Disclaimer: Gundam Wing still doesn't belong to me.
Going Away- Sally
"Excuse me, excuse me." Sally Po weaved in and out through the throngs of people in the hallway expertly, her eyes not straying from the stack of papers she was reading. Cadets greeted her cheerfully as she passed. She returned the courtesy with a wave of her hand, careful not to drop the many envelopes in it, but didn't stop to chat. It was just as well, since, even though she could remember the name of every single bone in the human body, she still couldn't remember half of their names anyway. Everyone here was friendly, and introduced themselves to her at one point or another since she arrived. Some of the male cadets had even been so bold as to ask her out. Sally was both flattered and surprised at the attention. She wasn't used to being around guys so close to her age, most of those in her squad were much older. Not that they hadn't tried to flirt with her at first, but they quickly learned that Sally was all business and little the social butterfly. She was nice to them and they respected her as a captain and their leader, but it went no further than that. And that was how she wanted it. Sally had never had a boyfriend actually, but she didn't really care. She had too many other things to do; too many responsibilities and dreams to worry about dating. Sally entered the common room, and situated herself in a secluded corner to open her mail.
Junk, junk, bills, junk," Sally started to regret telling her squad to forward all of this stuff to her. She tossed them aside for now. The next envelope was more welcomed. Sally nearly kissed it. Her test results! She tore it open and unfolded the letter. In the next second, the whole room was shaken by a piercing scream.
The cadets stopped what they were doing and stared at her. This was not the calm, somewhat introverted girl they had known these past few days. It must be big news indeed.
"Oh my God! I passed! I passed! I'm going to be a doctor!" Sally jumped up and down and threw her arms around the nearest person to her, who happened to be one of their top instructors. He simply laughed and patted her on the back, a very different reaction than she would have expected. General Septem would have had a cow if she did that to him.
"Congratulations!" the cadets cheered through their giggles.
Sally could scarcely believe it, though it was really no surprise. She'd aced that exam. At seventeen, she was exceptionally brilliant. In the time she was in the military, she'd risen quickly in the ranks. Now she was already a captain, but her squad felt she deserved even higher. Even her disagreeable superior had to admit it. But while this honor paid the bills, Sally's true passion was saying lives instead of destroying them as an Alliance member. She'd only graduated a couple of weeks before. Now, all her work finally paid off.
Sally praised her ancestors one by one by name, starting from the family legends to the more recent grandparents. Finally, she reached the most important. "Thank you, Papa," she said silently. If only he could see her now. He can, Sally, she reminded herself. He can. I'll make you proud, father, I promise. She looked briefly up to the ceiling, than bowed her head. He most certainly knew. But there were those on Earth who still didn't. And they would be just as proud.
"I'd better call my mother!" she exclaimed and excused herself quickly. Sally sprinted to her quarters. As a guest of a much higher rank than the cadets, she had her own private room and phone. Colonel Treize had insisted upon it, saying that there was enough time later for being like all the others and it was the least he could do to repay her. Sally thought it was rather odd, and somewhat irresponsible that their facilities were so lacking in medical personnel that they needed the expertise of someone, who was at that time not even a real doctor yet, not to mention counselors. But Treize had made a good impression on her over the phone, so she said nothing. And she would do anything to get away from General Septem, at least for a little while. And now, hopefully, for good.
She punched in her old number and waited at the video screen, expecting the face of a mischievous little boy or girl to appear. Instead, there was nothing but static.
"That's odd," she said to herself aloud. She knew she sent money for their phone bill. But even so, it would say it wasn't in service. Maybe one of her siblings messed with the phone? Yes, that could be it. Cory, her twelve-year old brother was always tinkering with their electronic devices. "Yeah, that's probably it." Sally relaxed significantly. Something tugged at her brain but she pushed it to the back of her mind. He would put it back together eventually. In the meantime, though, she couldn't wait.
Sally rummaged through her suitcases and pulled out an unwrapped package of stationary. Her little twin sisters and Cory had given it to her before she left. Little dragons surrounded the border. Sally wasn't really much of a letter writer, and when she did, it was on professional stationary. The gift was impractical, but she treasured it never the less. Now was as good as ever to use it.
"Dear Mama," she began.
And my beloved siblings,
I have wonderful news! I'm a doctor! I can't wait to see you at the end of the summer. Maybe by then, I'll have a new job closer to home. I'm here on Earth now, in Europe. Camp begins the day after tomorrow. We're going tomorrow to set up ahead of time, so we're going to leave early in the morning. I've already gotten my assigned cabin. I hope the girls there are well behaved, unlike some little children I know. If you're wondering why I'm writing to you instead of calling, it's because a certain someone, who shall remain nameless, seems to have been messing with the phone. Anyway, I'm really excited about it. I miss you.
With all my love,
Sally
She folded the letter and stuck it in its matching envelope. She would have to remember to send it before they left. Her mother didn't know it, but the family doctor had offered her an opportunity to join his practice. Most of his clients were very wealthy and came at the littlest sniffle; however, he had been a dear friend of her father's. Though no plans had been made, she could go home for good now. She truly was looking forward to this summer and the future beyond. Things couldn't be any better.
To be continued
Preview: Going Away- Zechs and Noin
"I can imagine. She looked pretty smug this morning when she gave me this." Noin consulted her clipboard again. "Sheesh, I think I've got the lifestyles of the rich and famous cabin. Sylvia Noventa, Dorothy Catalonia," this earned a sympathetic groan from Zechs, "Relena Darlian…"
Zechs jumped to his feet. "What did you say?"
"Relena Darlian," she repeated. "Why, what's the matter?"
"Shut the door!" he demanded.
"Wh-what…" she stumbled over her words. Noin thought for a moment that he'd lost his mind.
"Do it!" Noin obeyed, too confused to argue with him further.
"Zechs, what's going on?"
