STARFIGHTER!
The Iconoclasts
Chapter
4 "The Adventure Begins"
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.
I*con*o*clast…/, n.
1. A breaker or
destroyer of images or idols; a determined
enemy
of idol worship.
2. One who exposes
or destroys impositions or shams; one who
attacks cherished beliefs; a radical…
If you asked the Bajoran
people which definition best fit Major Vaught Corsair of the Starfleet
Marines…they would probably have said both and paid good money to get their
hands on him. It had been remarked that the only thing the Bajorans and the
Cardassians agreed upon was their hatred of Vaught Corsair.
When Starsha looked on
the wall at her father's picture, she saw a devoted and loving father… a
scholar, teacher, and hero.
But there was another
picture of Vaught Corsair….a different one that others saw. Namely, they saw
him as an assassin; a ruthless killer, a calculating, cold-hearted disciplined
warrior. A professional killer; yes, but was he a murderer, or a hero? What was
he? Was he a fighter for freedom or a ruthless terrorist? It depended upon
one's point of view, as a great fallen Jedi Master had once said to his
student.
Thus, Vaught was in a
state of confusion, being all alone in a galaxy that had been turned upside
down on him. He waited three hours to rendezvous with the
Vaught was trying to
decide where to go. The last place he wanted to take Inferno was to Earth…that would be the first place in the whole
Federation that anyone would look for it. Since the
Weird, he thought. He
gritted his teeth in the cockpit and huffed out a deep breath in frustration.
He thought that the computer was malfunctioning…however after running a
diagnostic all seemed A-OK. He tried next to plot a course for Vulcan. This had
the same result as Deneva…Vulcan wasn't there. Then he tried to plot a course
to Kronos, which the computer also maddeningly and implacably indicated, wasn’t
there.
What is going on with
this thing? Is it some system glitch? Damn…mused Vaught as he tried a few other
coordinates. Nothing. Nada. All "NOT PRESENT. RETRY? Y N" A
bewildered Corsair decided that he had been idle for too long and had to go
someplace. So in a last ditch effort, he plotted a course for Earth. Vaught was
relieved to find that this worked, so he put the Inferno directly into warp and closed his eyes for a few minutes.
As he traveled, Vaught felt something just wasn’t right. It was what he would
call a “Tremor in the Force.” And indeed the Force was trying to tell him
something…when that happened, it usually meant that there was some sort of
danger.
He used the computer to
bring up information on the planets that he couldn’t find. He was somewhat
surprised to see Inferno’s canopy go
opaque. A moment later, the information was displayed all over the darkened
canopy. Vaught was relieved to find that the planets did indeed exist and were
still in the computer's memory core. OK,
he thought. The computer's not dead or
dying on me. However…when I try to uplink…nothing.
Vaught tried the
procedure again. What troubled him was that he could not interface with the
Federation’s main database. This was when he started to realize that something
was indeed wrong.
“Computer...” Vaught said
quietly
The computer beeped in
reply as Vaught nodded.
“Extrapolate from
database of Federation planets and correlate with current navigational data….
Question….How many planets within sensor range can be matched from the
Federation Planetary Database to the current navigational information?”
There was a brief pause
when the standard Federation computer voice answered
“There is only one system within sensor range that
has a 98 percent identical correlation rate to that of current Database.”
"Only one system out
of over 2,000?" said Vaught in surprise.
"Affirmative."
“Is there any evidence
that these systems were destroyed?” Vaught asked
“Negative.”
Vaught sighed as he
looked at his swollen arm. It had recently been burned by a Tholian plasma
rifle. To him, the event in which he earned this burn was a minor skirmish that
took place when he was attempting to take back Inferno. It was a medium-sized third-degree burn…however through
his mind, he was able to control the pain.
Vaught looked at the
display on the canopy at the Sol System. There were nine planets plus one on
the outer edge of the star system right before an asteroid belt.
Odd…a tenth planet? It sure has an eccentric orbit.
It has a definite wobble in its axis, and it's in a different orbital plane
than the others. Could this be some sort of rogue planet that was captured
while I was gone? Sure is a small rock, whatever it is. Then, Vaught took Inferno out of warp. Being that Vaught did not have time to
acclimate himself to the ship, he was not familiar with all of her features.
Also he had already been in the cockpit for over five hours and it was getting
very uncomfortable. There was little choice left. He would have to make a
landing. As Earth became larger and larger in the canopy window, Vaught was
about to disengage the computer display when the klaxon went off and the
shields automatically raised.
Out of instinct Vaught
flung the craft around 180 degrees and activated the weapons systems. As the
Quantum Torpedo pods and Phaser banks clicked into position, the canopy went to
a tactical view…However, Vaught saw nothing out of place.
He looked down at Earth.
He noticed that he was over the North American continent. It was a clear night
for most of it however he lights from cities from the Eastern Seaboard go out.
“Computer?” Vaught asked
“Power spike measured at 331.6 quantum Joules.”
“Damage?” Vaught said
“Negative.”
“Let's find out what’s
going on down there.” Vaught said as he again turned Inferno and headed towards the blue planet.
Even though he did not
know it, the time down below on Earth was September 2, 2201.
And, out around Jupiter,
a space battle had just taken place…
General Turpis of the
Comet Empire watched as the power went out around the Earth. However he was
worried as he looked at a report in his hands and showed it to Gorce.
“I might have known.”
Gorce said. “This does not come as a surprise.”
“Our course takes us
right past there.” Turpis said. “It could be trouble.”
“I doubt it.” Gorce said
as he looked at the report again. “You said the message came from Telezart and
was directed towards Earth?”
“I believe so.” Turpis
said.
Gorce nodded. “Report the
incident to Prince Zordar.” Gorce said, “However, I doubt that there is any
cause for alarm."
They left the room
together as they walked down a long corridor.
“It has been mentioned
that you fear the Humans.” Turpis said
“Fear is too strong a
word.” Gorce said “I have learned to respect them as an opponent…Desslok is the
one that I fear…”
Turpis stopped walking.
He looked at Gorce. “Why?”
“The obsessed mind is
also a dangerous one,” Gorce said. "Sometimes I even fear that Desslok is
mad."
“He has a great opinion
of himself…that is for sure.” Turpis said
“Yes….just as you and
General Naska joyfully pointed out,” Gorce said as he continued walking again.
“We were amused by the
humans' reaction… you see…we were monitoring one of their ships'
communications,” said Turpis.
“Yes. It was a ship which
Naska attacked without prior authorization, Turpis?”
Turpis remained silent as
again they stopped walking.
“You attacked several
escort ships and an Earth battleship and you did not destroy them?”
“There was no need to –
I-….“
“That was very stupid!”
Gorce snapped. “Now that ship's captain is aware of a threat! If he goes
back to his command and reports to them that they were attacked it might
possibly put their whole military on alert. Have you ever thought why this ship
is made to resemble a comet?”
Turpis shook his head “If
that was the case why did Prince Zordar choose to enter this dimension from so
far away?”
"You have no control
where the Gateway leaves you within several light years…” Gorce said “Just
where you enter is stationary.”
“You’re too inflexible,
my friend,” Turpis said as he walked away from Gorce. “The humans are no match
for us. They can be easily defeated!”
"Bye now…I'm off for
a date with the lady robot," said a small red robot down on Earth as he
waved and scurried away.
A man in young middle age
in a dark green Headquarters uniform with a crew cut laughed. "What a
character."
"He's a real
tinwit," chuckled a young woman with blond shoulder-length hair in a white
Headquarters uniform, short skirt, and red ascot who was with him in the Energy
Control Center of Earth Defense Headquarters. The man, who was in his early
thirties, was one Lieutenant Commander Stephen Sandor. The woman was named Nova
Forrester, and she was a Lieutenant in the EDF. "Which reminds me. You
know I got the plane tickets for
"Wildstar's going to
be home in two and a half days, Nova," said Sandor.
"I know. I'm worried
about him. Hope he's all right in all this. But I still need to get out of the
city for a bit. This power surge…that little blackout we had…there's something
about this that makes me feel weird. I damn well know I couldn't just sit
around in my apartment and mope, since I'm going to be off work for two days
anyway."
"Hmm…I feel the same
way? But, unlike you, I can't take any leave. Who are you going with
again?"
"Natalie, Veronica,
Kumiko and Kazuo…you can't ever separate them…and we're meeting Eager and his
girlfriend Lisa there. Poor Chris Eager. He's never seen a beach in his life.
We plan to teach him how to play Frisbee."
"Better be careful
you don't trip on something," teased Sandor. "Want Derek to see you
bruised up?"
"Sandor, I'm not
that bad!" cried Nova.
IQ-9 popped his head back
into the room. "Ms. Efficiency is late. I'm back!"
"Wonderful,"
said Nova as she rolled up her dark eyes and tapped one of her pumps on the
deck. "I thought you wanted to test your mettle with the nurse
droid?"
"Ha ha ha Nova! You
made a pun. Hahahaha! Metal. I am made of metal. I am a genius! I am strong. I
am coordinated!"
"You're always
falling to pieces!" snapped Nova. "Like tonight? I swear, you nearly
bonked me in the head."
"You're beautiful,
Nova. But, you run like a girl, you fall on your butt all the time, and you
make the worst coffee in the known Universe."
"So this is the
thanks I get for putting your electrical fire out? Maybe I should've let you
roast on that floor, tinwit?"
"Sandor, what is
about five foot eight, has blonde hair, and is a big pain in the neck?"
"I hear Ms.
Efficiency coming," said Sandor as he winked at Nova and began looking at
a computer panel.
"WOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWW!"
said IQ-9. Nova giggled to herself as the robot sped out of the room as fast as
his tracks would take him.
"Does your bionic
ear let you hear that far?" asked Nova.
"Nah. Made it
up," said Sandor.
"Thanks,
Steve," said Nova as she gave his hand a warm squeeze.
"Hey…anytime."
"I have to catch
that flight tomorrow morning, so I'll be going now. See you in about three days
from now on Heroes' Hill…with Derek, of course."
"Bon voyage,
Nova," said Sandor. As soon as she left, he began studying a computer
terminal again. He thought, There's
something weird about this power surge…but what is it? I know it came from
space. Well…let me look at these scans again. See if I can pinpoint the
source.
Turpis walked into the main council chamber where
Zordar was sitting with Desslok, Invidia, and Dire discussing different tales
of conquest. Desslok remained reserved during most of the night. There
was a chime as a servant girl came in and bowed.
“My Prince…General Turpis
has arrived,” she said in a monotone voice. Invidia dismissed her with a wave
of her hand as Turpis entered. He bowed and waited for permission from his
Prince to speak. At the moment, Zordar was discussing something with Dire. He
looked at Turpis, who bowed. Then, at Zordar' gesture, he spoke.
“My Prince, we have
intercepted a message transmitted to Earth. It came from the vicinity of the
planet Telezart.”
Zordar smirked and sat
back in his chair and scoffed. “Of course.”
Invidia, who seemed
angered by the report, slammed her goblet down on the table
“Trelaina!” Invidia said.
“Father…are you going to allow her to behave with such impudence?”
“I thought she was just a
legend.” Desslok said. "The sort of legend of which spacers who are too
deep in their cups speak of."
“As did we,” Zordar
said. “However, before our entry through the Tholian portal, I sent an
advance force to Telezart under the command of General Scorch."
“So this Trelaina now no
longer exists?" Desslok asked.
“Muted… For the time
being,” Zordar said turning to Turpis. “I think for now Telezart should
be left alone. We knew she might make a move like this…what can she really do?”
Desslok snickered than
laughed aloud. Turpis felt ill at hearing that laugh, for it was the laugh of
someone who had gone mad .Then, Desslok regained his composure and laughed
uncontrollably again.
Zordar was amused by
Desslok's behavior, especially since it was refreshing to know someone that
just agreed with you all the time. Invidia, however, was not amused.
“What do you find so
amusing!?” Invidia snapped.
Desslok giggled as he wiped
a tear from his eye from laughing so hard. “The humans have a saying…id ergo… A
journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”
“And you feel that this
message is a first step to what?” Dire asked
Desslok ignored the old
general and looked right at Turpis.
“Did any of the message
get through to Earth?” Desslok demanded. "Well? DID it?"
“We think so…uh… at least
parts of it.” Turpis said. “We of course jammed it so if parts of it actually
got through they wouldn’t be able to figure it out.”
“Perhaps we should ask
General Gorce his learned opinion?” chided Desslok.
Zordar glanced at Desslok
for a second…than his glance went back to Turpis.
“Leave it, Turpis,”
Zordar said. “She is only one woman. What can she really do?”
“She is dangerous,
Father,” Invidia said. “Remember, she has unlocked the secrets of the Cosmic
Force.”
The comment interested
Desslok . “Hmmmm…so…Trelaina is a Jedi Knight? Or perhaps a Sith Lord, then?”
“Fables,” Dire snorted.
"Mere fables!"
“No…” Desslok said “I know
of such a person with these abilities. The man is my right arm…However,
regardless of what Trelaina is… this could work out to our advantage.”
“How?” Invidia asked.
“Gorce is correct in his
assessment of human ingenuity.” Desslok said “You see….they will transcribe the
message…. When they do they will investigate…. I know that the Star Force would
be part of such a rescue mission.”
“What do you propose?”
Zordar said
“The remainder of my
forces has left Gamilon,” Desslok said. “We are reuniting for this one
last offensive against the Star Force. Then we will return home to pick up the
pieces of my battered world.”
“Gamilon is doomed.”
Zordar said.
“It is all that I have
left.” Desslok replied. "But before we see her again, those who mortally
wounded her must be brought low, as they laid her low!"
“So then, you are not
interested in the conquest of Earth?” Dire asked.
“I hope you succeed.”
Desslok said. "It doesn't matter to me. I want to get the Star Force. That
is my mission in life at the moment!"
“Then such is our
bargain.” Zordar intoned. “Your vengeance against the Star Force will be
fulfilled…and The Comet Empire will continue to conquer destiny by taking the
Earth!”
He roared with laughter
as a servant filled their glasses. Then, as Zordar and the others stood, Zordar
with a sinister smile raised a glass.
“In the words of the
Klingon Barbarians…QAPLA!” Zordar
said. Then, he drank from the glass.
At that, Desslok smiled.
Turpis shivered, for the look in Desslok's eyes was the look of a man who had
just shaken hands with Evil itself…
End Chapter Four
Next Chapter: "Fathers and Daughters"
To Return to the Introduction to Starfighter: The Iconoclasts, click here