Title: Solid Foundations

Author: Karina

Rating: PG

Pairing: Duo + Wu Fei + Heero

Notes: Challenge 185. Baby Series 4 #12. Takes place after Done Is Done.

Spoilers: None

Warnings: Extended Length

Many thanks to ShenLong Deb for her work betaing this set of fics.

Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.

Title: Solid Foundations

"I believe a brilliant future awaits our children, birthed from the foundations we lay down. We are few in number but our colours, like the chips, beads and brilliant coloured gems their reflections create in the mirrors and angles that make up the paths to the future, will be extraordinarily bright in the shifting future that lies before us."

On his breast the insignia of his standing as the King's liaison to Parliament glinted brilliant colour, emphasising the words of his speech.

"It will not be easy. Nothing worth having ever comes easily. It will not be quick. It is the long term projects that endure the longest, that shine the brightest, that inspire the most in those who come after its completion. We must take a page out of history's past; the tragedy that befell our kin, and we must reshape ourselves, forging ourselves stronger, colouring ourselves brighter. We must move forward with confidence in ourselves, in our ability to shape something out of nothing, for in all honesty, we have more than nothing. We have ourselves. We have our strong backs. We have each other. We have our heritage, our history as Clan. We have no shortage of brilliance in intellect and skills base to offer to the people of Sanc for our mutual future. We have a future to craft for our children and for ourselves."

A faint inclination of the dark maned head gave the illusion he looked directly into each individuals eyes, that he was speaking entirely to each single person. He spoke to them all, but he spoke to them individually and he expected them to hear him, if not agree with him.

"This will be no free ticket to the future. We will be given no charitable handouts. Sanc in its present state is incapable of simply giving us a future when it is struggling to shape a future. What we are offered here is a chance. A place to make our own, but a place that will forever belong to Sanc. We will be another jewel in the kaleidoscope, adding more colour, more form, more design to the whole. And we will be a bright, brilliantly coloured jewel. We will be Clan, we will remain Chang, but our people will become a part of Sanc, as those in the past who came here as we now come, became a part of the whole. Being an individual and yet being a part of the whole is the challenge that lies ahead of us."

Taking a moment to pause and take a deeper, heavier breath, Wu Fei tilted his chin up slightly, eyes blazing.

"We will be expected to work, each and every one of us, to further Sanc. We will be expected to work for our living, to work to build homes, to work to belong. We are NOT expected to give up all that made us Chang, all that made us Clan. We will be given assistance, but we will not be given everything simply because we are here. If you seek hand outs, if you expect to be given all that you need for no expenditure on your part, there will be a shuttle waiting at noon tomorrow to take you back to the colony of your choice. Speak up at the conclusion of this meeting. We ALL are expected to pull our own weight and there will be no exceptions."

He heard the restless whispers, the eyes that flicked to the very young and the very old and he felt his lips twitch into a small, knowing smile.

"Those who are young will be expected to learn, to give their every effort to educate themselves, to offer a future for the Clan and the country. Those who are infirm or elderly can find employment in a variety of means, not the least of which is assisting the historians of Sanc in writing down and studying the history of the Clan, that nothing more than necessary will be lost to time. A Council of Representatives will be formed who will report to me and represent the needs of the people who chose them, that they do not lack for what is needed. We shall not have the aristocracy and elitism that brought us down in the past."

He had them again, watching him, listening. He could feel the Elder's eyes boring holes in him.

"Everyone will have the right to seek me out. Everyone has the right to be heard. In my absence I will have an aide who will ensure that I receive word of anyone who requires a word with me. Yes, I will not be present at all times, I too have work to do. I have employment that demands my attention, a position in the King's Court, and I will not give up that position. In keeping that position I have the honour to have the King's ear, and that position has led to you being here, in Sanc, with the chance to have a bright future before you. In the future, who knows where else this beginning might lead? This is a beginning and in every beginning, to build something wonderful, everyone must work. The harder one works, the more solid the foundation on which we shall build."

End

Karina Robertson 2012