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 FOUR …THE SWEET
SMELL OF A SACRIFICE
I. A DESPERATE OFFENSE…
Space Battleship Argo
In Orbit Over Carufax
April 11, 2202
1403 Hours: Terran
Space-time
Commander Mark Venture was
now back on the Argo's First Bridge.
"The Technomugar
Fortress is beginning to turn its most heavily illuminated portion towards
Carufax, sir."
"Thank you, Mrs.
Voorhees. What's the range?" asked Venture as he looked forward to the
Cosmo Radar, where Becky was sitting. Venture was back at the Captain's station
again. Eager currently had the helm.
"Three
thousand megameters and closing."
"That thing's too damn
close for comfort!" cried Eager.
"You're right. If it
gets much closer, there'll be earthquakes down there on that planet from the
tidal effects upon the crust," said Sandor.
"Damn!" said
Mark. "Wildstar and the others are still down there. Homer? Any word from Hemsford?"
"I’m getting something
now," said Homer. "He says he's just joined up with the Captain.
They're boarding a Technomugar space battleship that's landed on the surface.
According to Cha'rif, Aliscea's on that ship. They think they can get in there
and get her, Venture."
"Good," said
Mark, who breathed a sigh of relief.
"Well, we're getting a
bit closer to accomplishing our goal," said Dash. "When they have
Aliscea off the ship, and when Wildstar gets back with that information he says
he has, we'll be much better set to fight that…thing out there."
"Yes," said
Venture.
Becky then cried out.
"Ter'garv's ship is charging the Fortress!"
"What?" said Venture.
"I'm getting a signal
from Ter'garv," said Homer.
The interior of the B'eoneraze's
bridge came out on the Argo's main screen. Ter'garv sat there smiling.
"Commander Venture.
I'm going to stop him from using his Phased Density Cannon against
Carufax."
"How?"
"You'll see. It will be
quite obvious. I have said my good-byes to Cha'rif already when he contacted me
psionicially. Give the same to Wildstar when you see him. He was a great ally.
Goodbye!"
Then, it was obvious what
Ter'garv was doing as his space battleship blasted towards a glowing protrusion
on the Fortress, ignoring all of the green fire that emerged from other gun
ports on the Fortress. The fire tore up the B'eoneraze as she came, but
Ter'garv ignored the shredding of his own ship. "Ter'garv!" cried
Venture.
The old bearded man just
smiled and saluted on a bridge that was filling up with fire. A moment later,
the Argo's main screen was covered with a blaze of white light as the B'eoneraze
rammed the Technomugar Fortress' greatest weapon.
Outside, there was a great
explosion as the Argo's main screen went dark. Then, there was silence
as the Technomugar Fortress sat there with some of her multicolored lights
extinguished and a huge stream of smoke pouring out of the barrel of the Phased
Density Cannon.
"Now that's more like
it," said Venture with a smile. "Dash, how many weapons do we have
left?"
"Not a lot."
"Well, do you think
you can prepare an attack on that Fortress?"
"Yes, mostly with
torpedoes and missiles to start with…"
"Go for it," said
Venture.
At that, the Argo
began to turn.
II. ALISCEA'S STAND…AND
YVONA'S MADNESS
Carufax
Inside Ekogaru's Space
Battleship
In Orbit Over Carufax
April 11, 2202
1441 Hours: Terran
Space-time
Aliscea Rosstowski cried
out in pain. Her physical efforts to get the damper bracelet off were burning
her hands, and the mental efforts were so intense that it was making her nose
bleed.
She gasped again, ignoring
the continuing flow of blood onto her chest as she worked the clasp on the
damper bracelet.
Suddenly, the jewels went
dark and she was able to work the clasp. It finally opened!
Aliscea shrugged the
bracelet off, and stood on her toes as she drew in a great, gasping breath of
relief. Good, she thought as she stood on the deck, letting the coolness
of the metal deck wash up her from the soles of her bare feet upwards as her
power began to rush back to life inside her soul. I don't feel Ekogaru now.
I wonder what in blazes has happened to him? No
matter.
She found a drinking water
tap in the communications room, and washed herself clean of her own blood after
she psionicially stopped the nosebleed. Paul? She sent.
Yes? Came the
reply.
I'm free now.
Are those guards still
there?
Yes, the idiots are
still hammering at the hatch. Correction…they're trying to break in. I guess
they think I'm helpless because I'm armed only with a little blaster. Anyway,
I'm putting a plan of this place in your mind. Follow it, and you can meet me.
Then, I can find Ekogaru, dispatch him, and we can find Derek and Nova and get
off this ship.
What about Nova and
Yvona?
Nova can take care of
herself. We'll all be together soon…
But we're heading
towards the Fortress!
So? Size matters not. If I get Ekogaru,
his Fortress becomes space junk.
In the room, the armored
hatch began to glow red.
They're ready to start
the party now, Paul. See you later.
Aliscea?
She smiled as she cut
contact. Then, she spit into her hands, rubbed them together…
…and waited for the
Technomugar soldiers to try to come and get her…
Ekogaru the Great continued
to rant.
"My time has
come!" he yelled. "Now, we are about to dock with the
Fortress…and…"
Then, his cyborg jaw fell
open. An explosion came on the Fortress.
"What has
happened?" he demanded.
A crewman said, "Sir,
the Phased Density Cannon has been disabled. We were in power-up mode, as you
ordered, but a Rikashan space battleship rammed it. We can't fire now!"
"All right, let's use
our weapons to fry Carufax's surface! We can do it
and kill all of them!"
"Yessir."
"When we finish the
massacre, we will warp to Rikasha. Make the warp field strong enough to pull
the enemy ships there along with us in our wake. Then we'll take them all
captive and then crucify and torment them. Got it?"
"Of
course."
A huge landing bay opened.
It was one of the thousands of bays on the Grand Fortress. Ekogaru's space
battleship began to dock with his Fortress a moment later.
"I am home!"
ranted Ekogaru. "Yes, I am here, and I am the undisputed Lord of…"
"Are you?" asked
Vergar. Vergar abruptly stood up with a blaster in his hand.
"What?" said Ekogaru.
"Have this, Ekogaru!
You have destroyed our ideals in your madness!"
Then, Ekogaru took a shot
in his chest.
"SCUM!" roared
Ekogaru as he staggered around. Before Vergar could shoot again, Ekogaru raised
his hands. Green fire blasted forth from them, catching Vergar straight in the
head. His old servant died screaming as he burned.
The dying Ekogaru then
picked up his blaster and pointed two blasters at his crew. "Get him out
of here! Bring medics! I will soon collapse into a healing trance. In the
meantime, inform General Hallander that he will run
the Empire in my stead until I recover! I can trust him! And have this
traitor's corpse fully burned! I…I…"
At that, the Dark Lord
collapsed. Before unconsciousness came, he managed to slow down his cyborg
functions just enough so that he could be kept alive in a trance until he was
repaired. Then, his black consciousness winked out.
Unknown to him, as he
passed out, the Fortress' weapons systems began to shut down one by one. He and
his men were unaware of this at the moment, though. The ship landed, clanking
to in the bay's docking claws.
A moment later, Ekogaru was
cast onto a floating litter, and in a quick procession, he and his bridge crew
left the battleship, disappearing into the bowels of the Fortress.
"Nova? Nova?"
"Oh,
Derek, my head!"
"I wonder where we are?"
"Not sure. It's awful
dark in here…"
A moment later, a number of
red lights came on. Nova and Derek could then see that they were in a strange,
round room with shiny black metal walls. It was very cold. Far above them, a
hatch hissed open, exposing a huge, round viewport.
Lights and support pillars could be seen outside. Then, Nova looked up and felt
like weeping. "Derek! I think I know where this ship is…where we are!"
"Where?"
"The Fortress…we're
inside it," she said, feeling utter despair. "Do you think there's a
way out?"
"If only I could read
those plans in my jacket pocket…"
A hatch hissed open,
and Yvona Josiah walked in, followed by a number of guards.
"Don't
let her know you have those plans…" whispered Nova.
Derek nodded.
"Where am I?"
Nova gasped out loud.
"In my house,"
the grotesque-looking semi-repaired Yvona replied. "Do you two like
it?"
"We hate it!"
said Derek. "Along with you!"
He pulled his blaster and
fired. Yvona made the beam bounce back…it hit him in the arm, making him cry
out.
"Derek!" cried
Nova. She held him as he moaned. Then, Yvona put her hand on his head…
…and he began to scream…
"Stop doing that to
him!" screamed Nova.
Yvona kept her hand on
Derek's head. She smiled and sat down beside Nova, who was half-sitting,
half-lying on the cold, cold stone floor of the ship. "As you guessed, you
are in the Technomugar Fortress now. Welcome to your new home; not your house,
not the Argo, but the edge of Joy Suite Number Sixty-Six. You're outside
it. You will be tortured, tormented, and broken, just like we've done to
Aliscea Rosstowski and some of your other friends from Earth. We will break
you. Every smidgen of love for your Japanese Captain will be burned from your
psyche as we torture you, and every smidgen of love he has for you shall
likewise be burned out. Then, when you kiss the feet of Ekogaru and worship Him
as your new God, we will make you anew in our image. You will become immortal,
and a vassal of Ekogaru the Great forever. Then, you will help me rule over
your dear planet Earth as my absolute toady and slave!"
"No I won't!"
cried Nova as twelve guards bodily picked her and Derek up and she kicked
unashamed like a small but very wild animal fighting its way out of a trap...to
try to return to her mate. "I have work to do! I
have to get back with my Derek and care for him!"
"No you won't,"
said Yvona.
"Like hell I won't.
I'll fight you!"
"Me too!" roared
Captain Wildstar as Yvona took his cosmo-gun and gave it to one of her guards.
"We'll get you if it's the last thing we do!"
"You sound so brave,
my dears." She took her hand off Derek's head. Then, she smiled and
thought, It is almost time. I will deal with you, and
then release my almost fully-grown clone child and take her healthy brain. The
download is continuing. Then, with her dead and her healthy parts inside me, I
will deal with Ekogaru last of all, and make you bow before me. I wonder where
Ekogaru is? Some god he makes; can’t even feel his
presence!
The door to Aliscea's
prison blew open. Immediately, the Technomugar guards advanced.
They advanced into a
holocaust, screaming as flame consumed trooper after trooper.
A second ball of fire
consumed an officer, and Aliscea, enjoying her special protection from fire,
ran unscathed through the flames. Soon, the few surviving troopers fired at
Yvona's backside as she ran on.
The young woman smiled, and
made a curtain of green energy appear between herself and her would-be
tormentors. The troopers fired anyway, and they merely succeeded in shooting
themselves.
Aliscea blew a raspberry at
the few surviving enemies, and then she ran away with barefoot grace.
Now, I just have to find
Paul, she thought.
The Argo and the
remaining ships of Cha'rif's fleet regrouped and began to fire upon the Grand
Fortress. Finally, Venture smiled for the first time in hours as missile after
missile from the Argo and energy bolt after energy bolt from the
Rikashan ships battered the Fortress.
"Hey! We're actually
damaging that thing now!" laughed Dash. "Do you think we can end it
here? Why'd they stop firing?"
"I don't know,"
said Venture.
"Hey! We got another
hit!" laughed Nishina.
"There's some kind of
energy buildup taking place on the Fortress," said Sandor.
"Do you know what's
happening?"
"No, Venture."
"Oh,
great!"
On the Fortress, Captain
Derek Wildstar huffed and puffed in his physical agony.
"Awww...is
baby's diaper wet?" asked Yvona. "Let him go, people. I want to
strike him."
They shoved Captain
Wildstar to the deck. Derek immediately snarled like an animal and pounced on
Yvona like a wildcat
Yvona wasn't expecting
this. She was utterly shocked by the young man's fierce bravery. The two of
them fought and grappled like wild animals. The guards were startled because
they hadn't expected such resistance from an unarmed human.
Nova desperately tried to
break free to help her husband, but she didn't have the strength to do so. More
guards came, and she felt the bite of a needle in her thigh. She went limp.
"What did you do to
her?" roared Derek as he saw Nova fall into a state of utter helplessness.
He forced his way up and put his hands around Yvona's neck. "Free her, or,
I swear, I'll break Yvona's neck!"
A large guard came up
behind Captain Wildstar, putting a blaster into his neck. "Give up or I'll
shoot you!"
Derek then realized he
could do no more for Nova. "Go," he mouthed.
"I can't," she
moaned. "I can't move anything!"
"Go," whispered
Derek. "Leave me!"
Then, a moment later,
another set of doors burst open. Laser fire filled the compartment as Hemsford,
his remaining Marines, Cha'rif, Rosstowski, and the Hartcliffes rushed in.
A new, fierce firefight
ensued as Technomugar guards fought Terrans. Hemsford felled several of them
with his weapon, backed up by Wallchinsky and some of his other men.
Paul Rosstowski cut down two
Technomugar guards with his weapon and then he rushed at Yvona. He was cut down
a moment later as Yvona caused fire to shoot from her hands. He fell down with
his chest on fire, but he rolled on the deck to put the horrible blaze out.
Baron Cha'rif and Yvona
Josiah squared off. Yvona threw her black peacoat open, and discarded her
belts. She then clasped her coat closed at the neck with a chain and pulled one
arm out of the sleeve to give her more freedom of movement. Then, she got her
hands on a long laser cutlass that Derek thought was like Captain
Harlock's…while Cha'rif fought back with his scimitar, disdaining the similar
cutlass at his side.
Everyone stopped fighting
as the tall Rikashan fought the evil cyborgized Terran. Both warriors were in
black, so they both looked sinister even though Baron Cha'rif was on the side
of Good. Their swords rang and clashed as they dueled, with Cha'rif fighting
off Yvona's strikes. He parried, and thrust back on his own with his great
sword, hissing and snarling as he went on the offensive. A strike tore Yvona's
black peacoat, but she jumped back and fought on.
In Derek's arms in the dark
room, Nova felt utter nausea as her body tried to fight off the strange
medication. What was worse was noticing that Yvona was fought in her
clothes under the black peacoat she wore…the pink short romper set and pink
boots Yvona had on had literally been stolen from right out of Nova's house by
Yvona a few weeks beforehand in a raid upon Earth.
Nova drooled helplessly as
she lay in Derek's arms. "What's going to happen to us?"
"I don't know."
"I hope he beats her.
Or, if not, I hope that God gives me a chance to fight her, Derek."
"Don't talk like
that."
"I want to defeat
her…I want to defeat her so bad!" said Nova.
"You and me both…you and
me both…"
Then, everything around
them turned bizarre. Lights turned into blurs, and the world seemed to tilt and
go insane.
A roar filled everyone's
ears…both cyborgs and humans fell into helplessness alike as the Fortress
spiraled into a space warp.
We're warping? Where are
we going? What
is going on? Captain Wildstar thought before normal, conscious thought
deserted him…
III. YVONA AND NOVA
Inside the Technomugar
Fortress
In Orbit Over Planet Rikasha
April 11, 2202
1602 Hours: Terran
Space-time
"Get up," hissed
Yvona Josiah as she poked the end of her sword into Derek Wildstar's side after
some time passed. "Get up, I said!"
Derek just moaned. He was
nauseated and weak from the sudden space warp. "Where…are…we?"
Yvona smiled. "Over
Rikasha," she said.
"Where's Nova?"
"I'll deal with her in
a minute," said Yvona. Derek raised his head and observed Yvona kicking
Nova. "She's still sort of out of it. Men, pick her up!"
Two guards grabbed Nova and
hauled her to her feet. She moaned, looking around as
other guards herded Rosstowski, Hemsford, and the others into a circle.
"They're all outside
of the battleship now, Lady," said an officer. A few Rikashans and
R'Khells appeared.
Baron Cha'rif lay half in a
daze as he was thrown to the deck. They sure got here fast, he thought. Now,
I know where we are. We're home. We're over Rikasha herself. Gods forgive
us…this vile war machine is now polluting the very skies of my mother planet!
"Where are we?"
demanded Paul Rosstowski.
Not far away, Cha'rif
crawled to Nova.
"What are you
doing?"
"Counteracting that
drug," he said as he grabbed her hand for a moment. Then, after two
heartbeats, Nova stood again. She felt much better. She called out, “Yvona,
where the hell have you taken us? This is the Fortress, isn’t it? Where are we?”
"We are over Rikasha,
on the Grand Fortress. The Grand Fortress that I know you carry the plans for,
Captain Wildstar! But you are in no position to make demands," barked
Yvona.
"Really?" hissed
Paul.
"Really. Guards, kill them one by one until
they surrender," ordered Yvona.
Wallchinsky was thrown out
in front of the group first. He was shot through the heart by a Technomugar
guard.
"NOOO!" screamed
Angie Hartcliffe.
"You next," said
Yvona.
Three guards pulled Bryan
and Angie apart as they gazed at each other with pain in their eyes.
NO! thought
The guards made Angie
kneel. One of them put a blaster at the back of her neck.
Yvona smiled and slashed at
Derek's head with her saber.
Nova screamed as a freshet
of blood came from her husband's head…and his right ear came off and hit the
deck.
Derek put his hand to his
head and lay there moaning.
Nova weakly kicked at a
guard, and then, she remembered an Aikido move as one of the armored men
punched at her. The guard fell, tripped by his own attack being turned against
him.
Nova tripped the other
guard and distracted Yvona from Angie's impending execution by running to
Derek's side. She tore part of her scarf off and said,
"Derek…darling…"
"Nova…that hurts…it
hurts so much."
"I'm putting this
around your head to staunch the bleeding. Wish I could just take the pain away,
my darling. At least I can stop the bleeding. Hold still."
"Are we gonna get out
of this?" said Derek.
Nova nodded. "We will.
There's a sword over there on the deck…by Cha'rif. After I fix you up…I'm going
for it."
"Who are you going
after?"
"Her! She hurt
you!"
"Nova…that's.."
"Suicide?" Maybe. But
you can get to the ship with those plans. Try to get everyone out of here while
I distract her."
"Nova…I…"
"You don't have any
choice," she whispered. He was bound up. She tenderly kissed him.
"Goodbye, Derek. If I die, please remember me well…"
"Nova…tenshi…" said Derek, grasping her
wrist.
With tears running down her
cheek, Nova pried his hand free and whispered, "I love you." Then,
she kissed him for a last time and ran off.
"Hey!" yelled
Yvona. "Get her!"
The guards turned away from
Angie as Nova bounded over to the half-conscious Baron Cha'rif. He lay on the
deck with blood streaming from his head.
"Excuse me," Nova
whispered.
Cha'rif nodded.
She ignored his heavy
scimitar and took a laser dueling saber from a scabbard on the Baron's side
under his black cape. Then, Nova bounded up and ran towards Yvona. But,
hesitation appeared in her mind as Yvona smiled at her.
You'll be killing your
aunt, said a voice
in her head. You will be guilty of murdering a relative.
Yvona just grinned at that.
Nova started a little as
Baron Cha'rif snapped her a salute and vanished.
"Huh?" she said.
Go on, Nova, said Cha'rif's voice in his head.
I have returned to the lead surviving space battleship of my Fleet. Now, finish
this. Finish her, and then escape with Aliscea. She is coming, but you must
weaken Ekogaru…by finishing your aunt.
But I can't, thought Nova. She's my mother's
sister!
You have to, said Aliscea's voice in her head.
It's the only chance for
Derek, added
Astrena's voice.
Then, to her surprise, she
heard Desslok's voice in her head. Thanks to Astrena, I can speak to you for
a moment. We shall soon be coming. But Ekogaru must be weakened now. Are you up
to it?
"Yes," whispered
Nova softly. A tear ran down her cheek. This was my Aunt but…
"Yes, Desslok, I am up
to it!" cried Nova.
"Desslok?" moaned
Derek in confusion.
Then, Nova looked at Derek
moaning in pain and holding his ear.
She's hurt the love of
my life! Now, she is my aunt no more! I have sworn to stop Earth's enemies, so,
now, I shall do so. I must carry out my oath.
"C'mon, Yvona!"
yelled Nova. "Let's finish this! I hate you and everything you’ve done!"
"You'll burn in Hell
if you kill me," said Yvona. "I was that voice in your head. Do you
not have a conscience, you fool?"
"So?" said Nova.
"I'd rather burn in Hell than see my husband and planet die at your hands!
Let's go!"
The others defied their
guards and applauded. Terran cheers filled the Fortress for a moment until the
guards swung their weapons towards their enemies to shut them up.
Ignoring the cold of the
dark, eerie chamber inside the Technomugar Fortress, Nova swung at her aunt
with her sword. Thus, the duel began. Nova was very grateful at this moment
that Derek had taught her how to handle a sword.
Yvona put up her sword to parry
Nova's blow. "Do you want a fight?" the cyborg tyrant screamed.
"What does it look
like?" asked Nova as she jumped away with barefoot grace. Good, I have a
little advantage. No shoes on means I can grip this slippery deck better, like in a dojo, she thought. Nova thrust
at Yvona, her strike stopped by Yvona's sword.
"Kill her!"
yelled a Technomugar officer as he watched the two opponents, one in white, the
other in black and pink.
"No! We'll hit Lady
Yvona! Ekogaru won't like that!"
"What do we do?"
"Stand ready!"
said another guard.
Derek sat up. Pain
resounded through his head, but he smiled as Nova stood up on her toes and danced
around behind a console to avoid Yvona's rage-filled attack.
Yvona swung, screaming like
a banshee.
Nova smiled, fighting on in
grim silence and defiance. She skipped over a laser bolt that Yvona fired at
her as if she was jumping over a jump rope.
Then, Nova swung at Yvona's
neck. Yvona just barely parried the shot on time, but the edge of Nova's saber
whipped against one of Yvona's partially exposed arms. The cyborg screamed as
pinkish blood welled from her arm.
"You hurt me!"
"I'll do worse before
this is over! OUCH!" cried Nova as Yvona's sword slashed one of her
thighs. She skipped back in time to keep the damage from being any worse…but
now, both women had drawn first blood.
Nova savagely thrust again,
knocking Yvona off balance. In her bare feet, Nova landed nimbly like a
gymnast.
On the other hand, Yvona
just barely managed to keep her feet in the high-heeled boots she wore. Then,
to Nova's frustration, she danced away up onto another operations panel, just
out of Nova's reach.
Nova fired at her with the
cutlass' laser trigger. The cyborg just barely avoided Nova's fire, but she
looked trapped.
Good girl, Nova. he
thought. Use everything I taught you. Use every ounce of skill you have,
darling. Because this can't stop until she's finally dead! God, let Nova get her!
And then…let us come through this alive...and together!
While everyone else was
occupied, Derek began to crawl towards the nearest cosmo-gun, with a grim, grim
smile on his face.
"Any idea where we
are?" asked Eager as he sat up on the bridge of the Argo.
"None," said
Sandor as he and Venture looked at the navigational charts at Mark's usual post
at the helm. "All I know is that we're somewhere around the other side of
the Milky Way now. I have no idea where we are at all! This is uncharted space
to us."
"But not to us,"
said a voice over the Argo's speakers.
"Huh?" said
Homer. "Uh…a signal's coming in…and my radio's going on…"
A moment later, Baron
Cha'rif's image appeared on the Argo's main screen.
"Baron!" said
Venture. "Do you have the others with you?"
"No. They're still on
the Fortress. I couldn't bring them with the power I have…I'm…I'm wounded. But
I have called to other R'jkharraz of my Order. They understand the
situation and will rescue your shipmates…as soon as Yvona is defeated. If Yvona
is defeated, Ekogaru is weakened further. I will give you sanctuary below on
that planet until you can make repairs and head to Earth. Change is
coming."
"Where are we?"
asked Sandor. "That planet below doesn't look inviting. It looks like…a
desert hell down there. Hardly any water. It looks
like Earth…when the Gamilons attacked it!"
"It is a hell. But it
is my home," said Cha'rif. "We are over Rikasha itself now. The capital of my Empire."
The crew gasped at that. "Baron! Won't your people attack us?"
"They might. But, on
the bridge of my new flagship, the H'eoneraze, I have already sent an
appeal to my father and to the R'Jkharraz order of psionic soldiers for aid. Father has agreed to place
you under his protection. With that protection, no one will attack you, except
perhaps the R'Khell priests with their red ships. They are the worst of the
worst of my people. Almost no one else on Rikasha loves their tyranny and utter
hatred.”
"Yes, I know
that," said Venture. "I was told that they did the worst of the
carnage when they attacked the Westhampton Beach some months ago."
"They are in the
service of Ekogaru. I am sorry I ever worked with them. They are, indeed,
fanatics. Fanatics we intend to put an end to, my father and I."
"How?" said
Venture.
"I can openly discuss
this now, even here. My father is requesting a meeting of the Rikashan Council
of Dukes. He is requesting an end to our Lord Zaden's government, and an end to
the Ji'had against your people."
"Will they listen to
you?"
"They will…when I tell
them about Carufax…when they hear of the atrocities Ekogaru has wrought even upon
our own people…he was just using us,
the bastard!"
Venture nodded. "Good
luck, Baron. As for the Fortress?"
"If we can, perhaps we
should attack as soon as you can repair your wave motion gun…and as soon as Aliscea
is back with you, and your Captain. Can you commence repairs now?"
"We'll do our
best," said Sandor.
On the Fortress, the duel
between Yvona and Nova continued.
Their swords clashed again
as both women faced each other. Yvona had managed to somersault over Nova's
head, and she had viciously slashed the back of Nova's bare thighs. But, the
young woman fought on, ignoring the burning pain in her legs.
The fight went on as Yvona
jumped up onto one of the consoles, skidding again in her un-needed heels. Nova
fired at her as she landed, but the beam only grazed her arm.
"You're slow,
Nova! You're beaten!" yelled Yvona as she slashed at Nova's head. Nova
ducked, but she gasped as the edge of the blade cut her scalp. Nova put a hand
to her head and looked at the blood.
Yvona smiled and thrust a killing
stroke at Nova's heart. Nova got her sword up in time to deflect it with a hard
swat.
Then, Yvona kicked at
Nova's wrist. Nova cried out as she lost her hold on her sword.
Yvona shot at Nova, but
Nova dodged. Then, Yvona grabbed her niece by the ankles and pulled her off the
console.
Nova fell on top of Yvona,
knocking the sword out of her hand. Yvona panicked, going stock-still with
wide, frightened eyes for a moment as Nova bared her teeth like a wild woman
and punched her aunt in the head.
"Yeah! Kick her butt, luv!" yelled
Bryan Hartcliffe as Derek got his cosmo-gun back, With
a shaking hand, Captain Wildstar drew a bead on Yvona's head. Then, he fired.
Somehow, Yvona used her
powers to call her sword back to her hand. Then, with lightning speed, she got
her sword up and deflected the beam. She fired at Derek, but then, Nova was on
top of her.
Nova's fist slammed into
Yvona's mouth, causing pink blood to flow everywhere. "You POND
SCUM!" yelled Yvona through smashed cyborg teeth.
Yvona punched her niece in
the mouth, loosening a tooth that had been knocked out some months ago. Now,
Nova's mouth was bleeding, and she was in worse pain than ever. But, she fought
on. She got her hand on Yvona's wrist and then, both women struggled as Nova
slowly forced Yvona's hand to the deck. Then, Nova leaned hard against the
wrist with one hand, and pulled Yvona’s cruel sword out of her hand with the
other hand, ignoring the pain as the saber slashed the palm of her hand wide
open when she grabbed it.
"What's burning?"
muttered Yvona as she looked up at a great light and heard the rolling scream
of a strong, high female voice in a sort of war cry.
"Aliscea!" cried
Paul. He put up his hands in a cheer as she began to dispatch the guards, one
by one. Then, Paul blanched as he saw six Technomugar walking behind her.
"Huh?" said
Hemsford.
"We’re defecting to
the Rikashans," said one of them. "We’re your ride out of here,
people. A shuttle is ready."
"Great!"
yelled
But, Derek didn't hear him,
and neither did Nova. Their attention was focused on the death-struggle in the
cul-de-sac of the huge docking bay.
"What?" yelled Yvona. "Guards! GUARDS!"
"You can't distract
me, Yvona," huffed Nova. "Not now. Not now
that I've got you."
"You've got me?"
"Right…where…I want
you," said Nova as she flipped the sword around and then put its point
against Yvona's forehead.
"huh?"
said Yvona. Then, the gravity of the situation came to her as cheers resounded
in the distance. The barrel was against her head!
Ekogaru! Lord! Help me! Yvona thought. But, no answer came
to her, and none could. Ekogaru lay unconscious in surgery, and, so far,
General Hollander was unaware of the duel. None of the guards had bothered to
call the main bridge of the Fortress.
Clone! Clone of myself! Help me! My niece is about to murder
me!
In her cocoon, the clone of
Yvona awoke. No, she sent back to
Yvona. I will not help you, Mother.
Why not?
You are outmoded, thought the clone. I
am the new model of you. Thank you for your thoughts, you sickness. Someday, I
will use them…for my purposes!
Then, there was only
silence as Yvona begged the clone and Ekogaru to answer her. She was now
cornered, and in Nova’s power at last. Years of abuse were about to be dealt
with…and now. Why do you not answer me? Yvona thought as she saw Nova
stand. She looked up her niece's form from her dirty feet, up her bleeding
legs, and up her dirty and bloody uniform. She met her niece's face, and saw
sadness but angry resolve in her dark eyes. Yvona looked up towards the
heavens, and said, in her heart, God! Why do you not answer me? My God, my
God, why have you forsaken me?
I have not forsaken
you…you have never known Me, came a thought deep in her mind.
"What?" whispered
Yvona. “God, why? I need my bacon pulled out of the
fire! I did nothing wrong! Help me, Nova! HELP ME! You have to help me! I’m a
sick woman!”
"You sure are, and it’s
too late," whispered Nova. "Goodbye, Auntie Yvona. I am now putting
you in the hands of Almighty God."
Nova closed her eyes and
fired.
The back of Yvona's head
exploded in flames and her life quickly bled away, her consciousness fading
into a black pit somewhere in a silent scream. The last thing she sensed before
her soul faded altogether from this plane was flames, flames waiting for her,
flames swallowing her up. Then, the last of the synapses in her head shut down,
and the light in Yvona Josiah's eyes faded as her cyborg systems shut
down…permanently, and she fell all the way down into the Pit long prepared for
her. From that point on, her fate came no more into this tale.
However, somewhere in the
deep darkness of the Joy Suite, something slowly opened up the clone tank that
had been receiving an upload, a copy, as it were, of the memories and thoughts
of Yvona, Ekogaru’s masterpiece. It was Yvona’s twisted clone. It was cold, it
was vile, and it took up where the just-killed Yvona had left off.
I am only human, it thought. At least
I think I am human. I am no cyborg.
But, I live. Or mother’s memories live. Not even HE knew of this. I
planned it myself. I have replaced “mother”, that sickness. But, she was
past her time. It was a mercy killing. But, bear in mind…I will return, better
than her, and more effective. Yes. I will again
return. And, I will have my vengeance upon all of you for my creation! All of
you!
And, in the Depths of the
Fortress, it laughed.
In the meantime, Nova felt
her Aunt's neck for the pulse. "She's dead," she muttered. "God,
I don't know whether to thank You, or to curse
You."
In silence, Nova threw
aside her saber as tears ran from her eyes. Flames exploded in the background,
she didn't know why.
Maybe it's a glimpse of
the Hell to which I'm condemned for killing Aunt Yvona, Nova thought. But,
so what? I did a good thing, killing that woman…
Derek staggered up, hugging
her in silence as they literally fell bleeding into each other's arms. Fire and
flame raged behind them.
"I'm so weak,"
muttered Nova. "Feel like I can't…stand up. Pain in my chest…"
"Me too," said
Derek.
Both of them collapsed to
the deck in each other's arms.
"Wildstar!"
yelled Rosstowski.
"Nova!" cried
Aliscea as she ran up to them.
She saw their eyelids
fluttering. Then, they both collapsed into some strange oblivion together since
there was no longer enough blood in them to keep them conscious. They knew and
saw no more.
IV. VISIONS AND DREAMS
Aboard
Space Battleship Argo.
On Planet Rikasha
April 14, 2202
1602 Hours: Terran
Space-time
Nova Wildstar was in a strange, strange
place.
Somehow, she knew it was some years
afterwards. She was a little older, and she had a baby boy, little Alex,
nursing against her breast after she had heard the baby monitor and she and
Derek had been called out of their outdoor hot spring bath at their house.
At the moment, they sat near their steaming
home tub, made up to look like a natural spring hidden behind its own concealing
grove of pine trees and bushes near their swimming pool. Nova sat on Derek's
lap with her baby. It was a warm, starry night. Derek and Nova wore nothing but
Yutaka, or summerweight kimonos. Nova lay in
her husband's bare lap and against his chest, while Alex nursed right against
his mother's unabashedly bared breast.
"Isn't he adorable?" asked Derek.
"He is," said Nova. "Good
thing it's warm out," she said as she and Derek both rubbed their baby's
bare little bottom. Nova giggled as his little foot brushed her stomach.
"Comfortable?" asked Derek.
Nova nodded. "It's nice out tonight. He
loves to be with his mommy...hearing her heartbeat..."
Derek kissed his wife and asked "May
I?" while pushing her kimono off her shoulders. Nova smiled and nodded
shyly. A moment later, both his wife and son were naked in his arms...and, to
this young father, both of them were simply gorgeous.
"Isn't he beautiful?" whispered
Nova.
"Both of you are beautiful on a moonlit
night," whispered Derek. "You look like an angel tonight, Nova."
Nova only blushed, giving her husband a soft
kiss. She leaned her head against her husband's bare chest.
"Keep us safe tonight?" whispered
Nova.
"I'll watch over you both like a
wolfhound. Nothing will harm either of you tonight...nothing will harm the two
people I love the most on this planet."
"Thanks, Derek..."
Nova's dream suddenly twisted and shifted in
a different direction. She passed from being safe, warm and secure with her
child and husband to shivering in the cold in a snowstorm.
She looked around, bewildered. The cold
assaulted her horribly, since she was dressed (if one could call it that) in
only a frozen burlap serape that she saw didn't even cover her all the way. She
was kneeling in the snow, and the growing numbness and cold on her unprotected
legs hurt.
Nova looked at the bundle in her arms and
felt nauseated. It was her baby, Alex, bare, and slowly turning blue with cold.
He was emaciated, and looked too weak to cry. Nova knew at once that her son
had very little time left.
She then coughed...a loud, racking cough that
was horribly painful. What she coughed up into the snow a moment later was
bloody and sick-looking. "I'm dying, too," she murmured. "Don't
know what'll get me first...exposure, or this pneumonia I seem to have."
"Derek?" she cried, standing up in
the snow. She noticed that she was barefoot, and had apparently walked a long
way. She could barely feel any pain, but the pathetic footprints she had left
in the snow were bloody. "Derek, where ARE you? I'm hungry, sick and cold,
and our baby is dying! Where are you?"
She walked on, and then looked up at a tree.
Her eyes went wide with shock. "..d...derek,"
she muttered.
Derek was hanging by his neck from a high
tree branch...like the hanging they had almost received on Gun Frontier. He
hung there, ashen and dead. His corpse had been horribly tortured, and he had
apparently died in great pain. Nova looked at him, and then couldn't bear to
look any more. In her arms, her baby convulsed one last time and lay still.
Nova fell to her knees. She gently laid down
the body of her son, and stripped off the poor excuse for a garment...so she
would freeze to death and be with Derek soon.....
Nova woke up screaming.
"Hey," said a
soothing voice that whispered in her ear. "Hey! Nova! This is Derek."
"Huhhh?"
muttered Nova Wildstar.
She felt Derek hugging her. She felt
strangely warm. Her eyes were closed. Behind her, she thought she could hear
someone weeping softly.
"Derek…do I have
clothes on?"
"Yes…a nightgown. Very
simple, but…"
"Where am I?"
"Sickbay," said
Doctor Sane as he turned around with tears running from under his glasses.
Nova felt Derek's hair. "Oh, your poor ear. Your
ear…your…ear? It's there? Boy, am I
confused."
"Aliscea grew me a new
one," said Derek as he stood there in what Nova realized was his Star
Force whites. "It's you we were worried about. You were in some
kind of coma even after we treated the shock…"
"Huh? Shock?"
"Pretty bad,"
sniffed Doctor Sane. The fact that he wasn't yelling at her
worried Nova a great deal. "You flatlined on us
three times, Nova. For the worst of it, you didn't have a heartbeat for
a full minute. We would've lost you if it hadn't been for Aliscea."
Nova then noticed IQ-9 by
her bedside. "IQ?"
"Luckily, humans are
very durable. Even if you are much harder to fix than a
robot. Luckily, Aliscea is ten thousand times more efficient than an
ordinary human."
"Is she all right?
Where is she?"
The door to the Sickbay
room whizzed open a moment later. To Nova's utter surprise, Holly Venture walked
in.
"Holly?"
"Got these flowers for
you, nerd," said Holly with tears in her eyes. "Hey, good thing you
pulled through on us. Now you can be at our second wedding on Earth."
The door opened again. Three
men came in. Nova only recognized one of them. One of them was Baron Anton
Cha'rif, proud and tall again in a fresh uniform. Beside him walked a man in a
grey and blue uniform somewhat like his with his features, a bald head, and a
benign, thick mustache.
The third man was very
tall, and blue-skinned. He had a bald head, and wore a sky-blue uniform in the
same pattern as that of the others.
"Ah! You're better! Great!" said Baron Cha'rif. To his surprise, he handed
Nova a small black box.
"Open it," Cha'rif
said.
Nova did so, and she
noticed an ornate silver medal of some kind with a blue ribbon trimmed in
black.
"This is a decoration
of the R'jkharraz order," said Baron Cha'rif. "My Masters have
heard of Yvona's evil and of your bravery back there on that Fortress. Accept
this as a token of our esteem and the beginning of an apology from the Rikashan
Empire to Earth. Now, some introductions are in order. This man beside me with
the beard is my father, Duke Sta'gin Cha'rif."
"Where are we,
sir?" Nova asked as she shook the older man's hand.
"In a dock underneath
my palace on Rikasha in my Fief," said Sta'gin. "You are under guard,
and you cannot be harmed here."
"We are aiding in the
guard," said the other man. "I am Colonel Doxiera of the Free
Technomugar. About a thousand of us have defected from the Fortress to this
planet. We saw to it that no one molested you, and we saw to it that you got
off the Fortress in safety."
"Where's the
Fortress?" muttered Nova.
"I can't analyze that.
Sorry," said IQ-9 as he left.
"Huh?" said Nova.
"What's going on?"
"It warped away,
damaged," said Doxiera. "Unfortunately, Ekogaru still lives, and the
Fortress is still on its way to Earth, albeit slowly."
"What about Derek's
plans?"
"Nova, they were still
on me," said Derek with a smile. "Doctor Sane and your nurse friend
Natalie Fisher took them from me and made sure they got to Sandor at Aliscea's
request. He's analyzing them now. In a few days, we'll be meeting with the
Gamilons. They'll be helping us."
The door opened again.
"This is not to be a convention! This woman needs rest!" yelled Sane.
"You mean I can't
visit?" said Aliscea impishly.
Nova smiled and hugged her
friend. Aliscea was decently clothed again, albeit in a white linen dress and
white wrap-around sandals.
"Why are you in
white?" asked Nova.
"Mother said it's
allowed, now," said Aliscea. "We have a battle to fight. Ekogaru is
dying now. Besides, Paul and I were in the marketplace here in Sherikhan. Black
is too hot to walk around in here on Rikasha."
"So what's happening
next?" asked Nova.
"A lot," said
Derek. "When you're better, we're going to the Capital."
"The Capital?"
asked Nova.
"Yes. I need you two
as witnesses at a meeting of the Council," said Duke Sta'gin Cha'rif.
"At this meeting, we will be making some declarations."
"What do I do in the
meantime?' asked Nova.
"Rest," said
Derek. "Since you were in such proximity to Yvona when she was full of
Ekogaru's power, there were some side effects. But, those scars on your face
have been healed, and they put a false tooth in to replace the one you
lost."
"Hmmmh?" said
Nova.
"Sorry. I'm good at
growing back skulls, spinal cords, and ears. Haven’t worked
up to teeth yet. Sorry," said Aliscea with a shrug. "Now, you
get to sleep. And let me know if you have any bad dreams, okay?"
"Okay," said
Nova, who didn't wish to discuss the horrible nightmare she had awakened from.
"See you later, I guess."
Everyone except Derek left.
"Derek, get back to work," mumbled Nova.
"Can't I stay with you
a bit longer?"
"Okay," said
Nova.
END.
The Story will be
continued In the Tenth Part of THE RIKASHA INCIDENT….
"A Last Breath
before the Plunge."
THERE ARE NOW 27 DAYS TO THE ARRIVAL OF EKOGARU IN EARTH'S SOLAR SYSTEM
To return to
the Introduction to the Rikasha Incident please click here