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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 26 L2 Colony L2-0397 [La Grange point 2. Serial Number 0397] Shuttle Bay Date: 1st March AC 198 Time: 14:05 [Standard Colony Time] Duo The shuttle bay was deserted, not even tech staff in evidence as was standard procedure when a Preventer shuttle was about to leave on a mission. Duo had already checked on his tail. The man had left him at the shuttle port entrance, as per the agreement when he was acting for Preventers. He had no doubts that his bag had been searched, as usual and he hoped that one day he would get a tail who was inventive and had a bit of individuality, but for now, he mused, the unimaginative type was good. He was not looking forward to three months of boredom. On the good side of the equation that three months was better than the six months it had once taken to travel to Mars, and that when Mars was in a favorable position in relation to the Earth. With advances in technology it was possible to service a permanent base on Mars, hence the new Colony nearing completion. In his view further advances were needed in the propulsion systems of ships, because three months was still a damn long time. He had no idea what entertainments would be available on the ship he was to rendezvous with. Just what did crew do on a long haul mining ship, explorer or supply shuttle? It was a certainty that those ships and this Preventer ship would be nothing like the Sweeper Family Ship he had spent time on. What amusements were going to be available to him on a Preventer Cruiser heading on a tour of duty slated, he believed for a circuit of the asteroid belt. With a twelve months duration, not counting travel time there and back again amounted to a year and a half in space. The thought was frightening. With this monumental hole in his knowledge he had purchased a selection of entertainment disks covering the classic years and current, found a collection of books on disk of the classics ranging from the historical classics such as Plato through to the twenty first century and modern novels and even included some history texts on disk. He had also included, as a last thought, some educational programs to further his education. He might have been born on L2, he reflected, but he was not uneducated. Father Maxwell and Sister Helen had started his thirst for knowledge and during his time in the Sweepers he had enjoyed taking part in lessons. The Family Ships of the Sweepers were a world in their own right, with everything you could possibly need to raise a family, including teachers. Under Professor G his education had been more intense and he had not lost his thirst for the challenge of learning something new. He could not afford bulk in what ever he took with him. Weight was all important on long hall space flight, so his entertainment and reading had to be on disk; light and easily portable. He did, of course, have the disks full of coded Romefeller information to work on, and he reflected that this was probably a good thing. He could concentrate on those disks far better on a boring space flight that running around the Earth Sphere chasing the bad guys to keep the peace. He would have to send coded text to Heero and arrange a signal they could use, secure from hacking so that they could exchange information. Most of the chasing down of the Romefeller organization would likely now have to be done by Heero. It was damn certain he could not do it once he took this shuttle into space. The ever lengthening radio delay as he traveled further from the planet and colonies would hinder any links he made with even the best computers. //Romefeller and their hidden agenda's. Hilde and Aiden. Space Reavers. Trouble on Mars. Damn. Life is getting interesting. Have to get my priorities right. I'd rather be on L2 with Aidan or on Earth finding out about Romefeller's aims, than be stuck on a ship heading out into the frontier. Huh. Fine explorer or new settler I would be. I guess I like the trappings of civilization too much to rough it carving out a new colony on a new world. Have to give them credit for it. Not easy to start all over with nothing but bare basics and no quick back up available. Mars is a bloody long way away from Earth if something should go wrong.// Setting his bags into the storage unit and checking that all equipment was secured properly Duo began his security checks of the shuttle. He knew that Preventers service staff had already been over the shuttle but he had learned long ago to trust himself. Although, he did admit to himself if he was boarding a shuttle from a Sweeper facility he would likely have trusted the staff servicing the shuttle. With his checks of the mechanics of the ship complete he sealed himself into the shuttle and settled himself into the pilots seat, beginning to run safety checks and the pre flight warm up for the ship. He was not one to lightly trust his life to someone he did not know and trust and all checks were to be completed before he would contact the tower. For too long his life had depended on his attention to detail and he was loath to slip up now. "Tower to Preventer Shuttle E 106. You are cleared for departure, trajectory and course details have been received by traffic control. Your departure zone is cleared of traffic and the flight lane logged." Right on time, he reflected, reaching to grasp the head set and then settle to the serious business of leaving L2. "Roger that, Control. Flight checks complete. We are good for take off." "Shuttle E 106 from Control, depressurizing docking bay now." Duo watched on the screen as the air pressure in the sealed docking bay decreased, equalizing with the exterior of the colony. "All indicators are green for departure, Shuttle E 106. You may start your engines." the voice of the traffic controller revealed more than passing boredom and no small amount of exhaustion. The controllers worked long shifts and this departure was coming in near to shift change. Duo did not doubt that the bored operative would be only too glad to get rid of him, so that he could get himself home. The trained controllers were in high demand on the more affluent colonies, and had many perks to go with the high stresses of their job, but L2 was not rich. L2 could not afford to pander to the needs of simple humans stressed and fatigued by long hours of work and little recreational down time. If something was not done soon, Duo reflected, an accident could very well happen in L2's air space. The computers that ran the system were just as obsolete as most other systems and the human element was judged to be more reliable than the automated systems. Duo had not found that to be comforting. "Roger that, Control. Activating maneuvering engines now. Main engines activated." a pause, while he listened to the throaty roar of the main engines. With a smile he flipped switches to peg back the power. "Main engines at idle. Maneuvering jets on line." "Control to E 106. All indicators are green. Opening hanger bay doors." Duo sighed softly as the great doors before the shuttle began to slide back, revealing the darkness of space. To the left of the doors he could make out the bulk of the dark side of the moon, a deep darkness blocking the starscape. L2 never got to see the moon lit by the sun. Literally built in the shadow of the moon the colony rarely gained full sunlight. Unlike the other colony clusters who could regulate their day and night cycles and power needs by using the sun, L2 was more reliant on generating it's own power by other means. In the shadow of the moon little sunlight existed to be used. Day and night were generated by machines that were meticulously serviced, unlike less vital mechanics. The simple truth was that the colony could not afford to lose power or the vital life support, so delicately balanced, would fail with no hope of repair. More than a million people depended on the smooth running of the machines for their every need. Duo had always wondered why the powers that were, more than two hundred years ago, had decided to construct this colony on the Dark Side of the Moon. It made absolutely no sense to him. No doubt there was a reason, but it certainly eluded him. Initially money had been poured into the colony and the upkeep had not been considered a problem. He believed it had been some kind of scientific installation, later converted to a standard colony to relieve the growing pressure on resources in America. It had been constructed in record time, too, the entire colony completed in only ten years. For the time period with its limited resources, that had been an astonishing accomplishment. Duo had heard that there was a project on paper at this time discussing the possibility of erecting giant reflector dishes to reflect natural sunlight onto the colony. It would lower the cost of lighting the colony and generate additional power. He understood that there was some question of the cost not being feasible and the possibility of harmful radiation. It was something he had been meaning to find out more about, but that would have to wait. He had a job to do. Several, in fact. "Shuttle E 106 from control. You are cleared for departure. Releasing shuttle locks now." "Roger that, Control. Preventer Shuttle E 106 now leaving the hanger." It was no difficult task for him to guide the shuttle out of the bay using the maneuvering thrusters. He had done it so many times before he was certain he could do it in his sleep. The shuttle slid out of her berth and into the cold void and he grinned as the darkness of space enveloped him. He felt like he had come home and that was amusing, and disturbing since he had just left his home. Space felt so much like home, though. Maybe he would better understand his views after the marathon space flight to Mars was over. He would certainly have the time to consider his feelings. "Preventer Shuttle E 106, now engaging main engines and entering flight mode." "L2 Flight Control to Preventer Shuttle E 106. Acknowledge your status. You are now entering your designated flight plan. L2 Flight Control now handing control over to you." "Roger, L2 Flight Control. Shuttle E 106 is in the lane and independent of your control. Have a nice day, people." Duo chose to pilot the shuttle for the first hour, keeping a close eye on the traffic coming and going from L2. It would be a four hour flight before he was to rendezvous with the Preventer cruiser bound for the asteroid belt. Once assured that there was no unusual activity in the traffic from the colony he set the auto pilot and found the information packet that was common to all Preventer craft. The computer link to the latest information for agents general viewing. It kept all the agents up to date on the activities of the organization in their bid to maintain the peace and allowed each and every one to know the location of their top officials movements should they need to be contacted. He quickly ascertained that his mission was not considered to be general information. Yes, shuttle E 106 was listed as leaving L2, but its destination and pilots identity was not mentioned, nor was the mission to the asteroid belt logged at this time. Nor was it likely to be, Duo reflected as he reviewed the entries. Une would not want to tip off anyone that the raiders were about to receive visitors, even though said visitors would be months arriving. Satisfied Duo un-strapped himself and found the supplies. Over a snack of ration bars he would finish reading the updates on the network and then get ready to rendezvous with the cruiser Bounty. He would also compose a coded message to Heero. They needed to get their communications up and running as soon as possible. There was roughly a half hour delay in communications between Earth and Mars as it currently was positioned. By the time he got there, a somewhat longer delay would be in effect, even with the aid of the booster stations en route. It would complicate things, but they had to have a means by which they could exchange information. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preventer Cruiser Bounty 16:43 [L2 time] The Bounty, Duo noted, was sleek in design and very obviously armed. A long range cruiser fully equipped for space combat. He noted the bulging middle section that told him the vessel was capable of generating a gravity field should they rotate the ring. His briefing contained in the sealed instructions Une had sent to him contained information on the crew, who numbered thirty four, all professional soldiers, three from White Fang, fifteen from OZ and the remainder Alliance personal. All were very professional individuals and well adjusted to the rigors of long range space flight, long having buried their personal differences. A crew on a long haul ship could not afford to be anything other than harmonious. Captain and officers monitored the crew diligently to nip any trouble in the bud. Any personal who could not cut it were quickly transferred off ship at the first opportunity. He was met at the docking bay by the executive officer who greeted him civilly, handed him a sealed envelope and key card and promptly escorted him from the bay where the bay crew were even now working to secure the shuttle securely. "You have a private cabin, sir, as per Preventer Earth's instructions. There is an independent com link as powerful as the ships master com and an independent computer system installed in your room. Earth has also forwarded some amusement material for your use. If it might not be an imposition, the captain was wondering if the crew might make some use of the entertainment packs at some time, sir? It can get pretty boring on a long flight and ..." "It's fine." Duo grinned. "I'll look over exactly what Earth sent up and see that the entertainment stuff is shared with the crew. In fact, I brought some stuff with me, the crew is welcome to share." The officer looked relieved and continued. "The Captain requests that you dine with him this evening, in the officers mess. I will assign an ensign to escort you there and he will be assigned to show you around the ship until you are familiar with it." at Duo's nod the exec officer smiled. "We are not overly formal on board, but we tend to start out adhering to formality and relax protocols of rank when we are further out. The Captain is always the Captain, however and the First Officer is always the First Officer." "Oh good." Duo flashed a manic grin. "I don't usually go all stiff and formal myself. I will try not to disturb your crew in their duties, but I hope you will understand that I can not remain in my cabin all the time." "Of course, Sir. The facilities of the ship are at your disposal. We have a variety of entertainments and a extensively equipped gym. Our medic has requested that you see him concerning testing you for the required dosage of muscle stimulants you will need to take during the flight. We work at zero gravity ninety five percent of the time during the flight. No artificial gravity is used unless it is a medical emergency, so you will need to take medication to ensure that your body does not deteriorate during the course of the voyage. The doc will test you for any sensitivities you may have and adjust accordingly." "Alright if I see the doc in the morning?" //Damn. I hate needles and popping pills. Can't be helped though. Not if I want to stay fit and healthy.// "Yes sir. If you want Medical, just follow the green stripe on the floor. Red is engineering sector, blue is the command deck, yellow is for crew quarters, purple is communications and the pink is hydroponics. Recreation deck is deck four. We are currently on deck three." Duo surveyed the strips of colour laid over the floor of the corridor they walked along. The exec officer motioned to a hand rail and Duo caught the hand hold, allowing the device to effortlessly pull him along, the executive officer following, their magnetic boots carefully held off the deck and clear of the wall. Michael Tanning, the executive officer, was closely studying their guest and was silently wondering if half of what he had heard could possibly be true. This young man, a teenager, not yet a full grown man, was Reaper? A teenager was one of the most deadly agents in the Preventers? Rumor had it that Reaper was a Gundam Pilot, but surely this eighteen year old could not possibly be the Reaper who was fast becoming a legend in the Preventer Ranks. Still, they did have explicit orders for dealing with him. The captain had had a long interview with Preventer Earth and emerged from that conference to warn the entire crew to tread carefully around their guest. "Your ident chip is coded to all sections of the ship, except private crew quarters and the ships computer is programmed to accept your voice patterns. The computer in your suite is programmed to you alone and no one goes in or out of another's quarters unless specifically invited. Within a few days you'll understand how we value a space that is just ours. Privacy is important on board ship. We are on Earth standard time, for the eastern seaboard of Australia. Bounty is registered in Sydney and I believe that puts you effectively in another time zone? You were on L2, I believe?" "I was and it does. It was 16:43 hours when I docked the shuttle. What time is it now?" Duo queried, displaying his wrist com and the time display. "18:32 hours." the exec motioned Duo to leave the transport conveyor. "Your assigned quarters are this way." "Just a sec. I'll change the time now. What time is the captain expecting me for dinner?" Duo paused, adjusting the time display on his unit. "20:30 hours, sir. I will have an ensign call for you and also have you guided around the ship tomorrow morning, to familiarize yourself with the layout. The ensign will be on call to you at all times. There are orientation maps in all main corridors at major intersections. It won't take long for you to familiarize yourself with where everything is." "I'm sure it won't." "The ship is now engaging engines. We will be clear of the standard flight lanes in one hour. At that time an announcement will be made to all crew that we will be initiating the first burn of the engines. Acceleration will last for fifteen minutes and initiate an acceleration force of 4 g's. You will be requested to strap yourself to your bunk during all burns. The second burn has be scheduled for 00:30 hours. Most of the crew generally strap themselves into their bunks for the first day, if they are not on duty. There will be four acceleration burns, each lasting fifteen minutes. You will be notified before each burn." "Just how fast is the Bounty?" Duo queried. "How long would it take to reach, say, Mars orbit?" "The Bounty is the latest of the Preventer ships. Her engines are every bit as good as the Inter Planetary Shuttles the ESUN uses to explore and service the Mars colony and the asteroid belt. It will take us approximately eighty seven days to reach the Martian orbit. To reach the Asteroid Belt it will take us approximately one hundred and one days. The ESUN IPS ships can't do it any faster." "Impressive." Duo murmured, inwardly quailing under the days he must remain confined to so small a vessel. "These are your quarters, sir." the exec officer stopped before a door that looked exactly like every other door in the long hallway. "Your id chip, please sir." Duo handed over the tag containing the chip in question that he had been handed as soon as he had left the shuttle. The exec, a tall, slender man in his early twenties with a shock of dark blonde hair fed the tag into the slot beside the door. A chime sounded and the door slid open, revealing a small metal walled room that boasted no furnishings at all. The exec handed Duo his card back. "Every thing you require should be here, sir. If there is anything you need, please inform the Deck Officer. The control panel operates all the conveniences. Do not drink out of the taps, sir. The bathroom sink has bubble taps. You insert your hands in the receptacle, seal the unit and activate the water. The water is then sucked back into the recycling unit. Drinking water is bottled and a daily allowance is handed out every morning. We have gravity unit showers just down the hall where it is possible for you to take a shower." Duo made his way to the control panel and studied the array of buttons and lights. The exec followed him. "In order as we go right to left, sir. Writing desk and lamp," at the touch of the control a section of wall lowered into a small desk with a light shining in the nook it had come from. A repeated touch and the desk raised itself into the wall again. " Chair, latrine, table and bed." after naming each convenience a button was pushed and the walls dropped to reveal each item. "The cabins are small, but we have every convenience we need. This master control station houses your computer and communications center, as well as entertainment unit." "Neat." Duo returned, sitting on the bunk and testing the mattress. "Good." "If you begin to feel the effects of middle ear disorder due to the zero gravity it is requested you see the medic with all speed, sir. I doubt that you will have a problem if you have not already experienced it on the way here. It is expected that if you show signs of depression or what we term `flight crazies', that you will cooperate with the crew assigned to restrain you until the medic can treat you. At some point or other most of the crew go through that stage on long trips, sir. We are fairly adept in picking the early warning signs and rarely experience difficulties in dealing with the problem. If that will be all, Sir, I will leave you to get settled in. The ensign will be along to collect you for dinner." "Fine, fine." Duo grinned, forcing the grin to look as natural as possible. //Flight crazies? Oh, God, what have I let myself in for? i forgot about that little problem some people have with long term confinement.// He looked around the small room where currently a desk and chair were the only relief from the stark metal walls painted a horrible pale tan. "Not a problem. I have some things to do, unpack, that sort of thing and I will be using the communicator. I have some reports to send off." "Sir." the exec nodded and slipped out the door. Duo pushed for the desk and chair to retract and for the bunk to drop into position. He settled on the bunk, dropping his tote bag onto the floor, fished out a pair of socks and threw them into the air, away from him, watching as they settled, one floating near the bed, the other near the door. It did not help at all to make the space feel homey. With a quiet, but profound sigh he surveyed the blank metal walls and the computer consol near at hand and then slowly folded up onto the bed, tucking himself unconsciously into a fetal position. "Oh, God. I am going to be sooo bored!" ~ * ~
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