Keep Your Pants On [Closed]

[a_mere_human]

The hangar wasn't the most private place on the ship. There was generally always someone there, usually one of the pilots from the squadrons, or the occasional passer by come to check on their machine. But Setsuna had watched the general comings and goings of everyone else for some time, and figured out when the place would be the least crowded. His timing was on point today, as the Mobile Suit part of the hangar was empty, except for him.

It wasn't that he didn't trust anyone else...

Actually, yeah, it was that he didn't trust anyone else. Celestial Being was a private armed organization, emphasis on "Private" and "Armed", and Setsuna wasn't going to give away their secrets. Not to these people.

Well, most of them. There was at least one other person he was willing to trust with the secrets of Celestial Being.

But first, he had to discover all of them for himself. Which was why he was there to begin with. He looked at the clock of his omnicomm as he leaned against the leg of the 00. The time was 08:57:54. Tieria had two minutes and six seconds left to show up, before Setsuna made good on his promise.

Comments

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria, though he did not appreciate Setsuna being so demanding and giving him orders, had no intention of being late.

As far as Tieria was concerned, Setsuna did not have the authority to make demands of him in the first place, but he couldn't risk letting Virtue fall into the wrong hands lest he be compared to Allelujah Haptism. Setsuna threatened Tieria with the promise of giving Duo Maxwell the opportunity to pilot his beloved Gundam... And that was downright vile. Only one person was allowed in Virtue's cockpit and that was Tieria Erde. The purple haired meister would not even allow another member of Celestial Being to pilot Virtue, much less somebody who he has no background information on, doesn't trust, and considers to be an absolute nuisance.

He arrived precisely at 09:00:00.

"Setsuna F. Seiei."

[a_mere_human]

"Tieria Erde." Punctual. As always.

Even Setsuna had never been inside Virtue's cockpit, though he knew how to break in. All the Meisters were taught by Ian how to hotwire, more or less, the other Gundams. This was just in case the suit needed to be retrieved in the event something happened to the pilot. Miss Sumeragi put the kibosh on abusing that knowledge for joyriding, knowing full well that any instances would result in massive brawls and shootouts between the Meisters.

"We'll start with Virtue." This was probably the one reason why Setsuna never minded working with Tieria, despite wanting to shoot him sometimes. Neither one of them bothered with the idle chatter that Lockon and Allelujah were so fond of. They could skip over any small talk, and get down to business. "I already have Red Haro set to monitor your suits performance using the 0 Raiser's sensor array."

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

After a brief nod in Setsuna's direction, he quickly passed by on his way to Virtue, "How did you acquire the use of a Haro?"

Tieria, too, was thankful that Setsuna was not one for conversation and idle banter like Lockon Stratos and Allelujah Haptism. The times when Lockon tried to ask him how his day had been going or inquire about how he slept the previous night were incredibly painful experiences.

[jesus_is_gundam]

"A Haro is necessary for the 0 Raiser to dock, and the stabilizer equipment to run properly," he explained, stepping onto the wire ladder that would lift him to the 00's cockpit. "When the suit was brought here, Red Haro was brought along with it. I've kept him for myself." Granted, he wasn't as attached to Red Haro as Lockon had been to his, but he still made sure to establish it was his and thus it was off limits.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria listened to Setsuna for a moment before determining that whatever the pilot had to say was not extremely important. He stepped on to the ladder and made his way to Virtue's cockpit. He had no desire for Setsuna's red Haro, especially if it was as annoying as the orange one Lockon carried around.

After a moment or two, he turned on the screen that would allow him to communicate with his colleague, "Setsuna F. Seiei, what do you wish to accomplish by forcing me to meet with you this morning?"

[a_mere_human]

You'd think that'd be simple enough to answer. Ostensibly, they were just testing their Mobile Suits. But...

"Sooner or later, we'll be forced to fight," he responded, once he was settled into the cockpit. Either with the rest of the crew, for them, or against them, he didn't know, though he'd be willing to bet on the third option. Still, that wasn't the whole reason why they were there, but he figured Tieria would accept that much. "I'd rather we be prepared."

He didn't actually want to see Tieria get another bullet through his skull, you know.

"Exiting GN system repose now," he stated, getting back down to business. "Bringing the 0 Raiser's sensor array online."

"Complete. Ready to begin test. Have you located the controls for the Trans Am system?"

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria had been staring at the inside of Virtue for several minutes as he listened to Setsuna talk. He had no idea how to turn on the Trans Am system... and he had no intention of admitting this to Setsuna F. Seiei. There were several minutes of awkward silence after Setsuna asked his question, though that was not unheard of during a conversation between the two of them.

"Virtue is my Gundam," he scoffed.

And there was silence once again as Tieria took to studying the controls and screens more intensely, determined to locate it himself. He did NOT want Setsuna showing him how to do something in his own Gundam, or anywhere, for that matter.

[jesus_is_gundam]

"Tieria Erde..." Setsuna said quietly, largely to himself. He knew it would probably take a few minutes for Tieria to find the controls, but didn't say anything, knowing full how much it would further upset the purple haired meister. So he'd wait, quietly, and continue monitoring Virtue.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Several long minutes passed before Tieria located the controls to activate the Trans-Am system. He was still extremely bothered by the fact that he had no idea these controls existed, that Veda had been keeping information from him for so long. He was certain he knew everything about Virtue.

"Setsuna F. Seiei, I am ready to begin the tests," he said, looking up at the video screen. "Please explain what you will do first."

[jesus_is_gundam]

"I'll monitor your suit's particle output while you're in Trans Am. Once you've gone through the Trans Am run time, your suit will be operating at a reduced performance while the GN drive has to refill the particle condensers. I'll be clocking how long it takes Virtue to return to normal operational capacity."

Trans AM in the first generation of suits was useful in a pinch, but inefficient and came with a big downside. Last thing he needed was Tieria getting caught out there with a poorly performing suit. Thankfully, it was improved with the next generation, but so far Seravee was nowhere to be found.

"I'll expect you to report any side-effects from Virtue's Trans Am. Afterward, I'll activate Trans Am on my suit, and we'll compare the performance and any effects of the twin drive against Virtue." And maybe between the two of them, they can figure out what the hell he's changing into, exactly.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

"All side-effects will be recorded and delivered to you as soon as the trial is complete," he said, still uneasy about this entire procedure.

He was silent for a moment, his hand resting near the control to activate the Trans Am system. "Setsuna F. Seiei, do you recall the effects the Trans Am had on either Virtue or myself the first time it was used?"

[a_mere_human]

"None that I was ever made aware of." But there was still a lot about Trans Am that they hadn't figured out yet. "Though, Virtue has a longer recharge time than the other Gundams," what with its size, and the particle hungry hyper-bazooka, "and due to time constraints, you were once forced to sortie as Nadleeh."

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

"If there was no documentation of negative side-effects, what is the purpose of this trial? Should we be testing GN-0000 00 Gundam instead of GN-0005 Gundam Virtue? The effects in the simulation were as a result of you activating the Trans Am system, Setsuna F. Seiei."

The strange effects, the splitting pain and sudden loss of clothing, was due to the 00 Gundam, not Virtue. As far as he was concerned, this was a waste of his time. He could do the research on his own, without Setsuna F. Seiei, and would probably have preferred that rather than being threatened into meeting with his colleague.

[a_mere_human]

"I wanted to make sure Trans Am worked in Virtue. If you couldn't remember anything prior to when Trans Am was first unlocked, I was concerned that your Gundam might have been reset in the same fashion." Plus he wanted a baseline for comparison. But that sounded far more logical.

"We'll be testing the 00 next."

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

"I thoroughly explained that I have never used Trans Am. I will run the trials with Virtue, as you wish, but I do not see it necessary as you have stated that there have been no adverse side effects associated with the use of Trans Am in Virtue."

He paused, a deep frown on his face, "I am interested in learning about the effects I experienced with the 00, not testing something that has already been established as safe and effective."

With that, he pressed the switch to activate the Trans Am system in GN-005 Gundam Virtue, "Commencing trial."

[a_mere_human]

Setsuna was also worried about the effects that happened with the 00's Trans Am, but he was not going to actually say so. That would require speaking more than a few sentences, a few of which he would have to admit how much he actually trusts Tieria. Which, considering their whole relationship was based on them being stoic assholes to each other, that was not going to happen.

Instead, he responded with a simple "Roger," and monitored Virtue's particle output, among other stats.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

The GN particles started to spread, completely covering the large Gundam, as the pilot sat silently inside and monitored his condition and the condition of GN-005 Gundam Virtue. He was a bit surprised, confused maybe, as to why the particles were not expanding as rapidly as they did when he witnessed the 00 Gundam go into Trans Am mode in the Sensoriums.

"Things are progressing without error," the pilot said as he turned on the video feed.

[jesus_is_gundam]

"Particle output rate stable at 300%" Setsuna noted. Then again, he didn't actually expect any problems to begin with. That wasn't the point of the test.

"Virtue will reach Trans Am's time limit in sixty-four seconds," he spoke up, as he watched the clock tick towards the two minute mark.

Their machines were in relatively close proximity, and the release of GN particles, while less than the 00's, had still managed to fill the area. Still, Setsuna couldn't pick up any thoughts from the other pilot. He wondered...

Tieria Erde, can you hear me?

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria could hear nothing but his own thoughts as he watched the time run out on the clock. Everything seemed to be running as it should, which made him wonder why his colleague was so intent on testing Virtue's Trams Am system.

"Setsuna F. Seiei," he glared at the video screen. "This was absolutely foolish, a waste of my time."

The Gundam meister was still fairly irritated at the manner in which Setsuna got him to actually cooperate.

[a_mere_human]

Setsuna made a thoughtful noise of acknowledgment, but didn't seem to be paying much attention to Tieria. He seemed to be looking at another screen, pondering the results of this test.

Was it just the twin drive, then? Or was it more than that? What was going on.

"Preparing to test 00 Raiser's Trans Am System," he stated, moving forward. "Relaying 0 Raiser sensor control to Virtue for real time monitoring.

"Initiating Trans Am." Let's hope you don't lose your pants this time, Tieria.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria sat expressionless, waiting for the 00's Trans Am to reach the maximum output. His mind drifted from first one thing, and then the next, as he silently cast judgment upon his colleague.

Was this necessary? Would Veda approve of something like this? How come Veda kept the Trans Am system from me?

He expected something to happen, but it was as uneventful as the testing of Virtue's Trans Am system.

[jesus_is_gundam]

Uneventful, save for the fact that 00's particle output quickly reached 300%, then kept climbing. And as its particle output went up, well... things happened.

This was absolutely necessary, Tieria Erde.

That was definitely not over the comms.

Veda didn't keep the Trans Am system from you. Aeolia Schenberg kept it a secret from Veda. He knew that Veda was a powerful machine, but like any machine, it could be manipulated by others. It was possible that someone could hack Veda, that someone within Celestial Being-- someone twisted by their own desires-- could betray us, that someone could steal Celestial Being's technology and use it against us. Aeolia Schenberg foresaw those possibilities, and gave us this as a trump card. A way for us to put his plan back on track if its been derailed.

...Setsuna could bee quite talkative, when he didn't have to say anything out loud.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

He was staring at the video screen and Setsuna F. Seiei's lips were clearly not moving. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open, near-rage welling within him. How was this possible? Nothing like this has ever happened before... And, in Tieria's opinion, should not be happening right now.

Setsuna F. Seiei! Why can you hear my thoughts?!

[jesus_is_gundam]

The honest answer to that question?

...I don't know. I was hoping you could tell me.

That's what they were having the tests for.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria sat motionless in the cockpit of his Gundam, his hands tightly gripping the seat at his sides.

How is this be happening? There must be a reasonable explanation for this, there must be.

Veda.

Veda would know.

Veda would certainly know, and wouldn't keep these answers from Tieria, not now... not when he needed Veda the most. His red eyes lit up, flickering with orange and yellow. And suddenly, he felt that comfort and that presence that he had longed for since his arrival.

"Ah, Veda..." he sighed, his voice barely audible.

[jesus_is_gundam]

Veda?!

Now it was Setsuna's turn to be surprised.

But... how...!?

The sense of confusion that radiated off of him got his point across far better than those few scrambled words ever could. Veda was here? But Tieria was... what did all of that mean?

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Several minutes passed before Tieria even acknowledged Setsuna's existence in the Gundam next to his.

He didn't understand Setsuna's true intentions for this, but he realized that it was worth his while, after all. Without these tests, there is no telling how long he would have gone without one of the most important things in his life. His eyes faded back to red and he turned to the video screen, a slight frown on his face, "Veda is here."

[a_mere_human]

And in that time, the 00 had reached its Trans Am time limit, powering down.

Setsuna wasn't sure what to make of Veda being here, as well as Tieria Erde, since they were both one and the same. At least, they were at least check. Had they become separate entities again?

Setsuna sat in his cockpit, a thoughtful expression on his face as he mulled all of this over.

"Veda..."

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

"How is it possible that Veda was brought here as well?" he questioned, partly to himself, partly to his colleague.

He adjusted his glasses, the look on his face as stern as ever, despite the obvious disturbance somewhere deep inside of the purple haired Gundam meister. Should he have felt Veda's presence before this? Was this a result of the 00 Gundam's Trans Am system? He felt that, in a way, he had let Veda down, not making contact before now. He sat in silence, staring at the controls inside of Virtue for several minutes.

"Setuna F. Seiei, are we finished?"

[a_mere_human]

With the Gundams, they were finished. But otherwise?

"Does Veda have any information about what happened to our world?" Any questions about this Innovator thing can wait.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

"Veda has no more information than the information we have been provided," he said flatly. "I will look into things a bit more once I have the time."

He stared at the controls in Virtue for a moment before shifting his attention back to his colleague, "Setsuna F. Seiei, we need to find where Veda's terminal unit is located."

[a_mere_human]

For once, they were in agreement. "Roger that."

He immediately set about using the 0 Raiser's sensors to check for any sign of Veda, but his range was limited, relative to the size of the ship.

[whatwouldvedado.livejournal.com]

Tieria sat in Virtue a moment before opening the cockpit and dropping to the ground. He still couldn't believe that Veda was somewhere on board this ship.

Veda.

He walked over to the 00 and looked up, calling to Setsuna, "Please contact me if you find anything. I will be performing my own search and will contact you if I find anything."

[a_mere_human]

"Roger that," was the response, said through his Gundam's speakers. He'd keep looking. Hopefully they could find Veda, then find a way to handle this situation.