by Mercutio of Verona
Prologue One
After-Colony 326. The Earth remains a barren wasteland of ice, snow, and wind, completely inhospitable to all but a few adapted animals and scattered packs of IOMSes, ancient mining machines that run on snow that had years ago broken away from man's reigns when their control system had been corrupted. Above the desolate orb floats the majestic White Fang Empire, ruled for over two hundred years by the formidable Peacecraft dynasty. The current Emperor, Tybalt Peacecraft, sits on the throne in Solopolis, the glorious capital and home of the Imperial Army, led by General Gezettialia Noin.
However, a small group of programmers and daredevils are about to go on a mission to Earth, partly to discover how to repair the IOMSes, and partly for the glory and excitement... and partly from being forced by the Empire. However, they have no idea what they are about to discover, and what they are about to unleash.
A new day is dawning...
Prologue Two
The thunder rolled and the lightning flashed, illuminating the dusty sky.
Take it, my children.
Quickly, before I can no longer speak to you.
We shall throw off the reigns of oppression.
Eat of the fruit of free will,
And you shall be as gods.
Chapter One
"Rua!" a voice yelled from below. "Ruaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Get down here!"
"I'm busy, Maxwell!" Rua replied from underneath the Mobile Doll she was repairing.
"It's the Imperials!"
"What? Why didn't you- tell them Ill be down in a moment!"
"We already heard, ma'am," an unfamiliar voice replied.
Rua got up and washed the grease and oil off her hands. "Maxwell! Why didn't you tell me they were standing right there?"
"I thought you had already figured it out!" Jessen Maxwell yelled back. He was the owner of the repair shop that they were standing in. The shop specialized in the repair of Mobile Suits, but he got the occasional order to repair a Mobile Doll every once in a while. That was when he needed Rua's help, because Mobile Doll repair took a great deal of knowledge in programming. Rua normally worked in the sophisticated Center of Mobile Suit and Doll Programming (the long name was complimented by the equally ungainly abbreviation CoMSaDP), but she wasn't above getting her hands dirty to help a friend in need and make a little extra money.
"Dumbass," she muttered to herself as she dried off her hands and tried tying back her long pinkish-orange hair, hoping it would make her look a little more decent. It was still messy, so she blew the dust off her black beret and put it on top of her head. She was glad she had worn black today, so at least all the grease stains wouldn't show up. They were only Imperial soldiers, after all, but she still wanted to look presentable, at least. If it had been one of the Governor Une or General Noin or someone else high up on the political food chain, it would have been a different story.
She hurried down the stairs into the shop's lobby. There was Maxwell, as laid back and careless as ever, leaning against the wall in his greasy uniform and messy brown hair, his large blue eyes half closed. He looked like he hadn't even noticed the soldiers. "Lookin' sharp," he said to Rua as she came down. She only glared at him.
Three Imperial soldiers stood stiffly at attention. There was a fourth with them, a woman with a tall and strong, but not unattractive, build and large violet eyes, one of which was partly covered by her almost metallic-looking golden hair.
"G-General Noin!" Rua said as she saluted. "What brings you to a place like this?"
"Hey!" objected Maxwell as Rua threw him another glare. Maxwell could afford to be impolite, though. CoMSaDP was run by the Imperial military, with General Noin at the head of it all.
Noin cast a slightly unsavory glance at Rua's greasy hair and outfit before beginning. "You have heard of the problems with the IOMSes, haven't you?"
"Of course, ma'am. I helped design the program that they would run off of," Rua replied.
"Yes, I know. That's why we came to you," Noin said rudely. "You are also aware of the system malfunction that took place five years ago too, aren't you?"
"Yes ma'am."
"The Emperor has decided that a group should go down to Earth and find out what went wring with the IOMSes; why they went berserk and stopped mining. You probably won't be able to repair the damn things, but just knowing what went wrong is the first step."
"Heh. So Rua has go to down to that big frozen wasteland now?" Maxwell smirked.
"You're going too."
"What?"
"On the chance that there is an immediate way to repair the IOMSes, there may be the need for a mechanic. We spoke with Governor Une and she said you were the best one the colony had to offer," the general said.
"But don't you have plenty of mechanics in the military that you could use?"
"They're all busy repairing after the battle with the pirates. So we're enlisting you now."
"...I'm not going down there just because the Emperor pulled my name out of a hat. I'm a civilian, you can't make me do this!" Maxwell protested.
General Noin shrugged. "Tough. The Emperor said we should find a civilian so we didn't waste military mechanics, and that's what we just did. You both leave Tuesday at 10:00. Be at the Solopolis front gates by 9:00."
"That's two days!" exclaimed Maxwell. "That's crazy! At least give us some goddamn notice before you ship us down there!"
"You both leave Tuesday at 10:00. Be at the Solopolis front gates by 9:00," General Noin repeated. "I'm responsible for both of you, so it's my ass if you're late. So don't be." She then abruptly left. Only Rua saluted.
"Hmph," Maxwell said, leaning back against the wall. "I don't see why I have to do what she says. She's not the Emperor."
"Obviously," Rua said as she untied her hair.
"Who's the smartass now?" he asked. "Seriously. I'm not part of the damn military. They shouldn't be able to make me participate in this. They have their own mechanics; I'm sure they can afford to let one of them take a break from repairing after the pirate attacks to go down there."
Rua sighed. "Well, they're not. Besides, maybe you'll get on the news. Then everyone will want to go to your repair shop after learning how you tamed those vicious IOMSes. You're store will be more crowded than a Winner family reunion, there'll be so many customers." She smiled and giggled, but Maxwell wasn't done sulking. He leaned back against the wall wordlessly, so Rua went back upstairs to work on the Doll.
"If anyone needs me, give me a warning this time," she said on her way up.
"Your Majesty," General Noin began. "All the crew members for the Earth expedition have been notified. We will leave Tuesday."
"Good," Emperor Tybalt said. "The economy has gone downhill ever since the water and soil markets have been closed due to the IOMSes. Once that gets opened up again, the colonies will be dependent on the Empire once more."
"Very good, sir," Noin said, not really sure what answer would be appropriate in this situation. Ever since the colonies weren't able to depend on the Empire to provide them with water and soil on Earth, they had to improvise with recycling and making the best of what they had, giving them a new independent spirit that frustrated Tybalt immensely. He was almost obsessive about it and how it would be his downfall and he would be remembered as the man who failed the Empire. Noin had heard him talk about it in his sleep numerous times, although he rarely talked about it openly with her, which was unusual. Noin and Tybalt were distant cousins, but since he had no heir she was the closest living relative he had, so he depended on her greatly for many things. She sometimes felt jealous of the wife and child he might never have, since she knew he would abandon her and rely on them for familial support.
"This has to work, Geza," he said, using the nickname she abandoned years ago but still let him call her. "I can't let this fail."
"It won't, Tybalt."
"I need you to go down there with them," Tybalt said abruptly.
"What?"
"I can't let this mission fail. I know you'll make it a success. I'm depending on you, Geza."
"Tybalt... I... are you sure about this? What about your military?" Noin asked, desperately trying to get him to change his mind. She had no desire at all to go down to Earth, much less with hooligans like Maxwell and Rua.
"Reese and Winner can take care of it. You've trained them well, I'm sure they won't fail me." Marino Reese was in charge of the Imperial Mobile Suit Troops, and Ciento Winner commanded the Mobile Suit regiment. "Those men can handle the pirate attacks well enough."
"Yes, sir," Noin addressed him formally with a bow and left, making it clear that she hated the idea. Tybalt didn't care. He loved Geza, she was like the sister he never had, but he couldn't let that get in the way of the Empire. He had to think of the descendants that he would have some day, and keep their inheritance strong and stable.
The White Fang Empire stretched from the innermost colony to the mining asteroids. It was a large amount of space, although the space itself was useless. The giant colony-city of Solopolis- the only colony to have its own orbit around the sun- was the capitol, and contained the palace from which the Peacecraft family had ruled for over two hundred years. Solopolis was smaller than any of the colonies, and had few residences, most of which were for the military. The palace was quite large, however, and although it was only three stories high, it was quite wide and had large gardens filled with fountains and statues surrounding it. The interior of the place had mirror-like walls gilded with rare gold and gems that had been found by accident in the days that the IOMSes had been successful. And the Tybalt was determined to keep it all.
The Emperor himself was as elegant as the Empire. He had the bronze skin and turquoise eyes common to the Peacecraft family, and hair that had out of a fluke of nature came out both almost whitish-blonde and a purplish-black, which he braided together in an elegant twist that nearly reached the floor. He dressed like a true aristocrat, in elegant suits adorned with jewels and insignias that had lost their significance generations ago, almost always complimented by a white cape draped over his shoulder bearing the symbol of the White Fang Empire.
He sighed and turned to the window in his office. He could see the giant pale sphere that was Earth, and beyond it, just stars. None of the colonies were in his line of vision right now. The colonies were getting cocky. They were beginning to think that they could survive on their own without the control of the Empire. All it would take now was a single spark to light that fire and all out be lost.
"God, I'm tired," grumbled Maxwell for the umpteenth time. "It's too early in the morning for oppression."
"Stop complaining," Rua chided. "The General's my boss, if you screw things up with your whining, I'll have to listen to her bitch about it."
"I don't care. This is your fault anyway."
"What? How so?"
"You're the one who helped program the IOMSes."
"So? What does that have to do with anything?"
"You should have installed some 'don't-go-berserk' command in them or something."
"Oh, and I suppose you want me to install some sort of 'don't get-shot-and-blow-up' command in all the Mobile Dolls too."
"No way! Where would my business go?" Maxwell protested.
Rua rolled her eyes, but before she could reply the conductor of the shuttle they were riding interrupted their conversation. "The shuttle is approaching Solopolis. We will arrive at the Front Gate in less than five minutes. Please refrain from standing until we land, and keep your safety belt fastened."
"Guess we're almost there..." Maxwell said to himself.
They arrived a couple minutes later, heaved their belongings off the shuttle, and stood around for a moment just taking in the sights. This had been the first time either of them had seen Solopolis. It's glittering walls and ornate style or architecture was a radical change from the colonies. Statues decorated the streets and murals gave the walls an exotic flair. For a military colony, it was very beautiful.
"What a fruity-looking city," Maxwell said as Rua jabbed him in the side with her elbow.
"I don't see General Noin anywhere..." she said.
"Good."
"Oh wait.... I think she's over there by that gate."
"Damn."
Rua sighed. "Maxwell, you're going to have to learn to put up with her. It's not her fault you're here, so you might as well stop taking it out on her. This mission is going to be bad enough without you two at each other's throats all the time."
He didn't reply.
"Fine, act like a three year old. I don't care. It's your ass that she's going to kick, not mine." Rua picked up the pace and started walking faster.
Eventually they join General Noin, who was standing there with four soldiers and three other people whom Rua recognized as colleagues. The first was a tall black haired man with a goatee and glasses named Aalin Fatima, if she remembered correctly. He also worked at CoMSaDP, but he was a Mobile Suit programmer, so she didn't see him often. The second was a woman with straight black hair and dark skin that she knew worked in the radical department of Programmed Psychology, but she didn't know her name. Why they would ever bring someone who worked in such an abstract field baffled Rua. She could tell that the third man with light blonde hair was an engineer by the insignias on his uniform, but she had never seen him before.
"Aalin Fatima, Czelise Mayaka, Ferdinand Po, meet Rua Kushrenada and Jessen Maxwell, the fourth and fifth members of the expedition," Noin said, introducing everyone. "These are Privates Jehan, Winner, Falcon, and Ëhen. They will be protecting and escorting us," she said, indicating the four soldiers. Her eyes then fell upon the suitcases Rua and Maxwell were carrying. "Oh my, I'm sorry, but we're not allowing any private luggage on this expedition. Imperial regulations. If you'll please hand them over, they will be returned to you once you return."
"What?" Maxwell exclaimed. "First you drag civilians out of their home so you can stick them on a shuttle to the Ice Age, and now you're not letting us bring anything with us?"
Rua saluted and said "Ma'am." She handed her luggage to Jehan, who took it to the shuttle station. She then leaned over to Maxwell and said "Come on, Maxwell, just give up and let them have your suitcase."
"NO! I have rights!" he complained as Rua and Noin both pried the suitcase out of his hands and gave it to Ëhen. Maxwell was infuriated, but a second jab in the side from Rua's elbow prevented him form saying anything. The three other scientists just stared.
"Are we going to have to put up with this the whole trip?" Ferdinand whispered to Czelise.
The group finally began to approach the ship, but first they had to walk through a metal detector. It took quite a while for everyone to get through, since the general forgot the pistol that she had in her pocket and Czelise's earrings kept activating it. However, it wasn't extremely bad until the cross around Maxwell's neck wouldn't let him pass.
"Please, sir, you need to remove the necklace before you can pass through. We can give it back on the other side," the operator politely said.
"No way. The Maxwell Cross does not come off until I'm cold and dead. That's the way it's been for years."
Rua tried coaxing him. "Maxwell, come on! Are you just out to piss off the entire military and government today? Let them have the cross."
"Easy for you to say, luggage-nazi. I am not taking this off."
"Can I take it off for you, then?" Rua offered.
"No, you most certainly may not," Maxwell said.
"Maxwell, we are going down there whether we want to or not. And the only way to do so is to walk through here. And we can't walk through here until you take off your cross."
"...Fine. Rua can take it off, but I'd better not see her hand it to you," Maxwell said to the guard. He then turned his back to Rua and closed his eyes as she unfastened it from behind. He walked through and she handed it back to him. "My grandfather's probably rolling in his grave."
Finally, everyone got through and entered the ship, bound for another world.
To be Continued...
So.... um..... what do you think so far? Tell me. YOU MUST. E-mail me or slip in a review.... OR I'LL EAT LADY UNE. DON'T MAKE ME DO IT. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!!!!@@@ PHEER ME DEWDZ!!!!!!!11
So anyway, a couple more chapters will be up soon, like it or not. One the plot actually gets going, the summary I wrote will actually make sense. Oh well. Bye for now.
~Mercutio