(Untitled)

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs had forgotten that, though the fabric itself was comfortable, his Preventers uniform chafed at him in ways that his OZ one never had. Certainly there had been problems toward the end, but in OZ his position had always been one of authority, even though he'd answered to Treize. He was pretty sure that in the Preventers that would not be the

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[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo is a little wary, still. But he hasn't been able to fly for ages, so he eagerly snatches up the other headset and flops into the pilot's chair.

He confers briefly with the tower before being cleared for take-off, and expertly points the shuttle towards Sanq's capital.

"You're safe from the commander this afternoon," Duo remarks, hands still on the controls, locking in their flight path. "I'm apparently giving you the tour of HQ, and the keys and codes to the apartment complex."

[lightningbaron6]

'I figured I'd be housed in the controlled units,' Zechs said simply. 'Easier to keep an eye on me that way.' He adjusted his headset so it sat firmly on the appropriate frequency, reducing the static that had crackled briefly in his ear.

'Well, regardless, waiting a while will be good. I'm never at my best after a flight, unless it be in an MS, of course. It'll give me an opportunity to put a call in to Relena, as well.' He winced briefly. 'I fear she won't be very happy with me, about this. With any luck Heero will have already let her know, so she'll have had some time to scream and break the china if she feels it necessary.'

He glanced back into the tiny cabin, then looked forward again. 'How are things, at headquarters? It's been a while.'

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo peers at Zechs out of the corner of his eye. "This is just layover, ya know. I don't live in those damn barracks. 'S not like you have a guard detail on you or anything."

He taps his fingers on the panels in front of him, fidgeting restlessly. "Eh. It's a living. I dunno if it'd be better or worse if they knew who we were. Are. Whatever."

It's hard to identify himself these days.

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs sensed a sort of evasion, but found himself in no position to press the issue. He shrugged off his coat and adjusted his uniform.

'So long as I have a bit of privacy.' Zechs pushed his hair back behind his ears and consulted the navigation panel, getting a bearing on their position.

'So the commander wishes for us to maintain anonymity. That's logical, no doubt.' He blinked slowly. 'I imagine that the Preventers has rather become a repository of sorts for people that might be a perceived threat to peace and stability if left to their own devices.'

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Well, they're single apartments, anyway." Duo shrugs. "The whole thing is a little too sterile, if you ask me. Maybe if you're used to... uh." He pauses briefly to edit himself.

"I'm guessing you spent more time in places like that than I did."

He pushes back from the controls, and wrings the end of his braid in one hand. "The devil finds work for idle hands? Guess so. I'd probably still be on L2, if I hadn't been... if I hadn't come here."

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs let the comment go. 'Yes. Military barracks are designed for efficiency and uniformity, not for comfort and individuality. Still, I've no doubt that I'll be able to do something to make it seem a bit more... homely.' He savoured the word for a moment; he hadn't really had much of a home save barracks since he was a child.

'I... regret, that you are unable to do what you wish. God knows you did more than your share and deserve a rest. Truly, I should far prefer that I were not being dragged in to start all of this again. I confess that I miss flying, but... Well, it's sufficient to say that space travel gives one time to reflect on matters.'

Zechs firmly averted his gaze, feeling that perhaps he had been too outspoken.

[maxwellsdemon02]

It's lucky that Duo had already keyed in the flight path, because he is straight out staring at his co-pilot, now.

"Um, thanks. It's, well. Someone has to do it, and I can."

Pause.

"I miss flying too. And space." Duo bites his lip and switches positions, tucking his legs under himself in a half-lotus. "What was Mars like?"

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs looked surprised at Duo's sudden interest. 'Mars? It was... not like Earth. It was still dry, dusty and red in some places. It was also remarkably dull. They're doing the terra-forming, of course, but it's still not complete and won't be for many years. Actually, the war put them rather behind schedule. Perhaps it was just the changing times, but I felt...'

He paused. 'Well, utterly useless there. Certainly there were tasks to perform, duties to oversee, investigations to conduct on the progress of the terra-forming and the obligatory report to send to my sister and the government, but it was not the same sort of complete involvement that existed when I flew and commanded. I'm a-' He paused again. 'I was a pilot, not a botanist. I didn't really understand half of what they said. To me a flower is a flower, I couldn't really tell you about the specific pH balance necessary in the surrounding soil or the precise combination of helpful microorganisms that would produce maximum growth

[maxwellsdemon02]

"Remember, colony brat you're talking to, here. It's been months and I'm still not used to weather, sometimes. Nothing like a real sunrise or sunset, though."

Duo makes a minute change to one of the controls, a perfectionist in this, if nothing else.

"And you think you were useless, at least you had a grounding in that stuff. Chem and bio, right?"

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs nodded. 'Chemistry, biology, more earthly physics than I truly care to remember, to say nothing of the pleasure that was learning about matter and the effects on it in space. We spent a straight month in a zero-G facility once, that we might record every little effect that it had upon every aspect of our lives. Our health, appetite, strength upon emerging... We took A&P and field medicine every year, too

[maxwellsdemon02]

"See? Only stuff I learned about that was from watching educational videos in high school. If it didn't affect my ability to fight or pilot, I was on my own." He shrugs.

"And that depends on what colony you're on. L2's weather controls are shit. Not to mention air quality, low income housing, and..." Duo trails off sheepishly.

"Sorry. It just pisses me off. Colonies are full members and still nothing's being done."

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs tilted his head curiously to one side.

'You sound particularly passionate about the subject. Why don't you make a complaint about the situation? I realise that we are supposed to maintain anonymity, but certainly you could do something...'

L2, Zechs seemed to recall, had never been the most pleasant of places. It was no surprise that Duo, from that very colony, felt rather outspoken about the ongoing situation.

'Remember, Duo, that they are full members but that that very situation is still quite new. It will take time, and a great deal of political insistence, from those who care before things will be ideal.'

[maxwellsdemon02]

"I do what I can on my own. But I'm not even a citizen of L2. Well, not that I ever officially was." He waves a hand vaguely.

"And Preventers shouldn't be too vocal about their political standpoints, or else Command starts getting uncomfortable."

Duo huffs out a frustrated breath. "And I know it'll take a while, but I'm impatient."

[lightningbaron6]

'Understandable, of course,' Zechs agreed. 'After all, we're supposed to prevent conflicts, not encourage them. However...' He couldn't believe he was even saying this. 'There are people who would listen, if you found them. You don't have to express your view yourself, just find someone legitimate who can do it for you.'

Zechs realised that he hadn't removed his dark glasses, and he pushed them up onto the top of his head. The shuttle screens were anti-glare, after all.

'Do you get to fly much?' He attempted to change the topic to something that wouldn't cause Duo any moral distress or outrage. 'I've missed getting to pilot.'

[maxwellsdemon02]

Duo realizes as well that this might not be the best conversational gambit.

"Haven't got much reason to, lately. And it's been public shuttles." He makes a face. "I hate flying with commercial pilots."

He curls up a little tighter in the seat, resting elbows on knees. "Lots of desk work, these last two weeks."

[lightningbaron6]

Zechs quirked an eyebrow and gave an amused smile. 'Commercial pilots do lack a certain something, don't they? I don't enjoy flying with them, either.'

It was true; when you had mastered an MS that had killed just about everyone else who had ever attempted to fly it, when you had been an ace pilot for years, you didn't have the same confidence in those who hadn't done the same.

'Desk work?' Zechs sighed. 'Well, I suppose you can't always have fun. The paperwork was the worst part of my-' He stopped and rethought his words. 'My old job,' he amended.