The year is 2204. The sea of stars continues with its unchanging rhythms. Life on Earth adapts to a time without strife as the strangled cries of the Bolar Wars fade into silence. The beautiful but deadly water planet Aquarius has yet to embark on her savage journey. Yet time waits for no man…and no woman. Treachery brews deep in Earth's solar system, and beware those who heed the call to fight it.

Space Cruiser Yamato: Time of Legends

Part Five

By: Emeraldas

All original characters and concepts herein are (c) 2003-04 by Emeraldas and are not to be used without her permission.

"You are hereby ordered to stop.  Repeat:  This is the Earth Defense Force battleship Yamato calling the Nagato.  Power down your engines and prepare to receive our boarding party."  Aihara looked at Kodai and nodded.  "Captain Shimada's giving us the all clear."

            "Full stop," Kodai ordered.

            Shima executed a graceful maneuver that brought Yamato port side of the Nagato.  "Full stop."

            "Hey, that was easy," Ota remarked. He clasped hands and stretched out his arms.  "I could get used to this kind of clout!"

            "Nambu, you're with me," Kodai said as he rose from his seat.  "Shima, you have the bridge."

            A discouraging routine had been developing.  The various merchant ship raids of the past few weeks had left Kodai playing the reluctant role of an overbearing schoolyard bully demanding lunch money.  Whenever Yamato's boarding party stepped onto the scarred, grimy deck of a ship trussed with freight, he could sense the puzzlement and fear in the ragtag crews, and winced at the occasional guarded, mistrustful stares of men who resented the intrusion into their laborious, workaday lives.  The commercial vessels pretty much kept to their shipping lanes, passing unnoticed under the shadow of sleek EDF war ships like a stream of ants hugging the edges of a room.  Kodai and his men had searched dozens of ships so far, but had found no bodies.  A few questionable items had turned up, but it was no concern of theirs.  Now, Kodai and one of the combat units boarded a shuttle, and flew to the latest victim.

            Shimada strode over to meet them, a tall, lanky man with wavy black hair and a dark patch slung across one eye.  A drab assortment of gray and dark brown uniforms clothed him and his crew.  "What's this all about?  he asked, staring boldly at Kodai.  "This can't possibly be a regulation search."

            "It's a security measure the EDF is taking on behalf of Good Hope.  We need to search the cargo holds."

            Shimada's good eye narrowed.  "You accusing us of shipping contraband?"

            "Only you would know," Kodai responded coolly.  "The sooner we begin, the sooner we leave."

            For a long, uncertain minute, Kodai withstood Shimada's stubborn gaze.  Then the merchant captain pursed his lips.  "All right.  Make it quick; we have a shipment to deliver."

            Kodai gestured with a hand.  "Lead the way."

            Shimada ordered four of his men to stay with the shuttle, and turned on his heel to exit the hangar.  After leaving Nambu and three others to stand guard, Kodai motioned for the other four to follow him.  He realized his dilemma when the sound of weapons being cocked reached his ears.  He and his crew were surrounded by Shimada's men just as they split up. 

            Damn it!  Kodai spun around to assess the situation, ignoring the muzzle that was pressed against his chest.  Nambu and the others by the shuttle were already being relieved of their automatics, and their hands were forced into the air.  "What the hell is this?" Kodai asked the merchant captain.  He hadn't meant to swear, but the coup caught him almost completely off guard.

            "I enjoy a fat paycheck as much as the next man, Captain," Shimada answered.  He smirked.  "The great Yamato and her crew is in trouble.  And you arrogant EDF types always looking down on us."  Shimada spat at his feet.  "Take them to the brig."

            "I don't know what they've told you, but someone's killing innocent civilians, and shipping them from Earth in commercial vessels."  Kodai resisted the hands that tried to turn him around.  He mustered the most diplomatic tone he could.  "We can stop it, but we need to find out where the bodies are going."

            Shimada scratched the side of his face, then slipped an arm around Kodai's shoulder.  "Bodies?"

            Hopeful that the merchant captain was coming around, Kodai nodded.

            Shimada leaned in closer.  "All I know is that my men and I are going to be rich.  I don't know anything about any bodies." 

            Kodai's heart sunk.  Was there some great conspiracy happening between the EDF and the trade corporations?  We can't afford to be captured like this, he thought.  His eyes caught the gaze of Kondo, a burly, brown-haired man, and nodded at him as imperceptibly as he could.  As ordered, Kondo turned forward and followed a member of Shimada's crew as he led them to the brig, but not before returning a sly wink.

As they walked down a narrow corridor, barely as wide as the breadth of their shoulders, Kondo and Kodai suddenly darted backward and struck at the guards behind each of them.  One fell with a crack to his forehead, and the other sunk to the deck after Kodai socked him with a hard thrust of his right fist.

Kodai felt someone shove him down, and then Kondo, unconscious from the laser fire that pierced his chest and torso, dropped to the floor himself.  There was no time to cry out or mourn.  Kodai picked up one of the discarded weapons, and shot at merchant crewmembers fore and aft of him in the tight space. Shouting erupted, and smoke hissed out as weapons' discharges pierced some of the surrounding pipes.  Kodai stumbled over bodies as he yelled at his crew to head back to the shuttle.  When he cleared the corridor, he ordered the men to regroup, raising his voice so that it soared above the others.  Something nicked his leg, leaving a burning sensation, but Kodai ignored it. 

Nambu stood by the shuttle door, firing at those of Shimada's crew that began to surround them.  "We'll cover you; get the hell over here!"

Kodai picked up one of his injured men from the hangar deck, and half-dragged him toward the shuttle opening.  He heard heavy breathing behind him, and a hurried backward glance revealed that it was one of the Black Tiger pilots that had accompanied him.  There was nothing to do now but run, and the remainder of the boarding party sprinted over to the shuttle.  As the doors closed and the engine rumbled, Kodai learned that Kondo was one of three men who had died.  Kodai cursed under his breath, for they would be unable to recover their bodies at this point. 

"How do you like your hangar doors, scrambled or fried?" asked the pilot.  He maneuvered the shuttle around, and fired a chunk of laser bolts toward the closed doors.  A gaping hole appeared in its wake.  Kodai radioed the bridge as the shuttle sped away.

"Oh, shit," said the crewmember on radar watch. 
            Kodai hovered over his shoulder.  "What is it?"

"A destroyer is right off of Yamato's starboard bow."

Kodai did not want to engage a fellow captain just then.  "Radio the bridge and tell them to prepare for a warp."

"Aye, sir."

Kodai kept his eyes on the radar screen.

"Sir, Shima wants to know the coordinates."

Kodai thought for a moment, then radioed back himself.  "Aihara, tell Shima to head for the asteroid belt…that's right, where we met Lucia.  We're making the final approach now."

The shuttle returned just as the Fubuki began to open fire.

 

 

 

Kodai stumbled across the bridge as another blast accosted Yamato's hull.  "Are we ready yet?" he asked Shima. 

"We are now.  Beginning countdown for warp!"

 

 

 

Yamato cleaved into the unnamed asteroid field, plumes of smoke wavering behind from the Fubuki's unrelenting assault.  Kodai ordered repair crews to begin their work, and dispatched a message to the Flying Dutchman.  He was finished searching the merchant ships.  If Lucia did not have any new information to go on, Kodai feared he would have no choice but to head back to Earth.

After Aihara finished, he turned to the Captain.  "What do we do now?" he asked.

Kodai turned his gaze to the observation window.  "We wait."

 

 

 

 

After a debriefing of the Nagato incident, Shima dragged Kodai to sickbay.  Sado Sensei tended to his bleeding calf, and then Shima dragged him along to the mess for dinner.  A short while later, the frustrated captain stared numbly at the landmine aftermath of his picked-at food.  The events of the recent raid had left him feeling vulnerable and useless, and his appetite was one of the first casualties.

"I wonder how the Fubuki found us so quickly," Shima said. "In hindsight, their appearance was a little too convenient."

"Rub it in some more, why don't you?" Kodai muttered. 

"Hey, it's not your fault!  We're being as careful as we can.  But apparently Shimada was ready for us.  I can't imagine he's that shrewd, though, to plan what he did."

Kodai shoveled a mishmash of food into his mouth, and shook his head.  "Obviously somebody tipped him off."

"You think?"

Kodai pushed his plate away, and sipped his tea.  "Isn't it obvious, Shima?  She's behind this."

The navigator fidgeted with his cup.  "I don't see how."

"Who else in Command thinks like we do, huh?" Annoyance darkened his eyes.  "She's angry, and wants to get back at me."

"Kodai, I don't believe she'd make it this personal."

"Well, believe it.  It's just like her to tell St. Cyr to recruit the help of the merchants.  Anyone else might've overlooked them.  But she's always had a soft spot for the underdogs, you know that."

Shima just shrugged.

Kodai clenched his teeth.  "Turned the damn civilians against Yamato.  Against us!" 

A long moment passed, and they sat in silence.  "Whatever the case, I still miss having her here," Shima said softly. 

"Who?"

Shima gave him a startled look.  "Uh, Yuki?  Your wife?"

There was a long pause.  Shima shifted uncomfortably in his seat. 

Finally, Kodai spoke, his voice dull and flat.  “What wife?”  He stood up to leave, and avoided his friend's horrified gaze.  Shima, I can't let my feelings compromise our mission.  I wish I could explain, but…trust me, it's for the best.

Shima begged for elaboration, but Kodai dismissed him with a wave and was gone.

 

 

 

 

Yuki reached for her coffee cup as she stared at the computer monitor. As the liquid flooded her mouth, she made a face:  cold.  She rubbed at her eyes and stretched, longing for the soft warm feel of the bed sheets at home.  Her eyes strayed to the time, nearly three thirty in the morning.  But as she had been afforded an opportunity too important to pass up, she continued scrolling through a newly found batch of St. Cyr’s files.

            The Commander had departed the day before for a global defense summit.  He had taken all of his entourage except Qasar with him, and it was because of that parasitic associate that Yuki felt compelled to glance repeatedly over her shoulder as she sat at her desk.    She had been hunched over the keyboard for nearly fourteen hours.  Daijiro’s extraction software had yielded a wealth of access, and with St. Cyr’s absence, Yuki finally had some uninterrupted time. 

            Thank goodness for my day off, she thought wryly.

            But her eyes ached, and a wicked strain was creeping down her back.  Yuki mulled over the idea of a fourth cup of coffee, then dismissed it.  She really ought to go home soon.  But anxiety drove her on. She kept skimming through the material.

            After another half hour, the tediousness began to overtake her.  The lines on the screen blurred and ran together.  There must be something here. He can’t possibly keep all of his plans in his head!  A small moan escaped her lips.  Almost of its own accord, her hand began the task of closing the plethora of files she had opened. 

            Wait a minute.

            Yuki froze, and her eyes locked onto an inconspicuous file she had overlooked.  She savored the unusual name in her mind as she keyed it open.

hadesproject. 

Suddenly wide awake, Yuki straightened and stared as a multitude of blueprints fluttered open and filled the screen like the feathers of an overzealous peacock.  Layer upon layer upon layer.  Yuki went quickly to work and copied every last content of the file onto a disc. 

But there was something more.

Yuki gasped as the last file came up, then curiosity overtook her.  Bleary eyes devoured the electronic news service article in front of her. 

It was dated 2159.  

 

 

 

            “‘Hades Project?’” Daijiro muttered.

            The MIS Commander stared intently at the screen as the architectural plans appeared on a monitor in the Project Moccasin command center.  “Well I’ll be!”

            “It’s some kind of base, isn’t it?” Yuki asked.  After a few hours of sleep, she had rushed to Daijiro’s office the next day with the disc.  A cup of steaming tea filled her hand as she gazed over his shoulder. 

            Daijiro nodded.  “But not one you or I ever knew about.  But this is it.  This is where the embezzled currency was going.”  His voice dropped to a whisper.  “Uncle Heikuro knew.”

            Yuki exchanged glances with him.  Her shoulders sagged.  “They killed him after he found out.”

            Daijiro nodded solemnly.  The two were quiet for a moment.  Then Yuki bit her lip.  “Oh, there’s this, too.”  She opened another file, and the news service article popped up. 

            Daijiro’s eyes grew wide as he read it.  Yuki grew impatient, and pointed at the accompanying black and white photo.  In it, a scant group of people stood before a giant cave.  It seemed to have been recently excavated.  Rubble lay strewn about the floor of the opening.  Eight men and three women stood numbly in front.  A small child, a boy, stared miserably toward the camera, his shoulders gripped by a stern-looking man behind him.  Everyone appeared emaciated and wore grim expressions.  Week-long Rescue Effort Reaches Traumatic Conclusion, read the headline.  Group of colonists buried alive for three month, victims of attempted genocide, ran the next line of copy.  Parts of the article had been deleted, namely, the location of the cave and any identification of the parties involved.  But references to “cannibalism”, “whippings” and other torture of the victims remained.

            “Doesn’t he look familiar?” Yuki asked, tapping the screen at the man who held onto the boy.

            Daijiro peered at it closely, then drew in a sharp breath.  “That’s Qasar!”

            “And the boy!  Do you think it could be…St. Cyr?”

            “Oh, god, Yuki.  I think you’re right.”

            Yuki placed a hand on Daijiro’s shoulder.  “Where do you think the cave is, and the base?”

            “Here!” Daijiro tapped some keys, and a star system materialized on the navigational screen.   He had finally realized what Lucia’s mysterious numbers were:  planetary coordinates.

            “But that’s—“

            “—Good Hope,” Daijiro finished for her.  He shot her a solemn gaze.  “Something terrible happened to the colonists there, and St. Cyr means to finish it!”

 

           

A few minutes later, Yuki followed Daijiro into his office.  He immediately sat at his desk and began to tap furiously at the keyboard.  Yuki stood across from him, feeling timid.  An irresistible urge had developed, stemming from a deep longing.  It prompted her to speak.

"Daijiro, I was wondering…do you know anything about Kodai?  Has he said anything about me?" 

Daijiro stopped typing, and his eyes cut to his right.  Yuki turned around in a panic; she hadn't noticed anyone else in the room.  A young woman sat cross-legged on a chair in the darkened corner, quietly sucking a lollipop. 

            Lucia's gaze shifted from Yuki to Daijiro.  Her cheeks were still flushed from a tryst she and Daijiro had had just prior to Yuki’s arrival.  In response to Yuki's question, she slowly shook her head. 

            "It's okay," Daijiro told Yuki.  "She's our liaison with Yamato."

            Yuki's hand fluttered to her chest, and she smiled weakly.  "It was silly of me to ask, I'm sorry.  Well, I'd better go.  With this information, I can better investigate to see if there’s a connection to the bodies.  The media’s picked up the story, you know.  A lot of people are turning up missing, and reporters have been coming to headquarters with questions.” 

            Daijiro raised his eyebrows.  "Are you sure?  You can pull out now, if you like."

            Yuki looked thoughtful, considering his offer.  Then she shook her head.  "I'm in this deep; might as well make a solid case against him, right?  Just one more time, and then I'll call it quits."

            "If you're sure--"

            Yuki nodded.  "I am."  She turned to Lucia before stepping through the door.  "It was nice to meet you, uh…?"

            "Lucia."

Yuki smiled, though she felt exhausted.  "Lucia!  It's a very pretty name.  Have a safe voyage, Lucia," she said.  The door shut softly behind her.

            Daijiro sat back with a loud sigh.  "What do you think, Lucy?"

            "I think," she responded, "that the final showdown is about to begin."

 

 

 

The next day, St. Cyr called for an emergency meeting as soon as she arrived on shift. All of his top aides were present.  Five pairs of eyes bore into her as she stepped into the mid-sized conference room.  Yuki took her place next to the Commander.  He had returned only hours before.

            The interim commander sat with hands folded atop elbows propped on the table, and his eyes were closed.  Yuki wondered at the deep furrow of his brow.  Something must have happened with Yamato!  She hid her eagerness as best she could, especially since Qasar sat across the table, staring at her with a feral gleam in his eyes.

            St. Cyr raised his head, and randomly flicked his gaze around the table.  “I am very, very disappointed,” he said. 

            The room lapsed into a stultifying silence.

            “I just…I almost don’t know what to say.”  He stood, and began pacing slowly around the table. 

            Yuki watched as he made his way towards the far end. 

            “There’s been a security breach,” he continued. 

            Several of the aides gasped, but no one dared respond.  Yuki stared neutrally ahead, and St. Cyr disappeared from her view. 

            “Shocking, I know.  And it comes from here…”

            Yuki gripped her knees under the table.

            “…from someone in this very room…”

            And then he was standing behind her.  A hand landed heavily, firmly, on her shoulder.

            “…from someone I thought I could trust…”

            Yuki watched in horror as St. Cyr’s other hand reached out and laid a small item on the table.  It landed with a delicate slap against the surface.

            Daijiro’s extraction software disc.

            The Commander’s breath felt hot and overbearing against her ear.  “Yuki, you really shouldn’t have been so careless.”

            Yuki closed her eyes as her shoulders sagged.  “That’s not…I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

            A sigh escaped the Commander’s lips.  “The game’s up, Yuki.  Don’t be an idiot.”

            What have I done? Yuki forced herself to breathe slowly, deeply.  I must have left the disc in the computer.  She was only dimly aware that St. Cyr had ordered the other aides to leave, except for Qasar.  The old man slithered across the room, and his fingers coiled tightly around her upper arm.  Yuki barely noticed, so distraught was she over her mistake.  She hoped her unforgivable action hadn’t put Daijiro at risk.  What if it could be traced to him?

            “Come, Yuki,” said the Commander in an oddly dulcet tone.  “You’re about to atone for your sins.”

            Yuki rose weakly to her feet, and Qasar propelled her roughly away.

 

 

            “Incoming!  Incoming!  Seventy-eight degrees starboard.  Approximately thirty missiles approaching!.”

            Ota’s shrill voice rose above the red-alert klaxon.  While crouching low in the nameless asteroid field that had served as the rendezvous point with the Flying Dutchman, Yamato had been ambushed moments before by the 137th fleet, and the damage was piling up fiercely.  Bilious green smoke issued from a series of wide cracks mid-ship on the port side.  Occasional sparks leaped from the mangled wreck of gun turret #3.  Radio speakers crackled with the chatter of emergency repair and medical crews that crisscrossed the ship. 

            “Hang on!” said Shima.  “Evasive maneuvers!”

But a handful of missiles found their mark, skipping and bumping across the deck like stones skimming a pond.  The bridge crew hung on; faces awash in the flickering light of the explosions.  The deck rumbled beneath their feet.

            Meanwhile, Aihara frantically oversaw a desperate broadcast on all frequencies:  Attention, Earth Defense Force…Yamato and her crew are on a mission of mercy…a rescue mission…hundreds of citizens are being kidnapped…bodies are turning up in the cargo holds of the merchant ships…we don’t want to fight…we’re here to save…trying to investigate…. He simultaneously fielded a barrage of messages from the fleet, some hostile, others cautiously supportive, several with a fierce peppering of frantic questions as they sought to understand the exact nature of the threat. 

            For his part, Kodai sat at the captain’s station, locked in a savage duel of words with Admiral James Fuller of the USS Dunkirk.  His hand gripped the armrest, and part of him almost willed the spirit of Okita to flow through him.  He was in dire need of his mentor’s seemingly endless well of patience.

            Fuller stared at him with brown eyes as hard as frozen soil in winter.  The skin of his chiseled face was taut with ire.  “If I have to stand here and repeat myself until Yamato is a shredded carcass, I will do it.  You are ordered to stand down!”

            “I can’t.”         

“Cease fire immediately!”

“Do whatever you must, but our men and women have a right to know what’s happening.  Their own families could be at risk!”

            “Goddamn it, Kodai!  Cease these juvenile communications at once and surrender!”

            A shout drew away Fuller’s attention.  Kodai watched the screen, then started as a sudden booming sound came from the Dunkirk’s bridge.  The lights flickered, then steadied.  “What’s going on?” Kodai asked.

            Ota turned to him, his face plastered with a wicked grin.  “The Ben Franklin destroyer just altered position.  They’re giving Fuller a taste of his own medicine!”

            “This isn’t funny,” Kodai snapped. 

            (“Get us out of range!” Fuller could be heard shouting). 

            A moment later, Fuller appeared on the video panel.  His face bubbled with range.  “Do you see what’s happening?  Does some half-baked mission of yours supersede my crew’s right to live?”

            Kodai could feel his cheeks tighten as he clenched his teeth.  For a moment he was speechless, as Fuller had struck a nerve.  Kodai felt dismayed, for guilt over the useless bloodshed was beginning to creep its way into his heart.  Not since the war with the Comet Empire had he worried about conflict among the ranks. 

The Earth Defense Force was turning in on itself.  And Fuller thought Yamato was the cause.

Kodai listened numbly as reports began to stream in about other ships that had decided to change sides.  A third of the fleet had now defected, and a variety of destroyers streamed to Yamato’s defense.  Laser fire pelted the newcomers, but it was sporadic, uncertain.  Yamato’s remaining gun turrets swiveled to and fro, discharging only when having to defend against overzealous fighters.  Nambu wiped his brow, muttering orders as he orchestrated the ship’s weapon system.

“Six captains just radioed in to pledge their support,” Aihara announced.  He stared hesitantly at Kodai, who appeared deep in thought.

Shima swung Yamato hard to port in another attempt to minimize surface exposure to the fleet. 

Kodai glanced upward once again.  “Admiral, Yamato did not begin this skirmish, nor do I intend for her to finish it.  I regret any injury or loss.  But innocent people are being victimized, and I must see this through.  End transmission.”

The screen faded to green as Aihara cut the link.

“What now?” asked Shima.

“Set course for Good Hope.  There may be some new developments.”  He sighed.  “Beyond that, I just don’t know.”

 

 

 

Scant hours later, Yamato sped toward the colony, the 137th fleet in pursuit.

“Incoming message,” Aihara announced.  “It’s the Flying Dutchman!”

“Put it on the video panel,” Kodai ordered.  He jumped up to stand near the astrocompass.

“Video panel, switch on.”

Lucia appeared on screen, leaning over her navigator’s shoulder at his station.  She glanced up.  “Hey, Kodai!  The Dutchman is on her way; we’ll provide backup as soon as we arrive.  But first, I have a little tidbit for you.”  Her back temporarily faced Kodai as she went to the captain’s seat.

“What is it?” Kodai asked.

“I’m sending you some coordinates and blueprints.”  Lucia’s fingers danced over her console as she spoke.  “My source informed me that St.Cyr built a non-regulation facility underground near the colony.  It’s pretty large from the looks of it.” 

“Why?”

“That’s for him to know, and you to find out.  Prepare to receive the data…now!”  She hit the last key with a flourish.

Kodai looked to his right, and made eye contact with Sanada. 

“I’m on it!” Sanada replied.

“So,” Kodai continued, “did your source have any suggestions about what we should do about it?”

Lucia shrugged, as if the conclusion was obvious.  “Raid it.”

“For what?”

“Contraband.  Weapons.  Bodies?  Could be anything.”

Kodai stood with arms crossed.  “This could turn bloody.  But I guess it’s the only direction we have to go in.”  He nodded at Lucia.  “There’s a fleet on our tail.  They may try to stop us.”

“Like I said, I’m on my way.  We can run interference…”

Kodai shook his head vigorously.  “You’ll only get in harm’s way.  Just stand by if I need you.  Yamato out.”

Kodai ignored her look of protest as her image faded.  He walked over to Sanada’s station.  The glow from the monitor cast a pale light against the science officer’s face.

Kodai rested a hand on the console, and peered at the screen.  “What do you think, Sanada-san?”

“Well, if this information is correct, there’s an enormous underground facility at the base of Mount Nemrod.”

Kodai growled.  “So we were within miles of it when we first went down to investigate the missing people!”

Sanada nodded.  “Now we know why there was so much resistance to our presence.  The Space Marines may not even have been aware of what they were guarding.”

“I think you’re right,” Kodai said.  “Let’s not waste any more time, then.  Nambu!  Prepare a raid party.  Aihara, find Takeda and tell him to report to the bridge.  We’re going to need his knowledge of the region to project the best way to infiltrate that hidden base.”

“Aye, sir!”

“What’s our ETA?” Kodai asked.

“Thirty minutes,” Shima replied.

“Full speed ahead!” the captain ordered, and huddled with Nambu to oversee the preparations.

 

 

Back at the Project Moccasin command center, Daijiro looked up from his desk as an aide appeared at the door.  “Emergency message from the Dutchman,” she told him.  Daijiro rushed into the operations room, and stood before the screen.  Lucia was there, and spoke when he nodded.

“As ordered, sir, I made contact with Yamato and relayed the information.  Kodai is taking her to the colony as we speak.  The Dutchman is on her way, ETA fifty-two minutes.” 

Daijiro’s lips broke into a wide grin, the relief bounding through his system like a gusty spring wind.  "Good job, Lucy!  You've done an outstanding job!”  A smattering of applause from his operations crew filled the air. 

Then Lucia smiled too, really smiled, and from her expression spilled relief and joy as bright as the sun.  A hand popped up to her forehead in a rambunctious, almost goofy salute, and then she leaned closer to the screen.  Her voice was warm and sultry though her words were simple.  "I'll see you later," she said, and cut the link. 

Daijiro's mind wandered for a moment, for he knew what she was thinking.  Which month it was, he couldn't remember, but he was lying on his stomach in their motel room after they had made love. Snacking on the last of the take-out food, Lucia stretched out on top of him as if he were a beach blanket.  Speaking into his ear, she had said, “Daijiro, when this is over, I want you to buy me a house.  Here's the deal:  I’ll invite you over every day, and you can sleep over whenever you want.”  She went on to describe what kind she wanted, and how large, and which colors would adorn the walls.  "What do you think?" she asked, poking him in the ribs.

"That can be arranged," he had murmured sleepily.

            And now, with Project Moccasin close to completion, it seemed the time had come.  Back in his office, during a few stolen moments, he began to look up some beachfront properties.

 

 

Yuki sat in a plain chair beside the Commander’s station, shivering slightly despite the climate-controlled air.  Her bottom ached dreadfully, and her back felt stiff.  Qasar had escorted her there several hours ago, and he stood off to her right.   Two guards flanked her behind the chair.  The first time she had dared glance at Qasar she had cringed, because his eyes were like those of a vulture calmly appraising its prey.  Thereafter, she kept her gaze down, though with her ears she strained to follow everything that was happening. 

St. Cyr had received reports of a battle not far from Good Hope, and news of the damages sustained on both sides trickled in.  The Commander was furious about the defections, which seemed to have been mirrored by more than a few personnel right there in the Command Center.  Some of the Commander’s aides scrambled to find replacements. 

Yuki prayed that Kodai was unharmed.  From the orders being relayed, and from the displays on the giant screen, Yuki surmised that St. Cyr was embarking on a grand-scale weapons and crew deployment.  Does he fear Yamato that much? she wondered.  If so, she was glad, but also worried.  Who was there to warn Kodai and the others?  Would Daijiro play his hand and confront St. Cyr, or were the odds against Yuki ever seeing the young commander again? 

Suddenly, St. Cyr marched into the room.  A line began to form as aides, messengers, and technical personnel rushed to give him their latest reports.  Yuki stared despondently down as he came up the steps.  Then a voice came over the loudspeaker form the main radar officer, because one could barely be heard over the sea of voices.

“Commander, we’ve tracked Yamato to Good Hope. “

The room fell silent.

“What is her position?” asked St. Cyr calmly.

“Forty degrees north of the equator, over the Nagorno region.”

Yuki couldn’t help herself.  She looked up.

St. Cyr was staring at her with an icy gaze.  Their eyes locked.  After a moment, St. Cyr’s expression turned vaguely triumphant.  He spoke purposefully and loud, and held Yuki’s gaze as he did so.  “Order the fleet to begin the attack!”

Yuki winced, and resumed her study of the main screen as St. Cyr turned away.  There was nothing for her to do now but wait.

 

 

Yamato plunged into orbit around Good Hope with the 137th fleet on her tail.  More EDF destroyers blocked her path as she arrived, necessitating immediate defensive maneuvers.  Kodai ordered the Black Tigers to launch.  The pilots had their hands full battling a never-ending stream of fighters from nearby carriers.  Repair crews would finish patching up one area, only to be recalled minutes later as even more damaged occurred.  Yamato’s descent to the surface was effectively blocked.

It was during this heated turn of events that the Flying Dutchman arrived, creeping up on the battle like a cat stalking its prey. 

“Incoming from the Dutchman,” Aihara announced.

“Damn it, what does she want?” Kodai mumbled.  “Video panel, switch on!”  He nodded for Lucia to speak as her image popped up.

“What’s the holdup, Kodai?  You should have been there by now.”

He scowled.  “We’re a little busy right now, in case you hadn’t noticed.” 

“Yeah, well, shit happens, you know?”  Lucia winked at him.  “But before you get all huffy on me, I got your back.”

“What are you talking about?”

Lucia waved a hand several times in dismissal.  “Just get to Mount Nemrud, Kodai.  Let us deal with Admiral ‘Fouler’!  Watch me from the rearview mirror if you must!”

The screen grew dark; the telltale sign that she had ended the transmission.

“Lucia, wait…!”  Kodai shouted.   “Damn it!”  He turned to Shima with a perplexed look.  “I don’t know what she thinks the Dutchman can do.”  Then he caught the eye of Sanada, who was staring thoughtfully at the video panel while he stroked his chin.  “What is it?” Kodai asked him.

“There’s more to her than meets the eye.”  He nodded at the screen.  “Take a look!”

The battle momentarily forgotten, the bridge crew gaped at the screen.  Sanada had pulled up an image of the merchant ship. 

The Flying Dutchman began to pick up speed.  It bolted toward the fleet, heading straight towards Yamato’s position. 

Some kind of transformation was happening.

Panels receded and slid aside. 

The bridge widened and extended up.

Hundreds of gun turrets now studded the hull. 

A pair of wide, circular barrels telescoped from the bow.

(“Wave Motion technology?” Nambu exclaimed.  “On a merchant ship?”)

Missile launch units dropped from her underbelly.

A smattering of laser turrets bubbled up like lava.

Then she blinked out of sight…

…and seconds later reappeared from the mini-warp directly before Yamato, defiantly facing the fleet. 

Kodai stared with mouth agape.  What kind of ship is this?  Who had the means to build such a thing? But he had little time to process; he could see a visible energy build-up in the hull whose colors mimicked the aurora borealis.  The others begin to crowd around him.

“She’s not going to…” Shima began.

“Yes, I believe she is,” Sanada finished for him. 

The Flying Dutchman opened fire.  Not just any fire, but a sweeping wide deluge of laser energy and missiles that slapped against the 137th like a hurricane.  Caught momentarily off guard, the USS Dunkirk and several destroyers reversed course in a scrambled effort to distance themselves and regroup. 

“Incoming from the Admiral—”

“No!”  Kodai said with a growl.  “Everyone back to their stations.  Aihara, ignore any further contact from him.”

“Orders?” requested Shima.  He gripped the controls and stared back at Kodai, who nodded.

“Proceed to the hidden base, and prepare for landing!  Son of a bitch!”

Kodai was thrown to the side before he could resume his seat.  “Report!” he yelled from the deck as he rolled and sprung nimbly back to his feet.

“We just got body-slammed by a mini-carrier!” Ota shouted.  “Looks like they’re trying to ram us again!”

“Shima!  Get us down!  All guns, open fire!”

“Missiles approaching from the colony!”

“Shima!”

“Hard to starboard!  Hang on, everyone!”

“Increasing power to port engines!” cried Tokugawa.

Yamato tilted precariously as Shima steered her out of the path of the missile barrage.  Two impacted, exploding dangerously close to the auxiliary engines. 

Kodai swiveled his head right.  “Ota!  What’s the status of the Dutchman?”

“Scoring some pretty heavy points against the fleet.  But they’re beginning to surround her, and they’re not pulling any punches.”

Kodai turned to the communications station.  “Aihara!  Contact Lucia and urge her to pull back.”

“Aye!”

Yamato limped on.  She was finally able to begin a descent as some of the battleships that had defected earlier drew closer and formed a protective arc.  Kodai ordered a missile drop to take out the colony’s defenses.  He watched as Shima became drenched in sweat as the navigator struggled to maneuver Yamato down yet avoid deadly fire as she went. 

“Aihara, any word?”

The communications officer gripped his headset as he strained to hear a message.  He looked at Kodai with a poor attempt at hiding his grin.  “She said if we don’t get down there right now, she’s going to march onboard and personally kick every one of our asses!”

There were a few scattered chuckles throughout the bridge. 

“All right, then,” said Kodai.  “Guess we’d better do as we’re told.”  Kodai actually found her admonishment side-splittingly funny, but it was a joke he could have easily gone his entire life without hearing.

 

 

Minutes later, as Yamato descended into the upper atmosphere, Lucia contacted the bridge again.  A smudge of dirt accented her cheek, and she struggled through a dry cough before speaking.  “Hate to be a nag, but are you there yet, Kodai?”

“Almost.  Why?”

“Oh, just a little engine trouble is all.”  They heard a loud clanking noise, and then the buckling of metal.  Lucia brought up her arm, wielding a large wrench.  She swung at something off screen a few times, then looked back as she wiped her forehead with the back of her other hand.   She smiled impishly.  “Okay, maybe a lot.”

Alarmed, Kodai spoke louder than he intended.  “Stand down, Lucia!  You don’t need to do this; it isn’t your fight!”

He noted the disbelief in her face, which was replaced with grim determination.  “We all have our part to play, Captain.  Vagabonds though we merchants may be, we still have a responsibility to our home.” 

Smoke from a nearby fire temporarily obscured her face.  When her image reappeared, Kodai watched in concern as she hunched over the screen, looking tired and burnt out. 

“Lucia, I—”

He stopped as she held up a hand.  “I need you to do something for me.”

Kodai nodded.  “Anything.”

Lucia took a deep breath.  “If you meet a man named Daijiro, give him this message for me.”

Kodai stared intently at her as she relayed it, wondering at the vagueness of the meaning.  He nodded as she finished.  “I’ll give him the message for you…wait a minute!  Give it to him yourself!  Lucia, pull out!  It’s not too late!”

Tears welled in her eyes, and her voice nearly choked.  She formed a fist, and brought it to her chest in salute.  “Godspeed, Kodai!  Yamato forever!”

Suddenly, her image de-compensated and blinked out. 

“Noooo…!” Kodai moaned, growing oblivious to events around him.  Her name burst from his lips, the words shattering in the air with the force of broken glass.  He wanted to shield his eyes but could not.

Years later, when he would tell this story to his children, and later to his grandchildren, Kodai would always add that he had seen a great ship rise up from the fiery, disintegrating wreck of the Flying Dutchman—a ghost ship.  With a gleaming, confident stance, it continued to fire at the fleet in its final attempt to defend the battleship Yamato.  In later times, rumors began to spread about the sudden appearance of a ship that never responded when hailed.  Freighters passing through the region that were waylaid by pirates or other obstacles often reported sightings of the ancient trader.  It was said that whenever the Flying Dutchman appeared, it was an omen that help of some kind was on the way. 

But for the moment, only lingering slivers of smoke and debris rippled across that part of space.  Kodai struggled to contain a great, heaving sob.  Don’t let her sacrifice be for nothing.  Pull it together.  Don’t let it be for nothing!  He banged a fist on the console, and his voice was a snarl.  “I want to finish this!”

With a pained look, Aihara gestured urgently for the captain’s attention. 

Kodai turned to him with an exasperated expression.  “Now what?”

“St. Cyr is demanding to speak with you.  If you refuse, he said someone very close to you will pay the price!”

Kodai motioned numbly for him to switch on the video panel.  All eyes shifted upwards as the Commander’s imposing form appeared.  Save for the distant sounds of battle, there was a deep hush on the bridge.

St. Cyr cocked an eyebrow in acknowledgement.  “So kind of you to grant me an audience, Captain.”

“I have nothing to say to you!”  Kodai shouted.  He knew that the cautionary hand on his arm belonged to Sanada-san.

“Oh, really?” A seemingly thoughtful expression passed across the Commander’s face.  “Well, if that’s the case, then I won’t keep you long.  “But you should be aware,” and here he raised a finger, “that perhaps our unfortunately adversarial relationship was orchestrated by none other than your lovely, misguided wife Yuki!”

St. Cyr stepped aside, his hand sweeping backwards as he did so.  His movement revealed Yuki seated behind him, looking tired and worried.  Her jacket and ascot had been removed, leaving her dressed only in white skirt and tank top.  Her hair hung limply about her face.  A round of gasps circulated among the bridge crew.

Kodai bristled.  “What?”

“I’m afraid so.  She’s a traitor to us both.  But she will also be the solution.”

Kodai was speechless.  He felt torn between disbelief and acceptance.  Choking down his anger, he spoke.  “What do you mean?” 

“You will return to Earth at once, with Yamato, or Yuki will bear the consequence!”

A pang of fear coursed through Kodai’s heart.  Instinct told him to stall for time.  “But what about this hidden facility?  Commander, what is its purpose?”

St. Cyr sighed.  “Your stubborn reputation precedes you!  Perhaps I didn’t make myself clear:  Return Yamato at once!”

And then a desperate cry reached the captain’s ears.  “Kodai-kun!  Don’t listen to him!”

It was Yuki, straining forward to be seen and heard.

“It’s a trap!  Keep away from Earth.  If Yamato comes back, he’ll destroy her—ahhh!”

Kodai and the others watched aghast as Qasar towered up behind her bearing a large black whip.  His expression was cold and unyielding as he lashed it hard against her back.  The force of it launched her from the chair, and she collapsed on the floor.  Kodai caught a brief glimpse of the bloody welt on her back.

“Yuki!  Why are they doing this?  Yuki!”

But St. Cyr filled the screen again, blocking his view.  “What she said is absolute rubbish.  Never mind your little jaunt to Good Hope.  There’s nothing under that mountain except an abandoned mine.  Your orders are to return to Earth immediately.”  The Commander’s eyes turned steely and hard, his voice clipped.  “If you do not, Yuki will be disciplined every half-hour of your delay.  Make the right choice, Kodai.  This can all end with you!”

Then the transmission abruptly ended.

Kodai stared forlornly up at the screen.  He felt uncertainty over St. Cyr’s motives, confusion about Yuki’s loyalties, and guilt over the horrendous abuse she had just suffered.  Tears sprung to his eyes that he blinked quickly back.  What should I do?  He felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Kodai!”

Sanada-san faced him, his expression sympathetic, yet firm.  “Kodai, what are your orders?”

He wanted to shout, Fuck the orders!  The captain found his voice unexpectedly hoarse.  “Sanada-san, if we continue, they might beat her to death.  But if we go back, Yamato will be destroyed.” 

“You don’t know that, Kodai!  I think Yuki’s warning was her way of telling us not to worry.”

“But you saw how they treated her!  What kind of a guarantee is that?”

“She’d want us to go on!  This mission is about saving thousands of lives!”

Kodai shook his head.  He felt frozen to the spot.  Shrugging his shoulders, he avoided Sanada’s gaze.  “I don’t know what to do,” he whispered.  Kodai sat at his station, and let his face drop into his hands.

“We could also just sit right here and be demolished,” Shima said with a hiss.  “Any kind of indecision on our part is only going to play right into St. Cyr’s hands!”

But Kodai would only shake his head no.  Oh, Yuki, he thought.  Why did you stay back?  What could have possessed you to do this?

 

 

Yuki didn’t regret speaking out, but her resolution was fading fast as the blinding pain from the wound overtook her.  She felt her nerve endings wail in protest from the horrendous stinging sensation.  The vainness of the next thought surprised her:  You’ll be scarred and he won’t want you anymore.  But even though she felt defeated, she was determined not to show it. 

Despite feeling as though someone had raked a hot coal across her back, Yuki pulled herself up and limped back into the chair (one of her knees now throbbed painfully as a result of her fall).  Teeth clenched, she fought back tears, and stared proudly ahead at the video panel.  It displayed Yamato’s current position above the colony’s surface. 

Yamato was nearing its goal, and it gave her hope.             

 

 

“What the hell?” muttered Aihara to himself.  His eyes narrowed as he peered at the monitor.  “It can’t be!”

“Can’t be what?” asked Nambu in-between missile launches as he covered for the despondent captain.

“This code, it’s…Captain!”  Aihara swiveled toward the front of the bridge.

 Kodai didn’t budge.

“What is it, Aihara?” Sanada answered after a worried glance in Kodai’s direction.

“We’ve just received an urgent communication from headquarters…at least I think it’s from there…it’s on a secure channel, with Commander Todo’s signature!”

The last part demanded even Kodai’s attention.  He felt a chill race through him.  “What does it say?”

“He—or whoever it is—wants to speak with you.  Says he has information that will help.”

“Patch it through,” Kodai ordered, and stood up to face the main screen.  A man

appeared, dressed in EDF military black.  He looked familiar, though Kodai could not place him.  “I am Susumu Kodai, Captain of Yamato.”

“Kodai, we are well met, though our acquaintance is long overdue.  My name is Daijiro Todo, Military Intelligence Service, Commander of Project Moccasin.”  Daijiro nodded slightly as he spoke.  “I have important information to share with you, but not much time.  My mission, Kodai, has been to investigate the activities of Armand St. Cyr since the death of Heikuro Todo…my uncle.”

Kodai had difficulty containing his gasp of surprise.  He heard the collective intake of breath behind him.

“Project Moccasin is unknown even to the MIS Director.  Todo organized it in secret, for although he did not trust St. Cyr, he had little proof to back up his claim.  When he began to track St. Cyr's activities, he discovered records of extraneous resources being shipped to Good Hope.  The accounting was fuzzy, nothing definite, but he began to suspect St. Cyr was using his status to fund his own secret project.   It had the earmarks of some kind of takeover.  Since Todo’s death, I have acquired new information linking St. Cyr to a number of illegal dealings.  One of them, the most significant, is the hidden facility on Good Hope.  He built it using embezzled funds, and over the years has also formed questionable alliances with both military and civilian organizations.”

“Is he behind the kidnappings, and the bodies found on the merchant ships?” Kodai asked.

Daijiro raised an eyebrow.  “I think so, but proof of that has been elusive.  It’s also why I’m very eager for Yamato to get to the colony.  I’m contacting you now because we’ve monitored St. Cyr’s recent communication to you.  I regret his barbaric treatment of Yuki; it wasn’t meant to get that far, I assure you.”

Kodai made no effort to hide his anger.  “Didn’t mean what to get this far?”

“Yuki had orders from my uncle to go undercover, and obtain any information she could about St. Cyr’s activities.  She found the plans for the facility on Good Hope, plans that Heikuro had also discovered, and, for which, I’m fairly certain, he was killed.”

“And that Yuki’s going to be killed for, too, if we don’t stop that bastard!”  Kodai raised a fist.  “What kind of a soldier are you, sending a defenseless woman into a pack of wolves?”

Daijiro remained unruffled.  “I didn’t make her do it, Kodai,” he said quietly.  “I have a copy of Heikuro’s orders which I fully intend to show you.  When you return from your investigation of Good Hope, I have a message from him to you as well.”  His tone became firm.  “Yuki is hardly one to shy away from her duty, wouldn’t you agree?”

  Kodai locked eyes with him, seething at first like a rabid dog.  But then he weighed the young Commander’s words in his mind, and the pieces began to fall into place…Yuki’s words to him during their last night together…her unexpected letter and defection from the mission…Lucia’s “source”.   He realized how much it must have pained Yuki to follow those orders, especially when it meant the two of them would be apart and left to doubt each other.  But it would have pained her more to allow any more innocent people to be killed.

Kodai allowed his expression to soften.  However, he still felt pressure from the dilemma he faced, namely, how to obtain the final proof of St. Cyr’s involvement in mass murder without risking her life.  “I see now, Todo.  But what—”

“What happens to Yuki, I know what you’re thinking.  We’ll get Yuki out; I promise!  I have a little invasion plan of my own.  But you must proceed to the colony and investigate the facility.  As soon as you find out its purpose, contact me immediately. Then I can go to the Defense Council and demand that St. Cyr be stripped of command.”

“And then what?” Kodai asked.

“Get back to Earth as soon as you can.  We’ll need your help!”

Kodai closed his eyes briefly as he struggled to understand the turn of events.  One thing still nagged at him.  Opening his eyes, he said, “Yamato will proceed to Good Hope; and I’m counting on your honor that this isn’t some other trap of St. Cyr’s.”

Daijiro nodded.  “You have my word.”

“One other thing,” Kodai said, his gaze poised to measure Daijiro’s every reaction.  “You said your first name was Daijiro?”

The Commander nodded.

“I have a message for you.  From Lucia.”  He noticed Daijiro give a very slight start at the mention of her name.

“Yes?”

“She asked me to tell you, try not to spend too much time behind that desk of yours.”

Daijiro’s eyes narrowed.  “And where is the Dutchman now?  What’s her position?”

Kodai regretted his abrupt delivery.  “The Flying Dutchman…was destroyed, Todo.  She died—” Kodai faltered as a sudden realization hit him “—she died defending Yamato on our way to the colony.”  He swallowed as a defense against the lingering grief.  “Who was she, Todo?”

"She was my--she was MIS.  An undercover agent.  My liaison with Yamato."

Shocked cries reverberated throughout the air of the bridge.  From Daijiro’s distraught reaction, Kodai suspected she was something more.  "Todo…was she…?  I'm sorry!"

Daijiro held up a hand, and his voice sounded thick, tight with emotion.  “Excuse me…just a moment, please.”

He disappeared from view.  The crew suddenly heard a loud crash, followed by the tinkling of glass and crunch of metal.  After a moment, Daijiro returned.  Kodai made a note of his flushed skin, and of his uniform, now slightly askew.  But his next words sounded urgent, almost tenacious.

            “Hurry to Good Hope, Kodai, before any more of our brave and selfless fighters perish!”

 

To Be Continued....

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