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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 92 2nd March Station One Time: 09:57 [ Approx Mars time 02:45 / approx 00:35 Sanc time] Raydon “I fear that I doom us before we even start, Milliardo. I am sorry.” It had been a very long time since he had felt this fear awaken within him. A fear that he could trace back to those first days after he had come under the all seeing eye of Romefeller. It was a very familiar fear that he had no trouble identifying, the fear that he would never again know the freedom to be himself. It was his decision to make and should he make it solely for himself he would not now be standing here, looking at that door through which his fate awaited him, but there was more to be considered than old fear and his personal dreams and ideals. //Fate. It is an ironic truth that a long time ago I decided that there was no such thing. My conversations with you on our flight to Station One only confirmed my notion, but now I stand here and tell myself that it is fate that I take up this mantle. You would laugh at me, Milliardo. You would laugh at me and the changeable whims of man.// The door, a plain blue painted metal door with a see through panel, swinging open and closed every few seconds with the heavy traffic it currently underwent seemed to become the symbol of his future. People coming and going in a rush, voices hushed but tense with urgency to see the preparations ready on time. Such an innocent thing that door, yet through it lay his doom. To step through it was to enter another time and place, a place where his life was no longer his own. //How theatrical can you get? Ah, get over it. You either do it or you don't. Simple.// Not really. Not really so simple when you considered the responsibility he would be taking on, but he needed to remember that it was not just himself doing this. The other nine were taking on the responsibility too, and they no doubt were riddled with as much doubt and questions as he now endured. They had made their decisions and while he had taken the time to question them and to remind them of what this decision entailed the sad truth was that no one had asked him if it was what he wished. No one had asked him if he minded the changes that must now disrupt the future that he had planned for himself. No one had realized, or they refused to comment on it, that by taking those few steps through that door he would end a future he had wanted for himself and begin another that he felt himself obligated to take. //Obligated. Yes, it is an obligation I have to everyone on Station One and to the sister stations of the Alliance. An obligation that simply has to be taken up. I thought that I would have more time. Enough time to establish a life for myself that I have dreamed of for many years. Yet if I am honest with myself then I guess I must acknowledge that the truth is that I made the choice years ago when I began to form them into this group and give them more than they dreamed would be their lot in this life. The outcasts and the hopeless. The drifters rejected by society. Soldiers who have no place and no acceptance in a world and culture that now thrusts toward peace and discards the reminders of a bloodier time. I started this by giving them hope and I have to finish it. I just have not wanted to admit to myself that my dreams come second. It is my duty to them for giving their trust to me.// The broadcast must begin soon and he had to deal with his own fears before he walked through that door. Romefeller, its many faceted faces and its warped ideals, were the source of his fear and he knew it. He was still coloured by his past and he had no doubt that once he was recognized they would be out after him. He was considered to be a valuable commodity by those who claimed to have bred him and his ancestors for the past thousand years. A commodity they would not willingly give up once they knew that he was alive and not dead as they had presumed. He hated them and he had successfully escaped them once and had no wish now to renew his contact with them, but it was a chance he was going to have to take. He owed it to those who had placed their trust in him to see them to a better life, regardless of the personal cost to himself. The irony was that that was precisely what Romefeller had bred and trained him for. The live broadcast centre of the Station was a mad house of activity as technicians and aids scurried to finalize preparations for the most important broadcast in the history of the Station Alliance. He needed to compose himself to face that broadcast because he already knew what he would do-what he must do for the good of those who trusted him. He had been bred and trained to serve the needs of others and he could not shake that training even now. At least these people were the people that he had chosen to serve, not the people he was forced to serve. These were real people, with real needs who looked on him as a real person and not as a tool to be used. They were not Romefeller and they were at least honest about their needs and the means to attain those needs and he would serve them willingly as friends and colleagues who had, for the large part, been dealt with as harshly by life as he had been in his youth. //I have to ask myself how you deal with it, Milliardo. The visions that I see are bad enough, without seeing as you do all of the pathways and options of what might be, could be and must be. At least I see what will be, where you see how to get there to that point that I see, but you see more than that. I have thought long and hard on all that you told me of the Epyon and your own dreams and I believe that I see more clearly the Gift that is yours. You seem able to see beyond the point in time that I glimpse and you see into alternate pathways, following the course of history yet to be written to what might have been in the future. You even seem to see possible alternate futures which might have been had different options been chosen and more, you seem able to weave something in the order of a tapestry that could cover hundreds of years from one simple seemingly insignificant action that occurred in the here and now. I do not envy you your sight, my friend. Mine can seem bad enough, sometimes painful, rarely happy and it is so much less than what you endure. I feared my vision for too many years and even now I find that it can disturb me. Do I still look for that elusive rosy future, where all of my day dreams become reality? I fear that I do.// Only a few minutes remained before he must take up a position he had been unofficially filling since Station One was first conceived. Unofficially. That was the important word. Unofficially. There was still time enough to change his mind and to call off the preparations he had made and seek out the future that he preferred for himself. A future for Himself, not for everyone on Station and that was why he would swallow his despair and walk through that door. Yet … He could refuse the vision. There was precedent. His vision was not as yet full sight, enough for a guide line to be drawn and for the Gifted Council to vote that there was sufficient detail for them to work towards. Enough data to guide, but not the whole encompassing vision on the further reaching events that would have enduring effects on the Stations and their people, but the matters vital to the preservation of the Alliance seemed clear. This was not just his decision on timing. He was not so foolish or arrogant as to ignore the other Gifted in this decision as their input further rounded out the views of future event. // It is right to do this. Some things are meant to be while other events, even desirable ones, must be allowed to pass us by. // They had formed this place, initially Station One and later the other two working stations to protect and nurture the Gifted, those naturally born and developed as well as those who were bred by Romefeller in their dynastic schemes. He alone on Station had not felt the clutching claws of that organization who professed to know the direction humanity must move in as a whole. He had seen enough in his vision to combine with other visions of the Gifted to determine the best guide to reach that desired goal of accepted independence and he was willing to pay the required price. He would nurse his pain in privacy, aware that the Gifted would realize soon enough what they wrought and its consequences, but that was personal. It involved only his own future, not that of the Station and its people and he could pay that price. He had before and survived and he would once more persevere and fit himself into a new world of his own making. // I can see enough to know that on Earth we will start a raging forest fire of reaction from those involved in this debacle on Mars. There will be some who panic and totally lose their heads and if those who watch them are quick enough, they may just remove some very dangerous and unstable men from power. It will likely be those who are not so deeply ingrained in the halls of power who panic, but there is the chance that we will catch them unaware enough that someone higher up will falter and be caught, but I can not see who will rise and who will fall with unfailing accuracy. Should the Preventers be quick they can reshape certain power structures and that could come in very useful in later days. I will not hold my breath waiting, however. I like breathing too much to trust that they may see the opportunity, small as it will be and actually act in time to make a difference. // He could see enough of the future to know that this plan he and the Gifted Council had settled on must force those who played dangerous games on Earth and in the Colonies, who had ordered the deaths of those people on Mars, to stop and pause to think. It was unfortunate but true that it was too late for them to call off those operatives on Mars itself and save lives there, though it might still be possible to force them to recall the Wellington from its mission of murder. If they saw reason and chose to change the Wellington's orders from the slaughter of witnesses to the investigation of a supposed raid and rescue, then they might well remain in power on Earth, muzzled for the moment but capable of acting in the future. //I very much doubt that they will take that cautious step, however. No, despite the broadcast soon to be aired throughout the entire ESUN they will want as many witnesses disposed of as possible and any survivors of the massacre on Mars are a danger to them. There is also, of course, the small matter of keeping the secret of Milliardo's survival from the masses to be considered as well. In this speech I must be careful not to insinuate too openly that it is the ESUN itself who is killing those people, but I also need to make it quite plain to those involved that I know exactly who it is to blame. Not that I have names, of course, but I will have those names. It might take time, but I will know them. There must be no doubt in certain minds after this broadcast that their doom is hanging over their heads, invisible but known none the less. // He alone would not be showing his face this day to old enemies and friends alike. Too few friends and too many enemies they had in common, he and his Council. These nine who would stand with him today had had cause to leave the Earth Sphere behind them. One or two of them had been refugees on the run from Romefeller, as had he and they stood about him now, fussing with robes, having make up applied, preparing to be known to the faceless masses. They were to make their faces known to the politicians of the Earth Sphere and be clearly recognizable to those investigators whose task it would be to identify them and their histories. No effort would be made to hide identities, after all they wanted people to know who they were. They wanted to make it quite clear that this was not some elaborate hoax but a viable independent government who were quite capable of running independent colonies without support from the Earth Sphere. Certain faces soon to be revealed would surprise many in the halls of power and four of his fellows were presumed to be dead, as was he himself. He nodded slightly to the light touch that rested on his shoulder for an instant, a reminder that time marched on and he needed to compose himself for the broadcast. He needed to be cool, calm and professional, the duly elected President of an independent nation that was quite capable of protecting itself, though that would not be made clear immediately. It might be hinted at, but he was not intending to start a conflict that could end in a war. That was the very last thing he intended to happen. The other members of the council would be there, beside him, showing everyone their faces and their presence would baluster him, making it plain that he was not alone in this endeavor and that there was a great deal of influence and power in this Council. Nor was it for the ESUN Council of Representatives alone that they displayed the full Council of the Station Alliance, but primarily for those others, shrouded in anonymity, from whom he had fled in his youth. They too must be put on notice that their reign in the shadows might yet be threatened. What was important for him to realize now was that he needed to remember that he would not be alone on the dais to face the mass of people who would be listening and watching. His own people through out the three stations would be receiving this broadcast as well as all of the ESUN and the ships that would make up the fleets of the station alliance. They were going to use the same trick the ESUN had used to ensure that every one with a receiver would be bathed in the transmission signals. // I hope they feel fear.// The thought surprised him and then disturbed him as he had thought he had passed that stage of anger and despair many years ago. He had feared his controllers in the days of his youth, but he had overcome that fear as he had grown and matured and he had developed hate instead. A fire for a freedom denied him that had later turned to a thirst for revenge that had, still later, become a banked flame of determination. Any who had felt the bonds imposed by Romefeller and who chanced to find him would find him an ally, whether they knew it or not. It did not matter that they did not understand why he should aid them, it was usually enough for them to know that they had found a friend who was willing to help. Most were desperate by the time they found themselves on Station and no longer alone, but in good company willing to listen and offer hope. Many did not even understand who their enemy was, though he usually did not have much trouble in detecting that unique stench he knew belonged to Romefeller. // I am sorry that I did not get the chance to explain to you about Romefeller, Milliardo. Perhaps if I had found the time to explain to you the bonds that link us, you might have remained on Station. At the least I doubt that you would have allowed them to delay your departure from Earth after the battle with Barton's forces. There was so little time. Your injuries at first made long discussions impossible and then you insisted on going back to fight against that power hungry old madman. There was no time to talk, but I need to explain to you what it is that has marked you and made you such a desirable commodity in certain circles. It is not just that your sister can be controlled by those who hold you captive that you are worthy of note. It is far more, I am sorry to say. That Relena can be influenced by your confinement is insignificant if They should learn where you are. Matters within Romefeller must be cresting as it is disturbingly inefficient of the Core of Romefeller to have misplaced you for so long. You have been fortunate but that luck can not hold forever. // It was not a lightly made decision to show their faces once more to those who dwelt in hiding and who orchestrated world shattering events with the ease with which most people considered their shopping lists. Romefeller's greatest weakness was in the many factions that sprang into being, birthed by those who found some petty discontent with the mother charter. Romefeller had so many factions that they rarely knew who actually was in control of the organization, each faction considering itself the controlling influence and each faction thereby showing its ignorance of their own history. To phrase it bluntly, they were fools. Such fools to think that their every action was of their own devising and known only to their own little groups of cohorts. If you reviewed the history of the organization you could clearly see a cycle in all things Romefeller and the biggest recurring cycle was that so many of those who gained distinction in the end discounted the influence and sometimes the very existence of the Core. The Inner Circle. // Too many of those who think they are powerful within the ranks of Romefeller discount the Core as a myth. A tale left over from the ancient days of the founding of Romefeller, a fairy tale to be laughed at and discounted until They decide that it is time the chaos be restored to order. Cycles of chaos, dissention and then order, repeatedly throughout their history, always controlled by those select few who are the Core, the Inner Circle. From what I have learned too many think there has been no actual Inner Circle since the nineteenth century. They are fools to think that their actions are not monitored by those who are deeper in the organization that they could dare to dream. Still, I do have to wonder why it was that the Inner Circle had allowed the faction fighting to result in the destruction of Sanc. Or should I say in the loss of the Peacecraft genetics in its purest form? Or did they know that Relena and Milliardo would survive? I suppose that that is possible. It would not have been so difficult for them to have arranged for the children to be taken from the palace in secret. So I must wonder, were they testing the strength of the bloodline in bringing Sanc to its knees? I do not understand why they would chance losing that lineage.// Vision tickled at that part of his brain that looked beyond the veils of time and possibility to offer him glimpses of events to come. It had been happening with increased frequency since he had decided on the course he was to tread to offer some hope to those on Mars and to those on Station who followed him, but some of those visions glimpsed disturbed him. Certain glimpsed events worried him for more than a few reasons, some of which were personal, he admitted that, but much of his unease sprang from the glimpses of those who were dead. ********** The dark brown hair with its red highlights reflected the glow of the harsh lights, the handsome face with its intense blue eyes turned to the door and a smile tilted full lips. A genuine smile, full of very real pleasure to see the one who entered warily, perhaps uncertain of her reception. He had an astonishing amount of personal beauty, far more than he had shown in his younger days, yet in truth he did not seem so much older now that he had been when he had charmed hardened politicians into doing his will. If anything he seemed younger. Perhaps it was that the weight that had once rested on his shoulders, placing incalculable amounts of pressure on even those broad shoulders, had eased, allowing him to experience something of the youth that had been lost to the pressures of leadership. “Ah, my dearest cousin. I confess that it is good to see you again. I had feared that this day would never come. You look well, Dorothy.” ***************** He shivered, exerting hard won control and forcing the vision from him. As much as he wished to follow that vision he could not afford the distraction at this time, but he was going to explore that glimpse of future time. He could not leave that glimpse unexamined. //Future time? No, no that can not be right. Something is very wrong here. I do not see the past or I never have before and Dorothy was not a fifteen year old child in that vision. Yet … Treize Kushrenada is dead. He died in the One Year War, just one more life lost to the price of bringing peace to this world that birthed us. Why should I see glimpses of him in visions? Perhaps... Is there an imposter out there, somewhere? Is there an imposter who is working to bring this peace to an end and to bring war once more, in the name of peace? I have no time! I must make time and I will need to ask questions, beginning foremost with the current whereabouts of cousin Dorothy, but that must wait until after the broadcast. I have no time now to pursue this glimpse. // “Sir. They are ready for you.” //But am I ready for them? To be honest, no, I am not. Well, I have to be ready. There is no other solution that will preserve the peace of the stations and the ESUN. I have learned to trust the visions that give me clues to our future. My own visions and the visions of others, and we have had three of the Gifted report on visions in the last two hours that confirm my own. I must trust. Events must move along this course if the stations are to gain independent rule from a greedy Earth. Those who dwell upon Earth and who have come into positions of power must learn that they can no longer be greedy about space. Space is simply too large to be ruled by Earth. Mayhap she has learned her lessons.// Not that he would hold his breath on politicians being reasonable when there was power to be gained. Nothing ever changed without effort on the part of all those involved in the new order and this would be just another example of that basic rule. Sitting on one's backside allowed you a marvelous view as life passed you by. You had to become a part of life to exert any effect upon its flow and ebb. He now was taking upon himself the first steps to promote the independence of the stations and his people were eager for the change and were working hard to ensure that it was a smooth transition. He was not alone and he did not do this thing for himself and for his own gain, but for the greater good of those who placed their trust in him. // And I am about to turn myself into the very thing that I despise. A politician. Such irony. // One by one the members of the Council were moving past him, entering that room beyond the blue door to take their places on the waiting dais and their places in history. Maurice was there, by his side, fussing as was his way. Whether there was real or imaginary lint on his shoulder he did not care, he was just thankful for the man's anchoring presence at this time. There was a deeply seated fear within him of allowing his identity to be known to the entire ESUN but it was a fear that he could not cater to. He must acknowledge it, accept it and move beyond it. He needed to put those hidden men and women of the Inner Circle of Romefeller on notice that he was alive and well and that he had not forgotten them. He needed to let them know that if they were not careful he might yet seek vengeance for past wrongs done to him. Or should that be justice for the wrongs perpetrated to the many generations they had played with like so many toys? “Stage fright?” Maurice murmured. “Of a sort, I suppose, but not what you think, my friend. While I am busy with this I would like you to do me a favor. I need to know the current location of Dorothy Catalonia. I need a confirmed visual sighting of her, dated and timed.” “I will convey the word to your agents.” “Thank you, and by the way, I prefer the dark emerald for Milliardo's suite and the castle in the clouds theme for the nursery. You will have more than sufficient time to oversee the redecorating of both suites while I am gone.” The very tall, very straight man bowed slightly, an acknowledgement to the instructions, but there was something in his eyes that clearly said that he was not intending to remain behind. “I really would prefer to accompany you on this voyage, Sir. There are many here on Station who are capable of overseeing the redecorating of the suites, and have little else to do, but …” “Maurice.” a warning rumble. “Growl as you will, Sir, the facts however remain the same. If you will not permit me to accompany you for your own needs, then perhaps you would permit me to accompany you to attend to the needs of His Highness? I have noted from past conversations that it seems to be your intention to not allow the Prince to continue to live denying his birthright.” He had to admire the man. It seemed an unfailing certainty that Maurice would find a way to achieve his will, in this case that meant being on that waiting ship. He enjoyed testing his wiles against the man for the pure pleasure of seeing what Maurice would devise to gain his way and it had become one of his few sources of pleasure to duel with this man who had earned his trust. “You are a sneaky and conniving bastard, Maurice.” Straight-faced the gentleman's gentleman bowed in a shallow but decisive motion, knowing that he had won. “Thank you, Sir. Coming from you that is indeed a compliment.” “I suppose you are already packed?” “Of course, Sir. I presumed that you would see reason before you boarded the ship.” “Then see that you are on the ship with what ever you might need to keep Milliardo comfortable for an extended journey.” “Sir.” again the bow, and no hint of the amusement he felt to betray him to his employer. “I shall endeavor to sharpen my skills using you as practice, Sir.” He would love to stand here and duel with the man for hours, it was wonderfully entertaining, but he knew that his time was up. He could no longer delay the inevitable and he snorted a dismissal, striding forward, but he could not deny that Maurice had lightened his heart with his banter. He would no doubt find the journey he was to make much more enjoyable with Maurice on board ship. It was also true that he wanted Milliardo to look at his life, at it's many aspects and to acknowledge his birthright. The man could not go on forever denying who it was that he was born to be. It was not his intention to force Milliardo to become the Prince of Sanc or to look on himself potentially as her King. Milliardo had come too far to return to simpler days, leaving his ties to Earth behind him. That had been a decision he had made when he had accepted the offer to command the White Fang, forever leaving his rightful heritage in favor of an unknown future. // He thought he would die and that in death he could be free. I can understand that but the facts are that he did not die. // He was concerned that Milliardo overcome the mammoth case of denial that he had lived with for so many years. The man had a great deal of emotional baggage to be examined and overcome that largely sprang from the destruction of his childhood home and the carnage that had taken place on that long ago night had scarred the child emotionally. Deeply. Under his care, with the utmost delicacy he could manage, he would ensure that Milliardo Peacecraft had the chance to heal. He could do that much and he would see to the training that would be needed to allow the man to live a little easier with his frightening talent. //We all have our dark times, Milliardo, that we must overcome and that take time to defeat. It is the truth that we may never be able to forget, but we can at least accept and sometimes we can even forgive. It took me years to deal with my childhood and with all that I had lost. It took me many years and a great deal of pain to face and pass beyond the anger caused by what was expected of me and the methods employed to extract it from me by those who controlled me. I learned in the end to obey them, but I retained an identity they never quite managed to take from me and I overcame their conditioning in the end, escaped them and began to live again. Milliardo can do the same. He is a strong man and no coward, but he must have help not just for the Gift that tears him apart, but for the child who died a thousand deaths in the intervening years. It will be easier for Milliardo to live as a whole man if he comes to Station. The help that he needs is here and I will see that he has all that he needs to find who he actually is.// “Sir, if you will please take your place on the dais we can do the final checks for the broadcast.” He nodded to the technician who waited for him within the room, taking the time to glance around to make certain that everyone was in their assigned places. The Council were seated in an arc on the dais, his vacant chair set at the apex of the arc and slightly forward of that row of chairs and the robed men and women who sat there. The wall behind the seated figures was painted with the symbol they had chosen for their nation, a rich royal blue background with a stylized representation of Station One in its centre, and an arc of three six pointed stars above. The stars represented the three stations in the alliance they had formed and one day he hoped there would be many more than just those three stars against that field of blue, but for now Station One was complete and stations two and three were nearing completion, already working and functioning independently from Station One. The Council and their advisors had already had discussions on the construction of the fourth station and had decided that it would be another five or six years before they needed to begin construction. It was not just in the formal announcement of their independence that they had adjusted their time table. The three stations would more than service their needs for years to come but they needed to maintain a growing population and the construction of station four would encourage such growth. Each member of the Council was robed in the colour selected for the individual stations. Those representing Station One were in deep navy blue and white trim, those from Station Two in the mid blue and white trim and those representing Station Three wore sky blue and white. He himself wore a black three piece suit with white silk shirt and blue cravat under the Royal Blue robe edged in silver that represented the formal robes of the duly elected President of the Station Alliance. He personally thought the use of the robes unnecessary but the publicity department had overruled him and the council had backed them, so he had subsided. He would simply endure the fancy dress as he had needed to endure other nonsense over the years and anyway, he had other things to think about of far more significance. The chair set aside for him was high backed and distinctive enough in shape and size to suggest a throne, though it lacked any ostentatious ornamentation beyond being crafted from a rich grained wood and the design feature of the crest of the station and stars that marked the dais itself carved deep into the back rest. The Councilors chairs were smaller in size though similar in design and each was marked on the back rest with the number of stars that represented which station of the alliance they represented. Each chair was padded with a thick deep blue velvet cushion edged in gold braiding. As he settled himself into the chair technicians descended on him, swarming around him as they placed all manner of gadgets in his personal space, muttering about readings and light levels and needing to alter the light levels and could he say a few words please as they needed a sound check. A tiny microchip would convey his every word to the Earth Sphere, invisible to the cameras but efficient at conveying his voice. There were a battery of five cameras opposite the dais with their operators running final checks and directing the adjustments to the lighting. People with clipboards were bustling around, waving hands and giving orders that he could not follow, their attention on their head sets and the instructions they conveyed and already he wished this trial was over. Yet he acknowledged that it was only the first of many announcements that his career as President of the Station Alliance would require him to make. He would just have to get used to it. “Attention please! Recording in three minutes.” They could not afford to have anything go wrong during this broadcast, so this would not be exactly a live broadcast, but it would be delayed by only a few minutes if they decided that there were no problems during the recording. He quietly thought that there had best be no problems because he was not of a mind to sit through this mad house for more than a few minutes. Even the Council members who were now in their seats and fitted with their microphone chips were looking askance at the techs, wondering, no doubt, if they could possibly bolt and escape the chaos. He only wished that he could. //It is time. I feel it. This has to be done for the good of the Stations and ultimately for the good of the ESUN itself. We need to be accepted as allies by them, not be subservient to their control nor be seen as an outright threat to their security. I will need to appoint representatives for the Council of Representatives on Earth, but we have time yet. First we have the formal negotiations to suffer through and I admit that I am not looking forward to that. I wonder what the betting pool odds are on how long it takes for them to accept my invitation? It is a pity the clairvoyant Gifted are barred from placing bets. // “One minute, Mr. President.” He shot a glare at the Director of this mess who grinned impertinently at him, unrepentant and mouthed 'Get used to it.' followed by the advice 'Smile'. With slightly widened eyes he gave the director the first response that came to mind, a quick glimpse of 'the finger' and then settled himself into the persona that was the President of the Station Alliance. This was who he must be from this point in time. The man chuckled and inclined his head as though acknowledging a compliment and then hustled the technicians away from the dais, eyes sweeping over the Council as though seeking a flaw in the stage they had set. He must have approved of what he saw as he nodded, no smile now but pure professional. “Alright people, let's get this right the first time. At the count of five from my mark, Mr President. Three … Two … One. Cue station theme.” The chosen anthem for the Alliance blared out of a speaker overhead and the director turned to Raydon, five fingers raised over his head. One by one those five fingers curled inward and then that hand dropped. Raydon felt that his heart dropped from his chest with it. There was no turning back. “People of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, we of the Independent Station Alliance greet you. We are an Alliance of Space Stations independent of the ESUN and resident within the Asteroid Belt who offer to you our hand in friendship. This day we invite your leaders to attend a conference in mutually neutral territory on the 15th day of July of this year, After Colony 198. To service these negotiations I have garnered the cooperation of the Sweepers to act as neutral hosts to our conference and negotiations. They shall provide both a host vessel for the talks and security acceptable to both parties. The Vice Foreign Minister for the Station Alliance and representatives from each of the Stations in the Alliance Trading Delegation will be attending these negotiations. We take it on trust that those who attend the conference will be empowered on behalf of the ESUN to negotiate treaties and trade agreements with this Alliance. We request that the Sweepers be notified of the numbers they will be required to provide services for with all speed.” Raydon paused for a moment, aware of the hush that seemed to hang heavy in the air. “It has come to our attention that there appears to be an altercation between Raiders and citizens of the ESUN taking place on Mars. The Station Alliance has ships within the vicinity of Mars and which we have instructed to offer assistance to those in need. The closest of our vessels is still some twenty six hours from the planet and they will attempt to locate and assist any survivors. It is with regret that we have no ships closer to Mars to offer more immediate succor to your people. Be assured that your people on Mars will be offered every assistance possible and that our investigators will seek evidence to ascertain the identities of those responsible for the attack on your terra forming base. We assure the government and the people of the ESUN that we shall forward the results of our investigations to the appropriate authorities and if it is in our power we shall hunt down those responsible for the assault on the planet Mars. We shall continue the hunt for as long as necessary to bring the perpetrators to justice, wherever they should be hiding. We believe that it is imperative that the space lanes common to our survival should be made as safe as possible and our Patrol ships will be given instructions to capture any vessel suspected of being a Raider within the borders of the ESUN that adjoin the prescribed borders of our two spheres of influence. I assure you that any ships crew who are proven to be Raiders will see a judicial invitation extended to the ESUN to send representatives for the trial and judgment of these persons. We are interested in forming a strong tie with the Earth Sphere and I assure you of our peaceful intentions.” Again he paused to allow those who listened now and who would be listening later to consider his words. The pulse beat of event was hammering in his blood, a certain sign that what he did now matched the needed actions to bring about the result he had glimpsed in his vision of the future. “My name is Kristian Richard Alexander Edward Kushrenada. I and those gathered with me this day that you see before you, were once citizens of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. For many and varied reasons we have chosen to renounce our ties to the ESUN and have founded the Independent Station Alliance. We whom you see before you are the Council for the Station Alliance and I am the duly elected President of our nation. On behalf of my nation I assure you that we look forward to meeting with the representatives of the ESUN across the negotiating table. It is my understanding that the Sweepers will forward the coordinates of the meeting place to your security office within the next forty eight hour period. I bid you good day and the hope for a prosperous future together.”
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