#chapter 197. The Approaching Danger

[every-yumichika]

[vincentcatagainsttheworld]

#Repost Deborah Harkness FB page SHADOW OF NIGHT read along chapters 7-9 and outtake chapter ❓❓Did you know there is an outtake chapter for SHADOW OF NIGHT in THE WORLD OF ALL SOULS? “My mother is in Germany,” Matthew murmured, resting his hand on my shoulder. This was no comfort; his mother was anything but predictable. “Aye, and I’m in Wales.” Lizzie’s smile was mischievous. “If women did what men expected them to do, life would be very dull.” From the SHADOW OF NIGHT Outtake Chapter in THE WORLD OF ALL SOULS, pg 197 “Diana and Matthew’s first port of call in sixteenth-century France, the famous Mont Saint-Michel, is a fortified monastery perched on an islet just off the coast of Normandy. There has been a monastery there since the eighth century, founded by Bishop Aubert of Avranches. Surrounded by treacherous quicksands at low tide and the swirling waters of dangerous currents at high tide, Mont Saint-Michel has proved an impenetrable stronghold through the centuries, both in and out: For decades after the French Revolution, it was also used as a prison . Mont Saint-Michel was the original base for Louis XI’s Order of St. Michael (the motto for which Matthew whispered as they approached it), with the Knights Hall dedicated to the order.” -THE WORLD OF ALL SOULS, p 199 #ShadowOfNightreadalong2022 #TheWorldOfAllSouls #SONch7 #SONch8 #SONch9 image: Mont St Michel, but M@teo on Flickr. https://www.instagram.com/p/Ck1RPbXIFq2/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[fallenwingzero]

Frozen Teardrop translation

Finally, a whole, never before released chapter done! This chapter was  over 15k words so more like three chapters ahh,, but I’m relieved and a lot of interesting stuff happens so it was worth it. As usual, translation is under the read more.

Edited: Some names have been changed for accuracy. Thanks @cloakandfire for your help!

Changes made in this chapter are: Noinheim to Neuenheim, Astraea to Astoria, Herve Honneger to Elv Onegell, Disneuf to Dixneuf.

Frozen Teardrop

Volume 7: Rhapsody of Loneliness

Chapter: Interlude of the Heart (Preventor 5 Part 2)

“If we don’t stop the fighting here now, there will be need for more soldiers like us again.”

*

“If that happens the history of ‘tragedy will continue forever.”

*

“How many more times do I have to kill?” *

“How many times do I have to kill that child and her puppy?”

---- After colony – 196 December 27 Re – Entry ---- Heero Yuy

AC – 197 April 09

Sanc Kingdom/ Sky VTOL Aircraft --- 06:47pm ---

It was five hours before the time limit presented by Epyon del Telos the “Next Government”. The preventor’s VTOL aircraft was heading for the mountainous region of Sanc Kingdom. Sally Po, who is maneuvering the ship, made a large detour while maintain high altitude, being careful not to get caught in the security network of the Sanc Kingdom Castle. On the other hand, she called for communications to the Sanc Kingdom castle with the one available open line.

“This is Preventor Water, please respond Epyon Del Telos.”

A man with a muffler and sunglasses responded.

“Are you ready with the ransom?”

As far as she could make out from background noise, he appeared to be in the hall of Sanc Kingdom Castle.

“Yes, Pure gold ingots… but they’re shipped in ten batches… that’s ok right?”

“That sounds like too much trouble….”

“Well, that’s the amount we gathered… Or would you rather wait until we have the full amount.”

“What are you playing at?���

“This way you can slowly check the authenticity of the pure gold, and it’s also safer than handing it over directly, so it’s all good, isn’t it?”

“Hmm, if it turns out to be imitation gold, our nuclear bomb will be---”

Sally immediately interrupted before he could finish.

“I understand! I’ll parachute the first ransom at 7:00pm! After that I’ll drop another every 30 minutes, so I can deliver the full amount to you within the deadline… Oh, and if a jet is approaching at that time, don’t shoot it down!”

The man was convinced and with a dissatisfied voice replied,

“………Understood.”

“We Preventors will make another announcement after the hostages are released and it is confirmed that they are safe! That’s all, communication over!”

Even though the Preventors were the ones to make the initial negotiation, it is impossible to turn off the radio from here.

It is common practice to try an extract information on terrorists through keeping them on the line as long as possible through conversation.

“But we don’t have time, right?”

The actual pure gold ingots loaded into the container were only two ingots prepared by the Winner family and one by the global government. It was only a bluff that there would be ten ingots. However, this would allow them to approach just above Sanc Kingdom Castle at least three times.

Behind Sally, four Preventor’s were carefully preparing for action. They were to descend in a two-man cell (pairs of two) during the first and second low-flying flights, respectively. Heero Yuy wasn’t on the ship with the others and instead was on board the Cancer from before.

“Looking back through history, peaceful military organizations are the most dangerous.” Quatre Raberba Winner, who was ready, began to explain using the Unified Alliance of the Earth as an example.

“The Alliance was at war in the name of ‘Justice and Peace’, but in reality, there was no one to fight, yet they developed weapons just to keep the organization alive. And they were willing to forge a rebellion to make Sanc Kingdom and the colonies their enemies.”

“It’s because they were corrupt.” Duo Maxwell gave a naïve impression while inspecting a simple thruster device for descent, much like a crutch. 

“Then I have a question. How can we say that the Preventor’s will not be corrupt in the future? Why can we be sure that it will never turn to control?”

“Fortunately, Preventors have no opposition, and the organization itself is small and can keep themselves in check by monitoring each other. But if they grow huge, as was stated in their initial goal, the ideal can be forgotten, and it falls into a military organization that hunts down the weak.”

“…. I won’t allow it to become corrupt or fall as long as my eye is on it.” Chang Wufei, an official Preventers Bureau member, interrupted Quatre’s story.

He looked at Winner preparing the gold ingots with disappointment before saying,

“We don’t need to prepare any gold.”

Duo understood Quatre’s intentions with the words Wufei said.

“This is not absolute justice.” 

He was in a time of chaos and couldn’t ‘determine justice’.

“It has already been proven in the uprising of the Mariamaia army.”

Wufei may have said this at an intentional timing while showing dissatisfaction. Underneath his bullish face, a mixed heart of self-depreciation, self-discipline, and atonement seemed to hold his breath. Quatre could hear the melancholy in his words.

“Unfortunately, humanity has a pitiful habit of pursuing self-interest. This habit was useful for humanity’s exploration of space, but as soon as people realize War and Peace can be profitable, various for-profit organizations will flock like crows. When that happens, a second and third Alliance force may be created, within which a new OZ may appear.”

“But we don’t have to hide anything” Duo said. “Aren’t we the good guys? If so, it’s ok as long as it’s honest.”

“It’s not that simple you’re…..” Trowa Barton said looked sideways at Duo, checking the outside air pressure and asked him,

“Did you forget when the Gundam were a ‘symbol of the rebels’?”

Duo clenched his teeth.

The Gundam were once used for political propaganda. At the stage of the initial battle in AC195 “OZ” succeeded in pulling out five Gundams to the front stage using cunning means. It can be said that the same method is used this time as well. It seems that the request to publicize the existence of the Preventors has such as intention.

“Tsk…It reminds me of something I don’t like”

It was none other than Trowa who publicly executed Duo’s partner, Gundam Deathscythe. After that, even when Duo had Deathscythe Hell back in his possession and returned to the colonies to live in seclusion, there were people who tried to recruit Duo as a warrior revolutionary of the colonies. He was invited to use his Gundam as the main force of the White Fang.

“Sure, I knew better at the time so of course I declined.”

“If you go to White Fang, you will be treated as a hero.” Hilde who was there, once told him.

“I’m not interested in such a job… I’m always good at being the god of death.”

He truly believed that from the bottom of his heart.

Even if it was a lonely miserable battle, that was the path Duo chose.

In many cases, when you stand on the front stage, the intention of the individual is hardly reflected. In order to avoid that, the former Gundam pilots continued to fight by each individual without participating in any force or huge organization at any time. But still, they were swayed and used for the convenience of others. That was their AC 195. That’s why they tried to dispose of their Gundam into the Sun the following year, and this year they self-destructed them. There was no longer any need for the Gundams. The Preventors should also remain hidden. That view was the unanimous decision of everyone here. 

A few minutes had passed and when the first ransom container was dropped at exactly 7pm, Quatre and Trowa descended shortly before that.

Sanc Kingdom Bay Undersea – 07:11PM-

Model Number OZ-08MMS Underwater Combat mobile suit “Cancer” reads the complex seabed terrain and heads towards where the Sanc Kingdom castle is located, pushed by the fast currents at high tide.

Passenger name, Heero Yuy. His mission was to rescue Relena Darlian and release the nuclear bombing equipment at Sanc Kingdom Castle. Heero is currently the best Preventor because of his mentality in re-matching and never losing his pride despite being defeated many times. Other members have recognized him as a man who constantly keeps his cool judgment and concentration, is not afraid of making mistakes, and continues to aggressively attack.

The Cancer, which is currently diving through the Sanc Kingdom, did not steer through the river, which is a tributary from Lake Lerney, but instead headed toward the steep cape in the northwest. At the bottom of the water below was the entrance to a long cave canal leading to the sewers of Sanc Kingdom Castle.

There was an old record that in the summer of AC 145, rebel soldiers entered from the cave canal and the Peacecraft royal family was taken hostage.

*

A few minutes earlier, Heero was shown an old map of the cave canal from the Preventor Operations Command Room on the luxury liner after being informed of the current situation by his staff, Quatre.

“Heero should infiltrate the Sanc Kingdom Castle through here.”

“…….. I understand.”

“We will start infiltrating from another direction. The timing of the start of the situation is quite delicate. Please keep the communication line open at the scheduled time.” Continued Quatre as he plainly told the details of the operation.

It seemed he had great trust. Heero, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be bothered and he doesn’t say more than he needs to. Quatre finishes his instructions and finally gave a gentle but serious look.

“But please, don’t do anything unreasonable.”

Heero keeps his cold gaze.

“………. I understand the mission.

He then dove into the sea, leaving only those words, without showing emotion.

*

Cancer, with Heero on board, arrived at the cape at the target point. There was no entrance to the cave on the rock wall at the bottom of the sea. This situation was expected. Perhaps in the 50 years the sand, stone and dead bodies of various creatures that had settled on the sea bead had closed the entrance. Also, during the rise and fall of Sanc Kingdom, many large-scale navel battles were fought in this area, so that would of also of had an effect. In recent years, a typical example is the battle between Gundam Epyon and Wing Gundam Zero in the Fall of AC195.

Looking at the chart on the sub-monitor, Heero Yuy remembered when he was fighting on this cliff. His opponent at the time was Relena’s older brother, Milliardo Peacecraft. Both sides fought the first battle between ZERO systems in history, and finally saw the conclusion in an unbelievable situation, without winning or losing, of switching between each other’s aircraft. Heero could not get used to the Gundam Epyon ZERO system he was on board at the time.

“… That cliff…..” He muttered as the image of an hourglass appeared in his mind.

It was a scene where the bottom of the glasswork was missing, and the silver sand disappeared into the darkness of the void. It looks like a plankton descending into a deep, dark trench or countless stardust scattered in the jet-black outer space.

With such an image Heero, whose own memories are scattered and have disappeared, devised this method independently while being trained as a “weapon”. This method is to delete the cursed memories. If he was to be a high-performance killing machine, he would have to maintain a strong spirit with forced mind control that he decided to believe was possible to do so. However, it was more burdensome than he imagined and may have been counterproductive….

He didn’t understand why the image is an hourglass. However, he felt that “sand”, which just flows and disappears, is more “time” than mechanically ticking every second or an LCD screen changing rapidly. Heero is the type of person who lives in the present while cutting off the past.

No, it may be more accurate to say that he wanted to live like that. That he has lived a life that is so sad, painful, ruthless, and never wants to look back again.

“My past… I don’t need it.”

Thinking that, he regained his usual calm composure and operated his console to raise the communicator float from the upper torpedo tube of the Cancer. It was developed by the former “OZ” and was an excellent communication device that would not yield to any jamming radio waves. Commonly known as the “OZ Line”, when the communication device float comes out to the surface of the sea, it sends and receives a special pulse, enabling communication even from the deep sea. The only drawback was that it could only be used in a small area within a 1km radius.

Heero doesn’t waste any time. Until the communication device float could rise to the surface of the sea, ultrasonic exploration was conducted on a wide range of rock walls to determine the detailed topography and internal structure. He was able to identify approximate location of the entrance of the cave canal. The Cancer is equipped with four torpedo tubes. A salvo of four torpedoes would open the closed entrance. The problem was the danger of the explosion being noticed by those in the Sanc Kingdom Castle.

In the deep sea, vibrations and changes in sea level cannot be hidden even if the sound of the explosion is muffled.

“This is Red One Cancer… I’ve secured the OZ Line,” He called on a Preventor VTOL Aircraft far above.

Sanc Kingdom Castle Underground Shelter – 07:32PM

Dixneuf Neuenheim looked at his watch and then shook his head, clicking his tongue.

“Four and a half hours left….”

A few minutes earlier he had been informed that the second container had been dropped. He has also heard that all the first pure gold ingots were real. He could determine from this that the Global Government had accepted his request. However, Dixneuf was frustrated. The ransom didn’t matter to him. His true purpose was to launch the Perfect Peace Program “PPP”. The kitten “Sam” who was already displayed on the monitor of an old-fashioned laptop, recognized Relena Darlian as a “Peacecraft”. All Dixneuf had to do was have Relena enter the password “PEACECRAFTX2HEEROYUY”.

*

Many years ago, Dixneuf was handed a piece of software called Prototype Perfect Peace Program “P.P.P.P” by a person named Thomas Quarante at the behest of his father and boss, CEO Nove Neuenheim, to repair and improve this data and start it up. Surprisingly it consists of its own software which has never been launched. Nove had said that with this, complete control of the Martian sphere would be possible.

It was a program that administers certain vaccines to the majority of humans, and if there were a time when they don’t obey orders, they could activate the system and slaughter them all at once. Without a doubt, as ordered, Dixneuf began the restoration. It was possible to read the mathematical formula data from the software.

However, there was a lot of unreadable data too. No matter how good the team of programmers working together, it still took a considerable amount of time to remove the bugs and repair the data that was over fifty years old. Even so far, they couldn’t get it to start. It seemed that a password was needed.

It was found that a newly developed nanomachine on the computer network could be linked and with that a new project team was started in AC195, two years ago, to work on it. Still, they couldn’t solve the problem. The conditions to start it were too specific.

The conditions for unlocking the password that was finally read was that a person of the Peacecraft family and an AI (Artificial Intelligence) “Sam” had to be prepared. That level was unfinished even with the latest technology of today. It was activated only when the password “PEACECRAFTX2HEEROYUY” was entered, after which “Sam” would identify the Peacecraft. The intelligence level of the AI was high in the quantum computer class, and it is said that Gundam Zero’s system is the closest to that quantum computer.

Dixneuf came to a decision when Milliardo Peacecraft appeared on Mars with Gundam Epyon after the “Eve Wars”.

“Epyon also has the ZERO system. If I can get my hands on it and become Milliardo, the program should hopefully start.”

After Milliardo had left Mars, he did not hesitate to have his face reshaped into that of Milliardo’s. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it was madness. He also succeeded in killing Major Elf Onegell, who had been entrusted with the Gundam Epyon, and stealing the aircraft. An effort had also been made to become a Peacecraft by downloading the residual consciousness of “Merquise” that was in the ZERO system. However, the essential “PPP” did not start.

According to the ZERO system, it turned out that it would not start without the quantum computer-type AI “Sam” installed in “Wyvern”. Dixneuf tried to give up at this stage. No matter what records you look at the Wyvern, now fifty years old, no longer exists anywhere.

In addition, the Sanc Kingdom had been repeatedly destroyed and reconstructed and it was hard to believe that the data of “Sam” could have survived.

A subordinate of Mars reported that the Preventor’s were trying to restart the mobile unmanned dolls at “Vulcan”. The special agency of the Earth sphere rarely accessed Mars, and instead had hacked to obtain some confidential information. Such information found was about “Wyvern”. There was evidence that Duke Dermail and Chief Tubarov of the Romefeller foundation used “Sam” as a software reference during the development of the Mobile Dolls. This is proof that “Sam” still remains somewhere on Earth.

Dixneuf desperately searched around, the spurred madness was driving him to obsession. He investigated thoroughly with the full power of the Neuenheim Concern. As a result of his research, he had found that the most likely location for Sam was the portrait of King Marticus Rex Peacecraft in the hall of Sanc Kingdom Castle. The painting has a special neo-titanium defensive shield that protects it from air-raids and fire.

Despite the portrait being found, it still is not certain if this is Sam’s current location. It is unnatural that only one portrait is protected so carefully. As Dixneuf proceeded with the investigation, he got information that the data of “Sam” was in fact hidden there. In order to obtain it, he hired more than a dozen terrorists, took Relena and other government officials as hostages and set them up in Sanc Kingdom Castle. From the portrait, Dixneuf finally found an old-fashioned small computer. However, the essential AI was initially reset and could not be called “Sam” yet. At least 60 hours of researching and communication were required to improve the program.

For a moment, Dixneuf had believed that it was all finally completed but Sam didn’t recognize him as a Peacecraft. Dixneuf had tasted the feeling of defeat he had experienced many times before. Was there a mistake in the reading of the data? Or was there a more fundamental failure? Either way, he couldn’t stop this insane chase that had brought him so far. In his final bid, he asked Relena for help.

*

For the past hour or so, Dixneuf had been patiently persuading Relena Darlian.

“Miss Relena, think twice… If our demands are met, there will be no Preventors. Then revolutions and conflicts will break out again in various parts of the world and a huge military organization will be established to replace the Preventors. They will be similar to the former Unified Alliances of the Earth and the secret organization “OZ”. The history of tragedy will repeat itself if you don’t launch this program.”

“I don’t believe it’s possible for such a program to achieve “Perfect Peace”.

“No, I’m sure it will. This is a system that manages all mankind.”

“Peace is….---”

“I know, Peace is not something that can be given to you, It’s something each person must work for with their own hands.”

“…….”

“But it is better not to want humans to have freedom or independence…. By being ruled, a true “peaceful” world will be fulfilled.  

“Meow” The kitten Sam screamed from the monitor.

Relena refused to turn to the voice.

“……”

Dixneuf acted as a gentleman without showing his inner impatience.

“Now, Miss Relena…. I want you to throw away your Darlian name and return to a Peacecraft.”

But with her strong will, she never shook her head.

“I am aiming for peace just like you. The way to go and the place to reach are the same so why won’t you cooperate with me?”

“Mr. Dixneuf, at this moment you are threatening the global government with a nuclear weapon. Your “peace” is not the same as mine.”

“But true peace will come…. By abandoning the false peace here and now”

This had just become a chicken race towards “peace”. Relena thought that despair instead of “Peace” has become a precipitous cliff and is waiting ahead. She felt she was being tested.

“We must not achieve peace in this way”

There should still be some other option left and she had to find it in the time left. Given that “perfect peace” throws away all weapons “without giving up hope, but by confronting it”, the existence of the Preventor organization is undoubtedly a contradiction. Even Relena understood that at the end of last year.

It might be unavoidable for Dixneuf to call it a “false peace” but Relena wouldn’t be willing to completely deny the Preventors. Without the organization it would not have been possible to stop the uprising of the Mariamaia army. And it is also true that the Gundams made the people stand up and fulfill their “responsibility for winning peace.”

However, she felt sorry for the Preventors who are secretly working in the shade in this world full of light. If Dixneuf and his colleagues get their demands, the budget spent on the Preventors is given as a ransom and made known to the public. That would be enough to destroy this “peacekeeping system” of the Earth Sphere United Nation. With that in mind, the only way to avoid it may be to activate the program “Perfect Peace” and eliminate the war by oppressing it.

Nuclear explosions will be avoided, the hostages will be released and this beautiful Sanc Kingdom will be protected.

“But is that really okay?” She thought, believing she would be running away from the responsibility of achieving peace.

Another option is to stay silent until the time limit and be erased from the world along with the 200 hostages and the Sanc Kingdom. Respect for human life would be ignored but it is a way to entrust the aftermath to the Preventors and a baton-pass of the unsolved issue of “maintaining complete peace” to the next generation.

“But that too….”

She thought it was an easy conclusion. Thinking it over and over was just a strain, and it was not a convincing solution. In her swaying heart, this alternative was painful and difficult. Above all, these two options are completely different from the “peace” that Relena desires.

Sanc Kingdom Castle, 3rd floor Hostage Confinement Room – 07:55PM

Only female hostages were gathered in this room. Lady Une, the director of the Preventors, noticed that the compact mirror radio in her bag was vibrating.

“Does it finally work…?”

She turned and spoke to Dorothy Catalonia, who was sitting beside her, in a whisper.

“I’m sorry, but could you get their attention?”

“Of course,” Dorothy agreed with a smile, “Which should I try? “Girl fight”? “Venus Flytrap”? Or “Molester Fuss”?” 

“Just don’t involve the other hostages as much as possible”

“Then let’s go with the “speech”.”

Dorothy started walking towards the terrorists on the lookout, her appearance was dashing and brave as always. Two terrorists repositioned their machine guns.

“What? Don’t stand up! If you need to use the toilet, then everyone goes together!”

Dorothy lifted the corner of her mouth and screamed.

“Have you ever killed a woman? From what I’ve heard it’s pretty disgusting…. You can’t sleep anymore after doing so. After all, your kind mother would have raised you so that you wouldn’t do that.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

“We are so numerous too.”

Dorothy is behind the men and turns to the other hostages.

“Everyone, can you listen to me for a moment? I have a suggestion.”

“Stop, you! Do you really want to be killed!?!?” The men shouted.

But Dorothy ignored it and started the “speech”.

“Everyone, I want to free these two lords from such a hard labor. How about we all commit suicide, right here? Because there are no more lords on this Earth. Isn’t it a pity to put the burden on these men? Everyone jumps in and the machine guns go off. Should we try it?”

The hostages were stunned as they were listening to her words.

“Don’t anyone stand! If you move even a little, we will shoot and kill!”

The two men switched the machine gun from semi-auto to full-auto.

“Now, let’s all get along and be hit by the rain of bullets…. And let’s scatter beautifully! Let’s make this floor a sea of bright red blood and let God see it!”

Dorothy is ecstatic and glanced behind her.

“You guys can go home sooner, right? Your beloved family is waiting….”

“Unfortunately for you, I don’t have any children or family.” Said one man, returning the machine gun to semi-auto, aiming at the beautiful blonde.

Lady Une quietly closed the compact mirror. Dorothy caught sight of this and looked over her back and continued.

“Oh, you do want to shoot? If so, don’t worry. Should I haunt you for 100 or 200 years?”

It was then that the man put his finger on the trigger.

Lady Une stood up and applauded. The men pointed their guns at her.

“Wonderful…. Really wonderful.” She behaved elegantly and spoke with a neat voice.

“I was impressed with your speech, Miss Dorothy,” but she suddenly screamed in a harsh tone, “but think of the inconvenience to the others! Sit down!”

“Oh, that’s right. I wanted to talk more… sorry.” Dorothy said returning to her seat.

For a moment the two looked at each other.

“Do you still have something to do?”

“Oh, a lot…” Lady Une whispered to Dorothy, smiling with a reliable smile.

South City District, 1st Unit – 07:55PM

Trowa and Quatre climbed to the roof of a thirty-story skyscraper in the city where they installed a small anti-aircraft bazooka gun. From there they could overlook Sanc Kingdom Castle. About thirty minutes ago, the second unit of Wufei and Duo descended to the forest district on the north side. By this time, they should of passed through the forest and approached the back of Sanc Kingdom Castle.

“It’s almost time?”

“Yes… Trowa, could you take the liaison?”

“I don’t mind…”

Quatre handed the radio to Trowa.

“I not good with that person.”

The communication partner was Lady Une, the director of the Preventors, who pretended to be fixing her makeup with a compact mirror.

“As expected, Trowa Barton. What made it possible to use the “OZ line”?”

“The operation will start in 250 seconds… take action where you are too.”

“No, wait… Relena Darlian isn’t here right now. If you do something unreasonable, it could be dangerous for her.”

“Huh, as a Preventer she is much better behaved” Trowa thought, “Only the sly humans can survive on the battlefield… I thought Lady Une knew that.”

The two had a relationship as a superior and her subordinate back when they both were enrolled in OZ, but their language is no different.

“Leave Relena to me, you ask for another hostage to help.”

“Okay, let’s do something about it. What is the confluence point?”

“The location can be specified by this communication line…. You can move around without permission.”

“Understood.”

The compact was closed and communication was cut off.

“The VTOL Plane is coming.” Quatre reported to Trowa, looking through his binoculars.

Trowa silently threw the radio back to Quatre, held up the anti-aircraft bazooka gun in a snappy motion and took aim.

“Tell Heero, the mission has started.”

Saying that without intonation, he pulled the trigger. A shell was fired with a roaring sound. It was heading straight for the Preventor VTOL aircraft. A few seconds later, the shell hit the rear fuselage exactly as intended. A flash of light covered the surroundings and the roar of the explosion echoed. It was just like Trowa to use radical and flashy attacks whilst remaining expressionless.

Sanc Kingdom Sky/ VTOL Aircraft – 07:59PM-

Black smoke from the explosion was exhaled from the rear fuselage. The flight stability was also lost. While desperately holding down the control stick, Sally smiled and muttered.

“Yes, wonderful….”

Meanwhile, she shouted at the communication console that had only one line open at Sanc Kingdom Castle.

“This is Preventor Water! Epyon Del Telos, respond!!”

A man with a muffler and sunglasses appeared on the monitor.

“What happened?”

“I want to know the same thing! Why did you shoot!?!? Don’t you want the ransom!?”

“Wait, but!”

“If you can’t control your subordinates the negotiations will be broken! The vertical propulsion part has been damaged! We will make an emergency landing in 60 seconds!!! Keep the explosives in a safe place!��

She cut communications on the radio roughly, flew towards the sea with a margin of a maneuver, made a U-turn from there and turned to Sanc Kingdom Castle. All she had to do now was set it to auto-pilot and plunge into the outer wall. The calculation was to break the ramparts and crash land near the courtyard. Sally opened the hatch and parachuted down.

Sanc Kingdom Bay, Undersea – 08:00PM

Heero, who received a communication from Quatre, fired four torpedoes. Those that hit the rock wall, broke open the entrance to the cave canal, which had previously been brilliantly blocked. At this time, the Preventor VTOL aircraft will be rushing into the Sanc Kingdom Castle grounds and making a commotion.

Cancer rushed through without hesitation whilst the sand and rocks were still falling. Heero didn’t get lost at all in the narrow waterways.

“Wait, Relena….”

In his mind, was Relena’s face, which could not be erased even after repeated attempts to do so.

“……………..”

He was wondering if Relena’s face would still come to his mind anymore.

“Here, Red One Cancer… I have entered the cave waterway and will proceed to" where I need to!”

Sanc Kingdom Castle Backyard, Second Unit – 08:02PM

Duo and Wufei rotated the simple thruster device for descent like a helicopter and descended into the castle grounds. Two guard soldiers stood in the back but had been distracted by the sound of the explosion on the other side of the castle.

“Ah, nice and flashy…” Duo said, grinning at the light of the burning flames.

By this time, Quatre and Trowa should have started rushing from the front outer wall.

“We have to hurry here too.”

Wufei had already landed and used the thruster device like a Chinese martial arts “dragon” to stun the ground soldiers. The thruster device, which was not built as a weapon, had bent with just two shots.

“He always was such a radical guy…. That device is expensive!” Duo thought to himself.

“Hurry up!” Wufei said and stripped the camouflage uniforms off of the soldiers.

“Hey, hey…. it’s not my job to take off the bastard’s clothes.” Duo muttered.

They intend to impersonate the terrorists and infiltrate the castle.

“Is there eighteen more…” Wufei, who is always silent, muttered to himself.

“If you include Sally in the number of heads, it’s an assignment of three people per person… it’s an easy win.” Duo said, putting his arms through the sleeves of his camouflage uniform.

“Heh…”

“What are you so impressed with?”

“I didn’t think you could divide.”

“How did I get this guy as my partner…?” Duo sighed to himself, cursing his lack of luck.

Sanc Kingdom Castle, Underground Shelter – 08:15PM

Dixneuf couldn’t hide his frustration from the incoming reports.

“What is going on…”

He had to devote his personnel to extinguishing the fires of the burning aircraft. The two soldiers tasked with watching this room also had no choice but to be sent out.

“Miss Relena, it appears you have been abandoned by the Earth’s government.”

“Yes, I’m relieved.”

“?”

“Now you don’t have to step on the brakes.”

He was visibly confused by her answer.

“I don’t want to be protected in peace; I want to protect the peace we created!”

She suddenly lifted the old laptop overhead.

“That’s what it means to be a Peacecraft!”

She slammed the laptop onto the floor and the sounds of the internal parts being damaged could be heard.

“Stupid….” Dixneuf was stunned.

Seeing his opportunity, Deputy Chief Pagan attacked.

He hit Dixneuf and stole his pistol.

“Excuse me… Mr. Dixneuf, but I think you should reconsider your actions.” Pagan said in a calm tone, pointing the muzzle of the pistol.

Dixneuf raised his hands and stood up slowly.

“Heh… I let my guard down.”

He could still afford it, there was a small switch in his right palm that he lifted up.

“Epyon Del Telos, the next government, still has a nuclear bomb. If you attack me again, I’ll blow it up immediately. Do you think that only we are the only ones who will be affected?”

Pagan was confused and looked at the faces of Relena and Mareen. Both shook their heads.

“Come on now, give the pistol back.”

Obeying Dixneuf’s orders, Pagan offered the pistol. As soon as it was returned, Dixneuf pistol-whipped the face of the old butler, splattering Pagan’s blood, spit and a few front teeth.

Pagan passed out on the floor.

“Don’t feel bad… In my family, Neuenheim, humiliation is doubled on return.”

He picked up the old-fashioned laptop off the ground.

“What a terrible way to treat the cute little Sam.”

Contrary to his words, he stared sharply at Relena. However, she did not hesitate at all and glared sharply back. When he opened the computer, the monitor was pitch-black.

“It will take some time for it to recover.”

At that moment, an intercom from outside came in.

“Did something happen?”

Looking at the monitor, a terrorist stands at the door of the shelter.

“Oh, you finally came back…. Hey, are you armed properly?” Dixneuf asked the person outside.

“Of course.”

“Ok, come in.”

When the door opened, it was Heero Yuy dressed as a terrorist, standing there. Dixneuf immediately realized it was not a soldier that he had hired.

“Who are you…!!!

“Heero!!!” Relena shouted unintentionally.

“Don’t move…” Heero said to Dixneuf, pointing a machine gun.

“Shall I use the nuclear weapon?” Dixneuf snorted.

“Try it.”

He turned and looked toward the fallen Pagan and said coldly.

“I’m not as kind as that…”

He intended to ignore Quatre, who insists on respect for life.

“I’ll fight… more than anyone else in the universe.” Heero was still going to hold that strong and unwavering belief.

“More than you, Relena.” His voice was cold, but there was still kindness to it.

“No, Heero…. I can’t let you do that.” Relena said sadly, biting the word.

Tears spilled from her eyes. She didn’t forget that Heero once said – “I won’t kill anyone, anymore.” Naturally she has come to the understand depth of his words that followed, - “I don’t have to kill.”. It has the premise that “because it has become peaceful”. Now that peace is threatened by terrorists with nuclear weapons, the “murder” to stop them is justified.

However, it is still not enough to be reasonable. Murder is murder. In order to protect the majority of life and no matter what kind of murderer the tentative opponent is. Heero was a person who could accept such a resolution. Relena, however, still imagines the “indivisible guilt” that Heero will carry on his back.

She was hoping that “murder” will not be necessary. Heero silently put his hand on Relena’s shoulder and analyzed the scene, pointing the machine gun set to semi-auto at Dixneuf. Dixneuf held a nuclear bomb switch in his left hand and aimed a handgun at Heero with his right hand. On the desk next to him is an old-fashioned laptop with the broken AI “Sam”. Mareen put the still-fainted Pagan’s head on her lap and wiped the blood off his mouth.

Dixneuf spoke, staring at Heero’s face with a fearless gaze.

“I remember you Heero Yuy… I’ve met you once before.”

Sanc Kingdom Bay Sea – 08:20PM-

The water’s surface was covered with night fog. Even in April, the water temperature is quite low. After descending with a parachute, Sally used a lot of physical strength to swim and reach the Preventor operation command room of the luxury liner.

“I didn’t think Sanc Kingdom bay would be so cold.”

Of course, she wore a cold-resistant wetsuit, but it was still cold to the core of her bones.

“It seemed to have gotten dull before I know it.”

She was becoming aware of her age. She was also keenly aware of her weakness. She trembled as she entered the cabin and drank the warm, black coffee in the pot. It was something that she had made herself before the mission, but Sally was not good at this kind of thing.

“I wonder if I should think about retirement….” She muttered to herself after a deep sigh.

She has been fighting for more than three years on the battlefield from the Alliance, to the guerrilla army, to the Preventors but nothing has changed.

Years ago, Wufei had asked her – “Why are you still fighting even though you are weak?”

“Because I have a strong heart”-

At that time, she may have just wanted to offer her best encouragement to Wufei, who was in self-doubt. She was also aware of the contradiction, even more-so since she was once an army surgeon. On the battlefield she was the one who should save lives, but she often took lives instead. She had never once killed an attacking soldier to protect the sick or injured. Of course, it is possible that she did it to rescue the vulnerable.

However, is it ok for her to make the choice of “life that I, who is not god, saves” and “life that I take away”? There is no way that you can decide the superiority or inferiority of an equal precious life based on your own values and standards. Her mental burden from her antimony made her more tired than necessary. If she was tired, she could retire from the scene at the end of this incident. Even Sally, who is said to have the strongest spirit of any Preventor, hasn’t been so bearish these days.

“No, it is not the time to get lost in my thoughts.”

She started up her computer and learned of the inside the Sanc Kingdom Castle through approaching from the sky three times.

Information analysis was started. The location of the nuclear bomb was immediately determined through a radiation scan to be in the top floor of the western spire. The explosion of this nuclear bomb would immediately prevent the Nordic Spring from turning into a Nordic Summer in an instant.

At the same time, she investigates the situation around her. The exploration confirmed that a large transport aircraft of unknown affiliation was flying over the open sea of Sanc Kingdom Bay – The Baltic Sea.

“This aircraft, there’s no way…”

Sally was aware of the bad premonition that spread through her heart like a mist. At that time, the sea breeze was quiet and the fog on the surface of the water moved silently.

Sanc Kingdom Castle, Underground Shelter – 08:22PM-

Heero did not flinch or show surprise at all from Dixneuf’s words. Seeing Heero’s attitude, Dixneuf continued to speak without hesitation, even after seeing Heero’s response.

“That was the Summer of AC187, 10 years ago.”

Heero was infiltrating a medical facility in the L-1 colony sector at that time.

“You were with a man named Odin Lowe at the time. Of course, I didn’t have this face at the time, so you wouldn’t remember me.”

His blue eyes were full of sadness as he continued.

“My beloved Astoria died in that hospital. At that moment, I lost everything. Joy, hope, even human emotions…”

“……..”

“I vowed revenge. To the incompetent doctors of the Sanc Kingdom, the colony terrorists, and the people of the Khushrenada family.”

“……..”

“Nothing in this world has changed since then. Everything in the world is wrong. Corruption, vanity, pollution, negligence, jealousy. The vulgar thoughts of inferior human beings are widespread. Selfish behavior that does not care for others.”

“I’m rampant, I am desperate for this Earth, the worst “world”, that feels totally unbelievable and not worth living.”

“So……”

Heero broke his silence.

“Is that all you want to say?”

He shot the machine gun before he finished saying that. There was no hesitation to him. The one bullet shot through the blast switch on Dixneuf’s palm.

“I’m not bored enough to hear your playful words.”

He shot another shot at Dixneuf’s thighs.

“Keh!”

“It should be impossible for you to escape now.”

Dixneuf kneeled and sank on the spot.

Bomb switches that had been destroyed were scattered on the floor in front of him.

Heero pointed the muzzle at the back of his head and spoke coldly.

“It’s over…. Dixneuf.”

Dixneuf slowly raised his face but strangely, his expression wasn’t that of pain.

“Huh, that’s not the end… I can still take all hope from you.”

“Hope? I don’t have that.”

“You and I are the same.”

A silver precision machine was visible from the gun wound on the back of his left hand. His fingertips were converted into a high-speed articulated manipulator specializing in keyboard operations. As a man who shapes his face to start the Perfect Peace Program (P.P.P) and mechanizes his hands to improve work efficiency and Heero who received special training to become the ultimate weapon. It can be said that they are in a similar situation.

“--- It’s like a fragile glass work, such as the one you got. I’ll break it just as easily as my own.” *

Dixneuf had a fearless smile on his face.

The shelter door burst open. Two terrorists returning from the fire extinguishing, noticed the commotion inside and had tried to manually release it by external operation.

Heero, at his discretion, left Dixneuf and stood in front of Mareen.

“Relena, hide in the shadows!”

He fired his machine gun at the door as the terrorists were looking through the gap and returning fire. Heero continued to shoot his machine gun in a way that protected Mareen and Pagan. Had they not been there he would have focused on protecting Relena instead. Relena was separated from Heero, taking shelter under a console, deciding that she is safe there from the shooting.

For a moment the shooting had stopped as the terrorists switched to grenades. Heero ran and with a roundhouse kick, bounced the grenade towards the exit causing an explosion to go off outside. Smoke had started to fill the room where Heero and his friends were. He tried to capture Dixneuf’s movements in the corner of his field of vision but couldn’t do so. He had a bad feeling come over him.

“Relena!” Heero turned around and shouted.

At that time, he witnessed something parabolic being thrown into the console where Relena was hiding. At first, he wondered if a small animal like a ferret that glowed silver had jumped but he soon realized that it was Dixneuf’s mechanical left arm.

“Is it possible to remove it…?”

While thinking so, he shouted to Relena, “Run away!”, but he couldn’t make it in time. Dixneuf’s left arm flashed as soon as it hit the floor. With the sound of an explosion, innumerable small pieces of metal were scattered around it. The arm had contained a small explosive bullet. Heero hurried over to it, stunned to see the sight in front of him. Fine parts like needled were stuck around Relena’s body. Heero had lost his words. He had never seen Relena so deeply hurt.

“Heero, I’m sorry….”

“I’m the one who apologizes.” Heero apologized from the bottom of his heart, counting his mistakes, which was too much for one hand at this time. “I’m sorry, Relena”.

But even at such a time, Relena smiled.

“…. I’m glad… with this, I’m like you now.” She said as she closed her eyelids and lost consciousness.

Her white dress was dyed with fresh blood in the blink of an eye.

The machine guns of the terrorists blew fire, however, none of it was aimed. Perhaps it was a supportive shooting to secure an escape route for Dixneuf. After that, the silence came back. Heero had allowed him to escape. Given his speed, that leg of Dixneuf’s must have been mechanized as well. Heero’s heart sank. He had completely misjudged him.

Heero checks Relena’s pupils and her pulse on her neck, gives as much first aid as possible, and then switches on his communicator.

He had another regret while trying to contact the others.

“I don’t have too much medical knowledge….”

Although his skills can be used for “murder”, there are too few that can be used for “lifesaving”.

Neither Duo and Wufei or Quatre and Trowa responded. Both teams were in the process of carrying out the operation. Heero was clearly upset and cursed his incompetence. He couldn’t help thinking that he couldn’t do it. Mareen Darlian called out to Heero. She was behaving gracefully.

“Please, I’ll take your place… I have some medical experience….”

Heero gave up his place. There was a response from the communication device. It was Sally Po in the Preventor Command Room of the luxury liner. She was on her way to rescue the hostages.

“What’s wrong?”

“It’s an emergency… Relena has been critically injured.”

“Roger that! I’ll join you soon!”

“I’m going after the terrorist mastermind,” Heero told Mareen, who continued to provide first-aid by Relena’s side, “A fellow doctor will come soon.”

“There were a few near fatal injuries…. I think you did an appropriate first aid. After this, I’m sure it would be helpful to use the medical office in this castle.”

“Yes…”

He entrusted Relena too Mareen and immediately tried to follow Dixneuf. When he looked at the desk, he found that the old laptop was still there. For Dixneuf, this computer may be obsolete as long as the P.P.P boot program was destroyed as well as the mechanical hand to operate it. Heero glanced at it and continued running.

“I won’t forgive him…”

As the words say, Heero easily destroyed the most important thing to Heero.

“……I can’t forgive him.”

Heero Yuy kept running with all his thoughts.

Large Transport Aircraft over the Baltic Sea – 08:41PM –

The Neuenheim pilot, who received an emergency call from Dixneuf, rushed to the Sanc Kingdom. If the negotiations were successful as they should be, the terrorists would have escaped with this aircraft. The hangar was loaded with Mobile Doll Virgo 2’s, manufactured in “Vulcanus” in the Martian sphere. It was a plane specifically for Dixneuf, which he nicknamed Astoria. The people around him didn’t feel uncomfortable calling the Virgo carrier aircraft in the name of the goddess of which it came.

The aircraft is equipped with an automatic mode Mobile Doll System, but it also has a cockpit where pilots can board so it was possible to maneuver manually. And in the cockpit of Astoria, where Dixneuf will board, his attachment-type prosthesis and other spare parts were available.

Sanc Kingdom, West Spire – 08:48 PM-

In front of Duo’s eyes was a cylindrical nuclear bomb measuring 3 meters high and 1 meter in diameter. Looking through his endoscope he could see that the timing device was still working.

Remaining time – The digital display of “03:12:00” is counting down.

Perhaps when the blast switch that Dixneuf held was destroyed, the flip-flop circuit activated and started the timer.

“Moreover, I will carefully follow the vibration sensing detector.”

It was a troublesome thing that could explode as soon as anyone tries to move it. Duo had seen this type of bomb once before. Back in the Middle East, Oz had used a similar device.

Earlier, Duo along with Wufei, had urged eight terrorists who were previously tasked with watching the hostages to bring the containers holding the gold bullions into the shelter.

“If you detonate the nuclear bomb, even the gold will be contaminated! Carry them out now!”

The incitement was successful.

Duo had then caught sight of one of the terrorists heading underground and had found out where the nuclear bomb was hidden. Its location was consistent with where Sally had previously reported. He left the rescue of the hostages to Wufei and went to perform the bomb disposal alone.

Duo was the best member of the team to unlock the security on the bomb but even with his skills it was extremely difficult to release the timed device. All the wiring is concentrated at the bottom of the cylindrical bomb, and you have to get inside to stop the device. Therefore, there is a high risk of being exposed to a lethal dose of radiation, and it may explode with the slightest vibration. If he wore an astro suit, he may be able to work on it safely to some extent, but there is still the risk of vibrations setting it off. There is a high probability of failure.

The only other possible way to disarm it is to access the timed device from the inside, hack the internal computer, and then stop the blast from going off manually.

Duo shrugged.

“Only three hours left…. I wonder if I’ve drawn a poor lottery again.”

Sanc Kingdom Castle, 3rd floor hostage confinement room – 09:05 PM-

Dorothy took action as soon as the terrorists on guard had evacuated to underground. When Quatre and Trowa rushed in, she unlocked the doors one after another, freeing the people inside. All she had to do now was put everyone on the liner she had prepared and move away from the castle as soon as possible.

Lady Une and Wufei have already taken action at this point to lock all the terrorists in an underground shelter. Quatre called out to Dorothy, reuniting after her long absence.

“Hey, alright… you work fast.”

“You guys are late.”

Quatre was still tired of Dorothy’s sharp tongue.

“If I was in command, it would have been resolved the day the incident started.”

“Maybe”

“You’re too kind.”

Quatre wanted to change the subject.

“You said the same thing a year ago… the wounds at the time really hurt.” He laughed bitterly, rubbing his side.

Back at the Mobile Doll control room of the battleship Libra, Dorothy had pierced Quatre’s side with a fencing saber.

“Because of your kindness you probably set up a strategy with “respect for human life”, but that was the most wrong thing.”

“Is that so?”

“Strategy is most endangered by respect for human life. We were the just the hostages… the safest thing would be to focus on the terrorists. The priority of life ensures the opposite.”

“No, I can’t rank anyone’s life.”

“That’s why I’m saying that kindness is dangerous. Don’t make me say it over and over.”

“That’s enough.”

It was Trowa, breaking up the conversation.

“Now, Lady Une has contacted me. Apparently, there are three imminent situations….”

“Three?” Quatre replied.

Trowa continued, folding his finger.

“One is that Relena Darlian is in a critical condition.”

“Miss Relena!?!” Dorothy interrupted.

“Another is that the nuclear bomb timing device that Duo Maxwell is working on is unlikely to be released.”

“The third?”

“Heero Yuy, who went after Dixneuf Neuenheim, lost sight of the target. Lady Une is leaving the next decision up to you.”

Trowa had just finished briefing the situation before Quatre muttered.

“It’s all my fault.”

Biting the tip of his thumb, he thought of their next move.

“The heart of space. Dorothy you are right. If I hadn’t put out a policy of respecting human life Heero would surely have killed Dixneuf…. The mission failed because of me. I’ve hurt everyone.”

Dorothy snapped at Quatre without remorse.

“Yeah…. Your sins are heavy. Carry that cross on your back for the rest of your life.”

The words that came out of her mouth are sometimes severe and harsh, but in her voice there’s kindness and comfort.

“Yeah, I’ll do that.”

Quatre is superficially bright, but the depths of his heart are always plagued by an unyielding sense of atonement. No one can save him from that deep world of darkness, and he won’t allow anyone to help him. It has been going on endlessly since he was born.

Dorothy may have been the only one who understood that feeling. She was in a similar situation and had felt guilt over it all this time.

“Dorothy…. I would like you to guide everyone to the passenger ship moored at the port. Can you please do this for me?”

“Yes, well…okay.”

He went on to give detailed precautions about the evacuation route and notes on how to deal with possible unforeseen circumstances. Dorothy was impressed with Quatre, who made an accurate judgement even under these circumstances, even though his notes show uncertainties.

Quatre raised his head and gave out his instructions.

“I will return the overall command to the Director of the Preventors and go and assist Duo.”

“Is it possible to stop a nuclear explosion?” Trowa asked, looking at Quatre’s confident face.

“It’s a fifty-fifty, but somehow I’ll try.”

“Is it really okay?”

“Dorothy, I want you to leave Sanc Kingdom Bay as soon as possible. I can’t predict the extent of the potential damage.”

“…I understand.” She said, deciding to follow her instructions.

“Trowa, please join Wufei and cooperate with Heero. We will withdraw the policy to “respect human life”. I’m really sorry.”

“Don’t worry, Heero would have ignored such a policy from the beginning.”

“Thank you, Trowa…”

At that moment, a girl in a wheelchair who heard the name “Trowa”, could be heard calling out.

“Trowa? Trowa Barton?”

It was one of the hostages, Mariemaia. She no longer goes by “Khushrenada” and goes by her real name “Barton”.

“You are mistaken… I’m not your uncle.”

“I know.” Mariemaia laughed casually.

“But I am grateful that you named yourself “Barton”, because it helps me to have someone who uses the same family name as my mother.”

“Really…” Trowa had mixed feelings.

“Please continue to be Trowa Barton.”

He doesn’t care about the name, but he was inconvenienced by taking the name of a person who once lived.

“Unfortunately… I can’t do that.” Trowa shook his head.

“Why?”

“First, I don’t really like the name Trowa. Second, I hate the Barton foundation. And third, maybe I don’t need a name anymore.”

“Showing a slightly sad face, she muttered.

“Is that so?”

But she was convinced.

Sanc Kingdom Castle, 2nd floor medical room – 09:27 PM –

The surgery was difficult for Sally to perform. The sterility of the environment and surgical instruments were perfect and Mareen had solid skills as her assistant. A long time ago, the pacifist Sanc Kingdom was established as a medical nation. As a remnant of that, these medical facilities were particularly advanced.

However, Relena’s surgery was still extremely difficult. Of course, In this era medical technology has advanced so much that Relena’s life would be in safe hands, she still was originally in a state where she could have died.

Due to Sally’s dexterity, the task of removing the seemingly innumerable pieces of metal had already been completed, along with the treatment of the shock. Still, she couldn’t stop the internal bleeding in various parts of her body. For that treatment she had injected the latest emergency “medical nanomachines” but for some reason they weren’t working.

Initially, Sally and Mareen were unaware of the problem and treated Deputy Chief Pagan. His symptoms showed a mild concussion, so he was able to get treatment in a short time frame. He was put in recovery to rest.

When Sally and her colleagues returned to Relena’s operation and looked at the numbers in the Medical Data, they realized her condition wasn’t improving at all. The nanomachines, such as thrombolytic drugs to heal the damaged blood vessels and other cardiovascular systems, weren’t working and the cause was unknown.

It’s hard to believe they could be defective. Medical nanomachines are shipped with thorough quality control to prevent that from happening.

“Maybe…” said Mareen who was taking on the role of assistant, “Maybe the nanomachines that Sanc Kingdom originally developed in the past still remain in her body? If so, that may be the reason why the latest models won’t work….”

Sally immediately subjected Relena to a high-precision CT scan to find any old-fashioned medical nanomachines that may have remained in her body.

Relena was raised in the Peacecraft royal family until she was two years old. At that time, Mareen was a maid of Princess Katerina. After the collapse of Sanc Kingdom, Mareen raised Relena with Mr. Darlian.

Immediately, the nanomachine in question was found. It judged the newly injected nanomachine to be a foreign substance and eradicated it.

“I now know the cause, but I can’t extract this old-fashioned nanomachine with the equipment here.” Sally sighed deeply, looking around at the medical equipment around her.

“I wonder if all the people of the Peacecraft royal family were using this nanomachine?”

“Maybe… I can’t say I know anyone else for sure, in addition to Relena, there is only her brother Milliardo who has left for Mars.”

“To treat her, we have to use something that synchronizes with this core Peacecraft nanomachine.”

“But it’s more than fifteen years old, so where could we find that? I don’t think there are any left.”

“Wait…”

They heard a voice from behind.

The voice came from Pagan who was lying in the bed at the back.

“…I was once on the battlefield as a lieutenant to Marticus when I was younger…”

“No, you are supposed to rest.” Mareen interrupted but Pagan continued to speak.

“At the time I was in a tank, but I was seriously injured by enemy bombing... so.”

Sally thought about his words then asked.

“At the time you received nanomachine treatment at Sanc Kingdom! Right?”

“Yes…”

The nanomachines inside Pagan’s body will be extracted and diverted to Relena’s treatment. If it is a nanomachine that is not the core, it will not take much time to extract it. This will save Relena. Sally has always been an atheist, but at this time she wanted to thank God.

Large Transport Aircraft over Sanc Kingdom Bay – 09:42 PM

The pilot dropped the Virgo 3. As no one is in the cockpit, its parachute opened by automatic control and descended whilst accelerating. The place that Dixneuf had designated for them to go was a coastal area located in the southwestern part of the city. All they had to do was continue to descend and wait for contact from Dixneuf. The reason for the descent is to re-recover Virgo 3, after recovery they can leave the Baltic Sea within an hour. It would be an easy evacuation from the potential nuclear explosion. It was to be a simple task, but the pilot was interrupted at the last minute by an anti-aircraft missile hitting the engine of the transport aircraft causing it to stall.

Trowa Barton, South City District – 09:45 PM –

It was Trowa who had launched the anti-aircraft missile from the roof of a thirty-story skyscraper. He picked up his communicator and reported without giving his name.

“I confirmed and shot down the escape transport plane.”

“Understood, thank you for the hard work.” Lady Une, Director of the Preventors, responded.

“Tell Heero… The transport plane dropped “Virgo 3” on the western coast.”

“There is no doubt that the target Dixneuf is headed there.” Lady Une laughed at ease.

“Oh…” Trowa muttered and turned off the communicator.

Chang Wufei, South West Coast – 09:47 PM –

Wufei was watching with a night-vision scope upon an extremely high cliff. Through the scope, he saw Dixneuf and two armed terrorists coming out from the depths of the forest. Their destination was towards a huge, spread-out parachute and a Virgo lying on its back.

“I’ll go capture the target… I see, he looks just like Zechs Merquise.” Wufei reported to Lady Une.

“Don’t say that… I’d probably end up hating the “Preventer Wind”.”

“Hmm, I guess…. I’ll go carry out my mission.”

After cutting off communication, he jumped and skated on the slope to the bottom of the cliff in a well-balanced manner. Using the protruding rocky mountain as a steppingstone, he flew high into the sky and dashingly landed on the Virgo suit.

“Well, you guys… welcome.” Wufei folded his arms and grinned.

Dixneuf and his colleagues couldn’t hide their shock at the sudden appearance of Wufei.

The two escorts shot their machine guns. However, Wufei quickly dodged the barrage and swiftly flew through the air, then barrel-kicked the machine guns of the two terrorists, unarming them by surprise. He was completely unbeatable in close-range combat. He approached at a close distance and attacked the opponents key pressure points in quick succession, causing instant fainting. It was one of the martial arts skills that Wufei, who had mastered martial arts, was exceedingly good at.

The two men were supposed to have received considerable training by they were no match for Wufei.

“Don’t waste your energy resisting… surrender.” Wufei said calmly before turning around.

He seemed to notice Dixneuf standing behind him and stood there silently. Normally, it would have been easy for Wufei to defeat this one-armed man.

“……….”

A long silence dominated the area.

The brightest star “Spica” in the Virgo constellation was shining in the Spring night sky.

“….Astoria….”, Dixneuf whispered the name of the goddess of which the Virgo constellation came from.

The engine sounds of a machine starting up echoed. The Mobile Doll “Virgo” lying behind Wufei had started to move, slowly trying to rise its giant body up. Wufei was shocked, for a moment, he had wondered if a pilot had already boarded. It soon became clear that it was an incorrect guess.

Glaring at Dixneuf, he believed that he was using the Mobile Doll’s remote autopilot system to activate it. He decides then to ignore Virgo and instead attack the man who is controlling it remotely.

Wufei jumped quickly and attempted to hit him with a sharp kick, but Dixneuf dodged the attack with an incredible leap. He then disappeared into the darkness of the forest spreading from the front of the cliff and out to the sea. The series of his movements and the quickness of his responses far exceeded that of any ordinary person.

“It’s not just a prosthesis…. It is no way on that level.” Wufei reported to his correspondent, Lady Une. “It looks like he’s using the Jupiter-class poor environment Astro Cybernetics.”

“Yes… It seems it will be difficult to catch him alive.” Lady Une responded. “It’s proving to be difficult to release the nuclear device… I wanted to capture him and have him cooperate if possible.”

“He’s too dangerous… There is no choice but to kill him.” Wufei was cold and gave up on the value of Dixneuf’s life. “It’s not like he’s going to die even if I do kill him.”

Wufei didn’t immediately give chase. When someone with cybernetics is the opponent, it is guaranteed that that they will escape even if you do chase after them. He decided to steal a machine gun and other weapons from the soldiers he defeated earlier and wait with the rising Virgo. There was no doubt that Dixneuf would return for the Virgo no matter where he had escaped to.

There wasn’t much of an interval. Mobile Doll Virgo started walking through remote control by Dixneuf. Wufei continued to report back while walking in parallel with it.

“Virgo 3, on the back is standard equipment for defense and a beam rifle. Equipped with O-type high mobility thrusters, other weapons such as beam cannon and mega beam cannon are not found, it looks like it’s just for escape… but I can’t destroy this aircraft with my current weapons.”

“I understand… I’ll leave the rest up to you.” Lady Une was also surprisingly calm. “Focus on the search. End of communication.”

Wufei turned off the radio.

“The only way to settle this is to defeat him before he gets into the Virgo.”

With that in mind, Wufei was looking for signs in the dark forest. Disxeuf’s tracks were well covered up. Even Wufei, who’s eyes have become accustomed to the darkness, still had no idea where Disxeuf was lurking.

“If he’s so thorough, I can also assume that he’s remodeled his eyes into a night-vision scope.”

Virgo was still on the move.

“Even so, his speed is too fast.”

Wufei felt frustrated. He doubted himself and felt that he might have forgotten something. It’s been months since he left the battlefield and thought that his intuition may be off.

Virgo stopped causing him to believe he may have misread Dixneuf’s range, he may still be lurking here. Wufei jumped into the surrounding trees and waited in a thick branch near the front of the Virgo’s cockpit. At the same time, he focused his senses on his surroundings.

At this point, there was no sign of Dixneuf yet. In the darkness around, he could feel the shaking of the trees, the movement of the leaves blown by the wind, the engine of Virgo and the footsteps of the small animals moving around. Wufei was aware of his own impatience.

“I’m making too many misjudgments.”

A dazzling flash of light was emitted from a few tens of meters in front of him. There was no sign of Dixneuf as a flash bullet suspended from a branch exploded.

“Gah!”

The glare emitted was painful to Wufei, who’s eyes were accustomed to the darkness.

He heard a mechanical noise coming from behind him. It was the sound of Virgo’s cockpit hatch opening. Wufei turned around with his eyes still closed and shot his machine gun. He was supposed to be aiming around the cockpit of Virgo but noticed that the sound of the bullets being bounced off didn’t match. It seems that Dixneuf remotely controlled the movements and turned Virgo back.

When the flash subsided and Wufei’s eyes finally recovered, the high mobility option thruster began firing. He had no choice but to retreat and leave the area. There is no doubt that Dixneuf has already boarded the cockpit.

Dixneuf had made a big circle and turned back around. Before Wufei knew it, the ascended Virgo stopped in the air and shot it’s beam rifle at the forest. The forest burned up in an instant with Wufei evacuating from there by a margin.

“Tsk…”

He connected the communicator while looking at the direction of the Virgo flying off in the distance.

“I…Virgo headed southwest of Sanc Kingdom Bay.”

He believed he wasn’t the right person to settle this.

“This is Red One Cancer, roger that”

The voice was that of Heero and after saying that much, the communication was cut off.

At that time, Trowa appeared from the burning forest. He was carrying the two men defeated by Wufei on his shoulders.

“Don’t dwell on it, Wufei…..” Trowa said and handed one of the men to Wufei.

Wufei silently received the man and held him on his shoulder like Trowa.

“You have nothing to worry about,” Trowa continued.

“You don’t mean that….” There is no change in Wufei’s expression. “I just messed up.”

There was no regret, or shame on his face.

“If so, do you want to give chase?”

“No, the first thing to do is bring these men to the shelter.”

Sanc Kingdom Castle, West Spire – 09:55 PM –

Duo was on the edge of despair. It had been more than an hour since the work to release this cylindrical timed nuclear bomb had started but it was still in a state where he could not hack into the built-in computer.

There is no doubt that a built-in computer is installed to shut down the device. A special password that only Dixneuf can unlock may be set in case he fails to escape. Of course, shutting down the computer itself is not an option. Given the well-prepared traps so far, it was evident that the moment it was turned off, it would explode.

If the others brought Dixneuf here, he could have been asked to enter the password, but Duo has little hope of that happening. In the case of that man, there is a danger of him accelerating the explosion. It was a bomb that mirrored his madness and extraordinary obsession.

So far, Duo’s efforts had been futile. He removed the base of the blast switch, read its frequency and then synchronized his computer with the one built into the blast device. However, he was shocked to see the coding that appeared on the monitor. It was of a completely unknown character system and language, and there was no fixed rule in the coding of the characters.

In this state, it is not possible to set up a dummy program or a delay circuit to malfunction the timing device. He can’t even manually detour it. If he could at least release the vibration timing device, it would be possible to cut the wire connected to the fuse.

“Ah, I’m completely out of luck.”

He could only believe that the built-in computer consisted of its own program.

“Where did that Quatre guy go at a time like this?”

A few moments ago, Quatre rushed into the room and seemed to understand something as soon as he saw the coding on the monitor.

He left in a rush saying, “I’ll be back soon.”

Duo didn’t know exactly how long it had been since he left but he didn’t have time to stop.

“Ahh…” Duo sighed.

Quatre came back up the stairs.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting…. This took a while to procure.” Quatre was holding a small computer with satellite communication antennas on both sides. “How is it going?”

“It’s a mess, to my pride especially,” Duo said in a dry voice. “How much time is left? It’s a hassle for me to keep looking at the clock.”

“Don’t you have your own watch?”

“I hate being chased by time…. It seems I’ve left it somewhere.”

“Your watch?”

“No, my sense of time.”

Quatre laughed at Duo’s words.

“There’s about two hours left.”

Quatre handed the old laptop computer to Duo.

“Duo, are you able to repair this computer?”

“What’s this?”

“It seems that an AI called “Sam” has been programmed into it.”

“What can I do to fix this?” Saying that, he immediately he started disassembling it and checking for damaged parts. “It seems that only “Sam” has access to the computer built into blast device.”

Duo glanced at the unknown coding on the monitor and was surprised.

“Maybe this is what it says…” Quatre said, fixing up the satellite antenna. “Yes… I’m not sure everything is decipherable, but the ancient Scandinavian characters and the syllabaries used by the indigenous people of North America are both used. Both are also used in the high latitudes of the northern hemisphere. It’s a similarity they both have but besides that they have very little in common.

“Yes.” Duo sounded convinced but he didn’t quite understand what Quatre was saying.

“I’ll try all the possible keywords… I think that it is displayed in the data that came from “Sam”.”

“Can we read it? What other words are there?”

“Everything seems to be people’s names, “Jay Null”, “Thomas Quarante”, “Heero Yuy”, “Sabrina Peacecraft” and “Katrina Peacecraft” …...”

The only name Duo could recognize was “Heero Yuy” but he imagined it was referring to the leader of the colonies, not the Heero he knew.

“Everyone here is dead right?”

“No, this Jay Null should still be alive.”

“Hmm…”

“Do you think, it’s Doctor Jay?”

Duo was tired of hearing the names of the “gods of plague”.

“I have a bad feeling… …..”

“Let’s just try it. This is all my fault after all.”

“Are you carrying that heavy cross again? There’s nothing that you don’t care about.”

“Thank you, Duo… But I don’t have a cross on my back.”

“Oh really.”

“Yes, because my religion is different.”

Duo smiled unintentionally. He has hope when Quatre begins to lighten up.

“Okay, let’s just do it.”

Sanc Kingdom Bay, Heero Yuy – 10:02 PM

“Come on”

After Heero said that the radar responded and blipped with an electric sound. It was definitely the “Virgo 3” equipped with high mobility, that it was picking up.

“Target confirmed.”

Heero, in the underwater mass-produced mobile suit “Cancer”, was waiting for this moment. The propulsion at the rear of the craft continued to accelerate at maximum output. The white trail extending from the crimson craft cut the surface of the sea in half and continued on.

It’s too late to submerge even though it was more likely to be seen by the enemy, so it had to go at full speed over the sea. The farther away from the target, the lower the accuracy of the hit. He had already predicted the movements of Dixneuf’s Virgo on the simulated monitor and have already assumed the points to encounter him and fight.

Naturally, the two anti-aircraft tracking missiles mounted on the shoulders of the Cancer are set to destroy Gundaminium alloy. The time that an attack is possible is only a dozen seconds but it’s enough time to shoot it down.

If there was a potential problem, it was the Virgo’s defense system. If the two defenders are activated, the anti-aircraft missiles fired by the Cancer will be destroyed before they even hit. The other problem is if the Virgo detects the Cancer first and fires the beam rifle.

*

In Virgo’s cockpit, Dixneuf was aware of the presence of the Cancer. The crimson craft stands out even at night in the sea.

“Heero Yuy…”

The white trail that remains on the jet-black sea is rushing at an excessive speed. That alone eloquently shows that the Cancer pilot is exposing his fangs with hatred and hostility.

However, Dixneuf could afford this fight. There is too much difference in aircraft performance between Virgo and Cancer. The effectiveness of air vs sea was also taken into consideration.

“Do you believe you can win in such an irrational state of mind?”

Dixneuf, who has both paranoid madness and computational rationality, decides to launch the most effective first strike. He set the target by calculating the trajectory of the of the Cancer going straight and what point it would reach in a few seconds.

Virgo slowed down the high maneuverability option and shot it’s beam rifle.

*

The first wave of the beam hit the propulsion section of the Cancer.

“Tsk….”

Heero pushed down the control stick and further accelerated the Cancer.

“Endure it, Cancer.”

Originally, the theory was to slow down and change course, but Heero pushed the Cancer and released the limiter. It was an attempt to use up the last of its energy. The speed meter shook off the red zone and kept spinning to the point where the internal turbine burned out.

The flash of a second wave beam exploded just behind the Cancer causing a water column to go up behind it. Cancer was barely hesitant. Heero’s face did not show impatience however, his mind was not calm.

“If I lure Virgo into the sea, I can make sure to shoot it down with a torpedo attack.”

* Dixneuf couldn’t hide his surprise that the beam rifle had failed. He thought he could slow down the Cancer even if he couldn’t fully sink it. However, it is now pursuing at a speed that exceeds expectations.

Dixneuf was frustrated, he didn’t think it was possible for Cancer to pull something like that off.

“If I don’t do something… surely..”

On the contrary, he had a feeling that he could be shot down.

Again, he slowed down his high mobility options. The flight altitude will drop, but this will improve the accuracy of the next hit.

“If this is the case.”

He was convinced that this time it will hit. Virgo aimed accurately and fired a beam rifle in quick succession. The beamline was directed straight to the front, predicting the acceleration of the Cancer. Now the Cancer has no escape.

*

Looking at the oblique angle of the beam, Heero responded to the attack. Further acceleration was impossible in terms of aircraft performance. That said, he had no intention of slowing down.

“If I go straight at it, I can hit it, I just have to go straight.”

There was no hesitation in Heero at this time. He pressed the front torpedo launch switch and a torpedo rushed through the water’s surface.

Virgo’s beam hit the torpedo causing a big explosion to occur on the surface of the sea. Cancer rode on the huge waves that had risen in front of it and soared into the air. The now flying Cancer put the low-altitude Virgo within range of the missile. Heero pushed the launch switch of the two anti-aircraft tracking missiles.

*

Dixneuf was surprised by the emerging Cancer.

“That idiot!”

He witnessed the missile that was launched.

“This is impossible!”

He hurriedly took evasive action. He was trying to ascend by maximizing the thruster output of the high mobility option.

* “As expected.”

In the Cancer that was falling into the sea, Heero set the missile tracking function whist reading the ever-changing numbers on the monitor. The persistent missile was finely instructed at his fingertips, guided towards Virgo and relentlessly chased the target.

*

The missile hit Virgo and an explosion occurred with a flash of light. The vibration shock left Dixneuf unconscious. The location of the hit was the propulsion department of the high mobility option.

“…..Astoria.” Dixneuf muttered before fainting.

It was the keyword that started up the Mobile Doll system in Virgo. Virgo had stalled, however, in Astoria mode purged the high maneuverability option before reaching sea level and activated two defenders. They generated a strong electromagnetic field and could float, albeit at a low position, when used in combination with the aircraft’s original propulsion system.

*

Heero saw Virgo’s actions on the monitor and Cancer dived into the sea.

“It was a good decision.”

He evaluated the situation calmly

“But it was a fatal mistake.”

Approaching Virgo from the surface of the sea, Heero used the “pincers”, the front torpedo launcher that is characteristic of Cancer, to pull the defender shield into the sea. The electromagnetic field sparked violently and lost its effectiveness.

Virgo sank into the sea causing the beam rifle to be useless as it cannot be used underwater. Cancer’s attack power in the sea is unrivalled. Heero continued the torpedo attack while toying with Virgo.

The only way to break the Gundaminium alloy armor is to attack the same point multiple times in a row to encourage an internal explosion. However, Virgo in Astoria mode was not unresisting. There was only one missile left but Heero couldn’t make a decisive hit. On the other hand, Virgo’s stored homing missiles in its waist.

An explosion occurred when the storage hatch was about to open. It was caused by a detonator installed by Wufei back in the coastal forest. This was just a simple trap that was a mechanism made by attaching the explosives stolen from the two defeated terrorists to the hatch and have it activated as soon as it was opened.

However, it detonated the built-in missiles and ran a crack from inside Virgo through the entire body. Heero cursed Wufei who was so thorough.

“Too much fire power!”

Cancer shot the last torpedo, hitting the cockpit of Virgo and causing a big explosion. The wreckage sank to the bottom of the sea.

“Mission completed.”

Heero confirmed the status of the smashed Cancer.

“Cockpit lock failure, propulsion has stopped functioning… It is possible to ascend using a float, but it is impossible to move from this position…”

Sanc Kingdom Castle, West Spire – 10:55 PM

Duo had finished repairing the old laptop. The monitor remained cracked, but a Norwegian forest cat kitten appeared on the screen.

“Are you Sam?”

“Meow” Sam yelled.

Duo tried syncing Sam with his contactless computer immediately. High-speed calculations were started and the code that had no meaning before were translated at once. He then searched for something like “stop program” or “unlock password”. He searched desperately but couldn’t find anything.

“Hey Sam, can you tell me…Is there a password to unlock the blasting device?” Duo said half-jokingly.

Sam was silent for a while but then meowed and “YES” was displayed on the monitor.

Duo immediately leaped forward and asked again.

“What’s the password?”

Sam just screamed “meow, meow”, but no letters were displayed on the screen.

“Speak in a human language, not a cat language.” Duo asked.

But again, Sam only meowed.

“I know the keyword.” Said Quatre with a communicator in his hand.

“Really? But… What’s wrong?”

Quatre had a sad expression.

“I got in touch with the Doctor.” He turned his communication monitor towards Duo.

The face of Doctor J was on the screen.

“It’s been a long time, Duo Maxwell.”

“I didn’t want to have to see your face, though”

“Likewise… well, that’s okay, let me tell you the password first… “PEACECRAFTX2HEEROYUY”, that’s it.”

“How do you know that –“ Duo immediately tried to enter the password.

“Oh, I forgot to say that password is what activates “P.P.P” as soon as the blasting device is released.” Doctor J said in an ecstatic tone.

He continued his words in a calm manner.

“First, there will be no reaction when you enter it… the password can only be entered by a Peacecraft.”

“You should have told me that first!”

“Then I will talk step by step. Let’s see… Originally, the program “Sam” and “P.P.P” were created by an old friend of mine.”

Duo received an unusually long explanation from Doctor J of a summary of the prototype perfect piece program.

“……….”

In Summary:

Dreaming of eradicating the war, Thomas Quarante developed “P.P.P.P” a program that would kill millions of people involved if humanity started a war.

In the early stages, it was cyber-terrorism infiltrating Alliance military computers, but it was unfinished. Given the unclear boundaries of war and the difficulty of differentiating between civilians and soldiers in various situations, it was extremely dangerous for non-god humans to operate this program.

A few years later Quarante’s younger brother Quince, who found the data, tried to use it for colony independence. Knowing this in advance, leader Heero Yuy asked Doctor J to seal the program. Doctor J had set the password to be unlocked only by the Peacecraft family, who truly wish for peace, through constantly growing advanced security with quantum computers to prevent it from working.

That was years ago, AC 170. Originally, it should have disappeared over the years. However, Dixneuf Neuenheim, who attempted to use it, rewrote the program and created an obedience coercion system that responds to medical nanomachines. If this password is unlocked, of course the nuclear bomb can be prevented, but “P.P.P” will be activated, nanomachines around the world will be released and many people will be killed.

”… Do not activate the P.P.P for any reason. Also, as long as Relena Peacecraft is still unconscious, nothing can be done.”

Duo now understood the reason for Quatre’s melancholy face.

“What can we do?”

Doctor J shook his head.

“It can’t be helped… You’ll just die there.”

“Hey, wait a minute! Don’t joke about that!”

“Don’t worry, those that remain in the castle, including you, there’s not many people, right? All you have to do is escape to the underground shelter. Sanc Kingdom disappears, but there’s nothing that can be done about that.”

Quatre listened to his words and gave a short explanation.

“The passenger ship carrying the hostages can be taken out of Sanc Kingdom Bay within an hour. The evacuation of the city has already been completed so I think the damage will be minimal.”

“Don’t say that! Is it just limited to human life? What about nature? The environment? Ecosystems? Is secondary damage not a risk?”

“Yes, that’s right…. it’s a lot. But I can’t choose the future where mass slaughter awaits.”

“That’s right.”

It’s an indivisible decision but he had to agree with Quatre.

“……We lost, again.”

Duo, who didn’t want to give up until the very end, was prepared to accept this choice.

He was used to it, but - He didn’t want to accept it. The defeat was too painful to swallow.

“Sanc Kingdom…. It was a good country.”

There was a contact from Sally informing them that Relena had regained consciousness. She had just had surgery, but she seemed to have begged to find out the current situation. Quatre and Duo brought her up to date and presented to her the last resort left as told by Doctor J.

Curiously Relena was listening without being upset. When they finished talking, she slowly raised her head, and her resolute eyes could be seen.

“What about Heero? Where is he now?” the tiredness in her voice could be heard.

Quatre replied to her with pain in his voice.

“According to the report, after defeating Dixneuf, he is still at sea in the Cancer… It seems the propulsion device has been destroyed and he can’t move.”

“Of course, someone is heading there for rescue?”

“No, there are currently no air-crafts or boats available.”

“What is the impact zone of the nuclear explosion? Will the sea where Heero is be safe?”

Quatre could not answer the question. He couldn’t say such sad words with the pain in his chest.

Duo answered instead of Quatre.

“He’s in the bay of the Sanc Kingdom and the cockpit hatch is out of order. I’m sorry, but… there’s no way to help him.”

Relena heard that and seemed as if she was making a decision.

“Is that so…”

After a while of silence, she told everyone to come to her room.

Sanc Kingdom Castle – 2nd Floor Medical Room – 11:27 PM

Relena stretched her back and spoke nobly.

“Doctor J, when you visited my house before, you said that “The Little Prince” was completed…”

Doctor J, on a communication monitor, answered the question with a sense of depth.

“…Yes, Unit 2’s “Sleeping Beauty” will also be completed soon.”

“If you use it, can you prevent the activation of “P.P.P” for more than a hundred years?”

“I think it’s fifty-fifty.”

Doctor J was thinking with his arms folded but he grinned.

“But it’s not a bad idea. If the nanomachines are linked to the young lady’s body, there is a possibility of a future.”

“Then… Please give me Sam. I will enter the password.”

It may have been a bitter choice, but Relena wasn’t hesitant and could not be talked out of it. Neither Duo or Quatre could change her mind and had no choice but to obey her words.

There was an old-fashioned laptop in front of Relena.

“I’m Relena Peacecraft.”

She gently stroked the computer.

“Sam…. Thank you.”

“Meow” Sam’s cry sounded sad.

At that time, another line of communication came in using the OZ line. Heero’s face was shown on the monitor, full of regret. The cold sea breeze was shaking his hair.

“Stop, Relena…”

It was unusual for him to speak so loudly.

“Don’t go back to Peacecraft!”

“No, Heero….” Relena’s voice never broke, “This is the only way you can survive.”

“Relena, don’t worry about me….. Life is cheap. Especially mine.”

Before he could continue, Relena interrupted him.

“Heero, that’s not the case... You should live a little more of your life.”

Heero remained silent.

“You haven’t lived your life to the fullest yet.”

He could not deny that.

“Please live more… Please show me the moment when your soul shines brightly.”

“Is this my mission?” Heero managed to spit out the words in a choppy manner.

“No, it’s my wish.”

After saying that, Relena turned off the monitor communication.

“I won’t say goodbye, I’m sure I’ll see you again.”

Relena touched the keyboard with her thin fingertips and entered the password into Sam.

“PEACECRAFT X 2 HEERO YUY”

Thirty minutes before the explosion, the nuclear blast device was lifted. However, at the same time, “P.P.P” started.

*

The spring night in Sanc Kingdom was over. April 9th, AC 197 ended in tragedy. The subsequent whereabouts of the five former Gundam pilots, including Heero, are unknown.

At present, peace in the global sphere is still maintained. However, that peace was limited to the Earth’s sphere, and on Mars, far away, the gear named “History” was about to go astray. This can be determined from the report that the Preventor’s expedition, which explored the seabed of Sanc Kingdom, was unable to find the remains of Virgo 3.

-Addendum

When Relena Peacecraft entered the frozen hibernation capsule called “The Little Prince”, she never looked back. Her tears may have already been frozen. However, that teddy bear was held in her arms. It was an important memorable item that she had received from Heero -

~End Chapter~

[xfadingstarx]

A Bleach Retrospective: In defense of Bleach

These are opinions, please respect that.

_______________________________

My Journey with Bleach (please skip if you want to go straight to the analysis):

On September the 8th, 2006 YTV’s weekend evening anime programming block (Bionix) aired the first episode of Bleach. I, unfortunately, did not catch this episode, instead, I caught the second episode on September 15th the following week. I was ten and from then on, Bleach fascinated me. It had an interesting concept, tight pacing, catchy music, a good story, and unique character designs. I also really enjoyed how Bleach lacked the same kind of emotional labour that Naruto demanded (as child who survived off of constantly seeking validation from others because of absentee parents, Naruto is way too much work).

My fascination with Bleach got me started in the fandom communities of yesteryear, for I was a child with zero internet supervision. My introduction to fanfiction was because I loved Hitsugaya Toshiro.

Bleach was my entry into poetry (poem at the start of every volume).

But alas, all good things were not meant to last and by the summer of 2009, I was officially done with Bleach. It had felt stilted for some time before then. Over the years, I would gradually revisit bits and pieces of Bleach, but I would not read it in its entirety until months after its finish, about a decade after I had first saw Bleach on my TV. Between the time I stopped reading and the series ended, I became friends with people who didn’t think highly of Bleach and I also started seeing criticism I had made about Bleach in 2011 being repeated by fans on the internet, I started to think that maybe Bleach was bad, but I knew what bad writing looked like —I started reading fanfiction through Bleach fanfiction AMVs on YouTube — and somehow Bleach didn’t sit right with me in the “bad writing category”. 

I sit back now, a decade and ahalf later from when I first started and ask, “was Bleach really that bad, and if so, why do I keep coming back to it?”

-----------------------------------------------

What Made Bleach So Good?

Unique story and aesthetics: When Bleach first started in 2001, it was one of the first manga series to talk about souls and death in a poetic way and with such coherence. Bleach clearly knew what it wanted to say about life and death. It also had a very unique aesthetic, very similar to that of “The World Ends With You” or “Persona 5″ — an urban Japanese take on R&B kind of vibe. Also, Bleach had the most “realistic” and minimalist art style amongst the Big 3.

Cool Music: Bleach had cool music, from very solid rock’n’roll and R&B style songs in its OPs and EDs to very funky OST music with lots of pizzazz. Many singers feature by Bleach ended up successful (to varying degrees) outside of anime, eg: Orange Range, UVERworld, YUI, sid, etc.

Versatile tone: Bleach was edgy, there’s no doubt about that. It was willing to show a lot of blood and bodily violence, especially in the manga (eg half of people blowing up and bits of bone still attached). Despite this though, it was not pretentious about its edginess — it didn’t revel in it. To contrast the edginess, there is a lot of humour in Bleach with character interactions. It was able to be laid back enough with its strong characters that it would rely on the characters’ relationships for comedic relief. The post-credit skits and the fillers really helped to add to this overall feel as well.

Maturity of the Story: Bleach was very willing to handle topics that made people think. For example, the Ulquiorra - Orihime subarc was treated with a sense of carefulness about it, as if to reflect Ulquiorra’s own cautious curiosity about the heart. A less emotionally mature story would’ve gone for the cheap rape/torture porn, but instead we are treated to determined strong Orihime, who has found strength through the heart after the death of her brother, clashing with the nihilistic hollow who wants to know if there is happiness outside of emptiness. It’s a very loaded question and one that requires both perspective and life experience to fully understand both parties. As well, Bleach always knew what it wanted to say about life and death as the final conflict of Bleach is between Ichigo, who has accepted his transient life and Yhwach, who is scared of death. And ultimately, underneath all that action, Bleach produced takes on its themes that were hard to relate to unless the reader themselves had a certain level of emotional maturity (eg: 12 year old me got nothing out of the Ulqui-Ori arc, but 20 year old me spent a good 10 mins crying after)

Strong characters: Contrary to popular belief, Bleach does have quite solid characterization. In fact, Bleach is the journey of Ichigo as a character, from grappling with his weakness and pain to finally accepting all the parts of himself and his history in order to defeat Yhwach and protect those he cares about. Even the secondary characters of Bleach receive a sizable amount of backstory and/or development. Bleach also managed to have more proactive female characters. Even the damsel in distress Orihime stands up to Ulquiorra and slaps him. As a result of these strong characters, Bleach was able to rely on them and their relationships to drive aspects of the story (eg Ichigo crying in the Fullbringer arc).

Willingness to Deal with Emotion: Given that Ichigo is an internally motivated character, it was obvious Bleach would deal with emotion at some point in time. Making Ichigo just a normal high school boy also relives the previous edginess. Bleach also clearly too the time to make its readers feel in its early years. We are treated to beautiful panelling and very real displays of strong negative emotions. Bleach is also very good at giving its characters room to breathe and be sad. Eg: moping Orihime, moping Ichigo, etc. As well, Kubo went to extraordinary lengths to break Ichigo down during the Fullbringers Arc.

Interesting Character Designs: Every character in Bleach feels vibrant and unique with their personality showing through in their designs. For example: Shunshi’s sloppily tied up hair, visible stubble, and overcoat-hidden-haori show that he is both easy going and not looking for a fight; meanwhile Byakuya’s neatly pulled back hair and neck covered by scarf show that he is both someone who likes structure and is conservative.

Poetry and Symbolism: Kubo manages to weave poetry into Bleach in the beginning of each volume. The poem was said by the character on the volume. It gave the reader insight to this character and it gave Kubo a chance to flex his poetic chops. Further proof of this is the fact that many people don’t realize that the name “Bleach” refers to the bleaching of soul that is key to the story. Kubo loves to use rain to set sad scenes. It rains when Ichigo fights Grand Fisher, Zangetsu tells Ichigo that he hates the rain, etc. Kubo also specifies that he wishes for the reader to read certain volumes on stormy, rainy nights.

Panelling: Many people like to criticize Kubo for the lack of effort with the Bleach manga, but Kubo has stated that he uses negative space (i.e., foregoing backgrounds) to focus more on his character’s expressions. This not only further proves that Bleach cares a lot about its characters, but it’s done well enough that the average reader likely doesn’t notice the lack of background on the first read through. As well, Bleach has very cinematic panelling. Kubo uses the format of manga well, utilizing the human mind’s ability to fill blanks in with clever panelling to create tone and build tension and the feeling of movement through a scene.

In fact, in finding pages for this analysis, I found myself noticing that Bleach panels very similarly to slice-of-life shoujo but with a boy MC manga like "Horimiya": focus on expression through intimate angles and use of panels and breaks to create mood and the feeling of cinema; whereas something like DBZ panels like a shounen action manga with many hard lines and action shots, instead of a focus on subtle details and emotions.

Some Examples:

Notice now in Chapter 197: The approaching danger, Kubo uses a gradual zoom to build tension and the black background to add intensity and signal to the reader that Hitsugaya is relaying important information.

Here in Chapter 234: Not Negotiation, the immediate close up to Ulquiorra’s eye from the full body shots creates a sense of intimidation and unease with its sudden intimacy. As well, the immediate zoom in from Ulquiorra’s side full body shot to his facial profile creates tension and the change from the dark background to the white face with Orihime releases this tension (very fitting with considering the line for this panel is “but not you”). (This scene also ties into Ulquiorra’s central dogma of “that which is not reflected in my eyes does not exist’.)

Again in the same chapter, this gradual zoom in on the two creates tension that is then release in the next panel and summarily cements Ulquiorra as a terrifying BAMF.

In Chapter 262: Unblendable, Kubo uses the negative space to create a feeling of isolation, similar to how Orihime is supposed to be feeling.

In the same chapter, notice how Kubo creates a sense of intimacy (not in the romance sense) with the relationship of Ulquiorra and Orihime. He creates tension gradually with the zooming into Orihime’s eye and releases it with the zoom out to Ulquiorra. Through this scene, Kubo has shown us that Ulquiorra and Orihime have a tense relationship and with the implication of eye contact through the shots and panel breaks creating both the intimacy and showing Orihime’s defiance.

(Interestingly, I’ve noticed that Ulquiorra and Orihime have a lot of these intimate zoom shot-reverse-shot eye panels)

___________________

What are the Bad Parts of Bleach?

Okay, so by now, you’re probably thinking that I’m ignoring the massive amounts of critique that Bleach gets and don’t get me wrong, while Bleach does have a very special place in my heart, I’m also not maudlin enough to pretend that Bleach was all good.

Pacing:

Pacing in the First Half of Bleach (Karakura Town - Arrancar)

When Bleach first started out the pacing was excellent. Kubo showed great mastery of pace to control the tone and highlight the emotions throughout the first two arcs. Mid-way through the Arrancar arc, the fatigue sets in and it was hard to keep up with, especially since Kubo would interrupt one exciting fight set up to go set up more plot elsewhere (eg Fake Karakura town right as Ichigo and Ulquiorra were about to battle). Whilst looking back and reading it all at once does help with the pacing, it was frustrating if you were reading/watching on a weekly basis.

Pacing in the Anime:

I don’t ascribe to a simplistic belief of “fillers bad” simply because I think that sometimes fillers can be a good thing, for example, since every chapter is ~15-20pp, some character interactions have to be cut for the sake for space, so filler is a great opportunity to add those moments back into your story. For example, a lot of early Bleach fillers are just the people of Karakura town just hanging out. That being said, Bleach does have an unfortunate amount of fillers, with some of them even interrupting tense fights (eg the Beast Sword Arc interrupts Ichigo’s battle with Ulquiorra). However, the padding that the fillers provided did wonders for the transition between Soul Society to Arrancar Arc in the anime. Ultimately, the Bleach anime adaption was a long-running anime made for syndication and that’s okay.

******* Brief Aside: many people like(d?) to point out that Bleach has a very cyclical plot structure. I used to think this way too; however, this is not the case. There are many other long running stories that repeat similar goals. The problem lies not in the idea, but the execution. The main complaint about the Orihime rescue was not that it was uninteresting, but instead that it felt a rehash of the plot of the previous arc. This is largely because the story was not given enough time to breath between similar character arcs. For example, in One Piece, Luffy and Co have to save Nami and by extension, her home village so she can join them; however, the next time a Straw Hat needs to be saved is 227 chapters (2 whole story arcs) later. In between saving Rukia and Orihime, there is only a really an arrancar encounter, a bit of training, cheering up Ichigo, and a Grimmjow encounter before Orihime goes with Ulquiorra, thus making the goal of this arc “save Orihime” in only ~59 chapters vs 227. These two similar arc goals so close to each other does indeed create the sense of repetition.

Pacing from Fullbringer to End:

This is where Bleach really lost a lot of people. If you weren’t gone after the Ulquiorra fight, you probably were by this arc.This arc went at breakneck speed, and ngl, during my first full read through I almost gave up here too. I mention earlier that Ichigo had been broken down in this arc, but it was hard to feel his despair and the weight on his shoulders because there wasn’t enough for the reader to take a beat and breathe. The Thousand Year Blood War, similarly suffered from sloppy pacing, with many readers feeling like story lines of Squad 0 and the Soul King were anti-climactic. As well, this arc started with a massacre and feature the deaths of many fan-favourite characters, and unfortunately due to the pacing, their deaths were not given a sense of gravity.

Missed Opportunities and Forgotten Story lines: Many people felt that Kubo forgot about a lot of his characters after the Aizen arc. Many thought the Fullbringer Arc was going to be a Chad/Orihime Arc. Whatever happened to Uryuu lolol? We all just collectively forgot about him for a large portion of the last half of Bleach. At one point in time, there was a rumour going around that Kubo had written out the story for Bleach and lost it. Idk if there is any credibility to it. However, in a 2017 interview, Kubo did say that he did end the series exactly the way he wanted to.

(If anyone wants to see me write an entire ass text post about Orihime and her treatment in Bleach, please let me know because I will do it)

Too mature:Even though above, I praised Bleach's mature handle on its themes, an unfortunate side effect of this is forgetting that the characters are only 15 at the beginning and for the first half of Bleach. This unfortunately, leads to some readers feeling disconnected from Bleach.

Epilogue: THE DESTROYER OF SHIPS!!! A lot of people hated this ending. Many people felt like the romance was shoe-horned in, others didn’t like the pairings, and there were some people who actually liked it. Personally, I didn’t like it too much, but it was a cute conclusion nonetheless. Since it didn't add anything to the story except for a "where are they now" look and because of that, I low-key felt like it was unnecessary, but w/e.

------------------------

Perspective

Making a long-running weekly serialized story is hard and doing it for 15 years is gruelling (obligatory “fuck capitalism” here). Like many artists of long-running manga, Kubo destroyed his health for the sake of publishing Bleach weekly. Kubo on his health after Bleach (photo from AshitanoGin on Twitter):

Given this insight, I think it’s only fair to be respectful and grateful for Kubo’s contribution to the anime-sphere. Also, through his work, Kubo seems to be a very understanding person and artist. I’m sure he knows better than anyone where Bleach went wrong, but there’s nothing that can be done now. Despite him having a twitter, he is not Joanne and doesn’t feel the need to constantly hemorrhage out word of god info about Bleach (and thank god for that).

------------------

Final Thoughts

It’s hard to forget my happy memories when I think about Bleach. It had my first adolescent crush and first OTP. As a result, I think the best way to enjoy Bleach is to take what you want out of it. People always think that something has to be 100% without flaw for it to be good, but that is not true at all. It is totally okay to just like the parts that you like without engaging with anything else. It’s special to you for a reason, you know? 

There’s no use in fretting over what Bleach could’ve been, besides, very rarely is the reality better than the fantasy in your head.

I do think though that a lot of Kubo’s issues could’ve been fixed if he planned the story better but not all of us can be “I've been planning One Piece since elementary school” Oda Eiichiro.

Other voices on this issue: here

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Wow. I can’t believe you made it this far down. Congratulations! Thanks for reading my 2:30am non-sober take on Bleach (it only took me 7 hours to write). Here's a cookie <3

[evien-stark]

✧I Need You✧  Chapter 197

Peter brought his excitement with him all the way back to the Tower- which was a short drive considering Tony was behind the wheel. Better to be quick, too. While you could instruct Happy to take his time coming and going to pick up May, you only had a very small window to hash things out with Peter. ...and you really had no idea how to do that. 

First you texted Pepper on approach to start some paperwork going and then decided not to take him to your office. Which was fine. It seemed like Tony wanted to bring him to the labs anyway. His lab, specifically. The private one. Nestled in the back. No one around to listen in. And when Tony went to sit at his main worktable and started typing away on the lightup keyboard, you couldn’t help but ask. 

“So. ...does anyone else know? About you?” You really still had no idea what you were doing. How any of this was supposed to go. What you were supposed to do about it. The question of if you even should do anything about it had long since flown out the window. 

You’d brought Peter Parker back to Stark Tower. There was only moving forward from here. 

That twinkle of energy seemed to just die. In its place came a nervousness that you were starting to get familiar with from Peter. He was new to this. As green as they came. And scared. “No. No one.” He held his hand up. “No one can ever know.” Trying and perhaps failing to assert a little sway here. Trying to lay down the law.

Team Iron had just picked up Spider-Man and whisked him away to their secret labs. Maybe Peter Parker was realizing he may have actually been in trouble after all. 

Tony looked up from his computer. “Not even your adorable aunt?” 

A flurry of discomfort and terror packed tight in Peter’s chest. “No. She can’t- she cannot know about this.” 

You moved to sit on the edge of Tony’s desk. “Why not?”

Peter’s attention came back to you and he gave a little helpless shrug. “She just- she’d freak out. And when she freaks out, I freak out… just…” He sighed then. “How would I ever even tell her about this. Any of it? It’s… she just can’t know.” 

He had a good point. Still just a very young kid. Fourteen, actually, you’d found out from Tony’s nosy behaviors. He was too young to be going around fighting crime. Putting himself in danger every second of the day. He was right. If May found out about this she would freak out. And she’d have every right to do so. ...if he was your kid, you’d have felt the same way. 

“Did your powers just…” How to phrase this… “Did they just show up suddenly?” 

A small grin touched the corner of his mouth and he shook his head with a little breath out. “Uh- no. Not- well. Kind of but. They didn’t just appear.” He was trying to hold off. Trying to keep some secrets close to the vest. That was smart. But it also wasn’t very helpful to you right then. You’d wanted to know if he was a mutant. And as far as you knew, those powers activated through their… oh what was it… X-Gene or something… usually when they hit puberty. You’d thought that that might have been Peter’s case. And if it had been, maybe showing him around Xavier’s school might have been good for him. But that didn’t seem to be-

Your head went up sharply, and perhaps a little too telling was both boy’s in the room suddenly diverted their attention to you. You must have spooked them. “Please tell me you didn’t come into contact with anything… alien.” 

His head tipped questioningly to the side but after making a tight-lipped pout, “No. Nothing like that, either. ...why?” You finally gave him a shrug in return. “Just curious.” 

“You know what I think is really cool.” Tony broke up the conversation- thankfully- and pulled something out of a tray that suddenly lifted up from the center console. It was a small clear vial. Without warning he chucked it Peter’s way. “This webbing.” 

Without a second thought, Peter stuck his hand out to catch it firmly. So. Super strength. Super reflexes. What else was he hiding? Tony turned to look over at Peter. “The tensile strength is off the charts. Who manufactured that?” Ah. Yes, this had been something Tony was interested in. Figuring out who had been supplying Peter. 

There was just a flutter of pride but Peter’s expression and voice belayed any of that. “I did.” Sounding so… unconfident as he looked at Tony. Someone he looked up to was praising him- but not him. His work- but only because he thought it was made by somebody else. 

You tried to inject some lightness back into the conversation and let Peter own that confidence. “Tony was very impressed with it. Couldn’t stop talking about it.” 

While Tony cast a look up your way, Peter’s suddenly shy smile that he hid as he half turned away told the whole story. “I’m working on a new batch.” 

Tony folded his arms. “And crawling up the walls? How’re you doing that? Adhesive gloves?” 

This caved Peter in yet again and he shoved his hands in his pockets. “That’s- ...it’s just me.” 

They both regarded each other. The air was a little tense. Tony was… it was just short of an interrogation. A friendly one. But it was obvious what he was doing. “Got any tech in those blacked out ski goggles?” 

Peter was wearing a full on frown now. “No they just- they help me.” 

So. No tech- and from what you remembered when you were up close, they were pretty thick. You were careful as you asked, “Help you how?” 

His eyes went up and around and he turned completely, pacing slowly. “It’s just- ...when whatever happened happened- it’s like my senses have been dialed up to eleven.” He took a deep breath after this, like he’d expelled all his air after saying it frantically. Coming around the other way he at least was a little closer than before. “There’s just- there’s way too much input. So they kinda help me focus.” 

Sensory overload. You felt for him. Deeply. There were times, though they were few, that there was just too much going on in the world for you, too. It would take a little more than goggles to fix your problems, though. 

“So you created stuff to augment your powers in one way, and other stuff to help dim everything out. You’re pretty resourceful.” Complimenting him where he deserved it. You weren’t the most science-forward person there was. Perhaps stuff wasn’t doing its due diligence- 

But when Peter smiled again that was reward enough. It was nothing compared to the shine that took over him, though, when Tony said what he said next. 

“You’re in dire need of an upgrade. Systemic. Top to bottom.” He wheeled his hand around at Peter. “That’s why we’re here.” He then pushed a button on his keyboard rather loudly, and a hologram sprung to life in the center of the room. A new spider-suit. Information started peeling off and Peter was instantly drawn to all of it. 

He moved into the center of the room where it was, walking around it more than once. Reaching up. Touching it. Expanding text. Moving the suit around. 

It would have been nice to just let him have this moment of wonder but Tony interrupted. “Why are you doing this?” Both you and Peter looked at him suddenly. His focus was on the kid, though. “I gotta know. What’s your MO? What gets you out of bed in the morning?” 

Peter made a noise, trying to start some words up, but they died. He moved away from the image then, shunning it almost. Like he was scared to enjoy it for what it was. That it would be taken away any second when he gave the wrong answer to this question. So why bother getting his hopes up, right? 

Tony was being rather forward and abrasive with a lot of this, though you know he didn’t mean it. So. While you were there, you had to try and balance him out. “We said you weren’t in trouble and we meant it. But… you’ve gotta know that this life is dangerous. It’s not glamorous and it’s really not even fun. You and I both got into a serious scrape the other night. But something tells me you fixed your suit and went out the very next day. Am I right?” 

Peter moved to sit on a chair about an arm’s length away from you. Well. He dropped into it, more than sat. A sigh escaped him and then he nodded dully. “Yeah- yeah- but it’s- ...I just-” He was struggling trying to find the right words. Both you and Tony waited very patiently for him to decide what he wanted to say. And when he did, “...I’ve just. I’ve been me my whole life. And I’ve had these powers for three months. I… I read books. I build computers. And… yeah. I would love to play football. But I couldn’t then, so I shouldn’t now.” 

Tony was nodding. “Sure. Because you’re different.” A certain shade of blue took over Peter then. It was hopelessness-adjacent. He was drowning. And trying very hard not to. “Yeah. But I can’t tell anybody. So I’m not.” He should have been getting a sense of catharsis from this. It was hurting him, in a small way, to have all of this on his shoulders, to do what he could do, and not be able to tell anyone. 

But you and Tony were here now. Giving him a chance to let it out. Yet it didn’t seem to be helping. What was holding him up? 

Peter looked right at you. But when you caught sight of his gaze his head dropped and he sighed. “Just… when you can do the things that I can- ...but you don’t- and then the bad things happen… they happen because of you.” There was something so real and raw here. 

And it pinged something inside you and Tony equally. Peter Parker had the wisdom of someone who had lived about ten lifetimes. Yet he wasn’t even twenty. He’d just spoken a truth that haunted both you and Tony. ...daily, sometimes. 

It took you a moment to refocus on him. To put yourself aside. Inside his heart was beating double time in an anxious pain. Something deep and… terrible. He was holding on to something. And you felt whispers. He was not nuanced. He wasn’t quite like you or Tony or any adult at this stage of their life. Drifting from one event to the next and a champion of holding it all in until it hurt. 

No. Peter was hurting now. And he had been every single day since he’d gotten his powers. What was the connection? 

You didn’t know this kid. Maybe it wasn’t right to ask. But you just… couldn’t stand to sit there while he shredded himself apart. “Peter.” You made sure to keep your tone soft and level. “Did you drop the man who killed your uncle at the police station in Midtown?” 

Shock and a sure sense of fright ran right up Peter’s spine. Even Tony was looking at you nervously. 

Peter’s answer was firm. And fake. “I don’t wanna talk about that.” 

But he did. He wanted to let go of it. He needed to tell someone. He desperately wanted to put it somewhere, because he was getting tired of dragging it around now. You nodded. “Okay. We don’t have to talk about it.” 

Almost as if you’d gone against his wishes, he sprung up out of his chair, putting his back to you, walking a couple paces away. He shook his head. Tony looked at you, opened his mouth, but you held a hand up and he closed it again and remained silent. Trusting that you knew what you were doing. 

Truthfully you had no idea. 

But after a clutched noise in Peter’s throat, and a white-knuckled grip on the edge of a table, Peter broke. And that shadow that had been tied around his throat was just about to come loose. So with only the barest of gentle guidance you unwound it for him. 

“I- I did. I found him. And I…” He was shivering. It was too much for you to sit there any longer and just watch him. So you stood and came to his side. He didn’t look up. 

Not even as you laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, Peter.” 

“It is not okay!” This was about as explosive as he’d ever been and as explosive as he could get. Somehow you knew this. “I… my uncle- ...Ben. It’s- it’s my fault that he died.” 

This you were not expecting. You were expecting a kid with new powers who had been looking out for revenge. But Peter looking for forgiveness? To make right a wrong that he thought he’d done? “I’m sure that’s not true.” 

“It is true. I was- he was waiting for me. And I was…” He scoffed and shook his head. “It doesn’t matter. What matters is he was waiting for me and because of that he-” 

Because of that he got caught by some robber on the street? Because of that he had been murdered? 

You were five seconds away from trying to console this poor child. But he surprised you when he continued. “I wanted to. I- ...I wanted to- but I didn’t-” You knew what Peter was saying without saying. He’d wanted to kill the man responsible. “For a moment I- ...but I didn’t. Because I couldn’t- and I- …” 

With a firmer grip on his shoulder, you tried to turn him to face you. Strangely he offered no resistance but was now drowning in a sea of guilt and shame and- “Peter. Listen to me.” You tried to hush all the interference. His trembling stopped, at least. And you waited. Waited for him to find the courage to look at you. When he did, “It’s good that you didn’t, Peter.” Not speaking the word into existence. Not having to. 

Just letting him know. It was okay not to kill the man that killed his uncle. 

His lips pressed together. He wanted desperately to believe this. Wanted to be done feeling that way. But he also felt like he didn’t deserve it. 

Instead of making him struggle through telling you that- a stranger who had just offered her help and practically her home for no reason- you continued. Well- maybe a little more than a stranger. One of his favorite and most trusted superheroes- a public figure who had spent a lot of time on optics of being good. And doing good. That probably helped your case, helped him to believe you when you said- “It’s good that you didn’t. You did the right thing. Your uncle wouldn’t have wanted that. And taking a life- it’s something you never get over. It breaks a piece of you. It’s good that you handed him over to the police. That was the right thing to do.” Reiterating it for him. Just so that he would be able to believe it. “It takes a lot of strength and a lot of willpower to face someone who has wronged you so deeply and not let that take control of you. You are incredibly strong, Peter.” 

He was staring at you. Openly. Waiting for the world. Waiting for the thing that would make it okay. That would make all the pieces click. He wanted it. But he’d been drowning in too much guilt to just be able to take this at face value. 

So… 

“Peter. When I was not that much older than you… I killed my college professor.” A sure strike of surprise and fear lashed across Tony. It registered in your awareness, but you kept your focus on Peter. He also seemed pretty stunned. ...but not frightened. He was suddenly hanging on your every word. “He violated someone I cared about. And I… I killed him. It was the wrong thing to do. I wish I hadn’t done it. I think about it a lot. About how I’d have done it differently. About what else I could have done. How things might be different now if I had. No one else knows that. Just Tony. So believe me when I tell you- you did the right thing.” 

He wouldn’t have to spend sleepless nights wondering what other routes he could have taken. He didn’t have to wonder for the rest of his life what repercussions that had had. He wouldn’t have to clear away the image of someone dying beneath his hand. He was a good kid. And he’d made the right decision. 

You had to hope he’d make another one now. And hold on to this secret for you. 

Finally his eyes fell and you thought for a moment you’d lost this moment. That he wasn’t going to be able to move on from this or come to terms with it. But- 

Then he nodded. And the gears started turning. Like he’d just realized something. Something important. And you were partly sure that you were not the reason, but maybe the catalyst. 

It was too much to ask to vocalize any of this. ...in this instance you were glad to be who you were. Getting that peek behind the curtain was very helpful right now. But as he looked up again, there was little room for interpretation in the gaze he was giving you. In it there was a sure sense of hope. But most of all… Gratitude.

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 197 Review

The dawn is nearly here. Muzan is at the weakest state of his lifetime, all thanks to the goddess or she-devil Tamayo. Everything seems to favor the Demon Slayer Corps. The only problem is, everyone is too at their weakest state. It’s no excuse to rest or stop; they must fight until they drop dead. It’s now or never.

Before the action resume, we got one last bit with Tamayo in her everlasting sadism. Reminds me of Tokyo Ghoul, where a woman embraces a man to drive the fear down to the core. It’s not about making Pillars stronger than Muzan, rather weakening him. It’s the best course of action when dealing with an overpowered villain. She let him know that they share the same drive, only instead, everyone wants him dead. Got to love her for clawing his face. What goes around, comes around.

Muzan reflects the past actions. Everything up to the point drugs go to use was easy to deal with. Unless he’s up against Yorichi, nothing would have harmed him. But because of the drugs, it vastly changed everything; like removing invincibility mode in a video game. Basically, Tamayo turned the tide. Thank God Ubuyashiki called her up to work together. Otherwise, well, you get the picture. My only concern is Muzan planning to analyze the drugs and try to adapt them. If that happens, then it’s game over. The stakes are at all-time high.

Just before Tanjiro makes his move, Muzan, all the sudden, bursts out electro ball shock within his radius. He struck down Iguro and Tanjiro in a matter of a second. I didn’t see that coming; I was accustomed to his hack and slash performance. Muzan mutated his body further, now have a mouth for a body. It’s bizarrely cool. The electric shock didn’t only damage them; it paralyzed them.

The tension runs higher and higher when Tanjiro can barely breathe. I know he’s the protagonist, but this disturbs me greatly with his monologue breaking up apart. His expression doesn’t help either; the boy is in sheer pain. Arguably, the scariest part is Iguro, who has disappeared for the rest of the chapter. He was really close to Muzan before the surprise attack. Tanjiro was far away, yet he took serious damages. I got a bad feeling about his condition. He may be on the verge of death. Also, I believe the tag went out. I’m afraid to see him again.

The crow was killed off, which means the countdown clock is off. Now the Pillars will have to guess on the timer. Muzan is an animal serial killer. This affected Ubuyashiki Family since they tied their visions to the crow. One of the girls does say that they only have 25 minutes left. They’re so, so close. Muzan is walking off and Tanjiro can’t get up at all. Seriously, I don’t want to even know Iguro’s condition. All hope seems to be lost until the most interesting man in the world arrives.

Out comes Inosuke, who I couldn’t applaud any louder. Thank God Muzan is weakened; can’t use his techniques. The standout part of this confrontation is Inosuke’s monologue. At first, I thought he was talking about his prideful self as usual, which is a norm of his character. But it finally hit me when he start listing the injuries or to be exact, the loss of limbs from his comrades. It actually sadden me to hear the prices they paid with their bodies. He wants Muzan to take them back; otherwise, die a million times. The overflow tears through the mask hits me hard. Sometimes, I don’t want this series to end.

Inosuke tried, but Muzan struck him badly with some monstrous worm-like attack. Once more, all hope seems to be lost until another most interesting man in the world arrives. Out comes Zenitsu, saving Inosuke’s life, and he too has a standout monologue to boot.

This time, it’s about Tanjiro, telling him not to die. Nezuko is going to turn human again, and when this war is over, they can go back home together; back to where the family is waiting. Now I can see why he single-handed saved this series. Granted, it’s a theory from fans, but this moment really remind them why he is so beloved by many. All sincere, all greatness.

The action rages on. Inosuke returns the favor by saving Zenitsu’s life in the nick of time. Still, the two are in danger and Tanjiro has to find a way to get back up. The moment when he’s about to stab himself is quite unnerving. It’s been since Edward from Full Metal Alchemist that has me cringing when it involves with impalement. It’s the only option he has left; he has to stab himself to break free. He doesn’t even know if it will work. He also has to be really careful on where to stab. I didn’t think a realistic approach would play here, so it’s all the more reason to cringe at the possibilities.

The chapter ends with a sign that the epic climax is fast approaching. Muzan is weakened to the point of exhaustion. While he’s battling against the two upcoming Pillars, the current ones are on their way. Giyu and Himejima are barely up, but won’t stay down until they are dead. Giyu is going to fight with one arm; that’s hell of a commitment. Wonder how his fighting style would work now. As for Himejima, the bite on the chains says it all. His death flag is the highest, especially when Yushiro said he can’t fight anymore. My guess is his time is here. It will suck, but at least he will die for the sake of humanity.

This was a gripping chapter that built the climax as the most epic endpoint yet. I adored the beginning with Tamayo going off with the last laugh. Tanjiro’s agony was cringe-worthy, in a good way though. Inosuke and Zenitsu were the stars here with their monologue, expressing their feelings for their comrades. The action was pretty good and with the Pillars on their way, it will be intense. It’s all leading to the final stand from all fronts. The dawn is coming…

[obscurehistoricalinterests]

Repossessing the Body: Transgressive Desire in “Carmilla” and “Dracula” (IV)

By Elizabeth Signorotti (1996)

Part I - Part II - Part III

Thesis: Carmilla is a story of female empowerment, and Dracula is a patriarchal response to it.

Repossessing the Body: Transgressive Desire in “Carmilla” and “Dracula” (part IV)

Stoker’s familiarity with Le Fanu’s vampire tale is certain. Farson claims that Stoker was “absorbed in the vampirism in ‘Carmilla,’ published two years after he left Trinity” but more convincing evidence is found in the original first chapter of Dracula, which Stoker deleted when his publisher requested that he shorten the book to reduce printing costs. In this section, he alludes to “Carmilla.” At the opening of this chapter, Jonathan Harker loses his way as he sets out for Castle Dracula on Walpurgis Nacht, a night “when the graves were opened and the dead came forth and walked, when all evil things of earth and air and water held revel.” A shaft of moonlight reveals he is in an overgrown graveyard with a great, snowy-white marble tomb before him.

Impelled by some sort of fascination, I approached the sepulchre to see what it was, and why such a thing stood alone in such a place. I walked around it, and read, over the Doric door, in German:

Countess Dolingen of Gratz

In Styria

Sought and Found Death 

1801

On the top of the tomb, seemingly driven through the solid marble - for the structure was composed of a few vast blocks of stone - was a great iron spike or stake. On going to the back, I saw, graven in great Russian letters: ‘The dead travel fast.’

The reference to Styria recalls the Austrian setting of “Carmilla” and invites comparison between the two vampire tales. Whereas “Carmilla” abolishes male rights over women, Dracula reasserts those rights. This is indeed the key distinction between Dracula and “Carmilla,” one that Stoker apparently had in mind from the opening -albeit deleted- chapter of this book.

Stoker’s overriding concern in Dracula is the threat of rampant female sexual desire. Senf rightly points out that this ancient, aristocratic vampire who prays on the wives and fiancees of England’s working class reveals, among other things, the “power that negative social values from the past often have over the present.” As Troy Boone further concludes, the novel suggests that “a new understanding of sexuality and decay is necessary for any attempt to attain social order and growth” and that “for all its apparent ‘reification’ of dominant political beliefs, [Stoker’s text] exposes the dangers of failing to challenge their authority.” Both Senf and Boone present valid arguments, but, like other readings in Dracula’s critical legacy, theirs fail to emphasize the degree to which Stoker responds to the threat of female sexuality in Dracula. In Stoker’s text Dracula - and Dracula’s sense of sexuality- actually dominates very few of the scenes, whereas the sexually-charged female vampires - those at Castle Dracula, Lucy and Mina- receive most of Stoker’s attention. 

For his first “experiment” in Dracula, Stoker presents the problem of Lucy’s sexual aggressiveness, a problem to which he ultimately provides a violent solution. Although Lucy’s sexuality does not become rabid until her vampiric possession, Stoker presents her from the beginning as exhibiting personality traits potentially dangerous in women. In a letter to Mina, Lucy asks, “why can’t they let a girl marry three men, or as many as want her?” Her wishing for the right to have more than one sexual partner -a reality for males such as Stoker himself- makes her a threat to established gender roles. Stoker feels obliged to inform the reader that her wishes were unseemly when, in the same passage, she again asks Mina, “why are men so noble when we women are so little worthy of them?” Lucy serves as Stoker’s paradigm of woman-gone-wrong and predictably suffers from it.

In his attempt to redress Carmilla’s defiant behavior, Stoker imbues Lucy with Carmillaesque qualities. Her sleepwalking, which indicates a propensity towards vampirism in Dracula, first occurs in her childhood, just as Carmilla first visits and “infects: Laura during her childhood. In both works, the tendency towards socially aberrant behavior arises in early childhood, but while Carmilla’s and Laura’s behavior remains unrestrained, Lucy’s is eventually checked. Stoker also suggests that Lucy has lesbian tendencies. In a letter to Mina she says, “I wish I were with you, dear, sitting by the fire undressing, as we used to sit; and I would try to tell you what I feel. I do not know how I am writing this even to you. I am afraid to stop, or I should tear up the letter, and I don’t want to stop, for I do so want to tell you all.” Lucy’s wish to share her secrets while undressing suggests her desire to reveal “what is more properly concealed,” something she knows is “wrong.” The men in the text can control Lucy and Mina’s homosocial relationship as long as they both remain accessible; they cannot, however, control what Lucy presumably has in mind.

As if to temper her questionable behavior, Stoker denies Lucy her inheritance rights and places her firmly within the male-governed kinship system. Lucy’s mother, who controls the Westenra estate after her husband’s death, dies shortly before Lucy’s marriage to Arthur Holmwood. Mrs. Westenra, Dr. Seward tells us, “had for some time expected sudden death from her heart, and had put her affairs in absolute order... with the exception of a certain entailed property of Lucy’s father which now, in default of direct issue, went back to a distant branch of the family, the whole estate, real and personal, was left absolutely to Arthur Holmwood.” Separating Lucy from her inheritance fictionally and historically positions her in a “long tradition in which women do not inherit.” Even before Lucy’s wedding, Mrs. Westenra (whose role is the “corrected” equivalent of Carmilla’s subversive mother) ensures Lucy’s total dependence on her future husband. If her daughter had any wild ideas about being financially independent in marriage, she has permanently disabled her.  

Once Dracula kisses Lucy into sudden sexuality, she grows “voluptuous,” “savage,” “wanton,” and “diabolically sweet.” Dracula’s “authorizing kiss... triggers the release of the latent power and excites in [Lucy] a sexuality so mobile, so aggressive, that it thoroughly disrupts... [compartmentalized conceptions] of gender” (Craft 228). Dracula’s kiss enables women to become sexual penetrators. Using their sharp teeth to penetrate men, they reverse traditional gender roles and place men in the passive position customarily reserved for women. In “Carmilla” the penetration of female vampires - in effect, the female appropriation of the phallus - is seen as an act of empowerment; in Dracula, however, Lucy’s unmanageable sexual penetration is presented as inherently evil because it threatens fixed gender distinctions. In an attempt to cure Lucy of her reckless sexuality, Van Helsing and his crew of “brave men” perform massive blood transfusions on her. By having her drained blood replaced with a “brave man”s blood,” Lucy might survive. The act of transfusing blood, of penetrating Lucy’s body with the phallic needle and enabling the men to deposit their own fluids in her, conjures up images of gang rape. As Rubin stresses, “women [in some societies] are frequently kept in their place by gang rape when the ordinary mechanisms of masculine intimidation prove insufficient.” Ironically, Lucy’s wish to marry “as many [men] as want her” violently comes true. Each transfusion symbolizes a kind of ghastly marriage and prompts Van Helsing to fret that “this so sweet maid is a polyandrist.” Stoker gives Lucy what she wants and teaches her a lesson at the same time.

But the gang transfusions fail to cure Lucy’s sexual recalcitrance, prompting Van Helsing’s crew to attempt to mask her sexuality by surrounding her with pungent garlic flowers. While garlic plays a symbolic role in traditional vampire folklore, in Dracula its role is dual. More than just a traditional means of discouraging Dracula’s visits, the ability of garlic to disguise odors, especially body odors, suggests, as Alain Corbin argues in The Foul and the Fragrant, “a way of denying the sexual role of the sense of smell, or at least of shifting the field of olfactory stimulation and allusion.” Van Helsing and Dr. Seward saturate Lucy’s body and environs with garlic flowers not only to keep Dracula at bay but possibly to disguise the sexual odors her newly excited body exudes.

Lucy’s unresponsiveness to ordinary mechanisms of masculine intimidation while alive permits Van Helsing and company, after her death and resurrection as an Undead, to resort to the most violent means of correction available to them. Cora Kaplan argues that traditional fictional “punishment for female sexual transgressions... [is] the immediate loss of social status.” For Stoker, though, the traditional punishment is not severe enough to rectify Lucy’s transgressions. Instead, he employs vampire lore’s extreme phallic corrective: staking and beheading Lucy. In this scene, Stoker’s gang of brave, noble men carry candles dripping “sperm” (D 197) into Lucy’s tomb. Even more sexually alive in the coffin, Lucy’s “body shook and quivered and twisted in violent contortions.” But before she can perform any other sexually suggestive gyrations, Arthur, shining with “high duty” drove “deeper and deeper the mercy bearing stake” into her chest (D 216). This act of transfixation “cures: Lucy and returns her to the accepted role of sexually passive female. Arthur and his companions have repossessed the body, permanently fixing her in the “stabili[zed] distinctions of gender” (Craft 224) and the male system of alliance. Lucy’s sexuality is “corrected.”

Part V will be posted soon...

[penname-artist]

Emergency - Chapter Five

Chapter Title: Eye on the Sparrow

Rated M

[Planes fanfic]

-----

Thunderstorms were rolling in, fast. Flashes of white light set the skies ablaze for merely a second, before darkness again claimed the clouds. Thunder boomed and rolled across the cliffs, chasing after the light spectacles in the sky. A scene as beautiful as it was dangerous. And this perfect storm was about to reign an all-out hell across the park.

Blade had only ever gone this fast once before. He shuddered still to think about it. He was hammering down at 193, 194... the needle all the way to the edge of the red, and he still wished he could go quicker. 195, he wasn’t even cleared to be able to go this fast. But that was what happened when you get hybrids - even with only slightly varied heritage, crosses tended to have random picks with genetics, in a wider range than you’d think. Both of Blade’s parents, who were non-pure themselves, had 193mph maximums. But he just passed 196. He hoped he wouldn’t spontaneously combust. As he neared the cliffs, he was hoping and praying that against all odds, they were alright.

-----

Thunderstorms were just a fraction of the problem; The Grand Fusel Lodge, the big hat of the whole park, called in for a search party from their air attack team. Somebody was missing. A minor. It had been a little over four hours since Madison and Clark had seen their daughter, Amy. Last they had seen, she was with a kids trail group near Anchor Lake. It wasn’t uncommon that while parents went to enjoy the more historical trails, park rangers and summer camp leaders would set up special trails for the young’ns to keep them from getting bored. Usually they included scavenger hunts or other interactive games for the group. What worried the team, however, was the trail that they used for the day. Generally the kids' trails went up around the lake and back, with one part going over a bridge. That meant a high risk for high waters, sure to be with the coming rain. They needed to find her, and fast, before the rapids did. Blade was the best they had - well, more the most capable they had, for an aerial search. Not everyone had the ability to hover and pivot mid-flight like rotorcraft did. He also had a hoist, which came in handy for just such occasions. So with Smokejumpers on the grounds all through that region of the trails already, Blade had to become their eye in the sky for the scouting mission. Amy was only ten, a Mustang GT, described as being burgundy with silver accents, with hazel eyes. Unfortunately, a hard color palette to find in a forest filled with brown pine needles and leaves. But the team was determined to do their best. Panic had begun to make itself known across the Agustawestland’s face as he scoured the hillside for any sign of the child. He was forced to double, and sometimes even triple-check every other rock that protruded from the earth that even resembled the shape of a vehicle. It had been about an hour now that they had been looking, and there was no sign of her. Not even a trace. Being so young, tracks that might have been made in the ground would be so light, barely noticeable under a foot of pine needles and brush. And then, an hour and a half into the search, one of the Smokejumpers radioed out to Blade to check the outskirts of the cliffs, to the far side of the lake. It was a long shot, and a risky one to boot, as it meant the chances of finding her perfectly okay were...slim. But the cliffs were close to one curve of the neighboring trail, so if she got lost on the wrong path she’d have ended up going by it. The helicopter took a deep breath, checking the treeline once more, before turning towards the cliffs. They had wandered to the other side of the valley where the trail started, so the cliffs were quite a ways off. But seeing the clouds rumbling in, Blade knew if he was going to search there, he had to get there now. He closed in on the cliffside at a whopping 197, the needle of his speedometer sticking past the red bar into the tiny region of black. He could feel the burn of his engine, being pushed to its limits. Luckily he didn’t have to go on for much longer. As soon as he could view the cliffside in focus, he came to a halt, engine happy to slow itself down, though still rumbling, boiling hot. For as long as he could, he scoured the rocky landscape, every rock and bush putting him on edge as his mind tried playing tricks on him. He waited for every update from the ground searchers on the other side of the park trail, panic rising still as nothing new was reported. His core beat through his system, hearing muffled with it’s every pulse. It was beginning to drizzle. Then it was sprinkling. In less than a minute, the rain began to fall in earnest, the wind whipping it across in waves of lighter and then heavier rain. Water lashed at the helicopter’s side, but he wasn’t going to give in. Even as lightning began to strike down closer and closer to the park, thunder getting louder and more in sync to every strike, the red and white chopper pressed on. He couldn’t let another down again. Then the unthinkable.

-----

The report came in jagged, both from the heavy static and from the helicopter’s wracked tone as he fought against choking sobs and strained cries. But enough was known for the team to turn their attention to the cliffside. There, at the bottom of the valley, their goal. Taken by the impact of the fall.

-----

Blade didn’t stick around to see the rest, once they had confirmed that it was her, and radioed to the Lodge about their find. It was their worst case scenario, but at least they had found her. At least they knew. The base was told, too. Maru sighed, cutting the radio off. He didn’t know what to expect anymore from the rookie when he returned, which he had just found out would be in the coming minutes. As the sound of the steady beat of rotor blades approached the station, he was already waiting outside of the garage. The first ones were always the hardest.

It was CHoPs all over again. He couldn’t stop himself from the horrific images that bombarded his mind the moment he touched down on the base. The moment his shock and denial was cleared, and he saw the reality of the situation unfold before him. He had broken his own promise to himself. He was too late to save her, too. He wasn’t on the base anymore. He was standing in front of Nick, watching the end. Watching him succumb to the flames, to his dying core. There was nothing he could have done, nothing anyone could have. The realisation burned inside of him worse than the burns against his body, boiling through paint and metal and twisting them into horrid things. Demons lurked in every crevice of the scene, buzzing like a swarm around them both. He’s gone. The form in front of him glitched and reformed into a much smaller being - a Mustang GT, laying broken and dead in the ditch of the canyon. She’s gone. The trails of demons swirled all around, enclosing every concept of light or life from around him. Every shrivel of hope. You were too late. He was losing himself to the darkness. Like drowning, and he couldn’t fight the pain and panic any longer. You couldn’t save them.

Then darkness was all that remained.

-----

His first conscious thought was that he had died. All he knew was surrounding darkness and a numbness in his body he couldn’t rid himself of. And then there was a song, somewhere in the distance, it’s singer somehow familiar, yet still entirely unknown to the chopper. But he knew the words. It was an old song, very old. He remembered every word, every note of that song, because he and his peers all recited it in choir each Sunday morning.

“Why should I feel discouraged, Why should the shadows come, Why should my heart feel lonely, And long for heaven and home…”

He hadn’t heard it in so long. It brought him back thirty years, back in Redding, California. His childhood, his family. Hearing it now brought a bittersweet twinge; He once had a great relationship with his family, until he came out about him and Nick. He and his father had never spoken a word since that fight. The young chopper had torn himself up about it then, practically tried to pretend his co-star and partner didn’t even exist for two weeks straight. When the Hughes finally deigned to ask him what the matter was, he finally caved. And Nick set the record straight for him. “Look, you be what you want to be,” he told him, “and if they only want to see you as shameful and something to be turned away, then they’re hypocrites. We have a saying in our house: Love always. That means we don’t care what you are, what you do, how far into the pit you get, we love everyone. Because that’s what we’re here to do.” “You’re too good for this world.” He always said, whenever Nick had to remind him of those principals. Love. It was the same form of admiration and care that the unknown singer put into every note of his song. The same way Nick did when he sang, usually to get something off his mind.

“I sing because I'm happy, I sing because I'm free…”

Letting his own cares go, Blade lip-synced the last lines of the song, as he had always remembered they were sung;

“For his eye is on the sparrow, And I know He watches me.”

[agameforgoodchristians]

Turning the Other Cheek(s) (Luke 6:29) [A GUEST CARD TALK]

Turning the Other Cheek(s) (Luke 6:29)

A GUEST CARD TALK BY JEFF KAETZEL*

What happens when someone punches you in the face? According to Jesus, you allow them to hit you again. At least, that is what it seems like.

What does it mean when Jesus says to “turn the other cheek?” Is it a sign of weakness? Defeat? Or is it exposing your enemy’s violence in a public way? The answer lies hundreds of years before Jesus’ time, with the establishment of Mosaic Law in Exodus.

Eye for and Eye, a Tooth for a Tooth

When the Mosaic law was established, it was done with the underlying assumption that retribution for violence is a human desire. Exodus 21 reveals this desire by listing the fair and equal punishments that come as a consequence of an infraction of the law.

For instance, verses 12-14 lays out what is to happen when someone is killed. The law establishes two types of outcomes: one for premeditated murder and one for accidental death.

“Anyone who strikes a person with a fatal blow is to be put to death. However, if it is not done intentionally, but God lets it happen, they are to flee to a place I will designate. But if anyone schemes and kills someone deliberately,that person is to be taken from my altar and put to death.”

When it comes to death, unless it was accidental, there is to be equal punishment for the crime.

Examples of how retributive justice was built into the framework of Israelite judicial code continues throughout the chapter, and is the basis for Jesus’ words in Luke 6. When Jesus says “you have heard it said…,” he is referring to Exodus 21:22-25:

“‘If people are fighting and hit a pregnant woman and she gives birth prematurely but there is no serious injury, the offender must be fined whatever the woman’s husband demands and the court allows. But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise.”

As we can see from this passage, there is legal recourse for anyone who has been hurt or injured. They are legally able to seek retribution, whether it be in the form of monetary compensation (for non-fatal injuries) or capital punishment. The idea of an “eye for an eye” and a “tooth for tooth” is rooted in the understanding that there are legal channels to seek retribution against anyone who has harmed you. This retributive justice set the legal standard for Israel by limiting their ability to seek more than what was taken from them.

In other words, Exodus 21 introduces the idea of seeking equal punishment for harm done to an individual, and no more. If someone caused damage to your eye, then you could legally seek equal punishment by causing damage to their eye. You could only seek equal punishment for what was taken or done to you. Regardless of your social status, the Israelite judicial code allowed you to seek retribution for any crime committed against you.

Mosaic law limited the scope of personal retribution. For example, if someone stole your cow, you’d want to go and steal their grain. Then they’d come back and kill all your livestock. Then you’d go and burn down their house. Then they’d come and kill your family. The cycle of violence would go on and on. God put a stop to this violent retaliatory “justice” by calling Israel to a higher standard.

When God instructed Israel to seek only equal justice, God was drawing the boundaries between retaliation and retribution. By telling Israel that they could only seek equal justice, God was limiting the role anger plays in retribution. By limiting the extent that Israel could retaliate, God was setting a new standard for Israelite justice.

The difference between retaliation and retribution is the end goal. In other words, retaliation seeks to respond to violent acts with more violence. This perpetuation of the violent cycle means that the end result is uninhibited violence. Retribution, on the other hand, seeks reconciliation between the two parties. Retribution allows for the injustice to be righted and the relationship (hopefully) restored. The danger in losing sight of the role of reconciliation in Israelite law is that the violence/injustice is never truly resolved, but met with either more violence (retaliation) or legalism (retribution). The legalistic approach to retribution is what caused Israel’s legal ethics to devolve into simple transactionary methods.

This “eye for an eye” transaction mentality was firmly established in Israel’s code of ethics. Generations of Jewish people viewed the law as transactionary, and completely cut out the role of reconciliation. When it came to oppression from Rome in the 1st century, the Israelite people knew (according to their law) they could retaliate and seek equal punishment for crimes committed against them. The justification for retaliation was embedded in the Mosaic law. This was how Israel responded to injustice for generations. Then Jesus challenged the preconceived notion of retribution in Luke 6.

The Reality of Following Jesus

Roman oppression of the Jews during the time of Jesus was a horrific example of the violence of the empire. Rome would crucify anyone who thought of, participated in, or supported rebellion against Cesar. Instead of an eye for an eye, Rome would take your life for simply speaking out against the empire.

For example, Adrian Goldworthy in his work The Complete Roman Army, writes, “the Romans deliberately caused as much destruction as possible, slaughtering and dismembering animals as well as people, to deter other communities from resisting Roman demands to surrender…” (197). Roman aggression and domination was met with calls for retributive justice, as outlined in Mosaic law. Zealots, a radical group of Jewish nationals, called for the violent overthrow of Roman oppression because they saw violent action as justified by Mosaic law. But Rome did not care for Mosaic law or its retributive justice.

One of the darkest examples of Roman cruelty came in 167 B.C., when Antiochus Epiphanies invaded Judea and ransacked the temple in Jerusalem. According to the Jewish historian, Flavius Josephus, there were a few that tried to resist Rome’s oppression. He called them “the noblest souls.” He writes, “But the best men, and those of the noblest souls, did not regard him... they were whipped with rods, and their bodies were torn to pieces, and were crucified, while they were still alive, and breathed.” (Flavius Josephus Antiquities of the Jews 12: Chapter 5). For simply standing up to Rome’s invasion of Jerusalem, they were beaten, tortured and crucified.

Israel’s judicial code meant nothing to the brutality of the Roman military apparatus. The violence that Rome enacted upon Judea in 167 B.C. became the example of what happened to any Jewish person that dared defy Roman supremacy.

Israel needed a deliverer. They needed a savior that would overthrow Rome and re-establish Jerusalem as God’s holy city. According to Jewish prophecy, this deliverer was to come from the line of King David. In 2 Samuel 7, God promises David that “You will always have descendants, and I will make your kingdom last forever. Your dynasty will never end” (verse 16). This promise, coupled with the prophecies in Isaiah 11 and Jeremiah 23, led many Jewish people to believe that the “Son of David” would solve all of the problems Israel faced.

During the time of Jesus, that meant the Son of David would deliver Israel from the oppression of Rome. The Jews had long awaited the arrival of the Son of David to deliver them from the hands of Roman oppression. This long awaited King would come in and overthrow Rome and re-establish Israel’s sovereignty. When Jesus started doing miracles and healing people, word started to spread that this man from Nazareth might be the long awaited son of David.

Luke 6 describes a scene where the people gather to hear Jesus:

A large crowd of his disciples was there and a great number of people from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the coastal region around Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. Those troubled by impure spirits were cured, and the people all tried to touch him, because power was coming from him and healing them all. (Luke 6:17-19)

The people saw the power that Jesus had. They began to think that this power could be used to overthrow Rome. But then Jesus started to teach things like “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (vv. 27-28). Jesus appeared to be speaking against retributive justice and in favor of total submission to Rome. This wasn’t the talk of a conquering king or a “Son of David,” but a defeated Rabbi.

At first glance, Jesus’ teachings in Luke 6 look like surrender to Roman oppression and abandonment of justice. But, digging a little deeper, we begin to see that what Jesus is teaching is radical resistance to Roman brutality.

Exposing the Violence

What makes this whole “turn the other cheek” thing so controversial? The short answer is that it requires the person to give up any claim to retribution or equal justice.

When Jesus says to turn to other cheek, he is not advocating for unchecked violence. In fact, what Jesus is calling for is that his followers work to expose the violence of their enemies by forcing them to be even more violent.

Imagine with me for a second. You find yourself in a fight with someone. They hit you really hard, knocking you to the ground. Everyone around you is expecting you to get up and fight back, but instead, you stand up, look into your enemies face and turn your other cheek. What this forces your enemy to do is show the crowd around them the lengths they are willing to go to continue the violence. If they decide to hit you again, it shows that they are the ones that are being unnecessarily violent.

Jesus is calling his followers to subvert the violence by forcing the Jewish enemy’s to expose their hatred. This radical call to a non-violent response is one that has continually challenged every generation of believers from the early Church until now.

It is a difficult call to follow because it calls us to surrender our thirst for vengeance and allow the oppressive forces among us to utilize violence for their own gain. During the US Civil Right movement of the 50s and 60s, this mentality was at the heart of Martin Luther King Jr’s call for non-violent protest. MLK used Jesus’ teachings in the Sermon on the Mount to develop a Biblical understanding of why non-violence was the most effective way to expose the violence of the oppressors. In his acceptance speech of the Nobel Peace Prize, Martin Luther King Jr. said, “Nonviolence is not sterile passivity, but a powerful moral force which makes for social transformation.” MLK understood that in order to end the cycle of violent retaliation, it required a non-violent response.

Turning the other cheek, according to MLK, was not a sign of defeat or submission, but a challenge to the violent offender by forcing them to expose their own aggression.

Following in Jesus’ Footsteps

What does this mean for us as 21st century Christians? It means that we have a lot of difficult questions we have to ask ourselves.

Why? Because what Jesus is saying in Luke 6 calls into question a number of different things about American culture that we overlook. Self-defense, “stand your ground” laws, systemic racism, domestic violence, transphobia, homophobia, economic exploitation, imprisoning asylum seekers. Wherever we look, we can see violence used as a means to silence, exploit and intimidate others. It all comes into question when we seriously consider what Jesus is saying defines being his follower in Luke 6.

We are not called to defeat the violence by participating in it. We are called to subvert the violence by exposing it. This means finding those on the margins, and standing in solidarity with them. When we stand side-by-side with those who are being oppressed, we force the oppressor to use their violence against all of us. This means we must leave the comfort of our own bubbles and entangle ourselves in the lives of those who are oppressed.

Minority groups, battered women and children, the LGBTQIA+ community, the poor and disenfranchised, immigrant communities. These are the ones we are called to stand alongside and help expose the violence being enacted against them. Once more, as Martin Luther King Jr. stated in a sermon, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.” Using violence to respond to violence only increases violence. MLK says the only way to drive out the darkness of hatred is with the light of love.

In Matthew’s version of the Sermon on the Mount, he records Jesus saying

“You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden...In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14, 16)

The very nature of following Jesus means that your life is going to look different than how the world lives. This includes how we respond to violence. If we seek vengeance and retaliation against our oppressors, we are no better than the world.

This call to a different way of living is illustrated in the larger context of Luke 6:29. Jesus instructs the crowd on how to interact with their enemies in a way that negates the need for human vengeance. He calls for a different way of responding. Verses 32-33 says, “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.” Jesus challenges his audience with the phrase “even sinners do that.” What this phrase implies is that the accepted way of interacting with their enemies doesn’t make them different from them at all.

If they only love those who love them, they are no different then the oppressors. Luke 6:27-36 is a challenging passage because Jesus calls out his audience for being no different then the ones who oppress them. Jesus speaks to a different way of life, one that uses non-violence as a means to bless their enemies. Because in praying for and blessing their enemies, it stops the cycle of violence in its tracks.

*Jeff Kaetzel

is the Pastor of Student Ministries at Community Covenant Church in Santa Barbara, CA. He was born and raised in Oakland, CA. He is a historian, a theologian, a pastor, a husband and a coffee enthusiast. He holds a Bachelors of Arts in History from the University of California, Berkeley as well as a Masters of Arts in History from San Francisco State University. He also holds a Masters of Divinity from Fuller Theological Seminary and is pursuing ordination to Word and Sacrament in the Evangelical Covenant Church.

[openlyandfreely]

History 202: Historical Methods

Professor Sherene Seikaly           Winter 2016 sseikaly@history.ucsb.edu           Monday 3-5:50 Office Hours: Tuesday 12-2                     HSSB 4041 Office: HSSB 4223        

What is the discipline of history? Why does it matter? What is the difference between historical fact and artifact? How does narrative influence the making, writing, and teaching of history? What are the conceptual and political stakes of historical work? What is the task of historians? How does history help us think about difference? How can we understand classed, colonized, racialized, and gendered subjects as historically constituted? How do historians take part in, reflect, or interrupt regimes of knowledge and power?

We will be addressing these questions in the coming ten weeks. Our goal is to learn about the essential readings in various historiographic schools. We will approach these texts with critical humility: reading in order to chart each of these scholars’ contributions, what they allow us to see, and how they open possibilities for new questions. Throughout, we will engage each of your research questions and projects to think about what is at stake, empirically, methodologically, and theoretically, in what we do as students and teachers of history.

Guidelines

Please be respectful of one another’s opinions. Be rigorous: do the readings thoroughly and carefully and bring all readings to class.

Be on time.

Turn off and put away all cellular phones, tablets, and laptops.

Late policy: every six hours late on any assignment results in a deduction of half a grade.

Your Work Presence: Your physical and intellectual presence is key to the success of this course. (20%)

Weekly Writing: Each week you will respond to the assigned readings in a summary (minimum 1,000 words and maximum 1,500 words). Give a general idea of each week’s readings and their stakes. Then focusing on one text, explain first, what is the argument of the text; second, what are the conceptual and methodological contributions it makes; third what sources does it draw on; and fourth, what are its epistemological stakes: what does it add to or challenge. Due by email to the entire class by midnight before our meeting. (20%)

Discussion Facilitation: You are responsible for facilitating one week’s discussion. This will be your chance to showcase your pedagogical approaches. Prepare material to lead an hour of the course. This material should include: one, an analysis of that week’s texts and concepts; two, a contextualization of these texts in larger historiographic debates; and three, audio-visual material and/or primary sources that speak to the readings. Your primary task is to inspire discussion, debate, and engagement. Please do not summarize the readings. Instead, find creative ways to get us thinking critically, generously, and thoroughly about the texts. (20%)

Review Essay: Choose one of the subfields or schools we are engaging.  Add two additional sources that are not on our syllabus (one book and one article). In a 5,000-word essay contextualize these texts in their historiographic traditions, address their arguments, and engage their methodological, empirical, and epistemological contributions. Use this exercise to think about your own research and its potential contributions. Due March 15. (40%)

Texts All materials will be available on Gaucho Space.

January 4: Introduction to course

January 11: The Historical Discipline Georg Iggers, Historiography in the Twentieth Century: From Scientific Objectivity to the Postmodern Challenge (Hanover: Wesleyan University Press, 1997).  

Leopold von Ranke, “On the Character of Historical Science” in Leopold von Ranke The Theory and Practice of History, edited with an introduction by Georg Iggers, (New York: Routledge, 2011; 1973), 8-17.

Walter Benjamin, “Theses on the Philosophy of History,” in Illuminations trans. by Hannah Arendt (New York: Schocken Books, 1968), 253-264.

Recommended: Hayden White, “Historical Emplotment and the Problem of Truth,” in Saul Friedlander, ed., Probing the Limits of Representation: Nazism and the “Final Solution” (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1992), 37-53.

January 18: Martin Luther King Day (Rescheduled to __________) The Historian’s Craft Marc Bloch, The Historian’s Craft (New York: Vintage Books, 1953).  

Amy Richlin, “Introduction,” “Chapter One: Approaches to the Sources on Adultery in Rome,” and “Chapter Five: Reading Ovid’s Rapes,” in Arguments with Silence: Writing the History of Roman Women (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2014).

Renato Rosaldo, “Introduction: Grief and a Headhunter’s Rage,” in Culture and Truth: The Remaking of Social Analysis (Boston: Beacon Press, 1993).

Recommended: Philip A. Kuhn, “Chapter One: Tales of the China Clipper,” “Chapter Two: The Prosperous Age,” and “Chapter Three: Threats Seen and Unseen,” in Soulstealers: The Chinese Sorcery Scare of 1768 (Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1990).

January 25: After Tahrir Conference (Rescheduled to __________) Class and Capital Karl Marx, “Estranged Labor,” in The Economic and Philosophic Manuscripts of 1844 (Moscow: Progress Publishers, 1959), 28-35; and Marx and Friedrich Engels, “The German Ideology” in Erich From, Marx’s Concept of Man (New York: Continuum, 2002), 197-216.

E. P. Thompson, “Chapter One: Members Unlimited,” and “Chapter Two: Christian and Apollyon” in The Making of the English Working Class (New York: Vintage Books, 1966).

Roderick A. Ferguson, “Introduction: Queer of Color Critique, Historical Materialism and Canonical Sociology,” Aberrations in Black: Toward a Queer of Color Critique (Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, 2004).

Recommended: Eric Hobsbawm, “What Do Historians Owe to Karl Marx?” and “Marx and History” in On History (New York: The New Press, 1997), 141-70.

Robin R.G. Kelley, Race Rebels: Culture, Politics, and the Black Working Class (New York: The Free Press, 1994).

February 1: The Annales School Lucien Febvre, “History and psychology,” in Peter Burke, ed., A New Kind of History from the Writings of Febvre (New York: Harper & Row, 1973), 1-11.

Fernand Braudel, “History and the Social Sciences: The Longue durée,” in On History, trans. Sarah Matthews (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1980), 25-54.

Jacques Le Goff, “Part I: Time and Labor,” “Part II: Labor and Value Systems” and “Part IV: Towards a Historical Anthropology,” Time, Work, and Culture in the Middle Ages (Chicago: Chicago University Press, 1980).

February 8: Knowledge, Power, and the Other Thomas S. Kuhn, The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2012), excerpts.

Michel Foucault, Part III: Discipline,” in Discipline and Punish (New York: Vintage Books, 1995, 1977).

Sylvia Wynter, “Unsettling the Coloniality of Being/Power/Truth/Freedom: Towards the Human, After Man, Its Overrepresentation—An Argument,” The New Centennial Review 3.3. (2003): 257-337.

February 15: Interrupting Power: the Archive, Race, Indigeneity Michel-Rolph Trouillot, Silencing the Past: Power and the Production of History, (Boston: Beacon Press, 1995).

Audra Simpson, “Chapter One: Indigenous Interruptions: Mohawk Nationhood, Citizenship, and the State” and “Chapter Two: A Brief History of Land, Meaning and Membership in Iroquoia and Kahnawà:ke,” in Mohawk Interruptus: Political Life Across the Borders of Settler States (Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2014).

Recommended: Susan Buck-Morss, “Hegel and Haiti” Critical Inquiry 26: 4 (Summer 2000): 821-865.

Emma Perez, “Chapter One: Sexing the Colonial Imaginary: (En)gendering Chicano History, Theory, and Consciousness” and “Chapter Two: Feminism-in-Nationalism: Third Space Feminism in Yucatan’s Socialist Revolution,” in The Decolonial Imaginary: Writing Chicanas into History, (Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1999).

February 22: President’s Day (Rescheduled to __________) Gendering History Joan W. Scott, “Gender: A Useful Category of Historical Analysis,” American Historical Review 91, no. 5 (December 1986): 1053-1075.

Afsaneh Najmabadi, “Beyond the Americas: Are Gender and Sexuality Useful Categories of Historical Analysis?” Journal of Women’s History 18, no. 1 (spring 2006): 11-21

Judith Butler, Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity (New York: Routledge, 1999).

February 29: The Cultural Turn Lynn Hunt, “Introduction: History, Culture, and Text” in The New Cultural History (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1989), 1-22.

Robert Darnton, “Workers Revolt: The Great Cat Massacre of the Rue Saint-Séverin,” in The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History (New York: Vintage Books, 1984), 75-104.

Judith Walkowitz, “Chapter One: Urban Spectatorship,” “Chapter Two: Contested Terrain: New Social Actors,” and “Chapter Three: The Maiden Tribute of Modern Babylon,” in City of Dreadful Delight: Narratives of Sexual Danger in Late Victorian London (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1992).

March 7: The Subaltern School (Rescheduled to __________) Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, “Can the Subaltern Speak?” in Carry Nelson and Lawrence Grossberg (eds), Marxism and the Interpretation of Culture (London: Macmillan, 1988).

Dipesh Chakrabarty, “Introduction” and “Part I: Historicism and the Narration of Modernity” in Provinicalizing Europe: Postcolonial Thought and Historical Difference (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000).

Vivek Chibber, “Chapter One: Postcolonial Theory and Subaltern Studies” and “Chapter Two: Dominance Without Hegemony,” in Postcolonial Theory and the Specter of Capital (London: Verso, 2013).

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