ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS—THE ENTROPY WARS
By: Frederick P. Kopetz
With the Cooperation and Assistance of Derek A.C. Wakefield
CHAPTER FOUR: A BREAK, AND THEN TO WORK….
I. A QUICK TRIP…
Planet Earth
Makena Cove
South Maui, Hawaii
Wednesday: June 1, 2231
1123 Hours: Local Time
While awaiting the results of Aniston v. Forrester from the Supreme Court, Admiral Wildstar suggested to Nova that maybe they could take a little trip.
So, the previous day, the couple had arranged to rent a small beach house, packed up a Jet Recon Boat, shed their regular apparel for minimal summer clothes, and they had taken off for Maui in Hawaii in the US.
Upon arrival, they had gone to a small place nearby for drinks and dinner, and they had gotten home, and Nova had shed her sarong and sandals to make love to her husband.
It was now the next morning, and Derek was doing some more work with a new camera he had picked up for Anya and Steve’s Academy graduation in a few days.
Nova was the subject of his latest photo-essay as she sat up a tree slightly on the beach. In the hot morning, her apparel happened to be a pair of her glasses….and a small, black bikini. A logical choice, since she logically planned to while away as much as possible of her vacation snorkeling, swimming, sunbathing, surfing…and the like..
Derek was not surprised by this. Despite being in her fifties, Nova had kept in shape and as strong and toned as possible, so she still looked startlingly young (and quite presentable) in a swimsuit, sunsuit, or in nothing at all.
“I like that pose,
Nova,” Derek said as he photographed Nova as she lay back on the trunk of a
palm tree with some palm fronds tangled up in her hair, holding onto the trunk
with a freshly pedicured set of toes. Nova had always liked a nice pair of open
sandals, her usual footwear in the spring and summer when she didn’t have to
wear her boots and could bare her toes and heels, but this year, above all others, Nova was simply going barefoot much of the time now.
She had told Derek the reason for this. It was as if the Matrix inside of her was warning her that she could no longer be a tenderfoot, and she got the strange premonition that one phase of the war with Ekogaru would lead to a long period where Nova would, at least, have to involuntarily go barefoot for a long period of time.
Nova drew her mind away from such thoughts as she called to Derek with a “come-hither” gesture.
“You get up here next, Derek!” Nova sang from up in the tree.
“And show off my….”
“I’m
showing you mine, you can show me yours,” Nova teased back. Derek
admired Nova’s form as she lay there partly in the shade in her swimwear.
Derek heard laughter as two people came down the beach carrying surfboards and wearing baggies.
“Derek! Look who’s here!” Nova said as she squinted through her glasses. “It looks like Deke and Brew!”
“Well,” said Derek. “Do you want your coverup?”
“Do
I need to?” Nova said with an impish grin.
Brew whistled loudly. “Deke! Look, man! Squirrel up a palm tree at one o’ clock! WOOO!”
“Where’s Gabrielle?” Nova called back…while blushing. “You should be looking at HER squirrel, Brew, dear! And where’s Sasha, Deke? I want to talk to her in the worst way! I haven’t been able to get her on the phone for days!”
“Nova, anyone ever tell you that when you wear a just certain pair of glasses and very little else, you look like a deranged schoolteacher?” teased Deke.
“Anyone ever tell him about a can of Shut the Bleep Up?” Nova said as they all laughed. “Brew, where is Gabrielle?”
“Over here,” said Gabrielle “Bangs” Marrable as she came up in a very small thong bikini bottom and a lei. She was carrying a little baby boy, about a year old, who was naked except for a little sailor cap, showing off his café au lait skin. The baby was nursing busily against Bangs’ bare left breast. “How many of how have not yet met our son Drew Marrable yet?”
“I didn’t even know you two had a kid,” said Derek as he let Drew grab his hand.
“We had him last year,” said Bangs. “We had never had a baby, and Commodore Marrable here thought it was time to try. So, we had him. I was forty-five when we had him; Brew was forty-six…which isn’t that old…”
“Yes, people have been having kids in their fifties these days with the anti-aging treatments that are more and more popular these days,” Nova said as she took off her glasses and primly put them in her bag. Then, while she was digging in the sand for a pretty seashell to give him, Drew made everyone laugh by reaching out for Nova’s pretty, bikini-clad bottom.
“What’s this? He likes butts, too?” Nova said with a laugh as she tickled little Drew and then gave him a kiss.
“Looks like he’s inherited his father’s tastes,” laughed Deke.
“Yeah. He’s just like Dad. He likes his booty,” said Brew.
“Are you and the Admiral having any more?” said Deke. “You don’t look that old, Nova…you’re just in your early fifties…”
“It’s something…uhhh…we’ve discussed…” said Nova. “I don’t know yet,” she said.
Derek picked up Nova’s thought. She sent to him, Derek, my time is drawing closer and closer now. I think He’s going to make a big move soon….
Derek smiled but thought back, to Nova, I think we can change fate, Nova. I think we can find a way for you to defeat Ekogaru without your having to give your life…
Derek shivered a little as he looked at his attractive young wife, who looked as if she had no trace of the shadow of Death over her as she kissed Drew. Right now, Nova was smiling, and she looked as if she did not have a care in the world.
But, Derek had been having a disturbing dream recently, which went like this….
They were fighting in space, once again, on the Argo.
There was a chaotic battle on board ship in a corridor where Ekogaru himself appeared on the ship.
There, in that battle, Nova, in her medical clothing and lab coat, was hit by a blast of energy in her back. The energy blast denuded her down to her skin, and she lay naked and burned in Derek’s arms…where she died.
He had later seen her lying dead in a casket, cleaned up, and swathed in a filmy white dress, surrounded by flowers..
A while later, he and she
were making wild love naked…in Sickbay?
Then, he saw Nova on a balcony on New Pellias, making an announcement to a great group of people, covered in Light and clad in only a filmy white dress that made her look like an angel, like some of the phantom images they had seen of Trelaina, looking eerie yet beautiful in her Light as the Crown Imperishable burned brighter than ever at her brow.
Then, Nova, clad in white in an Admiral’s uniform, was apparently in a battle with Ekogaru, where she caught a blast from him, and, this time, she lived.
Finally, she once again sat naked and heavily pregnant on a beach somewhere, and the dream ended with her, again with nothing on, sitting there suckling a new naked baby girl in her lap…a baby that, somehow, Derek felt was theirs, even though the little girl, somehow, seemed to belong to the entire Cosmos.
The strangest thing was that when Derek had told Nova about the dream, she had just nodded and had changed the subject. He had the impression she had been having similar dreams, but had refused to talk about them.
What was going on?
Derek smiled at her and thought, Nova, you seem to…know things. What are you hiding from me?
In his mind, she responded, I don’t know…I have no idea what all of this means…myself.
Nova knew one thing, though.
A bit of Scripture had been running through her mind lately.
It went, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; may the name of the LORD be praised…."
Nova thought, That is Job 1:21. Job is stripped of almost everything he had, and he is ready to die. Yet, he is restored to his fortunes at the end. Is that what’s going to happen to me? Death…and then a return?
Then, she kissed Derek and lay back in the sand. In a few days, she would be guest-hosting Good Morning Terra for three days from Honolulu where, among other things, she would be skin-diving in the same swimsuit. As she lay back in the sun, she thought, I need to have my body ready to bare on video next week for those appearances…
___________________________________________________________________________
II. REPORTS
Planet Earth
The Tokyo Megalopolis
Foxworth Manor
Friday: June 3, 2231
1600 Hours: Local Time
____________________________________________________________________________
Katrina Savela drove home
in her own black sports aircar from a meeting at her office.
She had surprised the editorial staff at Jane’s Aerospace where, after having worked for them for many years, she had resigned her position there as a writer, effective in two weeks as of today.
Katrina had a good reason to resign, as she walked into the house elegantly but simply clad in a dark violet minidress and black high-heeled sandals.
Foxy, in a dark suit, was waiting for her in a lobby as they kissed at Foxworth Manor and he asked her, “Did you do it?”
“I did it, yes,” said Katrina.
“Why?” he said.
“I’ve been in touch with my Father,” she said quietly as she let her guise as Katrina fade and her true guise as Invidia appeared. “Father has agreed for General Marlis of the House of Dezaria to bring a fleet to Terra at the end of the month to serve as a negotiating instrument. He vould like the Black Nebulans to conclude a treaty with the new Prime Minister of Earth, then.”
“The new Prime Minister?” said Foxy as Invidia shivered a little. “Why are you shivering?”
“Silly Pellian Matrix trying to warn me of danger,” said Invidia. “But why? I sense Ekogaru is moving, but the Black Nebulan scheme for a treaty and friendship with the Comet Empire has nothing to do with HIM.”
“Have you told Nova about this?” said Foxy.
“No, she’ll find out along vid everyone else and be surprised,” said Invidia. “Father tells me Marlis has some special plans for Star Force as well as for me to be introduced in public as Princess of Dezaria. Finally. No more hiding in the shadows. Finally, I will have legitimacy, and power!”
The way Invidia said “POWER” scared Foxy a bit. It was a bit like seeing a once-wild cat, whom one thought was tame, suddenly waking up and desiring to eat you.
“Maybe we should tell the EDF about this,” stammered Foxy.
“NO,” snapped Invidia. “Father and Marlis made clear this must be a surprise! A surprise to all…except the few in the EDF who already know about it and are in fact waiting for it.”
“Tell me about this,” said Foxy, more worried than ever.
“General Marlis’ men are in touch with some of the Admirals and Generals on Earth already,” Invidia said. “Marlis told me that, already,” said Invidia. “I was in fact told that these Generals and Admirals would welcome Earth becoming part of a greater Empire. That is why they will be standing aside when the Fleet comes and waiting as Earth signs a treaty and actually joins in peace with House Dezaria and becomes an ally of the Comet Empire at last. Then, we will be able to present a united front against Ekogaru…all of us.”
But, even as Invidia said this, a shiver went down her back. She thought, Matrix, what are you trying to tell me?
There is treachery here, the Matrix warned her. Do not trust in this General Marlis. I am warning Nova and Derek to be leery of any Black Nebulan plot. YOU should be wary, too, Invidia.
“Marlis means me no harm,” said Invidia. “I will have him eating from the palm of my hand, and I will be revealed as a Princess, serving with a new Earth President,” Invidia said out loud. “YOU revealed that to me.”
Yes, but Marlis has a different part in this than you think, Invidia, and your path will be much harder than you expect, sent back the Matrix hotly. You must be tried in the fire yourself, Princess, just as my Queen must pass through the Fire. Her time of testing is coming upon her very soon, and so is yours. Do you see your home, here?
“Yes, I do,” said Invidia sadly.
“Who are you talking to?” said Foxy.
“Matrix,” said Invidia. “Yes?”
“Foxy, Invidia known as Katrina,” said the Matrix out loud. “Both of you will have to say goodbye to Foxworth Manor for a time. A storm is coming. Invidia has her part to play in this storm. You must be wary of this General Marlis, and even wary of your father, Invidia. For they both have connections, unknown quite even to them, with the Darkness. Marlis is coming already, Invidia. You have done enough. His coming will not be entirely friendly, and you must give the High Queen something of a warning of what is coming! Yes, some Terran Admirals and Generals agree with his schemes, but some of these men and women are flirting with the Darkness.”
“How deeply?” said Foxy.
“Just as General Stone danced with evil, so do these deluded men and women,” said the Matrix out loud from nowhere as Foxy and Invidia saw its spirit forming out of nowhere as a tongue of fire that turned into the form of a woman. “Yet, even I must let some of this happen, for one age is ending, and another is beginning. You have never had children, Invidia, but our High Queen Nova can tell you that any birth involves blood, pain, at least some degree of nakedness, suffering, and exertion. Yet, out of birth pains comes something beautiful when the child is born. One Age is about to die, but the birth of a New Age waits in the wings,” said the Matrix. “Invidia, you must become poor for a time, in order to be made rich later. Just keep your eyes open with Marlis. He is not what he seems to be…be warned of that….be warned. Be justly warned.”
_________________________________________________________________
In the meantime, in deep
space, at the far edge of the Milky Way, a Black Nebulan Fleet idled in a cloud
of interstellar gas.
This cloud, left over from an ancient nebula, was a “dark spot” that was hard for the scanners of any EDF stations, or, for that matter, for any Pellian or Gamilon stations to detect and scan all that well.
It was the perfect hiding place for General Marlis as he communicated with The Great One.
The Great One.
He was a Being to whom they had sworn their allegiance to, years ago.
He said he was a God.
To Marlis, he sure seemed to be a God as he spoke in a portentous voice through the speakers near the main screen on his Bridge.
“Marlis,” he said.
“Yes, Lord?” said Marlis.
“The time, long-awaited, has come. I have completed, at last, the Second Grand Technomugar Fortress.”
“Yes, Lord.”
“You will go to Terra, and before you commence Plan Dagger, you will inform Princess Invidia, dwelling on Terra under the assumed name Katrina Savela, that she is now your Nominal Monarch. You will see to it that she is taken aboard your flagship, willing or unwilling, and you will take from her all of the plans concerning Terra’s defenses that she has been accumulating. You will be swift and you will report to me. You will then send two Strike Teams to Terra.”
“Yes, Lord?”
“One of them shall attack the Terran Parliament when it meets in joint session in two weeks. I want all of them dead. I want the Terran Government decapitated in that attack,” said the Great One. “A second strike team is to find and assassinate the woman dwelling on Terra by the name of Nova Wildstar, with her consort Admiral Derek Wildstar, if they are not killed otherwise in the attack on Parliament. Nova Wildstar is the hidden High Queen of the Pellians, not gifted yet with the Sceptre, but that must never happen. I want her killed and her remains cremated and scattered to the four winds of Heaven so that no memory shall ever be had on Terra or New Pellias of this vile wretch who perjured herself before Me. You will being me a handful of her ashes.”
“Yes, Lord. Any further directions?”
“You will send a third Strike Team to Earth. I want a certain space battleship utterly destroyed in its dock.”
“This ship is?”
“The space battleship Argo, once known as the Imperial Japanese Battleship Yamato. I foresee a dark time in which the cursed Pellian High Queen rechristens her the Yamato at last, and this shall never be allowed to happen. That ship has interfered with my plans too many times. I want her destroyed. Utterly. ARE WE CLEAR ON THIS?”
“Yes, Lord,” said Marlis with a bow. “When do we execute?”
“Head into the Milky Way, Marlis. Our plan begins now. I will meet you there, soon.”
“How?”
“With my new Fortress…with this, my long-sought vengeance finally begins!”
____________________________________________________
It rolled around to the next Monday namely, the sixth of June, where Nova sat as the guest host for Good Morning Terra in Honolulu.
Nova knew that she and Derek were to have come to a meeting in the Megalopolis on the second that was inexplicably postponed. Neither she nor Derek had any idea what was going on. They even called Katrina Savela, who had (for her own reasons) her own back-channel links to the Government, and she knew nothing, either.
Right before going on the air, there had been a news flash that left her pleasantly flabbergasted; namely, her father, Karl Forrester, had just been chosen to become Prime Minister of the Earth Federation under the leadership of President Kueller.
Nova, even with her…abilities, had no inkling this was going to happen, and she had no inkling that, within a few minutes of the announcement, she and Derek were under SS protection, just like the Prime Minister, since she was now, of course, the daughter of the number two man in Earth’s Government.
Nova sat on a stool on the
set she had made up, wearing suitable summer clothing of a white and brown
blouse, light denim shorts, and dressy sports flip-flops in white and brown
that nicely set off her tanned bare feet and legs.
She tried to ignore the SS men off-camera as she waited for a channel to open to New York, which was where her father had been on a junket as Senator for the Southwestern US when he had been caught stunned by President Kueller’s announcement that the Earth Government had fallen in a vote in Parliament and that Karl was now under orders to form a new Government.
“Now, we have New York on the line, where…I’m connected to the new Prime Minister himself,” said Nova as she swallowed hard. “Good morning, sir,” she said.
“You can still call me “Dad”, Mrs. Wildstar,” said Karl with a laugh.
“Sir, I’m still a Captain in the Defense Forces,” said Nova. “That would be a breach of protocol, and…”
“Oh, nonsense!” said Karl. “I insist upon it!”
“Okay….Dad,” Nova said with a shrug and deadpan expression that broke up her live audience with laughter as Derek shook his head and smiled off-camera.
He ran on-camera, and said, “Nova, loosen up a bit. Or do you need a guitar or a piano?”
Nova put her face in her hand and giggled. “Derek, my Dad’s watching…”
“Oh, farbledash,” said Karl as Nova just cracked up again.
“Okay,” said Nova. “How did…uh…you get to be Prime Minister, Dad?”
“Long session during the night…no one could agree on a candidate, so I was finally chosen,” said Karl.
“Have you had any thought as to whom you’ll ask to be appointed to replace you as the Senator for Colorado, yet?” Nova asked.
“I have some people in mind,” said Karl. “A list of those people will be given to the President soon.”
“Then, he’ll consider the list?” Nova said.
“Yes, he will,” said Karl.
“Good luck to those people, whoever they are,” Nova said.
“I agree with you,” replied Karl. “They’ll need that luck.”
At that, the audience applauded.
___________________________________________________________________________
III. APPOINTMENTS…
Planet Earth
The Tokyo Megalopolis
Government Center
Tuesday: June 7, 2231
0800 Hours: Local Time
___________________________________________________________________________
The Wildstars arrived back in the Tokyo Megalopolis the next day. Derek had on his EDF uniform, while Nova had on a white blouse, red tie, dark charcoal-grey jacket, dove-grey miniskirt, and exercise sandals with red straps that set off her long bare legs…and perfectly matched her tie. Her fingernails and toenails also had on the same shade of red polish.
Derek and Nova walked together into the Prime Minister’s office. Nova smiled and hugged her father when she came in. He had on a dark pinstriped suit with a red vest.
“Hello there,” he said. “I have roles for both of you in the new Government.”
“Would you explain how you ended up as Prime Minister, sir?” said Derek.
“”I was chosen by President Kueller as a compromise candidate,” said Karl Forrester. “Someone meant to satisfy all of the sides in this drama. Admiral Wildstar…I’d like to offer you a new post in the Earth Defense establishment.”
“Which post, sir?” said Derek.
“Commander Singleton is due to retire soon, and he’s not in good health,” said Prime Minister Forrester. “Derek, the President and I would like you to be the next Commander of the Earth Defense Forces.”
Nova and Derek looked at each other, shocked, but not particularly surprised. Then, Derek spoke up. “Sir, I’ll need some time to think this over.”
“Dad, Derek has always felt that he can serve us best where he’s been for a while; as Fleet Commander,” said Nova.
“He’ll have time to think about it,” said Karl. “Nova, I have a post in mind for you, too.”
“And…that post is?” Nova said in some surprise.
“To accept it, you’d have to join Parliament,” he said. “As I said on TV the other day, my Senate seat would soon be vacated, so I can enter a motion to appoint you to it. I’d like you in my Cabinet and the Earth Defense Council; as Surgeon General.”
“I’d be promoted up to Rear Admiral to serve there, right?” said Nova.
Karl nodded.
“Uh…I’m going to need some time to think this over, too,” said Nova.
“I’ll agree to that,” said Karl.
Nova smiled, hugged her father, and left with Derek after they had some more small talk.
______________________________________________________________________________________
“Serving in the Senate,” Nova said later at a family dinner at their home in the Tokyo Megalopolis. “What do you think of that?”
“Mom, have you given it much thought yet?” said Ariel, who sat there in shorts and a tank top.
“I’ve given it some thought, but I’m not sure about it yet,” said Nova, who had changed her clothes from her suit to a turtleneck top, jumper-style dress, and comfortable open-toe house slippers.
“What do you think, Dad?” asked Alex, who had on a Rugby shirt and shorts.
“It’s not my decision,” said Derek, who was now in his socks, jeans, and a plain blue shirt. “It’s your mother’s decision.”
“You could do a lot of good in the Senate,” said Stephen, who had on an EDF uniform without shoes.
“Politics suck,” said Anastasia in her blue skirt and white blouse. “Mother, didn’t you always say politicians were stupid?”
“I did,” said Nova.
“If you become a politician, Mother, you will become stupid like the rest of them.”
“Not necessarily,” Nova said. “All of you know of my secret role with the Pellians. You could say I’ve already been a politician since before some of you were born.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” said Anastasia, somewhat mockingly.
“The point is, I’ve been a politician of sorts for as long as some of you have been alive,” Nova said. “Has that made me stupid?”
“I don’t think so,” said Ariel.
“Give me about a week to get to you on that one, Mother,” snapped Anastasia.
“Oh, shut up!” said Stephen. “Isn’t Mom’s Teriyaki Beef as good as it’s always been? You’ve always liked it.”
“Mom, if you can do some good, go for it,” sighed Anastasia. “But if you run around, get three or four gigolos on the side and break Dad’s heart, I will find you and slap you.”
“I’d have to be wearing a psionic damper, tortured, half-dead, probably half-crucified, and unable to fight before another man would ever touch me, aside from your father,” said Nova as she sidled up to Derek and kissed him. Ariel gave her mother a thumbs-up, appreciating her usual spunk and spirit.
“YECCCCHHHHHHH!” yelled Anastasia. “Get a ROOM, you two!” she said as she made exaggerated gagging noises.
The family found themselves laughing at that, leaving Anastasia stewing in her own juices.
______________________________________________________________
Later on, after the kids had left, and after Hegen and Fela had taken off for an errand, leaving only the usual two SS agents outside to guard Nova (as daughter of the Prime Minister), Derek and Nova were all alone in their house.
Nova was on Derek’s lap in their bedroom as they watched some romantic movie; they couldn’t remember the name of it, because the romance on screen was getting them to look in each other’s eyes.
After a bit of that, and some kissing, Derek began to play with Nova’s breasts in her dress.
She grew hot and kicked off one of her slippers, moaning a little as they kissed.
“Damn,”
Derek muttered. “You’re driving me crazy…”
“Good,
let me drive you even more crazy,” Nova said.
A
hot, sweet interlude of joy followed.
______________________________________________________________
AN HOUR LATER….
Nova’s hair was messy, but she was very happy as Derek held her closely in bed.
And, at that moment, she got a flash of insight.
“I’m taking that position, Derek,” she said.
“Which position?”
“The position of Surgeon General my Dad is offering me,” she said. “The Matrix just said I should…”
“The Matrix?”
“Yes, dear,” Nova whispered.
Nova smiled and kissed her lover’s hands as Derek kissed her yet again. Their romantic movie was still on. They had forgotten all about it.
____________________________________________
TO BE CONTINUED…