"Miss Foreign Minister?" said a voice.
Relena jumped, but quickly regained her composure, "Yes?" she said, trying not to sound like she was just asleep.
"I'm sorry to bother you, but you have a letter, and it is marked urgent." The man said. Relena was once again surprised at the deference that all people showed her. She was just barely seventeen, but all the people around her treated her with the utmost respect. Of course, she had to deal with that her entire life, so it wasn't a strange thing to her. There were some days however, that she wished they would all leave her alone.
Gundam Wing: Star's End
Chapter One: Farther Across The Stars
She nodded. "Of course, I'll get it at this console." She said, waving her hand. The man bowed and left. She sighed, and swung her feet over to the floor. Sleep would have to wait until later. Of course, sleep had always waited. The year was A.C. 198, that Relena was sure of. The thing she wasn't sure of was the time. How long had she slept? Though that mattered little, what mattered now was this letter marked 'Urgent'. She walked over to the desk, and sat in the leather chair, idly turning on the computer.
I wonder who the message is from… she thought. Could it be my brother? Or Heero.. She wondered where Heero was. Doubtless gallivanting all over the universe. He had sent her an email five months ago, saying that he was doing transportation on his ship, basically being a chauffeur. Not long after Maremaia, and what happened with the Barton family, Quatre had been elected leader of the Mars colonies. And then, not long after that, came the news that nearly all the rest of the Gundam pilots were somehow employed by him, as keepers of the peace. She punched up her messages, and saw the flash of urgent on the screen. And the letter was from… Quatre? Relena's heart began beating faster.
"It couldn't be…." She murmured, "No." The first few lines of the letter confirmed her fear.
'Dear Relena Darlian,
We regret to inform you that your comrade, code named Heero Yuy, has been deemed Missing In Action. On the day of 23-10-198, Heero Yuy was reported missing from his post leading the ship, "Zero Angel". Further news will be reported to you as it comes.
Thank you.' She was shuddering as she read, convulsing in anger and fear.
"How… How could he? He promised me.. Promised that he wouldn't die." She murmured, trembling. She almost didn't get to the next line.
'Dear Miss Relena. This is Quatre. I felt it was my duty to tell you what exactly happened. We are fairly sure he is not dead, so do not be afraid of that. We know Heero, and I know that he will not die. On the twenty-second of October, Heero was on the shuttle when it was boarded by pirates. Relena, I know something has changed about Heero. He was given an ultimatum by the pirate captain, a man named Neuvieme. The message that we recovered from the computer and that the crew backed up went very like so, 'Surrender Heero Yuy, or I will blow up your ship.' Heero went peacefully, and a message was given to the first mate. Heero said, 'Tell Relena not to worry.' You can thank the first mate for that message, as soon as you see him again. In any case, the ship was last spotted near the planet Venus. The crew of the Zero Angel wanted me to tell you that they were doing everything they could to find him. I know that the pirates won't kill him, but Relena, they're after you, and that's the only reason they kidnapped him. That means that they won't kill him, but it also means that this is all the more dangerous for you. Please stay put, I know Earth does not want to lose its most popular political figure, and we all do not want to lose you. Please don't worry. Love, Quatre." Relena's face was marked with grief. Not only the grief of losing Heero, and all that that entailed, but grief in the fact that they weren't allowing her to do anything about it. There was a knock at the door.
"Come in.." Relena said, her voice betraying her inner feelings.
Lady Une came into the room, "Miss Relena, I hope you don't think it's too forward of me, but could you please sign these?" she paused, "Miss Relena?" she asked, "Is now a bad time?"
Relena shook her head, "No.. no of course not. Welcome, Lady Une." She said with a false smile.
"Miss Relena." She said, concerned.
"H-how is young Maremaia?" Relena asked.
"Fine. She is recovering well.. And she.. She is asking about her father more and more often." Une said, "Miss Relena, I am sorry. Is this… about.." She asked, gesturing futilely toward the picture of Relena's father, which sat on the desk.
"My father? No, Une, surely you realize that I forgave you long ago about that. I know that you were not under control at that time. No need to apologize." She said briskly, standing up.
Une bowed slightly, "And I thank you for that, however, I just have these papers for you to sign." She said, offering them.
Relena nodded, her face set seriously, "I see, and what are these regarding?"
"They are regarding the October 31st meeting of colony heads and Earth sphere leaders. This is your agreement to attend. After this agreement, there is no turning back. They will expect you to be there." Une replied.
Relena nodded, and quickly signed the papers, "Good, I will take this as my return date." She said.
"Return date?" Une inquired.
Relena nodded, "I'm sorry to treat you as a simple paper lady, but when you return these, can you please requisition some papers for me to go on a trip off-planet?"
"Off planet? For what reason?" Une said, taken aback.
"Nothing important, it will say on the papers. Please do that for me." she said. There was such pleading in her voice that Lady Une nodded, and walked off, wondering what the problem was.
Relena sighed, "Now, for some business. It's the 24th, isn't it? No, the twenty-third. Good, that gives me a week and a day to get this done. That can't be a problem." She said with a sigh, though she knew it would be. She quickly typed up a message, speaking it aloud as she did.
"Dear brother, I am sorry to bother you… I need your help. Just come to the Futago air strip tonight, and be prepared for another passenger. I'll explain on the way, we need to get to the Mars Colonies. Or, at least, I do. Tell Noin I say hi, and once again I am sorry to bother you. I love you, Milliardo. Please just do this one thing for me." she said, with a sigh, and marked it Urgent, sending it off. She knew that he had been visiting the Earth for the last few weeks, and was probably somewhere around it as she spoke.
Une came back, holding the papers in her hand, "Miss Relena, you're not going to wait for these to be approved, are you?" she asked.
"You are right, Une, and I'm not going to use an Earth Sphere sanctioned vehicle, either." She said, "These papers are for those who believe that Relena Darlian is a follower of policy, and this 'trip' is for me. I'll just fill out the papers, now. Thank you for your help, Lady." She said.
Une blinked, "I wish you luck, Miss Relena." She said.
"Thank you." Relena said, and got to filling out the papers, very quickly. As she left to get to the airstrip, she left the papers on the desk. In the blank reading 'Reason for Trip,' There was hastily scribbled 'Family Emergency'. The door slammed, rustling them slightly.
Meanwhile, at the helm of a ship called Shiroi no Kaze, a pale man with blond hair sipped a cup of coffee.
"Sitting up late again, I see." Said the voice of a young woman. The man turned to see the speaker outlined in the light of the hallway. Her hair was slightly mussed, indicating that she had been in bed.
"Yes, Noin. I suppose I just can't sleep when this beautiful earth is below us. I feel like the huge presence below me is creeping up. It's a nervous habit, I suppose. I've never been able to relax while a large celestial body is so near." He laughed, "I suppose I shouldn't have had such large windows installed in my ship." He said.
"Perhaps. Or perhaps it's just you having respect for the earth. It's a refreshing thing." She said, walking to lean on the chair behind him, "I myself have a hard time sleeping under these circumstances. Sometimes, I just sit up in bed and stare at the continents, outlining everything with my fingers. It feels almost like I'm caressing the earth."
"Hm." Zechs said, looking up, "To me, it's like an old lover. Even when I leave it, it hangs over my shoulder. And over the other… A new lover." He said, and she leaned down to kiss him. However, before their lips could touch, a klaxon sounded.
"What is it?" Noin asked, as Zechs turned to face the console.
He frowned, "An urgent message. From Relena." He scanned over it, and frowned, "Well, it looks like I'm going back to visit my old lover. Relena needs us." He said, moving his shoulders back so that she could read.
The small white ship powered up and streaked through the sky like a shooting star, sending white rain throughout the stratosphere.
At Futago air strip, Relena watched while the shining white ship hovered above the water, causing the sea to ripple slightly. Relena checked her watch.
Only 2300 hours. Good. I'm making good time. I wasn't sure that he would arrive. She thought. The ramp came down from the ship, and down came her brother, jacket flapping in the wind. She couldn't hear him over the wind, but she saw that he was happy to see her on his face. He put his arm around her shoulder and led her into the ship. There was no one for her to wave goodbye to, and that was her own doing. If she had told anyone, they would have insisted on all sorts of protocol, and she had no time for that. They made their way up the ramp, and as the door whooshed shut,
Zechs paused, "Now, dear sister, what is this all about?" he asked.
Relena smiled, "For one, I have to thank you and Miss Noin for going out of your way to come retrieve me. However, time is of the utmost importance. I promise that I will explain just as soon as we are out of the atmosphere." She said.
Zechs gave her an uncertain glance, and then sighed, "Well, I know that if it wasn't important, you wouldn't leave your precious earth. I'll wait to hear the fantastic story." He said.
He pressed a button on the wall, "Lucretia!" he called.
"Yes?" came Noin's voice.
"Prepare for liftoff." He said.
"Roger that." She said.
Relena smiled in relief, "Thank you, brother. You don't know how much this means to me." she said, sighing.
"Well, just come on, I want to lift off fast so that we can hear this amazing story." He replied.
Relena laughed.
A short time later…
"Mmm… Thrusters powered down.. flaps descended, orbit of earth stabilized." Noin said aloud, more for her own benefit.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING??" came a voice over the comlink.
Noin winced, "I knew I shouldn't have left the channel open.." she murmured. She pressed a button, "ES shuttle 26197 Shiroi no Kaze reporting, what is the problem?" she said in a sweet voice.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WHAT IS THE PROBLEM!!??" the voice said, "Unauthorized liftoff from an Earth Sphere sanctioned port-of-call, with unknown passengers! WHAT IS NOT THE PROBLEM!?"
"Passengers authorized, Zechs Merquise, codenamed Wind, Lucretia Noin, codenamed Water."
"You know what I mean, Lieutenant Noin, there was a passenger picked up at Futago station, AN UNKNOWN PASSENGER. We want a bio on that passenger, now!"
"I am no longer called Lieutenant, ST Control. And this passenger wishes to remain anonymous." Noin said, closing the link.
The door whooshed open, and Zechs stepped through, "I got comm signal, who was it?" He said.
"No one that one Lieutenant Noin could not take care of." Noin said with a grin, jabbing her thumb into her chest. She waved at Relena, as the young woman entered behind her brother, "Hey, Relena."
"Good evening, Miss Noin." She said solemnly.
Noin made a moue, "What's with the formality? I didn't greet you with a salute and, 'Good evening, Miss Foreign Minister,'" Noin said, hands on hips.
Relena shrugged, "I apologize, I feel like I should be formal, as this is the first time I've broken protocol." She said.
Zechs put his hands on her shoulders, "Now, now. That's a little bit of skewed logic…" he said, "Tell us the whole story." Relena sat down, and proceeded to explain.
"…And I decided to go." She finished, "Brother, please don't make me go back." she pleaded, with tears in her eyes, exactly like a young girl caught running away from home.
Zechs crossed his arms, "Relena. If it were up to me, I wouldn't let you go anywhere near even the ship that Yuy was on. But.. You are an adult now, able to make your own decisions. So, there's nothing, really, that I can do." He said.
Relena smiled, "Thank you, Milliardo." She said.
Noin frowned, and crossed her arms, "Well, I wish that you would reconsider, but I know if it were me.. I'd do the same thing. I just hope that Quatre doesn't chew you out." She said with a grin.
Relena laughed, "I think I have more danger of that from the people who will have to do my job for this week." She said.
Zechs smiled, "Well, in any case, sister, I trust that you will not put yourself into any more undue danger." He smiled, "If you died… I'd have to kill you." He said.
Relena laughed, and then sighed, "Well, I'm sorry to put you to more trouble, but… I haven't had any sleep in a long time. My nap was interrupted by some news, and if it's not too much trouble, could you direct me to the room where I am to be staying?" she asked.
Zechs and Noin exchanged glances, "Well, you can have my room, and I'll just bunk with Noin." Zechs said.
Relena blinked, "'Bunk'?" she questioned with a wry twist of her lip.
"I'll just direct you to that room then." He said quickly.
As they walked out into the hall, Relena grinned, "Is it too presumptuous for me to assume that you and Miss Noin are…" She paused to search her mind for an appropriately embarrassing metaphor, "Knocking boots?" she said, grinning.
He flushed, not quite a blush, but very close, "Yes it is." He said, "Much too so." He said, "Here is your room." he finished.
"Not even allowed to have a little fun with my brother…" she muttered, "I must really be grown up."
"You also have a skewed vision of what it is to be adult, Miss Foreign Minister." He said, his finger pointing at her face, "And you need some sleep. We'll wake you when we get there." He said, shutting the door.
Relena sighed, and stared out the huge window, as she changed into her nightgown. She was unable to help herself from walking up to the window, and putting a hand on it, wondering which one of these stars was the one she wished on. She sighed, "Fine, then, I'll just wish on them all." She said, spreading her arms wide, "Stars, God, hear my plea! Help me to find Heero!" she said, "I will do my best, and the rest, has to be done by you, God." She sat down on the bed, and brought the last thing that she packed out of her suitcase. She wormed under the covers, hugging the soft bear that was Heero's last gift to her.
She looked at it, "Well, Heero, since you're not here.. I'll have to say it myself.. Mission Accepted." She smiled, aware of the cliché of her phrase, "I'll go across the stars for you." She said, "Farther across the stars than I have ever been…" she said, nuzzling her face into the bear, "Maybe at the end, I'll find you." She murmured, as she drifted to sleep.
TO BE CONTINUED
