Shin Kidou Senki Gundam W: Frozen Teardrop – Shokuzai no Rinbu Chapter 5.1

MC File 1

Once upon a time, there was a person who had two names. That person was the heir to a peaceful country but sought revenge for the country's destruction; so he put on a helmet/mask, changed his name, and became a legendary hero in a certain army. That person now says he will purge the foolish people. Why does he choose to do this? And--- isn't this [person/place/period/idk] completely pacifist? Or is this the instinct of a hero? This person presumably truly hates peace. Perhaps he hates his little sister who carries on her father's dying with for peace. Still, no one can be sure of his real intent.

AC 195 - Dorothy

***

MC-0022 Next Winter

I don't have a name. I have no past. I was nothing but a mere expendable that could be thrown away. My youth was spent like nothing so much as a [dirty] old rag. For as long as I can remember, I've had to make like a terrorist just to survive the rough streets (lit: land) of Mars. I never felt any particular inconvenience [about not having a name], but the guys around me seemed to care and somewhere along the line, they took to calling me 'Nanas.h.i.+.'

Basically 'history' doesn't exist. That's the same as me not having a name. The concept of 'history' is historians and historical scholars comparing historical data, understanding it, at the time those records are spoken in some form, 'history' is, from the start, what 'existed.' We who have given ourselves up to s.p.a.ce and its (flush) of time are unable to understand the current condition of 'history.' First of all, the word 'history' is unclear as it doesn't distinguish between 'human history' or 'Earth history' or 'history of the solar system,' we don't know from whose point of view [this history] is being told from or by whom it is given a voice. Supposedly a thing owned collectively by man, as long as [it is] historians and historical scholars as opposed to something like 'G.o.d' speaking, then their personal subjectivity cannot help but [affect the telling of] history. That is why I don't trust the 'past' which [is usually considered] 'history.' No, I cannot find the value in the mere past. Maybe my feelings would be more clearly expressed with a straight forward 'whatever.' And if man believes, as I do, that the 'past' has no value, [then] 'history' isn't a collective possession and 'time' is nothing but a disposable expendable.

The Mars Federal Government announced 'Mars Independence' to the United Earth Sphere five years ago. [One] Martian revolution [around the sun] corresponds to about two Earth years. So in Earth time, it was about ten years ago. The Mars Federal Government representative was the first [Mars] President: Milliardo Peacecraft. He, who had been selected by the citizens of Mars, won the Mars government its autonomy [by] repeated negotiations with tenacious Earth; eluding the sabotage of the for-profit business organizations of/for Mars' development; not [resorting] to such extreme measures as a war of independence; and without spilling so much as a single drop of blood. In that [declaration of] independence, the people living on Mars p.r.o.nounced themselves Martians [ALT: In that declaration of independence, [Milliardo] gave the name Martians to the people living on Mars, after what they had called themselves.] Furthermore, people came to be able to live on Mars and it was this time that they took to calling it "Mars Century," retroactive from when the first firm steps [at colonization] were taken [#1]. There had been, untl that point trouble (lit: a hitch) in daily life caused by Earth's AC calendar conversion system which used colony standard time, and there was a need to [align] the length of a year ((687 days)) and the length of one day ((24 hours 37 minutes)).

It was this time more than any other that separated the history [#2] of Earth and Mars.

However, from around this time, peace and order on Mars began to fall apart. Differential society dissatisfaction was on the verge of exploding. In just a few short years, disputes had started across the land. Inaugural [start up?] enterprises began crus.h.i.+ng themselves. The (ditch) between the Anti-Earth Sphere and Pro-Earth Sphere factions was deep, and while the federal government leaders (who were going to unify) kept the tides of war blurred by standing neutral, the suppression of fighting and maintenance of peace went from the police system to the military organization. The chain of hatred among nations (lit: races) coming from different faiths and ethnicities also continues. So the victims retaliated and as a result they cried for revenge; the situation was an eternal ball [as in dance] that unfolded night after night with no end in sight. It's believed that the peace keeping system likely didn't cover [all] the Earth Sphere yet (and that's what caused the trouble). For the people of Mars, they started to feel that if it was going to come to this, it would have been better if they hadn't become a free state.

Another year pa.s.sed [MC-0018]. A mars year, that is.

***

MC-0021 First Winter

At Elysium island near the Mars equator, a large (scale) conference [among] leaders was being held in the (federal government central city) Relena City. Several VIPs from Earth had been invited. Presidential aide Lady Une, amba.s.sador Sylvia Noventa were in attendance. The "Little Prince" [#3]-- a frozen hibernation capsuel-- was set up in the back-most chairperson's seat of the hall. A single rose was among the [bed of] thorns, and albeit an imitation, it was beautiful. An eternally beautiful little girl slept within. She rendered distinguished service to the Mars Terraforming, Relena Peacecraft did. She had encountered trouble on the pa.s.sage from Earth to Mars and [has since] been sleeping in the hibernation capsule; that's what I heard, but the details have never been officially disclosed. Milliardo, the first president of the Mars Federal Government, stood in front of the capsule and, facing the government leaders and VIPs from every country, began his address. He whitewashed over peace and history [ALT: Whitewashed the why-fors and what-wheres of peace and history]. I was a part of the security detail and stood in the very front [of the audience] with my back to (that) President Milliardo. In the middle of the address, the order came. Suddenly, explosions [rocked] all over the conference room. Just as planned. It was the timing device my comrades had taught me. With the conference room in an uproar, it was our job to guide President Milliardo and the SP [#4] to a safe place; that was my official stance (lit: face) to the end. I shouted, "THIS WAY!" At the same time, I pulled out my pistol, aimed at my target and pulled the trigger. The silencer rang out a dry machine sound [#5] and the bullet shot clean through Milliardo's wrinkled brows. Instantaneously, there was another explosion somewhere else. That, too, was as planned. I took advantage of the melee and fled outside the conference room. Immediately I ditched the officer's uniform and pulled my favorite knit cap low over my eyes. The hat had frayed threads here and there and my comrades teased me about having a worn out rag sitting on my head. It was unmistakably me who had killed Milliardo Peacecraft. I was raised as a terrorist, the only thing I had been taught was how to destroy authority. But I wasn't interested in politics. It was just a matter of my bosses telling me to do it and I did it [ALT: when my bosses said 'jump' I asked 'how high.'] I wondered where the group who made them move was. Earth sphere radicals and Mars development business foundations stripped of their vested rights and a secret organization called Preventer.... what interest were [any of] those to me, the tail of the lizard [which is easily cut off #6]? I ran through downtown with its small-scale swarm of tent-like residences. I ran like the devil was after me. But the (garrison) had blocked [my way]. The terrorists who were supposed to be my comrades were also looking for me. Betrayal and destruction of evidence was our usual modus operandi. There was nothing I could do but run. No other way save to continue my flight. This time, it would likely be my turn [as the target] (lit: to be killed). I couldn't trust my intended escape route. Calling upon my rock climbing skills, I clambered up a wall and took refuge in the ventilation of [some] house (I'd never seen before). Terrorists have a habit of infiltrating the underground [areas]. Even so, I went ahead and (prowled around behind/in the ceiling) and somehow managed to escape the pursuit of the garrison and my former comrades [#7]. I bore hunger and thirst, but weathered it out for several days. Nevertheless, places for me to take refuge steadily became fewer and fewer. It had probably been a week since the [a.s.sa.s.sination]. In the uproar, I had been seen by people totally unrelated [to the incident]. They tipped off the (garrison). It would be possible to kill them before I got reported, but I got disgusted by the thought of killing someone just so I could keep going. I understood that there was nowhere in [all of s.p.a.ce] where I deserved to live [alt: was worthy of living]. Regardless, I still had a touch of instinct that made dying at the hands of another rather distasteful. I think I'd rather use this gun and blow myself to kingdom come.

"......"

I looked at my watch. It was nearly the time Phobos-- disrupted as it was by the sun-- could be seen pa.s.sing. I often compared myself and this Phobos. The name means "fear" in Greek mythology. I had the sensation that "phobos" was pa.s.sing through me at present [#8]. The Martian moon Phobos ran contrary to the usual clockwise rotation of normal stars, it moved counter-clockwise [that's for the idiot note, Sumizawa!]. The satellite rose in the West and set in the East. It's a phenomenon caused by spinning at a higher speed than the rotational velocity of Mars. But its speed is also relatively fast [ergo] two or three times a day it can be seen (plunging) before the slowly moving sun from the opposite direction. And awaiting us (lit: less than fifty thousand years in the future) is its collision with Mars('s atmosphere) and the ring which will subsequently form from all the little pieces [of Phobos]. I believed with all my heart that [our] foolish existence continued to go against the flow of time.

"I'm not the only odd fellow."

I liked seeing (the scene of) that jet-black moon crossing-- no stabbing-- the pure white sun like [it was] a warped bullet.

"It wouldn't be too late if I died after seeing him [#9] off, eh......" I said creeping out from the attic of the tent house. Standing on the solar panel-covered roof, I looked over the panoramic [view of] Mars. Dust-filled gales blew across [the land]. The sky was covered with a thick layer of clouds: I could confirm neither the sun nor Phobos. I couldn't even see "Frozen Teardrop," as the second moon (or satellite) was so-called for its resemblance to a frozen teardrop. Things didn't go as I'd thought they would. I even laughed.

"Huh...... that's how it's gonna be, huh." I muttered and pressed the muzzled of the gun to my temple. I shed no tears. Naturally. My tears had long ago been frozen. Then, I heard the sorrowful tones of a violin (at my back). I inhaled sharply as I turned around, "......?" There was a tall man with long bangs standing there with his arms crossed. He was as scholarly type man, thin and close to past middle age [#10]. And a young boy about my age sat at the man's feel playing the violin. Or probably a girl as she was wearing a skirt. She [also] had on goggles. The song was Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade." My holding a gun didn't phase those two, they stayed as they were for a while. I fixed my aim to the man's forehead. Glaring down the muzzle of my gun, the man slowly raised both hands. He seemed to indicate he would not attack, but there was no carelessness in the movement and his eyes were filled with seething anger. The girl finished her violin performance and removed the goggles. She wore gla.s.ses under the goggles. It was considerably conscientious [of her] to want to protect [her] big, blue eyes from the dust clouds of Mars. I thought to ask them who they were but the man began to speak first.

"I also don't have a name, but if you must call me something, call me Doktor... T."

Also? The man calling himself Doktor knew that I didn't have a name. The girl, holding the violin under her arm, giggled.

"Isn't it inconvenient to not have a name?"

"This young lady is Katrine Wood Winner...... daughter of the house of Winner.," said Doktor in a calm tone. "However, you'd best take care...... neither one of us is as gentle as we appear." I wondered where exactly they'd appeared gentle. [ALT: I wondered where exactly they'd appeared from at all #11] Keeping my gun trained [on them], I affected a calm air.

"What do you two think you know about me?" Those were the first words I spoke when I met the Doktor and Katrine.

"You are me," Doktor lowered his hands and barely moved his thin lips. "I know everything." That sharp look [of his] shot straight through me (lit: my heart) like an arrow. "[You] don't bare your fangs at those who are not your enemy...... you're a docile man."

Point my gun as much as I liked, I couldn't [bring myself] to pull the trigger. The Doktor-- it was like he saw through me.

"Do you know who I've killed?"

"Milliardo Peacecraft died in AC 195, [he died] in battle at the last Earth Sphere war; the Eve Wars. What you killed was merely the spirit (alt: soul or apparition) of a dead man."

"That's ancient news," I wasn't such a simpleton as to so easily believe old stories like those that are written in textbooks, and I didn't care about history. I never went to school and so had practically no proper education. I'd come this far without having won so much as love or affection or what have you.

"Well, shall we talk about what happens now?" Asked Katrine with a smile on her face. "There are three options available to you." Slowly she stood up and brus.h.i.+ng dust from her skirt, spoke dispa.s.sionately. "The first is to commit suicide here......" I realized that instrument could not be [just an instrument (lit: negligent)]. "Another is to go into town and be killed by someone." I stood at the ready, aiming the muzzle of the gun at Katrine when she began talking; I interrupted her speech.

"I don't think there's any other way." Then, suddenly, I noticed the gentle light radiating from Doktor's eyes. Unknown words like father and mother cut across my mind.

"What you need is a place to call home." Never had I ever been looked upon with such kind eyes. "Wouldn't a third option be coming with us?" That shook my feelings. But I, like my ragged old knit cap, was still cold and dark and deeply suspicious.

"How did you find me (lit: know this place)?" A freezing red wind blew through.

"The lady...... her instincts are sharp."

"It's too bad [we] couldn't see Phobos, isn't it, Mr. I-Don't-Have-A-Name...... I wanted to see the sun being stabbed, too."

"......" I decided to give it up. There was no where to hide if they could see through every thing and anything. I surmised they weren't from my former terrorist organization nor were they the government's people. a.s.suming there truly was a third option, I thought I'd have them tell me. I had a dim memory of something surely French-- troisime chemin or something. When I thought of such an unnecessary thing, I realized I was already completely defeated.

"......" Without saying a word, I stuck my gun out to Katrine. She accepted it with a kind smile and in return, pa.s.sed me the violin she'd been holding.

"Salam [#12], Mr. I-Don't-Have-A-Name." The violin was a genuine instrument. I had thought it might have been concealing some kind of weapon but apparently I had been unnecessarily borrowing trouble.

"Yeah.... Zdravstvuj [#12]." I, like Doktor T had just done, raised both hands without putting the violin down. The choice to live necessitated considering myself as a captive.

"Don't do that, we're friends [#13], see?" Behind her gla.s.ses, Katrine's ernest eyes appealed [to me] strenuously. Much later I heard that Doktor T had once gone by the name "Nanas.h.i.+." Indeed, I thought I really probably was [the same as] that Doktor T.

***

I boarded a small hovercraft and left Elysium Island. After the Utopia Sea, we crossed the Acidalia Sea [note: there is an eponymous plain] and continued on South. [Since] I had nothing to do, I tried to play a waltz on the violin I'd received. It was a song I dimly recalled from when I was a little boy. Katrine came to listen.

"What's that song called?"

I didn't know.

"Renya no butoukai...... 'Endless Waltz', [#14] " said Doktor T quietly. "[We'll] have to change that waltz to a requiem sometime."

I was surprised when they took me to a little circus. It was on an isolated island (floating) in the Chryse Sea; I didn't think patrons would come to such a remote place. Was I supposed to work here? I supposed it was something an (old rag [this is the same thing he calls his hat]) like me could do, right? At the center of the little tent were lion and elephant gages; a trapeze and tight rope were suspended, slack, from the canopy. We crossed the stage and continued on backstage. There was a cramped office. There to meet us was a silver-haired gentleman with the same eyes as Katrine. I surmised this man was likely the head of the Winner household.

"Oh, that was quick, wasn't it." He had the exact (refres.h.i.+ngness :D) of a youth.

"It was fun, you should have come, too, (big) brother."

"No, I'm not used to Mars' (open) air." They were siblings with a pretty big age gap. "'Snow White' and 'Warlock' took up a lot of my time, too......" His manner of speech was just like that of a youth's but I could completely agree to [seeing] these two as father and daughter. "You're (young master) Nanas.h.i.+, right?" Said the silver-haired man as he held out a cup of coffee in my direction. "I'm Double-U...... Professor W." I took that to be the Winner 'W.'

"Doktor, what is your 'T' short for?" I asked as I drank my coffee. Saying no more than necessary seemed to be this man's [T's] prerogative (lit: characteristic).

"It's Trowa," Professor W answered with an affable [look to his] face.

Doktor T, however, denied that, "No, it's not T for Trowa. T for Triton......" Either way, they meant the number 'three', thought I; it didn't matter much to me.

"So what of this third path I was supposed to take?"

"About that," Professor W said as he booted up a holomonitor. "[Unfortunately] the state of affairs has surpa.s.sed what we had predicted...... I want you to see this." The final resting place of Milliardo Peacecraft appeared [on the screen]. The family was crying before the coffin. "Ms. Noin's anxiety is never ending......" Professor W muttered as he watched the screen. The image confirmed the widow Lucretia and the twins born to Milliardo, Naina and Milu, wearing mourning clothes. The kids were maybe a touch older than myself. [I] was caught with a slightly guilty conscious. "But you don't need to worry about [that]," Professor W touched the screen,"...... look carefully." [He] zoomed in on the picture and increased the resolution. Neither Miss Lucretia nor the twins (named Naina and Milu) were crying. All of them, they were only touching their handkerchief to their eyes.

"When you look at their eyes, you can tell [his] being killed was planned in advance." Doktor T, who was standing alone and leaning against the wall spoke coldly. "The problem is the man standing in the rear of the family......" The clip was paused and the man in question['s image] was enlarged. In a black suit and black sungla.s.ses stood a young man with long blonde hair and a unique air all his own. He had the impression of an SP bodyguard more than that of a government man. No, a military man is more like it.

"I want you to really remember his face...... he was in the secret service controlled directly by the President."

From over by the wall, Doktor T said quietly, "---Merquise." I couldn't quite catch what he said, but I remember it [sounded] like a person's name. "With your murder of the Mars Federal President Milliardo Peacecraft, both powers of the reformist and conservative factions have balanced......"

"Balanced?"

"Yes. Essentially, the revolutionaries were supposed to make great advances until the next president was elected."

"Then why are they in a state of equilibrium?" asked Katrine as she wiped her gla.s.ses.

"Most of the important members of the revolutionary faction have died...... he went to the Langrin Republic as a representative," Professor W changed the image on the holomonitor. He pulled up [an image] of the young man with long blonde hair we'd just seen. This time, the sungla.s.ses were off, his well-proportioned face announced, and he was wearing the deep green clothes of a military uniform.

"That was three days ago...... it was broadcast today."

"I am Special Officer First Cla.s.s Zechs Merquise. We of the Lanagrin Republic [wish to] announce [first] our declaration of secession from the Mars Federation and our independence and [second] we have decided to declare war against the Mars Federation."

He kept talking ironically about the 'abolition of Earth's rule [over Mars], and development of the upper cla.s.ses,' and 'the ma.s.ses are coming together.'

"That's Zechs alright," this time I could clearly hear Doktor T's words.

"Your third options was to take up our ideals (lit: will) and fight for all the people who couldn't fight."

"I'm the guy who's [acting as a dampener] to prevent the spread of the flames of war, right?" Katrine winked cutely at me. I thought it was just as I feared, I was going to be a clown.

"But the war had already begun," and I stated my position, "I'm a terrorist. War isn't my thing [which is why he thinks he's going to be a clown: what is a terrorist to the war effort?]."

"You'll be trained..... as a pilot." So saying, the Doktor turned his back on me. "This way...... let's show you your machine."

"?" I went after him and got in the elevator that went to the subterranean hangar.

***

An algae [able to] withstand dryness [dehydration?] was discovered on Jupiter's Europa moon and [because of it] the Mars terraforming progressed by leaps and bounds. 200 years ago Earth time, Mars gradually became warmer due to the greenhouse effect caused by the man-made freon (CFC?) atmosphere, but there remained a [considerable] level of carbon dioxide that made respiration impossible. [What's more], just a slight warming [had?] melted the polar caps, but the water was immediately absorbed by the [soil (lit: sucked up to the subterranean)] and in the winter, the newly formed ocean had reverted back into a desert. AC era s.p.a.ce developmental researcher Lana Green was the first person to think of using "Europa algae" on Mars. At the time, "Europa algae" was a big discovery in science, but it had no practical uses in daily life and was dangerous stuff that posed a threat to the planet Earth. The Europa algae far below the ice in the deep sea, upon being exposed to sunlight, multiplied-- with surprising speed-- a plankton commonly known as "Jupiter moss." Propagating this "Jupiter moss" on Mars greatly accelerated the warming and greening (note: the moss helped make it possible for more plants to survive). It was predicted that by these means, the terraforming could be done in a few decades instead of a few hundred years. Despite this, the intelligentsia in the early days of the AC era did not put this plan into action for fear of environmental destruction on a global scale. There was, however, an accident (some time). One of the several resource satellites that was brought to Earth left its...o...b..t and managed to crash into Mars. (Essentially/Normally), that resource satellite should have been called a "MO-VII." It fell in Argyre plain in Mars's southern hemisphere. Likewise, the h.e.l.las plain is also in the southern hemisphere too, but in this plain in quite ancient times [experienced] a collision with a meteorite. There, another resource satellite fell and a (double formed) crater of huge [proportions] was formed. The problem was the ice inside that resource satellite. "Jupiter moss" grew and multiplied rapidly. The peolpe living on Mars for the para-terraforming didn't notice slow environmental change [that was happening] outside [their] domes [#15]. Sandstorms continued to howl, the red earth and sky remained unchanged. In the Mars ground water, moss continued to grow, [the people living on Mars only] seemed to notice when the average temperature seemed to rise. And within a few short years, half the deserts of Mars filled with ocean water. Blue [note: this word is the same kind of blue used to describe Katrine and Quatre's eyes] water filled the Argyre double crater and it became a large lake, or rather an ocean. The oxygen (density) rapidly went up. From the inception of Jupiter moss in the double Argyre crater to the ocean that came to replace it, that body of water came to be known as the "Lana Green Sea" and (moreover) a huge manmade island was constructed there and that was the birth of the "Lanagrin Repbulic."

***

The elevator stopped at the lowest level. There was a (vast) hangar and factory. When the doors opened, there stood a huge, and despite being just a skeletal structure, obviously man-shaped machine. There were two of those works-in-progress there.

"So this is an MS ((mars suit))?"

"No, this is an MS ((mobile suit))."

I thought it didn't matter what they were called if the abbreviation was the same. The MTF ((Mars TerraForming)) was a two-legged manipulator-equipped machine used to reform Mars and had been in use since the para-terraforming days. The MTF was called a Mars Suit after it was modified for battle and the one who had (diverted it) for military purposes was the President Milliardo whom I had killed. To suppress disputes that [were occurring] all over the place, I can't deny it was necessary to possess overwhelming military power. Also, if you consider [how] sandstorms (accompany) Mars magnetism, it's obvious to employ giant humanoid weapons operated by pilots. Yet as long as the MS weapons were around, peace had not/never come to the people.

"Mobile suit?" I repeated that word, [just having] heard it for the first time.

"That's what they're called on Earth."

"Well, okay......" Why did I get the feeling thee was some fear/danger in Doktor T's eyes? Mobile suits were...... 'Manipulative Order Build and Industrial Labor Extended Suit' abbreviate that to [just] the first letters of the words and you get 'MOBILE Suit.' [#16] It was probably better (lit: straight forward) to stick with the "Mars Suit" that means "Mars Suit." Taking a deep breath, Doktor T said the names of the two suits, "This one is 'Prometheus' and that one is 'Scheherazade'." [One was t]he G.o.d who, by giving man fire, incurred the wrath of the G.o.ds and was branded as a traitor. [The other was a (beautiful queen who), f]or the sake of soothing the heart of a king who repeatedly slaughtered [stuff], told him fairy tales night after night. Greek mythology and Arabian Nights. There wasn't a single point in common between the two. Katrine had played 'Schederazade' on the violin, was that her trying to allude (lit: show off) to her machine? But they'd been given such weird names.

"Was the naming an interest of yours?"

"They were code names on the blueprints...... I don't care for them, but it's inconvenient when something doesn't have a name." That [last art] was for my benefit, do doubt.

"Which one will I use?"

"The young lady fancies (riding) Scheherazade, yes?"

"I don't know...... she might feel that way but that Professor is against it."

"Are they really siblings?"

"From here on out, if you're going to ask questions, ask yourself...... you're not as naive as you think."

"......" Plausible explanation: their father's genes were kept somewhere and decades later, the little sister was born from a test tube. That was all I could come up with. That, or they were playing a joke and making fun of me. Both [explanations] had their merits, but I didn't have the faintest idea if either one was true. And I realized it ultimately wasn't of any concern to me. I'd asked a meaningless question. It was a waste of time.

"Is that the kid you chose to succeed you?"

Overhead, a woman's voice echoed. Looking up, at the very top of the structured bones of the MS, a beautiful woman who wore the costume of a circus prima dona-- and wore it well-- was smiling. Just when I thought her long, wavy hair was bouncing (lit: shaking flexibly), she jumped suddenly and cart wheeled like an acrobat on the iron rod close to the ceiling and [then] as she flew into the air, she spun round and round in an eight and a half flip with a twist [before] alighting on a thin cord of wiring directly above our heads. [She had] marvelous physical ability/strength, and was sure of balance.

"Nice to meet you, boy."

Firm muscle, perfect proportions, peerless beauty, graceful carriage. She was flawless. I gazed at her beauty in rapture, I couldn't so much as speak, the words were caught in my throat.

"......"

Then, suddenly, I was knocked off my feet. When did [I?/she?] come down? She stood before me with her fist clenched in my face.

"Introduce yourself properly."

For a second, I didn't know what had happened but I was sitting with my b.u.t.t on the floor and felt the pain of my cheek swelling.

"Please be nice, sister."

"If you don't train kids and animals properly when they're small, they'll turn out like the b.u.mp on a log you are!"

"Nanas.h.i.+...... this is your trainer, Catherine Bloom."

"Miss! Miss Catherine!"

Doktor T had called her (older) sister, but she certainly didn't look [like the same age as he]. Saying she was in her forties-- no, just starting her thirties-- wouldn't be (a stretch) of the imagination [#16.5] And she had an excellent punch, despite hitting so hard, she hadn't [made me] bleed. But it really was a heavy hit. I stood up feeling woozy. She was taller than me.

"Pleased to meet you, ma'am [#17]." When I said that, Catherine's fist exploded across my face gain.

"MISS Catherine! Or Lady [#18] Catherine to you! I'll give no quarter the next time you call me ma'am!"

A perfect knockout. I hadn't been forgiven yet. Ever since I was a kid, I'd been punched by all kinds of people but now that I thought about it, I'd never been punched by a woman. I could hear Catherine and Doktor T talking: [it sounded as if they were] far away.

"What level [do you want him at]?"

"'Sleeping Beauty'."

"Time frame?"

"It will be 750 days until we complete the mobile suits...... we want him ready by then."

"You want an 'S cla.s.s Triple A' [guy] in such short order.... that kid'll die you know."

"He won't die."

"Okay, when do we leave?"

I guessed the training wouldn't be here [at the circus].

"There's a shuttle in the hangar one floor up...... it'll probably take about six months to reach Earth's...o...b..t."

But to reach Earth would take longer.

"It's not worth training [him] on Mars for its weak gravity."

***

For the first time in my life, I was leaving Mars. I wasn't broken up over it. Before I knew it, Catherine's training had begun on the shuttle. In addition to basic strength training in zero gravity (in activities) outside the s.h.i.+p and extreme gravity in accelerated Gs, I was taught how to pilot and dock [the s.h.i.+p] at stops along the way. The most surprising thing was that, in figuring out how far it was to Earth's...o...b..t, I had to [do the calculations] with a pencil, not a computer. If it was just a problem of gravity [I/we] didn't have to go all the way to Earth but Federal monitoring satellites patrolled the area around Mars and for fugitives like me (([and] the Doktor [and his group] were probably the same)) had no place where we could let down our guard.

The small planet hopper (lit: small interplanetary navigation vessel) we were to use to get to Mars was named Phobos. Doktor T picked the name because 'it's inconvenient for things to not have a name after all'. Surely he was alluding to myself. During the 180 days [it would take] to reach Earth, pilot training was just what they called my drills, mainly I used just circus equipment [note: and the aforementioned flight skills, obviously]. I thought they really were going to make me into a clown or an acrobat. Upon arriving at Earth, the real training commenced at a small, unpopulated (colony [note: seems to be some kind of enclosed area on Earth]) that had been laid to waste. I mastered juggling, balancing on a ball, tightrope walking, and the like; but for me, under gravity three times grater than Mars', the trapeze was really tough. I failed many times and crashed to the ground. Every time that happened, I was put into a medical capsule that was [designed] for restoring stamina and (medical) treatment.

"Couldn't you put up a safety net for me?"

"That would take too much time...... learn by doing (lit: learn/remember with your body)."

"...... got it." I stopped counting the (placed I'd) broken bones when I reached fifty. After a few days, Catherine brought in cloned lions and tigers and even bears.

"It wasn't easy get these and they're just on loan, so treat your partners with respect."

Clones though they may have been, they were still wild animals. Even though I wanted to be respectful, that was a proposition I couldn't take. From the start, I had no intention of keeping track of the fang and claw scars. It was the knife throwing training that really got me in the head. Since Catherine herself served as my target, of course I would have to be the one to throw, but she'd [be the one to] get hurt if I made just one mistake. I was fairly good [at doing things] so I was sure my life wasn't in danger but [what if] push came to shove? What's more, there was a big possibility my ability to adjust/adapt my strength levels were out of whack thanks to the change in gravity. I had hesitated too long and Catherine walked right up to me and took away the knives.

"Stand over there...... don't move." Catherine moved to the opposite side and threw all eight knives at once. Although I was standing in the middle of it, each of the eight knives made an arc and hit the big spider board [19] c.u.m target.

"I'll have you hitting the target with three times the knives at five times the distance by the time you go home......"

"......"

"Oh, and the gravity will double." That was six times Mars' gravity. Each day's special training schedule consisted of nothing but severe [drills]. I seriously thought I was going to die. But each time Catherine looked me straight in the eye and encouraged me.

"It wouldn't be impossible if you did it like your life depended on it...... if you use your natural kinetic vision [note: this might be "hand eye coordination"] and the physical strength we're going to develop to it's maximum potential, then you can certainly do this." I felt like I could do it when [she] put it that way. "If you can do this in 200 days, I'll give you a reward." When I actually tried, I cleared the exercises in 150 days.

"Good work, Nanas.h.i.+......" Catherine gave me a banana. I was nothing if not a terrorist. When she said 'reward' I could only imagine [that she had meant] 'cash.' Thinking about how hard I'd worked for the sake of [getting a banana], it didn't feel like much of a reward [at all].

"You don't like it?"

I didn't say anything, thinking I'd get another punch if I said what I really felt.

"Well, we'll start the new training." Under those circ.u.mstances, with a new bar set [a little higher], the new training began. The wild beasts were [conspicuously absent]. I thought it was because their (rental) period had ended; I was wrong. Catherine controlled the air within the colony and had changed the air pressure and oxygen levels. It was [now] the same as [being] at the peak of an 8,000 meter mountain. The low oxygen, air pressure, and temperature were the threshold of human survival. Under those conditions I had to do the trapeze walk. Over the next fifty days, I learned to do those perfectly also.

"You did well, Nanas.h.i.+......" This time [she] gave me an apple.

"Catherine...... I'm training for my own sake. So......" I [tried] to tell her I didn't need a prize.

"Okay, then I'll give you an appropriately difficult training scheme......" Meaning it hadn't been difficult thus far. "So this time, we'll triple the gravity." That was nine times Mars gravity, but Catherine smiled through it all. I cleared that in fifty days and then moved on to zero gravity training and lunar training [note: not sure if Catherine fiddled with the colony air settings or they actually went to the moon]. My body (became able) to respond to [little] changes in gravity and low oxygen and low air pressure.

***

MC-0022 Second Spring

One day, Doktor T sent the order to return home.

"Sister, there's been a sudden change in circ.u.mstances...... I want you to finish Nanas.h.i.+'s (preparation) after you've returned here."

We weren't within range to speak in real-time so the [message] was one sided, more like a video that a phone call. But if you thought about it, Doktor T was a man who always spoke one-sidedly.

"The new president of the Mars Federation has been elected...... [and] it [means] Mars will live up to the meaning of its name: the G.o.d of War."

The video cut to a clip of the president giving the inaugural speech. The president was a woman. She wore a full dress uniform of pure white that recalled to mind the magnificence of a n.o.ble family. Also, she hid her eyes by donning a hemet (style mask).

"I am Relena, the newly elected second president of the Mars Federal Government. I am also the younger sister of the first president, Milliardo Peacecraft."

I thought it was a bad joke. Wasn't Relena Darlian supposed to be sleeping in the frozen capsule? It was curious that she wore a helmet but I thought the name was simply a lie [alt: her putting on airs].

"Out of respect to my late brother's dying wishes, and true to [my] campaign pledge, I believe (I shall) bring Special Commander First Cla.s.s Zechs Merquise to the negotiation [table in order to] attain peace with the Lanagrin republic," said the female president as she removed her helmet. "And, as per my other campaign promise, I shall now reveal my face."

The face under the mask was that of a pretty, young girl.

"Relena......" Catherine muttered. "No doubt that is Relena Darlian."

"My name is Relena Peacecraft. Starting today, I [purport that] my Mars Federal Government will be a demilitarized, nonviolent 'total pacifist' [nation]."

Peacecraft? Seems like it wasn't Darlian after all.
Total pacifism? She probably honestly believed she could gain followers (lit: get partners to acquiesce) with that castle in the sky.

"She's [lucky], to always be so young."

"I think [you're young]."

"I don't [need] empty flattery," said Catherine as she mussed my hair (by spinning my knit cap hard 'round my head). I have never given empty flattery.

Catherine sighed and with a smile, she murmured, "So, let's go home to the 'G.o.d of War'."

After close to three hundred days training on Earth, we left in a hurry and headed for Mars' orbit straight away on the planet hopper 'Phobos'. During this time, my physical strength had improved by leaps and bounds. But more than that, it was my way of thinking that had the bigger [change]. Somehow, the circus training had allowed my thought process to account for any and all situations the future may present and to handle it calmly no matter what the outcome. It became my custom to act [in accordance to] that line of thinking. I had to thank Catherine. People often screw up (their reactions) in 'unexpected situations.' But if you ask me, that's nothing but [a person's] 'lack of imagination'. I [myself] often used to follow orders from above without (a second thought). When I a.s.sa.s.sinated President Milliardo, too, I imagined [everything down] to the escape route, but I didn't predict the betrayal of my comrades. I was one lucky b.a.s.t.a.r.d to have escaped, however miserable and clumsy. When I make a move, I a.n.a.lyze my skills, prepare as many patterns for the future as I can think of, and I do a simulation. Then, I execute my move. If I should encounter a situation which exceeds [all of my] predictions, it would be for want of my imagination and as a personal responsibility, I would accept the result. If, for example, the result would spell my death, that would be the worst simulation I [could have] chosen [but] nothing to regret. My actions lost their confusion and hesitation. Yet the s.h.i.+p's name was 'Confusion [note: or fear or whatever].'

***end part 1

NOTES
#1 - Mars Century. So they started using MC after 17 Mars years (or about 34 AC years had pa.s.sed according to Nanas.h.i.+'s ROUGH guide). I'm *still* not entirely convinced that means ONLY 34 years have pa.s.sed since the end of Endless Waltz because as Nanas.h.i.+ also says the era was "retroactive from when the first FIRM STEPS" were taken for colonization.

#2 - maybe it's just me, but it sure seems INSANELY stupid for Nanas.h.i.+ to refer to "history" after explaining how history didn't exist in his reality for about a page.

#3 - The folks at zeonic has contested the translation of this. In j.a.panese, it literally says "the star prince" or "the prince of stars." True, this is the j.a.panese t.i.tle to the famous book called "The Little Prince" in English. It apparently was originally written in French with the t.i.tle "Le Pet.i.t Prince" and while I'm no Francophone, I know enough about the language to know "pet.i.t" means "small" or "little." The real questions are: does Sumizawa KNOW the t.i.tle of the book is actually "little" and does he CARE the t.i.tle of the book is not "prince of stars"? Given how much allusion there is to other real people, places, and events I am going to work under the a.s.sumption that he does mean this book and I'm going to use the actual (English/French translation) name for the book. As far as Frozen Teardrop goes being a s.p.a.cE science fantasy fiction thing, it's too bad the real name of the book isn't "Prince of Stars" because, hey, how neat would that have been?

#4 - Recall back to chapter 4 when the reception room Aoi is in goes kablooey. All references to SP there seem to indicate law enforcement types. So why then, here, is the security detail apparently NOT the SP and more to the point, why is the security detail helping the SP escape WITH the President instead of the SP helping the President escape himself?

#5 - Don't know enough about describing firearms in English to know what the appropriate adjective is for the sound of a silencer... DULL maybe? Muted? Since I don't know, I'll stick with the original j.a.panese.

#6 - Is there a real English saying that embodies the spirit of this?

#7 - Sumizawa described the swarm of houses as being "paratent" and this seems to be just a regular old tent you might see at an outdoor event. I find it odd, then, that there are air ducts and what not for Nanas.h.i.+ to hide in, but whatever. Perhaps all houses are not tents (although we're only told about the tents)

#8 - The name of mars' moon is a transliteration, Nanas.h.i.+ tells us Phobos means "confusion, dismay, consternation, panic" according to Greek mythology. That is what the raw text says. So I google stuff. Phobos IS the name of a moon of Mars, the word Nanas.h.i.+ uses to explain what Phobos means IS "confusion" BUT the English definition of the Greek G.o.d Phobos is FEAR/HORROR. The j.a.panese definition of Phobos is TAKE FLIGHT... whut? The name of the G.o.d, however, is still "fear." I think my head just blew up a little. OH, btw, this is where English gets "-phobia" from!

#9 - there is a personal p.r.o.noun here (the same one used to refer to Heero most of the time in MC-0022 acutally) but I believe it's just supposed to be referring to Phobos the moon.

#10 - depending on how one choses to interpret 初老 which I've gotten anywhere from "middle aged" to "past middle aged" in dictionaries and had various reports of of various ages ranging from "forties" up to "sixties." 

#11 - I'm not sure if Nanas.h.i.+ is saying he doesn't know how anyone could see them as looking "gentle" or if he's saying he doesn't know how anyone could have been in the same place as he was.

#12 - They both use "yoros.h.i.+ku" which is j.a.panese for about a million different situations and a million different things so rather than put the rather bland salutation "nice to meet you" (since apparently, she already knows him) I decided to use the Arabic [according to the intarwebz] greeting Salam for Katrine and the Russian for Nanas.h.i.+ (as the original Trowa is of Russian decent according to the gundam wiki).

#13 - Sumizawa uses "nakama" which DOES translate as friend, but I believe it's not as buddy-buddy as the word "tomodachi." People at work, for example, you might get along swimmingly well with them AT WORK, but have never thought to share a beer with them on your own time. I would consider that person a "nakama." "nakama" is also the word he used to describe Nanas.h.i.+'s relations.h.i.+p with his terrorist group.

#14 - Google doesn't return any hits that AREN'T for this anime when I search for "Endless Waltz" in English, all I get is anime hits. A j.a.panese search for the name just gives me a wiki page about the Rok.u.meikan (which was apparently a j.a.panese attempt at Westernizing back in The Day... there is an eponymous live house today where visual-kei bands play)

#15 - Er, if the were already in domes when the resource satellites. .h.i.t, how did they miss what seems like a huge impact on a little planet? *shrugs* science *fantasy*

#16 - the sentence you've just read is written in English in the raw text and it it reiterated again in j.a.panese. Unlike #14, I have decided to forego the repet.i.tion because in THIS case, it's just plain old English that's being doubled up.

#16.5 - this is another snippet I take to mean that a significant amount of time has pa.s.sed and the Gundam boys are pus.h.i.+ng sixty. There's no reason Nanas.h.i.+ would lie to HIMSELF as he speculates about Catherine's age and if he high balled her at 40, then to be *significantly* younger than Doktor T, there should probably be no less than ten years difference and I (obviously) think it's more like 20 or so.

#17 - Literally, he says "Catherine Obasan" and Obasan is a t.i.tle used for ladies who are old enough to be your mother (read: forties to sixties would be a fairly safe range). HOWEVER, we don't have anything like this that can be affixed to a name, so I decided to just use "ma'am" since that's got a nice, older-lady ring to it.

#18 - I'D like to give Catherine a knuckle sandwich myself. The MISS part is just a transliteration of "Miss" and that's choice number one. Choice number two is actually "big sister" but it's being used HERE as "Obasan" was used in #17: to address a female who is old enough to be your sister (for little kids, any little girl who you believe or actually is older than you on up to about mid-twenties or maybe your thirties) BUT again, since we don't HAVE such fine age-distinguis.h.i.+ng terms of reference for third parties, I have decided to go with "Lady."

#19 - near as I can tell, this is probably a giant version of a standard dart board.