Episode 8: Last Hope for Peace

The year is After Colony 205. After successfully carrying out a coup d'etat, Mikol Esroni has Mars secede from the ESUN and begin building up military force. On Earth, the Preventer Corps and the Gundam pilots prepare for war. It has been only eight years since the Mariemaia Coup, and already, the peace is fading…

Mariemaia was in the hangar, looking up at the one MS still in pristine condition after the battle. Wing Zero stood poised, looking like an angel of battle, ready to spring to action at any moment.

"Wing Gundam Zero," Mariemaia breathed, "number XXXG-00W0." Looking around to see that that no one was watching her, she climbed up to the cockpit, opened it, got in, and closed the hatch. Her heartbeat quickened when she saw the orb in the center of the control console. Withdrawing her handheld computer from her pocket, she plugged it in to Zero's computer and began searching for the Zero system software.

Zhacque looked around the hangar. Huh. It doesn't look she's here… He wasn't entirely sure why he had come looking for Mariemaia, but he had. A glint of white caught Zhacque's eye. He turned to face Wing Zero.

Mariemaia grinned gleefully. She had found it! She entered the command to begin copying the program to the diskette in her handheld.

Zhacque looked at the cockpit hatch, indecisive. Just a peek, he told himself. Just to see what it's like. He punched the control that opened the hatch.

Mariemaia looked up, startled, as the hatch hissed open. She found herself face-to-face with an equally startled Zhacque.

"What are you doing here?" they asked each other in unison.

"Looking for you," Zhacque replied.

"Nothing!" Mariemaia said at the same time.

"Uh-huh. Sure. What's that?" Zhacque said, indicating the handheld.

"Just my handheld. Why were you looking for me?"

Zhacque shrugged. "Got bored," he said.

Mariemaia's handheld beeped. "Oh good," Mariemaia said with relief, snatching it up. "It's finished."

"What's finished?" Zhacque looked over her shoulder, reading the text. His eyes widened.

"The Zero system? Are you crazy?"

"I dunno. I just wanna try it out."

"'I just wanna try it out', she says. You are crazy. Or will be."

"I was going to do it in a simulator. That way no one will get hurt."

"Well… alright. I won't report you."

"Thanks, Zhacque."

"On one condition. Can I have a copy?" Zhacque asked.

"Sure."

Lady Une was in Vulkanus's command center, watching the recent battle on the large screen once again, in the vain hope that she might be able to determine why they had pulled out after destroying the fleet.

"Commander Une, the pickets report a Martian personnel shuttle approaching!" one of the officers on duty exclaimed.

"What? Have you intercepted?" Une sat up straighter.

"I have two Virgos on the way, Ma'am."

"Commander, the shuttle is hailing us," another officer said.

"Well, put it on the screen."

The face of Milliardo Peacecraft appeared. "Hello, Lady Une. Would it be alright if we docked at Vulkanus?"

"Of course. Those two Virgos will guide you to the docking bay."

"As opposed to nervously awaiting the order to blast us into tiny pieces?" Zechs smirked knowingly.

"We've had quite an experience here," Lady Une said. "We're still a bit jumpy."

Heero, dressed as usual in a dark suit and dark glasses, surveyed the ESUN Senate with dislike. In his opinion, too few of them actually cared about the wishes of those who had elected them. Next to him, Relena sat back and listened to the latest rant about Mars from the Senator of China. Heero thought it quite long for a speech that managed to say nothing new. But then, that's our wonderful Senate, Heero reminded himself. A bunch of self-serving politicians.

The senator finished, and sat back down. There was a short period of silence. Then Relena stood up and spoke into her microphone.

"Thank you, Senator. That was most illuminating. The next speaker is Senator Zahn, from North America."

Zahn was one of the few Senators of whom Heero approved. Whatever Zahn said, he always got to the point quickly, and Heero knew that Zahn actually listened to his constituents.

"Thank you, Ms. President. As my colleague from China just said, Mars has gone beyond peaceful protest of what they perceive to be our negligence in rooting out a threat by attacking the Preventer orbital base Vulkanus. My constituents feel that by attacking the Preventers, the Martians are hindering its ability to investigate into their so-called terrorist organization. Mars should be made to understand this, through diplomatic means, naturally. Hopefully, even if they refuse to rejoin the World Nation, they will at least consent to aid the Preventers in rooting out the terrorist threat.

"If they refuse even to declare a cease-fire, then I propose that we increase the budget of the Preventer Corps and declare war. I hope it will not come to that," Zahn sat down.

"An excellent suggestion, Senator," Relena said, having risen to speak into her mike. "If the Senate would like to vote on the matter?"

There was a general murmur of assent. The Senators pressed the controls on the arms of their chairs. Heero watched the tally. One-half, almost exactly, in favor, one quarter abstained, one quarter against.

"The motion is passed. I will select candidates for peace ambassador and submit them to you tomorrow," Relena said. "Is there any other business that we need to attend to? Then I adjourn this meeting of the Senate for the day, to be resumed at 10:30 AM tomorrow."

The gargantuan Senate chamber emptied slowly. Relena sat down and waited for the crowd to clear. Heero sat also. The videophone beeped. Relena picked up the receiver and was astonished to see her brother's face on the screen.

"Milliardo! How did you get off Mars?"

"Good to talk to you, Relena. Noin and I had a hidden shuttle hangar under the house."

"Ah," Relena understood. An idea formed in her mind. "Listen Milliardo, I have a favor to ask you. Would you mind being a peace ambassador to Mars?"

"Why?"

"I'll explain later. Just answer the question."

"No, but… Ah. Trying to cash in on the Peacecraft family name, eh? Not a bad idea, but I don't think it would work. I used mine up during my governorship."

"Oh," Relena said, disappointed.

"Besides which, I just reactivated my Preventer commission. Members of the military don't make good peace ambassadors."

"No. Alright, I suppose we'll speak again."

"Later, then," Zechs said, and hung up.

A lowly Lance Corporal walked into Lady Une's office. Lady Une looked up from her paperwork. "Yes?"

"I have a message from R&D, Ma'am. The first squadron of Taurus IIs is ready. They're being shipped up here overnight."

"Thank you, Lance Corporal…?"

"Parks, Ma'am."

"Thank you, Lance Corporal Parks. If you could go tell the hangar techies to repair the Medusas we captured and equip them with Doll systems?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Parks hurried off. Lady Une smiled and picked up her phone.

Roche Nattono picked up the phone by his elbow. "Hello? Ah, Commander. Excellent! Tomorrow? A live-fire exercise?"

"Yes, a live-fire exercise. I understand that they're only beginners, Captain, but they have proven themselves able to deal with the challenge," Lady Une was saying into her receiver. "Captain, I have many things to do, and argue with a self-important subordinate is not one of them! You have your instructions, and you will follow them. Understood?" Lady Une lost her temper.

Roche swallowed. "Absolutely, Commander."

"Good." There was a click, and then silence.

"Are you sure we're up to a live-fire exercise, Sir? Especially in completely unfamiliar mobile suits?" Mariemaia asked Roche incredulously. Not to mention just after a battle in which some of our members lost their lives, a loss which some of us- ME -still haven't come to terms with?

"I'm not too happy with it either, Lieutenant, but Commander Une gave me my orders. Let's go!" This last was belted out at top volume, and the trainees scurried to their assigned Taurus IIs.

Once outside Vulkanus, the squadron got their assignment: to defeat a squad of Medusas without letting the enemy too near the base.

"Very well. You know your mission, do something about it," Roche said.

Mariemaia immediately spoke up. "Alright, I have a plan. One squad goes out and uses their sabres to eliminate the defensors and drive the enemy toward the other group. When the other group is in range, both groups open fire with their beam rifles."

"Good plan, but who goes out?" asked Sullivan.

"Second Squad will," Zhacque volunteered. "We took more losses the other day, and it makes sense to leave more firepower behind, so we'll go."

"Logical, but I'm giving you Corporal Breton," Mariemaia agreed. "Go get 'em."

"Roger that." Zhacque and the rest of Second Squad blasted off.

The Senate had reconvened to choose among Relena's candidates for peace ambassador. Unfortunately, she had wracked her brains and only been able to come up with one possibility: Quatre Raberba Winner. She had phoned him, and he had agreed to give it a try if the Senate approved.

Her suggestion was met with less than the enthusiasm she had hoped for.

"Quatre Raberba Winner? The Gundam pilot? That's a strange candidate for a peace ambassador," Senator Henry Preston, a cousin of William Preston, objected the instant Relena had finished speaking.

"Not at all. Mr. Winner is a good friend of mine, and as near a pacifist as he can be. He fought out of necessity in the Eve Wars, not because of bloodlust or a desire to kill," Relena replied.

"Even granting you that, it is still an irregular appointment, given that Mr. Winner is a private citizen and holds no public office," Zahn pointed out. "I know of Mr. Winner by reputation, and my opinion is that he would make a good ambassador; however, I do have one reservation: Because Mr. Winner was a Gundam pilot, might not Mars misinterpret our gesture of peace and goodwill as one of ill intent?"

The remark did not take Relena off guard. "To that, I have no answer," she acknowledged. "If they choose to interpret our actions that way, then that is their choice, and we will know that we did what we did in pursuit of peace."

"Well said, Ms. President. Another point, which relates to my statement yesterday. Shouldn't a Preventer official go as well, to make sure that the Martians understand that war would only allow the terrorist threat to grow unchecked?" Zahn asked.

"If the Senate agrees with Senator Zahn's remark, I suggest another candidate: My brother, Milliardo Peacecraft. He has recently reactivated his Preventer commission, and it would be a further gesture of good faith that I am willing to send my brother to negotiate with them."

"No, I am afraid not, Ms. President. The memory of his governorship is probably too near for the citizens to listen to him without bias. Perhaps Commander Une? She is just as well known," Senator McCleod of the Celtic/Germanic Regions suggested.

"Then why not just send Mr. Winner? We can give him a briefing on how a war will affect Preventer anti-terrorist operations. We are debating something we should be able to determine relatively easily. The President's duty is to put forth candidates, and our duty is to choose amongst them. We have," Zahn jumped in again, "two choices: Milliardo Peacecraft and Quatre Raberba Winner. Let us choose."

There was a murmur of assent.

"Very well then," Relena stood up. "All in favor of Milliardo Peacecraft as peace ambassador to Mars?" About one quarter of the Senate cast their votes.

"And all in favor of Quatre Raberba Winner?" Five-eighths for. "The peace ambassador to Mars will be Quatre Raberba Winner. This meeting of the Senate is adjourned."

Meanwhile, in space, near Vulkanus, three Taurus II mobile suits rushed toward five Medusas. The Medusas fired, and the approaching Taurus IIs dodged easily, drawing their beam sabres. In his cockpit, Zhacque prepared for battle. His sabre was ready, his mind focused on the mission. "Second Squad, execute Shear and Herd Maneuver… Now," he said.

Continued in Episode 9: Sinister Happenings