Verdurous Seas, Cerulean Skies

History

"Wow! You found this in the whalesquid nest?" The little boy looked at the little cartridge as if it was the most incredible thing he'd ever seen.

From what Ledo had seen on the footage, humans were much more innovative than the people of Gargantia, but their biological experiments had instigated centuries of war and destruction, eventually leading to the intergalactic isolation of humankind. Ledo had yet to decide whether that was a curse or a blessing because while the soldiers of the Galactic Alliance fought, the people who were left on Earth got to live in peace.

Bebel was the only one he'd entrusted with this dark secret. No one really understood what made Ledo see the error of his ways that day, but everyone was quick to accept it. However, being the bright little boy he was, Bebel was the only one who saw that Ledo was being haunted by demons.

After a few weeks of practice with Bellows and her team, Ledo was finally getting a chance to explore with his Yunboro. As the fleet got closer and closer to the whalesquid nesting site, Ledo started getting fidgety. He began messing up during his practice runs and then avoided the Yunboros altogether. The day before Bellows planned for them to leave on his first treasure hunt, Ledo found himself at Amy's front door. Bebel was the one to answer the door since Amy was busy with her courier route, and seeing young, innocent Bebel made Ledo reconsider.

Due to his condition, Bebel lived most of his life indoors. He was not able to experience most things boys his age had the privilege to, but that did not stop him from enjoying the little things life had to offer. And despite his innocent face, he was aware of some of the evils hidden in this world, and he was more than aware of when people were keeping things from him. He had noticed Ledo's strange behavior with each visit. Now seeing him desperate at his doorstep, he decided it was time for Ledo to confront his demons, and he was more than willing to listen.

Even after he gave him the cartridge, the former ensign was still tiptoeing. Bebel had no idea how he was going to get Ledo to talk voluntarily; as expert an interrogator as he was, he was not very good at or keen on forcing people to do things they were uncomfortable doing, even if it was therapeutic. This was a first for him.

"So, what exactly did you see on it?" he asked with cautious curiosity as he continued to look at the rectangular storage device. Ledo avoided looking at it; just the sight of it made him sick.

"It was… horrible."

Bebel looked from the cartridge to his distraught friend. "Really?"

"It was a recording of… an experiment."

"What kind of experiment?"

"…"

"Ledo?" The hoary-haired young man was suddenly clutching his head, and his contracted pupils were moving all over the place, seeing everything but at the same time absolutely nothing. Nothing but a nightmare. "Are you okay? Ledo…?"

The former ensign was suddenly taken from Amy and Bebel's home, outside of a place that sheltered him from the harsh truth, and he was once again faced with the ruthless images that haunted him every night for the past week. He saw himself in the core, inside Chamber, watching the commencement of the war between the humans and the Evolvers. And then he was outside of Chamber, desecrating the whalesquid population by his own hand. A hand that was permanently stained with blood…

He felt like throwing up.

"Ledo!"

The young man rushed into the bathroom, struggling to find his bearings. Bebel nearly leapt out of bed to follow him but then thought better of it. This would be harder than he thought.

Once Ledo came out of the bathroom, the younger boy saw the despair in his eyes, his pallid skin paler than he'd ever seen. The only time Bebel had seen him upset was when he cried after playing his flute for younger boy, but he wasn't as distraught as this. "Ledo."

"… It's our fault."

"What do you mean?" Ledo shook his head, not willing to disclose what he knew immediately. His body trembled as he took deep, calming breaths, and for a second Bebel was afraid he'd have another breakdown. After a long-suffering sigh, Ledo sat up straight and finally spilled everything to the younger boy.

At first, Bebel was really fascinated. To think that the peaceful cephalopodan creatures that dwelled underneath Gargantia were originally humans that were designed to survive and thrive in the depths of space. It was something out of science-fiction, like many of his favorite books. But as the story progressed, Bebel began to grasp the severity of the atrocities humans condemned on their own kind, which was not as fantastical of his novels. To think Ledo had been living with this knowledge for months, haunted by the images of people-turned-whalesquid fighting against the human beings who had started this scientific project in the first place and knowing that he had been a part of it unwittingly. It had to be the most unbearable burden; it was overwhelming enough to make Ledo physically ill.

Then again, it wouldn't have been the first time humankind had done such deplorable things to their own fellow man…

The thought suddenly gave him an idea.

"Hey, Ledo. Can you help me with my wheelchair? I want to show you something."

Puzzled, Ledo assisted the younger boy down the stairs and into his wheelchair before following him in the direction of Dr. Oldham's office. Once there, Bebel asked the astute physician if he could go into his archives to which the doctor permitted kindly. Bebel then proceeded to search through the many papers, books, and various medical records the doctor and his predecessors had collected and organized throughout Gargantia's history. Looking up, Bebel pointed to a shelf that was too high for him to reach from his chair. Ledo gathered the books—which were so old and weather-beaten he was afraid they'd turn to dust—and placed them on a table situated in the back of the room.

"What are you searching for, Bebel?"

The young brunette didn't respond as he opened each book and carefully marked certain pages, further increasing Ledo's confusion and curiosity. After a few minutes, Bebel shoved one of the books under Ledo's nose. "Can you read this, Ledo?"

Ledo took the book from him and skimmed the words tentatively. After three months of patient coaching from Amy, Bebel, and their friends, he could finally read advanced novels and some of Bebel's textbooks. But reading a book filled with intricate medical procedures accompanied with equally abstruse medical jargon made him feel a little inept.

Thankfully the page Bebel had marked was easy enough to read. "The Tuskegee Study."

"Do you know what that is?" The former ensign shook his head. "Tuskegee was a place where scientists injected a disease called syphilis into groups of people and tested them without treatment. Everyone who received the injection died."

Ledo looked at the book in horror. Bebel turned to the next one unflinchingly.

"Now what does this say?"

"The Monster Study."

"This experiment was performed on children with speech impediments. The children were told that they would never be able to talk to people normally for as long as they lived. It made the children anxious, mute, and in extreme cases…" He switched to the next book. "And what about this, Ledo?"

Ledo cringed as he read the words. "Biological and chemical warfare during World War II." He quickly shut that book, not willing to even glimpse at the others. He shut his eyes to try and dispel the nauseating sensation from earlier before turning to the baby-faced boy. "Why are you showing me this, Bebel?"

"I know it's hard to believe, but even the most terrible acts of mankind can lead to good things."

"W-What good came out of these things? All those people died! All those ch-children…" Images of that adolescent Hideauze flashed in his mind. "I don't understand how anyone could be so cruel, s-so… inhumane…"

"The Tuskegee incident led to the development of penicillin, which cured syphilis. The Monster Study led to many psychological breakthroughs that helped others with their speech development. As evil as these experiments started out, they actually helped a lot of people in the long run." Out of the courtesy of his friend, Bebel closed the books and put a steady hand over Ledo's clammy one. "Ledo, I know you'll probably never forget what you saw on that device, but I don't believe that's such a bad thing.

"Before you saw that footage, you believed the whalesquid were bad and needed to be destroyed in order for people to survive, but now you've learned to live peacefully with them. You've come a long way since you landed on Earth, and none of us blame you for what's happened. You shouldn't beat yourself up for it."

Ledo thought for a moment. "Do you think… it's possible that someone wanted me to find that cartridge?"

Bebel shrugged. "I don't know. But I do think someone recorded those events for a reason, probably for the same reason Dr. Oldham keeps all these books and medical files. If we don't learn from these mistakes, how can we be sure we won't repeat them or even better ourselves from them?"

It always amazed Ledo how much wiser Bebel was compared to most people on Gargantia. "How do you know about all this, anyway?" he inquired, wondering how such a bright, doe-eyed boy had come by such appalling discoveries.

"Well, I need something to do while I'm stuck in bed all day," he joked mildly. "I like to read. I love to learn about new things. And I know I'm being optimistic, but someday I hope to help people, like Dr. Oldham."

Ledo agreed that he would never forget the images he saw, nor would he be able to forgive himself or others for needlessly inflicting pain on innocent lives, even if it resulted in a cure. It didn't justify their actions. So from this moment on, he vowed to amend for his sins, even if his efforts were in vain.

He smiled at his surrogate younger brother, grateful for his counsel. "Thank you, Bebel."

The little boy happily smiled back.

After thanking Dr. Oldham, they began making their way back home.

"Are you going to be okay out there?" Bebel suddenly asked, referring to his upcoming excavation.

Ledo nodded. "I think so." It wasn't like they were going straight into the whalesquid nest. The thought of being anywhere near their territory still made him queasy with contrition, but he knew that, with time, the feeling would eventually fade.

"Hey, I've got an idea!" The little boy's outburst broke Ledo out of his solemn thoughts and made him jump. "I think we should start learning about our ancestors' history." Seeing the other boy's incredulous expression, he clarified, "Maybe not all that stuff about Tuskegee, but I think everyone should know about where we came from. From what I've read, when Earth used to have land, our technology used to be so much more advanced. I think it's amazing how far we've come since then…"

Ledo grinned as he listened to Bebel chatter on about the future, or rather, the past. Gargantia was the only thing he knew about Earth. Maybe learning about Earth's past would be beneficial for its future.

The next day, Ledo went on his first treasure hunt.

As soon as he got back, he immediately went to Amy and Bebel's place, sharing his first bounty with the young boy.

It was another cartridge.

The boys brought it to Dr. Oldham, who helped them decipher its contents. Afterwards, Bebel decided to take it upon himself to teach the people of Gargantia about Earth's history. A tremendous responsibility for such a young boy, but one that he was willing to accomplish. If he could help people like he had helped Ledo, Bebel couldn't think of a more rewarding task.


A/N: Sadly, those experiments actually happened, though I think I over-exaggerated the result of the Monster Study. With this chapter, I wanted to emphasize Ledo's humanity. Like most soldiers, he experiences PTSD, shouldering regrets and suffering from things that most of us will never experience. But everyone's human, and like most humans, we occasionally need a shoulder to cry on, and I thought using his brotherly relationship with Bebel would portray that perfectly.

R&R!