Missing Peace: Chapter 29

The White House:

Dalton stood over his bed, hurriedly throwing items of clothing into a suitcase. They were jumbled haphazardly, to the point that the case was clearly going to be difficult to close, but right now he didn't care. All that mattered was getting to Beach City as quickly as possible.

He had decided rather at the last minute that he was going to be joining Steven on his mission. He had been in attendance at the UN Security Council's meeting to select an observer to accompany Steven, and had been less than thrilled when the council had selected a member of the Chinese Ministry of State Security.

Normally the international community would have been wary of putting forward someone who was a member of China's equivalent of the CIA, but Chinese president Liu's strong response to the Diamonds during their last talk had won him a lot of fans. The leaders were clearly looking for a strong hand to ensure that Earth's interests were served on this mission, and so they had accepted Liu's recommended candidate, on the condition that all his findings be reported to the entirety of the UN.

Dalton though, was more sceptical. While he was sure the observer would do his job, he was well aware that the mood of the international community was swinging in the direction of planetary isolationism. Many countries seemed to believe that relations with Homeworld were more trouble than they were worth, and Dalton felt sure that the observer's recounting of the mission would be biased by that.

And so, after an incredibly brief consultation with his VP, Dalton had decided to join the mission as well, so as to give his own account to the UN upon his return. Dalton's long-suffering vice-president had already had a lot dropped on his shoulders since this mess had begun. Dalton's jaunts to Beach City, and near obsessive interest in the Facet 31 crisis even between visits, had left the management of basically every other national issue up to him.

Dalton felt a bit guilty about leaving so much to him; not to mention leaving him to deal with much of the public ire that Dalton's Gem-friendly policy had engendered. However, Dalton assuaged his conscience with the fact that his focus on the Homeworld issue would likely save a lot of lives in the long run. Even his detractors had to admit that the possibility of annihilation by an alien terrorist group was a pretty sensible thing to have as one's top priority.

As Dalton attempted to shove his toiletry bag into the already bulging case, his wife Amanda poked her head around the door, and then walked in, smiling and shaking her head slightly.

"Honestly" she said "I wonder how the American people would react if they knew their leader couldn't even pack a suitcase right." She spoke with a grin that told Dalton it was all in jest, but at the same time, he knew she hadn't come to see him just to help him pack.

"You can't talk me out of this you know" he said to her, keeping his eyes on the suitcase rather than meeting her gaze.

"I know, I know, just be careful, ok?" she replied, taking him gently by the chin and turning his head to face her. Amanda had known exactly the life she was walking into when she married him. James Dalton had been a military man for most of his adult life, and over the years she had become used to seeing him off as he ran headfirst into one dangerous encounter after another. When he had shifted gears towards a career in politics, a part of her had been grateful. Yes, this life had its own stresses, particularly now that he was president, and she was, by extension, first lady; but at least it had meant that he wasn't constantly under fire.

There were always assassination threats yes, but they were perpetually surrounded by so much security, and the attempts were so few and far between, that the feeling was entirely different from the fear she felt earlier in their marriage every time she waved him off.

And now, this Gem business had happened. Being the president to oversee first contact with alien life would have been a big enough challenge as it was, but the fact that said life was now posing a direct threat, and that her husband was once again running headlong towards it, rekindled some of the old worries she had worked so long to keep pressed down.

"I'll be as careful as I can, you know that" he replied, trying to sound reassuring, "but I'm not just going to stand by while a fight that might decide if mankind lives or dies goes on somewhere else. I have to at least be there."

"I know" she said quietly, not hiding her worry very well. He pulled her into a hug, and, staring over her shoulder at the display of his old medals that hung on the wall, whispered in her ear "I'm gonna keep you safe."

That finally shocked her out of her wallowing. Was he pushing himself this far because he was worried about what might happen to her? That was a very narrow view for the man running the country; after all, these Gem terrorists were putting everyone equally in danger. Still, James had always worn his heart on his sleeve, so of course he was worried about his loved ones first and foremost. Also, she couldn't say his words didn't comfort her.

As they pulled out of the hug, she kissed him briefly, and then looked him in the eyes. "Just make sure you keep yourself safe too."

Somewhere over the Pacific Ocean:

Li Jun stared out of the plane window at the sea below. The sun was low, and the orange light shimmered on the surface of the water. The sight was so tranquil; so soothing. It was easy to forget that the whole planet could well be in imminent danger. As for the extent of said danger; determining that, as well as evaluating the response, was his responsibility.

He had been selected as the observer to accompany the 'Crystal Gems' on their mission to deal with Facet 31. He'd been fully briefed on each of their identities and personalities, but their motivations, in his opinion, remained an unknown quantity. Could a bunch of Gems really be trusted to serve Earth's interests? Could he be sure they wouldn't hold back at a key moment, given they'd be fighting their own kind? The sheer fact that he'd been assigned his task indicated that the international leaders had the same concerns.

And then, of course, there were his other instructions; the ones that had been outlined to him by President Liu prior to his recommendation to the UN. Placing his briefcase on the table in front of him, Li opened it and, for the fifth time that trip, surveyed the devices within.

Some, he recognised; the usual weapons and surveillance devices utilised by his agency. Then, there were the others. Strange, angular devices that looked as much hewn from crystal as constructed out of metal. He had been shown how to use each one, though he lacked any experience with them in the field. Nonetheless, they would give him an edge. If it came down to it, and the Crystal Gems proved unreliable, or worse untrustworthy, he would be able to take matters into his own hands…