Unseen Revenge: Chapter 15, Pepper's Guilt

-Cornerian Air Force Base, General Pepper's Office-

General Pepper was sitting behind his desk with a stack of paper work to do. He looked out the window at the orange sky as the sun set. He sighed heavily as he leaned back in his chair. He thought of all that had happened in the past few days. He was brought out of his thoughts by a knock on the door. He got up and opened the door. It was Emerald, she looked concerned and a little upset.

" General Pepper sir. Can I talk to you for a minute." Emeral said softly.

" Of course Emerald. Come on in and have a seat." General Pepper said, motioning towards the chairs.

" Thank you sir." Emerald said as she entered and sat down in a chair as General Pepper shut the door.

" Why do you want to talk about?" General Pepper asked as he sat in the other chair beside Emerald.

" Well, General sir. I want to know why you were so harsh on Jessie. She shouldn't have been treated so badly. Wolf may have been her father, but that doesn't determine what she's like, right?" Emerald said.

" Emerald, it may not seem like it, but it was for her own good." General Pepper said.

" How can isolating her on Macbeth for her own good." Emerald said, starting to raise her voice.

" Calm down Emerald, and I'll explain. When her mother died it got out that her father was Wolf O'Donnel. There was a lot of people who wanted her to pay for all the hell Wolf put them through once it was discovered Wolf was dead. After days of arguing about what to do with her, we came to a decision to leave her on Macbeth. She had someone with her untill a little over two years ago. I couldn't trust anyone else not to do something to her after her care taker fell ill in her old age. I originally wanted to erase her background and put her in a family enviorment. But there were far too many people who would take the law into their own hands. Her first year on Macbeth was proof of that when a soilder who lost a brother to Wolf had tried to kill her. But he didn't get past the front door. If she had been on Corneria, she might not had survived to see her eleventh birthday. I protected her the only way I could with out locking her up in some cell somewhere, with a guard who would abuse her. She didn't learn that her life was in danger untill she turned thirteen." General Pepper said.

" But that didn't mean you had to be so cruel to her now!" Emerald said, practically yelling, a tear ran down her cheek.

" I know that now." General Pepper said. " But at the time I suspected something else of her. I thought she was working with the Sabers."

" What gave you that idea?" Emerald asked.

" Well for the past two years a Saber member had been sneeking onto Macbeth and spending an awful lot of time with Jessie. We only recently discovered that he was a member of the Sabers. We thought she had something to do with the Sabers. I guess she didn't. All we know is the name of the man who was spending so much time with her. Mike Rowels, he did stop showing up the week before this big mess. But we still don't know what was going on between them." General Pepper said.

" Maybe she just needed someone to talk to." Emerald said.

" What have I done?" General Pepper said as he burried his face in his hands. " I sent an innocent girl to her death, that's what I've done. How could I have been so blind?"

" Sometimes we try to do what we think is right, but we make mistakes. It happenes a lot. It's a part of life." Emerald said.

" The worst part of it is...I was going to let her out of the military once this whole thing blew over. Let her try to make a life on Corneria under a new identity. But now...she'll never get the chance. And it's all my fault." General Pepper said.

" It's not just your fault. Everyone held a grudge against her because she's an O'Donnel, right?" Emerald said.

" Yes, just about everyone on Corneria hated her father. You know how blind they are to an individual, no matter how nice and sweet they are, if they had a parent who was known for terrible things. Kind of how everyone looks at you and James as the children of the hero of Corneria, Fox McCloud. And your father's past was influenced by your grandfather, James McCloud. Jessie's held down, even though she never beared her fathers name, she beared his blood and was feared because of that." General Pepper said.

" If you had known she was Wolf's daughter be for you met her, would you have treated her any different then you did when you didn't." General Pepper asked.

" Whether you belive me or not, I wouldn't have. You know why?" Emerald asked softly. " Because I believe in giving someone the chance in showing who they really are, and not what everyone says they are."

" You are such a kind soul, like your mother. You were raised to know better then to judge someone by their background. Why can't we teach the citizens of Corneria to be like you?" General Pepper said.

" Because, everyone has their own beliefs and their own minds. It takes a lot to change that. And if it that were changed, then life would be pointless. To have everyone believing the same thing, is madness. We need individuals to make a society work. Only a disfunctional society is truely functional." Emerald said.

" You are wise beyond your years young lady." General Pepper said. " You want to know something about your father that no one else but I know?"

" What?" Emerald asked, curious.

" The day he shot down Wolf, he said it emptied him inside. He had tried to talk Wolf into just landing and giving up. But Wolf was determinded to stay, and now we know why. And you know what? I had known then what I know now, I would have called your father off." General Pepper said.

" But you didn't know, and neither did dad." Emerald said.

" I know, but it won't matter for too long. I'm going to retire soon, and a new General will be incharge." General Pepper said.

" Well, thanks for your time sir. I should get going." Emerald said as she stood up. " Good evening sir."

" Good evening Emerald." General Pepper said as he stood to his feet and Emerald left.

With that over he returned to his desk and to the stack of paper work. Emerald was trying not to cry as she thought about Jessie. She wished she could change what had happened, but knew that was impossible. She returned to the room she was staying in. She let her thoughts run loose in her mind as she sat on the bed, tired from her talk with General Pepper. She closed her eye's and tried to find a way to help James except the truth. She didn't know how she would do that, but she had to try.

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Well, it's shorter then the other chapters. Review honestly please.