THE MIDNIGHT HOUR
A Star Blazers short tale
By Frederick P. "Freddo" Kopetz
Thanks to Gail Kopetz, Jamie Tucker, "Yuki Wildstar", Tom Szcepkowski, and “Anonymous Reader” for support and ear-bending.
Finally, this chapter (and story) is respectfully dedicated to the memory of Amy Howard-Wilson, the voice actress who portrayed Nova in the Star Blazers dub, who passed away on February 28, 2021 at 65. She was a sweet person and Gail and I met her at several cons and were privileged to be friends with her and her husband Dave. Amy, Rest in Peace in Heaven in the Sea of Stars, Our Amy.
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ACT SIX: ONE AND A HALF MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
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Space Battleship North Carolina
Captain’s Quarters
The Edge of the Solar System
May 28, 2214
0600 Hours: Earth Time
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Commodore Nova Wildstar had a hard time sleeping, so she gave up and got up again at 0600.
She had been able to go through her seabag before hitting the rack
the previous night. There were scrubs in her bag, white operating room sandals
with straps, brown boots, a flight/space suit with helmet, gloves, and boots,
underthings, two more blouses, two fresh skirts, and sleepwear; a sleepshirt
and standard EDF pajamas.
Nova had gone to sleep in her teal blue sleepshirt, which she had on upon waking up. She kicked on her sandals from the other day as slippers, and finally got Bubba the Computer to cooperate as she read her log entries into the computer while working on a cup of coffee and a bowl of instant oatmeal. She intended to shower and brush her teeth and hair after her small breakfast.
Now, the more recent builds of the Andromeda class had “humanized” some features. A few such features were added to crew’s quarters so that the ship didn’t look or feel all that sterile. The humanized touches Nova had found in the Captain’s Cabin of her command included a white ceiling fan attached to the ceiling, and a green rubber tree plant in a pot in one corner. Nova had named her plant “George” and she made sure she watered it each morning.
“Log entered, completed; close,” Nova said. “Print me out a revised crew roster; I need to look at it after my shower. Oh, it felt better sleeping in real sleepwear before.”
“Sounds like a deal, sugar,” said the computer.
“Would you STOP calling me that?” Nova snapped.
“Roger that, Peppermint Patty,” said the computer.
“Where did you get THAT from?” Nova barked.
“Cross-referenced your fourth book; the poetry one you wrote. You said that your husband calls you…”
“I just barely tolerate that from Derek!” Nova snapped.
“Should I send the crew an e-mail lettin’ them know you wanted to be a space poet when you were twelve?”
“You’re worse than the Tinwit,” Nova sighed.
“Cross-reference: IQ-9 Analysis Robot or Droid; dented unit, has megalomania to a high degree, loves your bottom, tried to propose to you three times. Unit currently aboard space battleship Argo.”
“That describes him all right,” Nova huffed. “Excuse me while I visit my head.”
Nova slammed the hatch to her head nice and hard after picking up her uniform of the day. A few minutes later, Bubba heard the shower running and Nova singing “Amazing Grace,” while in the shower. She said her morning prayers while washing her hair, being very good at multitasking.
Nova came back out four minutes later, freshly clad in clean blouse, skirt, tie, and underclothes, and she had a toothbrush in her mouth and was brushing her teeth while sitting on her bunk pulling on her new boots.
She had one boot on when the doorbell rang for her cabin.
“Whoozit?” she yelled around her toothbrush.
“Ma’am, this is Hemsford,” said a deep voice from the other side of the hatch; Paul Hemsford, Nova’s Marine Group Leader and Master at Arms.
“Okay, come in…” Nova said.
Hemsford came in and found Nova with her pink toothbrush in her mouth.
“You always talk funny in the mornin’, ma’am?” he growled.
Nova got a glass, gargled, and spit the result in her sink. “Paul. Most people talk weird when they have a toothbrush in their mouth. Even Captains! What’s up?”
“We have a situation in the messhall, ma’am! It’s Ensign Yamaguchi from Engineering. He wants to start a fight with Dayliss and Haanen. Neither of them like it!”
“What is this, a cadet ship?” Nova sighed as she pulled on her other boot and then threw on her peacoat, ascot and cover. “We’re going to warp in about an hour! I have no time for this!”
“Ma’am, the whole messhall is in a major uproar; some of the Engineering guys want to start a fight with my Marines,” said the tall, bald-pated officer.
“We had enough casualties last night,” Nova sighed, shaking her head. “Okay, lead the way. Looks like Mom has to take care of the rowdy kids.”
Hemsford and Nova got into the messhall just as a group of Marines were yelling at about eight Engineering officers and men, including Ensign Shiro Yamaguchi, who had his fists up and was facing the giant Ralkhen officer Dayliss and the tough female Gamilon officer Haanen.
Hemsford banged on a table and yelled, “CUT THE CRAP!” about three times. A few people calmed down, but there was still a loud din around the table where Dayliss and Haanen had been sitting.
Nova finally got their attention by jumping up on the table and barking, “QUIT IT!” in her most authoritative voice.
Most of the group broke up then, but Yamaguchi, Dayliss, and Haanen were still glaring at each other.
Nova jumped off the table and got between the dueling parties. “What is going on?” she snapped.
“These alien idiots are picking on me,” snapped Yamaguchi. “Cap’n, you’d better do something about it!”
“He started it, ma’am!” snapped Haanen with her hands on her hips.
“How did he start it?” Nova said.
“With his idiotic comments,” growled Dayliss. “He asked what freak show we were a part of, and he let Haanen know that her people’s planet bombs killed his mother.”
“That is almost ancient history,” Nova said in a low, deadly voice. “Most Terrans lost people in the Terra-Gamilon Conflict. My husband lost both of his parents and the war rendered his brother missing.”
“Ma’am, are you going to start this racist Terran jingoism, too?” demanded Haanen.
“No, Miss Haanen. You heard me saying the war was ancient history. Leader Desslok himself is a very good friend of mine now,” Nova said. “I’m going to tell you what he told Derek and myself on his flagship thirteen years ago. He said, “Someday, war must end.” I respect that, and Desslok is a man of his word. So are his officers, such as Miss Haanen. We are allies now, Mister Yamaguchi,” Nova said as she put a hand on the Gamilon woman’s shoulder. “Miss Haanen is a valued member of my crew under our exchange agreement. So, if you mess with her, you mess with me, too!”
“You damn women always stick together,” muttered Yamaguchi. “The three of you make a hell of a group; a big furry walking animal, a blue bitch with a cold heart, and you, ma’am, you part gaijin, and as we hear, part alien weirdo blond freak who should be home with the kids!”
“Why, you, total racist jackass!” Nova said with wonder in her voice as her nostrils flared. “Do you know you’re talking to a flag officer?”
“If you were a real flag officer, lady, you could take me in a fair damn fight!” snapped Yamaguchi.
Nova then struck out like a tigress and punched Yamaguchi in the mouth, and then followed up with a hard right to his solar plexus.
Yamaguchi fell to his knees on the deck and gasped, “Why…you…bitch! Dirty…fighter!”
“I’m going to hold office hours for you later on, Mister!” Nova barked. “And as for that fight, I’ll deal with you myself in the gym at the end of this cruise! Mister Hemsford, Sergeant Geering, take this insubordinate bigot straight to the brig and get him out of my sight until I can hold Mast for him later!”
Hemsford and Geering saluted Nova and they dragged Yamaguchi away.
Nova then bowed politely to Haanen and Dayliss. “My apologies, ladies and gentlemen, for that idiot. Miss Haanen, Mister Dayliss, I accept full responsibility, and if you desire to send complaints to your governments, you may do so when this cruise is over with.”
“Ma’am, may I call you by your first name?” said Haanen in her clipped tones.
Nova nodded.
“Nova, you’re straight and a great lady in my book, along with your husband and friends,” said Haanen. “In just the past day, you led us through a battle that even some pure-blooded officers from my people would have had a hard time with. Thank you, that your ideals are just as high as what we heard about on Gamilon.”
“Thank you,” Nova said while blushing.
“You, ma’am, are tops in my book, too,” said Dayliss as he gave Nova a friendly fist-bump, then a huge hug. “I was about to rip that moron in half.”
“Please save that for the enemy,” Nova said as she mussed his fur as he bent his huge head down to speak to the much smaller woman. She looked around and said, “Okay, party’s over! Get back to your breakfast, people!” she sang. “We’re warping in forty-five minutes.”
FORTY MINUTES LATER…
On the first bridge, Nova was carefully instructing Hildreth on how to make a proper space warp.
“Okay. Your seat goes back five degrees; make sure your harness is on and locked…like that,” Nova said as she checked his harness.
“Rookie,” whispered Bando to Haanen.
Haanen let her hair down a little and allowed herself to giggle for the first time on this cruise.
“Feet flat on the deck,” Nova said as she tapped his booted feet with her own booted toe. “Not bad,” she said as she adjusted his headrest. While bending over him, her hair ran over his cheek; she took no notice of it.
Hildreth thought, Wow! Her hair smells like strawberries! Guess the ice princess has some humanity after all.
Nova then turned and said to her Engineer, “Miss Greene, what’s our power level?”
“Ready to warp in four hundred seconds, flywheel at max RPM’s,” she said.
Nova ran to her seat and strapped in. She then ordered, “Hildreth, notify the rest of the Task Group.”
“Sending in code,” he said.
Miyazaki was watching the warp sensor bleeping up and down a
moment later. “Course laid in for one hundred megameters’ distance to the outer
asteroid belt of the Sirius Star System. Countdown started.”
“Energy level one hundred and twenty percent,” said Greene.
“Fleet acknowledges ready for your command, ma’am,” said Hildreth.
“Warp!” Nova snapped.
The North Carolina and her Task Group warped out in flashes of blue light.
A moment later, the Task Group emerged from hyperspace near the Sirius Outer Asteroid Belt.
“Warp completed,” said Miyazaki.
“Engine cooling down properly,” said Greene. “Good thing we had enough Titanite to fix that energy transmission unit. Engine room, how is it going?”
“Ma’am, this is Ensign Keaton, we’re good down here,” said a voice over the speaker.
“Where’s Yamaguchi?” asked Greene.
“He’s in the brig, long story,” Nova said as she looked at her knuckles. “Good thing my knuckles aren’t nicked up.”
“Ma’am?” said Hildreth.
“Yamaguchi was harassing myself and Miss Haanen,” whispered Dayliss to Hildreth. “The skipper called him on the carpet, he said more crap, including about the Skipper’s own heritage, so she clocked him one herself.”
Hildreth whistled as Nova then said. “Try to hail the Arizona, Mister Hildreth. See how they’re doing. I have a hunch Venture’s group is in that asteroid belt.”
“Sending code, ma’am,” said Hildreth.
On the Arizona, Miss Anita Packer said, “Captain! I’m picking up a coded message; slightly garbled…decoding now…”
“What’s the message?” said Commodore Venture.
“Arizona…Task Force...please signal….ledge…send…location….via cypher…”
“Be nice if it was clearer,” said Kayla from her post.
“No arguments from me there,” said Venture. “What cypher are they using?”
“Cypher Bravo Twenty-Five,” said Packer. “Special Missions Force Cypher.”
“If that’s anyone but the Star Force, they’re trying to trick us!” snapped Mulholland.
“Listen, you,” said Venture. “Other units may have legitimate uses for…”
“Picking up radar signals!” said Lieutenant Farrell. “I’m reading one very heavy space battleship, a smaller space battleship, a big carrier, three cruisers, two frigates, and one destroyer. Not close enough yet to pick up a clear visual because of these damn asteroids; range, nine megameters, their speed, twenty space knots and slowing; analysis says their engines are red-hot.”
“Hail them!” snapped Venture.
“Trying to send…not sure it got through…my board is acting weird again,” said Packer. “Damnit! Five circuit breakers sprung…now, I can’t transmit!”
“Sir, I think that’s an enemy fleet!” said Mulholland.
“Hey! We don’t know that, yet…” Venture said loudly.
“Open main guns, prepare to fire!” snapped Mulholland.
“Belay that order!” snapped Venture as he stood up at his post.
But it was too late…as the Arizona fired her forward turrets at the approaching Task Group!
“Ma’am! Incoming fire from the Arizona!” yelled Junior Lieutenant Elkins on the North Carolina.
“What the flying…?” Nova barked. “Evade, evade!”
Miyazaki worked the helm, and the North Carolina and other units dropped down towards the ecliptic, and the Arizona’s fire roared harmlessly over their heads.
“Hildreth, get Mark on the horn, NOW!” Nova snapped.
“Aye, aye, ma’am,” said Hildreth.
A moment later, on the bridge of the Arizona, Mark had used his controls to shut down Mulholland’s board.
“What the heck…?” he said.
“GO TO YOUR QUARTERS, MULHOLLAND!” Venture barked.
“Sir, unknown flagship signaling via visual and audio, in the clear, at high gain!” said Packer. “I bypassed power; and we can respond.”
“Put them up on video,” said Venture as a sinking feeling hit him in his stomach.
A moment later, an image, clear as day, of the bridge of the North Carolina appeared on the Arizona’s lower screen.
“Mark, tell me!” Nova said in icy tones. “Is this a bad joke? I
come all the way out here to save your bacon and you’re shooting at me?
Have you lost command of your senses, sir?”
“Oh, crap,” Venture said aloud. “Nice ship…uh…Nova. You’re looking good. How’s Derek and the kids?” he stammered. “Did you just get promoted?”
“Affirmative, brevet promotion…to save you,” Nova said. “This is the new ESS North Carolina, flagship of Task Group Fifteen. Did you have an ident on my Task Group?”
“Communications were garbled,” said Mark as Nova’s image fizzed out in static and then came back up. “As you see, we’re having trouble with a lot of our systems. As for the enemy fire, please blame a trigger-happy officer named Mulholland.”
“Mister Mulholland,” Nova said as she crossed her legs behind her station and began to slap her booted heel in irritation. Mulholland hadn’t left his bridge yet. “I heard all about you and how you almost wiped out the Caledonia last year in an exercise by shooting at her at full power when you were supposed to use practice rounds.”
“Ma’am…” said Mulholland. “How…how…did you hear about that?”
“The Caledonia is part of my Group, and Captain Nesmith told me all about you,” Nova said in tones dripping with sarcasm. “Okay, Mark…I believe you,” Nova said. “Please don’t let that guy near the guns for a while? Please? Okay, on to more serious business. How’s the condition of your vessel?”
“Well, Nova, we can fight, but we need time to make repairs, and spare parts. We’re running low here…”
“I’ll send you spare parts. Do you have injured, Mark?”
“Lots of them. Our doc is going frantic down in Sickbay.”
“Who’s your Medical Officer?” Nova said.
“Doctor Fujiko Mogami, Nova.”
“She was in my class,” said Nova. “She just must have completed her residency, too. I’ll be piping aboard in ninety minutes in a lab coat, ready to work.”
“Very kind of you, but don’t they need you on your ship?” said Mark.
“Dash can handle the transfer of supplies,” Nova said. “I’d…you know…normally have a faster way to get on board, but I pushed it before.”
“Nova? You okay?” said Mark.
She nodded. “I had a furball with the enemy out around Earth when we launched, and then I…uh…checked on Derek…and I sent him an old friend,” Nova said as she sent into Mark’s mind. The old friend was me. I’ve been pushing so hard that I had two nosebleeds. Nova paused and shut her eyes. “I’m in such a good mood that I won’t even ask anything for my professional services except a bottle of Beaujolais, if you have one aboard ship.”
“Yeah…I’ve got one…but it was…oh, never mind, Nova. I owe you big time. I’ll open it when you come up from my Sickbay.”
“Good. See you soon, Mark. Derek and the kids send their regards, by the way. Over and out,” she said as she stood and saluted Mark; they were the same rank, but Mark had been a Commodore for a longer time, so Nova properly saluted him first, albeit Star Force style, with fist to her chest.
Mark smiled a little and returned the salute the same way.
After the screen went dark, Mulholland stammered, “Uh…you and she are pretty…chummy, huh?”
“She’s just the female I’m closest to in the world, other than my wife,” said Mark. “And in some ways, she’s a better friend.”
“Sir, would you…?”
“None of your business, Mulholland. And because you wouldn’t obey my orders, you’re confined to quarters for twenty-four hours,” Mark snapped. “While you’re down there cooling your heels, think hard about compliance to your superiors’ orders, and maybe say some prayers before I organize your Ship’s Mast?”
“What kind?” said Mulholland.
“Confessing your sins?” said Mark with a lopsided grin. “That is, unless you have an issue with obeying the Man Upstairs?”
“No comment, sir,” said Mulholland as he sidled off the bridge.
Mark sat in silence for five minutes before he began to send a ship-to-ship e-mail to the North Carolina.
In his e-mail, he really needed to apologize to Nova.
A while later, Nova was in Sickbay, talking with Doctor Bixley and looking at several charts before she would leave for the Arizona.
Nova was in a white scrub dress, lab coat and sandals, and she had her reading glasses (for close work) in one pocket along with her stethoscope and some candy.
“Good notes on your patient, Darrell,” said Nova as she looked over the chart for Lance Corporal Pennard, the patient that Bixley had been operating on earlier that morning. “How do my notes look on Mister Bolton, the liver case?”
“His blood work is good, he’s healing up nicely, and he’s even been awake. Of course, we have him on nutrient liquids until everything heals up in there,” said Bixley. “Nice work, ma’am. Just making rounds?”
“Yes, here and on the Arizona,” Nova said as she yawned. “Commodore Venture tells me that Doc Mogami is going crazy down there coping with casualties. They had two heavy battles in the past forty-eight hours. I’ll check over her work, give her a hand on a surgery or two, and then I’ll see if I can transfer one of those Pellian doctors from the Independence to stay on board their ship. Also, can we take a few more patients in our sickbay, you think?”
“We’ve got room for a few more, but we have to be careful about that. What if we get in another furball of our own and need beds? You know, Nova, anyone on this boat can get hurt in a battle and need a bed or the ICU. Even you, ma’am.”
Nova just nodded at that, but a cold feeling went through her for a moment.
She quickly dismissed it. Then, she made her rounds in her command’s Sickbay.
Before leaving for the Arizona on a medevac shuttle, Nova checked her e-mail. She found the following message while eating some of her candy (fun-sized Choco Crunch bars with crisped rice in the chocolate). The message read:
From: Cmd. Mark. Venture. SBBArizona at ARIZONA.edfmil
To: Cmd. Nova. Wildstar. SBBNorthCarolina at NORTH CAROLINA.edfmil
Subject: Okay, I’m sorry!
Hey, Nova:
Glad to see you again. You showed up at just the right time. Again, I owe you a major apology for that jackass Mulholland shooting at you. As Skipper of my ship, I accept full responsibility for this friendly-fire incident. I fell like crud. I don’t know how I would have explained it to Derek and your kids if that shot had ended up disabling your ship or killing you. I’ve known you for fifteen years and this is the first time I’ve ever done anything so stupid. If you want to turn me in to Command, go ahead and do so. They’ll get my log anyway and there’ll probably be a Court of Inquiry on my lousy butt. I deserve it. Can’t wait to see you on board ship later.
With regrets,
Mark.
Nova sighed and said aloud, “Mark, it was an accident; please stop beating yourself up over this! Okay, an answer is coming.
Nova began to type;
From: Cmd. Nova. Wildstar. SBBNorthCarolina at NORTH CAROLINA.edfmil
To: Cmd. Mark. Venture. SBBARIZONA at ARIZONA.edfmil
Subject: {Re:} Okay, I’m sorry!
Hullo, Mark:
As I said after I calmed down after almost getting turned into a grease spot by your guns, I’m glad to see you, too. I’m not going to turn you in to Command. As for being the first time you did anything this stupid, remember that fight I broke up between you and Derek on the Argo when we were stuck in the Octopus Star Group on the way to Iscandar? That was dumb, too. Seriously, we all do stupid things. It’s part of being human. If there’s a Board of Inquiry after this mess, I’ll testify in your favor. I know you’re nominally responsible for everything that happens on your command, but we both have dumb officers to deal with. I’ve got this guy in the brig after he insulted a Ralkhen and Gamilon officer on the ship. They’re really nice, too. Oh, and he called me some nasty names, too. I took a page from Derek’s book and clocked him one in the mouth before I had my Marines put him in the Brig. Looks like both you and I will have Captain’s Masts for these fools later today. I’ll be aboard soon. Dash is trans-shipping parts and supplies to you now. I’ll be on a Medevac ship, so we can take injured back here later. Hope the wine is good.
Hugs,
Nova.
PS-How’s Holly doing?
“Send,” Nova said. “Off you go, and off I go!”
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II. DARK, DARK VISIONS
Planet R’Khell’eva
A Dark Cavern: Below a Burning Desert
Earth Date: May 28, 2214
0912 Hours: Earth Time
“Please, please, Lordship,” said General Stone as he knelt in the dark as Aliscea D’Shal, fallen, and in a black robe and cowl with a black mail-shirt and boots on beneath, hit him again in the back with a whip.
“YOU shut up!” Aliscea hissed as she slapped Stone on the side of his face that was still flesh. The uniform he had on had been reduced to rags by whips and torture, and Stone was losing his mind because Ekogaru was possessing him from the inside, using Stone as his body. “Submit and submerge your mind in the Dark so I can talk with His Lordship. Or else, he shall destroy you! Are we clear about that?”
Stone nodded with a tear running from his remaining natural eye as Aliscea patted his bruised cheek and said, “M’Lord, he is subdued for now. If he tries fighting again, M’Lord, he shall go on the rack.”
“That pleases me immensely,” Ekogaru said as the cave turned very cold and both of Stone’s eyes glowed red at his vile presence inside the fallen EDF General. “I had the most interesting vision before, Aliscea. About our…enemies…”
“Pray tell, M’Lord,” said Aliscea as she genuflected before her dark Master. “Would you tell me the vision?” said the evil former High Queen of the Pellians as she licked her lips.
“There will soon be a battle with our R’Khells and our so-called friends from Terra. And, have a look at this vision. It’s so ironic and hilarious, given what Her Imperial Lady High Whatever thinks of us mechanical beings.”
Ekogaru raised his hand, and a vision of the North Carolina’s First Bridge in battle appeared to them.
Nova was at her post, holding her cap on her head as the great vessel shook from hit after hit. Then, there was an explosion, and Nova was severely wounded as blood ran down her cheek due to glass splinters in her face….and her hand covered a side of her face to try and staunch the blood.
Then, they both laughed as they saw Nova unconscious in her own Sickbay as both Doctor Bixley and Doctor Sane worked at repairing the gruesome damage to her face and an eye socket, and a cyborg body part was unwrapped prefatory to being placed in Nova’s body.
Aliscea giggled cruelly as she watched the operation, and then saw a recovered Nova sitting in bed in a white hospital nightdress, face fully repaired and not scarred, but looking very pale and holding Derek’s hand hard as Doctor Sane told her something.
They clapped and laughed as they saw her begin to cry, sobbing her eyes out at this news.
“I foresee we shall take some losses in this little war before the Bolar Federation defeats the Terrans,” said Ekogaru as he smiled at the sight of Nova in a thin violet prisoner’s uniform and slippers, shivering as she was forced to chop wood in a cold Bolar Gulag by whip-wielding Bolar guards as Derek, in a similar uniform, was beaten bloody and senseless in front of her with Billy Clubs by the guards, along with her oldest son and daughter, who were in rags. Their younger children lay dead nearby, bodies emaciated and stomachs large due to starvation. “But given these visions, before Her Majesty even gets shipped here to R’Khell’eva, where I foresee you will get to torture her on your nice little rack back there, that will be worth it! Because she will be on the way to becoming one of us!”
“Mechanical and under your sway, M’Lord, as we torment her and body part after body part is excised and we replace them with plastic and metal,” said Aliscea.
Both evil potentates laughed like maniacs at this vision as Nova sobbed alone in pain on the rack, with her bond mate and children all dead. Indeed, in this last vision, Derek lay dead right in front of her after Ekogaru had cut his head off with a sword while Nova had been forced to watch his execution…with his decapitated head laid in her suffering, manacled hands on the rack.
The last vision they had was of Nova screaming as her sanity began to go as they cut one of her legs off to replace it with a mechanical leg…
On the Arizona, Nova was operating on a patient as the latter part of this vision hit her mind like a baseball bat to the back of her head, and then she felt a horrid sense of cold and doom as she felt something terrible, so terrible, happening in another dimension, another time.
She stopped working, and looked very ill.
“Ma’am…what’s…what’s wrong?” said one of her nurses, an Ensign Hilde Loewen in her charming German accent.
“Ensign Loewen, I just had the most horrid vision of myself…followed by a horrible sense of something else, very bad, very sad, hitting me from another time, another dimension. Have you ever heard the theory that everyone has a twin somewhere, either spiritual or physical?”
“Yes, ma’am, but what does that have to do with…?”
“I picked up some horrid visions of Ekogaru torturing me, making me into one of their mechanical race, killing Derek, and of my spiritual twin in another world passing into the Dark before she passes into God’s Light.”
“Ma’am?” said Loewen.
“My twin dies. And I might be the only person in our dimension, our time, to shed tears for her, since I feel as if part of myself has just died. I can’t explain it.”
“Do you need to stop the operation, ma’am?” said Hilde.
Nova shook her capped and masked head furiously. “I don’t give up on my patients because I’ve had some visions and strange senses. We go on. We live as best we can in the face of Death. We mourn our friends, our loved ones, but we wipe our tears, we stand up straight, and we go on. I’ve had enough of being affected by the Dark Lord for today. I have too much to do. This Sergeant’s BP is dropping. Ready some adrenaline; I’ll inject it via his IV.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
When Nova and Loewen were done, another nurse brought them the next patient. One of his eyes was bandaged.
“What happened to him?” asked Loewen.
Another nurse held an electronic chart PADD in front of Nova. “Eye injury due to shrapnel in his eye, ma’am,” said the new nurse. “He needs a replacement bionic eye; right eye, I notice.”
Nova looked at his other eye. “Lieutenant Culhaven, get me a bionic eye; D-235A, blue iris, please. Good thing the poor man is already out cold, this’ll go quicker.” Nova said as she and Loewen worked on getting his bloody dressings off his face and prepping him for surgery and anesthesia. “Okay, we’ll enucleate his damaged eye and then connect an optic nerve adapter then hook the new eye up to the eyeball muscles and optic nerve.”
“How’s he going to do, ma’am?” asked Loewen.
“He’ll have headaches for a few days, and he’ll have to wear glasses for about seven days until the new eye equalizes with his natural eye. These work pretty well, and they’re powered by the patients’ own nerve impulses; never needs batteries,” Nova said as she worked. “Culhaven, give us two hours for this job. It takes some time and effort.”
“Good thing you’re better at this than I am, Doctor Wildstar,” said Doctor Bixley from another part of the OR.
“You’ll pick it up, Darrell; it just takes practice,” Nova said.
THREE HOURS LATER…
Nova, back in her regular Captain’s uniform, was in Venture’s cabin getting a hug from him. “Nova, if it wasn’t for you showing up on time, we’d be in even worse shape,” Mark said.
“Thanks,” Nova said, patting his back.
“You’re looking good,” Mark said, thinking Nova looked a little pale. “Shoes are cute,” he said with a smile, looking at her white sandals.
“Thanks. I had my boots on before; my feet are killing me after almost six damn hours on my feet in the operating room,” Nova said with a slight yawn.
“Not only did you provide supplies, you also helped out with our casualties; awesome!” Mark said.
“First rule of being a doctor; do no harm. Except when people are shooting at you,” Nova said with a slightly depressed look on her face.
“Hey, what’s wrong?” said Mark.
“Mark, you and Derek both know how I feel about being in the Captain’s Chair. I don’t like the job much…”
“But I hear you saved Earth’s bacon from these SOB’s,” said Mark. “That was pretty low, with them bombing a school…”
“Yeah, with two of my kids in it,” Nova said with a cross look on her face. “Reached Derek through m’head before,” said Nova as she tapped the side of her forehead. “When I told him about the school getting bombed with Alex and Ariel out in the schoolyard, I could feel him going just as livid as you can imagine. Right now, we’re one ticked-off set of parents. Who’s your little Adrianna staying with since you and Holly are both out here like Derek and I?”
“My Dad,” Mark said. “Holly e-mailed me from the Argo and let me know what’s been going on. She’s okay; even got an e-mail from my Dad once the Argo’s comm systems came back up. Our daughter’s…managing.”
“Yeah….we’re…managing,” Nova said sadly and softly. “Sorry, Mark, I’m getting emotional and weepy here…,” she said with a sob. “I’m just worried about Derek; and worried about our kids,” she said as tears ran down her cheeks.
“Nova, if you weren’t worried about your kids and Derek…you wouldn’t be you,” Mark said. “You’ve got a right to leak at the waterworks every now and then. You’re the strongest damn woman I know in the whole Fleet, with the most tender heart. Nice combination, really. That’s why I owe you this,” he said as he put a bottle of wine on the table. “Sorry, it’s not a Beaujolais. It’s a White Zinfandel; I was saving it for Holly….”
“Mark, please don’t give me Holly’s present!” Nova said. “Even though I do like White Zinfandel better than even Beaujolais!”
“Commodore, you earned this, and I’m sure Holly won’t get jealous because I must say you saved our lives,” said Mark as he opened the wine with a corkscrew while his Tenth-Class Robot, a dark blue IQ-10, came up with a tray and goblets.
“Sir, where would you like me to put this?” said the robot.
“Right over here,” he said. “Nova, c’mon…drink up!” teased Mark.
“Okay, I guess I can take one,” she said as the robot filed her glass and Mark’s. “What are you drinking to, Mark?”
“Victory and a successful mission,” said Mark as he raised his goblet.
“Friendship,” Nova said simply and elegantly as she raised her goblet. She and Mark clinked glasses, and then they drank. After they drank, Nova raised an eyebrow and smiled a funny smile and giggled a little.
“What’s wrong?” Mark said with a chuckle.
“Derek just came tapping at my head. He sent “you two hyenas had better save me some.””
Mark laughed. “That Derek…he’s a trip!”
Nova sent back. “Hyenas?”
Derek responded mentally with the phrase. “Yeah, you two are laughing like hyenas right now. Pour me a glass, even if I’m not there.”
“IQ-10, the third goblet, please?” Nova said.
“Yes, ma’am,” he said in his clipped electronic voice that almost sounded British.
“Oh, you’re such a gentleman,” Nova said as the robot handed her the last goblet.
“Thank you, Commodore,” said the IQ-10 unit.
“You’re welcome,” Nova said in her winning voice as she grabbed the bottle from Mark and poured it. “Mark, make a toast to him first; then take half the glass. Give me the rest then I’ll make my toast to him.”
Venture nodded as he took the third goblet from Nova. He raised it and said, “To Derek, our absent friend.” Mark took a drink and gave the goblet back to Nova.
Nova smiled, “To my Derek, absent friend, lover and mate for life,” she said with a wistful smile as she drank. Then, she said, “He approves.”
“Good,” said Mark as they sat and talked about the resupply and repair of the Arizona for the next hour. They agreed that when the ship’s comm systems were back up all the way, they would both call the Commander and report in and request a backup fleet on a priority basis for the Sirius Colony and then warp out together with both of their task forces to back up the Argo at Arcturus.
To Mark, it sounded like a great plan.
III. BACKUP REQUESTED
Planet Earth
Tokyo Megalopolis
Earth Defense Headquarters
May 29, 2214
0700 Hours: Earth Time
Commanding General Charles Hiram Singleton sat at his post in Defense Headquarters in the Operations Room, sipping at a cup of coffee as a split-screen image filled the main screen. One image was of Commodore Mark Venture aboard the Arizona, and the other image was of Commodore Nova Wildstar on the North Carolina.
“So, Commodore Venture, you’re informing me that…?”
“Yessir. We’ve resupplied and repaired our ship and what remains of our Task Force, thanks to the North Carolina’s timely intervention. I’m requesting permission to leave behind my escorts and join Commodore Wildstar’s Task Group to head to Arcturus to reinforce the Argo’s Group.”
“How much reinforcement would you require?” asked Singleton.
“Sir, if I may answer,” Nova said, “We agreed that it is not as much as it might appear. The commanders of the Caledonia, Yunagi, and Jakarta have volunteered to remain behind to aid what is left of Mark’s Task Force, namely, the cruiser Rupal and the destroyer VanRiper. Would it be possible to send another battleship and a cruiser or two out here?”
Singleton sat in deep thought. “It would be possible, but we can’t do it immediately. Commodore Venture, transfer command of your Task Force to Captain Nesmith of the Caledonia. Advise her that she is in operational command of your Task Force until I can get the Aldebaran and Admiral Nishimoto out there with two more cruisers and two more destroyers. As for you, as you have requested, you are to join Commodore Wildstar’s Task Force and head out to Arcturus ASAP to assist the Star Force and Admiral Wildstar. I do need to advise you both that Admiral Wildstar advised me that he just fought off another R’Khell force…and that the Argo has picked up activity from some very large units operating at the edge of the system.”
Venture nodded, but Nova looked mildly stricken as her stomach dropped. She had a very bad feeling about this. “Sir…that squares up exactly…with a feeling that I just had. I think…we’d better be loaded for bear when we warp to Arcturus. But we can warp out at 0800 on the dot, sir.”
“An hour to prepare,” said Venture. “We can manage it, Commander.”
“Very well then,” said Singleton. “You are ordered to warp to the Arcturus system and to confront those heavies. Inform Admiral Wildstar of your intentions.”
“Yessir,” Nova and Mark said together. They both saluted Singleton and flashed off the main screen in EDF HQ.
General Wendy Glitchman, who was now her grandfather’s Chief of Staff, looked at her grandfather and said, “You know, we’re sending them into a cauldron.”
“They both know that; and what’s even better, they both volunteered,” said the Commander.
“I still don’t like it…oh, never mind, sir,” said Wendy as she thought, Homer, I hope you’ll be okay out there. Aaron and Joshua need you as their father. Why did I ever let Homer ship out again?
On the Argo, it was now 0810 hours.
“I’m getting a very, very, VERY bad feeling about this,” said Sasha as she looked at the Cosmo Radar. “There’s just five R’Khell ships left…”
“I’ve got those,” said Paul as he and his new Artillery Ensign had the Argo’s main guns set up.
“Open fire!” barked Derek from his post.
The Argo’s guns fired at the remainder of the enemy fleet
they had been fighting with.
There were three satisfying explosions; then Sasha said, “Enemy Fleet: Defeated!”
“Sasha, what was that bad feeling you were getting?” Derek said.
“There’s a very nasty presence at the edge of this star system,” she said. “It’s not on sensors or the radar, but I can feel it.”
“In what sense can you feel it?” said Rosstowski from his station.
“It’s not in the natural,” said Sasha. “It feels like…cold…death…”
“Transmission coming in from the North Carolina!” said Homer. “They’re reporting that they’ve just warped into the system, and Commodore Wildstar reports that she has intelligence she needs to share with you, Admiral.”
“Put them on the main video panel,” snapped Admiral Wildstar.
“Aye, aye, sir…coming up on video in three seconds…”
Derek sucked in his breath and stood waiting as he felt Nova’s presence around him as if she was on the Bridge. His cap had fallen off as he ran towards the front of his bridge to lean against Rostowski’s seat.
A moment later, her image came up on the screen, and she exchanged salutes with Admiral Wildstar. She was holding her cap in one hand as she smoothed her hair out of her eyes.
Then, she said, very formally, “Admiral, my Task Group has arrived to offer assistance to yours. What’s the material condition of the Argo now?”
“We’re back to ninety-six percent efficiency, Commodore,” Derek
replied. “We just destroyed some R’Khell units.”
“Understood,” Nova replied. “Permission to speak candidly, sir?”
“Granted, Nova,” said Derek.
“Derek. We’re not picking up a darned thing on radar or sensors, but I am detecting a feeling of cold…death…and doom on the inside.”
“Sasha is telling me the same thing, Nova,” Derek said. “Do you think…?”
“Derek, I KNOW it’s him,” she replied. “Ekogaru, that is, for the enlightenment of the rest of your bridge crew.”
“Since he’s involved, we have to be on our guard,” Derek said. “Homer, get me the location of her fleet!”
“Yessir,” he said. “They’re out past the orbit of the tenth planet…heading, RPL-252…”
“Mrs. Venture, execute a turn towards that heading!” Derek snapped.
“Yessir,” Holly said as she began to turn the Argo about, while thinking, Okay. We’re changing course just because Sasha and Nova are having cases of the psychic vapors?
Then, as the Argo turned, Holly said, “Sir…that sense of cold…I’m also feeling it…”
Derek looked up at Nova as the transmission fizzed out for a moment, and then came back up. “Nova, this doesn’t…feel right. We’re warping to your location.”
“I can hold it here, Derek,” Nova insisted.
“No,” Derek replied. “Await our arrival, unless you’re directly attacked…that’s a direct order!”
“Yessir,” Nova said. “I…”
Then, Derek and the rest of the Star Force heard Junior Lieutenant Porsha Elkins crying out, “Captain! Nova! Fifty units spotted on radar; range, thirty megameters, location, starboard side, thirty degrees off the bow…we…”
Then, a moment later, the ugly sounds of energy bolts slamming into Nova’s fleet, including the North Carolina, came over the feed to the Argo, and then the screen fizzed out as they heard an explosion, and screaming on the North Carolina.
“NOVA! TASK FORCE!” Derek yelled at the momentarily blank screen
on the Argo.
In the meantime, the North Carolina was slammed by heavy pink plasma bolts from three angles.
Nova heard screams on her bridge as Dayliss’ and Hildreth’s panels exploded in flames and sparks.
The bridge began to fill with smoke as she snapped, “Dayliss! Dash! Put these fires out…NOW!” she said as her image came up again on the Argo’s screen.
That was when everyone on the Argo saw the North Carolina take another hit, and the Astro Compass exploded.
Nova ducked down, so the spray of glass and metal splinters from the Astro Compass didn’t take her in the chest.
But a hot glass splinter did glance off her right cheek, cutting it badly, and then, Nova felt an incredible pain in her left eye as her vision on that side blurred out.
The Star Force heard Nova’s scream as she stood up, with one hand going towards her left eye. They couldn’t see that eye any longer; but they did see a fountain of blood spraying from that eye down her cheek.
“NOVA!” Derek yelled. “Get out of there! Give command of your vessel to Dash! Get your ass to your Sickbay!”
“Negative, I have to…put these fires out…and fight my ship,” she snapped through gritted teeth. She grabbed for a fire extinguisher at her post, and put out the nearest of the fires. Smoke, steam, and carbon dioxide vapors swirled around Nova as she kept on her black pump-clad feet and snapped, “Admiral, we’re still fit to fight! I can…remain at my post…the only major casualty seems to be my comm officer…Dash is calling medics!”
“Clear image spotted on radar of lead vessel!” cried Elkins from her post.
“Put it on video, and…and…send it to the Fleet…Argo included!” Nova hissed as she threw off her hat again and ripped off a piece of her ascot and bound it around her wounded eye as a crude bandage. She used her power at the same time to staunch the blood flow a bit, but she could still feel herself bleeding, although at a much slower rate.
“Prepare for a warp!” Derek snapped to Holly as he slammed the back of her chair. “Get us right to their location!”
“Video of enemy unit coming from the North Carolina!” said Homer. “Setting up split-screen mode…and…Oh, SHIT!” yelled Homer.
“What is it?” Derek said.
On her side of the screen, Nova grunted…” It’s Bad…it’s…really…really
bad!”
Then, Admiral Wildstar looked up, and he snarled at the first sight of the enemy flagship.
He was expecting that he would be looking at a Bolar Fortress of some type.
Instead…he was looking up at the same thing Nova was studying, in pain, with her good eye.
The enemy flagship, it turned out, was a type that they had seen before.
A nasty, vile ship from the Dark Nebulan Empire, right near the ninth planet of the system.
It was a Gorba super fortress…which had turned and was firing on the Arizona, which advanced on her and fired her main guns.
The Arizona’s barrage just bounced off the enemy ship’s super armor, along with a shot from the cruiser Rupal’s wave motion gun!
The enemy ship responded with a withering blast of fire against the Rupal, which blew apart.
The Argo and her fleet warped in behind the North Carolina a moment later, just as, on the North Carolina, Hildreth, badly wounded, struggled to his feet and then said, “Captain…a message is coming in from the enemy flagship!”
“Video!” Nova gasped in pain. That left eye was burning like hell.
Then, everyone of the bridges of the North Carolina, Argo, and Arizona looked up as Ekogaru, grinning insanely, appeared ghostlike on the screen, and he said, “Greetings, my dear friends. I think you realize that your situation is hopeless? I intend to finish you off, followed by what remains of the Bolar Fleet that has become...unreliable? I hope you are listening, too, Bolars. I demand the immediate surrender of all Earth units, and all Bolar units! You thought that you were all going to join forces to fight me? HAH! As you can see, it will be a most futile effort!”
“Not if I have anything to say about it!” Nova snapped back. “I intend to fight you until my last breath, you maniac!”
“And I stand with her!” Derek snapped back. “You’ll never defeat me, nor will you defeat my two valiant Commodores who stand with me!”
“Oh, you fools are so, so brave!” Ekogaru hissed.
Then, he laughed like an utter maniac.
______________________________
TO BE CONTINUED….