Scene 11 - 15 Gundam Wing After Dekim
Scene 13
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Kenneth
Blanchard: The key to successful
leadership is influence, not authority.
Anonymous:
The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do
him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back.
Quatre Raberba Winnalkealked sedately through
his home on L4. His three suitcases were
packed and ready for his trip back to Earth.
He was only waiting for Rashid and Abdul to make sure that the shuttle
was prepared. Nervous, he glanced at his
watch to check the time. He had to leave
in the next two hours if he wanted to make it back to Sanc in time.
He checked
his reflection in a hall mirror pleased to see that his blond hair was
cooperating today. Self consciously he
readjusted his tie for the tenth time, sighing in satisfaction when he got it
just right. up, much in the same way that Relena did.
Her image was for Earth, his for the Colonies and he could not afford to
look anything other than his best going in to this meeting.
there were and she would exploit him ruthlessly for it.
His private
comm began chirping irritably at him and with a steady hand he answered it.
“Quatre
Winner,” He said with a smile.
“Quatre,”
Trowa’s face appeared on the tiny screen.
“Are you well?”
“Yes,”
Quatre’s face lit up. “I’m returning to
Earth for a week or so. I’m going to
meet with Lady Emily tonight to discuss Dorothy with her.”
“Good
luck,” Trowa wished. “Is this a secure
line?”
“Of
course,” Quatre frowned, slightly puzzled.
“Duo wants
to make sure you’re well,” Trowa said.
“He says hi.”
“When did
you see him?” Quatre asked carefully, not sure just how much Trowa really knew.
“At the
circus a few days ago,” Trowa shrugged off handedly.
Herr Redner. He hid out with the circus
until one of Howard’s people came for him.”
“So he told
you?” Quatre saw Trowa nod in confirmation.
“That’s good. It was getting
lonely not being able to talk to anyone about it.”
“He thought
of that,” Trowa shook his head. “He
seems to think of everything these days.”
Quatre said
nothing. He knew that Duo Maxwell was
not the same any longer, knew that it was because of him.
“I’ll let
yo,” T,” Trowa said. “I have to get back
to practice soon. Have a safe trip to
Earth.”
“I w”
Q”
Quatre replied. “Stay safe Trowa.”
They
disconnected and Quatre slipped his comm-unit back into his pocket.
mirror. The faint signs of fatigue were
still visible but just barely thanks to his older sister
that he did not overwork himself which he wase toe to if someone did not
monitor him. He smiled fondly at the
sight of her hand embroidered handkerchief tucked neatly into his breast
pocket.
“Master
Quatre?” Abdul entered into the main hallway.
“We will be leaving in fifteen minutes.
Is there anything else you need before then?”
“There is
one thing I wish to ask of you Abdul,” Quatre turned to the slim Arab man.
faith in me for it may very well cost you your life.
decide.”
“I will
serve you as I have always served,” Abdul bowed his head.
“I want you
to be my connection to Duo Maxwell,” Quatre explained in a soft voice.
at the closest pay phone to whatever Winner property we are staying at.
what time it is or what I am doing. If
anything happens to me you are to take all the documents I have saved from
those deliveries and give them to Trowa Barton.”
“What if
something should happen to me?” Abdul asked.
“Then I
will find another to take your place,” Quatre said but not unkindly.
Abdul The ride to >&nb> Quatre He fell “We’re Quatre He willed Quatre He washed Quatre “Sally?” “You might Quatre “Come in,” He gathered “I stopped “Was there “I’m going Quatre goi going “Why are “To talk A few “Very “I pick out “Is she the “No,” “Well Quatre Sally “Hello Mr. “I was “That won’t “She’s one “Yes, that “Of course He “Ready to “Call me Quatre Abdul Quatre He watched, “Hello Mr. “Good “I assure Quatre Lady Emily “My Dorothy “What has “If it does “You sound “I am,” “Or even understand her and her motivations I “Both of “I know The three “What do “She wants Quatre said Quatre He could understand her actions He watched Quatre “Hello Mr. “Hello Mr. “I’m sure Quatre gave ‘Sometimes “What is it “I know of '> “Then there “What do “Why did “Because “Try “I’m “You don’t “You think “No,” “Dodd “Dodd will “Why does “Dorothy Rochambeau nodded, “No,” “But you’re mal> “And “Yes I have mal> “Good,” “Of “Glad we The rest of ‘Lady Emily Quatre He really He locked Quatre lay
nodded. Quatre was hopeful that his
mission would not cost lives but he was pragmatic and Abdul was as well, the reason
he had spoken to him first above all others.
Abdul knew when to argue and when to listen and bow his head.
hefted one of his suitcases, the one with his computer and a few other
documents in it. Abdul grabbed the other
two that were stuffed with clothing and the two made their way out to the
waiting limousinp>
p>
the shuttle port was uneventful and Quatre with his small army of retainers
boarded one of the private Winner shuttles bound for Earth.
with Lady Emily, Dorothy’s mother. She
had been gous ous enough to receive him an hour before the other guests would
begin to arrive and he wondered what it would cost him, what she might try to
extract from him.
carefully set up his computer and checked his messages.
letting him know that there was no new information on either Duo or Heero’s
whereabouts. Quatre sent a brief
response saying he had also heard nothing and letting Wufei know that he was
doing as well as could onsionsidered. He
leaned back in the padded shuttle seat wishing that there did not have to be
all these secrets between them but it was necessary, it was the conditions that
had been set down for him.
asleep after putting the computer away.
He woke to a gentle shaking on his shoulder.
his face.
about to land in Sanc Master Quatre,” Rashid’s deep voice brought him
awake. “We should be at Lady Emily’s
after you have had time to change at the house.”
nodded absently and watched as the head of the Maguanacs walked back to the
cockpit of the shuttle. He stood and
stretched his legs briefly before landing and then strapped himself in.
being ushered into another limousine that took him to the house that he had
purchased only a few months before.
those thoughts away. They were from
another time, a time when things still made sense and he had all his friends
around him.
bounded up the stairs and threw off his clothes, scattering them around the
room. He did not care where they landed
or if they wrinkled while they lay on the floor.
embroidered handkerchief that his sister had made for him.
it to be carelessly lying on the floor, even if only while he was showering.
stepping into the bathroom.
off quickly and dried himself quickly as well.
His nerves were jumpy and he did not want to waste any time since Lady
Emily lived on the other side of
the capitol city of
heard the knocking on his door and he securely wrapped the towel around his
waist and moved to open it.
Quatre’s deep blue eyes widened in surprise.
“What are you doing here?”
want to put some clothes on before we talk,” Sally pointed out the obvious
state of his undress.
merely shrugged.
Maguanacs bursting in while he was dressing and Sally had seen him without
clothes on plenty of times during the war when he was sick or injured.
might have bothered him that he wore only a towel.
He held the door open to the Preventer.
“I’ll change in the bathroom and we can talk through the door.”
up his outfit and walked into the bathroom.
He shut the door behind him and began dressing.
by to see if you were going to Lady Noventa’s party tonight,” Sally’s voice
came through the door. “But apparently
you are.”
something you wanted?” Quatre asked.
as well,” Sally told him. “Lady Noventa
invited Une as well but Une’s too busy to attend so here I am.
you to be my escort for the evening.”
smiled. He really should not have been
surprised by her being here; Une would have done the same thing he
wagered.
early to meet with Lady Noventa,” Quatre spoke louder than normal to make sure
that Sally could hear him. “I’ll have to
call ahead to ask if you could accompany me on my visit.”
you going early?” Sally asked him.
about Dorothy,” Quatre answered.
minutes later he emerged from the bathroom, dressed for the night.
socks. A dark blue silk shirt was
buttoned up to his collarbone and he slipped his arms into a dark gray lamb’s
wool jacket as he slid his feet into real black leather shoes.
nice,” Sally approved.
my own clothes now,” Quatre smiled.
“With a little help from my sister
oldest one?” Sally asked with a smile.
Quatre shook his head. “She’s the third
oldest, the one who keeps track of everyone else in my family.
enough,” The honey-haired Chinese woman laughed.
Une’s been bombarded by a few of the Senators.
prevented Dekim if she had been running the Preventers properly.”
shook his head sadly, “They’ll never learn.
When you see Une tell her not to worry.
Relena and I will try our best to get some of the political pressure off
of her back.”
nodded and stood from the only chair in the room.
into his jacket pocket. He led her from
the room and downstairs to the living room.
Once there he placed a call to Lady Emily.
Winner,” Lady Emily gave a polite smile which Quatre returned.
wondering if my escort Sally Po might accompany me to our meeting prior to the
party Lady Noventa,” Quatre asked serenely.
be a problem,” Lady Emily said. “Sally
Po, the name sounds familiar.”
of the Preventers commanding officers,” Quatre reminded her although he had a
feeling she already was aware of who Sally Po was.
will do,” Lady Emily smiled again.
“Bring her along Mr. Winner. I’ll
see you within the hour correct?”
Lady Noventa,” Quatre gave a polite nod of his head.
disconnected the call first. When
dealing with Lady Emily it was paramount to maintain as much of the upper hand
as was possible. She kept her cards
close so no one knew what she held in her hand.
He admired that about her but her daughter was much the same way.
leave Miss Po?” Quatre offered his arm.
Sally,” She responded ng hng his arm.
merely smiled at her. Rashid opened the
door for them and escorted them down the front stairs to where Abdul was
waiting with the car. The traffic in
was rather heavy but it did not take too long to get across to Lady Emily’s
mansion.
opened the door to the limousine for them.
Quatre got out first and helped Sally out of the car.
elegantly cut. The door was opened by a
silver haired servant who bowed them into the house.
looked around the entrance hall. He
could see much of Lady Emily’s personal touch in some of the art pieces hanging
on the walls but their placement was calculated, designed to draw attention and
praise. Still Quatre admitted that the
house, from what he could see, was tastefully decorated and he could see that
Dorothy had inherited the same sense of flair and personal style as her
mother.
almost detached, as Lady Emily appeared to be gliding down the stairs to greet
her two guests. Her dress was beautiful,
a soft blue to match her eyes with silver and gold thread forming intricate
patterns over her bodice. Quatre knew
that Lady Emily was beautiful, even at thirty eight.
married Edmund
barely nineteen when Dorothy was born.
He knew that she had left Dorothy in the care of Duke Dermail when her
husband had passed away, stopping by for occasional visits.
told him that. They were calculating and
revealed nothing of what she might be thinking.
Winner,” She smiled charmingly at Quatre and Sally.
tonight.”
evening Lady Noventa,” Quatre gave an innocent smile.
and Miss Po here tonight to discuss your daughter Dorothy.
you it is no trouble,” Lady Emily was gracious.
“And please call me Lady Emily.
Come with me, I’d prefer to talk in the study.”
politely moved away from Sally and took Lady Emily’s arm.
high societal games as well as she.
took them into a spacious and well lit room.
There were several books on the shelves and tasteful furniture in front
of an actual working fireplace inlaid with marble.
as the study that someone like Lady Emily would have but somehow it suited
her. She took a seat and gestured for
them to seat themselves as well.
has really gotten into a mess this time hasn’t she?” Lady Emily shook her head,
not misplacing one elegant curl from her coiffure.
would happen to her.”
happened is wrong,” Sally spoke for the first time.
Dorothy is disgraceful.”
not stop here it will only be a matter of time until the Gundam Pilots are
subjected to such inquiries,” Quatre added.
“Dorothy is more than an excellent fighter Lady Emily.
her things would have turned out differently.
If not for her it is very likely that I may not have survived the first
war.”
so certain of this,” Lady Emily said after several tense moments.
Quatre met her cool gaze with ease. “As
a fighter the Gundam Pilots respect Dorothy as we do Treize.
out trust or respect easily but she had earned it.”
did respect her. She has a pure will and
a strong spirit.”
you respect my daughter?” Lady Emily studied them both carefully.
mess? Some of these Senators have gone
too far with this campaign. If they want
someone to blame it should be the
leaders who started this mess and the people who let them get away with it.”
that the Gundam Pilots who can be found will testify on your daughters behalf,”
Quatre answered her. “The Vice-Foreign
Minister and I have already given a press conference in Dorothy’s name and we
plan to make a few more statements.”
spent the rest of the hour discussing Dorothy and other actions that could be
taken to help gain her release. Even
though Lady Emily did not have any real great affection for her daughter she
could not abide having her flesh and blood treated in such a manner.
interrupted by a butler who had come in to inform Lady Emily that her guests
were beginning to arrive for her party.
She excused herself and went to play the hostess.
you think?” Quatre asked Sally as they moved into the large ballroom.
to help Dorothy I think,” Sally looked at a few of the neat uniforms of the
servants bustling about. “But I don’t
think it’s out of love.”
nothing. He understood high society a
little more than Sally. He knew that
while Lady Emily might not love her daughter she still wanted her to have a
good life, to marry and have children someday.
All parents in high society wanted such th for for their children.
mingled with the guests while Sally went and spoke with Zechs who was also in
attendance. Unfortunately the one man he
most wanted to confront did not appear until shortly before dinner was to be
served. He noticed that Lady Emily had
seated Mr. Rochambeau on the far side of the table and he understood why.
during her important dinner and he could not blame her for the precautions that
she had made.
though so he was not offended by her presumptions.
the same thing to him he would have been offended but Lady Emily had no way of
knowing just how smooth Quatre Winner could be because she had never seen him
in action. But tonight she would have
the chance to. He wondered what Lady
Emily would say if she found that he wrote most of his own speeches or at least
edited them. That was an almost unheard
of thing for someone of his position and power to not have a team of speech
writers at his disposal.
Mr. Rochambeau out of the corner of his eye withouawinawing uned aed attention
upon himself. His observations revealed
a few important things about Rochambeau that he would be very careful of when
dealing with the man. He noted casually
how Rochambeau was slippery on certain issues in conversation and how the man
might become loud if confronted in the wrong way.
drawn to himself as a blackmailer, although Rochambeau would still come out
worse than he ever would from the publicity.
But business men all took risks to get things done and he was a Winner
and also a veteran of the wars, he was not about to leave a fellow fighter
trapped in jail wrongfully.
waited until they went back into the ballroom where there was some dancing on
one side while the other had been converted into a parlor-like atmosphere.
of brandy. Quatre as a rule did not like
alcohol even if it had not been against his religion as a Muslim, but his
personal code of ethics did not agree with the non-drinking policy.
his meals and he kept a store of other types of alcohol for those who did enjoy
them. He just never allowed himself to
become tipsy or drunk.
Rochambeau,” Quatre said coming up on the man rather suddenly, startling him
briefly by his appearance.
Winner,” Rochambeau smiled and once again Quatre was reminded of a snake.
it is,” Quatre said off handedly.
“Perhaps you would care to move over to that corner table so we can
chat.”
him a shy smile. He really was too good
at playing the shy kid from next door and it made everyone think they could
walk all over him, until he walked all over them and out maneuvered them.
with his poker face. He could mask his
feelings but he could not generate them.
I almost feel guilty,’ Quatre thought to himself as he led Rochambeau over to
an almost empty corner. ‘But if they
think they can take advantage of me then they’ll all be mistaken.
least.’
you wanted to speak of?” Rochambeau said seating himself in a chair.
several things,” He gave the man another of his disarming smiles before going
on. “For one thing there was that
company you owned during the first war, the one no one knows about because you
buried it so deeply, but not deep enough.
The company you owned that produced weapons for both OZ and the
is the matter of the loan you owe my family.
I believe that with the interest on it from all those years ago it now
totals to just under 2.3 million credits.
Would you like me to continue? I
assure you that I have a much longer list.”
you want?” Rochambeau hissed licking his lips in nervousness.
you sign Dorothy Catalonia’s arrest warrant?” Quatre demanded coldly.
she is a war criminal,” Roceau eau insisted.
again,” His tone was light but clearly not one to go against.
telling the truth!” He insisted once again.
honestly expect me to believe that do you?” Quatre glared at the man.
bother lying to me because I will call in that loan among other things.”
you can blackmail me?” Rochambeau laughed tensely but it was full of bravado
the man no longer had.
Quatre said honestly and for a brief moment Rochambeau thought he was in the
clear. “I know I can.
knowing. Now, what do you gain?”
promised me the money for the loan I owe you,” Rochambeau’s shoulders slumped
in defeat knowing there was no escape when he had been so clearly boxed in by
the most powerful man in the Colonies.
in the Council. I can’t uwhatwhat I’ve
done Mr. Winner. Dodd knows about my
war-time company as well.”
be going down soon enough,” Quatre smiled, his blue eyes glittered coldly like
two hard gems and Rochambeau shrank a little in his seat.
as as you can. For helping me I will
cancel your loan and I shall try to help you with my assets as the Winner
head.”
it matter to you?” Rochambeau asked.
doe does Dorothy Catalonia matter?
Catalonia helped us,” Quatre said as though speaking to an ignorant youth.
war we would have done things much dientlently.
And if not for her involvement during this recent crisis there would
have been no support from the people and Relena Peacecraft would probably be
dead.”
“I can understand that. You’re
attempting to repay her.”
Quatre shook his head. “The Gundam
Pilots all believe that if you wish to charge Dorothy with war crimes you might
as well charge all of us as well.”
heroes,” Rochambeau protested.
Dorothy Catalonia is one of ours,” Quatre bit out harshly.
hopes to gain with this trail and persecution of Dorothy.
it,” He said.
Quatre said. “My secretary Aisha will
patch you through directly to me and it will be untraceable.
be. That can easily be explained away
though can’t it?”
course,” Rochambeau nodded in agreement.
understand one another,” Quatre said offering up a smile.
the party passed slowly and Quatre made their excuses an hour later.
entrance hall and slipped Quatre a piece of paper.
face after patting Quatre fondly on the shoulder.
is certainly a strange woman,’ He thought to himself as he and Sally walked
outside. ‘But she is wise.
than just about anyone else.’
escorted Sally back down to the waiting limousine.
the Preventers base so she would not have to take a cab back.
but Rashid had a cup of tea waiting for him in his private den.
pocket and read it.
credit for. I know that if anyone can
help my daughter it is you. Be careful
when dealing with Rochambeau, the man is a snake and completely disregards
normal protocol. He has no appreciation
for the proper way the game must be played but if you can back him into a
corner then you stand a chance of making him go through the proper motions.
siding with Dorothy. They will be sure
to come especially after any future press conferences you do.
should not have been.
did not understand Lady Emily, but he did not need to.
the note in a drawer of the desk and sat for a long period of time in his den
with only the desk lamp on trying to decide the best course of action.
and disrobed, slipping into a pair of sweats and a shirt that had the logo “Do
not disturb: I am disturbed enough already” on it.
during the first war but he had hardly worn it.
It fit with his current mood though.
down on his bed and eventually drifted off to sleep dreaming of his friend and
of those like Treize and Dorothy.