ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---PASSICAGLIA AND FUGUE IN C MINOR
Being the eighth part of THE RIKASHA INCIDENT--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
NOTE: (1)
ACT ONE--ISCANDAR
I. ONE DAY OVER LUNCH
Planet Iscandar
Mother Town Dockyard
Space Battleship Argo
Monday, February 22,
2202
1214 Hours: Spacetime
"So, it's lunch?"
said Paul Rosstowski as he sat eating at a table on the Argo.
"Yeah, it is,"
said Captain Wildstar.
"But it looks like the
sun's coming up. I had a look out a viewport
earlier."
"We're on Earth time,
Paul. Not local Iscandarian time. We ate breakfast at the local equivalent of
one AM here on Iscandar. It was 0600 for us."
"Where's
Aliscea?" asked Derek a moment later.
"Meditating,"
said Paul. "She's getting ready for her meeting with Queen Starsha.
Where's Nova?"
"She also said she's
getting ready to meet with Starsha. Hey, look at this. Alfafa
sprouts. Like those?"
"I don't eat that
stuff, sir."
"You should,"
said Derek. "Nova's got me hooked on this stuff. Of course, I adapt to
foods pretty easily, when they don't serve the same thing and make up a
different name for it on the menu three days in a row."
"Explain?"
"Last Thursday, we had
Salisbury Steak for lunch. Then, on Friday, we had meatloaf. Same soy-hamburger
mix; they just threw a different sauce on it. Then, on Saturday, we had Angus
Beef patties. For dinner. Then, I went and complained
to Nova, and she went and yelled at the galley crew. Right?
Guess what we got yesterday?"
"Salisbury
steak.
Again," said Rosstowski. "At least today they have seafood. Or
something that looks like seafood. I'm not sure which."
"Yeah. I'm not sure, either," said
Derek. He began to play with his food. "Can we analyze this stuff?"
Both of them laughed. The
Captain continued to play with his food. "Chef!" he yelled. "I
want to issue a complaint about the service in this restaurant!"
Hardy overheard them, and
he laughed along with them.
From not far away, they
heard another laugh. "Derek, stop playing with your food! I'll talk
to the chef again!"
A smattering of applause and wolf
whistles filled the messhall as Nova flounced in. She was wearing the same pink
dress and choker she had worn when they had been aboard Cha'rif's ship a few
weeks ago. She wore her pink high-heeled dress sandals with her dress, and
looked very summery.
"Like it?" she
said, as she pirouetted around. "This time, I am going to wear this
to meet with Queen Starsha. I took temperature readings, and found it was
warmer out there than last time. I think I'd just melt in my uniform out
there today, don't you?"
The crew (mostly males)
applauded. More wolf-whistles filled the room as Nova turned to get her lunch,
winking at Derek in the process.
"Showoff,"
muttered another female; one of the Black Tigers. "I should've worn my
black leather mini today."
"Hey, Nova," said
another Black Tiger. "Now that you're related to her, can ya set me up
with some of her relatives? I heard she's got kids."
"We'll see, but I
don't think so, Sugiyama."
"Oh, rats," said
the pilot. "Where's Hartcliffe?"
"Still gettin' evaluated in Sickbay," said Hardy.
"So what are you
eating?" asked Derek as he looked at Nova's plate.
"Alfafa
sprouts. Lots of them. With salt," said Nova as
she gave her husband a playful wink.
"Uh...yeah! When are we going to find time to
be alone?" whispered Derek in her ear.
"Later. Starsha told
me something about giving us directions to our very own island later
today when you grant shore leave," whispered Nova in Derek's ear.
"Not bad," said
Derek. He kissed Nova as Hardy, Sugiyama, Rosstowski, and even Sakamoto
applauded.
Then, Rosstowski's smile
dropped as Aliscea came up behind him, looking rather serious.
"I'm done
meditating," she said. "May I have a seat, please?"
Sugiyama and Nova got up at
once, offering their seats to the mysterious young woman in black whose
presence on the ship was the whole reason behind their second cruise here to
Iscandar. "I'll take Mister Sugiyama's chair. Thank you, Nova. Please sit
back down beside your mate." After she sat, she looked at Nova and stammered,
"Uh...thank you." Then, she glanced at Paul and sent, Paul, it is
getting worse. We made it just in time. He is getting closer.
How much time do we
think we have left?
Two weeks. Maybe a week and a half. But I won't push too much, yet. We
need a rest, Paul. Let them enjoy some shore leave. Please come with me.
Aliscea made a pleading
gesture with her eyes, and Paul said, "Yes. I'll come and meet Starsha
with you."
"Thank you."
Sandor came up. "Wildstar?"
"Steve," said
Derek. "Venture, Nova, Paul, Aliscea and I are leaving to meet with
Starsha and Alex."
"May I come,
too?" asked Sandor. "It's been too long since I've met with your
brother."
A while later, after they finished
lunch, Derek (in his peacoat), Nova (in her dress), and Venture (in regular
uniform) all led the way down the Argo's gangplank near the dock.
Nova stopped, adjusting her
purse. "Look at all of the damage behind us in the plating. Horrible!"
she said, shaking her head while she traced one of the uneven welds in the dark
grey hull behind her head.
"You don't know quite
how bad it looks until you see it from outside," said Venture.
"Derek, the Argo really needs a refit."
"She does," said
Derek. "We've pushed her really hard the past few weeks. I hope the old
girl can get us home all right."
"She'll get you through this," said Aliscea
as she came up with Paul and Sandor. The blue sky of Iscandar framed her head
as she spoke. "I can feel the spirit of the ship, though. She is very,
very tired. She needs a rest when we get home to Earth. When we make it to
Earth...."
"Aliscea..." said
Paul.
"We will make
it," she said in a sad voice. "But, we have to endure much. At any
rate, I sense Starsha's presence. She is coming."
Aliscea fell silent.
Captain Wildstar led the way as they walked off
They walked along the dock,
looking back at the thrumming grey and red bulk of the aging Argo as
they walked off the gangplank. Can we make it back to Earth successfully?
thought Captain Wildstar in a depressed mental voice. Can
we really beat Ekogaru? When we were first here, on Iscandar, I felt so much
hope. This time, why do I just look out at
They began walking up a
green hill. Nova sighed a little with relief as warm grass touched her
sandal-clad toes as she began to walk on the warm soft ground of Iscandar
rather than the hard, but warm stone quay.
Starsha stood awaiting them in silence. Captain Wildstar, Alex's younger brother, looks older in that
coat; older and wiser, thought Starsha. Nova certainly has matured
as his wife; she is a woman now, not a girl. Judging from his face, Mark
Venture looks like he has been through a lot; I see sadness in his eyes. Stephen Sandor; as smart as ever. I wonder if he's made any
new inventions recently? I see that he was able to
work the Cosmo-DNA successfully; he had doubts if he could assemble it properly
when last he was here.. Aliscea.
I have contacted you already. My equal...perhaps my superior
in some ways? I am wondering what you can do to help us against Ekogaru.
And you, Paul Rosstowski. I barely met you the first
time you were here; you have matured perhaps the most of all of these men and
women. You will need to; I see that, perhaps, you shall have the hardest road
to walk. You, Aliscea, and Nova. Should I tell them what
I have sensed about them, and their role in attempting
to defeat the Dark Lord? I'm not even sure, though, if we shall win or not...
They came up to Queen
Starsha, smiling as the Iscandarian queen looked at Aliscea and bowed slightly.
"You and Nova,"
she said thoughtfully. "So similar in appearance.
Interesting. I can tell you have seen much, Aliscea.
You have been through much, haven't you?"
"I have," said
Aliscea. "Those who live within me, in the Matrix, have seen even more. We
could all learn much from them."
"Pardon me," said
Starsha as she shut her eyes for a minute. "Let it not be said that my
courtesy has lessened as of late. Again, welcome to Iscandar, all of you. And
thank you for bringing Aliscea here. I am Queen Starsha of Iscandar. And this
is my consort..."
Derek's eyes lit up as a tall man clad in a black
peacoat and black slacks emerged from behind Starsha. "Alex! I'm so glad
to see you!"
"Hello, Derek,"
said Alex Wildstar in a serious voice. He looked very solemn as he came up to
his brother. But then, he gave him a pat on the cheek. "Ah...your face is
nice and clear," he said as Nova smiled slightly. "I see Nova's been
looking after you well."
"We've only been
married for about two months," laughed Nova. They turned so that
"May I take a picture
of the two of you with my electronic memory?" asked IQ-9.
"Go ahead," said
Derek. He and Nova smiled as IQ-9 took the picture.
"You say you have been
married for only two months. But you have been together for far longer,"
said Starsha.
"Of course,"
stammered Nova, curtseying a little towards Starsha as she remembered where she
was.
"Nova, that's not
necessary," said Starsha. "You deserve as much honor here as anyone
does. I know what you've been through since you left Iscandar. Without you, the
mission to save Earth from Gamilon would never have succeeded. Come. We have
much to discuss. Up to my palace. Quite a bit has
changed since the last time you were here. Thanks to Alex and I...and some
other events, Iscandar has a new lease of life again...."
Wondering what she was
talking about, the travelers from Earth and Pellias followed Starsha and Alex
up the hill towards
II. AT QUEEN STARSHA'S
PALACE
Planet Iscandar
Monday, February 22,
2202
1305 Hours: Spacetime
After a long walk, they
entered the palace. "So, there are others on Iscandar now, Queen
Starsha?" asked Venture.
"Right. Some of them are the children Alex
and I have had; others were the descendants of the crew of a pair of
exploration vessels that returned to Iscandar not too long ago. They had left
before the virus had struck."
A young woman in a long
purple dress and silvery sandals nodded to them at the doorway to Starsha's
palace. She looked so much like the late Princess Astra that Derek and Venture
started when they saw her. Of course, they also noticed a striking resemblance
to Aliscea and a truly striking resemblance to Nova.
"My daughter, Princess
Astra," said Queen Starsha. "She was named after her late aunt."
"And she looks much
like her living one," said Derek in awe as he looked back and forth
between his wife and Astra. Nova stood blushing slightly as Derek shook hands
with his niece and gave her a small hug. Nova gave the young woman a bigger hug
before she and Derek stood together holding hands again.
"I'm pleased to meet
both of you," said Astra. "You do look a bit like my father, Uncle.
And, you Nova...we could be twins."
"Why, thank you,"
chuckled Nova. "I'm...flattered. You're very
beautiful."
"Thank you, Aunt
Nova," said Astra quietly. A tall young bearded man appeared. "This
is Conor, my consort," explained Astra while she gestured towards
the tall young man. "He is an Iscandarian; a survivor from one of the
exploration vessels." Astra then turned to Aliscea. "What an honor it
is to meet you. Mother has said much about you."
"Thank you,
Princess," said Aliscea quietly.
"Where's my
brother?" said Astra.
"He's out checking
something odd that we picked up on one of our sensors," said Alex. Alex
then turned to Derek and said, "We have a son, too. You'll meet him
later."
"Shall we enter the
palace?" said Starsha. "This way, please."
Starsha walked down a
staircase; her tread in her silken ballet-style slippers was very quiet. She
was followed by Alex, Astra, and the others. After going downwards (which
surprised Sandor a little) they entered a large room where comfortable chairs
surrounded a table set with drinks and light snacks.
"We'll need the
nectar," said Starsha. "We have much to discuss." Starsha sat
down. Nova noticed that something that looked like a set of scrolls sat on the
table before Queen Starsha. After everyone was seated, Starsha said. "Thank
you for coming here. Aliscea, Iscandar will do everything at its disposal to
help you stop Ekogaru. We have an obligation to do so. You see, it is partly
the fault of our ancestors that Ekogaru even exists," said Starsha with
downcast, sad eyes.
"What do you mean by
that?" asked Captain Wildstar in a shocked tone of voice.
"Long ago," said
Starsha. "Long, long ago, before our people's travels ceased, our
ancestors walked aboard in the universe gathering knowledge. We learned from
others; we learned from Nature and our observations, and we freely shared that
knowledge with others. At one time, Iscandar was home to a race of psionic
adepts of great skill, power, and might. Our wisdom was also very great. Since
then, we have faded. The mental power I have at my disposal today as Queen is
but a shadow; a mere memory of the blazing power and might my royal ancestors
once held. Even with her relative lack of skill, Aliscea can do far more to
stop Ekogaru than I. What we do have here that she may not have, even within
the Matrix of her ancestors' memories, are the secrets behind the disciplines
that Ekogaru himself learned here. Yes, long ago, Ekogaru himself was one of
our ancestors' students. But, he did not take what he learned here to truly
help others, as we intended. No. He took what we learned and he perverted it
into something black, evil, and possibly sorcerous."
"Which techniques did
your ancestors teach him?" asked Aliscea, who looked horror-struck by
this. "And why would they have done this?
"Astral projection,
direct telepathic contact, and manipulation of energy," said Starsha.
"Those were usually what we taught to outsiders. The records I have here
in the scrolls state that Ekogaru learned these disciplines from us, stating he
was going to use them for the good of others of his Rikashan people. He was the
last Rikashan my ancestors taught, and with good reason. They left notes, but
the histories state that he murdered all of his Iscandarian teachers when they
refused to divulge more information than they were permitted."
Derek and Alex looked at
each other, sickened by what they had just heard. But, Aliscea just shook her
head. "It sounds in character for the Dark Lord. Which energy
manipulation skills was he taught?"
"The
defensive ones; how to shut down a ship's weapons systems from a distance, and
how to stop an energy attack. We didn't teach him how to initiate such an attack by
mental power...it is said that he gained this knowledge from the records of the
ancient adept known as Laras."
"You told me about Laras," said Alex. "Was he one of the engineers
who perfected the wave motion engine?'
"He was," said
Starsha. "Laras was both a great psionic and a
great engineer. He was a wise man, and a good one. When Ekogaru killed him, it
is said in the notes of one of the survivors of the massacre, which took place
aboard a Rikashan vessel where Laras and his
disciples were guests, it is said that Ekogaru took Laras'
personal scrolls and notes. It is thought that Laras
may have been designing a planet-sized ship to be used as a long-range
exploration vessel, or exodus ship in time of
disaster. It is thought that Ekogaru may have taken those plans with him."
"So, some of the
secrets of the design of his Fortress came from your people?" said Nova.
Starsha nodded. "I'm
sorry, but that is the case."
"Nothing can be done,
then, can it?" said Venture. "Didn't you say that Ekogaru took the
copy that Laras had?"
"Yes and no. Laras had copies of his research in two other locations
here on Iscandar. One of them was here, in the libraries of
"Why not?" said
Derek.
"Nova, what do you
remember about
"I remember there was
a city on the far end of the island," said Nova. "It looked like it
was a very large city.
"It was," said
Starsha. "And I gather you can guess what became of it when
"If need be,"
said Derek, "We have diving equipment, Starsha. And we have quite a few
divers among my crew, but Nova and I could take on the dive ourselves if needed
for security reasons. Right, Nova?"
Nova nodded. "It's
part of my Survey training. I'm used to being underwater. I've even managed to
dive in a shipwreck a few times. As part of a survey of Bikini Atoll on Earth,
I had to dive among the shipwrecks there to gain information on how well the Cosmo-DNA
worked when we used it on Earth I was down in the wreck of the old U.S.S. Indiana.
Interesting, Derek, that when they built her, she was to have been called the
"Yeah," said
Derek.
"Didn't you have a
model of that ship around once in your collection, Derek?" asked Alex.
Captain Wildstar smiled a
little as his brother took a temporary trip back in the past to take him back
to his childhood. "Yes. I had models of the old
"She still
exists?" said Venture.
"Didn't you ever go to
Penn's Landing?" mocked Rosstowski gently. "She survived the bombings
and is in Philly as a museum ship. I went aboard her as a kid. Liked her better than the
Venture smiled. After a
moment, Starsha glanced at him. "Oh...I'm sorry, Queen Starsha."
"Just
reminiscing," said Alex by way of apology.
"Interesting that you
are talking about these ships," said Starsha. "Given what I have
foreseen...I don't think this is the last I will hear of the
"I'm not scared,"
said Derek. He glanced at Nova. "Didn't you have an encounter with a shark
down there inside the
Nova nodded. "Luckily,
it was just a small one. Nipped my leg right about here," she said,
pointing at a spot on the back of one of her bare calves. "I think it was
more interested in seeing if my wetsuit was good to eat."
"How much of it did it
get?" asked Derek.
"A lot of it,"
said Nova with a blush.
"I would have liked to
see that," said IQ-9.
"Yes, I bet you would
have," sniffed Nova.
"It is my hope that we
can find the information we need here," said Starsha. "Aliscea, would
you like to begin today?"
Aliscea nodded. "Good.
I will take you to the library here in
"Why are you trying to
analyze that design again?" asked Paul.
"If the basic engine
design for the Technomugar Fortress was developed here on Iscandar, maybe I can
analyze those plans with you, Sandor, and we can discover a weakness in
Ekogaru's battle station. Maybe," said Aliscea.
"Might be a good
idea," said Sandor. "Also, if the dive is too treacherous for humans,
we could use IQ-9."
"Thank you," said
IQ.
But, Derek gave Nova a
questioning look. She smiled a little and nodded. Unknown to the rest of the
crew, they had just volunteered themselves to the Captain of the Argo
for permission to dive. Of course, since Derek was the Captain, he quietly
approved the dive in his head.
"If we need to send
anyone down, we'll see," said Derek out loud.
Starsha looked at her
brother-in-law and quietly shook her head. He's decided to do it...if we
need to. I shall have to try to talk him and Nova out of it. They could easily
get themselves killed down there doing something so dangerous. Brave,
self-sacrificing, but dangerous
"But, before anyone
goes to the library, I recommend some relaxation," said Starsha. She
pulled up a graphic of the Great Continent of Iscandar that they were on.
"Not far from here, there is a beautiful beachfront on the western coast
of the continent. Captain Wildstar, your crew can relax there for an afternoon
if they like. Plus, if you and Nova...or anyone else, would like to enjoy a
more private retreat later on, there is a small archipelago of islands to the
north. Derek, Nova, I give you the northernmost of these islands as a gift for
your use whenever you are here. Anyone else can use the other three large
islands which have retreats on them. There are also smaller, undeveloped
islands that you can explore."
"When can we begin
this exploration?" asked Paul.
"Later today, if your
Captain allows it," said Starsha.
"After the party, I'll
give you and Aliscea an overnight liberty to check out the island you're
interested in," said Derek. "Nova and I will also be taking an
overnight liberty to explore ours." Derek then smiled at his wife. Judging
from her return smile, Nova liked this idea a great deal.
"Which leaves me in
command of the ship, I guess," said Mark.
"Mark, you and Holly
can check out any island you like tomorrow evening after Nova and I get
back," said Derek with a smile. "As you can see by the map, there's lots of islands."
"Just don't go
checking the same island that we're on at the same time if we're still
there," said Nova with a smile.
"Oh, we won't,"
said Venture.
"I think I will now
leave you to your business," said Starsha. "I may be at your party
later. Also, when my son arrives back home, I have someone I'd like you and
Nova to meet. He's with my son right now."
"Sure," said
Derek, wondering whom Starsha was talking about.
III. BEACH PARTY
Planet Iscandar
Off the
Monday, February 22,
2202
1522 Hours: Spacetime
Later on that afternoon,
after they left the palace, Nova and Derek found themselves in an Iscandarian hoverboat approaching the point on the shoreline where
Starsha had said they could have their party.
"Derek, did you bring
your swimsuit like I asked?"
"Uh..." said
Derek, looking inside his peacoat. "Yeah. I
did."
"Well, we're here at
the western shoreline," said Nova as they sat together in their boat off
the beach as it slowed. They came to a stop, several hundred meters off the
beach, of course. Once they stopped, Nova opened her dress and pulled it off
over her head, revealing her pink tank suit.
"Cute," said
Derek.
"It'll feel better
when I get these heels off...ooof..." Nova
struggled a little, but she extricated herself from her dress sandals a moment
later. "Much better...mmm", she said while
flexing her toes. She put her shoes in a small storage compartment of the hoverboat. "Now, let's get you out of that
uniform...you must be sweltering in that."
"Nova, you're gonna
undress me here in the boat?"
"Why not, it's
fun?" she giggled. "C'mon...arms out..."
Some time passed. On the
beach, Conroy was looking at one of the surfboards that had just been unloaded
off a spare Marine landing boat.
"Good; it didn't get
chipped," he said. He was already in a swimsuit.
"What is that you are
looking at?" said IQ-9.
"A surfboard; one of
three," said Conroy. "Mine's the black one. The girls' board is the
red one because it's a little lighter, and then there's a white one. We'll have
to take turns."
"Doing what?"
asked Tatiana Lubyanska as she yawned. She was in a small black bikini; Conroy
wore black and gold swim trunks.
"Surfing,"
laughed Conroy.
"look
at me, hero of the beach!" said Royster as he came up in a blue swimsuit
that showed off his scrawny frame. Hardy began to laugh, until he saw that he
had Laurel Hartmann (who was in a tight white one-piece) clinging to him.
"Sorry, guys,"
said
"Hello there,
thunder-tush," said IQ-9 to Diane Henson as she went past.
"Stop making fun of my
swimsuit, you tinwit," said Henson angrily.
Someone had a tape player.
Some surf music went on as Doctor Sane and Doctor Bradford began to set up a
hibachi. Sane was in a black set of swim trunks and loud Hawaiian shirt with geta,
"Where's
Aliscea?" said Conroy.
"Showing up,"
said Hardy as he dug in his bag.
A moment later, the crew
saw a boat coming up. They began to applaud and cheer as Derek stepped out in
his red-and-white Speedo, and quite a few crewmembers whistled at Nova and her
pink swimsuit.
"Sorry we took so
long," said Derek.
"Where's that
surfboard?" asked Nova.
"You want to try
already?" asked Derek.
Nova nodded.
"The board's over theah, Nova," said Hardy. "Ah think
you can just about carry it."
"Thanks," said
Nova. "Derek, you said you were out of practice. Let me try first."
"Uh, Nova...the last
time I did this was many years ago, as a kid..."
"Same
here. The last
time for me was twelve. But I think I remember what I should do..."
Nova got her board. A while later, after she paddled
out to sea on it, it turned out that she did remember what to do...more
or less, that is. She waited for a wave (a moderate-sized one, about three and
a half meters) to come up, and then she got up on her feet, clung to the board
with her toes, and began to ride the wave downwards to a lot of cheers and
wolf-whistles from the crew. She stayed up for about a minute (long enough for
her husband to get a picture) and looked gorgeous before the wave crashed down.
Then, she took a semi-controlled wipeout that brought her up from the blue
water a moment later, spluttering and shaking water out of her already wet hair
to the applause of the crew.
"Okay," yelled
Nova when she retrieved her board and began to paddle back. "Surf's up!
Who else wants to try?"
"I do," said
IQ-9.
"No you don't!"
said Nova.
"I do so. I can surf
ten thousand times better than a human. Even you, Nova."
"Fine, you take a
turn," said Nova. "I don't know how you're going to stay on that thing
with your rubber treads. I have toes. You don't."
"I have an enhanced
grip setting that is far more efficient than your feet. Even
though they do look gorgeous wet."
"Go on and surf,"
said Nova. "And stop staring at me."
"Why did you wear a
nice swimsuit if you didn't want to be stared at? Ha ha."
Because I want Derek
staring at me, not you, thought Nova. Then, she sighed and said, "Hey, IQ? You can help
Derek and I build a sand castle later on."
"Good, I'll stare at
you then."
"You would," she
said. "Now go and surf, tinwit."
"I will do so.
Goodbye. I will beat you."
"Good," said Nova
as she came up to her husband. "Well, I hope that'll keep him busy."
"I thought you said
you wanted to surf."
"I want him out
of my hair, and you in my hair. Comprende?" said Nova with a smile.
"Comprende,"
smiled Derek. "You know, if we could find some shells and some string,
I've got an idea..."
"Which is?" she
said as they walked off together to look for shells.
"You'll see,"
said Derek.
"I'm gonna try that
surf out next," said Conroy as he came up behind them. "I don't want
to try it with Tinwit in the water. If he goes flying, I might get
crushed."
After he found the right
shells (small ones, like cowrie shells), Derek got
some string and made Nova a small bracelet and a small anklet out of shells and
string. The bracelet went on her left wrist, and the anklet went on her left
ankle.
"How
cute!" she said as she sat on the sand looking at her husband's handiwork. "I like these."
"Thanks."
"You know I can't put
my shoes back on as long as I wear this," said Nova as she looked at the
anklet.
"I'm sorry."
She laughed. "Derek,
it's a beautifully warm day. Even if we go back to
"You're silly!"
"You're sillier,"
laughed Nova. "Oh! Look at tinwit! He's taking a wave!"
Both of them watched IQ-9
as he rode the surf on a board. They stood there smiling.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa,
what a wave!" he squeaked.
Both Derek and Nova laughed
at him and his antics.
Later on, they sat together
on a beach towel, eating some hamburgers that Doctor Sane had made. "Look
at Conroy!" said Derek. "He's better at surfing than you are."
"He's had more
practice," said Nova in a calm mood.
Hardy came up. "Gonna
surf some moah, Nova?"
"Not right now. The
sun's making me sleepy, and I'm just fine here with the Skipper hugging
me."
IQ-9 came up. "Nova, I
found you some shells."
"Hi,
" yawned Nova. "Leave them right there and I'll look at them
later."
Hardy walked away, looking
mystified as Nova whispered in Derek's ear and then laughed against her
husband's shoulder for a bit.
We got some weird stuff
goin' on heah,
thought Hardy. Maybe it's the salt air?
Later on, a game of beach
volleyball got started. It was a battle of the sexes: on one side, Captain
Derek Wildstar, Mark Venture, Jeff Hardy, Pete Conroy, Neville Royster, and Pat
Hemsford represented the males, versus Lieutenant Nova Wildstar, Holly Parsons,
Laurel Hartmann, Diane Henson, Tatiana Lubyanska, and Natalie Fisher representing
the females.
Needless to say, IQ-9 was
more interested in this event than in anything else going on, since, now, he
got to watch six swimsuit-clad females jumping around chasing a ball.
"We're ahead!"
yelled Natalie as yet another ball went over the net. "Fifteen
to ten! Can't you guys move?" she brayed as Hartmann and Parsons
cheered. "Okay, your turn!" yelled Fisher as she got the ball back,
the teams rotated, and Nova went up on her toes in the sand to serve.
The ball flew over the net,
and Derek just barely got it. He bounced it up, and Conroy got it and tipped it
over the net. Holly got in position to flip it up, but she missed, the ball
landing in the sand right before her pink-polished toes. She cried out in
frustration as the guys on the other side cheered.
"Hey, just aim it at
Parsons!" yelled Conroy. "She stinks!"
"Yeah! I can play better than
her!" laughed Royster.
"Congratulations,"
said Nova sarcastically as she threw the ball at Parsons. "Now you just
narrowed our lead. And it's your turn to serve, hon."
"You missed a few,
too!" cried Holly.
"Not as many as
you," sang back Nova. "C'mon, redeem yourself! Make them drop
that!"
Holly served, with the ball
going right towards Hardy. He punched it up (with Parsons wondering how he
could see so well with all that hair in his eyes) and then Venture got it over
the net. The ball flew up towards Nova, who banged it back over the net two-handed, just in time for Derek to spike it back over.
Nova and Diane almost
crashed into each other as they intercepted the ball, both women hitting it
over the net to Conroy, who got under the ball just in time, hitting it over
the net with a fist. It flew over Nova, Diane, and Tatiana in the females' front
row and headed right for Natalie, who tipped it over towards the front row.
Tatiana tipped it over the net, where it was caught and banged back over by
Venture. It headed towards Nova, who just barely got it over the net towards
Derek, who got it back over towards Diane, who missed, the ball just touching
her fingers as it fell behind her with a loud thud.
The guys cheered at that
one, while the females all gave Henson, who should have been the strongest
player, a good-natured set of boos. As she turned around to look at the ball
before picking it up, Conroy got a look at her tush in her orange bikini and
whistled good-naturedly. Diane noticed and blew him a kiss while smiling at
Tatiana. Nova ran up to get the ball, smiling as she and Henson talked for a
minute. Both of them look damn good in swimwear, thought Conroy
pleasantly. Never knew that Henson was so muscular...but it looks good on
her. Or that Nova was so well-toned before. Both of them must work out quite a
bit. Wildstar's damn lucky with Nova...what a little fox she is. I wonder if
Diane's taken?
Conroy smiled, brought back
to reality by Derek punching him in the arm. "Hey, you," said Wildstar.
"Stop leering at my wife."
"She looks good in a
swimsuit. Her and Henson. I wonder if Diane's seeing
anyone, Wildstar?"
Derek started a little at
that one. "I think she is...but..."
"But
what?"
"You'll have to talk
to her yourself; I'm not sure," said Derek. Then, he smiled and yelled
over the net, "Team Captain! You're delaying the game!"
"Oh, shut up!"
yelled back Nova with a smile. "Derek, do you want my delicate skin to get
burned?"
"We're gonna burn you guys," mocked Derek.
"We'll see, Team
Captain," said Nova. "We'll see. We'll beat you once and for
all!"
"You
and which army, Nova?"
"Mine," she
called back, playfully sticking her tongue out at her husband (and temporary
rival). "Remember, Derek, it was your idea, guys versus girls. Doesn't
look so good when we're beating you, huh?"
"We'll see,"
sneered Derek.
"This is a game?"
said Queen Starsha innocently to Alex as they came up.
"It is,"
explained Alex. "Derek was always pretty good at this as a kid."
"It looks more like
warfare," giggled Starsha as the game resumed.
"Hey," said Alex.
"It's a sport."
Starsha smiled. "Interesting sport."
Suddenly, another boat came
up. The boat stopped, and the volleyball game stopped as a young man who looked
like an eighteen-year old version of Derek, clad in a swimsuit, came out, along
with a blondish tow-headed boy in a swimsuit.
The young man ran up to
Astra and gave her a hug. "Steve!" she said with a smile. "I'm
so glad you're back!"
Not far away, Sandor came
up with a quizzical look. Conor didn't look annoyed by the arrival of the
stranger. The volleyball game broke up for a moment as people ran over.
"How's Talia?"
asked Astra.
"Fine, but she didn't
come with us. She said she's not feeling well today," said Stephen
Wildstar. "She's back in
"I see."
Nova grabbed Derek's hand
and pointed to the little boy, "Derek," she said with eyes misting
up.
"Yes?"
"He looks like the
little boy I tried to rescue off the
"He is," said
Astra with a smile. "Nova, Derek, meet my brother Stephen, named after
your Commander Sandor. And, may I introduce you to our...our sort of foster
child...Jonathan Hartnell-Iiyama, of the Planet Earth."
"How did you get here
safely?" asked Nova as she gave the boy a hug. "Oh, I'm so sorry
Hemsford and I couldn't rescue you. We would have taken you with us," she
sobbed.
"Long story," he
said. "The Rikashans brought me here. One of their vessels crashed here.
Steve and I were just surveying the place it went down in a fighter. Can you be
my mom?"
"We'll have to see
about that," asked Nova. "Don't you have a new mom already?'
"Kind
of...but..."
"But
what?"
"Don't know if I want
to stay here or not..."
"We'll discuss this
later, Jonathan," said Derek. "Right now, I'm afraid we have more
important stuff to discuss."
"And?" asked
Starsha as she came up.
"Mother," said
Steve with a bow. "The ship is gone. From what we can tell, they made
repairs and took off. Knowing them, they'll soon be back."
"When?" asked
Nova.
"I don't know,"
said Starsha sadly. "Maybe Aliscea can help us?"
They all looked towards
Aliscea, who still wore her black dress, even though she at least went barefoot
on the warm beach.
"I don't know,
either," said Aliscea. "I don't sense anything. You'd better return
to your party. I...I'm sorry."
The party resumed, even
though it was a bit more subdued than usual. So, the Rikashans will probably
be back, thought Derek. Great. What'll
happen to Iscandar, then...even with the Gamilons around? Will we be fighting
again? Fighting to defend Iscandar? But how can we not defend them? They've
done so much to help Earth....
IV. PREPARATIONS ON
EARTH
Planet Earth
The Great Megalopolis
Monday, February 22,
2202
1722 Hours: Spacetime
"Dac?" said Anya
Windfield with a look of innocence on her face as they walked down the aisle of
the grocery store.
"Yes?" said
Lieutenant Dac Windfield of the spacecraft carrier Akagi. The Akagi
was home, and the pilot was free to enjoy a few days' worth of leave with his
beautiful wife before their ship took off again as part of Commodore
Hoshiyama's task force; a task force whose mission was to find where the
Rikashans might be based.
"I still don't quite
believe that meeting with the Commander we just had. Was I dreaming that,
Dac?"
"No you weren't,"
smiled Dac as he picked a box of cereal up off a high shelf that Anya couldn't
reach, even in her somewhat high-heeled EDF service boots. "The Commander
has said that our waiver aboard the Akagi next time she goes out in a
few days includes our very own cabin, with a lock code for the hatch, and the
right to have our privacy in there. He said that the news they got from the Argo
indicates their little experiment concerning this arrangement worked on that
ship, with the exception of one couple who happens to be a pair of malcontents,
so the Fleet is extending it to other ships. Looks like we're
about to be the first couple in the EDF who can get away with breaking PRP on a
mission."
"We've nearly broken
it before," purred Anya.
"Yes, but we never
crossed that line," said Dac as he held hands with her. "Although
that one time we were hugging in the observation deck that last
tour...well..."
"You were tempted,
too?"
Dac nodded with a blush on
his face. "Your wear that blue uniform very well,
Anya."
"Well, you don't look
bad in your uniform, either, Dac." She smiled and picked up some cooking
sherry.
"What's that
for?"
"I'm making a steak
with wine sauce for you later on, Dac. Then, we shall celebrate our little
change in circumstances, won't we?"
"Sounds good,"
smiled Dac. "You know we need to celebrate, especially since we just got
back to Earth this morning...and I've been restraining myself for two months'
worth of the longest flying frustration tour you can think of with one of Earth
Defense's most adorable computer geniuses."
"You mean me, I
hope," said Anya.
"I do," he said,
brushing the sleeve of her white peacoat for a moment. She brushed the sleeve
of his black flight jacket, and smiled.
They stopped and began to
kiss right there in the aisle. A moment later, a grocery clerk robot came
along. "Hey, you two. No kissing in the
aisles," said the robot.
"Get lost!" said
Dac in a heated tone while Anya giggled. They smiled and went back to kissing
again only because the robot was watching them.
V. EKOGARU'S PLEASURES
The Far Edge of the
Great Magellenic Cloud
The Dej'jat System
Tuesday, February 23,
2202
2215 Hours: Space time
"My Lord," said
General Vergar as he and his bridge crew saluted Lord Ekogaru as he and Yvona
walked together onto the main bridge of the massive Technomugar Fortress.
"It is an honor to see you here for the first time in hundreds of
years."
"I have cause to
celebrate," said Ekogaru. "I have taken a new lover, and I wish to
show her to you. Meet the only thing from Earth I consider worth keeping so
far; meet, Commodore Yvona Josiah."
Yvona now wore a black and red peacoat, with a red
ascot, with a tight black uniform, and knee-length black boots. She looked
younger, far younger, as a cyborg. She smiled mockingly and kissed Vergar's
hand. "I am most...ah...Enchante' by you and this bridge
crew," she said with a giggle but little amusement in her dark brown eyes.
"What a beautiful ship, my Lord."
"It shall be more
beautiful, soon," said Ekogaru. "Tonight, a civilization shall die.
We need mass to consume to keep the Grand Fortress at peak efficiency. Our
target, gentlemen," said Ekogaru as he stood and a graphic came up on the
screen.
"This is Dej'jat
Four," he said as a blue Earth-like planet appeared. "Population,
about a billion. Moderate technical level. They
have something of a space fleet, a fleet which Gralnacz has been softening up
for the past day or so with a fleet of twelve Goraizu Fortresses, two hundred
space battleships, and an impressive amount of escorts that I decided should
boil up from within this Fortress. Oh, look," said Ekogaru. "Here comes their fleet now," he said with a mocking grin.
"They think they're going to attack us. Officer! How
many ships?'
"Six hundred,"
said a trembling bridge officer. "All native types of
space battleships, carriers, and the like. Data the Rikashans has sent
us indicates that this fleet fought a successful delaying action when under attack
by Gamilon two years ago. Then, the fighting stopped here when Gamilon was
devastated by the Star Force. Since then, the Dej'jatians have
thought they could live in peace, free from Gamilon threats."
"Well," said
Ekogaru. "They are about to die. Patch all Fortress-based weapons here to
my organ," he said as he made a huge keyboard appear from a hatch on the
bridge. "Yvona and I are going to play a little duet."
"Yes, Lord!" said
another officer. A moment later, Ekogaru and Yvona sat down side-by-side at a
bench before the organ.
"What shall we
play?" said Yvona.
"Your
Johann Sebastian Bach. Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor,
Yvona. I have taken a fancy to it."
Ekogaru began to play the
first few foreboding notes, and Yvona smiled as, with each note, a surge of
energy roared out of the Technomugar Fortress.
Beams of multicolored
energy roared from the huge Fortress towards the Dej'jat space fleet. Ship
after ship began to blow apart; with the Technomugar crew indifferent to the
fact that brave men and women were dying as each ship was blown to bits.
"Would you help me
play our little song of death?" said Ekogaru. "Yvona, you take the addagio."
"Yes, my Lord,"
she said softly. She began to play along with her Lord, and she smiled as she
added both notes and energy surges to this twisted fugue of destruction.
"Lordship!" said
a communications officer. "I am getting a message from the Dej'jat fleet!
They beg leave to stand down and surrender. They say that we've destroyed most
of their ships of the line and they're willing to obey any of our
commands."
"Tell them that the
request is denied," said Ekogaru with a twisted smile. "I want them
all dead, and Yvona and I are having to much fun
playing. Helmsman, increase our speed. Bring us to within 100,000 gerad of the planet itself, and target their capital city.
And, do prepare the hydrogen warheads?"
The twisted fugue
continued, as aboard the Dej'jat flagship, the white-bearded, green-skinned
Admiral in charge of the fleet watched the destruction with something of a sick
stomach.
"Damnit, haven't they
received our request for surrender, yet?" said the Admiral. "We can't
fight that thing!"
"Sir, the request is
denied," said his comm officer. "They intend to keep on
fighting."
"What?" said the Admiral. "Those...those aren't men aboard that
thing...they're...they're...devils!"
A moment later, the
flagship blew apart as Yvona played a little run of notes. More fire filled
space, and the Technomugar Fortress roared indifferently through the ruins of
the Dej'jat Fleet towards the planet itself.
On Dej'jat, the population was in utter panic. People
looked up at the approaching black mass, shimmering with lightnings and
thunderbolts, covered with window upon window, an ugly, twisted metal planet
that blocked out the sun of Dej'jat Four in an artificial, eerie solar eclipse.
The planet shook; towers in the city crumbled, waves roared up onto the docks
as the huge gravitational mass approached, eclipsing Dej'jat Four's moon in its
tidal pull and sheer power.
People were in the streets,
crying, pointing up at the huge mass, and praying openly with their faces to
the ground.
In the Defense Headquarters
of Dej'jat Four, the Prime Minister said, "Connect us to that ship."
"Done, milady,"
said one of her ministers.
Prime Minister Valjia
trembled as she looked up and saw only a pair of burning red eyes on the
screen. "Who are you, and what is the meaning of this
unprovoked aggression upon my world and upon my people?" she cried.
"This is a dress
rehearsal for an attack that truly matters to me in a few weeks," boomed
Ekogaru's deep voice. "I am Lord Ekogaru the Great, your God. Your wrathful God. And today, I have decided to bring
judgment upon Dej'jat Four. All of you shall die. And, to serve a greater good,
I shall crush your world into dust."
"Why?" said
Valjia as she began to beg. Tears ran down her face,
and her long dark hair looked mournful as she used it to wipe her tears.
"What have we done to you?"
"You offend me by your
very presence," said Ekogaru. "Your planet is in my way. And I shall
crush it our of existence. But, first, you shall
die."
"We can offer your
race slaves, resources, anything you want," pleaded Valjia. "Just
show mercy to us and our children!"
"Mercy?" said
Ekogaru. "I have no idea what that concept is. Goodbye, Prime
Minister."
"No!" cried Valjia. "NO!"
"Lady, ten missiles
are streaking towards our capital...we..."
"We what...?'
A moment later, everything
was obliterated in heat and bright light as the missiles hit, and the command
center and the Prime Minister ceased to exist, blown to dust in a ball of
radioactive energy as nuclear weapons began to pick the capital city apart.
People on Dej'jat screamed,
and cried. Some threw ashes on their heads in token of repentance, and they
cried out to their God for Mercy and deliverance from the Apocalypse that had
just come to their world.
But, no answer came from
Heaven. Not yet. All that came from above was the strange, thrumming roar of
Ekogaru's Fortress as its approach shook apart farmsteads, shook apart small
towns, caused men, women, and children to die as buildings and hills fell upon
them in what could only be described as Chaos.
"Enough playing
games," said Ekogaru. "Vergar, prepare my Phased Density Cannon. The
target is the entire planet of Dej'jat Four. They shall die. All of them."
"Patching through
energy conduits," said Vergar.
"Locking
down hyperspace compensators."
"Warp radius,
Vergar?"
"Zero. We are not going anywhere this
time."
"Of course," said
a technician. "Grand Destruction Unit! Commence
Firing Sequence!"
"Preparing
hyperspatial compressors."
"Bringing
up energy generators."
"All safety locks, one
through two hundred and twelve being removed."
"Beginning power
buildup, now Lord," said another voice.
A huge port on the Fortress
opened up, and a glowing green field of energy began to shimmer deep inside the
Fortress. In the Fortress, safety fields inside a three thousand kilometer long
gun barrel were stabilized. Millions of Technomugar technicians set controls
and locked down control screens in a sick performance as they, once again,
prepared to be stagehands for the coming of Death to yet another world.
On the Bridge of the
Fortress, Yvona sat impressed with the efficiency of Ekogaru's crew. Impressed,
and a bit scared. He is a God, she thought. What sort of Power does
he have at his disposal?
A weird hum filled the bridge
as a voice announced. "Power Level, one hundred and
twenty percent recharge, Lord? Locked on target:
planetary core. Ready to fire. Patch through to
organ console?"
Ekogaru nodded. He laid
Yvona's hands on a few notes, while he tensed over his own.
"A single, discordant
chord," said Ekogaru. "Help me, Yvona," he said.
"Of course, Lord. I am
honored."
"fire,"
said Ekogaru in a soft voice.
Both of their hands came
down and played a single warped chord at once.
A green lance of energy
burst forth from the Fortress' main barrel, and it struck Dej'jat Four like a
titanic lightning bolt. Beneath them, the very substance of the planet began to
boil away. The area of impact went green, then purple, and then livid red, and
then it spread over the whole world.
On Dej'jat Four, people
screamed in agony and horror as their bodies began to dissolve into nothingness
along with their planet. The color of the beam changed, and, as the whole
planet went reddish-orange and began to disappear, some field sucked the energy
ball that had been Dej'jat Four deep into a waiting maw inside the Technomugar
Fortress.
Ekogaru and his people
laughed and laughed and laughed as their Fortress was revitalized by the very
substance of Dej'jat as the weird machines of the Fortress fed on it and sent
the energy out as sustenance to the entire Technomugar Race. The sick
"meal" was consumed here, and, as a hyperspatial rift opened, it was
also sent to their brothers and sisters in the Blackeye Galaxy itself. In the
Blackeye Galaxy, prayers of thanksgiving immediately went out to Ekogaru as his
people thanked him for the nourishment he had provided by destroying both the
planet and the uncounted souls who had resided upon it.
Soon, the meal continued as
the weapons went dead, and Dej'jat Four's substance flamed out red like a sick
star, and then faded like a ghost. Soon, a world, a people, a
race, a planet, were no more.
And, Ekogaru was licking
his lips as he fed on the energy; tendrils of energy came from the consoles and
shot into his cyborg form as he smiled. A great meal, he thought. The
terror of those inhabitants was magnificent. Oh, what sustenance. Oh, what
nourishment! It is better, far better, yeas, when they are terrified. All of them. Now dead, and I am
dining on the substance of their corpses. I'm not sure what happened to their
souls. Maybe we feed on those, too? I do not know. All I know is that...it is
glorious!
"Wonderful, isn't it,
Yvona?" said Ekogaru.
Yvona was licking her lips
with joy. "What a way to live, My Lord. Feeding off the weak! It's great!
I love it!"
"The Rikashans will
soon make a great meal when I am done with them," said Ekogaru with an
evil laugh. "There is much nourishment in your galaxy. It will
take...centuries... to feed upon every race there. I wonder what...Earth will
taste like if I feed on it?"
On that note, Ekogaru and
Yvona began to laugh. And on the bridge, everyone laughed with them.
He is truly magnificent, thought Vergar with tears in his
eyes. What a great God he is.
On Iscandar, on their own
private island, Nova and Derek lay snuggled in each other's arms in the warm
grass near their villa. They had just finished making love. It was dark, and
they were enjoying their privacy as they lay together in the grass, relaxing as
the smells of the ocean and each other filled their nostrils.
"Derek, what's
that?" said Nova innocently as she looked up at the stars. Far, far away,
something like a red, beautiful star appeared in the depths of space in the
Great Magellenic Cloud.
They lay there, awed as the
star blazed up bright, and then suddenly faded into darkness. Despite the
warmth, Nova shivered as she lay against Derek.
"Nova, why are you
shivering?"
"Cold," she
whispered. "Somewhere in my consciousness, I just heard what sounded like
millions crying out in terror...and then...nothing. Nothing.
Do you think we just saw a supernova, Derek?"
"I hope not. We'll
have to ask Starsha in the morning. Or Aliscea. I'm
not sure whom."
"I hope I didn't just
imagine people dying, Derek. Or...I hope...I hope it wasn't...him."
"Who?"
"The
Dark Lord. Could
he have done that? Oh, God, I hope not!" sobbed Nova.
Derek pulled Nova closer to
him, close enough so she could hear his heartbeat. "I hope it wasn't
him."
"But what if it was,
Derek? What if it was?"
"Then we'd better pray
Aliscea can stop him. Because I don't know if we can."
TO BE CONTINUED WITH ACT TWO-"Diamonds are Forever"
THERE ARE NOW 93 DAYS TO THE ARRIVAL OF EKOGARU IN EARTH'S
SOLAR SYSTEM
To return to the Introduction to the Rikasha Incident please click here