Colony X-28524, L3 Colony Cluster, Outer Space
Catherine Bloom stretched her arms above her head and yawned. It was a bright, sunny day and she was standing outside the entrance to her trailer. Then again, she thought, it is always sunny and light here on the colonies. She and her circus were making a trip throughout the colonies, but right now she had a little time to herself before the next show, so she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Walking around, she found a grassy spot to sit down on. She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She enjoyed quiet time and solitude. Hearing footsteps behind her, she smiled and, without looking back, said, "So, you decided to join me after all."
Her surrogate little brother, Trowa Barton, sat down next to her. He wasn't really little, nor had he ever been, but Catherine had always acted as a sisterly figure to him. She looked over at him and stared into his deep, expressionless, green eyes. He continued to stare past her, his countenance remaining unchanged. She sighed. "Why can't you ever smile of your own accord?" she asked him. "Why does it have to be forced out of you?"
"What's the point?" he replied.
"What do you mean 'What's the point?'" she retorted. "Smiling and being happy is better than wearing that dour expression all the time."
Trowa closed his eyes, and his lips curled into a slight grin. "I know," he said quietly. "I was kidding." Catherine smiled and hugged her little brother. After a while, she thought she heard more footsteps and a slight squeaking sound she could not identify. She looked at Trowa. He had obviously heard it too, because he turned around and looked behind them. Following his lead, she turned to see what was making the noises.
Two people were approaching them. One of them was a girl, no older than fifteen, with vibrant red hair tied back in a ponytail. She was sitting in a wheelchair, which was making the squeaking noises. A young woman wearing a black and green jacket bearing the insignia of the Preventer Agency was pushing the wheelchair. She also had red hair, except that hers was shorter and wavier, with two locks of hair that artfully framed her face.
Catherine thought she recognized the girl in the wheelchair from somewhere before, but she had never seen the other person. She stood up, Trowa following suit. As the pair approached, Catherine was about to greet them when Trowa surprised her and greeted them instead. "Hello, Mariemaia," he addressed the young girl in the wheelchair.
"Trowa Barton," she replied, using his name as her greeting.
"It's been a while," he said.
The young girl smiled slightly. "Seeing how we've never actually met face to face, I suppose it has been a while." She leaned forward and extended her hand toward him. After a few seconds' hesitation, Trowa reached forward and shook her hand. Mariemaia then turned to Catherine. "Excuse me for being so rude. My name is Mariemaia Khushrenada." She held her hand out.
Catherine finally realized where she had seen this girl before. Mariemaia Khushrenada was the figurehead of the revolution that occurred in AC 196, when she and her colony declared war on the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. She was manipulated by Dekim Barton, the mastermind of the original Operation Meteor, into believing she was carrying out her father's will. In the end, Trowa and the rest of the Gundam pilots were successful in foiling Dekim's plans, but not before he had shot Mariemaia after she had come to realize that she was being manipulated. The bullet grazed her spine and paralyzed her legs.
"So, you're Mariemaia Khushrenada," Catherine said, shaking the girl's outstretched hand. "I'm Catherine Bloom. I've heard a lot about you."
Mariemaia's smile turned rueful. "Not all of it is good, I expect." She turned and looked up at the young woman. "And this is my guardian, Aeron Mackenzie."
Aeron nodded and shook both Catherine's and Trowa's hands. "I'm with the Preventer Agency," she introduced herself in a lilting, cultured accent.
Catherine looked at Mariemaia, then at Aeron, then back at Mariemaia. "You two aren't related, are you?" she asked.
Mariemaia laughed and Aeron chuckled. "No, we're not," the older redhead replied. "But we get that a lot."
Trowa folded his arms over his chest. "So, what brings you here? I don't suppose this is a social call."
"It's an informal social call in the guise of a formal official one," replied Mariemaia. "We've been sent here by Preventer Chief Une to request that you two come with us back to Earth."
Catherine's eyes widened. "The both of us? Whatever for?"
Aeron shrugged her shoulders. "The orders were pretty ambiguous. But they did request that you, Catherine, come along as well."
Catherine looked over at Trowa. "Do you know why Lady Une would want us both to go? I mean, I can understand if she wants to talk to you, but what would she possibly want me for?"
"Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it's important," replied Trowa. To Aeron, he said, "When do we have to go?"
"That wasn't exactly specified, but I think the sooner the better," she answered. "We can have a shuttle ready for you right away."
"So, we're going, Trowa?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Catherine started back towards the trailers. "I'll go get our things ready," she called. Trowa nodded.
Aeron pushed Mariemaia forward bit, just enough so that she was adjacent to Trowa. The girl looked up at the quiet young man. "What were you doing out here anyway?"
"Thinking."
"Oh. You quiet ones always do a lot of that." She fidgeted in her seat. "Trowa, did you know my father?"
There was a momentary look of surprise on Trowa's face, and then it vanished as quickly as it had come. "I knew who he was and I fought against him. If you're asking if I knew him personally, then the answer is no."
Mariemaia looked at her feet. "Oh. Then did you know my mother?"
"No, she died when I was still young. I learned about her from the Barton Foundation's files." Trowa glanced at the girl next to him. Her expression was one of deep sorrow. "I'm sorry Mariemaia. The only people who could have possibly known anything about her were Dekim and your real uncle, the original Trowa Barton."
"I know. I just wanted to see if you knew anything more," Mariemaia said, staring forlornly off into space.
"There are people that knew your father well, though," Trowa continued.
"Yes, Lady Une knew Father better than anyone."
"There are two other people that might know a little bit more about Treize."
"Really? Who?"
"Wufei Chang and Zechs Merquise."
Mariemaia looked taken aback. "I knew about Zechs, but I didn't know Wufei knew Father."
"Oh, he knew your father pretty well, I think."
"No wonder he joined..."
They stayed there for a while, not saying anything to each other and contemplating things. The silence was broken only by Aeron saying that Catherine was ready with everything. The quartet exited the circus grounds and piled into a waiting limousine, which then sped off to the spaceport.
There was a slight breeze in the air, ruffling leaves and causing them to take flight. It blew over the grassy knoll and a few leaves settled next to the clown half-mask in the grass.
Catherine Bloom stretched her arms above her head and yawned. It was a bright, sunny day and she was standing outside the entrance to her trailer. Then again, she thought, it is always sunny and light here on the colonies. She and her circus were making a trip throughout the colonies, but right now she had a little time to herself before the next show, so she was going to enjoy every minute of it.
Walking around, she found a grassy spot to sit down on. She drew her legs up to her chest and wrapped her arms around them. She enjoyed quiet time and solitude. Hearing footsteps behind her, she smiled and, without looking back, said, "So, you decided to join me after all."
Her surrogate little brother, Trowa Barton, sat down next to her. He wasn't really little, nor had he ever been, but Catherine had always acted as a sisterly figure to him. She looked over at him and stared into his deep, expressionless, green eyes. He continued to stare past her, his countenance remaining unchanged. She sighed. "Why can't you ever smile of your own accord?" she asked him. "Why does it have to be forced out of you?"
"What's the point?" he replied.
"What do you mean 'What's the point?'" she retorted. "Smiling and being happy is better than wearing that dour expression all the time."
Trowa closed his eyes, and his lips curled into a slight grin. "I know," he said quietly. "I was kidding." Catherine smiled and hugged her little brother. After a while, she thought she heard more footsteps and a slight squeaking sound she could not identify. She looked at Trowa. He had obviously heard it too, because he turned around and looked behind them. Following his lead, she turned to see what was making the noises.
Two people were approaching them. One of them was a girl, no older than fifteen, with vibrant red hair tied back in a ponytail. She was sitting in a wheelchair, which was making the squeaking noises. A young woman wearing a black and green jacket bearing the insignia of the Preventer Agency was pushing the wheelchair. She also had red hair, except that hers was shorter and wavier, with two locks of hair that artfully framed her face.
Catherine thought she recognized the girl in the wheelchair from somewhere before, but she had never seen the other person. She stood up, Trowa following suit. As the pair approached, Catherine was about to greet them when Trowa surprised her and greeted them instead. "Hello, Mariemaia," he addressed the young girl in the wheelchair.
"Trowa Barton," she replied, using his name as her greeting.
"It's been a while," he said.
The young girl smiled slightly. "Seeing how we've never actually met face to face, I suppose it has been a while." She leaned forward and extended her hand toward him. After a few seconds' hesitation, Trowa reached forward and shook her hand. Mariemaia then turned to Catherine. "Excuse me for being so rude. My name is Mariemaia Khushrenada." She held her hand out.
Catherine finally realized where she had seen this girl before. Mariemaia Khushrenada was the figurehead of the revolution that occurred in AC 196, when she and her colony declared war on the Earth Sphere Unified Nation. She was manipulated by Dekim Barton, the mastermind of the original Operation Meteor, into believing she was carrying out her father's will. In the end, Trowa and the rest of the Gundam pilots were successful in foiling Dekim's plans, but not before he had shot Mariemaia after she had come to realize that she was being manipulated. The bullet grazed her spine and paralyzed her legs.
"So, you're Mariemaia Khushrenada," Catherine said, shaking the girl's outstretched hand. "I'm Catherine Bloom. I've heard a lot about you."
Mariemaia's smile turned rueful. "Not all of it is good, I expect." She turned and looked up at the young woman. "And this is my guardian, Aeron Mackenzie."
Aeron nodded and shook both Catherine's and Trowa's hands. "I'm with the Preventer Agency," she introduced herself in a lilting, cultured accent.
Catherine looked at Mariemaia, then at Aeron, then back at Mariemaia. "You two aren't related, are you?" she asked.
Mariemaia laughed and Aeron chuckled. "No, we're not," the older redhead replied. "But we get that a lot."
Trowa folded his arms over his chest. "So, what brings you here? I don't suppose this is a social call."
"It's an informal social call in the guise of a formal official one," replied Mariemaia. "We've been sent here by Preventer Chief Une to request that you two come with us back to Earth."
Catherine's eyes widened. "The both of us? Whatever for?"
Aeron shrugged her shoulders. "The orders were pretty ambiguous. But they did request that you, Catherine, come along as well."
Catherine looked over at Trowa. "Do you know why Lady Une would want us both to go? I mean, I can understand if she wants to talk to you, but what would she possibly want me for?"
"Whatever it is, I'm pretty sure it's important," replied Trowa. To Aeron, he said, "When do we have to go?"
"That wasn't exactly specified, but I think the sooner the better," she answered. "We can have a shuttle ready for you right away."
"So, we're going, Trowa?" Catherine asked.
"Yeah, I guess so."
Catherine started back towards the trailers. "I'll go get our things ready," she called. Trowa nodded.
Aeron pushed Mariemaia forward bit, just enough so that she was adjacent to Trowa. The girl looked up at the quiet young man. "What were you doing out here anyway?"
"Thinking."
"Oh. You quiet ones always do a lot of that." She fidgeted in her seat. "Trowa, did you know my father?"
There was a momentary look of surprise on Trowa's face, and then it vanished as quickly as it had come. "I knew who he was and I fought against him. If you're asking if I knew him personally, then the answer is no."
Mariemaia looked at her feet. "Oh. Then did you know my mother?"
"No, she died when I was still young. I learned about her from the Barton Foundation's files." Trowa glanced at the girl next to him. Her expression was one of deep sorrow. "I'm sorry Mariemaia. The only people who could have possibly known anything about her were Dekim and your real uncle, the original Trowa Barton."
"I know. I just wanted to see if you knew anything more," Mariemaia said, staring forlornly off into space.
"There are people that knew your father well, though," Trowa continued.
"Yes, Lady Une knew Father better than anyone."
"There are two other people that might know a little bit more about Treize."
"Really? Who?"
"Wufei Chang and Zechs Merquise."
Mariemaia looked taken aback. "I knew about Zechs, but I didn't know Wufei knew Father."
"Oh, he knew your father pretty well, I think."
"No wonder he joined..."
They stayed there for a while, not saying anything to each other and contemplating things. The silence was broken only by Aeron saying that Catherine was ready with everything. The quartet exited the circus grounds and piled into a waiting limousine, which then sped off to the spaceport.
There was a slight breeze in the air, ruffling leaves and causing them to take flight. It blew over the grassy knoll and a few leaves settled next to the clown half-mask in the grass.