got that are going to be assigned soon," Lacus informed. "Nuclear powered units."

Athrun started at that. "Nuclear powered?!" he exclaimed. "But that's useless in the presence of N-Jammers…" He trailed off, his eyes widening as he began to realize it. "Unless…"

"N-Jammer Cancellers, yup," Lacus agreed with a nod. "Dad gave 'em to us for safe keeping."

Athrun sighed. "More and more, I've been wondering just what my father is thinking," he said. "And since he's the only one who could have ordered the construction of N-Jammer Cancellers, this is the biggest question of that, yet - I mean, it doesn't just enable nuclear power. If it somehow falls into the hands of LOGOS, it'll open up their Nuclear Arsenal again."

"But, we're not going to let that happen, now are we?" Lacus asked with a grin. "Hey Athrun, would you be able to give me a hand with something?"

"Uh, sure," Athrun replied, following Lacus as she made her way through the colony. "What do you need help with?"

"Nothing big, just need to talk with you about something in private, here this'll do," she indicated a storage closet they came up to. "Go ahead Athrun."

"Um… alright…" Athrun replied, going into the closet… only to be surprised that there was someone already in there. "Huh? Cagalli?"

"Athrun?" Cagalli, wearing a dark red t-shirt that hugged her curves with a jean skirt that went about halfway down her thighs and a pair of knee high heeled boots, replied, her face beginning to heat up. "Lacus, what's the meaning of thi-"

Cagalli was cut off as the door was shut and locked from the outside. "You two are not allowed out until I hear Cagalli screaming out in an orgasm," Lacus informed through the door. "Have fun!"

Athrun was blushing up a storm. "I can't believe she did this," he muttered.

"She… what?" Cagalli sputtered. "I thought Lacus was supposed to be some kind of Virgin Mary figure!"

"I'm beginning to realize that's a bit of a facade," Athrun remarked. "She can be a bit of a schemer when she puts her mind to it…"

"Not to mention perverted," Cagalli muttered, crossing her arms over her bust. "I've seen some… outfits appearing in Kira's wardrobe ever since Lacus got involved."

"True," Athrun replied. After a moment's silence, he then looked at Cagalli. "So… we really haven't had a chance to talk… at least, not since that time Fubuki… read our emotions, essentially."

Cagalli lit up in a luminescent blush, ducking her head as she looked away. "Uhh… yeah," she muttered. "Umm…"

Athrun walked up to her. "Cagalli… I…" Not really sure of what to say, he grabbed her head, turned her to face him, and touched his lips gently to hers.

Cagalli froze as he pulled away from her, a look of wonderment on her face as she stared at him for a few moments. Suddenly, she pushed him against the wall fiercely, before capturing his lips in a much more fierce and passionate kiss.

* * * LEMON ALERT! * * *

Athrun groaned as he began returning the kiss, finally knowing for certain that Cagalli returned his affections. As they continued kissing, he reached out and began fondling her breasts through her shirt.

Cagalli moaned as she felt him fondle her breasts as she reached down and started to fumble with his zipper. "Fucking zippers!" she cursed as they broke away.

Athrun chuckled slightly. "Yeah, they can be a pain sometimes," he said as he helped her with it, allowing her to unzip his pants and pull them down enough to free his already hardening erection.

"Whatever," Cagalli gasped as she hiked up her skirt and pushed her slightly damp panties to the side. "Stick that monster into me and fuck me."

"Al… alright…" Athrun stuttered a bit as he flipped them around, pushing Cagalli up the wall to allow him better access to her entrance, positioning his cock at her entrance before pushing it in.

Cagalli whimpered slightly as her folds parted for his member, elation filling her being at being joined with Athrun. "So big," she groaned out.

"Cagalli… you're so tight…" Athrun grunted as he continued pushing into her. He was a little surprised at not encountering a hymen, having taken Sex Ed and knowing about the 'virgin barrier' as it was sometimes called.

"Oh god… so much warmer than a dildo… bigger, too," Cagalli gasped eagerly as she rocked against him. "Please, pound into me."

Well, that explained the lack of a hymen - she'd used a dildo to break it herself. Athrun smiled at her, before pulling out slightly and then slamming back in, going until their hips met this time.

Cagalli let out a scream of pleasure as she wrapped her arms and legs around him tightly. "Yes~" she hissed out. "I can feel it so deep inside me!"

"And you feel so tight…" Athrun replied, as he pulled back out and thrust in once more. "It's like you're trying to suck me back in whenever I pull back… I've never felt anything like this before…!"

Cagalli's mind blanked out for a moment as she felt him hit against her cervix. "Oh god, Athrun," she gasped. "Fuck my womb, push your cock in to my deepest parts."

Athrun simply nodded, beginning to pick up the pace as he kept thrusting as deeply as possible.

"Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck," Cagalli chanted as he came closer and closer to penetrating her. "Athrun… I'm going to cum…"

"M… me, too, Cagalli!" Athrun replied. Part of him didn't want to risk accidentally knocking her up, but when he went to pull out, her legs tightened against his waist, preventing him from doing so.

"If you pull out I will kick your ass," she shouted as she felt him just about to enter. "You're almost there Athrun, breach my womb!"

"Cagalli!" Athrun yelled, thrusting in one last time, going as deep as he could before he began shooting his load within her.

Cagalli screamed as he pushed past her cervix and came directly into her womb, her entire body seemingly aflame from the pleasure being generated by the action. "Athrun!" she shouted in orgasmic bliss.

Athrun just kept shooting load after load directly into her womb, holding her tightly against his as they rode out their orgasms. As they finally came down, Athrun whispered, "Cagalli… I love you…"

Cagalli flushed slightly, but nodded. "I love you too, Athrun," she whispered. "Who would've thought the Princess of Orb and the son of the Defense Minister of the PLANTs would end up together?"

"I have no idea…" Athrun replied, before his expression turned more serious. "And are you sure it's alright that I came inside you like that? I mean, what if…" His sentence trailed off, but the bent of his statement was more than clear.

"I started on contraceptives when I joined Fenrir," she admitted. "So doubt that'll be a problem, it was my father's one condition to allowing me to do this."

Athrun sighed a bit in relief. "That's good, then," he said. "I don't want to follow the examples of our main 'couples' by becoming a father this early - maybe someday, but definitely not now."

Cagalli nodded in agreement. "I'm nowhere near as reckless as my sister," she muttered. "And she already has a kid."

"Yeah," Athrun remarked. "Though he is definitely cute… part of me wonders what his half-sibling'll be like when Lacus finally has her kid?"

"Adorable and pink haired in my guess," Cagalli commented.

"True," Athrun remarked, before his cock twitched slightly, confirming he was still buried deep inside her. "You… want to go again, Cagalli?"

"Start moving before I kick your ass," Cagalli returned, moaning as he began to fondle her breasts again. "And don't ignore my boobs this time."

* * * LEMON OVER! * * *

Outside the closet, Lacus smiled as she heard them begin to go at it again, before she adjusted the lock on the closet to only disengage when opened from the inside, so they could leave when they wanted while still not being disturbed, before she set out to find Kira and Ryu, and let them know her plan worked.


With Kira


Kira blinked as she looked up from the report she was reading before a wide smirk crossed her face. "YES! My sister finally got laid!" she shouted out happily, moving over to the playpen where Shiro was playing with some blocks. "Hear that Shiro, your auntie finally got some action."

Shiro gurgled slightly.

Kira giggled as she picked him up. "Someday, you'll understand, buddy," she explained. "But, for now, let's go visit Uncle Shinny, shall we?"

Shiro gurgled again as Kira headed out.


An Hour Later - Asuka residence


"So Shinn, how is it to have an actual house now?" Kira asked as sat on a leather sofa, bouncing a happily gurgling Shiro on her knee.

"Feels nice," Shinn admitted, Flay and Jade next to him on another sofa. "A lot more room than our apartments back on Heliopolis, and especially more than our quarters on the Archangel." He shrugged. "We even have a room set up for a nursery - took a bit of work figuring out furniture for that."

Kira giggled. "Let me guess, you went all alpha male and tried to set it up without looking at the instructions, didn't you?" she asked teasingly.

Shinn shrugged. "Partly that, yes," he said. "The other part was more 'what furniture or decor should we get to appeal to our tastes, as well as the potential tastes of the children?'"

Kira giggled. "Well, all the same you did a good job," she complimented, tossing him a tablet. "Here, got a reassignment order for you."

Shinn looked over the tablet. "A new machine?" he asked.

Kira nodded. "A new one from ZAFT, it's powered by an Ultracompact Nuclear Reactor," she explained. "And equipped with a N-Jammer Canceller."

"Wow…" Shinn remarked. "This… this is big."

"I'll say," Flay added. "This could solve the energy crisis all over the planet due to the N-Jammers. But, it could also enable the use of Nuclear weapons again…"

Kira nodded. "You're being assigned the Conviction and stationed aboard the Archangel," she explained. "Flay and Jade will be stationed there as well, until they come to term when they will be given maternal leave."

"Makes sense," Flay replied, looking over Shinn's shoulder at the tablet. "From what I can see of the Conviction, it looks like they mashed together all of the Strike's main Striker Packs and put them on one unit… that sound right?"

Kira nodded. "Athrun and Cagalli are being assigned the other two units we got and will be stationed aboard the Archangel," she continued. "We're going to assign Murrue the position of Commander, and when our shipyards are operational, she will be put in charge of one of our battlegroups."

"Right," Flay replied. "Well, we'll be ready - I think things are starting to come to a head for this war…"

Kira nodded. "They are," she affirmed. "Terminal contacted us, they're going to focus their efforts on LOGOS on earth, they want us to focus on the Zala Loyalists."

Shinn sighed at that. "Man, Athrun's got to be feeling that pretty hard," he said. "Having to go up against his own father, simply because said father went crazy after Junius 7…"

"We're… distracting him," Kira said. "Rather… Cagalli is."

Shinn, Flay, and Jade blinked at that. "You mean, she and Athrun finally…" Flay began.

"Got down and dirty, in a supply closet no less," Kira affirmed.

Flay cheered. "It's about time!" she declared. "The tension between those two was getting so thick you could cut it with a chainsaw!"

"I know right, plus they did it in a supply closet," Jade cheered. "Oh man, that is such good material."

"And it's a good thing Lord Uzumi had her start taking those contraceptives when she joined us," Flay remarked. "Otherwise, they might be experiencing some… unintended consequences."

"Tell me about it," Kira giggled. "Not to mention having to protect Athrun from the 'Lion of Orb'."

Shinn nodded. "Yeah, Lord Uzumi's temper is well known," he remarked. "So, I'm assuming someone locked them in that supply closet…?"

"Lacus," Kira answered.

Flay nodded. "Figured it was her," she said. "She's definitely a lot different than her public image."

"It's pretty awesome to see the side of the 'Pink Princess' that no one else even knows exists," Jade said with a giggle.

"Yeah," Shinn replied. "Well, I should probably go check out the Conviction, maybe work on adapting the OS to suit my preferences…" He paused. "By the way, who's getting the Strike?"

"Not certain yet," Kira responded. "We're taking it off the roster for upgrading for the time being. All units are going to be rotated, actually, my own, the Vidar and the Thor are undergoing upgrades right now."

"I see," Flay remarked. "What kinds of upgrades do you have in mind for the Blitz?"

"Mostly upgrading its combat capability," Kira informed. "And yes, Jade, the Exeed is included in the upgrades."

"Sweet, awesome upgrades for my awesome mobile armor!" Jade cheered happily, pumping a fist into the air.

Shinn nodded. "Alright, let's see what I can do with the Conviction," he said. "Flay, Jade, you alright if I head out now?"

"Sure, go ahead," Jade affirmed. "I'm gonna spend some time spoiling my cute little nephew and go with Kira to pick up Stella from school."

"I'll go with you, Shinn," Flay announced. "Might as well learn about your new machine, as well."

Shinn nodded. "Alright. We'll see you later, Jade."

"Later!" Jade waved as she picked up Shiro, cooing as she tickled his stomach, making him laugh wildly. "Ready, Kira?"

"Yeah," Kira replied. "Let's go."


END CHAPTER