Chapter 1
A.C. 201
Two figures occupied the second floor study in the Peacecraft mansion that stood on a hill close to the outskirts of the rebuilt Cinq capital city.
"In five years the Cinq Kingdom has risen from the ashes of war to become a beacon of strength and peace for the entire Earth Sphere," the man once known as the Lightning Count observed to his silent visitor.
Platinum blonde hair cascaded over his broad back and shoulders that were stiffened by years of military training, manual labor on Mars and his recent 'resurrection' to help with the handling of the Cinq Kingdom. Yet the time spent with Lucrezia building the Mars Terra-forming Project had softened the once cold demeanor. The battle for survival in the harsh conditions on the Red Planet allowed him to remember that he was indeed a human being.
Though sky blue eyes held the new love he found with the former OZ Lieutenant, memories of blood and hardship left their mark. "The main reasons being that Vice-Foreign Minister Relena Peacecraft Dorlian, along with the rest of the colonial and terrestrial delegates of the Earth Sphere Unified Nation, have made it the unofficial center of political affairs, " he continued, from the large leather chair behind the huge mahogany desk.
"Actually, Relena just made it a point to hold all of her meetings in the Cinq Kingdom so she could be closer to her home and studies. Of course wherever she went, the delegates went as well, " quipped the former Zero pilot from the large picture window overlooking the Cinq capital.
After spending a month in the hospital due to injuries sustained from crashing the Wing Zero and destroying Marimaya's base, Heero Yuy had disappeared for almost a year only to return and unofficially join the Preventers as an undercover agent, moving where he pleased as long as he checked in regularly at the office. Unruly chocolate brown hair framed a face that had lost its boyishness over the years but still held those intense cobalt blue eyes. Now a young man of 21, Heero no longer needed to look up to the older man, his shoulders had broadened and well-built muscles replaced the wiry scaffolding of youth. One might say that his self appointed job as Relena's guardian had done wonders for his demeanor as well. Relena often spoke to the shadows around her, knowing that he was usually one of them, and complained about the things she had to deal with in the long meetings on ESUN foreign policy. It was based on these small likes and dislikes that Heero attempted to adjust his behavior. Though he still tried to rationalize it by saying that she was the heart of the people and so she was the best model for integrating smoothly with the rest of society. Nonetheless, the ring of death left the monotone voice when he addressed people and a few lighthearted jokes, though meant to degrade Duo, accompanied the occasional smirk of amusement.
"With this in mind the obvious location of the Preventer's Main Headquarters would have to be right next door, to protect the political leaders as much as to keep an eye on them. Almost every country on earth and every colony has it's own police force that operates under and with the Preventers to protect the people. A gang of retired soldiers got a hold of some weapons and MS's and tried to take over a country but the Preventers have thwarted all such attempts," Hiro continued to fill in the Peacecraft representative on the recent happenings in the Preventers.
BEEP BEEP BEEPHiro's cell phone went off. He picked up immediately, "Hello," he answered, shifting to perfect soldier mode for only a few people knew this number and they almost never had good news. " Wakatta, I'll be there as soon as I can," he replied when the other party finished.
"What happened?" Milliardo inquired, perturbed by the serious look on Hiro's face.
"That was Lady Une, we got an anonymous tip on the whereabouts of the Captain that disappeared after the Marimaya incident."
"I would like to accompany you."
Heero shook his head, "Milliardo you have as much right as anyone to help with this, but you agreed to watch the Cinq Kingdom to relieve Relena of the double responsibilities. You can't just leave, if the past holds true this could be dangerous and the people need their leader."
The elder man let out a low chuckle, "To think I would live to see the day that Heero Yuy plays the diplomat. My sister has more of an influence on you than you let on. Very well, but you will keep me posted won't you?" The last remark was spoken as more of a threat but Heero understood perfectly.
Late the next morning
Relena Dorlian stepped into a little café not far from her mansion and greeted the figure waiting for her in the far booth. She is a frequent patron to this establishment and its few regulars say their 'good mornings' with little fanfare. In the years since the Eve Wars, Relena has juggled the delicate knives of politics and diplomacy that were made for people much older than this young woman who just turned 21. Beside the fine lines that experience and responsibility have impressed on her visage, she had matured in to a true princess of peace. Golden blonde braids encircled her head in their customary style, her figure had grown to accommodate all of the curves, and a pair of well-toned legs completed the package. Sky blue eyes held her endless hope for the future, shaped by her role in the past wars and sharpened by the knowledge that the peace could be shattered at any moment.
In long graceful strides, Relena came to the booth and wrapped her slender arms around a person she trusted as much as a sister.
"Its so good to see you again Lu. How have you been?"
"I'm quite busy at the Preventer's Headquarters training new recruits, but it's satisfying." the older woman sighed with a chuckle and a warm smile. "How are the 'bloodhounds' at the Sphere Senate?"
"The newest colony, Seastar, tried to get out of establishing a Preventers outpost by claiming that they had no funds. Luckily the representatives of the Winner Corporation and GWS Industries agreed to donate the materials and labor. That debate was going on for months and with the recent crimes and system break-ins there we feared for the people," Relena confessed, flagging down a waitress to take her order.
"At least the earth's companies are willing to work with the colonies. Winner Corp. and GWS are two of the largest firms in the Sphere. There was once a time that a MS recycling business would have tried to take over Winner Corp. and start a new war," Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft reflected, a thoughtful expression on her still youthful face. She still kept her deep violet hair short, her mannerisms, although relaxed in this intimate atmosphere, still held the crisp assurance of a soldier.
With the mentioning of his name, Relena called to mind the blonde haired, blue-eyed Arabian, current owner of Winner Corp., and one of the few representatives that didn't make her teeth ache with flattery. She and Quatre have seen each other at political functions quite often and had become great friends over the years.
"Yes, it seems all of our hard work is beginning to pay off. The people are willing to make small sacrifices for peace," Relena agreed, taking a big bite out of her cheeseburger. They talked of politics, movies, fashion, fads and a dozen other topics as the hours passed.
"I ran into Duo and Hilde at Trowa's circus on Colony L2 last week," Relena remembered. "The visiting delegates decided to meet there after the meeting to relax a little. Duo bumped into me and before I knew it they were sitting next to me asking how I was doing and telling me how their business was coming along." She chuckled, "I swear those two can talk a mile a minute. Thank god the show started before I lost my hearing. Catherine and Trowa were the crowd-pleasing act despite the fact that Duo kept shouting for Catherine to miss. I couldn't join them for dinner afterward; I had another board meeting scheduled for that evening. So how are Wufei and Sally? I haven't seen them since after the last assassination threat they helped me with, and that was a year ago."
"They're still the best agents in the Preventers but god only knows why they're still a team. After we arrested the Regime, the people responsible for the threats, they argued nonstop for a week on why they got stuck with the paperwork," Lu confided, wincing at the memories of broken coffee mugs, slamming doors and death glares.
**BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP** Lucrezia's cell phone went off and she reached into her purse to grab it. "Hello?" A shadow fell across her face as she listened to the other party."This is Lady Une, we have just confirmed a lead on the Captain's location. I received an e-mail early this morning saying that there are some shady workings at a GWS base, and we've received confirmation from Quatre that the information was genuine. Hiro was also able to trace the e-mail to an old military base that is being used by GWS Industries to collect scrap MS's for recycling. Hiro, Sally and Wufei took a unit of Preventers and headed out there a few hours ago to make the arrest," the commander of the Preventers reported in her usual businesslike manner.
"Alright, I'll be there in thirty minutes," Lucrezia replied.
"Oh, and bring Relena with you; we need her to help confirm the Captain's identity. Meet me in my office. HQ out," giving the radio cut off out of habit, Lady Une hung up.
"What happened?" Relena asked, her face a mask of worry.
"I think we may have found the Captain. Come on, Lady Une said for us to meet her at Preventer Headquarters. I'll fill you in on the way," Lucrezia explained as she and Relena grabbed their purses, dropped a few bills on the table and made a beeline to Lu's car; Relena had walked from the mansion as usual.
"How did she know that I was here?" Relena asked.
"Lady Une has her ways," Lu replied with a shrug.
* * *
In the realm we consider "heaven" a figure, among all of the waiting spirits, gazed at one of the mortal mirrors that is the window into the world below. Hwang Jin Yoo, a young man, not overly muscular, but one would have trouble calling him a weakling. In a previous dimension his incarnation was a powerful martial artist who performed many deeds that required wisdom, courage, justice and temperance. It was for this that he was chosen to be an apprentice to Dimension Master for this dimension and no more can be said of his past.
"Four years, no, more than four years of watching the so called "Captain" of the Sentinels putter around the dimension. How does Meiran expect me to learn anything if my "model" doesn't even make a decent attempt to prepare these people for anything?" he ranted, his robes rustling as quickly as his temper. He paced in front of a large mirror ringed with leaves and branches of pure silver. The Eye of the Master was not only a means to view all that transpired in the mortal world but it could also serve as a transporter of sorts to the physical plane. "Any fool could raise a secret army, or build up a billion dollar company in a few years. What makes her so special?"
"Her power and how she uses it," a girl wearing a Chinese martial arts costume and drifting on a gray cloud answered. "Rumor has it that she is of the highest order of the Sentinels and, although she must follow our rules of using only a few at a time, her power exceeds that of most Dimension Masters."
"Master," Hwang Jin greeted her, bowing low. "Isn't she notorious for breaking those very rules? What can she teach others? Why is she granted these immense powers if she doesn't use them properly?" he inquired.
"That is what you must find out for yourself," Meiran replied. "I must leave the dimension for a short while. I leave this to you. Just mind the rules, stir it up and if anything big happens…you have permission to judge as you see fit." With that the gray mist enveloped her and disappeared.
"It doesn't sound hard but stirring things up sounds risky…." Hwang Jin mused to himself as a tiny shadow flits onto a corner of the mirror and disappears.