Updated 13 Jan 2021
The fic has 2 epilogues which are meant to be separate possibilities, a fork in the road. They've been received with delight and confusion over the years; many readers take them to be part of the same timeline. Whichever way you view them, it's your choice which epilogue you prefer. Most choose B for its 'happy' resolution.
Why? A Short Explanation
It was more than just a 'What if?' gimmick. I wanted to outline 2 futures:
Scenario A in which the world has yet again started glamourising warfare.
Scenario B in which this is averted.
Some events are similar across A & B, but in A the conditions for martyrisation and myth creation are forming. In B, everyone gets on with living. You could argue that not enough time has elapsed in Epilogue B to be certain of its outcomes, still there are significant differences that might at least lengthen peace rather than tip towards the next beat in the endless waltz.
Stop here if you haven't yet completed the fic, because...
History - or at least the popular view of it - mutates as we move away from the original event. This is why Epilogue A is recounted by a student writing 25 years later (AC 229) while Epilogue B takes place only 1 year after Mariemaia is toppled.
A few readers were sharp-eyed enough to realise that the unreliable narrator in Epilogue A was me. Or at least, the part of me that liked reading war histories and Jane's year books. In truth, there's a little of 'Aleck Sands' in all Gundam fans - he isn't a war advocate per se, only someone swept up in the siren call of glorious tales. He's the part of us that loves GW yet is uncomfortable about it, because fiction blurs the line between terrorism and freedom fighting. Often the line is no better defined in the real world.
The day that changed everything - 9/11
In the years that have passed since ANATEXIS was written, I've been tempted to streamline the epilogues into just one ending, but I never did.
Younger fans to the franchise may not realise the significance of 9/11 to the GW fandom. 11 Sep 2001 came just a year after GW aired on Cartoon Network. I remember having long online exchanges with GW fans online, notably Katsu of the famed Nanashi contest, and RavynFyre who as a volunteer firefighter felt for the NY emergency service personnel who were on scene. We struggled to process the event itself, nor what happened shortly after: the invasion of Afghanistan by the US and UK. Distastefully, an unwanted 'sequel' came just two years later in the invasion of Iraq. To the community's credit, we could see quite clearly our own biases. even if we reacted differently. Pacifism is a lot harder to espouse when the fight is on your doorstep, or perceived to be.
You didn't need to dig very deep to see that the conflicts of 2001 - 2003 did not originate with 9/11 alone, but with actions taken in preceding wars. The Afghan and Iraq invasions remain controversial to this day.
Perhaps this seems a bit trite and self-indulgent, but Epilogue A serves to remind me of all those things.
Detailed Comparison between the Epilogues
(in order of characters with most divergent outcomes to least)
Wufei
Wufei dies on the operating table in Beijing. His body is preserved and placed on display in the Brussels War Museum. Perhaps unintentionally, over the years this attracts the attention of visitors who have no first-hand experience of war. They are swayed by the glamour of conflict and the charisma of his beliefs.
Wufei survives, unknown to the general public. In reality he is encased in a suspension tank (such as that used for Heero and Trowa). Although visited by Sally, Mariemaia and Une, he cannot respond to them. In a semi-conscious state, Wufei has a vision of Treize, who offers him the choice to fight on. Wufei's inner motivations have changed and he declines, avoiding this final temptation. Wufei chooses to heal and have hope for his own future.
Mariemaia and her regime
Mariemaia is remembered as a Dictator, but ironically, many of the structures put in place under her rule still persist. "The system of government today, separate nations under (an) umbrella Council, is something obviously inherited from the World Nation, when regional governments were controlled by the Dictator in Brussels. Even the regional boundaries have remained the same."
Une and Mariemaia live together as mother and daughter, likely in disguise. Mariemaia is aware that Wufei has survived. Une takes her to visit him in the suspension tank, and she asks for his forgiveness.
Sally
Sally becomes a popular leadership figure. She is elected Chair of the Unified Council for several terms before standing down (the Chair in AC 229 is Kevin Raleigh, Noin's former ward on PK-23). Sally's prior connections with Wufei are glossed over.
Sally and the Chinese faction conceal Wufei's survival, and she keeps a low profile.
Dorothy
Dorothy's husband Leroy Wescott dies in suspicious circumstances, likely an act of vengeance engineered by Dorothy. Accused of murder, her trial stretches for years. but she is acquitted, probably with the help of friends in high places. Thanks to her sympathetic portrayal in Quatre's memoir "Those Who Cried", the public overwhelmingly view her as a heroine.
Dorothy is nominated for a place on the temporary Governing Council. Despite the bond she has developed with Quatre, she keeps her distance now that the war is over. Dorothy's husband Leroy Wescott is arrested for her attempted murder. While in detention, he is unexpectedly killed by another inmate.
Zechs & Noin
Zechs & Noin live together in deliberate obscurity on the reconstructed colony PK-23. About 20 years later, the media find them. They are virtually unrecognisable, destroying the public's romantic view of them.
Prison colony PK-23 is destroyed. Zechs arranges for Noin's old friends from PK-23 to meet her again. Zechs & Noin are free to go anywhere, so long as they are together.
Duo & Heero
There is instant notoriety for Duo as the 'man who shot Chang Wufei'. He enters rehabilitation for his alcoholism, only to disappear some time later. Heero departs with him.
Similar to A.
Quatre & Trowa
Quatre & Trowa resume their close relationship. Quatre writes a memoir called "Those Who Cried", which becomes the definitive account of the conflict.
Similar to A.
Relena
Relena continues to be active in politics. 25 years after the war, Relena is a Senior Council Member, and her time as an adviser to Mariemaia has been largely forgiven if not forgotten.
Similar to A.