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!"
"Allison?" said
Nova. "Cousin Allison, is that you?"
"I'm gonna die
soon!" yelled Allison 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 Allison.
"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 Allison.
Nova hugged her. "Who
else would be this tolerant of you, silly?"
"You and your damn
school tie!" laughed Allison. "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 Allison. "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
Allison came in.
At that moment, Allison
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 Allison Forrester a minute
later.
"It's true," said
Allison. "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
Allison 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 ho