Challenge 251 dream
Title: Shaping the Future
Author: ingvild
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Characters/Pairings: Canon pairings. Characters that were alive in AC 174.
Rating/Word Count: all ages, 985 words
Notes: I’m taking liberties with borders, nobility and political structures. It’s not like any nations as they exist today are even mentioned in GW, so I think it’s a safe assumption that they might have changed. Also, I don’t know where it was first suggested that Treize and Dorothy are cousins, but I’m using that.
Summary: In AC 174, at the wedding of King Alphonse Peacecraft of Sank to Lady Anna Katarina of Prussia, a number of very influential people, Earthlings and Spaceborn alike, are present...
“I really think Dermail is the one we should look out for,” Dekim Barton said, scrutinising the images hovering in front of him. “The Romafeller Foundation have been a shadow power in Europe for well over a century, probably using the remains of the late European Union as a basic structure, and Dermail is said to be poised to take control of Romafeller any time now. What’s more, he’s married off his daughters to the two most influential of the younger officers in the Alliance military, and has them well under his thumb. Khushrenada is deeply involved in intelligence services, while Catalonia is very well-loved by the soldiers, and...” He trailed off. “Sir, please pay attention.”
Heero Yuy, the Heart of the Colonies, the most charismatic politician of the new era, looked up at his first aide from where he had been involved in a game of “tickle-tickle, giggle-giggle” with Dekim’s four-year-old daughter Leia. “I am listening, my friend. You’re worried that Dermail is extending his power, and may be attempting to lay the foundations for a violent take-over sometime in the future.”
Dekim blinked. “I...suppose that was what I was aiming at.” Strange, but he hadn’t actually realised that’s where his observations were leading until Yuy said so...
Yuy stood and put a hand on Dekim’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know the dangers, but this is a golden opportunity for us to meet with the most powerful people of Earth in a friendly setting. We can’t waste it.”
Dekim knew that. “Why did you want me to bring Leia?” he asked to change the subject.
Yuy grinned easily. He tended to do that. “Khushrenada has a son her age. I thought they might want to play.”
*****
Colonel Khushrenada watched in amusement as his little son, hand in hand with the little Spaceborn girl, walked around exploring the great hall of the castle (it felt a little wrong calling it a castle, but Sank was a young nation, and their castle had rather modern architecture, unlike the ones around the Khushrenada estate). He wondered if either of them would remember this later on.
“What do you think?” someone asked behind him, and he turned to face his brother-in-law. Captain Catalonia arched a quizzical eyebrow.
“Of whom?” Khushrenada asked, and Catalonia nodded towards where the King, his future bride and his future bride’s foster sister and her fiancé (Darlian or something) were conversing with the colonial who had everyone even slightly aware of politics in a twitter.
“I think he’s the potentially most dangerous man in this room,” Khushrenada answered. “You or I could kill anyone in here, but he makes people think they can be better. He challenges everyone’s assumptions and makes you question the status quo, makes you think.”
“And thinking is dangerous,” Catalonia replied dryly. “I suppose that’s why our esteemed father-in-law is fuming.”
True enough, Duke Dermail, who had been engaged in conversation with Yuy’s aide, looked like a small raincloud had lodged itself directly over his head.
“Nah, he’s just upset that a spaceborn scum dares to talk to him like he was his equal,” Khushrenada quipped, and the two men shared a laugh.
*****
“The truth is, Earthling politicians are too paranoid,” Yuy was saying. “Sure, most of the technology is produced in Outer Space these days, but most of the food is still produced on Earth. We could cut off your supply of high-tech razors and farming suits, but you could cut off our supply of grain just as easily. We have some agricultural colonies, of course, but until we find a more reliable way of mining ice for water, or a way of recycling water that doesn’t spill half of it, they can’t support even a quarter of our population. And let’s not even mention what would happen if you cut off our water supply.”
“And yet, you’re urging the colonies to stand together against Earth?” the King asked.
“It’s not so much that we’re standing together against Earth, as we’re forming a cohesive political unit that together can demand basic rights from Earth,” Yuy replied. “As it stands, Earth controls the market. There are steep prices on import of food, export of technology, we need Earth permission for a lot of research projects, and getting a visa to study or settle on Earth is getting increasingly difficult.”
“Some are worrying about that research, though,” Lady Anna Katarina ventured. “They say you’ll build weapons that can be used against us.”
“That’s why I keep distancing myself from violent groups,” Yuy countered.
“Aren’t you worried they’ll think you’ve turned your back on them?” The question came from Darlian, who had looked uncomfortable and out of place the entire time.
Yuy shook his head. “I’ve never been unclear about my position. They wouldn’t risk making a martyr out of me anyway; they’d have to destroy my name at the same time. And even then...”
“And even then...?” This came from Darlian’s fiancée.
“I’m starting a dream. Even though the dreamer dies, the dream continues.”
*****
Marshall Noventa looked out at the group. His wife looked up at him.
“Have you noticed how they’ve gathered, dear?”
Noventa nodded. The more peaceful of the people in the room had gathered around Yuy and the King, while the more militant ones were keeping close to Dermail...
...and then there were the two children running between both groups, and now coming very close to him...
Noventa snapped up little Treize before he could crash into his legs. “A little more caution there, boy,” he said good-humouredly, and the boy nodded up at him with wide eyes before he took off after his playmate again.
“Are you hearing the wings of the future?” his wife asked, only half-joking.
“Some sort of wing, anyway,” he answered, before taking her hand in a loving grip. “Come, my darling. Let us pay our respects to the King.”
Author: ingvild
Disclaimer: Not mine.
Characters/Pairings: Canon pairings. Characters that were alive in AC 174.
Rating/Word Count: all ages, 985 words
Notes: I’m taking liberties with borders, nobility and political structures. It’s not like any nations as they exist today are even mentioned in GW, so I think it’s a safe assumption that they might have changed. Also, I don’t know where it was first suggested that Treize and Dorothy are cousins, but I’m using that.
Summary: In AC 174, at the wedding of King Alphonse Peacecraft of Sank to Lady Anna Katarina of Prussia, a number of very influential people, Earthlings and Spaceborn alike, are present...
“I really think Dermail is the one we should look out for,” Dekim Barton said, scrutinising the images hovering in front of him. “The Romafeller Foundation have been a shadow power in Europe for well over a century, probably using the remains of the late European Union as a basic structure, and Dermail is said to be poised to take control of Romafeller any time now. What’s more, he’s married off his daughters to the two most influential of the younger officers in the Alliance military, and has them well under his thumb. Khushrenada is deeply involved in intelligence services, while Catalonia is very well-loved by the soldiers, and...” He trailed off. “Sir, please pay attention.”
Heero Yuy, the Heart of the Colonies, the most charismatic politician of the new era, looked up at his first aide from where he had been involved in a game of “tickle-tickle, giggle-giggle” with Dekim’s four-year-old daughter Leia. “I am listening, my friend. You’re worried that Dermail is extending his power, and may be attempting to lay the foundations for a violent take-over sometime in the future.”
Dekim blinked. “I...suppose that was what I was aiming at.” Strange, but he hadn’t actually realised that’s where his observations were leading until Yuy said so...
Yuy stood and put a hand on Dekim’s shoulder. “Don’t worry. I know the dangers, but this is a golden opportunity for us to meet with the most powerful people of Earth in a friendly setting. We can’t waste it.”
Dekim knew that. “Why did you want me to bring Leia?” he asked to change the subject.
Yuy grinned easily. He tended to do that. “Khushrenada has a son her age. I thought they might want to play.”
*****
Colonel Khushrenada watched in amusement as his little son, hand in hand with the little Spaceborn girl, walked around exploring the great hall of the castle (it felt a little wrong calling it a castle, but Sank was a young nation, and their castle had rather modern architecture, unlike the ones around the Khushrenada estate). He wondered if either of them would remember this later on.
“What do you think?” someone asked behind him, and he turned to face his brother-in-law. Captain Catalonia arched a quizzical eyebrow.
“Of whom?” Khushrenada asked, and Catalonia nodded towards where the King, his future bride and his future bride’s foster sister and her fiancé (Darlian or something) were conversing with the colonial who had everyone even slightly aware of politics in a twitter.
“I think he’s the potentially most dangerous man in this room,” Khushrenada answered. “You or I could kill anyone in here, but he makes people think they can be better. He challenges everyone’s assumptions and makes you question the status quo, makes you think.”
“And thinking is dangerous,” Catalonia replied dryly. “I suppose that’s why our esteemed father-in-law is fuming.”
True enough, Duke Dermail, who had been engaged in conversation with Yuy’s aide, looked like a small raincloud had lodged itself directly over his head.
“Nah, he’s just upset that a spaceborn scum dares to talk to him like he was his equal,” Khushrenada quipped, and the two men shared a laugh.
*****
“The truth is, Earthling politicians are too paranoid,” Yuy was saying. “Sure, most of the technology is produced in Outer Space these days, but most of the food is still produced on Earth. We could cut off your supply of high-tech razors and farming suits, but you could cut off our supply of grain just as easily. We have some agricultural colonies, of course, but until we find a more reliable way of mining ice for water, or a way of recycling water that doesn’t spill half of it, they can’t support even a quarter of our population. And let’s not even mention what would happen if you cut off our water supply.”
“And yet, you’re urging the colonies to stand together against Earth?” the King asked.
“It’s not so much that we’re standing together against Earth, as we’re forming a cohesive political unit that together can demand basic rights from Earth,” Yuy replied. “As it stands, Earth controls the market. There are steep prices on import of food, export of technology, we need Earth permission for a lot of research projects, and getting a visa to study or settle on Earth is getting increasingly difficult.”
“Some are worrying about that research, though,” Lady Anna Katarina ventured. “They say you’ll build weapons that can be used against us.”
“That’s why I keep distancing myself from violent groups,” Yuy countered.
“Aren’t you worried they’ll think you’ve turned your back on them?” The question came from Darlian, who had looked uncomfortable and out of place the entire time.
Yuy shook his head. “I’ve never been unclear about my position. They wouldn’t risk making a martyr out of me anyway; they’d have to destroy my name at the same time. And even then...”
“And even then...?” This came from Darlian’s fiancée.
“I’m starting a dream. Even though the dreamer dies, the dream continues.”
*****
Marshall Noventa looked out at the group. His wife looked up at him.
“Have you noticed how they’ve gathered, dear?”
Noventa nodded. The more peaceful of the people in the room had gathered around Yuy and the King, while the more militant ones were keeping close to Dermail...
...and then there were the two children running between both groups, and now coming very close to him...
Noventa snapped up little Treize before he could crash into his legs. “A little more caution there, boy,” he said good-humouredly, and the boy nodded up at him with wide eyes before he took off after his playmate again.
“Are you hearing the wings of the future?” his wife asked, only half-joking.
“Some sort of wing, anyway,” he answered, before taking her hand in a loving grip. “Come, my darling. Let us pay our respects to the King.”