The Die is Cast
Chapter 17 of Starfighter! The
Iconoclast
By: Tom Sczepkowski
With editing and clean-up
by: Frederick P. Kopetz
Copyrights:
STAR TREK is © 2004 by Paramount Pictures, Inc. STAR BLAZERS is © 2004 by
Voyager International, and, STAR WARS is © 2004 by Lucasfilm, Ltd. GARGOYLES is
© 2004 by Disney Entertainment. The Technomugar Empire is © 2004 by Frederick
P. Kopetz and is mentioned here by the author's permission. All original
elements of this tale are © 2004 by Tom Sczepkowski. All rights reserved, not
to be copied without the author's permission.
Talan stood on the
Somehow he lost those days and even though it
had been only two weeks since he was on Iscandar painting the picture of the
unknown warrior in his garden. Now he had just been named Desslok’s Chief of
Staff; a duty which he did not want or desire. He thought of
the different ways that he could decline the offer. However, he feared
for Desslok’s sanity. Also, he was suspicious of the Comet Empire. But those
days were far from his grasp….That is, until a nervous young Lieutenant barely
out of his teens approached and saluted Talan
“He’s here?” Talan asked as the boy nodded
nervously while the rest of the bridge crew came to attention.
Desslok strode onto the bridge with a small
entourage, that Talan paid no attention to with the exception of one
green-skinned short humanoid wearing the uniform of a Comet Empire Servant. Right
away, Talan didn’t trust him as their eyes met and the young man immediately
turned away. Talan gripped the handle of his light saber tightly for a moment, but he quickly
eased that grip as Desslok strode over to him.
“Hello, my most trusted friend,” Desslok said as
he gave a small and quick embrace.
“Leader Desslok,” Talan said. “I am glad you are
well, sir.”
“I have you to thank for the rebuilding of our
fleet.” Desslok said.
Talan shook his head. “Not me, sir. The men deserve
all the credit .They have worked hard, and they have
worked long.”
“An argument for another time,” Desslok said
“Do you wish to address your warriors, sir?”
Talon asked “They have waited long for their leader to return.”
“Yes.” Desslok said “I would like that very
much.”
Within moments, over the ship’s video panel,
generals from all former Gamilon commands introduced themselves vowing their
complete obedience. However Talan’s warm feelings quickly diminished when
Desslok began to speak.
“All of my remaining generals; Now hear me…We go
to Telezart to hunt the Argo….”
The Generals shouted out; “Death to the Argo!”
“Destroy the Argo
who murdered our people!”
“She was struck by many missiles and continued
on…”
Desslok nodded “Yes…she’s struck full of
missiles, and yes, she has murdered our finest and bravest warriors …death men…
you’ve seen her….It’s the Star Force….. the Star Force which tore our once beautiful
planet’s body and soul until they bled into each other! We’ll follow her round
the planet Telezart, across the Milky Way and through perdition’s flames before
we give them up!”
“Yes,” said Desslok, “This is why we have
returned to ally ourselves with the Comet Empire to chase the Star Force on all
sides of the galaxy…. until they all spit blood….and roll dead out….What say
you, men?....I’ll say you still look brave...”
“WILL YOU SPLICE HANDS ON IT!?” Desslok shouted.
The men responded.
Over the speakers came the chants of “Desslok
Desslok Desslok.” After
a few minutes the chants died down as Desslok’s generals were served Gamilon wine. Then,
the Generals on each of their flagships waited eagerly for Desslok to raise his
glass.
“Drink my brave Generals….Drink and Swear……May their
Terran God haunt us all…… if we do not hunt the Star Force to their
death.”
DESSLOK! DESSLOK!
DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK!
DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK!
DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK!
DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK! DESSLOK!
DESSLOK!
All Talan can do is stand there. For the first
time, ever, he felt
afraid of his closest friend. Desslok looked at him and smiled;
then he raised his glass to Talan, drank and smashed it to the deck as still
chanted his name, over and over again.
“Magnificent.”
Talan said dryly.
“All ships, advance!” ordered Desslok. “We go on to Telezart!”
And whatever fate awaits us, thought Talan darkly.
Doctor Sane had had just hung up the phone when he looked out of
his office into the examination room where Nova was applying a cast to a ground
support handler whom had just fallen down a flight of stairs. He stood in the
doorway and watched her perform the task as he nodded with approval.
“Thanks,” she snapped. Nova was trying to be careful not to get
the plaster over her; however, this was a task in which she was failing
miserably as it was already over her clothes, face, and hands. She looked as if
she had been dipped in the sort of powdered sugar that goes on a donut.
Doctor Sane then put on his uniform jacket, picked up his cat and
started walking towards the door without even saying anything to Nova.
“I’ll be right back,” Nova said as she walked out through the exit
into the hot and humid night.
He waited until she was finished, then asked if he could speak to
her privately. She sighed heavily as she walked with him as they walked
outside.
‘Dr Sane!” Nova shouted with anger as he slowly turned around.
“That was Mark Venture on the phone, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was..,” said Sane. “Personal business!”
“Personal
business my foot, Doctor! And now you are leaving Earth?! Have you ever
thought of asking me my input into this?”
“Nova it’s far too dangerous!” Sane said. “If something were to
happen, the consequences to you could be severe!”
“I have the right to make those decisions!” Nova said
“No you don’t!” Sane said.
“I am a solider and a member of the Star Force!”
“I can’t do this now, Nova!” Sane said. “You can’t come with me and
for obvious reasons! You cant walk across a hallway
without tripping, falling, or dropping something! You’re the best nurse I have
but your place is here! Safe! On Earth!”
Nova stood in the middle of the parking lot as Sane turned and
walked away to his air car and quickly sped away. Nova clutched her fists hard
as the remnants of wet plaster oozed through her fingers.
She shuddered with anger and she turned and walked back into the hospital.
She stalked back into the treatment room, kicking the door open and startling
her patient with her wrath.
“Are you all right?” he asked.
“Nothing. Personal business,” she said sarcastically. She started to go
back to work but then stopped suddenly and turned and started to walk away to
the patients protest.
“Hey, nurse!” He shouted “What about my leg!?”
“Well you have two of them!” Nova said “Use the other one until
you can get into someone else’s office.”
“But…”
Nova didn’t answer. She turned away and slammed the door on her
way out.
“Must be her time of the month or something,” muttered the
patient. “I’m gonna get her written up.”
Nova returned to her apartment still covered in plaster. She
quickly undressed and stepped into the shower which did nothing to relieve her
level of anxiety. She was angry with Derek and with Dr. Sane mainly because
they hadn’t give her the right to make her own
decision. Her thoughts immediately turned to Vaught, who was an enigma who
spoke in riddles and proverbs.
“At least he sees me for who I am.” Nova thought to herself I
envy Starsha…Starsha I wonder if we met she would like me…According to Vaught
we’re the same age..The same age……..
There was a small window in the shower. Nova opened it as air came
inside. She leaned up against the wall, with water running down her body. She
looked outside as the water beat on her gently as she gazed out the window into
the parking lot, while she rubbed her eyes gently.
“Okay. Queen Starsha mistook me for Astra.
Vaught said he reminded me of his daughter…who conveniently is named
Starsha…who is my age …Vaught as handsome as he is, but just short of Derek on
looks, looks and acts old enough to have a daughter that age but Queen Starsha
looked younger than I did and if Astra
was Starsha’s younger sister, then…what?
mused Nova as she washed her hair. She
rinsed and then stuck her head by the window again, sighing as a hot breeze ran
over her .Okay, so they’re not human;
they age differently… more slowly than us….Why come here after everything
is over with? Unless there is something deeper? I need
to know….
Nova quickly rinsed off the last of the shampoo and then dried
herself off as she stepped out of the shower.
Sandor always felt that there was a third party
involved when it came to the Cosmo DNA and the wave motion technology……All
right… let’s assume that’s true….It would make sense with a military might like
Gamilon what would they have a need for Wave motion for? And the technology of
the Cosmo DNA was light years ahead of anything we saw on Iscandar or even
Gamalon…and Sandor said that there were things that Vaught knew about the Wave
motion engine that were the most classified…Maybe he designed that thing or
knew the designer……Still doesn’t make sense…or does it?
Nova dressed in another nurse’s uniform as she decided to go back
to the hospital and see if the patient she walked out on still needed help she
locked her apartment door and began walking down the street as the breeze
picked up slightly.
Supposed to be a storm coming….In more ways than
one …..Vaught got the weather report on that geeky watch of his…. That Geeky
watch…he’s always checking it always making sure he has it on always checking
his wrist to see if it’s there……
Nova stopped in the street to see a
A data link? To another ship maybe…I met him in Key West he had that strange
plasma burn…all those small keys and islands are big enough to hide a ship and
all of that took place when Derek was out in space and was attacked…Sandor said
Vaught was an excellent pilot…the best he’d ever seen was he the one who
attacked Derek out in space?
Nova shook her head. “Get a grip, Nova,” she said as she kicked
one of her boots against the curb. “You’re getting paranoid.”
She walked down the street and stopped short of the bus stop where
the bus was already waiting across the street there were the taxi cabs waiting
for fares Nova looked between the two.
I can get on that bus; I can go back to the
hospital and be the good obedient little girl I always have been. Or I can go
grab a taxi to the airbase go to the abandoned hanger where the remains of
Astra’s ship is and maybe find some answers, but I know that once I choose
either path I can never go back.
She looked between the two and paused for a moment
What was it Vaught said? “The
will of the force.”
She walked over to the taxi where an older man was leaning against
the car.
“Could you take me to the Air Base?” she asked
“Sure thing, Miss.” The man replied in a friendly voice of course glancing at her
legs.
She walked over and opened the back door and looked over at the
bus stop as the bus began to pull away.
“Yes. Will of the Force,” Nova muttered to herself as she got in
the air car and closed the door.
Next Chapter: "Nova’s Choice…”
To Return to the
Introduction to Starfighter: The
Iconoclasts, click here