Heero Yuy served as the voice of the common people in the colonies, and was well-liked – or at the very least respected – by many of Earth’s governments. He was not above bribery or political pressure, however, and used his resources wisely, always with the stated intent of bettering the lives of the working-class colonial populations. Unfortunately, this also made numerous enemies within the colonial elite and proved to be his ultimate downfall. His assassination was then used by his political opponents as a means to tighten their grip on colonial freedoms and implement martial law.
From April 175 until the establishment of the ESUN in AC 196, inter-colony travel is highly restricted (Earth-colony travel even more so). The transit visa process is an expensive and highly corrupt process whose benefits ensure the continued socio-economic dichotomy among the colonies. Traveling without proper documentation is a crime that could land a citizen with extensive jail time.
Colonial leaderships’ responses to Heero Yuy’s assassination, and the effect it had on the population varied drastically between satellite systems:
L1 offered up its greatest minds to the Alliance. After Yuy’s death, L1 leadership made abundantly clear that it was willing to work with the Alliance in order to protect their own. Arrests of dissenters increased, but political leadership placated an uncertain and restless population with education and jobs.
The rabble-rouser of the colonies, L2 never abandoned its pursuit of justice and suffered for it. Civil dissent intensifies and grows violent without a leader, exaserbated by the apparent abandonment by the other colonial clusters. In response, the Alliance strengthens its military presence and imposes economic sanctions…which only intensifies the conflict. L2 simmers and burns at a slow boil for a decade. The colonial extremist group, White Fang, finds the population ripe for recruitment. In the decade leading up to the Eve War, L2 suffers from a vicious cycle of guerrilla violence, civil suffering, and military crackdowns.
L3 wheeled and dealed its way into security. Under the guidance of the Barton family’s intricate network, the cluster secures its future as the Alliance’s gateway to the colonial underground. Trafficking, organized crime, and other illicit activity thrives, but always held in check by the Bartons and their allied families. If someone needed to disappear, you needed to know someone on L3 to make it happen.
L4 hid behind its strict adherence to absolute pacificism, which often manifested as a policy of non-interference. As the colony cluster’s sole provider of infrastructure and scientific development, the Winner family returns to its role on L4 governing council. Once stalwart supporters of Yuy’s ideals and methods of non-violent dissent, they are leery of growing Alliance presence on the council, but can do little to protest.
L5 withdrew entirely. Yuy’s assassination proved to L5 leadership that engagement with the outside world carried risks the colony was not willing to take: if the lone voice of reason – who many had considered untouchable – could be gunned down in broad daylight, what hope did a colony that doubled as political exile have? L5 thus barred itself from contact with the rest of the colonial and earth populations and self-imposed a number of restrictive initiatives on all aspects of the population’s lives. The philosophical tenants that had previously been seen as a “guideline” for society became law, and those who did not follow the path set before them were ostracized – exiled within exile – the greatest loss of face. While this led to a self-reliant, self-sustaining, and highly integrated society, it also stymied expressions of individuality, as well as cultural growth and development.
Following the Eve War, a universal cease-fire is declared on the morning of December 26. With it comes a 90-day tasking to the leaders of the war’s various parties – or their designated successors as the case may be – to negotiate a launch a new, acceptable mechanism for global governance.
By 196 January 1, rumors of the Alliance’s impending demise reinvigorate calls for colonial independence as the public on both Earth and the colonies clash with domestic security forces. Rumors circulate about the negotiations and what will happen if an agreement is not reached.
Before the end of the first week in January, Relena Peacecraft – who has begun to refer to herself once more as ‘Darlian’ – is shuttled from the safe harbor of the L4 cluster to Geneva to join the negotiations as a neutral party. She urges all sides to explicitly adhere to the ideal of total pacifism and officially announce the disbandment of the Alliance. When she meets resistance, it is Colonel Renilde Une (now retired) who lends her support to the proposal with one caveat: that the disbandment come in tandem with the announcement of the charter for its successor, the Earth Sphere United Nations (ESUN).
The ESUN’s launch is widely supported, especially its provision for colonial participation as full members; however, questions of colonial government formation, voting rights, and their state vs. non-state status go unanswered.
By February, Relena is appointed one of the several new Vice Foreign Ministers (VFMs) which serve as liaison officers between Earth and the colonies. She is handed a portfolio for L3, and by accepting it, takes her first step on the path of filling her father’s shoes.
Meanwhile, the ESUN’s strict adherence to total pacifism has led to a push for global disarmament, which enjoys widespread support on both Earth and the colonies…with the exception of the conflicts’ veterans who find themselves swept up and discarded like so much weaponry.
It is thus unsurprising that - leaning heavily on this widespread disenfranchisement of the veteran population - Dekim Barton is able to amass a veritable army and sweep the too-young ESUN and its weak “Preventers” peacekeeping force.
By sheer luck and well-timed tactical strikes, the invading forces are defeated and disbanded.
AC 197 sees remnants of what the media has begun to call the “Barton Insurrection” have scattered or surrendered to local authorities. Many of those that did surrender are released – very quietly – without significant charges and the peace treaty signed six months prior remains intact. With Dekim Barton’s death, and Mariemaia only a child, the incident passes without a villain to blame.
The events of the Barton Insurrection lend credence to Director Une’s calls for a broader substantive scope, expanded jurisdiction, and increased funding for the Preventers organization. Still shaken by the ease with which Barton’s forces rolled over the ESUN’s Earth atmospheric re-entry procedures and invaded Belgium, the Central Council amends the Preventers mandate and the organization undergoes a massive overhaul. It also relocates from Brussels, Belgium - which must undergo significant reconstruction following the city’s defense - to Geneva, Switzerland (the organization also opens a larger, self-contained training complex on the outskirts of nearby Annemasse, France).
A web of responsibilities that go beyond the organization’s original liaison capacity are taken up, including counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency, peacekeeping operations, disarmament verification, and intelligence collection and analysis. Some of these new duties cause consternation among certain ESUN members, and so oversight of the organization’s activities remains squarely in the hands of the Council. When questions of jurisdictional overlap emerge from national security and legal entities, liaison offices become the norm across the ESUN – including on the colonies where until now The Preventers had been sidelined even more so than on Earth.
The most dramatic of the changes is felt almost instantly – veterans of previous conflicts are now qualified to join the Preventer ranks. As the recruiting offices and personnel management department struggle to keep up with the spike in applications, new training divisions are established around the globe in order to accommodate the in-flow. To discourage factionalization, agents are scattered far from their designated “origin” locales and are widely separated from their cohorts from the war. This also results in colonial agents serving out their careers on Earth, unless they can land one of the highly sought-after positions on another colony, or an even more difficult to secure “local adviser” position in their home colony’s liaison office.
The regulations on staffing cause some anxiety within the ranks and among the colonial populace…until it starts to work, and work well.