Last Resistance to Peace
Chapter 3
by Scarlet Eve
A.C. 204
April 7
Watching the guests arrive, Relena wondered if the grand ballroom of the Sanq Kingdom Palace would be large enough. Surely she didn't approve to invite this many people. Guests poured into the ballroom by the dozens, and yet, they were managing to pass by security. She wondered how many people had been turned away for not having invitations.
When she was a young girl, Relena had enjoyed celebrating her birthdays with these grand parties. She was a spoiled princess - her parents and older brother saw to that. But her enjoyment ended on her sixteenth birthday. Both her parents were assassinated on the way to the party. Some discontent rebels from another country planted a bomb along the road and detonated it as the king and queen's limo approached. The sparkle of April 7 had since lost its luster.
In spite of this, Milliardo was determined to celebrate her birthday every year the same as they had when she was young. Relena assumed that he thought that he could make her forget about the horrors of her sixteenth birthday. It wasn't that easy.
"Get that sour expression off your face."
Relena glanced up from where she stood on the raised dais at the front of the room. Milliardo and Noin were climbing the steps, carrying flutes of champagne. Milliardo handed her his extra glass and raised his own up as a toast. Relena repressed the urge to sigh and raised her own glass.
"To my baby sister, may she live forever," Milliardo said with a cheeky grin. They clinked the rims of their glasses together, and Relena took a sip of the champagne. It was, of course, her favorite.
"Who invited all these people?" Relena asked, gesturing to the rapidly filling ballroom floor. Milliardo shrugged.
"Who did you put in charge of organizing your birthday this year?" Milliardo asked.
"A few of the other assemblywomen, who insisted," Relena said, realizing how much of a mistake that was.
"But you signed off on it," Noin said gently. Relena didn't bother confirming what her companions already knew to be true - that she'd barely paid any attention to the planning of her birthday and signed off on everything without looking. In the balcony above their heads, the orchestra began to play. Relena glanced at her watch, a gift from her previous birthday. It was seven. Relena handed her champagne back to her brother and stepped up to the microphone. Take a deep breath, she began to speak.
"Thank you all for coming to celebrate my birthday!" she said, trying to sound cheerful. All the guests turned to face her at the sound of her voice, and in a near simultaneous movement, they bowed at the waist. "Thank you. Dinner shall be served at eight, and until then, please, dance and enjoy yourselves!"
Cries of "hear, hear," and "Happy birthday, Queen Relena" rose from the crowd. She smiled brightly, willing the smile to reach her eyes. The crowd began to break apart, some heading for tables that lined both sides of the ballroom, others towards the open bar. A large balcony was attached to the ballroom, and despite the weather, the doors were thrown open to allow the cool spring air into the vast room. Relena searched the faces of the guests, trying to identify who she actually knew and who was a stranger.
Relena had been thrust into her role at a young age, and therefore never had time to bond with other girls her age. She had been attending an elite school when her parents died, but after, she was pulled and finished her education at home. Her coronation at twenty-one put a further divide between herself and the rest of her peers, leaving her with Sally, Noin, and her brother.
She should not have a problem joining the fray below, the dancing and the drinking, but she knew from experience that the moment she set foot among them, her people would stop, to make way for her. It was better that she keep herself apart, even if it made the divide even wider.
"Hey," Milliardo said, prodding her in the ribs. "You're scowling again."
"Oh," Relena mumbled, and tried to rearrange her facial features into a more neutrally happy expression. Whoever said it takes more muscles to frown than to smile is a damn liar. Milliardo pulled a small, wrapped box from his pocket and handed it over to Relena.
"I found this and had it re-set for you," Milliardo said. Relena took the box and carefully pulled away the wrapping paper. Underneath the paper was a small box. Relena pushed open the lid to reveal a small broach resting on a cloud of silk. Relena picked it up. Laid in a rose gold setting was a coral cameo of the Peacecraft emblem. Relena recalled both her grandmother and her mother wearing this pin.
"Oh, Milliardo, it's lovely," Relena said, picking up the cameo and holding it to her chest. He smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek.
"I'm glad you like it," he said. "Now enjoy your party. I'm going to mingle." With a swift hug, he descended the steps of the dais and disappeared into the crowd. Relena traced the symbols on the cameo with a finger and touched the delicate rose gold setting. Her light shawl, which hung around her elbows, was brought up to wrap around her shoulders, and Relena pinned it in place with the cameo. The lift from the family heirloom gave Relena just the boost she needed to get through the evening.
Milliardo pressed the tiny, clear colored communicator earpiece into his ear and pressed the button on the receiver. "Can you hear me?" he whispered.
"Loud and clear," Noin responded, presumably from somewhere discreet at Relena's birthday party.
"Good. I'm about to board the helicopter. I'll check in when I land," Milliardo said.
"Ten-four."
Milliardo turned off the microphone on his receiver and zipped up his black leather jacket. The evening was proving to be much cooler than he'd originally thought. Briefly cursing his long hair, he tucked it down into his coat and pulled on his thin metal helmet. The helicopter in a secluded area of the Sanc International Airport started up, the propellers slowly coming to life. Milliardo jumped into the helicopter and slid the door closed. The pilot, paid handsomely for his silence, gave Milliardo a thumb up. Milliardo nodded, and in a few moments, the helicopter lifted from the ground.
The trip to the nearest Romefeller Military facility wasn't very far. Using some of Milliardo's connections, he'd been able to learn early on about Romefeller's shift to becoming a military organization. Milliardo shared that information with Relena, and together they made the decision to arm the Sanc Kingdom.
But Milliardo knew Treize better than that. There had to be something else to this military announcement. A secret weapon of some kind. Milliardo was determined to find out just what that secret weapon would be.
"Damn it," Noin mumbled to herself. "Who invited him?"
Treize Kushrenada entered the ballroom, dressed in his military finest, as if he just stepped off the stage at Romefeller and walked into Relena's twenty-fourth birthday party. The general din of the party softened as he made his entrance, the guests all craning their neck to see the new leader of OZ, a force for war, entering a party in a country that preached peace.
Noin glanced to Relena, who was standing beside Sally on the dais. The expression on Relena's face told Noin that she had also seen Treize enter the party. Relena picked up her skirts with one hand and descended the steps towards Treize, with Sally following close behind. Noin edged closer to this confrontation. She knew there would be Sanc soldiers hidden among the guests as well, watching for signs of trouble.
"Happy birthday, Queen Relena," Treize said, bowing with a flourish in front of Relena.
"Thank you, Chief Commander Treize," Relena replied, giving him a slight curtsey, the best she could do in her narrowly cut dress.
"You honor me with my title, but I am here as a friend of the family," Treize said. Noin saw through that comment about as fast as Relena did. She took this chance to come out of hiding.
"Is that Treize Kushrenada? How many years has it been?" Noin asked, stepping from a crowd. His glittering smile lit up on his face, and he embraced Noin.
"Lucrezia! I had forgotten that you took up residence here in the Sanc kingdom! Though I can't say I'm surprised," he said, winking at her. "Where is that scoundrel?"
Milliardo was barely out of the helicopter when Noin's voice came over the communicator.
"We have a problem."
"What is it?" he asked, speaking loudly over the helicopter.
"Treize showed up and he's looking for you," Noin said. "I claimed to be looking for you to leave the conversation."
"You'll have to come up with a cover story," Milliardo said. He waved to the pilot, who silenced the engines on the helicopter. In the darkness, Milliardo crossed the tree covered space towards the Romefeller facility.
"Whatever I tell him, Relena's going to hear, too," Noin protested. Milliardo swore.
"You are good at covering for me, Noin. I trust you," Milliardo said. He hid behind a copse of trees and peered between them at the facility. A tall, barbed wire fence surrounded the entire complex. He heard Noin sigh.
"I'll try," Noin said.
"Whatever you have to do. I'm about to breach the facility."
"Ok. Be careful."
Milliardo switched off his microphone again. Patrolling soldiers carried rifles along the interior of the fence and spotlights shone in most directions. Milliardo squeezed through the trees and approached the fence line, careful to avoid making any noises. Nostalgia for his days of training came to him, when he used to run simulations like this. How ironic that he was now using his training against Romefeller.
Milliardo attached a small explosive to a portion of the fence. After it was planted, he took the detonator and crept through the shadows several meters away, then pressed the button in his hand. The explosive went off, taking out a portion of the fence. Several soldiers shouted and ran towards the explosion, their rifles raised. Milliardo stowed the detonator and walked up to the fence. With a small set of bolt cutters, Milliardo cut a hole just big enough in the fence to crawl through. With a quick burst of speed, he was back in the shadows inside the fence line.
Idiots.
He could hear the soldiers shouting to each other. Ignoring them, he crept along the shadows of the building until he reached a door. Just another small explosive. He planted it against the lock and stepped back to detonate. The resulting burst was muffled, a less obvious explosive, but it would still draw attention to the soldiers. He could hear them shouting and running back his way. He pushed the door aside and slipped into the building.
Milliardo had been able to view the landscape of the facility, but not the inside of the building. He'd have to figure it out on his own.
The only light source inside the buildings was the minimal emergency lighting. Milliardo slinked along the hall and tried to get his bearings. Based on the signs besides the doors in the hall, it appeared he was in some kind of storage area. Milliardo bypassed this area until he came to an intersection in the hallway. There were signs on the walls with arrows pointing in different directions. One of the signs read 'Control Center.' Milliardo took this direction.
Relena could feel herself sweating underneath her dress. Treize was still chatting to herself and Sally, talking about general things, and what he had been up to the last two years. Noin had disappeared to look for Milliardo, but she hadn't come back yet. Normally, she wouldn't be nervous about any meeting with Treize, especially in the setting of a party, but his recent declaration to the Earth and Colonies had her on edge. She knew, just knew, that he had other plans in mind. This visit couldn't be an innocuous as Treize was making it out to be.
Noin emerged from the crowd, but she was alone. Relena frowned. Had she not been able to find Milliardo? Treize stared at Noin expectantly. "Where is my old friend?" he asked. Noin shook her head.
"I'm not sure where he went," Noin said. "I believe some of his other old friends from childhood are here. He may be talking to them." Relena raised an eyebrow and tried to meet Noin's eye, but the other woman wouldn't look at her.
The data Milliardo was trying to download was taking far too long. The files were huge - blueprints, spec information, weapon technology information. He sat in the chair, tapping his foot anxiously while he waited. Lying behind him on the floor were two OZ soldiers that he had knocked out. The soldiers had been guarding the door, which was no surprise. Milliardo had been able to sneak up on them and knock them out. He dragged them into the room and shut the door.
His internal clock kept ticking, warning him that he was running out of time before OZ soldiers would find him. He glanced at the progress bar on the screen, but it was only about seventy percent complete. He stood and paced the room, keeping his eyes on the knocked-out guards.
"Come in, Milliardo," Noin's voice said over the communicator.
"I'm here."
"How much longer will you be? Relena, Sally, and Treize are getting suspicious," Noin said. Milliardo glanced back at the computer screen.
"Fifteen perfect to go," he said. "I'm at the mercy of technology right now."
"Let me know when you're on your way back," Noin said. Milliardo detected immense worry in her voice.
"I will."
Thirteen percent.
Ten percent.
Noin tried not to chew on her fingernail as she watched Relena dance with Treize. He was smiling and laughing, but Noin could tell that Relena was faking her way through. Noin knew that Relena was getting suspicious of Milliardo's absence, and Sally had also disappeared, which made Noin more anxious.
Activity near the door of the ballroom drew Noin's eyes. The Sanc security guards were circling the door, attempting to block someone from entering. Nearby, Treize stopped dancing with Relena and pulled a slim cellphone from his pocket. He answered a call, and his eyes shifted to the front of the ballroom. Noin moved closer to Relena and heard Treize say, "Your highness, do you mind terribly if my Colonel joins us?"
Relena gave Treize a severe look. "Your Colonel?" Treize held a hand over the microphone of his phone.
"She's more of an assistant," he whispered. Relena tried not to scowl, but she nodded.
"Sure."
Treize spoke into the phone, then hung up and slipped the phone back into his pocket. "If you could be so kind as to have your guards allow her into the ballroom…?"
Relena glanced towards the door. Noin stepped up. "Allow me, your highness," she said, and strode across the floor towards the door. As she climbed the stairs, the Sanc security guards turned to look at her, questioning expressions on their faces. Noin nodded to them.
"Allow the guest inside," she said. "The Queen has permitted his entrance."
"Her, actually."
Noin turned and saw through the guards a woman standing just inside the door. She wore a red OZ uniform and was glowering behind a pair of large, circular glasses perched on her nose.
"Who are you?" Noin asked. The woman pressed a hand into her hip and leaned into it. Her stance was haughty.
"Colonel Une," she said. Noin frowned. She'd never heard of this woman before. She couldn't be much older than herself, but Noin didn't remember her from the military academy.
"You came here with Treize?" Noin asked.
"Chief Commander," Une corrected.
"Ah, Colonel Une." Noin turned at the sound of Treize's voice, and Colonel Une smiled. Treize climbed the steps to the door with Relena trailing behind. Colonel Une saluted to Treize. "I suppose my time is up?"
"Yes, sir," Une said. "We should leave now to arrive at your next engagement on time." Treize mimed a very disappointed face and turned towards Relena.
"You'll have to excuse my rude exit, your highness," Treize said. "Colonel, have you met Queen Relena Peacecraft?" Une shook her head.
"I'm afraid I haven't had the pleasure." Noin detected a distinct dislike in Une's voice. "It's a pleasure, your highness."
"The pleasure is mine," Relena replied in a restrained voice.
Une all but ignored her and snapped her gaze back to Treize. "We should go."
"Yes." Treize bowed to Relena. "I do hope you'll enjoy the rest of your birthday, your highness. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon." Relena simply nodded, accepting his well-wishes. Treize and Une were about to walk through the door when a loud voice called out over the ballroom.
"Is that Treize Kushrenada?"
All eyes turned towards the voice. Noin could have cried out in relief. Milliardo was striding through the crowd, parting it as he walked. He was dressed in his tuxedo, and his long platinum hair fluttered against his back with the pace of his stride.
"My friend, Milliardo!" Treize called back, extending his arms out. "I would have been extremely disappointed if I left this party without seeing you!" The two men embraced briefly. "Where have you been hiding?"
"Yes, brother," Relena added. "Where have you been?" Noin winced.
"Just some Sanc business to take care of," he said, waving a had dismissively.
"Nothing serious, I hope," Treize said, and Milliardo shook his head.
"What have you been up to?" Milliardo asked Treize. Une sighed heavily.
"Sir, we really must go," she said. Milliardo glanced at Une, obviously not knowing who she was either, but made no move to introduce himself to the Colonel.
"Alright, alright," Treize said, and embraced Milliardo one more time. "We shall have to catch up another time." Treize bowed once more to Relena and Milliardo and followed Une from the ballroom. Noin could feel how tense Relena felt despite the aloof attitude Milliardo was currently displaying.
"I think it's time I excused myself," Relena said. "Sally, would you please accompany me?" Sally nodded, and the two women descended the steps and crossed to the hidden door that would lead them back into the living quarters of the palace.
-SE