Solving for x
Chapter 14 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.
He reached into his pocket and found his cigar, and he began
to check his pockets for his lighter. He gazed at it for a few seconds as the
lighter was one of the few things of his father’s that he had left. It had been
recovered after his parents were killed and their home destroyed by Gamilon
planet bombs. He wasn’t as close to his father as he had been to his mother, in
fact, he did not know why at that particular moment he decided to think about
them. Nova was the only family he had on Earth now, as his thoughts next turned
to her; especially when he tried to light his cigar and found that the lighter
would not light. This was a surprise to Derek for he had just filled it. Upon
inspection he noticed that the lighter was complexly drained of fuel, it had been
done, no doubt, by Nova to prevent him from smoking. Wildstar cursed aloud and
tossed the lighter onto the passenger seat and placed the cigar back in his
pocket.
I’ll never get to
smoke this damn cigar,
he thought miserably. Something then caught his attention as he looked into the
night sky. It was an aircraft of some sort with the design of a horseshoe crab.
“Son of a bitch!” Wildstar said as he continued to
look at the alien spacecraft flying over. “That’s the same plane I saw in
space!”
Desslok sat quietly in the Comet Empire’s throne room as
Prince Zordar watched a tactical report on the recent blackout on Earth with
his daughter Invidia. Desslok was uneasy with the euphoria that was being
exhibited, which gave him cause for concern. He remembered the days on his own
planet of Gamilon where he was sitting smug in a hot tub in his own palace
thinking that the humans were ready to fall over dead or surrender.
It eased his mind to know that Talan was coming…Desslok
always knew that things were in good hands when Talan was in command. He longed
to be with him on the bridge of his own ship to actually command and rule his
forces from the battlefront; and not to be a caged pet in someone else’s house.
He even felt more uneasy in the Comet Empire throne room, aware that they were
making the same mistakes that he had once made…all born of arrogance.
“You make the same mistakes, that I did” Desslok said aloud.
Zordar and Invidia turned to each other then to Desslok.
“What do you mean?” said Invidia in a cold voice. “You know
that the primitive Earthlings are no match for our power. They have no military
discipline!”
“Yes, you can see them running about in a panic,” said
Zordar in a low, booming voice.
“Yes. But you keep on forgetting what the humans call the
X-factor.” Desslok said. “As long as the Earth possesses the Star Force, they
will be a threat to your plans. They will be safe as long as the Star Force
endures.”
Invidia scoffed as she poured her father a drink “Leader
Desslok, I find it amazing that you give so much credit to those band of
adventurers flying around in that ancient decrepit battleship!”
“You don’t know them….I do,” Desslok said
Desslok watched the transmission of alarms and of explosions
coming from cites.
“You do not look impressed, Desslok.” Zordar said. “Look at
them; they are at our mercy!”
“We devastated the entire surface of their planet and still,
they fought back!” Desslok scolded “Do you really think what you are doing is
going to help you?”
“Such insolence!” Invidia shouted. “Father, have this
man silenced!”
“No, No!” Zordar said. “Such conversation can be useful,”
Zordar said standing up and walking over to Desslok.
“They walked together into Zordar’s private chamber where
there were two slave girls sitting on a couch. Desslok, of course, noticed them
immediately and smiled as they returned the gesture. Zordar snapped his fingers
and gestured them to leave.
Zordar sat in a large chair as Desslok looked out of the
glass ceiling through pockets of the enveloped White Comet that was hiding the
huge fortress.
“What will you do after you have destroyed the Star Force?”
Zordar asked.
“I have not thought about that yet, Nevar,” Desslok said. “I
cannot picture my life beyond that point.”
“It has been rumored that Queen Starsha of Iscandar has
opened her world to any Gamilon who wishes to retire from military service and
live there.”
“I was aware of it,” Desslok said. “I gave my permission and
blessing to all except my fifth and eight fleets and two armored divisions.”
“A very magnanimous action for someone who betrayed you,”
Zordar said. “She gave the humans stolen technology…technology that destroyed
your world.”
“And irrevocably damaged hers, as well…,” Desslok added. “I
have predicted that in a few years Iscandar will be as Gamilon now is; an
unstable hell. Hence, I will take no action against Queen Starsha nor will I
allow any hand to be raised against her.”
There eyes met for a moment as Zordar simply smiled, “That
is, of course, your affair, as well as the Star Force and Telezart.”
Desslok bowed slightly. “General Talan should well be on his
way now. I shall leave at once to join him.”
“Of course,” Zordar said. “I am assigning you Torbuck’s
missile cruiser squadron as backup. He is a difficult man,
however, he is a fine solider. I know
that you can manage him.”
“With thanks…..my Prince,” Desslok said as he bowed again
and walked out of the room.
Zordar sat down on the couch and poured himself another
drink. He was reading a data sheet as Invida walked in.
“He’s leaving?” she asked.
“Yes,” Zordar said as he continued reading not looking at
her.
“Aren’t you giving Desslok too much power?” Invida asked. “I don’t think he can be
trusted!”
Zordar took another drink from his glass still not looking
up from the report he was reading. As he chuckled, “That is why I have given
him…..Torbuck.”
General Lord Talan sat in his garden as he gazed into the
evening Iscandarian sky at his home planet of Gamilon. He sighed heavily as he
poured himself a glass of wine and sat in a chair as he placed the bottle next
to him. As he continued his painting, an opera played in the background. Then,
Talan closed his eyes for a moment and stopped his painting. He took in the
music until he felt a presence standing next to him. He did not need to open
his eyes to know that Queen Starsha was sitting down next to him
“Good evening, child.” Talan said.
“I am one year older than you, Talan,” Starsha said.
“And does your young husband, the Earther, know of the
condition that you suffer?”
“That I am old enough to be his mother?” Queen Starsha said. “No. It has not deterred him.”
Talan chuckled as he took a sip from his glass, “I find
myself drinking more these days.”
“It’s good for you, Talan,” Queen Starsha said
Talan offered her some. As she accepted, she sat down in a
lounge chair next to him. Then, they both toasted to their two planets and
drank.
Queen Starsha listened to the music in the background, “I am
not familiar with this dialect of Gamilon.”
“It’s called Italian.” Talan said while resuming his
painting. “It is a Terran language, as well as this opera.”
“What is it called?” Queen Starsha asked.
“Turandot,” Talan said. “The
story takes place in a country called
“Country?” Starsha said. “So, they still have nations…oh,
I knew that, yes. Sorry. I just find it hard to believe that a species so
tribal has the capacity to create such beauty.”
“Yes. Humans are a greatly misunderstood species,” Talan said
as they both listened to the music.
“So you understand what they are singing?” Queen Starsha
said.
Talan nodded, “I do. The name of this particular piece is
known as Nessun Dorma. The
translation of it is… ‘No one sleeps.’”
She listened to the tenor singing as the piece was finishing,
no doubt. Talan could tell that she was moved by the music, but he also could
tell that she was a little sad as well.
“What’s troubling you?” Talan said while putting the brush
down.
“I heard you are leaving us.” Starsha said.
Talan nodded as Queen Starsha sighed heavily.
“Desslok?” she asked.
“Yes; the rumors of his death were greatly exaggerated.”
Talan said
Queen Starsha nodded. “What happened?”
“There are still parts about it that aren’t all too clear.
Through the Force I could see him pursuing the Star Force across the galaxy,
and almost to their own planet. When he arrived at the
doorstep of Earth he staged an attack that failed, destroying and consuming him
in the process. He escaped into another dimension and was rescued and revived by
a group of marauders and has been in their care for the past year.”
“And you are going to join him?” Queen Starsha asked.
“I am bringing him his flagship. Then, I will ask to be relieved
from his service,” Talan said.
Starsha nodded her head slowly. “So, then…”
“He’s my Master, Queen Starsha. I swore an oath to him which
is not to be broken.”
“No. You are the only friend who has ever truly cared about
him,” Queen Starsha said. “I hope he shows his compassion with the same loyalty,
unlike the case of General Krypt.”
Talan cracked a smile “It was not Desslok who killed Krypt;
it was me.”
“But on his orders!” Queen Starsha snapped. “Being an assassin
is a role for a Sith, not a Jedi Knight!”
“But I am not a Jedi Knight,” Talan said “Nor am I a Sith. There is a difference in what I am.”
“You are a Starfighter,” Queen Starsha said.
“Correct. A Starfighter’s loyalty lies in service to their country,
not to greed and conquest like the Sith; nor are we
passive, confining our power to just knowledge and defense like the Jedi Order.
Starfighters are the ones that get the job done…in the background…”
“Yes,” said Starsha. “In the shadows.
That is where you work.”
“You misunderstand me. I go not for this foolish act of vengeance
that Desslok has undoubtedly conjured up, I know him all too well…This vengeance
will consume him, and there is a storm coming, and I see that he is going to engage
in battle with a man who will most likely kill him, and I must try to stay
Desslok from this madness.”
“The man is Alex’s Brother Derek, is it not?” Queen Starsha
said.
Talan scoffed slightly. “The boy Wildstar is a child; he
could never have outfought Desslok. However, there is one that I have always
feared from stories as a child, and I feel that same fear now, namely, the
presence of the Dark Lord who will join against Desslok and kill him.”
Queen Starsha groaned, “Talan…enough! You’ve frightened us with that foolish story ever since we
were children!”
“You know it is true,” said Talan.
“True? You mean your tale of a troubled man in a support
suit who lived thousands of years ago if he existed at all? The
tale of a mythical bogeyman? Talan, I have other fears that I must
concern myself with, rather than to hear you rave about your stories of ghosts
and goblins which are meant to frighten children to behave!”
Talan was quite sure than in all of his life he had never
heard Queen Starsha raise her voice or loose her temper in her debates with
Desslok, she was always calm and even-tempered.
“I see your sister’s temper for a moment,” Talan said while
resuming his painting.
“Yes. Soon, I must answer for a crime for which she and I
are guilty,” Starsha said.
“I see.” Talan said “May I ask what this crime was?”
Starsha looked up at him as her eyes were filled with tears.
“It was against your people. The wave motion technology is not of Iscandar; it
belongs to another world. That technology is responsible for the destruction of
your world and the plight of the Gamilon race. That other world is sending
representatives here. They’ll be here in a few weeks. I fear that at the end of
their investigation I will most likely be arrested. “
Talan nodded; he looked up at the now night sky as his home
world glowed.
Talan shook his head, “It might be possible that your
interference may have finished all of us. They would be within their rights to invade
if not outright destroy this planet.”
“That it is not their way,” Starsha said.
“Who are they?”
Starsha didn’t answer as there was a long silence between
the two.
“You know who they are.” Starsha said “When they get here, you
Gamilons will have some explaining to do, as well.”
“The legendary ghost ship known as Defiant?,” Talan said. “Lysis always spoke of that ship as if it
were real….. It’s a fable, Starsha.”
“Was it not Lysis that developed the SMITE Device?” Queen
Starsha said.
“What does that have to do with anything?” Talan replied.
“Astra explained to me that a very similar device is used by
the Federation.”
“She’s been to this other parallel universe?” Talan said
“Yes. Astra spent long periods of time there,” Queen Starsha
said. “Maybe too much time.”
“She had a lover there?” Talan asked
“And a daughter, named after myself.” Queen Starsha said. “She
is well versed in the Jedi Arts as you are.”
“Well,” Talan said, “This is most intriguing but I cannot
involve myself in this now.”
There was silence again as Queen Starsha only nodded as she
leaned over to see what Talan was painting as she chuckled slightly to herself.
“You are painting him again, aren’t you?” Queen Starsha said.
“Lord Vader; the bogeyman meant to frighten children.”
Talon didn’t answer, as he continued his work, Starsha
thought for a second and then lurched forward, looking at the painting again.
“What is it?” Talan said
“These insignias on his Chest!” Queen Starsha said. “And this
strange weapon attached to his back, they are not in your other paintings of
him.”
Talan sighed as he leaned back into his chair “I paint from
my dreams sometimes.”
Queen Starsha looked at the picture in horror and closed her
eyes and turned away. This caused Talon to become concerned.
“What is it?” Talan asked as Queen Starsha looked to the sky.
“I know these insignias and their origin,” Starsha said,
“Another seems to have the same dreams you do.”
“What are you saying?” Talan asked.
Starsha gave an uneasy glance again at the painting.
“This man in your painting is not Lord Darth Vader… It is someone else.”
Next Chapter: "Breakfast with a Starfighter"
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Introduction to Starfighter: The
Iconoclasts, click here