"Hello, Raymond." George said.
Raymond looked rather harassed. "Hello, Master George. I'm sorry I'm
late; those people at the store, well, they could tell I was from the colony, and
I'm afraid things got a bit tense before I left."
George's eyes grew steely. "Did they do anything to you?"
"Oh, no!" Raymond was quick to deny. "No, nothing happened, but I
would suggest that you, Mr. Domon, Mr. Sai Saici, Mr. Argo, and Mr. Chibodee
not go to town. Those Earth people don't hold those in the colonies, or Gundam
fighters, in any favor."
"Why not?" Chibodee protested. "We saved their asses!"
George shot a frown over his shoulder but kept his comments to himself.
"Well, Mr. Chibodee," Raymond answered as diplomatically as he could,
"they're upset with the destruction that the Gundam fight causes the Earth, and,
well, they see people from the colonies and especially Gundam fighters as
representative of that destruction..."
Chibodee leapt to his feet. "Those dirty-"
"Enough!" Nastasha's voice stopped the bickering cold. "Mr. Crocket,
SIT DOWN. Haring off half- cocked will only make things worse and most
certainly will NOT change the attitudes of those people."
"Nastasha's right." Rain spoke into the sudden quiet. "We need to work
on the larger problem here, the destruction of Earth." She began cleaning up,
hastily assisted by Raymond and Sai Saici.
"That is a problem requiring attention, certainly," Nastasha demurred,
"but the immediate crisis facing us is defusing tensions among the colonies- and
finding a reason why they should listen to us. Or more accurately, the Shuffle
Alliance." She whacked her ever- present whip against her palm.
"First, let's read the papers and see what exactly is going on." George
suggested.
George, Nastasha, Shirley, Janet, Cath, Bunny, and Chibodee took papers
and the camp settled into silence but for the noises of cleaning and quiet
murmurs among Rain, Sai Saici, and Raymond.
Raymond looked rather harassed. "Hello, Master George. I'm sorry I'm
late; those people at the store, well, they could tell I was from the colony, and
I'm afraid things got a bit tense before I left."
George's eyes grew steely. "Did they do anything to you?"
"Oh, no!" Raymond was quick to deny. "No, nothing happened, but I
would suggest that you, Mr. Domon, Mr. Sai Saici, Mr. Argo, and Mr. Chibodee
not go to town. Those Earth people don't hold those in the colonies, or Gundam
fighters, in any favor."
"Why not?" Chibodee protested. "We saved their asses!"
George shot a frown over his shoulder but kept his comments to himself.
"Well, Mr. Chibodee," Raymond answered as diplomatically as he could,
"they're upset with the destruction that the Gundam fight causes the Earth, and,
well, they see people from the colonies and especially Gundam fighters as
representative of that destruction..."
Chibodee leapt to his feet. "Those dirty-"
"Enough!" Nastasha's voice stopped the bickering cold. "Mr. Crocket,
SIT DOWN. Haring off half- cocked will only make things worse and most
certainly will NOT change the attitudes of those people."
"Nastasha's right." Rain spoke into the sudden quiet. "We need to work
on the larger problem here, the destruction of Earth." She began cleaning up,
hastily assisted by Raymond and Sai Saici.
"That is a problem requiring attention, certainly," Nastasha demurred,
"but the immediate crisis facing us is defusing tensions among the colonies- and
finding a reason why they should listen to us. Or more accurately, the Shuffle
Alliance." She whacked her ever- present whip against her palm.
"First, let's read the papers and see what exactly is going on." George
suggested.
George, Nastasha, Shirley, Janet, Cath, Bunny, and Chibodee took papers
and the camp settled into silence but for the noises of cleaning and quiet
murmurs among Rain, Sai Saici, and Raymond.