2023-08-18: Laplace's Box Opens
- Log: 2023-08-18: Laplace's Box Opens
- Cast: Mineva Lao Zabi
- Where: Earth Sphere
- Date: U.C. 0097 08 18
- Summary: Amid the chaos following the colony laser's firing, Mineva Lao Zabi reveals the contents of Laplace's Box to the whole Earth Sphere.
On August 18th, 0097, the Gryps 2 'Colony Laser' weapon system was fired, evidently targeting the shoal zone in Side 5, Loum.
Immediately following this event, nearly all communications were hijacked by an audiovisual transmission consisting of a speech delivered by Mineva Lao Zabi, the so-called 'Princess of Zeon'. She proceeded to reveal the contents of "Laplace's Box"--the original Charter of the Universal Century, thought lost in a terrorist bombing in UC 0, containing a heretofore-unknown provision which would have granted citizenship and representation to 'new species' beyond the human baseline.
The speech itself follows.
Dressed in full military regalia as the Zabi princess, she stands at a podium, before what appears to be the Universal Century Charter monument.
"Greetings, people of Earth, space, and all those who dwell in the Earth Sphere. I am Mineva Lao Zabi. I ask your forgiveness for addressing you all in this manner, but I had no other choice."
Her eyes drift up, looking at a point above and behind the camera. There's a hint of melancholy on her "I am the heir to the Zabi bloodline, and it is true that my family once led the Principality of Zeon. However, the matter I must discuss has nothing to do with my bloodline. I have learned of a secret, today, that affects the very foundation of the Earth Federation's government. I am here to share this secret with you, not as a Zabi, but merely as a fellow inhabitant of this world."
"The Universal Century Charter was ratified ninety seven years ago, at the dawn of the Universal Century. As many of you surely know, the charter is foundational to the Federation's government, and is the keystone of its policy-making. The tablet it was carved into was enshrined aboard the colony Laplace, but it went missing soon after, believed to be destroyed in a terrorist attack upon the Prime Minister's residence."
Mineva looks down, closing her eyes briefly. She steps to one side, allowing the camera a clear view of the monument behind her. "Please look closely. What you're looking at, right now, is the original Universal Century Charter, ratified at the dawning of the century and enshrined in Laplace."
After a brief examination, it's clear to anyone familiar with the Charter that this is materially different from the one the Federation acknowledges.
There's another article, one that's missing from the 'official' charter.
She's silent for several moments, then steps back behind the podium. Her eyes are now firmly upon the camera.
"Many of you must have spotted it, just the same as I did. The original Universal Century Charter contained an extra provision, one that was unknown to any of us."
"Chapter VII, 'Future', Article 15, Provision 2: If a new species adapted to a way of life beyond the current course of human events, able and willing to bear the responsibilities and duties of citizenship in the Earth Federation, shall arise or be discovered; then they will be afforded citizenship, with all of the rights thereof, and priority will be given to their equitable representation within the government."
"Of course, this isn't referring to Newtypes. Zeon Deikun's Newtype theory, which posited that humanity's forays into space would cause an expansion of the senses and consciousness, facilitating true understanding, wouldn't be developed for another forty years. I believe this provision, buried by the Laplace Incident, was a hopeful prayer, an offering to the possibilities of our future."
"But that coincidence turned our forebears' prayers and hopes into a curse. George Glenn and the invocation of 'Coordinator' was already fresh on their minds when Newtype theory entered the public consciousness. Those that knew the secret of the original charter became uneasy, for Humanity was changing far too quickly in their judgment. They asked the question among themselves: what would happen if someone made that connection and linked it to Newtype theory, fanning the flames of independence among those deported to space? Originally, this monument would have done nothing but reveal the truth behind the Laplace Incident... but this prospect made it an object of fear, something which could bring rapid change to the Federation government. Facing what it saw as an existential threat, the government colluded with the Vist Foundation, which had come into possession of the monument, to keep it sealed away. Thus was born 'Laplace's Box'."
"While this may have been a crime, morally... It was a decision made in order to maintain peace and stability. However, the meaning and intention, the context of the Box's sealing, were soon lost. Institutional inertia gave rise to a status quo which suppressed the very possibility of Newtypes, as well as a deep distrust of the Spacenoid populations which might give rise to them. The horrors of the Zentradi and One Year War brought about an identity crisis for humanity, within which that status quo entrenched itself into the Federation's now-unbending will."
"In a few short years, the nation of Zeon will disappear, and the myth of the Newtype will be buried with it in the shadows of history, but that is not why I am here today. I do not intend to pursue the matter of this lost article with the Federation, nor do I desire a resurgence of Zeon. If anyone should corrupt my words to take up arms for the cause of the 'Newtype' or 'Neo-Zeon' then know that I shall oppose you myself, with a desire only for peace within my heart. I am here to reveal the truth of 'Laplace's Box' not for such causes, but only to demonstrate that within even the curses of humanity's dark history, it began with humanity's kindness, and the possibility that expanding into space represented. To those who have suffered, you might resent the deceit inherent in this conspiracy, in concealing this hope before it could be gifted to you at all. Facing a rapidly changing humanity, they chose what they believed was the best way forward, not understanding how it would shape the fears of the subsequent generation. However, even if the magnitude differs, each and every day we are faced with similar choices as people."
Placing a hand over her heart, Mineva takes on an almost conciliatory tone, "As we came to possess this knowledge, myself and my allies were faced with a similar decision. Shall we keep the Box? Shall we seal it? Shall we use it to create change? I believe these struggles are similar to the ones they faced so long ago when they faced the question of what to do with the original Charter. And while we might be quick to condemn their judgment, we must keep in mind that should we seek to prosecute it as Earthnoid oppression against the Spacenoid - we will only deepen the divides they created. Instead, we should remind ourselves of their inherent shared humanity. While it will not undo the harm these decisions inflicted, we can make the choice as people to hold the good will inherent in the original Charter in our hearts as we continue to make choices that shape humanity moving into the second Universal Century."
"I believe that the humanity of the past and present have like desires. The desire to improve one's self and to better this world we live in for ourselves, and our children. Moving forward together, we will have to continue to make choices about humanity and the world we live in. Shall we place the idea of human 'possibility' in a box and hide it away? Shall we accept a changing humanity? Attempt to place the brake on them for the sake of stability? What will the world we live in a hundred years from now look like? Whatever challenges we face in answering these questions, I believe that we are up to the challenge, because I believe the answer to what makes one human is 'kindness', no matter what form humanity takes in our future. The god called 'possibility' may at times be outrageous, or transgressive, and will certainly be abused by those with ill intentions resulting in new anxieties and fears to foment among us, but we must face the decisions we make even then with human kindness in our hearts… lest we be doomed to make similar mistakes as those that sealed possibility within Laplace's Box."
"Ninety seven years ago, Ricardo Marcenas said: 'There is no need to worry about the script others write. Just look at the future that is about to begin with the god called 'possibility' in your heart.' To all hearing this broadcast, please see the truth with your own eyes. And then just as the people did a century ago, I'd like to usher in the next century with that goodwill within your hearts."
"Please, believe in the god called 'possibility' that sleeps within us all."