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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 175 Preventer Patrol Cruiser E106 Bounty Date: 2nd March AC 198 Time: 11:44 Bounty Ship Time [Sanc time 08:29] Duo He could imagine the old man’s manic grin on hearing from his com officer there was a message for him from the lunatic sweeper brat. It would be good to hear from Howard even if it was in a long-handed, not exactly real time method. At least he would be able to see a friend’s face and hear his voice. Just the thought of it made him feel less isolated and alone on this ship of strangers. Decision made, Duo’s fingers flew over the com board to one side of his computer keyboard. He had a great deal to do this first day onboard the Bounty and there was the lunch with the Captain to be considered. He was to attend the meal with or without further information concerning the current situation and he knew the Captain would be making his own enquiries. At this point in time he would certainly be attending lunch without further information on the Station Alliance and the events taking place on distant Mars. //I suppose we could all be panicking over nothing. It does not make much of a difference what is happening on Mars anyway. No one is close enough to be of assistance. They are on their own dealing with whatever may eventuate. Even the ESUN’s bully boys have to wait a day or two to receive backup. Given the Lightning Count’s reputation during the war, I’d say it would be all over bar the shouting by then. Damned if I would want to be in Merquise’s shoes, though. If I think being on the Bounty is feeling isolated, what the hell must he feel like stuck way out there with the ESUN wanting his arse?// He supposed Merquise was probably better off than he in his present situation. At least the man had Noin for back up, although what help she would be if the colony turned on them he did not want to think about. As he recalled Lucrezia Noin could handle herself in a sticky situation and if Merquise was involved she was likely to be rabid in his defence. She had, after all, turned to him even during the Libra incident. He had to admit she was either a lovesick idiot or she knew the man a whole lot better than anyone else. //It is possible, I suppose, for the colony workers to turn on them. If the delegation dispatched to pick him up gave the colonists an ultimatum to cooperate or be held accountable … I don’t know the man enough to judge his reaction, but I guess to preserve their own hides they might step aside and allow the ESUN to take him. They would be confident but given how Noin reacted to Merquise during the war, even when they were on opposing sides, I would not like to be in front of her. I’m pretty sure blood would flow if they did.// His fingers flew over the consol, preparing the required security level for the communications he intended to send. Howard might not want anyone to know where he was, so he would need to use a broadband beam, fairly high-powered signal, given he had no idea how far it would need to travel. He needed to lessen the chance of anyone other than a Sweeper equipped with the required codes, and Howard’s personal coded designation, opening the message. He was not particularly enamoured of the idea of travelling so far from what he considered his home to deal with a matter he could not, in any real likelihood, have any influence over. It was certainly an adventure to travel so far into the solar system but there was now a small, rather nice smelling bundle of humanity to tie him to the hub of the ESUN. What was he doing heading out into the darkness of space for what could very well be a year or possibly longer? He should be on L2 getting to know his son, not pandering to the whims of a woman who knew full well he could not directly affect the situation he was assigned to investigate. It was, however, his duty to go where sent and look into the matter of his assignment. //Duty. It’s why Hilde and I broke up, my sense of needing to do more to keep the peace. I became a Preventer to feel I was taking an active part in the shaping of the ESUN. Stopping trouble from disrupting the peace is a big part of that, but some days I wonder if it is really worth the effort. In this case, this Station Alliance is as big a threat as the trouble over Merquise. Both problems have the potential to cause disruption to the peace on a grand scale.// Preventers constantly stretched their resources to contain trouble spots from flaring up into violence that could easily escalate into open fighting. It was expected repeats of such hot spots would ease as time wore on and the novelty of peace caught on. The new generations would not recall what war was, how it bled families dry of their children, parents and friends. In that ideal peace would become the norm, not the exception. It was quite a vision to entertain, families, entire generations, who did not know the heartache of war. If Merquise did nothing else with his life at least the most hated man in the ESUN had succeeded in shaking common sense into the masses. Milliardo Peacecraft had ensured everyone, both on and off the Earth, understood they needed to be aware of the activities, and particularly the politics, around them. The common masses needed to keep actively pushing to maintain the peace and remind their elected representatives why they had been elected in the first place. It would take time but he was confident it would come. Of course there had to be those who sought more for themselves. It had ever been the way with people who had the drive and determination to stand on top of the dung heap. Duo understood that side of human nature well enough. There was a difference between ambition and greed. The streets of L2 had been an education even a child would not soon forget. He thought of himself as a Sweeper brat now, not an L2 street kid, but he was not of a mind to forget his beginnings. From street trash, as once he had been called, to Sweeper brat and Gundam Pilot and now to Preventer Agent. He had seen enough of the clawing to reach that high point above others to recognize it and keep a wary eye open. It was to maintain a measure of control over such ambitious people that Preventers had been founded. It was simply human nature, more particularly human greed, which saw some heads resting uneasy with the current situation. Someone always wanted what the other man had and determined to take it or do better. If everyone could be content with the power they had, and not grasp for more, there would be no need for him to be heading out into the boondocks of space. Uneasy heads in high places had determined they did not like the direction of developments taking place. They had decided to adjust the parameters to favour themselves over others equally as determined to maintain control. Power struggles in high places had led to this situation and to so many others like it, and that was why there was a need for Preventers. The situation with Merquise was delicate; his name alone was a time bomb whenever uttered in the hub of the Earth Sphere. If it should become generally known the man was alive … he shuddered to think what might happen and grudgingly admitted there might be cause for concern. He did not know the man to judge him. Merquise might have no intention of leading anything other than a quiet life. It was the people’s reaction to the man that was of chief concern and Duo, while he could understand the Council’s concern, had to wonder if Merquise ever intended to show his face to the general public. Whatever his intentions might have been the decision had been made to contain him. //I wonder if there is more to this than I know? Do I actually know anything or am I just supposing? Ah, whichever there is nothing I can really do to make a difference.// Then, of course, there was the mysterious Station Alliance and their questionable intentions. Where could this Alliance be based and on what colony did Preventers need to seek them out? The Earth Sphere did not need another power struggle to control the hub and could they really believe what had been said by this Kristian Kushrenada? “Great speech but what does the man really want?” To keep abreast of all the movers and shakers of the Earth Sphere was the business of Preventers. To keep the peace he had fought and bled for was his reason for joining the organization. He was paid to put out fires of every size and intensity, from smouldering coals to raging firestorms. It was why he had fought and bled over the last few years, working under a commander who once had been an enemy he would cheerfully have butchered if he could have reached her. //Damn, will you listen to yourself, Maxwell? You sound so bitter one minute and eager for a fight the next and all over the same thing. Maybe Hilde was right. Maybe I am nothing more than an action junkie. Do I do this to feel the adrenaline surge … Hell no. It’s more than that. Enough thinking already.// He checked his preparations, being certain to include the best of the security features available to him. He was never certain what Howard might be up to, but he did not feel inclined to upset the old man by breaking into something he would rather not became public knowledge. Heero kept Howard abreast of the security features they used and he had no doubt the old man would be capable of deciphering his message. Staring into the camera he drew a deep breath, shrugged and reached to press the record key. “Preventer Agent Reaper, Duo Maxwell on board Patrol Cruiser E106 Bounty, destination Asteroid Belt. Message is for Howard. Message reads: Hey, old man, how about a chat between two old friends? I could do with an off the record gossip.” Duo deactivated the record function and leaned back from the consul to indulge in a slow stretch as he contemplated the message. He could have been a little more forthcoming, he reflected, but he had no idea what Howard was doing or who might be with him at the time he received it. It was better to err on the side of caution than to leap over a bush and learn there was a cliff edge on the far side. Deciding to allow the content to stand and make no modifications he punched in the send command and rubbed at his eyes. A few seconds later the computer informed him his message had been transmitted. He was almost surprised the com officer had not contacted him but no doubt the officer had contacted the Captain, or would in the next few minutes. He was tired and he doubted he would wake during the acceleration periods scheduled for later in the day. He needed sleep and to think but such an opportunity was hours away and it was always possible in that time new orders might be received. He would simply have to watch and wait on events. The message was away and it was now a waiting game. He had little doubt he would get to talk with the old man and he was looking forward to it. It had been too long since he had spoken to Howard, beyond swapping emails once or twice a week. He always found such communications stilted and preferred to be able to see the face of the person he was talking to. Faces told you so much about the words being spoken to you, if you learned to read the unconscious muscle movements. You could tell who was lying, who was telling the truth and who was evading the issue. It was more than wanting to see the man’s face to gain an insight into what he was thinking though. He had genuinely missed Howard and he did not want to lose his ties to the Sweepers or to the man himself. //It’s been a long time, longer than I intended. I’m a Preventer field agent and I guess I got wrapped up in my work. He would have been neck deep in getting the Peacemission ready to fly. I wonder what she is like?// He had received some tantalizing references to Howard acquiring another ship in recent days, but had not had the opportunity to pursue the matter. Knowing Howard if the vessel was reclaimed as a part of a salvage operation the revamped ship would bare little resemblance to its former appearance. He doubted the Sweepers would have had the time to construct a new vessel along the lines of the Peacemillion, though he did admit it was not impossible. He had learned early in his association with the Sweepers you discounted them at your own peril. Howard had not been pleased to have lost the Peacemillion and just once in Duo’s hearing, shortly following the destruction of the Libra, he had mentioned building a second ship. Duo presumed if he did construct another vessel from scratch it would be of the same design as Peacemillion. He would have liked to spend time fully exploring Peacemillion but she, like the Libra, was so much scrap metal floating in space. If Howard did construct a sister ship he wanted to spend some time on her and really get to know the beauty. He would, in actual fact, like to participate in the designing and construction of such a ship. He might have enjoyed helping Howard to modify a salvaged vessel and spending time with the Sweepers. One day he would retire from Preventers and he needed to keep his contact with the Sweepers open. At the present time he could not think of a better place to retire. //I would enjoy the opportunity to sit down with Howard and chew the fat; find out what he has been up to since he left Earth. Talk about this ship of his and what she can do. Unless he had a second ship of Peacemillion’s design already under construction he must have adapted a salvaged ship. Maybe he even salvaged Peacemillion? No, I doubt there was much salvageable about her, not after that big bang. A pity, she was something alright. She could have been a grand lady given half the chance.// He needed to reconsider his options for a career in light of the son he had so recently discovered. Enlisting in the Preventer Service had been a good career choice for someone of his background, but he could not see himself as a hunter of terrorists for life. Already he was beginning to think of retirement from active service in the field and he was uncertain being a desk jockey at headquarters, or at a branch on one of the colonies, was what he was looking for. Would becoming a Sweeper again give him greater access to the boy? //I doubt it. Hilde is a Preventer now, but her view of me does not seem to have changed much. I’m damned if I think I was that bad as a partner, but maybe it was all just a ‘woman thing’ that would drive me to distraction trying to figure out. Whatever I choose to do when I retire from Preventers I am going to have to discuss it with Hilde. I want to be a part of Aidan’s life. Now I know about him she is not going to keep him from me.// Hiding her pregnancy from him hurt and he supposed in time he would learn to live with it. Live with it, yes, but he doubted he would ever understand her reasoning. He seemed to have nothing but trouble understanding the few females who had attracted his attention, be it as work mates or on a more intimate level. Not that he had had a particularly exemplary record with associating with the male of the species either. //I had the hots for Yuy there for a while, not that I would ever admit it to anyone. That was just being young and full of wild hormones, not to mention a bad case of ‘I am probably going to be dead today’ talking. It was a private thing anyway. I never let on to him or anyone else I thought he was anything other than a partner, and later a friend. The guy is so obviously straight it was not a problem knowing it was definitely a case of look but don’t touch. Funny as hell watching him struggle to cope with Relena’s slightest look in his direction. I’m not sure that relationship will go anywhere though, much as they might want it to. They are worlds apart and I doubt it will be roses all the way.// His eyes flicked to the clock and he sighed. Still a couple of minutes before he could expect any kind of response from the Sweepers. That was the problem with communications in space. In the gaps between contacts you had an awful lot of time on your hands to think. The longer he needed to wait for a response the further away Howard was from the Bounty. By now the message would have been transmitted out past the furthest of the colonies in the L5 cluster. He could only hope Howard was not as far away as the Asteroid belt or even deeper in space. He had already missed out on so much of his son’s short life. He was not certain what to think about the not exactly welcoming reaction to his presence Hilde had displayed. He could see she would have been happy if he had never learned of the boy and that knowledge hurt. He should have been there to experience everything, to bond with his son and give him everything he himself had not had as a child. //Yeah, right. I missed the early morning screaming sessions for food, the dirty backsides and projectile vomiting. Maybe Hilde did me a favour without meaning to.// He glowered at the keyboard in front of him and snorted softly. //I don’t understand what I did that was so wrong.// Had she ever intended to tell him he was a father? If it had not been for Heero taking a hand in the proceedings would he know he had a son? Preventer Earth had known about Aidan and she had said nothing. Thinking back over their conversations over the past year and more he could recall nothing in particular that might have been a veiled reference to Hilde needing him. Certainly there was nothing he might bend and twist like a pretzel to make into a comment that should have alerted him he might be a father. //Not exactly fair, I suppose. She did ask me a couple of times if I had spoken to Hilde.// He considered the ceiling and its array of uninteresting rivets and frowned. //I never thought about that before. Why would Une mention Hilde at all considering she knew we had split and it was not a particularly amicable break-up? We were not the worst of enemies but Hilde had plainly not wanted anything to do with me. I thought she would contact me when she had cooled off. Maybe Une was hoping I would take the hint and contact her and Hilde would come clean with me?// It was a possibility and he had come to know Une well enough over the last few years to know she was not the emotionless automaton many of the Preventers considered her. She was certainly not the fruitcake she had been during the war; otherwise he would not be wearing the uniform he was. If Une had been subtly hinting at him to establish contact with his ex-girlfriend it was too late to worry about it now. All thanks to Heero he knew about Aidan and Une had given him the opportunity to go to L2 and make some sort of understanding with Hilde. While the time spent there had been short at least he had held his son and Hilde had not thrown him out. Maybe there was hope there? //I don’t know what to make of Hilde. One thing I do know is she’s not the girl I knew during the war. She was a fighter then but she seemed to … I don’t know exactly what to call it. I know people change and nothing stays the same. It’s not smart to think things should stay static, let alone people. We all change as we grow older but I thought I knew her better. I really must have pissed her off for her to keep news of the baby to herself.// It was a depressing thought and one he wished would not keep revolving through his mind like a returning bad odour. His eyes flicked to the hands of the clock and the second hand moving smoothly around the clock face. How much longer before Howard would get back to him and thinking of Howard gave birth to a manic grin. // Hey, Howie is going to be surprised to find out I’m a father.// He flicked his gaze to the digital clock on the consol in front of him and sighed. He was disgusted to see it agreed with the larger analogue clock on the wall. Waiting for long range communications was a royal pain in the butt. If he had more time he would submerge himself in the Romefeller files on his hidden disks while he waited. He could be learning more about the organization he had dismissed as an old boys’ club, a judgement that might impact on his personal world. He had underestimated the old boys and it was a mistake he was afraid he might pay for. He personally knew people included in those files and he suspected Romefeller had a greater hand in the war than he had initially assumed. Just how much did the five scientists who had constructed the Gundams actually know about the ‘enemy’? He was afraid they may have misinterpreted the identity of the enemy they needed to fear. There was so much he needed to know and he suspected many of the answers, and a great many more questions, lay in those hidden files. If he only had more time. He could not avoid the lunch with the Captain and he had not as yet been on the Bounty for a day. One did not refuse an invitation to eat with the Captain, but he might have sufficient time to exchange one or two message sequences with Howard. The exact quota of messages they could trade would depend on the current location of Howard in relation to the Bounty. He was presuming the old man would be onboard the Peacemission as he had mentioned in an email he would soon be shaking down the ship, though details had not been exchanged. He might also be on any one of the Sweeper ships in the considerable fleet, though his money was on the Peacemission. It was a feeling, nothing more substantial than that, but he had a strong sense he was right. At any time the Sweeper council could demand a Captain present himself before them; even one of their own was not exempt from such a summons. Howard could have been anywhere within the Earth Sphere and Duo considered his ignorance of that location his own failing. He had been neglecting his ties to the Sweeper organization. Using the codes and broadband sweep he had set up he hoped to contact the ship the old man was onboard, no matter where he might be. The message was coded with the personal code Howard used which no other Sweeper would interfere with. It was a security feature employed by all of the Sweepers and it was an unwritten law you did not interfere with a Captain’s code. Only the Sweeper Council would dare to attempt a capture and break into such a personal communication, and only then if there was questions over a captain’s loyalty to the group. To his knowledge Howard was in good standing with the Council, not that they would quickly or easily break the encryption code he had used. //I suppose those paranoid bastards in the ESUN might try to intercept the message.// He smirked. //I wish them luck breaking into it though. Hell, for all I know Howard could be a couple of thousand k’s off the port bow and we could share a real time chat. Not that that is likely given the time elapsed since I sent the message. I’m pretty sure he was taking the Peacemission out for a shake down cruise, but he could be anywhere from on an approach vector to Venus, to somewhere between Mars and the Asteroid Belt for all I know.// Their last exchange of email had been short and pretty basic and had taken place a couple of weeks before he had left Earth. Howard’s message had been bounced through a number of encrypted Sweeper relays, so he was unsure of the location it had originated from. How are you doing … survived another mission … how’s the guys … Generally they kept mission details he could share for their rare face to face chats. The last time he had actually been in the same room with Howard had been approaching eleven months ago, give or take a week or so. Nearly a year. He had not realized it had been so long, and in all that time he had taken no leave time offered in which he could hop a Sweeper ship and find the old man for a few weeks of well deserved rest. //Time flies. // He scowled at the digital clock. //When you don’t watch the damn clock, of course. I hadn’t realized how long it has been since we had the chance to really talk. It must be a good six months since we talked over a communicator. Man, this is not good. I have become so wrapped in my work that I’m losing touch with people. I can’t lose touch with the Sweepers, they are pretty much the closest thing to a family I’ve had since the Maxwell Church. Hell, be honest Maxwell, they are closer to a family than you ever had. No Solo, yeah, I admit that but … Damn, I need my arse kicked for letting things go. First Hilde and now this. It’s not good enough. Maybe Hilde had a better idea of how it would wrap me up than I did.// He tapped an impatient beat, long fingers lightly rapping against the consol and considered the time elapsed since he had sent the greeting and request. Eighteen minutes since he had sent the message and given Howard had never expressed an interest in frying his backside he doubted he would test the ship by flying in system toward the sun. His best assumption was the Peacemission, if that was Howard’s current location, was cruising somewhere in the vicinity of the Mars orbit, though not necessarily within months of the planet itself. No one ever said in his hearing Howard was required to follow ESUN flight regulations. That he knew of Howard was pretty much a law unto himself, even amid the Sweepers, where he was viewed as something of a visionary and certainly a genius. If you had genius people forgave your eccentricities. He would not know exactly where Howard was until he was contacted by whatever ship Howard was using. The safest assumption he could make was that they were headed out system and off the main shipping lanes if he was shaking down a new or revamped ship like the Peacemission. Given Howard was never one to stay within regulation shipping lanes and prescribed formulae for such activities, there was also the possibility he might be intending to shakedown the ship where he was practically guaranteed not to be disturbed. He recalled one conversation where Howard had expressed an interest in going off the ecliptic, exploring space around the Earth but away from the ecliptic orbit of the planets. //That would be cool. Dangerous but cool, not that danger ever bothered Howard. He would have considered every feasible scenario before taking such a step; and then a few really weird and whacked out options too, knowing him. If he ever does it I hope he asks me to come along.// What would his life have been like if he had been born a Sweeper, as Howard had been? Becoming an explorer had potential and the Sweepers had been the first to venture to the far side of the Asteroid belt. Now the ESUN was pushing to colonize Mars itself and had sent explorer ships to Jupiter and Saturn. A lonely existence, to be a space explorer, but you would see sights and encounter situations no one else would have experienced. No unnecessary chances were taken on those ships and it took a special breed of spacer to survive in that isolation for years at a time. The monotony would be the worst, seeing the same faces day after day and hearing the same voices, doing the same things. Duo shook himself and brought his thoughts back to the present. Becoming an explorer would not keep him near Aidan so he could wipe that scenario from his retirement options. //I’m not ready to retire, anyway. I wonder if Howard is near Mars? If he was close enough to take some sort of action that might influence events would he do it?// Duo wiped suddenly sweating palms against his trousers. //I wonder if he might feel inclined to take some form of action if I mentioned what we suspect is going down there?// Not that he really knew what was happening on Mars, of course. He was not even certain what Une intended by assigning him to this ship. He was months away from the planet and the trouble now visiting the colony. What he did know with certainty was that Merquise was on Mars, Une had confirmed that, and there was trouble on the planet. Trouble along the lines of Merquise and the ESUN Council of Representatives. He might be months away from Mars but Preventers had a presence on the planet which was yet another reason for him not being out-system bound. “Howard is sure to ask what I’m doing on the Bounty, so what the heck do I tell him when I don’t really know myself? I don’t know how he would react to knowing where Zechs is either.” He personally had never met the man in question. All the contact he had ever had with Zechs Merquise was a few brief words over a communicator during the Barton Incursion. Beyond that brief moment he had no idea what to make of the former Prince of Sanc and his roller coaster life. Picking at the end of his braid Duo snorted softly. //Can you actually be a former prince? I mean, once you are born a prince I would think that would pretty much be that. You are a prince. You could claim all sorts of things, including turning your back on your birthright but … He sure as hell hasn’t turned his back. As far as I can see everything he did was a reaction to events in and around Sanc.// It was something he had not considered before but he decided he would have the time to consider the war and the reasons behind the individuals who had played starring roles. His reasons he knew well enough and he knew something of his fellow Gundam Pilots reasonings. What he had not previously concerned himself with was the reasons for the other players being involved. Much of what he had been told since the war did not make sense to him. The beep of the communications consol distracted him and he grinned, focusing his attention on the consol and reaching to activate the receive key. He recognized the speaker as an old acquaintance from the time during the war when he had been onboard Peacemillion. No surprise there as Howard tended to retain the same crew about him in something like an inner circle of people he trusted above all others. An affable grin lightened the man’s hook-nosed face as he looked into the camera’s pick up. The decrypting program was making short work of the encoded transmission, the delay only seconds before the initial frozen picture jerked and the message replayed. He was feeling decidedly honoured as they had sent him a vid message and not merely a voice or text confirmation of his communications. It warmed him to know he was still considered a part of the Sweeper community and his message was not treated as an official communication with a Preventer. “Peacemission. Registry H65193P acknowledging communication from Bounty E106. Good morning Duo, what time zone are you running? Long time no see and just what the hell are you doing on a long haul Preventer Cruiser, eh? Decided you need to rough it in the mining colonies? Message from the Old Man reads: Peacemission is outward system bound and off the space lanes. What can I do for you? Further transmission will be transferred directly to the Captain’s Ready Room. Peacemission, out.” He had hoped for a message from the old man himself but that had probably been too hopeful on his part. No doubt Howard was busy and if they were on the Peacemission’s shake down cruise there was likely to be a great deal keeping Howard occupied. At least he had been assured his next communication with the Peacemission would go directly to Howard and he could be fairly assured no one but Howard would receive his message. He settled himself deeper into the chair and composed himself. He needed to decide on the best method for sharing as much information as he dared without being too chatty, and taking up precious time, but still keep the personal touch. He hated this means of communicating. His fingers automatically set up the record program and the security protocols he desired in place, and then there was nothing more for him to use to delay the inevitable. “Bounty, registry E106. Hey, how are things going, Howie? I feel I should apologize for not getting in touch with you more regularly on a face to face basis. Until I had this chance I hadn’t realized just how hectic things have been lately. I’m hopping a ride on the Bounty on a mission I really don’t understand, but I’m hoping to receive more detailed instructions soon. I’m guessing you saw the announcement by the Station Alliance and this Kristian Kushrenada. The Captain has asked me to ask around to see if any of my contacts has heard of either the man himself or this Station Alliance. I’ve already told him I don’t know anything about either, and I know full well he’s the one who is going to have a better chance of getting some answers. Maybe you could ask around for me, huh? I’m having lunch with the Captain in around half an hour or so. Maybe I can delay it a bit longer if I’m lucky, but I was taught you don’t keep the Captain of a ship waiting. I wonder where I learned that from, eh?” He ran a hand through his bangs and shrugged, grinning into the camera pick up. Howard could probably read him like a book and would pick up on his unease with the subject but there was nothing he could do about that. The simple truth was he was feeling unsure about himself and uneasy being on this ship of strangers. He was tired and he probably looked worse than he thought he did, something else Howard would pick up on. He wanted to say more but did he dare? “Anyway, I’m looking forward to hearing from you. We have so got to get back together. I miss … Well, I have to … Looking forward to hearing from you, Howard. Bounty out.” His fingers hit send before he really knew what he was doing and he moaned softly, burying his face in his hands. That had been so pathetic! //Gah, that was awful! He’ll wonder what the hell is wrong with me. At least he will know it’s not official business.// He had not hinted at there being a problem on Mars. Nothing had been said in Peacemission’s communication that the ship was in the vicinity of Mars. It was the time listed for the message being recorded and dispatched which put it somewhere in the vicinity of the planet’s orbit. //If Howard has not gone off the ecliptic, that is. They could be days or weeks, even months away from the planet. They could be chasing the planet or waiting for it to come to them. Either way it could take weeks to reach Mars.// It was not Sweeper business. That was what held him back from mentioning the problem, but he was watching his fingers moving over the keys setting up a secure message. What was he thinking of doing? It was not Sweeper business. It had nothing to do with the ship on her maiden shakedown. It was nothing to do with them … but he knew Howard had actually liked Merquise. His hand hovered over the record button and he ground his teeth and glared at the poised finger. “What the fuck do you think you are doing sitting there ready to pounce, hmm? It’s none of your concern to take matters into your own hand. That is official Preventer business and it has nothing to do with the Sweepers.” His hand was shaking and he felt as though a force pressed on him, forcing that finger closer and closer to the contact switch, activating the camera. //What am I doing?// Pressing the switch. “Bounty … Howard, I’m not sure I’m supposed to mention … Well, I am sure I’m not supposed to talk about it actually, but you … Well, I know you had a high regard for the man before he went off the rails. It’s all hush-hush and everything and I only recently learned it but …” The words wanted out but it was hard. Everything he said was breaking a confidence and it was certainly Preventer business. He was sure of his security and Howard was not likely to tell him anything about the Station Alliance if he knew anything, if he did not give a little information in the first place. Maybe if he told Howard about Merquise he might reciprocate. Did he really believe that drivel? Did he want to answer that question? Why did he feel as though he must reveal the trouble on Mars? Why did he have to be the one Une assigned to this miserable mission? “I’m supposed to be heading to Mars but I’m not sure if that is going to be changed in light of the Station Alliance coming on the scene. You must have picked up the distress message from Mars, as well as Kushreneda’s announcement. If you are in any position to respond to that distress alert you should … Well … Howard, Merquise is on Mars and in the middle of that mess. I don’t know what you will want to do about it, or if you even care, or are near enough to try if you wanted to, but … Well … God … The ESUN couldn’t leave it alone. He’s there if you do want to do something.” His finger was on the send key and then his face was buried in his hands and he moaned. “That was awful. Bloody awful. A load of codswallop. I could have had something better to say than that. I could at least have phrased it better or something. I’ve never had trouble with words before and I’ve been told to shut up so many times it’s not funny. I’m not even sure what exactly I asked him to do.” He pushed to his feet, found himself floating free in the cabin and cursed softly. While they were not in total freefall at present the extremely light gravity would emphasize his movements. He would need to take care and remember the laws of physics. Getting violent with his frustration would serve only to plaster him to the ceiling. //I’m tired. I never had nearly enough sleep and I had those weird dreams. I’ve got the Captain waiting on me, expecting me to tell him something he doesn’t know. What I really want to do is bury myself in the Romefeller files if I have to be stuck on this damn ship for months on end.// He really did not want to be on this ship and could not understand why Lady Une had chosen him for the mission. Exactly what was the mission? Questions he could not expect to answer at the present time and that only added to his frustration. Scrubbing his face with his hands he heaved a heavy sigh and leaned forward to plant his hands against the consol. With a carefully controlled push he floated to the ceiling. Midway he twisted himself, turning carefully to rest his back against the cool metal of the ceiling and extend his arms out to either side to grip his fingers into the riveted seam of the metal plates. Hanging suspended over the floor of the cabin he closed his eyes and resigned himself to waiting. He had time to kill and he could only hope Howard would not take too long to consider what he was going to reply. t.b.c.
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