Introduction to the Universal Century Ⅰ Part 6
The Ral Family and the People of Club Eden
The Ral Family and the People of Club Eden
As of U.C. 0068…
There were two aides to Zeon Zum Deikun, chairman of the Autonomous Republic of Munzo of Side 3.
One of them was Degwin Sodo Zabi, who served as vice chairman. The other was Jimba Ral, the leader of the Ral faction.
The Zeon Party was the center of power within Munzo. Under Deikun's leadership, the party was made up of two major factions – the Zabi faction led by Degwin, and the Ral faction led by Jimba, which continually waged a fierce intra-party power struggle.
Degwin and Jimba were both Deikun's old friends and supporters, but over time, the Zabi family gradually seized control over the Zeon Party – for Degwin had sons who excelled in political affairs.
Displeased by this, Jimba mustered the strength of his Ral faction, and plotted to regain power as he held back the Zabi faction.
Just as this was happening, Deikun suddenly died.
The Zabi family then drove their adversary Jimba Ral from the public stage through cunning information manipulation. They spread word that the death of Degwin's second son Sasro in a bombing during Deikun's funeral procession was an assassination by the Ral family, and they succeeded in convincing the people of Munzo.
But Jimba, on the verge of losing his position, instilled in Astraia Tor Deikun, the mother of Deikun's children, his own suspicion that Deikun's death was part of a Zabi plot. He attempted to secure Deikun's children, Casval and Artesia, in his own residence.
With the two children as his trump card, Jimba planned to take back control of the Zeon Party and Munzo's government, but his actions would only bring about more calamity.
Jimba's only son, Ramba Ral, was a member of the Autonomous Republic of Munzo's defense force. Upon being assigned to guard Astraia and her children, he won their trust by launching an operation to retrieve Artesia's pet cat and bring it back to the Ral family residence.
As a matter of fact, a man named Donovan Matgloss who joined him in this operation would later have a fateful reunion with Artesia during the battle of A Baoa Qu – but that is a different story.
Having lost his struggle with the Zabi family, Jimba was in danger of being purged. In an attempt to save his life, Ramba turned to Crowley Hamon, a singer at Club Eden.
Hamon was an old friend of Astraia from the days before she became Deikun's lover, when Astraia was also a singer at Club Eden.
Hamon was a woman of both courage and wit, not to mention being quite well-connected. Disguising herself as an Earth Federation officer, she lived up to Ramba's expectations with exploits that would put a spy to shame.
Another employee of Club Eden was Clamp, the bartender, a man who used to serve under Ramba in the Munzo Defense Force. Clamp left the military because he couldn't stand working under the Earth Federation Forces who were stationed in Munzo, but in later years he would serve under Ramba's command once again.
That is a different story, which happens in a place very distant from Munzo – in North America, on Earth.
Among Club Eden's regulars was a young officer assigned to the spaceport's Port Authority. This was Tachi O'Hara, a second lieutenant who was in love with Hamon.
Tachi ended up playing an important role in the escape plan devised by Ramba and Hamon, and would become involved with Artesia's and Hamon's fates later on as well. As of U.C. 0068, however, he was totally unsuspecting of such future events.
Meanwhile, Jimba Ral persisted in instilling Casval with Deikun's ideology, as well as hatred for the Zabi family, throughout his boyhood.
It is not clear whether Casval accepted his words outright. But it is undeniable that Casval came to learn certain things surrounding his father’s sudden death, which he probably wouldn't have found out of, if it wasn’t for his involvement with the Ral family.
Furthermore, it was Artesia who would have the most fateful connection with the Ral family and the people who joined them in their struggle.
In U.C. 0079, through a strange twist of fate, she would meet almost everyone connected to the Ral family – with the exception of Jimba Ral.
Three years after the operation he carried out with Hamon and Tachi, Ramba Ral would choose to follow a different path from that of his father Jimba.
This path would bring him into contact with the Zabi family once again…
There were two aides to Zeon Zum Deikun, chairman of the Autonomous Republic of Munzo of Side 3.
One of them was Degwin Sodo Zabi, who served as vice chairman. The other was Jimba Ral, the leader of the Ral faction.
The Zeon Party was the center of power within Munzo. Under Deikun's leadership, the party was made up of two major factions – the Zabi faction led by Degwin, and the Ral faction led by Jimba, which continually waged a fierce intra-party power struggle.
Degwin and Jimba were both Deikun's old friends and supporters, but over time, the Zabi family gradually seized control over the Zeon Party – for Degwin had sons who excelled in political affairs.
Displeased by this, Jimba mustered the strength of his Ral faction, and plotted to regain power as he held back the Zabi faction.
Just as this was happening, Deikun suddenly died.
The Zabi family then drove their adversary Jimba Ral from the public stage through cunning information manipulation. They spread word that the death of Degwin's second son Sasro in a bombing during Deikun's funeral procession was an assassination by the Ral family, and they succeeded in convincing the people of Munzo.
But Jimba, on the verge of losing his position, instilled in Astraia Tor Deikun, the mother of Deikun's children, his own suspicion that Deikun's death was part of a Zabi plot. He attempted to secure Deikun's children, Casval and Artesia, in his own residence.
With the two children as his trump card, Jimba planned to take back control of the Zeon Party and Munzo's government, but his actions would only bring about more calamity.
Jimba's only son, Ramba Ral, was a member of the Autonomous Republic of Munzo's defense force. Upon being assigned to guard Astraia and her children, he won their trust by launching an operation to retrieve Artesia's pet cat and bring it back to the Ral family residence.
As a matter of fact, a man named Donovan Matgloss who joined him in this operation would later have a fateful reunion with Artesia during the battle of A Baoa Qu – but that is a different story.
Having lost his struggle with the Zabi family, Jimba was in danger of being purged. In an attempt to save his life, Ramba turned to Crowley Hamon, a singer at Club Eden.
Hamon was an old friend of Astraia from the days before she became Deikun's lover, when Astraia was also a singer at Club Eden.
Hamon was a woman of both courage and wit, not to mention being quite well-connected. Disguising herself as an Earth Federation officer, she lived up to Ramba's expectations with exploits that would put a spy to shame.
Another employee of Club Eden was Clamp, the bartender, a man who used to serve under Ramba in the Munzo Defense Force. Clamp left the military because he couldn't stand working under the Earth Federation Forces who were stationed in Munzo, but in later years he would serve under Ramba's command once again.
That is a different story, which happens in a place very distant from Munzo – in North America, on Earth.
Among Club Eden's regulars was a young officer assigned to the spaceport's Port Authority. This was Tachi O'Hara, a second lieutenant who was in love with Hamon.
Tachi ended up playing an important role in the escape plan devised by Ramba and Hamon, and would become involved with Artesia's and Hamon's fates later on as well. As of U.C. 0068, however, he was totally unsuspecting of such future events.
Meanwhile, Jimba Ral persisted in instilling Casval with Deikun's ideology, as well as hatred for the Zabi family, throughout his boyhood.
It is not clear whether Casval accepted his words outright. But it is undeniable that Casval came to learn certain things surrounding his father’s sudden death, which he probably wouldn't have found out of, if it wasn’t for his involvement with the Ral family.
Furthermore, it was Artesia who would have the most fateful connection with the Ral family and the people who joined them in their struggle.
In U.C. 0079, through a strange twist of fate, she would meet almost everyone connected to the Ral family – with the exception of Jimba Ral.
Three years after the operation he carried out with Hamon and Tachi, Ramba Ral would choose to follow a different path from that of his father Jimba.
This path would bring him into contact with the Zabi family once again…