Gundam Seed: The Federation ver 2

by Blackshadow999

Different telling of Gundam Seed. With the conflict between Naturals and Coordinators getting worse as time passes, some nations have banded together and formed the organization known as the Human Federation. Will the Federation be able to help bring peace or will the hatred between Naturals and Coordinators destroy everything and bring extinction of humanity? Cover by Saddle Patch

72. Phase 72 Apprehension

A/n

Here be the next Phase, I hope you readers enjoy it even when it isn't "action-fill." It helps the story move along and that is about the multiple postings, old version got mixed up in this.

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Phase 72: Apprehension

October 7th, 73 C.E.

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Onogoro, Orb Union

Tyler returned to the Normandy after dinner at the orphanage via the heli and then drove from the airport to the Normandy. He was willing to take the night shift being on call should there be any need for an officer came up. There was the chance that those at Orb's military command may reach out to the ship while it was around Onogoro. It wasn't unheard of for the military control center to ask things of ships docked at their nation. Tyler had found that out during his military service career. And Lisa would be on the day shift while the Normandy was docked at Onogoro when Tyler was not around. It was the agreement that the two had come to for managing things while in port. Should there be any question relating to resupply or repair, there wouldn't be any delay with an officer on duty.

When Tyler got back to the Normandy, he checked in with the bridge crew and found the skeleton crew was managing things just fine. So, Tyler decided to go to his quarters and glance over the report given to the Normandy from Onogoro and Morgenroete. Upon opening the report, Tyler took the next hour to study its contents. From what Tyler could see, the Normandy's repair and resupply would take a few days to complete. The ship had taken some minor damage both during the encounter with Phantom Pain and the Alliance group harassing the Federation escort. As stated in the report, there was nothing that couldn't be fixed by Morgenroete. Chief Simmons had noted the repairs would be done first before resupply. The reason for that was some of the damage had been done around the cargo hold. And since space was at a premium for the Normandy, there wasn't the option to give up much, if any. But all in all, Tyler was glad there was nothing horrible to handle with the Normandy's repairs and resupply.

The time needed for repairs and resupply would also allow an opportunity for shore leave for the Normandy's crew. Tyler wanted his crew to have some downtime to unwind and relax. He'd seen the other end of the spectrum of crew treatment several times during his military service. The example that stood out most to Tyler was Natarle, who was second-in-command of the Archangel. The woman had essentially pounded the Archangel's crew into the ground with her pushing for "the mission." Tyler didn't want to be in any way like that with those under his command. He wanted to be the kind of captain that crews would be willing and perhaps even beg to be under. Idealistic, perhaps, but Tyler strived to be the best man he could be, as his parents had taught him. After reviewing the reports, Tyler headed for his bed and got some time to sleep with nothing coming up that needed his attention.

On the third day in Onogoro's port, things took a turn that Tyler had not expected. The day had begun much as before, with the Normandy in port with a skeleton crew at stations. Half the crew had left the ship to enjoy shore leave as they should. The Normandy had finished its repairs and was being resupplied for the day. The ship should be ready to leave Onogoro tomorrow morning. Tyler expected things to be quiet for the day with no surprises, and evidence implied he would receive what he expected. He planned to visit the orphanage one more time before shipping out with the Normandy. Tyler felt he would be busy for a while, so he wouldn't be able to reach out to his friend Kira. It would be a nice way to end the short shore leave that Tyler had been enjoying. And there was little Tyler could foresee that would taint or ruin it before it came to a close. So, Tyler took a heli back to the Marshall Islands, intending to stay for a portion of the day. When he arrived, the orphanage was unchanged from how it was a few days ago when he'd last visited. The kids still swarmed around him shortly after he arrived, which Tyler appreciated. Being around the kids was a form of stress relief for Tyler, and he certainly needed that after witnessing what Phantom Pain had done around Milos and ZAFT's Armory One.

The rest of the morning and the afternoon flew by for Tyler as he played with the kids around the orphanage. The offer for Tyler to stay for dinner was extended as the sun was beginning to touch the horizon. It served as a reminder for him that he should be seriously thinking about returning to the Normandy. The ship was to head out in the morning for the Republic. Thus, it was better for Tyler not to stay too long at the orphanage. It was harder to refuse when some of the kids began saying in different ways that Tyler should stay for the meal. Yet, Tyler knew he would need to be on the Normandy soon enough to take over as the commanding officer. If he stayed, that would be delayed, and he didn't want to do that when the Normandy was due to ship out in the morning.

Tyler was about to get down to politely declining the offer, doing so in a way it wouldn't disappoint the kids too much. He knew the kids would be disappointed he wouldn't be staying, but it couldn't be helped in the end. The adults would understand why he needed to head out instead of staying for the customary meal. However, before Tyler got the chance to say a thing, he felt an all too familiar shiver shoot up his spine. The shiver was so specific that Tyler froze a bit as his mind raced to explain why the shiver had come and why the one that caused it could possibly be around the orphanage. The shiver normally came when Tyler's stalker Sakura popped up around where he was. It was one of the few warnings he ever got for Sakura, trying to take him by surprise.

The shiver had been a developed response that had formed over the years. Tyler had been forced to endure Sakura's stalking him. The woman hadn't let up since the end of the Alliance-PLANT War. If anything, Sakura had doubled down on pursuing him. She popped up at seemingly random since Tyler couldn't figure out any pattern to the encounters. And Tyler had been finding avoiding Sakura was becoming harder than it used to be. Then when she found him, Sakura would demand his full attention and wouldn't be given an option in the matter. And what was worse in Tyler's mind, he still hadn't gotten a serious, viable answer as to why the woman did what she did around him. So, Sakura could have some weird interest that he had no idea about, which drove her to stalk him for all he knew.

With that in mind, Tyler quickly said he couldn't stay for dinner, as much as he would love to do so. Tyler gave his refusal in the politest way he could, but he knew he had to leave as soon as possible. The shiver said Sakura was nearby, which wasn't helpful for him to avoid her. It also said he had a chance to slip away from his stalker before she caught up and trapped him for a time. Tyler didn't kid himself at the chance he had to get away from Sakura, even temporarily. It was a slim chance to pull off successfully, worked a quarter of the time on average at best. However, Tyler was willing to gamble and try for the slim chance whenever he got any type of warning Sakura was closing in on him. And what's more, Tyler didn't want the kids at the orphanage to see what Sakura did around him. They shouldn't see the woman's antics and think that was acceptable behavior.

When Tyler finished his refusal, he turned and headed for the back door facing the beach. He planned to circle the orphanage and get to the car he had used to get here from the landing site. Tyler would employ every skill he'd learned from his SOLAS training to evade Sakura and get back to the Normandy. If he had to lock down the Normandy to keep Sakura away, Tyler would do that in a heartbeat. He would come up with answers to any questions raised about the lockdown by the crew later. It was a fair plan and should be successful if things worked in Tyler's favor. And yet, as hopeful as Tyler tried to be, avoiding his stalker was rarely so straightforward or simple as his plan made it out to be. Sakura had an uncanny knack for being able to track Tyler, which he couldn't logically explain. It bordered on supernatural, and it freaked him out sometime and had a creepy factor to it. The point motivated Tyler to work extremely hard to avoid Sakura when he could.

Tyler had taken only a few steps toward the back door before he heard the front door bang open behind him. He didn't hesitate; Tyler broke into a sprint at hearing the front door assuming it was Sakura entering. It meant his chances of escaping were shrinking fast, and he had to make a break for it if he was to slip away. It was a serious gamble, but Tyler would take that if it could get him away from Sakura tonight. He'd reached the back door, flung it open, and, for a brief moment, believed he'd slip away into the dying evening light. However, that hope was dashed as a body crashed into his back. Tyler was forced to the ground with Sakura clinging to him, making him top-heavy and his balance out of whack.

Sakura had only planned to visit her baby sister as she had the time to do so. She had more time to do things ever since she'd retired from ZAFT that she'd been unable to make the time for. Granted, a portion of the newfound time went to pursuing Tyler, and Sakura wouldn't deny that was fun. However, she didn't spend all her free time chasing him; there were other things she did regardless of what her beloved may claim. And with Lacus staying around an orphanage, Sakura could get some experience with kids. Sakura hadn't had much luck with kids since Lacus had been really young. Thus, Sakura could use the chance to polish up the skill set for use at a later time.

The times before when Sakura had visited the orphanage, the kids had been wary of her. However, Lacus had been encouraging them to give her a chance, according to what Lacus had told Sakura when they had talked. It helped Sakura in the change she'd been attempting to make in the way others saw her. Her reputation within ZAFT had made such extremely difficult since the vast majority in ZAFT feared her. If that wasn't bad enough, the stories the soldiers would tell about Sakura made others gain that fear of her. It was one of the reasons she retired and then "vanished" from the PLANTs, to get away from all of that. That had helped somewhat, but Sakura still had a lot of work to do in order to change her image. Visiting Lacus was to check on her and to get time away from those that were afraid and avoided her. Nevertheless, the trip had been potentially extra special when Lacus had mentioned her beloved Tyler had stopped by recently. If he was still in the area, she might be able to get some time with him. Sakura wasn't about to say no to getting some quality time with Tyler if she could manage it. And, low and behold, her wish had come true as Tyler had been at the orphanage when Sakura had gotten there. So, of course, Sakura had rushed forward and embraced her beloved with the joy of being able to find him once again with a squeal.

Lacus had been the one to open the front door before the scene had become what it was. She'd been expecting her older sister to drop by either in the evening or the next morning. Sakura said that when Lacus had talked to her a few days ago. Lacus hadn't been against Sakura swinging by and seeing her. Sakura had mentioned she'd "retired" from ZAFT's military months ago. What had made her decide that Lacus couldn't say with certainty? But it had been nice for Sakura to visit more regularly since military service wasn't keeping her busy. The kids at the orphanage had been wary of Sakura when she had started coming by. Most were uneasy around Sakura due to all the things she used to do and those leaving their marks. Yet, as Sakura had kept visiting, the kids had started getting used to her and not avoiding her. Sakura also kept Lacus in the know about their father.

She somehow knew how to reach him and where he might be. How Sakura knew that kind of information, Lacus didn't know. Their father, Siegel, had vanished from the public eye better and more smoothly than Lacus had by what she'd been able to find out. Lacus had been made to cover her tracks in multiple ways so others would not have success in finding her. She assumed her father had done similar steps and more since he had political experience, which many would seek after. And he had more potential enemies that would target him than Lacus did, though she didn't want to think about that. Lacus knew there were some that would want to use her influence as an idol to advance their agendas. It was one of the reasons she'd gone into hiding with Kira, to get away from that possibility.

Nonetheless, while Lacus knew Sakura "had feelings for" Tyler, she still didn't know where that stood. She'd seen signs Sakura more than liked Tyler, but something in her said it was more than just a passing interest. Even so, Lacus had been taken by surprise when Sakura rushed past her shortly after the front door had opened. Lacus had enough time to take in what Sakura had been wearing as she shot past her. Sakura was in a white blouse with a dark red bow that sat over her upper chest and was tied somewhat loosely around the neck with close to a foot-long ribbon ends going down from the bow. Over the blouse was a black dress coat, and to finish off the outfit was a pair of dress pants. It wasn't the kind of ensemble that Sakura would normally wear when she came to visit. Lacus also saw that her older sister was keeping the longer hair she had grown out of since the war. It fell to her mid-back instead of her neck as it had before. With Sakura's beauty, it made Lacus curious if she would be just as beautiful given more time. She wanted to be attractive to Kira; she loved him, after all. And as she believed any girl who had a boy they liked, she wanted him to look at her and like what he saw.

The next thing Lacus took in, Sakura had tackled Tyler down to the ground. Tyler had been at the back door when Sakura had gotten to him. She assumed Tyler had been trying to slip away from the orphanage after his decline for dinner. He might have even somehow known Sakura had been coming to the front door. Tyler seemed to have a knack for knowing when Sakura would pop up around himself. Lacus didn't want to say Tyler was right and that her older sister was "stalking" him. She wanted to think that Sakura was just passionately pursuing Tyler and that she loved him honestly. Lacus loved her older sister, even when so many were afraid of her because of what she'd done during her military service. She wanted to say that the Alliance-PLANT War had soured her sister somewhat, which was what others saw. And it was hard to believe she could be scary with how she squealed as she lept at Tyler.

Tyler collapsed to the ground, with Sakura collided with him. And while Tyler was grateful for the grass that helped lessen the impact of the fall, he hadn't wanted to fall in the first place. As irritated as Tyler was with Sakura tackling him, he had to concentrate on ignoring her pressing her body against his. Instead, like any sane person Tyler would imagine would do, he shouted for help. He knew that when it came to it, he couldn't best Sakura when it came to strength. The woman had more than he did; he wouldn't argue that for the moment. Most just watched as Sakura began nuzzling Tyler's cheek as she clung to him.

Tyler was beginning to flail against Sakura's hold when Lacus approached the two. The kid quickly started chattering with one another as she made her way toward the back of the orphanage. Lacus heard odd things as she had been closing the distance toward Sakura. Some were saying that Tyler was being silly, and others were laughing at the scene happening in front of them. It would be embarrassing for Lacus to see her sister like this if it wasn't so rare for Sakura to show emotion around others. "Sakura," Lacus began, "while you mentioned you would be stopping by, you may want to think about the situation."

Sakura didn't care that others were watching her show affection to her beloved. Others could witness what she did and be jealous as they wished her to have her beloved Tyler to love her. It had been close to a month since she'd been able to hug Tyler, and she would have her fill. Thus, Sakura hummed contentedly, "Give me five more minutes at least, Lacus; I may need more," she purred. "I have missed embracing my beloved, it hasn't happened for a month, and I need my fill." Lacus blinked, processing what she'd just heard from her older sister. She had thought she had been hearing things for a moment. Sakura was the last person Lacus would ever expect to hear a "purr" to come from. Sure, Lacus had used something similar to the purring tone with Kira when it was just them, but that was different. However, Sakura just didn't seem the type to purr at all for any reason, even for Tyler. Lacus was trying to think of something she could say since Tyler was clearly not wanting what Sakura was doing yet could come up with nothing.

On the other hand, Tyler wasn't pleased with the situation he'd been forced into. He didn't like Sakura showing affection to him like this when she popped up. When it was just the two of them, Tyler dealt with this kind of thing by either getting Sakura to go away, or he gets away from her. It was even more embarrassing in this instance as there was an audience to view it. And yet, there was still the part of Tyler that "liked" Sakura's affections, and that hadn't gone away over time as Tyler had hoped it would. So, Tyler managed to twist around in Sakura's hold, so he was facing her. That put him at risk of her kissing him, which came with its own set of problems that Tyler had no interest in dealing with currently, but he needed her off of him. Thus, he began using his hands to push Sakura away from him. "No, Sakura. No more time for you; get off me now," Tyler grunted. "I've told you umpteenth times already, I'm not interested in courting, dating, or anything like that with you. You're attractive and everything, but you and I are too different for things to EVER work between us." Tyler paused to take a deep breath, "We've talked about this, or rather, I've told you this many times. NOW LET ME GOOO!"

At Tyler's screech for help from those around him, the majority of the children began laughing at the scene. Tyler didn't like being the main subject of entertainment for others to enjoy unless he intended to be. And that Sakura was showing affection was part of said entertainment made it all the more frustrating and embarrassing for him. In response to the laughter, Tyler struggled harder against Sakura's hold, but it was to no avail. Sakura held fast with her embrace with a smile on her face with the happiness she was experiencing having contact with Tyler. She began giggling at Tyler's effort to get away from her affectionate expressions. Sakura was enjoying this embrace far too much to let it end so quickly.

Lacus moved forward and attempted to get Sakura to let Tyler go and stop making a scene. The keyword was "attempt," as Sakura didn't listen, nor would she let go when Lacus tried to pull her off. Kira did move to help Lacus after a minute or two of her working to get Sakura off of Tyler. The other adults were mostly trying to process what was happening. Caridad and Murrue had seen the woman on Tyler before. By what Lacus said, she was her older sister, which she'd only mentioned a few times in conversation. However, Andrew and Aisha knew who the woman was before she'd visited the first time. How could they not know of her when she had been ZAFT's best pilot after Treize and the Comet? She was Commander Sakura Clyne, the Black Zephyr, the most feared pilot ZAFT had. And yet now, that same feared woman was hugging Kira's friend Tyler, giggling with glee as she did so. It was so out of character for the woman that Andrew and Aisha were having trouble believing they were seeing what they were.

It took close to thirty minutes to pry Sakura away from Tyler, and it took the help of Kira, Lacus, Andrew, and Aisha. The moment Sakura didn't have him trapped, Tyler crawled away and made some distance from the woman. Tyler kept crawling, seemingly being ignored by all around him. Tyler wasn't about to say no to the opportunity of an unnoticed escape from the situation he'd been in. It was a chance to get away from Sakura and to the car Tyler had driven to get here. If he could get back to the landing field without Sakura catching up, he could get to the Normandy and be safe. Should he have to lock down the ship to ensure Sakura couldn't get on it, he would do just that. So, he used the focus on Sakura to slip out the back and into the darkness of the evening.

Lacus was lecturing Sakura, who was clearly not paying much if any, attention to her. Sakura was merely smiling as the lecture continued. Kira could only shake his head as Lacus kept telling Sakura what she'd been doing was not proper. Sakura's reputation made it clear that she wouldn't let another tell her what she should or shouldn't do. Supposedly, only a select few could give her orders, and Lacus wasn't one of those. Kira glanced over to where Tyler had been and, to his slight surprise, found his friend had vanished. It wasn't the disappearing act that surprised Kira. Tyler had a "gift" to vanish when he wanted to or benefitted him, seemingly on command. It was the uncannily amazing timing that the disappearance happened that was impressive to Kira. A soft rumble in the direction of the front of the orphanage. From what Kira could tell, it sounded like an engine, and Tyler had come in a car, so that was likely the source. Kira silently wished Tyler luck on getting to wherever he was heading before Sakura caught up to him.

Tyler had managed to slip out of the orphanage and crawl around the building to the car he'd driven here. He climbed in and drove back to the main road, trying not to be noticed by any inside the orphanage. Once reaching the main road, Tyler put the pedal to the floor and drove as fast as he could to the landing field. Tyler kept an eye on the car's mirrors to ensure he didn't have anyone following him. He had the car skid to a stop a short distance from the hall. Tyler had gotten used to somewhat of his legs again after what Sakura's affections had done to him. So, he got into the heli and got it into the air before turning it toward the mainland where the Normandy was.

Upon reaching the airfield that Tyler had borrowed the heli from, he landed the craft with the instruction from air traffic control. From there, Tyler used a vehicle to get back to the dock the Normandy was in as quickly as he could get away with. He made his way as fast as his legs could carry him up the gangway to the ship's outer airlock. Tyler used his ID stick to open the airlock and moved onto the Normandy. He then twisted to the nearby command display and input the command to lock down the airlock. Tyler didn't want there to be a chance for Sakura to get on the ship, which could have been prevented. Thus, locking down the airlock the dock was linked to was the best course of action. It would ensure only crew would be able to board the Normandy until the morning, and it would be leaving at that point. It was a sound plan for Tyler to avoid dealing with his stalker until the next time their paths crossed.

Once Tyler saw the command display show that the airlock was locked down as inputted, he leaned against the nearest wall. He was taking the time to calm his breathing now that he was safe on the Normandy. The only ones that could come onto the ship were crew members and officer-ranked Federation personnel, and Sakura was neither of those. Encountering Sakura at the orphanage had been bad enough with the work he'd been forced to do to escape her. But it was done, and he could move forward with time away from the woman, and Tyler would take that. After a few minutes, Tyler calmed down and started thinking about what he should do, as he would be on duty soon enough. He should check in with the bridge and ensure things were going alright. Tyler didn't doubt Lisa would ask about him locking down the airlock, and he would give the best answer he could without mentioning Sakura directly. Tyler made his way to the bridge and found everything looked to be going as it should, as the previous days had.

Meanwhile, today's shift had been quiet and uneventful on the bridge, much as it had been for the days the Normandy was docked at Orb. However, a short time ago, the airlock linked with the docking equipment opened and went into lockdown. That was odd as most of the crew was already back with the Normandy set to leave tomorrow morning. Those that were still out knew they needed to be back before morning. And really, none of them would have a reason to lock down the airlock or really had permission to do so. There was one exception in that group which was Tyler. Lisa couldn't come up with a logical reason that Tyler could have to lockdown the airlock. And Tyler wasn't the type to do something like locking down things on a whim.

It wasn't even ten minutes after the lockdown on the airlock had been put in place that Tyler came onto the bridge. Lisa turned and was forced to pause as she looked her friend over. Tyler looked more than ragged, for he looked like he'd come off worse from a mugging. Lisa knew Tyler wasn't one to lose a fight often; he knew how to handle himself in most situations he faced. So, it was a rare thing to see Tyler show signs he'd lost a fight. Lisa could only think of a few instances in that Tyler would lose an argument or fight that he would leave as it was. "You look like you had a hard evening," Lisa remarked. "Care to say what happened for you to look like you do and lockdown the outer airlock?"

Tyler didn't speak right away since there was so much to say and so little he wanted to say. Sakura was at fault for his ragged appearance; he wouldn't deny that. However, he didn't want to get into what he dealt with when it came to her. So few believed what Tyler could say about Sakura, and he honestly didn't blame them. The woman's reputation she'd earned during her service within ZAFT was extremely hard to argue. Tyler had just come to the point he didn't mention Sakura by name when he had to say something about the crap she brought on him. Yet, without getting into what his stalker did to him, Tyler couldn't justify locking down the outer airlock as he did. Thus, Tyler hesitated before he replied, "Oh," he began, "ran into my stalker, and they bugged me for a time before I was able to leave." Tyler paused momentarily, "And not wanting to deal with more of that, I decided it was best to lock the outer airlock. I'd rather not take chances with us heading out tomorrow, so crew only leaving and coming onto the Normandy, I say."

Lisa quickly understood why Tyler appeared as he did and locked down the airlock now. He didn't use the individual's name, but Lisa knew to whom he was referring when Tyler said "stalker." As Lisa recalled her name, the woman, Sakura Clyne, hadn't left Tyler alone after the war, from what he'd said. Every time Tyler seemed to encounter the woman, he came off the worse of the two. Thus, not wanting more of that explained why Tyler locked down the airlock. He didn't want the chance of Sakura sneaking onto the ship before they left tomorrow morning. "I see," Lisa remarked. "Did you need me to stay on shift for a bit longer?" Tyler shook his head, "No, go ahead and rest. I'll check things around here before cleaning up and getting some sleep."

Lisa left the bridge before Tyler took his seat and went over the Normandy's systems. Everything looked great for the ship. The repairs had been finished in the afternoon by Morgenroete. Volyon had loaded and secured the supplies the Normandy had received from Orb. From what Tyler could see, the ship was ready to head out tomorrow morning at 0800 hours as planned. A few crew members hadn't returned to ship yet, but Tyler assumed they would be back before the Normandy headed out. There was little for Tyler to do on the bridge at this time or tasks that needed his presence. Thus, once he'd checked things over, Tyler left the bridge with its skeleton crew and headed for his quarters. Tyler grabbed some clothes and headed for his shower. He felt like a hot shower would help him get over what Sakura had done to him before he turned in for the night.

At the same time, Feldt was on her way back to the Normandy. She'd been seeing a friend who happened to live in Orb. Yet, she needed to be back on the Normandy before morning as she would be on duty when the ship headed out. She wanted to get some sleep before having to be on the bridge at her station. Feldt arrived at the docking area the Normandy was at; everything looked quiet. Feldt got out of the vehicle she'd been using and approached the gangplank to the Normandy. However, Feldt was stopped before she could walk up the ramp by a voice, "Excuse me," a female-toned voice. Feldt turned around and found a woman coming up to where she was. The woman was a tad taller than Feldt herself and definitely had fuller curves. Feldt hadn't been jealous of another female for their figure, but with this woman's figure, it was hard not to be jealous of the model-like figure. The lady was wearing a white blouse with a dark red bow that sat over her upper chest and was tied somewhat loosely around the neck with close to a foot-long ribbon ends going down from the bow. Over the blouse was a black dress coat, and to finish off the outfit was a pair of dress pants. Feldt had never met the woman before, and she would remember someone like this woman. "Um, yes," Feldt responded, "Is there something I can do for you?"

Sakura had come to the docking area around Orb's Onogoro, looking for the ship Tyler was assigned to. She figured that Tyler was here on a ship with his military service, and by what she'd found, the ship was called the Normandy. Admittedly, she'd been using the Federation's Information Network to track down her beloved. Lanus had reached out to Sakura while she'd been throwing around the idea of retiring from ZAFT. He'd said that she could do a great deal more working with the Federation's military, which Sakura couldn't argue. Plus, for her personally, it would give her more opportunity to find and spend time with her beloved Tyler. True, Sakura hadn't made a choice where she would sever within the Federation's military. She could work anywhere with her skill set; Lanus had essentially, much like him, taken a leadership position.

Nonetheless, one of the good things Sakura had obtained by switching to working with the Federation was certain "privileges." Not only had she been given a piloting license which allowed her to do what she saw fit on a battlefield, but there was one other thing she could use. That was the privilege from "SOLAS" to pretty much go onto whatever ship she wanted without many questions being asked. She was fairly sure the ship she was by was the "Normandy" Tyler was assigned to. Thus, Sakura could use her privilege to get onto the ship and find her beloved. She could continue spending time with him, which had been interrupted by him slipping away at the orphanage. "This ship is the Normandy, correct," Sakura asked. Feldt nodded slowly, wondering what this woman was doing around here, asking about the Normandy. She didn't come off as a Federation officer, at least not like any Feldt had ever encountered. "Yes," Feldt said evenly, "why do you ask?"

Sakura smiled slightly, "I'm looking for someone I've heard is on this ship." Sakura's smile grew a bit as she continued, "I have business with them, and I would rather get to it than wait around for a request to be reviewed. I learned the ship was in the dock, so it gives me an opportunity to speak with the one I'm searching for." Sakura took out the ID stick she received upon enlisting with the Federation's military. She projected not her profile ID but the SOLAS pieces that had been assigned to her.

Feldt blinked at the image being displayed to her and took a moment to glance it over. It wasn't a normal personnel profile that ID sticks tended to project. Instead, Feldt found herself looking at a list of permissions under the title of SOLAS operative. Her eyes widened at realizing the woman in front of her was a SOLAS agent. They were given a lot of permission to do things as they saw fit, as they were given tasks that others couldn't do. Feldt couldn't help but wonder who it was that this woman was looking for on the Normandy. SOLAS agents didn't track just anyone down for little to no reason. "Um," Feldt began, "Who are you looking for on the Normandy?"

Sakura shut off her ID stick and put it away as the girl seemed to understand that she would get onto the ship regardless of what state it was in. She may not know Tyler's position or rank on the Normandy, but it didn't matter to her. "I'm searching for Mr. McGregor," Sakura stated in an official manner. She needed it to seem like she had some kind of business with her beloved Tyler to get to him. "There is information I need to confer with him about an assignment I'm working on as soon as possible."

Feldt couldn't begin to guess what this woman needed to talk to the captain about. She'd heard the captain was technically an agent of SOLAS and had been active before being assigned to the Normandy. While she'd been working within the Federation's Intelligence Agency, Feldt had heard about Captain McGregor. He was one of the more well-known SOLAS operatives. With him being a specialist both in infiltration and sabotage, he was given dangerous and undercover missions. However, as far as Feldt knew, the captain hadn't been on any recent SOLAS assignments since his assignment to the Normandy. She'd even checked with some former colleagues and friends that were still in the Intelligence Agency about the captain. They had confirmed the captain had been assigned to the Normandy by SOLAS's leader Admiral Raine. If that woman gave a job to someone, they were to focus on that until it was completed; that was the admiral's reputation. Feldt didn't want to get entangled with SOLAS business if she didn't have to. So, she led the woman up to the airlock and opened it with her ID as it was locked down for some reason. Once on board, Feldt led Sakura toward the officer deck. For the last few nights, the captain would check with the bridge when he was on duty before going to his quarters.

At the same time, Tyler had stepped out of the shower and gotten into comfortable clothes. The shower had been helpful in getting him to relax after his encounter with Sakura. The airlock being locked down should be the end of the issue, so Tyler was looking forward to getting a good night's sleep. There was nothing that Tyler could foresee that would come up that should require his attention as the officer on duty. He did regret somewhat that he'd had to leave the orphanage so quickly as he had. Tyler knew the kids would be disappointed he didn't stay for dinner. However, Sakura had made things far more difficult for him and forced an exit at that time.

The Normandy leaving tomorrow would end that issue since Sakura would have to track him down again. That would give him time to prepare for the next encounter. The other thing Tyler wanted an answer to was how Sakura had been able to find him as she had lately. Before and slightly after the Alliance-PLANT War, Sakura had taken months to find him if she was lucky, which she seemed to be more than he liked. Yet, within the last year, the frequency of their encounters had increased. It had been odd, and Tyler was suspicious something had changed, and it wasn't just Sakura getting lucky. But Tyler hadn't been able to figure out what could've changed to help Sakura track him down as she did. Tyler exhaled as he flopped down on his bed, dismissing the questions about Sakura for the time being. It wasn't worth giving time to the questions he couldn't find answers to right now.

Tyler was just settling down so he could get some sleep before tomorrow morning. He wanted to be awake and ready for when the Normandy headed out from Onogoro. However, a knock came at his door before he dropped off to sleep. Tyler sat up and stared at the door for a moment, trying to process who would be visiting at this time of night. If there was something that needed his attention as the commanding officer, they would call down to his quarters, not come in person. After his thoughts rushed through his head, Tyler got up from his bed and headed for the door. It was the best way to answer the question of who it was and why they may be here at his quarters. Tyler blinked when he opened the door and found his sensor and mobile weapon controller, Feldt Grace standing on the other side. He didn't know the girl on a personal level, just her skill set and her performance as a crew member. "Miss Grace," Tyler began, "This is unexpected. To what do I owe the visitation at this hour?"

Feldt gave Captain McGregor a salute in response to his question. She was a tad nervous as the captain came off as a heroic soldier from his profile. He had shown he was more easy-going than a lot of officers tended to be. However, it was hard for her to relax and not be formal with the Normandy's captain. Yet, the woman Feldt had encountered when she'd returned to the Normandy had put her off. The woman had given off the feeling it was extremely unwise to wave her off or ignore her for any reason. And she'd stated she was looking for the captain, so it was better that he deal with this rather than her. "Captain, I apologize for disturbing you this late," she stated seriously. But Feldt hesitated, which Tyler noticed, and he waved a hand, "It's okay, I would hope you have a reason to visit," he remarked. "And please, while we're both off duty, first names are preferred, so Tyler, please, if that's okay with you."

Feldt was still flustered with how the captain was saying not to be formal with him. Formality and professionalism were expected when she'd been working for the Intelligence Agency. It was difficult to dismiss that engrained behavior with Feldt's current assignment. SOLAS agents were supposed to be the best of the best, capable of any mission handed to them. Feldt assumed that Captain McGregor would be professional, just as SOLAS agents were supposed to be. Feldt bowed, "Of course, sir," she replied. Then she realized she wasn't doing as the captain had asked her to. She was messing up again, not expecting Captain McGregor to call her out on it. "I mean, Tyler," she said before her voice gained a sad tone,

"Um, I'm really not doing this well, am I?"

Tyler knew he could make some nervous when facing him. He didn't like the point as he didn't see himself as some sort of amazing individual that his profile implied. But he had come to the point some time ago not to blame those that were uptight with him for doing so. Thus, he smiled at Feldt in response to her last remark, "It's fine, slow down and take it easy. I'm not a strict tight rear-ended officer; quite the opposite, in fact." Tyler paused for a moment, remembering he still didn't know what Miss Grace was here for. "So then, what did you come by for Feldt?" The question reminded Feldt about the woman she'd encountered, "Oh well, um, you see," she began. "I had just arrived back at the docking area the Normandy was in when I bumped into a woman I'd never met before. She asked me about the ship and its identity and followed that up by saying she was looking for someone. The woman showed me a Federation ID, which said she was a part of SOLAS. Because of that, I assumed she had SOLAS business of some sort with someone on the Normandy. She mentioned that she was looking for you specifically, saying she needed information to confer with you."

Tyler was trying to figure out what Miss Grace was talking about. There were none in SOLAS that would need to talk to him that he was aware of currently. And other SOLAS agents would reach out to him rather than track him down to talk in person when that did come up. So, Tyler was becoming suspicious about the "woman" Miss Grace was referring to. However, no one was coming to mind that would fit what had been described to him. Tyler quickly got a nagging bad feeling filling him as he thought about "someone" coming to talk to him. He would've asked another question of Feldt to try and determine who could be searching for him, but he never got the chance. An all too familiar shiver ran up Tyler's spine, which answered the standing question of who it was looking for him. His stalker had managed to find him and get around the defenses he'd thrown up to stop them. Tyler didn't let his frustrations show as he returned his attention to Feldt. "Thank you for informing me, Feldt," Tyler stated, "I will handle the visitor myself. You should go and get some sleep, so you can be ready for the ship heading out tomorrow." Feldt headed off to her quarters, still curious about what the woman could want with the captain.

Tyler watched Feldt walk off in the direction of the lift so she could go to the crew deck. He would rather not have witnesses while he dealt with Sakura. Tyler was curious about what Sakura had shown to Feldt that could've appeared as a Federation ID. If she really had an ID, that could explain a lot of things but also create issues for him. Tyler stepped out of his quarters and stared down the corridor. Sakura was indeed there, which wasn't giving Tyler any kind of good feelings. Tyler sighed as he kept looking at Sakura, "Since when did you add being dishonest to your arsenal of tools you use for personal things? That would include your habit of chasing me, which most would consider stalking." Tyler shook his head, "If you're trying to attract me, the appeal is repulsing me."

Sakura hadn't liked how Tyler had vanished from the orphanage when she had swung by. She'd hoped to get some cuddle time with him, but his disappearance had dashed that. That had motivated Sakura to track him down so she could still cuddle him. And the Federation's Information Network had been very helpful with that task. The network had told her that her beloved Tyler was currently assigned to a ship named the Normandy. The said ship was docked in Orb's Onogoro right now, meaning Tyler had more than likely run there. And Sakura had been right to her happy surprise, which she would work with. Thus, Sakura smiled and skipped over to where Tyler was. It was rare for Sakura to skip, it had been a long while since she had, but for her beloved, she would do so without a care in the world. "Lie, you say, beloved," Sakura posed. "I didn't do that at all. You and I have things to discuss. Should that require me using my privileges being with SOLAS gives, I have no issue with that."

Tyler hated how Sakura could twist anything he accused her of to her advantage and make it look easy. The skipping had made him do a doubletake since it wasn't something he'd thought he would ever see with Sakura. Her reputation made any chance of skipping to be as likely as slim happenstance during a blue moon. Tyler didn't want to believe Sakura was a member of SOLAS, but it would fit should the woman have joined the Federation's military. It would potentially answer how Sakura could track him down faster than before. She could be using the Information Network, which would give her great hints as to where he was.

Normally, Tyler would fight back against Sakura and not give her what she wanted. However, he was too tired to do that right now as much as he cursed it. And if something should come up for the Normandy, unlikely as it was, Sakura could help with it. So, as much as Tyler would prefer Sakura to go away and leave him alone, there were some benefits for him and the Normandy. Thus, for the Normandy, Tyler would tolerate Sakura's antics to make sure his ship and its crew would do the best it could regardless of what came its way in the near future. He would draw lines that Sakura wouldn't cross and state those so she heard them. Tyler exhaled, "Fine, Sakura, you win for tonight," he admitted. Then he gained a serious expression, "However, there will be no improper stuff, so no, you dragging me into sex and the like. You do anything like that, and I'll personally oversee and help to have you tossed off the Normandy post haste."

Sakura was happy she had "won" and got Tyler to spend time with her. It didn't happen as much as she wished it would, but she took the victories as they came, for they were encouragement. Granted, Sakura would love to be more intimate with her beloved, but she would be patient and not go that far. Thus, Sakura smiled, "I'll behave, Tyler," she replied. "And if this ship encounters a problem, I'll be more than willing to step in and help."

Tyler wasn't confident that Sakura would "behave," as she put it, regarding his ground rules. His stalker had taken advantage of the unintended loopholes that he'd provided her before now. She could be just as likely to get around his ground rules this time as she had done before. However, the benefits the Normandy would have with Sakura onboard were hard to say no to. As long as Sakura didn't take things too far, Tyler would manage to be around the woman. So, he turned back to the door to his quarters and headed back inside, not wanting to acknowledge Sakura's interests. Sakura fell into step right behind Tyler as he entered his quarters.

Tyler was aiming for the bed so he could just get some sleep before tomorrow morning, but he never made it there. Sakura had noticed Tyler was heading for the queen-sized bed in the room, but she had something else in mind. She wouldn't say no to a shower before retiring for the night, and it would be even better if her beloved did so with her. So, Sakura grabbed Tyler and headed for the bathroom. Tyler didn't know what Sakura was planning when she tugged him away from the bed, which worried him. That concern sharply increased when he noticed they were going toward the bathroom. He was starting to regret not further defining what wasn't acceptable to him and her before. It took time for Tyler to escape Sakura but he managed it before things got to a point Tyler would do something he would regret. Tyler came into the open area of his quarters and focused on putting his clothes back on and working to control his breathing patterns. What had happened in the bathroom with Sakura concerned him as it had gotten close to going a way he didn't want. It wasn't like he was totally against a relationship with Sakura but wasn't actively interested in one. Tyler knew Sakura wanted to be with him in an intimate relationship and would push for such. However, her aggressive pushing was getting dangerous to him. He would have to be more watchful and on guard to ensure things didn't descend to a place he didn't want. Tyler calmed down his breathing, dimmed the lights, and headed to the bed, focusing on getting in and going to sleep.

Sakura came out of the bathroom and headed for the dresser in the room. She could see fine even with the lights dimmed. Sakura found a white dress shirt in the drawer she'd been looking through that should be big enough for her to use. She slipped into the shirt and buttoned it up halfway up, which ended right below her bosoms. The shirt ended just below her hips, which was fine. The shirt fit well enough but was loose enough it worked as sleepwear. Sakura turned to the bed and saw Tyler was already in it, facing away from her. She sat down on the bed before swinging her legs up and moving over to where Tyler was. Sakura then wrapped her arms around her beloved's upper torso, snuggling up to him.

Tyler figured Sakura would hug him when she got into the bed; it was an expectation of her. Nor did Tyler miss Sakura's body press against his again. But he was too tired to resist or even give much attention to the contact. The Normandy would be heading out tomorrow morning for Shira per standing orders. What would await the Normandy at Shira, Tyler couldn't say. The Normandy had completed its first mission above expectations, starting a great reputation for the vessel. Tyler intended for that good rep to build up and improve over time while he was its captain. And yet, something in Tyler was nagging him that the "quiet time" wasn't going to last much longer. The Alliance's actions out of the public eye had been pointing toward something big happening. What that event could be or involve wasn't clear yet, which worried Tyler. It was something that Tyler had learned; the Alliance working quietly was more concerning than them doing foolish things in the open. Those were Tyler's thoughts as he dropped off to sleep.

When Tyler opened his eyes, his room was still dark. He knew he'd shaded his quarters' window so the sun wouldn't potentially wake him. Yet, he was instantly reminded of what had gone down last night, feeling Sakura still hugging him. It ensured Tyler remembered he'd waved the "white flag" last night to Sakura by allowing her to stay. He wished that Sakura would learn when he told her no, that such didn't mean for her to keep going in her pursuit. It was a frustrating issue that Tyler tried to get settled, but Sakura wouldn't cooperate with him. Some might call it determination, but Tyler saw it as dogmatic persistence. It made him wish that Sakura was a tad more like Lacus in being able to take a hint and understand it.

Tyler turned in Sakura's embrace and blinked for a moment at seeing what the woman was wearing. From what he could tell, Sakura had found one of his white dress shirts and had put it on. Tyler didn't have many dress shirts as he didn't like formal wear due to the events of his childhood. And if Tyler was honest, the shirt helped draw attention to Sakura's womanly curves. With the shirt buttoned up as it was, it brought attention to her bust. She had a bra on, which Tyler appreciated but didn't leave much to the imagination. Tyler would never know how Sakura could make clothes look as seductive as she did. Tyler was glad their clothes were still on so Sakura hadn't pushed him off the cliff. He may have threatened to get her tossed off the ship, but the task would be complicated in reality. Sakura had ridiculous strength, which she would use, and Tyler didn't know if multiple crew members and him working together could overcome that.

Tyler shifted his attention to getting out of Sakura's hold to clean up and prepare for the day. He didn't want Sakura's scent all over him for some of the bridge crew to smell and wonder what happened to him. Lisa would understand if Tyler had a feminine scent on him and connect the dots and figure Sakura had found him again. His friend was among those who knew what Tyler faced with Sakura when most wouldn't believe him if he explained it. The issue with Sakura was a private matter, and Tyler preferred to keep it that way. And almost every time that Tyler had tried to get across what Sakura did around him, few took what he said as the truth. It all came down to having to say who Sakura was. The moment that was done, everything he said after that was disbelieved.

It took around ten minutes to escape Sakura's embrace for Tyler. The woman had pulled him back into it twice during his efforts. But he did manage to get out in the end before he moved quietly to the bathroom so he didn't wake Sakura. She would make his cleanup much harder, if not impossible, to manage. Tyler took a shower, working to wash off Sakura's scent so none on the bridge on in the corridors got curious and asked questions. He was blocking out what had happened with Sakura last night, focusing instead on what lay ahead. After Tyler cleaned himself up, he put on his normal Federation uniform. He exited the bathroom and glanced at the bed, glad to see Sakura hadn't woken up yet. Tyler exited his quarters quietly before heading toward the bridge.

The crew was moving through the corridors as Tyler was heading for his destination. Tyler was pleased to see the crew busy and doing what was expected of them. He took the lift to the command deck and came on to the Normandy's bridge. Tyler glanced around and was proud to see the normal bridge crew at their stations. Tyler had delivered the message to the crew the ship would be heading out at 0800 in the morning. He hadn't felt the need to order the crew to be at their stations. Tyler had come to expect the crew would do what they needed to work toward the goal set. It was still nice that he didn't have to hand out orders and make sure they were followed. It was something Tyler had observed with ship officers that he didn't want to resort to. Tyler wanted a good working relationship with his crew, not a superior and subordinate one. Tyler took his seat, glancing over to his right and seeing Lisa's chair empty. She wouldn't need to be on duty though Tyler hadn't said she couldn't be on the bridge when the Normandy headed out.

Tyler brought up the system readouts on his console and scanned it over. He found that the Normandy was ready to set out. The repairs Morgenroete had been tasked with were done, and the ship was fully supplied. The ship would go to blue alert, which was used for environmental situations and docking procedures. Tyler looked back up and then to Miss Grace's station, "Miss Grace if you would move us to blue alert, that would be appreciated." Tyler twisted to gaze at the comm station, "Miss Alloy, please reach out to Onogoro's port control and work with them to have the Normandy be able to head out." Feldt got on the ship-wide intercom, "All hands, blue alert is being declared. Repeat, blue alert is being declared." Alarms started sounding throughout the ship, and the last crew not at stations quickly moved to be so. The Normandy reached out to Onogoro's port control requesting permission to leave its dock. The port control acknowledged the request and began flooding the dry dock the Normandy was in.

Back on the Normandy, Miss Alloy reported to Tyler the port control acknowledged the request to leave port. Feldt picked up, stating the dry dock was starting to flood with ocean water. As the water level rose in the docking area, the docking scaffolding, like the boarding and supply ramps, lifted and retracted back. The water levels stopped to have a third of the way up the Normandy's central structure. The dry docks holding struts disconnected and retracted down into the dock, and the docking clamps lifted and moved back. Miss Alloy reported the port control was giving the go-ahead for the Normandy to head out. Tyler glanced forward and saw the dock's gates opening the path to open water. He told Paris to have them move forward slowly while they exited the dry dock.

The Normandy left the dry dock at Onogoro and headed into open water. Its destination was the Republic, and technically one of the docks at Teswa R&D. The change from Shira had come earlier in the morning, and Tyler had read about it while going over the ship's systems. The change wasn't an issue, just unexpected in Tyler's view. Tyler told Paris to have the Normandy dive once the ship was in open waters. The Normandy sunk beneath the water and set a decent cruising speed toward the Republic. The journey was quiet, with no encounters or issues coming up. It was why Tyler had ordered the Normandy to dive and travel under the water; it made less of a chance of encountering issues. Tyler would prefer a quiet trip to the Republic than an action-filled one. It was the curse of the first of a new ship class; it would be popular with the other two factions and enemies.

When the Normandy had come into range of the Republic, it reported to its military command. The reply the Normandy received was curt and to the point, which wasn't the usual expectation. Tyler was trying to come up with a potential reason why they had received the style of response they had. He could only think that stress levels were higher than normal for the reply to be like it was. However, Tyler couldn't figure out what could be causing stress levels to be elevated. Yet, he didn't dwell upon the point and told Paris to head for the secure tunnel from the ocean to Teswa. Paris drove the Normandy into the bay that the valley led to where Teswa was coming out to.

As the Normandy approached the far wall of the bay, the projection over the blast doors faded. The blast doors slid open, revealing the tunnel that led to Teswa's docking area on its lowest level. The Normandy entered the channel, and it quickly became clear the tunnel's diameter was not a great deal bigger than the Normandy's wingspan. Tyler was a tad concerned at seeing the walls so close to the ship. He had confidence in Paris's piloting abilities since the man had proven he was skilled. But the small margins the Normandy had to work with would tax any pilot Tyler wouldn't doubt. However, Paris proved himself up to the task and smoothly through the channel and into Teswa's interior without scratching or bumping the ship once. In fact, when the Normandy came out of the channel, Tyler was the first to stand and clap to Paris's efforts, but he was quickly joined by the rest of the bridge crew.

The Normandy was directed to one of the docks Teswa had after surfacing from the channel. Once locked into the dock, Tyler announced to the crew they were to get some shore leave but to keep their com-unit with them. There was a chance something serious could come up, and Tyler wanted the Normandy to be ready if needed. He stayed around while Teswa personnel came onto the bridge. Tyler answered questions that they posed and did what he could to help them. Tyler returned to his quarters after ensuring things on the bridge were good, with Teswa personnel having gotten to work on the Normandy's inspection. Tyler planned to get some relaxation back at his place until orders came down. All he needed to do was avoid Sakura and get time away from her. To Tyler's surprise, he found Sakura was missing when he got back to his quarters. She had been sleeping when he'd left; he had seen that. The blue alert announcement could've woken her up, but that didn't explain Sakura disappearing. And it wasn't Tyler had an issue with his stalker not being around to pursue him; he was fine with that. No, it was not knowing where she was that kind of worried him. Sakura could still pop up when it wasn't helpful or convenient.

As Tyler disembarked from the Normandy, he spotted the Aurora coming off the ship. Tyler's Gundam did need repair after Athrun used it against the OMNI group the Normandy came across on the journey to Earth. Tyler didn't blame his friend for the damage to his Gundam; it happened even when he went out from time to time. Teswa would get the repairs done and have the Aurora in good working order with a little time. However, in the interim, Tyler didn't like the fact he didn't have a mobile suit to work with if something came up. The chances of problems coming up were slim but not impossible. Thus, Tyler would feel more comfortable if a mobile suit made its way onto the Normandy while the Aurora was being fixed up. He would prefer a Gundam to be what made its way to the ship, but Tyler would take a mass-production model if that was the alternative. With that in mind, Tyler headed off into Teswa, searching for his friend Carlos. He hoped his friend could help him with his wish for options if problems arose.

As that was going on, Carlos was going over the tasks needing to be done for the day. Next to him was his ten-year-old daughter Maya reading a book she had brought with her. She was of average size for a child her age. Her golden blonde hair was neck-length and was exactly like her mother's, as were her blue eyes. His daughter was with him because it happened to be "bring children to work" day. Carlos had been more than happy to bring his daughter to Teswa for a portion of the day. He loved his little girl so much and wanted to spend time with her. And with how smart she was, Carlos wanted to introduce her to the scientific world he worked in. It was his hope that Maya would consider working at Teswa when she got older, but that would be up to her. Nevertheless, Carlos was brought out of his thoughts when his name was called, "Hey, Carlos." Carlos glanced in the direction the voice had come from and found his friend Tyler coming up to where he was. He couldn't come up with a reason Tyler would be around Teswa, but his young friend did get around with his work. "Tyler," Carlos questioned, "What brings you around here? It has been a while since you popped up around here. The last time I can recall was when you were testing a project for the cybernetics development department."

It had taken a bit of time for Tyler to find Carlos since he wasn't in his office like he tended to be. The main reason Tyler came around was that Teswa was being called upon to test something that was being developed. It came with being the "star tester" of many in Teswa; they went to him first to ask field-testing to be done. "Well," Tyler began, "it is great to see you again. I think that cybernetic project was the last time I dropped by, which was fun to play with. But I do have a reason to track you down today." Tyler paused as he noticed there was another with Carlos that he hadn't seen before. The individual was a ten-year-old girl who was currently reading a book. From what Tyler could tell, the girl certainly resembled the woman Carlos had introduced as the wife a few years ago. Because of that, Tyler assumed the girl was the daughter Carlos would mention occasionally. Tyler gazed back at Carlos, "Did you hear about the vessel that came into the docks down at the lower levels?"

Carlos had heard about a ship coming in being discussed by some that had passed by a short time ago. From what Carlos had caught from those who had passed, the ship was likely of a new class with the excitement it was talked about with. It wouldn't be a stretch for Tyler to be assigned to a new ship class. His skill set could get him to any ship, and he did well with it. Although, it was rare for a ship to come to Teswa directly for a few reasons. The sub-aqua channel wasn't very wide; most ships couldn't use it. It would be quite an entrance for his friend to make into Teswa. Yet, Tyler did have a knack for pulling off an amazing entrance when he put his mind to it. "I've heard chatter about a ship coming in, yes," Carlos replied. "I didn't think much of it as it is so rare for a vessel to enter through the sub-aqua channel. I would applaud such an entrance, but you do have a knack for such things when you put forth the effort. I would assume you are currently assigned to the said vessel?"

Being assigned to the Normandy was more involved and complicated than just "being assigned" to the ship would imply. He was the captain, and Tyler still couldn't figure out whose bright idea it had been for him to be in command of a vessel. Tyler wasn't against the post as he'd been when told about it. Getting to know the crew and working with them had changed his view, and he accepted the job of commanding the Normandy. Tyler shrugged and smiled, "Yep, I'm assigned to the vessel though I didn't plan it. Please don't ask me why or how I got the post, for I still can't come up with a logical explanation. I'm trying to figure out whose bright idea it was to make me a captain AND give me a ship with a better-than-decent crew to work with." Tyler glanced back at the girl that was hiding her face behind her book. "So then," Tyler started, going to his knees and coming to the girl's eye level. "This little lady a new intern, Carlos? I didn't know you recruited so young, though I can't blame you for scoring in the cuteness area."

Carlos glanced at Maya and found she was using her book to hide her face from Tyler. He couldn't help the smile that came to his face at the reaction his daughter was showing. "Oh, maybe someday she will come and work here, I can't say. That will be up to her, and I certainly would give her a good reference." Carlos patted Maya's head, "But then, with Maya being my daughter and "daddy's sweet little girl," I have a bias, I do admit." Tyler chuckled a bit at Carlos's reply, "Then I take it she is the daughter you like to talk about?" Carlos nodded before Tyler focused back on the girl who had lowered her book slightly. Tyler smiled and waved at Maya, "Hello, little lady, my name is Tyler McGregor, and I'm your dad's friend. I tend to help those here by testing stuff for them, and they like the information I give them. It's nice to meet you finally with how your dad talks about you." Maya waved back and returned to her book. Tyler rose back up and returned his gaze to Carlos. He still had his favor to ask, and Tyler hoped his friend could oblige. "My friend, I've come to you to ask a favor," Tyler stated.

Carlos was never against Tyler making requests. Tyler tended to be reasonable in what he asked for when that came up. And with the help Tyler gave by the testing he did for Teswa, most were willing to do what they could for the young man. So, Carlos nodded to Tyler to have him state what he wanted to have done. "The Aurora took a bit of a beating and, so, has been taken into the bowels of the complex for repair," Tyler continued. An assistant had come by just before Tyler had popped up to say the Aurora was being moved into one of the mobile suit bays for work to be done. All that had been said was general repairs being needed but little more than that. Tyler continued, "Yet, you know me by now; I like to have a machine to work with if needed. Bad things happen occasionally around me, and duty does tend to call when that does occur." Tyler paused and took a deep breath, "The favor I was hoping to get from you is getting a mobile suit to make its way onto the Normandy. I would prefer a Gundam to be what gets moved to the ship, but I'll take a mass-production model if that's all I can get. Do you think you can find a way for that to happen, Carlos?"

Carlos took a moment to consider what Tyler was asking for. Moving a mobile suit to the ship in the docks down on the lower levels wasn't impossible. A Gundam would be a tad more work-involved to get onto the ship. There were a few in storage in the complex that Carlos knew of. Carlos was willing to pull one or two of them out of storage for Tyler; he would need to say which he would prefer, though. "I don't see why that couldn't be done," Carlos remarked. "But I would need to know what your first and second choices would be with Gundams. There are several in storage here, so I need you to narrow down which one to take out and move." Tyler blinked as he hadn't expected to get a choice as to which Gundam he could get to use. "What is the selection made up of, Carlos," Tyler asked. Carlos smiled, "All of the Aircraft Z series other than the Aurora, both the Ground Runner Series and the Justice at the moment."

The selection was certainly nice in Tyler's view, as he could work with any of the machines mentioned. However, the Justice felt the best fit for Tyler immediately out of the selection. And yet, he did consider another point that had come up recently. Should Sakura still be around the Normandy if something came up, she would need a machine to work with. So, having Gundams on the Normandy would be a wise decision for the time being. "If it's not too much trouble," Tyler started, "I would love it if two Gundams could make it to the Normandy. I just have a nagging feeling something is going to happen in the near future, and I want to be ready for whatever it could be."

Carlos nodded, not questioning Tyler about his "nagging feeling." His friend had a knack for being able to predict when something bad was going to happen. It was almost a sixth sense Tyler seemed to have, and it was normally right. Why Tyler felt the Normandy needed two Gundams, Carlos couldn't say, but he wouldn't question it. However, if Carlos recalled right, the Justice belonged to one of Tyler's friends, meaning they have a say over what happened to it. "It is my recollection that the Justice belongs to a friend of yours, and so, I would think they would be the one to ask."

Tyler knew what happened to the Justice was in the end up to Athrun, for it was his machine. However, Athrun had damaged the Aurora, which required it to be taken into Teswa. Again, Tyler didn't blame Athrun for what had occurred to the Aurora, but the results were still what they were. The Justice was Tyler's first choice right now, and he figured he would go with the Athena as his second. Sakura could use the Athena if she was still around the Normandy when whatever would happen came. "I would love the Justice to make it onto the Normandy," Tyler replied. "And if you could manage to get the Athena on as well, I would be ever so grateful." Carlos nodded, "I'll see what I can do about that. It will likely take an hour or two, but I believe it will be manageable." Tyler was grateful that Carlos would do what he could to accommodate his request. Tyler couldn't say what it was exactly, but he felt he would need a mobile suit to work with soon enough. It was almost like a sixth sense Tyler had found he had, having a feeling about impending trouble coming his way.

Nonetheless, Tyler figured he could get some downtime while the Normandy was at Teswa and awaiting orders. It was likely that the Normandy would be sent up to space to work. The ship was intended to work up in space even if it could perform just fine on Earth. He still didn't know where Sakura had disappeared, which worried Tyler a tad. Tyler had a feeling his stalker was still going to be around Shira. Sakura had an annoying knack for popping up without much warning. But hopefully, Tyler would be able some time to relax and wind down from the events he'd been through in the last few weeks.

Tyler took the train from the Republic's transit system back to Shira's northern station. He then caught a ride back to his place, where he would stay for a few days. Hours after Tyler had returned to his house, he was reminded of something he'd forgotten. He'd forgotten a "small" promise he had made to his mother a few months back. Normally, Tyler had no issue doing things for his mother and wouldn't hesitate to help her out or do what she asked of him. It was one of the main ways Tyler showed he loved his mother. He was grateful for all his mother had done for him throughout his life. Tyler's mother always made time for him should he need it for something. And Ellen rarely asked Tyler to do things he had an issue with or was repulsed by, so promising her things was almost second nature.

However, a message had been sent to Tyler, which he had received when he'd arrived home, about an upcoming event. It was a reminder to Tyler he'd agreed to attend the "Horizon Jubilee," which was set for the next evening. The event was a recognition and celebration of the founding of the Human Federation. It was held every couple of years, hosted by one of the member nations. The celebration was normally attended by "big wigs" from the faction. The event was a good way for dignitaries to talk to each other without others potentially influencing them. And the press not being allowed into the celebration certainly didn't hurt that chance, from what Tyler understood. For the Federation bigwigs, it was an expectation since you would represent your nation at the Jubilee. For those from the PLANTs and/or ZAFT, sending representatives to the gathering was more of a courtesy. Yet, for the Alliance, it was usually some that would be "nice" to make themselves look good.

For this Jubilee, it was the Republic's turn to host the event. Tyler didn't doubt his mother and her staff had been busting their butts to get things arranged for the Jubilee. And it wasn't that Tyler was against attending the event since it was by "invite" only, sent out to specific groups. It was an opportunity and honor to receive an invite to the Jubilee, and Tyler wasn't so foolish to reject such a thing. However, his childhood had made going to "parties" something he dreaded with a passion. Being fawned over had ruined any chance of him liking large formal gatherings and wearing a suit. At most opportunities, Tyler's military duties would keep him busy, so he could not attend such events. Yet, he had the time and no viable excuses to use; he couldn't just refuse his mother outright. She had sent the invite to him, so Tyler would go to the Jubilee even if he wouldn't enjoy it.

Nevertheless, as Tyler didn't own a suit and didn't ever intend to, he took out his formal military uniform and took it to the cleaners. He didn't prefer the clothing but would wear it when the situation required him to wear something "formal." Thankfully, Tyler knew military personnel would also be attending the Jubilee, so he wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb as the old phrase went. The military personnel would double as security if needed and would keep an eye out for any that were problematic. From what Tyler had heard, some unsavory types would pop up at the Jubilee. And sometimes, there were suspicious people, and those were the ones military personnel were keeping an eye out for. Tyler was more than willing to help with such a task of finding the type that wasn't at events to be nice. He had a knack for tracking the unsavory and suspicious types with his undercover work around the Alliance. He would rather have something to do at the Jubilee than just "interact" with people and "socialize." So, Tyler sent a message to his mother through back channels to say he would be there.

The next day, Tyler picked up his formal uniform from the cleaners, finding it was clean and crisper than it had been in a little while. When the evening came, he put on the uniform, ensuring his ribbon plate was properly straight and pinned to his uniform. His medal of honor was also pinned right below the ribbon plate, freshly shined and pristine. At Tyler's neck was his SOLAS pin, which he kept there not out of pride but to show he'd proven he would do whatever it took to get the job done. The other thing that had changed with Tyler's uniform was due to his recent promotion. The three gold bars and star on the shoulders and sleeve cuffs had been switched to four gold bars and a start on the sleeve. At the shoulders, there were four bars and a silver eagle crest replacing the star.

Once Tyler was ready, he got into his car and headed to the venue where Jubilee was being held. From what Tyler had been told, the venue was the Republic's Minister's Residence. Tyler still hadn't seen any sign of Sakura, not that he was complaining about that. He'd rather not have to deal with Sakura at the Jubilee. However, Tyler still had a nagging feeling Sakura hadn't vanished completely as she sometimes did after he shook her off. There was the chance Sakura could pop up at the Jubilee. Tyler didn't doubt she could find a way to get an invitation on short notice to be able to attend. He knew it would be just like Sakura to "surprise" him by popping up at the Jubilee and posing as his date. Should that happen, Tyler didn't know how he would deal with the potential backlash he would be facing. Tyler focused on the gathering ahead and not on what potential problems could pop up.

Tyler drove up to the line waiting for staff to take the cars to park them for the event. When Tyler's turn came to come up to the staff member to take the car, he couldn't help but smirk at the gob-smacked expression the guy had. Tyler knew his car was a rarer model to see and got heads to turn, which he liked. He was proud of his car, and Tyler took care of it so it would look good and could drift on command when Tyler felt the need. And though it was rare for Tyler to let another drive his car, he was willing to allow it this time. Tyler exited his car and approached the staff member waiting with shock on his face, "As long as she comes back looking like she does now, feel free to take her out for a bit," he said casually. Tyler held out the security fob for his car, "Just rein in the desire to joyride and do something potentially harmful to yourself and the car." One might think Tyler was giving the guy an amazing gift with the way he bowed to him. Tyler merely smiled and waved him off so the next car in line could pull up and be taken care of.

Tyler waltzed into the place he'd literally grown up in. He was familiar with the Minister's residence as his mother had been the Republic's Prime Minister for the majority of his life. He figured the Jubilee would be held in the great room as it was the largest room in the place. Tyler was directed by the staff to the great room, as was everyone else. However, he was stopped and pulled aside before he could reach the great room. When Tyler turned to see what was going on, he was not pleased with what he saw. In front of him was none other than Sakura, who he'd hoped had been gone for the time being. Sakura wore a blue princess dress that showed off her womanly curves. She also had put on makeup, which only enhanced her good looks. Tyler couldn't hold in the sigh that came from him, "Sakura, what are you doing here?"

Sakura had been waiting for her beloved to appear at this "party." When she heard about the Federation's Horizon Jubilee being held tonight, she figured Tyler would attend. She'd contacted Lanus and asked how she could attend the Jubilee. He had told her he could get her an invitation but had questioned why she wanted to attend the Jubilee. Sakura had said she had her reasons to go, and Lanus had accepted that response. She'd needed to find a dress for the occasion, but that had been a simple enough task. Of course, she'd been picking the dress with Tyler in mind. And the brief surprised expression Tyler had told her she'd succeeded in impressing him with the dress. This party was too good of an opportunity for Sakura to get a date with her beloved Tyler. She wasn't going to pass up the chance. Plus, she could use this to imply Tyler was spoken for and was with her; Sakura wouldn't say no to that. So, Sakura smiled at Tyler, "This is a chance for us to spend time with each other," she stated. "If you must come to this event, then why not come with another and enjoy it?" Sakura moved forward and hugged Tyler's right arm, "I will be your date for this."

Tyler could tell there was nothing he could say to dissuade Sakura from "accompanying" him at the Jubilee. It would draw out how long he'd be at the Jubilee if he were to argue with Sakura, and he wanted to be out as soon as he reasonably could. So instead, Tyler turned away so that he wouldn't have to look at Sakura in the dress she had. The dress looked really good on her, but Tyler wouldn't say that to her, for it would encourage her. "Fine," he grumbled, "just don't practice your normal clingy behavior during this event. There will be some important people at this, and it would be best not to put on a show for them." Sakura giggled as she kept hugging Tyler's arm in response.

Tyler moved toward the entrance to the great room in which the Jubilee was being hosted. The great room was decked out splendidly, decked out to impress the guests that were expected. Tyler glanced around the room and instantly spotted several high-standing political and non-political people attending tonight. There were, of course, Federation people that Tyler could pick out from the other member nations. And yet, Tyler also could pick out some who were from the PLANTs, the main one being the woman that he believed to be the Supreme Council's Diplomatic Committee Chair. From what Tyler could tell, there was also some form of the Earth Alliance, along with others that weren't affiliated with a faction.

Tyler was well aware the Jubilee was an event used for unofficial talks between each other. With no press allowed in, it was a great environment to do such types of talks. There also tended to be under-the-table deals discussed and the like done too. What happened in events like this wasn't a bad thing; Tyler knew they could be helpful. But there were also some that tried to do things that weren't appreciated. Tyler could only wonder if some Federation military personnel were here to find those that were doing the last possibility rather than the first two. If so, Tyler would be more than willing to assist in that task without being noticed. It was a specialty of his with the missions SOLAS had given him to do. It would provide an excuse to get time away from Sakura. In this instance, Tyler's issue with Sakura was that she made it extremely difficult for him to blend in with the crowds.

Tyler noticed a few things while the two were moving through the crowds. First, there was more security for this Jubilee than Tyler had ever seen in the last few he'd looked at. And where an event like the Jubilee would have high security with the big wigs that attended, it was more than even that would normally draw. In Tyler's view, it was a sign of rising tension that was coming on with the Alliance working in the background against humanity's best interests. Tyler agreed with whoever insisted on increased security; in his opinion, there was the potential for problems at the Jubilee. The second point that was off to Tyler's view was those from the Alliance, and non-affiliated people were not "mingling" with others as one would expect. Also, there were military personnel that were moving around in a manner that Tyler recognized to be gathering information unseen.

Tyler led Sakura through the crowd, all the while observing all the others around them. To her credit, Sakura was drawing the attention of those they passed. Tyler figured Sakura's amazing good looks would distract from him. It was one of the few things that Tyler didn't mind, as it played to his advantage. When Tyler and Sakura came to a stop, Tyler found he was in a group that was a mix of Equatorial Union dignitaries and Representatives from Orb. The group included a few military personnel, none of which Tyler knew personally. It was no surprise for Tyler he didn't know any of the military individuals; he tended to do undercover work. That was due to Tyler's expertise being what they were that had gotten SOLAS to take him into their division. His talent for messing with computer systems in many ways was hard to challenge. It was one of the reasons the Alliance wasn't fond of Tyler and actively looking for ways to take him down.

Tyler did give proper greetings to those around him, as was expected. As Tyler's mother would be around, he wanted to show he had learned AND knew how to use proper manners. Ellen had taken the time and lectured Tyler many times about the need for manners. He'd lost count of how often his mother used to call him out on not behaving before she had accepted how he chose to be. One glance back at Sakura told Tyler she didn't care about those they were around. No, she was enjoying being close to him, and that was what mattered to her. Tyler had suspected the woman would only be interested in being around him and not care about anything else. It was kind of embarrassing what she was doing, but there was little he could do about it for the moment. Thus, Tyler did his best to ignore Sakura's behavior but not give her the impression that he was completely ignoring her. Should Sakura believe he was not paying some attention to her, then she may do more to draw it, and that could be far more embarrassing.

Nonetheless, after a few minutes, Tyler came face to face with a woman he'd never met. She appeared to be around Sakura's age Tyler to guess. She had features that denoted she was from the area directly west of the Equatorial Union's western border. The area had been referred to as the "Middle East" before the Reconstruction War. The woman had blue eyes and medium-length straight black hair that framed her face, and it had a bun at the back. Tyler figured the woman was a politician or an aide to one, but with her fancy dress, she was likely the former.

Marina had come to attend the Horizon Jubilee for the Equatorial Union. She still felt she was too new at being the leader of the Union to be sent to an event like this. The Horizon Jubilee was the event that those of the highest standing attended. It was by invitation only, so not just anyone could come to the event. Marina had only recently settled the civil strife the Union had been dealing with. It was that work that had the Union's people call for her to assume the leadership of the Equatorial Union. It was really the work of her staff that made so much difference in Marina's opinion rather than her efforts. She loved the people of the Equatorial Union and wanted to do what she could to help them live happy lives.

Marina kind of hoped she would get the chance to meet with the Republic's Prime Minister, Ellen Blass, while at the Jubilee. The Republic's leader was a giant in the political world and had a reputation for being firm and sticking to her principles. Marina would love to ask Minister Blass for advice on things when it comes to governance. The woman had far more experience than Marina since she had been leading the Republic for nearly two decades. Marina could only guess Minister Blass would have seen things that could help Marina do more for the Union's citizens. However, there were so many people here at the Jubilee that Marina hadn't had the chance to find Minister Blass and ask for some time to talk. As she kept glancing around, she spotted a young man in a military uniform talking with some of her bodyguards. Her guards seemed to know who the young man was, though Marina didn't recognize the young man. Marina approached the group and smiled, "An unfamiliar face, I see," she greeted before she bowed to Tyler, "Hello, my name is Marina Ismail."

Tyler faced the woman that had approached the group he was in. The name Ismail was one Tyler had heard in the years after the Alliance-PLANT War. Ismail was the name of the one who had been key in stabilizing the Equatorial Union's civil matters. Because of their work, the people of the Union had voted for Ismail to be the head of their government. The Equatorial Union had something like a representative diarchy where the head was seen as close to a royal. However, the Union's parliament did much of the legislative and parts of the governmental work. And from what Tyler had heard from Union soldiers, the woman and those who worked with her had really cleaned things up and stabilized the Union's government. To have earned the respect of the soldiers was commendable in Tyler's book. Thus, Tyler returned the bow, "I am Tyler McGregor, ma'am," he replied. "It's an honor and a pleasure to meet one of those who helped stabilize the Equatorial Union. From talking with these soldiers here, you advocate peace and fight for the people."

Marina's gaze fell slightly, "I wouldn't say that," she remarked. "I just try to help people that are in need. And I haven't been working alone in the efforts to stabilize the Equatorial Union. Many put forth the effort for the results that had ended in the Union having peace as it does now." Tyler had heard differently than what Marina was saying about her efforts. Marina was clearly modest and humble, so she didn't want to take credit for what she had led. That was fine and was preferable to being egotistical and taking credit for things one didn't do. "While I appreciate those who are modest and humble," Tyler began. "Don't refuse the praise others give you for your efforts to help others improve their lives. You may not see yourself as a "miracle worker," but those you help do." Marina shook her head in response, "I'm no miracle worker," she insisted. "I was just trying to help people in need out of the hard circumstances they were in."

Tyler couldn't help but chuckle in response to Marina's reply. She would make a good leader of a Federation member nation. Marina had good qualities that leaders should have. Tyler used his mother as an example of what a good leader should be like. He admitted he'd been spoiled when it came to great examples of proper leaders with his mother. Tyler held up a hand to stop Marina from rambling on, "You can call your efforts what you will, Miss Ismail," he said. "Just know that not everyone sees what you do as you would. Trust me, I've learned that lesson personally with my military service."

The conversation shifted to Marina talking about herself and where she had come from. Tyler listened to what the woman was saying and couldn't help but respect Marina a little more. The woman had what most would consider a "humble" beginning which was different from where she was now. As Tyler had expected, Marina had been born in what had been the Middle East which was part of the Alliance's Eurasian Federation now. History made it clear the territory hadn't had things easy. The Reconstruction War had started there before engulfing much of the world. Because of that, the area had been given the "cold shoulder" after the war as a punishment, even when it was due to a group and not those who lived in the territory. It had become one of the poorest areas of the world when it had once been the richest. The Alliance taking it over after it was founded hadn't improved things in the Middle East. They had worsened the economic situation, making the divide between the rich and poor wider.

Marina had managed to survive, leave the area, and enter the Equatorial Union in her teenage years. She had been among the poor who had been treated horribly by the rich nobles the Alliance was supporting. Things had improved for Marina somewhat when she began living in the Union, though life was still hard. The chat then moved on to Marina, saying she was interested in hearing about the Republic and its people. Apparently, this was the first time she had come to the Republic itself in her own words. Like others, Marina had heard stories of the Republic of East Asia. Tyler knew most did hear stories about the Republic along with the Euros Coalition since they were the two founding nations of the Federation. It was the stories of the Federation which Marina and those like her that had lived in the Middle East had held to for hope.

At the same time, Ellen had been moving around the great room, speaking to those that had come to the Jubilee. Most had been pleasant to talk to, which Ellen had expected. However, they had been a few that Ellen hadn't liked much. There were some businesspeople that Ellen couldn't exactly say how they got invitations to the Jubilee. She had given that information to the soldiers here on security detail so they could keep an eye. They would handle issues should they come up and need to be seen to. She had moved back to greeting guests instead of worrying about the few that were questionable. It was shortly after seeing that business group, an aide came up and informed Ellen the group from Equatorial Union had arrived. Ellen had been observing the Union's new leader, Marina Ismail. The young woman had been making a name for herself with her efforts to stabilize the nation and bring about economic equality.

It was minutes later that Ellen found the group from the Equatorial Union. She quickly spotted the woman she'd seen photographs of and assumed she was Marina Ismail. It would be the first time Ellen would meet Marina face to face since there had been work to be done with recent events. Ellen walked up to the group and overheard the conversation was Marina talking about herself. "I had been informed that the group from the Union had arrived," Ellen spoke up. "But I had yet to greet you all personally. I hope you are all enjoying your time here; if not, then I have failed as a host and must remedy that." Marina turned to the speaker and found herself facing Minister Blass. She bowed in greeting, "Minister Blass, it's an honor to meet you in person," she greeted. "I've heard much about you from others and have wanted to meet you face to face."

Tyler observed the two women conversing but did nothing to interfere. After a few minutes, Tyler blended back into the crowd and was followed by Sakura. As Tyler had no interest in political conversations, he saw no reason to stick around the two. Plus, Tyler wasn't one to socialize at events like the current one; it was a reason he didn't attend them often. Also, Tyler knew his mother's reputation on the political stage was difficult to argue or deny, for she has earned and solidified it over the years. The flip side was that it made it hard for others to approach her in person just by her reputation. And yet, when they met her in person, Tyler had found most discovered Ellen was reasonably easy to get along with.

Sakura clung to Tyler shortly after they had disappeared into the crowd. Tyler managed to get them over to one of the buffe tables and grab some food. He felt he might as well get a meal before figuring out how to escape this event. Slipping away from Sakura would be another matter and would take different efforts. And Tyler was starting to feel he would have to wave the white flag for another night before shaking off his stalker. However, sadly for Tyler, being around Sakura was more tolerable than sticking around this gathering and socializing for a while, and that was saying something.

Nonetheless, after some moseying around, Tyler and Sakura came to be in the presence of a person Tyler hadn't expected to see at the Jubilee. The man before them was just under six feet in height and a Natural-type human. His hair was blonde, short, neat, and somehow went with his grey eyes. The man was in his early fifties, though he looked physically a tad younger and had the name of Frederick Algreus. This man was, in essence, Tyler's boss's right hand and second in command of SOLAS, being the other Admiral over the branch. If Tyler was honest, Admiral Algreus was easier to deal with than his boss Admiral Raine was. The few times he'd been able to work with him had shown that point well. However, in his view, Tyler was "lucky" in a bad way to normally work with Admiral Raine.

Frederick was listening to the reports coming in from the SOLAS agents milling about the Jubilee. They were here to look into some that were attending the event. Most of the attendees were fine, and there was nothing suspicious about them to worry about. However, there were a few "guests" that had come, which put up some red flags. There were at least two groups, potentially three, that had enough potential red flags that SOLAS had been called upon. Admiral Raine had asked Frederick to take a team and look into the groups being mentioned and find out what he could. The team was to be "part of" the security personnel that would be on hand for the Jubilee, but that was more of a cover. Yet, Frederick was brought out of listening to the reports when two came up to him.

The first was Captain McGregor. Frederick knew of the young man as he was one of the prominent SOLAS agents it had to work with. McGregor was among the best uncover agents SOLAS had, specializing in sabotage and information gathering. The Intelligence Agency had literally begged SOLAS to let them have McGregor from what Frederick had heard. Angelia had flat-out refused, saying SOLAS would be retaining McGregor until she said otherwise. However, from what Frederick understood, McGregor wasn't one to attend events like the Horizon Jubilee. Of course, Frederick wouldn't be against having McGregor's help with looking into those they were here to observe. One group had been difficult to get near without them being suspicious and then not saying anything of interest until the agent close by moved away.

The other with McGregor was one of the most recent additions to SOLAS, Commander Clyne. The addition of ZAFT's Black Zephyr had been unexpected but had come at the recommendation of Admiral Moses's replacement, Lanus Treize. And it wasn't anything with the woman's record, for it was beyond outstanding. Her skills definitely could be put to good use on tasks SOLAS tended to get. Her reputation wasn't as off-putting as ZAFT had implied, though she could be intimidating. What Commander Clyne was doing with McGregor, Frederick couldn't say, but the two could help with what the SOLAS team was doing. McGregor gave Frederick a salute, "Admiral Algreus," he began, "I didn't imagine I would meet you here, sir." Frederick returned the salute, "At ease Captain McGregor, no need to be so formal," he returned. Frederick nodded to Sakura, "You as well, Commander Clyne. As for what I'm here for, I'm heading a team sent here to look into a few that are attending this event."

Tyler was curious as to what "few" were referred to by Admiral Algreus. The invitations sent out were meant to keep out unsavory types from the Jubilee. Granted, it wasn't a foolproof method to keep out the undesirable individuals, but it did help. What was worrisome about the point was SOLAS wasn't deployed unless said individuals were seen as a serious potential threat. "I assume the said few are seen as potential problems," Tyler posed softly so others wouldn't hear. Frederick nodded, "Indeed, two groups, in particular, are concerning. One claims to be from the PLANTs, but that is questionable when it is investigated further. But the most concerning group has been on the radar for a while but is rather hard to get near." Frederick gazed at Tyler, "That is why I'm glad you popped up, McGregor. Your skills with undercover work may make the difference and help get real information on them." Frederick turned to Sakura, "And I hope you could help with the "ZAFT" group we are looking into, Commander Clyne. I wouldn't doubt you could tell if they are a part of the organization better than we could." Frederick paused for a moment, "Admiral Treize said you were incredible at being able to confirm things like this. I have no reason to doubt what he says since he's worked with you far more than I have."

Tyler blinked at the last two sentences Admiral Algreus had said. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility for the Admiral to have met ZAFT's Treize. But it sounded more like the Admiral had been speaking with ZAFT's head more directly and recently. That didn't make sense to Tyler as ZAFT didn't take to the Federation's military directly often that he knew of. "Excuse me, Admiral," Tyler stated, "Forgive me if I'm prying, but you speak of ZAFT's Treize like you've spoken to him directly recently. Is that correct?" Admiral Algreus nodded, so Tyler kept going, "What reason would there be for ZAFT to talk to the Federation?"

Treize's appointment to one of the positions of the leading admirals of the Federation's military was a "recent" thing. That was not to say Treize hadn't quickly proven he was an amazing fit for the position. "You were not aware Treize has left ZAFT, McGregor," Frederick questioned. Tyler had heard rumors of Treize "retiring" or something to that effect. However, Tyler hadn't paid a great deal of attention to those rumors. ZAFT wouldn't let go of their best leader easily if there was a way for them to avoid it. Sure, Tyler knew the man might have wanted to bow out after the war. Lanus Treize would definitely be one of those who deserved retirement after how he led ZAFT throughout the Alliance-PLANT War. "I'd heard rumors the man was considering retirement, but I hadn't thought much of it," Tyler replied. "The man would certainly deserve a comfortable retirement with the work he's done."

Frederick didn't get the chance to state that Treize worked with the Federation as Sakura beat him to it. "Lanus's retirement was more a transition," she said, drawing Tyler's attention. "He used it to leave the PLANTs and then accept a position with the Federation's military." Tyler's eyes widened at Sakura, saying Treize was now working with the Federation. The man was arguably the best tactician the human race had at the moment. His commanding skills were top-tier, and his records with ZAFT left no doubt about that. "Not that I would complain about the man helping us," Tyler remarked. "I don't doubt high command has been trying to recruit the man for a while." Frederick cleared his throat, "He stepped in for Admiral Moses when he retired as one of the two leading admirals."

Tyler whipped around to face Admiral Algreus at his statement. Treize was a leader; there was no question about that, but for him to be given the position as one of the two leading admirals of the Federation's military was surprising. The champions of ZAFT, which had come over to the Federation, had improved things for the organization. Tyler wouldn't doubt Treize would have a similar effect, if not a more powerful one. That didn't explain why Treize had decided to transition to the Federation in Tyler's mind. However, he wasn't going to be picky about someone like Treize leading the Federation. "I hadn't heard he had taken Admiral Moses's position," Tyler commented, "But Treize would be a hard one to match with qualifications for the job."

While the side discussion was normally fine, there was work to be done. Time was of the essence with the groups here. One of them was extremely hard to come in contact with. Because of that, getting credible information on them was difficult. "Moving back to the task at hand," Frederick began. "Would you two be willing to assist in this information gathering?" Tyler had no issue with the task; he did the type of job often enough, so he nodded. Admiral Algreus then got down to giving the details he had on the two target groups. Tyler wasn't liking what was told to him about his target. It fit the group of businesspeople he'd spotted earlier, which had given off a bad vibe. From what Admiral Algreus said, the group was suspected to be from an organization that had been kept in the shadows. After getting the information from Admiral Algreus, Tyler and Sakura went separate ways to find their target groups.

It didn't take all that long for Tyler to spot the group of businesspeople again. However, he didn't approach them directly. It was part of the art Tyler had learned with undercover work. If you wanted information obtained through eavesdropping, you slowly approached your target. One would spook them otherwise and then get no information from them. Thus, Tyler weaved into the crowd, appearing to be interacting with those he was around as he drew closer to the businesspeople. As he closed the distance, Tyler could make out the individuals better. One quickly stood out, and Tyler guessed they were the leader of the said group. They were a younger-looking man in his early thirties. He had short grey hair, a fair complexion, and purplish lipstick, which was odd. However, the man's blue eyes held Tyler for a moment, for they gave off a bad vibe. They showed confidence but also arrogance and superiority. The eyes were those of the type that felt they were superior to all around them, and those beneath them should be honored to breathe the same air as them.

It took a few minutes, but Tyler positioned himself a short distance from the group of others. That would allow him to listen to the group and not appear he was paying any attention to them. As the voices floated over to Tyler, he focused on them while keeping somewhat aware of what was going on around him. From what Tyler was hearing, the group was definitely business oriented. Those they were talking to were sounding like potential customers for them. The words that Tyler was picking out made him think the group was likely arms dealers of some kind. There was a loose mention of wanting to look at Federation tech. It was done so as not to sound like they were outright asking for access to the tech, but Tyler could see the point.

The younger man seemed to be the main "salesman" of the group, and Tyler had to admit they were fairly good at giving a sales pitch. He portrayed himself as a reasonable individual that was trying to do "good" business. The guy had emotional control, Tyler would have to applaud the show of that, nothing like Natarle. It made Tyler want to test what would need to happen to snap that control and see what the guy was like when none were watching. A prime piece of information that Tyler was able to get was a name, which he figured belonged to the "leader." That name was Lord Djibril which Tyler had heard once and little beyond the name itself. It was supposed to belong to the current leader of Blue Cosmos. According to the press, the man was supposed to have improved Blue Cosmos to just protest and not be violent outright. Tyler had his doubts, but there was little solid evidence he'd seen to prove the point wrong yet.

If this was the same individual as reports said, Tyler didn't see much of a difference between this Djibril and Azrael. Tyler's observations proved to him that the group was more than likely part of some sort of military-industrial complex. He'd not heard the name of said organization which he'd hoped he would get. But that lent credence to the organization operating in the shadows and letting others take the blame when it came. Such an organization was a dangerous thing to leave to its own devices. Still, Tyler had gotten some good info for the efforts expended, which he could report to Admiral Algreus.

Tyler moved away from the businesspeople, blending back into the crowd. He reported what he'd heard to Admiral Algreus, hoping it had helped. After that, Tyler began thinking of a way to slip away from the Jubilee without drawing attention. With Sakura having gone off to look into the "ZAFT" group, it gave him a prime opportunity to leave without her potentially following. Plus, Tyler didn't want his mother to see him sneaking away from the event she'd specifically invited him to. Being around those of high social standing was wearing on Tyler, and he wanted to get away from it.

However, Tyler's situation changed with Lisa reaching out to him with a message. She told Tyler emergency orders had just come down for the Normandy. While emergency orders would raise red flags for Tyler, it was that it had top priority, which made it even more concerning. The Normandy was already on its way toward Shen Long to launch up to space. So, he weaved quicker through the crowds making his way toward the entrance. The tone of the message from Lisa hadn't denoted whatever the orders were had been something to not take seriously. It was more confirmation that Tyler's intuition about something bad looming was right once again. Tyler made it to the entryway to the great room within minutes. Yet, before he could make his discretion exit, Sakura appeared next to him as if a magic trick had been done. Tyler didn't feel there was time to argue with Sakura accompanying him into whatever had come up. Plus, if combat would be involved, Sakura would be a great help that Tyler wouldn't refuse, even if it would cause him personal issues. Thus, Tyler grabbed Sakura's hand and dragged her away toward the entrance so they could head to the Normandy.

A/n

I'll leave off for this phase there and pick up in the next. Now, onto the highlighting and explanation section I do at the end of each Phase. So, I know some don't enjoy the interactions between Tyler and Sakura, the ongoing chase and run routine. I'm sorry that some of you don't enjoy the show as much as others do, for it is meant to be humorous. Thus, if you don't like it, please bear with the point as it will keep happening off and on until the end of Destiny. For those like me that find the interactions between the two funny, I hope you enjoyed it and there will be more of them in future phases.

Let's move to the first scene of this Phase and I'll point out some things. Unlike the original version of this story, the Normandy stays in Orb for close to a week, five days or so specifically. I lay that out so you readers see the timeline of my story is changing somewhat from what it was in the original. I want to make this as realistic as possible so that it is believable, it makes a story better to read if you ask me. Thus, why the Normandy is at Onogoro for close to a week for repairs and resupply. It may not need much in the way of repairs since most of it was minor from their time in space with what went down at Milo's, the two battles, and re-entry. However, the time does allow for others stuff to come up. The first thing I wanted to highlight is the difference in Tyler's command style. I know I've mentioned his is different before in previous Phases, but this is yet another thing that bears attention. In this instance, Tyler shows he cares about the well-being of his crew. I compare this to the classic "opposite" of Tyler's, none other than Natarle. Now, I know some think I bash on Natarle at times, and I don't deny it may seem so. I don't mean for it to seem like it, but let me put it in a different way. Natarle is your classic military officer, disciplined and focused on the objectives given for her to achieve while upholding the organization's rules and principles. On the other hand, Tyler couldn't care less about rules or the "book" which military organizations work by. He more cares about meeting a goal and making sure those under him are okay in the end. It is this difference that earns Tyler the loyalty from others that can be rare with officers.

Shifting to Tyler's final visit to the orphanage, it was more "eventful" than the other one he made while in Orb. It may have started as a normal visit for Tyler, but it didn't end that way. As you readers know it was because Sakura showed up and caused him grief that she normally does. Before the woman pops up, Tyler intended to leave since the Normandy was to head out the next morning. But let me explain the "shiver" that Tyler has just before Sakura appears. From the years of Sakura stalking him off and on, Tyler has developed a "response" if you will to the woman's presence. The shiver is a form of a warning for Tyler that his stalker is nearby. It is one of the few warnings that he gets before Sakura is too close for him to do much. It's one of those "sixth sense" kind of things that come up with some people.

I will get into Sakura catching Tyler in a moment, but first I want to talk about Sakura's attempt to improve her character while visiting the orphanage. So, Sakura knows where Lacus is when none around the PLANTs or ZAFT have a clue. That comes into play later but I want to mention that so you readers know Lacus's location isn't public knowledge. Back to Sakura, she retired from ZAFT and has been "trying" to be better with people. She has been doing this for a reason which I will get into later. Remember, Sakura's reputation is one of the most feared ZAFT soldier/pilot there is. Changing that reputation isn't so simple, plus changing the view of others can be difficult.

Now, I see no reason to get into Tyler trying to escape Sakura, it fairly self-explanatory. I would like to discuss some of the reactions to Sakura's pursuit of Tyler though as I always find those quite amusing. I mean, think of what it had to be like for Lacus, opening the door and having her older sister shooting by and at one of your friends. And that dash is through the children and adults between the door and the back door Tyler was trying to escape. Lacus is one of the few that "understand" Sakura has feelings for Tyler. But Lacus isn't completely sure Sakura loves Tyler in a romantic way or if it is just something else. Others may see some of the signs, but necessarily think there is a chance of a relationship between the two. The other reaction I would point out is that of Andrew and Aisha. Those two know who Sakura is, for they know of her reputation as the Black Zephyr. It is a picture of what a difference there is with Sakura when she is around Tyler.

Okay, moving onto Tyler getting away from Sakura temporarily. He uses Sakura being distracted for a moment to slip away and can you blame the guy? Now, some would say he made a mistake in assuming he could keep Sakura away for a time, and I wouldn't disagree. Locking down the Normandy may have been a little far, but again, I don't blame Tyler for doing the point. But I do give him high marks for the efforts he puts into evasion of her. I mean, the Normandy is his ship and so he should be able to keep others off it. And if not for what I will discuss next it may have been a fairly sound premise.

Let me talk about Sakura in relation to her change in standing after leaving ZAFT as that is reveal in this Phase. She is in the Federation's military, and this is far sooner than in the original. I credit that to Treize being a proactive leader, seeking out those he knows will be of great use for a cause. With Sakura's skill set, she could've been in any of the branches of the Federation's Military. However, SOLAS made the most sense as she is one of the best at what she does. Plus, more relation to Tyler and she wants that if such wasn't obvious. Yet, one of the reasons I did put her in SOLAS was the privileges they get which other soldiers don't. I would also say the Information Network is why she can pursue Tyler better than before as a side note. The last thing about this scene with the Normandy in Orb I would like to go into is another change from the original version of this story. Sakura will be on the ship for the next few phases and I state that for a reason which will be apparent later.

Now to the last scene of this Phase that I want to talk about which is the Horizon Jubilee. The party does have some points that do stand out which aren't in canon. First of all, there is the historical significance of the event which celebrates the founding of the Human Federation. The next point is the array of those who attend this event is quite vast, though it is by invitation only. As for Sakura posing as Tyler's date, like she would miss an opportunity such as this I ask? Of course, the woman is going to go and meet up with Tyler, that's just how she rolls. But I want to go to the three events that happen at the Jubilee I wanted to discuss. The first is the encounter with Marina Ismail and yes, she was taken from the Gundam-00 universe for those that would ask. In my story, she is the leader of the Equatorial Union during Destiny. I do give some background which isn't from the 00 universe, but what I would believe she would go through. Marina like many have heard of Ellen and know her more by reputation than personally. But Ellen is respected for the work she has done for the Republic of East Asia, so is seen as a political giant.

The next event, as some might have guessed involves the conversation between Tyler and Admiral Algreus. The Admiral is taken from the Gundam AGE universe mostly as I liked what I saw with him. Now as mentioned, he is the other admiral over SOLAS and does the more day to day stuff that Admiral Raine doesn't do. Frederick is less uptight and feared than Angelia. But he has no issue putting Tyler and Sakura to work with the other SOLAS agents at the Jubilee. That leads me to the last of the three events I want to talk about. That being Tyler's observations of Lord Djibril and the group with him. Now, with Tyler's skills and work with SOLAS, he is no stranger to getting information by listening and not being caught doing such things. But this is our first "official" introduction to Djibril in my story. We all know he isn't a nice guy, but that isn't the point just yet.

In conclusion, I hope you readers liked this Phase even if it isn't action-packed as some are. The next phase will be more filled with action I assure you since there is battle and the like. As always, some of you please take the time to write a review and tell me what you think of this Phase and/or the story in general. I read all the reviews and respond to those I can, even when they are criticisms. The next Phase is in the works and is currently titled: "Stopping Catastrophe." Peace out until the next Phase!