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"Alternative Directions: Options "Written By: Karina Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the lovely
boys and their girls in the series. Wish I did. Please don't sue me.
I haven't even got a brass razoo to give you. Rating: Deffinately PG in Australia, at the moment,
but probably safer to say R for later chapters. Not sure about international
ratings Warnings: It will be 6x2, even though it does
not start out that way. After all, Zechs and Duo never met in Gundam
Wing and only spoke briefly over a com line in Endless Waltz. I've
tried to keep them in character as I saw them in the series. A bit
of language creeping in under stressful conditions. Pairings: eventual 6x2, past 2xH, 2+H,6x9, 1+R
Summary: Directions is set post Endless Waltz
and roughly 2 years have passed. Zechs and Noin are on Mars and Duo,
after spending some time with Hilde in a relationship leaves L2 to
join Preventers. Hilde was not happy about his decision. I guess enough
said. Here t'is, and I hope you like it. This is also AU for the standard
setting, as well as the series and Endless Waltz. Spoilers: Gundam Wing Series and Endless Waltz Many thanks to Dulin for volunteering to beta this. //... // thoughts
"Alternative Directions: Options"
Chapter 159 2nd March AC 198 Sanc Stephansbourg The Coachman’s Rest Time: 03:55 Sally Within the inn the howl of the wind was muted and all too easily brought to mind wind-driven ice and snow and freezing cold. Had they remained with the cars and continued on she had no doubt they would all have perished in their attempt to reach the safe house. The cheerful crackle of the fire was a warming sound, it offered a sense of security and its heat was welcome for more than the warding against the chill. Sally needed the comfort of the dancing flames while she waited for the emotional storm to subside. The body of the young woman trembled within her embrace and she could feel Relena’s heart racing through that close contact. In her past experience she had witnessed the Vice Foreign Minister go to pieces on a number of occasions, usually in explosive temper tantrums that inevitably seemed to have something to do with her brother. Some days she wondered how the girl could be considered a pacifist but she admitted temper tantrums were not common and had been fewer since Relena’s eighteenth birthday. The girl was undeniably growing up and into a more stable maturity but at the moment all Sally could think of was that she could not recall a previous instance in which Relena had gone to pieces as she did now. The storm of weeping showed no sign of abating and patiently Sally watched the dancing flames of the fire admitting to herself that this was not a display of anger on Relena’s part. There was very little anger in this waterworks display and after the day’s events she supposed Relena had every right to allow herself to vent. There had been so much stress building up that it eventually had to find an outlet or the girl would be in serious psychological difficulty. In her personal view tears were preferable to a temper tantrum though she had not expected the storm of weeping to last so long. //I was afraid if I took the time for a shower she would have too long to think about the implications and it looks as though I was right, but I really needed the shower and she had to have some time and privacy to think. If she cries it all out now at least it will give us the chance to talk sense when she finishes.// There was no denying that they had a great deal of talking to do and while Relena sorted herself out emotionally she could use this time to make a decision or two. At some stage she was going to have to inform Relena of her investigations and the parallel investigations of others into the make up of the war and how circumstances had evolved into this peace they now enjoyed. Was this the right time to mention her findings to the girl … Girl? No, it was time to make a few acknowledgements and the first of these was to admit that she could not consider Relena a girl any longer. The idealistic teenager had given way to a young woman who through necessity was growing up fast. She was very different to the naive teenager who was so certain she knew how the world needed to turn and how the human race needed to develop and what principles they all should share. Such grand ideals had been entertained and it was frightening that circumstances had led the girl into a position where she could actually have a hand in developing the shaping of the new world. It could all have resulted in an unholy mess. //I think I was too wrapped up in the events of the time to think. How the hell could I have been so stupid as to have had such faith in a child? A fifteen year old girl, not a seasoned politician with a power base who could fulfil promises … but there was Romefeller pulling the strings and if nothing else they knew how to manipulate people. Propaganda and its proper use is a powerful weapon. She would not have had such influence without the Romefeller machine behind her. Still, after what I learned today … was there ever any chance of not following her once contact was made? Did she … Can she influence me? I don’t … know … Dare I mention this to my research colleagues?// There was a great deal about the war that was hidden and few people had felt the need to chase down those details. Was Relena ready to learn the results of her investigations? She admitted that the larger picture was far from complete at this stage but Sally was fairly certain, after consultation with others involved in similar research, that she knew what the final outcome of their investigations would be. The question she must answer soon was if Relena was ready to learn the details of not just the wars past but to learn of this other ‘group’ she repeatedly found references to in the course of her investigations. Perhaps the most disturbing thing to her about Relena was that the Vice Foreign Minister still insisted on going by the name Darlian. To honour her foster father, Relena said when questioned and Sally admitted to herself that that insistence did not bode well for Relena’s accepting her summary of past world events. Her research led her to believe that if the peace was to be maintained it was Relena Peacecraft they would need in the political spotlight and not Relena Darlian. //Does she have the sheer guts her brother showed to do the unpalatable and do it without flinching? He maintained discipline through the entire scenario and I have found no evidence that he so much as flinched during the White Fang phase.// She had to admire in hindsight the daring of his actions. Her research showed that he had taken each step carefully and planned meticulously each stage of the confrontation. There had been nothing insane about his actions. People called you insane if they could not understand you or your reasons. Ignorance made it easy to paint labels. //Is she ready for my findings? Possibly not but then I expect there are few in the government and fewer still amid the far reaches of the ESUN who will be ready to deal with what I have discovered without decrying the research as drivel. Inaccurate, ill advised, unnecessary … Yes, they will have a great deal to say in the future. I don’t know if anyone will actually see my findings in the next few years. It’s a long term investigation and far from complete but I am making certain that the evidence is clearly catalogued. People deserve to know the truth about this peace and the price that was really paid.// The events of the day, particularly the events of the night were certainly going to add some colour to her evaluation. She now had an advantage over her fellow researchers as she doubted they would have similar strokes of luck in finding a source of information such as these simple country people could provide. Simple? Oh no, far from simple. The King’s Archivist. A hidden storehouse of knowledge pertaining to the Peacecraft family that undoubtedly could shed light on the workings of Milliardo Peacecraft’s mind … or the old man and woman were more than loopy and Relena was in tears for no reason. //Considering this new information and the strength of her reaction to it I can’t help worrying how she might deal with the larger picture. She has never reacted overly well to her brother or matters pertaining to him and having been held to ransom to keep him alive will not help. I believe that there is a great deal more information we could learn from these people and when I consider the implications of what I already know and suspect about the involvement of the Peacecrafts in past events, I have no choice other than to give serious consideration to taking her into my confidence.// Evidence suggested that there was more than a minor link between the Peacecraft family and certain colonist factions over the last fifty years. If there should be information on this link within that private archive it could change once again the overall outlook of what she hoped was the War to end all Wars. //I suppose I don’t have to make the final decision about informing her of my findings this minute but in the near future there will be no help for it. Relena will have to listen to what I have discovered and she is going to have to accept it as the truth with the evidence I have gathered. She won’t like it but she is practical and level-headed enough to admit that there is no doubt and see the implications. She and selected others in prominent positions will need warning of the trouble I suspect is coming if my suspicions are confirmed about who is dabbling in matters best left alone. From the suggestions and insinuations I have discovered, if they suspect Relena is more than she appears to be then they will not permit such potential to be beyond their control and we will need to have measures in place that offer some containment of the situation.// When the time came to reveal her research, she would be careful not to involve those others who aided and abetted her search for knowledge. Soon after she had first begun to indulge herself in her hobby of investigating the crucial events of the last score of years she had discovered other people with the same curiosity. Some of them had vested interests in uncovering the truth while others were long standing history buffs determined to learn as much as possible while events were still fresh and people could give testimony without time clouding their recall. They came from a surprising variety of backgrounds, from politicians to housewives, business men to mechanics and expatriate soldiers of varying ranks, much like herself who wanted a better understanding of why. Why. Such a simple and complicated question. What had initially been viewed as a hobby, something to take her mind off the long boring periods of inactivity endured in space in the early days of the Preventers had become almost a passion. There were so many unexpected and unsuspected elements involved and interlaced throughout the entire mess that entranced her, demanding she spend more and more time to unravel the knot. It was like a complex Celtic knot, convoluted and taking sudden turns, switching back on itself, branching out unexpectedly into an intricate pattern. It was too easy to miss an important detail and go off at tangents in pursuit of clearer information. Already she had erred on three occasions and only discussions with the other people involved in researching the wars had revealed that seemingly innocuous events had in fact been important to the decisions and directions taken by key individuals. It was surprising the type of event that could influence the shaping of a civilization. The research group had needed to consult each other repeatedly and regularly compared notes, discussed suppositions, speculated and not until they were all certain of their findings would they consider themselves done. Her research had resulted in her making the acquaintance of some very interesting people in her pursuit of truth. She had had the distinct pleasure of meeting personally some of her fellow researchers and others she knew only by online or telephone conversations. Most she would never be able to met face to face but they all shared a common bond of determination if for somewhat varied reasons. Most of their discussions became long and convoluted affairs as they evaluated carefully gathered information and fitted it into the picture they considered to be a complex and many piece jigsaw puzzle. Combining their individual research had sped along their investigations and brought them closer to the truth behind the succession of wars. It was these discussions that had first given rise to the speculation that there might be one common denominator linking near a hundred years of conflict that had set the scene for the last war and then the threat of the Barton Incursion. Enough members of their research circle had found references to a common denominator during independent research. They had all fallen across the first references and then as a group they combined their efforts and continued to discover little hints and clues that suggested the identity of the power behind the scenes. Romefeller. //Hard to believe but … it can’t be coincidence that so many of us have found these suggestions. Repeatedly we find the evidence and I don’t think it a mistake. I follow a promising lead and it runs a convoluted maze of misdirection and if it does not vanish completely ultimately it ends up with rumours of what has to be Romefeller. Complex patterns of deception and manipulation … I’d not have thought half of this mess could be birthed from that bunch of decrepit old men. Yes, they were masters of propaganda and they had their fingers in so many pies it wasn’t funny but … This just does not feel like them. It seems more subtle.// One hand absently smoothed honey blond hair and she inclined her head to rest her chin on the crown of Relena’s head. Within the circle of her arms Relena had eased from deep wracking sobs to a quieter but steady weeping and Sally was pleased enough with that process. Lord knew the young woman had had enough stress over the last few years and no outlet to help her cope. This unloading of tension was long overdue and she was more than willing to be a comforter. A little more time was needed and it gave her a chance to consider the puzzle. It was now clear to her that Romefeller was something other than a bunch of old noble families puffed up with their own self importance and graced with too much money and not enough morals. It was the combined wealth and old world outlook of the Romefeller organization that had led to the last fifty years of tension between Earth and the Colonies and culminated in certain key assassinations that had an influence on the last war. Romefeller had had the money and connections to force themselves into world events. There had been other equally powerful organizations linking old world power from around the world to modern times but somehow Romefeller was different. There was something there, something tantalising, suggestive and she had not as yet found the key to unlock it. // I’m missing some vital pieces that will allow this puzzle to make more sense and the infuriating thing is that I believe I know who can fill in a great many of those gap. Not all of them, one man can not know all that is missing from the picture but he could make the overall design clearer for me. If I could just convince Zechs to open up to me.// She had tried discussing the matter with him following the Barton Incursion when he had been in her care before he had departed for Mars. However so much had been happening in the aftermath that her attention had been divided between providing health care for him and her position as a Preventer and the responsibilities it entailed. There was also the small matter of his reaction to the disaster that had been Relena’s reaction to his appearance. //The stubborn bloody man just had to be difficult and refuse to tell me what I needed to know although with everything that was going on around him I can’t say that I blame him. His mistrust of the reaction of those around him was completely understandable considering the past and his part played in the war. It was obvious that no one trusted him. I wonder what it would have been like if they had? I know he attempted to contact the pilots and work with them before he joined White Fang and I know their reactions. Distrust is too kind a word. After due reflection I think Treize Kushrenada might have been the only one to actually give him that trust during the war. They were thick as thieves from early days and I think they understood each other very well indeed. Even that business after Antarctica and Kushrenada’s seeming betrayal smacks of a setup.// Her pursuit of information pertaining to the true events surrounding that incident during the war had led her to believe that Kushrenada had known that Zechs had acquired the Wing and was rebuilding it in secret despite all orders to the contrary. Whispers suggested that the resulting battle had been staged to give Zechs a way out of Oz. //Une doesn’t understand, not even now I think. I’m not sure why she should be so unreasonable on a personal level where it comes to Zechs. I think she finds it a little too easy to blame him for Kushrenada’s death but I will admit she has been fair in protecting him as much as she could in the lead up to this current situation. Even if her actions are only to keep the peace intact. I would have said that Noin trusted him except for Libra. They were tight during their academy years and she even guarded Relena for him during the war but then something went wrong. I don’t know what it was but it resulted in that breach between them. I know she considers she betrayed him during the war because she backed the Gundam Pilots and I don’t know what he thinks about that time. The man plays his cards too close to his chest.// The first time she had broached the subject of Romefeller’s participation in the war and his own part in it he had stared at her, looking at her as though he did not quite believe the question. It was a simple enough question. Would he talk to her about the war and his part in it? Simple but it had produced a long silence from him and a strange look in those intense blue eyes. * "Tell you … about the war?"* The whisper had been followed by a closed look effectively shuttering the crystal blue eyes. A fleeting glimpse of pain and something else she could not identify at the time but later suspected might have been terror had quickly been sealed away and replaced by a carefully blank face. *“No. For your own protection, Sally Po, I will say nothing about the war. There are things about that time and about the people involved that are better left unknown. By everyone. Believe me, ignorance is safer for everyone concerned." * //He might not have been so wary around me if I had given him the night to rest. He may then have understood that I was not interrogating him for Preventers but honestly curious on a personal level.// He had been exhausted. Hot, sweaty and dead on his feet in the aftermath of the battle against Barton’s forces, he had also been dealing with the hurt from the runaway mouth and bitterness of the girl now held in her arms. He had refused her and watched her warily thereafter and she knew he had been waiting for her to broach the subject again. She had taken him to a safe house, given him time to shower, examined him and determined a decent meal and sleep was the extent of his needs. The next day she had tackled him again in a bid to learn the answers to questions she had not at the time known were as important as they now proved to be. //Stubborn man.// Was it not sensible to know the reasoning of all sides in the conflict? Did others not have the right to know why so many of their sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, wives and husbands had died in the conflict? Did he not think it fair that others should be given the opportunity to understand his reasons for making the decisions he had that culminated in Libra? She had tried to be understanding of his reluctance even as she had felt the need to throttle some sense into him. If he would only agree to talk to her but no, he had refused to answer her questions and in the end he had pushed aside his meal and closeted himself in his room. No matter the cajolery she had employed, no matter the deceptive play on words she had tried he had seen through her every attempt over the following days he was in her care and when he did respond verbally it was a quietly whispered admonition that she really did not need to know. For her own safety and for the safety of others. For the safety of others. Every refusal had ended with those words and he had not attempted to explain or even hint at what it was he feared might befall her or those unnamed others. In hindsight it was suggestive given the rumours she had uncovered concerning Romefeller and how different it might be to the public appearance it portrayed. Eventually only stony silence answered her attempts and then it was too late. He was gone, on his way to Mars and out of her influence. What secrets had he taken with him into exile? She had little doubt that he had answers she wanted and while he was on Mars at least she knew where he was and that in time he might soften his stance. Zechs had taken his secrets with him to Mars and Noin had gone with him and Kushrenada was dead. Not a very satisfying set of circumstances. What secrets had Treize Kushrenada taken to his grave within the icy grip of space? He would have known far more than Zechs of the secrets surrounding Romefeller and the war. While there was hope of the Prince of Sanc eventually giving up those secrets the World Sovereign was very dead and his secrets with him. In an attempt to better understand the man she had approached Une and after some initial resistance she learned as much as she could of the man himself and his reasons. Her assumption had been that Lady Une, being the man’s aide would know almost as much as Kushrenada himself but to her surprise she had discovered the woman to be surprisingly ignorant of the answers she needed. Concerned about deception on the part of Une she had considered carefully and ultimately decided the Lady had not been subtly avoiding answering. The woman genuinely had gaps in her knowledge and the size of those gaps was rather alarming considering her professional and personal relationship with Kushrenada. It had led Sally to suspect Une’s former mental instability had something to do with Kushrenada choosing to withhold vital information from her. //Or perhaps it was something more? There is something disturbing about how little Une seems to know. Unnatural almost. I need time to consider the implications of what I learned tonight in relation to her apparent lack of knowledge. If the Peacecrafts were not the only family in the European nobility to have abilities …? Most of the nobility are all varying degrees of cousins so its possible I suppose that the active psi gene could be in multiple bloodlines which leads me to speculate that she may have been blocked. It is more probable that the difficulty in remembering is caused by that episode during the war when she was shot by Tsuberov. Medical amnesia as a side effect of that stress is more feasible than the other option.// There was Noin, of course as a possible source of information. Her former Preventer partner had provided her with a little more insight into Zechs and his motives, though she had wallowed in her sense of betrayal. Sally had hoped to gain some insights from her into the ambitions and early plans of Treize Kushrenada. Noin had seemed to be surprisingly well informed but disturbingly reluctant to reveal anything that might indicate a deeper meaning behind events. Lucrezia had trained for a time under Kushrenada and while she had not been a combat pilot under his command she had been trusted with the instruction and indoctrination of cadets. Sally had also noted that Noin seemed to have fairly free access to the man in his capacity as the leader of Oz from what had been hinted at concerning certain events involving Relena and the assassination of the former Vice Foreign Minister. Yes, after due consideration it was clear that Lucrezia had a firmer grasp of Kushrenada’s thinking than Une was left with but neither Lucrezia nor Une had been so close to the man as one other person. She was certain that it was Zechs who was her key. He had been with Kushrenada from childhood according to her investigations and there were those recurring rumours of a closer intimacy between the two which Sally was privately convinced were false. Everything she had learned of both men pointed in the exact opposite direction. They were consummate professionals trained to excellence in the performance of their duties. Both men had their own personal agendas and a shared code of honour that would not permit anything to interfere with their visions. There was that word again. Visions. In light of the new information it was more than suggestive. Ideally she needed to confront Zechs with her new knowledge and see if he could deny her. The Lightning Count fresh from battle and in the aftermath had refused her but she had considerably more ammunition to use now. Would a few years make a difference to his reluctance to talk? //I should have waited to approach him, I suppose, but at the time I thought as exhausted as he was he might just let something slip. I should have know better. He had as good a case of lock jaw exhausted as he did when he was rested and a fresher mind to know when he was being pumped for information. I suppose nothing would have changed in the interim but while we live there is hope.// She suspected that as close as he had been to Kushrenada there were secrets only he now knew that would be vital to understanding the motives of both men who had shaped the development of the ESUN as it was today. Her investigations led her to believe both had been considered to be imminently sensible in nature. Neither had the reputation of being dreamers or zealots and with the safeguards employed early signs of insanity would have been noted and led to their removal from within the ranks of the military. Zechs was known to possess a coldly calculating nature during the war but it had been a reputation that saw men scramble to serve under his command. He had not been a coldly calculating lunatic. All investigations revealed a young man set on a firm goal and while it was true in later days he had given the impression he had been pushed over the edge of sanity she didn’t believe it for an instant. People whispered about insanity being a by product of the combat system Zero but her association with the Gundam pilots refuted that claim. She was certain that Milliardo Peacecraft, aka Zechs Merquise had been and was no more insane than she herself. No small part of her certainty stemmed from her multiple opportunities after the war to talk to Noin. Information gleaned from social discussions on boring missions and on those nights when Noin had overindulged in alcohol and resulted in bemoaning the past and the man himself had been squirreled away until time permitted a closer examination. That information coupled with information from her days with the Alliance Intelligence service on the bright shining stars of the Oz Specials and her access to confidential medical information served to confuse her. She was not afraid to admit that the more she learned the more confused she became by the man. Noin’s information led her to believe that during the last few months of the war there had indeed been something very wrong with Zechs Merquise. What it had not convinced her of was that the man had been insane. It infuriated her that people who held the answers refused to talk. Lucrezia Noin was one who knew secrets that could fill gaps in her knowledge and for one reason or another refused to divulge them. She had thought that after the supposed death of the man on Libra Noin would want to talk about him and even go so far as to try to convince other people that he had not been insane. Yes, Noin had talked but she had spoken to Sally of the every day occurrences in their relationship and skipped much of what Sally had actually needed to know. What was now disturbing in hindsight was that through out those long months of that year during all of their talks there had been a recurring theme to Noin's comments and she had begun to wonder about the sanity of the woman she worked so closely with. Did she dare trust her back to a woman who obsessed about a dead man being alive? * “He’s not dead, Sally. I know he’s not dead.” a small knowing smile and Lucrezia firmly ignored the ‘here we go again’ look directed at her. “He’s out there, somewhere and I know he will be back.”* Obsessed. Noin had seemed haunted by not just love but love bordering on obsession and that had been a very unhealthy attitude in her professional opinion. She had been concerned for her friend both on a personal and professional level. With the man dead-and who could possibly survive an explosion of that magnitude?- such devotion could lead to a dangerous mental instability. With the delicacy of their work as Preventers and her life and the lives of others working with them on the line that obsessive attitude had come close to Sally making the decision of removing Noin from active service. In those early days of the organization she had not been the Chief Medical Officer but a field agent. Her promotion to her current position had not occurred until just after the Barton Incursion and her handling of Zechs Merquise but that was later. At the time she had felt it her duty to try to reason with the woman. *”I know you want to believe that he survived the Libra but Noin, you are going to have to face facts. No one could have survived an explosion like that, my friend. No one. He’s only human. We are all only human and we die. He’s dead, Noin. He’s not going to be coming back.” “He’s not dead. You can’t kill him that easily. He is alive. He will come back when he’s ready-when he has healed. You want to know about the war and his part in it, well when he comes back you can talk to him directly. You can ask him your questions and get your answers from him not make do with ill informed rumours.” There was fire in the blue-violet eyes, a firm resolve that was unshakable. “Noin. Don’t you want someone to understand him? Don’t you want people to know the truth? To know him as he was before Libra and the White Fang? Does he not deserve the chance to be known for the real man he was rather than the monster they presume?” “Monster? He was never a monster.”* Noin had watched from the shuttle view screen as the blue pearl that was Earth revolved majestically below them. The swirl of colour that was Europe and the pristine blue of the oceans marked by feathery white of the clouds made for a beautiful picture. Europe was having a particularly fine day. For an instant her eyes were unguarded and Sally glimpsed pain and a depth of anguish that had struck her to the core. The fear that perhaps her certainty in his return was misplaced, that the man she loved was indeed dead and the fear that she had not known him so well as she believed. No doubt Lucrezia was reminding herself that in the final battle she had tried to trust again and if she had just held faith with him in earlier weeks she would not now have to live with the certain knowledge that she had betrayed him. Lucrezia was reminded time and time again that she had not trusted him and had thrown her lot in with those who had been his enemies. She had sighed softly with disgust and shook her head closing her eyes against the sight of the jewel that was Earth. *“Stupid. So stupid. The fool never wanted anyone to understand. He didn’t care that they would not understand what it was he was doing or why he was doing it. It was the same while he was with White Fang as it was during our days at Lake Victoria. Young and brilliant and seeing things others didn’t see. Understanding things even before the instructors. He was brilliant. He never changed, Sally. He never had time to change his ways. He was only nineteen and a determined fool working for his own goals and not caring that those who backed him would turn their backs on him. It was always like that. A pacifist joining the military. A Prince of pacifists no less. A bit older and a whole lot wiser but just the same. He knew what he was doing. Those fools down there have no concept of what it was all about. Ignorant jackasses the lot of them. The bastards don’t want to know what he was all about. They only ever see what is under their noses and half the time they don’t see that before they walk into the shit.” Hope sprang eternal. Lucrezia had given her the opening she needed and she could go in for the kill. She would be able to lead Noin to talk to her about his plans, about his nature and find the reality under her lovesick delusions of the perfect man. “I want to know the truth. Help me to see and understand more than any of the others can. You knew him better than anyone else so tell me about him and why he would think it necessary to threaten a world with destruction.” She had seemed to deflate, becoming very still and her eyes had been hidden behind dark lashes and tightly closed lids. After a long moment she had shaken her head in an emphatic negative and the computer had buzzed an alert. “We have arrived in the sector. Anything on the scanner?” * That was the most candid conversation she had shared with Noin about Zechs Merquise the man and the nature of their relationship shared since their academy days. It was a most unsatisfactory situation. Noin would shake her head and claim not to want to cloud her judgement with her own views and thereafter imitate a most stubborn clam. She had not even succeeded in gaining an explanation of how she had discovered the truth about the child Zechs Merquise, that he was in truth Milliardo Peacecraft, surviving heir to the Peacecraft legacy. //There was a great deal Noin did not elaborate on. All she really said was that he was alive, he was not dead and that he would return in a cycle that made me want to pull my hair out. I was prepared to pull the pin on Noin’s career citing psychological distress when the Barton incident began. I had made up my mind to have one more try at getting her to face reality and then I was going to file a report on her mental state for review.// She had come to believe that Lucrezia simply could not share the man with another person not even to clear his name and that smacked dangerously of obsession. He seemed to have became her exclusive property, her fantasy and it was something Noin refused to discuss. Her refusal to believe him dead, ignoring all evidence to the contrary and her reluctance to speak of him even to the woman she accounted her best friend could no longer be ignored. She did her job and she did it well but there was that question mark hanging over her abilities and her sanity that as a medical professional Sally had already ignored too long. On more than one occasion Sally had watched Noin walk down the street and stare hard at any man who had that statuesque height and the pale Nordic colouring. Disturbing behaviour not to be ignored for the woman’s own good. The report had been half written and she had determined to complete it and file it with Preventer Medical on her return from that fateful mission to space that had seen the beginning of their involvement in the Barton Incident. //And after all of my worrying and pushing and cajolery she turned out to be right. He was alive. Was it an unhealthy obsession on her part, guilt over her seeming betrayal of him that caused her to fixate on the idea of him surviving? Coincidence? Or something else? She repeatedly told me when we talked that she would know deep down inside if he was dead and that because of that link they shared she knew that somehow he had survived Libra.// Despite the magnitude of the explosions Zechs had survived but Sally was painfully aware it would have been kinder to the man if he had not lived. His name was anathema throughout the Earth Sphere. He was viewed as the devil incarnate by people who had no understanding of the issues involved in the war. Nor did it help that too many people had used his name to cover their own involvement in the war and escape retribution and the government had played on the popular hysteria. Caught up in the events as she had been, not understanding half of the implications in the war she had still watched in something very close to disgust the government backed media hype that tarred him as an insane criminal. Relena made no move to rescue her brother’s name. A fifteen year old teenager thrust into a position of importance no mature adult with half a brain would wish to fill had been too wrapped up in her new position to bother with the people’s view on the last Peacecraft male. The accepted general consensus was that Milliardo Peacecraft was dead and the Peacecraft name with him. Relena had been quick to name herself Darlian and disassociate herself from the man labelled the Terror of Earth. There had also been the small matter of the flexing of her awakening hormones resulting in her stalking of Heero Yuy to distract her from giving a damn about what people might think of her brother. //She disowned him refusing to acknowledge any reference to him being her brother and styled herself Darlian. Politically expedient I suppose but bloody cold. She can be such a warm and caring person when it comes to other people but it never extended to him and I am damned if I know why. Thank God she has grown up. I’m not sure how much more of teenage hormones I could cope with.// Which said little as Mariemaia was fast growing up and if she had inherited her father’s passions she was going to be difficult to contain. Marie was a lovely child but one should never forget the family that had sheltered her or her natural father’s identity. Sally would not be alone in watching and guiding Mariemaia as she matured. Une was there and her stabilized personality thankfully seemed more than happy to be mother to the precocious pre teen. There was also Relena to be considered as she had taken an interest in the redhead and would probably have a great deal more understanding of the girl than either Sally or Une could generate. Dorothy too had shown some interest initially though her attention of late seemed to have waned. //Now what are you up to, Dorothy? It has been months since I heard anything from you. You have avoided speaking to me in anything other than mild pleasantries. She knew something. About Treize Kushrenada or about Milliardo? Possibly both. The girl can be frightening when it takes her fancy. She was on Libra and I have since learned that she actually knew Zechs as he grew up in the care of the Kushrenadas. I need to try talking to her again and maybe this time I’ll get some of the answers I need.// Thinking of Relena brought her back to the reality of the young woman in her arms. The storm of weeping seemed to be quieting down and that was a good sign. She made no attempt to stop the flow of tears knowing it was well past time Relena was allowed the luxury of a good solid release and tears were wonderful for that. It was clear to Sally that Relena the spoiled little rich girl who unequivocally thought she knew what was best had survived her grand awakening. The fact that she was howling her eyes out boded well for the strength of her spirit. After this weeping was over she would emerge free of emotional baggage and emerge from the storm renewed and tempered by the ordeal. Thinking that you knew what was best was not something isolated to this young woman … everyone suffered from the ailment. The difference in this case was that Relena was actually in a position to do something about her ideals. //It’s a frightening combination, an idealistic teenager and political clout all rolled into one package. It really is no wonder certain people in influential positions decided she had to be controlled and were not too fussy about the methods they employed to place her in restraints. On top of her popularity in the colonies and on Earth with the common people there is now the possibility that she can actually influence how people think. Such an ability has frightening potential and I am delighted she is mature enough to realize it and is terrified of the potential for abuse.// They would need to be very careful to keep this information secret and known to a select few individuals the first of whom would be Lady Une. She had no doubt that Une in her capacity as Chief of Preventers would need to know just how influential Relena could be. The woman would see both the dangers and the potential immediately. If they could groom the girl and have her confidence build while keeping her level-headed the potential to do good with the ability was great. First they would need to confirm that such a talent actually was Relena’s to control. //But the potential if she can indeed influence the thoughts of politicians who can be bloody minded just on principle. Not just politicians either but the abuse such a talent could be put to is frightening. Her father … Her real father obviously used it if the old man is to be believed. I wonder how much soul searching he did about influencing negotiations? Possibly a great deal. History records him as being a conscientious man almost driven by the need to bring about peace. He dabbled in world politics, not just in the doings of his own people and that was his downfall. In trying to bring about peace the way he did he drew attention to himself and Sanc. Hmmm. I wonder if its possible … If it became known to someone with influence in the right circles that he had a psychic ability that might be capable of changing people’s thoughts … // She was almost afraid to think it. The Alliance had wiped out Sanc’s nobility, specifically targeting the Royal Family and the nobles with close blood ties to them. There were still some of the family left, of course, thanks to the King’s foresight in spiriting away as many of the younger generation as was deemed safe at the time but with the massacre of their elders how many of those young children now grown to adulthood knew their own family history? Such dangerous knowledge as the existence of this psi ability would have been passed through the verbal history of the families, not printed in records for just anyone to read. //I need to do some careful research amid the surviving families of Sanc’s nobility. A few of the older nobles survived being absent from Sanc at the time of the invasion so I may be lucky enough to glean some information from them but I need to exercise extreme care. For everyone’s safety.// They could not afford for it to be known in political circles that one of their number could influence their decisions at will. It might even have been better if Relena had never learned of the possibility that she might hold this ability. From this display of tears it was probable that she had realised she was subconsciously using the ability in past conferences and debates and much of this weeping was a result of that realisation. It was an ability that could be used to great effect to bring about a strong and enduring peace … or it could all too easily bring the peace crashing down around them into bloody ruin. “I’m sorry.” The bundle of weeping trembling emotion resolved itself into a human being with that quiet whisper. Sally allowed Relena to sit back and offered her a bundle of tissues she pulled from the box next to the bed. Crying was not something that looked good on most people and Relena was no exception, her eyes swollen and red, her cheeks were flushed a most unbecoming shade and her nose was running. The occasional shudder still trembled the slight frame but Relena was never one to show weakness even to her friends. Already she was dragging herself together and putting on her public face. That she had crumbled after all they had heard pleased Sally. It confirmed to her that there was still a young woman with a heart lurking in the battered politician who had had too much of a taste of reality. Discovering that she actually cared for her brother, the man who was the worlds worst nightmare must have been shocking enough but to have him being used against her and then to drag newly born infants into it … Sally would just love a little time alone in a locked room with the tactician who had devised that piece of idiocy. “I’m sorry. I … I don’t want to be a freak, Sally. I can never be normal, can I?” t.b.c.
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