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Unchanged Dialogue = Primary Focused Character
Bold Dialogue = Radio Transmissions
Italisized Dialogue = Additional Characters
0121.11.05
Earth: Sol System
House of Words
Empress Relena Yuy Peacecraft
"This is an Outrage!"
Relena could already feel the headache coming on as the Representative of the Colonies, an umbrella term for those colonies that had been established by ZAFT and Zeon as well as their allied earth based nations. The discussion of the Council had swung back towards their harsh laws against Genetic Augmentation and the use of AI.
She had hoped that humanity as a whole was beyond this, it would seem that such views would never truly be neutered, no matter how many world wars they had to endure. While they did not openly state it, some supported the dismantling of their Neo Mobile Doll Program, and to limit the creation of Coordinators, Cyber Neo Types, and Cyber Coordinators as a whole.
They were also likely the few remaining individuals with ties to Blue Cosmos. They hid their tracks well, as did Blue Cosmos. Though she was sure that Terminal, not to mention many of the intelligence agencies within both Colonies and the United Earth Federation Blocks, were sniffing out any and all leads to the genocidal maniacs.
"Representative Doli! I hear you, and I agree. We can not under any circumstances agree to what the Council proposes for us."
And there was Lacus, the soft spoken woman of nearly forty, with arms placed in her lap, watching the gathering of World and Colony Leaders. Even Nero and Charles were both in attendance. The diminutive blond and the towering white respectively. There were some two hundred Lords, Ladies, Leaders, Barons, Nobles, and all manner of class here within the House of Words* in Geneva Switzerland.
"That is all well and good."
Spoke the Emperor of Austria, Constantin Makart, as he stood up, staring at Relena first. The man was a dog, a loyal dog, but a dog nonetheless. She could see Heero out of the corner of her eye twitching at the man. His gaze said more than enough to her husband on what he was thinking.
"But the fact of the matter is still that this Citadel Alliance vastly outnumbers us. Recent studies have shown the fields that their ships produce to alter their weight work in their favor by repulsing Minofsky and GN Particles from their surroundings. We saw this during reviews of the fighting on Shanxi. We could be inviting a war onto our hands if we reject their offer by refusing to adhere to their major laws."
A few murmurs were already starting. He had a small point. Humanity was only twenty years removed from the absolute bloodbath that was the End War, and only three years removed from the series of wars that gripped it before that. Their population had been effectively torn down to perhaps half a Billion by the end of it all. They were still recovering. Cities such as Sidney and the Moon were unable to ever be properly repaired as a result.
So she stood, drawing the attention of the various nobility and leaders present.
"We can't in good fashion accept such laws that would call for the dismantling of our very citizens, turning our back on those that we once used to bring untold death and ruin. Nor can we allow for the threat of war to let us cower to the whims of Aliens. They are not the ELS, they do not understand what we have experienced."
She even received a small nod from the ELS Representative, the former Hero of the Earth Federation, Amuro Ray. Though that didn't stop her from continuing.
"While we will not accept these two Laws, we can still converse and discuss. As of this moment however, I do not think that any Block of the United Earth Alliance, Earth Federation, Zeon, nor the Colonies will accept rulership by the Citadel Alliance so long as they would call for such strict and backwards rules."
Smiles were spreading on most European leaders and many in the Colonies and Zaft, though it seemed several within the North American and some African countries were not all that thrilled. Those hailing from Asia, Island Nations* such as Hawaii and Puerto Rico, and the Republic of the Philippine showed no real investment nor dismissal.
"And yet you continue to push outdated government styles upon the rest of the human race. Reviving Monarchies and Empires from the ashes, where they should have stayed."
And there was the President of the Earth Federation, one of the few remaining places where the Mega Corporations still had their hooks in the political system via lobbying. Many had realized how much they had profited off the war and even aided LOGOs in their efforts to fuel an Industrial War Complex. This had led to many calling for massive taxation of the rich to help fuel repairs and rebuilding efforts.
Many of those rich did in fact chip in to help, funding projects to rebuild much of the damaged industry across the Earth Sphere. Those that didn't, those that loudly protested, were looked into. Some were greedy, but many still had ties to the now on the run Logos or benefited from their less then clean business practices. Ironically, the Italian and French Mafias were clean of those practices by this point. Though there were many politicians in both countries that vanished when it was made public their more debaucherous behaviors. Releena was however not having this conversation again.
"And as we have explained, the People called for this, after the gross misuse of power that the Obscenely Rich and Mega Corporations had enjoyed for nearly a century. Look at the devastation reaped on the Rainforest not only by Brazil, but by the Atlantic Federation before it was disbanded. The people pushed for a more stable political system. The Americas do not have to embrace it, but that is your choice."
Jonathan Max had nearly gone red in the face, something which Lacus frowned at her about, though Doli herself had a smirk plastered across her face.
"We are not here to debate this once again. We are here to discuss the membership of humanity into the Citadel Council. We can hold a vote after we have discussed their Laws."
Thus the meeting resumed, even as, in another location on Earth, a man was beginning to awaken from a near month-long coma.
0121.11.05
Serpent Nebula - Citadel
Flagship: Winds of the North
High Lord Commander Ofærr Stjarnagram
"Are you insane!?"
Ah there was the earful he was expecting since leaving Shanxi. The old man, nearly into his late seventies, groaned as he drew his hand over his face before turning one eye towards the screen. He was back aboard the ship, having left the Citadel but, having been assigned to stay near there to deliver Earth's intended response to their offer of joining the Alliance.
Ofaerr would turn his head to face that of his Second in the overall Alliance. A young Vice Lord Admiral of the Navy, Hendric Lordford, after all, given his age, those of the Great War had already left the military or were dead. Nor for the first time, Ofaerr felt his age once again by looking at the young man, not even twenty years of age.
"Lad. Remember who yer talkin to before given me lip. We had no time to let the Pencil Pushers or tha Bureaucrats, nor even the Royal League drag their feet. This is a precarious situation we find ourselves in."
The young man on the screen, blond of hair, blue of eyes, sighed but still glared at him. With nare a scar to his face or body, after all, he was apart of the new generation, one which, following the End War, pushed for a return to the approach to war that had otherwise been abandoned in the Age of Mobile Suits, which was for generals, commanders, and high ranking staff to at times take to the field as well alongside their soldiers. A push for them to return to commanding from seats in ships. Though, given the high casualties of the last war, there was no worry about the Old Guard pushing against that. So few still remained that practiced that. Ofaerr one of the few hangers on, despite his advanced age. Bodily Rejuvenation Treatments were a wonderful thing, but even they could only do so much.
"And I understand that My Lord, but you put yourself in a position that left you outside the sphere of Earth and her Allies influence. If something had happened to you, you know Earth would have gone to war. We are in a delicate situation with these Citadel Alliance given the clear favoritism that they show to the Batarian Hegemony."
Ofaerr could nod his head in understanding, that was the exact thought that crossed his mind as soon as he left for the Citadel itself. Even turning to look out the window, he watched the great arms of the Citadel in its slow rotation.
"Lad, that was tha specific reason I came here. From what that Turian, Deslar told me, tha Citadel relies on the Batarians to keep that lawless sect of space under something resembling order. Lest it spill out into the rest of the galaxy. We can't just decide tah gut em, even if the Slavin basterds have it comin."
The Old man would lean back with a sigh, already feeling the migrain itching back into place. He hated that the rod was being spared for the whip in this case. This wasn't his first rodeo when dealing with slavers after all, he had run ops against them personally before and after the End War had seen humanity rocked back. Now though, he was in a position of power but couldn't bring the full might of his wrath down on their heads.
"Though, I have made another decision, comin out here."
His hands tent as he leaned forward, giving a hard look to the Third Lord of the Earth Sphere. One of his direct subordiantes. A young Bulgarian Man in his early twenties. By the name of Krastyo Stoyanov Penchev. Most of the Officer Corps and that of the other leaders had been phased out in favor of the newest generation. What few remain are only in leadership roles.
"My Lord?"
He knew this moment was coming, so with a soft exhale, he would speak with Krastyo.
"When I return to Earth, We will be beginning tah process to put you in command of the United Earth Alliance Military. It is time I retire as Lord Admiral. My years of front line combat are far behind me, I am nearly eighty now. I can't keep this up, even with the technology we possess. It is time I pass the torch. We can discuss more when I return home."
Krastyo would appear floored by that response. He opened his mouth, then closed it for several seconds. It was clear he was having trouble with this news. Then with a cooling of his features, Krastyo would sigh out and slump back into the chair.
"You are really doing this to me? I had just settled into my role and now you are dumping this on me?"
The old man grinned towards the young man. He had every reason to after all. He loved fighting, he lived for it, even when he was pushing into his later seventies, he was not one to give up such things easily. Yet he saw a way to better humanity as a whole.
"And that be why I am given it to ya. Yah ain't ah glory hog or brown noser, yer gunna look out fer tah men and women beneath ya, and those between."
Humanity was such a complicated creature with its decisions and its pronunciations. The old man huffed but continued.
"We can talk properly when I return. Ofaerr Out."
With a click, he would turn off the comm station and stand, planning to take a walk to destress. There was so much that had been revealed to him with this trip, not to mention the weeks before and after the Shanxi Incident. The War Hawks within the Earth Sphere and its allies in the Nation States were pushing for war with the Batarians. Then again that was to be expected. Even with certain things nearly exterminated by the efforts of TERMINAL, Slavery was still an abhorrent practice.
"This can only end in blood..."
He frowned as he walked the coordinates of the ship, images of repeating events of Shanxi repeating within his mind every few seconds. He had left Hendric to deal with any additional calls and questions while he worked to piece his mind together from the last few days. Humanity needed to unify now more than ever in the face of the alien threat.
An entire galactic section, given over to the aliens. The only strength that humanity had was the God Gates in this game of cat and mouse. Yes, they could strike at their outer territories, but the problem was discovering and protecting the ones on their own. FTL gave them the advantage, and that was what worried him. He knew that the extent of the area that the Batarians controlled would demand more forces than the Conservatives were willing to offer and, more than that, there was no telling how long the conflict would go for.
Yet a small part of his mind demanded he abandon this farse of a face. To get into his Mobile Armor and make for the Batarian's Border. Then continue going. The wars were behind him, yet his blood demanded more for it. That side of him had been what had gotten him the attention of the many sides of the last few wars. He tried to put a clamp on such intrusive thoughts, but Shanxi had let the urges come roaring to the front again, after nearly twenty years, the want to fight had been beaten back by medication, and the lack of proper conflict outside of the brief war with the Devil Gundam and the ELS. Though were short affairs in comparison to what this is shaping up to be.
As he walked, arms men and Neo Mobile Dolls stop to salute. He would half-heartedly salute back towards them as well. His mind absorbed by both those thoughts and the upcoming decision he had to make. He breathed out softly, but ran a hand through his hair. Eventually, he would reach his room abord the Wind, sitting down at the terminal, he would input his security codes and clearances into the machine.
"Activate Sound Surpression, Activate Source Scrambling, Activate Long Range Communication Array, Connect to Twin_Queens."
Ofaerr sat back as he waited, given what he had heard, he knew that the global session and meetings were in session. The Queens and He needed to talk.
0121.11.05
Earth: Sol System
France: Mont Saint Michel
Knight House Gremory
Knight Lord Ebenhorn Vest Gremory
He awoke with a slow and painful groan. The Knight Lord awoke beneath the great oaken timber beams of a roof, supporting slabs of stone, from which cast iron chandeliers. The hall echoes with the deep reverberating hymns of a choir somewhere nearby. The ancient building is offset by the sounds of machinery and other technology fashioned into the walls.
He was home, that much he knew. He recognized that ceiling anywhere, after all, he spent many years here. Waking up after particularly nasty brawls with his fellow squires or his instructors. Slowly, his head turned, a hiss slipping from clenched teeth as pain wracked his body still. Even with the medication that they had obviously put him on, it likely could only do so much. Yet he slightly frowned. His last memories before passing out was of fighting. His hammer and his weapon.
Did they win? Did they beat back the aliens? Did Shanxi fall? There were so many questions going through his drug addled mind. Yet the drugs were doing their best effort to keep him from focusing. Head would fall back onto a pillow, even as the sound of one of the heavy oaken doors opened.
Eyes open once more to behold a blob of color which steadily came into focus. That being of an old man in a habit of brown. A small smile worked its way into the face of the old man, even as a a thin stream of silver which caused Ebonhorn to blink. Though only one eye was able to actually see, considering the bandages covering his face.
"My Son, you've awoken, your companion, IV-192 alerted me that you've awoken. How are you feeling?"
Elder Max was old by the standards of the Order, one of its founding members in fact. Always having looked out for the newest Knights of the Order. A small smile creeped into Ebonhorn's features as he slowly nodded his head.
"I am awake Elder…though I confess I wish I wasn't."
The old man smiled softly; he nodded his head in fact. Only imagining the pain he must be in. Ebonhorn's face is obscured by a ball of silver liquid which rose from his bedside, IV-192 leaning over him to run a brief beam of light across his body.
"Organic Vessel has repaired some Ten Percent since arriving. Recommend increased efforts."
Max would shake his head, patting the large blob of liquid metal before looking at the young man.
"You will recover. I wanted to come in to check how you are doing. With the situation as I have heard, you may be called on again…It sounds as though war may be inevitable."
That news caused Ebonhorn to frown slightly, before nodding. After what he had seen, even with his mind in a fog, he needed moments to rest and recover. The fighting had been fierce and long. His body was a mess, given how much damage not only his armor, but his body had sustained in the last days of the fighting. He was lucky to be alive.
His head turned, looking towards the Elder first, and then closed his eyes. Listening to the sounds of the Monastery, the clack of wooden swords, the soft chants, and the wind outside the glass-stained windows outside, he softly smiled.
"Yes, you are right, the fighting was fierce, it was brutal, and the alien, they showed no mercy. Slavers, that was what I had come to understand about the enemy we faced over the month. They showed no quarter in the fighting. Likely took many as slaves."
The images were still burned into his mind, the disregard for human decency, or alien for that matter. The images of the enslaved aliens still rung in his mind, and, had he not been on medication, he would likely have had nightmares about it. He could see the face of the Elder twist, a frown marring his aging features.
"That...was not told to the general public. Slavery? So the aliens you faced were slavers?"
Oh, that may not have been the best thing to say. They weren't told? Oh this was not going to go over well.
"Ah..yes Elder. They were Slavers. I thought you knew that?"
The older man shook his head with a slight frown before he stood up. A sinking suspicion in Ebonhorn's gut told him that the man was not about to set the stage of a long and bloody war.
"I am going to talk with the other elders..."
He turned and left, leaving the two alone. His own fears founded, he meant to rise and chase after the Elder, but found his own weakened body, now missing its arm, found it had not the strength to rise from its bed.
"IV-192, did I just set the Knight Houses on a War Path?"
Author's Notes!
Date Started: 11/29/2022
Information
House of Words: The House of refers to the collective governmental body over the three major Blocs of the Earth Sphere. Those being Zeon, The Federation, and the United Earth Alliance. It is here that wider reaching laws and reforms are passed for the wider alliance. However smaller chambers are afforded to nations wishing to engage in diplomatic options.
Island Nations: Those nations that maintain their sovereignty in the face of the major Blocs forming before the turn of the Century. Some might consider it a major example of divergent history in which the nations, which in our timeline would have been assimilated or forced to join one of the larger Empires during the Age of Sails, managed to keep that from occurring. They now produce the highest example of handmade mobile suits rather than Mass Produced lines due to their smaller size but higher quality compared to the primary Blocs. Aquatic Mobile Suits as well find excellent use as the primary mobile suits of the nation's alongside wet navies. They have shown a propensity towards aquatic worlds to colonize as well.
Mont Saint Michel: Named for the founder of the Order of Gremory, the Holy Saint Michel was one of the first to emerge from the war torn lands of Italy with students behind him. Baring Italian Power Armor and Weapons, they fought to drive the Atlatnic Federation from their shores through a brutal frontline assault. Italy, lacking the production capabilities for Mobile Suits, sought to protect their soldiers. Leading them to become the leading production of Power Armor for the Knightly Orders exclusively.
Reviews
atengawchok: The Genesis Weapon and many such "Colony Killer" Weapons are held under the Sway of the Empresses. They are not going to see use unless it's absolutely necessary. Such as the resurgence of the Devil Gundam or Rogue ELS.
Jctherebel: Thank you for saying so! Though I'd love some kind of feedback. Was there shy part of the chapter you enjoyed