RED BANNER-CHAPTER 1
By Red Star
THE KREMLIN, MOSCOW
Alexander Mikhailovitch Malinsky's finely polished black shoes rapped on the floor as he proceeded down the marble hallway toward his office. In front of the walls that separated the windows were flags of the various Soviet Socialist Republics. The opposite wall was covered with a massive mural depicting important battles in Russian history.
At twenty-four, Malinsky held a lot of titles for someone his age: Generalissimus of the Soviet Union, Chairman of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet (President), and General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. Two burly KGB guards opened the heavy oak doors, and Malinsky entered his outer offices. His secretaries and aides rose and he grumbled a good morning to them as two more KGB chekistas opened the doors to his office. The office of the Soviet leader was marble, a red carpet led all the way from his door to the end of his office. His long, oak desk had the hammer and sickle carved in the center of the front. The desk sat on a four-step high dais. The chair from which Malinsky guided the Soviet Union was high-backed and red. The golden bear he had retrieved from Romanov's old office sat beside his blotter. Behind the chair, about six feet above, was the coat of arms of the Soviet Union. On either side of the arms hung the portraits of Lenin and Stalin. Massive marble pillars lined the main part of the office, on which were mounted the portraits of several Soviet Leaders, Romanov among them. Beyond the pillars were smaller walkways with couches and chairs. On the right side were rows of windows. On either side of the desk was the Soviet flag and the standard of the Soviet Leader. Malinsky wore a black uniform, a double-breasted jacket with six gold buttons that were split into rows of threes facing each other. The "fruit salad" rows of medals hung beneath his single Gold Star of a Hero of the Soviet Union. Red stripes ran down the side of his black pants. His gold shoulder boards displayed the insignia of a Marshal of the Soviet Union.
The Soviet President was handsome, with dirty-blonde hair and penetrating blue eyes.
"Good morning, Comrade General Secretary," said Lieutenant Zofia, his chief of staff.
She stepped away from her desk where she had finished sorting through the Soviet President's mail. "Good morning, Comrade Lieutenant," he said as he sat and picked up the first envelope.
As the lieutenant poured some tea for the General Secretary, he sliced open the envelope and unfolded the letter. "Comrade General Secretary, you are cordially invited to the celebration of the wedding of the Premier of the German Democratic Republic to Fraulain Kerman from Bavaria…"
He tossed the letter aside.
"Zofia?"
"Yes, Comrade General Secretary?"
"Could you call Premier Beck and tell him I'll be there next week. Oh, and what do you think a German woman would enjoy from the Soviet Union?"
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM, A.C.197
Relena Peacecraft sat in her chair, staring glumly at the President of the Earth Sphere United Nation as he continued to harass Lady Une for her budget requests.
"Really, Colonel, I find it very irritating that you find it necessary to continually ask for more money to build more of your toys…"
"Those 'toys', Mr. President, are necessary for the defense of the Earth from external and internal enemies, and if you had provided sufficient funds last year I would have been able to handle the Colonial Invasion better."
"Lady Une, in case you have not noticed, Marimaeda is living under your roof and I hope that you have not let her get her hands on any Mobile Dolls. The discussion is closed. Now, Minister Dornings has a report for us on the situation of the Martian terra-forming project."
Relena quietly shut the door to her office in the Foreign Ministry.
"How did it go?"
She turned toward the source of the voice, a chocolate haired seventeen-year old wearing the uniform of the Preventer Force.
"Someday, Heero, I will find out how you manage to keep coming in here…"
He approached her and gave a small kiss.
"But then we wouldn't have so much fun."
"Lady Une was turned down again."
She continued talking as he guided her softly to her couch.
"The President believes that there are no more threats, and its so hard not to agree,"
she said, slipping into his arms, "My brother is…"
She was silenced by Heero's returned kisses.
