April 26 AC 201
For a moment, Noin was nearly unable to believe her eyes.
"I wondered if you'd remember me," Trowa remarked. To her increased amazement he augmented his statement with what she could almost swear was a friendly smile.
What in the world...?
"I have some information for you," he said without preamble, advancing toward her desk.
"Please, sit down," she said, hastily collecting her wits.
I don't know what he's doing here, but it's got to be important to bring the reclusive pilot of Gundam 03 out of hiding.
She was half tempted to demand that he tell her where he had been and what he had been doing, but repressed the urge, knowing that if she did as she liked she would more than likely earn herself a surly retort.
"I can't stay long," Trowa responded, taking the seat she indicated. "I don't want anyone to pay too much attention to the fact that I've been here, so I'll be brief." He reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and drew out a black data cylinder. "This was sent to me earlier this week on a tightbeam transmission that I couldn't trace. I suspect, however, that it came from the L4 cluster."
Noin accepted the cylinder somewhat dubiously. "What is it?"
"You'll have to bring up the data it contains in order for me to explain."
Obediently, she inserted the small black object into the drive on her computer, and flicked the switch that would allow it's contents to be displayed on a viewscrene built into the wall. Within seconds, an image appeared, but it was blurry and out of focus.
"Hold on," she said apologetically, reaching over and turning several knobs in an attempt to sharpen the image. "Why its...It looks like the L4 and L5 colony clusters.. How come those," she indicated several colonies and small asteroids, "are marked in red?"
"I was hoping you might be able to tell me," responded Trowa, moving to stand before the screen. "There are several colonies and a number of Jupiter's moons that are marked in blue as well." Reaching over to her keypad, Trowa punched several buttons and the area covered by the display broadened until the entire solar system was visible.
"I wonder," she mused, coming to stand beside him.
He's taller than I am, she thought. He'd be about twenty-one now, wouldn't he?
"I take it you have no further information about this," she gestured toward the diagram. The image itself seemed harmless enough, but the fact that it had been sent anonymously to a former Gundam pilot whose identity had been carefully guarded, gave Noin the impression that she ought not to dismiss this out of hand.
And if Trowa thought it was important enough to bring it to me in person...
"No," he sounded genuinely regretful. "I thought the Preventers might know something I don't. to be honest," his one visible eye met her gaze openly, "I've been deliberately avoiding involvement in any hot situations that have come up recently. I don't have to worry about this stuff any more."
Noin continued to gaze at the image on her viewscrene. She was touched-had always been touched by the Gundam pilots, this one in particular.
They were merely children-we all were, but they made the hardest decisions, and took on the greatest responsibilities.. I hope they've found happiness, now that their ordeal is finally over.
"I wonder... You did say L4, didn't you?"
"That's where it came from I think. Why?"
"Do you suppose it's from Quatre?"
The young man beside her shook his head. "I hear from him periodically. If it was from him, he would've made that plain." Extending his hand, Trowa continued, "I'm sorry to disappear so fast, but like I said, I don't want my visit to be noticed."
She shook the hand he offered, retaining it for a moment longer than necessary. "I'm glad to see you. I was beginning to wonder if you guys had vanished completely from the universe."
He smiled. "No, but I've been lying low. My sister doesn't want me getting mixed up in politics any more than I have to." There was no doubting the warmth in his voice, and Noin smiled as well.
"I'm glad you're happy. If you don't mind, I'd like to show this to Lady Une."
A rather odd expression flickered across his face, so briefly that Noin wasn't even sure she had seen it. Then he shook his head. "No, that'll be fine. I suspect she has some more detailed information than even you yourself. After all, you work the L3 cluster, don't you?"
She nodded, holding open the door. It was good to see you, Trowa." With a slight laugh she added, "you must not be lying too low. Information about the Preventers' assignments is something more than classified you know?"
He nodded, regarding her steadily for a moment. "Call it a permenant curse," he said.
Then he walked away.
She blinked, half tempted to call him back. Something about his last remark didn't quite make sense. She thought better of it, however, and again shut the office door. Leaning against the corner of cierra's cluttered desk, Noin surveyed the glowing chart once again. The Colonies, situated as they were at the La'Grange points, were not themselves far removed from the Earth. But inhabitants of each cluster had spread to several large asteroids among the inner planets, which had been technologically adapted to support limited human life. While they were unstable habitations, the rich ore available in such places made the risk worth taking for a substantial number of colonists. She ran her finger through the air, remotely tracing a line between the color coded colonies and the asteroids that for the most part bore the initial number of the colonies from whence their explorers had come. There must be a connection...but what?
Sighing, she switched the screen off and removed the data cylinder from her computer.
I'll drop this off at Lady Une's on the way home.
Her stomach rumbled tentatively, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since that morning. Noin grimaced, looking out the window. Darkness was falling fast, and it's advance was being hastened by the heavy cloud cover. She was probably going to have to get a cab-the walk to the quarter of the city where Lady Une lived was not very long, but in the dark and rain it had the potential to be extremely unpleasant. While donning her jacket and shutting off the lights, she continued to contemplate the mystery of Trowa Barton's sudden appearance and the strange chart.
I wonder what it all means. Whoever sent him that cylinder must of course know that he was a Gundam Pilot. Who would that be, if not Quatre? And why Trowa? Why not Wufei-he works for the Preventers, after all.
She shook her head, then swatted at the bangs that fel into her eyes. I just hope Lady Une has a better explanation for this
For a moment, Noin was nearly unable to believe her eyes.
"I wondered if you'd remember me," Trowa remarked. To her increased amazement he augmented his statement with what she could almost swear was a friendly smile.
What in the world...?
"I have some information for you," he said without preamble, advancing toward her desk.
"Please, sit down," she said, hastily collecting her wits.
I don't know what he's doing here, but it's got to be important to bring the reclusive pilot of Gundam 03 out of hiding.
She was half tempted to demand that he tell her where he had been and what he had been doing, but repressed the urge, knowing that if she did as she liked she would more than likely earn herself a surly retort.
"I can't stay long," Trowa responded, taking the seat she indicated. "I don't want anyone to pay too much attention to the fact that I've been here, so I'll be brief." He reached into the pocket of his denim jacket and drew out a black data cylinder. "This was sent to me earlier this week on a tightbeam transmission that I couldn't trace. I suspect, however, that it came from the L4 cluster."
Noin accepted the cylinder somewhat dubiously. "What is it?"
"You'll have to bring up the data it contains in order for me to explain."
Obediently, she inserted the small black object into the drive on her computer, and flicked the switch that would allow it's contents to be displayed on a viewscrene built into the wall. Within seconds, an image appeared, but it was blurry and out of focus.
"Hold on," she said apologetically, reaching over and turning several knobs in an attempt to sharpen the image. "Why its...It looks like the L4 and L5 colony clusters.. How come those," she indicated several colonies and small asteroids, "are marked in red?"
"I was hoping you might be able to tell me," responded Trowa, moving to stand before the screen. "There are several colonies and a number of Jupiter's moons that are marked in blue as well." Reaching over to her keypad, Trowa punched several buttons and the area covered by the display broadened until the entire solar system was visible.
"I wonder," she mused, coming to stand beside him.
He's taller than I am, she thought. He'd be about twenty-one now, wouldn't he?
"I take it you have no further information about this," she gestured toward the diagram. The image itself seemed harmless enough, but the fact that it had been sent anonymously to a former Gundam pilot whose identity had been carefully guarded, gave Noin the impression that she ought not to dismiss this out of hand.
And if Trowa thought it was important enough to bring it to me in person...
"No," he sounded genuinely regretful. "I thought the Preventers might know something I don't. to be honest," his one visible eye met her gaze openly, "I've been deliberately avoiding involvement in any hot situations that have come up recently. I don't have to worry about this stuff any more."
Noin continued to gaze at the image on her viewscrene. She was touched-had always been touched by the Gundam pilots, this one in particular.
They were merely children-we all were, but they made the hardest decisions, and took on the greatest responsibilities.. I hope they've found happiness, now that their ordeal is finally over.
"I wonder... You did say L4, didn't you?"
"That's where it came from I think. Why?"
"Do you suppose it's from Quatre?"
The young man beside her shook his head. "I hear from him periodically. If it was from him, he would've made that plain." Extending his hand, Trowa continued, "I'm sorry to disappear so fast, but like I said, I don't want my visit to be noticed."
She shook the hand he offered, retaining it for a moment longer than necessary. "I'm glad to see you. I was beginning to wonder if you guys had vanished completely from the universe."
He smiled. "No, but I've been lying low. My sister doesn't want me getting mixed up in politics any more than I have to." There was no doubting the warmth in his voice, and Noin smiled as well.
"I'm glad you're happy. If you don't mind, I'd like to show this to Lady Une."
A rather odd expression flickered across his face, so briefly that Noin wasn't even sure she had seen it. Then he shook his head. "No, that'll be fine. I suspect she has some more detailed information than even you yourself. After all, you work the L3 cluster, don't you?"
She nodded, holding open the door. It was good to see you, Trowa." With a slight laugh she added, "you must not be lying too low. Information about the Preventers' assignments is something more than classified you know?"
He nodded, regarding her steadily for a moment. "Call it a permenant curse," he said.
Then he walked away.
She blinked, half tempted to call him back. Something about his last remark didn't quite make sense. She thought better of it, however, and again shut the office door. Leaning against the corner of cierra's cluttered desk, Noin surveyed the glowing chart once again. The Colonies, situated as they were at the La'Grange points, were not themselves far removed from the Earth. But inhabitants of each cluster had spread to several large asteroids among the inner planets, which had been technologically adapted to support limited human life. While they were unstable habitations, the rich ore available in such places made the risk worth taking for a substantial number of colonists. She ran her finger through the air, remotely tracing a line between the color coded colonies and the asteroids that for the most part bore the initial number of the colonies from whence their explorers had come. There must be a connection...but what?
Sighing, she switched the screen off and removed the data cylinder from her computer.
I'll drop this off at Lady Une's on the way home.
Her stomach rumbled tentatively, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since that morning. Noin grimaced, looking out the window. Darkness was falling fast, and it's advance was being hastened by the heavy cloud cover. She was probably going to have to get a cab-the walk to the quarter of the city where Lady Une lived was not very long, but in the dark and rain it had the potential to be extremely unpleasant. While donning her jacket and shutting off the lights, she continued to contemplate the mystery of Trowa Barton's sudden appearance and the strange chart.
I wonder what it all means. Whoever sent him that cylinder must of course know that he was a Gundam Pilot. Who would that be, if not Quatre? And why Trowa? Why not Wufei-he works for the Preventers, after all.
She shook her head, then swatted at the bangs that fel into her eyes. I just hope Lady Une has a better explanation for this