TOMORROW
NEVER KNOWS
ACT TWO: REBUILDING
I. DREAMS AND SCHEMES
Federal Megalopolis
EDF Cliffside Space Naval
Base
BOQ Billet 2216
November 16, 2201
1314 Hours-Spacetime
Derek Wildstar had become quite
accustomed to moving, because, after all, he had been on the move in one form
or another since shortly after the death of his parents. His lifestyle in the
space service had only served to crystallize his on-the-go tendencies.
So, he found it natural to be
moving into a new set of assigned quarters on this late autumn afternoon after
having run a few errands. One of them, namely, the requisitioning of a fresh
standard blue duty uniform and the recovery of his blue peacoat, had made him
feel much better. As much as he liked his Star Force whites, the uniform he had
been in for about two days had become more than a little rumpled.
After inserting his card-key
into the card-reader slot near a door just two doors down from Nova's billet,
he stepped into a small apartment not at all unlike hers.
The usual, he thought with a sigh of familiarity as
he strode into the apartment. I've been in and out of quarters like these in
the underground cities after I graduated, as well as just before I left for my
second cruise on the Argo and shortly afterward. Feels just like the old place
in the Eight-Thousand Block, he thought as he set down the suitcase he had
collected from the Argo earlier in the morning as well as a seabag full
of personal possessions and gear that he had stored in a facility on the base
before he had departed on his "leave", as he had told the enlisted
man in charge of the facility, as a cover for his unauthorized departure with
the Argo in September.
In the living room, Wildstar
threw his suitcase on the couch and opened it.
The first thing he pulled out
was a clear techtite-covered picture in a black frame. It was a portrait of
Nova in a pink blouse, smiling cheerfully into the camera.
You sent me this when I was
on my one-year tour on the Argo when she was the flagship of the Third
Squadron, when we left under Commodore Jose'
Next, there's the model of my
Super Starfighter, the one I call my "Cosmo Zero" thought Wildstar as he withdrew a wrapped
metal-and-plastic model of his favored Type 52 Super Starfighter Interceptor
astrofighter, complete with the "01" nose ID number that as he
observed, had been painted on all of his planes he had used as the Argo's Fighter
Captain. That "01" was on all of them, he thought, even
though I crashed one on the Argo's aft deck in the Octopus Star Storm on the
way to Iscandar, then had the second one destroyed in one of the Argo's upper
fighter bays in the Battle of Gamilon not long after the Argo arose from the
acid seas, and then...I left my third one a battered wreck in the bottom of the
Comet Empire City after Sandor and I left it behind as a target for the Comet
Imperial gunners while we were going after the energy center. For all I know,
it's probably still lying up there in orbit in what's left of the lower half of
the
Hmmm... mused Wildstar
as he put his model on a shelf. I wonder what Zordar's race named that thing? Maybe they'll find out if they ever send intelligence
and demolitions crews into that mess to see if there's anything we can salvage
out of that wreck. I can guess one thing, though...I'll probably have a fourth
plane like this soon, especially if I can help it.
And, finally, thought Derek as he withdrew another
object with a smile...my graduation present from Alex...my...
At that, Derek's reverie was
interrupted by a few quick taps at the door.
"Coming!" he yelled as
he ran across the room to the door. Upon opening the door, he saw Nova standing
there holding up a small bike with a cargo carrier over the back wheel that had
a pizza box attached to it with a clip and bungee cord. She, too, had changed,
having exchanged her gold Star Force uniform for a black leatherette flight
jacket, white sweatshirt, jeans, and boots.
"Hi...where'd you get
that?" he asked gesturing to the white bicycle.
"Mine. I had it in storage
with my other things. I didn't feel like going through the red tape of
requisitioning another staff aircar to go out for pizza," she said as she
began to free the pizza box from the rear of the bicycle.
"How's about buying an aircar?"
he joked.
"Buying one?"
said Nova with a note in her voice that indicated some concern for her
fiancée's sanity.
"Yeah...you should have
more than enough in your credit account to do that, what with the hazard pay
they've probably given us..."
"Uhh...Derek...I believe I
can think of other things to do with my money...especially as we have to plan a
few things."
"Such as?" he asked
teasingly as Nova locked the bike up to the railing outside on the balcony and
then danced into the apartment carrying the pizza box.
"Hmmm...," said Nova
as she looked in his bag for a moment. "Does this give you a hint?"
she said as she pulled out another picture; an instant stereo-portrait now
encased in plastic. It was a picture of Derek about a second or so after Nova
had slapped his hand on their first date on the Argo's aft observation
deck in April of 2200.
"Yes. You're going to slap
me again if I keep on talking about you going out to buy an aircar today."
"No," said Nova
brightly.
"Hmmm..," said Derek
as he began to open the pizza box that he and Nova had pooled their available
credits for Nova to purchase. "You want me to take a picture of you in
your new civvies."
"Might not be a bad idea,
but you're still wrong..."
"You're in the mood to slap
me again."
"Keep this up and I will
be," sang Nova.
"Hmmm...I'm not sure I want
to hazard another guess," said Derek.
"Well...you know, Derek...I
can picture, some day, a little boy or girl looking at that picture, and
saying, "Gee, weren't my parents silly once upon a time when they were
young?" said Nova in a soft voice as she picked up a piece of pizza.
"Uh-huh...I think I can,
too," said Derek after a long pause with a little smile.
"But, let's run this back a
little," said Nova. "What do the parents have to do, first?"
"Well...the mother has to
have the kid..."
"Yes," said Nova with
a sour look on her face. "But what happens before that?"
"Papa and Mama have to go
off somewhere to a nice, quiet place and make the kid," said Derek
with a roguish grin.
"Oh...you! You would say that," said Nova with
a blush...and a caress of Derek's hand. "But...well...as you know, what
customarily happens in these times before prospective Papas and Mamas run off
to make babies...preferably...long before?"
"They get married,"
said Wildstar with a soft smile.
"Right," said Nova
with closed eyes and a big smile. "By George, I think the skipper's
finally figured out what I want to talk about."
"Uh-huh," said
Wildstar. "Of course, you know, we can't exactly run off and get married
today any more than you can run off to Friendly Sam's and buy an aircar.
Friendly Sam's is probably bombed out and, since the EDF Personnel office that
grants permission for service members to marry is also probably damaged along
with the rest of Headquarters. I don't think there's a single place in town
where you can get a white gown today, and...well...,"
sighed Wildstar, looking out at the plumes of smoke in the city, "...all
of the available padres are most likely, unfortunately, out praying for the
sick and wounded..."
"...and planning funeral
services," said Nova softly and sadly.
"Yeah. I wonder...we'll probably be busy with
the rebuilding soon, too. But, I promised you that as soon as this was through,
we'd spend the rest of our lives together...and we will. but...I
wonder if this is the right day to be discussing our wedding date?" said
Wildstar sadly.
"I'd be wondering the same
thing...," said Nova. "...if I didn't love you as much as I do. I
feel this is important."
"I know," he said,
taking her hands as her eyes went wide and began to water. "There's a lot
we'll have to do, and soon. You know...we'll have to seek and get official
permission..."
"Which I'm sure we'll get
after all we did for Earth, Derek."
"And...there's our
careers...we don't know if we'll be stationed near each other...and what about
if the Argo gets called back into action, soon?"
"..did
that ever stop us?"
"No," said Wildstar
thoughtfully. "It didn't. And, it shouldn't. We'll need to get the
appropriate paperwork done...plan so much...it'll be
hard...but...well...," said Derek.
"Maybe we should save this
for another time," said Nova quietly. "After all...it is a lot to
think about..."
No, thought Wildstar as he sat back and shut
his eyes. I can't let this slip away, now. I can't! I promised her when this
was through, we'd be together, and I can't let anything get in the way of my
promise. It's been too long already...
"Nova...," said Derek
after he opened his eyes.
"Yes, Derek?"
"Something just occurred to
me. What would you like for Christmas?"
"Christmas? I don't know...it's a little far
off...but it is almost that time of year, isn't it?" mused Nova.
"May I make a
suggestion?"
"Make a suggestion?"
said a puzzled Nova. "Okay. You mean...you want to...suggest to me...what
you should buy me for Christmas...so it won't be a surprise, anymore? Okay.
I'll bite. What do you suggest for my Christmas present, Mister?"
"Well...how about a gold
ring..?"
"Sounds
nice."
"And a white wedding dress
to go with it?" suggested Derek as suddenly Nova's eyes lit up and her
mouth fell open. "I should be able to get you one by then."
"You can get me the ring...Mom'll have to get me the gown and keep it a secret for
good luck, of course," added Nova. "When do I...uh...put them both on
at once for the first time?"
"How
about the next day?
Unless you mind going to church again the day after Christmas, that is..."
"I think that'd be
wonderful!" cried Nova.
"Great," said Derek.
"Of course...we'll have to seek your father's blessing, first..."
"That won't be a problem at
all, I'm sure," said Nova. "We might be able to see them at their
temporary apartment in the underground city tonight."
"Why not? Uh...I just met your parents for the
first time yesterday. Won't it seem a bit sudden?" laughed Wildstar.
"You don't know my mother
very well..," said Nova through a giggle. "Mom's been trying to marry
me off since the day I graduated from the
"So, when should we call
your father?"
"Let's try to call him
today...when we head into town, and..."
Wildstar sat bolt upright when
his newly-installed videophone rang. He answered it with a quick,
"Yes?"
"Captain..,. said an anonymous-looking officer on the other end of the
line. "You and Miss Forrester are wanted at Defense Headquarters today at
1600 for a press conference. Please make certain you're both in appropriate
uniform."
"Of course," said
Wildstar. "Nova?"
She just nodded once as the
conversation between Wildstar and the staff officer ended. Then, she said,
"I'll have to go soon. I'll have to change into a set of blues. Where do
you want to meet?"
"Here. By the way, I was
able to requisition a car this morning."
"Oh! You didn't tell me
that!" said Nova.
"Well....we were talking
about other things."
"That's right," said
Nova with a smile. "We'll call my father after this is done...okay?"
"All
right."
"See you later," said
Nova as she gave Derek a kiss before she went back out to get her bike.
"Bye, now," said
Wildstar as she stepped out the door.
Well...life goes on... thought Wildstar with a tight smile.
The press conference was held in
a briefing room in one of the few undamaged portions of the Defense
Headquarters building. The Commander, Wildstar, Nova, and Eager were present.
The three Star Force veterans were all in regular duty blues with blue
peacoats. Singleton wore his usual uniform. The assembled members of the press
corps went right at it after the introductions.
A reporter began with: "
"Very well, sir," said
Wildstar. "As you know, we succeeded in destroying Zordar's
"So, you abandoned the
ship?" asked a reporter from the Asia-Net satellite network. "What
about the rest of your crew?"
"Many of us were injured in
the attack," said Eager. "I...well...ah had the wind knocked outta
me. I was one of those evacuated."
"Sheri Reynolds, CanAm Net," said another reporter.
"Captain Wildstar, what did you do afterwards?"
"I had a plan in
mind," said Wildstar. "I had planned to send the Argo on a
final dive against the enemy ship, ejecting at the last possible moment. I
evacuated the entire crew, but, when commencing my mission, I found that Miss
Forrester here had stayed behind, against my orders, to help me."
"Miss Forrester, why did
you disobey his orders and stay on the ship?" demanded a middle-aged male
reporter with an angry glance towards Nova.
The Commander knew what would be
coming up, of course. Wildstar and Nova had both discussed the subject at
length in their debriefing before the Defense Council.
"Because I am also a member
of the Star Force," replied Nova. "I guessed what the Captain would
do and I couldn't idly go home in a medevac boat while he needed my help. Also... I happen to love the Captain very much, and I didn't
want anything to happen to him," said Nova, knowing that with the
Commander listening, the action might draw her a
reprimand, but she knew it would have to come out anyway. Better to let it out
now and not hide anything.
"Captain, Daisuke Kuriyama, Yoimuri
Shimbun," said another reporter. "When you learned of Miss
Forrester's actions, what did you do?"
"Well...since, by now, I am
very familiar that others might, at times, disregard orders, but only if for a
good reason...I accepted her services as a co-pilot, and..well...decided to propose to her in the
bargain."
"Did you accept his
proposal?" yelled a young female reporter in Nova's direction as some of
the press laughed.
Nova just smiled and said,
"Yes. But, then, I had to put my feelings aside, because I knew we'd have
a job ahead of us."
At that, Singleton smiled.
"Together, we worked to
ready the Argo for a final attack on Zordar's ship," continued
Nova..."Until Trelaina of Telezart appeared again with Venture's
body."
"Boris Gorsakov,
MoskvaNet," barked another reporter.
"What I need to know about Lieutenant Commander Venture is this: was he
dead or alive?"
"Missing, presumed
dead," said Wildstar. "He was tossed away in our last battle with
Desslok."
"How did that particular
battle end?" asked another reporter.
"It ended when Desslok
broke off the attack and left voluntarily," said Wildstar over a hubbub of
incredulous voices. "He decided to help us...partially because the Lieutenant
here, well ...decided to fulfill her military duty to her commanding officer by
attempting a rescue, when he was wounded by wreckage in Desslok's
flagship."
"By 'Commanding Officer',
you mean yourself, right?" yelled another reporter.
"I think that's who he's
talkin' about," said Eager to a great deal of laughter.
Wildstar cleared his throat and
continued with, "I was about to confront Desslok, when I blacked out due
to a loss of blood. When I came to, I found Miss Forrester guarding me like a
watchdog. Desslok...I guess...was impressed, and he told us how to attack the
Comet Empire...and left."
"Captain, Maren Moshulu, Afro States
Regional Media," began a rather tall reporter. "We heard that you
sent a message stating you no longer consider Desslok of Gamilon an enemy. Is
that true?"
"Yes...because he did,
after all, help us, and left in peace," said Nova.
"And you let him go?"
demanded another reporter. "Captain, with all respect, are
you an idiot?"
"The Argo was
damaged because we had rammed Desslok's flagship, and we considered it our
prime duty to attack the
"Thank you," said the
previous reporter.
"My name is
"She appeared on the bridge
with Venture's body, and said she would fight Zordar for us; to her it was more
important that Venture be returned to Earth," said Wildstar. "Then,
she left, and shortly afterwards, sacrificed her life
to defeat Zordar. That's it."
"Raymond Jameson,
Chicago Times," barked another reporter as he came to his feet.
"Captain Wildstar!" he shouted. "Did you receive crucial
information from Desslok?"
"Well...in Admiral Gideon's
last message to us, he told us to attack the city at the bottom," said
Wildstar. "I forgot about it until Nova reminded me that Desslok had said
the same thing."
"Lieutenant!" Jameson bellowed at Nova. "When did
you happen to remember this, and why didn't the Captain remember something this
important when you met with Desslok?"
"When we met with Desslok,
the Captain was wounded," said Nova. "He was, at best,
semi-conscious. When Desslok told us how he truly felt about the Comet Empire,
he was talking to both of us, but I remembered what he said because I was the
only one there out of the two of us who was able to remember anything. In
short, I remembered what Desslok said, and brought it up at the briefing a few
hours later."
"And, Captain
Wildstar," continued Jameson, "at that time, you thought that
Desslok's advice was reliable? After all, he was recently trying to commit
genocide against the human race!"
"Yes, sir, I did,"
said Wildstar. "Lieutenant Forrester mentioned that he said when we
defeated him on Gamilon, we aimed our attack at the weakest spot; the bottom of
Gamilon's volcanic system. He then said that we should attack the Comet Empire
the same way. Based on the knowledge that he had been serving the Comet Empire
and probably knew the city's weak spots, and based upon the fact that Admiral
Gideon advised us to attack the lower half of the city at Saturn-Titan; which
we couldn't follow through on at that time because the Argo was too
badly damaged to launch an effective attack, I decided to attack, and I think
we owe Admiral Gideon and... Desslok...our gratitude for
their perceptiveness in this matter."
"Thanks," said
Jameson, finally placated.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, my
name is Jamelkal Shankar, New Delhi InfoNet.," said yet another
reporter. "Mister Kendall, would you consider this evidence presented by
both the Lieutenant and the Lieutenant Commander to be reliable?"
"I certainly would,"
said Eager. "Both of them are among the best officers I know. I was
through a lot with them, and I risked my career to go back out into space with
Captain Wildstar because I believed that he felt somethin' had to be
investigated so strongly that he'd violate orders to take out the Argo,
he had to be doin' so for a good reason. That's why I left to rejoin the Star
Force, and that's why all of us left. We felt it was just...the right thing to
do."
"And...I felt the same
way," said Nova.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm
afraid our time is about up," said the Commander. "On behalf of the
United Earth Government, I'd like to thank you for coming."
On that note, the press
conference ended.
As the reporters began to leave,
General Singleton said, "Commander Wildstar, Miss Forrester...I'd like to
see both of you in private for a moment. Follow me, please."
Derek and Nova looked at each
other with a little bit of shock. A moment later, Wildstar said, "Of
course...sir."
*******
Derek and Nova found themselves
standing before a desk in Singleton's temporary office a few minutes later.
"Commander...Lieutenant
Forrester," said Singleton as he sat down. "You two will be rather
busy over the next few days. Because of that, I've decided that you won't be
reassigned for the next four days. Even though you'll have a lot to do, you can
at least consider this a leave from your duties."
"Sir, what about the work
on the Argo?" asked Wildstar.
"As you know, the ship
sustained heavy damage. The staff at the drydock, led by Lieutenant Commander
Joseph Yamazaki, your chief engineer's old second-in-command, has the ship well
in hand for the moment until Lieutenant Commander Sandor recovers and is
released from Central Hospital. I've been led to understand that the Argo
will require a great deal of work before she'll be fully space worthy again,
Wildstar."
"She has to be rebuilt,
sir. She's the only space battleship we have left after the disaster at
Saturn-Titan. What was that the Defense Council was saying about "deciding
the manner of her refit?""
"Wildstar, what they meant
was deciding how much money and time to put into refit."
"Commander...that can't be
a serious question, now...can it?" asked Nova.
"It is," said the
Commander. "We're already debating how we'll go about reconstructing the
Defense Fleet. At the current time, there's a debate in progress about the fate
of the Argo. Some parties simply want her rebuilt back to the condition
she was in when you commandeered her in September. Others...would like her
rebuilt in a more comprehensive fashion."
"They're not still thinking
of rebuilding her into a machine, are they, sir?" asked Wildstar.
"There are several
alternative refit proposals being considered," said the Commander.
"However, be advised that none of them include rebuilding the Argo
along the lines of the Andromeda class."
"That's a relief, sir. I
wonder what else they're waiting for?" asked Wildstar.
"For one thing, Lieutenant
Commander Sandor's input...and they won't have that until he
gets out of the hospital some time next month," said Singleton. "At
any rate, I called you here to advise you of this…delay in your
reassignment...and, also, to let you know that both of you will be expected to
appear together at many more debriefings, as well as at some official
ceremonies; at which time, you'll receive the thanks of the government...as
well as the thanks of all of Earth, for your heroism during this crisis. Which reminds me. I understand that you're planning to marry
soon?"
"Uhh…yes," said
Wildstar. "We have a tentative date set...but it could be...set back...if
needed," said Wildstar after a pause.
"About when were you
planning the event?"
"Sometime around the
holidays," said Nova a moment later.
"Good. That shouldn't
present a problem," said Singleton.
"Sir...don't we have to
apply for official permission, first?" said Wildstar.
"After what you've done for
Earth...that'll be no problem. I'll see to it. However, please keep me
appraised of the date? If it wouldn't be an imposition, I'd like to
attend."
"Sir...thank you..,"
said Wildstar, who glanced at Nova with an expression of utter surprise on his
face. "What made you...?"
"Nothing much...except that
I noted your devotion towards each other and your duties...and...I think that
it might be good for the planet's morale to see a relatively pleasant event in
the news after what we've been through. As for your joint service in the Star
Force, which will, of course, be continued, I'll see to the appropriate waivers
from some of the Protocol regulations, as well."
"Waivers?"
asked Wildstar with an expression of surprise that was echoed on his fiancée's
face.
"Waivers
that would allow you both to serve on the ship as a married couple. Such things aren't unheard of under
special circumstances. I'd like to make sure that both of you serve on the Argo
...when she's ready and when she's needed again."
"Sir, does our next
assignment involve space duty?" asked Nova.
"No. We were contemplating
assigning you both to TDY assignments at training commands for about a month.
You wouldn't be in the same units, of course, but you'd be in enough proximity
to each other as to enable you to make your personal plans without any major
problems. Any objections?"
"No, sir," said
Wildstar.
"Good. We'll speak about
the specifics later. Commander...Miss Forrester...you're dismissed for the
moment." said Singleton with a nod as he stood up.
Both Derek and Nova took the
cue, and said, "Thank you, sir," as they saluted. Singleton returned
the salute, and they left him alone.
That was easy, he thought as he put away some papers. Now,
all I have to think about is the rest of the Fleet...and the work we'll have
ahead as we rebuild it....
II. DINNER
Earth
Federal Megalopolis
Karl Forrester's Apartment
November 16, 2201
1914 Hours-Spacetime
The Forrester family home was
located in the Boulder Section of the Denver Megalopolis. However, Karl and
Teri had been staying in the Capital because some of Karl's business on behalf
of his law firm had required him to stay in the Federal Megalopolis for a
period of time. As a result, Karl had been renting an apartment in the city for
those occasions. Because Karl and Teri had been staying in their Megalopolis
apartment when the great panic had hit, they were able to acquire a temporary
apartment in the underground city. Because both the condition of their home in
It was there that Derek and Nova
arrived for Derek's first formal meeting with Nova's parents. Wildstar still
wore his uniform and blue peacoat, but Nova had changed into a pink dress and
black pumps for the occasion. She was also wearing a brand-new white gold ring
set with a single beautiful purple amethyst that Derek had purchased for her as
an engagement ring in one of the few open jewelry shops. Nova had guessed
something was up when he had asked her what her birthstone was earlier that
day.
"Derek..," said Nova
in a soothing voice when the tube-lift took them down to the proper level.
"...you don't need to worry about this. I told you that my mother can't
wait for me to get married. Don't worry about this."
"I'm not worried about your
mother," said Wildstar. "I'm a little worried about your
father."
"Why? He likes you."
"True...but, you know, this
is the first time I've requested someone's hand in marriage, Nova," he
said as they walked along, holding hands.
"I see. It makes a little
sense that you'd be nervous," said Nova. "Derek...what are you
looking at?"
Wildstar released a deep sigh.
"I don't like being down here...seeing those windows lit up
again...knowing that people had to flee down here because of the White
Comet...because the Fleet failed them at Saturn-Titan...and maybe...because we
failed them by not knowing that Zordar had that dreadnought hidden in his city.
If only we could've stopped the Comet Empire sooner, maybe this wouldn't have
happened."
"Derek...we did all that we
could. You know that. And we were able to succeed in the end...with Trelaina's
help."
"Yes...her love saved all
of us. Without that love...who knows where we'd be now? We owe Venture a great
debt, too...for earning that love from Trelaina. Nova...if you feel up to it,
do you want to go and visit him tonight...see how he is?"
"Maybe that should wait
until tomorrow night, Derek. We don't know when we'll be out of here, but it'll
probably be after visiting hours are over at the hospital."
At that, they stopped talking
for a little while as they drew closer to the apartment building where Karl and
Teri were staying. In the lobby, they quickly found the elevator that would
take them to the proper floor, and they ascended up to the thirty-first floor
of the underground tower, just one of many like it in the underground city
under the Federal Megalopolis.
Soon, they found the appropriate
apartment, and Wildstar rang the bell.
Teri opened the door.
"Hello, Nova...hello, Captain," she said with a smile. "Would
you both come in?"
"Sure," said Nova, who
came in, Teri noticed, on Wildstar's arm.
As soon as they came in,
Wildstar looked around. The apartment was typical of many such apartments in
the underground Megalopolis. However, Wildstar noticed, as Nova went into the
kitchen with her mother, that it was decorated in a manner somewhat less
contemporary than that of other such apartments. The living room walls were
covered with wallpaper in a pale gold pattern, and the curtains on the windows
were pink, with a light floral pattern.
Karl guided him to a couch
covered in dark brown leatherette that was before a simulated walnut coffee
table. "I see you have some books," said Wildstar.
"Yes, Teri's quite the
reader," chuckled Karl.
"Mind if I take a
look?" asked Derek tentatively.
"Not at
all. Like a
drink?"
"Well," began
Wildstar. "I have to get your daughter home safely..."
"Come now, one won't
hurt," laughed Karl.
"All right," said
Derek.
"Scotch is okay?"
"Scotch?" asked Wildstar
with some surprise.
"One of
the few things in here that's not government-issue. It's from my old stock before this
trouble started," said Karl. "I wouldn't ever think of giving you
that rapidly synthesized stuff the government's been
putting out lately and calling 'gin'." Karl walked over to a cabinet and
opened it. "They synthesized this stuff around the beginning of the year
but at least had the decency to let it age for a few months. We bought it in
the summer," said Karl as he carried over a decanter of golden liquid.
"However, I still think it's kind of sharp. That's all right?"
"Of course," said
Wildstar, who wasn't particularly a great drinker or connoisseur of liquor,
even though he enjoyed sake, beer, or wine on special occasions
"I'll be right back. Let me
get a glass."
As Karl took the decanter into
the kitchen, Derek began to page through the book. It was a large, illustrated
book on music, specifically music of the 20th through 22nd centuries.
Wildstar paged through it for a
while, glancing at entries on Cole Porter, Ryu Sakamoto, The Beatles, Fleetwood
Mac, Neil Young, The Backstreet Boys, Puff Daddy, NeoTrash, Sean Lennon III,
Unity and Vanity, Isaac O'Rourke, and Mio Tucker, and then noticed a second
book sitting on the other side of the table. It concerned the history of the
Derek found this book a little
more interesting; so much so that he was surprised by Karl's arrival back in
the living room with two glasses of Scotch-and-water.
"Interesting?"
chuckled Karl.
"Why, yes," said
Wildstar. "When I was young, on
"Sounds interesting,"
said Karl as Derek sampled some of the Scotch. "How is it?"
"Not bad," said
Wildstar, smacking his lips with satisfaction. "What's Nova up to?"
"Catching
up on things with her mother, and helping to slice up the pot roast. Soya protein, of
course. What I wouldn't give right now to be back in
"What's she like?"
"She's a religious
fanatic," said Karl. "Started out decent and church-going like the
rest of us...in the family... but she got hooked up with some very strange
fundamentalists a few years back, and ever since then, she's been excoriating
her husband, her son, and us for keeping sinful life-styles. I take it you're a
Buddhist?"
"I was born into that faith
but came to my own convictions when I was about fourteen," said Wildstar.
"It happened after my parents died...when I was in a church-run orphanage
on
"Shame about your parents,"
sighed Karl with a shake of his head. "I would've liked to have met them. Any other relatives?"
"Just my brother,
Alex...but, as you know, he's on Iscandar with Queen Starsha. I don't ever
expect to see him again," said Wildstar sadly.
"You never know where the
Argo might take you. Maybe you and Nova will meet him again. You know...I'm
glad we were able to get together tonight," said Karl. "It's not
often we have an authentic hero coming over to visit us."
"Thanks..," said
Wildstar with a flush on his cheeks as Nova quietly came in.
"Oh! I have to amend
that," said Karl. "Let's make that...hero and heroine."
"Papa...I was only doing
what I get paid to do," said Nova with a blush on her face as she sat down
beside her fiancée'."
Karl chuckled. "You
know...both of you are far too modest? You've both done a great deal for Earth.
I had your press conference on while I was in the office today...you sounded
great."
"Thanks," said
Wildstar, as it suddenly occurred to him that he and Nova had mentioned their
engagement during the conference! Immediately, he began to feel jittery, hoping
that Nova's parents hadn't seen that part of the talk, especially since he felt
that such things had asked of fathers in person.
"I didn't get to see it
all, I'm afraid," said Karl. "A client called up just as you were
talking to the reporter from Yomiuri Shimbun and I had to turn the
report off."
Thank God, thought Wildstar, as he realized that
Karl hadn't heard the incriminating part of the speech.
Both of them heard a telephone
going off. "Excuse me a moment," said Karl as he went over and picked
it up.
"Hello, Orin?" he said
as the face of his law partner and old friend, Orin Fisher, the father of
Nova's friend Natalie, appeared on the screen.
"Hi,
Karl."
"Where are you?"
"The
"Oh! Is it okay over
there?"
"We took an indirect hit a
few kilometers south of the Denver Megalopolis itself, but it seems that
Zordar's aim wasn't too good.
"How's the house?"
"Drove
past it before. My
place is fine, the church is fine, and it doesn't look like your house took any
damage, either. When are you coming back out?"
"I'll see about it on
Sunday if I can get a flight in time."
"Great," said Orin. "Jury
selection for Hartnell v. Mazur is still on for Monday, and we'd like
you out here if you have no big business in the Capital. I don't want to put
that new associate in Colorado Superior Court on for that kind of case."
"Orin, can I ring off for
now? I've got company."
"Who?"
"My
daughter and her boyfriend. I'm really talking to him for the first time tonight."
"Okay. I'll letcha go,
Karl. Try to get out here Sunday."
"Will do
if I can. Take care,
Orin."
"Bye, Karl."
The conversation ended.
"Sorry about the delay, you two," said Karl. "Nova...are you drinking anything?"
"No, dad...I'm not in the
mood," said Nova softly.
"What's wrong?"
"Mother. She asked me when I was going to 'settle
down and get out of the military'."
Karl took a deep breath and
said, "Nova, you know your mother. She wants you to settle down with
someone and be a good mother and wife."
"Nova?" asked Derek
with concern in his voice.
"Derek...nothing's changing
my mind about what we've discussed," she said firmly. "I don't care
what she says or does."
"I know," he said.
Karl immediately guessed that a
major argument had gone on between Nova and Teri about her future, and cleared
his throat in order to change the subject. "About your mission...Captain...when
did you guess that the White Comet was a threat to Earth?"
"It all started out when I
was heading home from a years' patrol with the Third Interplanetary Patrol
Squadron of the Defense Forces, and we were attacked by an unidentified enemy
squadron. At about the same time, we intercepted a powerful message, which
turned out to be from Trelaina of Telezart, which damaged the Argo's communications
systems. Not long after we landed, the great blackout took place, and the day
afterwards, Nova, Commander Venture, and I met with Stephen Sandor, our old
Mechanical Group Leader. He had just discovered a strange energy beam emanating
from a strange white comet that had just been discovered on our scanners. From
all of those clues, we guessed that there was a threat to Earth, so Sandor and
I took our case to the Earth Defense Council, which refused us permission to
leave and investigate the threat. So, after a lot of soul-searching...in which
Nova helped...we decided we had to commandeer the Argo and leave Earth,
with or without permission, to investigate the threat of the White Comet."
"That's very
brave...risking your career like that. Nova, how did you get involved in
this?"
"Everyone who left on this
mission volunteered to go," said Nova firmly. "I was one of those
volunteers...and I left because I wanted to help in the mission...and be at
Derek's side."
"I see. And, on the
mission...?"
"We followed the source of
the transmissions to Telezart, where we found that Trelaina wished to meet with
us and talk to us about the Comet Empire. On the way, as you probably know, we
were opposed by the forces of the Comet Empire, as well as by Desslok of
Gamilon."
"How did he survive your
last battle?" asked Karl. "Nova, you told us that he died then,
didn't you?"
"We don't know," said
Nova. "As a matter of fact, that's still a mystery to us. Even though a
lot of us didn't believe it was him...it was really him. But, we fought
our way past him to Telezart. There...Trelaina told us about the true nature of
the White Comet...and we also observed that she had fallen in love with
Commander Venture, who was very much taken with her; and it's no wonder. She was...
very beautiful. Mark tried to convince her to come with us...but she
wouldn't," said Nova softly. "Instead...she had decided to remain
behind to make her stand and face down Zordar and his Comet Empire. She
sacrificed her whole planet...to help us...and help Mark."
"It sounds like you both
were part of a very stirring story," said Karl.
"You could say we were.
When we arrived back in the solar system, Admiral Gideon had us launch a
surprise attack on the Comet Empire's carrier task forces, since we knew that
in a battle, their carrier planes could hurt us a great deal with their speed
and range. We defeated the carrier fleet, and then assisted in the tail end of
the engagement with the rest of the Comet Empire's fleet. We had them
defeated...when...to our surprise, the Comet itself
warped into the middle of our fleet and destroyed the bulk of it."
"I know that part of the
story, too...especially since my brother-in-law was on one of those
ships."
"Your brother-in-law?"
murmured Wildstar, as Nova went silent and suddenly cried out, "Uncle
Hiram?" as tears began to form in her eyes.
"They told us that he was
commanding the patrol cruiser
"As usual," sniffed
Nova. "She doesn't even have the decency to be around when her
husband...makes a sacrifice on behalf of Earth! How's Samuel taking it?"
"I haven't heard from
him...I don't know."
"He's probably not doing
that well," said Nova as she wiped tears from her eyes. "He and his
dad were much closer than he and his mother."
"Nova, here," said
Wildstar as he withdrew a hanky from the inner pocket of his peacoat.
"Thanks, Derek,"
replied Nova with a wan smile.
Teri ran in her apron, crying,
"Nova, you're okay?"
"I'm fine," Nova said
quickly as she handed Derek his hanky. "I just heard about...Uncle Hiram,
that's all."
"I hope that you're not the
next one that we end up crying over," said Teri. "You know what I was
talking about before! Could you come into the bedroom with me for a second,
please? I'd still like to show you those pictures."
"No," said Nova
firmly. "Especially not tonight!"
"Why
not?"
"Derek...please excuse me for a moment," whispered Nova softly,
"but I have to talk to my mother in private before dinner. All right?"
"Okay," said Wildstar
as she left. By the look on his face, he was clearly mystified as to what was
going on.
*******
Nova and her mother stepped into
the bedroom, and Nova quietly but firmly closed the
door.
"Nova, why are you doing
that?"
"Because, Mother, I don't
care to have my fiancée', who is sitting outside, hearing this!"
"Fiancée'?" said Teri
with a shocked look on her face.
"Yes, my fiancée.' I'm
sorry I have to say this, but it has to be said sometime. Mother, I'm not
interested in the pictures of eligible young men that you've been collecting in
that photo album, and I thought that those moments I spent with that stupid
professional tennis player you seated me with at my cousin Nicole's wedding
were among the most nauseating moments of my life!"
"Why? I thought he was
wonderful for you then..."
"Mama, I appreciate the
effort you made for me...but sitting there with a boring person who is just
talking about settling down in the suburbs with a wife and three children when
the man you love is off in space is not my idea of a good time...especially not
when he has a little too much gin and begins putting his hand on your leg under
the table."
"Robert did that?"
Nova nodded. "And he ever
tries that around my fiancée', well..."
"Fiancée'!" cried
Teri. "When did... you... and... and...he...get...?"
"Not at all long ago,"
said Nova with a smile on her face.
"Then you're leaving the
military?" cried Teri with a smile on her face.
"No."
"But..."
"Mother, you'll hear all about
it over dinner," laughed Nova. "But, take that book and put it away.
Or, give it to Cousin Jane's mother? We don't ever need to go over this again,
all right?" smiled Nova, but in a tone of voice that brooked no
opposition.
"Okay," said Teri, who
was both elated and a bit taken aback at all this.
"Let's go out and have
dinner now," said Nova. "I think the roast is ready, and our men out
there are probably going to start demanding to be fed any minute."
"Okay, Nova."
Both women left the bedroom a moment
later. Soon, dinner was started in the kitchen. The Forresters had been
allotted an early-design underground apartment that included a kitchen; most of
the later-design apartments did not include one. Karl was at the head of the
square table, with Teri at his left hand, and Derek, the guest of honor, at his
right hand. Nova sat at the foot of the table, with Derek and her mother at
each side.
After Teri said grace, slices of
the pot roast were served, along with gravy, potatoes au gratin, and some broccoli
and peas in their pods, along with apple sauce. Apple juice was served by Nova,
who was told in a whispered conversation with her father near the counter to
"save the best for last." Nova, who was a little unsure what he
meant, nodded compliance while returning the bottle of juice to the
refrigerator.
As they ate, Karl continued to
regale Derek and Nova with questions about the Argo's latest mission.
They both retold the story, with Nova noticing that Derek was pointedly
refraining from telling Karl and Teri all that had happened on the first bridge
during the last part of the mission. Guessing that Derek wanted to keep the cat
in the bag, Nova also refrained from speaking to her father about their
engagement.
"So, that's what
happened to Desslok?" asked Teri, who, to Nova's surprise, had been taking
an interest in what they had been doing.
"Yes, Mother. He just left
after he told us to attack the
"You thought his advice was
trustworthy?"
"Yes, Mother. I did."
"Why?"
"His
mannerisms. He
refrained from shooting Derek...he refrained from shooting me...and he honestly
seemed to be feeling regret for the path he had taken. He said, 'Maybe I
would do it again...but I don't think so....there has to be a better way of
life.'"
"Then?"
"Then...he said he saw that
example...in Derek and I...and the way we felt about each other...and
Earth."
"And...you
wanted to protect Derek that badly?"
"Yes, Mother...to my last
breath, if need be."
Teri sat in surprise and
amazement. "Nova...if you had told me you had felt that deeply for
him..."
"I do. I'm surprised you
never noticed before," laughed Nova.
"I noticed," chimed in
Karl as everyone's eyes went wide.
"Teri, I know you,"
said Karl. "I know the look that you get in your eyes whenever you talk
about me at a party or at one of your recitals with your string quintet back in
"Thank you," said Nova
softly. Nova and Derek exchanged a quick glance, and Derek cleared his throat.
Nova noticed his hand was trembling as he put down his fork and took her hand.
"Mr. Forrester?" he said
in a determined voice.
"Yes?"
"May I take the liberty of
standing up for a moment? There's something I'd like to ask you."
"Of course," said Karl
as Teri's heart began to beat very hard.
Derek, stood up, his hand never leaving Nova's.
"There happens to be a detail that I purposely left out before when I
described what transpired between your daughter and I on the Argo's first
bridge. That detail is that I felt guilty that our respective duties have kept
Nova and I apart, but, that when we finished what we had to do to defeat Prince
Zordar, we would spend the rest of our lives together. Hence, I proposed
marriage to your daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Forrester, a proposal which she eagerly
accepted. We have been able to secure the proper permission from our commanding
officer, and the proper papers are being filed at Earth Defense Headquarters.
Mister Forrester, I would like to take your daughter's hand in marriage on the
twenty-sixth of December, and we would like to have your blessing."
Karl and Teri looked at each
other in surprise, impressed by the young Deputy Captain's poise, courtesy, and
formality. Then, they looked at Derek and Nova, and nodded to each other.
A moment later, Karl walked over
to Derek and warmly took his hand as tears began to run from Teri's eyes. In a
calm, but somewhat husky voice he said, "You have our blessing. Welcome to
the family, Deputy Captain! Teri, why are you crying?"
"No reason! I'm just so
happy...that's all!" sniffed Teri.
"That's good," said
Karl as he walked over and put his arm around his wife. After he was done
comforting her, he asked, "Well, you two...have you given any thought as
to where you're going to go to get married?"
"No...we
haven't," said Nova. "We've...been sort of busy."
"Yeah...doing things like...dodging
the media."
"Dodging
the media...hmmm.
Well, has he ever seen what the Greater Denver Megalopolis looks like?"
"No...I don't think
so," said Nova. "Derek. Have you ever seen
"No, I can't say I
have," said Derek.
"Well, that's where I grew
up," said Nova.
"Well, why don't we hold
the wedding at
"Great!"
said Nova.
"Who called?" asked
Teri.
"Orin called up," he
replied. "The house in
"Well, I guess I can take
care of getting everything up into the apartment here...if it's okay,"
said Teri.
"We'll do it
together," said Karl.
"But I'm coming to
"Yes, I know that,"
laughed Karl.
Wildstar sighed. "Well, we
have at least one thing in common," he said.
"And that is?" asked
Karl.
Derek put an arm around Nova.
"Sir, the women that we happen to love are both
very, very strong-willed."
"Is that a compliment?"
huffed Nova.
"Karl, what is that
supposed to mean?" blurted out Teri a second later.
Then, both Derek and Karl looked
at each other and began to laugh as both Nova and Teri gave them withering
looks.
Later that evening (after, of
course, having reconciled from their little tiff at her parents' apartment),
Derek and Nova were walking through the corridors of
"It's too quiet up
here," said Wildstar. "No talking or joking around or anything like that."
"It's supposed to be
quiet," said Nova softly. "You know that the people up here aren't in
the best of shape."
"That's what I mean,"
said Derek. "It's not like in Hardy's room...or in Sandor's, where you
expect to interact like...you know...guys…with your friends. Up here..."
"I know," said Nova.
"And I don't want to think about it! Poor Mark. I hope he'll be all
right," said Nova as they came up to Venture's room where, Wildstar
noticed a familiar figure, namely Natalie Fisher, the same nurse who had been
on duty last night.
"Hi," said Wildstar.
"Hi," she said softly.
"Hi, Nova," she whispered. "I met your fiancée last night.
Congratulations."
"Thank you," said
Nova. "How's Commander Venture?" she asked, as they entered the room
and looked on sadly at Mark, who was lying still in his bed. There was no sound
save for the soft, steady beeps of the instruments that monitored the still,
comatose form of Lieutenant Commander Mark Venture.
"The family just left a
while ago. His younger brother was holding his hand and trying to get him to
wake up. It was heartbreaking. As you can see...it didn't work."
"How is he medically?"
whispered Nova. "Doctor Sane and I had a hard time getting any brain
readings from him at all last night."
Natalie paused to examine a
display at close range, her light complexion highlighted in the green glow of
the monitor for a moment as she sighed, "His alpha and theta wave readings
are still below all optimal levels..."
"Don't talk so loud,"
said Nova.
"What do you mean? He can't
hear us?"
"I think he can," said
Nova. "I'm sure he can respond to something, even if only to the voices of
his friends talking to him. Derek, come over and say hello to Mark."
"Mark," said Wildstar
as he picked up one of Venture's limp hands. "Hey. This is Wildstar. You'd
better wake up and get better now! We need you. Trelaina brought you back to us
for a reason. You've got work to do, as soon as you come out of this. We're all
pushing for you...Hardy, Conroy, and Sandor just told me to say hi to you, and
Nova's here. Nova?"
"Mark?" said Nova
softly as she took his hand. "This is Nova. Trelaina would want you to get
better. You've got to come out of this. Okay?"
There was no response, save for
the beeping of the instruments.
"See what I mean?" sighed Natalie.
"Natalie," said Nova.
"Remember...be careful when you talk about his condition. He CAN hear us
in this state, you know."
"Okay," nodded Fisher
as she made a few entries in Venture's chart. "You two can try a little longer,
Nova. But, you've got to clear out in half an hour, before Doctor Sane notices
we're bending the rules by letting you visit too long, okay?"
"Okay," said Wildstar.
Suddenly, all three of them
started as a piercing cry came from the bed.
"VENTURE!" cried Nova
as she and Derek leaped up to the edge of the bed, followed by Fisher.
"Derek...Nova...get
back...his vital signs are going crazy!"
"Uh..." groaned
Venture in a husky voice. "Trelaina! Trelaina!
Don't..."
"Venture...what?"
asked Wildstar.
"Wildstar...he's only
dreaming," said Natalie. "He's..."
"No, he's not!" said
Nova firmly as she clasped Venture's hand, while looking at his readouts with a
note of alarm. His pulse rate had gone up tremendously.
"Derek...help me talk to
him...I think he's coming around, but he has to be kept calm."
"Okay!" Derek's joined
hers as she said, "Mark..?"
"Don't go!" he cried
in a loud voice as his eyes fluttered open and he stared at a point up towards
the ceiling, looking at something only he could see. "Please...don't.." he said in a bereaved, small voice as tears ran
down his cheeks.
An eternity passed, and Venture
shut his eyes. Then, he lay there sobbing for a long while, just moaning,
"Don't go...don’t leave me!"
in the most pain-filled voice any of them had ever heard from him. Finally,
Mark stopped, and went quiet again.
The sensors slowed down as
Doctor Sane ran in with another nurse. "What happened?" he demanded.
"Nova and Deputy Captain Wildstar
were talking to him," said Natalie, "and he sort of awoke and began
screaming about Trelaina of Telezart. He seemed to be responsive for a moment,
and then he..."
"In case you didn't notice,
your patient's heart rate went up so much that he almost had a coronary!"
snapped Dr. Sane. "Nova! Didn't you notice?"
"I did...and we took his
hand and began to talk to him. His vitals stabilized after that..."
"And, then, I guess, he
went back to sleep," said Doctor Sane. "I don't understand this. It's
the strangest thing I've ever seen in my life. Hmmmm....His
coma doesn't seem to be as deep...but I think he should be kept quiet. We don't
want that happening again. Natalie, no visitors until we know
what's behind this."
"Doctor Sane, I think he
needs visitors," said Nova. "Otherwise, he might never quite come around," she whispered.
"Otherwise, Nova, we could
lose him. It's only a temporary measure until I figure out what's going on
here. Still....I'm glad you and Wildstar came. He just doesn't need any more
excitement right now. I think he's been through quite enough excitement for a while,"
said Sane, looking back at the still form on the bed.
"So do I,"
said Nova. "Rest well, Mark."
"Mark, take it easy,"
said Wildstar softly. At that, both of them left.
III. DOWNTOWN
Earth
Federal Megalopolis
November 17, 2201
0938 Hours--Spacetime
Autumn weather could be a
peculiar thing on
It was a somewhat mild day as
Nova Forrester emerged from a crowded Tube train in what was still referred to
as Shinjuku, even though the topographical changes wrought by the Gamilon
planet bombings had long ago led to the disappearance of most of the ancient
topography of old Tokyo.
As Nova came out of the maglev
train's station around Miyama Avenue and Fiftieth Street, she walked briskly
through the early-morning crowd in what was still a bustling commercial
district, even though the central part of the Federal Megalopolis had actually
shifted to another part of the huge international city.
Nova looked around for a moment,
glancing up and down Miyama through the slightly tinted sunglasses she was
wearing as a quick, improvised disguise with a favorite pink and maroon dress
and maroon calf-length boots .It was the same outfit she had worn on the Argo
at one point on the mission to Iscandar...before IQ-9 had made her look foolish
before many of the male members of the Star Force with his "Hiya, CUTIE!" comment, that is. The comment he made
before he lifted my dress, she thought with a blush. And I was trying to
model it!
She was surprised to notice that
this part of Shinjuku looked fairly undamaged, save for the few omnipresent
roadblocks blocking off the occasional hole in the street or pool of subsiding
water on
What happened? she thought. It looks a lot worse in the
Capitol District, across the river. There, windows no...buildings,
were ruined by the blasts and so many of the things down by the docks were
flooded...
Nova turned to a young woman in
a cloth cap and pantsuit who was walking a dog, and said, "Excuse me...I
just got into town. Why doesn't this look as bad as it does across the
river?"
"Zordar just kind of missed
the peninsula, I guess," laughed the young woman. "Well...except for
some burning shrapnel that flew right across the river and hit the
"
"Figures," said the
young lady, rolling her eyes. "You sound like someone from someplace out
in the sticks."
"You have a beautiful
dog," said Nova, looking down at her companion's Dalmatian. "Mind if
I pet him?"
"Her," laughed the
young New Yorker. "And...well...Lady doesn't
exactly like to be petted by strangers...she's deaf, you see, like a lot of her
breed. But, she is beautiful, isn't she?"
"Aren't Dalmatians one of
the few pure breeds that survived the bombings?"
"Yeah, they are," said
the young woman. "You seem to know quite a bit about dogs; wish my
boyfriend knew that much..."
Both of them laughed, until the
young woman eyed Nova and said, "Hey...you look kinda familiar..."
"Do I?" asked Nova.
"Yeah...coulda sworn I..."
"You'll pardon me,"
giggled Nova, "But...I've got an appointment I have to make, okay? I have
to go...nice talking with you..."
"Yeah, you too," said
the young lady as Nova disappeared into a group of people. The young woman
stood there, stroked Lady, and asked, "Now, I wonder who that...?"
"NO!" she cried out to
herself as she glanced down at a corner vending machine that held a few
newspapers. "It couldn't be...could it?"
I hope the press isn't
following me around,
thought Nova as she glanced up and down the street again. After guessing she
was safe, Nova walked north to fifty-second. There, she pushed her way through
a revolving door into Pushkin's, the flagship of a great worldwide department
store chain that had been in existence since about the middle of the
twenty-second century.
Pushkin's was a mildly pricey
but somewhat trendy chain, newer, and without the reputation of the even more
expensive and traditional planet wide chain known as Conklin's. Nova was there
today to pick up two new dresses, because something told her that sooner or
later, she'd have to go out in something other than her uniform; and she didn't
feel that her current wardrobe was quite enough for one of the upcoming parties
she'd inevitably end up at.
Also, she thought as she walked towards a bank
of elevators, Maybe, I can stick my head in the bridal department and see
what they have; although I know Mother swears by Conklin's for that sort of
thing...
Nova went up to the seventh
floor, and emerged in the Misses' section. While walking towards the dress
section, she was greeted by a salesperson who asked what she was looking for.
"Oh...something for a
party...cut sort of like this," said Nova, signifying what she had on,
"But... maybe showing a little more around the neck..."
"In what
size?"
Nova gave her size, and the clerk
said, "I believe I have just the right thing for you...over here...let's
have a look..," said the clerk while guiding Nova towards a rack.
*******
Outside, on
"Sheri? Where are
you?"
"Uptown."
"Why are you calling?
Editor's got me on a deadline. There's supposed to be some kind of big ceremony
going on today at the Presidential Palace for some of the Star Force."
"Listen. Interested in a
human interest story?"
"Sheri. Listen up. I am
about to go and photograph some hard news in about three hours. I have just
enough time to shower, eat, and load my camera. Do you get what I'm saying?
I've been run ragged the past few days, what with all this stuff about the Star
Force, the reconstruction of the Fleet, and that tour they gave of the new
space battleship Kirishima, when we met that Vice Admiral Eckart guy.
After having just talked with the second-in-command of the Combined Fleet, and
going to see some of the Star Force in a few hours, can't you GUESS that I'm
not interested in a darn human interest story?"
"This human interest story,
Jack, has a
A few minutes later, Nova
emerged from a dressing room in the clerk's choice. "How do you like
it?" asked the clerk as Nova stood on a carpeted surface in the dress and
her boots before three large mirrors.
"Nice," said Nova as
she looked at herself. The knee-length dress was a pale pink, with a black
stripe around the waist. It fit her specifications nicely. "Do the sleeves
look okay to you?" asked Nova while holding up an arm, and looking one of
the puff sleeves.
"They look great,"
said the salesgirl. "Although I'd wear a choker with that..."
"I've got one,"
commented Nova whiling smiling at herself in the
mirror. All around, the dress seemed to fit very well. After a moment, she
said, "I'll take it. Can you wrap it up for me?"
"Sure."
After Nova changed back into her
old dress and brought out the one she had tried on, she paid for the new one
with a fair amount of credits (and silently thanked herself for having stopped
by the bank that morning) and then went over to the bridal department for a few
minutes.
As soon as she went in, she knew
that they were putting pressure on her to emerge from the department with a
bridal gown.
One or two of the styles looked
halfway nice, but the rest didn't suit her. She made a note that she might come
back (with her mother, of course), and thanked the clerks for their attention,
not even having tried anything on.
Glancing at her watch, Nova
realized she had wasted a good thirty-five minutes looking at bridal gowns she
wasn't intending to buy. Remembering that she had a lot to do, she ran down to
the shoe department, deciding to grab a pair of shoes to go with her new dress
and then leave.
Sheri, who was still hanging
around outside Pushkin's, met Jack and a carload of his colleagues at about the
time Nova was trying on her first pair of shoes.
"Hi, Sheri," said Jack
as he gave her a smooch.
"Hi. Who are these
guys?"
"Well, you know I'm a
photographer. These guys are all from the network."
"Yeah," said one of
them as he got out a portable video camera. "And if we can spot Forrester on her own, like you said, we can pin her down with a ton of
questions."
"What are you going to
do?" asked Sheri, who suddenly felt really uncomfortable about this."
"Ask her why she REALLY
participated in the mutiny a few weeks ago...and ask her what she REALLY thinks
of Wildstar," barked a reporter.
"Why?"
"Haven't you heard the
rumor?" said another reporter. "Rumor has it she's jumping to get
married because she's pregnant but hasn't told anyone yet."
"Pregnant? I haven't
heard..."
"Relax, Sheri,"
laughed Jack. "If we pin her down, you'll get a hundred credits out of the
deal."
"Pin her down?"
"Yeah. We're staking out all the exits,"
laughed another guy as he came out with a camera.
Sheri began to feel just a bit
sick. What did I do? she thought. I thought
it was just going to be Jack!
"How do those feel?"
asked the clerk in the shoe department as Nova walked around in a pair of dark
purple pumps.
"Okay," said Nova as
she walked around. "But...they ARE sticking to my feet a little bit."
"You should've worn
stockings under those boots rather than those knee socks you had to take
off," laughed the sales clerk.
"Thanks to this shortage
that began to crop up in September, I've been trying to preserve my stockings;
I really only wear what I have to work in Defense Headquarters...or at least I
will when I come off my leave," said Nova as she thought of one of the
many wartime shortages that had cropped up in the aftermath of the Gamilon War,
even as Earth was being rebuilt. "I checked three departments before. You
still can't get stockings in a lot of places?"
"The shortage has only
gotten worse since the war with the Cometines," said the clerk. "Like
the shoes?"
"Yes...I think I'll take
them, as a matter of fact," said Nova. "But, I think I'd also like
something dressier...and slightly more comfortable...in pink...."
"I think I've got something
that'll fill the bill for you. I'll be right back," said the clerk as she
took off Nova's pumps and put them in a box.
The clerk came out a minute
later with another box. Nova smiled as soon as the box was opened, even though
she hoped that it wouldn't get too cold too soon.
What the clerk pulled out of the
box was a conservative but nice pink pair of open sandals. Nova buckled them on
and began walking around, observing that while they pinched (like all new
shoes) they didn't stick to her feet quite as much.
"I think," said Nova
as she sat down, "that this solves the stocking problem...if it doesn't
suddenly drop below freezing and stay there."
"Why do these solve your
problem?"
"I usually never wear
stockings with sandals if I can help it," said Nova. "I think it
defeats the whole purpose of letting your toes come out and say 'hi' to the
world, so to speak. I'll take these, but I've GOT to get another pair of
stockings for those pumps."
"Good luck," laughed the
salesgirl. "I'm just praying that what I've got on doesn't get a
run."
"Get a long skirt and
boots, and a nice, comfy pair of socks," said Nova as she pulled her pink
socks back on and reached for her boots, "and that'll solve your
problem."
"Thanks," laughed the
clerk as Nova stood a moment later and she took her purchases to the counter.
Nova was whistling a romantic
song under her breath and thinking of Derek as she walked towards the exit in
her boots and nice conservative dress, merrily carrying her two shopping
bags...and wondering if she'd have to visit the bank again early next week.
She emerged into the lobby, and
began to turn the revolving door.
It went for about a meter or
two, and then stopped.
"What...what's wrong with
this thing?" she cried.
Then, Jack and his friends burst
out, seemingly from nowhere.
Nova's eyes went wide with shock
and surprise as she was caught in a hail of electronic flashes, video camera
lights, and shouted questions.
"Why did you participate in
the mutiny, Miss Forrester?"
"Were you scared when you
confronted Desslok?"
"How do you really feel
about Derek Wildstar?"
"Is it true you're getting
married?"
"Are you expecting a
baby?"
"When's the baby on the
way?"
"Excuse me...I'm not
prepared to answer all these questions at once," said Nova, who was trying
to keep some poise in this encounter.
"ARE you getting
married?"
"Yes, I am...although the
wedding's not going to take place for a few weeks..."
"What about Zordar? Do you
think he's really dead?"
"He seemed to be when Trelaina finished him off...."
"What about the Earth
government? How do you feel about Commanding General Charles Singleton?"
"I can't say much about the
government right now...and I have a lot of respect for the Commander..."
"Is it true you're
expecting a baby?"
"NO!" cried Nova.
"I'm not!"
"She is!" yelled
another reporter. "When's the baby on the way?" yelled someone else.
"It's not going to
be," said Nova firmly.
"Why not?" yelled
someone else.
"Because I'm not about
to have a baby!" replied Nova in a strong voice. "If you'll
excuse me...please..."
Two of the reporters blocked the
door while others shouted more questions about the rumored "baby".
Where are some of these
reporters FROM? thought
Nova in panic. The scandal sheets?
"What about you and the
Captain?" yelled another reporter.
"We're getting married in
December!" cried Nova. "Because I have a career, there's not going to
be a baby until after we're married for several years, at least, all right? Is
that enough?"
"We hear there's one on the
way!" yelled someone else.
"What about these denials
of yours?" barked someone who was shoving a microphone in her face.
"Please!" cried Nova. "I've TOLD you what you want to know!"
"Did you participate in the
mutiny because of your personal life?" yelled another reporter.
"I went with the Star Force
because I believed in their cause!" said Nova. "Now, will you let me
go, damnit? I have places to go
today!"
The crowd of reporters descended
in even tighter, and Nova just turned her face to one side as the cameras kept
on going off. She pushed the revolving door, hard, but two reporters were still
holding it. Finally, Nova gasped, "Will you leave me alone? PLEASE? I've
told you everything!" she snapped, with a trembling lip.
Finally, she kicked at the
techtite door, and it flew out of the reporters' grasp. Over a babble of
questions, she managed to squeeze her way through the crowd, not caring that
one of her bags was getting ripped.
Forcing her way out onto the
curbside, she noticed a red EDF staff aircar pulling up. Slightly panicked, she
waved for help, and was greeted by one of the nicest sights of her life when
the canopy opened.
"Derek!" she cried.
"Nova! What are you doing here?" he asked
as she ran towards the car. She jumped in, pulling her bags in after her in a
disorderly mess as the canopy whirred closed, while saying, "I was TRYING
to shop...until those reporters descended on me! Get us out of here,
quick!"
"She's in the car!" someone
yelled.
"Quick!"
The reporters began to surge
towards the aircar, but Wildstar was too quick for them, rocketing away from
the curb into traffic before they could react with anything except a number of
camera flashes.
"That was close..."
said Derek, "Are you all right now?"
"Yes...and no..." said
Nova, betraying tearfulness for the first time. "They...they were asking
me all sorts of crazy things...like what did I think of this policy or that
policy, and why did I go on the mutiny...and they were also asking personal
things about us...I told them when the wedding would be...but they kept on
going and going! They seem to have this idea I'm pregnant or something..."
"What?" said Derek. "That's CRAZY!"
"Derek, when we get
married, can we find a place away from these reporters? Please?"
"I'm sure we can,
Nova...they've been giving me a bit of a hard time, too."
"Please, Derek?" cried
Nova. "LOOK at this!" she sobbed, holding up one of her ripped bags
as one of the shoeboxes tumbled out, spilling her new shoes on the floorboard
of the car. "I can't even go shopping in peace! I want to be safe...safe
with you...I..I..."
Finally, while stopped at a
light, Nova just began to sob her heart out. Derek noticed, and held her hand
for a moment, until the light changed. When it did, he went through and then
pulled over onto a side street, where he parked, stopped the engine, and just
began to comfort Nova by hugging her and whispering her name over and over
again.
She's right, he thought. When WILL we have a
moment's worth of peace together? WHEN?
IV. HONORS AND ASSIGNMENTS
Earth
Federal Megalopolis
Presidential Palace
November 17, 2201