Mobile Fighter G Gundam: Pawn Royale
Chapter I: The Opening Move
"Sir, they've escaped."
"WHAT? What do you mean, 'escaped'? I had the best guards in all of Neo- Russia watching him! How could he.Who's 'they'?"
"Both of them, sir. The pirate and the guard."
"You mean that she went with him? But that girl's untouchable! She's never felt anything for anyone in her entire life. That's why we put her in charge of that man! So that he wouldn't escape. And now, you're telling me that she ran away with him?" There was a crashing sound as a fist smashed into a table. Someone sighed. "Where did they go?"
"The colonies, sir. Maybe he'll start robbing again."
"Yes, and with her it'll be even harder to capture him again! He was the best Gundam fighter we had!"
"I suppose we'll just have to find another Gundam fighter, sir."
"Do any of the others know how to pilot a Gundam?"
"Yes, all of them do."
"Who's the best?"
"Well, according to earlier records, it seems a certain Katya Partravich is the best. Of course, none of them have fought for years now."
"Yes, and that's why we need to start training one of them now! While we still have a week until the next Gundam tournament. Are you sure this Partravich lady is the best?"
"Positive, sir."
"Good. Start training her immediately."
"Should we use the same techniques as last time?"
"Yes, yes. Threaten her with the death of the others, strap a bomb to her chest, the usual."
"She'll need a guard, sir. The Neo-Russian government can't be looking after her twenty-four/seven. We have other important matters, too."
"Of course. Get that young man, what's his name? That one who started training a year ago. He seems cold and heartless enough for the job."
"You mean Nicholas Strotski?"
"Yes, that's the one. He's perfect for the job. Now, get to it! We have to have that Partravich ready in a week. And this time, it is vital that she be the best of the best."
* * *
"Oh, come on, Andres! Eat the piece of bread, already!" a young woman thrust a slice of rotten, moldy bread at a haggard man sitting curled up on the floor.
The man shook his head. "No, you eat it, Katya. You're the youngest one here. You'll need your strength when Argo comes back.If he comes back," the man replied.
There was a mumbled of agreement from the other ragged figures in the prison cell.
Katya's sky blue eyes lit up, a fire glowing deep inside of them. "Of course Argo'll come back. He could have refused to fight in the thirteenth Gundam tournament, and then we would all be dead! But no, he had a bomb strapped to his chest just so that we would live! Do you think he'd just forget about us after that?" she practically screamed at the rest of the ex- space pirates.
"I dunno, Katya. Maybe he just said that he'd come back for us, but didn't mean it." The possibility was all too feasible.
All the people in the cell were ex-space pirates. They had all been part of Argo's crew, until the Neo-Russian government had captured him.
"I'm sick of being locked up in the stupid jail!" Katya pounded her fist against the iron bars of the small window. "I know Argo was, too, and I'm positive he'd want to get all of us out of it. And with the help of that officer-" Katya stopped speaking in mid-sentence as an officer stood staring through the cell at her.
"Katya Partravich?" the soldier called into the prison cell.
Katya looked at him menacingly. "What do you want to do with us now? Chop our heads off before Argo can come back and save us?" she asked.
"No, although I don't think it's a bad idea," the man replied, unperturbed. "I hate to expose you to the rest of the civilized world, but you're going to be representing Neo-Russia in this year's Gundam fight. We have evidence that you're the best out of all these ruffians." The man unlocked the door and walked towards a still-stunned Katya. He handcuffed her slim wrists and pulled her out of the room.
As the man pulled her down the hallway, Katya struggled to get free of the handcuffs. "What if I don't try my best? What if I don't try at all?" she challenged. "You can't make me fight my best."
"Actually, I believe I can. If you don't win this Gundam tournament, all your filthy friends there will be killed. And this time I mean to carry out my orders."
"You mean you're going to be guarding me?" Katya asked.
"Don't push it in," the man replied dryly.
They soon arrived at a large door. The man knocked and waited for a reply. It came, and he pushed Katya into the room. "I have her, sir," the man said.
"Good, Nicholas, good. Did you tell her the terms under which she is fighting?" a black-hair man sitting at a desk asked the man.
"I went over one of the rules briefly, sir," Nicholas replied.
The man leaned forward and peered at Katya. She was a skinny, ragged looking girl who had been under-fed for the last eight years of her life. Her skin was pale, and her mauve hair had no light to it-barely even color. But her eyes shone brightly, as bright as the morning sky on a clear summer's day. "Well, Katya," he said, as if tasting her name for the first time, "let me finish explained exactly what is going to happen. First of all, a bomb will be attached to your breast, which is not to be removed at any time. Second of all, you will fight your best-no, better than your best- and win this tournament, or all your friends die. And this time I mean to carry out my threat. You will be guarded at all times by Nicholas here. I think that covers it all.Oh, yes. And don't even try to run away. You do, and all those other filthy comrades of your will die. Do we have an understanding?" the man asked and stuck out his hand for Katya to shake.
She glared at him, her eyes full of hate. Finally, she shook the man's hand.
"Wonderful," the man said and clapped his hands together in delight. "Nicholas, go get that bomb. She won't need handcuffs, though. This girl loved those others too much to do anything to hurt them."
Nicholas went to get the needed supplies, leaving the man and Katya in the room alone. Katya just stared at him with an unflinching gaze. How could I let myself be pulled into a trap like this? I'm such an idiot! Katya berated herself. Argo, please hurry up.For god's sake, I barely even remember how to pilot a Gundam! How the h*** am I supposed to win the tournament? She stamped at the floor in frustration.
Nicholas came back. He attached a bomb to Katya's chest. She practically fell onto her hands and knees because of its weight. I'm supposed to wear this thing the whole time?! She grunted and tried to remain standing.
"There we go," the man at the desk said. "Okay, Nicholas. You're in charge of this ruffian. If she escapes, you'll pay for it. Don't soften, don't trust her. Stay as cold as possible. Believe me, it'll be in your own interests to make sure she doesn't run away."
Nicholas nodded in understanding, grabbed Katya's wrist, and yanked her out the door after him. The man shivered as he continued staring at the closed door. There was something about that girl's eyes.They were inhumane. Too bright for the rest of her dull body, too full of hate and sorrow.Those eyes would be engraved in the man's mind for the rest of his life.
"Sir, they've escaped."
"WHAT? What do you mean, 'escaped'? I had the best guards in all of Neo- Russia watching him! How could he.Who's 'they'?"
"Both of them, sir. The pirate and the guard."
"You mean that she went with him? But that girl's untouchable! She's never felt anything for anyone in her entire life. That's why we put her in charge of that man! So that he wouldn't escape. And now, you're telling me that she ran away with him?" There was a crashing sound as a fist smashed into a table. Someone sighed. "Where did they go?"
"The colonies, sir. Maybe he'll start robbing again."
"Yes, and with her it'll be even harder to capture him again! He was the best Gundam fighter we had!"
"I suppose we'll just have to find another Gundam fighter, sir."
"Do any of the others know how to pilot a Gundam?"
"Yes, all of them do."
"Who's the best?"
"Well, according to earlier records, it seems a certain Katya Partravich is the best. Of course, none of them have fought for years now."
"Yes, and that's why we need to start training one of them now! While we still have a week until the next Gundam tournament. Are you sure this Partravich lady is the best?"
"Positive, sir."
"Good. Start training her immediately."
"Should we use the same techniques as last time?"
"Yes, yes. Threaten her with the death of the others, strap a bomb to her chest, the usual."
"She'll need a guard, sir. The Neo-Russian government can't be looking after her twenty-four/seven. We have other important matters, too."
"Of course. Get that young man, what's his name? That one who started training a year ago. He seems cold and heartless enough for the job."
"You mean Nicholas Strotski?"
"Yes, that's the one. He's perfect for the job. Now, get to it! We have to have that Partravich ready in a week. And this time, it is vital that she be the best of the best."
* * *
"Oh, come on, Andres! Eat the piece of bread, already!" a young woman thrust a slice of rotten, moldy bread at a haggard man sitting curled up on the floor.
The man shook his head. "No, you eat it, Katya. You're the youngest one here. You'll need your strength when Argo comes back.If he comes back," the man replied.
There was a mumbled of agreement from the other ragged figures in the prison cell.
Katya's sky blue eyes lit up, a fire glowing deep inside of them. "Of course Argo'll come back. He could have refused to fight in the thirteenth Gundam tournament, and then we would all be dead! But no, he had a bomb strapped to his chest just so that we would live! Do you think he'd just forget about us after that?" she practically screamed at the rest of the ex- space pirates.
"I dunno, Katya. Maybe he just said that he'd come back for us, but didn't mean it." The possibility was all too feasible.
All the people in the cell were ex-space pirates. They had all been part of Argo's crew, until the Neo-Russian government had captured him.
"I'm sick of being locked up in the stupid jail!" Katya pounded her fist against the iron bars of the small window. "I know Argo was, too, and I'm positive he'd want to get all of us out of it. And with the help of that officer-" Katya stopped speaking in mid-sentence as an officer stood staring through the cell at her.
"Katya Partravich?" the soldier called into the prison cell.
Katya looked at him menacingly. "What do you want to do with us now? Chop our heads off before Argo can come back and save us?" she asked.
"No, although I don't think it's a bad idea," the man replied, unperturbed. "I hate to expose you to the rest of the civilized world, but you're going to be representing Neo-Russia in this year's Gundam fight. We have evidence that you're the best out of all these ruffians." The man unlocked the door and walked towards a still-stunned Katya. He handcuffed her slim wrists and pulled her out of the room.
As the man pulled her down the hallway, Katya struggled to get free of the handcuffs. "What if I don't try my best? What if I don't try at all?" she challenged. "You can't make me fight my best."
"Actually, I believe I can. If you don't win this Gundam tournament, all your filthy friends there will be killed. And this time I mean to carry out my orders."
"You mean you're going to be guarding me?" Katya asked.
"Don't push it in," the man replied dryly.
They soon arrived at a large door. The man knocked and waited for a reply. It came, and he pushed Katya into the room. "I have her, sir," the man said.
"Good, Nicholas, good. Did you tell her the terms under which she is fighting?" a black-hair man sitting at a desk asked the man.
"I went over one of the rules briefly, sir," Nicholas replied.
The man leaned forward and peered at Katya. She was a skinny, ragged looking girl who had been under-fed for the last eight years of her life. Her skin was pale, and her mauve hair had no light to it-barely even color. But her eyes shone brightly, as bright as the morning sky on a clear summer's day. "Well, Katya," he said, as if tasting her name for the first time, "let me finish explained exactly what is going to happen. First of all, a bomb will be attached to your breast, which is not to be removed at any time. Second of all, you will fight your best-no, better than your best- and win this tournament, or all your friends die. And this time I mean to carry out my threat. You will be guarded at all times by Nicholas here. I think that covers it all.Oh, yes. And don't even try to run away. You do, and all those other filthy comrades of your will die. Do we have an understanding?" the man asked and stuck out his hand for Katya to shake.
She glared at him, her eyes full of hate. Finally, she shook the man's hand.
"Wonderful," the man said and clapped his hands together in delight. "Nicholas, go get that bomb. She won't need handcuffs, though. This girl loved those others too much to do anything to hurt them."
Nicholas went to get the needed supplies, leaving the man and Katya in the room alone. Katya just stared at him with an unflinching gaze. How could I let myself be pulled into a trap like this? I'm such an idiot! Katya berated herself. Argo, please hurry up.For god's sake, I barely even remember how to pilot a Gundam! How the h*** am I supposed to win the tournament? She stamped at the floor in frustration.
Nicholas came back. He attached a bomb to Katya's chest. She practically fell onto her hands and knees because of its weight. I'm supposed to wear this thing the whole time?! She grunted and tried to remain standing.
"There we go," the man at the desk said. "Okay, Nicholas. You're in charge of this ruffian. If she escapes, you'll pay for it. Don't soften, don't trust her. Stay as cold as possible. Believe me, it'll be in your own interests to make sure she doesn't run away."
Nicholas nodded in understanding, grabbed Katya's wrist, and yanked her out the door after him. The man shivered as he continued staring at the closed door. There was something about that girl's eyes.They were inhumane. Too bright for the rest of her dull body, too full of hate and sorrow.Those eyes would be engraved in the man's mind for the rest of his life.
