The Golden Age: Eden Disaster

by Maderfole

Book 2 of The Golden Age trilogy. If you had the ability... would you return Earth to Eden... against the will of its people? Is your Eden their Eden? What makes paradise be paradise? Sequel to Chaotic Cosmos, complete. Continued in The Reclamation War.

11. Tilling the Ground part 1

Once, many decades in the past, there had been a time when Aireg Randolf would have shivered and trembled visibly with anxiety in a situation like this. Reporting failure was never easy, and even less so when you had a situation stacked heavily in your favor. Whether that stacking was accomplished by being born a Coordinator and the failure being failing out of the public school system, or was by being given a tactical situation a complete rookie moron should have been able to pull off and ending it stumbling away in panicked retreat, half crippled and scared for his life, both situations weighed upon him heavily. But now, unlike that time when he'd gone home to his parents in his middle teens, Randolf still held his head high and walked with confidence and surety in his stride. This time at least, he knew that he'd given his best, unlike that time in his youth, which had been a result of... personal deficiencies... on his part. Failure was failure, but he could forgive himself, slightly, for failing because of the strength of his opponent, not because of his own weakness. Whether or not the boss would be as forgiving was unknown, but Randolf would soon learn, one way or another. Still, he had to shake his head in self mockery. Almost fifty years of experience and confidence building, and he still felt like an expelled schoolboy taking the news home to his parents, even if he didn't show it outwardly. To think that a mere boy, barely into adulthood, could have such an effect on him... truly strange.

Randolf met gazes with the man standing just off to the side of the door to the executive office... one of dozens... that the boss used for his public work, depending on which sub-corporation he had decided to helm for the day. BoranderCorp itself was so huge, with so many component businesses and interests that the boss could quite literally focus his attentions on an entirely different sphere of business or technology every day of the week, and run out of days before running out of corporate interests to manage. At times it made Randolf wonder why the boss had created the Brotherhood at all... surely someone as rich and powerful as the sole scion of the Borander family could do pretty much whatever he wanted anyway, right? One more question to join the legion ranks of the other things that puzzled him about the boss, Randolf resolved with a slight shrug. The boss was the boss, and trying to understand him would only make your brain hurt. Randolf was not a suscriber to the idea that the boss was some sort of angel or higher order of being, but he could not deny that the boss had depths to him that Randolf had encountered in few living men.

Michael Genesis, Noah's so called "confidante" and personal assistant, though Noah didn't confide much in him and didn't need assistance with much at all, matched gazes with Aireg Randolf for a few moments, before nodding his head fractionally in respect. Of them all, Randolf was the closest in temperment and background to Michael, and though he was well aware that Randolf was definitely not a very true member of the Brotherhood, and only really a fringe member of the whole Noah Borander team, Michael had to respect that too. Very few people could become as intimate with Noah as Randolf was without succumbing to Noah's natural charisma and passion. It took great willpower and a sense of self direction to follow in the path of a giant while also maintaining your own destination. Age did have some benefits after all... it helped you become properly stubborn and set in your ways, something which Michael could appreciate more and more these days as Noah grew older and entered his later teens. Being bodyguard, manservant and general guardian for the richest, most powerful and undoubtedly most spoiled teenage Coordinator alive was no particularly fun or easy task. That this teenager was also trying to, and would likely succeed in accomplishing, changing the entire world on a fundamental but secret level didn't help matters. Michael covertly pressed a button on the wall behind where he was standing, disengaging the security mechanisms that warded the door so that Randolf could open it without the both of them being diced by lasers or blown apart or melted by acid or something else terrible that Noah had cooked up as a door guard. You could never tell with him.

Randolf stepped by Michael into the executive office, blinking his eyes behind his protective sunglasses at the sudden flare of light. The lights in the office had been off, leaving the room in almost total pitch darkness, but as Randolf had crossed the threshold the office had veritably exploded into light, brighter than day, brighter than the interior lighting out in the executive hallway. It was so bright, and the momentary change between darkness and light so jarring that even behind his shades, Randolf was forced to screw his eyes shut and turn his head away for a few seconds, before he was able to blink the spots from his vision and adjust. The room was fairly normal, as far as executive offices went, in an older style mode... plush carpets, large windows with real drapes and curtains, wooden furniture, even a big wooden desk topped with glass, though the glass shimmered internally with a manner that suggested a high power flat screen video or computer display. The carpet was a rich brown, the walls lighter shades of tan and white, the entire place very earthy and quiet, like a cave dug in fresh ground. With all the shades drawn and the curtains down, there was no way to tell what the view was, though Randolf did no doubt that it was spectacular... as high up the spire of the PLANT as they were, it would be like looking down on Earth from heaven itself.

Randolf stopped in front of the desk and bowed his head slightly despite himself, unable to help a small gesture of respect for the young man sitting in the chair on the other side of the desk, half turned away, leaning back with his eyes closed and a look of slowly retreating contentment on his peaceful face. The desk itself was bare of any ornamentation and even documentation, the display screen as clear as regular glass now that Randolf was standing in a position where he could look down onto it. It stung, a little bit, that the boss still had things he was not willing to trust to Randolf, even given the sorts of services he demanded of him, but Randolf shrugged the irritation away. It was enough that the boss gave him the information he needed for his campaign to free Lacus Clyne, that was all. If he could accomplish that sublime goal, then almost any sacrifice was worth the cost. Even his reputation. Even his life. A deal with the devil maybe, but sometimes that was the only way forward for a man. Randolf watched Noah open those transcendant purple eyes, replete with golden starbursts twinkling throughout the pupil, and his boss sat forward with a slight sigh. Noah lifted his hands from his lap and placed a small, mirror bright metal dish on the desk. In the dish was a collection of small colored crystals, each about the size of a quartered penny. They were all cut to look like gemstones, and for all Randolf knew, they really WERE precious stones. The boss was wealthy enough...

"In a manner of speaking, yes they are. And in another manner, no, they certainly aren't." Noah answered, perhaps reading something in the way Randolf stood or a twitch of his facial muscles. Randolf had not yet been able to fathom how his employer could have such a keen grasp of what other people were thinking, with just a glance at their posture and expression, sometimes not even that. Randolf liked to think that he had a pretty good poker face, but the boss still seemed able to read him like he had a vid screen displaying his thoughts in the middle of his face. It was downright uncanny at times. Especially when the boss pre-empted a question Randolf hadn't even been planning on asking, or only idly considering. "They are indeed gemstones, but they're factory made stones, not naturally mined. I actually churned them out myself in the lab a while back, as part of a systems test. I kept them around as a lark, and I've found them to be useful for other things, particularly when I need to relax and focus my mind, or practice intense concentration."

"Something like a worry stone or grip bag then?" Randolf asked, trying to parse what his boss was saying, though the stones hardly looked at all like any sort of conventional stress relaxation mechanism. They were too small and too numerous to be easily passed from hand to hand, and it wasn't like you could squeeze them, or roll them around your fingers like a grip bag or a coin trick. One more mystery to add to the load the boss already carted around with him.

"Something like that, yes." Noah replied, a secret sparkle in his brief smile. "But you came here to talk about more than just my idle habits."

"Yes, sir." Randolf found himself, to his continued annoyance, bowing his head in momentary reverence once more, like a butler to the master of an estate. "I wanted to report on the results of the initial..." Randolf trailed off, quietly appalled at himself. He glanced around the room, though he knew a mere visual inspection was hardly good enough to spot monitoring devices in this day and age, even if you were trained to look for them and a Coordinator to boot. To his surprise and continued irritation, Noah broke into a wide smile and even seemed to be forced to suppress a small series of chuckles. Randolf's eyes narrowed... information security was nothing to be taken lightly!

"Nobody can spy on us, Aireg, don't fret." Noah admonished, still smiling. "You have some small inkling as to the connections I have with various government and commercial organizations, and I assure you, my connections go farther and deeper than anyone could possibly imagine. But if it'll make you happy..." Noah glanced to the side and tapped his finger on the desk once. A sphere levitated into view from the floor on the side of the desk that Noah had glanced at. Randolf revised himself... not a sphere, but a multiple sided polygon. Something with more sides than Randolf could easily count, even at little more than arm's distance... at least fifty, maybe as much as twice that. The roughly spherical polygon was a deep blue color, with silver trim along the edges, and it was about the size of a deluxe sized softball. Randolf vaguely recognized it as one of Noah's many robotic utility creations and affectations. He didn't remember what this particular one did though, as small red and green lights flickered across display surfaces too small for Randolf to easily see. "Merlin here projects a tuned electronic disruption field that will disable even my OWN spy devices in a twenty meter radius. Trust me, Aireg, we can speak freely." Noah assured his cautious underling. He didn't add that Merlin was a recording device himself, a veritable floating library of information, but that was beside the point.

"Very well then sir." Randolf shrugged. Let it be on the bosses' head then. "I'm sorry to say, sir, that the first mission completely failed to accomplish its goals. I am forced to conclude that it was due to my own tactical failings, as well as failings in the intelligence I was operating with. I was led to believe that the opposing forces would consist soley of USN and FNE terrorism response units and perhaps main line military forces. My own troops were more than well enough trained and equipped to deal with the mission as defined by the briefing I gave them, and up until a certain point, everything went perfectly and smoothly, just as you'd said it would."

"Up to a certain point? Explain what went wrong." Noah commanded, his face a slightly amused mask that Randolf found even more unsettling than open anger or annoyance.

"First was the disappearance of a two man patrol sent to check the mountainside lodges for any townsfolk or tourists who may have escaped our initial sweeps of the town. Our intelligence noted no long term reservations for the lodges in question, but last minute lodgers are not an unknown thing, and so I deemed it prudent to at least investigate, despite our complete communication blackout of the surrounding area. Perhaps we might have even been able to snap up a celebrity or two, best case scenario, which would have made for even better fodder to use in the media than the townsfolk. Instead the two men, both ZAFT veterans with plenty of ground combat experience, just plain disappeared, until I eventually sent men looking for them. They were discovered stripped of their weapons and protective masks, frozen to death by the effects of the Haunted Mist. Tracks in the snow indicated at least two assailants, who had apparently entered the town in a scouting foray before retreating once more up to the lodges. Quite how relatively unprotected people could survive such a trip in the Mist is somewhat beyond me, sir, but we found no bodies on the slopes on the way up. I sent a full ten man squad up to flush out the resistance in the lodge, and thought that would be the end of the matter. I never heard from them again."

"Perturbing. To think that a full dozen of our soldiers were..." Noah trailed off, perhaps seeing the interested look flash across Randolf's face. Randolf had been totally involved in first escaping from the town, then the immediate area, then the FNE in general and finally the Earth itself in order to return to the main Brotherhood base in the PLANTS over the last two days to catch even a glimpse of the news or a newspaper. He actually had no idea himself what the media had made of the whole incident, or what had been discovered by the USN or FNE in the aftermath of his actions. "Do continue, Aireg."

"Yes, sir..." Randolf replied, gritting his teeth at being forced to basically give his entire report blindly. "I lost contact with the squad, but before I could attempt to re-make contact with them, I was confronted by an entirely unexpected threat. A single Mobile Suit had entered the Mist from above, quite without warning. It was confounded by the Mist, just as expected, and I sent my Zealots to take care of what I thought was some crazy, wanna-be cowboy hero from a USN or FNE base. Both Zealots were defeated, if not handily, then at least without much trouble, and almost no damage suffered by the single enemy. I attacked him myself, and initially enjoyed a strong advantage, as expected for the Haunted in its own Mist. However, through superior personal skills and tactics, my opponent not only managed to use my own terrain against me, but forced me to fight on HIS terms, eventually nearly overwhelming me despite my best efforts and coming within a hairsbreadth of destroying me! By that point in time, all advantage had been lost to any further attempt to salvage the situation in line with the original plan. With the Haunted damaged and my opponent beyond my ability to defeat even with my Gundam whole, I judged retreat to be the only viable option. I fled without looking back, and have not spared a single thought to anything else but arriving back here as rapidly as possible to inform you, sir, and accept any due blame for my failure."

"A single Mobile Suit defeated you and two Zealots, on your own ground, is that what you're telling me, Aireg? That you stacked the deck as heavily in your favor as you could... and you were STILL defeated, by just ONE Mobile Suit?" Noah's voice was calm, even neutral. Randolf thought furiously for a moment or two, before shrugging once more, shoulders drooping afterwards.

"That is... yes, sir. One Mobile Suit." Randolf looked up, his jaw tightening... he WOULD NOT be scolded like a schoolboy! "One Gundam."

"Yes. A Gundam. An Orb Gundam, to be precise. One nobody knew about, not even me. I found THAT to be most bothersome indeed." Noah steepled his hands on his desk and apparently contemplated the wall behind Randolf intently. The silence stretched, until Randolf could take it no more and he started to fidget a little. He could understand yelling. He could understand anger. He could even understand fear. But just silence, staring at the wall with that calculating expression? It chilled his blood.

"Sir... you're well within your rights to..." Randolf started to suggest.

"I'm not going to punish you, Aireg." Noah cut him off. "You did not fail."

"But... the mission..." Randolf started to protest, shocked. "The... the USN and FNE..."

"Still looked like ineffective idiots, sitting around for hours outside the spooky fog, letting nearly four hundred innocent men, women and children be killed by the terrorist's "chemical" weapons while they bickered and manuevered politically, trying to decide who's jurisdiction the problem lay in, and who was in charge of doing what. Meanwhile, a single Orb Mobile Suit, a single Gundam, stepped forward and handled the crisis all by his lonesome. Quite heroic of him. Quite a black eye for the USN and FNE, to be having a jurisidictional fracas while ORB comes in on the sly from half the world away and saves the day yet again. Very embarrassing. It isn't how I originally planned it... but I am forced to conclude, that I like this way as much, if not better." Noah said, his smile tugging slightly wider.

"Sir!?" Randolf arched both eyebrows in shock, knocked totally off his mental balance by the pleased tone of Noah's voice. "But the two Zealots... the damage to the Haunted... the thirty men...!?"

"The men knew they were expendable before you even set out, Aireg. The same for the Zealots, both of whom were either destroyed or self destructed beyond the means of the USN or FNE to recover anything of import from. With you and the Haunted returned to us, even damaged, I account us as heavily in the positive column. Everything we have lost can be replaced with great ease, and we have still managed to embark upon the great plan, while also seeming to serve our dear "ally", though it took him a little while to realize it. A very little while, to his credit. Initially he was quite wroth at the failure of the plan to turn out as I made him expect it would, but, if nothing else good can be said of Durandel, his ability to set bad or unexpected situations to his best advantage is indeed incredible." Noah replied, leaning back into his chair and stretching his legs out beneath the desk. He saw the Randolf, for all his military skills, lacked the proper political mindset to make the logical leap that Noah and Durandel had. Noah sighed and leaned forward to explain... the man deserved to know WHY he'd done a good job, at least, since he obviously couldn't see for himself.

"Think about it, Aireg. Think about what you know of the USN, and it's controls on the military forces and technology of the member-states. What its position on Gundams is, at least for the moment." Noah prompted, seeing the light slowly start to dawn on his underling's face and in his mind.

"Nuclear powered Mobile Suits are currently prohibited in the militaries of the member-states." Randolf said slowly, examining each fragment of thought carefully as he fit the pieces together. Randolf smiled as he started to see what his boss was talking about. "Orb's not SUPPOSED to have Gundams, is it?"

"Indeed not." Noah acknowledged, like a father patting a child on the head. "The Gundam, which is known by the rather pretentious name of Phoenix King, is in fact an ILLEGAL Gundam. It's pilot, the ever popular Orb Ambassador, Athrun Zala, was in fact committing a international CRIME by piloting the Gundam against our forces, regardless of his good intentions. And since he singularly failed to save even ONE hostage, since they all froze to death hours before he arrived, despite his bravado in charging in alone and heedless of the PROPER authorities, there are no mitigating circumstances to lessen the severity of the breach of the USN conventions. And though his heroic actions definitely win him no enemies amongst the public of the world, dashing hero that he is, Athrun made few friends for Orb in the FNE and many branches of the USN itself with his rather rash breach of protocol and convention. There's more than a few people nursing public black eyes and bruised ego's that would not hesitate to crucify Athrun, and by association, Orb, on the political front, for launching illicit Covert Operations into the sovereign territory of another member-state, QUITE the opposite of Orb's public stance, of course."

"Well, I cannot say I'm happy to see Athrun Zala take a hit... I've nothing against that young man, and quite a bit of respect for him... but I guess it's tough times ahead for the First Husband of Orb, not to mention his wife. Durandel won't hesitate to drop on them like a ton of bricks, considering all the political trouble they've caused for him in the past." Randolf mused, wincing inwardly. Gilbert Durandel was definitely one of those people that you crossed only at great peril to yourself, because he would always, someway, somehow, end up in a position to screw you, and he ALWAYS paid his debts in kind.

"Not even slightly." Noah countered, enjoying the stupefied look on Randolf's face. "Don't misunderstand, Aireg. There is little Gilbert would love more than being able to publicly flay Athrun and Cagalli, and through them Orb, over this incident. They are so vulnerable to him right now they might as well shoot a child and take pictures of themselves in the act, because they could not be more visibly guilty of a crime! And he has ultimate jurisdiction over the prosecution of this crime, since it violates USN military laws. There is almost no limit to the sort of hellish sanctions and punishments that he could levy against Orb as USN SecDef. He could break them as a military power, if he so chose, could force them to accept complete watchdogging by USN observers throughout the military and even police forces! And he's exactly the sort of man to take vindictive pleasure the whole time while he does it, watching them squirm under the white hot political dissection and scandal."

"You seem to be making my point for me, sir." Randolf noted. "The emnity between Orb and Durandel is well known. Why should he hesitate to slap them down like misbehaving children now that he has the chance and even the right?"

"You really aren't a very good politician, you know that, Aireg?" Noah sighed. "The only thing a politician... no, a person like Gilbert Durandel... likes more than the ability to completely and totally crush his enemies when they leave themselves open like this is the ability to have them REALIZE their situation, before he PROTECTS them from the consequences of their actions, therefore putting themselves into his DEBT. Durandel immediately pardoned Athrun of any and all suspicion of wrongdoing, protecting him from several USN investigations and accusations, snuffing them out entirely. Not only that, but he legalized the Phoenix King pretty much on the spot, as well as extending a tacit legalization for any MORE Gundam's Orb may have constructed, with the caveat that Cagalli must declare them openly and publicly immediately. He didn't even make them reveal the technical aspects of the machines... he "took it on faith in the demonstrated goodwill and ethical devotion to world peace known to be a fundamental part of the character of Orb" to quote one particularly nasty jab."

"I... don't understand, sir." Randolf admitted. He was familiar with the idea of putting someone in your debt in order to make use of them when otherwise they'd have nothing or little to do with you... Noah had done it to Randolf himself after all, saving his life like he had. But he just couldn't see why Durandel would pass on the opportunity to crush his last remaining major political opponents when he had the chance handed to him gift wrapped on a silver platter?

Noah sighed again. "Aireg, you frustrate me sometimes. The military is such a terrible organization, to force people to think so linearly. Consider what Orb's STATED political stance on military strength is? They want to REDUCE the strength of the USN and the member-states militaries. They are in DIRECT opposition to Durandel, and they have a goodly bit of public support. However, a Gundam is NOTHING if not an expression of military strength, especially one with as many exciting and frankly impressive new technologies as the Phoenix King employs! In essence, Orb has now been conclusively PROVEN to be demanding everyone reduce their military strength while ALSO building up their own! Cagalli and Athrun talk their talk... while walking Durandel's walk. Normally, that's not such a big deal... everyone does it, its an open secret. But to be CAUGHT doing it, especially when you are the most vocal and active opponent of the idea? It looks bad. Very bad. And it looks worse for each additional Gundam Orb built. Five of them in all. Five Gundams, each at least a DECADE in advance of anything the USN, FNE, or ALU currently has in the works, and probably a good two or three years ahead of the PLANTS."

"Five Gundams!" Aireg goggled. "They built four MORE monsters like that, in secret!? Sir!"

"I know, it is most distressing. The plan will have to be revised slightly to account for them. But to stay on topic, Cagalli and Athrun have come out of this whole incident smeared in some very deep, dark shit, at least on the issue of military strength on an international level. Durandel made NO secret of the fact that he was covering for them, protecting them from their own mistake, so not only do THEY look bad, but Durandel looks GOOD, like a progressive, honest, peace minded leader. Beyond even THAT, Athrun and Cagalli now OWE Durandel heavily on the political front, which has to be about as palatable to them as eating rotten eggs off the bottoms of his boots. You can bet that you won't be hearing too much from Orb for a little while with regards to the USN. Even if Cagalli and Athrun don't care if the world as a whole sees them as ungrateful bastards, the rest of the Orb government appartus will prevent them from committing political suicide by standing up to Durandel so soon after getting their fat pulled from the fire by him. And by giving them such good terms in public, and with his comments on TRUSTING the peaceful nature of Orb, Durandel gets to rub their faces in it the whole time." Noah rolled his eyes. "If you were still in ZAFT, I think Durandel would find some way to make sure you got a very nice medal for your work, assuming he even knew who'd done it. I've not seen him smile so much since just before I crashed his party."

"You say linear thinking frustrates you, sir, but I must say, I prefer it. Better to just kill or crush my enemies than torture them like that." Randolf replied with a frown. "Durandel can sure be a twisted bastard when it comes to getting his revenge on people..."

"Fear not, good Aireg. Gilbert Durandel, for all his political ferocity, is far from the only person who possesses the ability to enjoy turning a crushing advantage into a venue for private enjoyment. He is really among the LEAST of our concerns, our dear ally is. Especially with these new Gundams of Orb's. I'll have to put some thought into upgrading our own forces somewhat. It's bothersome, really... I had hoped to keep some things for later..." Noah refocused his eyes on Randolf, as if suddenly realizing that he was speaking out loud while his subordinate was still right there to hear him. "In any case, I have to congratulate you on a job well done. Our ally is ecstatic with our results and is eagerly awaiting the next event, while I am about as pleased as could be expected. We encountered some problems, but in the end, we have emerged even stronger, with more knowledge than before, and it can only lead to our inevitable triumph that much more easily now. It is only the unknown that can stop the Brotherhood, Aireg. And on that note, I think you should probably go get some rest, my friend. You have a while before I'll need you again, but it is never wise to tempt fate, especially with the new variables."

"Yes... sir." Randolf agreed reluctantly. He didn't feel particularly tired, despite the grueling past couple of days... it had been nothing worse than any of a hundred such stretches of time during the Valentine Wars. He turned to go before one more thing flashed into his mind as an afterthought. "What happened to that patrol I sent to the lodge, sir?"

"Them? They had the misfortune to encounter an Orb special forces team that accompanied the Phoenix King, in order to extract several Orb dignitaries that had booked lodging there at the last moment. That is a whole seperate international incident, though it took a sideshow to the Gundam event." Noah responded, a sudden shadow crossing his face. He focused his gaze on Randolf's, capturing it despite the slight barrier of the sunglasses. "Don't worry about them, Aireg. They did their job as best they might, even if they did encounter some significantly unexpected problems. It is not your concern."

"Not my... concern?" Randolf replied, struggling to think clearly as a haze washed over his thoughts. Maybe he was more tired than he'd thought? Older age catching up to him at last, maybe? "Yes, sir... you're probably right about that. All dead anyways, right. Poor bastards... guess they get to see their promised land a little sooner than the rest, right boss?"

"They will enjoy the delights of Heaven in Heaven, yes. Heaven on Earth will have to suffice for most of their brethren." Noah replied cryptically, flicking a hand in dismissal. Randolf nodded his head, without a single flash of irritation this time, and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. Immediately, the lights turned themselves off, leaving the room in blackness which was almost total once more. The only spots of light came from the metallic dish on the desk, from within the phosphorescent gemstones. The light reflected from Noah's eyes for a few moments as he stared at the doorway until Randolf was well away, before he closed his eyes and relaxed heavily back into his chair. He put some parts of his attention on continuing the updating of his plans to account for the new Orb Gundams, but the greater part of his mind re-concentrated on the practice task he'd been working on before Aireg's interruption. He was still just a beginner at this, but practice would make perfect, and even Ultimate Coordinators had to take baby steps initially. He smiled as he started stacking the gemstones into tiny pillars, alternating colors, his hands folded neatly across his lap. Start small. Think big. The basics of any good plan.

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Kira could not hide his wince at the sound of breaking crystal and splintering wood that echoed mutedly down the stairway that he and Lacus were ascending, in the private levels of the Orb National Palace. In the two days since their ordeal in Switzerland, both of them had recovered rapidly and fully from the physical and emotional trauma's they'd suffered. Perhaps they were still desensitized from the Valentine Wars, but an incident that would have put most people their age into therapy or even a hospital had barely put them off their stride a few hours after getting off the plane in Orb. They'd actually come through it all without any serious injuries or hurts, beyond bruises, abrasions and small cuts, which were to be expected from any sort of close encounter with armed soldiers in a fight. Dearka and Miriallia had fared almost as well, though they had retreated to Dearka's boat and were not currently returning calls, so Lacus had figured that they probably needed some time alone before she tried to get them back into the stride of things. Just because her birthday vacation had been interrupted not just once but twice did not mean that she had forgotten the things she and Kira and Dearka and Miriallia all needed to talk about.

"Sounds like it might be a good thing that we stopped by to talk with Athrun and Cagalli." Lacus noted lightly, with an attempt at a slight smile. Kira listened to the thumps and thuds of overturning furniture and winced again. Cagalli was in full flow, that was for sure. He didn't think he'd EVER seen her this mad, not since the Valentine Wars anyway, and even then he'd never seen her throw or break things. Yell, scream, grab people, shake them... sure, all of those. But destroying inanimate objects, even possessions of hers? His little sister was a very frightening person when she was angry. Kira could not comprehend sometimes how Athrun could deal with her.

"The same way I handle you when YOU'RE being childish... with a great deal of understanding and patience." Lacus observed, guessing what he was thinking with the ease of long familiarity, even when she couldn't access his emotions and thoughts directly because of his shielding. In this proximity, with them holding hands as they walked, it was harder keeping thoughts SEPERATE than it was in discerning them in each other. "Fortunately for me, you don't tend to externalize your negative emotions, and you've grown much better at not storing them all up inside too."

"From the sound of things, Cagalli could use a bit of storing up of her negative feelings. It sounds like she's trying to tear the building down." Kira replied, as they passed a pair of stone faced Stormhounds stationed at the top of the stairway. Kira and Lacus both nodded politely at the guards, but they got no response, as both Stormhounds, relatively junior members of the unit, both seemed to be trying to block out any and all external stimuli that did not have to do with their immediate job of watching the stairs. Kira reflected that it must be pretty difficult to tune out your own Head of State throwing a screaming anger tantrum, breaking furniture and glassware with abandon, all of thirty feet away around the bend, even through a closed door. Still, the Stormhounds seemed to eat, drink and breathe discretion and loyalty, so Kira doubted that anyone but the immediate witnesses would ever know about this lapse of polite control on Cagalli's part. That was a good thing, because just about the last thing Orb needed right now was another political uproar.

The fallout from the intervention of the Phoenix King and the Stormhound's unit was still starting political brush fires every few hours, as pretty much every party with a minor grievance against Orb, or Cagalli or Athrun personally, seemed to be homing in on them with the notion that right after a major terrorist incident was a good time to kick them while they were down. It was the price of being honest and respectable in the dirty and mean game of international politics. It didn't matter to the sharks that Cagalli had sent Athrun not only to save Kira and Lacus and Dearka and Miriallia, but to stop the terrorist threat itself! All that mattered to them was the fact that Orb, bright, shining, unimpeachable Orb had violated international law in its haste to do the right thing! In some ways, it reminded Kira a lot of the time before the Second Valentine War when Blue Cosmos had used mudslinging tactics on Cagalli, casting her political and ethical independence into question because of her intimate relationship with Athrun, which had been a direct contributing factor to the start of the Second War. When it came to international politics, doing the right thing for the world was quite often the wrong thing to do, politically speaking.

Of course, Cagalli and Athrun didn't much care what most of the rest of the world thought about their many unpopular stances and actions... taking a stand against the status quo was never going to earn you many friends, not until the status quo changed anyway. Most of the time, due to Orb's technological, economic and military power, it really didn't matter what most other people thought. Though small in population, Orb was easily the second most powerful member of the USN, trailing the PLANTS by only a small margin, largely due to the more populous nature of the PLANTS. But now that they were suddenly shown to be vulnerable, that meant that there were that many more people waiting to jump on top of the dogpile trying to crush them into the ground, despite the unexpected support from Gilbert Durandel, who had cleared Orb and Athrun of any sort of actual wrongdoing. Still, the mere appearance of wrongdoing was damaging enough, and the wolves were closing in from all sides, wondering if at last the bear was too weak to fend for itself. Kira could have told them, if any of them had been inclined to listen, that they were better off staying a safe distance away. Cagalli had made a legendary political career of recovering from devastating losses, both personally and politically... she'd come back from this twice as strong and fiery as before, and woe betide any opportunists who got in her way.

Kira and Lacus rounded the bend and found Athrun leaning against the wall outside the doorway leading to the Royal chambers on this particular floor. He had a patient, if long suffering, look on his face as he stood there with his arms crossed across his chest, waiting for the storm inside the dining room behind the door to calm down to a level controllable by mortal forces. He didn't seem particularly bothered by the fragile and expensive sounds of breaking materials coming from the room, indeed he almost looked bored. Kira could not help but wonder just how OFTEN Athrun had to deal with a situation like this, if he could be so calm about it? Kira waved half heartedly as Athrun looked up at them, wincing as what sounded like an entire dining room table's worth of silverware went crashing and clattering against a wall just a few feet away. "I hope we're not coming by at a bad time..."

"No. You missed the bad time by about ten minutes. She's already into the "carthartic rage driven wholesale destruction stage", which is LEAGUES better than the "howling fury that shoots holes in the walls with her gun stage". She's merely unhealthy to be around right now, compared to downright deadly." Athrun answered with a half shrug.

"Does this happen often?" Lacus asked, eyeing the doorway with some trepidation.

"More often than some people would believe, less often than others would think." Athrun half shrugged again. "I'll have to admit, Durandal conceals his smugness just well enough that its obvious how much he's enjoying this whole situation. Truly, no good deed goes unpunished, as they say. If there's ONE thing Cagalli really hates... its smugness from other people when they have the advantage. She LOATHES being condescended to, and thats when it comes from me, playfully. When it's coming from Durandel... well, ergo the shutting of herself away in the dining room. She's much better about getting away from others than she used to be... I've had to barricade the door to her public office once." Athrun narrowed his eyes. "To be honest, I'm not exactly as calm and carefree as I look either. I know what I did was right, and even if I'd known that this was going to happen, I'd have still done what I did. I could not have known that all the hostages were already dead... nobody could have. But to have my honor and trustworthiness called into question, at the same time as Cagalli's, then having to deal with condescending allusions of our indebtedness from our major political opponent... I can tell you, you don't want to face me in a simulator later tonight. I can totally understand the urge to scream and break things."

"Is it safe to go in there? I mean, we came to talk about the situation, but I'd really hate to tear open a fresh scab..." Kira asked contemplatively. "We can always stop back in a few hours."

"I actually need to talk to Cagalli about a few things." Lacus spoke up, gently disengaging her hand from Kira's. "They don't have anything to do with the current situation, though I'm sure we'll end up discussing it too, given that its dwelling all over her mind right now."

"Well, if you want to risk it..." Athrun flicked his head at the doorway to the dining hall, which shivered under an impact even as they watched. "I won't stop you. Though I will say that even if Cagalli does hit you with something, she's not liable for it. I looked it up in the Orb Laws... Royalty IS actually allowed to strike subjects who show them "disrespect" or "ill feeling", though obviously if she causes real harm there's a problem. And I always thought it was just a natural tendency on her part... now I learn its practically in her blood."

"I think I'll be okay. I tend to aggravate Cagalli less than either of you two. I should wonder why." Lacus replied, rolling her eyes, to indicate she did not have to wonder very much. She paused, with her hand on the doorknob, shooting them both a significant look. "Perhaps it might be best if you two took a walk for a while. Someplace outside maybe? I'd hate to have one or both of you get dragged into a conversation between me and Cagalli that might be a little... too interesting for you guys." Lacus opened the door and slipped inside, shutting it firmly and quickly after her, leaving Kira and Athrun standing, somewhat wide eyed, in the hall, exchanging slow glances before they moved away, casting many an incredulous look over their shoulders.

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"What do you suppose she meant by that?" Kira asked, about a minute later, as they were both descending a different staircase, one that would eventually take them to one of many garden areas interspersed throughout the structure of the Orb National Palace grounds. The National Palace was much more a series of interlinked governmental complexes built upon landscaped parkland than it was a single building, like it's name would suggest. It was large enough that walking from one end of the "building" to the other could take as long as an hour or more, depending on which path you took, mostly because of the security. Orb was one of the most open and free nations on Earth, but that didn't mean they just let anyone wander the halls of their primary governmental buildings as they pleased. Of course, both Kira and especially Athrun were recognized on sight, and no one made even the slightest attempt to impede their progress even through some of the most secure rooms, though there were plenty of whispers following them as people mused to their friends about what such two legendary people were doing, apparently just strolling casually around the Palace.

"I don't know why you'd think I would know Lacus better than you, Kira." Athrun replied, with a wryly raised eyebrow. "I may have known her since she was in grade school, but I honestly have to cede any chance of knowing her better than you do, since you're both... well, you know."

"Newtypes. You can say it, you know. It's not a secret." Kira answered with a small sigh. "I mean, I don't go around shouting "Hey, I'm a Newtype!", but mostly just because ninety nine percent of people would just look at me like I was crazy, and the others would either try and kidnap me for science experiments or flee in terror, neither of which is particularly palatable to me. But I can't deny that it's what I am... well, a part of what I am. I'm still trying to figure out exactly WHAT I'm supposed to be." Kira said the last with more than a hint of morosity. Initially he'd been mad at his parents, the people who raised him, because he'd thought they made him a Coordinator, and he hated being different from many of his friends, perceived as inherently better than them, or worse, perceived as thinking that he was better than them, both of which were far from the truth. Of course, then had come the discoveries on the Mendel Colony, and had thrown the messy curveball of being the sole so called "Ultimate Coordinator" into his lap. And things had gotten astronomically worse after the changes his body had gone through because of his encounter with either the Pulsar or Frost's blood, nobody could tell which. Saying that Kira was having something of an identity crisis, even now, five years after the incident with the Pulsar and Frost, was more than a little understatement.

Much of this was known, and known well, by Athrun, as well as the other top members of the Clyne Faction who were also close to Kira. He didn't exactly keep his problems a secret, though he usually didn't drop them into the laps of other people either. Even Lacus had to take action of her own before Kira would open up to her, at least on issues that weren't immediately life threatening or of similar severity. Athrun placed his hand on Kira's shoulder for a moment, in friendly affirmation and confidence. "You, me, and everyone else alive, Kira. Point me out someone who say's they truly know who they are, now and forever, and that they know what God or whatever creationary force they believe in gave them life for, and I'll point out to you a big, fat liar. So far, at least it seems to me and everyone else who knows you well, you seem to be doing a pretty damn fine job of being Kira Yamato... better than anyone else can claim to, certainly. And from what I've seen, being Kira Yamato isn't always a walk in the park... there's really only one guy I know who could do it, you see what I mean?"

"I think so. Thanks, Athrun." Kira nodded his head slowly. No matter WHAT he was supposed to be, Athrun did have a point... who he was and what he was supposed to be might not be something that he could just quantify and know in a wholesale lot, it was much more something that you found out continuously throughout your life. Not that he was fully satisfied by that conclusion... it didn't bring peace to his concerns over the rather alarming abilities he was manifesting, and the subtle changes in his mind and body that he was going through, but for the moment at least his emotions were steady once more.

"Well, Newtypes is also true, but I was going to say... "a great deal more intimate than Lacus and I ever were."" Athrun picked up his thread of conversation again after having disarmed Kira's concerns for the meanwhile. To say that he was completely sanguine about the startling new abilities Kira was manifesting at times would be an extreme exaggeration, but no matter how odd Kira's personal habits sometimes became, or what incredible, nigh impossible thing he managed to do, Athrun could see that Kira, his best friend and brother-in-law, the real Kira that Lacus was so inextricably entwined with, hadn't changed at all. And until he did, somehow, through events Athrun could not fathom and did not WANT to fathom, Athrun couldn't muster up too much real worry over his friend's personal drama.

"You were not going to say any such thing." Kira retorted mildly. "Nice diplomatic cover up though. Very smooth. Just personal and slightly awkward enough to be totally believable."

"How do you know for sure?" Athrun countered, with a confident smile.

"I'm the pyschic one here, remember?"

"I can't tell you how many times I've heard you say "it doesn't work like that", but now it's MY turn to say it." Athrun's smile grew just a bit. "I can't say I'm comfortable with this Newtype stuff, but that doesn't mean I haven't been paying attention over the years. You may be psychic... in fact, there's no denying that you are... but I know you don't have any powers of your own. You certainly can't read minds. Not even Lacus's, unless she lets you. Which is basically always..." Athrun trailed off thoughtfully, then shot Kira a sidelong glance, seeing all the confirmation he needed in the slightly guarded expression in Kira's eyes. "Aha! But not right now, I take it? That's why you were asking what I thought?"

"As a diplomat, you make a good spy." Kira answered. He paused a few breaths. "But yes, that's pretty much it. Right now I have only the insight into Lacus that comes from our relationship, and I can't think of many things she would want to talk to Cagalli about that neither of them would want US around for. And by not many, I mean almost none at all. Has Cagalli ever mentioned anything that she and Lacus might be colluding on?"

"Would it really be important if she had?" Athrun replied, searching his mind even as he stalled. "I mean, maybe this is a bit of a newsflash for you, Kira, but couples DO keep secrets from each other. It's something the rest of us like to call personal privacy. Given that Lacus is... shielding you, I believe is the term, right... then I don't think it would be my business to tell you, even if I did know something, which I don't."

"I'm not so different from everyone else that I don't realize that people, especially couples, keep secrets from each other." Kira retorted, somewhat defensively.

"That's not how I meant that, and you know it." Athrun cut him off before his friend could go any further down that path, which would have made no one happy. "If its important, I'm sure Lacus will tell you about it in good time. If I know anything about Lacus, it's that she'd never do anything consciously to hurt YOU of all people, especially on an emotional level. I mean, maybe it's something completely normal... it's not like Lacus and Cagalli aren't really good friends, you know. You say you can't think of what they'd want to talk about without us... I can think of almost too MANY things they could be talking about I personally wouldn't want to overhear if I didn't have to." Athrun looked around, seeing that they were near the garden, and currently the nearest pair of prying ears looked to be at least fifty feet away. He lowered his voice just to be sure. "For all we know, Lacus might just want some... you know... sex tips. I mean, its no real secret that Cagalli and I..." Athrun flushed faintly and coughed. "... well, we're not exactly saintly, when it comes down to it. Maybe Lacus wants to... spice things up a bit?"

"Well... you're right about ONE thing." Kira snorted with faint amusement. "I wouldn't want to hear them talking about THAT, that is correct. Though, like most people, I think you give Lacus and I too much credit on just how "saintly" we are in private."

"Uh huh." Athrun made his doubt more than plain with the tone of his voice. "You're a nice guy, Kira, to a fault, and Lacus is, plainly put, a nice girl to a fault. There's nothing wrong with that. You don't have to try and impress me with wild stories that we both know really only happen in fantasies."

"I think you're just uncomfortable with the thought of Lacus and me..." Kira cut off his sentence as a small group of junior level adminsitrators passed by, shooting the two of them curious glances, joing the throng of other people wondering what sort of weighty, world changing matters Athrun Zala and Kira Yamato were discussing. If only they knew the truth. "... in intimate situations." Kira finished, his voice considerably quieter, once the group moved away. "And don't YOU try and make yourself sound like any less of a nice guy than I am... I'll admit, I did think, at one point in time, that you had a distressing lack of control over your hormonal instincts, but as I matured a bit, I've found that looking back, I can't blame you at all for acting like you did. Honestly, in a lot of ways, our situations are now reversed, though you do a much more admirable job of staying out of my damn way than I did for you, which I appreciate."

"Can you blame me if I was?" Athrun led the way into the garden, which was nearly an acre of well maintained lawn, a small pond with a feeding and draining stream, and a grove of trees, plus many smaller bushes and flowers, with a small flagstone walk winding through it. They sat down on some stone benches near the pond, in the middle of the grove of palms and brush, with a clear view of the walkway in both directions so that they could see anyone coming well before they got into easy hearing distance. "Besides, though I'm very fond of Lacus, in a familial way, I still don't have that irrational overprotectiveness of blood relation that you have with Cagalli. And to be honest, that Cagalli has with you, though at least she has the sense to stay out of your sex life."

"Maybe not, if what you said is true and she and Lacus ARE, well..." Kira let the thought trail off. "How did we get onto this subject anyway?" He asked after a few moment's thought.

"Making you uncomfortable, is it? Mr. I'm-Not-Really-Saintly doesn't like to talk about nitty-gritty sex, hmm?" Athrun arched his eyebrow in amusement again, leaning back into a nearby palm tree, with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Don't make this into a challenge." Kira warned. "It's just you and me right now. I don't have to be nice for public's sake."

"Yeah-huh." Athrun agreed noncommitally. "Whatever you say, Kira. You've always been the quiet guy, the geeky guy, the sits in the corner at the school dance the ENTIRE time guy. You can try and talk tough, but I know you better than just about anyone but Lacus... you're all bark when it comes to manly issues, at least amongst a forum of fellow guys. Face it, there's nothing wrong with being who you are at heart... a nerd. A very famous nerd, with skills like nobody would believe... but you're still a nerd. All you'd need would be a pair of coke bottle glasses and you'd be THE stereotypical nerd."

"Oh really?" Kira sat forward, giving Athrun an analytical glance. "What does that make you then, Athrun? If I'm a nerd, you've GOTTA be a..."

"A jock, yeah, I know. No hiding it." Athrun cut in with a smile. "I'm good at all sorts of sports, I was always one of the most popular people at school, I was definitely way prettier and more fashionable than you, I've got my own damn FAN CLUB, which is currently in it's tenth YEAR of existence... which is more embarrassing now than anything, I will say..., I drive an ABSOLUTELY badass sports car, I mean, I've got it all."

"You were born into a wealthy and famous family! That's an unfair advantage!" Kira protested. "Your parents raised you with the expectation that you'd be following in their footsteps into PLANT politics. You used to bitch and moan ALL the time about how stringent their standards were, and how little praise you tended to get from them!"

"I never complained to you about that..."

"Not out loud... but even if I am a nerd, that doesn't mean I can't pick up on the social scene around me. I mean, you never REBELLED against your parents, openly... but a lot of the stuff you did seemed to be in SPITE of them. Including befriending me and a lot of other people."

"That's the first time anyone's ever admitted to picking up on that. Even my parent's didn't seem to get it, which made it all the more frustrating at times." Athrun mused. "Though, if I think about it, that might have been their defensive strategy... they couldn't let me think I was bothering THEM with my childish willfullness. Though I would have been your friend anyways, Kira."

"I don't doubt that, and never have. I mean, I only realized why in the last few years, with the discovery of my Newtype heritage, but I always KNEW, on some level, when my close friends were really friends and not "friends". I can't read minds, or make people freeze up, or make them feel angry or sad or happy or calm, or send my thoughts across interplanetary gulfs in an instant... but, with long term association, I CAN get a deeper, emotional read on people than I think I would normally be able to if I wasn't a Newtype."

"That is true... you've always had a very strong sense of empathy. It's one of the things that really shaped you into being the person you are today, I think." Athrun commented. "I mean, I like to think I'm a pretty well adjusted individual... I care about other people, even people I don't know at all and will never meet personally. But I don't even hold a candle to you... fighting in a Gundam without killing? I don't know how you do it... I couldn't. I wish I could at times, but I just can't. It's a WAR machine, its designed to destroy and kill. Destroying and killing can be directed in an overall positive fashion, to protect what I hold to be right, proper and dear... but it doesn't change the fact that it's still destroying and killing. You're the only guy I know who not only MADE a resolution to not kill, but has KEPT that resolution, through thick and thin."

"I wasn't always like that, you know." Kira said quietly. "It wasn't until after the last time I fought you that I made that resolution, and it never would have come about without Lacus. People give me the credit, but really... Lacus is the one that made it happen, and has kept me from re-lapsing. It took me a long time to realize it myself, even. Because believe me, there have been plenty of times when I've come face to face with people that I really should have been trying to kill from square one. People like these Brotherhood terrorists." Kira clenched a fist. "I spared ther lives because I didn't want it on my conscience. I spared the lives of men who had a hand in the cold blooded murder of four hundred innocent men, women and children... all to salve my conscience. Dearka put it very nicely when he said that "one of these days, my morals are going to get me hurt. Or him hurt. Even killed." And not just me or him, but anyone I care about, or even people I don't know. Eventually I'm going to be put into a situation like what Ysak had to face with Asmodeus... where my path, the path of empathy and moderation, won't have a way forward. I'm starting to think, Athrun, that maybe I might have been wrong, all this time. Sparing the lives of the guilty... does that make me guilty too?"

"I think I saw somewhere this quote, which I'm going to have to paraphrase." Athrun replied after a long few seconds of silence. "There are two types of evil in the world. The evil of evil men, who hurt and kill others for their own enjoyment or profit. And the evil of good men who do nothing to stop the evil men when they have the chance." Athrun met Kira's eyes. "I would never presume to judge you or your choices, Kira. In fact, let me say that I think, personally, that your choice, your resolution, no matter where it came from or why you keep to it, is a beautiful and precious thing that the world can not see enough of. I can't say either way if not killing someone when you have the chance, even if they are evil and deserve it by the standards of the world, is itself an evil act. All I can say is... there's too much killing and death in the world as it is. Is any less, even of evil people who might deserve it, really a bad thing? I don't know the answer. I don't know if there IS an answer." Athrun eyed Kira for a moment after his friend looked away. "You're not beating yourself up about those hostages, are you? There's NO WAY you could have known!"

"Maybe, maybe not. Certainly no way of knowing now." Kira replied, his eyes downcast. "Maybe if Dearka and I had searched the town more thoroughly... we'd have been able to do... something. But I can't blame Dearka for cutting our time short... as things were, he could have died from exposure, if we'd been out in that mist for just ten or twenty more minutes. I really had no idea it was affecting him so much... it barely bothered me." Kira clenched his fist again. "And of course, leaving those two terrorists lying in the snow pretty much declared unequivocably to their friends that there were people out there that they needed to find and kill. I may have put everyone in danger..."

"Oh shut up." Athrun retorted, in exasperation. "You're not all powerful, Kira. Or especially all knowing. You do what you think is right at the time, and usually it is. Sometimes, it isn't. Other people make their own choices too, and what you did probably didn't have much bearing on them at all. It's not like you could have just let them cut Dearka up anyway, could you? I'm not asking or telling you to forget that those people died... but the failing is not yours. Or if you really won't let go, its only marginally yours. Its primarily the fault of those fucking terrorists! And then, secondly, its the fault of the slow ass response from the USN and FNE, who WERE just sitting on their asses bickering over jurisdiction for almost two and a half HOURS before I even got there, there is no denying THAT. Save your guilt for when you actually do something wrong, like when you boarded the Pulsar against Lacus's EXPRESS wishes. That was REALLY stupid. You should feel bad and guilty about that sort of thing!"

"Thanks. Reverse psychology?" Kira grunted.

"Not even slightly. If you EVER do something that stupid again, the rest of us really WILL kick your ass for you, you hear me? That was one of your very few truly GRAVE errors of judgement, and I have no compunctions at ALL about making you feel absolutely terrible about it, because I never, ever want to see you screw up that badly again! I'm not even fucking joking, Kira... that was BAD, and I can't even begin to get into however it was that you managed to convince Lacus to LET you pilot it... you made her cry, man, and I shit you not, if you do that again, I will put you in the hospital. I blame myself a little... I should have just shot the Pulsar right then and there when I had the chance, but I was too worried about what was happening outside. That's one of MY problems... under the gun, I sometimes put too little faith in my friends, and too much in my ability to change the tide of a situation."

"They were up against Frost. I don't think anyone can blame you for being worried, least of all me. He was a true nightmare, and he's one of the very few people I will never feel guilty about killing. Or the next closest thing, since I... well, Lacus and I... more caused him to kill himself, rather than killing him personally." Kira sat there and thought for more seconds of silence, before he spoke up again to close the subject. "I think I feel better, even though you were trying to make me feel worse there at the end. Or I should say, I do feel worse, but about the things I SHOULD feel worse about, while I'm feeling better about the other stuff. Should I thank you?"

"Constantly. But I'll give you my Royal leave to forget about it for the rest of the day, as long as you promise me you won't go off and brood in a corner when I start making fun of you."

"When have I ever done that!?"

"You don't remember much of fifth grade, do you?"

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Much to Lacus's surprise, the interior of the dining room was far from wrecked. Oh, it wasn't tidy, and there were several big, heavy wooden chairs that had obviously been recently and forcefully overturned, but by and large, to room was much more intact than she'd been expecting, just from the noises she'd heard coming up the stiars and while talking with Athrun outside the door. There were no holes in the wall, no shattered glass on the ground, no splintered chairs or tables, the silverware was still on the table, though it was all in a big disorganized pile, which looked more like someone had just swept them there with her arms, rather than onerously picked up from the floor after hurling them across the room in a fit of pique. Put a tablecloth down, right a few chairs, re-set out the silverware... the room was about two minutes from being perfectly respectable. There were only two things majorly out of place. One was the portable music playing device hooked up to large amplifiers sitting on a side table, playing the sounds of a room being torn apart by a young woman in a frenzy at a very loud volume. The other was the young woman herself, standing across the room with a very guilty expression on her face, and a huge bowl of ice cream clutched in her hands, the spoon halfway to her mouth.

Cagalli's expression of guilt faded rapidly as she realized that Athrun had not walked in on her during one of her "tantrums", revealing her long and closely held secret. "Oh, its just you, Lacus. That's a relief."

"I guess so." Lacus studied her friend intently. At length, she just couldn't hold herself back. "What ARE you doing? It sounded like you were fighting a war in here."

"Yeah, that's right." Cagalli freely admitted, seeing as she was totally exposed. Besides, it relieved some of the guilty part of the guilty pleasure to tell at least ONE other person about it. "I know how volatile everyone thinks I am. I have a reputation to uphold. But while tearing a room down around my ears used to be very relaxing... its grown very expensive, and I've come to realize that it is VERY immature. It was okay in my teens, but now that I'm in my twenties, I really should excise my negative emotions in a more positive, less destructive fashion. So I recorded me renovating one of the basement rooms in the Villa Pacifica while Athrun was away on a trip, and I use it to generate some alone time when I need it, and can justify it. He hasn't caught on yet, but you had me worried. I was afraid that I would have to go and tear apart a room again to maintain the facade. If Athrun knew I was in here, eating ice cream before dinner... " Cagalli shivered. She calmed herself by taking another mouthful of cookie dough ice cream, slathered in caramel sauce and whipped cream.

Lacus just had to shake her head. "You are weird, let me say that right off the bat. You're more worried about Athrun catching you eating comfort food than you are about him thinking that you're destroying a room? How does that make sense?"

"YOU don't have to see the look on his face whenever I indulge my sweet tooth!" Cagalli accused. She took another oh-so-delicious bite of her precious ice cream. "Athrun doesn't EAT sweets very much. Never more than a single scoop of ice cream at the end of the day, or the equivalent! But I love them! The more the better! But he always... ALWAYS... gets this funny look on his face whenever he see's me getting three or four scoops, or eating a candy bar or getting a second slice of cake or whatever. He doesn't SAY anything, which keeps him unhurt, but he just LOOKS and makes me feel so self conscious! I know it isn't affecting my figure... I work it off, I really do... but still... that terrible look just makes me feel about twenty percent more chubby than I am! Does Kira ever do that to you?"

"Does Kira, who eats almost four or five pounds of food at a sitting, ever look at my portions, which aren't even usually a tenth the size of his, and make me feel chubby?" Lacus asked, with a smile. "No, I have not yet suffered from that particular form of harassment from him, fortunately. I don't see it as becoming all that likely in the future, either. Not that there's anything at ALL wrong with comfort eating. It's certainly a much more... modern... solution to stress management. I can't really say whether it's THAT much more mature than tearing down a room... but it is more modern. And much less expensive."

"Its not like you'd even GET chubby anyways..." Cagalli noted with narrowed, envious eyes as she considered Lacus. Lacus, no matter WHEN Cagalli saw her, ALWAYS looked better than the last time Cagalli remembered seeing her. Lacus was just one of those people that was naturally beautiful, whereas Cagalli only rated herself as naturally pretty. To be beautiful she had to really work at it... Lacus would be beautiful if you tangled all her hair up, splashed her with mud, and dressed her in sackcloth two sizes too large. It was completely unfair, but what could a girl do about it, besides be envious? It wasn't like Lacus made a point of displaying it, thankfully. Or at least, a conscious point.

"You might be surprised. If I didn't do gardening and outdoor play activities with the orphans most days, or my dance classes on weekends and afternoons, or my yoga class with Wrenn, I would gain weight. Most Coordinators, while they do have very good metabolisms, are no more immune to extra weight gain from over eating and improper eating than anyone else. Not to mention the dental hazards of too many sweets." Lacus replied, walking over to the table and sitting down, wincing slightly as the sound of a very large quantity of glass breaking resounded from the music player. "You can turn that off, you know. I suggested to Kira and Athrun that they might want to avoid eavesdropping on us, the poor, easily embarassed dears."

"Oh good! It gets very jarring after about five minutes." Cagalli wasted no time in powering off the music player, before taking a seat across from Lacus. "Do you want some ice cream? I have plenty. More than I should, really. Its a constant temptation."

"I'll pass for the moment. I prefer strawberry flavor anyway."

"Ah yes. The pink ice cream in your guys' freezer. Honestly, what IS it about pink anyway?"

"It's not the color, it's the flavor!" Lacus insisted. "As for the other stuff... I don't know really. I just like it. It's calming. Do you have a problem with pink?"

"Umm... on you, no. On me, yes. Its WAY too girly and cute for me. I wore pink when I was like seven, and didn't know any better. Oh, a little bit of pink... decorations, emblems... thats okay. But a pink shirt? Uh, uh!" Cagalli shook her head fervently. "That's not even touching skirts, dresses or gowns!"

"I don't know... I think you'd look great in a pink dress. Especially if you put Athrun in some reds... you'd make a great Valentine's Day couple."

"Yeah, since Athrun loves to get dressed up and party on Valentine's Day, it being SUCH a happy day for him!" Cagalli retorted sarcastically.

"He doesn't dwell on the Bloody Valentine any more than any Coordinator, and a great deal less than most..."

"Which is to say he's not consumed with rage, even if he sometimes descends into a deep pit of anguished bitterness, especially on Valentines Day itself! Doesn't dwell my ASS, he just doesn't get all sulky and withdrawn like Kira does!" Cagalli rolled her eyes. "Honestly, could you tell my little brother to grow the heck up!? Sulking stopped being cute in fourth grade!"

"Kira has a lot on his plate, emotionally speaking..." Lacus said, somewhat defensively.

"Oh, don't start with that again! I know, as well as anyone but you and Kira, what he's going through. Honestly, if he thinks its THAT bad, maybe he and I should SWITCH? I'll take all his damn biological problems and emotional insecurities... he can damn well run Orb and get publicly pasted in the media by SMUG, CORRUPT MOTHERFUCKERS WHO THINK THEY CAN TELL ME WHAT TO DO JUST BECAUSE THEY CURRENTLY HAVE A SLIGHT POLITICAL ADVANTAGE!" Cagalli slapped her hand down onto the table loudly, staring fiercely off into the middle distance. "Pardon my language, but Durnadel is REALLY pushing my buttons. You can't do anything altrusitic these days, not without HALF the FUCKING WORLD jumping down your throat because you stepped on their toes in your RUSH TO SAVE LIVES!"

"This is going to sound critical, but it's not meant to be. But perhaps Durandel is right to point out that Orb has been somewhat hypocritical, calling for reduced forces while building new Gundams. No matter which way I look at it, you were in the wrong there." Lacus pointed out, as gently as she could. She met Cagalli's venomous glare with her own, diffident and accepting one.

"Everyone else doe..." Cagalli started to say. Lacus held up her hand to stop the tirade.

"Everyone else does it, yes, I know. I'm not stupid, nor naive, not nearly as naive as most people think I am anyway. Bear with me when I say this, but even though you were IN the wrong, I think you were still RIGHT to do it, precisely because of the fact that everyone else DOES do it. You are ALL equally wrong, Orb, the PLANTS, the FNE, the ALU and the USN. Everyone talks about peace, while making sure, at the same time, that if peace fails, they are strong enough to deal with war. It is part of human nature, the instinct to rely on yourself for protection first. Total pacifism is also total vulnerability, after all. I don't like Mobile Suits. I HATE Gundams. But I acknowledge the need for them, and I don't fault you for building them, even if I think you are wrong to do so. Does that make any sense?"

"Yes, actually. You're right, it does sound very critical, but I understand that you're not criticizing ME, or not just me. You're criticizing a greater phenomenon, and its one I'd EXPECT you to be critical of, because its one that is definitely problematic when trying to move the philosophy of the world to a point where war won't be a problem anymore. However, just because it is wrong, I'm glad you realize that I have little choice to not only do it, but do it better than anyone else, precisely because of what you said about pacifism. Total pacifism is a wonderful philosophy. More people could stand to follow it. But it is an inappropriate philosophy for a national government. It is an inappropriate philosophy for Orb, even if you are one of my closest political advisors, on the down low. Its just too bad that Orb had to get caught with it's pants down, getting FUCKED in the process, because we tried help people. I should be USED to it by now, I know... it happens often enough after all. But it still makes me furious!" Cagalli replied, clenching her fists.

"I'm not surprised at that. I'm not exactly pleased myself. You were in the wrong, but you did do more to try and save those people, even though you were worried first about me and Kira and Dearka and Miriallia, than either the USN or the FNE. It's better to do the wrong thing, at the right time, for the right reasons, in pursuit of the right goal, than it is to do the right thing, at the wrong time, for the wrong reasons, in pursuit of the wrong goal, no matter how politically damaging it is! Politically I have to criticize you. Personally, I have to applaud and congratulate you, as usual. I may be the voice and the figurehead of what many people in the world see as the movement towards better, more peaceful times, but you, Cagalli, are the hands and feet that get the job done when it comes down to it, even if you get pasted in the media for it. I'm really sorry that it has to be like this." Lacus sighed, slightly depressed by her friend's unfair situation. Cagalli was expected by her people to do what was best for Orb, but she knew, better than almost anyone, that sometimes what was best for the world took precedence, even if it meant that Orb had to lose face or face negative media attention. It was not an enviable situation.

"Hmmph. Well, better that it happens to me than someone who couldn't deal with it." Cagalli leaned back, her ice cream quite forgotten for the moment. "There's actually a few upsides to this debacle. I mean, we DID show up the USN and FNE, which might give Athrun some problems at some future diplomatic events, but it's good for the pride and morale of Orb citizens. Even some of my own opponents, especially in the other Royal Families, aren't unhappy to have Orb demonstrate its power so openly. We may be wrong... but we're a VERY strong wrong. And since Durandel has magnaminously decided to let us keep our technical secrets, a move which makes him look very good, which sticks in my craw, I have to admit, it at least ensures that Orb is still the first or second most militarily powerful member-state of the USN. It definitely gives me a strong wall to put my back against when the carrion dogs try and snatch a few more bites off me than they have coming to them." Cagalli leaned forward again, the fire back in her eyes. "You didn't come here just to give me a pep talk though, especially when I was in such a "foul mood", nor would you have sent the guys away if that was all you were here to do. Spill."

Lacus fidgeted in her seat for a moment, refusing to fully meet Cagalli's gaze. "Well... that's true. To be honest... I need to, um, borrow that... stuff again." Lacus blushed more than a little as she revealed her purpose.

"What stuff is this now?" Cagalli was not above taking a small bit of pleasure in watching THE Lacus Clyne squirm uncomfortably with embarassment, especially over something as inane as this. "I'm having a little trouble remembering."

Lacus caught Cagalli's gaze and smoothed her facial expression into a more neutral pose. Cagalli would keep trying to tease her as long as she kept reacting, Lacus knew that from hard experience. "The um, test, things."

"Test things?" Cagalli prompted, an innocent look pasted onto her face. "What test, specifically? Algebra? Language Arts? Art?"

Lacus broke down, realizing that sbtle insinuation was not going to get results when Cagalli was in her current mood. "Your pregnancy test kit." Lacus practically whispered. "I want to borrow it for a little bit."

"OHH... THAT test kit!" Cagalli widened her eyes, as if shocked. "What makes you think I'd have something like that? I'm not trying to get pregnant. Besides, they're available at pretty much every grocery store, for cheap. Why not just buy one on your way home?"

"MUST we go through this ritual every time I ask for this?" Lacus pleaded.

"Only every time you're embarassed about it. Seriously, Lacus... I think Kira MIGHT be aware that you're trying to get pregnant. Somehow, I think even HE isn't so thickheaded that he would NOT realize your intentions on this particular matter. Its not going to offend him if you buy a test kit and keep it in your medicine cabinet! There is NO LOGICAL REASON for you to need to borrow MINE all the time. They cost like six bucks, and they fit in a purse." Cagalli snorted her amusement, and took a big bite of ice cream. "I mean, sure, maybe the clerk might sell the story to the tabloids and you'll have to deal with seeing your picture and Kira's all over the checkout line with all sorts of scandalous and completely stupid captions... but really, its gonna happen sooner or later, once you're successful and you start showing the physical signs. Might as well get it over with!"

"That's the thing though." Lacus spoke up, quietly. "We haven't BEEN successful, Cagalli. And maybe you don't realize it, since you aren't trying yourself yet... but it's a very emotionally charged process, for both of us. Its starting to look like it might not BE possible, if you catch my drift, which gives me all SORTS of bad feelings, and completely murders Kira, even though its not even CLOSE to being his fault. The last thing I need is for the media to catch wind, and start wondering why nothing's coming of it, placing MORE stress on Kira and I, or worse, for Kira to see all the negative tests, and start blaming himself... I'm not sure HOW, but we both know he WILL... which I certainly don't need to deal with either. Out of sight, most definitely out of mind, on this matter."

"Well its NOT like you both don't have a lot of time... you're barely twenty three! Why the rush to have kids? Both of you have got VERY long lives ahead of you, and Corodinators can have children pretty much throughout their lives!" Cagalli protested.

"My ICD results came back inconclusive. Is it better to find out for sure NOW, or when I'm actually racing a biological clock?" Lacus retorted. "Besides, I AM twenty three, which on the PLANTS would mean that I've been an independent adult for nearly eight years now, and of legal childbearing age for five. Most 2nd or later generation Coordinators get married by the time they are eighteen or nineteen, and have children, if possible for them, by twenty one or earlier. I know that's pretty young here on Earth, but that's the culture I was raised in... I've been almost prudish, by the standards I'm used to. Ask Athrun if you don't believe me."

"Yeah. Like I need to give Athrun MORE reasons to want to have sex. Its disruptive enough to my daily schedule as it is."

"That's not how he tells it..."

"Do you want to use this test kit of mine or not?"

"I had no idea he was so demanding. How surprising."

"That's better. Slightly." Cagalli relented. "Oh, very well. You know where it is. Honestly though, you CAN'T keep doing this forever. Eventually someone's going to find out. And then you can be PERFECTLY normal, and buy the damn kits yourself."

"Thank you. It really means a lot to me." Lacus replied, with relief in her voice. Something caught in her mind though. "You know... if you're not trying to get pregnant, given the quality of modern birth control, and how conscientious Athrun is... why do you even HAVE a pregnancy test kit?"

"I think you should leave while you're ahead."

"I know about your secret ice cream habit."

"Yeah. Walk that path. I dare you to try and blackmail me." Cagalli gave Lacus a level gaze. "I'd have Athrun back under my thumb in a matter of days, and then it would be woe betide you. I am not above leaking stories to the press. The people deserve to know when major political and public figures will be taking extended medical absences due to maternity, after all. Remember, Lacus, you can't out nasty me. When other people get mean, I get personal. What's the WORST thing you could do... write an uncomplimentary pop song about me being a bitch? It would NOT surprise ninety percent of politicians everywhere, and the remaining ten percent would be wishing for stronger language."

"I can definitely see why you made Athrun your ambassador."

"I hear that ALL the time."

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