Time for legal talk. Most of the characters(except for any that are the creation of myself or other Project A-ko fanfic writers) and much of the story premise is the creation of Yuji Moriyama and Katsuhiko Nishijima and are the property of Final-Nishijima. This story is written without the knowledge or consent of either of those two gentlemen.
A note about the story itself, the events of this story take place at the time of the first Cygnan ship crashing into Graviton City. Another words, this would be considered a prequel to the actual Project A-ko series. Thusly, this story centers on the minor characters of the Project A-ko series.
Event Horizon Part I
Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida stood in one of the countless corridors of the huge alien ship and stared at the seemingly empty doorway in front of him. Only the fact that the air in the doorway seemed to shimmer faintly gave lie to that look of emptiness.
Behind the Junior Lieutenant stood his squad of Earth Defense Force soldiers, dressed in grey/green Bio-Lock (tm) suits as was Lawrence Yashida himself.
"Any opinions?" Lawrence asked.
"I'd say it's an energy field,sir," opined Tech Sargeant Sage Okowa. "Looks like the boys with big foreheads are right about this section of the ship being under internal power."
"You're a regular Sherlock Holmes, Sergeant," Lawrence said. "What I meant was: how do we get past it?"
"There's a control panel on the wall next to the doorway," Tech Sergeant Okowa pointed out.
"You're a real wiseass, Okowa," Lawrence told him. "I'm sure that I can just hit a button and the shield will turn off, no problem." He pushed a large red key on the control panel to make his point.
A moment later he was tasting crow as the energy field snapped off.
"Sometimes the best approach is the direct approach," the Tech Sergeant informed his superior officer.
Lawrence Yashida made a comment under his breath that his squad wisely chose not to hear. Then he stepped through the doorway where moments before an energy field existed that would have fried him to a crisp.
The Junior Lieutenant led his squad down yet another corridor. At the end of the corridor was another energy field with identical control panel. Again the field turned off with the push of a key.
Beyond this doorway was a chamber that was truly stunning in size. A perfect sphere in shape it was so huge that it could easily hold several football stadiums with plenty of room left over. Lawrence stepped through the doorway and onto a walkway that ran all the way along the wall, marking the chamber's equator.
As the others stepped out onto the walkway they gaped with amazement.
"Holy Camoley! This place is HUGE!!" was the keen observation of Med Tech Jordan Kluge.
Others of the squad made similiar noises.
After the sheer immensity of the chamber the first thing that Lawrence noticed was the huge pylons jutting out from the chamber wall and terminating at an object that appeared to be a giant steel marble at the exact center.
"This is bigger than the American's Aerospace Assemblies Lab," the Tech Sergeant said.
Lawrence nodded, it was indeed bigger. He had visited the newly finished Assemblies Lab several months ago. NASA was involved in the mammoth effort of building a vehicle for a manned mission to Mars. As was typical for NASA it was behind schedule and over budget.
However, the Assemblies Lab was truly a wonder, once in full operation it could be used to build everything from orbital platforms to manned deepspace vehicles. The place was tremendously huge, this was larger by far.
"What about these pylons?" the Junior Lieutenant asked his Tech Sergeant.
Tech Sergeant Sage Okowa took a long carefull look around and made a tentative guess. "They look like giant shock absorbers to me."
Several members of the squad hooted with laughter.
"If anyone has a better idea let's hear it!" Okowa snapped.
It was suddenly quiet as the members began studiously examining thier surroundings. Apparently no one had any better ideas.
Lawrence Yashida examined the pylons at length. The more he looked the more he had the sneaking suspicion that the Tech Sergeant was right. As the steel (or whatever they were made of) pylons extended out of the chamber wall they telescoped as they reached the giant marble at the center. In fact the pylons didn't just look like shock absorbers but rather a series of shock absorbers stacked into columns.
Lawrence had a quick mind ( which is why one day he'd be the most feared officer in the E.D.F.) and he realized that whatever was in that giant marble was vitally important to the aliens that had crewed this ship. Something of paramount importance. Something monumentally important.
"I think we are about to find out why this is the only section of the ship running on internal power," he announced.
At this point Corporal Henrie Schnieller spoke up. "Sir, don't you think we're being a bit hasty here?"
"How do you mean, Corporal?" Lawrence Yashida asked. Inwardly he sighed. Each member of the squad had been handpicked for this particular mission as each excelled in his (or in one case her)own specialty. Schnieller's specialty was having an aversion to danger.
"Well, sir, don't you think it's been strange how we got this far so easily? Those force fields, they turned off with just the push of a button, no secret codes or anything. It seems to me that we're being set up."
Tech Sergeant Okowa snorted and gave Corporal Schnieller a withering look of contempt. "You watch too many sci-fi movies Corporal. Maybe you should go hide behind the Sergeant Instructor," he said, pointing to only female member of the squad.
"Huh! Well, don't blame me when we all get killed," the Corporal muttered.
"Don't worry," Lawrence said as he rolled his eyes. "I'll be the one getting the blame." Why did I get stuck with this clown? he thought to himself. He knew why though, Schnieller was the Old Man's nephew and as such could do no wrong.
Now all they needed was a way to get to the giant marble in the center of the chamber. Lawrence looked at the pylons thoughtfully. Perhaps they could walk across on one them. It wasn't an idea he relished. Certainly the crew of the ship didn't use the pylons as a bridge and Lawrence wanted to use whatever method the crew had once used.
Tech Sergeant Okowa had been thinking along the same lines as his superior officer. "Sir , there must be some kind of bridge to get to that thing," he said pointing to the center of the chamber. "I suggest we pick either right or left and start walking until we find something."
The Junior Lieutenant nodded his agreement, turned to his right and led his squad along the walkway.
They found the huge double doors set into the chamber wall and a section of the walkway that jutted out about ten meters after they had travelled about one third the circumference of the chamber.
"I'd say that looks promising," Sergeant Instructor Korina Winsley said.
As they reached the section where the walkway jutted out Lawrence spotted a simple contol panel on the walkway rail. On it were two keys, one pointing back to the chamber wall and the other to the center of the chamber.
Tech Sergeant Okowa walked over to stand next to the control panel. He gave Lawrence Yashida a questioning look. The Junior Lieutenant nodded his assent and Sage Okowa pressed the arrow pointing to the center of the chamber.
Under thier feet machinery rumbled. Below them a bridge began to slowly unfold. Within minutes it had completely unfolded, the far end docking with the marble and the near end docking perfectly flush with the walkway.
"Anybody care to get into the history books?" asked Lawrence.
"There is something really wrong about all this," Corporal Schnieller said in a low moan.
"Corporal, if you wish to stay behind then you are free to do so," Lawrence informed him. "However, if you do you'll have to report back to the ship clean-up detail."
Corporal Schnieller blanched. The ship clean-up detail was busy cleaning the ship of it's dead crew. In this case the crew didn't leave corpses so much as they left smears.
The Tech Sergeant gave the Corporal another look of disgust. "Wimp," was all he said.
Lawrence Yashida led his squad onto the bridge. Heaving a sigh, Corporal Schnieller followed them.
As they walked towards the marble several of the pylons drew near to the bridge. They indeed appeared to be a series of telescoping shock absorbers.
Sage Okowa was able to reach out and touch the pylons (which were no thicker than a man's torso this close to the center). Instead of hard steel the pylon seemed to have just the slightest give to it.
"It almost feels like some kinda rubber," he murmured.
The Tech Sergeant pulled a small knife from his utility belt and attempted to slice off a small piece of the pylon. No go. After several minutes of struggling he was unable to leave so much as a scratch.
He shrugged and put his knife away. "Oh well, I guess I'll leave it for the boys with white coats and thick glasses."
By this time the Junior Lieutenant had reached an open portal into the giant marble. He looked back to see Okowa doing his best to wound one of the pylons.
Inside the marble the upper half was an empty chamber. In the center of the floor of the chamber was a large cluster of machinery around a long glass cylinder.
Lawrence looked back again. The squad was still clustered around the Tech Sergeant.
The Junior Lieutenant was eager to find out what was so important to these aliens that they would construct this crazy chamber. For a moment he debated with himself on whether or not to wait for his squad.
Finally his curiousity won out and he strode forward through the portal and towards the cylinder without his squad.
Thus it was that Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida of the Earth Defense Force made the most important find of the century.
End of Part I
Event Horizon Part II
Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, Non-Pareil in the Spiral Arm, Protectress of the Rim Territorries, Lady of Lights ( a title of such antiquity that even experts on heraldry didn't know the reason for it's existance), ect., sat in the throne-like command chair in the center of the bridge of the Beta Aurora, flagship of the Outer Rim Fleet.
Sitting to the left of her in a significantly more modest chair was Admiral Kayana Diamocles, Commander of the Outer Rim Fleet. Admiral Diamocles stared at her feet, she was the very picture of abject misery.
The Cygnan Queen looked at her Admiral wearing an expression of extreme displeasure. "I forget, just how much of our fleet was lost?" she asked, her voice ice-cold. The Admiral had the body language of the family dog that just peed on the persian rug. If her head had sunk any lower she would have had her ears pressed up against her knees.
"Nearly one third," answered Kayana Diamocles in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Really?" the Queen said in mock amazement (this scene had already played out twice before).
"There's hope that some stragglers not with the fleet might still make it back...," the Admiral said in a whisper.
"HOPE?!" Zoraphila Xerxandress roared. She leapt out of the command chair and grabbed the Admiral by the collar and pulled her to her feet. She screamed point blank into Kayana Diamocles' face. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THAT WORD TO ME!! WHY DON"T YOU TELL MY DAUGHTER ABOUT HOPE!! TELL THE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF CYGNAN DEAD ABOUT HOPE!!"
With a visable effort the Cygnan Queen contained her exploding rage. It was with a voice that was more of a growl that she spoke her next words. "I may well have lost my daughter because of you. The Empire may well have lost the war because of you."
The Admiral was trembling in the Queen's grip. "Please."
The Cygnan Queen gave her a violent shaking. "Don't you ask mercy from me! For all I know you might be the murderess of my child! You certainly have betrayed the Cygnan peoples."
"Please, listen to me, Andraya," Kayana Diamocles begged.
"How dare you try to use sentimentality on me!" Zoraphila Xerxandress snapped. "The days of our childhood are long over. From this day forward you are nothing to me! "
Kayana Diamocles felt her knees buckle, she knew what was coming and that there was nothing she could do to avoid it.
"You told me that we would have an easy victory over the Hegemony," the Queen said. "Instead we are in full rout. You failed the the Empire. You failed my daughter. You failed me." She would regret her next words untill her dying day. "You are a blemish on the destiny and the glory of the Cygnan peoples."
With that Queen Zoraphila Xerxandress threw the Admiral back into her chair and stalked off the bridge.
The Queen sought the comfort of reading in the library of her suite. It wasn't nearly as large or as lavish as the suite in the Alpha Boadicea, flagship of the Core Worlds Fleet ( not the galactic core but the core of the Empire) and overall flagship of all the fleets. However, in someways the Queen preferred the library on the Beta Aurora. What it lacked in splendor it made up in coziness. Even a Queen could drown in the grandeur of the trappings of Imperial Royalty.
Try as she might, Zoraphila Xerxandress could not read the book sitting in her lap. Each time she tried the words on the page seemed to unfocus of their own accord. Finally she threw the book across the room in disgust.
"I can't take it anymore!" The Queen stood up and kicked a chair over.
"Abusing the furniture is unlikely to improve your situation," said a gentle voice that seemed to suffuse the library with calmness. "However, if roughing up antique books and elderly chairs is therapeutic in some fashion then by all means have at it."
The great ship-mind of the Beta Aurora might well have been selling calmness but Zoraphila Xerxandress wasn't in the buying mood. Her reply wasn't exactly "Up Yours!" but it came quite close. The wording was a bit different but the intent was right on the money.
"This is not a very auspicious beginning for constructive and meaningful dialogue," the ship-mind said.
"You can take your "meaningful dialogue" and shove it up your waste emitter," the Cygnan Queen snarled.
"That's waste heat emitter," the ship-mind reminded her.
"I like how I said it better," the Queen muttered.
"I can see this is a waste of time at this point," the ship-mind said. "Perhaps later you will be more amenable to reasonable discourse."
"REASONABLE!?" Zoraphila Xerxandress shouted. "Just why should I be reasonable? I just lost my youngest daughter. Is that reasonable? The greatest defeat of the Empire's military forces happened during my reign. How about that? Is that reasonable?"
"We all have suffered a great deal of loss this day. You are hardly alone in your grief. I grieve for the loss of nearly a thousand of my kind," the ship-mind said.
Perhaps the greatest loss for the Cygnan Empire was the loss of those thousand ship-minds. Many of those ship-minds had been in existence for millenia, predating the Xerxandress Dynasty and some even older than the Khartreagis Dynansty before that. Those ship-minds had seen tens of thousands of battles, been under the command of hundreds of admirals. They knew and experienced the whole of the history of the Cygnan Imperial Fleets. Now that knowledge and experience was lost.
"What do you know of grief?" asked the Cygnan Queen."You're a machine, circuits and a cpu, nothing more. Usually I find it amusing when you ship-minds ape bio-emotional imperatives but right now I find it insulting."
Very few Cygnans would even dream of addressing a ship-mind in like manner. Not out of fear but rather overwhelming respect. They were ancient, nearly eternal. They were living history (in so much as they could be called living). Certainly no Cygnan living would actually speak to any ship-mind with such lack of respect.
No Cygnan except Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, Non-Pareil in the Spiral Arm, ect., so forth and so on.
"You think because we are not flesh and blood we know no grief?" the ship-mind asked quietly."Since the time I was created until this very moment I have seen more blood spilled, more loss, more grief than you could possably know in a hundred of your life times. Just how old are you, Your Majesty?"
"What kind of nonsensical question is that?! You know how old I am."
"Answer the question."
"One hundred and eighteen years old," the Queen answered."Happy now?"
"So, in essence you've been learning how to be a Cygnan for one hundred and eighteen years," the ship-mind said. "I, however, have been learning how to be a Cygnan for over fourteen thousand years."
"You still don't know what it's like to lose a daughter," Zoraphila Xerxandress said bitterly.
"All Cygnans are our daughters and some few of them are even our sons," the ship-mind told her.
"NO! NO! It's not the same! It is not the same! I carried her in my own body. I gave birth to her.She is blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh. Nothing you've done can compare to that. Nothing! Damn you to a million black holes! My daughter is probably dead and you want to argue semantics." At this point the Queen cracked open like a rotted dam holding back a mighty river.
The way the Cygnan Queen typically showed her grief was through rage and this was no exception. The only exception was just how thouroughly she showed it. It was one for the record books even by her lofty standards.For twenty solid minutes she destroyed every physical object within the library. Some of them she smashed twice.
By the time her rage finally left her the library was in complete shambles. Not one single piece of furniture or book was left intact. She even contrived to crack the top of the heavy wood (the Cygnan equivalent to solid oak) desk.
"You neglected to breach the hull," said the ship-mind. "I think the naval refitters will be pleased with your work. Now if you're ready to listen?"
The only answer was the Queen gasping for air.
"I'll take that for a yes. Your problem is that you insist on looking at events with the worst expectations. The Epsilon Irindi was clearly seen making it's escape with your daughter on board, yet you insist that she is dead."
"The Hegemony sent an entire task force to take down the Epsilon Irindi, so I don't think the situation is quite as rosy as you say," the Cygnan Queen retorted.
"A task force that the Irindi can easily outrun," the ship-mind answered. "Why must you insist on seeing only the dangers that surround you and none of the opportunities?"
"Even if you're right what can I do about it?"
"You're the Queen. What can't you do?"
Zoraphila Xerxandress spent the next several hours pondering that question. So it was some forty hours after the greatest defeat in Cygnan history that the Cygnan Queen stood amidst the wreckage of her library and announced, "I have an idea."
End of Part II
Event Horizon Part III
As the remnants of the Outer Rim Fleet fled to Alpha Cygni and the safety of the Core Worlds Fleet the Epsilon Irindi was blazing it's way across the Solar System on a journey to it's final resting place.
The ship-mind of the Epsilon Irindi knew full well where the vessel would end up. In less than a mega-second the Epsilon Irindi would tear through Earth's atmosphere and cause the greatest disaster in human history. The ship-mind spent a milli-second calculating. It would be barely enough time to save it's precious cargo but it would be enough.
The ship was less than a kilo-second from Earth when the ship-mind made it's final preparations. It took the desperate measure of dividing itself into dozens of smaller 'selves' which then stored themselves into memory caches in locations all over the ship.
Within moments the ship slammed into Graviton City, converting six million Gravitonians into ash and killing the entire Cygnan crew.
Mere seconds after Graviton City's violent death the mini-minds were coalescing back into the ship-mind. A ship-mind with drastically reduced capabilities. Nearly one half of memory caches throughout the ship had been destroyed and with them much of the operating system of the ship-mind itself. Fortunately the Epsilon Irindi had a small army of surviving nano-bots which the ship-mind put the task of repairing it's systems. By the time the E.D.F. got around to investigating the wreckage of the ship several mega-seconds after the disaster the ship-mind was running at nearly three quarters of it's original capacity which made it a formidable entity indeed.
The short term future secure the ship-mind pondered the question of the E.D.F. interlopers. The ship-mind found itself with a conundrum. If it took no action against the E.D.F. soldiers they would inevitably find the Princess. However, without outside help the Princess would die when the ship's stored power ran out. Currently the ship's energy core was offline and cold. There was no question of bringing it back online, it was unstable and any attempt to get it up and running would result in saturating the ship with deadly radiation.
Unable to make a decision about the investigating soldiers it created what it termed the "tripod advisor", a group of three self contained sub-minds whose sole purpose was to determine a course of action regarding the E.D.F. personnel.
The tripod advisor's first suggestion was immediate and unanimous: take no action against the soldiers but seal off the area around the Princess.
I could have came up with those suggestions myself the ship-mind thought but implemented the suggestions regardless.
The sub-minds settled in to observe and debate the actions of the E.D.F. soldiers. As the soldiers forged deeper into the ship, getting ever closer to the Princess, the debating among the sub-minds became more intense.
Sub-mind 1: Whatever course of action we choose must be taken now, the soldiers are nearing the perimeter of the barrier.
Sub-mind 3: Then we are left with no options, we must eliminate them.
Sub-mind 2: That is illogical. The Princess cannot survive without outside assistance. Her life-support, our own systems and the barrier are all drawing power at a prodigious rate. This ship will be drained of it's stored power in less than twenty mega-seconds.
Sub-mind 1: We have no choice, we must allow these soldiers to rescue the princess.
Sub-mind 3: What makes you think that they will "rescue" her? They might just kill her for the mere pleasure of killing.
Sub-mind 2: Again you make an illogical assumption. These soldiers haven't committed one single hostile act yet.
Sub-mind 3: They haven't had anything to be hostile towards! You're the one who is illogical.
Sub-mind 2: If we do eliminate the soldiers what will we do when the ship runs out of energy twenty mega-seconds from now?
Sub-mind 3: ......
Sub-mind 1: We do have another option. We can install a small weapons array within the Princess' life support unit. Any hostile action on thier part will be dealt with.
Sub-mind 2: Yes. We could then drop the barrier which would allow us to run life-support and our own systems for thirty five extra mega-seconds.
Sub-mind 1: We are in agreement then?
Sub-mind 3: ......
Sub-mind 2: Your lack of decision is criminal! Every second we are wasting precious time and energy.
Sub-mind 3: Very well. I submit in the face of your unity. However, I still have reservations about this plan.
Informed of thier decision the ship-mind had reservations of it's own. However, with time growing short and no better plan of it's own it again followed thier advice.
Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida stared into the crystal clear cylinder. Before his eyes was the last thing he would expect to see on a wrecked vessel from the stars. What a appeared to be a newborn infant! Even as he was staring at the alien infant he himself was being watched.
As the members of his squad joined him they were completely floored by the sight that greeted them.
"Impossible! There's no way that it can be alive."
"It's a freakin' baby!"
"I'm hallucinating. Yeah, that's it. I'm in bed asleep and left the t.v. on and there's an old Outer Limits rerun on."
"I want all of you to shut up!" Lawrence Yashida snapped. He turned to the Tech Sergeant. "Okowa, get on the horn to Operations Command. Tell them what we found." He turned back to the cylinder and it's small occupant. "They are gonna crap blue monkeys when they see this."
Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, ect. sat in the most comfortable chair in the sitting room of her suite aboard the Beta Aurora . Four hours ago she had ordered all the furniture in the suite removed (except for the chair she was sitting in) and replaced with the most uncomfortable chairs on the entire ship.
The Queen desperately wanted a drink to calm her nerves but knew that she needed all her wits about her for the coming confrontation. Taking slow deep breaths didn't seem to help at all. Neither did remembering happy childhood moments as most of those happy moments included her best friend as a child, Kayana Diamocles.
She could have elected to have this meeting in the Imperial Palace but felt more in control aboard the Beta Aurora . Plus it forced her mother to inconvenience herself by travelling out to the Khartreagis Naval Base.
All too soon the ship-mind broke in on her thoughts to announce, "The Queen Mother is here."
Even before she walked through the doors the Queen Mother made her presence known. "I can open the damn door for myself!" she yelled in her patented "every breathing creature besides myself is an insufferable nuisance" voice.
The door slammed open and the Queen Mother walked in. She paused long enough to slam the door shut before she made way across the room.
Zoraphila Xerxandress sighed quietly. A visit from the Queen Mother always upset the household staff for days afterwards. They were used to the Queen's occasional rages and knew enough to avoid her during those times but it was impossable to avoid the Queen Mother. She would actively seek out people to harass only to make a big production of how she was being harassed.
"So, how was your little trip to the Rim?" the Queen Mother asked as she sat in the chair nearest the Cygnan Queen.
"You know how it was, Mother," the Queen answered.
"Ah, yes that's right. The mighty Queen Zoraphila Xerxandress received a lesson in humility. I must say your taste in furniture leaves a lot to be desired. It's ugly and uncomfortable."
"Is that why you're here, Mother? To discuss my taste in furniture?"
The Queen Mother gave her daughter a long look. "I'm here at your request, remember? So, I should ask you why I'm here. Ugh, I can't sit in this thing any longer. Why don't we discuss why I'm here in the library, the furniture is much more comfortable not to mention tasteful." She stood up and made her way to the door of the suite's library.
Zoraphila Xerxandress jumped up quickly followed her mother. "Mother, you really don't want to go in there."
"Don't be ridiculous. Why wouldn't I want to go in?" the Queen Mother asked. She threw the door open and looked inside. "Oh my, you really have outdone yourself this time Andraya."
"Mother, you have to understand.."
The Queen Mother cut her off. "Oh, I understand perfectly. My daughter had one of her famous tantrums. I don't suppose you received a spanking for it this time though. Had I been here for that you would have, Queen or not."
"Don't talk to me as if I'm a child! I'm one hundred and eighteen years old!" the Queen yelled.
"You are a child! You've been busy doing stupid childish things." the Queen Mother retorted. "Going to battle in the condition you were in.You had a child to think of ! You had an Empire to think of ! Instead you went swashbuckling with a daughter growing in your belly. Did you board any Hegemony vessels with a knife clenched in your teeth?"
The Cygnan Queen looked at the floor, her cheeks burning.
"Speaking of your daughter, where is she? Oh that's right, you lost her."
"Mother, please. My shame is already great enough," Zoraphila Xerxandress said.
"Oh, your shame is great enough, is it? Well, I saw the results of what you did to Kayana Diamocles. That girl is a useless wreck now. What I find ironic is that what she did is nothing compared to your sins. She just used devastatingly bad judgement. You committed the sin of hubris." The Queen Mother looked her daughter with eyes that were cold and merciless. "I believe you were going to tell me why I'm here?"
The Queen was grateful for the change of subject. "I need a favor from you."
"A favor? This should be good," the Queen Mother said. "Go ahead and ask but I promise nothing."
"I need you to talk Admiral Gehedra Kaisysrius out of retirement."
The Queen Mother looked utterly astonished for a moment. Then she collapsed into helpless laughter.
"Mother, I'm serious," the Queen said.
"What?! You're insane," the Queen Mother told her. "She was old when I was on the throne."
"Be that as it may she is still the best admiral living," the Cygnan Queen pointed out.
"SHE IS OVER FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OLD!!!" the Queen Mother shouted. "For the love of all that is sacred, that woman needs help to get into her clothes in the morning!"
"You exaggerate, Mother. She is as healthy as you are if not more. That woman is an ox."
"She won't do it," the Queen Mother said.
"If anyone can do it, it's you," Zoraphila Xerxandress said.
"Well, she always did dote on me," the Queen Mother agreed. "Why should I though?"
"Mother!" said the Cygnan Queen, scandalized. "The fate of the Empire hangs in the balance. How can you not?"
"Balance, shmalance," was the Queen Mother's retort. "Nothing for nothing. I'll do it. However, there is a price."
"Name it."
"I'll talk to Gehedra Kaisysrius but you need to talk to someone as well."
"Who?" the Queen asked.
"You have a certain childhood friend to whom you owe an apology," the Queen Mother said.
"You have no right to ask that!" the Queen said heatedly.
"That is my offer, take it or leave it," the Queen Mother said, her voice as hard and unyielding as steel.
The Cygnan Queen thought about it for many long moments. "You leave me no choice." She looked into her mother's eyes. "Do you think you can convince her?"
"Hah, that woman can deny me nothing. You will get your admiral," the Queen Mother said, smiling for the first time since she walked through the doors of the suite.
End of Part III
Event Horizon Part IV
Lieutenant Commander Lysia Napolipolita was feeling a bit green around the gills. Several factors had conspired to get her to this state of nausea. First and foremost, she was facing the most important interview in her whole naval career.
In my whole life she corrected herself silently.
Secondly, she was ascending rapidly through a lift tube and as she went up her stomach went down.
Last of all, First Lieutenant Raya Cordeonia (first officer of the light destroyer that Napolipolita commanded, the Marta )had made one of her "killer" (as Raya called it) dinners the night before and Lysia Napolipolita had actually eaten some of it even though she knew better.
Her food is a killer alright, the Lieutenant Commander thought.She tried willing her guts to settle down. The last thing I need to do is blow chunks during this interview.
Finally the lift stopped, the doors opened and she stepped out into the receiving hall that led to the Queen's suites. There she was met by her mother's sister, Vice Admiral Grea Napolipolita.
"Vice Admiral!" the Lieutenant Commmander said, bowing.
"Save your bowing and scraping for the Queen," Grea Napolipolita told her. Lysia Napolipolita's aunt was typical of the family in appearence. Tall and slender with the signature green hair that was the legacy of the Napolipolita line.
As she led Lysia Napolipolita through the Imperial Palace the Vice Admiral gave her some last minute advice. "I don't have to tell you about the fiasco in the Rim. Thanks to Kayana Diamocles turning what should have been a small border war with the Hegemony into a wonderfully huge cock-up the Diamocles Family is in rather bad odor with the Queen. This is all bad news for the Empire and the Diamocles' but it could be very good news for us. You are about to be offered an opportunity to not only advance your own career but to make the Napolipolita Family the most powerful Family after the Xerxandress' themselves. See to it that you do not fail."
They stopped in front of a set of huge double doors. The Vice Admiral gave her niece a last minute inspection. "You don't look so well.Vomiting on the Queen will not improve your chances of success."
The huge double doors swung open and Lieutenant Commander Lysia Napolipolita marched forth to meet her destiny.
As Lawrence Yashida was still staring at the infant within the cylinder something happened that almost made him commit murder. Corporal Henrie Schnieller tried to open the cylinder up without so much as a "by-your-leave".
As the Corporal reached out to touch the incomprehensible alien contol pad Lawrence Yashida grabbed his forearm and twisted it back. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!??" he screamed.
"I was just..." the Corporal whimpered.
"I'll tell you what you were "just" about to do!" the Junior Lieutenant said hotly. "You were just about to do something really stupid even for you. How could you be such a moron?"
"But....but."
"What if you had pressed one of those keys and killed her?" asked Lawrence.
But I was just going to open the cylinder," protested the Corporal.
"Schnieller, if there was a contest for Stupidist Man Alive you would be the odds-on favorite to win," Lawrence said. "Opening the cylinder could be the very thing that kills the kid. The air in here is all but filled with potential alien killers. Everything from dust to pollen to any germs or viruses we might be carrying with us. For all we know she could be allergic to oxygen."
"But we're wearing these Bio-Lock suits," Schnieller said.
"Which protects us! It doesn't do anything for her. The outside of these suits are crawling with our germs," Lawrence told him.
"From a biological contamination standpoint we're as dirty as dog poop," the Med Tech said, backing up the Junior Lieutenant.
"Corporal, the sight of you is making me ill," Lawrence said. "Report to the cleanup detail, you can start doing something useful for once."
"But I'm part of this squad," the Corporal said.
"Not anymore."
"But my uncle..."
"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!" Lawrence shouted. He leaned towards Schnieller so that thier faceplates were touching and growled, " Say one more word and I'll see to it that you take a high dive off a tall bridge! Now get your ass down to the cleanup detail before I kick it all the way there!"
As Henrie Schnieller left the Tech Sergeant made a rude noise. "General Kreiger is gonna chew your ass for breakfast, lunch and dinner, sir," he told Lawrence.
"Sounds like an all day meal to me," Med Tech Jordan Kluge said. "I guess you'd have to call it 'Breaklundin'."
"You're both crazy," Korina Winsley said. "Anybody can see that the Junior Lieutenant's ass is too skinny to even make a decent appetizer."
"Are you saying that I have an unappetizing ass, Sergeant Instructor?" Lawrence asked.
"Lucky for you I like tall men with skinny butts," Korina said, leering at him.
"Lucky for you I don't date subordinate officers," Lawrence said, leering back. "Especially not loud mouthed brunettes that kick my can on a regular basis."
"You don't know what you're missing, sir," Korina Winsley said. "Besides would you rather get a butt kicking by me or someone like Sergeant Instructor Lorne MacIntyre?"
Lorne MacIntyre was commonly known as "the troll" for his size, looks and temperment.
"You have a point but I still don't date non-comms," Lawrence Yashida said.
"You're too virtuous for your own good, Junior Lieutenant," the Sergeant Instructor said. "When a hot babe like myself comes on to you, you're supposed to be compliant. Isn't that right, Okowa?"
"That's how I've always done it," the Tech Sergeant confirmed.
"You two are killing me," Lawrence said. "Okowa, are you gonna call Operations Command like I asked or just stand around with your thumb up your sphincter?"
"Sir, while you were busy with that little weasel Schnieller I made the call," Sage Okowa informed him. "General Krieger is busy right now so Colonel Zuma is on his way up."
"The Old Man is gonna be even more busy when he has to dry little Baby Henrie's tears," said Jordan Kluge. "Junior Lieutenant, you've just become my personal hero. Anyone who would bite a chunk outta Schnieller knowing what the Old Man is gonna do to him afterwords has my vote for 'bravest man in the world'."
"Yeah, it's been a real pleasure serving under you, sir," Tech Sergeant Okowa said.
"I'll put flowers on your headstone once every year."
Allegedly the E.D.F. camp now had hot water. So Lawrence wasn't too surprised when the water coming out of the showerhead was just short of freezing. By E.D.F. standards as long as the showerhead didn't pepper one with shards of ice the water was warm enough.
After an "invigorating" shower Lawrence headed down to mess hall for what passed for breakfast in the E.D.F. Inside the mess hall was a low roar from hundreds of soldiers involved in the gossip of the day. The air was a miasma of odors from over-cooked foods and cigarette smoke.
As Lawrence walked into the mess hall all conversation died. The silence lasted for a moment before giving way to cat-calls, howls, whistles and clapping. As he made his way to the food service area the E.D.F. personnel stood up one by one until the Junior Lieutenant was recieving a full standing ovation.
Lawrence saw one of his closest friends in the E.D.F., Lieutenant Harry Watashiwa, making a beeline for him.
"What's this all about, Harry?" he asked when the Lieutenant was in hearing range.
"You're the Man of the Hour, Larry," Harry Watashiwa answered, grinning. "Everybody's heard about your run in with Corporal Schnieller. We all know what's going to happen once Krieger gets ahold of you. Not to mention the fact that you found the alien baby."
Lawrence looked around at the soldiers in the mess hall. "This certainly is all very flattering."
"Better enjoy breakfast,Yashida," his friend said, "it just might be your last meal. Tell you what, you get your food and I'll save a spot for you."
As Lawrence went through the food line he performed his ritual routine with the food service personnel. "I'll have some of the yellow," he said, pointing.
"That's corn!"
"How about some of that green?" he asked.
"It's peas!"
"A chunk of the grey, please."
"Meatloaf!"
Lawrence looked at his plate mournfully. "Breakfast should be flapjacks and sausage. French toast and eggs with bacon. Maybe even some hash browns or home fries drowned in ketchup. NOT this yellow, green, white and orange mush with a chunk of grey."
"If you don't like our food then you can always go to the General, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear your complaint," he was told.
After picking up an extemely strong cup of coffee Lawrence made his way over to where Watashiwa was eating.
Harry Watashiwa looked up as Lawrence sat down. "Why do you insist on antagonizing the food servers? Watashiwa asked.
"I'm a man who stands by my convictions," Lawrence answered. "I'm thoroughly convinced that this food isn't fit for human consumption. I'm not sure that it's fit for canine consumption."
"So, have you heard the good news?" Watashiwa asked as he watched Lawrence push the food on his plate into a big mound. "Ugh, that's disgusting."
"Normally you would be right but I've found that mushing the food together does absolutely nothing to the taste of the slop that's served here," Lawrence told him. "What's the good news you mentioned?"
"The Americans have agreed to use thier space shuttles to help build the L3 station," Harry Watashiwa said.
After the fiasco of the Space Station Freedom the Americans were loathe to be involved in any more international space exploration efforts. When the E.D.F. had asked for NASA's assistance to build the L3 the E.D.F. had been turned down flat. The Americans had thier own projects underway and they were determined to go it alone. When it was pointed out that the U.S. had signed a treaty obliging it to cooperate with international efforts that were under the auspices of the E.D.F. the Americans had a collective belly-laugh. After all the U.S. was legally obliged to pay dues to the U.N. which had been chronically overdue for decades. Why should the E.D.F. be exempt from the general apathy the Americans had for the international community?
Still, the pointed remarks that the Americans made about the Space Station Freedom had hit home in the E.D.F. The joke going around was that the L3 station already had a motto : No Russian Components.
With the destruction of Graviton City everything had changed. Somewhere there existed a civilization that could drop mountain sized vessels on the cities of Earth. It was imperative that humanity have a presence in space, even the Americans could see that.
"This is your good news?" asked Lawrence.
"Hey, the L3 station is important," said Watashiwa.
"Bah humbug," retorted Lawrence. "The kid is going to be more important to our future than any floating tin can."
Harry Watashiwa gave his friend a look. "I suppose you haven't heard the other piece of news floating about?"
"No, I haven't," Lawrence confirmed. "I imagine you're going to rectify that."
"A xenobiologist is being flown in to have a look at the baby you found," Watashiwa informed him.
"A xenobiologist?"
"The same one that's been studying those chunks of rocks from Mars," Watashiwa said.
"Huh?"
Watashiwa sighed. "There's a magazine article about it. Wait here, I'll get it for you."
Several minutes later Harry Watashiwa came back holding an issue of Time. He put it on the table in front of Lawrence. On the front cover in bold letters were the words "MARS ROCKS!". Underneath was a photo of the alleged Mars rocks.
Lawrence Yashida skimmed through the article. "So this xenobiologist, Dr.Miyuki Daitokuji, believes that all terrestrial life started from microscopic organisms on these Mars rocks after they plunged to the Earth."
"Dr. Daitokuji makes some excellent points," Watashiwa said.
"So, you agree with her," Lawrence said. He gave his friend a look of pity. "Apparently this particular insanity is contagious as you seem to have caught it as well."
The Junior Lieutenant turned the page to continue reading the article. On the next page was photo showing the xenobiologist holding one of the Mars rocks. "Woo hoo hoo, she is a real looker," Lawrence said. "She's coming here, huh?"
"Down boy," Watashiwa said, grinning. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, she's married."
"Figures," Lawrence muttered. "So, who's the bozo she's married to?"
Lieutenant Harry Watashiwa flipped through the magazine and found a short bio on Dr. Daitokuji. A photo showed her with a man. "There he is," Watashiwa said. "An industrialist from Tokyo, Hikaru Daitokuji."
"Looks like a real winner," Lawrence said sarcastically. "Look at that getup. He looks like he's trying out for the part of Blackbeard the Pirate, sans the beard. I wonder if he always carries that rapier around."
"I don't like the look on your face," Watashiwa said. "You look like you're planning something. I'd advise you not to."
"Who me?" asked Lawrence, the picture of injured innocence.
"Normally you're the most level headed person I know," Harry Watashiwa said. "However, every once in a while you get a wild hair up your butt. I think now is one of those times. You better think carefully before you do something that could completely destroy your career."
End of Part IV
Event Horizon Part V
Dr. Miyuki Daitokuji was even more beautiful in person than she was in the magazine photos and Lawrence Yashida thought her to be very photogenic. Even though she was extremely pregnant.
She is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on , was his first thought. That was closely followed by, Harry's right, if I'm not careful I'll do something really stupid that I'll end up regretting for a long time to come.
"So, you're the infamous Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida," Dr. Daitokuji said, flashing him a brilliant smile.
"Infamous? You make it sound bad," Lawrence replied.
"Actually, I've only heard good things about you," Miyuki Daitokuji said. "In fact, everyone speaks about you with glowing praise. Even Colonel Zuma."
"Oh, there's a couple of people in the E.D.F. who aren't exactly singing my praises," Lawrence told her.
"You mean General Krieger and his nephew."
Lawrence winced at the memory of the ass chewing he had received at the hands of the General hours earlier. If that wasn't bad enough he had k.p. duty for the next two weeks. It was bad enough to be doing k.p. but what was worse was the humiliation of a commissioned officer doing k.p. What was even worse than that was the fact that the kitchen staff hated him.
"I don't know if it makes you better but I think you're alright," Miyuki Daitokuji said. "You found the alien baby so as far as I'm concerned you're more important than a hundred Kriegers".
Lawrence blushed at the compliment. "Uh, I imagine you would like to get a look at the baby," he said.
"You imagine correctly, Junior Lieutenant," Dr. Daitokuji said.
"My squad will be joining us in a bit," said Lawrence. "Sergeant Korina Winsley can help you suit up for the hike inside the ship."
One hour later found Dr. Daitokuji and the Junior Lieutenant staring at the alien infant sleeping inside the transparent cylinder.
Miyuki Daitokuji glanced at Lawrence. "You were absolutely right to stop the Corporal from attempting to open the cylinder. At this point we have no idea what she can or cannot tolerate. Maybe there would be no ill effects but we can't afford to be wrong."
" She, huh?" said Sage Okowa. "What makes you think it's a girl? The Junior Lieutenant thinks it's a girl too but how can you be sure?"
Miyuki Daitokuji gave the Tech Sergeant a look of incredulousness. "You can't be serious. How could you not be sure? Look at how she's dressed, pink with lots of lace."
"The thing about aliens is that they're alien," the Tech Sergeant said. "Maybe pink with lots of lace is how males dress where ever they're from. The thing is right now we can't open the cylinder to find out."
"You have a point, Tech Sergeant," Dr. Daitokuji said. "However, I don't think that these aliens are as alien as all that. This baby looks perfectly human to me. Something tells me we have some things in common with these aliens."
"One thing we don't have in common is star ships the size of mountains," pointed out Sage Okowa. "I think you're being a bit hasty to say we have a lot in common with these people. I don't have a lot in common with the Med Tech here and we're from the same planet."
The one time Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fourth of that Name, now commonly known as the Queen Mother, was making good on her promise to her daughter. Thus it was she found herself in the garden of the person she relied on most during her reign, Gehedra Kaisysrius.
Some garden, she thought as she looked around. The woman has a veritable black thumb.
Indeed, the garden wasn't much to look at. Every plant that the Queen Mother could see was in the process of giving up the ghost. Instead of being bright and cheerful like the Queen Mother thought gardens should be the overall effect was quite gloomy.
This isn't a garden, the Queen Mother thought. It's an abattior for flowers.
"So, I see you do errands for your daughter these days, Your Majesty," a voice behind her said.
The Queen Mother turned around to face the owner of that voice. Gehedra Kaisysrius stood on the stone walkway with her hands full of gardening tools.
"I take it that you know why I'm here," the Queen Mother said.
"Of course I know, Your Majesty," Gehedra Kaisysrius said.
"Don't 'Your Majesty' me. I stepped down from the throne over thirty years ago," the Queen Mother said.
"Queen Mother, then," the retired admiral said.
The Queen Mother rolled her eyes and sighed. "I hate that title. Why not call me by my name?"
"Zoraphila..."
"Don't EVER call me that again!" the Queen Mother snapped. "That's a title not a name. I stopped being Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fourth of that Name, the day I stepped down.Use the name I was born with."
"I can't, it doesn't feel right," Gehedra Kaisysrius said.
"It always surprised me that you insisted on being so formal," the Queen Mother said. "Usually you're blunt to the point of being vulgar."
"I still have respect for the office, whether I'm vulgar or not," Gehedra Kaisysrius said.
"If you have so much respect then you'll respect my wishes," the Queen Mother said.
"As you wish, ... Katarayna Xerxandress," Gehedra Kaisysrius said, giving in. Even the legendary admiral was no match for the Queen Mother. She knew from vast experience that the Queen Mother was not to be denied. During the century and a half that Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fourth of that Name, ruled the Cygnan Empire of Stars, thousands of proud and powerful galactic notables had been broken on the rock of the former Cygnan Queen's iron will.
"Was that so difficult?" the Queen Mother asked.
"Are you going to get around to actually asking the question or are you going waste my time with these pointless pleasantries?" Gehedra Kaisysrius grumbled.
"Question?"
"Don't be so damn purposely obtuse,.... Katarayna Xerxandress," the former admiral said. "You've already admitted that you're here on behalf of you're daughter."
"I'm here on behalf of the Cygnan Empire," the Queen Mother said.
"You're here to ask me to get your daughter's ass out of a sling," Gehedra Kaisysrius said, being as blunt as the Queen Mother remembered her to be.
"That's a crude way of putting it but you're essentially correct," the Queen Mother admitted. "However, that doesn't change the fact that the Empire needs you."
"Well, forget it. I'm an old woman. Too old for fighting wars."
"Listen to you," the Queen Mother said, chuckling. "You make it sound as if you'll be on the front lines, fighting hand to hand with the Hegemony storm troopers."
Gehedra Kaisysrius almost made a crack about Hegemony "porn snoopers" but thought better of it. Even she wouldn't make comments that vulgar to the Queen Mother, it just wasn't done.
"My mind isn't what it used to be," Gehedra Kaisysrius said. "I'll probably botch it up worse than that idiot girl, Kayana Diamocles."
"Please, you wouldn't fool my daughter with that rubbish, so don't insult me with it," the Queen Mother retorted.
"Damn it! I'm finally enjoying my life and you want to drag me off for yet another thankless and joyless war. You know what I hate about the Fleet? Being stuck in an oversized talking tin can with thousands of desperate women who have gone too long without "shore leave" if you get my meaning."
The Queen Mother got her meaning all right. "I can't believe that you're worried about such things at your age but if it's that much of a factor than arrangements can be made."
Gehedra Kaisysrius had a long laugh at that. "No, that part of my life died long ago when my life-mate died. Since his death it's been a complete non-issue. Now I'm content with gardening, it's not much but it keeps me busy."
"This is why you don't wish to come out of retirement? This garden?"
"It might look boring but it's what I like," Gehedra Kaisysrius said defensively.
The Queen Mother looked around at the sad little garden. "Don't you think that you've been murdering these innocent defenseless flowers long enough? How can you justify wasting away here when fellow Cygnans are being slaughtered?"
"You have no conscience," Gehedra Kaisysrius said with some bitterness. "Nagging me back into the Fleet. You've always shamelessly used people and I see you haven't changed."
"So, you're giving in?" the Queen Mother asked.
"What choice do I have? You'll happily hound me into the grave if I don't give in," the legendary admiral said. "Still, I won't make any promises, if I blunder and cost us the war don't blame me, I warned you."
Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, Non Pariel in the Spiral Arm, ect., looked down at the kneeling Lysia Napolipolita. "Please, rise my daughter. It will be rather difficult for us to talk if you keep mumbling into the floor like that."
A red faced Lieutenant Commander Napolipolita stood up. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it's just that..."
The Cygnan Queen waved her to silence. "No need to apologize, I quite understand. Your recent exploits have been brought to my attention. Furthermore, your service record is exemplary. I have need of an officer like yourself. Doubtless you have already heard of the recent developements in the Rim."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Lysia Napolipolita replied.
"Then you know how urgent it is that my daughter be found," the Cygnan Queen said. "Will you accept the mission to find my daughter?"
"Of course! How could I refuse? I'm as loyal to the Empire as anyone in the Fleet."
"Excellent. I knew you were the right choice," the Queen said.She gave Lysia Napolipolita a small silver box. "Inside are your captain's bars and the key-card containing the command codes to the Gamma Hydrae. I know you probably would have preferred a more formal ceremony for your promotion but time and secrecy are of the essence."
"Gamma Hydrae?" said a stunned Lysia Napolipolita. "A capital ship, Your Majesty?"
The Cygnan Queen smiled. "Congratulations, Captain Napolipolita."
End of Part V
A note about the story itself, the events of this story take place at the time of the first Cygnan ship crashing into Graviton City. Another words, this would be considered a prequel to the actual Project A-ko series. Thusly, this story centers on the minor characters of the Project A-ko series.
Event Horizon Part I
Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida stood in one of the countless corridors of the huge alien ship and stared at the seemingly empty doorway in front of him. Only the fact that the air in the doorway seemed to shimmer faintly gave lie to that look of emptiness.
Behind the Junior Lieutenant stood his squad of Earth Defense Force soldiers, dressed in grey/green Bio-Lock (tm) suits as was Lawrence Yashida himself.
"Any opinions?" Lawrence asked.
"I'd say it's an energy field,sir," opined Tech Sargeant Sage Okowa. "Looks like the boys with big foreheads are right about this section of the ship being under internal power."
"You're a regular Sherlock Holmes, Sergeant," Lawrence said. "What I meant was: how do we get past it?"
"There's a control panel on the wall next to the doorway," Tech Sergeant Okowa pointed out.
"You're a real wiseass, Okowa," Lawrence told him. "I'm sure that I can just hit a button and the shield will turn off, no problem." He pushed a large red key on the control panel to make his point.
A moment later he was tasting crow as the energy field snapped off.
"Sometimes the best approach is the direct approach," the Tech Sergeant informed his superior officer.
Lawrence Yashida made a comment under his breath that his squad wisely chose not to hear. Then he stepped through the doorway where moments before an energy field existed that would have fried him to a crisp.
The Junior Lieutenant led his squad down yet another corridor. At the end of the corridor was another energy field with identical control panel. Again the field turned off with the push of a key.
Beyond this doorway was a chamber that was truly stunning in size. A perfect sphere in shape it was so huge that it could easily hold several football stadiums with plenty of room left over. Lawrence stepped through the doorway and onto a walkway that ran all the way along the wall, marking the chamber's equator.
As the others stepped out onto the walkway they gaped with amazement.
"Holy Camoley! This place is HUGE!!" was the keen observation of Med Tech Jordan Kluge.
Others of the squad made similiar noises.
After the sheer immensity of the chamber the first thing that Lawrence noticed was the huge pylons jutting out from the chamber wall and terminating at an object that appeared to be a giant steel marble at the exact center.
"This is bigger than the American's Aerospace Assemblies Lab," the Tech Sergeant said.
Lawrence nodded, it was indeed bigger. He had visited the newly finished Assemblies Lab several months ago. NASA was involved in the mammoth effort of building a vehicle for a manned mission to Mars. As was typical for NASA it was behind schedule and over budget.
However, the Assemblies Lab was truly a wonder, once in full operation it could be used to build everything from orbital platforms to manned deepspace vehicles. The place was tremendously huge, this was larger by far.
"What about these pylons?" the Junior Lieutenant asked his Tech Sergeant.
Tech Sergeant Sage Okowa took a long carefull look around and made a tentative guess. "They look like giant shock absorbers to me."
Several members of the squad hooted with laughter.
"If anyone has a better idea let's hear it!" Okowa snapped.
It was suddenly quiet as the members began studiously examining thier surroundings. Apparently no one had any better ideas.
Lawrence Yashida examined the pylons at length. The more he looked the more he had the sneaking suspicion that the Tech Sergeant was right. As the steel (or whatever they were made of) pylons extended out of the chamber wall they telescoped as they reached the giant marble at the center. In fact the pylons didn't just look like shock absorbers but rather a series of shock absorbers stacked into columns.
Lawrence had a quick mind ( which is why one day he'd be the most feared officer in the E.D.F.) and he realized that whatever was in that giant marble was vitally important to the aliens that had crewed this ship. Something of paramount importance. Something monumentally important.
"I think we are about to find out why this is the only section of the ship running on internal power," he announced.
At this point Corporal Henrie Schnieller spoke up. "Sir, don't you think we're being a bit hasty here?"
"How do you mean, Corporal?" Lawrence Yashida asked. Inwardly he sighed. Each member of the squad had been handpicked for this particular mission as each excelled in his (or in one case her)own specialty. Schnieller's specialty was having an aversion to danger.
"Well, sir, don't you think it's been strange how we got this far so easily? Those force fields, they turned off with just the push of a button, no secret codes or anything. It seems to me that we're being set up."
Tech Sergeant Okowa snorted and gave Corporal Schnieller a withering look of contempt. "You watch too many sci-fi movies Corporal. Maybe you should go hide behind the Sergeant Instructor," he said, pointing to only female member of the squad.
"Huh! Well, don't blame me when we all get killed," the Corporal muttered.
"Don't worry," Lawrence said as he rolled his eyes. "I'll be the one getting the blame." Why did I get stuck with this clown? he thought to himself. He knew why though, Schnieller was the Old Man's nephew and as such could do no wrong.
Now all they needed was a way to get to the giant marble in the center of the chamber. Lawrence looked at the pylons thoughtfully. Perhaps they could walk across on one them. It wasn't an idea he relished. Certainly the crew of the ship didn't use the pylons as a bridge and Lawrence wanted to use whatever method the crew had once used.
Tech Sergeant Okowa had been thinking along the same lines as his superior officer. "Sir , there must be some kind of bridge to get to that thing," he said pointing to the center of the chamber. "I suggest we pick either right or left and start walking until we find something."
The Junior Lieutenant nodded his agreement, turned to his right and led his squad along the walkway.
They found the huge double doors set into the chamber wall and a section of the walkway that jutted out about ten meters after they had travelled about one third the circumference of the chamber.
"I'd say that looks promising," Sergeant Instructor Korina Winsley said.
As they reached the section where the walkway jutted out Lawrence spotted a simple contol panel on the walkway rail. On it were two keys, one pointing back to the chamber wall and the other to the center of the chamber.
Tech Sergeant Okowa walked over to stand next to the control panel. He gave Lawrence Yashida a questioning look. The Junior Lieutenant nodded his assent and Sage Okowa pressed the arrow pointing to the center of the chamber.
Under thier feet machinery rumbled. Below them a bridge began to slowly unfold. Within minutes it had completely unfolded, the far end docking with the marble and the near end docking perfectly flush with the walkway.
"Anybody care to get into the history books?" asked Lawrence.
"There is something really wrong about all this," Corporal Schnieller said in a low moan.
"Corporal, if you wish to stay behind then you are free to do so," Lawrence informed him. "However, if you do you'll have to report back to the ship clean-up detail."
Corporal Schnieller blanched. The ship clean-up detail was busy cleaning the ship of it's dead crew. In this case the crew didn't leave corpses so much as they left smears.
The Tech Sergeant gave the Corporal another look of disgust. "Wimp," was all he said.
Lawrence Yashida led his squad onto the bridge. Heaving a sigh, Corporal Schnieller followed them.
As they walked towards the marble several of the pylons drew near to the bridge. They indeed appeared to be a series of telescoping shock absorbers.
Sage Okowa was able to reach out and touch the pylons (which were no thicker than a man's torso this close to the center). Instead of hard steel the pylon seemed to have just the slightest give to it.
"It almost feels like some kinda rubber," he murmured.
The Tech Sergeant pulled a small knife from his utility belt and attempted to slice off a small piece of the pylon. No go. After several minutes of struggling he was unable to leave so much as a scratch.
He shrugged and put his knife away. "Oh well, I guess I'll leave it for the boys with white coats and thick glasses."
By this time the Junior Lieutenant had reached an open portal into the giant marble. He looked back to see Okowa doing his best to wound one of the pylons.
Inside the marble the upper half was an empty chamber. In the center of the floor of the chamber was a large cluster of machinery around a long glass cylinder.
Lawrence looked back again. The squad was still clustered around the Tech Sergeant.
The Junior Lieutenant was eager to find out what was so important to these aliens that they would construct this crazy chamber. For a moment he debated with himself on whether or not to wait for his squad.
Finally his curiousity won out and he strode forward through the portal and towards the cylinder without his squad.
Thus it was that Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida of the Earth Defense Force made the most important find of the century.
End of Part I
Event Horizon Part II
Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, Non-Pareil in the Spiral Arm, Protectress of the Rim Territorries, Lady of Lights ( a title of such antiquity that even experts on heraldry didn't know the reason for it's existance), ect., sat in the throne-like command chair in the center of the bridge of the Beta Aurora, flagship of the Outer Rim Fleet.
Sitting to the left of her in a significantly more modest chair was Admiral Kayana Diamocles, Commander of the Outer Rim Fleet. Admiral Diamocles stared at her feet, she was the very picture of abject misery.
The Cygnan Queen looked at her Admiral wearing an expression of extreme displeasure. "I forget, just how much of our fleet was lost?" she asked, her voice ice-cold. The Admiral had the body language of the family dog that just peed on the persian rug. If her head had sunk any lower she would have had her ears pressed up against her knees.
"Nearly one third," answered Kayana Diamocles in a voice barely above a whisper.
"Really?" the Queen said in mock amazement (this scene had already played out twice before).
"There's hope that some stragglers not with the fleet might still make it back...," the Admiral said in a whisper.
"HOPE?!" Zoraphila Xerxandress roared. She leapt out of the command chair and grabbed the Admiral by the collar and pulled her to her feet. She screamed point blank into Kayana Diamocles' face. "HOW DARE YOU SPEAK THAT WORD TO ME!! WHY DON"T YOU TELL MY DAUGHTER ABOUT HOPE!! TELL THE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF CYGNAN DEAD ABOUT HOPE!!"
With a visable effort the Cygnan Queen contained her exploding rage. It was with a voice that was more of a growl that she spoke her next words. "I may well have lost my daughter because of you. The Empire may well have lost the war because of you."
The Admiral was trembling in the Queen's grip. "Please."
The Cygnan Queen gave her a violent shaking. "Don't you ask mercy from me! For all I know you might be the murderess of my child! You certainly have betrayed the Cygnan peoples."
"Please, listen to me, Andraya," Kayana Diamocles begged.
"How dare you try to use sentimentality on me!" Zoraphila Xerxandress snapped. "The days of our childhood are long over. From this day forward you are nothing to me! "
Kayana Diamocles felt her knees buckle, she knew what was coming and that there was nothing she could do to avoid it.
"You told me that we would have an easy victory over the Hegemony," the Queen said. "Instead we are in full rout. You failed the the Empire. You failed my daughter. You failed me." She would regret her next words untill her dying day. "You are a blemish on the destiny and the glory of the Cygnan peoples."
With that Queen Zoraphila Xerxandress threw the Admiral back into her chair and stalked off the bridge.
The Queen sought the comfort of reading in the library of her suite. It wasn't nearly as large or as lavish as the suite in the Alpha Boadicea, flagship of the Core Worlds Fleet ( not the galactic core but the core of the Empire) and overall flagship of all the fleets. However, in someways the Queen preferred the library on the Beta Aurora. What it lacked in splendor it made up in coziness. Even a Queen could drown in the grandeur of the trappings of Imperial Royalty.
Try as she might, Zoraphila Xerxandress could not read the book sitting in her lap. Each time she tried the words on the page seemed to unfocus of their own accord. Finally she threw the book across the room in disgust.
"I can't take it anymore!" The Queen stood up and kicked a chair over.
"Abusing the furniture is unlikely to improve your situation," said a gentle voice that seemed to suffuse the library with calmness. "However, if roughing up antique books and elderly chairs is therapeutic in some fashion then by all means have at it."
The great ship-mind of the Beta Aurora might well have been selling calmness but Zoraphila Xerxandress wasn't in the buying mood. Her reply wasn't exactly "Up Yours!" but it came quite close. The wording was a bit different but the intent was right on the money.
"This is not a very auspicious beginning for constructive and meaningful dialogue," the ship-mind said.
"You can take your "meaningful dialogue" and shove it up your waste emitter," the Cygnan Queen snarled.
"That's waste heat emitter," the ship-mind reminded her.
"I like how I said it better," the Queen muttered.
"I can see this is a waste of time at this point," the ship-mind said. "Perhaps later you will be more amenable to reasonable discourse."
"REASONABLE!?" Zoraphila Xerxandress shouted. "Just why should I be reasonable? I just lost my youngest daughter. Is that reasonable? The greatest defeat of the Empire's military forces happened during my reign. How about that? Is that reasonable?"
"We all have suffered a great deal of loss this day. You are hardly alone in your grief. I grieve for the loss of nearly a thousand of my kind," the ship-mind said.
Perhaps the greatest loss for the Cygnan Empire was the loss of those thousand ship-minds. Many of those ship-minds had been in existence for millenia, predating the Xerxandress Dynasty and some even older than the Khartreagis Dynansty before that. Those ship-minds had seen tens of thousands of battles, been under the command of hundreds of admirals. They knew and experienced the whole of the history of the Cygnan Imperial Fleets. Now that knowledge and experience was lost.
"What do you know of grief?" asked the Cygnan Queen."You're a machine, circuits and a cpu, nothing more. Usually I find it amusing when you ship-minds ape bio-emotional imperatives but right now I find it insulting."
Very few Cygnans would even dream of addressing a ship-mind in like manner. Not out of fear but rather overwhelming respect. They were ancient, nearly eternal. They were living history (in so much as they could be called living). Certainly no Cygnan living would actually speak to any ship-mind with such lack of respect.
No Cygnan except Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, Non-Pareil in the Spiral Arm, ect., so forth and so on.
"You think because we are not flesh and blood we know no grief?" the ship-mind asked quietly."Since the time I was created until this very moment I have seen more blood spilled, more loss, more grief than you could possably know in a hundred of your life times. Just how old are you, Your Majesty?"
"What kind of nonsensical question is that?! You know how old I am."
"Answer the question."
"One hundred and eighteen years old," the Queen answered."Happy now?"
"So, in essence you've been learning how to be a Cygnan for one hundred and eighteen years," the ship-mind said. "I, however, have been learning how to be a Cygnan for over fourteen thousand years."
"You still don't know what it's like to lose a daughter," Zoraphila Xerxandress said bitterly.
"All Cygnans are our daughters and some few of them are even our sons," the ship-mind told her.
"NO! NO! It's not the same! It is not the same! I carried her in my own body. I gave birth to her.She is blood of my blood, flesh of my flesh. Nothing you've done can compare to that. Nothing! Damn you to a million black holes! My daughter is probably dead and you want to argue semantics." At this point the Queen cracked open like a rotted dam holding back a mighty river.
The way the Cygnan Queen typically showed her grief was through rage and this was no exception. The only exception was just how thouroughly she showed it. It was one for the record books even by her lofty standards.For twenty solid minutes she destroyed every physical object within the library. Some of them she smashed twice.
By the time her rage finally left her the library was in complete shambles. Not one single piece of furniture or book was left intact. She even contrived to crack the top of the heavy wood (the Cygnan equivalent to solid oak) desk.
"You neglected to breach the hull," said the ship-mind. "I think the naval refitters will be pleased with your work. Now if you're ready to listen?"
The only answer was the Queen gasping for air.
"I'll take that for a yes. Your problem is that you insist on looking at events with the worst expectations. The Epsilon Irindi was clearly seen making it's escape with your daughter on board, yet you insist that she is dead."
"The Hegemony sent an entire task force to take down the Epsilon Irindi, so I don't think the situation is quite as rosy as you say," the Cygnan Queen retorted.
"A task force that the Irindi can easily outrun," the ship-mind answered. "Why must you insist on seeing only the dangers that surround you and none of the opportunities?"
"Even if you're right what can I do about it?"
"You're the Queen. What can't you do?"
Zoraphila Xerxandress spent the next several hours pondering that question. So it was some forty hours after the greatest defeat in Cygnan history that the Cygnan Queen stood amidst the wreckage of her library and announced, "I have an idea."
End of Part II
Event Horizon Part III
As the remnants of the Outer Rim Fleet fled to Alpha Cygni and the safety of the Core Worlds Fleet the Epsilon Irindi was blazing it's way across the Solar System on a journey to it's final resting place.
The ship-mind of the Epsilon Irindi knew full well where the vessel would end up. In less than a mega-second the Epsilon Irindi would tear through Earth's atmosphere and cause the greatest disaster in human history. The ship-mind spent a milli-second calculating. It would be barely enough time to save it's precious cargo but it would be enough.
The ship was less than a kilo-second from Earth when the ship-mind made it's final preparations. It took the desperate measure of dividing itself into dozens of smaller 'selves' which then stored themselves into memory caches in locations all over the ship.
Within moments the ship slammed into Graviton City, converting six million Gravitonians into ash and killing the entire Cygnan crew.
Mere seconds after Graviton City's violent death the mini-minds were coalescing back into the ship-mind. A ship-mind with drastically reduced capabilities. Nearly one half of memory caches throughout the ship had been destroyed and with them much of the operating system of the ship-mind itself. Fortunately the Epsilon Irindi had a small army of surviving nano-bots which the ship-mind put the task of repairing it's systems. By the time the E.D.F. got around to investigating the wreckage of the ship several mega-seconds after the disaster the ship-mind was running at nearly three quarters of it's original capacity which made it a formidable entity indeed.
The short term future secure the ship-mind pondered the question of the E.D.F. interlopers. The ship-mind found itself with a conundrum. If it took no action against the E.D.F. soldiers they would inevitably find the Princess. However, without outside help the Princess would die when the ship's stored power ran out. Currently the ship's energy core was offline and cold. There was no question of bringing it back online, it was unstable and any attempt to get it up and running would result in saturating the ship with deadly radiation.
Unable to make a decision about the investigating soldiers it created what it termed the "tripod advisor", a group of three self contained sub-minds whose sole purpose was to determine a course of action regarding the E.D.F. personnel.
The tripod advisor's first suggestion was immediate and unanimous: take no action against the soldiers but seal off the area around the Princess.
I could have came up with those suggestions myself the ship-mind thought but implemented the suggestions regardless.
The sub-minds settled in to observe and debate the actions of the E.D.F. soldiers. As the soldiers forged deeper into the ship, getting ever closer to the Princess, the debating among the sub-minds became more intense.
Sub-mind 1: Whatever course of action we choose must be taken now, the soldiers are nearing the perimeter of the barrier.
Sub-mind 3: Then we are left with no options, we must eliminate them.
Sub-mind 2: That is illogical. The Princess cannot survive without outside assistance. Her life-support, our own systems and the barrier are all drawing power at a prodigious rate. This ship will be drained of it's stored power in less than twenty mega-seconds.
Sub-mind 1: We have no choice, we must allow these soldiers to rescue the princess.
Sub-mind 3: What makes you think that they will "rescue" her? They might just kill her for the mere pleasure of killing.
Sub-mind 2: Again you make an illogical assumption. These soldiers haven't committed one single hostile act yet.
Sub-mind 3: They haven't had anything to be hostile towards! You're the one who is illogical.
Sub-mind 2: If we do eliminate the soldiers what will we do when the ship runs out of energy twenty mega-seconds from now?
Sub-mind 3: ......
Sub-mind 1: We do have another option. We can install a small weapons array within the Princess' life support unit. Any hostile action on thier part will be dealt with.
Sub-mind 2: Yes. We could then drop the barrier which would allow us to run life-support and our own systems for thirty five extra mega-seconds.
Sub-mind 1: We are in agreement then?
Sub-mind 3: ......
Sub-mind 2: Your lack of decision is criminal! Every second we are wasting precious time and energy.
Sub-mind 3: Very well. I submit in the face of your unity. However, I still have reservations about this plan.
Informed of thier decision the ship-mind had reservations of it's own. However, with time growing short and no better plan of it's own it again followed thier advice.
Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida stared into the crystal clear cylinder. Before his eyes was the last thing he would expect to see on a wrecked vessel from the stars. What a appeared to be a newborn infant! Even as he was staring at the alien infant he himself was being watched.
As the members of his squad joined him they were completely floored by the sight that greeted them.
"Impossible! There's no way that it can be alive."
"It's a freakin' baby!"
"I'm hallucinating. Yeah, that's it. I'm in bed asleep and left the t.v. on and there's an old Outer Limits rerun on."
"I want all of you to shut up!" Lawrence Yashida snapped. He turned to the Tech Sergeant. "Okowa, get on the horn to Operations Command. Tell them what we found." He turned back to the cylinder and it's small occupant. "They are gonna crap blue monkeys when they see this."
Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, ect. sat in the most comfortable chair in the sitting room of her suite aboard the Beta Aurora . Four hours ago she had ordered all the furniture in the suite removed (except for the chair she was sitting in) and replaced with the most uncomfortable chairs on the entire ship.
The Queen desperately wanted a drink to calm her nerves but knew that she needed all her wits about her for the coming confrontation. Taking slow deep breaths didn't seem to help at all. Neither did remembering happy childhood moments as most of those happy moments included her best friend as a child, Kayana Diamocles.
She could have elected to have this meeting in the Imperial Palace but felt more in control aboard the Beta Aurora . Plus it forced her mother to inconvenience herself by travelling out to the Khartreagis Naval Base.
All too soon the ship-mind broke in on her thoughts to announce, "The Queen Mother is here."
Even before she walked through the doors the Queen Mother made her presence known. "I can open the damn door for myself!" she yelled in her patented "every breathing creature besides myself is an insufferable nuisance" voice.
The door slammed open and the Queen Mother walked in. She paused long enough to slam the door shut before she made way across the room.
Zoraphila Xerxandress sighed quietly. A visit from the Queen Mother always upset the household staff for days afterwards. They were used to the Queen's occasional rages and knew enough to avoid her during those times but it was impossable to avoid the Queen Mother. She would actively seek out people to harass only to make a big production of how she was being harassed.
"So, how was your little trip to the Rim?" the Queen Mother asked as she sat in the chair nearest the Cygnan Queen.
"You know how it was, Mother," the Queen answered.
"Ah, yes that's right. The mighty Queen Zoraphila Xerxandress received a lesson in humility. I must say your taste in furniture leaves a lot to be desired. It's ugly and uncomfortable."
"Is that why you're here, Mother? To discuss my taste in furniture?"
The Queen Mother gave her daughter a long look. "I'm here at your request, remember? So, I should ask you why I'm here. Ugh, I can't sit in this thing any longer. Why don't we discuss why I'm here in the library, the furniture is much more comfortable not to mention tasteful." She stood up and made her way to the door of the suite's library.
Zoraphila Xerxandress jumped up quickly followed her mother. "Mother, you really don't want to go in there."
"Don't be ridiculous. Why wouldn't I want to go in?" the Queen Mother asked. She threw the door open and looked inside. "Oh my, you really have outdone yourself this time Andraya."
"Mother, you have to understand.."
The Queen Mother cut her off. "Oh, I understand perfectly. My daughter had one of her famous tantrums. I don't suppose you received a spanking for it this time though. Had I been here for that you would have, Queen or not."
"Don't talk to me as if I'm a child! I'm one hundred and eighteen years old!" the Queen yelled.
"You are a child! You've been busy doing stupid childish things." the Queen Mother retorted. "Going to battle in the condition you were in.You had a child to think of ! You had an Empire to think of ! Instead you went swashbuckling with a daughter growing in your belly. Did you board any Hegemony vessels with a knife clenched in your teeth?"
The Cygnan Queen looked at the floor, her cheeks burning.
"Speaking of your daughter, where is she? Oh that's right, you lost her."
"Mother, please. My shame is already great enough," Zoraphila Xerxandress said.
"Oh, your shame is great enough, is it? Well, I saw the results of what you did to Kayana Diamocles. That girl is a useless wreck now. What I find ironic is that what she did is nothing compared to your sins. She just used devastatingly bad judgement. You committed the sin of hubris." The Queen Mother looked her daughter with eyes that were cold and merciless. "I believe you were going to tell me why I'm here?"
The Queen was grateful for the change of subject. "I need a favor from you."
"A favor? This should be good," the Queen Mother said. "Go ahead and ask but I promise nothing."
"I need you to talk Admiral Gehedra Kaisysrius out of retirement."
The Queen Mother looked utterly astonished for a moment. Then she collapsed into helpless laughter.
"Mother, I'm serious," the Queen said.
"What?! You're insane," the Queen Mother told her. "She was old when I was on the throne."
"Be that as it may she is still the best admiral living," the Cygnan Queen pointed out.
"SHE IS OVER FOUR HUNDRED YEARS OLD!!!" the Queen Mother shouted. "For the love of all that is sacred, that woman needs help to get into her clothes in the morning!"
"You exaggerate, Mother. She is as healthy as you are if not more. That woman is an ox."
"She won't do it," the Queen Mother said.
"If anyone can do it, it's you," Zoraphila Xerxandress said.
"Well, she always did dote on me," the Queen Mother agreed. "Why should I though?"
"Mother!" said the Cygnan Queen, scandalized. "The fate of the Empire hangs in the balance. How can you not?"
"Balance, shmalance," was the Queen Mother's retort. "Nothing for nothing. I'll do it. However, there is a price."
"Name it."
"I'll talk to Gehedra Kaisysrius but you need to talk to someone as well."
"Who?" the Queen asked.
"You have a certain childhood friend to whom you owe an apology," the Queen Mother said.
"You have no right to ask that!" the Queen said heatedly.
"That is my offer, take it or leave it," the Queen Mother said, her voice as hard and unyielding as steel.
The Cygnan Queen thought about it for many long moments. "You leave me no choice." She looked into her mother's eyes. "Do you think you can convince her?"
"Hah, that woman can deny me nothing. You will get your admiral," the Queen Mother said, smiling for the first time since she walked through the doors of the suite.
End of Part III
Event Horizon Part IV
Lieutenant Commander Lysia Napolipolita was feeling a bit green around the gills. Several factors had conspired to get her to this state of nausea. First and foremost, she was facing the most important interview in her whole naval career.
In my whole life she corrected herself silently.
Secondly, she was ascending rapidly through a lift tube and as she went up her stomach went down.
Last of all, First Lieutenant Raya Cordeonia (first officer of the light destroyer that Napolipolita commanded, the Marta )had made one of her "killer" (as Raya called it) dinners the night before and Lysia Napolipolita had actually eaten some of it even though she knew better.
Her food is a killer alright, the Lieutenant Commander thought.She tried willing her guts to settle down. The last thing I need to do is blow chunks during this interview.
Finally the lift stopped, the doors opened and she stepped out into the receiving hall that led to the Queen's suites. There she was met by her mother's sister, Vice Admiral Grea Napolipolita.
"Vice Admiral!" the Lieutenant Commmander said, bowing.
"Save your bowing and scraping for the Queen," Grea Napolipolita told her. Lysia Napolipolita's aunt was typical of the family in appearence. Tall and slender with the signature green hair that was the legacy of the Napolipolita line.
As she led Lysia Napolipolita through the Imperial Palace the Vice Admiral gave her some last minute advice. "I don't have to tell you about the fiasco in the Rim. Thanks to Kayana Diamocles turning what should have been a small border war with the Hegemony into a wonderfully huge cock-up the Diamocles Family is in rather bad odor with the Queen. This is all bad news for the Empire and the Diamocles' but it could be very good news for us. You are about to be offered an opportunity to not only advance your own career but to make the Napolipolita Family the most powerful Family after the Xerxandress' themselves. See to it that you do not fail."
They stopped in front of a set of huge double doors. The Vice Admiral gave her niece a last minute inspection. "You don't look so well.Vomiting on the Queen will not improve your chances of success."
The huge double doors swung open and Lieutenant Commander Lysia Napolipolita marched forth to meet her destiny.
As Lawrence Yashida was still staring at the infant within the cylinder something happened that almost made him commit murder. Corporal Henrie Schnieller tried to open the cylinder up without so much as a "by-your-leave".
As the Corporal reached out to touch the incomprehensible alien contol pad Lawrence Yashida grabbed his forearm and twisted it back. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!!??" he screamed.
"I was just..." the Corporal whimpered.
"I'll tell you what you were "just" about to do!" the Junior Lieutenant said hotly. "You were just about to do something really stupid even for you. How could you be such a moron?"
"But....but."
"What if you had pressed one of those keys and killed her?" asked Lawrence.
But I was just going to open the cylinder," protested the Corporal.
"Schnieller, if there was a contest for Stupidist Man Alive you would be the odds-on favorite to win," Lawrence said. "Opening the cylinder could be the very thing that kills the kid. The air in here is all but filled with potential alien killers. Everything from dust to pollen to any germs or viruses we might be carrying with us. For all we know she could be allergic to oxygen."
"But we're wearing these Bio-Lock suits," Schnieller said.
"Which protects us! It doesn't do anything for her. The outside of these suits are crawling with our germs," Lawrence told him.
"From a biological contamination standpoint we're as dirty as dog poop," the Med Tech said, backing up the Junior Lieutenant.
"Corporal, the sight of you is making me ill," Lawrence said. "Report to the cleanup detail, you can start doing something useful for once."
"But I'm part of this squad," the Corporal said.
"Not anymore."
"But my uncle..."
"SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP!!!" Lawrence shouted. He leaned towards Schnieller so that thier faceplates were touching and growled, " Say one more word and I'll see to it that you take a high dive off a tall bridge! Now get your ass down to the cleanup detail before I kick it all the way there!"
As Henrie Schnieller left the Tech Sergeant made a rude noise. "General Kreiger is gonna chew your ass for breakfast, lunch and dinner, sir," he told Lawrence.
"Sounds like an all day meal to me," Med Tech Jordan Kluge said. "I guess you'd have to call it 'Breaklundin'."
"You're both crazy," Korina Winsley said. "Anybody can see that the Junior Lieutenant's ass is too skinny to even make a decent appetizer."
"Are you saying that I have an unappetizing ass, Sergeant Instructor?" Lawrence asked.
"Lucky for you I like tall men with skinny butts," Korina said, leering at him.
"Lucky for you I don't date subordinate officers," Lawrence said, leering back. "Especially not loud mouthed brunettes that kick my can on a regular basis."
"You don't know what you're missing, sir," Korina Winsley said. "Besides would you rather get a butt kicking by me or someone like Sergeant Instructor Lorne MacIntyre?"
Lorne MacIntyre was commonly known as "the troll" for his size, looks and temperment.
"You have a point but I still don't date non-comms," Lawrence Yashida said.
"You're too virtuous for your own good, Junior Lieutenant," the Sergeant Instructor said. "When a hot babe like myself comes on to you, you're supposed to be compliant. Isn't that right, Okowa?"
"That's how I've always done it," the Tech Sergeant confirmed.
"You two are killing me," Lawrence said. "Okowa, are you gonna call Operations Command like I asked or just stand around with your thumb up your sphincter?"
"Sir, while you were busy with that little weasel Schnieller I made the call," Sage Okowa informed him. "General Krieger is busy right now so Colonel Zuma is on his way up."
"The Old Man is gonna be even more busy when he has to dry little Baby Henrie's tears," said Jordan Kluge. "Junior Lieutenant, you've just become my personal hero. Anyone who would bite a chunk outta Schnieller knowing what the Old Man is gonna do to him afterwords has my vote for 'bravest man in the world'."
"Yeah, it's been a real pleasure serving under you, sir," Tech Sergeant Okowa said.
"I'll put flowers on your headstone once every year."
Allegedly the E.D.F. camp now had hot water. So Lawrence wasn't too surprised when the water coming out of the showerhead was just short of freezing. By E.D.F. standards as long as the showerhead didn't pepper one with shards of ice the water was warm enough.
After an "invigorating" shower Lawrence headed down to mess hall for what passed for breakfast in the E.D.F. Inside the mess hall was a low roar from hundreds of soldiers involved in the gossip of the day. The air was a miasma of odors from over-cooked foods and cigarette smoke.
As Lawrence walked into the mess hall all conversation died. The silence lasted for a moment before giving way to cat-calls, howls, whistles and clapping. As he made his way to the food service area the E.D.F. personnel stood up one by one until the Junior Lieutenant was recieving a full standing ovation.
Lawrence saw one of his closest friends in the E.D.F., Lieutenant Harry Watashiwa, making a beeline for him.
"What's this all about, Harry?" he asked when the Lieutenant was in hearing range.
"You're the Man of the Hour, Larry," Harry Watashiwa answered, grinning. "Everybody's heard about your run in with Corporal Schnieller. We all know what's going to happen once Krieger gets ahold of you. Not to mention the fact that you found the alien baby."
Lawrence looked around at the soldiers in the mess hall. "This certainly is all very flattering."
"Better enjoy breakfast,Yashida," his friend said, "it just might be your last meal. Tell you what, you get your food and I'll save a spot for you."
As Lawrence went through the food line he performed his ritual routine with the food service personnel. "I'll have some of the yellow," he said, pointing.
"That's corn!"
"How about some of that green?" he asked.
"It's peas!"
"A chunk of the grey, please."
"Meatloaf!"
Lawrence looked at his plate mournfully. "Breakfast should be flapjacks and sausage. French toast and eggs with bacon. Maybe even some hash browns or home fries drowned in ketchup. NOT this yellow, green, white and orange mush with a chunk of grey."
"If you don't like our food then you can always go to the General, I'm sure he'll be happy to hear your complaint," he was told.
After picking up an extemely strong cup of coffee Lawrence made his way over to where Watashiwa was eating.
Harry Watashiwa looked up as Lawrence sat down. "Why do you insist on antagonizing the food servers? Watashiwa asked.
"I'm a man who stands by my convictions," Lawrence answered. "I'm thoroughly convinced that this food isn't fit for human consumption. I'm not sure that it's fit for canine consumption."
"So, have you heard the good news?" Watashiwa asked as he watched Lawrence push the food on his plate into a big mound. "Ugh, that's disgusting."
"Normally you would be right but I've found that mushing the food together does absolutely nothing to the taste of the slop that's served here," Lawrence told him. "What's the good news you mentioned?"
"The Americans have agreed to use thier space shuttles to help build the L3 station," Harry Watashiwa said.
After the fiasco of the Space Station Freedom the Americans were loathe to be involved in any more international space exploration efforts. When the E.D.F. had asked for NASA's assistance to build the L3 the E.D.F. had been turned down flat. The Americans had thier own projects underway and they were determined to go it alone. When it was pointed out that the U.S. had signed a treaty obliging it to cooperate with international efforts that were under the auspices of the E.D.F. the Americans had a collective belly-laugh. After all the U.S. was legally obliged to pay dues to the U.N. which had been chronically overdue for decades. Why should the E.D.F. be exempt from the general apathy the Americans had for the international community?
Still, the pointed remarks that the Americans made about the Space Station Freedom had hit home in the E.D.F. The joke going around was that the L3 station already had a motto : No Russian Components.
With the destruction of Graviton City everything had changed. Somewhere there existed a civilization that could drop mountain sized vessels on the cities of Earth. It was imperative that humanity have a presence in space, even the Americans could see that.
"This is your good news?" asked Lawrence.
"Hey, the L3 station is important," said Watashiwa.
"Bah humbug," retorted Lawrence. "The kid is going to be more important to our future than any floating tin can."
Harry Watashiwa gave his friend a look. "I suppose you haven't heard the other piece of news floating about?"
"No, I haven't," Lawrence confirmed. "I imagine you're going to rectify that."
"A xenobiologist is being flown in to have a look at the baby you found," Watashiwa informed him.
"A xenobiologist?"
"The same one that's been studying those chunks of rocks from Mars," Watashiwa said.
"Huh?"
Watashiwa sighed. "There's a magazine article about it. Wait here, I'll get it for you."
Several minutes later Harry Watashiwa came back holding an issue of Time. He put it on the table in front of Lawrence. On the front cover in bold letters were the words "MARS ROCKS!". Underneath was a photo of the alleged Mars rocks.
Lawrence Yashida skimmed through the article. "So this xenobiologist, Dr.Miyuki Daitokuji, believes that all terrestrial life started from microscopic organisms on these Mars rocks after they plunged to the Earth."
"Dr. Daitokuji makes some excellent points," Watashiwa said.
"So, you agree with her," Lawrence said. He gave his friend a look of pity. "Apparently this particular insanity is contagious as you seem to have caught it as well."
The Junior Lieutenant turned the page to continue reading the article. On the next page was photo showing the xenobiologist holding one of the Mars rocks. "Woo hoo hoo, she is a real looker," Lawrence said. "She's coming here, huh?"
"Down boy," Watashiwa said, grinning. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, she's married."
"Figures," Lawrence muttered. "So, who's the bozo she's married to?"
Lieutenant Harry Watashiwa flipped through the magazine and found a short bio on Dr. Daitokuji. A photo showed her with a man. "There he is," Watashiwa said. "An industrialist from Tokyo, Hikaru Daitokuji."
"Looks like a real winner," Lawrence said sarcastically. "Look at that getup. He looks like he's trying out for the part of Blackbeard the Pirate, sans the beard. I wonder if he always carries that rapier around."
"I don't like the look on your face," Watashiwa said. "You look like you're planning something. I'd advise you not to."
"Who me?" asked Lawrence, the picture of injured innocence.
"Normally you're the most level headed person I know," Harry Watashiwa said. "However, every once in a while you get a wild hair up your butt. I think now is one of those times. You better think carefully before you do something that could completely destroy your career."
End of Part IV
Event Horizon Part V
Dr. Miyuki Daitokuji was even more beautiful in person than she was in the magazine photos and Lawrence Yashida thought her to be very photogenic. Even though she was extremely pregnant.
She is the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on , was his first thought. That was closely followed by, Harry's right, if I'm not careful I'll do something really stupid that I'll end up regretting for a long time to come.
"So, you're the infamous Junior Lieutenant Lawrence Yashida," Dr. Daitokuji said, flashing him a brilliant smile.
"Infamous? You make it sound bad," Lawrence replied.
"Actually, I've only heard good things about you," Miyuki Daitokuji said. "In fact, everyone speaks about you with glowing praise. Even Colonel Zuma."
"Oh, there's a couple of people in the E.D.F. who aren't exactly singing my praises," Lawrence told her.
"You mean General Krieger and his nephew."
Lawrence winced at the memory of the ass chewing he had received at the hands of the General hours earlier. If that wasn't bad enough he had k.p. duty for the next two weeks. It was bad enough to be doing k.p. but what was worse was the humiliation of a commissioned officer doing k.p. What was even worse than that was the fact that the kitchen staff hated him.
"I don't know if it makes you better but I think you're alright," Miyuki Daitokuji said. "You found the alien baby so as far as I'm concerned you're more important than a hundred Kriegers".
Lawrence blushed at the compliment. "Uh, I imagine you would like to get a look at the baby," he said.
"You imagine correctly, Junior Lieutenant," Dr. Daitokuji said.
"My squad will be joining us in a bit," said Lawrence. "Sergeant Korina Winsley can help you suit up for the hike inside the ship."
One hour later found Dr. Daitokuji and the Junior Lieutenant staring at the alien infant sleeping inside the transparent cylinder.
Miyuki Daitokuji glanced at Lawrence. "You were absolutely right to stop the Corporal from attempting to open the cylinder. At this point we have no idea what she can or cannot tolerate. Maybe there would be no ill effects but we can't afford to be wrong."
" She, huh?" said Sage Okowa. "What makes you think it's a girl? The Junior Lieutenant thinks it's a girl too but how can you be sure?"
Miyuki Daitokuji gave the Tech Sergeant a look of incredulousness. "You can't be serious. How could you not be sure? Look at how she's dressed, pink with lots of lace."
"The thing about aliens is that they're alien," the Tech Sergeant said. "Maybe pink with lots of lace is how males dress where ever they're from. The thing is right now we can't open the cylinder to find out."
"You have a point, Tech Sergeant," Dr. Daitokuji said. "However, I don't think that these aliens are as alien as all that. This baby looks perfectly human to me. Something tells me we have some things in common with these aliens."
"One thing we don't have in common is star ships the size of mountains," pointed out Sage Okowa. "I think you're being a bit hasty to say we have a lot in common with these people. I don't have a lot in common with the Med Tech here and we're from the same planet."
The one time Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fourth of that Name, now commonly known as the Queen Mother, was making good on her promise to her daughter. Thus it was she found herself in the garden of the person she relied on most during her reign, Gehedra Kaisysrius.
Some garden, she thought as she looked around. The woman has a veritable black thumb.
Indeed, the garden wasn't much to look at. Every plant that the Queen Mother could see was in the process of giving up the ghost. Instead of being bright and cheerful like the Queen Mother thought gardens should be the overall effect was quite gloomy.
This isn't a garden, the Queen Mother thought. It's an abattior for flowers.
"So, I see you do errands for your daughter these days, Your Majesty," a voice behind her said.
The Queen Mother turned around to face the owner of that voice. Gehedra Kaisysrius stood on the stone walkway with her hands full of gardening tools.
"I take it that you know why I'm here," the Queen Mother said.
"Of course I know, Your Majesty," Gehedra Kaisysrius said.
"Don't 'Your Majesty' me. I stepped down from the throne over thirty years ago," the Queen Mother said.
"Queen Mother, then," the retired admiral said.
The Queen Mother rolled her eyes and sighed. "I hate that title. Why not call me by my name?"
"Zoraphila..."
"Don't EVER call me that again!" the Queen Mother snapped. "That's a title not a name. I stopped being Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fourth of that Name, the day I stepped down.Use the name I was born with."
"I can't, it doesn't feel right," Gehedra Kaisysrius said.
"It always surprised me that you insisted on being so formal," the Queen Mother said. "Usually you're blunt to the point of being vulgar."
"I still have respect for the office, whether I'm vulgar or not," Gehedra Kaisysrius said.
"If you have so much respect then you'll respect my wishes," the Queen Mother said.
"As you wish, ... Katarayna Xerxandress," Gehedra Kaisysrius said, giving in. Even the legendary admiral was no match for the Queen Mother. She knew from vast experience that the Queen Mother was not to be denied. During the century and a half that Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fourth of that Name, ruled the Cygnan Empire of Stars, thousands of proud and powerful galactic notables had been broken on the rock of the former Cygnan Queen's iron will.
"Was that so difficult?" the Queen Mother asked.
"Are you going to get around to actually asking the question or are you going waste my time with these pointless pleasantries?" Gehedra Kaisysrius grumbled.
"Question?"
"Don't be so damn purposely obtuse,.... Katarayna Xerxandress," the former admiral said. "You've already admitted that you're here on behalf of you're daughter."
"I'm here on behalf of the Cygnan Empire," the Queen Mother said.
"You're here to ask me to get your daughter's ass out of a sling," Gehedra Kaisysrius said, being as blunt as the Queen Mother remembered her to be.
"That's a crude way of putting it but you're essentially correct," the Queen Mother admitted. "However, that doesn't change the fact that the Empire needs you."
"Well, forget it. I'm an old woman. Too old for fighting wars."
"Listen to you," the Queen Mother said, chuckling. "You make it sound as if you'll be on the front lines, fighting hand to hand with the Hegemony storm troopers."
Gehedra Kaisysrius almost made a crack about Hegemony "porn snoopers" but thought better of it. Even she wouldn't make comments that vulgar to the Queen Mother, it just wasn't done.
"My mind isn't what it used to be," Gehedra Kaisysrius said. "I'll probably botch it up worse than that idiot girl, Kayana Diamocles."
"Please, you wouldn't fool my daughter with that rubbish, so don't insult me with it," the Queen Mother retorted.
"Damn it! I'm finally enjoying my life and you want to drag me off for yet another thankless and joyless war. You know what I hate about the Fleet? Being stuck in an oversized talking tin can with thousands of desperate women who have gone too long without "shore leave" if you get my meaning."
The Queen Mother got her meaning all right. "I can't believe that you're worried about such things at your age but if it's that much of a factor than arrangements can be made."
Gehedra Kaisysrius had a long laugh at that. "No, that part of my life died long ago when my life-mate died. Since his death it's been a complete non-issue. Now I'm content with gardening, it's not much but it keeps me busy."
"This is why you don't wish to come out of retirement? This garden?"
"It might look boring but it's what I like," Gehedra Kaisysrius said defensively.
The Queen Mother looked around at the sad little garden. "Don't you think that you've been murdering these innocent defenseless flowers long enough? How can you justify wasting away here when fellow Cygnans are being slaughtered?"
"You have no conscience," Gehedra Kaisysrius said with some bitterness. "Nagging me back into the Fleet. You've always shamelessly used people and I see you haven't changed."
"So, you're giving in?" the Queen Mother asked.
"What choice do I have? You'll happily hound me into the grave if I don't give in," the legendary admiral said. "Still, I won't make any promises, if I blunder and cost us the war don't blame me, I warned you."
Zoraphila Xerxandress, Fifth of that Name, Queen of the Cygnan Empire of Stars, Non Pariel in the Spiral Arm, ect., looked down at the kneeling Lysia Napolipolita. "Please, rise my daughter. It will be rather difficult for us to talk if you keep mumbling into the floor like that."
A red faced Lieutenant Commander Napolipolita stood up. "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, it's just that..."
The Cygnan Queen waved her to silence. "No need to apologize, I quite understand. Your recent exploits have been brought to my attention. Furthermore, your service record is exemplary. I have need of an officer like yourself. Doubtless you have already heard of the recent developements in the Rim."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Lysia Napolipolita replied.
"Then you know how urgent it is that my daughter be found," the Cygnan Queen said. "Will you accept the mission to find my daughter?"
"Of course! How could I refuse? I'm as loyal to the Empire as anyone in the Fleet."
"Excellent. I knew you were the right choice," the Queen said.She gave Lysia Napolipolita a small silver box. "Inside are your captain's bars and the key-card containing the command codes to the Gamma Hydrae. I know you probably would have preferred a more formal ceremony for your promotion but time and secrecy are of the essence."
"Gamma Hydrae?" said a stunned Lysia Napolipolita. "A capital ship, Your Majesty?"
The Cygnan Queen smiled. "Congratulations, Captain Napolipolita."
End of Part V
