Chapter 2, Part 1 (2/3)

 

"Mister Darlian!"

Two men in suits approach Darlian and Relena as they go through a corridor and come down the stairs. After their shuttle has arrived at the space station, it has been connected to an airlock and Relena and her father have descended. The two man are members of the delegation for the L1 colony cluster.

"That Earth has a chronic economic crisis seems to be only a rumour. There is after all enough leeway to send up a shuttle with just the two of you."

The two men are half joking as they shake hands with Darlian.

"If the rumours go only that far, it's fine. The rumour spreading slowly in the Alliance is nothing to laugh about though."

At Darlian's words, the smiling faces of the representatives become quickly somber.

"That we are attacking Earth, isn't that the usual thing..?"

"This is nonsense, since we gain absolutely nothing from doing so."

Lady Une has descended before them and, maybe upon hearing the voices of the representatives, stops and turns around towards Darlian.

"The reason for our visit is to verify whether this rumour is reality or not. I do hope it is a rumour."

Leaving this behind in a cold voice, Lady Une takes her two subordinates, 'Specials' soldiers, with her and leaves the port.

She is like a hedgehog with needles attached to its body.

That's what Relena thinks as she watches Lady Une from behind. Does she have to be in a bad mood with nobody around? As it is, the needles are raised and will plunge into an opponent by themselves. But a hedgehog has to protect his interior that way, what can it be here?

"Well Relena, let's go to the hotel."

Urged on by her father's voice, Relena hurriedly follows him.

 

**********

 

The hotel is just a few minutes away from the space port. But, contrary to Earth, there is no problem with noise. This is because the space port is situated in the central part of the colony and the shuttles themselves are in space. But the institutions inside the colony are mostly within walking distance of the port, even if it takes thirty minutes.

Relena looks at the view from the window of the hotel.

For the inhabitants of the colony this is probably nothing special, but for Relena, who comes seldom to the colonies, the view is very interesting.

At a time when the development in space was only an armchair theory, the bigger half of the colonies was called the 'Island No 2' type. By letting the donut-shaped residence area rotate, a false gravity of 1 G was created. That's why the inhabitans live as if they were stuck to the inside of the thick outer walls.

Seen from the window, a wall rises on the left and on the right, and going further ahead, the city starts to go up. That's why there is no horizon. It's an unusual and strange view. It's as if it were a world from the time people believed in the geocentric theory.

Why do the people on Earth think that the peaceful, gentleman-like people in the colonies could provoke a war?

Even when her classmates at the St. Gabriel School decide upon the colonies as a topic, it ends with the question of when the war will start. In reality this has not become strange for Relena, who has visited the colonies many times.

Most of the times, if the people on Earth think of space, meaning the colonies, they don't think of the completed things. Having been in the colonies many times, Relena knows this very well.

With just an outer wall in between, there is the vacuum of space outside. The dangers of a small accident on one side and of a damage to the outer wall by a small stone floating in space on the other side are always opposing each other. The air control, the water production... all these things which nature does for them on Earth, people have to do it themselves here. In such a place you simply cannot fight.

On Earth, almost all conflicts are now kept down through the overwhelming power of the Alliance.... Who could wish for something like war?

While watching the view, no answer comes up. As if shaking off the question, Relena leaves the room.

From the hotel she goes to the government office building where her father holds the conference with the colony's representatives. After asking at the reception, she runs the short distance to the conference room located in the second floor.

Arriving on the second floor after running up the stairs, she can see Lady Une's figure entering the elevator off to the side. She hastily sketches a bow, but maybe Lady Une is distracted by something since she doesn't seem to notice her.

Finding the targeted conference room, Relena knocks loudly on the door and introduces herself through the door.

"It's Relena."

"What is it?"

One of the representatives who came to pick them up has opened the door a bit and sticks his head out.

"Please tell my father that I'm going out a bit for shopping."

"I'm calling a body guard."

"No, it's fine. Going out here is safer than on Earth." says Relena, smiling, and closes the door.

Then she discovers on a chest standing in the corridor a make-up compact.

"That belongs to..."

The figure of Lady Une passing her in the corridor pops into her mind.

Maybe that woman is more careless than she thought.

Relena smiles, having the feeling she has caught a glimpse of the unexpected true face beneath the cool-headed mask. She picks up the compact, intending to return it. She has the impression it's strangely heavy, but Relena can't open another person's possession just like this. Moreover, a compact is a woman's sanctuary.

Running down to the first floor, she addresses Lady Une who is just about to get into a car.

"Excuse me! Haven't you forgotten this?"

Lady Une turns around and, no sooner has her cold face stiffened for a moment than she quickly snatches the compact away from Relena and throws it towards a window in the second floor.

Breaking the glass window, the compact falls into the conference room.

A moment later, the wall of the second floor is blasted away together with the cruel sound of an explosion.

"Father!"

Relena has noticed that the window is the one of THAT conference room. No sooner has she called her father than she goes back the way she has just come at higher speed.

Seen from the corridor the conference room is in an awful condition. A part of the corridor wall has collapsed and the interior of the room is visible. The door has been blown away and has smashed through a window on the other side of the corridor.

"Father? Father, where are you?"

Shouting for her father, Relena runs into the room while smoke is still billowing.

"Re... Relena...."

From inside a heap of rubble, a faint answer comes back.

Darlian has been buried under the collapsed wall. Relena runs to him and wants to lift the wall, but to the best of her abilities she can raise it a bit, but not carry out her heavily injured father.

Why am I not calling for help!?

Just when Relena thinks this, sounds of hurried footsteps approach through the corridor. In the next moment, a few men rush into the room.

"Is Mister Darlian in safety?"

"Huh?"

Having thought that they were Alliance soldiers, Relena is tense, but the men are wearing civilian clothes. But, judging from the fact that they have guns, they can't be ordinary people either.

Two men rescue Darlian from the heap of rubble, then rush immediately to help the colony's representatives.

"There are no survivors."

"Good, then we take just Mister Darlian with us."

When the man with the knit cap lifts Darlian in his arms, a 'who is there' shout resounds into the room.

"Bastards, what are you doing here?"

'Specials'?

Just as Relena comes to this conclusion based on the uniforms she glimpses for a moment, the men inside the room start shooting.

"Come on! Hurry up!"

In the time needed to say 'Ah!', Relena is thrown right into the middle of a gun-fight.

"This way!"

One of the men grasps Relena's arm and she is taken out of the room through the door.

The men fire a few shots at the pursuers behind them while heading downstairs. Relena is brought to a subterranean parking space.

"Please let go of me!"

Shaking off the man's hand, Relena wants to flee. Not knowing the facts, she can't work with them. But the men carry her father into a white van parked there.

"You are coming with us. I guess you don't want to die this young."

The man says this quietly while grasping Relena's arm once again.

"I don't matter. What do you intend to do with my father?"

"Now you follow our orders. Get in!"

Just after lifting Relena in his arms by force, soldiers of the 'Specials' appear. Without so much as a warning or threat they fire their guns.

The man carrying Relena takes refuge in the rear part of the van and the rear doors slam close. Bullets hit against the door in vain. It seems to be bullet-proof.

As the van begins to run, something is pressed against Relena's arm. There's not even time to be surprised. With a 'psh' sound the medicine is sent into her body. It's a penetration method syringe without a needle.

"With this you should be calmer soon."

Pushing aside the man saying this, Relena knocks down a chair and clings to her father who is lying on an set up, simple bed.

"Bring my father quickly to a hospital! Else he will die!!"

"The hospital is dangerous!"

"What?!" Relena says in a voice indicating an objection.

The man with the knit cap, who seems to be leader, explains to her "Those guys probably have made arrangements beforehand. There are also excellent doctors in our organization."

"What on earth are you people?"

When Relena questions this closely in a sharp voice, Darlian calls Relena's name in a small voice.

"Re... Relena...."

"Father?"

Darlian stretches his faintly shaking hand out towards Relena. Grasping the hand, Relena leans forward and looks into her father's face.

"Listen to me, Relena...."

"Don't, Father! Stay still!!"

Relena thinks from her father's powerless voice that any more talking only needlessly uses up his strength and stops him. But Darlian, with a very pale face, makes a desperate effort and opens his mouth.

"I... am not your real father."

It takes a while until the words uttered by Darlian can be understood in Relena's head.

"What are you saying?"

Relena shakes her head as if she cannot understand this at all. But for somebody in a delirium, Darlian continues in a firm tone.

"Your true name is Relena Peacecraft. There was once a kingdom in the north of Europe, 'Sanc Kingdom', which advocated total pacifism. You are the daughter of the royal family, the Peacecraft family."

Relena holds her breath.

Darlian still continues.

"I was one of the statesmen serving this country since generations. But the kingdom was destroyed by the Alliance. After I escaped safely, I took you as daughter..."

"That's a lie!" Relena shouts this as if she wants to deny the voice of her father, which seems to be vanishing.

"Watch out... for OZ...."

"Father?"

Darlian weakly exhales his last breath.

"Nooooo!"

Clinging to the chest of her father, Relena starts crying. Suddenly the strength of her whole body goes away.

That's because of the medicine before.....

That's what Relena thinks just before she loses consciousness.

 

Back
On to Chapter 2, Part 1 (3/3)
Back to Chapter 2, Part 1 (1/3)