Duke Dermail woke up, and prepared for his briefing on recent activities. He called up his daily schedule and reports on his computer, eyes widening as he saw the message displayed on the monitor.
~~~~
You were warned.
Tranquility's Shadow and the people thank you for your generous contribution to the peace effort.
- Starlight Chameleon
~~~~
He struggled to get his brain around the message. Contribution? What were they talking about? He quickly called up his bank records, and was unable to speak when he saw the large withdrawal. Phoning the bank, he found their phone lines down. E-mailing got a standard mail queue returned mail response.
Screaming for his aides, he tried contacting other officials. He was only able to get through to two. Each were in a state of panic as well. One yelled something about the press before severing the connection.
Dermail's aides rushed in, turning on the vid screen at his orders. The press was running constant coverage of what had happened. He stared in horror as he heard the newscaster say something about a press release sent out by a group called Tranquility's Shadow. The press release flashed across the screen.
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We are Tranquility's Shadow. We grow tired of watching more lives snuffed out each day by the thoughtless actions of war-mongering business people whose only concerns are lining their own pockets. We eschew violence, and embrace technology as the definitive means for bringing about peace. One week ago, we entered Oz's computer system, and tampered with the mobile dolls about to be released. They are now destroyed. No lives were lost, no injuries sustained. We have attempted contact with Oz and Romafeller to encourage an end to violence, and have seen no satisfactory action taken. We will continue with our efforts until weapons are laid down, and practical solutions established.
Today, with our assistance in the form of bank account diversions, Romafeller officials have all made significant contributions to various peace efforts. These diversions are untraceable, and unrecoverable. We thank the officials for their, albeit unwilling, contributions.
We are also untraceable. We want no recognition, we want no violence. We are Tranquility's Shadow, and an end to bloodshed is our goal. We will continue with our missions until this goal is achieved.
- Starlight Chameleon, Silk Firewind, Shadow Sage and Crimson Edge
~~~~
News coverage continued with videotape of the debacle with the mobile dolls, and a report on what the press had dubbed "hacktivists" -- computer hackers with political motives.
As Dermail continued his frantic efforts to find out information, Relena sat back and watched the news feed. She smiled as she imagined Dermail's disbelief and shock should he find out that Relena Peacecraft was Starlight Chameleon. "He probably doesn't even think I'm smart enough to send an e-mail, let alone run a hacktivist group," she thought to herself. "He left me no choice. I will not pick up a gun, but there are plenty of other weapons available." Her fingers caressed the keyboard of her office computer as she remembered how Tranquility's Shadow began.
****
It was a few months ago. She had been feeling increasingly frustrated by the increase in violence. Mobile dolls were powerful, and were winning battles at the cost of human lives. Sanq itself had to surrender, and she had to agree to be a figurehead "Chief Representative". Yes, people were listening to her, much to Romafeller's chagrin, but things were not moving fast enough. She knew that the Gundam pilots were also working to change things, but they could not be everywhere, and were having some difficulties themselves. And, as a pacifist, though she supported their motives, she couldn't encourage more fighting.
Her father, Vice Minister Dorlian, had encouraged Relena to learn about computers, even tutoring her himself at night. They never consciously decided to keep this to themselves, but somehow it had become an unwritten rule. Relena had a natural ability, and a burning desire to learn. She quickly outpaced classmates, tutors, and, ultimately, even her father. She remembered the look in his eyes when she wound up teaching him what she had learned. He had been so proud. He held her tightly, and then pulled her away to look in her eyes. "Relena, don't ever stop learning. And don't ever let anyone intimidate you. Your intelligence may someday be the only weapon you have available to you. Don't hesitate to use it. Promise me."
Not understanding completely, she smiled at the intensity of his tone. "Of course, Father. I promise you."
She heard his words echo through her head as the frustration grew, and peace seemed a far off pipe dream. "...the only weapon you have available to you." Taking a deep breath, she began to form a plan. "Yes, Father. I promise," she whispered to herself.
When educating herself about the Peacecrafts, she found records of tunnels beneath the main buildings. Deleting them, and hiding all traces of them ever existing in the main computer system, she committed them to memory, and set out to find them. Pleading exhaustion, and retreating to her rooms, she slipped out, and began to search. She never saw the figure slip from the shadows to follow her, but then, as an Oz soldier trained in stealth techniques, Noin would've been insulted if she had.
Noin watched Relena move silently through various rooms before disappearing in one. Searching for a few seconds, Noin found the release and slipped through the wall panel herself. Hugging the walls, she followed the dim light ahead of her, and watched as Relena explored the passageways. When the blonde turned into a room and let out a small shriek, Noin immediately raced to help, drawing her gun. Flying through the doorway, she saw Relena sitting on the ground. Checking to make sure the room was secure, she helped the startled girl to her feet. Relena winced, and sat on a nearby chair as Noin searched for a light switch. Finding one, she assessed the room.
Cold, steel walls, one small metal table with two chairs, and what appeared to be a small file cabinet, were lit by a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling.
"What happened, Relena?" Noin asked.
"Noin, what are you doing here?"
"Making sure you don't get hurt. Now what happened, and why are you wandering around down here?"
"I banged my knee into the table, that's all. I was trying not to use a lot of light, and had my flashlight shielded." Relena looked around, and pointed at her flashlight in a corner of the room.
Noin retrieved the flashlight, and sat down on the other chair. "Why are you down here in the first place, Relena?"
Relena simply stared at Noin for a few seconds. She sighed, considering her options. Noin had proved herself trustworthy, and she was a highly skilled soldier. What Relena had in mind would need more than one person to make it a success.
She straightened in her chair, facing Noin directly. "Noin, how good are you with computers? I know, why do I want to know? But just humor me, and I'll tell you everything. I know you were trained on them at the Academy, but how far did you take it? Do you know more than just standard operations?"
"Yes, I know a lot. It was one of the few areas that I actually truly excelled at. Even Zechs couldn't beat my scores in computer classes. I've kept up with technology, and I've learned a bit more over the years. Now will you tell me what's going on?"
"I'm a pacifist. This you know. What you don't know is that I can also access any secure computer system in just under 60 seconds. I can mask my identity at least twelve different ways, and I can send and receive untraceable e-mails -- among other things. I'm not telling you this to impress you, and yes, everything I say, I can prove. I'm not nearly as stupid or as naïve as people would like to believe. It serves my purposes to have them believe that I am though, so I keep that mask in place. I want this over with, Noin. I'm tired of war, I'm tired of fighting, and watching more lives get destroyed every day. Yes, I know, you're going to say that the Gundam pilots are our best chance, and perhaps they are. But I cannot sit idly by in my pretty pink outfits, and just do nothing. Being a pacifist doesn't have to mean being idle, or just spewing words around as a diplomat. I'm doing something. I'm putting my skills to use, and, I could use your help as well. You've got intelligence, recon, and basic military knowledge that I don't have."
She stopped for a breath, and watched Noin's face for a reaction. Noin schooled her features to not betray the complete and utter surprise she was feeling. At lightning speed, she gathered her thoughts. "Let me see if I understand you. You want me to join you in hacking Oz's computers?"
Relena smiled. "Not just that. I'm still working on the plan, but I want this to be big. Not just hacking, but hacking for a purpose. I'm not just going to spread around a few viruses or spy on some e-mail. I want to systematically destroy Oz from the inside out."
"But, you're a pacifist, and just a..." Noin's voice trailed off as she tried to reconcile her mental image of Relena as a sweet, innocent, naive girl with this determined, intelligent, motivated woman who sat before her.
"Exactly. Being a pacifist is what makes this perfect for me. I don't have to pick up a weapon, or encourage anyone else to. I can help bring about an end to all of this without asking anyone to sacrifice their lives for it. And, just as I can see you doing in your head, Oz and Romafeller seriously underestimate me. They'll never suspect that I have anything to do with it. It will be the perfect cover."
"And if I don't agree to be a part of it?"
Relena stopped smiling. "I really hope that you will. I know that first and foremost that you are a soldier, but again, that is the perfect cover for you. No one will suspect that a former Oz lieutenant who's now 'babysitting' the pacifist leader would ever be involved anyway. But, even if you prefer to not be involved, I will not stop. You'll never know what I'm doing until you hear about it on the news. You won't be implicated, and you won't be asked to do anything to betray your integrity or values. But I will do this."
"What if I tell someone that you're doing this? I just think that it's too dangerous. If you were discovered...."
"As I said, I'll deny it all. They'll believe me. There will be no proof. When I say that I can do things without being discovered, I'm not merely displaying my ego. It's the truth. I've been monitoring the e-mails of Oz and Romafeller officials for 3 weeks now, and you know firsthand how strict their security is."
Noin was speechless once again. Relena continued. "I admire your caution and concern, Noin. It's one reason that I'd like for you to join me. However, I've already reviewed many of the top potential problems, and understand what I'm getting into. What, hopefully, we're getting into."
Noin was silent for a while, running scenarios through her head. Relena sat, knowing how the other woman liked to think things through completely. Finally, Noin looked up. "I'm in, if only to protect you. I made your brother a promise, and I truly do believe in what you're doing, even if I'm skeptical about the methods you're choosing to use. If there's something I can do to help, and I refuse, then I couldn't live with myself."
She bit her lip, and smiled slightly. "And, to be honest, I'm curious to see what you can do. I don't think that you're exaggerating about your abilities, but I want to see firsthand. I've never known another woman, other than Sally and myself, who had high level computer skills."
Relena returned the smile. "Thank you, Noin. You won't regret this."
The two women got up, and prepared to leave the room. Relena hesitated at the doorway, turning around to look curiously at Noin. "Did you say Sally has high level computer skills?"