ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR
FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---A LAST BREATH BEFORE THE
PLUNGE
Being the tenth part of THE RIKASHA INCIDENT--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
ACT FOUR:
HOME AGAIN, AT LONG LAST...
I.
HOMECOMING
Planet
Earth
Thursday,
April 22, 2202
0132 Hours:
Earth Space-time
At last, the Argo
had returned home. Now, as night passed outside, the mighty ship sat moored
again in the same underground drydock on Earth from which she had departed
nearly four months ago.
Captain Derek
Wildstar sat in his cabin alone filling out some paperwork when a tap came at
the hatch.
"Come
in!" he said.
The hatch
opened, and in came Venture, Sandor, Yamazaki, and the Rosstowskis.
"The ship
is secured," said Venture.
"She'll
need a lot of dock work, though…as much as we can do in about three or four
days," said Sandor.
"I
know," said Derek. "That's why I was planning on giving everyone
shore leave except for your Group and Engineering…so you could have the ship
free to do the repair work. Of course, the Commander will have to approve
it."
"There's
another reason, too, isn't there?" said Aliscea.
Captain
Wildstar nodded, surprised at Aliscea's knowledge of his thoughts. "Yes,
there is. It's to let everyone see their families one last time…because when we
get on this ship again, we may not be coming back."
"That's a
hell of a way to think," said Paul Rosstowski.
"It's the
truth, Paul," said Derek. "This last charge against Ekogaru might be
it. I hoped we could keep it from happening…I hoped we and the Gamilons could
hit them before they got here, but…despite everything we did, it still
wasn't enough," he sighed. Mark noticed that now, Wildstar again sounded
like the angry and frustrated young man he had been in 2199. "So, I hope
no one minds if I give the rest of the crew a chance to kiss their wives,
parents, and girlfriends goodbye before we go off into a battle from which we
may never return. Seems just like the White Comet all over again, doesn't it?
Except this time, it's worse."
"We've
got a rebuilt Fleet this time," said Venture.
"Yeah,"
said Derek as he played with his padd stylus. "We've got a whole bunch of
young men and women who have no idea what they'll be facing. In my opinion,
this is worse than the Gamilons and the Comet Empire all rolled together."
"This
time, we have allies," said Sandor.
"Who'll
probably die with us," sighed Wildstar.
"Don't
give up hope, not now, not with the home stretch in front of us," said
Aliscea.
"It's the
thirteenth inning, the other team has the winning run on base, and our relief
pitcher is getting tired just as the current home run king comes up to bat for
the other side," said Captain Wildstar. "How bad can that be?"
"Not
good," said Paul.
"Rosstowski,
I've promoted you and Hemsford to Lieutenant, you know, and I'm giving Bryan
Hartcliffe his old rank back," said Derek. "You guys all might as
well die with an extra paycheck in the bank. Who's keeping watch now?"
"Nova's
Officer of the Deck," said Sandor. "She's taking care of getting
everyone who's taking shore leave mustered off the ship, and she's ordering the
crew to prepare to man the rails at 0230 Hours."
"Why's
that again?"
"Derek,
the Commander is coming on board to inspect," said Venture. "You've
gotta get ready for that."
"Yeah,
right." said Derek. "Well, we might as well do that. And I’ll have to
tell Nova to have Eager, Homer and Dash hold off on their punishment drills
until after they come back from leave," Wildstar added. "Now, if
you'll excuse me…"Venture stood there for a minute, and then he looked at
Derek's paperwork and understood. "Yeah. See ya later, Wildstar. C'mon,
guys…let's go."
They left.
"I wonder
why he's so depressed?" said Paul Rosstowski.
Venture
sighed. "A malady unique to Captains."
"What do
you mean?"
"Lieutenant
Rosstowski," said Venture. "Responsibility weighs very heavily upon a
Captain's head. Especially now."
"Why?'
"The
desperation of our situation," said Aliscea. "I was there when, right
before Ekogaru attacked Pellias, we found he had broken through a defense line
in the Blackeye Galaxy known as the Derford Line. It was the Pellian
Federation's last major military stand. We lost 1500 ships in that battle, and
those 1500 warships weren't enough to stop Ekogaru from advancing on Pellias.
Right now, everything depends upon me being able to stop him, and you know that."
"Yeah,"
said Paul.
"And
that's why Wildstar was so depressed," said Venture. "He had
paperwork out. He was writing letters…to families of those who died on our
journey, and he had another bit of paper out on that desk."
"What was
it?" asked Paul.
"His
will."
At that,
Rosstowski went silent.
Some time
later, Venture, Sandor and Paul Rosstowski went about their jobs without having
seen Wildstar.
On the bridge,
they ran into Nova, who was sitting in the Captain's chair in her white dress
peacoat, supervising the shutdown of some of the stations and making phone
calls to ready various Section Chiefs for the inspection and ceremonial
rail-manning duty.
"Nova,
have you seen Wildstar?" said Venture.
"No, I
haven't. Not since I was up in our cabin before."
"He's
been acting weird," said Rosstowski.
"Oh,
he'll be all right," said Nova.
"You
don't sound too concerned," Venture commented.
"Mark, I
know him even better than you do. I know what's on his mind. Now, if you'll
excuse me, I have to man the gangplank in a minute. Yamazaki, you're in command
up here."
"Aye,
aye, ma'am," said Yamazaki. Nova got up to leave.
I know
what's on Derek's mind, thought Nova. I know all too well. Because…
…because
I'm feeling the same way right now.
A while later, outside,
the crew stood manning the rails at attention. The EDF march played over the
speakers, and Wildstar, Venture and the others saw Nova salute Commander
Singleton at the bottom of the gangplank and grant him permission to board the Argo.
The Commander then came up the gangplank, followed by Stone, Dentmann, Admiral
Falworth, and some of the other members of the Defense Council. Nova looked
very proud and serious as she escorted the Commander aboard the ship.
Once they
reached the head of the gangplank, Nova saluted a silent Derek, and said,
"Sir, I am now returning command to you for the time being."
"Thank
you, Deck Officer," said Captain Wildstar. He saluted Singleton, and then
the two men shook hands.
"It's
good to see all of you back," said the Commander. "As of yesterday,
we thought we'd lost you."
"We've
been through a lot, sir, but we're glad to be home."
"This
ship had better be shipshape," snorted Stone. "You have to join the
Fleet in just a few days. Talk about cutting it close, Wildstar!"
"I have a
lot of information to share with you," said Derek. "The situation has
really changed out there."
"How
close is the Dark Lord?" asked Michael Dentmann, from the Defense
Ministry.
"Sir, I'm
not sure this is the best place to discuss this," said Derek.
"However, I'll let you know everything as soon as we can have a
debriefing."
"There'll
be one later at Defense Headquarters," said Stone.
"I
see," said Derek. "Then, after our repairs and some shore leave, if
the Commander authorizes it, we'll be going into battle."
"But,
first, you have to participate in some wargames," said Admiral Falworth.
"I'll want to see you aboard the Andromeda tomorrow to discuss our
Fleet plan."
"That
sounds good," said Captain Wildstar as he led the staff officers and his
officers into a hatchway. "As you will soon see, even though we're shipshape,
the Argo needs some dockyard time before she can go back into battle,
and I'll be candid about that. If you'll follow me, gentlemen…"
I don't
believe this!
Captain Wildstar thought. General Stone's acting as if we're a bunch of
cadets that he just caught partying! This is ridiculous!
On the first
bridge, Singleton stood nearby while Stone, who wore white gloves, ran his
fingers over Eager's post. He found dust.
"Who is
responsible for this panel?" asked Stone.
Eager, who was
standing at attention by his post, said, "Sir, I am."
"Well,
it's a disgrace," said Stone. "Wildstar, what sort of ship are you
running here? Did we make a mistake giving you command?"
"Oh, come
on, sir," said Admiral Falworth, who was silenced by a glare from
Stone. "You know that they just came in from battle, Stone."
"Permission
to speak freely, sir," said Wildstar.
"Granted."
"Sir, as
the Admiral has said, we've just survived several long space warps and a battle
situation. I'm very sorry that my crew didn't have the time to dust
everything."
"Commander!"
yelled Stone as he turned on Singleton. "Are you going to allow this? I
advise you to relieve Captain Wildstar of his command at once! Put someone
older and more disciplined in that Captain's chair."
"No,
General," said Singleton.
"Why
not?"
"Wildstar
is the man the President wants in that chair on this ship. And I mean to keep
it that way. What do you say about that man's uniform, Captain?"
Derek looked
Eager over from head to toe. Should I be tough or easy? Derek thought. Maybe,
right now, I'd better be tough. That's probably what they expect…damnit.
"Sir, he has a smear on his belt buckle. Two demerits, forty pushups after
this inspection is over. Do you agree you're a
disgrace, Mister Eager?"
"Yes
suh!" said Eager. "Ah won't let it happen again!" Eager then
thought, Wildstar, ah guess you have to do this, but it seems a bit
ridiculous!
"And what
about this?" yelled Stone as he turned to Nova.
"Huh?"
said Nova.
Derek raised
his eyebrows. Stone, what's wrong with her uniform? She was just serving as
Deck Officer! She looks perfect…uh…except for that belt buckle? How'd she smear
it?
"Captain,
this woman over here has a smear on her belt buckle, too! And is our Captain
taking advantage of this situation because of that personnel experiment you
started, Commander?" said Stone as he noticed Derek and Nova exchanging a
very quick glance.
"NO,
sir" said Derek. "I'm just…surprised. Lieutenant, how did that belt
buckle get smeared during an inspection?"
Nova looked
down at her white peacoat and the shining brass buckle of her lavender female
dress belt. "Sir, I must've bumped against something in a passage and
forgot to wipe it down. I'm sorry, sir."
"ARE you
sorry?" yelled Stone.
"Yessir,
I'm very sorry."
"Not
sorry enough," said Derek. "Two demerits, forty pushups for you, too,
Lieutenant."
Not me,
too!
Nova thought. She then remembered all the brass around and thought, I guess
Derek has to do this to satisfy these guys, and, besides, I am an officer who's
screwed up…again, I guess. "I understand, sir. I'll do them in the gym
with Eager before we disembark with you present."
Singleton
nodded, but Stone huffed, "If this was my old command, I'd have
both of them doing pushups now, on the deck!"
"You
heard the man!" yelled Captain Wildstar. "Both of you, turn and snap
to, now! Lieutenant Wildstar, you are the senior officer! Count down out loud!
Forty pushups!"
"Aye,
aye, sir!" yelled Nova in her best cadet tones as she and Eager began to
do pushups. This is so stupid, she thought, not letting the thought reach
her face. "One, sir! TWO, sir! Three, sir…"
"Anything
else, sir?" said Captain Wildstar as he turned towards Stone.
"Nothing."
"Then let
me join my men down there! I accept full responsibility for this command
lapse!" said Captain Wildstar.
Huh? Nova thought as she
paused for a moment. Derek, that's…you don't need to do that!
The crew (and
the Commander) stood surprised as Derek himself got on the floor and began to
do pushups with his officers as Nova counted down. "I never ask my
men and women to do anything I'd refuse to do myself!" snapped Captain
Wildstar as he voluntarily shared in his own punishment.
"This is
unnecessary," said Admiral Falworth. "Stone, put a stop to
this!"
"That's
right," said Dentmann. "Stone, isn't the Star Force under Singleton's
command, and not yours?"
Nice,
Derek,
Nova thought. That's the way to show him!
"General
Stone," said Derek as he did his pushups. "Have you ever done that,
sir?"
"There's
a difference between a CO and his officers," huffed Stone. "Wildstar!
You are so damn undignified!"
"There's
not that much difference on my ship!" said Derek. "And, as for
undignified, isn't it undignified for you to demand that two highly decorated
officers fresh home from battle do pushups in front of the Commander, Earth
Defense Forces?"
"Uhhh…"
"He has a
point, Stone," said Falworth.
"That's
enough! Stop it, all of you!" said Singleton when Nova reached
twenty. "Captain Wildstar, you and your officers have served your
punishment as far as I'm concerned. Well done. Up!"
Derek, Nova,
and Eager got up and snapped to attention.
The Commander
asked, "General Stone, what do you see?"
"Three
officers in dress uniform who are sweating," he huffed.
"Eager!
Nova!" ordered Derek. "Tend to your posts! I need reports!"
"Yessir!"
said the two peacoat-clad officers as they returned to their posts and got to
work.
"They
look like good officers," said Admiral Falworth as he walked the bridge
with Dentmann and Stone.
"And one of them
is a mere girl," added Dentmann. The aged civilian with a goatee
smiled at Nova, and said, "Miss, are we interrupting your desire to attend
the ballet? Or your desire to return home to your kitchen, perhaps? I've never
noticed this before, Singleton, but what we have here is a Children's Crusade!
Some of these men don't look old enough to shave yet, and this girl here…looks
like my teenage daughter!"
Oh, go drop dead, you
walrus!
Nova thought as her face flushed a bit while she looked at Dentmann from over
her shoulder from near her board. Of course, at twenty-four, she wasn’t all
that far out of her teens. She was checking readings on an auxiliary instrument
for a readout at the moment and stood out a bit with her white peacoat over her
gold uniform.
"Dentmann,
don't start on that now!" snapped Singleton, knowing that he was taking a
risk by snapping at an Undersecretary of Defense…but he was willing to do it
for his subordinates…and friends…in the Star Force. "Mister
Undersecretary, I see three men and women who have just worked hard and
still look sharp."
"They
look terrible," muttered Stone.
Singleton
looked at Stone. "Really! How long has it been since you've been on a
bridge of a warship in combat?"
"Ten
years, sir."
"Anyone
who can work that hard and still look military would be on their toes in
combat, as far as I'm concerned," said Singleton. "That's what we
were looking for in this inspection. Mister Dentmann…General Stone…Have you
noticed something about this bridge crew?"
"Sir?"
"They're
exhausted. But, if they needed to, they'd be ready to go out and fight again in
the next half hour. That's the sort of men and women I want in this Fleet. And
Wildstar is the man they'd follow right into Hell if he asked them to do it.
Captain, your ship and crew pass inspection. I don’t need to see anything else.
You three get cleaned up and in fresh uniforms; Wildstar, you and I will
debrief in your cabin at 0330. Then, when we're done, grant these people three
days' worth of shore leave."
"Yessir,"
said Captain Wildstar. "Nova, after you make yourself presentable, I'm
returning command to you. Finish your watch as Officer of the Deck."
"Aye,
aye, sir," said Nova. She saluted and left.
"General
Stone, Admiral Falworth, Mister Dentmann," said Singleton. "This way.
Wildstar, your bridge."
"Thank
you, sir," said Derek.
After the
brass left, Eager said, "Boy, could I use a shower!"
"Permission
granted," said Derek. "I could use one too."
"Gonna
take it with Nova?" teased Homer.
"Glitchman,
stow it!" snapped Derek as the bridge crew laughed. "It’s a
good thing Nova is holding off on your punishment PT until after our leave.
Venture, you have the conn until Nova's done freshening up."
"Aye,
aye, Skipper," said Mark with a grin.
"I told
you," huffed Derek. "Stop calling me that!"
At that, he
left.
"Hey…the
way he's acting, he needs that shower with Nova," said Dash.
"That's
enough," said Venture. "Let's get this equipment locked down so
Sandor can work on it."
The debriefing
between Singleton and Wildstar lasted for two hours; from 0400 to 0600. Captain
Wildstar, who had changed into a fresh Star Force uniform after his shower
(which just happened to be shared with Nova, but that was no one's business but
their own), sat in his peacoat with the Commander. The two men drank some
coffee and informally talked about the mission while reviewing the technical
data on the Technomugar Fortress and the Rikashan Fleet that had been given to
Wildstar back on Carufax.
"So, you
think that we can bring down the Technomugar Fortress if we strike it right
here in its Phased Density Cannon?"
"We can,
sir. I'm convinced of it."
"Would a
wave motion gun blast do it?"
"Not
quite, sir."
"Would we
need several ships en masse?"
"That'd
be the worst thing we could do, Commander," said Derek. "He'd
detect a fleet movement and frontal attack like that and just finish us. If we
attack his Fortress, we will have to do it alone, and it will have to be a surprise
attack."
"Well,
what do you recommend?"
"Aliscea
has said she could help us. She's said something about combining her energy
with that of the wave motion gun to destroy the Fortress. As I told you, she
damaged the Fortress all by herself at Iscandar with her power. With our help,
she thinks she'd have more than enough power to finish him."
"That
sounds good. It sounds just like what we need," said Singleton. He looked
at a printout of the R'Khell fleet for a minute. "We're going to have at
least five hundred R'Khell ships attacking Earth in four or five days,
Captain."
"Along
with perhaps four or five hundred Technomugar warships," said Wildstar as
he looked at another printout. "Their plan is to eliminate our entire
Defense Fleet and all of our bases before the Fortress even shows up, according
to what Cha'rif and the Technomugar dissidents told us."
Singleton
drank some coffee. "Do you think they'll succeed in assassinating
Ekogaru?"
"They
might. But, if they don't, we'll have to stop him."
Singleton looked
at some other paperwork. "Now this," he said. "This is a report
done in secret by Lieutenant Natalie Fisher. Doctor Sane gave it to me and
asked me to review it while I was waiting for you before at 0338."
"What is
it, sir?" said Derek. He looked at the clock and noticed it was now 0610.
"A
psychological report on the success of the little personnel experiment with
permitting you and Mrs. Wildstar, the Hartcliffes, and the Voorhees couple to
room together during this cruise. Except for Mrs. Voorhees' unexpected
pregnancy, which Doctor Sane said could be avoided in the future with a new
contraceptive shot he's developed for both genders, it looks like you
conducted yourselves fairly professionally. And, of course, there were the
Rosstowskis and the Ventures. They acted as professionally as you and Nova did.
I think I have enough here to convince the President to extend this rule
throughout the entire Fleet for married couples. As it is, on my orders, the
Star Force will continue under this arrangement when you go back into battle in
three days."
"Thank
you, sir," said Captain Wildstar. A tap came at the hatch. "Come
in!" he said.
Nova came in,
wearing the fresh gold-and-black duty uniform she had changed into under her
peacoat. It was her last clean one, but it didn't matter much now, since they
would be off the ship soon. "Sir, I'm relieved. Sandor is now acting as
Officer of the Deck."
"Come in
and have some coffee with us," said the Commander pleasantly.
"Thank
you, sir," said Nova.
"As for
the Rosstowskis," said Singleton. "Wildstar, let Paul and Aliscea
know that a house has been made available for their use on the outskirts of the
Megalopolis, under a quiet guard, of course…for their safety. If Aliscea will
be remaining on Earth, she will need a decent place to live."
"I will
let them know, sir," said Derek. "Thank you."
"Nova,
the Captain tells me you've done some great things on this mission."
"Just
doing my job, as usual, sir," Nova said quietly as she shrugged off her
coat and hung it up in her locker. Then, she sat down.
"It was a
great job you did, performing under pressure in that scuba dive on Iscandar to
obtain information about the Fortress…flying several recon missions, serving on
the Bridge and Sickbay. In addition, commanding this ship in battle as Officer
of the Deck, and acting honorably in captivity and single combat were great
deeds as far as I'm concerned. You're too modest, Nova."
Nova sat there
quietly with her eyes half-closed, hoping she wasn't flushing too much.
"Are you saying I was a good officer, or a good woman officer, sir?"
"A good
officer, period," said Singleton. "I don't subscribe to the sexist
views of some of the others in the Defense Command, including Michael
Dentmann."
"Permission
to speak freely, sir?" asked Nova.
"Granted,"
the Commander.
"He's an
ugly man, sir; just as ugly as that stringy beard of his. He looks like a billy
goat."
The Commander
laughed.
"You
noticed!" said Derek.
Nova nodded.
"You have
good taste, Nova," said the Commander. "He is an ugly man. I'm
making sure you get an Iron Cross for bringing down Yvona Josiah. With her
gone, the terrorist cult she once led is weakened."
"But not
finished," said Nova as she thought, I guess I can't refuse it, sir,
but I don’t want a medal for being forced to kill the woman who was my Aunt! "I
understand that Cha'rif has said that Piper Sandberg has taken over the Cult in
her stead."
"Yes,
Nova," said Derek. "That's what he told us. Sir, any luck on finding
Sandberg yet?"
Another tap
came at the hatch. "Enter!" said Wildstar.
Sandor
entered, carrying a sheaf of plans. "Sir, I'm volunteering to keep my
Group on board and Yamazaki is volunteering to keep Engineering on the ship as
well during the repairs throughout our shore leave, if you grant it, that is.. While we repair the first gun turret, I'd like to
request your permission to retrofit the turret with this new type of
dual-purpose cannon."
Sandor rolled
out the plans. "What is it?" asked the Commander.
"A system
he's developed that may help us fight off any heavy-armored Technomugar Goraizu
Fortresses if we encounter them," said Captain Wildstar. "It's called
a wave motion cartridge system; it is a system that involves charging missiles like
old-style Naval Artillery shells with a small amount of wave motion energy held
in stasis."
"Released,
it is somewhat like a small wave motion gun, without the time needed to charge
the Gun. We can use it to penetrate heavily armored ships," said Sandor.
"Do I have your permission to attempt a test of this system in
combat?"
The Commander
nodded. "Permission granted, Sandor."
"Sir, as
for the shore leave I requested for the rest of the crew? They are
exhausted, sir." asked Derek.
"Also
granted," continued Singleton. "Wildstar, I also wish to let you know
that we’re searching the planet for Sandberg. I don't want him giving our
secrets to the enemy."
"But what
if he's off-planet?" asked Derek.
"That,"
said Singleton. "Is a possibility I don't want to consider right
now…"
II. FURTHER
PLANS
The Grand
Technomugar Fortress
About 22,000 Lightyears Away from Earth
Thursday,
April 22, 2202
0610 Hours:
Earth Space-time
"Rise,
Sandberg," whispered Ekogaru the Great in a voice brimming with hatred.
Piper
Sandberg, now clad in a dark brown robe, came up from his knees, trying to hide
the fact that he was trembling as he stood before the now-grotesque cyborg that
Ekogaru had become. "What have you just done, Lord?"
"I have
anointed you as High Priest of the Terran R'Khell Order that Yvona Josiah once
led. Her cult is now part of the R'Khell priesthood by my decree and you must
make sure it drops all pretenses of your native Christian belief now. I am God.
Not your Native Carpenter."
"Of
course, my Lord," said Sandberg as he bowed.
"Your
people shall be all of the Terran Race left alive in the New Order," said
Ekogaru. "As long as your serve with honor, that is. I still remember that
you have defected from your Defense Council."
"I have,
Lord. But that does NOT mean I am not ready to serve you!"
"We shall
see," said Ekogaru. He turned to Lecha Voton. Voton had received Ekogaru's
Lash earlier, and he was in agony, barely able to stand. "You failed to
stop the Argo for me at Rikasha. You let them get away. This cannot be
forgiven readily. Since you have failed me, it is your job for your
Fleet to lead the attack upon Earth. Your first priority is to have your
psionics see if Aliscea is on the Argo in combat again as it leaves
Earth to face our forces. If she is there, she and the Argo must be
destroyed at once. I will accept no more excuses, and I have lost my patience;
I want Wildstar and his band of adventurers killed!"
"Of
course, my Lord," said Voton, bowing in his new red uniform.
"Marda
shall assist you. General Grodez," said Ekogaru, referring to a
blue-skinned former Dark Nebulan that the Empire had recently captured. He and
his fleet had been impressed into Technomugar service. Seeing an opportunity to
serve among fellow cyborgs like himself now that he knew that Dezarium was
destroyed as a result of the dimensional Interphases that had brought the Dark
Lord to the Local Group, Grodez had accepted a Technomugar commission.
"Yes,
Lord," said the white-haired former Dark Nebulan as he bowed. I hope he
is as ruthless as Skaldart was, he thought. "Lord, my Battle Fleet and
my Task Force of Autoplanet Gorba Battle-fortresses stand ready at your
disposal."
"Good,"
said Ekogaru. "Your mission…destroy the Earth Defense Fleet. If Voton
fails to catch the Argo, you shall serve as backup."
"Yes,
Lord," said Grodez. "You can count on us."
III. BEGIN
SHORE LEAVE!
Planet
Earth
Thursday,
April 22, 2202
0630 Hours:
Earth Spacetime
On the Argo, the
crew gathered at attention on the foredeck for one last muster before being
dismissed to go on Shore Leave.
"All of
you have done a great job this mission," said Captain Wildstar as he stood
on the #1 gun turret in his Star Force uniform and short peacoat. Inside,
Sandor's crews were already working hard at turning his plans into reality and
refitting that part of the ship so that it could contain the new breeches,
lifts, and magazine needed for the experimental Wave Motion Cartridges. "Therefore,
all of you, except for the Mechanical and Engineering Groups, which have
volunteered to remain on board the ship, are dismissed for seventy-seven hours'
worth of Shore Leave on the Commander's orders. Nova, Venture, and I will be
joining you on leave after we complete some business at Defense Headquarters. I
will expect all of you to return for First Watch muster at 1100 Hours on Sunday
morning, when we will take off for some Fleet Exercises prior to the upcoming
battle."
The crew stood
muttering and talking for a moment until Captain Wildstar said. "That's
right, battle. Ekogaru hasn't given up! But, neither have we! I've just
received a report transmitted from the Gamilons that indicates that a huge
space fleet is gathering around the Technomugar Fortress about 22,000
lightyears away from here, far beyond the Orion Nebula. The exact location is
unknown at the moment."
Derek paused
to let that statement sink in. Then, he continued. "Because the danger is
so great, I am advising you to use this time to…visit with your families, and
to prepare for battle in whatever way you see fit. If you wish to attend your
church, synagogue, mosque, temple or local shrine before we leave, please go.
If you wish to spend time in private meditation, please do so. But, bear in mind, even though it looks dark, we've been
here before." Derek paused again for effect.
"Remember
the battle of Gamilon?" asked Captain Wildstar. "Do you remember
defeating the Comet Empire? It'll be a little better than that hard time, since
we have a Fleet again, but, this time, we have quite a job ahead of us. Ekogaru
is far more megalomaniacal than Zordar ever was. But, remember…we are the
greatest and last hope of Earth. Now is not the time to fall into despair or
quit! When we get home again, it will be late spring and the cherry blossoms
will still be falling. Then, we can celebrate as we finally enjoy the peace
that you and our comrades have earned for us! I am now going to dismiss you.
Enjoy your leave, and I will see you again soon. Star Force, Dismissed!"
The crew
saluted as one when Derek turned his back on them, and then, the cheering
started.
"That's
it!" yelled Eager. "I'm goin' home to see Lisa!"
"I'm
headin' back to
"Angie,
we're meeting me parents in Britain," laughed Bryan Hartcliffe, who had
been told, at the last minute, that he would be back on the Argo for the
next phase of the mission after all. It seems that Wildstar had just had a
change of heart about throwing him out of the Star Force.
Sakamoto
looked at Hartcliffe bitterly. He was one of the few crew members who was told not
to report back aboard the Argo in three days. Wildstar had made it clear
that he had just had enough of him and his bad attitude before telling him he
was reassigned back to the Fleet. I'm thrown back into regular service like
a bad fish, thought Sakamoto. Wildstar, you are a son-of-a-bitch!
"Listen,
Wildstar," said Sakamoto as Derek and Nova began to walk off the foredeck
together; they were heading back into the ship.
"What?"
said Derek. "Didn't I make it clear to you in my cabin? You're off this
ship and out of my command!"
"Why did
you get rid of me and keep Hartcliffe?"
"I don't
have to explain my decisions," said Wildstar.
"Why?"
said Sakamoto.
"Are you
deaf?" said Nova in a soft but stern voice. "The Captain just told
you why."
"Why?"
"Look at
"Aye,
aye, sir," said Sakamoto.
Derek had just
had enough. He let out a right hook and belted Sakamoto in the jaw. The pilot
flew across the deck, landing like a bowling ball in a group of other Black
Tigers. They looked rather surprised.
"Mister
Hartcliffe, Miss Lubyanska, Mister Hardy," snapped Derek. "Please
make sure that man leaves this ship. Turn him over to the Dockyard Guard. Don't
even let him go back to his cabin; I'll have his seabag and effects shipped to
the Replacement Depot ahead of him. Got that?"
"Yessir!"
said Bryan, Tatiana, and Hardy all at once. Angie smiled and joined in.
Together, all four of them grabbed Sakamoto and marched him down the gangplank.
It wasn't all fun and games; Hardy was forced to kick his struggling former
comrade in the behind once as the other three grabbed his uniform and hauled
him off the ship like a sack.
"Well, looks
like you clipped that Tiger's tail," chuckled Venture as he came up from
behind with Holly.
"Where
are you guys going after Headquarters?" said Derek.
"To meet
my parents and let them know we're OK," said Mark.
"And to
make plans for the big church wedding he said they'll want," added Holly.
"You need
to do it again?" said Derek. "I…oh yeah…you'll need the right
Sacrament or something."
"Yeah,
our parents are kinda strict about that," laughed Holly.
"Oh,
no!" said Nova. "Derek, I've got to call my parents! Mom
and Dad will be so worried! They still probably think we're dead!"
"Permission
granted," said Derek. "I've got work to do and we all have to be at
Headquarters by 0900 in Class A's. Meet me in our cabin!"
"Right,
Derek," said Nova. They saluted, and then Nova gave her husband a hug
before running off.
Captain
Wildstar came by the Communications suite a bit later on. When he opened it,
Nova was sitting there in something of a minor panic.
"What's wrong?"
"Derek, my parents
aren't answering at home in the Megalopolis or at their place in
"Me
too."
"Come
quickly! Come to Sickbay!" said IQ-9 as he ran down the corridor as fast
as his tracks would take him. "Doctor Sane just discovered
something!"
"What?"
asked Nova.
"You
recall he took blood samples from all of you after you left the Rikashan
capital?"
"Yeah,
right before we took off from Cha'rif's home city," said Derek.
"What's up?"
"All of
you have breathed in nerve gas!"
"What?"
said Nova.
"That's
right," said Doctor Sane. "All of you breathed in very small amounts
of some Rikashan nerve agent that contains a chemical I'm calling
"Why are
you calling it that?" asked Nova.
"It's
similar in its effects to Albania Four, a similar nerve agent that was
used in the Unification Wars in the Battle of Albania of 2032, and which, by
the way, was banned some time afterwards."
"I'm not
up on the history of ancient chemical weapons," said Derek. "What did
Albania Four do?"
"Albania
Four was artificially synthesized and was very nasty," said Doctor Sane.
"It caused one to lose control of higher bodily and mental functions,
enter a state similar to that of intoxication. For example, a victim of this
agent would begin losing control of bodily functions while laughing and
undressing oneself for example…followed or preceded by extreme suggestibility,
strange visions, hearing voices; thinking the most bizarre suggestions are
normal, and even entering into a strange state of extreme sexual arousal.
Needless to say, uh…I need say no more with a lady present."
"Yeah,
sure," said Nova. "A lady who helps you clean crap out of
bedpans."
"I'm
trying to protect you," said Sane.
"Well,
I'm grown up," said Nova.
"Go on."
"Ohh…yes,"
continued Sane. "After these effects would come failure of the autonomic
functions and death. This Rikashan equivalent produces a similar effect, but
there are also odd amino-acid chains in the mixture, which makes me think it
was based on some Rikashan organic substance. I was given some odd fruits by
the Rikashans to examine; I might be able to create an antidote from that. I
think you breathed in some of this stuff on Rikasha. Give me some time and I
might be able to create an antidote in case it is used against us again. I'm
analyzing this fruit they gave me now. Something called V'Randa Fruit,
which is supposed to be some kind of aphrodisiac."
"I have
some; Cha'rif gave it to us as a gift." said Nova. "I can give it to
you if it's dangerous."
"
Nova nodded.
"You two
go home, lock yourselves in a room for a day after these briefings, and use
some, and then come back to me and report on the results," chuckled Sane.
"You need a long romantic night alone to relax!"
Nova and Derek
looked at each other and blushed. "And make sure you two have your new
contraceptive shots, please! Nova, as much as your parents want grandchildren…I
don't think now is the time to have you pregnant in my Sickbay! I don't want to
look for a new nurse until you enter
Nova just
nodded. "Uh…sure."
"Go on,
I've got work to do. Just be careful, Wildstar? Huh?"
Derek nodded.
Later, in
their cabin, Derek was talking with Mark Venture. Nova had run off to finish an
errand.
Mark sat back
and asked, "Well, when we get re-married, do you still stick by your offer
to be best man?"
"Yes,
both Nova and I agreed to it," said Derek.
"Both of
you?"
Derek nodded.
"She wants me to wear a black tux; and she's wearing a matching one.
Nova's idea…she thinks it's cute."
"That'll
be a fun one to explain to my parents," snorted Mark. "Well, luckily,
Holly's packed. We're moving in together right after that meeting. As we
should…because we are legally married. Although she's joked that she doesn't
want us to play around for a few days before the church wedding so it feels
like we’re getting married all over again. She thinks it's cute."
"What do
you think of it?"
"Pain in
the ass," said Mark. Both men laughed like crazy at that one.
They were
still laughing when Nova came back into the room in her Class A whites.
"Well, let's go," she said.
"Borrowed
those shoes from Natalie? Did that because you lose parts of your uniform in
combat?"
Nova rolled up
her eyes and nodded.
"Okay…good.
Yeah! Let's go," said Derek. "Coming, Venture?"
"Yeah,
let me get Steve away from his machines and computers, Derek. We’ll meet you
outside."
Later on, the four of
them blasted towards the Capital District and Defense Headquarters in a red
staff aircar sedan they had appropriated.
"The city
looks different," said Mark, who was driving. "I'm seeing fires here
and there."
"They
said that the enemy showed up recently and had bombed a few places. It was the
R'Khells. They're softening us up for the attack," said Sandor, who sat
next to him.
From the back
seat Nova said, "Well, at least it's Spring now. I'm noticing the flowers.
They look good this year. My garden should grow well this summer."
"You've
got a garden?" said Venture.
"Uh-huh,"
said Nova. "In that space in the yard by the first stand of pine trees,
before you get to the pool, poolhouse, and the hot spring bath."
"I never
had time to look in my backyard," said Sandor. "I spent all my time
at home doing designs."
"You
should've got out there to look while it was winter," said Nova.
"I'll bet the snow was beautiful."
"Funny;
you're noticing all these things when we might be dead in a few days,"
snorted Derek.
"And why
not?" huffed Nova. "The less time you might have to live, the more
you should be thankful for and appreciate what you do have. And we have a lot,
Derek. Our house, our careers, and each other."
"You
sound pretty confident that we're gonna win," said Derek.
"We are
going to win," said Nova. "And you'd better give everyone else that
confidence, Derek. No matter how anxious or depressed you are."
"You
don't seem to be all that familiar with depression," laughed Sandor.
Nova sat with
her head bowed for a minute. "I get depressed, too," she said in a
small voice.
"Hey…you
don't need to stay that way," said Derek. He smiled at her. She slowly
smiled back.
"Good,"
said Nova. "We'll make it."
"Holly's
meeting at Heroes' Hill later," said Mark. "We'd better make
it."
"It's up
to all of us," said Sandor.
Derek nodded
at that.
Later, the
Wildstars, Venture and Sandor sat through a Defense Council meeting in which
they reiterated everything they had told the Commander but were relentlessly
grilled about it. It was not a pleasant experience. Derek later said "It made our disgrace at General Stone's hands on
the bridge of the Argo seem gentle by comparison, and that's not saying
much!"
The room was a
bit dark and gloomy. To guard against the danger of R'Khell attack, the Council
was meeting today in an underground bunker beneath Earth Defense Headquarters.
Nova noticed that all of the light was artificial and rather cold down here,
and she also noticed the room was a bit cold. Not the nicest place in the
world, she thought. Freezing. I've got goose pimples all over my bare
legs. Of course, given that this
was still wartime, stockings were a difficult-to-acquire and rare commodity.
The rest of
the meeting was boring, until it was Sandor's turn to speak. Then, Captain
Wildstar and Sandor sat with some interest for a while when the group broke off
talking about fleet logistics for the battle and stopped discussing finances
long enough to discuss a new project; the Arizona-class space
battleship.
A blueprint
flashed on the screen as General Camacho said, "This space battleship is
bigger than our Andromeda class, and it is also more heavily armored.
Her gross weight is 128,750 tons, and her length is 290.0 meters; she's the
biggest we have now; far bigger than our Andromeda class. She is to be
equipped with two uprated wave motion guns firing into a single firing gate,
and she is equipped with 15 main shock cannons of 48 centimeters caliber each
in five triple gun turrets. We think we can get a firing range of eleven
megameters out of each of these guns.”
"I could
use that for the Fleet…and now," said Admiral Jeremy Falworth. He sat
there with Admiral Yamanami, one of his vice-commanders.
"How soon
would this mechanical marvel be ready?" demanded Yamanami. "And is
she another damned Andromeda?"
Camacho said,
"Sometime next year. As for your question, Vice-Admiral Yamanami, she is
equipped with Andromeda-style systems that can be overridden by the
operators in an emergency or when greater precision is needed. Sandor, would
you please explain the engine systems?"
"My
pleasure," said Sandor, who handed over a message capsule from inside his
blue peacoat. "The engine for this class will be a variation of my Type
2202 reiteration of the wave motion engine. With technology I have been working
on, along with technical developments gleaned from the Gamilons in the past as
well as recently, I have invented a device that will take the Iscandarian wave
motion engine design to a second-generation level. I call it the "wave
motion supercharger" or "hado supercharger" in Japanese.
The first new ships built from the keel up to contain this system will be the
first two ships of the
"Sandor?"
said Derek. "Did you say Second Star Force?"
Singleton
nodded. "You heard correctly, Captain. We didn't wish to tell you until
now, but we are beginning construction on a second special missions ship."
"But
what's going to happen to the Argo?" demanded Wildstar. "Don’t
tell me you're…"
"Please,"
whispered Nova. "Don't stand up…"
The Commander shut his
eyes before looking at both Sandor and Wildstar. Then, he said, "The Argo
is going to be supplemented by our Second Star Force…not supplanted. I have
received approval for a Second Star Force unit that would serve two functions,
among other things. It would serve as a backup in a crisis situation in case
the Argo is on patrol elsewhere, and it would serve as a backup for when
the Argo is in refit or when her crew is disbanded for leave or refit or
for TDY's for her officers and men. The Argo is going to be refitted
after the war in order to have its gun turrets upgraded to include the wave
motion cartridge system Sandor described to you. She will also serve as the
testbed for the new engine design that Sandor has been working on since well
before the White Comet came."
"What
does this design do?" asked Captain Wildstar. "I'm sorry, what was
that new device you invented again?"
"It is
called the wave motion supercharger," said Sandor as he pulled up some
technical graphics. "To put it simply, up until now our existing wave
motion engines have depended upon a semi-controlled tachyon surge in order to
shove a vessel into the Fourth Dimension. We could control the strength of the
surge and its duration and aim so we could guide a vessel in and out of warp,
but we could never pinpoint this surge before. That's why warps with our
current system lead to ever more bizarre effects and stress on the human body
the further that one warps, and why they have a maximum range of about thirty
thousand lightyears or so."
"You
don't need to tell me about bizarre effects," said Nova. Some of
the Council laughed.
"Excuse
me?" said General Stone.
"I've
just experienced some of the stranger effects," said Nova in a small
voice. "Of course, I've warped longer and further than most people in this
room."
"And
you're awfully modest, Mrs. Wildstar." said General Staci Nagle in an
almost motherly voice.
"Uhh…yes,"
said Nova as some of the men chuckled. The Commander cleared his throat for
silence. "Go on, Commander Sandor."
"Yessir.
With the supercharger, we can focus the warp surge and control it more finely,
entering a state of "continuous warp" where upgraded computer systems
and navigational systems can make a long range fix and calculate a number of
shorter warps in quick succession. Using this method, we could warp to the
Great Magellenic Cloud in a few days rather than weeks, for example. Perhaps
even hours or minutes, if we know the precise heading. I'm not sure what this
system will be able to do yet. Also, it will improve the range and speed up the
charging time of any wave motion gun charged by an engine with this new
technology. And the recovery time from warps and wave gun firings will improve,
now. We would only be helpless for maybe…forty-five seconds as opposed to a few
minutes. I was able to work some of these changes into the Argo's
computer software so we can have the benefit of some of these developments in
the upcoming war. But, the full implementation of this system would require a
six or seven month long refit for the Argo, and would delay the new
ships until about the middle of next year."
"So I see,"
said the Commander. "However, the first of the promotions we would need to
make would still be in order, since in the upcoming battle, don't we have need
for a special task group?"
"We
do," said Falworth. "We have found that the R'Khell fleet is coming
in first. My plan is to form a task group of one carrier and several
battleships that can carry a good-sized complement of planes, along with
cruisers, destroyers, and light patrol ships. This task group would find the
R'Khell Force, which, as the Gamilons have informed us, contains a large number
of carriers and planes meant to bombard our bases and Earth herself into abject
submission. I am expanding upon the late Admiral Gideon's old idea of attacking
the Comet Empire Fleet first and would like to strike the enemy before they
enter the solar system, possibly at Alpha Centauri. I would like Derek Wildstar
to command this special force and I would like to designate the Argo
temporarily as the Flagship of Task Group 1.1 for the duration of this mission.
Mind you, this mission is vital to the success of our defense of the solar
system, a defense that would end with the destruction of the Grand Technomugar
Fortress after the immediate threat of the attack fleets is solved. I also
understand a main Technomugar force is heading towards Earth. I have a strategy
in mind for units of the Fleet to stop that Fleet without putting all of our
eggs into one basket."
"Sir, you
read my paper?" asked Derek, who was surprised.
"Yes, I
read your December 2201 post-mortem critique of the Battle of Saturn, Wildstar,
and I'm going to implement it."
"It was a
very good paper," said Nova.
"It was,
Lieutenant," said Falworth with a smile.
"Captain,"
said the Commander. "Do you accept this mission?"
"I
do," said Derek after a quick moment in which he thought, Would we still be able to stop Ekogaru? He's the greatest
threat of all! Then, he thought. We have to keep Earth safe…from this
enemy force as well as from the Fortress. It's just like the Comet Empire, all
over again, only bigger. And I wonder if those guys are gonna show up like
Desslok thought?
"And do
you accept promotion to Commodore on the order of the President?" said the
Commander as the room buzzed.
"Sir?"
said Derek as he and Nova stood up. The Commander affectionately put his arms
on their shoulders.
"I don’t
think you can refuse this, Derek," said Nova in a small voice.
"It is
his choice, Lieutenant. But, we need you there, Wildstar. And Nova, we need you
to help Derek make the needed plans, along with Commander Venture and Commander
Sandor."
"We need
to work together on strategic planning," said Admiral Falworth as he came
up behind them. "To gain access to some of our operational plans and
command that fleet, you have to be of flag rank, even though you are about to
become the youngest Flag Officer in Earth's history. However, desperate times
call for desperate measures, do they not?"
Derek sat in
thought. Then, he said. "I accept this command, sir. And my new
rank."
"Congratulations,
Commodore Wildstar," said Singleton with a smile. "Now, you can stay
for the rest of the meeting, and offer your input…"
Later on that
morning, a tired Commodore Wildstar sat in the grass near Heroes' Hill with
Nova. They had gone there alone; Mark and Holly Venture were due to show up in
a while. They would eat lunch together.
Both Derek and
Nova were in civilian clothes now. Derek wore a blue-grey sweater, white
bellbottomed jeans, and white sneakers, an outfit that made Nova joke,
"Derek, you look like a Commodore now…the Commodore of some private yacht
club!"
"Oh, shut
up?" he smiled. "You look like a schoolgirl in your outfit!"
"Because I have a
tie on, or a short skirt?" asked Nova. She wore a white blazer similar to
her EDF Class "A" jacket, with a light blue blouse of silk decorated
with one of her old high school uniform ties in blue and gold; a dove-grey
skirt and open sandals completed her attire.
"I don’t
believe it," muttered Derek. "I'm a Commodore now. Am I dreaming
this, Nova?"
"You're
not dreaming a thing," said Nova as she knelt in the grass picking
flowers. Derek thought she looked very beautiful in her white and grey outfit
today in the sunny breeze.
"I see
you're picking flowers," said Derek. "Who are the flowers for?"
Artwork
Above: Springtime: Computer-generated art based upon original Yamato artwork by
Frederick P. Kopetz
"Holly.
They're going in Mark and Holly's kitchen. Mark's house has always looked so
sad. He's never had flowers there. The place needs a woman's touch."
"Even if
the woman looks like a schoolgirl. What's in that book again?"
"A photo
album," said Nova. "Some of these pictures were taken of me and by me
when you were on patrol on the Argo for almost a year last year before
the Comet Empire. I never thought to share these with you until now. We'll look
them over later on and have a few laughs at some of the sillier scrapes I got
into when you were in space."
"You know
we will be in battle soon," said Derek as he sat looking towards the spire
of Heroes' Hill. "That's why I told them to meet us here, up on the edge
of the Hill. I don't want to see those memorials today."
"Why
not?"
"They
remind me of death, Nova. Possibly our own deaths. Maybe I'm the youngest
Commodore in EDF history, but I might prove to be the shortest-lived one,
too."
"Don't
talk like that," said Nova. "And one last thing," she said as
she pulled her sandals off for a minute and went barefoot in the warm grass.
"Yeah?"
"Take
your sneakers off. This grass feels wonderful. Much better than that
cold Council chamber where my feet were freezing."
"Not now.
Maybe later?"
"Later
might be too late," said Nova in a soft voice. "Oh! Here's Mark and
Holly! And Holly's got the cutest pink dress on!"
"You would
notice that."
"You're
buying me one," teased Nova.
"When?"
"Today?
After lunch?"
Derek just
smiled.
A while later,
Nova and Derek met the Ventures. Holly loved Nova's flowers. Mark still wore
his Star Force uniform, while Holly wore a diaphanous pink taffeta dress with a
blue jacket. Nova thought she looked adorable; for once, Holly wasn't wearing
her hair in a ponytail; instead, it just flowed free in the breeze like Nova's
shorter hair.
Lunch went
nicely for the two couples. They went to an outdoor café to eat. They sat and
laughed, enjoying a nice set of bento boxes, gorging themselves on the
sushi rolls, onigiri rolls, pickled plums, and other such delicacies
they hadn't had in weeks, washing it all down with some beer.
"That was
good," said Derek.
"Now, who
calculates the tip?" asked Mark.
"I
dunno," said Holly.
"Oh,
no," said Nova. "I always get stuck with…"
Then, all of a
sudden, they saw a crying girl leaning over an empty, umbrella-covered table.
Her face wasn't visible (it was buried against the table in the crook of her
arm as she sobbed her heart out), but she wore rather somber black and white
clothing, all of which contrasted with her very light blonde hair.
"Who's
that?" asked Holly.
"Beats
me," said Mark.
"I'd
better go see if she's all right," said Nova. "Derek, your job to do
the tip."
"Oh,
damnit," said Wildstar.
Nova ran over.
"Hey," she said softly as she threw her arm around the blonde girl's
shoulder. "It'll be all right," she said to the younger girl in a
soothing voice.
"You wouldn't
know," gasped the crying girl through her tears. "My cousin's dead,
and I'm on my way to her wake. She was like a big sister to me, the best cousin
a girl could ever have. She was like an angel; she was so smart…and so brave.
Me, I'm stupid, and worthless, and a screw-up in the Service. I want to resign
and become a bum!"
"Don't
say that," said Nova softly. "Your cousin wouldn't have wanted that
for you, whoever she was! I'm sorry to hear she's dead. Did she die in one of
these bombing raids? They're so terrible!"
"No, the
Rikashans killed her! Rikashan madmen! They should wipe out that whole
race!"
"Every
race has good and bad in it. No one is entirely evil. There are good Rikashans
as well as bad ones."
"What do
you know?" sobbed the girl. "You're not like my cousin and you have
no damn idea what she was like! She was the best person in the world! Even
though you kinda sound like her, seeing good in everything."
Derek and Mark
came over with Holly. They had paid the check and seen that Nova had adopted
this girl as another one of her "special cases"--people who had to be
comforted as quickly as possible or else the world would die. "Nova, who
is this?" asked Derek.
"I don't
know…but she's awfully upset. Miss, could you lift up your face? I bet it's very
pretty. Let me help you blow your nose."
"What was
that name? You've even got the same name as my dead cousin," sniffed the
girl as she raised her head. Nova began to pat the tears away from her eyes
with a hanky of hers.
As she did so,
under the encrusted tears, Nova saw that the girl's eyes were very dark and
very brown, much like hers.
The girl's
eyes focused slowly upon the rather pretty heart-shaped face in front of hers.
They took in the honey-blonde hair, dark eyes, slender nose, and then, the girl
screamed.
"My GOD!
YOU'RE A GHOST! YOU'RE NOVA'S GHOST!"
"Brittany?"
said Nova. "Cousin Brittany, is that you?"
"I'm
gonna die soon!" yelled Brittany Forrester. "Nova, you've come for
me!" Then, the girl began to just scream. By now, everyone was
looking.
The proprietor
of the café ran over in his chef's whites and white sushi-maker's hat.
"Excuse me, but does she need professional help?"
"No,
she's just shaken up," said Nova. "Apparently, she thought I was
dead…"
"You are
dead!" yelled Brittany.
"Hey. Do
ghosts pat people on the cheek?" said Nova. "Look. I'm fine, and
here's Derek, whom you've met, and Commander Mark Venture and his wife Holly,
whom you've never met before. The Argo was never destroyed! It was a
false report! We're fine!"
"It's
really…you?" sniffed Brittany.
Nova hugged
her. "Who else would be this tolerant of you, silly?"
"You and
your damn school tie!" laughed Brittany. "Good…you're fine. But, your
Mom and Dad don't know that!"
"Where
are they?"
"Nova,
they're at a funeral home, crying over the empty caskets for you and Derek that
the EDF gave them."
"Didn't
they hear the news?" asked Derek.
"Aunt
Teri's hysterical! I think she's losing her mind and might lose her
twins," sobbed Brittany. "And Uncle Karl's drinking like a fish!
They've turned off their phones, and they refuse to listen to the news or let
anyone tell them any news. The funeral director tried to tell them something
earlier this morning, but Karl refused to hear it! I couldn't take it any more,
so I came over here to get some air."
"Where is
this funeral home?" asked Derek.
"Yamamori's,"
said Nova. "It's around the corner. One of my aunts got buried through
there last year when you were in space. C'mon! We can get there on foot!"
They ran to
the funeral home, which was a large Western-style establishment with a stone
front behind a solemn green awning.
"Reminds
me of places in
A short, pudgy
Japanese man in a dark suit and black tie came out, his eyes widening as he
noticed the Wildstars and Ventures. "Thank God you've arrived," he
said in a respectful whisper. "I was so busy with…uh…your wake, that I had
no time to listen to the news until an hour ago. Then, when I heard about the Argo's
arrival, I tried to respectfully get Mister Forrester into my office to tell
him the good news and tell him he didn't need to have a funeral any
longer."
"What did
he say?" asked Derek.
"I think
I know what Dad said," said Nova. "Did he tell you to go to
Hades?"
"Uh, to
put it nicely, yes. I didn't want to make a scene, so I let him return to
comforting his wife. I think the man's a bit drunk," he said calmly.
"I didn't tell the others. That room is full of crying people…"
"Well,
I'll go in there and tell them, then," said Nova.
"No,
please let me make the announcement," said Yamamori-san. "It might
shock people if you…"
"She
already did," said Mark as Nova calmly walked on and began to open the
French door that led to her own viewing.
"Nova,
would you hold on a minute?" said Derek.
"I've
already got the door open," said Nova, who was invisible to the mourners
on the other side of the glass in the slumber room thanks to a curtain that was
on the inside of the French window. "Let’s go in."
So, Derek and
Nova Wildstar calmly walked in on their own wake.
It was a very
surreal scene.
There were the
usual couches and folding chairs spread around the room; the room was full of
mourners, mostly family, along with a few friends of Nova's parents.
In the front
of the room, under semi-hidden spotlights, there rested two coffins on biers.
Both were sealed. One was black, shining, and looked very expensive; the other
one was equally-expensive looking but was pure white.
In front of
the black coffin rested a large oil portrait of Captain Derek Wildstar in his
Captain's cap and black peacoat. The red lights customary to High-Church style
funerals sat at the head and foot of the casket. The casket was decorated with
many flowers in different colors, and a white EDF Captain's hat, empty gloves,
and an officers' saber rested on the casket.
Mass Cards sat
in a stand nearby, exhorting the bearer to pray for the soul of Captain Derek
Wildstar. Nice to know I'll be well-remembered in my death, he thought. This
is weird. If I saw this at all, shouldn't I be up there some place, floating
around?
Derek had his
back turned to the mourners; no one had taken notice of his face or Nova's as
they had walked in.
Karl Forrester
removed a flask of Scotch from inside the jacket of the suit he wore, and he
said, "Teri, ya wan' some?"
"No, No,
I don't," said Teri Forrester, who was fairly pregnant in a somber tunic
and slacks. "The world's ended. Nova's gone! I
wish that damned Captain and girl would get away from Wildstar's coffin up
there. I can't see our baby's casket," she whispered in a state of
hysteria.
Karl just
hugged Teri. "It's there. Believe me."
"But I
want to see it!"
In the
meantime, Nova herself was looking at her own casket. She had pulled out one of
her own Mass Cards. The Community Church, to which she and her parents now
belonged, after she had been raised Catholic as a child was a more progressive
Reformed offshoot of the Roman Catholic Church. It had begun to form in
Nova then
looked down at her casket. It was white. An oil portrait of herself in her Star
Force duty uniform sat in front of the casket. On the casket sat a scarlet
ladies' EDF Headquarters beret (the hat that went with her class A uniform)
along with an officers' saber and tons of white roses. Many floral sprays were
behind the casket, between the lit candles at each end.
It's eerie,
looking at your coffin when you happen to be alive! Nova thought. I'd
better correct them on this.
Between the
two coffins, there was a small lectern for the priests to use to conduct
prayers and make announcements. She and Derek both turned at the same moment as
the Ventures and Brittany came in.
At that
moment, Brittany yelled. "Look up there! My cousin Nova's alive! She's in
the room."
"What
the…?" muttered one relative.
"Poor
taste," muttered another.
Then, someone
looked up, saw Nova there, and screamed. "A GHOST!"
"Naaaah,
ghosts don't hold hands. It's Captain Wildstar! In the flesh! With Nova!"
"What the
hell…?" said Karl. Then, he looked up and said,
"I'll…be…damned…" as his eyes met his daughter's
Teri sat
open-mouthed in shock as Nova tapped at the microphone. Then, Nova said.
"Uhhh…as you might be able to tell now, there's been some kind of awful
mistake. Derek and I are actually alive. The Argo just came home this
morning."
"That's
right," said Derek. "So…uh…since we're actually alive, you can call
off the wake."
Teri stood up,
with her eyes brimming. She stood shaking as she looked at her daughter and
son-in-law, who were accompanied by Mark and Holly Venture and Brittany
Forrester a minute later.
"It's
true," said Brittany. "I just met them a little while ago."
"Oh, God!"
screamed Teri. Then, she collapsed…in a dead faint.
A while later,
a shocked Teri Forrester awoke…with her head on her daughter's lap.
"Momma?" said Nova in a soft voice.
When Teri
looked up at Nova's face, she began to gasp with hysteria again. But, Nova just
patted her face with a wet cloth. "Shhh…it's all right."
"Yamamori!"
yelled Nova's cousin Jane. "You could've told us this earlier and spared
us the shock!"
"I tried
to," said the hapless funeral director. "But, Mister Forrester…"
"Okay,"
said a somewhat inebriated Karl. "There's…uhh…been one heck of a mistake.
Earth Defense has a lot to answer for."
"Why'd
you come by and make that announcement, Samuel?" yelled Teri. "You're
as bad as your mother!"
"I was
under orders," sobbed Samuel Josiah. "I didn't like the idea of Nova
and Derek being dead any more than you did."
"It's all
right," said Nova. "I'm…I'm fine. Derek?"
Derek looked
around. "Let’s get this straightened out and get the funeral cancelled.
Mr. Forrester, please follow me."
So, Derek and
Karl went into Yamamori-san's office and cancelled the funeral. Derek agreed to
reimburse Yamamori himself for any expenses he had already incurred, and he and
Nova volunteered to buy the empty caskets so they could be donated to a poor
family that might need them. In the meantime, outside, a living Nova apologized
again to the mourners for the shock and did the best she could to calm everyone
and smooth over any hurts.
Finally, Karl
and Derek came out of the office. Teri came up, blowing her nose and looking
more composed as Nova held her hand. "Karl, we had some food ready at the
apartment for everyone. Let's all go there now and hold…well…an un-wake
for Nova and Derek."
"Un-wake?"
said Karl.
"I think
she means the opposite of a wake," said Mark Venture with a smile.
"Isn't it more fun to have us all around than to be mourning our
deaths?"
"Yes, it
sure is," said Karl.
A while later,
at the Forrester's apartment, a party was in progress. Teri, naturally, avoided
the available alcohol due to her pregnancy, so she enjoyed the various snacks
and soft drinks available at the apartment as she and Nova worked barefoot and
relaxed together in the kitchen to finish warming up the food that the catering
agency had left earlier. Nova had also gotten rid of her jacket and tie to help
her mother, and she had untucked her blouse so its tails hung out over her
simulated suede skirt as an impromptu apron.
"How is
everything?" asked Nova as she popped her head into the living room, where
the others were partying over happy classical music on the sound system.
"Great!"
laughed Derek. He had a glass in his hand. Nova suspected it did not
contain water or soda.
"You look
a bit happy!"
"More
than a bit!" laughed Derek.
"Yeah!"
chuckled Karl as, per Nova's suspicions, he poured Derek and himself another
shot.
"You two
are gonna get drunk," commented Nova with a wry grin.
"So, it's
a wake…or it was," said Karl. "I believe you're supposed to drink a
lot at a wake?"
"If I
have enough, can I play dead?" laughed Derek.
"Jeez,"
said Nova. "Good thing I'm abstaining while Mom and I cook."
"Whyzzat,
Nova?"
"Someone
has to be able to drive you home, Derek," said Nova softly as she tiptoed
up to her husband and kissed him, unmindful of the Scotch on his breath.
Nova then
screeched as her cousin Jane took a picture of the two of them caught in
mid-kiss. "Aww, how cute," said Jane.
"Speaking
of cute, I've got these," said Teri as she waltzed out of the kitchen with
photographs in her hand.
"What are
those, Mrs. Forrester?" asked Holly in an amused voice.
"Not
those!" said Nova. "Mom, put them away!" she giggled.
Derek then
excused himself. Not wanting to destroy all of his brain cells (as he had a
romantic reunion with Nova on his mind for later that evening at home) he got
rid of the Scotch in an inconspicuous manner and came back with a cup of
coffee. Then, he, Venture, and Samuel shared a quick, dirty guy’s joke in the
empty breakfast nook. They were about to share another one when Nova's cousin Brittany
overheard them and shooed them all out to their loved ones. When Derek came
back out, he was happy and relaxed…but he noticed that Nova's mother was still
carrying the pictures.
"Why are
you showing those off, Aunt Teri?" asked Samuel.
"Now that
my daughter's alive, I can embarrass her again," said Teri with a soft
grin. "These were several good boys I had picked out for Nova to consider
marrying. There were seven boys…"
"And two
of them were brain-dead," said Nova, "One was an idiot, and one tried
to feel me up on our first date."
"What did
you do with that one?' laughed Derek.
"Kicked
him where it would hurt when he didn't get the hint," said Nova with a shy
grin while patting her father on the shoulder.
Father and
daughter exchanged a quick wink. Then, Karl took a deep breath and commented,
"But our daughter found the best catch by herself, didn't she,
Mother?"
"Yes,"
said Teri after a long moment's worth of gazing at Derek. "Even with all
the danger she's been through, we're glad she married Derek."
The group
applauded as Derek and Nova made rather sweet eyes at each other. Then, Nova
whispered something to her husband that he alone heard…and which made him
blush. She kissed him on the ear through his mane of hair and ran off into the
kitchen.
IV. NOVA'S
DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL…
Planet
Earth
Friday,
April 23, 2202
0045 Hours:
Earth Spacetime
Dinner was
good. Finally, after a long, pleasant night, Mark and Holly prepared to leave.
Mark whispered lasciviously to Derek what he was gonna do with Holly when he
brought her into his house for her very night there with him. Nova overheard
and playfully cuffed Mark in the side of the head, and there was laughter as
the Ventures left, followed by Samuel. Samuel had told his cousin Nova that he
wanted to find a date tonight.
"Good
luck," she said. "Just be careful. Remember, not every fish in the
sea is a good catch. Don't be too desperate tonight, Sam."
"What are
you gonna be up to tonight?"
"None of
your business," said Nova with a smile as she tied her tie back on.
"Derek, help me with my blazer?"
He did so, and
even knelt before a little seat in the Forrester's foyer and put Nova's dress
sandals back on her feet in the same manner that a certain Prince had put glass
slippers on Cinderella in the old folk tale. Finally, Derek and Nova said
goodbye to the guests and went home by themselves. Nova drove their aircar,
since Derek still said he felt a little queasy.
At home, Derek
carried Nova romantically over the threshold all over again as they entered the
house for their first night there alone in almost four months. She laughed like
a schoolgirl, and insisted upon being undressed in the foyer. Derek gratefully
complied, with articles of Nova's clothing flying everywhere. Then, Nova
enjoyed the feeling of being swept up in her husband's arms and taken on a long
walk; something not possible on the Argo. Nude in her husband's arms,
there wasn't any need for shame now as she watched nature taking its course on
her body as her motor started up again. They never noticed the rain outside as
they entered their bedroom, with Nova undressing her husband eagerly as she lay
in his arms. She was teasing him in an intimate manner before he was even fully
undressed. Derek reiterated with Nova, with her nudity making it easier.
Finally, after
many long, tender moments, the slipped into bed, and into each other's arms,
ignoring the spring thunderstorm outside as they made tender love.
Later on, after a badly
needed nap, Derek woke up to find Nova sitting quietly by the window. She had
dressed again in the blue blouse that she had retrieved from downstairs.
"Nova,
why do you look so sad?"
"Derek,
it just hit me…I think we did attend our own funeral today."
"Why do
you say that?"
Nova wiped her
cheek; she had been crying alone. "It was a funeral, and we have that
battle coming up. That battle. Ekogaru and his power…that Fortress. Derek, I'm
sorry, but…I'm beginning to lose hope. We've spent all these months fighting,
and we're no closer to finishing Ekogaru than we were in January."
"Nova,
Aliscea said he's been weakened. Now, all we have to do is strike the
death-blow."
"Can we do it, Derek? I'm getting really worried…what if you die in this
battle?"
"If I
die?"
"Derek… I
couldn't live without you! I don’t even want to think about it!"
Illustration:
"Blue…" © 2003 by "Aki" Used by Permission.
Then, her
doubts just dissolved into broken sobs. Derek got up and held his wife against
his bare chest. "Nova…yes…we're going to win. You'll see."
"I really
hope so. I've even had thoughts…about…resigning my commission."
"Why?"
"I'm
tired, Derek. I killed a relative, I had to make hard decisions on that bridge
the night Holly got wounded, and I feel like I've done enough. Maybe I can't do
this anymore. I love you, but…I'm just so overwhelmed. Exhausted!"
"Maybe
you just need to rest?"
"I hope
so," she sobbed. "I don't want to leave you and the
others…but…oh…just…please do something?"
"What?"
"Take me
into bed again and keep me warm? I'm cold. I dressed myself in my blouse
because I feel like cold…death."
"I'll
help you…"
"I hope
so…I don't want to think about dying…I want to feel like a baby with her mother
tonight…safe, safe with you."
"Nova,
I'll keep you warm."
Derek kissed
her and led her to bed. He tenderly took her blouse off and held her naked
against his chest as they climbed back into bed.
Nova shut her
eyes, and, finally, sleep took her as she lay against Derek's chest, just
listening to his steady heartbeat.
To be
Concluded with Act Five: "Once More, Unto the Breach…"
THERE ARE NOW 6 DAYS TO THE ARRIVAL OF EKOGARU IN EARTH'S SOLAR SYSTEM
To
return to the Introduction to the Rikasha Incident please click here