givesherflower | waaaaaaaaaay backdated | feelings virus

[It was just supposed to be some routine checks on the Gundams. Help with some of the maintenance. But for some reason she's hopped into the 00 Gundam's cockpit. It can't be seen, but she's got the computer that's recording her hooked up to the Gundam and is reworking the controls. To top it off, she's got a smirk on her face.

Why? Because something got it into her head that she could be a better Gundam Meister than Setsuna. After all, both of her parents were Gundam Meisters. She's been around them her whole life. She knows how they operate. And for once in her life, she actually feels the need to go out there and actually get her hands dirty.

She mutters under her breath about some things being disabled, some things being enabled, various systems reconnecting... and then she notices the recording light. In a split-second, the smirk vanishes and she leans forward to examine the screen. After a few minutes of her eyes darting this way and that over whatever she might be reading, they widen in surprise.]

Why would I do that...?

[It hits her that she still hasn't stopped the recording.]

Um... excuse me. [And off the video goes.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[For someone raised in Celestial Being where insubordination may as well have been treated as a harshly as an information leak? Allelujah was put in the brig for revealing a secret weapon in the name of helping people. She was trying to hijack a Gundam, against her original assignment. For her, the brig is a lighter punishment to suggest. Where was Tieria the ultra-strict disciplinarian when you needed him? ~~Answer: gone after Lockon melted his icy-trap heart.~~ So she shakes her head. No, the brig isn't extreme. To her way of thinking, at least.]

But how can I fix this? How will I know when the time is right? How can I fix what I messed up if he won't let me anywhere near the 00? [Her eyes close as pressure builds up in the tear ducts. The only other sign that she's about to start crying is a soft sniffle.]

[ oh, you poor damaged space kids ):

he looks almost surprised for an instant when Feldt starts sniffling. she really must be taking this one hard, huh... then again, he can't imagine Setsuna's reaction to have been anything less than extreme, and she kind of was trying to hotwire his precious Gundam.

what a mess. ] Feldt...

[ he puts an arm around her shoulders, rubbing at the top of her arm. ] Hey, I'm not gonna tell you that it'll be easy. Making up with people never is. You just have to take baby steps, that's all. Let the virus wear off and let him cool off for a while before you try and fix his Gundam. Take Ian and Mileina with you so they can pull rank.

[ he sighs. ] From what I've seen, Setsuna can be pretty dense about feelings, right?

[Automatically, she leans against him. It hasn't even clicked in her head yet that his brother had done the same thing almost four and a half years earlier. But she does appreciate the comfort. And this time she understands the difference, that he's being nice. Nothing more.

She nods as he talks and reaches up to wipe her eyes.] But if we have a mission soon, there might be problems.

I... haven't noticed.

[ ... right. of course she wouldn't have. ] Well, trust me, he is. I bet the chances are he can't even figure out exactly why he's so upset about this. [ he could probably do with someone talking some sense into him, come to that... ]

As for if there's a mission... if that happens maybe you could get Tieria or Sumeragi to smooth things over. And like I said, I'm sure Mileina and Ian could cover for you.

I guess so... but I feel I should be the one to make things right again.

[Right then, she notices the orange Haro-- her Haro-- bobbing along through the hall. She pulls away from Lyle and walks for the door.]

Haro! [He floats on back as she pulls out a handheld device that he attaches to via a thin wire from his "mouth" line. Her fingers fly across the screen as she inputs commands and then uploads it to Haro's memory.] Download that into the 00's system tomorrow morning and lock out my access rights for the next two weeks. You did not get that from me. Understand?

[She gets as much of a headtilt as a ball of an AI can give, followed by a tinny "Roger! Roger!" in response. Feldt nods when she releases him.]

[ ... holy shit. he watches this exchange and shakes his head slightly, part awed, part amused. she really is some girl. ]

You're really serious about this, aren't you?

[She turns back to face him. There's no smile on her face. Only the default stoicism that would only be more at home on Setsuna's face.]

Of course I am. I'm serious about my position and the work I do. I'm serious about information security. I'm serious when I say Celestial Being is my whole life.

[ welp.

he's taken aback for maybe a second, but then he nods, his own face unusually serious. ] You got it.

... this is curiosity talking, but what was it you gave him to put into the 00?

Cla-- [She almost told him "classified". Force of habit and all. She makes a mental note to think of him more as a comrade than a civilian.]

It was the original control settings for the 00. After he kicked me out, I stripped my settings off the program on my computer and reset them to how I originally found them. That's the good thing about the computers and their operating systems. Nothing is truly lost, even after it's been altered. Back-up copies are archived in the event of an emergency, especially now that we aren't relying on Veda's support for the Gundams to operate.

[Oh look Lyle, you got her to talk. Granted it was tech talk, but that's just what she does.]

Veda? [ -- oh wait, oh wait, he thinks he knows what that is, actually. he's done his homework and read all the reports he was finally given access to, it's just taking them all a little while to sink in properly. ] Hang on, I think I remember... that was your supercomputer back in the day, right?

Yes. Someone or something else took control of it several years ago, but... Sumeragi had Chris and I create a stand-alone operating system not long before then. If she hadn't forecasted that Veda might be cut off from us....

[She cuts off, shaking her head. She doesn't want to think about what would have happened if the Gundams had just been left immobilized. But of course, as soon as she tries not to think about it, she does. All her comrades would have been captured or even killed. The Ptolemaios crew would most likely have been captured too, unless they managed to escape. But to leave the Meisters behind... no they wouldn't have done such a thing.]

That Sumeragi's one hell of a tactician.

[ and it's just as well that she is. Feldt doesn't have to finish what she might have been going to say for him to get it. they would have been finished. ]

She is. And I'm glad we have her back.

waaaaaaaaaay backdated | feelings virus | video

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[ action ] oh look... it only took me a month this time