THE LEGEND OF GRAND MECHAPOLIS
STAR BLAZERS/GALAXY EXPRESS 999
Founding of the Dual Monarchy and Galaxy Express System
By: Frederick P. Kopetz
Chapter NINETEEN: Faust’s Punch in the Back…
Thanks to Gail Kopetz, Margaret Diviney, Michelle Nutter-Lynd, Steven Diviney and Andrea Lyon for Advice and inspiration.
Artwork: “A Mother’s Wedding Day” © 2022 by Akira Devilman 666….
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Planet Iscandar
The Suburbs of Mother Town
April 25, 2235
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There were times when Nova and Derek felt like time was running out; it would soon be May the First, the date when Faust said he would show himself on Iscandar.
However, Derek thought, you can’t dwell on that all the time. Starsha is amazing; she said she would be out with Nova to confront Faust. My hope is that he doesn’t bring enemy forces along with him. I’ve discussed that with Abelt; and we will be on high alert.
Nova’s clear voice calling out “FORE!” brought him to reality as she swung a six-iron on a golf course within sight of the sea on Iscandar’s main continent. Golf had become a semi-popular game introduced by the Terran expats who lived on Iscandar. Now, some Gamilons, and even some Iscandarians had taken up the sport.
Nova looked down the rough under the pink visor she had on
with her matching pink polo shirt, skirt, and golf shoes with black socks, and
she whistled. “That one went nice and far, Derek!”
“Well, what can we say, ma’am?” said Doctor Hiram Bixley, Nova’s one-time associate on Yamato, who had experienced the bizarre distinction of signing both Nova’s death certificate and paperwork attesting to her resurrection almost four years ago. “You always had a good eye.”
Doctor Bixley’s wife Mayim; a bio-physicist and PhD in her own right, pushed up her glasses and said, “Well, looks like it’s my turn to go.”
Nova nodded. “Derek, it’s your turn after Mayim,” she said to her husband as the two couples enjoyed their golf game.
“Good luck, Doctor Bixley,” Derek said to the dark-haired Middle Eastern looking woman.
“FORE!” yelled Mayim. She swung. “Close, but no cigar,” she said.
“My turn, Nova,” Derek said. “We’re still two under par,” he added.
“Don’t mess up, hon, please,” Nova said.
Derek swung….it was a good play.
“I hope that insane robot with the attitude doesn’t follow me around again,” said Mayim.
“Who?” said Hiram.
“That stupid tenth class…he calls himself Sheldon or something inane like that,” Mayim said.
“Does he like to lift your skirt?” Nova sighed.
“No. He argues about stupid things. He wants me to sign an office space agreement of all things and he works for me,” Mayim said. “And he makes THE most inappropriate comments you can think of.”
“Reminds me of a Ninth Class I knew before he became an android,” Nova said as they got into their golf cart. “At least he knows enough to just paw his android wife now. Even if she does look almost like me.”
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Planet Iscandar
New Idlewild Airbase
May 1, 2235
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The Yamato was in orbit over Iscandar, but Derek’s Cosmo Zero sat on the tarmac next to Reinhardt’s Czvarke fighter.
“You be careful,” Derek said to Nova as he embraced her, praying that he was not bidding her a final farewell.
Nova had on armor; a mithril mail coat with a light leather dress on under it, and she wore high Iscandarian-style boots. The vambraces on her lower arms and the greaves on her lower legs were of polished steel, and over all, she wore a purple cloak.
“I already know I will be all right,” Nova said as, nearby, Desslok embraced Starsha, who was clad in similar armor to defend Iscandar from Faust along with her mother. However, her greaves and vambraces were plated with gold. Her armor was more ancient than Nova’s. She knew it was a long time since a Queen of Iscandar had been forced to clothe herself in armor to fight off an enemy.
“I’m not sure I want you to do this, Starsha,” Desslok said. “I’m not sure you’re ready.”
“Like it or not…I have to set aside my fears and be ready for this moment,” Starsha replied.
“I feel the same way that Desslok does,” Derek said. “Nova, please watch your back, above everything else. You’re carrying our child. My God, you’ll be showing soon.”
“I will do my best,” Nova replied. “You are the one who needs to be careful.”
They could hear bombs landing in the distance. The enemy had arrived.
Derek kissed Nova and boarded his plane, taking straight off. Desslok held and kissed Starsha, and then he turned and followed Keyman to his fighter. He took off, heading for his flagship.
“Well, it’s just us now,” Starsha said. “Maybe we have the harder job.”
“One way or another, we will prevail,” Nova said. “Although I know I will live, I may suffer a great deal before all this is over. I feel a dark presence in the cemetery nearby. Let’s go.”
Nova and Starsha held hands and teleported to the cemetery that was, indeed, no more than two kilometers away.
When they appeared in the cemetery, they could smell death
in the air.
Nova drew her crystalline sword from the space about her and she and Starsha walked towards some of the grave markers.
Soon, the source of the smell was obvious.
Some of the graves had been desecrated.
Skulls and bones lay everywhere near four desecrated graves.
Some of the bones still had rotting flesh on them.
Nova was used to the smell of death due to her profession as a doctor, but she had a hard time keeping her breakfast down. “I feel sick to my stomach at this,” she said.
“I do, too,” said Starsha. “I knew those men and women once, she said as her booted feet stepped carefully around the bones. She stopped to place at least one of the skulls in the ground.
And, that was when the blue lightning came; lightning which almost blew her head off.
She raised her sword to parry off a second burst as Nova responded by shooting white flame from her own blade.
Then, they heard the deep, mocking laughter as they saw Faust stepping out from behind a grave marker.
“Are you two ready to die yet?” he hissed in his deep voice.
“Brother,” said Starsha formally. “What made you like this?”
“The powers of Darkness and the will of Promethium, the true Queen of the Cosmos,” Faust said. “You two Queens are simply pretenders. Bow to me and beg for mercy and I may let you survive this.”
“Never,” Nova said in a strong, cold voice. “I came here today to do battle, Faust. I am not about to give up.”
“Nor am I,” said Starsha.
“So be it,” said Faust in a cold, sepulchral voice.
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Now, over Iscandar, commanding Promethium’s Twelfth Fleet, was an enemy the Star Force had met before; the accursed demon who now called himself Lord St. Germain. At this point, he had brown eyes, olive-colored skin, and a pointed beard, looking truly like the demon he was. He was clad in an ornate suit of black and bronze plate armor and a cloak of Tyrian violet, in an intentional mockery of Nova’s own cloak.
St. Germain hissed, “Have we begun the bombing mission over Iscandar yet?”
“Affirmative, Lordship,” said Count Raznar Bolard, his cyborg executive officer. Bolard was once a Captain in the EDF, and he had defected to Ekogaru’s side and accepted cyborgization during Ekogaru’s occupation of Earth four years beforehand. “Our sensors indicate the Yamato is approaching us at combat speed.”
“Hail them, Bolard,” said St. Germain. “I want to demoralize Wildstar with your presence.”
“Of course,” said Bolard.
On the Yamato, Teri said, “Captain! There is a call coming in from the enemy flagship!”
“What could they want?” said Derek. “Put the enemy commander up on the main screen.”
A moment later, Wildstar gritted his teeth as he recognized Bolard. “So? We have another turncoat? When did you sell your soul to the enemy?”
“That is not important, mortal,” hissed Bolard. “What is important is that you and your escorts are about to die.”
“I beg to differ,” Derek snapped. “You will have an answer in a moment.”
“Cut him off!” Derek snapped. “Presha! Yvona! Ready main guns!”
“Main guns ready to fire on your mark, sir,” said Presha a moment later.
“FIRE!” snapped Derek.
The Yamato fired her main guns at the enemy fleet, followed by fire from her escorts and from part of the Gamilon Fleet, which was not far behind under Berger’s command.
Desslok himself was in his large red attack carrier Baleras, and he had landed in the seas on Iscandar, where he, Talan, Reinhardt, and his escorts were busy fighting off enemy planes that were bombing Mother Town.
St. Germain’s attack was cruel and unscrupulous, since he had ordered a hospital on Mother Town bombed.
However, Desslok and his escorts put up a heavy screen of anti-aircraft fire that began to bring down the enemy bombers just as the Yamato herself took damage from the enemy, but continued opening fire upon the enemy.
Soon, more enemy ships were being blown apart, since Derek had ordered his gunners to load wave-motion cartridges and open fire. These Type 96 shells were of a new design; each shell now held two percent of the wave motion gun’s energy. A full broadside held a total of eighteen percent of the energy of the wave motion gun.
Derek’s escorts, including the North Carolina, were also firing identical shells. The damage to the enemy was horrendous.
But, St. Germain and Bolard drove their men and women onwards.
On Iscandar, Nova and Starsha were in a vicious sword duel with Faust. Nova had taken off his left hand already, and she had damaged his armor in three places with her fire, even though she had taken a vicious cut to her forehead and one of her arms was bruised.
Starsha had to move carefully, since Faust had stomped on one of her booted feet even as she had swiped at his helm and almost taken his head off. Starsha was in pain with two broken toes, but she fought on.
Starsha shot a beam of energy at Faust, which made his armor spark. Temporarily unable to move well, Nova swiped at one of his legs and nearly took it off before he parried the blow and rammed his sword through her left hand. Nova kept from crying out as the blood flowed, and as Faust swung as Starsha, with the blow cutting her wrist; her blood joined her mother’s blood in the grass of the cemetery.
“Both of you are beaten,” said Faust. “Why do you keep resisting? You are both wounded! Yield!”
“Like hell!” Nova barked as she raised her wounded left hand and a telekinetic blow struck Faust. It almost bowled him over, but he fell against a tombstone.
“You have plenty of spunk, I will grant you that,” Faust said. “Slaying you and Starsha now will be a great victory. Why do you think St. Germain is attacking now? It is a diversion, meant to damage Iscandar and keep your husbands out of this battle and coming to your rescue!”
“I need no rescue!” Starsha said as she swung at Faust from behind. He screamed, with his spine damaged. He moved now like a damaged giant, but he still had plenty of strength as he defied Nova’s blast of energy and hit Starsha in the head with his sword.
Starsha screamed and fell over, with a concussion, out for the count.
“Starsha!” Nova yelled as she ran to her defense.
“Do not worry about her!” yelled Faust. “Worry about yourself, High Queen!”
And, he shifted position and viciously kicked Nova in her back.
She felt something snapping in her back, and she fell to the ground.
I…I can’t move my legs! Nova thought. They won’t work!
Still, she fought off Faust with a swipe of her sword which took off his other hand.
Nova lay on the ground, wounded, partially paralyzed, but she still held up her sword to fend off Faust, despite the pain.
“Get back, or I’ll stab your heart!” Nova gasped, wounded but valiant. “YOU yield, monster!”
“No…you will…because I can strangle you, too,” said Faust.
Faust then raised the stump of one of his arms and began to strangle Nova with her power as he kicked her. “You shall be dead soon…DEAD! The worms crawl in, the worms crawl out…the worms play Pinochle on your snout,” he sang sadistically to the rather morbid childhood song as he kicked Nova in the head as her consciousness began to fade.
Then, a moment later, a shot ripped through Faust’s midsection; the laser bolt barely missing Nova.
Faust faded away, snarling, and Nova looked up and saw
Derek through her fading vision.
“Thank God…” she whispered. “How’d…you get here? I didn’t call for you, Derek…”
“I felt your pain after we made the enemy fleet turn tail and run,” he said as he loomed over Nova against the red flames in the sky from the enemy attacks on Iscandar. “Did you think I’d leave you to die alone, Peppermint? Teleported here by myself. How’s that? How badly are you wounded?” he asked as Desslok’s shuttle landed and Desslok ran to Starsha’s unconscious form.
“I’m wounded in several places, and I can’t feel anything below my waist or move my legs,” Nova gasped. “Faust kicked me in the back. I think Starsha has a concussion…if I can crawl to her, I think I can help,” Nova gasped.
Desslok picked up Starsha. “Nova. You and Starsha have done enough. It is obvious there was a great battle here. You gave a very valiant defense…”
“But I didn’t kill him,” Nova gasped as Derek picked her up.
“I saw what you did to Faust. You two messed him up pretty good. Damn, you’re one tough lady, and so is she…,” Derek said.
“I’m worthless,” Nova sobbed. “I hope our baby lives.”
“So do I,” said Derek. “And never call yourself worthless again, Nova! Do you hear me? Abelt…we’ll use your shuttle. Since I noticed from above in the Yamato they hit the hospital, we’ll take them to Sickbay on the Yamato and get them fixed up there.”
Desslok nodded as Derek thought, I hope we can. Lord, let our baby live, and please don’t allow Nova to spend her life as a paraplegic. He kissed Nova on her bloody forehead as he carried her tenderly to the shuttlecraft.
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Space Battleship Yamato
Sickbay
May 2, 2235
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Nova lay in a hospital bed in Sickbay in a small room next
to Starsha, clad in a hospital nightgown. Several IV’s were connected to her
right hand. Her left hand, forehead, and shoulder were damaged and heavily
bandaged. It was around midnight on the next day already. She was grimacing in
pain, but trying to keep her spirits up.
She was barely conscious, but she had managed to use her power to reduce the swelling in Starsha’s brain somewhat, amazingly, she was still doctoring from her own sickbed.
“How’s the odds, Doctor Bixley?’ Nova whispered as she held Derek’s hand. “I mean, that I can get up out of this bed and walk?”
“Maybe forty-sixty,” he replied sadly. “I have to wait for the swelling in your spinal cord to subside before we can see if we can operate to restore some motion to your legs. At best, you may be using crutches for the rest of your life and walking very slowly. You’ll probably have to be discharged from the Commonwealth Defense Forces and spend your life in your palace.”
Nova nodded. “Yeah…okay…How’s the baby?”
“Unharmed, luckily,” said Doctor Bixley. “If he had kicked you in the stomach, obviously, you would have lost the baby by now. We think he’ll make it.”
“How’s Starsha?” said Desslok.
“She’ll probably come to later tonight,” Doctor Bixley said. “I think we’d better let them rest for now.”
Desslok nodded, kissing his sleeping bride.
“Stay a minute, Derek…Doctor Bixley,” Nova said. “I have an idea about my treatment.”
“Which is?” Doctor Bixley said.
“I can put myself into a healing trance for about forty-eight hours. My hope is that my own energy will heal the damage, and that when I come to…I should be as right as rain…and getting up out of this bed. I see you have wounded, Doctor. I have things to do down here.”
“If you do that, it could be dangerous,” said Doctor Bixley. “There could be neurological damage.”
“If I put myself out, I can fix everything, I think,” Nova said. “Derek. I can keep in touch with you through my bond. I’ll be alert on a subconscious level. If I detect brain damage, I’ll wake myself up. How’s that?”
Derek nodded and kissed Nova on her nose. “Sleep well, dear,” he said.
“I need a nap after that battle,” Nova said. “A long one…”
She shut her eyes, and a few minutes later, she appeared to be in a deep coma, quite self-induced.
Derek turned off the light in the room and let Nova and Starsha sleep.
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Starsha awoke in the morning, fitted with bandages and an open white orthopedic boot for a few weeks until her bandaged and crushed toes (which Doctor Bixley had been forced to operate on) healed up.
She was pulling on a diaphanous blue gown and kicking a white sandal on her other foot when Desslok came in.
“Starsha,” said Desslok as he went on one knee before her
and kissed her. “Thanks be to Adonai you are all right.”
“I’ve been better, Abelt,” Starsha said after she kissed Abelt on the lips. Even though she was in pain, she wanted Abelt very badly right now. “How are you, and how is Shasta?”
“Our Princess is strong, well, and was lustily crying before until one of the nursemaids gave her some of your milk that we saved for this,” Desslok said. “She’s on Gamilon right now. She got nowhere near the battle in my Palace. As for myself, I have been worried about you…and worried about our Madia there,” Abelt said, using an affectionate term for “Mother” in Gamilon for Nova, since she was, after all, his mother-in-law; a new experience for him. His own mother had died when he had been young.
“I’m told she took a beating, but is in a healing trance right now.” Starsha then shut her eyes. “She just sent to me ‘I’m managing in here’. Sounds just like her, doesn’t it?”
“She has a gift of making one smile even when she is in terrible pain,” Desslok said. “She’ll make it. She has your courage, dearest.”
“Thank you. It was hard to get Faust to depart. Dad was up here before. He said Madia and he beat him off together. She was still fighting even when her legs didn’t work…Adonai bless her and Dad.”
“Is that monster dead?”
“We don’t know,” Starsha sighed. She was discharged from Sickbay and left for Gamilon with Abelt in his shuttle, and was received on Gamilon to many cheers and mass acclaim.
Together, Abelt and Starsha entered his Palace to check on Shasta…and to do other, more private and intimate things.
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TWO DAYS LATER…
Derek sat at Nova’s bed, keeping a vigil, holding her hand, until her eyelids fluttered.
With sleepy eyes, Nova awakened and coughed a little.
To Derek’s amazement, one of the first things she did was stretched out her toes before she drew up her legs under the blanket. “My God…I have the worst case of pins and needles in my legs.”
“You can move them again!” Derek said in amazement.
“Yup,” Nova said. Then, she whispered to Derek, “Help me to the head? No, not the bedpan, silly…the head. It’s only a few steps away,” she said as she sat up and shakily stood up, pushing her IV cart ahead of her as she walked. “Deck is cold.”
“You don’t have your slippers, silly,” Derek said.
“Actually, it’s an improvement,” she said as she got to the head. “Give me a minute or two, please.”
“You don’t need any help in there?” Derek said as she winked, smiled, and shut the hatch.
Then, after finishing her business, Nova came out, hobbling a little, but walking stubbornly ahead of Derek in a rush to get to the recliner in the room.
“Grabbed the chair,” she said.
A moment later, Doctor Bixley came in, looking at Nova with shock. “How did you get there?”
“I levitated, Doctor,” she joked. “No. I woke up. The trance did its job. Legs work fine now,” she said as she kicked her legs a little. “Derek helped me to the head, and I did what I had to do, and came back out when you got in here.”
“You are either amazing or as stubborn as a she-ox,” Bixley said in awe. “Let me do some tests on you and the baby…”
“She’s both,” Derek said with a beaming smile.
“Please get done by twelve hundred,” said Nova.
“Why?” replied Doctor Bixley.
“I want to get up, get dressed, and relieve you in the ward doing rounds…what else?” Nova said. “I might need a cane for a day or two, but I can walk fine.”
“Ma’am…okay…if you insist,” Bixley said as Derek helped Nova up out of the recliner.
He walked her to bed, and smiled, awaiting Doctor Bixley’s tests.
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LATER ON….
Teri was coming down to Sickbay to visit Nova.
She couldn’t find her, and very worried, she went to look for Doctor Bixley.
She bumped into someone carrying a sheaf of charts.
Then, Teri looked up and almost screamed, because she had run right into Nova, who was awake, out of bed, and doing rounds in her slightly scruffy Medical uniform with her bandages off.
“Mom! Look where you’re going, damnit! You almost knocked
me over!” Nova huffed, crossing her eyes.
Teri jumped back and screamed. “They told me you that you were unconscious and paralyzed! You’re…walking around?”
“Yes, Mom. What does it look like?” Nova said, smiling a little now.
Then, she and Nova embraced after Nova put down her charts.
“I have good news for you, Nova,” said Teri.
“Which is?”
“Well, General Hemsford and I are engaged. We’re going to have our wedding in November, hopefully after your new baby is born!”
“That’s great,” Nova said. “Congratulations! I’ve worked with Paul a lot. It’ll be an honor to have him as my stepfather, even though I’ll always miss Dad.”
“I guess you’ll be leaving the ship then?” Nova said. “Not that I blame you. The old girl needs some dock time again,” Nova commented, patting a scorched bulkhead. “Derek tells me she had a rough battle while I was down there with Queen Starsha fighting Faust. Mom, I have to go. I have to complete my rounds and then begin checking over what we can spare for the relief mission on Iscandar. Mother Town took a lot of damage according to a call I received from Starsha. See ya later,” Nova said.
She picked up her charts and walked across Sickbay. She walked a little carefully, but wasn’t using her cane now.
Jordy Venture showed up. “Amazing, isn’t she?”
“No, I think the Lord who works through her is amazing,” Teri said.
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IV. BACK HOME…
Planet Earth
Philadelphia, PA, USA
November 16, 2235
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Artwork: “A Mother’s Wedding Day” © 2022 by Akira Devilman 666. Used by permission.
It was a warm November day in Philadelphia in St.
Dominic’s Catholic Church in Far Northeast Philadelphia just off Frankford
Avenue as Derek sat in a pew playing with their new son Solomon, a dark-haired
boy in a blue sleeper who had just been born four weeks ago.
Up at the altar, Teri Forrester was in a white bridal gown and white sandals, repeating her vows before Father Likanski as she held hands with her soon-to-be second husband, General Paul Patrick Hemsford.
Standing beside Teri were her two surviving children; Aurora Forrester in a pink gown and sandals, and Nova, in a matching blue gown and sandals.
Finally, with the vows said, Father Martin Likanski said “I now pronounce you both man and wife. General Hemsford, you may kiss your bride.
Paul and Teri kissed while Derek and the other guests applauded.
Solomon squealed, followed by Samantha Venture, who sat beside her parents Jordy and Ariel.
The newlyweds came down the aisle holding hands as Nova walked beside them.
In one of the pews, Princess Yurisha sat beside her husband Admiral Erich Nishizawa and smiled at the newlyweds.
“You think we’ll have peace for a while?” Yurisha said.
“Hopefully,” said Erich with a slight smile.
And, indeed, the Mechanoids had withdrawn after the pasting they had received at the Battle of Iscandar.
For now, anyway…
TO BE CONTINUED…