Till There Was You 

Part 3: Utilization

by Lady Scarlet-Une

    "-and we must not forget during this period of upheaval the price we paid to achieve the present state of affairs, gentlemen."  I paused delicately and surveyed the rapt faces around me.  Excellent.  "Treize Kushrenada may have been a man of disputable repute, but he knew the number of soldiers who died for his cause by heart. He personally honored their memories.  And while none of us here can claim similar knowledge, we do know that many sacrificed loved ones and life for the sake of attaining the pacifism we have held so dear.  Let not the struggle of power make us vulnerable, gentlemen.  Instead, let us strive to attain a new order without jeopardizing our relationship with each other and with the people." 

    I sat down and watched the other cabinet members ingest my thoughts carefully.  I could feel them falling under my spell, slowly but surely giving in to the world I had verbally conjured.  Who better to listen to about pacifism than one of its most historically strongest supporters? Who better indeed.  

    "As much as I applaud your intentions, Ms. Dorlian, I feel I must point out some obvious flaws in your arguments."

    I narrowed my eyes slightly and sized up my opponent in secret glee.  His name was Deacon Smith, a brash American who was the lead rabble-rouser in our cabinet.  He and his political followers were not major supporters of the status quo.  Before the end of the first war, companies in the United States had held lucrative contracts with manufacturers that had allowed them to be sole distributors of certain key products needed for armament production.  Needless to say, the financial windfall following the destruction of OZ and Romefeller had left them less than pleased.  Mr. Smith had the most to gain from the destruction of the status quo.  Thus, he was the easiest to manipulate.

    "I am more than willing to discuss my policies with you, Vice Minister Smith," I replied sweetly.  I watched his chest puff up and his shoulders relax.  I smiled inwardly.  Pompous ass.

    "Why is it that we must stubbornly cling to this outdated notion of pacifism?" he began.  "It has been truly ineffective against the civil wars sprouting up all over the globe and with the anti-Federation groups in the colonies.  The Preventers, our only organization licensed to bear arms, can only do so much and what they have done so far has amounted to nothing more than piss in a bucket."  He stopped to chuckle slightly at his American colloquialism.  " Furthermore, how trustworthy is this Lady Une anyway?  She was a former Colonel in the OZ organization, after all, and her loyalty to Treize and his ideals is well known.  And look what he did.  He embroiled us in a deplorable war!"

    "Treize believed that warfare was the only way to really achieve an absolute state of peace, Vice Minister Smith," I replied coolly.  "Lady Une is now protecting the peace Treize Kushrenada worked so hard to obtain.  And who are you to criticize the late General?  If I remember correctly, you were once considered a part of his political inner circle."  I paused and looked at all of them thoughtfully, an exaggerated look of surprise on my face. It would have done Dorothy proud. "And didn't you eagerly sell supplies to OZ to fuel that 'deplorable' war as well?  Yes, I believe that was the case."  My smile widened.  "If I remember correctly."  I watched his face redden and heard the whispers sweep across the room.  Smith had worked hard to downplay that part of his past, and I had brought to light many issues thought long forgotten.

    "Furthermore, Vice Minister Smith, armament would violate the treaty we have with the colonies.  We are only beginning to see a downward trend in their intense paranoia, and anything even remotely resembling the idea of 'armed invasion' would send them all in a blind panic.  Am I not right, gentlemen?"  I arched an eyebrow at the representatives from the colonies.  They gravely nodded their heads in affirmation.  "Therefore, why should we sacrifice our hard-won peace for the sake of intangible paranoia? The new government order will have to promote pacifism because it is the cornerstone of our social order.  The small bouts of warfare will be quelled, Vice Minister, in due time.  Until then, it would behoove us to refrain from jumping the gun and implementing rash plans.  I don't know about your constituents, but I can think of many others who would prefer not to begin training.  And I, for one, do not wish to see the Sanq Kingdom destroyed again." 

    I sat back and watched him flail.  I wanted to relish the moment, to revel in my win.  But this was small pickings in comparison to what I had planned.  Furthermore, such an action would not be in character, and maintaining the illusion of my former naive self was acutely necessary at this point in the game.  Starting right -

    "Vice Minister Sita, we have a problem."  Now.  I watched the messenger run from the doorway and skitter around the conference table.  He placed a folder in the hands of Fujari Sita,  Erikson's second in command and now acting Prime Minister.  Not to mention close personal friend.  I watched his eyes grow wide as the words sunk in.  He closed the folder and gravely surveyed the conference room.  I stared at him intently, but he refused to meet my questioning gaze.

    "Ladies and gentlemen, some disturbing news, fittingly pertinent to the present discussion, has arisen.  In my hands, I hold the results of extensive forensic exams conducted at the scene of our late Prime Minister's murder.  Thorough investigation has resulted in the finding of evidence linking the late Prime Minister's death with -" He paused and the Cabinet held its collective breath.  I did as well, just for the fun of it. "- Operation X, a rebel faction from L2." 

    There was a moment of silence as the news sunk in.  I leaned back in my chair and closed my eyes.  'Good job, Heero,'  I thought proudly.  Tampering with government files had always been one of his fortes. 

    The silence was broken by the pounding of a fist against the table top.  "The colonies have outrageously broken our treaty!" Smith cried exultantly.  I watched the colony representatives protest loudly.

    "I say, this is NOT representative of all the colonies, Vice Minister!"

    "Exactly! We had no part in this at all! We knew nothing!!"

    "Technically speaking, what you're saying may be true," Smith drawled out, a predatory gleam in his eye.  "However, you did nothing to quell these rebel factions."

    "We did what we could!" retorted one of the delegates.

    "But you couldn't do anything effectively because you had no arms!" trumped Smith triumphantly.  I could already feel the tide turning in his direction, a mixture of self-righteous indignation and hunger for power fueling him on.  Armament would mean domination, after all.  Heady stuff.

    "We need to show the rebels that we do not take the murder of our political leader lightly," Smith continued.  "No more flowery phrases, no more empty threats.  Instead, we must show them and all their allies the true strength of Earth!"

    "See here!" I cried passionately, bolting up from my chair.  "We are part of an Alliance, an Earth and Colony organization.  We cannot simply turn our backs and condemn them all!"

    "But can we trust them now after this startling act of rebellion?" Smith countered.  "The web may extend far beyond the trappings of one small organization, Miss Darlian.  Why, further investigation may prove that this step may have even been colony-funded."

    "And if not?" I replied tersely. 

    Smith smiled.  "Then they may just have covered their tracks well."

    "That's irrational!" I exclaimed.  "What you're doing is damning them with or without the presence of sufficient evidence!  That's -"

    "Sit down, Vice Minister Darlian!" roared Sita from his place at the head of the table.  I stared at him in simulated shock.  "Prime Minister Erikson was a good man and a close friend.  I am still coping with the loss of his presence and excellent leadership.  What you are saying is a direct affront to his memory.  How can we just sit about and do nothing to avenge this heinous crime?"

    "I'm just saying that it seems rather extreme to declare a virtual war -"

    "Extreme?!" Sita shouted, his voice rising a few octaves.  He pointed his fingers at the flustered colony representatives frantically.  "These men did a half-assed job and our Leader was assassinated!  They fucked up and Erikson paid the price.  They, and whoever participated with those rebels, deserve to be punished!"

    "But evidence-"

    "This is the evidence!"  He threw down the folder.  It hit the table with a loud 'thwack.'  "Armament is necessary.  Teaching the rebels a lesson is necessary.  Your pathetic ideals are not."

    I sat back in my chair and watched irrationality take a hold of them all.  Shocked exclamations of outrage and anger poured out of the Earth representatives' mouths.  They crowded around Smith and vied for his attention, periodically scowling darkly at the quiet cluster of Colony representatives sitting next to me.  Smith caught my eye and smirked.  I turned away.  I turned back after I heard someone softly call out my name.  Vice Minister Durham from L1 looked extremely anxious and slightly frightened.

    "I'm quite sorry for all of this," he choked out.  "Thank you ,for-for doing your best." 

    I reached out and mechanically patted his hand.  "I'm sorry, too. No need for the thanks."  I drew my hand away and laid it on the table in front of me.  I stared at them for a bit before crossing my arms on the table and dropping my head onto them.  I heard Durham tell the others to leave me alone.

    "She's suffered a major defeat," he whispered to someone.  "We all need to regroup."

    The grin on my face widened and I spent the next few moments fighting down excited giggles.  I had been barely able to suppress my amusement towards the end of the meeting and hiding my face was all I could think of doing to conceal my glee.

    'No, Mr. Durham,' I thought amusedly, 'I have not lost at all.  In fact, this may be my greatest victory as of yet.'