ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---THE POTEMKIN VILLAGE
Being the sixth part of THE RIKASHA
INCIDENT--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
ACT FIVE--SIGNIFICANT
CONVERSATIONS
I. NOT A NICE LUNCH
Planet Earth
Tuesday, January 19,
2202
1248 Hours Spacetime
"A toast…to
myself," murmured Lieutenant Denise Carroway to herself with a smile. "And my success in being appointed as the Captain of the new Valkyrie."
Denise smiled, and drank
her cup of coffee…alone. A second cup sat across the table from her, untouched.
Jeff's late again, thought Carroway in a mood that suddenly turned
irritable. She stirred her coffee again, and sat looking around the Starlight
Café, one of the nicer places in the Megalopolis. It was a popular hangout for
young couples, and even with the Star Force in space, the paparazzi kept the
place staked out through contacts because it was known to be one of the
Wildstars' favorite lunch spots.
However, Carroway was
getting a few looks of her own. Not many people had seen a woman in both a navy
blue peacoat and white ascot before; these were the traditional accoutrements
of an EDF Captain.
"Congratulations,
Captain!" someone called out. "We heard the story on the news this
morning."
"Thank you!" said
Carroway, who raised her cup of coffee to the anonymous male in salute.
"At least someone is celebrating!"
Finally, after a long wait,
her boyfriend Jeff Sohn arrived, wearing a white
turtleneck, dark pants, and Cuban-style boots.
"Nice outfit," he
said to Denise. "Got a skirt on?"
"Bellbottoms,"
snapped Denise. "Standard EDF uniform slacks. You know."
"Aren't those guys'
pants? Don't you women wear those tight things?"
"I don't; not
now," said Carroway. "Do you think I'd be respected on my bridge
wearing one of those leotards? Maybe some females could get away with it, but I
can't see myself commanding a ship of this Fleet in a bloody Danskin. How would my crew respect me in the getup
they make us wear? It's just my personal choice. Rank hath its privileges."
"Ship of the
Fleet…don't you only have a patrol boat?"
"Jeff, it's a ship
that I happen to be very happy about," snapped Denise. "I have a
crew, and I'm the Captain, even though I only have the rank of
Lieutenant."
"That's a good
one…how'd you manage that?"
"I was given this
command by the Commanding General," said Carroway hotly. "Anyone
commanding a ship, no matter what their actual rank, is considered the Captain,
Skipper, or Old Man of their vessel."
"I don't see you as
being either old or a man," teased Jeff. "Where's your bushy
beard?"
"Jeff, please…you're
acting like a child," snapped Denise. "This is serious. Show
me some respect, or I'll eat lunch and celebrate by myself."
"Yes, ma'am," he
said with a grin. "You know, you do look cute in that coat."
"I'm not supposed to
look cute, I'm supposed to look authoritative," said Denise.
"Now, what do you want for lunch? If you can bear to sit with me and act
like an adult, that is."
"Uhh," said Jeff
as he scanned the menu. "French dip beef sandwich and fries. What about
you?"
"Teriyaki salmon and
rice, my usual…" she said. "And more coffee for
both of us." The waitress came a moment later and took their
orders. Carroway made sure she asked for chopsticks to go with her Japanese
lunch.
Jeff looked around
conspiratorially. "I've got something to show you, Denise. Would you like
to see it?"
"What is it?" joked Denise. "A can with a furry
spring-loaded snake in it? Please," she said with a smile.
"I don't know why you guys think it's funny to scare your significant
others like that."
"No, it's something
better," said Jeff. "Even though with the way you're sounding today,
it might just scare you."
"Okay, let's see
it," sighed Denise.
"Thought this would
give us something else to celebrate today," said Jeff. He pulled a small
box out of his pocket and left it on the table. "Open it."
Denise held it up to her
ear. "It's not ticking, so it's not a miniature bomb. I hear nothing alive
in there, so it's not some small animal, like a mouse."
Carroway shut her eyes and
opened the box. A welter of emotions ran across her face as she looked at what
was inside; a small, but exquisite, diamond ring.
Their lunch came a moment
later. Jeff just watched her, smiling softly. "Does this mean…what I think
it means?" asked Carroway.
Jeff nodded. He asked,
"Denise…would you marry me?"
Denise looked at the ring. I
have a career, she thought. Being married and having an EDF career are
not mutually exclusive. Famous people seem to get away with it. But, Jeff's not
Fleet. I don't know if he'd understand…I'll be away a lot…there'll be
separations…and I'm really devoted to my job…and I'm not quite ready to commit
to anyone, yet, let alone Jeff.
"Jeff…I…I…" she
said, with her eyes welling up a little. "I'm not
sure…"
"You're not
sure?"
"I'm not," she
said. She bit her lip and said. "We ship out on Friday. If I take
this…well…it looks like we might be getting involved in a war soon," she
said, with her voice dropping down to a whisper. "Didn't you hear about
the attacks on Earth shipping? Didn't you hear about
"You're not saying no…?"
"I'll say yes, to your
ring; you mean well," sighed Denise as Jeff then put the ring on her
finger. "But, please understand…I can't commit to a wedding date…not yet,
Jeff. Also, if we go through with this…"
"If?"
"Jeff,
things…well…things could change…you'll have to understand…you'll be sharing me
with a spouse named Valkyrie. I'm very happy, you see,
that my potential is being used. We will have to remember that I have a career,
Jeff. Please remember that when I come home, when we do get married, I won't be
retiring to wear an apron and go barefoot and pregnant for you at the drop of a
hat. I still have four years left on my hitch, anyway. Do you understand
that?"
"Yes…I do," he
said as he ate. "But please, Denise…remember my
feelings?"
"I do, silly.
Remember, I have a job, and so do you."
"My job's on Earth.
Yours could be, too."
Denise glared at Jeff.
"Jeff, you and I will spend all of our time together at your place during
leave. I'll gladly cook and 'keep house' when I'm home from work, if your
seeing me with a vacuum cleaner and a frilly white apron turns you on. But the
rest of the time, you do your job; I'll do mine. I'll be in the solar system,
so I can call you every damn week if you like."
"But, Denise…I want it
different!" he yelled, banging his fist on the table to punctuate
his point. Several patrons looked over at them; some even glared at Jeff. With
his longish, ponytailed hair, he looked a little
deranged. "After this tour…why can't you take a desk job?"
"Jeff, if you want
things to be like that, maybe you'd better find someone else to share
your life with." Denise then paused and took her ring off and carefully
put it back in the box before a shocked Jeff Sohn's
eyes. "One of the shortest engagements in history…about…two minutes, I
think. I'm sorry, Jeff. I can't go through with this. Not the way you are now.
Maybe things can be different if you grow up while I'm away…we can put the
relationship on hold until after I'm back." She tossed several credits on
the table to cover her bill and the tip. "You pay the bill, Jeff, give the
waitress the rest. I'm very sorry, but I have to leave now. I'll try to write you
a letter soon. I'll keep in touch."
"Not even a kiss for
your Jeffster?" murmured Jeff.
Denise shook her head.
"No, Jeff. And I'm sorry. And you can return your data capsule of Baby's
Day Out 2200 to the video store, too. I don't want to come over to your
place to watch it with you. It sounds like a juvenile movie, anyway."
"Then it's over, isn't
it?" he said.
"No. I said it's on
hold," replied Denise. "I need time to think. I'll go buy
a hoagie at a convenience store. You can have both of our lunches. Good
afternoon. "
At that, Denise got up,
pushed in her chair, and left Jeff and his engagement ring behind.
He's a child, thought Denise. That's all
there is to it; he's a child! Him and his saying my
t-shirts and jeans are juvenile… What does he want…someone who wears a
miniskirt all the time, 24-7?
"Baron Gernitz, we
have just arrived in the Nereid System. Planet Rotella is fifty thousand gerad off the fleet's port bow."
"Excellent, Captain Palsand" said Gernitz. "Days upon days of wasted
travel. Insignificant battles with rebels. What, is the whole Comet Empire
going crazy? No glory for us, even though we bring over three hundred ships as
we resupplied our fleet at our Cometine bases on the
way back here. At least the base network still operates. I could have had the
objective Zordar built those bases for, if only the Viceroy hadn't cheated
me."
"Yes…we could have had
Earth."
"Earth, Desslok's
head, and scrap metal and slaves from the Argo to present before the
Grand Emperor's Viceroy back in Andromeda," said the Cometine commander in
a morose voice. "Instead, we were ordered to break off the battle in the
early stages, in the midst of giving Earth a new set of trials and tribulations.
And, we had to come here…to deal with a foolish rebellion. So
ended the second Cometine attempt to take Earth and our effort to avenge Prince
Zordar…a stillborn effort. We couldn't even pay respects to our great
hero and kinsman Zordar in Earth orbit where he died."
"A grand tragedy,
sir," said Palsand.
"Yes. A tragedy,"
hissed Gernitz.
An anonymous officer knelt
before Gernitz. "Lord, a communication from the Forty-Seventh Black Fox
Nebula Patrol Fleet flagship Pleades. It seems
to be approaching for a rendezvous."
"Who's sending the
communication?" demanded Gernitz.
"Major-General Deda, sir."
"Deda? Ahhh…we were once antagonists
when Zordar invaded the Black Nebula years ago. After we convinced the Black
Nebulans to sign a treaty of friendship and concordance with the Empire, they
have been a loyal bunch, for the most part. Deda
helped me out back at Petronia, remember, Palsand? Merciless bunch of cyborgs, his people.
We could have used them when we attacked Earth. Since the Black Nebula Galactic
Group is considered a separate House, albeit a subject one, they could have
stayed behind when I was summoned back. Put Deda on,
Major."
"Yessir," said
another officer.
A bald, blue face with
weird blue-on-blue eyes above a white uniform appeared on the main screen of
Gernitz's Black Dreadnought. A deep, rough voice said, "It's been a long
while, Baron. How goes your leadership of House Gatlantis, the people who
convinced us to sign a non-aggression pact between our glorious Empires?"
"It goes well. It could
be better, Deda. How goes it with you? What news have
you heard lately from Dezarium?'
"None. That leaves me wondering, Gernitz.
They have been out of touch for days upon days. Last word said something about
a gravitational disturbance rolling through both galactic disks of the Black
Nebula; both the Black One and the Galaxy of Light. I was to escort a mining
expedition some weeks ago, but we were recalled at the last minute."
"Mining expedition?
That sounds like poor duty for you, Deda."
"Our scout ships in
the Magellenic Cloud had just discovered two planets in a star system near the
edge of the Great Magellenic Cloud. The scout squadron had left, but they told
us we could exploit those planets for rare radioactive resources for our energy
transmission units. Weird planets, too. Binary planetary group; one orbiting around the other. No
one there worth fighting; com-scan said there was a dead military civilization
on the bigger world, or its ruins, anyhow, and a few refugees hiding out on the
smaller world. We were about to do Baron Meldazz's
bidding to take those resources when we received a blip of a communication from
him to head back to the Black Nebula. Then, there was silence from the Black
Nebula. No answer to any of our hails. Then, the Viceroy called us and ordered
us to come here. She refused to tell us what had become of the Black Nebula, or
of Dezarium. She said we were to consider our fleet under your provisional command until communications were
restored with Lord Skaldart. Did you hear anything?"
"No," said
Gernitz thoughtfully. "We have been monitoring the communications of a
minor rebel whose race had joined forces with Zordar and then broke the
alliance by deciding to become a turncoat and aid Earth."
"Who is this rebel?
Have I heard of him?"
"He is named Desslok
of Gamilon, Deda. A grand bounty is on his head
throughout the whole Empire."
"Ahh…the
Gamilon Empire," said Deda with contempt.
He laughed as if he knew some secret that Gernitz was unaware of. "You'd
love to know what became of them, I'm sure. Or, rather, their
homeworld?" Deda laughed again.
"I'll tell you some other time. How goes it around Rotella?"
"I have been told the
rebels just wiped out a cruiser squadron. I could put my Siege Cannon to good
use on the Rotellan Capital today."
"Did the Viceroy give
your permission from the Emperor?" asked Deda.
"No, I will therefore
exterminate a few million people today anyway," said Gernitz. Both
warriors laughed across their comlink.
"You were always good
at extermination, Gernitz," said Deda. "Why
not bring up an antimatter missile squadron and terminate the planet? Or why
not ask for a Gorba Squadron? We'd be happy to kill for you."
"We need the resources
the planet provides," said Gernitz. "You will support the rear of my
fleet, Deda. Guard it against enemy forces; the
rebels got some of our ships. The very ships Zordar left there for their
protection."
"I understand,
Gernitz. I would love to learn, though, what became of our people."
"I am sure you will
learn. In due time. Remember, you serve us."
"Yes," said Deda as dark thoughts ran through his brain. His circuits
burned with a bit of rage as he remembered that, as free as they seemed to be,
the Black Nebula Empire was still a confederate…and protectorate…of the Grand
Cometine Empire.
II. A BULL SESSION
Space Battleship Argo
Aft Observation Deck
Wednesday, January 20,
2202
0427 Hours Spacetime
Commander Mark Venture
stood on the Argo's Aft Observation deck at this ungodly hour with his
elbows on the simulated wood railing that ran around the inside of the large
bubble. He stood there with his chin propped on his hands, watching the stars
and the distant Milky Way Galaxy far aft of the Argo. The mighty ship
was now 35,000 lightyears out from Earth, and was now closer than ever before
to the Octopus Star Group and the nebulae that surrounded it.
By the end of the week, thought Mark, we should be able
to get a scan with enough resolution to tell us what's going on around the
Octopus Group…and to tell us if we can warp around the black cloud of gas, pass
through the channel we used before, or have to explore the whole mess all over
again. All this with enemies out there, too; we don’t know if we finished off
the Potemkin or not, and we don't know if the Rikashans are after us.
Seems familiar, doesn't it? Our journey to Iscandar two years ago…
Behind Venture, the
automatic hatch whirred open. He stood to attention when he recognized
Wildstar's reflection in the techtite done of the observation deck.
"Hanging out,
huh?" said Derek in a smart-alecky voice that didn't match his hangdog
expression; in his peacoat, with his hands in his pockets and
(uncharacteristically) his Captain's cap on his head, Derek looked about ten
years older than his true age.
"Yeah," said
Venture with a smirk. "What's it to you, Derek?"
"Aren’t you supposed
to be on the bridge? If you break regs, I'll have to
have you before me tomorrow morning for Mast like I did with Hartcliffe a day
after Paul and Aliscea's wedding. And the guy's still serving
his extra duty shifts."
"Oh, yeah?" said
Venture. "You'll bust me because I'm up here relaxing. Really."
"I might…unless you
wanna fight about it," said Derek. The polished black brim of his
hat was down, so Mark couldn't see the twinkle in his eyes.
"All right, let's
go…whenever you're game, that is," said Venture. "When are you gonna
be man enough to try slugging me again?"
Mark looked at Wildstar.
The Captain stood there, as cool as a cucumber, fishing around for something in
his pocket.
Venture looked
mystified…until he saw the object was a soda can. Derek pushed up his hat and
grinned.
"I know you’re not on
duty, Mark. I was just kidding around."
Venture laughed. "Hey,
Derek, you do look like a Captain with that hat on your head."
"When I was on the bridge
before, manning the watch so we could have a little break in the Officer of the
Deck schedule, I just put it on while looking back at the plaque. Funny, I feel
a bit closer to him tonight, Mark. I could use his advice about now."
"About
what?"
"Lots of things,"
sighed Derek as he exhaled again. Both Derek and Mark leaned on the deck rail,
not far from the empty chair which sat there.
"Okay…let me help,
Wildstar. What's on your mind?"
"Where's that damn battleship?"
he muttered. "We're still repairing that aft turret, even though we do
have communications back. Communications that we'll lose in a day once we get
out beyond 38,000 lightyears, the maximum range of our subspace communications
equipment."
"Wish I knew,"
said Mark as he looked at his watch. "0435," murmured Venture.
"The Colorado Express is late tonight."
"Colorado Express?"
said Derek. "We don't have a damn railroad line on this ship, Mark."
"The Express runs at
odd hours of the night, Wildstar, and not every night. For the past few nights,
here and there, she's been making that run again."
"Who? What?" said Derek.
Venture just chuckled. A
moment later, the hatch whirred open again. Light footsteps hit the deck.
Derek looked over his
shoulder and turned a little pale. His suspicions were right. Nova was standing
there in her gold and black uniform, stifling a yawn. "Good evening,
gentlemen," she said.
"The Colorado Express
has arrived," smirked Venture.
"Good, Mark…you
explained it to him," said Nova with a smile. "Sorry about the
occasional wandering, Derek dearest," said Nova. "Just
trouble sleeping again. “
"When did you first
start doing this?" asked a concerned Derek.
"Night before
last," said Nova. "I was wandering around again after I crawled over
you that night to take care of some things. Couldn't get back to sleep, and I
didn't want to wake you up, so I got dressed and came down here. Thank God,
there's Mark. Nice to have someone to talk to when you have insomnia and your
husband is asleep."
"Nova, why don't you
wake me up when you get like that?" asked Derek.
"Because I know you
need your sleep, dear," said Nova as she affectionately patted her
husband's cheek.
"The chair,
milady," said Mark with a gallant gesture.
"Thanks," said
Nova. “Now, let's talk. What's bothering you guys?"
"Almost two years ago,
Homer freaked out when his father died before him on the view screen,"
said Derek. "Remember…he tried to swim home??"
"How can I forget that
night??" said Nova with a blush.
At that, Mark raised an
eyebrow. He asked, "Nova…were you guys up to something you never told
anyone about?"
"No,
silly. He…he saw
me in a nightgown for the first time that night. And so did you. Remember? " said Nova as her blush deepened.
"Which one…uh…oh…that
nightgown?" said Mark. "Derek, wasn't that a beautiful sight?"
Derek nodded and smiled.
"Yes…it was."
"Yes…that gown it…it
was a bit revealing," said Nova with her eyes turned demurely down
towards the deck as she remembered just how revealing it was. "I remember
that all too well…you guys looked so shocked," said Nova as she
remembered and began smiling a little. "Didn’t you ever see what a
woman looked like before?"
Venture just stammered.
"Uhhhmmm…uhmmm…"
"Nova, you know I did,
but…I don't want to talk about it."
"Henson?" asked
Venture. "At the space school?"
Derek just nodded glumly.
Nova gently put a hand on his cheek and began to caress it. "Uh…I hope I
looked better …the first time you ever saw me in…that little."
"Definitely,"
said Derek. "At least you had some things covered up. Diane, on the other
hand…"
The door whizzed open,
startling them. They looked around and noticed Diane Henson coming in with some
papers. When she noticed who was there, her face immediately
twisted into a smirk.
"Well, well, well,"
she said. "It looks like the Captain opened up a lounge up here. Can I
join in?"
"No," said
Nova flatly.
"I wasn't asking you,"
sneered Diane. "I was asking the Captain, hon?" added Henson
in a very sarcastic voice.
"Miss Henson,"
said Derek. "We were discussing ship's business. You don't have a
security clearance to hear all of this, so could you please leave before I have
to make it an official order?"
"I was listening
through the hatch," said Diane. "I believe, sir, you were comparing
my lingerie to the lingerie of Miss Forrester?"
"That's Mrs. Wildstar,
to you," said Nova. "If you need to see my marriage
certificate to call me by my legal name, I'll gladly go up to our cabin and get
it for you," she huffed.
"No,
stay here," whispered Derek in Nova's ear.
"Hmh?"
whispered Nova.
"If she's going to
razz you, she's going to razz me, too." said Derek. "We're in this
together. We're a family now."
Nova just nodded. She
quickly wiped away the tears welling at her eyes before Henson could see them. Then, she grabbed Derek's
hands and made sure they were both facing Henson.
"Go away, Lieutenant
Henson," said Nova. "With that look on your face, I'm about a second
away from ordering you to get out of here. "
"Let's see you try
it!" snapped Diane.
"Henson, I do
outrank you, as a Senior Grade Lieutenant and a Group Leader," said Nova
quickly before Derek could interject anything.
"Oh, too bad, honey.
We could have had a great discussion about sleepwear," said Diane
in a sarcastically sweet voice. "Commander Venture, sir…would you like to
have some late-night space java with me?" said Diane as she sidled
up to Venture and affectionately brushed his cheek. "We can leave this
deck to our teenage newlyweds."
"No!"
snapped Mark. "I wouldn't go out with you if you were the only woman on
this ship!"
"Henson, because you
aren't showing your fellow officers any respect, you're under orders to leave
this space," snapped Derek. "Now."
She just glared at Derek
for a moment. Then, she turned to Venture. "Too bad what marriage does to
some people," she snorted. "Especially when they
marry the little old flat-chested girl next door
type." Before Derek or Nova could react, Diane sidled over to the
hatch and began to step out. "Bye, Captain!" she sang. "I hope
I'm in your dreams tonight!"
"Henson," snapped
Derek. "If you're not out of here in ten seconds, you're on report!"
Nova thought, strictly
to herself, Diane, if you're not out of here in ten
seconds and keep up those comments, I just might belt you!
"Aye,
aye, sir!"
Diane blew Derek a kiss.
"Henson, you're on
report," snapped Wildstar. "Get up to my cabin at 0930 tomorrow
morning. Got it?"
"Yessir," she
said with a grin. Then she stepped backwards through the hatch with a smart
salute to her chest. She was gone a moment later.
"Flat-chested," said Nova in a shaky voice. "I'll show her
flat-chested," she said peevishly. "Horrible smell in here. Does she practice regular
feminine hygiene?"
Both Derek and Mark broke
out laughing like crazy. "That's a good one, Nova!" snorted
Derek through loud chuckles. "You did it again! All you've been doing the
past few days is cracking me up!"
"I think we have
someone here for stand-up comics' night!" snorted Mark. "Nova, I
thought you were so nice."
"Oh, I am. With people
who don't deliberately insult me, that is," said Nova. She puffed
out her chest a little and looked down at it. "Uhh…guys…I never asked you
this before…but, I guess…we're all close enough to discuss this…uhh…do I really
look too small?"
"Nova…you look just
right," said Derek. "Doesn't she, Mark?"
Venture just smiled and
nodded. "You don't look half bad in that bodice, tights and boots. In
fact…you…uh…you look great. You wear that uniform well, Nova."
"Thanks," she
snorted with a little smile. "Least it's good for something,"
she said with a smile as she leaned back on the rail and put a leg out.
Mark added, "Guys, can
I make a comment without being disrespectful? It's meant to be between
us."
"Go ahead," said
Derek. "Between the three of us, of course."
Mark sighed and said,
"This'll sound terrible, but…didn't you two ever notice that, topside,
uhh..," said Mark pointing to his chest.
"Henson sort of looks
like she was blown up with an air pump?" said Nova. "Derek, I'm not
sure what you ever saw in her."
"I'm not sure,
either," he mused. "She's got a cute face, but…"
"An ugly soul,"
added Nova.
"Nova, you look waaaay better than she does," said Derek, sidling up
to her and winking.
"I may look mundane
compared to her, but…"
Mark smiled and said,
"And, as…uh…the Captain can surely attest…you look even better in whatever
kind of negligee you're in…or whatever you wore on your wedding night with
Derek," said Venture with a deep blush of his own. "Hope I'm not
getting too personal…Was it that one, Nova?"
"No…it…wasn't that
particular negligee," said Nova. "It was too…warm…for it on the
island that night. I'm sure you can guess what I mean, and…that's all I'm going
to say about what I wore on my wedding night. Mark. I…oh, why am I even telling
you this?"
"Funny things can happen
during breaks," smiled Derek.
"Stop calling
me that, I've never liked that name they pinned on me on the way to
Iscandar." muttered Nova. She looked over and saw Mark smiling. "Are
you laughing at me,
"No,
"You and Space Cowboy
here had better stop it, or I'll bop both of you," teased Nova as
she shook a fist.
"Wildstar, turn your
head," said Mark.
"Why?"
"I want to say
something to your spouse," said Mark.
"Yes, Mark?" sang
Nova.
"Just a
compliment," said Venture. He whispered, in a sing-song voice, "You
look cute in a negligee."
Nova blushed again. Then,
she playfully punched Mark in the forearm.
"Ow!"
said Mark. "That hurt!"
"Good," said
Nova. "Now I've hit both of you delinquents up here." she said
with a giggle.
Venture looked at Wildstar
with a look as if to say, What the hell is
she talking about?
"Mark…don't ask," said Derek. "It was when we were near
Iscandar…"
"Our first date,"
said Nova. "It was cute but don't ask."
"Huh?"
"He got a bit too
frisky," said Nova with a smile. "Enough said."
"Funny how cycles
go," mused Derek. "On our way to Iscandar again.
Too bad we aren't on Iscandar, yet, Mark," said Derek with a smirk.
"Yeah…too bad we
aren't around that hill beyond the 'cats'," added Mark.
"You guys are not
going to waylay me there behind a gravestone and tickle me half to death like
you did halfway through that month on Iscandar," said Nova.
"What's to stop us?
We're way bigger than you," teased Derek.
"You know, Derek. That
aikido and judo practice you've been putting me through. If anyone tries
kidnapping me again, they'll regret it. Heeeyahhh!"
cried Nova as she kicked the rail hard.
Both Derek and Mark jumped.
Nova giggled at their reaction behind her free hand as she stabilized her chair
again on two legs while she leaned back, with her feet locked against the
railing by her boot heels. "Good. I woke you up," she said.
"Good thing…so far from home. How far again, Mark?"
"Thirty-five
thousand lightyears as of tonight. We’ve been warping kind of carefully ever since that battle
the other night; and Aliscea's warning."
"Aliscea," said
Derek as he put his hand on Nova's shoulder. "Odd…she's like you…but
weird."
"That must mean I'm
normal," teased Nova. "Funny…you told me I was weird two nights
ago."
"Every smart person on
this ship is sorta weird," said Venture. "You,
Sandor, Doctor Sane, and Royster. All smart…all weird."
"Is that an insult or
a compliment?" said Nova slowly while she put down her feet and let the
chair sit on all of its four tripod-style legs again. Derek and Mark took the
cue and knelt down together on the deck to continue their conversation at close
range, with Derek at his wife's left and Mark at Nova's right. Nova looked at
Mark with a quizzical expression, and he just shrugged.
"Derek, I give you
permission to beat him up," teased Nova.
"Not now…not someone
who loans me pens and stuff," said Derek as he grabbed Mark's hand over
Nova's lap.
"And not someone who
loaned me five credits the other day," said Venture as he clasped Derek's
hand.
"Okay…two guys who'll
sit with a weird blond flat-chested…"
"Nova, don't say
that!" cried Derek.
"…insomniac at nearly
0500 aren't bad," yawned Nova as she clasped both of their hands with her
left hand. "Derek, you…in one way as the only true love of my life…Mark,
you in another, as a dear friend…like the brother I never had… I love both you
guys," said Nova affectionately.
"Thanks for the
compliment," smiled Derek as he cuddled his head in close to Nova's neck
and left shoulder. Nova kissed him softly, and pulled Mark into their hug with
her right hand. Nova didn't kiss Mark, but, instead, affectionately mussed up
some of the dark hair at the top of his head.
Then, the three of them
went quiet and unselfconsciously snuggled as they watched the stars. Only among
these three close friends did the contact not seem strange.
"So, what do we have
to do to commemorate this night?" asked Mark.
"Become
blood brothers and …sisters?" teased Derek.
"Silly…we already
are," said Nova.
They again went silent. For
a long time, they just remained there like that, watching the stars, and
occasionally glancing at each other. For a moment, they felt perfectly safe;
the cares of the mission and of shipboard life with people they didn't like but
had to share the Argo with had passed them by, dissolved by their mutual
love and friendship…
"You smug
idiots," hissed the Dark Lord as, in his darkened audience chamber,
Ekogaru sat looking at the three friends cuddled in their hug on the Argo
while the scene remained on his screen. His fist clenched. "If I were
there now, I'd spit on you. I have subordinates. I have worshippers. I
have slaves. But a God has no friends. No peers. How can it be that one such as
I would have peers? I sit on the throne by myself, indivisible. Friendship has
passed me by; and for me, love is a joke. I am now closer to you than before.
Merely six hundred and fifty thousand lightyears separate me from you…and from
Aliscea. Aliscea. I long for her…so I can drain her
power and enslave her to my purposes. Derek…Nova…Mark…wouldn't the three of you
look adorable chained up together in a labor camp? I might just grant you the
joy of living so I can see the sight. Perhaps…and…perhaps, I can think of
something better and more fitting for you scum. Perhaps.
Yes…if I let you live."
The three friends had, in
their embrace, unselfconsciously dozed off together. Ekogaru smiled darkly at
the sight of Derek's, Nova's and Mark's faces in sleep. "Captain
Wildstar…yes…I've watched you rut with your mate…and then sleep. Like baby animals. But, aren’t the three of you the cutest
babies of all?" said Ekogaru in a voice dripping with sarcasm. "Babies in their twenties. Daring to oppose the will of
a God who has lived for over three thousand years! What cheek you have!
And just wait until you see the punishment I will have in store for you!"
At that, Ekogaru laughed a
low, hissing laugh. The laugh didn't sound remotely human. Instead, it bore a
great resemblance to the hissing of a serpent.
III. VALKYRIE
TAKES FLIGHT
Space Patrol Ship Valkyrie's Dock
Wednesday, January 20,
2202
0845 Hours Spacetime
It was near the appointed
hour: 0845 on January the 20th. At 0900, the Valkyrie's
new skipper would assume command of her vessel.
At that moment, Lieutenant
Denise Carroway, having read her dossier on the Valkyrie's
crew, stood before her ten-person crew on the small quay next to the ship
herself. The crew stood at attention, in two ranks of five each. "At
ease," snapped Carroway. Immediately, the crew snapped to an
"at-ease" posture with their hands behind their backs.
The Valkyrie
herself, all 800 metric tons of her, sat gleaming in the water nearby looking
factory-fresh, which she was.
Carroway stood there in her
blue peacoat with a white anchor on one breast, light standard blue
bellbottoms, and brown boots. She carried her cap in one hand, and her ascot
was tucked into her jacket at the collar to keep the January wind out of her
coat.
"First of all,"
she said. "In accordance with my orders, at 0900 hours, I, Lieutenant
Denise Carroway, will hereby officially assume command of this vessel. Since we
have a small crew, I'd like each one of you to step forward, sound off, and
give your rank, name, position, and a brief description of your last
assignment, and we can talk a little. Let's start with you, XO."
The somewhat chubby young
man in a peacoat and bellbottoms, sans ascot and hat, saluted and stepped
forward. "Aye, aye, ma'am. Mah name is Lieutenant
Christopher Eager, the new Deputy Captain an' Navigator-pilot of the Valkyrie.
Mah last assignment was servin' as tactical radar
officer and Assistant pilot of a ship a hell of a lot bigger than this
one."
"Mister Eager,"
said Carroway. "Are you making fun of your new assignment?'
"No, ma'am!" said
Eager. "Just that…well…this girl should be easier to steer, that's
all!"
"Good. You'll have
plenty of opportunity to fly her, since we're going on a two-week test run
before we go out with the Twentieth Interplanetary Defense Squadron in
mid-February."
"The Twentieth,
ma'am?" said an enlisted man near Eager. "How are we gonna fit in
with those Sun Htsu class frigates?"
"Tech Sergeant…?"
"Tyrone Garland,
ma'am," said the tall, bearded man standing next to Eager.
"Combat/Gunnery Specialist on your second bridge."
"Explain your
question, Sergeant," said Carroway, eyeing up the tall chocolate-skinned
man.
"Well, ma'am…what I
mean is that we previously had eight frigates to an escort squadron; running in
two flotillas of four each. How does a new ship like this fit in? It is smaller
than a frigate."
"Sergeant," said
Carroway. "Command expects this ship to take the place of a frigate for
escort duties. She's more than adequately armed, she's faster, she's more
maneuverable, and cheaper to build and takes less people to man. The Sun Htsu's were originally designed as small battleships
with emphasis on heavy armament, high speed and maneuverability, and a moderate
armor belt. Problem is, for escort, light patrol, and courier purposes they're
a little like killing a fly with a wave motion gun. So, this class was designed
to take the place of those old patrol boats…those inadequate little aerospace
planes they put on patrol and light escort duty. This was done to give us
something adequate and fast for protection of shipping, general patrol duties,
quick recon runs, even courier duties. I was told in a command briefing that
these ships could even possibly be used to run either important information
back and forth, or to run vaccine out to a colony or ship if we ever had an
outbreak. The officer who told me about that idea said that they could possibly
see an MD in short-term command of one of these ships in the future."
"Why, ma'am?"
said Eager. "Who'd stick a doctor in command of a ship?"
The image that came to Eager's mind was ludicrous; he
was picturing Doctor Sane, with bottle of "spring water", syringe,
glasses, Mimi the cat and everything else...sitting there commanding a ship
like this.
"Well, they said they
made these ships simple enough so they could stick anyone with minimal fighter
or recon pilot training in command of such a ship. They said there are a few
EDF MD's who have piloting experience, believe it or not. Although, between you
and me, I think the possibility of some sawbones commanding a warship is crazy.
They're all drunks; I've never seen a doctor with the build to fit in a pilot's
seat, they all freak out at explosions, and I doubt you'd ever find an MD or
potential MD, man or woman, in this Fleet with piloting experience, a kill
record, and the requisite degree and medical experience. If I ever meet someone
like that and see them assuming command of one of these, I think I’ll eat my
cap," said Carroway with a grin. "Sorry about the diversion. Let’s
get back to the task at hand. Chief Engineer?" said Carroway, turning to
A youngish man with a blond
crewcut stepped up and saluted. "Ma'am, my name
is Lieutenant Junior Grade Neil Callaghan. I've been the assistant engineer on
two other ships but never moved up to the Chief's slot before. Looks like I'm
the chief."
"Good. Glad to hear
you're alert," said Carroway as the wind blew through her hair.
"Next?" said Carroway, walking further down her first row.
"Sound off, miss."
Then, a slightly chubby
woman with light brown hair and glasses spoke up. "Gunnery
Sergeant Nicole Harrison, ma'am. I've been in combat, edge of
Saturn-Titan on the frigate Davy Crockett. Looks like we hit our
"We might,
"Ma'am, I'm Sergeant
Ichiro Miyagawa. Served only planetside on
"And, you, now, leading
off the next line," said Carroway, walking around to the first person in
the second rank.
"Technical Sergeant Amid Hassain, ma'am.
Communications specialist," said a somewhat mustachioed Arabic-looking
man. "I was with Eager in the hospital. We were both on the Argo
beforehand, twice."
"Then I take it you
know Lieutenant Homer Glitchman?" asked Carroway.
"Yes,
ma'am. Served under him heading to Iscandar and Telezart. Reason
I'm not on the Argo is because I was near Eager and his friends when
that bombing raid took place. Nice guy, that Homer, but he's still crazy. I
hear he still likes to swim in space," he said with a grin. The crew
laughed for a moment.
"Hopefully, in a
proper spacesuit," said Carroway with a smile. "Next?'
"Ma'am, Tech Sergeant
Viktor Eisenhart. Mechanical
Specialist on this ship. Specialty is robotics and robo-servos.
Served in
"Nice, you can help
the cook in the galley when you don't have grease on your hands. Engine Control
Specialist One?"
"Ma'am, Corporal
Trisha Jaffee," said a dark-skinned girl whose
hair was in cornrows. "I helped set this engine board up on the testbed in Fleet Construction. Took a lot
of work to fit the controls of a wave motion engine in such a small
space."
"Good job," said
Carroway. "Next?"
"Sergeant
Bob Llwelyn, ma'am. Just got finished
studying this ship's tech manual. Quite a change from the cruiser I was
on."
"And, last but not
least, our Living Specialist, also known as our 'Chief Cook, Bottle Washer, and
Pharmacist's Mate'," said Carroway with a laugh. "Name, please?"
"Corporal Cyndi
Harvey, ma'am!" piped up the young blond, who looked to be no more than
nineteen.
"First
cruise?"
"Aye, ma'am!" she
said. "Served on a small base beforehand, ma'am.
Supply specialist!"
"Corporal, why are you
screaming?" smiled Carroway.
"Habit I got in boot
camp, ma'am, and Advanced Individual Training! Forty-six weeks of learning how
to run a ship, perform first aid, and run a gunhouse!
I can also cook, clean, wash, and make a mean coffee, ma'am!" she piped up
as several people snickered.
"Good," said
Carroway. "Want a battleship of your own?"
"Uhhhmmm…err…uhh…ehh…no, ma'am," said
"Don't worry; we'll
show you the ropes, kiddo," said Carroway as she put an arm around
Everyone snapped to,
saluted, and then began to follow Carroway up the gangplank with their
suitcases and seabags.
Soon, the Valkyrie
was cruising away from her dock at slow speed. Her next destination was to be
the
TO BE CONTINUED WITH ACT SIX-"Yvona's Dark
Apotheosis"
THERE ARE NOW 125 DAYS TO THE ARRIVAL OF EKOGARU IN EARTH'S
SOLAR SYSTEM
To return to the Introduction to the Rikasha Incident please click here