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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 160 2nd March AC 198 Sanc Stephansbourg The Coachman’s Rest Time: 04:05 Sally //Well, that pretty much confirms what I was afraid of. She had way too much time to think about the down side of this and I need to get her out of that mentality quickly but I have to be extremely careful how I handle this. I have to bring her around to feeling confident and positive but for now I’ll settle for neutral and willing to think about the positive side.// “I don’t want to be a tool anymore. I’m very tired of being the public idol they exploit to further their own ends. I don’t particularly want to be useful and I certainly do not feel like being a useful Freak. I want to be me, Sally. Just me.” //There’s that word again. Freak. What a bastard of a word and it is going to take a lot of effort on my part to have her look at this from a different angle. Psi abilities do not have to separate her from everyone else and I have to get that message across and reinforced in her psyche. Did Zechs go through something like this? Agh, not now, Relena needs my undivided attention.// Sally sighed softly and patted Relena’s shoulder gently before slipping off the bed and making her way into the bathroom to run warm water and wet a washcloth. The need to act could cover her momentary hesitation in deciding how to tackle the delicate subject without allowing Relena to think that she was being abandoned. Taking a hand towel from the rack she stared at her reflection for a few seconds wincing at the dark circles under her eyes and the frown, but the frown would not go away and there was nothing she could do about the bruising except get some sleep and she could not see that happening for a while. Returning to the bed she handed over the washcloth and towel and waited in silence while Relena stared at the towel as though she had never seen one before. Finally with a low sigh she washed and dried her face and Sally retrieved the items from her and set about folding them neatly and setting them on the bedside unit. It was possible they might need them again soon. “I’m sorry.” Relena’s whisper was accompanied by a sniff and rub at her still dripping nose with a tissue. “I’m sorry for being such a cry-baby.” “It’s alright. You had cause. We all need a bloody good cry on occasion and if you have not had cause to indulge in one recently then no one has. I know you think of yourself as being alone in this but you are not. I won’t try to pretty up the picture because I doubt that there is a way of doing that and remain honest. Since the war ended it’s not been easy for you and the road ahead may have just as many potholes to trip you up but you need to remember that you are not alone.” Relena sniffed softly, absently twirling a lock of honey blonde hair around a finger trying to disguise the tremble in her hand. “It’s worse than you know. It’s not just… just ... I’ve been such an idiot, Sally. I let them … I allowed them to control me. I let them use me. I feel so useless.” Sally settled on the bed and drew her feet up from the cold floor and settled in a cross-legged position that was reasonably comfortable. Relena made no move to slip under the covers and settle down or try to ignore the issue and that pleased Sally. It showed the young woman was willing to talk and did not just want to run away from the implications. //I wonder if she has even touched on the implications of this ability she may have? If she has started to think about balancing the points for and against. Don’t chicken out on me, girl. You’ve shown courage under fire before and I don’t want you fading now. We have a lot to discuss and I want to at least touch on the main points before we get some sleep.// Sally was thankful that the fire was bringing the room temperature up to more comfortable levels. She would need to throw some more wood on the fire soon if they were to have a lengthy discussion though she must be careful not to have the fire too high before they settled to sleep. Relena kept her gaze centered on the bedspread just in front of her legs and seemed fascinated by the material. “I can not deny that we may have a few problems ahead that will need dealing with but I think that if you give it some thought you will see that it’s not so bad. No, don’t look at me like that and then hide behind your hair. That will solve nothing and we need some decisive action. There is no avoiding the issue. You really need to think about this. Yes, you are young and there is a lot you need to learn for you to safely negotiate within the circles you move in but giving it up will solve very little of the current problems. You have opportunities that are denied to most people your age and you are in a position where you can actually help others. I know that has been your dream for a long time now, it’s what you are happiest doing. It’s a good dream, Relena, and you have made a difference to a great many people already both on the colonies and in the poorer areas of Earth. There have been mistakes made, I don’t deny that but we can’t learn if we don’t flub off occasionally. Everybody makes mistakes, it’s a simple fact of life and it proves that we are human. It’s all a matter of balance. Unpalatable as it seems you need to accept that there will always be unscrupulous people out there who will use every advantage they can muster to further their own gain and they don’t particularly care who they take down to accomplish their ideals. They are predators and they will hunt for the smallest hint of weakness or hesitation and exploit it.” Slender fingers brushed at her hair and she rolled her eyes at Sally before settling for a sigh. “Any weakness, huh? Well that explains why I’m in the mess I’m in. The amount of mistakes I’ve made … It seems that every time I turn the noose tightens a little more. In my position I can’t afford to be weak can I? Sally, I’m so tired of jumping to their tune and I have to change things.” She was delighted to see the first spark of resistance that marked the return of the fire she was accustomed to seeing in the girl’s eyes. Relena’s very nature was resilient and Sally was confident that the Vice Foreign Minister would recover her lost confidence and stand tall once more. Lost? Merely misplaced, she was sure. Pacifist she might be but Relena had proven before that she was a fighter where it counted the most and all she really needed was the knowledge that she was not going to be fighting alone. No one liked to fight a solitary battle and Sally was confident that there would be more people backing Relena in the days ahead than just the Preventer’s Chief Medical Officer. Relena needed to be made aware of the help she could look forward to and that together they would be able to claw back from the brink of disaster and turn the tables. Une would need to be informed and if they could build Relena’s confidence enough to see her stick with politics, they could very well have a future World President that they could trust to maintain the peace. Such dreams were years away and before that point was reached they had a great deal of work to do and first thing on the agenda was to convince Relena that she did have a place in the grand halls of power. “We are all entitle to weak moments. We have to have them or we would never know the gains we are capable of making - the personal strength we are capable of achieving. We need to see clearly what is around us, who is influencing us and what we have done or we would never have any true perspective on the affairs that surround us. Much as it would be nice to think otherwise we can’t always be strong, Relena. No one is infallible, we just like to think that we are. Think about a thin sheet of iron. If you place a thin flat piece of iron over a gap and then step out into the centre of the gap the metal will not support your weight and you find yourself falling into the chasm between to land on you duff with a thud. Take that same sheet of iron and bend it at regular intervals making it corrugated along its entire length and the same flimsy piece of metal that dumped you on your toosh will now bridge the gap and hold your weight when you need to cross. Life is all too often like that thin piece of metal.” The young woman wriggled her way out of her hunched position to sit with her back ramrod straight then slump a little. With a sigh Relena drew her knees up to her chest and rested her head on them while she stared into the fire. Sally could see that there was some heavy thinking going on and remained silent allowing Relena to take her time and chew over what had been said. So much needed to be covered in this conversation and time was marching on. Relena stirred, pressing her eyes into her knees and wrapping her arms around her calves and this time the sigh was stronger, not so shaky and despairing. She looked up to meet the intense pale blue eyes of the Preventer agent. “I know what you are saying makes a whole lot of sense, Sally, and undoubtedly you are right … I have to harden myself to survive in the political environment but … but I can’t do it. I don’t want to write Milliardo and the babies off. I can’t do that and still expect to sleep at night but what can I do that will make a difference to the situation? It’s so hopeless.” //That’s my girl. I see signs of the fighter I knew during the war, only this time you have matured and are not the starry-eyed dreamer. We should be able to work with this to turn you into a first rate politician and keep that caring heart intact.// There was a brightness growing in the girls eyes that heartened her and belied Relena’s morose mood of only a few minutes ago. She was just about done with being the weepy late teen and was fast heading toward the hard-eyed politician she was going to need to become for them to preserve the peace and further the human rights issues they needed introduced. This was a vital step on the road to that ultimate goal of true equality of living. “To begin with you can stop thinking about any need to write them off. To be honest I doubt there is anything you can do that might affect what is happening out there but in all of this there is something you should not forget. It’s a very important factor you seem to be overlooking. Your brother. Anyone who thinks Milliardo Peacecraft is a fool and a pushover is headed for disaster. From what I have learned of him and what I saw of him during the Barton incident I think it would be hard to surprise him and I don’t think for an instant that he was not prepared for something to happen while he was on Mars. He’s a smart man, Relena, and he’s more than capable of looking after himself and those children … and he has Noin to help him. Together I think they will make a team that is very hard to defeat and they will be a match for anything the Council throws their way. That said you also need to realize that while you can’t directly influence events on Mars you should know that those who have instigated the affair also have a problem with directly influencing it.” The inquisitive tilt of Relena’s head and a small frown showed that she was listening though not clearly understanding Sally’s reasoning. “Distance, Relena. The sheer distance between Earth and Mars does not allow for a quick transmission of information. The instructions for this mission have to have been issued months ago and once the operation was underway those directly involved would be on their own. Neither you nor those politicians who instigated the situation now have the chance to input instructions to affect what is happening. It’s not just you who has to sit back and wait. The only people who can affect what is happening out there are the people now on Mars and I don’t think I need to enlarge on why I will be placing my money on your brother and Noin.” Relena nodded slowly but her eyes were narrowed with thought and she idly traced a quilting line on the eiderdown with a delicate finger. “You are right of course but I still feel that there should be something I can do to help them. There was a time when there undoubtedly was something I could have done but I was too frightened to take any action and now the chance is gone. What I should have done was take the chance to speak to Lady Une when they first used him as leverage against me. I could have at least spoken to you and asked for some advice but I never did either of those things, instead I buckled under the pressure like a stupid child faced with an adult’s disapproval.” “Hindsight. It’s a wonderful thing but I’ve never found it to be exactly useful in most situations. We won’t go into what should have been done or why it was not expedient at the time. What we will do is acknowledge that what is important is the here and now. I believe the first thing we need to do is to catalogue our list of resources - our personal abilities and talents that we can lend to our cause and list who our friends are. We should never forget that we need friends, both in a personal relationship and in a business relationship. Our friends define our borders in many ways because without them we will not advance. We can rely on friends and we can confide in them at all times and when we forget that we have them the world comes crashing down on us with the kind of weight that is crushing.” “I know that now. I’m sorry for making such a rotten mess of everything that now has to be cleaned up and all because I was too proud and stupid to ask for help. Looking back on what has happened I can see just how stupid it was for me to bow down to them. It made me want to scream but it got easier and easier to just give in to them as they kept coming to me and demanding I give my consent to this bill and that I not back that proposal and I knew all the time that Brother would not be pleased that I compromised myself.” She had thrown out the first hint of what they needed to talk about in the way of personal abilities and was not surprised when Relena ignored the opening. It was not a surprise but she was disappointed by that avoidance but there was still time for Relena to take the bait. //Avoiding the issue won’t help us make sense of the situation but that’s alright. We have time to deal with this first and then we can tackle the real subject we need to consider for this evening … Damn, this morning. What time is it anyway? We have to get some sleep but I can’t allow this opportunity to escape me. I can’t allow her to continue to think about being classed as a Freak. Ah well, it’s not as though we will be going anywhere today with that storm out there and sleeping in has its attractive side.// Sally glanced toward the curtained windows at a particularly violent rattling of the exterior shutters but the old Inn had survived more than two hundred winters and she did not see that the building would fail them now. Relena was watching her and there was no mistaking the tension in her slender shoulders or the small line between her brows that suggested to Sally she was aware she was avoiding an uncomfortable subject and was waiting to be pulled in the direction she most wanted to avoid. Perhaps she was even expecting Sally to agree that she was a fool? “I can’t say that I know your brother particularly well but I do think that I know enough of him from his past military record and from observing him after the Barton incident to know that he would not be disappointed to know that his sister had a heart.” “Big heart, no brain, huh?” she pushed an errant strand of honey blond hair behind her ear. Sally snorted in an unlady like fashion and flicked a finger at the girl making no effort to restrain her grin. “He’d not have left the care of the Earth Sphere to you if he thought that. I’ve been privy to a great deal of classified information in the last couple of years and I think I can say with confidence that your brother never did anything without meticulous planning. He intended you to become the People’s Champion and you have not disappointed him. He knew exactly what he was doing then and I believe he knows what he is doing now. You need to believe it too.” Relena’s head dropped to rest her chin on her knees and she stared at her bare toes, pushing them into the thick comforter and tracing the design. “He was insane, Sally. How great could his planning be if he was not … if he didn’t …” she pressed her eyes against her knees before shaking her head. “If he was not in control of all of his facilities?” //Hmmm. Now that’s disappointing. I was hoping she had come to a better understanding of him by now. I thought she would have passed the point of considering him a nutcase. I suppose it can’t be helped and there is still hope that she will understand in time. // Relena sighed and shook her head in the silence aware that she had disappointed the Preventer. She blushed and met Sally’s bright eyes with a firm tilt of her head that suggested apology. “I’m sorry, that was uncalled for. Please forgive me. I’m a little out of sorts and …” she sighed, shaking her head again. “That’s no excuse, I know. Sorry. I’ve had the chance and plenty of opportunity to think about the war and I’ve even done a little investigating of my own. I know I missed a lot and I think it was easier for me to ignore certain things that were glaringly obvious to other people. That is a fault I can’t afford if I am to remain in politics. I have talked to Heero about … things. Things that happened between him and my brother and about what was said that I totally missed and Heero just seemed to understand so easily. I guess Milliardo might not have been so bad as he was made out to be.” Now that was a surprise and she wished that she had had the chance to listen in on the conversation. It would probably have been revealing and she would have liked to gain some insight into Heero Yuy. “You’ve spoken to Heero about Milliardo?” Long lashes curved over bright blue eyes that were still a little bloodshot from the storm of weeping. Her cheeks were flushed now with a becoming blush at mention of Heero and she ducked her head lower behind her knees so that just her eyes peeked over. “Yes. We’ve not had the chance to talk about the war as much as I would like to have but we have touched on the subject … and Milliardo did feature in what we talked about. He…” she seemed a little surprised and her eyes clouded with a momentary confusion. “Heero has definite views on the incident with the Libra and what happened there.” // Yes, I just bet he has his own opinion about what went down out there. He’d know more than anyone except Zechs what happened on the Libra. I need to have my own little chat with Mr Yuy where we can not be disturbed. If I remember correctly it was Heero who first came out in defence of Zechs on MO II after the battle. With one thing or another he and I have never really had much of an opportunity to talk in depth and I’d love to hear his view on the sequence of events that took place. I have every confidence it would be an interesting and informative conversation and he could add a wealth of data to my research … If he is more willing that Zechs and Noin were to talk.// What Relena made of her silence she did not know but the girl seemed undisturbed. She was looking more relaxed if somewhat embarrassed and catching her eye produced a deepening blush and when she spoke it was with a greater confidence in evidence. “It’s rather embarrassing actually, I felt like such a fool at the time. It was before I was so effectively leashed - well before the Barton incident. As I recall I was in a snit and made some stupid comment about Milliardo being a raving loony and Heero … well, he … took exception.” Her ears pinked and her cheeks flamed. “In no uncertain terms he told me I was a fool and not to judge where I clearly had no understanding of the facts. He said that not everyone was a brainless docile sheep that followed the leader without an original thought in their heads and that some people were smart enough to question the way things were and why they had always been that way. He … He told me to think back to the conversation we had with Milliardo on the Libra and that my brother had a great deal of courage and did not deserve to be insulted. He said that when I really understood what it was Milliardo said to us I would make a better leader.” //Oh ho? What’s this? It’s the first I’ve heard about them having an interview with Zechs onboard the Libra. When the hell … Ah, Heero took off from Peacemillion in that captured transport to rescue her. It must have been then. I’ll have to get Relena’s side of the conversation and then make time to tackle Yuy. I think he may have a greater understanding of the situation than I initially assumed. He may have information that will fill in a gap or three in my scenario of events for that battle. I’ve had conversations with most of the pilots about that time but Heero was separated from the main group and no one actually knows what went on between he and Zechs in that last fight.// Sally nodded slightly, encouraging the girl to continue hopeful that she might learn something new but Relena remained stubbornly silent and dropped her head onto her knees once more. Sally resisted the urge to grind her teeth and swear. She was becoming tired of people making promising openings and then petering off into silence. It was so frustrating. Admittedly Relena had never been overly chatty about what had happened while she was on Libra but to make this kind of comment and then just clam up was enough to make the Preventer consider stamping off in outrage. “You and Heero spoke to Zechs on the Libra? It would have been an interesting meeting.” A gentle nudge might get the girl talking again. Relena sighed and nodded but made no move to lift her head from her knees or to continue with the conversation. She gave every indication of wanting to avoid the subject and Sally watched her, trying to read her expression. // Is that … Shame?// Sally mused. //I think she is ashamed of herself.// Shame might account for a major part in her reluctance to speak of the past. She had been notably reticent on discussing both the Libra and the time she had become the pawn of Romefeller and become Queen of the World. What a piece of idiocy that had been and just how had Romefeller managed to convince the world to accept her? It would not have helped her confidence any that her mistakes and misreading of the threat led to the events now underway on Mars. As had already been mentioned they were only human and humans made mistakes. Sally wondered how long it would be before Relena not only acknowledged but actually believed there had really not been much of a choice in her decisions. Yes there had been choices to be made but as yet Relena knew nothing of the manipulating fingers of Treize Kushrenada and his masterwork. Sally was convinced that the entire world and the colonies of the Earth Sphere Alliance had been played expertly by that masterful touch and Kushrenada had reasons to act as he had that as yet escaped her understanding. Reason that she suspected had nothing to do with him wanting to become the World Sovereign simply because he could. For those with the knowledge of where to look and what to look for there were indications to be found that he had planned the conflict that had taken place and culminated in the battle above the Earth against the Libra. His influence could be noted, shaping the various threads of event into a complex web of interaction from the time he had turned a tender seventeen years of age and first stepped into the international scene. He had been a genius, a natural manipulator with a frightening understanding of the political scene and a sense of honour that while quaint many would consider centuries out of date. Still a student at Lake Victoria Academy when he had begun to weave his web he had the connections and confidence to be a world shaker and he had been unafraid to do just that. They had barely scratched the surface in their search for understanding of the major manipulator and his intentions and she needed to fill in the gaps that hinted at a dark and dangerous truth. There were too few people in the ESUN who could give her the information they sought with Kushrenada himself dead. It still amazed her that she could get so little information from Lady Une. If the gaps in her memory were caused by a medical condition then there might be hope for Une recovering her memory but Sally knew she could not rely on that to answer her questions. Une’s personality disorder might feature somewhere in the amnesia but she was singularly unwilling to attempt to call back the infamous Colonel Une. As Kushrenada’s right hand woman, his aide and a highly ranked intelligence operative trusted with assignments so sensitive few could be trusted to handle them she would have thought Une would be a wealth of information but there was always that brick wall she ran into. All of Sally’s careful questioning, her gentle nudging and cautious prompting had resulted in very little information she had not already known. Une was adamant that Kushrenada’s intention from the beginning was to bring about a peace that would cover what was now the entire ESUN and would last for more than a few paltry years. //She was in love with Kushrenada and displays little tolerance for Zechs. That could be viewed as jealousy and I don’t think that is an incorrect assumption to make. I’ve spoken with her about the rumours concerning their supposed relationship on a number of occasions and assured her she need not fear that there was anything of an intimate nature between them. I don’t think she believes me though. She can be such a stubborn bitch once she makes up her mind and I suppose I should just be thankful she is not allowing her emotions and doubts to get in the way of what needs to be done about Mars. She has taken steps to deal with the situation … Ah.// Sally closed her eyes and willed herself not to swear aloud. She had been so blind and missed a vital juncture. People were going to die because of her inattention and she could not really blame Une. The woman was probably unaware of her actions. Lady Une, Preventer Earth was an honourable woman who cared for her agents and for the peace they preserved. Colonel Une, on the other hand could be a ruthless cold-hearted bitch who did not particularly care about the price so long as the mission succeeded. //Ah, you stupid lovesick grieving bitch. I should have realized sooner. Damn the woman. Damn her for being such a sly jealous bitch. If it comes back to bite her on the arse I hope I’m there to see it. Did Une realize what was going on? She took the barest minimum action to contain the situation on Mars and in doing so she has placed the lives of everyone at the Colony at risk. She should have … could have … taken steps earlier on Earth to stop this idiocy before it was any more than an ill-conceived plan. Did she hope he would be killed? Am I seeing too much in this? Anne, if I learn you intended his death and placed Noin and those children at risk for petty jealousy I will have a few words to say about your sanity in certain ears and I’ll have you pulled from Preventers faster than you can swat a fly.// “Do you think I will ever have the chance to get to know my brother?” Relena’s voice dragged her back from the directions her wandering thoughts were taking and Sally was relieved for the distraction. There was a wistful look in those blue eyes and a visible hope that Sally might pander to her need for reassurance and a trace of what could be fear that it was too late for that kind of childish wishing. Dare she pamper the girl? Did she need to soften the truth? Would it do more harm than good to shatter the last childish wish of what was hopefully to become a great world leader? “We can certainly hope that you will have that chance but I can’t honestly say. It’s a sorry truth but people will do anything to keep him under control.” A middle line and she felt like a coward for taking it. The truth was that if he did not die on Mars and he should manage to elude the ESUN agents sent to gather him in then he would probably execute another vanish trick. He had done it once before, after all and very successfully too. No sign of his continued existence had been detected following the Libra and they had scoured the colonies after finding no evidence of Epyon’s destruction. He had vanished until he had appeared with no fanfare and was most needed to hold Barton’s forces until the Gundam Pilots arrived. For the first time they had fought together to make a difference until the world acknowledged the lesson he had given and the people had shown their desire to stand for the peace they stood in danger of losing. “Why?” Sally blinked, confused. “Why?” Relena threw back her head and scowled, tossing long strands of hair over her shoulders. “Yes. Why, Sally? Why is it that people are so intent on controlling Milliardo? They had plenty of time to gather him in before and bring him to Earth to stand trial. Public sentiment being what it was at the time … and still is … they could have rushed through the trial and had him executed or incarcerated for life. Not that I wanted it to happen, you understand, but does it not seem strange to you? Why go to all the trouble they have gone to to keep his survival secret and why allow him to leave Earth after the Barton business? It was the perfect opportunity for them to take him and I really think that despite Une hiding him the ESUN Security Agency could have found him. Why then did they happily allow me to send him to Mars and contain him there squashing all rumours of his survival that filtered through. Why do they now decide to move him? There has to be more to it than the opening up of the Mars Colony.” That was a question that had bothered her for some time now and she was not happy with any of her projected scenarios. There was too much missing from data to form a viable set of scenarios that did not sound like something out a bad science fiction novel but there was still this new information to be evaluated. If she stuck to the basic outline it seemed more feasible than the more involved scenarios that included what she knew of Kushrenada and his interaction with the former Lightning Count. “Basic human nature, I suppose. Most sensible people have a healthy fear of a man who has demonstrated that he is willing to go to extremes to get a point across. He endangered the entire planet to make people see what they were doing … and in all honestly I’m not sure how many people actually learned the lesson he was trying to impart or see that he was not the insane lunatic the popular press made him out to be. From what I have seen of him he is a very intense man whom you either love or hate, much like Kushrenada himself. Both of them were very intelligent but hard men who were not afraid to shape the world around them but I think that both of them were men with hearts and a frightening ability to apply their intelligence to world shaping. Not necessarily a bad thing, just frightening to those who see only their own little pocket of existence is not so secure as they assumed.” “I don’t understand that. I mean, it seems to me that Treize Kushrenada, who I think was as bad as Milliardo if not worse, is viewed with understanding and even kindness but my brother is the instant villain.” “I think that if you had the opportunity to speak to him about that Milliardo would have a very simple comment.” Relena scowled and Sally could not resist the smile or the sparkle in her eye. “Mankind needed both a villain and a hero. Would it not be more shocking to mankind if the villain was the one whose very name was associated with peace and the hero was the one most often associated with war?” “A hero? A villain? I always thought the gundam pilots were the heroes.” Sally shook her head slightly. “Look at it again, Relena. Think about what happened and don’t apply the romance and mystique of the media to the story. Really start to see what was done and who did what in the events of AC 195. It’s a bit of an eye opener when you do. The Gundam pilots were terrorists … yes, terrorists. If you ask them, as I have, they will admit what they were and so do I. I was an Alliance doctor in the Alliance Intelligence Service but I saw too much and in the end turned around and made myself a rebel. A terrorist. I might add at this time that the majority of atrocities against human rights that I witnessed were done by the Alliance military, not Oz but that is of no concern just now. When I became a rebel I did not lead but was led by others higher in the chain with their own pet grievances that were not necessarily similar to my own. The point is I was led. The Gundam pilots didn’t lead either. They were led by their controllers and as was later revealed by the manipulating fingers of Dekim Barton and they were not the formal military arm of the Colonies. They were in fact rejected by the very colonies they were to protect and they were abandoned by their controllers fairly early in the war. They were manipulated, abused and abandoned until finally they acted on their own. It was almost an accident that they came out of the war smelling of roses. The colony government has a lot to answer for in their refusal to make their standing clear but that is not relevant to the here and now. What I find amazing is that the prime instigator of the entire mess was dubbed the hero and is applauded and his cohort was named the villain and is reviled. You would almost think there were no others involved in the mess according to the popular version of the war.” “Kushrenada? You think he was the prime instigator? I mean I know he was involved but … he could not control events in the colonies the way he could manipulate things on Earth.” “Could he not? Perhaps but I think you underestimate the man. He did have himself made the World Sovereign before he went into space to die and become your classic tragic story book hero. The press loves it.” “He could not have know that he would die, Sally, though I admit anyone who took part in that battle stood a chance of dying. He released me from Romefeller and gave me back my identity and took from my head the crown I never wanted. I could only thank him for that. I did not find him to be so bad as I first thought. He was actually quite nice to me and I was a bit of a bitch the previous time we met.” “Relena, a master tactician accounts for every possible eventuality and that includes the need to die for the cause. I’ve been investigating the events of the war, its become something of a hobby, and I have had the opportunity to speak to others who are doing the same thing though possibly not for the same reasons. We are all trying to find out what happened, when it happened and why it happened. In all of our investigations to date I have seen the same thing and that is the masterful touch of Treize Kushrenada. Since he turned seventeen his influence is unmistakable as he turned everything to the course he desired.” “But … why would he?” “Anne insists he did it all for peace.” “For peace.” Relena whispered. “Everything seems to be done for peace … I’m very tired of the claim being made that it was 'all for peace'. You have been investigating the war you say? What do your investigations tell you about Milliardo? What have you learned of my brother’s part in the war?” She was not surprised that the question had arisen and indeed it might be made to work for her in getting Relena onto the subject of these suddenly revealed and potentially so useful ‘abilities’. Sally turned to eye the fire for a long moment considering placing one or two logs on the flames but decided there was no urgent need as yet. They needed to get some sleep tonight but for the moment the room was warm enough and she wanted to keep the flow of conversation going. “I think tonight I learned something that has a bearing on the information I had found previously and if so it would go a long way to explaining some things that had puzzled me. The Innkeeper has given me what might be the most vital piece of information I have to date discovered and I believe it will go a long way toward helping me unravel some of your brother’s more confusing actions.” Relena paled noticeably. “Fairytales.” she whispered and blushed at the hesitancy in her voice. Pay dirt. Now she could pounce and start the ball rolling. While it was not much of an acknowledgement it was the blush that told her it was time to broach the subject. “Really, Relena? Fairytales? Dancing around what may seem unpalatable can be dangerous and avoiding the subject will not help us deal with the problems of the past or the future. Sometimes it’s best to approach things head on.’ Sally reached to hook a finger under the girls chin and tilt her head up until their eyes locked. “Psi ability. Psychic ability has been known for centuries and that I am aware of a library documenting psi ability in one family line for generations has never before been found. It is an opportunity that would have the scientific world in raptures if it was known. We do not at this time particularly want it known but Relena, you can’t look me in the eye and deny that what he said, at least about you, is not true, can you ?” All colour bleached from her face and Sally wondered for a moment if she would faint. She should have known better than to even consider the thought as the young woman drew in a deep breath and steadied herself, the well practiced blank mask of the politician falling into place. “I … We are not discussing me now, Sally, but my brother.” “I think we are not discussing one or the other of you but both of you. The last of the pure-blooded Peacecrafts are my concern at this time. You and your brother and those two babies who are up to their ears in trouble on Mars. All Peacecrafts. All direct line Peacecrafts. What the Innkeeper has said makes sense, Relena as much as you might wish it otherwise. Given what I know of the war from my investigations and adding that data to what I learned tonight it makes a curious, fascinating and somewhat disturbing sense. If Treize Kushrenada knew about the Peacecraft’s hereditary abilities then given the tactical abilities the man possessed it makes sense that he would choose your brother to be the villain and you to take his place as the Guardian of the peace they crafted.” “How … how would he … I mean .. How would he … could he know if Milliardo could … had the …” She was floundering and clamped her mouth shut trying to gain some sense of solidity in the world that seemed to want to tilt crazily into the realm of science fiction and fantasy. Sally smiled gently and reached to lightly brush her hair from her eyes. “How would he know that Milliardo Peacecraft was a clairvoyant? That is one question I am quite sure that I can answer. Where did Zechs grow up, Relena?” Colour flooded into her face in a blush. “Yes. I see. With the Kushrenadas.” "Exactly. If Zechs did indeed have such an ability don’t you think it might have manifested itself at some time through his childhood and is it so much larger a step to take to suggest that it might have manifested in front of Treize at some point in time? The nobility of old Europe are tied by bloodlines that have crossed for centuries and are really rather a close knit community. There well may have been rumours within certain families with close ties to the Peacecrafts that one or more abilities could be found in the Royal line of the House of Peacecraft. It’s not so huge a leap when you consider those ties of blood that Treize might have known about the ability.” Relena scowled in the general direction of the fire and then glanced back to the agent. “Alright, I’ll admit that is possible. Improbable but possible. I still don’t think that explains why he would use my brother to be the villain in this grand design you believe existed. Would it not make more sense to have Milliardo cast in the role of the handsome prince riding into battle to save the world and bring peace?” Sally shrugged her shoulders slightly and grinned. ”Would it have been so effective? All of this is theory, you understand and at this time we can’t know it all but we are still hunting for information. All that we now have suggests strongly that Treize and Zechs did not part company as thoroughly as was first believed after that incident in Antarctica. We actually have come to suspect that they planned the final battle together.” “I … don’t want to believe that my brother was so … so cold-blooded … as to plan the deaths of so many people. He was … is … a Peacecraft.” Sally sighed softly and her smile was gentle. “I would make a wager with you that if we could access this sealed archive our host guards that we would find stored there records that would reveal that the Peacecrafts were quite capable of shedding blood in the interests of peace for the greater majority.” “Oh no, Sally, no.” a whisper. “Father would never have approved.” Sally arched an eyebrow. “Oh? How would you know? To my certain knowledge you never knew your birth father. How are you able to know what he was capable of or what he would have approved? Are you so certain that if he was not born with this suspected clairvoyant ability that he would not use it to the best effect? Do you think that he did not use this ability of Suggestion the Innkeeper claims he had to accomplish the same ends? Would that not, in its own way be as bad if not worse than shedding a little blood to bring about a greater condition for peace on the strength of dreams or visions?” “I … That …” She was bleached of colour and buried her face in her hands, pressing against her knees and her fingers locked in her hair. “Don’t … Sally. Please.” “Sorry kiddo but we can’t always avoid what we don’t want to hear. Eventually we have to hear it. Think about it Relena, think about why the Alliance attacked Sanc in the first place. Yes, it was the Alliance, not some poor well publicized scapegoat that did the deed. It was an Alliance operation from start to finish, I know because I’ve seen some of the sealed documentation on the operation. You might be interested to know that one of the higher officers involved in planning the mission was none other than that vaunted advocate of peace, General Noventa.” She waved away the whispered protest and sighed. “Not important now but the question of why the Alliance attacked Sanc in the first place is. There was something about Sanc that frightened them. Now what would it be about a pacifist nation that would frightened an organization the size of the Alliance and drive their leaders to such an abominable action?” “I … don’t know but … but … Peace should not be brought with blood!” “No? How else will you pay the price and for everything we do in this life there is a price, Relena. How do you make people see the sometimes subtle difference between freedom and oppression? Don’t look at me like that, think about it. You can have peace under an oppressor, a Dictator, just as well as you can enjoy it under a democracy. Peace in the absence of blood shed in mass conflict but you can still have the population bound in chains. Peace is not just the absence of war and blood free fields. We have peace now and we need to make certain that we can keep it but we also need to keep the fundamental rights of humanity from being oppressed to maintain that peace. Not so easy a thing to do or those who feel themselves oppressed, no matter their reasons, feel that they must rebel and there we are right back into the war zone again. We will not always have a politician we approve of in the Presidential seat, one who honestly wishes to bring about peace, prosperity and fundamental freedoms to the people. We will not always have people we know personally and trust in the halls of power working to uphold the standard of living and the freedom as individuals we expect. We will not always be in a situation where we have any say at all in how the ESUN is run and you need to remember that as you look back on the many facets of war throughout history.” “I don’t see why they attacked Sanc.” a whisper and her eyes seemed to be twice their natural size in her pale face. “Sanc is just too small, too insignificant in the world order to make much of a difference.” “From little acorns do giant oaks grow and one tree that sheds fertile seed gives birth to a forest.” Sally sighed. “Sanc was making a difference … or rather, King Stephan was making a difference. People were listening to him and it frightened those in control. I can’t say exactly what sparked the invasion but perhaps he moved too quickly. Perhaps he made a mistake when dealing with an Alliance representative. At this point in time I admit we may never know what it was that set the Alliance on the course it took but I am relatively sure after tonight that what happened was a direct result of the Peacecraft Kings ability to make people ‘see’ the advantages of peace. If he should have erred in bringing this psychic ability to bare on the wrong person then it is feasible to assume that someone panicked and events snowballed. The Alliance might well have attacked Sanc to remove what they considered to be the threat that the Royal Family represented.” t.b.c.
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