ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---A WOUND (LIKE A KNIFE TO THE HEART)
Being the ninth part of THE RIKASHA INCIDENT--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
ACT TWO: THE MOUNT OF
TEMPTATION
I. A STRANGE QUIET
Space Battleship Argo
In Orbit over Planet
Carufax
April 11, 2202
1020 Hours: Local Time
"The fleet's still around us?" asked Dash as he walked up to
the Cosmo-Radar.
Becky Voorhees nodded. She
was manning the radar in Nova's absence. "Is your leg all right?"
"This bionic leg is
taking some getting used to. It feels like I'm walking around on a piece of
wood."
"It feels like that
the first few days," said Sandor sympathetically. "You'll feel better
once the nerve endings adjust, Dash."
"Thanks"
He hobbled back over to his
post. Eager was now at the helm, in his role as Assistant Pilot. "What's
Venture doing back there again in the Captain's chair?"
"I advised him to do
it," said Sandor. "Reluctantly, of course.
Venture needs access to the Captain's status boards."
Mark sat in silence, feeling as if
the world had caved down on top of him. What a spot we're in, he
thought. Here I am in Captain Avatar's chair, the chair that neither Derek or I feel we're particularly worthy to sit in.
Neither of us quite feel we're filling the old
Captain's shoes. Derek and Nova and the others are still down there on that
planet; and we don't know when they'll be back….or if they'll be back. And
Holly's still in great pain. Holly. I wish we could get you home. I wish that
Aliscea could save you and make you walk again, but….
Todd Voorhees spoke up a
moment later from his post at the battle radar near Sandor. "Executive
Officer, we have three objects approaching the ship. Range, twelve megameters,
speed, sixty space knots. They're coming in very fast."
"All hands to combat
stations," said Venture.
The klaxons went off.
"Switching to visual," said Becky.
The three approaching
objects were Technomugar fighter craft of some type. The Rikashan fleet began
firing at them a moment later, joined by a barrage from the Argo's pulse
laser battery as they blasted past the ship at high speed, firing a shot or two
for show before they roared away. They were heading up over the plane of the
ecliptic beyond the range of the Rikashans' own pulse laser batteries on their
battleships and cruisers.
"What was the purpose
of that?" said Nishina. "They only fired two shots, and they
missed!"
"Those were recon planes,"
said Sandor as he stared at his instruments. "We were just scanned ten
times over at high speed as they made that pass. Venture,
that could be the precursor to a greater attack."
"I'm getting a signal
from the Rikashans," said Homer.
Ter'garv came on the screen
a moment later. "Would you mind if we launch our fighter screen to keep
away snoops like that? I can't stand those damned snoop missions."
"Fine," said
Venture, "But would you mind if we launch a squadron of our Black Tigers
to go on patrol?"
"We'd better exchange
IFF, or "Identification Friend or Foe" frequencies so that our planes
don't shoot each other down by mistake," said Ter'garv.
"Okay, we can do that
for now," said Venture. "Dash, prepare to upload the Delta-255 code
up to the Rikashans. We'll be awaiting your download."
"I pray that Cha'rif
is all right," said Ter'garv. "I haven't heard anything from him
lately. Have you heard from your Captain Wildstar?"
"No. And I hope he's
all right myself…"
"Well," said
Ter'garv. "We can both agree upon that sentiment, I think. Speaking
frankly, were it not for this Ji'had of Ekogaru's…we would make fine allies. We
think alike in some ways."
"Yes.
Interesting," said Venture. Then, Mark thought…Interesting considering
you guys were trying very hard to kill us just a few weeks ago. Well, I guess
war makes strange bedfellows. And if they're losing faith in Ekogaru…that might
be good for us. But I wonder what caused that split between the
Technomugar and Rikashans? I'd love to know…
In the castle on Carufax,
the harpsichord continued to play as the doors to Ekogaru's banquet hall opened
when the Dark Lord raised his hand.
Captain Wildstar looked
inside. It was a huge chamber, illuminated by three huge chandeliers. There was
a long table of dark polished wood.
Derek was somehow not too
surprised to find four Technomugar guards there…seated at either side of Baron
Anton Cha'rif. The guards had their weapons pointed at Cha'rif.
"Ah. I'm so glad that
you joined our party," said Cha'rif. "Ekogaru…uh…Lordship, what is
the meaning of this? I've been loyal enough…"
"I have detected some
doubt," said Ekogaru. "And I am aware that your fleet has been
guarding the Argo…and has exchanged fire with my forces?"
"Because your forces
have attacked first?" said Cha'rif. "Because you fired upon my fleet
and it only defended itself? Because you captured me when I was attempting to
see to it that Aliscea was well-treated? Don't you wish your prize to be
treated well? It is a shock, Ekogaru, when for my loyalty and self-sacrifice
and the deaths of my men in your causes, I have received naught but a slap in
the face. Our Scriptures say you are honorable and merciful, a good war god. I
have seen little of honor from you and have seen no mercy to those poor devils
out there whom you nailed to crosses to die in
pain."
"Those poor devils
were subhuman," said Ekogaru.
"They were also
Rikashan subjects," countered Cha'rif. "We conquered them, but does
not the conqueror owe his conquered ones protection, succor, and safety once
they have surrendered? It is a grave dishonor per our Scriptures to abuse those
who have surrendered and sworn loyalty to us as their liege-lords."
"The Scriptures and the Warrior Code are
rot," smiled Ekogaru. The smile looked very dark and sardonic under his
heavy mustache. "I wrote them to keep your people in line until I came
back. Now that I have returned, they are null and void, and I can treat you as
I please. I made them, I can break them!"
"But you said they
would endure forever!" demanded Cha'rif.
"I did, but times have
changed. Yvona, go over there and strike him. He has said quite enough."
Yvona struck Cha'rif across
the mouth.
"Now break his neck,
Yvona," said Ekogaru with a smile.
"Shouldn't that be my perogative?" demanded Marda. "I am a Rikashan. I am
your Priestess. He is a damned heretic."
"Marda, I have given
my order, Yvona, kill him!"
As Cha'rif tried to gather
his powers, Yvona reached towards him.
Image: "Lord
Ekogaru Muses" © 2003 by Frederick P. Kopetz
I wish I could stop this
now, thought Aliscea.
But…I am trying to gather myself for a strike on Ekogaru…I….
But, all of them were
shocked when, a moment later, a figure in white ran over and interspersed
herself between Cha'rif and Yvona.
"Stop that!" snapped Nova as she
grabbed Yvona by the wrist. "He hasn't done anything to you!"
"Get your hand off
me, you little whore," said Yvona. "Otherwise, I'll break your
stinking wrist."
"You don't call my
wife that," said Derek as he pulled his weapon (which he had retrieved
earlier) and put it in Yvona's back.
"Shall we stop
this?" said Ekogaru as he put his arms around Derek and Nova.
Both of them froze. The
huge Dark Lord's touch was cold, and his grip was like iron as he squeezed them
together.
"Let me kill them,
Lord," said Yvona.
"You keep your
silence, too, Yvona," rumbled Ekogaru. "As you may have observed, my
patience can wear thin at my servants…any of my servants. That includes
you."
"You wouldn't…"
"Don't try me,"
said Ekogaru with a sickening smile. "And Baron Cha'rif, do calm down. And you too, Aliscea. None of us need to quarrel like this.
Not when we can patch over our evident differences and we can serve together as
a happy family sharing my Gift of Eternal Life as Yvona and Gralnacz do. I have
brought you here to inform you that I offer eternal life as my servants to each
and every one of you, even you, Captain Wildstar. That is why I wanted to see
you so badly, Aliscea. That is why I gave orders for you to be brought to Me. Now, let us sit down in peace and break bread together.
We have much to discuss."
I'd love to get him now, thought Aliscea as she glanced
towards Paul.
Not yet, thought Paul.
Why not?
Aliscea, we need some
help. Why don't you call to your mother or something?
That's not a bad idea, thought Aliscea. She smiled and
shut her eyes…
II. TEMPTATION AND
HATRED
Gamilon Imperial
Flagship Gamilstadt
Desslok's Quarters
April 11, 2202
1047 Hours: Terran
Space-time
Desslok and his flagship were now at
the head of a fleet ferrying supplies from the Small
Magellenic Cloud back to the Great Magellenic Cloud for the reconstruction of
the reborn planet Gamilon.
However, the
Gamilon-Garuman Emperor's mind was still upon Earth's preparations for the war
with the Rikashans. He sat in his cabin with the Lady Astrena, his new,
pregnant bride, thinking of his Empire's readiness for war.
My fleets are now almost
in place, he
thought. We must hurry to reassert our claim over Gamilon; with Iscandar
nearby, I can't let the Rikashans or Technomugar come back and set up a
beachhead on my planet. It would endanger Starsha and those on Iscandar and it
would also be an unforgivable offense to the memories of those who died
fighting for Gamilon.
"This is a dark
time," he said as he sipped at his wine. "Isn't it, Astrena?"
"Darker than you
think," she said softly.
"What do you
mean?"
"Aliscea is calling to
me. She is ready to confront HIM."
"She's caught up with
him? She has to stop him, Astrena…"
"At the right
time," said Astrena in a cold voice. "And I foresee this is not
it…"
Aliscea, hold off, thought Astrena as she stretched
her thoughts across almost 200,000 lightyears of space to her daughter. This
isn't the place or the time! Break it off and get out of there, then pray for
guidance.
Desslok sat in awe as an
astral image of Aliscea appeared in his cabin.
"Mother, what are you talking
about? I can get him now!"
"You can't do it
alone, Aliscea!"
"What do you mean by
that?"
"You need to meditate
upon the situation. I have foreseen the last struggle; and you will need the
help of the Star Force and the Argo. You can't do it now!"
"But I can! Ekogaru
has us has his prisoners! I can't sit here and do nothing!"
"Aliscea, leave this
to your husband and his friends. If you don't, I foresee that you will only
suffer great pain and throw away everything that we've fought for!"
"Mother, I have to
kill him now! And my father's there! I have to make him pay for what he's done
to me!"
"Aliscea, there'll be
time to settle old scores later, when you defeat all of them."
"Mother, you have to
understand." Then, Aliscea saw Desslok there. "Stepfather…you have to
make her see reason! You know about revenge and vengeance, don't you?"
"Yes, and I also know
it can destroy you," said Desslok. "Daughter, when I wanted to
destroy the Argo and Wildstar, I became a man who was a stranger even to
myself. Blind revenge will earn you nothing but pain and homeless wandering,
and will only tear you away from your beloved. Love is the first casualty of
war. Don't repeat my mistakes, Aliscea!"
"Neither of you
understand!" snapped Aliscea. "Then, I'll do it alone."
"If you do it alone,
you shall end up alone," said Astrena as tears ran down her cheeks.
"You don't want to know what I have foreseen for you."
"No worse than that
which I have foreseen for myself. I know what I'm getting into, Mother."
"No you don't,"
sobbed Astrena. At that, Aliscea's astral image faded away.
"Desslok, if she acts
rashly like that…" sobbed Astrena.
"I know," said
Desslok as he briefly held her. "I know."
"What'll happen
then?"
"If she is lost, we shall have
no alternative except to fight him with what we have. I need to see Talan.
Please excuse me."
At that, Desslok got up,
with his cape snapping as he left.
Oh, God, don't let her
do it! Astrena
thought as she began to weep uncontrollably. Don't let her do it now!
"Well, well, well...now
that you're done talking to your foolish mother, let us go on…" said
Ekogaru.
"How did you know that?"
snapped Aliscea.
"Oh, believe me, I
know," said the Dark Lord. "Captain Wildstar, Nova, I would like to
make a proposition to you two, first. How would you like to become the Duke and
Duchess of Earth?"
"I have no ambition to
become your dictator, Ekogaru. I've seen too much of the way you treat people
to want to break my oath to defend Earth and serve under you," snapped
Derek.
"Well, what if you and
Nova see this?" he demanded.
Ekogaru stood up and raised
his hands….
Derek and Nova found
themselves standing on top of something that looked like a high mountain.
Beside them were Aliscea and Paul.
"Where are we?"
said Nova.
"Outside
of Time for a moment, above many things. I hope you like what I am about to show you."
"Where are Bryan and
Angie?" demanded Paul Rosstowski.
"They are here, but they
are not important to us at the moment," said Ekogaru. In the strange
landscape, the wind blew his hair and his cloak back, making him look both
dramatic and utterly demented.
"Why the
mountain?" asked Derek.
"In one of your
Scriptures from Earth, it is said that the Devil took the Christ to a high
mountain and offered Him all of the glory and kingdoms of the world…if He would
but worship him. I have more to offer you than that. Behold, the power you would
have as one of my servants…the power of my Empire!"
A moment later, they were
shown a group of bizarre visions that overwhelmed them.
Captain Wildstar saw
himself as the Commander of a vast fleet of Technomugar ships led by the Argo,
which was now painted all black and improved with strange new weapons systems.
Derek wore a grey and black uniform, with a red and black peacoat similar
to Yvona's. He was younger and stronger than he would ever be, for he was a
cyborg like Ekogaru in this vision, and he was the Chief Admiral of Earth's new
Defense Fleet…a new Technomugar Defense Fleet.
Power overwhelmed him,
power, might and strength. For a moment, his heart leapt as he wiped out the
entire Gamilon Fleet with one barrage. That'd be my revenge upon Desslok for
killing my parents, he thought with a warped smile. I'd finally have a
proper revenge, yes!
Derek was both thrilled and
sickened by how he saw his base impulses at work.
He returned home to Earth
Defense Headquarters, where he saw Nova sitting in a short black peacoat,
diaphanous white skirt, and bare feet on one of two golden thrones where Singleton's seat usually was. She smiled as Commander
Singleton, clad in only a slave's loincloth, brought her some coffee.
Derek looked at the
real-life Nova, and saw her standing there with her eyes closed and fists
clenched, trying to keep from being overwhelmed by what she saw. "Where is
my Derek in this? I sort of like the idea of being a Queen, but like that?"
Behind the illusory Nova,
Yvona whispered to her as an advisor. "He didn't bring the coffee fast
enough, my Lady. He shows no respect for the superior race. Kill him!"
Derek stood in shock as the
dream-Nova smiled and blew Singleton's brains out with a huge Technomugar
blaster. Derek felt even more sickened when he stood "outside" of
himself and saw his illusory self embrace Nova and kiss her for showing how
"superior" they were.
The worst part of this
temptation was how he felt part of himself drawn like a siren to the promise of
power and eternal life and youth. Indeed, it was very seductive.
Not far away, Aliscea was
also experiencing her own temptation. Her temptation was to abandon her
link and relationship with Paul and link to Ekogaru himself. She saw herself
sharing the Dark Lord's power, receiving the worship of billions, standing
naked in an immortal cyborg body that would never grow old, and bringing life
or death to people upon a mere whim.
This is horrible, she thought. The worst thing of
all…it seems so attractive, Paul…
He's tempting me with
eternal power over a whole battalion of soldiers, Aliscea, thought Paul in return.
I'm being tempted with a
Fleet, thought
Derek, who, somehow, wasn't surprised the others could hear his thoughts.
I'm being tempted with
the Queenship of Earth, thought Nova.
I'm being offered
jewelry, eternal youth and riches, thought Angie as she came up bemused from the shadows that surrounded
Ekogaru.
I'm being offered the
chance to go back in time an' be the Fifth Beatle, thought
Do you want it? Angie thought.
Tempting, but…don't know
if I want it. Hey, can you hear me thoughts?
Yeah, I can, thought Angie.
This is weird, luv, thought
Yeah, weird, thought Paul.
I'm getting a headache, thought Nova.
Do you feel like you're
being forced to give in? Derek thought.
Nova nodded. Finally, she
gathered enough strength to think (in a desperate attempt to block her mind
from the Dark One) "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone,
but on every word that comes from the Mouth of God.'" The Gospel of
Matthew 4:4.
Nova, you just
discovered a means of defense….the proper means to keep him out of your head,
like the Pellian K'alatinga discipline! Aliscea responded. Good! Everyone else…think of something
important to you…preferably something with a holy significance of some kind….
I'm running a Buddhist
sutra through my mind, followed by the Lord's Prayer, thought Derek.
I'm thinking the Rosary, Paul thought.
I'm praying to the
Goddess, thought
Angie.
I'm murmuring the lyrics
to 'Hey Jude'
I'm meditating upon the One, smiled Aliscea. Everyone, think of whatever your God happens to
be…and think of your homelands…
The six of them joined
hands, thinking encouraging thoughts, and smiled at Ekogaru.
A moment later, the weird
vision faded. They were back in the banquet hall.
"Oh, you rejected my
offer?" said Ekogaru.
"You could say
that," said Captain Wildstar with a smile. "We don't like the
illusions you offered us. Do you have anything else to say before we leave? We
have a war to fight."
"Now," said
Ekogaru to Derek and Nova. "I have described to you, as it were, the
Carrot of Eternal life in my domain. Do you wish to see the Stick of my
offer?"
"What do you mean by
that?" demanded Derek. "I said, we didn't
wish to see any more of your warped visions!"
"It is simple,"
he said. "My visions shall again overwhelm your mind, whether you like it
or not! If my offer is eternal life, well, now, you shall see the consequences
of rejecting my offer. I will begin with you, Captain."
"Which is?"
"Yes? What are you
talking about?" added Nova.
"Death, Captain
Wildstar. Death. Pure and simple You
shall see Death!"
Ekogaru laid his hand on
Derek's head. "No!" cried Nova.
Yvona responded to her cry
by cuffing her niece in the side of her face. Nova fell down, stunned by the
pain, and stunned by the sharp ringing in her ear.
"Don't you dare get
up!" snapped Yvona as Nova tried to struggle up.
Oh, my God, Derek's in
agony; he's in pain,
thought Nova while she clenched her fists.
Rosstowski ran to her aid. "Nova?"
"Paul, for God sakes, help him!"
Rosstowski ran up, but some
force threw him back...
In Derek Wildstar's mind,
he saw scene after horrific scene repeated.
Derek saw the planet bomb
dissolving his parents' bodies to soot and ash.
He saw people dying around
him in the gun turret in the Battle of Gamilon.
He saw Captain Avatar
sitting up in bed, looking at the dry, red Earth, and then dying. He saw the
picture of the old man's family fluttering out of his hand.
He then saw Orion's death;
a different version of it; with the old man grasping at the engineering console
in agony before he fell down and died.
He observed Sergeant Knox taking laser hit after
laser hit through his body and then collapsing near death on the Comet Empire
right before he set off the explosives. There was an explosion, an explosion he
just barely managed to get out of…and explosion that wounded him more with
shrapnel wounds. Then, he saw the bloody form flying back to the Argo
and crashing, crawling out of his cockpit to die on the flight deck in a pool
of blood. It was a gruesome death Nova had described to him, since she had
tried to treat him on the flight deck and failed. However, Derek remembered
that Nova had said that Sergeant Knox had died with a smile on his face.
Lastly, he saw a horrible set of images. Nova took a
hit at the radar, and then fell down to the floor. He held her; they exchanged
words...he couldn't tell what they were. She grasped his hand, smiled a sweet,
yet defiant smile, and then she died right in his arms. It was simple; it was
very blunt.
Ekogaru stood with his hand
on top of Captain Wildstar, smiling as he watched the rest of them seeing the
deaths of their loved ones. Good. They look so beautiful, weeping in agony
on my floor. Perhaps that'll break their damned resolve and make them surrender
and join me.
Then, he put his hand on
Nova's head…
Nova herself passed into
her own private hell a second later. She was in her Admin whites in this
vision; the Argo had just returned home after an accident. The crew was
lying collapsed on the deck, wearing helmets. They looked dead.
Doctor Sane assured her that those wearing helmets
would live; while those without helmets were dead.
Then, she found Derek
sprawled inert on the deck, without a helmet.
She held him and called his
name…he was dead.
In the vision, Nova then realized
there was only one alternative; she found his Astro-Automatic lying near his
body.
She picked it up, and was
preparing to commit suicide when she heard Derek's voice.
My God, it was just a
weird vision, she
thought as she realized she was kneeling in Ekogaru's banquet hall, and not on
the Argo.
"Derek!" she
cried.
Ekogaru took away his hand;
Derek saw Nova fighting to get to him; Yvona and Gralnacz were holding her
back.
"Do you accept my
offer to join us?" said Ekogaru. "I have just shown you what Death
and mortality look like."
"I'd rather die now
then join with you!" snarled Derek.
"Good, you can turn to
dust together. Both of you. Yvona,
put them together."
Nova was thrown to the
floor, landing in her husband's arms. She and Derek held each other, wondering
what this madman was going to do next.
"Aliscea. It's too bad that you're so
obstinate. I'm going to murder your uncooperative friends with my power. Do you
like that? Did you like seeing Paul die in the vision I gave you? If you join
me, maybe I'll just cast your friends and Paul back into the dungeon, instead
of killing them!"
"Never!" cried
Aliscea.
"Oh. You must like the
idea of seeing them die, then?"
"You can't do that!
You are the most horrible being I have ever met!"
And, at that, Aliscea
screamed, extending her hands towards Ekogaru.
Fire roared from her hands
at the Dark Lord.
Is this the end of him? Derek thought in wild excitement. Is
this where she gets him? I hope she gets him…here and now!
III. AWE AND FEAR
Space Battleship Argo
In Orbit Over Carufax
April 11, 2202
1121 Hours: Terran
Space-time
On the Argo, Becky
Voorhees looked at the cosmo-radar and gasped.
"What is it?"
asked Todd Voorhees at the battle radar.
"Something huge is
emerging from hyperspace about 15,000 megameters away from us. It can't be this
big…it can't…"
"What is it?"
asked Venture.
"Switching to
visual…"
The bridge crew looked up.
A huge black mass was fading into existence not far from Carufax.
It was Ekogaru's
Technomugar Fortress. A huge cloud of gas faded into existence with it, and
some of the gas buffeted the Argo as the Star Force again beheld the
terror and ugliness of this huge construction, gleaming with lights upon
lights, towers, weapons, and looking utterly untouchable by anything that Man
could devise.
Then, Ekogaru's astral
image appeared on the Argo.
"I have not
properly welcomed you to Carufax," said the Dark Lord. "I have
asked your Captain and his friends to join Me, but
they have refused. Because they are so obstinate, and because Aliscea of
Pellias has just dared to attack Me, they shall soon die.
You shall join them, shortly, along with Carufax. Yea, everyone on this planet
shall die because your Captain and Aliscea were so
damned obstinate! Then, in a few weeks, Earth shall suffer the same sentence of
Death unless she surrenders to Me. Do you like that?
Does it make you happy? Do you like being the instruments of genocide? Do you
like having a leader who is so foolish that he would allow millions to die
rather than join Me?"
"It's not what I
choose!" screamed Captain Wildstar's voice through the vision.
"And it is not what I
choose!" screamed Aliscea's voice.
Ekogaru looked confused,
and then he faded away.
Before Venture could react
to that, Becky cried. "Venture! There's twenty huge space battleships coming towards us!
Range, one thousand megameters! They're coming in fast!"
The enemy ships roared in,
firing as if their commanders were insane. The barrage was terrible. Ship after
ship in Cha'rif's Rikashan Fleet was blown apart, and the Argo took five
major hits.
The whole ship trembled as the
second bridge was hit. Down below the first bridge, the second bridge was
turned into a holocaust. Fire filled the compartment, and there were screams as
brave men and women took mortal injuries and died at their posts.
More energy beams roared
in, and the aft gun turrets were battered, hit, and then knocked out of action
altogether. "The aft turrets are out," said Sandor. "We can only
fight back with our forward turrets."
"Well, let's do
it!" said Venture. "Dash, open our remaining guns! Get that
fleet!"
"Yessir," said
Dash. "Nishina! Let's do it!"
"Right,
sir. Open all
guns. Target…enemy fleet. Range, nine
megameters…turrets one and two set. Open fire!"
The Argo returned
fire. Blue energy blasted out of her main guns yet again, with the mighty old
ship fighting back even as she burned in several places.
One set of beams ripped
through one of the enemy ships, while another glanced off one ship.
A Rikashan battleship
nearby was blown apart defending the Argo, but one of her surviving
mates helped the Earth ship return fire, not caring about the barrage she was
being subjected to.
"How bad is it?"
asked Ter'garv aboard the B'eoneraze.
"Our fleet's down to six ships, sir," said a young officer
with dark blond hair and a beard. "We can't take much more of this. Are we
going down with the Argo?"
"Aye, that's what
Baron Cha'rif would want, if it came down to it. I wonder why she's not
readying her wave gun?"
"The ship's bow looks
damaged, sir," said another officer as he pulled up a graphic of the
battered, smoking Argo.
"That must be
it," said Ter'garv. "I would have welcomed that sight not long ago,
but now, I don't. It isn't right for those mechanical scum-masters to wipe us
out like that…no…it isn't! Prepare our D'IATS cannon! If we're fated to die, at
least, let us take them with us!"
"Yessir," said an
engineer. "Decrease output to engines, prepare D'IATS cannon for
firing!"
On the Argo, Sandor looked
up with a painful expression on his face as the ship continued to fight.
"I've just heard from Bridge #2," he said.
"And?" asked Venture as
explosion after explosion went off outside, illuminating Dash and the rest of
the first bridge crew with a deadly scarlet light.
"An enlisted man has
just reported that five members of the second bridge crew were killed, along
with three damage control men from my Group who were there trying to repair the
damage."
"Who was it?"
"Moriyama,
Fedoyor, and…and, Royster, sir. I now have less than half of my
Group left."
From his post, Yamazaki
said, "There's another bad fire in the engine room, Sandor."
Sandor stood, wiping tears
from his eyes. "I'll help you with that. Yamazaki, let's go."
I wonder if we'll make
it through this? thought Venture as another
explosion went off outside. This might be the end for all of us. Well…at
least we can say that we went down fighting…
IV. ALISCEA FOREVER
Ekogaru's Castle on
Carufax
April 11, 2202
1124 Hours: Terran
Space-time
"And it is not what
I choose!" screamed Aliscea in the banquet hall as Ekogaru stood with
his eyes closed, laughing softly as he taunted the Star Force. He didn't choose
to let them see the fact that Aliscea had blown one of his arms off in her
first attack, of course.
Ekogaru looked confused as
he turned towards the young woman. She bared her teeth and blasted yet again.
This psionic blast of fire
caught Ekogaru right in the face. The Dark Lord fell screaming to the floor.
Now, thought Aliscea. You see,
Mother? You see? Even the memories within the Matrix, the memories of three
thousand years of your history….the memories are saying now is
the time to finish him!
Aliscea, stop it! I
don't see victory for you!
Why not? I have him!
Then, beware! Ekogaru
has many strange powers and tricks…thought Astrena.
Before Yvona or Gralnacz
could react, Paul Rosstowski ran up, taking a weapon from a fallen Technomugar
guard. He put the weapon in Ekogaru's chest and yelled, "All right, you
mechanical piece of garbage! Stand up!"
Ekogaru stood. His
appearance made Nova gasp with revulsion. Most of the plastic hide that had
covered his face had melted off, leaving a gleaming metallic skull-like face in
which baleful red electronic eyes glowed.
"She hasn't gotten me
yet," said Ekogaru as the mechanical mandible moved. "No! Gralnacz!
Yvona! Stand back. This is between Aliscea and I. Hands off me, you
animal!"
Ekogaru caused blue flame
to lash out from his body. Paul was thrown back in agony, with the stolen
Technomugar sidearm skittering along the stone floor.
Aliscea looked on in fear
and revulsion as she felt Paul's agony through their bond, but, at least he
lived. She looked at Derek and silently sent into his mind. You have the
advantage. I am unhurt.
What should I do?
He is now hurt. For the
first time, he feels the pain of his own war. You are armed. Take him prisoner
and make him order his guards to stand down. They won't fire at us if we have
their God in our hands. Consider this like a chess game from your world. You
have the King in check. Now, let us make it a check-mate!
Derek smiled. He liked this
idea.
As the Dark Lord stood,
Captain Wildstar whipped out his weapon, followed by Nova. "Ekogaru, you
will put up your hands and surrender! Order your guards to stand down and call
off your invasion and Ji'had now!! You're coming back to the Argo with
us, and you will be taken to Earth to be interrogated and then stand war crimes
trials for your atrocities! Give it up! Aliscea isn't hurt yet, but you
are!"
"Yes, I am hurt,"
said Ekogaru as he stood there staggering. He looked at his would-be defenders.
"Gralnacz, I place you in command. Do nothing further until these animals
take me prisoner."
"What?" said Gralnacz.
"You're letting
them take you?" screamed Yvona. "Lordship…my niece,
that whore…she's actually touching you!"
It looked very bleak indeed
for the Dark Lord as Nova and Aliscea put manacles over his booted ankles.
"If I can find one of
those damper bracelets…" said Aliscea. "…we
can subdue him."
"I think he put one on
Cha'rif," said Nova. "We can find him and take that bracelet."
"Good," said
Derek as Paul Rosstowski struggled up. The Technomugar guards parted as Ekogaru
nodded to them. He looked as if he was the very picture of defeat.
Ekogaru just glanced at
Gralnacz. He sent to him, This is a little
trick of mine. Play along.
Gralnacz nodded.
Ekogaru then glanced at
Yvona. Follow me, he thought. When the time is right…
Aliscea then put a forceful
knee into the Dark Lord's rear end. "Move," she snapped.
The Dark Lord walked off,
battered, burned, with Aliscea's triumphant hand on him, and with Derek and
Nova's blasters pressed into his sides.
"You have him?"
said Baron Cha'rif in shock as the procession met him in the hall. The Rikashan
Baron was in the midst of being beaten by some Technomugar guards when the
guards saw the Dark Lord as a prisoner and stopped.
"Yes, they have
me," said Ekogaru. "The Ji'had ends here, Cha'rif. They're
taking me back to Earth. Tell your people that it is over."
"Ekogaru?" said
Cha'rif in shock.
"Isn't that what you wanted?"
said Ekogaru in an utterly acid voice. He looked at Derek and Nova. "You
two stand back. I won’t be shot trying to escape."
"You are our
prisoner," countered Derek. Wildstar shoved the Dark Lord. "Now, you
madman, you will listen to us!"
"Suit yourself,
scum," said Ekogaru with a wicked light in his eyes. "Well, Aliscea,
hurry up and get that bracelet on me. Do what you must, but do it
quickly."
"Believe me, I will do
so," said Aliscea as she took the damper bracelet off Cha'rif and prepared
to put it on Ekogaru. "Derek, Nova, stand back. Please. There could be an
electrical discharge that might hurt you when I have him subdued."
Derek shoved the Dark Lord
before he let him go, and even Nova couldn't resist giving the Evil One a
little shove herself.
Aliscea came forward with
the bracelet. She smiled, looking triumphant. Pride burned within her.
"Checkmate!" she said in a ringing voice. "Ekogaru the Great,
prepare to face the vengeance of all of the civilized peoples of the Galaxy,
and prepare to face my vengeance!"
"No, prepare to face
something else," said the Dark Lord as the bracelet began to touch his
hide.
"What? I've beaten
you!"
"No, prepare to face…my
vengeance," said the wounded Ekogaru with a sick gleam in his eyes. A
green fire burned in them. then, the Dark Lord blazed
forth with his own flame.
The bracelet switched
position, locking around Aliscea's wrist.
Fire blazed around Aliscea.
She screamed.
The Dark Lord stood
laughing as a burning chain wrapped itself around a helpless Aliscea. A moments later, Derek, Nova, and Paul looked on in
revulsion as Ekogaru hauled Aliscea up by her chains. In tatters and in chains,
she looked incredibly helpless.
And, Paul couldn't feel
their psi-link anymore. In his mind, he cried, Aliscea,
Aliscea! But, he got no answer, and couldn't feel her presence at all.
Aliscea looked at Paul with
pain in her eyes.
Paul shut his eyes as the
tears began to flow.
Then, Ekogaru howled in
triumph, and he and Aliscea disappeared.
"Now, who is superior?"
snapped Yvona. "And now, who are the prisoners? You are! Men,
surround them!"
On the B'eoneraze,
Ter'garv yelled, "FIRE!"
He pushed on the firing
grips of the D'IATS cannon control.
His ship's D'IATS cannon
went off, blasting a green cataract of energy towards the Technomugar fleet. A
moment later, the eight remaining Technomugar space battleships were consumed
like dust in the wind.
Everything was quiet.
"Now, the Baron's fleet is down to six ships; this battleship, one other
space battleship, one cruiser, and three destroyers."
"And the Argo,
sir," said one of his officers.
He looked at the burning Argo.
"And the Argo," he said softly. "But there's still that
Fortress. I pray that the Baron and Wildstar can get back here soon with
Aliscea and use that information the Baron gave Wildstar so we can put out the
lights of Ekogaru's Fortress…forever. The fear of Ekogaru has dominated our
people long enough!"
Yvona Josiah was in her glory while
she stood smiling in the middle of the corridor in the palace inside the castle
complex. This part of the castle had been remodeled by the Rikashan governor
(who was now dead, executed by Ekogaru's forces), and it looked newer than
other portions of the building. She had slapped her niece in the face several times, bring forth fresh tears of rage and pain on Nova's
part as she and Derek stood there in manacles, being shoved around by her body-armor
clad Technomugar guards.
Yvona smiled at Nova.
"So we don't neglect your husband, let's slap him too, eh?"
Yvona smiled, and began to
slap Derek Wildstar in the mouth.
Nova's heart was breaking
as she saw her husband wincing under her mad aunt's blows. When Yvona was done,
Derek's mouth was bleeding.
Yvona then kicked the Argo's
Captain in the behind, laughing as he fell to the ground.
"Stop hurting him like
that!" screamed Nova.
"All right, join
him!" yelled Yvona.
Yvona then kicked her niece
in the behind, laughing as she fell beside her husband.
I'd love to kick you, thought Nova in rage. Then, she
felt sick. My God, what's happening to me? I'm becoming as cruel as she is!
"Chain their damned
ankles!"
roared Yvona.
Two smiling guards put
fresh manacles around Derek and Nova's ankles and forced them to their feet. It
was hard for them to walk, but they tried to keep as much pride as they could
with bleeding mouths and shaking legs.
"Should we chain the
rest of these animals?" asked a Technomugar guard.
"No, let us not do
that. Let them have a little bit of freedom until they're back in the dungeon.
Then, they'll all have their chains back soon enough," snarled Yvona.
"What about me?"
demanded Cha'rif.
"You too, you rotten,
diseased traitor!" said Yvona with a sick grin disfiguring her face. She
slapped Cha'rif and then spat into his face. The Baron winced at this
indignity, but he still stood proud. "Of course, Ekogaru has not gone far with
Aliscea. He is a bit tired and has to use a shuttle to get her back to the
Fortress…but you will not be going there. You will die here on
Carufax!"
"Thank you,"
muttered Cha'rif acidly. Wincing as a guard shoved Captain Wildstar forward, he
thought, They took that damper bracelet off
me, and Aliscea still lives. I can feel it. If they let down
their guard…
Gralnacz and Yvona stood
there laughing. Yvona laughed all the harder as Gralnacz kicked Paul Rosstowski
in the rear end while she beat Bryan Hartcliffe with a small rod.
"Welcome to the
family, son-in-law, as you say it on Earth," laughed Gralnacz while Yvona
spent a few minutes slapping poor Angie Hartcliffe around. "I hope you
like the idea that you'll never see Aliscea again."
"You’re wrong. I will
see her again!"
"Shall you,
Rosstowski?" said Gralnacz. "I don't think so. I think I should shut
your stinking mouth first. Kneel."
"Like hell!"
"Kneel!"
yelled Gralnacz. Paul Rosstowski was shoved to his knees, and a blaster was put
against his head by Gralnacz.
Yvona thought this was
incredibly amusing. As she giggled with a hand to her mouth, Cha'rif whispered,
"Captain Wildstar…?"
"Yes?"
"I can take them.
Follow my lead. When I attack, run and take their weapons. We'll meet outside,
Captain. Then, we can find Aliscea. Guard your wife well. Soon, I hope all of
us can be toasting Ekogaru's defeat on your ship."
Derek nodded. "Good.
I'll wait for you to move."
"Great. Do your best
in those chains. I'll free you soon."
Yvona kicked Nova again.
"I think I'll kill you," she said in a sickeningly sweet voice.
"Yes? How would you like to have your head lopped off, Nova? What do you
think of that?"
"You can rot in
Perdition," whispered Nova through her tears.
Derek's heart dropped as
Yvona shoved Nova forward, clearly wanting to separate her from the others.
Suddenly, Gralnacz
screamed. He was on fire, thanks to Baron Cha'rif.
"What the…?" said
Yvona.
As Yvona turned her heard,
she received a blast of fire right in her face as Cha'rif attacked. The cyborg
woman fell screaming in agony as Cha'rif kicked her aside. He took her weapon
and began to fire at the Technomugar guards.
"Nova!" cried
Derek. "Get behind me! I'll defend you!"
Nova, hobbled by her heavy
chains, ran over as best she could, falling to one
knee but gallantly helped to her feet by Rosstowski and Bryan Hartcliffe.
"You take that!"
he cried. "I'll rout these other guys!"
"
Crying, Angie fired at
another guard as he passed her. Then, she looked at Nova. "Nova!
Spread your ankles!"
Nova obeyed, gratified at a
little freedom as Angie fired at the chain that ran between her pump-clad feet.
With her legs free, she would be able to run a bit better alongside Derek.
Angie then yelled.
"Now hold up your wrists and put them against the wall!"
Another shot came, and
Angie freed Nova's wrists. Then, Derek ran up, and Angie cut Derek's wrist and
ankle chains in a similar fashion.
"Run!" yelled
Angie. Behind her came Paul Rosstowski, reeling and feeling sick because his
link with Aliscea was gone.
"Run faster!"
cried Angie "More of them are coming that way!"
And run they did. Derek and
Nova ran down the corridor into darkness as if every Techomugar cyborg ever
constructed was after them. Since it was about thirty against six, this was not
so far from the truth.
Cha'rif used his mental
powers and unlocked the manacles on Derek and Nova's wrists and ankles. They
struggled out of their chains, and then picked up their Astro-Automatics once
again.
"Run!" cried
Cha'rif. "Go out that door…you'll be in the courtyard. Find the nearest
armored personnel carrier…I'll meet you out there!"
"Thanks!" yelled
Captain Wildstar. He and Nova stood holding off some more enemy troopers, and
then they took off as if the very Hounds of Hell were after them.
"I hope they'll be all
right," said Nova as they ran.
"I don’t think Cha'rif
will lead them astray. Not now."
"You trust him
now?" gasped Nova.
Derek nodded. "We have
no choice now. We need his help to get Aliscea back. We have to catch up with
her."
"Do you think we can
catch up with Ekogaru?" gasped Nova.
"We have no
choice," said Derek. "If we don't catch up with her, it's the end for
all of us. It's the end for Earth."
Nova only nodded in
agreement.
To Be Continued With
Act Three: "Towards the Desert"
THERE ARE NOW 30 DAYS TO THE ARRIVAL OF EKOGARU IN EARTH'S SOLAR SYSTEM
To return to
the Introduction to the Rikasha Incident please click here