It has been awhile since I have written anything so I would really like to hear some feedback. Especially if it is too slow-paced or you are getting easily lost on what is going on. Thanks! Also, I have made some minor changes in previous chapters. The largest one being that I changed the name of the Pennant to Sargon to fit more with nature of other Earth Alliance ships.

Within two days, the boys had the brig ready for the prisoners to move in. This extra strain on top of our normal agenda had taken a toll on our crew. We were involved in two major missions that were very time and energy consuming. In the past few days there were only four or five people at the base at any given time. Many of them had been working on little sleep, and it was starting to show. Tensions were rising. I was worried that it was only time before something — or someone — would snap.

Even in the moments when I tried to get sleep, I couldn't. My mind was restless. I was constantly brooding over the situation at hand. They were my prisoners according to Raasik, and thus my responsibility. After saving them, I couldn't let them just die now. But that is all I had decided on. Did we offer them up for ransom? Send them off in their mobile suits to only lead a ZAFT army back to our base? Just abandon them in a random location? I also knew that they couldn't stay much longer. Before long, one of the crew members might just finish off the job themselves. Some of them were very uneasy around Coordinators. There was one in particular who I knew still saw the majority of Coordinators as a cancer that should be eradicated.

"Please, will one of you check on Nicol. I think he is really sick. Please!" I could hear one of the prisoners call out from the brigs as I walked by the door.

"I thought I told you guys to shut up!" I could hear Nolin's voice yelling at them.

I quickly stopped in my tracks, and hastened into the large room trying to assess what was going on.

"She will help us! Please!"

"What is going on here?" I demanded while I glared at Nolin, and then at the prisoners. We figured out that all of them were Red pilots. I noticed immediately that something was wrong with that same ZAFT Red pilot from before. He was deathly still.

The cellmate of the sick prisoner started to inform me. "It's our comrade, Nicol. I don't know what is happening but he isn't very responsive, and he has a high fever."

I tried observing him from the cell door. He was curled into a ball. His usually fair skin seemed quite flush and his breathing was quite shallow, if at all existent. "Nolin, open the door!"

"What?" He challenged me.

"You heard me, now do it!"

"What if this is just a ploy for us to open the door?"

"I will take that chance. Now open it!" I demanded.

"Fine." He started to punch in the code.

"You," I pointed at the cellmate, "move to the other side. Nolin, keep your eye on him."

As soon as the door slid open, I rushed in to the bedside of the sick soldier and started checking his vitals. "How long has been like this?"

The cellmate piped in once again. "It started a day ago and has gotten exceedingly worse. He has been this bad for about two hours. He said he was just fine several hours ago, but I knew he was lying."

"And you did nothing, Nolin?" I shot him a glare.

"I didn't think it was that bad." He tried defending himself.

"Sure." I scoffed. "He needs medical attention. I am taking him to Jakob." I started to pick him up.

"You're being ridiculous, Array." Nolin stopped me from going out of the cell. "Are you going to carry him there by yourself?"

"If that is what it will take. Now, move Nolin."

Nolin sighed. "Fine."

"Thank you." I made my way through the doorway.

In one of the hallways on the way to Jakob's room I saw Cole. "Cole! Can you please help me?"

"Yes, of course." He took the prisoner from my arms. Cole looked down at the prisoner. "What are you doing exactly, Array?"

"He's really sick. I need to take him to Jakob."

He nodded his head in understanding.

We finally made it to Jakob's room. I pressed on the intercom button to his room. "Jakob! Jakob!"

After a short delay, Jakob responded sleepily. "Yes?"

"We have someone here who needs some medical attention."

"Okay, one second."

As soon as he opened the door I barged in. "Cole, Put him on the bed, please."

Cole set him down on the bed gently and took a few steps back.

"Wait," Jakob interjected, "this is one of our prisoners, Array."

"I know. Just look at him please, Jakob." I turned to Cole. "Thank you, Cole. Can you by chance relieve Nolin at the brigs? I was supposed to take over for him."

"Of course I can, Array."

"Thank you. I owe you one." I called out to Cole, as he started to walk away. I turned towards Jakob. "So?"

"This is the one that got shot in the side isn't it." He ripped open his shirt to get a look at his side. "Well, he has a very high fever and a fast heartbeat. But... yup, what I expected. The wound in his side has become infected. I think I can help him though." He ran over to his cabinet and grabbed his large medical kit. "I am going to give him some antibiotics and something to alleviate the fever. Then I will clean out the wound."

I heard a rustle from the soldier, and looked over at the boy on the bed. He slightly moved his head and opened his eyes. "Mother? Where am I?"

"It's okay," I spoke softly trying to soothe him. "Jakob is going to take care of you."

Jakob came over with a syringe in his hands. "He seem to be also delirious." He grabbed his arm trying to find a vein. It didn't take him long to find one and make the injection. "Well that part wasn't too hard. I am going to drain the wound now."

Jakob left to wash his hands and prepare everything. "Alright Array. You don't have to do much. Just hand me anything I ask for, and try to make him comfortable."

"Got it."

At first, everything went well. As Jakob went deeper into the wound though, I could tell the ZAFT soldier was in a lot of pain. I kneeled beside him and grabbed his hand, whispering gently. "It's okay. You can squeeze my hand if you want."

I saw him slightly open his eyes and give me a faint smile of gratitude amidst his grimaces.

"Are you almost done, Jakob?"

"Yes I am." I could hear him behind me step away and walk towards the counter. He then returned and grabbed all of his supplies, placing them on his desk. "I drained the wound. There was a lot of pus in there. It was pretty badly infected. If I had caught this sooner it wouldn't have been this bad though. I don't think moving him tonight would be a good idea." Jakob looked at one of his occupied bed and then the empty one across from it.

"You can take the bed in my room, Jakob. I don't think you would get much sleep here." I jested. "I will look after him tonight."

"Oh, Array." He shook his head at me but didn't object. After he washed up, Jakob grabbed a few things and headed out the door.

I followed behind him. As the door closed behind us, I stopped Jakob before he could go any further. "Jakob, please be honest. Do you think he will make it?"

"I think he may have Septicemia but we will have to wait and see for sure. I think he will make it...he is a Coordinator after all. Good thing you came when you did though. That is one of the highest fevers I had ever seen. Just keep a close eye on him throughout the night. I left some stuff out for you if he needs it."

"Thank you, Jakob... for everything. Have a good sleep."

"Thanks, I will come check up on him in the morning." He walked down the hall and made his way into my room.

I re-entered Jakob's room quietly. Now, there was only a small light left on at Jakob's desk. I treaded in softly and made my home on a chair facing towards Jakob's bed. For awhile I just sat there making a routine of staring at the soldier, then at the ceiling, the lamp, some other inanimate object and then back again to the soldier. After awhile I got up to check on the patient once again. He shivered a little at my touch. His temperature was slowly falling. I checked his pulse: so was his heartbeat. To occupy my time I pulled my chair up to his bedside and observed his face. The faint light fell softly on his face, accentuating his youth. He is just a boy. Most boys his age would be taken care of by their mothers, not by outcast people like me. What an awry and depraved world we live in.

The soldier made a small moan sound as he lethargically tried to move to get more comfortable. I gently ran my fingers through his curly hair a few times to try and calm him down to go back to sleep. His breathing became deep once more.