Even as victors are selected, there are many who chose not to submit to their greatest falls. Just as there are those who attempt to avoid being subject to the consequences of their actions, there are those who are more than eager to reap what they have sown. Where many see an ending, the strongest see their defeat as a reason to struggle for the cause that is most important to them. Such has been the nature of humans since the dawn of war. It is for those who live to witness history that such defiance is judged. The year is After Colony 225. This principle remains unshaken.
Episode 56: The Face of a False Hope
Out of reflex he ordered, "Fire!" At the order the gun fired towards the nearest Sol Thero unit. The blast was wider than the usual shot but didn't initially damage the gun barrel. It was after a few seconds of maintaining the blast the gun showed a small sign of overheating before it exploded. From the damage done he saw the Leo III unit had its right arm completely blown off with a quarter of its main body leaving the pilot inside visible. Oleg wasn't concerned about the shot when he called to the pilot, "Hey! You alright?"
His screen responded when the pilot answered, "I'm... kay. ... ems like it... won... hand..."
Oleg warned the rest of the squad, "It's a onetime shot. Whatever you do, don't hold those things."
The shot made its way across the area while the Sol Thero units progressed to their destination. Due to their programming determining the enemy units weren't worth their time they hadn't considered the shot possible. It was a mistake that one of them couldn't make a second time when the shot managed to surpass the planet defensor shield and blast off its Gatling gun arm. It was in this moment when struck unit began to process the sudden information. 'Enemy fire confirmed. Detriment to overall objective.' The Zero System quickly calculated the squadron's next move, 'Remainder of squad resume progress.'
Oleg saw the unit making its way from the group when he warned, "I think it's getting attention alright. Might have evened the odds at least."
One of the other pilots saw Sol Thero unit was on its way towards the city. He remembered Tano was probably waiting for his first chance to attack one of them. He contacted him warning, "Lieutenant. I think that thing is headed your way."
Tano got the call, "Thanks!" He waited for the Sol Thero to get closer as he hid to ambush. Once the Mobile Doll was beside him he spring into action, first disabling the right arm with his extended claw. He then activated his beam spear with his left hand to finish it off and did so after it touched the reactor. The mobile doll exploded but the Anaconda was unscathed. "Lieutenant Kiprotich here, Are there any more left?" He asked.
One of the Leo III unit pilots saw the explosion from a distance and knew the outcome for the battle as soon as he saw the other arm of the Sol Thero flew off. "He's got it!"
Oleg swiped his forehead when he heard the news, "Thank god." He heard Tano request the news on the Sol Theros before he began a radar sweep of the area. "Should be... Negative. Looks like they've moved out." He reported when the signal of the Sol Thero units moved out of the radar range.
One of the pilots decided to fall back on an earlier theory brought up, "Moved out? Guess they weren't interested in us then."
Another one of the pilots was confused about the idea asking, "What Earth Sphere operation moves in without an intention of completely wiping out its enemies?"
Oleg began to give a suggestion, "We'll probably only be able to find-" In another moment there was another explosion from a distance away. "What was that just now?"
One of the pilots showed her confusion when she asked, "No clue. The enemy shouldn't even be nearby."
Another one asked, "Must be more of our guys. You don't think they're already headed into the Poland installments do you?"
One of the pilots knew the inevitable outcome reminding, "If they are they probably aren't going to last long."
Oleg gave an urgent warning to the remaining forces, "We've got to move out and warn our superiors. If these things are collectively this powerful our Eastern European hold is screwed over." He contacted another pilot asking, "Can we at least pick up their possible destination?"
After a brief period Oleg received his answer. "If they're headed south then Poland is the most likely destination."
Oleg decided that now was the best time to move out for another engagement with the mobile suits when he ordered, "Prepare to move in. We have to get within range and warn them." Slowly but surely the notion of giving orders had come to him. "I'll still have to make sure I have the leadership necessary for times like these. Kiprotich is my superior anyway." He said to himself. The remaining Leo III units prepared to move out before Oleg suggested to the engineer, "McNeil, see if you can use any of the remaining unit wreckage for ourselves. Some of it should be salvageable."
Kieran signaled the engineers to get started with finding salvage. "Aye Private." He replied. "We can't expect much though. Usually the insides of the best weapons are burned up." He got on a jeep himself to join the search after he disconnected.
Tano surveyed the damages brought upon by his foe. He had a flash of memory on how he was fighting something similar during the battle in Luna. "Weren't they from Luna?" He thought. He went through the settings of the Anaconda to the footages of combat. He brought it back to the newest battle in memory. The enemy did look strikingly similar to the ones he remembered in Luna. He searched to find records back to the mobile suit's first sortie and his guess was confirmed. Before the previous pilot was killed by the Uriel there were silhouettes of the Mobile Suits, matching the recent footage.
Oleg confirmed Kieran's operation when he rallied, "Good to know. Let's head out."
One of the pilots furthest from the hangar asked, "What's our nearest location for our guys out there?"
Oleg took a look through the radar map and answered, "Looks like Braniewo is the next area. Let's hope we're fast enough." As the search began the units would find themselves attempting to catch up with the Sol Thero units for a good majority of the day.
Donna found herself not sleeping on the crates anymore and on a comfortable bed with pastel coloured blankets. She looked around the room to find where she was but it looked like her room in the Lindemann estate. She went out and the corridor familiar with her brother's bedrooms and the staircase to the atrium. The light from the glass ceiling was shining on her as she was taking the stairs down.
She found the living room and gasped at what she saw. Her mother was there as if she wasn't shot and aged since the photograph she held. Her father was there also looking much happier than she remembered with his beard shaven. "Hi, mother?" She started the conversation awkwardly.
Griselda Lindemann looked at her daughter. "Donna you must have had a long night if you slept that much." She responded. "It's already 10am in the morning."
Donna saw how her father was laughing it off. She was surprised that her father was lenient at all. A radio broadcasted news from the world with nothing on the war. The closest thing to bad news would be an industrial accident in Singapore. "Isn't there anything on the war?" She asked curiously.
Lord Lindemann laughed with what his daughter said. "Nonsense." He shrugged off. "We haven't had a war since the Mariemeia Rebellion. You must've been dreaming."
Donna walked to her apparently alive mother. "And I thought you died." She began. "And your death made our family miserable."
Her mother smiled. "It's okay." She replied. "I'll always be watching over you."
Ermes found Donna asleep. He would want to leave her alone but leaving for their next mission forced him to wake her up. "You need to wake up Donna." He said as he shook her reluctantly.
Donna woke up and realized she was either dreaming of a world never achieved or a nightmare on what could've happened. When she got off the crates, she realized she had a sore back but managed to hide her expression of it from Ermes.
"Sorry for waking you up that way." He apologized. "But we will have to sortie out soon."
Donna hid her emotions. "Okay." She responded back. "I'll get ready then." They both got out of the dark part of the hanger to get prepared.
Donna didn't speak during the drive back, worrying Ermes further. Once they returned to the hangar, she returned Ermes's jacket back before getting off.
Instructor W saw Donna return with her hair partially wet. "Hey Donna!" He shouted while waving at her. "I need you to test the system-" He noticed that Donna was not in the mood to reply. He chose to let her go. He instead walked to Ermes. "Hi Ermes, any idea why Donna became all quiet?" He asked.
Ermes got his jacket back on before explaining. "We found out who killed Lady Lindemann." He answered.
"It turned out to be Ulbricht under Kecker's orders under all those years."
The Instructor didn't expect the answer. "So that's why she was quiet." He realized the harsh truth.
"Should I try to get her back?" He asked.
"I think it's something she needs to get over herself." He explained. He could relate to her despair when he lost his mother, father and some of his sisters years ago. He also remembered how Donna was quiet and reserved when he moved to the Lindemann estate five years ago. He thought he could encourage her to be more active when Lord Lindemann neglected her to focus on the war. He could only hope that Donna can get better.
Mercurio heard Instructor W and agreed, "Sounds right. At least we should hope we're given the time to permit her rest." He still had his concern when he offered his regret, "It's one thing to lose loved ones, but finding out the truth behind their fate is something that will challenge anyone."
Dana shook her head at the news, "Damn. Sounds like a lot more happened than we expected."
Gawel heard this conversation starting before asking, "Another one of our military leaders is out of commission?"
"Yeah. Another one. Damnit, why couldn't he have been in place of General Carmine or de Lombard?"
Roy answered, "He didn't need to. Guess the recent events before he remembered the deduction Mercurio had made."
Nasir answered his question, "You think either of those guys were any better? They were willing to follow Coalition orders instead of trying to go back on them and support our leaders. How would that look on them if they survived?"
Mercurio reminded him of the vacuum answering, "We'd at least have someone in the Earth Sphere military ranks to look up to. We've hardly got anyone left at this point."
Dana reminded, "Yeah. We're forced to look out for our own now. We stuck together for this long, we can hold out for another few missions." Her remaining soldiers would need more than this to get back into a fighting spirit, but at least now she could guess that everyone was able to tolerate their new lodging. "Finish up any last adjustments you need done. We're going back on regular scheduled training tomorrow morning." She dismissed.
The remaining pilots did their best to maintain professional with only a few groaning but still adding to the chorus of, "Yes sir."
Mercurio saw Dafina among their ranks and knew he would only have to fight alongside his niece from now on. He introduced her, "It's good to have you on our side Dafina… I'm sorry we didn't take your warnings into any serious consideration."
Dafina nodded to his apology, "It's understandable. You are part of a fellowship of loyal soldiers who believe in their nation. I didn't want to hurt Ermes either. If I had succeeded on the Mediterranean though, I could never return home."
Mercurio hoped to steer away from the details when he offered, "I'll just hope we don't have to force ourselves into another duel over ideologies. The Tallgeese will have its best moments ahead of it I'm sure."
Dafina agreed, "Hopefully you are right."
It was early in the morning while Dafina was preparing to search through her files. Before she could begin, she heard her communicator signaling from her breast pocket. She saw Barra's name and knew it was time for a report. She opened the device asking, "Has the confiscation on General Ulbricht been finished?"
Barra's voice answered, "The items have been taken. I can confirm that there is one item he was more lenient surrendering however. From what was taken I have seen that he did not wish to part with a small piece of paper with a few holes. There must have been some importance behind it."
Before Dafina thought to ask her next question she remembered something of the Lindemann Assassination file Mercurio had searched through yesterday. For anyone the square of letters and numbers seemed nonsense but from the paper's description she had a brief moment of wonder. "Devine, could you please submit a copy of the piece?"
A few seconds passed before a filed showed up on Dafina's computer with his confirmation, "It has now been submitted."
She sat down while reminding, "Keep me updated with the status of the executive branch. I have to find out more about this."
"Of course." The signal vanished while Barra signed off. Dafina saw the copy arrive on her screen and noticed the Earth Sphere insignia among the square holes. She reached for the Lindemann file and slipped out the square to check the characters selected.
Dafina thought to herself. "He might be on to something…" By the time the checking was done she found the two rows of character spelling two different things. The top one read EXECLIN06 while the bottom one read GRAFIN. "This must be something for the Executive Office." Dafina realized.
Dafina entered Malcolm's newly acquired office requesting, "Mr. President. I may have some information in regards to the Lindemann case."
Malcolm was naturally curious when he asked, "Further? Do you have anything in speculation?"
"I will have to find out."
He sighed before resigning himself to the request. He showed signs of hoping to break away from work for a while when he agreed, "Very well. See what you can find."
As soon as Dafina entered the username and password into the system she didn't find anything out of place other than a single video file. Deciding now was the time to discover its contents she double clicked the icon. The video began with a middle-aged man in the same executive office as the Earth Sphere Building's greeting "Good afternoon Mr. President."
A sizable man on the President's seat welcomed back, "We are in a secure area Franz. We shall continue the discussion as it is."
"Of course Neil. I have received word from our superiors on the recent mission to Prussia from Major Klaus Ulbricht. Lady Lindemann has been assassinated as planned."
"Truly regrettable the greater good must play out this way. We will be able to draw a hand when the Coalition prepares its hands in the coming years. He will have the motivation and I will begin cleaning up my old mess."
"Assuming that Madame Falson and her followers will take the course of preparing for an invasion."
"Her resolve can only be counted second to Madame Yuy from a decade ago. And she has the old mobile suit blueprints to prepare for a war. She only needs to decide where to stage her operations and how long this action will take."
"It will still be a long time before the final plan can move forward into effect."
As Dana saw the video play from the screen she asked, "So it's confirmed then. One of our old Presidents was also setting up the stage?"
Dafina agreed, "It would seem so. I couldn't believe that Kecker was the only one behind the strings and this confirms it."
"Last I remember Goslin was supposed to still be alive right?"
"He has been retired for the past 11 years in his hometown of Dover in England."
Dana sat up from her chair as she prepared for the announcement asking, "Guess Ulbricht was sitting on a sweet spot. We got him on our hit list?"
Dafina handed Dana a document with Malcolm's signature answering, "Your next mission Captain."
The remaining members of the Rogue Wings had gathered before the hangar entrance to hear their new mission as Dana explained, "Here's our requested mission from the President. We found out that former President Neil Goslin has some extra information to share with the Earth Sphere. As much as getting scooped into the next conflict is our big goal, we are not sweeping in to shoot this place up. Above everything else make sure we take back Goslin alive and in for questioning."
Cinzia was the first to point out the choice, "It's great to be out on the field again Cap, but there's a reason our squad out of everything is being picked right?"
"We've received reports from General Neustadt that possible enemy forces made their way through Pasewalk." Dana answered.
Gawel was confused when he asked, "Possible enemy forces? What other forces try to make their way through one of our own territories by force?"
"Ones that take out a patrol group without any discrimination. We received this new last night and it's pretty safe to assume they might be headed towards some of our military installations near the capital. It's probably not a Testudo but it's going to be something dangerous and we'll have to prepare for it. This will be a four hour round trip for us and we have to make it quick as we can. You guys ready to pull off another mission?"
There was at least some preparation when the squadron answered, "Yes sir."
"We'll be heading up to Dover to revitalize our numbers with some newbies. Be back here in the next half hour when the next carrier is ready to drop us off. Dismissed."
Donna heard Captain Dana's debriefing from a distance. She felt like avoiding people like how she used to. She had enough of the day found a stack of crates she can sleep on. The Gundam pilot undid the keffiyeh and made it into a blanket. "So war the war was a whole lie?" She asked herself before passing out.
Instructor W found her after half an hour. "It was a rough day especially for her." He whispered as he left her alone.
Till remained restless than ever. "I'll speak to Blare next." He ordered a guard. "He's another person I need to speak with." Traitors are what he abhors the most but he needs to give one traitor from the other side a chance. He looked at his watch impatiently before returning to Stuart. "Confiscate all of Ulbricht's possessions." He told him. "He may be hiding more."
As Edward waited in his holding room he continued to plot for what move he could make. Before he had an opportunity to decide upon a plan, one of the guards entered ordering, "Edward Blare. Lord Lindemann wishes to speak with you."
Standing to prepare for the new meeting Edward agreed, "Of course. Please lead the way." He recognized a chance to earn his new leader's favor when it presented itself and would choose to hold back on his more subtle approaches for now. He followed the guard down the hallway and saw Hyrum escorting alongside Lord Lindemann's guards. He made an attempt at creating a lighter atmosphere when he pointed out, "Much has certainly been achieved today hasn't it? These new leaders are fortunate to have the initiative of moving past what Mr. Kecker has done."
Hyrum didn't permit him to take credit for the day when he answered, "That is what has united us. If luck has played any part today it's because you've managed to show more value to us alive."
Edward was quick to agree with his new allegiance, "Yes. I would see that as the truth." He was shown into the meeting room with OZ's new leader and his assistant. He determined the safest distance from his host when he prepared to approach the meeting. He greeted, "Lord Lindemann. You called for me?"
Till signaled Edward to sit down. Once he sat down, he began. "Mister Blare, you have shown some value." He spoke. "From what I heard you were the one that played in important role of exposing Ulbricht as a traitor and saving my daughter. I am a man of honor and I will have to reward you accordingly. I will have you promoted to more than a prisoner and into the role of an 'allied officer.' You will become part of my retinue from now on and I am interested in hear more on the skeletons in the closet of this war." Having him in his retinue would allow him to observe more of that strange man.
When Edward sat down, he listened to what the Lord had to offer. Upon immediate evaluation it seemed things were going his way for the moment. "Your recognition is much appreciated. I hadn't anticipated being forced to participate so soon. But at the very least we have maintained our number of Gundam pilots." On the last note he noticed he would be able to offer something. "Ah secrets is it? Unfortunately, I have only been a lowly General for the past four years so I cannot offer war changing information."
He reminded himself of his days as Colonel when he explained, "I believe both of us can agree based on what little we have seen of the former President that Hermine Falson was almost as much of an idealistic detractor as the Earth Sphere's Founding Lady. Me and several other Generals had the same feeling Lord Lindemann. Not only for her, but we came to realize this of the Falson Doctrine when placed in practice."
He stood when he began to give emphasis to the current situation, "The Falsons were weaklings. Oh they could rally for a cause but they did not have the means or ambition to see the proper methods taken to discard conflict among even their own allies. Strong leadership is the only answer to quelling personal ambitions while those same ambitions are what drive us to battle to begin with. The Earth is a sizable prize to claim even in our age but finding the proper pillars of labor to maintain one's own reign over it is the most vital decision. Filling the vacuum left by the leaders of weak however, that is what separates the short-sighted from the great." He looked out the window as he concluded, "If played correctly, this could be an advantage well worth investing. But of course, the end of the war is our foremost concern. I promise to do everything within what resources I am given to end it."
Till listened to what Edward said. "I was fooled into believing that the Coalition was responsible for my wife's death." He replied. "Turned out it was a way to make me loyal and contribute to the war." He thought for a moment. "For my wife death indirectly allowed for the construction of the Gundams however, they may become the avatars of her vengeance when we see Kecker again." He returned to Blare. "I hope for our unity to last long unlike the Falsons." He expressed.
Till recognized the point Edward made about the weakness of the Falsons before confessing, "I must admit that I am unfortunately not any more ambitious than the Falsons were. They were a political dynasty that hoped to achieve greatness for the good of all humanity as they would claim. This conflict began out of the spite of two leaders how were unable to see eye to eye on certain matters. They needed men who would agree to answer such a call and we answered it by rallying to their sides. I am uncertain of what sort of man you are Edward Blare. But both of us were once soldiers who believed in something greater to stand for. To this very hour, I still hold the idea that a united humanity is concurrent with a united Earth. I am a soldier still however and would not even imagine the thought of a task as demanding as being a leader."
Edward agreed, "There do need to be men who serve as soldiers to press their ambitions forward. Ideally the ideas that drive them both forward of course that may not be any more difficult to embrace entirely given the recent course of events."
Till paused before answering, "Men such as us who stand for an ideal have a responsibility to uphold what we first held on to."
Edward observed, "Given the reports of your resourcefulness and ambition, I would imagine that you would have been just as dedicated to the Coalition if things had played out in our favor."
Till solemnly nodded, "I imagine that I would have considered it. I still uphold the ideals of Treize Khushrenada and that the Earth was utilizing the wrong forward thinking to uniting humanity. And for a period, it seemed that its leaders would prove my point. But in the end my personal situation was what caused me to determine that the Coalition was in the wrong."
Edward thanked, "Even being willing to take me into your custody I must commend you for being as forward as you have been with what brought you here."
Till agreed, "Indeed I have met few men who would ever attempt to flatter me with hearing my reasoning."
Nasir was among the pilots who walked in to see the Uriel's new armor when he asked, "So it seems like we might be ready in case the Coalition decided it hasn't taken enough hits?"
Keijo turned to confirm, "Based on what we know we have to worry about the colonies getting out of control. It's safe to say that a lot of their people aren't going to be happy to see victory upended this way."
Roy entered, "Yeah. If only they knew how shitty our current situation was."
Donna turned to see Roy when she told him, "I understand we lost a few pilots out there but we went in knowing that we wouldn't come out unscathed."
Dana agreed, "We were fortunate to come out with as few as we did and even getting here the way we did."
Roy stepped forward when he asked, "And was Trenton really worth sacrificing out there? Did he die just so we could get a proper surrender and nothing else? Let alone us taking in a prisoner who caused more trouble than she should have been allowed to?"
Nasir told Roy, "Hey I miss Trenton already too, it's not something to get all bitchy over. Let's just be glad we aren't all being sent to an execution."
Roy stepped towards the location of the Gundam pilots when he told them, "I sure as hell did not come all this way to hear about how weak we were. Yuy, you are not telling me that you never had the guts to live up to your promise are you?"
Mercurio slammed his hands-on a nearby table when he heard this question. He hoped he wouldn't have to hear this question, but he couldn't muster an immediate answer. His head remained hung low when he answered, "I never wanted to kill more than was necessary. I never even wanted to see a day where this would be brought up."
Donna was curious when she asked, "What sort of promise are you talking about?"
Dana added, "And why the hell is this a matter that is so important to be discussed this openly?"
Nasir and Pascal made their way to Roy's side when Pascal said, "Hey it is not worth getting upset over. He came, he saw, he crushed these shitheads to a pulp right?"
Roy spat at the question, "This kid is supposed to be offering us no mercy for the enemy and we allow the bitch who came close to destroying us to live and have a chance to redeem herself while she's at it?"
Mercurio answered in the chaos, "I did it because I'm supposed to be better than this!"
Everyone's head turned as they saw Mercurio lift himself up and answer, "Having everyone killed just because of their allegiance is not how we're supposed to prove ourselves as being better than them."
Donna asked, "You made a promise to kill Dafina the next time you saw her? You were truly that dedicated?"
Dana spoke next when she told Roy, "I think the choice was pretty clear when we're faced with it. Either redeem ourselves to the eyes of the human race or your idea of how we're supposed to keep surviving one day at a time."
Fredric was surprised by how things continued to develop when he asked, "With all due respect captain, is it really proper protocol to keep accusing someone this way?"
Dana answered, "It's because I value him as a soldier that I don't want to see him degenerate into a trigger-happy moron."
Roy told them "I'm still here and yeah you're right! These dumbasses who dragged this war out for so long deserve to be shot down in one giant explosion that consumes all of them! That's the least I deserve to see after all of this is done! There should be none of them left! You were supposed to be the guy who would do that Yuy!"
Roy had fallen to his knees as he gave his accusations while Belle and Nasir watched over him before Nasir told Dana, "Honest to God I had no idea Roy here was this far off the deep end."
Dana told the three pilots, "This march was hard on all of us. I didn't expect all of us would be able to come out the same person we were. But if Gilliam here can't keep himself from losing his shit, I guess I have no choice but to keep him grounded for a little while."
Roy was about to throw a fit of rage before he stopped himself and slammed both of his hands to the ground before offering in response, "As long as that's the worst of it sir."
Nasir and Pascal helped Roy to his feet as Pascal told Dana, "We're going to keep an eye on him."
Mercurio was lightly relieved to see Roy was no longer in the hangar but found himself having a hard time meeting with Donna's eyes. He wasn't immediately able to determine what was bothering her before asking her, "I didn't disturb your observations have I?"
Donna shook her head when she answered, "You had every intention to kill Dafina. I… I honestly should have been able to accept that."
Dana backed away from the conversation when she told Keijo and Gawel, "These two are a bit more of a special case."
Gawel agreed, "I'd rather avoid another chapter of this soap."
Keijo agreed, "This is a solo kind of mission anyway."
As Mercurio and Donna were left to themselves, Mercurio told her, "I had no idea that I would face someone I should have valued more than I did. I never would have thought I would have thoughts like those."
Donna told him, "And I can understand why you would. My issue is the fact that you made this promise… to him." Mercurio recognized promise to Roy that Donna was referring to before Donna added, "He was the one who tried to kill you at Tahat. And you're willing to trust him all this way and trust his word as if it were important to you? I thought you were stronger than that. You stood up to men in power and yet someone the same rank as you is able to determine the very nature of your character. How am I supposed to believe that you are a proper soldier to trust if you're so easily shaken?"
Mercurio paused as he tried to find an answer. He told her, "I had a moment of weakness that I have to own up to. I still want us to maintain our trust we should have with each other as soldiers though. From now on the only instinct I can trust are my own and I will not be swayed by the wishes of others. Right now that is the only sort of promise I can offer."
Donna saw the sincerity Mercurio offered before telling him, "It's nice to see the you I came to respect still be there. I was honestly worried that you were completely gone."
Mercurio agreed, "It's an easy thing to say. For all I know I could be too late to demonstrate any action reflecting my intention. I just don't want this to be the sort of day that forces us to lose our trust with one another."
Donna turned to see the work on the Sandesgeist Trabant being completed before telling him, "I can accept us being fellow soldiers to the end." She walked over to her Gundam and left Mercurio to himself as he was made to reflect on the consequences of the revelation. He remembered the advances that Donna made as she came closer and closer to Ermes than she normally would have anyone else. All of it happened when he was present and he couldn't find any situation where it would have been right for him to expect some attention.
"I really have been less than an ideal soldier. I let myself become something I didn't want to be. And now I have to see what I've wrought."
Donna found a nearby bench and sat herself down as she tried to process the weakened foundations Mercurio had about himself. She thought she would have solitude for herself but heard Zachariah greeted, "Hey Donna. Come to see the progress?"
Donna leaned against the wall of the Sandesgeist platform when she confirmed, "Right now it would be ideal. It would be a lot more simple than what we've had going around right now."
Ludwika appeared next to Zachariah when she observed, "It sure sounds like Roy's rantings must have rustled you a little more than you would have liked."
Donna asked, "So you heard all of that?"
Ludwika confirmed, "Who couldn't with how much of a racket he made? Honestly wish he could just take Suchart as a drinking buddy. He'd shut up more and he would probably be more productive. The two might even find solace with one another for all I know."
Cinzia showed up when she asked, "You aren't saying those two…"
Ludwika cut her off, "I said "for all I know." I haven't even seen the two of them in the same room that often."
Donna told the three pilots, "It's great that you're all concerned, but unlike some people I've just never been swayed by what happens around me. I haven't been challenged even to this day and I probably won't be. Whatever comes to pass I honestly just don't want it to be a burden for our future operations."
Cinzia commented, "It was kind of shitty that Mercurio was played the way he was. Was he that much different a while back though?"
Donna answered, "I believed he was. The day I met him he seemed to be so full of hope and determination. He had an air of optimism that I believed I wouldn't find in an Earth such as this one. Even now though all I see is him revealing to be human just as anyone else."
Ludwika pointed out, "That's a little unrealistic to expect don't you think? People who aren't killed are always going to be coming out of a war completely changed. Granted you don't exactly get that concept until you actually see it happen, but it's something that a lot of us had to come to grips with before."
Donna confirmed, "You're right. It's something I should have known and expected. It's really just a point that I never thought would be so inconsequential to me. It's something that I hoped would be able to handle others doing. As of right now, there are very few people who I could depend on to see any real hope seen from." She stood up as she left the three pilots to themselves hoping to find some solitude.
Cinzia determined, "It seems like we must be too used to a routine of engaging in conflict to feel anything but being this hollow. Hell, I'm not sure what we're upgrading the Gundams a second time for if the Coalition is planning to surrender."
Ludwika told them, "I think if we want to find out we'll have to see what the parliament has planned. I just hope we didn't enable anything the Coalition may have called us out for."
Zachariah agreed, "The pilots could probably all go renegade again if it meant a reveal like that happened."
Cinzia agreed, "I would have thought they had that in mind. Now we got ourselves a few new guys to add as well and the pressure is probably only going to get harder from here. It almost seems as if everyone here is a push away from being an emotional wreck. What do you think we're about to be sent through next?"
Zachariah answered, "Probably something we can't even imagine. Whatever Franz has in mind or whoever is carrying him off this planet strong enough that he decided he would do something on his own."
They heard Gawel enter, "You guys are sure optimistic aren't you?"
Ludiwka turned to recognize him when she asked, "I take it you have your own theory about the president's disappearance?"
Gawel confirmed, "You heard all that talk about the Sol Invictus that's been revealed right? The sad thing is that we are probably going to see someone have his hands on a giant death machine and he wants to control the whole human race from there. If even one guy does something he doesn't like, he'll have a giant beam of solar energy to wipe out everyone he doesn't like."
Zachariah considered the threat, "That is a scenario. The sad thing is that we really only have the worst-case scenario to consider if we're going to stay ready for what he does next. So, what do you say guys? You think staying on as support for these guys?"
Ludwika told him, "Well just have to see if the parliament is on our side or not. I wasn't hoping to seen as part of a military contractor. But right now, it's the only way we can have a shot at seeing justice be achieved."
Gawel added, "In an ideal situation our leaders this new OZ should be a should be a more stable few than how shaken our parliament has been."
Malcolm found the current situation of the Earth Sphere forces to be discouraging when he heard the report from Marcel. He asked for the confirmation, "You are certain that we do not have any other resources than those who have already been lost? All of our remaining forces have been concentrated to this one area near the capital?"
Marcel confirmed, "We have a smaller reserve force in Quebec City still waiting for further orders, but the toll this war has taken is truly showing us as being strained on our resolve. Our men will be the only ones left to stand against any remaining threats should the Coalition determine peace talks are not to their benefit. The only assurance we can take from this is the destruction of a great deal of the Coalition force s in the same timeframe. Our understanding confirms that Edward Blare is the last general to be forced on to an offensive to our capital. There is an occupation in North America, but Lord Lindemann has been able to confirm that the Coalition's hold is waning even now."
Malcolm added, "And Baron Stuarts forces are currently under their own agenda in Britain. If this OZ we have associated ourselves with proves to our advantage, we may have no choice but to recognize them as a brand of our forces as Lord Lindemann has suggested."
Marcel agreed, "We have been forced into an unfortunate ultimatum, but doing so will recognize that some of their current members are given the chance to find a degree of asylum. Many will still recognize Edward Blare as the man who held the capital of the Earth Sphere at gunpoint."
Malcolm looked over the updated report of Edward included into the ranks of OZ when he agreed, "It will be an unfortunate between me and the population of Earth. Unfortunately, it is only something I once we have sent ourselves through the next potential disaster that may come."
He raised his view back to Marcel when he instructed, "Discover if Baron Stuart's forces can be reminded to form on our current position. We will require what support remains."
Marcel accepted, "Ideally we should be prepared to answer which ever call we are presented with. I will report every update that develops."
Malcolm nodded as Marcel left the room to resume his duties as his new position as general. Before he resumed his duties, he saw Barra enter his room to greet, "I hope I am not interrupting Mr. President."
Malcolm greeted, "Not at all Barra. Some of us have wondered what we would inquire of you or if you had anything of value to answer for the president on."
Barra confirmed, "I did have to ensure that all of the information processed without any interference. The trials were important to solidifying our new position to this war after all. Although the leniency you have towards instructing the new OZ to handle the files of two particular prisoners is most worrisome."
Maclolm agreed, "Being able to take decisive action has been a problem due to the balance we are forced to follow. Indeed, I must ask myself if there is an alternative course of action I ought to have pursued."
Barra made his way to Malcolm's desk when he told him, "That's why I hope to warn you about allowing Edward Blare to be among the ranks of OZ. You are allowing a man of mighty ambition to be introduced to our numbers. And I do not warn you of a man who could potentially expose us to the blunt of the Coalition's strength either."
Malcolm gave his attention when he asked, "You say that you know what sort of character Edward Blare is? A man whose ambitions do not coalesce with those of our own?"
"Most assuredly. The day I met him many years ago, I assumed that he was simply a man who would think highly of himself and little more. I t has been long after that day however that he came within a hairs grasp of achieving the first steps of his desire. He stated himself that he wanted to grasp hold of this Earth himself if he ever had the chance. I could only guess that made him lose the opportunity before, but he is about to be in another safe spot where he can achieve his greater plot in another way."
"Your argument may hold merit. If his intention was to save us, he had in opportunity very early on. And yet we have no indication of how he might have attempted anything until after the arrival of Nathaniel Falson. Unfortunately, the number of witnesses we have surrounding his situation at the time is rather limited."
"That is why I must implore that you try to find a way that Edward is placed under the same containment as Klaus is now. We have no room to allow for this man to exercise his ambitions."
"It is regrettable that I currently have my hands tied on this matter Barra. OZ is autonomous of our influence. It is entirely the decision of the leadership to decide how their own prisoners are treated."
"It is unfortunate that you would say so. If the worst does come, we will have further bloodshed within our ranks to deal with."
"And acting preemptively will cause the current leaders to assume we have no desire to align with OZ. The faction that all of the Gundam pilots have declared their loyalty to."
Barra accepted the reasoning before asking, "You believe that the OZ leaders will be willing to hear out my warning then? Rest assured that I have no intention to reveal the current stand you have about your current allegiance with them."
Malcolm shook his head, "I believe that they already know of our current dealing. Should they choose to listen to you or have your warning dismissed is purely their choice. I am sorry that I cannot offer more beyond that."
Barra agreed, "I appreciate that you are willing to hear this Malcolm." He walked out of Malcolm's room as he evaluated the state of his actions.
He saw Dafina waiting for him as she greeted, "Was his answer as you feared?"
Barra confirmed, "He has no intention of acting upon such warnings. I must hear from you; however, did you hear anything from Edward implying that he would even consider something as drastic as the destruction of all leaders in one blow?"
"Unfortunately, there is still only the incident where Bertram Stephens had him arrested under the accusation of him as the one who had such plans. If it is true however it does raise the question of if he hoped to regain his chance at victory after General Vasquez captured him or if Bertram was in fact simply hoping to usurp the leaderships gathered here without any casualties."
"I believed that everyone in the parliament has taken that into consideration. The fact that the ammunition has been removed and currently unaccounted for at the Testudo wreckage. I cannot readily accept the idea that Bertram would have such intentions if he was the one who had such plans."
"Unfortunately Bertram was always a quiet one. He would always be alongside Edward but was usually the one who simply reiterated his orders. As of right now the only account we have is that of his men and himself. I don't know if he can be trusted however, assuming your portrayal of who he is would be the most accurate one."
"That's what I was afraid would be the situation. You knew him for many years and yet you were never able to confirm his ambition as being anything more than a loyal soldier to the Coalition?"
"If I had learned such developments then I would have warned of such words long ago."
"There is a great deal of circumstance that we have to account for. But while we currently have our period of a standstill, we must see that he is prevented from having a chance to act upon his true intentions."
"If Lord Lindemann and his supporters will allow it we may have a chance at discovering his intentions or at least his side of the story."
Edward entered the meeting room Till and Andrew had set up while Susanne and Celso walked by his side. He saw the two men waiting for him as he greeted, "I do hope that I can continue to be of service Lord Lindemann. Your decision to incorporate my men is a most wise one that will most assuredly make OZ a formidable force. They will still require the time to be organized into a proper fighting force."
Till confirmed, "I have heard nothing but worthwhile progress that your men have made Mr. Blare. I have recently discovered some important information at two informants consider to be of the utmost importance." He gestured towards Dafina and Barra to confirm their presence before telling him, "From what common sense would tell me and what these two have informed us both your men would require an amount of absolute loyalty in order to see you as a more compelling man to align with than that of any man in the Coalition. It is the only way that they will be willing to remove their allegiance after being defeated isn't it?"
Edward confirmed, "It is how the Coalition worked for asking as it was formed. Primarily it would be of individuals who would rally men from the colonies to their side. It would be done so because they believed in that man's reason to correct every issue that the Earth Sphere was attempting to accomplish."
Andrew told him, "That is what we were afraid would be the case. We don't have the time to inquire each and every one of the new recruits, but we do have a reason to be concerned that they have loyalty to you not first, but only."
Till added, "I believe that you can understand why it is that we would have concerns such as these. Particularly when we have one individual who claims that you are more than what you have led us to believe."
Edward confirmed, "Barra has warned you of my youth did he? Well things od become more complicated when the issues of adulthood become more evident."
Andrew asked, "So you had a gut feeling that Barra here would call you out for something you said long ago. I do hope that you are psychic to be able to recognize that concern. The only other possibility could be that you are anxious to try and shoot down any concerns we have about a potential betrayal."
Edward told him, "The truth is that it was the last time I ever saw Barra that I told him what my intentions were. It was years ago even before the Eve Wars erupted. I had the intention to join OZ and he believed he could do better changing the Earth Sphere Alliance from within. At the time I had hopes that I might rise high in the ranks of the organization at the time. Potentially being recognized by Treize Khushrenada himself as a worthy companion."
Till observed, "It was an ambition that many such as us who joined the society. There was a belief we all held that this vision could be the one to provide a new era for the human race. What was it that never allowed for me to hear even one recommendation of you when I was present though?"
Edward answered, "Regrettably I never was able to amount to more than a pilot at the time. I was one of the few who saw the Epyon make its mark on the Sanc Kingdom and live. Around that time, I had believed the honor of Treize could only be regained by changing the Romefeller Foundation myself. It was merely a weakness of mine that I did not foresee a Gundam willing to make its return. I was unfortunate however to never have the chance to witness any fighting thereafter."
Till commented, "The fact that you were able to build yourself up so high afterward is truly a commendable act. It must have been more than mere circumstance that you were capable of being recognized by the Coalition. And of course, I only refer to the fac that you were tasked with handling the Testudo."
Edward agreed, "I was tasked with it for demonstrating my loyalty indeed. You may not have heard of me, but I was the one who ended Hermine Falsons handling of the Coalition a few years ago and thus saved many from having to continue the inner struggle we were facing. As time went on however, her son was very little more than what she was. A leader how did not have the foresight to be more than a mere tool of the ones they are governed by."
Andrew agreed, "There does seem to be a bit of a leadership issue within the house of Falson. It is remarkable that they were able to achieve as much as they did in the end. However, is that enough to warrant this deal? Did you not already have all the support you needed to see him defeated when you had the bloody Testudo in your hands?"
Edward answered, "I did believe that Rayen would be there to support me, that is one thing I hoped to count on. I recognize that you may believe I had no one but the most loyal on board. The fact is that there was one who remained loyal all the way through until his end. The man Bertram Stephens was able to catch on to my intentions to have Nathaniel destroyed. Unfortunately, I was also surrounded by a crew that was loyal to the president as well. Bertram also followed on an order to disarm the Testudo of its main ammunition to ensure that no one else could be given the opportunity I had."
Till commented, "That does unfortunately not excuse you of the lives that were lost in the advancement of the Testudo on its way here. You are a man who seems to desire results without any thoughts of consequence to others. The story does however explain a fair number of things that have occurred. That being said, I believe you can see why I am only willing to have you as an asset with the intention of settling any further courses of action that the remaining Coalition forces may attempt. The truth is I fear that Barra may be correct in assessing who you are Edward. Perhaps you are still that young man who saw his survival from the wrath of the Epyon as a sign that you are entitled to more than you truly deserve. If we are fortunate, there will be remnant s of the old world that we will be able to build our foundations upon. After which you are going to have a great deal to answer for if you chose to show your face in public again."
Edward agreed, "I had believed that you might be under the same circumstances sir. Considering the rather extraordinary number of projects that you were willing to complete, not only is it possible for you to be seen as a merchant of death, but I can only imagine that you will be anxious to find some kind of way that you will find your place in this new world. So is there truly to be any room for men such as us when all has been said and done? I have no intention of justifying a future course of action when we solidified a post war world, but we are currently engaged in a short-term establishment."
Till kept himself from lashing out towards Edward when he made his point as he gripped both sides of his arm chair. He told Edward, "You may have the reasoning to avoid any suspicion and indeed you have done the Earth parliament as many favors as you were within your power to accomplish, but they alone could never stand up to the might of the Gundams or the men loyal to the Earth parliament. Reaching the age that I have achieved, I believe there is very little I can hope to accomplish by now. My joining the Coalition was essentially a way of redeeming my younger self for not being able to stand stronger when I was younger for what I truly believed in. And that was in hoping the united Earth could be set right by allowing my proper men to rise to power but bringing out the best in humanity."
Till accepted, "Pointing an answer to is something I have not considered possible from you. From all of the information you have been willing to divulge however, it would seem that you consider a cause such as this one to be in your best interest. And yet it still leaves the questions of just what sort of man either of you truly is. Perhaps that is a question that can only be answered once we actually see what a world without need for men such as us can achieve."
Edward agreed, "It may be so. I understand I have a great length to go before I earn anyone's trust, but I intend to rebuild a legacy for myself that I no longer have to be ashamed of. I recognize that you have the same intention Lord Lindemann. It is only your choice how you will react."
Till agreed, "This has been an enlightening conversation. Continue with your current duties. We will see how things progress from this day on."
Edward bowed as he gestured for Celso and Susanne to follow him out of the room and back to their current quarters. Till asked Barra, "Would you say that you have obtained a fair amount of new information?"
Barra answered, "We were able to learn that he does indeed still know how to make a situation form to his favor. Regrettably the only thing that I can at least gather now is that he has the intention to follow his new orders, but he does very little to solidify his posting as a truly trustworthy individual in my eyes."
Andrew pointed out, "For right now we do at least have a way of keeping this man in check. He is wise to not waste his men as though they were nothing and he knows that our hold on the Gundams will be enough to warn them that he cannot easily win over the current numbers we have. If he is ever given the opportunity in which he can attempt to wrest control for himself, we had best be prepared for whatever plot he has in mind."
Dafina added, "His story does make sense for why he would hesitate to help the president when he had a chance. This is however assuming that he is truthful about when he was arrested."
Till told them, "There is a great deal for us to speculate. However, if we cannot have any other side of the story, then it would seem that being ready for whatever action he takes next is the only thing we can do."
Barra accepted, "It is a notion that I was never sure I could readily embrace. As of late however there have been developments that many of us would never considered possible before. Our president is willing himself away from our sight and the Coalition itself has all but completely collapsed form the ambitions of men who believed that their time of victory was at hand. Men under our own flag have committed acts that we would forgive very few for ever considering. IF we can expect men who wish to use this period of chaos as a means to their own ends, we cannot truly say that we have seen an end to any war after all."
Till agreed, "We have allowed ourselves to enter a period that few could ever wish to enter. Yet it still falls upon many to have at the minimum solidified answer for how we intend to end it. Even when those questions are answered, there will be conflicting answers. And it does leave open room for a struggle that may be realized briefly after."
