c1 (1/2)
[translation] Frozen Teardrop, Chapter 1
Treize File
Aurora Borealis it's not produced by the planet itself, but rather by the planets of the solar system The storm at Mars' North Pole had settled and the stars stretch out overhead Once, the atmosphere was too thin to , the atmosphere has become more like Earth's and now, the stars do twinkle But when the air is dead calm, that's when the Aurora Borealis comes Before your eyes, a white curtain floats down The thin, filel's or God's cape And when it flutters, shades of indigo, purple, green and even sometimes red bleed across the sky That's Aurora Borealis I'm aware that my description is somewhat cliche but be that as it raceful and solemn circle dance
Surprisingly, you can see the stars shi+ning through all the fluttering Tens of thousands of kiloreen It looks as though itthe stairway to heaven, like the stairs are hiding behind the billowing curtain of light Watching this ever-changing curtain reminds me of the majestic beauty of nature and the mysteries of space If it's this beautiful froine how much more beautiful it would have been as seen from the North Pole of Earth
ThereBeauty 'Aurora' The story tellers of old could have easily called her Thalia But if the name of Operation Mythos was misappropriated from Tchaikovsky's most famous classical ballet, it stands to reason we'd also use 'Aurora'
”For 'Aurora's Awakening,' thereprelude,” Father said In Tchaikovsky's ballet, the prologue is in four parts I thought itone of those four parts so I decided to listen to it to be sure
”So, thatwith a displeased look onand these files are needed to make the capsule work?”
”Exactly,” said Master Chang Not to me, but to the microchip that contained the converted data files that I was holding That was the only way Master Chang could look at me As soon as I handed over the chip, he practically snatched it away to scan and check the contents Master Chang opened up another prograraphic monitor in front of us; then, he entered the password The passas the year and season in which the filed was recorded
”With this, we can start the defrost systems of the capuse”
I couldn't helpme [since Father Maxwell mentioned it and] I had to toss out ue question
”But doesn't the prelude have four parts?”
”This boy is the fourth part,” Master Chang said He glanced at Father as the data loaded
”My prelude is equal to any symphony”
I thought Father Maxwell seeiven to speaking with such bombast
”The real problem is the condition Aurora will be in once he's out of stasis,” Father Maxwell said concernedly
He ly likable
”Successful awakenings from artificial hibernation have an 80 success rate, but I' some abnor there is a chance his memories have been wiped out completely”
”The old AC memories?”
”Well, yes”
”Hey, Father crapswell [1],” the boy called Duo butted in ”I couldn't give a rat's ass about that, tell me where my partner is”
”That is best left to Doktor T and Professor W”
I had heard both of those names before
”Do you by any chance mean Snow White and The Warlock?”
”Duh! Who else?!”
”You don'tto pilot”
”Ah, well he's been trained to Aurora's level for the sake of the symphony”
So that's why he was naht about it this little boy as a piolt 'hard to believe' would have been putting it mildly
”Equal? Screw that, I'm loads better [than Aurora is] You don't know jack, Fat Max [1]”
”It's e I raised him by myself after his mother died”
”Unfortunately,” said Master Chang in a clipped voice as he glared at the holomonitor, ”neither the 'Aurora Princess' and your son are [the best choices] for this mission”
”Well, we can't just leave him like that, now can we”
”” Master Chang kept silent
”Father, are you a Preventer, too?”
”No, no I don't have nearly as ,” he said with a grin ”Let's just say that we're old friends”
”Zero is the number of times I've ever considered you a friend”
”Hey now, are your or are you not the sauy who looked death in the eyes with me on that lunar base?”
”Hn I would probably be able to breathe a little easier now if you'd actually bit the dust then”
”Says you, geeze”
I had never seen Master Chang speak so ood friend and more like bad company
”The three files have been downloaded All that's left are your files”
”Yup”
Father Maxwell tossed hi loaded it into the computer and downloaded the data
”Are you going to download all that?”
”This is just the bare minimum”
If Duo orfor the jugluar I wasn't normally one to pose stupid questions, but it was my responsibility to see this operation successfully accoo ahead and ask
”This is probably a silly thing to ask, but this data is also from the AC era, correct?”
”Yes”
”Is AC 130 the earliest history on record?” [Kathy or Duo 2]
”Are you really going to upload all that old data into Aurora?” [Kathy or Duo]
”If Aurora wakes up now, the body will be as good as it hen he was first put into stasis, but it's entirely possible that theit no ]
”What about checking that data?” [Kathy?]
”Did you want to censor so]
”That authority has been entrusted to President Catalonia” [Kathy]
”Huh, so Dorothy's gotten along pretty well then I've never met her myself” [Father Maxwell]
And there was my proof that Father Maxas not a Preventer- to call the representative of the Earth sphere by her first name was unheard of
”She's a brilliant broad if Relena were at the helm, there wouldn't even be any Operation Mythos”
Even if he was a Preventer, there's no way he would ever call his co officer a 'broad”
”Say what you will, I'll have a look at Father Maxwell's files all the same”
”Looks like it'll take some time”
”What?”
”It ht be better to say you'll experience it rather than read it,” Father Maxwell said, twirling a pair of sunglasses I didn't knohat he lasses were actually the latest of virtual visors It meant that the files had been recorded in 3D, and the contents of those files was sent straight to your brain as if you had experienced the events as a guest or onlooker
”Aurora's mind was sophisticated Can we really recreate it with just those files?”
Master Chang looked unsure
”It's a risky bet thingsto our expectations”
”So he ht betray us, like he did before?”
”I can't deny that that is a possibility”
”It was pure luck this guy got to be Aurora anyhow, it's a dangerous garet”
Father Maxwell gave me a little wink
”Well, I' at all this”
”Whatever you're always like that”
”I don't need a Preventer like you to tell me that” [Er, Duo Jr seems to be a Preventer then?]
I copied Father Maxwell's microchip and checked the file in question It showed up on the holomonitor as a list of years and names and was separated into several chapters
”Father, what's this?”
”You could call it a history book, or even a biography Either way, everything about the past was processed by a special program called 'ZERO' and put onto this chip”
”Why does it start from AC 130?”
”If we gave him mealo hio bad What he needs isn't a history of Mars, but a history of After Colony”
I looked at Duo with sudden interest Either he was bored stiff with our conversation, or in a huff because he was lying on the sofa in the back of the roo limply all the way to the floor For soically at Duo as he said:
”This isn't the tripe printed in history books, it's all the e knew- the real behind the scenes stuff- that's really important”
”However ured out, we can't be sure your own subjectivity hasn't colored the files”
”And why should you be? In any event, I have tried to be as objective as possible”
”That's what I'm afraid of”
”Hey, I' modest here or aren't you Easterners familiar with the concept?”
And they were fighting like a pair of five year olds
I focused on the files 'Treize Khushrenada' was the very first heading Since it was just text, I could read it on the holomonitor It was, however, coe of Treize This is how Treize is portrayed according to the Preventers:
Treize Khushrenada (AC 171-195) Executive of Ro Corandfather was commander in chief of Romefeller, Khushrenada was born into elite society Moreover, he was extremely charismatic and by his excellent politics, collected many supporters and followers
All his actions were backed up by his unique philosophy and aesthetic and the Treize & Lady Une Faction showed tremendous confidence in them He was very aware of the sin of war and took it upon himself to memorize not only the number of casualties, but also the name of each and every person killed in the war
Following the OZ coup de tat against the Alliance, Treize spoke out against Ro his position for a time and he was put under house arrest for treason After the death of Duke Dermail, he returned as the Commander in Chief of OZ
Thereafter, he received the rank of Head of State from the Earth United Nation's Queen Relena and declared full war against Milliardo Peacecraft as representing the colonial revolutionist group White Fang declared full war
During the Eve Wars, Khushrenada challenged Peacecraft to a duel aboard Libra Peacecraft refused and discharged Libra's big guns As a result, Treize gave the order to corew confused and Treize's final opponent was Gundam pilot 05 The battle was fierce, but ended in defeat for Treize whereupon he forfeit his life He died at 24
There aren't supposed to be any errors in that account But those files of Father Maxwell's were unbefitting the uncommon hero Surely he was a man of many mysteries Why did he care about the fallen soldiers? When did he startthe names of the dead and the nuical and philosophical root severed and supplanted with a seed of pessimism? The ansere in those files I borrowed Father's virtual visors and plugged them into the computer I put on the visor and the word ”ZERO” popped up on screen The calculated history was input directly into my brain It was AC 170; it started one year before Treize was born
AC 170 WINTER
Two lovers stood under the Aurora Borealis: Ein and Angelina In the most northern part of the North American continent, there was a city called Yellow Knife The couple stood in a field of snow and adeously resplendent curtain of light twinkled on endlessly Later, even the locals would adht (as was seen on that night) To call it the ultinetic fields wouldn't do it justice
”Earth is beautiful fro,” murmured a wide-eyed Ein ”But then I came to Earth and actually saw this world and it's fantastic; inundated with beauty”
”Ein”
”Earth is beautiful it's so beautiful, and yet” Ein was troubled Angelina guessed at his feelings
””
Even though she understood what he wanted to say, she could offer hily ould continue ceaselessly And they were considering taking the war beyond the Aurora and out into space Ein pushed his worries aside and s else that was beautiful
”The Aurora is beautiful, but nothing holds a candle to you”
Angelina turned her eyes de his brazed admission
”I'm not that pretty”
Ein touched his fingers to her jaw and tipped her face to meet his
”Don't look at me,” he said, ”look at the Aurora”
”What?”
”I want to see the light reflected in your eyes nothing else could possibly surpass that in beauty”
They gazed into each other's eyes and then kissed passionately
Ein Yuy was born in AC 150 He was the nephew of colonial Probleine representative Heero Yuy Heero Yuy placed e of 20, Ein had been entrusted with bridging the gap between the colonies and Earth The current trip Ein was otiations with the Cinq Kingdom, a medical state, and the Romefeller Foundation
Angelina was the sole daughter of Romefeller representative Duke Cinquante Khushrenada; she was born in AC 152 Her father doted upon her froe and she lived a life free from want She often attended ceremonies and parties that promoted relations between the colonies and Earth No one could have forseen the changes one of thosenot only to her, but to all of mankind
Ein and Angelina met at one of those parties on Earth They fell in love at first sight and finally, after ed to sneak away to the North Pole It was unclear whether or not they actually inteded to elope at the ti the Aurora with Ein
”No regrets?”
”You're leaving after all?”
”Yes”
”I love you, Ein”
”And I, you, Angelina But there is work to be done”
”Then I a to space, too”
Ein shook his head alreat house of Khushrenada would perht of fancy Any more than Ein Yuy could part company with his uncle Heero and stay on Earth In words, it was impossible Reality was a bitter pill to s for both halves of the couple Nonetheless, they were so distraught over their parting, they considered any and every conceivable method to prevent it, so earnestly did they love one another In the end, however, Ein was forced to leave Angelina behind and return to space
People who have known absolute beauty, however, reject living a what they would henceforth consider the pollutedirrationally
The first tielina went to space alone happened athe Aurora Borealis with Ein He was on L-2 colony V08744 and atteive up at least military means of resistance V08744 was, at the time, the most extreme of the anti-Alliance factions Since it's construction in AC97, it was seething withconditions and ceaseless rioting brought on by a long reign of poverty All that rage was pointed like a spearhead at the United Earth Alliance Ein, however, had been successful in his persuasion He had convinced the resistance of Heero Yuy's ideal: create equality for the Earth and the colonies both
Heero Yuy's was a nao down in the history books, but would it be for his legendary leadershi+p and brilliant political skill or, from another perspective, because of his nephew Ein Yuy's quiet contributions of strengthening intercolonial relations?
After Ein successfully persuaded the resistance group, Angelina unexpectedly appeared before his eyes
”Ein,” she said, suddenly throwing herself into his ar hiht for the onlookers, then without even considering the danger, ereatest love
”Angelina”
The couple got married on V087444 at the small Maxwell church At the end of December AC 170 (by some accounts, it was Christmas day), the star crossed lovers, the most perfectly matched couple in all of space, beca the attendees was Ein's uncle Heero Yuy, who gave a short speech of congratulations
”May the future of these two be full of blessings We the people of the colonies did not leave Earth to start a e cam to love and to love one another We would like you to think that space exists for the sake of love”
There are now no traces of the Maxwell church (which should have stood to coroup of anti-Alliance colonists staged a coup de tat More than 240 people died when the church was burned to the ground All the world over, the event has been referred to as the Maxwell Church Tragedy If Heero or Ein had lived, if they had been on L-2, perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided However, talk of how history could have been different, the would-haves and could-haves, is just so much wasted breath
For the tiether on the colony Their life was bri with happiness ht hand orously to deepened intercolonial cooperation Because of this, however, he and Angelina could not stay in one place long Instead, they continuously shuttled around from one cheap hotel to the next As Heero Yuy's tools of persuasion in colonial political activities were purity and integrity, he never once used n funds or personal wealth (to support himself)
Also, the Cosmo Arma was hostile towards the colonies and feared Heero Yuy was scheainst earth) They were vascillating over whether or not to result to desperate measures and assassinate Heero Yuy Likewise, Ein, too, was forced into more secluded political activities
There was no reason Angelina, daughter of the plutocratic Khushrenada faabond lifestyle And yet, she continually asserted that, as long as she ith Ein, she was happy And that was how she lived her life until the suain
AC 171 SUMMER
”It has been too long, Uncle Heero,” said Angelina, as pregnant with her first child
”hello, Angelina You've grown even beautiful”
”How nice of you to say that but your flattery is wasted”
”But Angelina, if you want a smooth birth, Earth is preferable to the colonies,” Heero said as he stroked his bushy eyebrows as was his wont
Angelina was surprised to hear Heero Yuy, visionary of the colonies, spouting hundred year old superstitions about the dangers of giving birth in space
”There is no need to worry The dom has already solved that problem Today, there are no abnor in space” Fa tests on DNA manipulated test tube babies
”Of course there aren't I was randfather, Duke Cinquante Khushrenada”
”What about my father?”
”Since you came to space, he seems rather depressed When he heard about the child, he becaather”
There had been inforelina back to Earth It was hardly unusual for an old fashi+oned man such as Cinquant Khushrenada to fear the old superstitions about giving birth in space Most people on Earth fir children in space usually ended in death for both mother and child That vicious fallacy was intentionally spread in order to prevent further loss of great minds to the space colonies
”I could sound out Romefeller if you'd like”
”Uncle, I aelina said resolutely ”Our child has no connection whatsoever to the rest of the Khushrenadas”
”But Angelina”
”Heero had spoken out of worry for Angelina, but his words fell on deaf ears
”Please, uncle, do not worry about us We willabout so her, ”What about you, uncle? Aren't you going to e that carries the future of the colonies and the Earth”
”As long as there is so as the name Heero Yuy doesn't fade from the history books”
And then, Heero foreshadowed the future:
”If so should happen to ently touched Angelina's swollen stomach and a tender sht also”
”Of course”
That was the last conversation between Heero Yuy and Angelina Khushrenada
Meanwhile, Ein was preparing for an intervieith the colony's Cos was not going to take palce He received a ent”
”We've got a problem, Ein”