Gundam Seed: The Federation ver 2 Chapter 81: Phase 81: Coming Full Circle, a gundam seed fanfic

A/n

Okay, this is the aftermath of the Nelfhime Siege. Admittedly, this Phase ended out being longer than I imagined it would be when writing it. But let me get my normal disclosure I do about every five phases out of the way. I do not own anything in the Gundam universe as much as I would love to, I just don't. Nor do I own any of the stuff I borrow from other universes used in my story. All I take credit for is my musings and original characters. With that out of the way, please enjoy the Phase!

Phase 81: Coming Full Circle

October 22nd, 73 C.E.

Around Asgard, 1700 hours

The sun was halfway through setting as ships were coming into docks at Asgard
Island. The Alliance's drawn-out assault on the base had taken its toll on its defenders which varied but was felt by all. The OMNI fleet had made the harshest attempt against Asgard thus far out of those who had attacked it previously. The two-pronged attack they had tried had been thwarted by the Valkyrie cannons and Asgard's defense forces. The barrier shields had prevented major damage to Asgard itself. The Alliance had attempted bombardments intermittently during their assault which had failed because of the barrier shields. However, the ending result were as expected from the efforts put forth with Asgard withstanding OMNI's assault and attempt to take the base for themselves. Sacrifices had been made to achieved Asgard's defense and maintaining Federation control. Those lives given for Asgard's defense would be honored for the sacrifice they had made for the Federation.

The recovery process which began that followed the battle would be done in stages by Asgard with its high command overseeing them. The vessels that had suffered enough damage that they couldn't return to docking facilities on their own were located and marked. Pilots that had been forced to eject from their machines were still in need of recovery and weren't ignored. Those tasks were handed out to be done by the remaining defense forces in the shifts which were quickly set up by Asgard High Command. The repairs which would be required to get Asgard back up to full strength were already in the planning phase by those in charge of Asgard. There was much work to do for the recovery from OMNI's assault and the list was growing as damage reports kept coming in. And proficient and efficient execution of the needed tasks was the priority so Asgard to be brought back to full operational status as quickly as possible.

On the Minerva, Talia was just trying to process the whole event that had been OMNI assaulting the Federation's Asgard base. That OMNI had even instigated the assault in the first place brought up several questions with no immediate answers. The gamble the Alliance had made attacking Asgard was an extremely risky one by what Talia had seen and could figure. She couldn't be sure if there had been other factors which had played into the Alliance's decision. Talia wanted to assume there was other information that went into the Alliance's military decision, but that wasn't a guarantee with them anymore. However, regardless of what had gone into the operation, the Alliance's gamble of taking Asgard failed in the end. OMNI had lost forces as a result of their gamble and even they would have a hard time denying that.

Talia felt there would be consequences for the Alliance's gamble beyond the obvious ones. The Alliance would have to rebuild the forces they lost in the assault of course. That would be done as fast as possible Talia wouldn't doubt so the Alliance could move forward in their campaign to whatever its goal it was. That was one of the few obvious things the Alliance would do in response to the failed attack. The Federation's response were ones that Talia could only guess at. They would be swift and anything but beneficial to the Alliance and their standing. The Federation wouldn't just wave off what OMNI's fleet had attempted doing. That wasn't how the Federation was, they had made it clear and were consistent when responding to those who attacked them. The Alliances had essentially declared war on the Federation even if they hadn't done it officially as they had with ZAFT. There would likely be sanctions of some kind, what type Talia couldn't guess right now. The Federation would no doubt tighten their borders and specific groups of Alliance personnel wouldn't be allowed within them. But beyond that, Talia couldn't imagine the potential responses the Federation would have.

Talia was just as sure ZAFT wouldn't take what the Alliance attempted to do to Asgard lightly. It showed that the Alliance was more ambitious and aggressive than intel had predicted they would. The ambitiousness had been hinted at, which ZAFT had been planning counters for as far as Talia had heard. The aggressiveness was more than concerning and would have to be added to the counter plans. The upcoming "Spear of Twilight" operation was one of the counters ZAFT had come up with. However, Talia felt the operation's timetables would be accelerated with the attack on Asgard. It was a sign that war was looming in humanity's near future and would come sooner than any had wanted or predicted. So, much had been done to try and avert such a conflict but all of that was coming to not. It made Talia wonder if the human race may just be doomed to fight amongst itself until either its destruction or something momentous changed.

Yet, with the operation likely moving forward, that would require the Minerva to get back to Gibraltar as quickly as it could. That would be difficult as the Minerva had taken some damage during the assault. Some of that damage would need to be repaired before the ship headed out from the area. The good thing going for the Minerva was Asgard had given permission for the ship to dock at the base. Talia had been assured there would be assistance provided with the repairs possible before the Minerva would head out in the morning. The permission alone was completely unexpected since the Minerva was a ZAFT vessel. Never had a ZAFT vessel been allowed to dock at Federation military complexes, let alone the Federation's headquarters on Earth that Talia knew of. And though this was off the record with ZAFT, it still was a first that none within the organization had thought would occur. No ZAFT ship had gotten within close enough range to see much of Asgard in detail till the Minerva. ZAFT subs would only get to the base's outer detection perimeter before the Federation would have them move along.

With that in mind, it was something to see as the Minerva sailing toward the dock it had been directed to by Asgard's command center. Seeing the base closer than any ZAFT intel had ever gotten was a sight to behold for the crew of the Minerva. The shoreline guns and other defenses made the clear impression of why those who had tried to assault the base before had zero success. There were enough turrets and other types of guns of varying power and caliber to pound an approaching force heavily before the enemy force could get into close range of the island. The numerous airfields and hangars that could be seen from the Minerva strongly suggested the many mobile suits the base could support and deploy. The base was truly a stronghold and fortress for the Federation to operate from on Earth as its nickname implied. It was also obvious why the Alliance hadn't attacked the Euros Coalition from the west. Asgard was as much a defense as it was a deterrent against the Alliance trying anything from the Atlantic Federation's direction.

The Minerva came to a halt when the dry dock was directly in front of the ship. It then began backing into the flooded dry dock slowly. Arthur could only wonder how things had come to the current circumstances and the Minerva backed into the dry dock. The Minerva, a ZAFT vessel, was coming into a dock at the Federation's earth-based headquarters. That fact had always been seen as an impossibility to those in ZAFT and on the National Defense Committee. While the Federation was normally polite to the other factions, they never allowed "outsiders" directly into their military complexes. It was seen as a Federation policy since the Alliance and ZAFT ships were always redirected to common ports regulated and watched over by the Federation. Arthur was still trying to wrap his head around the Minerva doing what it was, even it if was off the books right now. "We have to be the first ZAFT vessel that has gotten this close to Asgard, ma'am," he remarked. "I've never heard of any vessel docking at a Federation military facility like we are doing."

Talia believed the Federation was making a one-time exception for the Minerva docking at Asgard. With how the Minerva had helped in Asgard's defense, she felt this was their way to show gratitude for them stepping in. That was the most logical explanation that Talia could come up with for the Federation, making an exception for the Minerva. What Arthur said about ZAFT vessels was the truth. ZAFT ships didn't dock at Federation military facilities, that was thought to be the Federation's policy since they were consistent with it. Thus, Talia felt the Minerva's current circumstances would be an extremely rare one-off rather than the start of something new. And as the Minerva was off the books, nothing they saw would be recorded in ZAFT records. So, in the end, their docking at Asgard didn't matter and wouldn't be talked about amazing as it was. "While the Minerva is likely the first non-Federation vessel to dock at Asgard," Talia began. "We are off the books, so this event won't be in historical records." Arthur knew what Talia was saying about being off the books was true. But surely, the Minerva docking at Asgard would be made an exception and written down with it being the first. "But ma'am," Arthur started, "With the Minerva being the first ZAFT ship to do this, surely there will be an exception made."

Arthur's point would have merit Talia would admit, if not for the point of an explanation being required to explain why the Minerva was around Asgard to begin with. The Minerva going to retrieve the Impulse was off the books and wouldn't be talked about officially. Because of that, there wouldn't be a viable explanation stated for why the Minerva had been around Asgard. Thus, official records would omit the incredible fact of the Minerva docking at Asgard in order not to have to give the explanation it wouldn't admit to. "No, Arthur," Talia stated firmly. "There will be no exception made in this. It would require admitting what the Minerva was doing off the books and the National Defense Committee won't do that. So, it will never be recorded that the Minerva docked at Asgard." Talia paused for a moment thinking ahead about what the Minerva needed to have done. "Finish up the damage reports so we can give a copy to the Federation. They offered to help with repairs, and I see no reason to refuse their offer. It will speed along the needed work, and we could use such so we can get back to Gibraltar in a timely manner."

Arthur didn't want to admit the captain was right with ZAFT not recording the Minerva docking at Asgard. But her logic was sound, the National Defense Committee wouldn't talk about off the books stuff unless it was beyond absolutely necessary. And no one would believe any on the Minerva should they mention the Minerva had docked at Asgard. Not that Arthur blamed any who would deny the fact as the Federation just didn't allow outsiders in their military facilities. The captain was right that it was best to focus on more immediate things like getting the Minerva into better shape than she was. He almost had the damage reports done, they just needed to be finalized before he could make copies. "I'm almost done with the damage report, ma'am," Arthur replied. "If the Federation is willing to help with the repair work, it would make it easier to get back to Gibraltar in a reasonable amount of time."

Arthur knew he was putting a nice spin on what the work the Minerva needed done to get back to one-hundred-percent operational status. The Minerva had taken a beating during the long assault, Arthur wouldn't deny that. The Isolde needed some work as it had become sluggish after taking two attacks and was intermittently responding to commands. One of the Tristan cannons was out of commission until repaired properly. Some of the missile launchers had been hit during the fighting which needed serious work to fix. One of the sensor arrays had taken a direct hit and would need major work to be back to working status. The left linear catapult had been damaged and so couldn't be used to send out mobile suits right now. It still could open to receive suits and remove equipment, but that was all and that was done manually from the hangar. The Minerva's engines had been attacked as well during the assault. Overall, the ship's output was just under fifty percent of the engines' overall potential power. There was also outer hull damage which should be seen to as well before the Minerva headed out from Asgard. The ship's suits would need work before they were up to going out and doing serious work from what Chief Aves had mentioned. However, that could be done along the way to Gibraltar if needed, so they weren't an immediate priority. All in all, there was a list of jobs needing to be done for the Minerva to get back to full operational status.

While the Minerva's two officers were talking, Meyrin had been talking with Aila who was down in the hangar. According to Aila, the Impulse hadn't returned to the Minerva as had been expected and hoped after the fighting. Meyrin had noticed the point and had been worried about Shinn not coming back to the Minerva after the battle. She'd asked Burt if he could locate the Impulse, but he'd not had much more luck than her. Aila was saying she intended to go out and find Shinn but wanted the captain to be informed about it. She planned to take the Osiris for her search, and from what Meyrin had seen, the suit was ready for such. The Osiris had taken a beating as all the Minerva's machines had. However, as long as it didn't have to fight, the Osiris would be able to perform well enough for the task. So, Meyrin turned to face Captain Gladys, "Captain," she began, "Aila is requesting permission to take the Osiris and go looking for the Impulse."

Talia turned to Meyrin at her announcement. Talia had heard something to the effect that the Impulse hadn't returned to the Minerva yet. She'd assumed Shinn had been with whatever Federation squadron he'd worked with. Talia imagined Shinn would make his way back to the ship before it headed out in the morning. So, she'd hadn't been all that worried about the Impulse not coming back directly to the Minerva. However, if Aila was willing to go out and find the Impulse, Talia didn't have an issue with it. The Minerva's pilots were helping the crew as they could. But there wasn't a great deal the pilots were able to do as they didn't have the needed skills for the repairs. So, if any were available for a search, it was the Minerva's pilots right now. "Permission granted, Meyrin," Talia returned. "See to the Osiris's launch and keep in touch with it. But tell her that she is to focus on looking for the Impulse and not glancing over the base." Meyrin nodded and turned back to her station and got back with Aila.

Aila had waited while Meyrin had delivered her request to Talia. Aila had planned to go out whether she took the Osiris or went out on foot to search for Shinn. He had been a guest of the Federation for the last two weeks and Aila was grateful to the Federation for looking after him for that time. But many on the Minerva had been concerned and worried about Shinn while he'd been separated from the ship. It would be Shinn returning to the Minerva which would help those who were worried. Aila, as the team lead was responsible to an extent for the Minerva's pilots. Thus, she would make sure Shinn made it back to the Minerva along with the Impulse. When Meyrin came back and told her she had permission to take the Osiris and search for the Impulse, Aila was ready to go. Matt would keep an eye on the other two teen pilots while Aila was out. Meyrin moved the suit to the right catapult as it was working while the other wasn't. Aila headed out from the Minerva and shifted the Osiris into its flight mode.

At the same time, Shinn was coming down to land at one of the airfields Asgard had. He was still with the Thor squadron he'd been working with since the beginning of the battle. The members of the squadron had become comrades watching Shinn's back while he watched theirs during the assault. No member of the squad had been lost, which was lucky for the Thor squadron. Other squadrons from what Shinn had heard hadn't been so lucky to have not lost members. The Federation had paid a price for defending Asgard from OMNI's assault. Shinn understood that a fight like the one he'd been in wasn't clear and really couldn't be by the end. But that didn't make the losses any easier to handle and process and Shinn could sympathize. And yet, the Federation's efforts were worth it in the end even with the losses they had suffered. Had the Alliance succeeded in taking Asgard from the Federation, then the coming war would be worse than it already was setting up to be.

Shinn landed the Impulse and exited the cockpit and used the zip line to reach the ground. What surprised him was the applause and cheers he was getting by the time he touched the ground. He'd just been fighting the best he could, staying alive and doing the same to help others do that too. Shinn didn't think he'd done much out of the ordinary that should be recognized. And yet, he was receiving what Shinn felt was a "hero's" welcome. He expected that Gundam pilots would get this kind of reception sometimes. However, Shinn wasn't a Gundam pilot really, just a backup pilot. Sure, Commander McGregor said Shinn should be and was a Gundam pilot, but Shinn didn't see himself that way. Before Shinn could say anything about him not deserving the welcome the squadron was giving him, he was pulled into the group of pilots. He was told from all directions his efforts had been amazing. Others said that Shinn had made a real difference for the squad and its performance during the battle. Some even thanked him for the times Shinn had saved them from OMNI suits attacked them. Shinn was clapped on the shoulder by one person after the other as he was praised by the squad. He didn't know how to exactly react to all the praise as he felt he'd only done the best he could, nothing special.

As Shinn was being congratulated, the Osiris had been flying over the base. Aila had thought to record what she was seeing below for a brief moment. However, Meyrin had said Talia had been specific in saying not to scan the base. Aila agreed with the idea since the Federation was being nice by allowing the Minerva docking at the base when it didn't have to. The only reason there was even the thought was ZAFT higher-ups would be more than happy if such was done. Yet, to acknowledge the Federation's nice gesture to the Minerva, Aila wouldn't record anything. Her goal was to find the Impulse, everything else was secondary and didn't need to be seen to anyway. Aila had headed toward the nearest airfields to the western shoreline. Those made the most sense for Federation mobile suit squadrons would come to land at. With Shinn likely being with the Federation squadron he'd been working with, he would probably be with them when they landed.

She didn't see anything that could potentially fit the Impulse's description as she passed by the first few runways. Aila turned to make a northeastern angled pass over the airfields which were north of those she'd already overflown. The Impulse would stick out from the mass-production models the Federation used currently on Earth. Gundam types had the tendency to stand out from other mobile suits, even limited production and custom variation machines. So, it should be visible from the air which was why she was doing a flyby scan instead of searching from the ground. And it was a few minutes later that Aila caught a glimpse which had her circle back for a second look. As she circled the airfield below her, she spotted the Impulse in a group of Federation suits. Now that she had located the Impulse, Aila began descending down toward the ground.

Shinn was still being praised when there was noise from above which had him glance upward. He saw something descending and a moment later Shinn realized what he was seeing was the Osiris. Shinn couldn't say who was in the cockpit right now, but he was kind of surprised that someone had come out looking for him. He'd intended to go and find the Minerva after saying farewell to those he'd found alongside. Shinn wanted to thank the Thor Squadron for their help and letting him work with them during the battle. Those in the squad had become comrades during the assault to Shinn. He didn't want to just leave them without saying anything to them after the fighting ended. It didn't seem proper to just leave like nothing had gone on between them.

Yet apparently, Captain Gladys had sent someone to look for him when he hadn't returned directly after the battle. While that would help Shinn in finding out where the Minerva was which he appreciated, it also implied he couldn't do that himself. Shinn couldn't stop himself from wondering about a few things several of which had come to his mind while separate from the Minerva. Shinn had felt he was competent and trustworthy enough to not be supervised all too often after being assigned to the Minerva. Someone coming to search for him could imply that he was not seen as competent enough to get back to the Minerva by himself in a "timely" manner. He'd been doing just fine on his own while apart from the ship and he would hope that would say something about his competence.

For a brief moment, Shinn was annoyed with someone coming out to look for him. However, then he had the thought of those who had been worried about him while he'd been away. Those at Gibraltar and others may have stated Shinn and the Impulse weren't their issue. Yet, Shinn didn't believe for a moment there weren't those on the Minerva who would've been worried about him while he'd been gone. His friends Rey and Luna were some of the first that had come to mind of those who would be fretting about him. Thus, it was more likely that enough on the Minerva were worried enough or had been loud enough to get someone to go looking for him.

Aila landed the Osiris a short distance from the mobile suit group that the Impulse had been in. She exited the cockpit and descended down via the zip line to the ground. When she glanced over to where the group in pilot suits, she caught glimpses of the color red that ZAFT red pilot suits had. Aila began making her way over to the group, not able to help herself but look up at the Federation mass-production models she was passing. They had a form which looked to be based on an old earth-based jet craft used in the AD calendar. However, the pieces of the machines' arsenal that Aila could see were anything but old. They looked to have beam rifles and sabers to work with. And there were the odd blades with some that had cut through OMNI Windams with relative ease. It was the closest glance that Aila had of Federation mobile suits she'd gotten during her service in ZAFT.

Aila closed the distance between where she landed the Osiris and the group of pilots. When she reached the edge of the group, she found Shinn was in the middle of it. He was being patted on the back, clapped on the shoulder and other gestures of congratulations being done to him. The things Aila was picking up was the Federation pilots were saying how much they had appreciated what he'd done on the field. Not that Aila didn't think Shinn deserved praise for his efforts during OMNI's assault. Shinn had shown he put forth serious effort when out on the field, which Aila appreciated. But hearing of instances of Shinn saving others had Aila feeling pride that Shinn was going out of his way to help others. It was a good quality for an individual to have that was trying to make a difference.

Shinn was trying to downplay the efforts he'd put forth by saying the other squad members had saved him from OMNI attacks. He stopped as the squadron leader walked up to Shinn. Shinn could tell the man was the leader as he had a different marking on the right shoulder area of his pilot suit. The rest around Shinn went quiet as the squad leader came up to him. Shinn followed his instincts and saluted the man. "Asuka," the squad leader started, "You did an excellent job out there. Your efforts helped all of the squad make it back alive and in one piece." Shinn was having trouble with forming words to response to the praise he was receiving. This had not really happened while he'd been enlisted in ZAFT. "Thank you, sir," Shinn replied, "But I was just doing what I could to help, that's all."

Aila stepped forward trying to make her way through the group of pilots. The squad leader noticed the woman in a red ZAFT uniform coming into the squad. It was likely the woman was here to pick up the kid and get him back to the ZAFT vessel he was assigned to. "But it looks like you have someone here to get you back to the ship you're with." Shinn turned in the direction that the squad leader had glanced in and found Aila was there. While Shinn had seen the Osiris, he hadn't thought Aila would be the one in the cockpit sent to look for him. She had been still in the infirmary when Shinn had been on the Minerva last. Truthfully, Shinn would've guessed either Rey or Mr. Dems would be chosen to find him and guide the Impulse back to the Minerva. He respected Aila for her skills and attitude with which she led a mobile suit team. He nodded to Aila but couldn't think of what to say to her with all that had happened in the last two weeks and today. With what Commander McGregor said about Gibraltar not willing to help him to get back to the Minerva. It hadn't sat right that Gibraltar wasn't going to help Shinn and it had frustrated him for a bit.

Aila bowed to the squadron leader, "You have my thanks for keeping an eye on Shinn," she greeted. "Our ship's crew and I have been worried about him while he was away from the ship." The squad leader glanced back at Shinn for a moment, wondering if ZAFT truly understood how good a soldier they had in Asuka. As far as the squad leader had seen, Asuka would become a Gundam pilot which stories told of. "Well, ZAFT certainly is lucky to have Asuka," the squad leader remarked. "This squad would've lost a number if not for Asuka's actions during OMNI's assault. The young man will go far with the talent and skills he has for piloting a mobile suit."

Aila was a little taken aback at the Federation team lead saying that Shinn had made a real difference. It was akin to a high compliment being given to Shinn. Aila couldn't help but wonder if the PLANTs National Defense Committee would perhaps listen to such were Talia assign Shinn to one of the Minerva's Gundams. It was the response of the National Defense Committee which essentially had Shinn not a primary Gundam pilot in Aila's opinion. But for the Federation to "notice" of Shinn's talent and skill was an independent recommendation. That "should" get the National Defense Committee to reassess Shinn's abilities and then consider him for piloting a Gundam. Aila bowed again to the squad leader, "I would agree that ZAFT is lucky to have him," she replied. "Even if we need to be reminded of that from time to time."

Aila had told Shinn that he was a good pilot before, and he'd appreciated it when she had said that kind of thing. Shinn was one to be modest when receiving praise for his efforts. His parents had always taught Shinn to do the best he could to help others, not for personal gain or to be recognized, but because it was the right thing to do. Due to that, Shinn didn't seek the "spotlight" that others wanted for recognition. Honestly, Shinn had no real interest in people telling stories about him or what he did. He didn't see himself becoming some kind of war hero that people looked toward to save humanity from the dangers it faced.

Aila signaled Shinn to board the Impulse so they could return to the Minerva. Shinn nodded in understanding and bid farewell to those who had been his teammates during the Alliance's assault. He then boarded the Impulse and took the air and followed the Osiris. Shinn was left to his thoughts as he was flying back to the Minerva with Aila. He really did want to get back to the Minerva and the friends he had there. However, Shinn believed he had been making potential friends on the Normandy. Then there were those from the Thor squadron who Shinn had come to see as comrades. He had come to care to a degree for those people he'd met while he had been separated from the Minerva. So, a part of him was hesitant to leave Asgard and the people he'd gotten to know. And that part of him was in conflict with the other part which wanted to reunite with his friend on the Minerva.

Shinn was brought out of his thoughts when the sight of the Minerva came to be in front of him. The ship looked to have taken somewhat a beating from the assault from what Shinn could see. The Minerva was in a dry dock, and it appeared that Federation personnel were working on repairs. Shinn was grateful the Federation was helping the Minerva, but he would've expected them to do so under the current circumstances. The Federation helped out those who were in need as much as they could, it was part of the foundational principles. It may give him the time to rest and sleep as he really could use those. Shinn had been pushing off and ignoring the exhaustion which the battle had dropped onto his shoulders.

Meanwhile, Tyler had taken some time to refresh himself after working with Lisa to take stock of the Normandy's condition after the assault. His mother had told him several times there would be days he would wish he could avoid and/or not go through. Tyler knew it was unwise to doubt his mother's wisdom. It had been proven right far more often than not and this piece of wisdom was no different to how right she was. The current day which was heading for a close was certainly one of the kind of days Ellen had been describing. The tension had been high at the start of the day with OMNI itching to attack for close to a week. And the assault they had brought had been the harshest to date even with its failure. The Alliance's "justification" for their attack on Asgard from what Tyler had heard was ridiculous to put it mildly. The statement that Tyler had been told was "the Federation had committed crimes and was interfering with needed business" and variations of that. It was less than what could be used for a bad joke if Tyler was to give his opinion.

The truth of the matter was simple, and Tyler felt that made the Alliance's action all the more foolish and odder. The Alliance had been working in the background and keeping their actions from the general public. Thus, the attack on the PLANTs and then Asgard were a complete one-eighty from that mentality. Before they'd had plausible deniability, but any chance of that had been thrown away. A child could see the fragile reasoning and poke holes in it for it collapse entirely. The first response to the Federation's interference had been the proposal of their "World Security Organization" treaty. The "garbage" document which was how Tyler had heard it referred to by several had been refused by all the Federation member nations. The attack on Asgard had been in response to the refusal to the Alliance's attempt to rope the Federation into their schemes.

The assault was officially being called the Neflheim Siege by Federation High Command had been a bold move for the Alliance. The size of the fleet alone made Tyler scratch his head on whom it could be calling the shots from the shadows when it came to the Alliance. From what Tyler had heard, there were still no definitive answers as to their backers that SOLAS agents could find yet. But whoever they were, Tyler figured that the meddling with their attempted nuclear strike and then turning down the proposal had really ticked them off. And while the Alliance had proven they overreacted more often than not, this was a more extreme case in Tyler's opinion. Then, there had been some interesting information learned from OMNI's assault which they may not have wanted to reveal to the Federation and ZAFT. The Alliance had shown they had working atmospheric entry capsules that appeared more efficient than ZAFT's by a margin.

The anti-orbital cannons had countered OMNI's attempt to drop in forces from orbit to give themselves an advantage. As Tyler understood it, the cannons were built and designed to deter ZAFT landing forces originally. There had been a chance that ZAFT might try something at some future point. Nonetheless, in the end, the cannons performed as intended by eliminating more than half the drop forces before they could be deployed. Thus, Tyler was of the opinion that it didn't really matter who got to "help test" the orbital cannon. They had fulfilled their purpose in Asgard's defense and that's what counted. It would also prove the cannon's effective use and therefore, needed employment for the Federation's military complexes.

Although the sun had set by this point, Tyler had seen Asgard before the light had faded fully. The base had taken damage from the assault which was expected though it was more than Tyler would've thought OMNI would manage. The western shoreline and some of the structures close to that area had taken a beating. Repairs were already underway, the priority being on the fixed defense so they could be operational as soon as possible. Tyler had heard from some of the officers around Asgard High Command that repairs would take close to two days for everything to be done. With the losses OMNI took, they would unlikely come back in less than two days. And the Normandy would be hopefully leaving Asgard before that became a potential issue that needed to be addressed.

Tyler knew it was no secret the Alliance had "hated" the Federation building the Asgard base where they had. They had made their "displeasure" of the Federation having Asgard and the symbol it was to the other two factions clear. The Alliance had made it known they believed Asgard should have been theirs to use and control. Tyler knew they felt the same about the Federation member nations. Yet, the argument was the same in the end, which the Alliance lost each and every time. However, even whey their arguments fell flat, it hadn't stopped the Alliance from using their justification of "entitled ownership" for harassing the Federation. And from what Tyler was seeing, the Alliance wouldn't allow the Federation to stay on the sidelines and accept neutrality as an answer in this conflict. But the Alliance's actions both present and future weren't of immediate concern of Tyler's, for it wasn't in his job description to handle that.

The outside response to the assault on Asgard was already in motion from the rumors going around. Federation borders were in the process of being locked down, especially those which were shared with the Alliance. That was expected to be in place along with new regulation within less than twenty-four hours. Tyler wouldn't at all be surprised if there would also be a ban of OMNI forces along with Alliance governmental personnel. It was more shocking such hadn't been established already before the assault in Tyler's mind. Yet, there were also rumors that ZAFT had an operation in the works to drop forces on Earth too. Were that true, Tyler was concerned it would prod the Alliance into a more aggressive stance than they were already in. And the Alliance's action had already put them at war with both other factions. The brewing conflict was on a path to become worse rapidly and turn into a full-blown war.

The assault had taken its toll on the Normandy by the rough damage report Lisa had shown him. The ship had taken some damage even when it had spent more than half the battle under water. The damage wasn't horrible, according to what Lisa had told Tyler. The repairs would take a few hours, which would be handled by those around Asgard. Resupply would be much the same as the repairs, they would take a few hours to be finished. So, for the Normandy the needed work would be straightforward and simple overall. But the same couldn't be said for the mobile suits and the other issues the Normandy had on its plate currently.

The mobile suits would need work before deployment from what Chief Volyon said. His mechanics were already working on that and by his current estimates, it would be three days for the needed repairs. The other problem that Tyler had to deal with was one of the Normandy's pilots had been injured during the battle. It had been Miss Lily Thevalley from what Luke had told Tyler. Apparently, her machine had taken damage which had transferred into the cockpit enough to do her harm in the form of shrapnel. Dr. Noll said she was going to be kept busy with other things so she wouldn't be able to do much other than patch her up. Miss Thevalley needed more medical work than that, so would be at Asgard for medical attention and recovery. That put the Normandy one pilot down which didn't sit well with Tyler. The Normandy had been popular in a bad way with Alliance vessels during its service thus far. Tyler wanted her to be at her best as soon as she could for whatever may come next.

Then there was the other standing problem that Tyler had brought to the Normandy from OMNI's assault. The encounter with ZAFT's stolen Gundams during the assault had been unexpected as had been crossing paths with tin can pilot. Tyler wouldn't deny he had enjoyed taunting tin can pilot and toying with them. But the nagging feeling he'd gotten during that encounter had kept coming back to him. Their skills and fighting style had seemed hauntingly familiar and yet Tyler couldn't explain why. His memory tended to be rather reliable with identifying familiarities and the like. But then before Tyler could finish the tin can pilot off, the black Gundam had stepped in. That fight had been different, but Tyler had managed to disable the pilot and brought them back. However, with Miss Thevalley being around Asgard did solve the space issue which would've come up with the Gaia in the hangar.

Extracting the pilot had been simple enough, even with the extra security that was on hand with the cockpit opening. The girl had been taken to the Normandy's Infirmary by Dr. Noll and her assistants. Tyler intended to go down and check on how the girl was doing when he got the chance. He hoped Dr. Noll was taking the proper precautions, and he figured the woman would know how to handle the girl. Tyler hadn't forgotten Lisa's worry and he shared it especially with what he suspected about the Normandy's guest. He hoped the girl could give valuable information about the Alliance and what they could be doing that the public wasn't aware of currently. At least that was Tyler's logic in bringing the black Gundam back to the Normandy. And since he was the one that brought the issue to the ship, Tyler felt it was only right he be involved in its handling.

Tyler did want to make sure Shinn was okay after the assault. The kid had fought alongside the Asgard's defense forces since the beginning of OMNI's attack. He assumed that Shinn had made his way back to the Minerva when the fight was officially declared over. And after making sure Shinn was okay, Tyler would like to have a word with Captain Gladys. Tyler wanted to corroborate what Shinn had said as fact or not. He didn't see that conversation going nicely or being very comfortable for the woman that was the captain of the Minerva. But first Tyler needed to handle the Normandy's guest before he could look into what Shinn was doing. Priorities had to be seen to in order which the Normandy's situation had to be handled by him before other things.

So, Once Tyler had gotten out of the shower and back into his uniform, he went and checked in with those on the bridge. He found that repairs and resupply were on track to be completed by 0600 the next morning. That was good as the Normandy would need to deliver the girl they had brought onboard to "Shangri La." There the girl would get whatever treatment those like her got so they could be around the general public without being a violent threat. The sooner the girl got there, the better things would be for her in the long run. Tyler still hoped to get some information out of the girl along the way. However, if there wasn't anything pertinent she could say, it wasn't her fault. The Alliance lost one of their special soldiers which was more damaging to them, which was a good thing. Along the way to the infirmary, Tyler did come across Commander Marks.

Tyler chatted with the man and gave him the general facts that he suspected of the Normandy's guest. Marks listened to Tyler had to say about the girl who had been extracted from the enemy Gundam's cockpit. The girl had looked normal enough to Marks, but with what the captain said that apparently the case. Thus far, Captain McGregor's information had been right on the money. Marks hadn't seen any reason that was going to change, so he took what the captain said as true unless proven wrong. What the captain described with the girl, it made Marks concerned about the Alliance's "special soldiers." It wasn't the enhanced strength, speed, or advanced training that worried Marks, it was the "erratic violent" tendencies that the captain mentioned. So, when Captain McGregor suggested those under Marks' command keep an eye on the girl while she was on the ship was quite reasonable. Marks assured the captain he would have his men watch the girl while she was in the infirmary and when she got out. Should she act up, they would step in and get things under control. If that meant the girl ended up being put in a brig cell, then that's what would happen.

Tyler continued along his way to the infirmary after talking with Marks. He hoped that the soldiers wouldn't need to step in and restrain the girl. But Tyler had seen what the Alliance's special soldiers could do when they lashed out. The Galiena girls had proven to Tyler those from the Alliance's project were to be taken seriously. Not that Tyler didn't feel sorry for the kids the Alliance made into their special soldiers, for he did. He didn't blame them for the violent tendencies they all seemed to have, that was the Alliance's doing. It was why the treatment that some were doing for them was so important. The kids had suffered because of what the Alliance had done to them even if through others. They deserved a chance at a normal life more than the average human being.

When he entered the corridor with the infirmary in it, Tyler spotted two of Marks's men stationed on either side of the infirmary door. Tyler appreciated that Marks took what he said seriously and acted on his suggestions quickly. He'd found it tended to pay off when one prepared more often than not. Tyler approached the infirmary, nodding at the two soldiers in a sign to remain on their guard. Then he walked past them and entered the Infirmary and came to a halt at the scene playing out in front of him. The girl who had been taken out of the black Gundam's cockpit was currently restrained. She was held to one of the examination tables by three heavy straps, one across her forehead, another over her middle, and the last holding her knees. All the straps were taught and didn't let the girl sit up or get off the table. The center strap also looked to have pieces to trap her wrists.

Nevertheless, even with her restrained, that didn't stop the girl from struggling against the straps that bound her. As the girl thrashed against the straps, Tyler looked her over in more detail than he'd gotten in the hangar. And the more than Tyler studied the female, the more he was reminded of the female teen from the Siberian Hell hole he'd been around. The resemblance between the two was quite striking. If Tyler were to guess, the two could very well be sisters and if not, definitely related in some way. His gaze paused on her violet eyes which were wide with fear as she struggled against her bonds. The girl was panicking and the "frenzy" of it would keep it going until something was able to remove the frenzy.

He hadn't missed the girl shouting what he registered as gibberish mostly. There were words among the gibberish that Tyler picked out. Those words included names if Tyler were to guess, like: Tanya, Neo, Auel, and Sting. The only name which Tyler had heard was Tanya, which belonged to the female teen who had been among the kids Tyler and others saved from the Siberian Hell hole. The other three names weren't familiar to Tyler, nor had he seen anything from the Information Network. Yet, with the girl in the condition she was, getting information from her would be rather difficult. She didn't look in a state to be reasonable and until that changed, the situation would be a fragile one. Tyler watched Dr. Noll delegating to her staff to do work on the girl. From what he was hearing, they were working to calm the teen down, which Tyler hoped was successful.

Maya had been working on the girl which had been dropped into the lap of her staff and her with the enemy machine being brought onto the Normandy. It hadn't taken Maya long to recognize the girl as she'd seen her before. The girl's name was Stella Loussier as Maya recalled. She was Tanya's sister who she would talk about while Alliance personnel hadn't been around at the Tartarus Lab. Stella was also a member of the other top performing Extended trio besides Tanya's own. Her appearance was odd as her trio would be the best one without Tanya's trio to use. The first issue she and her assistants encountered was the girl had a minor concussion and other bruising. Clearly the girl had been bounced around before arriving on the Normandy which wasn't in her favor.

Maya couldn't help feeling sorry for the girl with her current position and plight. The straps had been a precaution in case her condition was poor, and she lashed out. When Stella had woken up, she had gone into a panic, struggling against the straps that had been put in place. It had been obvious to Maya from how Stella was acting she needed the maintenance Extendeds normally got on a regular basis. Unfortunately, the Normandy didn't have the usual means to provide the "needed" maintenance. There was an alternative method, but it was temporary and wasn't as effective in the long run. The Normandy did have drugs which had been used in the Enhanced Human Project. They were for emergencies only such as encountering a candidate from the project and that did happen.

Maya would love not to use the drugs which the candidates had been forcibly given. Most of them had harmful effects which caused other issues given a little time. Then there had been the select few concoctions put into the candidates which had been vile in multiple ways. Unfortunately, it was the vile drugs which did the more efficient stabilizing agent than the less nasty serums. And the major reason that Maya wanted to avoid the nastier concoctions was the long-term effects they had which were waved off by others. They were dangerously addictive and did irreversible harm if taken regularly. It was why the candidates were given an estimated use time when on them with using those drugs. However, Maya had to consider them an option should nothing else work on stabilizing Stella.

It was as Stella began screeching gibberish and names that Maya had one of her assistants bring the first group of drugs that could potentially help Stella. Among the names, her sister Tanya's came up the most. The other members of her trio were called out as well as a name Maya didn't recognize. None of the drugs in the first group had even made a dent in the girl's issues due to lack of maintenance when tried. The second group had done very little compared to the first. That left the third which had the drugs which Maya had been trying to avoid using. It had been for Stella's benefit that Maya had been trying to get by with other things. But as her condition was getting worse, it was becoming clear Stella needed the cursed concoctions that the project used to get her stable for even a period of time. And so, Maya loaded a vile with the standard does of Miliana Seritonine before turning back to the examination table.

It was seconds after the injection that Stella froze up for a moment and the struggling stopped. Stella had barely registered the stabbing of the needles when it the drugs were being used on her. The pain which had come shortly after she'd woken up in this strange place had rapidly become almost unbearable. She had tried to call out for help to those that Stella knew would help her in any way they could. However, the pain hadn't stopped until a familiar cold sensation had shot through Stella. It was familiar because Stella had felt it before when around the lab. It came when she was given a "special" dose of stuff before extreme simulations were performed. After the cold wave washed over her, the pain dulled to manageable levels. It took Stella a full minute to steady her breathing patterns after the drug hit her system.

Once Stella could process the pain had faded enough for her to function, she began taking in her surroundings. She tried turning her head and found she couldn't. In fact, Stella found her movements overall had been restrained by straps over her body. A whisper of panic ran through her for a moment, but Stella quickly employed the exercises Tanya had taught her. The exercises helped Stella stay calm so she could deal with the current situation the best she could. Instead of giving into the panic, Stella began taking in what she could to create a picture of her circumstances. The room she was in sounded and seemed like a medical type in nature, though she didn't recognize anything she was taking in. That she was strapped down suggested she wasn't on the ship Neo had taken her trio to before the fighting. And Neo hadn't come and helped her, so he might not be around to do anything.

Maya had noticed Captain McGregor had entered the room and was waiting for things to be settled. She appreciated that the captain was patient with others. And he had stopped the soldiers from moving forward and interfering, which was also helpful. The Alliance had not been like that much if at all with those under them. And getting Stella to be cooperative would be a delicate dance Maya felt by the end. The girl hadn't had maintenance recently and so would be dealing with side effects of that. Also, Extendeds, while better behaved than Boosted Men tended to be, were still not the best behaved around those outside the project and their handlers. Maya hadn't liked the "disciplinary system" that Dr. Moss had established which the Alliance had botched. However, she couldn't deny Dr. Moss's system did get consistent and predictable results with how it had been strictly employed. Thus, Maya leaned down to the level of Stella's ears, "Listen and listen well young lady," she began, making sure her firm tone was clear. "You are to be on your best behavior until given further instructions. Should you not be you will face punishment for your actions."

Stella had been working on putting a picture together of where she was and what was happening. Yet, at being spoken to, her attention had slipped. The mention of good behavior was clear and simple enough to understand. However, the mention of punishment had given Stella a shot of ice-cold fear. Punishment was mentioned in order to make sure candidates understood the importance of what was being said or the specific task they were being given. It was meant to be the best motivation to get the best results candidates could get. And the tone was the same as those from the lab would use for Stella couldn't mistake it. Alliance soldiers couldn't do the tone like those from the labs could. Thus, what was being said to her was important and Stella needed to be on the best behavior she had. She didn't want to face punishment from any that were from the project. Those punishments were so much worse than any in the Alliance could give.

Tyler had been observing the interactions of the Normandy's medical staff and the ship's guest. He'd seen a couple of needles being used on the girl which had worried him somewhat. Tyler had been told "drugs" had been used on the kids forced into the Enhanced Human Project. The general descriptions he'd heard had not inspired any confidence in the drugs being nice or a good thing, the opposite really. And the last one which had been used that had appeared to work made Tyler even more concerned. Dr. Noll had shown herself to be a woman who wanted to help as she could. With how many different drugs she'd used, it had Tyler believing the last one was the nastiest of the options she had to choose from. And the effect of the drug had been the girl freezing up for a moment before relaxing to a degree. While whatever the drug had done the job, Tyler didn't like what he'd seen. He didn't blame Dr. Noll for what she'd done, the woman had been trying to help. No, he blamed those from the Enhanced Human Project for coming up with whatever was used.

If the drug hadn't been enough of an issue in Tyler's eyes, what Dr. Noll had done after that had been a "twisting of the knife." His ears hadn't missed the mention of punishment to the girl. The girl had visibly tensed in response to the word, which was a clear sign of those from the project. It was confirmation that the girl was unfortunately one of those who the project had changed into the Alliance's horrible desire. It had been made clear punishment had been used consistently and frequently to obtain compliance from the "candidates." There was more than a fear of what punishment could be used against them. It made Tyler think whatever was done for punishment was torture in some form or another. That was the only way Tyler could figure such a well-engrained response could be established as a means of control. Tyler could only imagine the things the girl had gone through since the Alliance had taken her from wherever she had been before the project. They were treated as less than human as far as Tyler understood, which was wrong in every way in his mind.

Tyler's hope was if the situation the girl was in could be explained properly, she would be inclined to cooperate. That was the ideal outcome in the current circumstances while the girl was on the Normandy. The girl would be on the ship for days in not more than a week while it traveled to the Republic. Tyler would rather the girl not spend that in a brig cell. From what candidates he'd spoken to had said, their "rooms" were essentially prison cells. He didn't want to treat the girl the same as the Alliance did. Tyler wanted this girl to see the world wasn't as she'd been told. The good road ahead of the girl was a long one, but in the end, she would have a far better life with it. Tyler remained silent as Dr. Noll worked on explaining to the girl that she needed to behave.

It was a couple minutes before the straps holding the girl down were unbuckled one by one. The girl didn't make any sudden movements as the restraints were removed, which Tyler took as a hopeful sign. Tyler still didn't have a name for the girl, and he felt that would be a good place to being the explanation of her circumstances. As the girl sat up on the table, Tyler caught the two behind him tightening their grips on their weapons. Tyler held up a hand to say they were to stay on-guard and be ready, but not to step in unless he told them to. He took a step forward toward the girl and waited to be recognized by Dr. Noll. The woman nodded at him staying close by the girl as she did so. The girl turned and gazed at Tyler, to which he smiled slightly, "Hello Miss," he greeted, "My name is Tyler McGregor. I'm the captain of the vessel you are currently on." Tyler pointed at himself as he did his introduction, trying to make this as smooth as possible. "Do you have a name by which we can call you?"

Stella had taken a quick glance around the room as she had sat up from the examination table. It was definitely a medical room around the same size as those around the lab for individual candidates were taken to for work to be done. There were four in outfits that said they were medical personnel. There had been the woman the other three seemed to look to for instructions. That woman had appeared familiar though Stella didn't recognize her face specifically. It was a moment after looking at her that Stella realized the woman matched the description Tanya had given her the last time she'd talked to her. The woman was one of the head scientists at the Tartarus lab. Tanya had told Stella the woman may be one of those on the project so enforced the disciplinary system, but she had always told the truth to Tanya and other candidates. Thus, the woman was trustworthy according to Tanya and could be taken at her word. So, when the woman had told her to be on good behavior and things would be okay, Stella believed that would be true.

When she had fully sat up, Stella's gaze quickly came to focus on the entryway of the room. There were three at that end of the room, two of them had rifles in their hands, though they didn't have them raised. The one in the front of the three then held her attention. The guy was different than the others Stella had been around. The appearance was normal enough, but the air around them was an extremely odd one. The air was a mix of commanding one and what one would expect from a nice person. The greeting the guy had given established a few points that could determine Stella's situation. He was the one in charge of the ship she was on and so had the power to say what would happen to her. That meant Stella would have to be careful around the guy or things could become bad for her. He'd asked for a name which Stella wasn't sure she should give just yet.

Stella took a moment to glance around the room again more slowly. The more she took in, the more concerned she became about her current situation. The room design didn't look like what the Alliance used normally. That implied Stella may not be on an Alliance vessel. If that was so, Neo wouldn't be able to help her if things went bad. She was more than likely on her own in whatever she was facing. That position was a scary one which she hadn't faced for a while now. Stella took a moment to forcibly calm her breathing, which had been increasing in frequency due to the panic creeping up in her. Panicking and lashing out was not going to help her, so she needed to stay in control. Stella returned her gaze to the guy who had asked her name, "Where's Neo," she asked trying to keep shaky tones from showing too much.

Tyler would applaud the girl was keeping in control, it was clearly taking her effort to do so. It helped his hope that this situation could be handled without incident occurring. The mention of "Neo" made Tyler wonder if that was her handler or something of the like. He'd never heard the name himself, but planned to see what he could find out about it later. "I do apologize," Tyler replied. "I don't know anyone by the name of Neo. If you give me more information, I can certainly look into them and see what I can find." Tyler paused for a moment feeling that it was best to lay out the girl's situation as it was. "But let me inform you of your current situation and we can go from there. You are not an Earth Alliance ship like you probably were on before. In actuality, you are on a Federation Military vessel right now, and in its infirmary."

The confirmation of Stella's growing assumption of her not being an Alliance vessel fed the panic welling up in her. Stella began shaking before she took the time to go through the calming exercises Tanya had taught her. Her sister's lesson had done more for her than anything the lab had taught her. There was still fear going through Stella, but she was in control and that's what counted the most. As long as she stayed in control of herself and didn't lash out, Stella could manage in her current situation. That was what Tanya would often tell her and Stella held to that right now. She looked back at the guy in the hope of learning more so she could plan accordingly.

Tyler had waited as the girl had taken the time to calm down. It was kind of impressive that the girl could and would do that. Those he'd met before from the project seemed to have issues doing that with some exceptions. If the girl had the ability to keep in control of herself and not give into the violent tendencies which had been instilled within her, that would certainly help things. Tyler felt he may help the girl if he assured her that she didn't need to fear for her safety on the Normandy. "You have nothing to fear young lady," Tyler stated clearly. "As long as you keep calm and don't hurt anyone on this ship, no one will hurt or harm you. There will be no punishment while you stay in control. I will personally promise you that and see such is the truth while you are onboard."

Stella blinked at the statement the guy had just given her. It was completely different from any of the handlers her trio had before now. There had never been promises made that no harm would come that Stella could recall. At the labs, it was more a guarantee of punishment if a candidate and their trio didn't achieve acceptable results. The only assurance of "safety" any candidate ever got was maintaining good performance reduced chances of punishment coming to them. The few times that Stella felt safe was when she was with Tanya. Those times had warm feelings with them which Stella loved more than anything. So, the promise of safety was beyond tempting to Stella as she'd never received such. However, she wanted to be absolutely sure she was being offered what was being stated. "I am safe here," she questioned, "I won't be punished?"

Tyler could only wonder once again about the "system" which had been described to him the project had for the candidates. Punishment had clearly been a huge part if not the central foundation of which the system worked upon for compliance. Long standing psychology had stated a reward and punishment system could have most humans conform to the will of others. Tyler hadn't agreed with the premise psychology set, but he couldn't deny it had merit in it. There were proven historical case-studies on the idea which Tyler had glanced at and had been disgusted by them. It made humans seem like dogs or something similar with how it put the studies. Almost like people had been "beaten into submission" to have them obedient as a result to the "psychological treatment." Tyler wouldn't believe humanity was like sheep and only followed what the herd did. And so, in this, Tyler wouldn't treat this girl as she had been by those who had tortured her. Thus, he nodded, "Yes, you will be safe and not punished." Tyler held up a finger, "However, that will be dependent upon you staying in control and not lashing out violently against those on this ship. Freedom is a privilege you earn with good behavior. With that being said, should you misbehave and try to hurt another on this ship, things will change for you. That kind of behavior will quickly lose privileges and will have you confined as you just were. If necessary, then you will end up in one of the ship's brig cells to keep others and yourself safe. That is how things work on board this ship, and you will be held to this standard like everyone else is, do you understand?"

Something about the guy had Stella feeling she could believe what he was saying was the truth. She hadn't encountered many that gave her that feeling, so it stood out to her. The condition which the safety and non-punishment was set upon was simple enough for her. It was clear that bad behavior would be punished even if in a way she wasn't used to. Stella would have to just make sure she didn't lash out and remain calm. She could do that with the dose she'd received from the doctor. The guy had offered to see where Neo could be for her if she gave him more information. Stella may not know what was ahead of her right now, but she wanted to believe it wasn't going to be bad. So, Stella nodded slowly, "I understand," she answered. "My name is Stella. I will be good and do what I'm told. I don't want to be punished, it's always horrible." Tyler noted Stella paused and shuttered at what he imagined were memories of punishments she'd received. "What is going to happen to me?"

Tyler didn't fault the question Stella was asking, he would be questioning the same in her position. However, he didn't have much of an answer other than general facts about where she would be taken. Tyler would love to give more information, but it wasn't something he was being given details about. The second-hand information he got from those who had received the treatment didn't make much sense to him. So, Tyler shrugged, "I can't say much beyond you being escorted to a place where you'll get treatment of some kind. Those I have talked to who had gotten the treatment have said it was life-changing, but I don't know what it involves." Tyler gestured to Dr. Noll, "Perhaps the good doctor knows more than I do about the idea, but it is a good thing from what I've seen." Tyler decided it was best to turn to more immediate matters that involved Stella. "But turning to more immediate things," he stated. "You will be free to go where you wish on this ship while you're onboard. There are a few exceptions as you may expect, but those will be made clear to you."

Tyler left the Infirmary after that taking the soldiers with him. He told them to keep an eye on Stella just in case the girl should act up. Tyler wanted to be easy on the girl, but the safety of his crew was a priority to him. He would have the soldiers keep as loose an eye on the girl as they could but still be able to step in should things go south. Tyler counted on Marks being able to convey to those under him the needed care in this. His part with Stella should be essentially done for the time being. Dr. Noll could give her details and answer what questions she had the best right now.

After leaving the soldiers to their duties, Tyler headed off toward the Normandy's starboard airlock. He intended to go over to the Minerva to make sure Shinn made it back to his ship. Tyler also wanted a word with Talia Gladys so he could confirm some things about Shinn. While Shinn had said he was a backup pilot, Tyler wanted a second person in the know to confirm that. Plus, Tyler wanted to thank Captain Gladys for what she had done in coming to Asgard. And with the latest Tyler had heard, the Minerva had been allowed to dock at Asgard for repair and resupply before they left. While they were in dock, Tyler figured Federation personnel would be allowed on the ZAFT vessel for the resupplying and repairs. Thus, he should have no trouble getting onto the ship.

Nevertheless, Tyler did check-in before leaving the Normandy, telling her he would be back later. Tyler came onto the docks and asked the first person he came across about the "ZAFT vessel." He was told the Minerva was at the docking area next to the one the Normandy was in right now. Tyler thanked the person and took the time to find a vehicle to use for himself. He drove the jeep he'd found out of the docks he was around and headed for the docking area next door. After entering the area, Tyler quickly spotted the Minerva in a dry dock. It was clear the ship was already being worked on when it came to repairs. While Asgard may not be able to fix specialized equipment which had been damaged during the assault, those here could do anything else.

Tyler imagined once the work and resupply was done the Minerva would head back to Gibraltar or somewhere else. It was why he had wanted to get to the ship after taking care of the Normandy's guest. Tyler wanted to make sure Shinn was good and talk Talia before the Minerva headed out. So, he parked the jeep and began making his way up the gangway which was in place for the vessel. He hoped finding the Minerva's captain would be a simple matter. Tyler may be one who could stir up chaos, but it tended to be work and he didn't want to send that on Talia Gladys if he didn't have to. The woman had already proven she care about those under her, and Tyler could respect that. Not all officers regardless of the faction they belonged to showed they cared about what happened to those under them. So, Tyler had a modicum of respect for those who did show care about those they commanded.

Tyler entered the Minerva through the open airlock which others were using to do their work. He glanced in both directions of the corridor he was coming into. Tyler was trying to decide the best method to search for Captain Gladys. He could get into the Minerva's systems and use them to find the woman. However, Tyler had a feeling such wouldn't be appreciated after what Mr. Winters had done while on the ship. And Tyler didn't want to set off the crew to only have Talia have to do work to calm them down. The conversation he and the Minerva's captain would have was already likely to be an unpleasant one from what Tyler figured. He wasn't interested in making it worse and getting less truthful answers as a result.

At the same time, Aila and Matt had been assisting Talia and Arthur by being liaisons between the crew and the Federation personnel doing the repairs. Truthfully, it was extremely nice of the Federation to allow the Minerva to dock at Asgard. It was the first time that Aila knew of the Federation was allowing a non-Federation dock at a Federation military complex. Then for them to assist in the Minerva's repairs and resupply was beyond nice of them to do. The crew of the Minerva should be grateful for the assistance and willingness to help them the Federation was showing. And for the most part the crew overall were nice to the Federation personnel that were coming on and off the ship. The important ones had like the officers and Chief Aves were okay with the help from the Federation.

Nevertheless, there were some from the crew that were making things difficult with the repairs and resupply. Lunamaria stood out the most in that group much to Aila's frustration. Aila knew the girl had been frustrated with Shinn being separated from the ship, many had been. Yet, her expressing it with snapping at those around her without regard wasn't helpful. Thankfully the Federation personnel had not taken her snapping personally, but it hadn't been a nice reflection for the Minerva. Matt had been handling most of the other "problematic" crew members while the Minerva was getting work done. Aila had been focused on a select few which included Luna in their number. The issue was the complaints were slowing down the work which the Minerva needed done.

From the damage report that Aila had gotten a glance at, there was an amount of work to be done on the Minerva. The Federation was doing what they could for the Minerva's specialized equipment. Most of the damaged weapon system could be fixed up by the Federation well enough to be seen as fully operable. They would be looked over once the ship got back to Gibraltar Aila wouldn't doubt just to be sure they were good to go. The sensor array was one of the systems which would be likely done more at Gibraltar than Asgard. Arthur had said the Federation told him they could get the array working somewhat, but not repair it fully. Yet, the engines, the left linear catapult, and parts of the outer hull were the biggest problems which were being worked on. Aves was working with the Federation on those and said they should be done by morning. It allowed Aves to also have his mechanics work on mobile suit repairs while the engines and catapult were being repaired. Because of the needed repairs getting Federation help, the Minerva may get to leave in the morning.

However, with those like Lunamaria arguing and causing delays with the work, it was putting the time needed for the work at risk. Aila had already pulled Luna aside twice to explain to her that she was to calm down and leave their guests alone. The girl had been acting up somewhat since Shinn had come back to the Minerva. Shinn had fainted from exhaustion and had been taken off to the Infirmary by Rey and Matt. Shinn was now sleeping in the quarters he shared with Rey. Aila had given specific instructions to him to not let anyone by the captain, deputy, Matt, or herself inside until he was told by one of them otherwise. Luna had already tried to "check on" Shinn but Rey had stopped her which had led to Aila talking to her for the first time. The second time had come after Luna had snapped at a few Federation personnel as they were working on the engines. Aves had directed the girl to Aila and Aila had to give her a stern warning to back off and stop bugging the Federation people working on the Minerva. Aila had to end with telling Luna if she couldn't control her outbursts, then she would be confined to her quarters until the ship set out for Gibraltar.

Aila turned into the corridor with the airlock the dock linked to when she was brought out of her thoughts. Ahead of her was a guy in the Federation's non-formal uniform and he looked to be glancing around searching for something. Most of the Federation personnel that Aila had come across that were working on the Minerva had been directed where to go before coming onto the ship. Thus, Aila was left to wonder if this guy was here for a different reason. He didn't look like any of the workers that she'd seen. And none of what Aila could see on the uniform told her of rank, though she didn't know how the Federation's military displayed rank on their non-formal uniforms. So, she approached the guy intending to ask him what he was looking for and go on from there. "Excuse me," Aila began, "Are you with the Federation workers? If not, is there something you're looking for?"

Tyler turned in the direction the voice was coming from and found a woman approaching him. The woman appeared to be around the same age as himself and her ZAFT red uniform said she was a pilot assign to the ship. She was shorter than Tyler by a small margin and had a healthy figure from what Tyler could see. Not that he was looking for a relationship with a "pretty girl" with the crap Sakura sent his way. Her waist-length silver hair was interesting as it was a rarer color to see. She had light blue eyes which Tyler got the feeling from them the woman would be reasonable. Her calling Tyler out presented a potential means to find Talia Gladys and even find out about Shinn. Tyler's goal was still to make sure Shinn was okay and have a conversation with the Minerva's captain. So, Tyler put up a hand, "I'm not with the workers, don't get that kind of jobs often if at all," he replied. "No, I'm here to get information and have a word with the ship's captain. If you could help with either of those, I would be ever-so grateful."

If the guy was looking for information, that should be simple enough and Aila could help with that. She was curious what this guy could wish to talk about with Talia though. As far as Aila knew, Talia had already talked to some from the Federation. Aila didn't know what the conversations had been about, but Talia had looked tired after them. So, she was a tad hesitant to tell the guy where Talia was without knowing more. Aila bowed in greeting, "I'll help as I can," she stated. "My name is Aila Lakeen. Can I get your name so I can know whom I am speaking with?"

Tyler had felt the woman's voice was familiar for some reason. And after hearing it more, Tyler realized the woman was the same one he'd spoken with when reaching out to the Minerva. It was nice to have a face and name to go with the voice now. But there were other things to get to and if the Minerva wanted to head out as soon as it could, Tyler couldn't afford to waste time. Tyler inclined his head, "The name is Tyler McGregor, Miss Lakeen," he returned. "I believe we spoke last night when I reached out to the Minerva if I'm not mistaken."

Aila blinked as the name matched the one Talia had given more information on about the one who had called the Minerva. Mr. McGregor's information had made it possible for the Minerva to come and get Shinn and the Impulse back. Aila was grateful for the help he'd given, and she knew she wasn't the only one who felt gratitude for those who had helped Shinn make it back. But by what Talia had said, Mr. McGregor was the captain of the Federation frigate that had been described to her. The guy in front of her wasn't what she would imagine a ship captain to be. He more looked like a field officer or field commander type of individual from what Aila was seeing. Thus, Aila nodded slowly, "Your voice does sound like the one I spoke with last night, yes," she remarked. "Although I hear you're a ship captain, is that right?"

Tyler sighed at the question being sent his way as it was one, he'd gotten many times in one form or another. The questioning of his rank was something that came up several times during Tyler's military career. It was annoying most times and irritating or worse the others. With what Tyler had done during his service, one would think most would just not ask his rank and say he did a good job and leave it at that. But no, because he was young and had amazing skills which most didn't believe, his standing was questioned. "I can't tell you," Tyler started, "how many times my rank has been questioned. And it is quite annoying each time I can assure you."

Aila hadn't meant to be insulative to Captain McGregor, she'd just wanted to make sure what Talia had said was correct. Yet, it sounded like the question of rank was a sore one with Mr. McGregor. Not that she could blame him, having one's age held against you wasn't nice and could be irritating. She'd had some of that herself, though Shinn was one of those that got it far more than those like her. "I didn't mean to be insulative in asking if you were a ship captain," she returned. "You just don't come off as a ship officer, sorry if that didn't come out right."

Tyler figured Aila didn't mean to be insulative, a good portion that asked about his rank weren't. It was just the few who had made it mocking or to be mean had made the whole experience of his rank being questioned annoying as hell. So, he waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, "Don't worry about it," Tyler replied. "It isn't you, just had times where my rank being questioned was horrid and that colored it going forward." Tyler paused a moment and took a breath, "Yes, I'm the captain of the Federation frigate Normandy. I was given or rather assigned to that position months ago. And I know I don't come off as a ship officer, I wasn't one until the Normandy job came along. I did field work before that which I did rather well with, but I'm not allowed to go into detail about portions of it." Tyler wanted to get on with what he was here to do, so he didn't go further on the current subject. "Back to what I'm here to do," Tyler said as a transition. "I was hoping to find out if Shinn got back here safely and what his condition may be. After that, if I could see your captain, that would certainly be appreciated."

Aila was taken aback at Tyler's question about Shinn. Of course, Aila had not talked to Shinn yet about his time away from the Minerva. It was her duty as the team lead to debrief Shinn and then report that to Talia. But with Shinn's collapse after exiting the Impulse, that hadn't been possible just yet. Perhaps, Aila could get a little information about that time from Tyler as Shinn had been with the Normandy. "Shinn made it back to the ship," Aila replied. "If you wish to see him, I'm sorry you're not going to be able to right now. He collapsed shortly after that and is sleeping that off as we speak. But the ship doctor said he was physically fine and would be much better after sleep." Aila bowed, "I want to thank you and your crew for watching after Shinn while he was away. Yet, if I might ask, was Shinn okay while on the Normandy?"

Tyler was glad to know Shinn had made it back to the Minerva. The kid had been worried about those on the ship and getting back to them. Tyler had felt for the kid, being separated from friends was never easy when it was forced. The exhaustion which had gotten the better of Shinn was understandable. The kid unlikely had experience with long running battles which the Alliance's assault had been. And the first time was always taxing and hard on pretty much anyone. Tyler had more been impressed Shinn had managed to make it through the fight until the end. It showed the kid had a serious drive and it would serve him well even if it could come with a cost at times. "If you're asking about his behavior, it was exemplary," Tyler answered, "He does ZAFT proud, for all the good it seems to do for him, but that's my opinion."

Tyler paused as the conversations with Shinn came back to his mind. The kid's talent and skills were beyond valuable, more so if developed further. And yet, ZAFT either didn't understand what they had with Shinn, or they didn't care enough to help it develop. Saying Shinn was doing ZAFT proud had been hard to say evenly. The kid deserved so much better than what ZAFT was willing to give him. That kid was essentially the best possible type of candidate for a Gundam pilot. That chance was being ignored, and it would be wasted if he wasn't given the opportunity while he hadn't accepted it wouldn't happen for him. "That leads me to wanting a word with your captain," Tyler continued. "From what Shinn said to me, I want to confirm some things and then ask some questions."

Aila hadn't missed the forced tone that had been used with the reference of Shinn making ZAFT proud. It implied Captain McGregor saw ZAFT was taking Shinn's service for granted or worse. And it wasn't that she didn't agree with that view to an extent, for she did. Shinn had potential which should have him not in a mass-production model but a custom machine if not a Gundam type. It was why She had told Talia to assign Shinn to the Impulse as the primary pilot. But how that translated into whatever the guy wanted to Talia about didn't make sense to Aila. Apparently, Shinn had said something to have Mr. McGregor to wish to confirm something. "What did Shinn say that has you wanting to talk to the ship's captain," Aila asked. "Not that I'm trying to pry, but the captain is rather busy with the logistics for the Minerva leaving in the morning."

Tyler had figured the Minerva would be leaving soon enough, which had him glad he'd come now rather than waiting. But what Tyler wanted to discuss should be done with the Minerva's captain. Talia Gladys would be the one in the position to be able to make the beneficial changes that Tyler was seeking. "Shinn mentioned his piloting position," Tyler began, "and that had me questioning. At first, I thought he was making some sort of joke with him being a backup pilot, but the kid didn't show he was one to lie. And so, I want an explanation as to why someone as talented as Shinn is assigned to a ZAFT mass-production model. That will be the overall subject, even if there will be in more detail than that. I would rather not lay out what could come up in the conversation outside of a private room right now."

Aila wanted more details, but the implications were clear enough. The conversation would be along the lines of Shinn being a Gundam pilot or not. Beyond that, Aila couldn't say what would come up. She would love to be as the phrase went, "a fly on the wall," when that conversation was going. But it was obvious that Mr. McGregor wouldn't say more about what he planned to talk about with Talia. And Talia would be in her quarters at the moment as far as Aila knew, so she gestured forward and led the way in that direction. There was nothing said along the way to the captain's quarters. Aila still had more questions, but she couldn't form them properly to ask them. And Mr. McGregor may not answer her questions in the way she wanted. The guy had been wording what he said carefully and skillfully. He knew the art of giving an answer without answering a given question. It made her wonder just what kind of work Mr. McGregor did before he became a ship officer.

Talia was in her quarters going over the data that Arthur, Matt, and Aila had been sending to her about the ongoing work. With the Federation's assistance, the Minerva was on track to be good to go by around 0800 hours in the morning. Talia had already thanked the Federation for the assistance they were providing the Minerva. They couldn't fix everything the Minerva needed, but more than enough to get back to Gibraltar and get things finished. Talia assumed it was the Federation's way of thanking the Minerva for the help they had provided in Asgard's defense. The Federation tended to rely more on actions than words in how they did things, and this would match that mentality.

The Impulse and Shinn had made it back to the ship and that had been the goal the Minerva had set out with. The battle hadn't been ideal, but in the end had worked out for the better for the ship and the Impulse. Information gleamed from the Alliance's assault would be valuable to ZAFT in the coming war they had started. OMNI's Windams had earthbound equipment sets which had been suspected before but not confirmed by ZAFT intel yet. Then OMNI's atmospheric drop capsules were different from ZAFT's and that was new along with them being able to drop forces from above. Before this, ZAFT was thought to have the advantage of dropping forces in from orbit. The Federation were expected to be able to do that, but like with most things with them, there was no intel to confirm it or what method they used. The Minerva would give that information to ZAFT, and it would be said Intel acquired it somehow.

Then, according to Aila and Matt, there were a few among the crew who had caused some issues with the repairs. Talia had hoped all in the crew would put aside any reservations about the Federation's military while the repairs and resupply were going on. But that hadn't been so with all of them and that had caused delays with the work. However, Aila and Matt had stepped in and handled the issues without her needing to give them attention, which she was grateful for. Aila and Matt were proving to be irreplaceable in the Minerva's crew and helping things run smoothly. The crew seemed to trust them as they did Arthur and herself, which made things far easier in the long run. Talia had made a note to send recommendations for the two of them to receive commendation for their efforts from ZAFT. Talia was brought out of her thoughts and drawn away from the reports when a knock came at her door. "Come in," Talia stated while she kept scanning the report she was on. The door opened and Talia looked up to see Aila coming in. "Aila, to what do I own the visitation?"

Aila could see Talia was going over things, likely reports and hadn't gotten sleep while she could get the chance. Not that Aila could say much as she wasn't in a much better position than Talia was. However, it did make the Minerva's guest wanting a talk more doable. "Sorry if I'm interrupting anything, Talia," Aila began, "But something has come up which needs your attention." Talia put down the report and studied Aila for a moment in the attempt to figure out what the "something" could be. Arthur, Aila, and Matt had been managing the repairs and resupply. They were doing great with being the go-betweens with the Federation workers as far as Talia was hearing. So, there was nothing that Talia could think about which would need her attention off the top of her head. "What needs to be seen to, Aila," Talia asked. "It was my understanding Arthur, Matt, and you were handling things quite well. At least, that's what Arthur has been saying to me." Talia smiled slightly, "You should hear how he's been raving about how grateful he is that you and Matt are helping him out."

Aila wondered what Arthur was saying to Talia with the help that she and Matt had been extending. The man had been thanking them quite a bit, even after being told it wasn't necessary. But that wasn't the reason Aila was here seeing Talia. "Actually, no," Aila replied, "That isn't the reason I'm here. The Minerva has a guest that wants to speak to you directly and they are waiting outside." Aila paused hesitating that she had tried to take care of this even when it sounded like something the captain should see to. "I tried to help the visitor, and did to a degree, but they still wanted to talk to you."

Talia blinked and wondered who it could possibly be that would want to talk to her directly and would come to the ship to do so. The communications from Asgard had been over a secure comm-link to the Minerva. There hadn't been any who had come to the ship to speak face-to-face with her. So, this sudden change was definitely odd to Talia. "Do you know who this visitor is, Aila," Talia asked. "Did they give you a name or something like that?" Aila nodded, "They gave the name of Tyler McGregor. He asked about Shinn before wanting to talk to you." For Captain McGregor to come to the Minerva was still odd in Talia's mind. It was nice of him to come to check on Shinn. That didn't explain what McGregor wanted to talk to her about. Not that she was against talking to the young man. He could provide detail about what had Shinn could've been doing while separated from the Minerva. "Then show him in, Aila," Talia said. "I can make the time to have a conversation with him."

Tyler came into the room after being told to enter. It was the same set quarters that Tyler had come to the last time he'd been on the Minerva. He hoped things would go better or at least not worse than the last time. The upcoming conversation wouldn't be great Tyler felt, but he also thought it necessary. Aila left the room leaving Talia and Tyler before Talia gestured to a seat for Tyler to take. "I hear you want to have a conversation with me," Talia opened. "While I'm surprised that you would come all this way, I can't help but wonder what reasons you could have to do so."

Tyler took a moment to organize his thoughts on how to bring up the subject in the best way he could. He wanted to help Shinn get into the best situation he could have. However, if ZAFT refused to give the kid a chance to be the Gundam pilot Tyler was sure he could be, then a different path would need to be presented. Tyler would rather not have Shinn have to leave his friends should ZAFT be stubborn enough and not let the kid be a Gundam pilot. But with the direction the world was going, good Gundam pilots were needed badly. Humanity needed those who could change its direction and Tyler was sure Shinn was one of those. The ideal solution would be for Captain Gladys to give Shinn a field promotion and make him a Gundam pilot. But that would require the woman to take that initiative and likely have to face higher-ups. Tyler knew those like him which stood up against higher-ups that made things harder were rare. But humanity needed those more now than they ever had before.

Tyler figured the best place to start was with the facts that Shinn had given to him. He wanted to confirm the facts. Tyler believed Shinn had been telling the truth as he knew it, but it never hurt to double check. "I was hoping perhaps you could confirm some things for me," Tyler began. "But let me say I applaud and thank your actions which brought the Minerva here. I applaud them as I assume you went against orders to come and get Shinn, showing you care what happens to him. I thank you for helping in Asgard's defense and not just grabbing Shinn and leaving, if the kid allowed you to do that which I doubt he would have." Tyler paused before moving onto the other stuff he wanted to discuss. "Allow me to get into this conversation by asking if ZAFT is inclined to have bouts of blindness these days?"

Talia was taken aback by the question posed to her as she hadn't expected it at all. She had no idea why Captain McGregor would inquire about ZAFT being blind to things. Talia couldn't connect the question with something sensible that would make sense to her. "Why are you asking such a question," Talia asked. "That makes no sense as you put it to me." Tyler expected his question would not make sense to most within ZAFT. They didn't see their strict policies and not making any exceptions were doing more harm than good. "Yeah, I figured that would be the general response, not that you are directly at fault," Tyler remarked. "I'm referring to recognizing talent and encouraging it to becoming something history will remember among other things."

Tyler stopped deciding to lay out what Shinn had gone through and see what Talia Gladys would say to it. "I can understand Shinn getting separated from the Minerva, there was no real way to avoid that. However, ZAFT's response that followed was lackluster to say the least." Tyler held up a hand to stop Talia from interrupting, "I know you had nothing to do with it but let me finish this. Shinn was left for two weeks with little to no information from those who were supposed to be his allies. For all he knew, they had accounted him for dead and had moved on to someone else to replace him. And when he was told what the reply those here at Asgard received from Gibraltar which is a representation of ZAFT, it didn't go well. He asked me what the holdup was with his allies at Gibraltar."

Talia wanted the answers to why Gibraltar's night watch had done what they had and why no one had reported them as well. What her mentor had said hadn't helped much other than to say the higher-ups around Gibraltar weren't aware of the issue. "I wish I knew why the response was what it was," Talia assured. "I wasn't happy when I found out about it. It was being kept from many around the base." Tyler shook his head, "Be that as it may, that doesn't excuse the point at all." Tyler threw up his hands, "What should I have told the kid about what we at Asgard got from Gibraltar? That his allies said he wasn't their issue to deal with? That Shinn had been relegated to being an issue rather than a ZAFT pilot?"

Tyler took a moment to calm his breathing and not let what had happened to Shinn make him lose control. He didn't blame Talia Gladys for what Gibraltar did. However, those at Gibraltar represented ZAFT whether it was meant to or not. They had stated Shinn and ZAFT's Gundam wasn't their "issue" to have to manage. That was seen by the Federation that ZAFT, not just some at Gibraltar, were abandoning one of their own. The optics mattered in this, and they didn't favor ZAFT, especially with the "changes" they had been making over the last year. "Whether it was intentional or not, Gibraltar's actions have portrayed the image that ZAFT has little interest in a potentially amazing pilot as well as other things. They were willing to abandon them and insist someone else needs to help and deal with them instead of doing their duties," Tyler stated. "I just want you to understand how the horrible response of a few can cause far reaching issues that they didn't think about, but others have to face." Tyler shrugged, "I can only hope that if enough bring this up with your National Defense Committee so it can be addressed properly. If that doesn't happen for this kind of thing, it could become an expectation that ZAFT throws away good personnel."

Talia wanted to argue that Tyler was wrong with what he was saying and the picture he was painting. However, she couldn't deny he had a point as much as she didn't want to admit it. What Gibraltar's night watch had done was wrong, but it had worse consequences that went beyond the ZAFT base. And it sounded like the Federation was taking it as ZAFT leaving one of their Gundams and its pilots on their own to manage as they could without help. "I wouldn't disagree Gibraltar's response was a bad one and should've been different. Those that took the calls will be looked into, I assure you," Talia replied. "But the Minerva came to retrieve Shinn and I stand by that."

Tyler had already said he applauded the ship's actions as they showed there was hope for ZAFT yet. But he wanted to make it clear that ZAFT was really not seeing what they had. And if that didn't change, they would as the old phrase went: "screw the pooch." So, Tyler nodded in response, "And for your decision, I believe not all in ZAFT are like those at Gibraltar who gave the horrid response when called. While what Gibraltar did is bad, let me point out what I am seeing as the real issue which is being overlooked." Tyler paused and gazed at Talia, "Tell me, what do you think of Shinn Asuka? And I don't mean as a person, even when the kid has a heart of gold honestly. I'm talking about what he is capable of and could do while serving in ZAFT under the ideal circumstances."

Talia was forced to consider the real question that Tyler had put to her. What did she think of Shinn and what he could do? To tell the truth, Talia felt that Shinn's performance while assigned to the Minerva had been above average, and close to exemplary. From what she'd seen from his training sessions with Aila, Shinn was great to take over for a Gundam pilot who couldn't go out for some reason. His piloting in the Impulse had been great and she'd been thinking about potentially using that with the National Defense Committee. Talia hadn't forgotten Aila's recommendation to make Shinn a primary Gundam pilot. But his age and inexperience essentially doomed his chances of being one with those on the National Defense Committee. "He's good," Talia returned. "I have no doubt he will make a great pilot given time. Why do you ask that?"

Apparently, Tyler hadn't asked the question in the right way to get his point across as he wanted. Either that, or the Minerva's captain was really not seeing the potential Shinn had as a Gundam pilot. Tyler was leaning more towards the former rather than the latter being the more likely explanation. "Clearly, I'm not making the point I want to with this," Tyler commented tiredly. "Let me give you my assessment of Shinn Asuka and his capabilities. The kid is more than "good" as a pilot with how you answered. He has talent and skills that are extremely rare with those his age. During the Alliance's assault on Asgard, Shinn showed signs he had incredible potential as a pilot." Tyler paused for a moment gazing at Talia, "So tell me, why is that kid only a backup pilot for Gundams when called upon? That kid's skills and abilities more than qualifies him to be a Gundam pilot."

Talia hadn't been the one to make the decision for Shinn or Rey to be backup pilots. That had been made by those one the National Defense Committee which over ridded anything she could say. Aila had recommended Shinn to be assigned to the Impulse as its primary pilot. And Talia had been considering the idea and bringing it up with the National Defense Committee. But she needed justification to even argue the potential of promoting Shinn to a primary Gundam pilot. She had little which would overcome the point of his young age and his inexperience. "While that may be true, there is little which I can do to change Shinn's position," Talia said. "I have seen he has skills, but that only goes so far."

It sounded like Talia could see a bit of Shinn's skills and potential. However, she didn't seem to be able to do change things or wasn't willing to do the work to do so. But Tyler wanted a clear answer if ZAFT planned at any point to make the kid a Gundam pilot as they should. "Okay," Tyler said evenly, "then let me ask you a simple question. Does ZAFT have any real intention of making Shinn a Gundam pilot in the near future or really at all?" Talia couldn't say if the National Defense Committee planned to promote Shinn to an official Gundam pilot at some point. But as things were going and the limit of Gundams for ZAFT, Talia doubted Shinn would be selected for the idea. "Honestly, I can't say for sure," Talia admitted. "In my opinion, I doubt Shinn would be selected for the position should such come up."

Tyler didn't like the answer he'd just gotten from the woman. He didn't blame Talia for the answer as it was an honest one, which he appreciated. ZAFT unlikely to give Shinn an opportunity to become an amazing Gundam pilot left to their own devices. That left two options for Tyler to work with to do what he could to help Shinn. He could either lay out an ultimatum to make Shinn a Gundam pilot or else. A ship captain could do a field promotion while higher-ups could consider the point. The last option was what came with the "or else" part of the ultimatum. That involved Tyler setting in motion things to have Shinn leave ZAFT and transfer over to the Federation's military. The Federation's military would give Shinn the opportunity he needed to explore his potential. Tyler hoped the last option didn't end up being what path occurred. "I see," Tyler replied. "Well then, I suppose that leads to the final part of this conversation. Shinn has amazing potential to become an incredible Gundam pilot, I have no doubt about that. That said, either you promote him to a primary Gundam pilot or else you will lose him."

Talia blinked at the last line Tyler had said. For him to say Shinn could become an amazing Gundam pilot was something to hear. However, that was dwarfed by the line which had followed it. It sounded like a threat to Talia with McGregor saying either she makes Shinn a Gundam pilot or Shinn would be taken in some way from the Minerva. What "taken" was implying Talia couldn't say but she didn't like it. It was true that Talia could do a field promotion for Shinn and make him the pilot of the Impulse. Yet, the National Defense Committee could reverse that promotion when they found out. They could also make a mark on Shinn's record which could doom any chances for him to be assigned to a Gundam at a later point. That was what she'd been avoiding, damaging Shinn's record so he could have a chance potentially later. "I can't just make him a Gundam pilot," Talia stated. "The National Defense Committee would just reverse it and that would doom Shinn's chances later."

Honestly, Tyler didn't care how or where Shinn got the chance to show he would be an amazing Gundam pilot, just that he got the opportunity. It was sounding more and more that ZAFT was unwilling to give the kid the needed opportunity. And Talia Gladys wanted to, but she feared higher-ups would punish Shinn after denying him. If it was just a matter of shutting up the fools on ZAFT's Defense Committee, then Tyler could arrange something to handle that. He had a knack for getting high and mighty idiots to shut their traps when he tried. Tyler had learned a lesson or two from his mother to effectively shut up politicians when there was a need. So, it would really come down to Talia Gladys making the decision rather than the Defense Committee. "If the issue is ZAFT's National Defense Committee," Tyler began, "I'm more than willing to make arrangements to shut them up and keep their traps closed." Talia stared open mouthed at Tyler as he kept going, "I assure you, I can shut up a group when the need is there and I'm the one doing the job."

It wasn't that Talia didn't believe Tyler could somehow manage silencing those on the Committee. There was something in her that said the young man meant what he said and would be able to do as he said. How McGregor would manage to silence the National Defense Committee, Talia hadn't the faintest idea. "You're sure you could somehow silence any objection of Shinn being promoted by those on the Committee," Talia asked. "There will be some who would hold his age and inexperience against him."

Tyler knew of the arguments that Talia was mentioning. They were baseless as they were ridiculous in Tyler's opinion. Shinn was the same age when Athrun and Kira had boarded the prototypes Gundams. They had done just fine and so would Shinn, so the age argument would fall flat. The inexperience would fail for the exact same reasons as the age debate would. So, Tyler scoffed, "And to that, I would say the original Gundam pilots were the same age as Shinn and had around the same level of experience as him. His skills and talent are what should be examined, which they seem to refuse to do. If they aren't looking at pilots' talent and skills with conflict getting worse, then those on your Defense Committee aren't qualified for their positions." Tyler sighed, "But again, let me arrange things to shut up those on the Defense Committee. Don't worry about how I do it, I'll get it done and that's what counts, so don't concern yourself about them."

Talia couldn't help but wonder what Tyler could possibly do to silence any objection from the Committee. However, she felt it was better that she didn't ask for details about what methods Tyler could be planning to use. Yet, that put the decision back onto her shoulders even with the promise of the Committee not being able to interfere. Talia had been considering the possibility of making Shinn a more primary pilot in the near future. But with two Gundams and three qualified pilots, it came down to who was the best choice. Thus, the conundrum Talia had been dealing with in the background. She knew the decision would come to the point a choice would have to be made soon enough. And it seemed it was coming sooner than Talia had hoped where she would have to make a decision. "I have been considering the possibility," Talia admitted. "I just hadn't come to a conclusion yet."

While Tyler was a promoter of thinking through a decision, this was one that needed an answer sooner rather than later. Tyler wanted an answer to what was ahead of Shinn before the Minerva left Asgard. He felt that should the ZAFT vessel left for Gibraltar without an answer to his question, Tyler would unlikely get an answer. "I'm not normally one to push for an answer from others on things," Tyler remarked. "However, in this, I must insist on getting something. I want to make sure Shinn has a future ahead of him and that isn't happening with how things are going currently." Tyler folded his arms, "So, I can give you until morning to make the decision. But I must insist you give me some kind of answer before the Minerva leaves for Gibraltar." Tyler rose and left the room leaving Talia with a lot to think about.

When Tyler exited the Minerva's captain's quarters, he found Aila standing right outside. He had wondered if the woman would try to listen in with how she'd tried to get information from him. Tyler nodded to Aila, "If you are waiting to escort me to the airlock," Tyler started. "I appreciate it, but I can make my own way there should you have other things to do."

Aila had been listening to what she could get from the conversation which had been going on in Talia's quarters. She hadn't heard a great deal but what had come to her ears had been "interesting," to say the least. Shinn had been involved, but Aila couldn't say much more beyond that. What had come up about ZAFT was something Aila would love more information on. Aila would inquire of Talia later and see what could've been brought up. Aila had planned to escort their guest to the airlock. However, it wasn't because she felt McGregor didn't know his way. No, it was because there was the chance of one of the problematic crew members may come across him. The incidents that had already occurred had not reflected well for the Minerva. And Aila was of the opinion it would be worse should McGregor be on the receiving end of such. So, it was more for the crew of the Minerva that Aila was planning to escort Tyler to the exit. "I thought it would be a show of good manners and respect to show you the way out," Aila replied. "It really is no trouble at all, I assure you."

Tyler was curious why the woman would be insistent on escorting him to the exit. She may claim manners were the reason, but Tyler didn't believe that was the only reason. It wasn't like Tyler couldn't deal with unexpected issues. Most of his jobs and assignments were expected to have such things. Tyler had seen nothing on the Minerva this time or the previous visit which he couldn't properly handle. But the Minerva wasn't a Federation ship nor his ship, so he didn't make the rules it ran by. There wasn't a reason for Tyler to refuse the guide, so he didn't. The two headed back to the lift which would take them to the mid-crew deck.

As the two were making their way from the captain's quarters, Luna and Matt were on the mid-crew deck. Luna was in a foul mood currently with the repairs going on and the Federation helping. She couldn't say anything to the Federation personnel per Aila's instructions, or else she would be confined to her quarters until the ship headed out. And the "other" change for Luna was Matt had been following her around. She assumed Matt was keeping tabs on her for Aila. It made her feel that her behavior was being held against her when it shouldn't be. It wasn't that Luna had an issue with the Federation as a whole. She just didn't like them on the Minerva doing things. The Minerva was a ZAFT ship, none from the other two factions should be on it going around and inspecting things. How the Minerva's systems and equipment worked was not for those outside ZAFT to be aware of. In Luna's opinion, if the Federation insisted on helping with repairs, they should focus on the hull and nothing else. Luna was fuming as she kept away from those working so that Aila wouldn't call her out and confine her to quarters.

Matt had been following and observing Lunamaria as per Aila's instructions. The girl had been causing issues with the Federation's workers helping with the Minerva's repairs and resupply. Luna bugging those who were helping had only delaying the work and that wasn't acceptable. Matt had seen the point himself and he had been irritated seeing it as well as embarrassed. The girl was a representative of the Minerva whether she saw herself that way or not. And with her actions, she was presenting the Minerva and through that ZAFT as rude. Aila had tried to be nice and just chided her rather than confine her to quarters right away. Matt would've given the girl one warning before confining her where Aila had given two warnings thus far and hadn't. The girl just seemed to let her emotions get the better of her more often than not. Her brooding wasn't helping her case either. Matt was about to suggest Luna just go to brook in her quarters, when the lift doors ahead of them slid open.

Aila stepped out of the lift first and turned toward the airlock. However, she was met by the sight of Lunamaria and Matt at the other end of the corridor. Aila had feared she and Tyler may encounter Lunamaria. The girl's current attitude would not help and potentially slight captain McGregor. The look on Luna's face didn't give any encouraging signs of her being calm and in control. And yet, Aila had run out of ideas to help Lunamaria understand her outbursts as of late were causing issues. She just hoped this encounter wouldn't go sideways and Luna have to be forced to pay in some way. "Lunamaria," Aila greeted. "I hope you are staying out of trouble while the repairs and resupply is being done."

Luna looked up and saw Aila in front of her right by the lift. Lunamaria really wanted to make Aila proud of her. She respected Aila's skills and experience as she proved women could do just as good as men. So, Luna didn't like disappointing Aila and tried to not let that happen the best she could. She had been avoiding the repairs being done so that she didn't vent her frustration on others and get into trouble. Luna was going to say that to Aila, but someone else coming out of the lift stopped her from doing that. The guy that came out of the lift was in a Federation uniform and it wasn't the same as the workers had. That suggested whoever the guy was, they were someone from Asgard. There was no reason for any from Asgard to come onto the Minerva to do anything. "Hey," Luna snapped, "What do you think you're doing here?"

Tyler felt the negative intent being directed at him before the demand had been stated. The negative feelings were coming from a teenage female a short distance away from him who had also snapped at him. The girl was a bit shorter than Miss Lakeen was. Her hair was red-violet and was short overall, which wasn't a bad look to have. The girl's eyes were indigo and were glaring daggers at Tyler currently. Tyler had never seen the girl before so he had no idea what she could have against him. She definitely had something bothering her which he somehow represented, the glare made it clear. Tyler had encountered some who seemed to hate him or have something against him from the outset, but it was kind of rare. So, Tyler mentally prepared to defend himself should that be needed. "Excuse me," Tyler began, "but what reason do you have to snap at someone else like that?"

Luna began stomping forward before Matt could get a hand to her shoulder to stop her. She was tired of others that weren't part of the Minerva's crew coming onto the ship as they pleased. Tyler took a few steps away to separate himself from Aila so that she didn't get hurt by whatever the girl may do. He twisted out of the way of the first punch sent his way observing the power and style it was delivered in. The girl wasn't a fighter, or at least didn't use her fists on a regular basis and unlikely had any real training in the idea. "Okay," Tyler said, "What is your issue that has you trying to hit me?" The guy had dodged her first swing, but Luna wouldn't let whoever this was pass off his presence as something not to be worried about. "Shut up," Luna snarled, her emotions surging through her. "There has been enough people coming on the ship without saying anything about what they're doing."

That line told Tyler the girl was likely working through some kind of frustration which had been bottled up in her. Why he was the target of the girl's frustration, Tyler couldn't say. And while he was all for individuals venting frustration, there was a time and place to do so properly. Venting frustration was a healthy thing to do, Tyler would do it on occasion himself. However, one shouldn't just snap at those around them to vent frustrations. The real issue with doing that kind of thing was the chance of venting on someone who can and may do one harm in response. The girl needed to learn the lesson and if Tyler had to be the one to do that, he would. Tyler wouldn't killed or do permanent physical harm to her but scaring her was definitely on the table. But he would give the girl one chance to calm down and control herself and avoid the hard lesson. "You need to calm down young lady," Tyler stated clearly. "You won't like or get to choose the consequences if you refuse to do so."

Lunamaria wouldn't let this guy talk her down from making a statement and getting answers. She would make it clear those who were helping with the Minerva's repairs would answer questions when asked. Luna would apologize to Aila later about this, but a standard had to be set. However, it was as she attacked again when things changed. It had happened so fast that Lunamaria couldn't follow what was happening to her. Aila and Matt could barely follow what had happened to Luna when Tyler had flipped the tables on her. Neither of them had missed the warning Luna was given before things had been flipped on her. Tyler had weaved out of the attack before grabbing the girl's left wrist and jerked it back. He spun her around before shoving her into the nearby wall. Tyler twisted the girl's arm behind her back and pinning Lunamaria to the said wall. As Tyler had flipped the tables on the girl, he'd grabbed the small single-edge butterfly blade he had with his left hand. The blade wasn't visible since it was covered by his fingers and folded up. Tyler hoped it wouldn't be needed to show the girl the lesson she needed to be more careful with how and who she vented on. He felt scaring the girl would get the point across, but he didn't want to terrify her.

Luna found herself kissing the corridor wall and being pressed against it. Being slammed against the wall had hurt, and it had happened quicker than Luna had been able to process. Luna couldn't focus on how she had gone from attacking the stranger to being pinned to the wall. The pain from her left arm being twisted behind her back was burning and holding her attention. "What the hell," Luna growled as she struggled against the hold pinning her. However, Tyler didn't let up with his hold and kept Lunamaria against the wall. "While I can understand venting frustration, there is a time and a place to do it properly," Tyler iterated. "Venting when done in the proper manner is a healthy thing. But snapping at others as you vent is not the best way to get rid of frustration, nor is it always a safe idea." Luna wouldn't just sit around and listen to another lecture about how to deal with frustration. She had gotten enough of that from Aila already, Luna wouldn't let a stranger do it again. Yet, the guy who was pinning her was strong and his grip on her wrist was one that she couldn't break. Luna wouldn't let the guy lecture and embarrass her in front of Aila and Matt. "Shut up," Luna snapped. "What would you know about anything?!"

Aila wanted to move forward and break the scene up, but Matt had shaken his head saying to let it play out. She knew why Matt was saying that. Luna really needed a hard lesson of what letting her emotions get the best of her could bring. Aila had been trying to do that in a gentle way, but Luna hadn't responded to that. She felt that Mr. McGregor wouldn't do harm to Lunamaria in whatever he would do. But that didn't mean he couldn't leave mental scars which could be lasting more than physical ones. Aila hoped Luna wouldn't push things so far that things would go badly for her.

Tyler had been around some stubborn people, but this girl was more stubborn than most he'd meet. The girl didn't understand the gravity of the situation she was in. She was not in control of her circumstances or her emotions. And if she was facing some that weren't as nice as Tyler, she could do some serious harm to herself. Tyler flipped his small butterfly blade out and held it next to the girl's neck. "Don't want to talk, fine," Tyler remarked. "Then glance down at your neck and I'll let that speak for me." Aila's eyes widened at seeing a blade at Luna's neck. All that McGregor would have to do was pull his knife back and Luna's blood would pour out.

Luna's gaze flicked down before she intended to rip this guy a new one. However, the flash of silver caused Luna to pause for a moment and take a second look. At her neck was a small but sharp looking blade less than a centimeter from her skin. Ice-cold fear washed over Luna at seeing the knife at her neck. A slice on the neck could and normally was fatal if it occurred. There had been no signs the guy had a weapon on him that she'd seen, though Luna hadn't scanned him over all that hard. Luna was beginning to realize that she'd walked into this and hadn't thought this through. She stopped struggling and became still so the knife didn't accidentally cut into her. Tyler noted the girl had stopped struggling at seeing the knife at her neck. "Now that I have your attention," Tyler started. "Perhaps you'll listen to what I will say."

Tyler didn't want to traumatize the girl, but she needed to understand what her actions could bring on. If the girl kept acting up and venting like she was, there would come a time she could provoke another to hurt or kill her. It was hoped she would take this experience to heart and change how she displayed her frustration. "You've let your frustrations get the better of you," Tyler stated. "That has gotten you into trouble. However, it is your good fortune that I have no intention to kill you." Tyler lifted the knife and put it away before letting the girl go. Lunamaria barely felt the release with the fear running through her. She slid to the floor after being let go and unpinned. "But I give you a word of advice," Tyler warned, "You won't always be lucky enough to deal with someone as understanding as I am. And it only takes one time that luck isn't on your side for it to be potentially the last mistake you make."

Tyler recalled that Athrun and his friend Nicol had mentioned ZAFT had some sort of survival course that all their soldiers were required to go through. From what they had described, the experience would teach them the fear for one's life and working together to survive. Tyler wondered if the girl had forgotten the lesson she should've learned from that course. So, Tyler turned to gaze at Aila, "Correct me should I be wrong, but it is my understanding that ZAFT has all its soldiers do a survival course. It is meant to teach the will to survive and what the genuine fear for your life feels like," Tyler iterated, "Is that not still so?"

The course that Tyler was referring to was, as he said, required and was to teach survival and the realization of morality as it was put. Every soldier and pilot in ZAFT had their own variation of the course and what takeaways they had. Some learned valuable lessons from it better than others did. "That is the general idea of the course," Aila admitted. "Some learn lessons from it better than others." Tyler glanced back at the girl hoping he hadn't mentally scared her. But she needed to understand her actions could have serious consequences. "Then consider this a reminder and a remedial lesson from that course and those like it," Tyler remarked. "And I would recommend you take it to heart were I you." Tyler walked past Luna and exited through the airlock onto the dock.

While he was waiting for an answer about Shinn being a Gundam pilot, Tyler had an arrangement to make. Tyler had said he would find a way to shut up the National Defense Committee and he fully intended to do that. And the best means he could come up with was having someone they listened to tell them to back off and leave the kid alone. Tyler felt that should Chairman Durandal tell them, it would be more than a fifty-percent gamble of success. Tyler wanted something he could count on better than just more than fifty-percent chance. Thus, Tyler's mind returned to a fact that he'd learned somewhat recently. Most if not all in ZAFT had and still would listen to Lanus Treize. The man had transferred over to the Federation's military and was a part of its leadership. ZAFT didn't know that point, they thought he was retired and nothing more. But the man still had a lot of influence within ZAFT and the Supreme Council Committees. That could help in this issue and Tyler intended to use that the best he could.

With that in mind, Tyler returned to the Normandy to get to work. Tyler's membership in SOLAS and being the specialist he was, he had ways to get to specific people. His boss was not the only higher-up he could reach out to directly. So, Tyler had a way to get to Admiral Treize as he needed to in this. Tyler checked in with Lisa and said he would be busy for a little while but would come take over when he was done. He went to his quarters after that and secured the room so he could have the privacy for the conversation with a Federation military leader. Tyler had a loose plan to present to the admiral to get ZAFT Defense Committee to shut their traps about Shinn. But it would be his task to convince the admiral to agree to that and the alternative if Talia Gladys didn't make Shinn a Gundam pilot.

At the same time, Lanus had been going over the main report about the Alliance's assault on Asgard in his office at Echowas. The attack had been more than notable with it marking a change in Alliance behavior. Lanus was trying to parse where such changes would lead to help prepare response for them. The Alliance and their funders wanted a war and were pushing hard for it. However, Lanus's intuition said there was more to the desire for war than just Alliance domination and Coordinator genocide. Yet, he couldn't figure out what they were after completely. Lanus was only seeing pieces which he was building a bigger picture of. That said picture was becoming more horrifying the more Lanus was seeing sadly.

Nonetheless, Lanus was brought out his thoughts when a call came to him. When Lanus connected the call, he found himself looking at a young man that seemed somewhat familiar. It was a moment later that Lanus realized the young man was the one he'd met at Patrick's memorial. The young man's name was Tyler McGregor, and he was a SOLAS specialist. According to the head of that branch, McGregor was the best infiltration specialist SOLAS had ever seen. Lanus couldn't begin to guess what McGregor was calling him for, but his curiosity was peaked. "Captain McGregor," Lanus greeted. "I must say you reaching out to me is quite a surprise. To what do I own the call?"

Tyler had already organized his thoughts on how to present his case to the man. "Admiral Treize," Tyler began, "Forgive me if I was interrupting anything. However, I have an issue I was hoping to get your expertise with as it involves ZAFT." Lanus gave his full attention to Tyler at the mention of it involving ZAFT. There had been a brief mention of a "ZAFT vessel" assisting in Asgard's defense against the Alliance. "I see, from what I read in the reports on the Neflheim Siege there was supposed to be a ZAFT vessel that did help," Lanus remarked. "Although, I'm quite curious why a single ZAFT ship would be in the area at that time."

Tyler figured Admiral Treize would've read the summaries or the reports on the Alliance's assault. The man was supposed to be beyond thorough with how he ran things, both in the open and with the background. And with the admiral's experience with ZAFT, he would know how to get the National Defense Committee to mind their own business. "The vessel was the Minerva, and they came to Asgard to retrieve their missing Gundam," Tyler replied. "They assisted in Asgard's defense in order to make that retrieval simpler."

The name Minerva was familiar to Lanus. He'd seen plans for the limited production ship class which had been given that name. It was meant to incorporate some of the Alliance's technology invented during the Alliance-PLANT War. From what Lanus had been told, the construction had begun days after Armory One had been finished. The ship had been intended as a Gundam carrier as Lanus recalled, but he had another focusing on the Gundams the ship would carry before he'd left. Lanus would applaud and compliment a ship captain who would go above and beyond for those under them. And it sounded like the Minerva's captain was one of those. "I see," Lanus commented. "They do ZAFT proud or would if what they were doing were not off the books as I suspect it is. But what is it I can assist you with, Captain McGregor?"

"Well, sir," Tyler started, "It came to my attention that the pilot they came to retrieve was assigned as a backup Gundam pilot." Tyler paused not liking that Shinn's skills and talents were being more than overlooked. "The kid has more potential as a Gundam pilot than I normally see with those that are considered for such a thing. His name is Shinn Asuka, and he has talent and skills that are extremely rare with those his age." As Tyler was speaking, Lanus brought up what information there was on this Shinn Asuka. From a simple scan of the data, the young man was definitely a notable candidate for a skilled and specialized pilot position given time and development. Tyler kept going, "During the Alliance's assault on Asgard, Shinn showed signs he had incredible potential as a pilot. The kid can and will be an amazing Gundam pilot if he's given the chance."

With what Captain McGregor had said and implied, Mr. Asuka was clearly a pilot to watch. However, it also sounded like the young man wasn't being given the chance to pilot a Gundam. Lanus could only figure the young man hadn't been properly scouted or some on the National Defense Committee has something against Mr. Asuka. "I assume Mr. Asuka is not and has no prospects of being assigned to a Gundam. You wouldn't be reaching out to me if he was, I would imagine." Tyler shook his head in response, "No, I was told the kid wasn't being considered for the position let alone likely be selected to be a Gundam pilot in future. Shinn is more than skilled and qualified enough to stick out and obviously be picked for the idea." Tyler stopped recalling what Talia had said when asked about Shinn's chances of being a Gundam pilot with ZAFT. "The Minerva's captain was the one who told me of Shinn's chances, and I believe they were being honest."

Lanus assumed the Minerva's captain had said something to the effect those on the National Defense Committee were against Mr. Asuka being assigned to a Gundam. With the limited number of Gundams allowed, the selection of pilots would be scrutinized. That scrutiny would unlikely be handled in a way that Lanus wouldn't have done it. He knew there were some that had wanted to promote name and influence rather than skill and performance as Lanus would while the head of ZAFT. "That is indeed unfortunate, it certainly sounds like this Shinn Asuka is a gem in the rough being overlooked," Lanus admitted. "But I assume you said something to the Minerva's captain to try and push for Mr. Asuka to be made a Gundam pilot. And that has something to do with why you have reached out to me, am I correct?" The admiral was smart, Tyler knew the man would connect the dots given enough information to work with. "I would say something along those lines, sir," Tyler returned. "And so, there are two paths now for this. Either Shinn is made a Gundam pilot on the Minerva, or he is transferred to the Federation's military to be given that chance."

Lanus was mildly surprised at the initiative captain McGregor was showing. His record said the young man had a heck of an initiative, but it was something else to see the results of it. And if this Shinn Asuka had the potential that Captain McGregor said he did, the young man needed to be watched. Skilled Gundam pilots were needed more than ever with a war on the horizon for Humanity. "The young man certainly sounds to be in an unpleasant position," Lanus remarked. "But you mention needing my experience with ZAFT in relation to this, how might that be so?"

Tyler was hoping that Admiral Treize could reach out to the PLANTs' National Defense Committee. If the man could tell them to shut up and leave Shinn alone, that would be a step forward. Whether Captain Gladys chose to make Shinn a Gundam pilot or not, it was better the National Defense Committee to not interfere. "Well, admiral," Tyler began, "I wouldn't doubt you know about the politics that run the PLANTs' National Defense Committee, having worked with them in the past. I suspect they would try and step in if Shinn is given the field promotion to a Gundam pilot. I was hoping that perhaps you could reach out to them and tell them to stay out of the point." Tyler paused, "And if it does end up that Shinn is denied being a Gundam pilot by ZAFT, then if you could tell those on the Committee to make the kid's transfer to the Federation's Military smooth as possible, that would be great."

Lanus did still have ways to reach out to those he used to work with while he'd been the head of ZAFT. He kept contacts within ZAFT should the need ever arise that he needed cooperation from ZAFT for something. So, getting a message to those at the head of the National Defense Committee was still something Lanus could do. However, the message which McGregor wanted delivered would be different depending on which scenario he had iterated would be true. "I see no issue in reaching out to those on the Committee," Lanus said. "However, I will need to know if they need to not interfere in a captain's decision or whether a transfer is required." Tyler figured that fact would need to be obtained. But he wanted to set up an arrangement that could go either way once the answer came. The sooner the PLANTs' National Defense Committee got out of the way of Shinn's opportunity, the better it would be. "I figured you would need the answer," Tyler replied. "And I should have it in a couple of hours at most. I made it clear to the Minerva's captain I needed an answer before the ship headed out from Asgard."

Lanus applauded those that did "prep work" before coming to ask for something they wanted/needed. It certainly helped those like Lanus to do what they could to help when those that came to them had done research into their request. "I do appreciate that you have done the groundwork for your request," Lanus returned. "Then I will wait for an update from you with the Minerva's answer."

The call with Admiral Treize ended and Tyler leaned back in his desk chair. He'd done what he could for Shinn at the moment. There was essentially no more he could do for the kid that wouldn't really rock the boat which Tyler was trying to avoid. He was trying to do things the "right" and "nice" way before he considered doing things in other ways. Tyler hoped that Talia would decide to make Shinn a Gundam pilot. She didn't have to do so immediately, Tyler had never said that was a requirement. It would just need to be done in a "timely" manner which she would determine. And so, Tyler was left to wait on the answer from the Minerva. He would reach out before they left to make sure he got it.

A/n

And that's where I'll leave off for the Phase. Alrighty then, there is an amount to get to with this Phase as it was lengthy and had several things to cover. First, sorry this Phase is as long as it is, it turned out that way with the subjects I covered. But let's start with the first scene which is a kind of recap. Now, I know there are some among you readers who don't care for recap scenes. I'm right there with you that lengthy recaps are a waste. I was one of those who skipped those kinds of episodes in canon. However, my recaps are more to lay out the thoughts of specific characters or sides. In this case, I wanted to give the Minerva's side as it is that of an outsider to the battle which took place. And I say that not from the standpoint of the Minerva not participating, but as a ship from ZAFT. ZAFT wasn't directly involved in the Alliance's siege, thus the Minerva would be a kind of outsider. This will not be the last time which I'll have the Minerva give ZAFT's general viewpoint.

So, let me get into more detail with "ZAFT's" viewpoint and position with the Alliance's actions against Asgard. First, I would remind you readers that Asgard is seen as the Federation's symbol of power and strength on Earth. With that in mind, Talia puts forth the question of the Alliance moving in the open as they haven't been doing that before the strike against the PLANTs. The assault against Asgard is as Talia puts it, a gamble or sorts and an extremely risky one at that. The chances of the Alliance taking Asgard were slim to none. The Alliance was well-aware of the odds of them taking the base. I wanted to portray the Alliance's "instability" which can be mistaken for aggressive recklessness. It also shows the dynamic between those who control the Alliance and OMNI. This dynamic isn't shown as much in canon I would say, which is a shame. Logos and its cohorts don't get hinted at until much later in the series in canon when they should be. Well, in this story, I hint at them much sooner, even if not by name just yet.

The other point which Talia brings up for ZAFT's view is the "response" or consequences the Federation will set for the Alliance's actions. There are the obvious ones, like the Alliance destroying the chances of a semi-stable relationship with the Federation and securing borders. However, ZAFT isn't so dense that they would assume that would be all the Federation will do in relation to the Alliance. As has been implied, the Federation isn't one to wave things off, that was proven during the Alliance-PLANT War. Yet, from what has come up in this story already, the Federation had protocol and procedures which dictate basic responses, even when the other two factions don't know about that. There is mention of sanctions, and with those, I know I haven't mentioned it before, but the Federation is a leader in production in several areas. So, sanctions against another faction are painful as it means things such as agricultural, medical, and mechanical supplies which are used in ordinary things become more expensive. That is just one example of what could happen to the Alliance for what they did. Then we get what Talia says ZAFT will do in response to the siege. First, it proves that ZAFT intel wasn't right with the Alliance keeping in the shadows. That will translate into ZAFT escalating plans for operations on Earth in later Phases.

Moving on from the recap part of this Phase, I want to highlight the Minerva docking at Asgard. I know I make it sound like a big deal for the Minerva to do that, and it kind of is. With Federation policy and protocol, non-Federation ships don't dock at military facilities, period. This is an exception, not a change in that rule, I want to make that clear. It is a form of thanks being shown for the Minerva's assistance in Asgard's defense, that is all there is to it. However, I would highlight the observations made by Talia, Arthur, and Aila, but I will focus on the first two in this paragraph. Arthur enforces the policy the Federation has about non-Federation ships around military facilities. Now remember, the Minerva took a beating during the Alliance's assault, the battle went on for hours after all. So, she will need repairs before heading back to Gibraltar, which Asgard does provide. Talia is correct in assume the Minerva was being given a one-time exception. Yet, this is also the closest view any from ZAFT had gotten of the Asgard base. And that view gives perspective as to why Asgard is seen as the "unassailable fortress" it is by the other two factions.

Now with Aila, she of course goes out to find Shinn, that is her responsibility as field team lead. She gets a different view of Asgard than those on the Minerva do. She does have the chance to get "Valuable" data about the base. Rest assured ZAFT would be amazed and grateful for data on Asgard, regardless if came from an "off-the-books" task. However, Aila does the smart thing and doesn't record anything as she is flying over the base. The Federation would find out if some from the Minerva did give ZAFT info on Asgard beyond what could be learned from the battle. And that could cause issues between the Federation and ZAFT which Durandal and others want to avoid.

Let's shift to Shinn's situation as he was still with the Federation squadron he'd been working with during the assault. I would remind you, Shinn was fighting throughout the battle, so the full eight plus hours of battle. During that time, Shinn had quickly seen those he worked with as comrades. I make that point because this will be the first sign of conflict Shinn will have to deal with in future. Remember, "my" Shinn is not the same as "canon" Shinn, and once again I say thank freaking goodness. I know I've mentioned this before, but canon Shinn is a anger-driven brat that gets annoying quite quick, or is so to me. My Shinn is not like that as his family didn't get killed and he was raised in the Federation which make a huge difference. Now, Shinn receives a "hero's welcome," which I believe he deserves. Shinn does a lot of work while out on the field, even if others don't see it. Thus, I feel Shinn should get credit for his efforts from time to time even with how humble my Shinn is.

I would like to point out something that Shinn notices when he comes down to land with the squadron. There is an established expectation for pilots of Gundams at this point in the Gundam Seed universe. Gundam pilots are expected to be much better than average pilots, if not somewhat a one-person army on a battlefield. So, if one is piloting a Gundam, they are expected by default to be that good regardless of whether they are truly skilled enough to pull that kind of thing off. Remember, Shinn is a "Backup" pilot at this point, not assigned as a primary Gundam pilot. That will change but not in this Phase, not to spoil the point or anything.

With Aila searching for Shinn, I say again, she is worried about him yes, but she it is also her responsibility to account for the Minerva's mobile suit pilots. But several if not many on the Minerva were worried about Shinn. So, Aila is trying to bring back the Minerva's missing pilot as she can. When the Osiris arrives, Shinn can't help but question if he is seen as unable to look after himself. Shinn did intend to head for the Minerva after bidding farewell to the Thor squadron. This is a time which Shinn questions if those he works for believe him incompetent and it won't be the last. But Shinn still wants to get back to the Minerva as he has friends on the ship.

Now when Aila arrives on the scene with Shinn being congratulated by those he'd work with, she gets quite the view. First, she takes in a close-up view of Federation mass-production mobile suits used on Earth. It is a reminder that the Federation does take some historical reference from things we are familiar with, like military jet aircraft. I also would say that Federation mass-production machines take inspiration from Macross, for those that know that series. Also remember, Aila has seen "hints" of Shinn's talent and potential before this, but the Alliance's assault was a real view of what Shinn could do when pushed. She believes Shinn deserves praise for his efforts which haven't been happening before this.

Let's shift to Tyler and him dealing with the "consequences" of his decision to capture and bring in the Gaia. I know this isn't canon exactly, but I want to make a point which I have when it comes to those from the Enhanced Human Project. The kids put into the project are normally pushed into it against their will. Lots of stuff is done to mess with their heads to make them more obedient to their "handlers." I still think the majority of the candidates are in some way redeemable. And to prove my point I will use Stella with the coming Phases to show that among other examples which will come up. However, I will state for the record here and now, that doesn't mean some of the notable ones will survive. I will say no more on that as I don't want to spoil things nor have others try to influence possible future story decisions.

Back with Tyler and the scene I was referring to, he ain't in a great mood, which is understandable. He had to fight for eight plus hours against Alliance forces who had been attacking Asgard for foolish reasons. I think that sums up the point quite well for why Tyler's mood is lower than it normally is. He does point out one of the reasons that the Alliance doesn't like Asgard being where it is. As I mentioned, in canon, Asgard is where Heaven's Base is which in my story the Alliance wanted a base there, but the Federation beat them to it. The Normandy has to stay around Asgard for a time for repair and resupply. That does give time for Tyler to deal with the Normandy's "guest." Tyler is aware that those from the Enhanced Human Project are to be treated cautiously. And he knows it would be best to deal with Stella before going and checking on and help Shinn.

Now, on Stella's end, I would ask can you blame the girl for panicking as she did. She is in a place she doesn't know, strapped down to a bed. She really needs the maintenance Extendeds are supposed to have and so is dealing with the effects of lack of it. The drugs she is given help "tone down" the lack of maintenance Stella is dealing with, but it doesn't make the pain go away. In this scene, I want to say Stella does far better than would be expected of her. Her sister Tanya had taught her simple things to help her keep in control under stressful situations. It is a show of the difference which Stella having an older sister has on her in the story. But Stella's time on the Normandy will be the start of her journey toward change and redemption. That will come into play in an upcoming phase more I assure you.

Moving on to the next scene which is a new but important one for the story. Tyler goes to the Minerva for two reasons which are to check on Shinn and to talk to Talia about the kid. I would hope you readers recall the conversation between Tyler and Shinn a few phases ago. Tyler believed Shinn was telling the truth as he knew it, but he wants to confirm or deny the point with Talia. Don't mistake Tyler's concern about Shinn as friendship, at least not at this point. Tyler can see Shinn has amazing potential which is truly rare to see. So, Tyler wants Shinn to have the opportunity to explore his potential to the fullest. That is the motivation Tyler has for the conversation that he has with Talia. But let me get into more detail about the said conversation as there are some highlights.

Let me first speak about Aila and Tyler's interaction when he first comes onto the Minerva. Tyler stands out from the Federation workers with his "normal" uniform. These two haven't met face to face before this, they have spoken, but nothing beyond that and that was Tyler calling the Minerva for Shinn. Aila can tell that Tyler isn't an "ordinary" Federation person even if she doesn't know why at this meeting. Aila does ask about Shinn and the answer Tyler gives does cause Aila pause. Aila is made to question if ZAFT is taking advantage of Shinn with Tyler's remarks. And while questions about some things may come up, questioning if ZAFT is taking advantage of some isn't one of those. However, Tyler is focused on finding out about Shinn and talking with the Minerva's captain. He knows, the info he wants about Shinn would best come from the Captain, and could be changed by them. That is the reason he wants to get to Talia and won't get into detail about what he wants from Talia with Aila.

But let's get to the conversation between Tyler and Talia as that has a lot to get into. The overall subject is getting Shinn to be made a Gundam pilot in some way. However, there is more to the point as the conversation goes into. From Tyler's perspective, ZAFT is either ignorant or dismissing the potential Shinn has. And honestly, I don't disagree with Tyler on that since Shinn is really an amazing candidate to use a Gundam. Tyler lays that out to Talia in his own way which is hard to argue. Tyler knows that with a war coming, "good" Gundam pilots would be needed. And ZAFT is passing over Shinn who is a "diamond in the rough." Now, this isn't me bashing on Talia Gladys even if it may have sounded like it for parts of the conversation. I will openly admit that Talia has done incredibly with all the crap which has come the Minerva's way. This is more Tyler pointing out ZAFT is missing what a gem they had with Shinn. And Tyler rightly brought up Gibraltar's night watch had really done a beyond poor job in their response when Asgard reached out. Tyler does make the point that while it was a small group within ZAFT which caused the issue, it still represents ZAFT.

The conversation then shifts to being about Shinn which was the subject which Tyler had come to Talia about. And I want to point out that Talia has noticed Shinn's performance is above average and something to be commented on. Talia has been considering promoting Shinn to a primary Gundam pilot. However, the issue which is a big thing in this is the response from the PLANTs' National Defense Committee. In ZAFT, those on the committee can override a decision made by a ship captain. Add to that, Shinn is young and inexperienced which counts against him in the Committee's eyes. Really, there would have to be something notable to convince them otherwise which there isn't at this point. No, what happened at Asgard doesn't count for Shinn as it was off the books. And Tyler's assessment doesn't hold a great deal of weight either as he is a Federation pilot.

Talia's response to Tyler isn't what he was looking for and so he wouldn't let it stand. He doesn't blame Talia for her being honest with ZAFT unlikely making Shinn a Gundam pilot. Tyler mentions two options to you readers, which both paths are fascinating to me. Yes, Shinn could continue with ZAFT and be a primary Gundam pilot, much like he was in canon. However, there is the possibility he could be transferred to the Federation's military. The possibilities are quite something to think about, no? Tyler wants to help Shinn in some way so he can be a Gundam pilot before things go really south with the conflict. So, he essentially puts out an ultimatum with Talia making Shinn a Gundam pilot to Talia.

To say Talia takes the ultimatum as I think most would if Tyler had given it to any of us. Tyler as a Gundam pilot saying Shinn could be an amazing Gundam pilot is one of the best recommendations the kid could get. Truthfully, the vouching of a "war hero" should be more than enough for the PLANTs' National Defense Committee. But alas, politicians and government workers think they know better than those in the trenches. The "ultimatum" which Tyler gave in that implies Shinn will vanish from the Minerva should Talia not make him a primary Gundam pilot is a serious one. And by this point you readers should know Tyler would find a way to do what he says. However, Talia fears if she does as Tyler suggests, it will hurt Shinn's chances in ZAFT going forward. Tyler is pushing Talia to do what is best for Shinn even if it will be hard for Talia. We'll get to what Tyler does for Shinn in a moment, but I want to move on to what comes after the conversation.

Before we get to the example of what Tyler will do for Shinn, let me talk about the scene that comes after the conversation. Aila gets to escorting Tyler to the airlock to exit the Minerva which is where things take a turn. Now, I know I've portrayed Lunamaria as an emotional girl that has little control. I would say she is more likely to snap when under a lot of stress rather than just an emotional teen. This scene is kind of a window into Luna's character development in the story which canon doesn't really address. It was mentioned before this scene that Luna is causing "issues" with those who are doing repairs for the Minerva. It is Luna venting with the stress she has been feeling while worrying about Shinn, that is her defense. That doesn't make her "behavior" any more acceptable I assure you, but she is a teenager. Her behavior is problematic enough that she has to be supervised which should tell you something.

Now, I think you readers could see when Luna targeted Tyler, it was an extremely bad idea for her. You know Tyler's level of training and skill, for he's shown it already during this story. But Luna has no idea what Tyler is capable of which is the point of this scene. Luna wants to make Aila proud of her actions, if that isn't obvious, and Luna is trying to behave. However, there is just "something" about Tyler which seems to set some off as you've seen before this. You have to almost feel sorry for Luna with the ignorance she displays attacking Tyler. Tyler did make sure he didn't involve Aila with the clear attack coming his way. He does try to be nice and tell her to calm down and think about what she is doing. I admit that Tyler is rough with the girl, but he could've done so much worse to her. And he did what he did to teach Luna a lesson she really does need. And while Aila sees it as Luna not letting her emotions getting the better of her, there is a more important lesson than that. That lesson is "be careful who you pick a fight with." Tyler may be nice, but there are those who won't be and hurt Luna if not worse. Some lessons are better learned through fear which is the case with Luna in this.

Moving on to the last scene where Tyler does something for Shinn which I mentioned earlier. Tyler figures the best way to shut up the National Defense Committee is to have someone they listen to tell them to not interfere. And who better for that than their former leader who "retired" as far as ZAFT is aware of. So, Tyler gives his spiel to Treize and explains the two possibilities with Shinn. While Lanus Treize is not a part of ZAFT at this point, the man has ways to reach those in ZAFT and the PLANTs. Tyler figures Treize has ways to help in the situation he is working with.

In conclusion, I know this is a Phase that is setting up for the next, but it lays the foundation for the story going forward. Once again, if some of you could take the time to write a review about this Phase and/or the story as a whole, that would be awesome. I appreciate those that did so for the last Phase and I tried to answer them as I could. I take questions, comments, and suggestions and consider them. The next Phase is on track so far, sorry this one was a little late. The next one is titled: "Thinking of the Future." Peace out until the next Phase!