Red Moon: 2294
The year was 2276. The year I was to turn three years old and the year my life was changed permanently. The name's Matt Ishida. I don't remember everything that happened that day, of course, but the one thing that does stick in my mind forever is the loss of humanity. I remember when the race of humans was spread acKamiya the galaxies. The cybernetic creatures called the Reiun, like the Borg on Star Trek, came in their ships on a crusade. A crusade to take over our planet. We tried to eradicate them, but to no avail. They took over planet of the Milky Way System, and claimed it for themselves. We humans had to colonize other planets. So far, eighteen years later, we still haven't found a planet to call our own. I feel it's time to get Earth back, by any means necessary.
Pilot's Log Day-4 Month-7 Year-2294 Time-1333
I walked through the halls of the Artega Library on the planet Resylia. The planet was the only location of the Star Fleet Academy in this galaxy. Our Academy Delta 45 was probably the smallest of the 120 plus Academies run by the Star Fleet. I was searching for an Academy colleague of mine, Tai Kamiya. I walked up to the service desk in the library, pressed a button on the tabletop and waited as a holographic female librarian appeared on the other side of the desk. I am service clerk 081 of library Artega. How may I help you? "spoke" the fuzzy projection. "Yes," I replied shrewdly, "has Tai of Academy Delta 45 been in this library?" The hologram faded for a few seconds and then it sharpened. No. "Okay then. Could you search the outlying databases for a trace of him?" Radius? "Three miles." The hologram faded a second time and then focused its image. Tai is located at the Academy launch bay. If you would like, for a few ketts, I could arrange- "No it's fine," I said quickly. Those damn holograms will do anything for money. I walked out of the Artega library.
The rain was falling swiftly. I stood looking up at the sky. My uniform was quickly getting soaked. I ran for an over-hang at a sakka shop. I stood for about two minutes before the city bus arrived. I got aboard and paid the driver 7 ketts. "Thanks," the elderly man grinned. I gave him a little too much but I really didn't care. I had to get to Tai. 'What is he doing at the launch bay?' I thought. After about 5 minutes I was at the hangar. I ran over to the entrance and the doors slid open. To my left were two lifts. I took the one that went up. On entering the lift I met an officer to the program. Her badge read Mimi. "Good day to you," she smiled, glancing at my name badge. "No it's not a good day." She looked up at me. "Oh sorry. I hope it gets better for you." I put a smile on for her. She seemed like a nice girl. "No I'm sorry." "Oh well, thank you Matt. It was nice meeting you." She stopped talking as the lift doors opened. I stepped out and a speaker screeched out, "Ship deck." I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Mimi continued to ride up the lift. I walked to a computer console. There I typed in Tai's Academy name and pressed search. The hard drive buzzed to life and displayed a map and a blue dot as to my location. Tai was not to far away. He was a red dot in a ship that just landed. I walked over to his direction from what the map told me. A few seconds later I found him. There, bending over the engine to his gold-yellow star fighter was Tai Kamiya. It was a model XJ-92, probably the fastest and most agile in the Delta Fleet. Besides mine that is. I flew and owned a QUASAR-V23, a jet-black model with gray stripes. It supposedly could go about 421 tarsels an hour. I'd probably never have to push it that far. "Hey Tai!" I yelled. He glanced up and over to me. "Matt! Hey man, how are you doing?!" he exclaimed. "Great. Great," I lied. "What are you doing over in the hangar bay?" "Well that has to do with us and the Commander. I was hoping you'd get my message," he grinned. I didn't. I looked at my watch/ Instant Messenger. It showed it had 2 messages. One was from Tai. The other was from an unknown sender. "Well, what does the Commander want?" I ask with a smile on my face. "Well why don't we ask 'er, huh?" Tai jumped off his XJ- 92, closed the engine hatch and ran for the lift.
I sped after him. By the time I got there he closed the lift and was already heading down for the ground floor with a grin on his face. I ran to the cargo lift and pressed ground floor. The cargo lift was much faster and dangerous because it carried no human or alien passengers. It was something I'd never do again. By the time I reached ground floor I was really shaken up. I ran for the Commander's office and knocked once on the door. "Come in," said the voice. I walked in. "Your late Mr. Ishida." "Yes ma'am," I said quietly, stealing a glance at Tai sitting at the Commander's desk. "Take a seat Matt." "Ma'am, yes ma'am." "Now the reason I called you two in here is we at Academy Base Centre, which is the 'mother ship' of the Academies, have spotted a large mass of human activity in the Milky Way System." I gasped. That's where I grew up! Neither Tai nor the Commander had ever lived on Earth. I had a connection. I noticed that they both were staring at me. "Is something the matter?" the Commander inquired. "No ma'am," I replied. "I have a question. How large is large?" Tai asked. "It could be 40 or 4000. We can't be sure." "Wow." "Yes. Now I want you both, being my best pilots, to create a team that is willing to search throughout the galaxy Milky Way for this human activity. From what we know, it would have to be on Earth. Do you accept, even with the thought that the Reiun has full control over the area?" "I do ma'am," I answered direly. Tai did the same. "You have 43 hours, 34 minutes on day 7 to recruit this team. I do have one requirement. You must find a member who is a very good deceiver. Tai, I appoint that task to you. You may both leave." We saluted the Commander and exited the office. Once outside I sighed loudly. Tai looked at me. "What's up man?" he probed. "I lived on planet 3 in the Milky Way system. Well I was born there anyways." "Oh. Earth? What was it like?" "It was paradise." I looked up at the ceiling and accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh 'scuse me," I said lamely. Tai stood back and watched me. The girl, a cadet, got up off the floor and looked me in the eye. "'Scuse me?! Of all the lame things to say!" "Yeah well I'm sorry," I glanced at her nametag, "Sora. Will you accept this sincere apology?" The girl smiled. "Why with that attitude, I'd say hey sign me up for a wild mission!" she joked.
Tai immediately jumped in. "You're in then." She looked at him. "What are you talking about?" "We've got to recruit a team to travel to Galaxy 120-03 to-" "That's galaxy Milky Way isn't it? Earth right? I grew up on Earth." I jerked my head in her direction. "You lived on Earth too?" I asked excitedly and then composed myself. "Yeah and-" "Hold up!" Tai yelled. A couple of first year cadets, walking by, jumped in fear. "We can continue this conversation later. Now Sora, please, do you want to or not? We need someone with your spunk on this mission. It'll mean being gone for at least a year and invading enemy territory." "Yeah. I need some excitement in my life." Tai handed her a clipboard and she signed her name and ID on it. "Well, we'll contact you tomorrow with the launch date," I said. Tai eyed her as she walked off and around the corner. "Seems to me that there's a little attraction between the young Academy cadet and the officer," I teased. "Yeah well she sure is a spunky little vixen. Too bad there's no one for you," Tai joked. "Whatever. Listen I'm going to stop by the lab for a look. I want a doctor on this mission. 'Kay?" He seemed a little angry. He pushed a button. I then turned away from him, walking briskly down the corridor. I walked away from Tai quickly. He really ticked me off and I wanted to get away from him as fast as I could. I don't even know what he did to piss me off. I didn't really care anymore. It passed. I looked down at my watch/ IM'er and decided to read the unknown message. It was from Mimi. "Matt, it's Mimi. I'd like to meet you, maybe over a cup of sakka. IM me back. My line is 0800-11234. Bye." I had to smile. She wanted to meet me. I didn't get a chance to ask her rank but I knew she was lower than me. I sent her one back, telling her to meet me at the star port. I'd take her for a real cup of sakka. On Resylia's moon, Bodere, was Jobee's Mug o' Goodness. Jobee was a good friend of mine. He could make some damn good sakka, too. Before I met Mimi I had to stop by a hospital, or maybe a med school and find someone who would be willing to even think about going on the mission. I grabbed a hover cab and told the small bot-driver to floor it to the Artega medical college. I was on the other side of the city. An officer of my high status would never usually be seen with a lowly cadet drinking sakka. I didn't care, though. I asked the cab to speed up so I wouldn't miss the med student and make Mimi wait. I was cooled down now. Tai had to find someone who was good with deceit. Good luck doing that. Most cases someone like that didn't want to be found. Well the one place to find a deceiver would be that "wretched hive of scum and villainy" also known as Jobee's Mug o' Goodness. I had to laugh at that old line from Star Wars. I took Tai there once and he said it was like hangin' out in a jailhouse courtyard. I swear. I got out of the cab and walked to the entrance of the medical building.
After completing the task at the college, I arrived at the star port. I paid the cab driver 32 ketts and got out. As I stood looking, only four people were waiting to go to the moon. Three were burly characters. The first looked like a Spuwd. The "mandibles of death thing" kind of' gave it away. The other was a human. Grungy clothing, and an unshaven face. Hobo from the looks of it. Two hundred and twenty years into the future and there're still slums through the galaxy. Kinda' depressing actually. The third was a human girl. Really pretty with long brown hair. Light-skin. Not the kinda' girl who would go to Bodere. I then noticed that under her wrool- skin jacket was an Academy uniform. I figured it was Mimi. The last was also a human. He stood out a little, though, with his regal standing. Not like a vigilante or hobo.
I pulled on a synthetic-leather duster and a pair of jeans with combat boots. Around my neck was a pair of metal-rimmed goggles. Even at the time, the Levi Strauss Co.™ made zillions of ketts. They provided jeans to all kinds of multi-limbed beings all through different galaxies. As I ran toward the port, I recognized the fourth guy. "Tai!" He looked to me. "Matt, what are you doing here?" "Me and Mimi are going to Jobee's for a mug of sakka, and you?" "Same here. I've got to look for a deceiver." Right then an explosive roar from overhead signaled the arrival of the transport. As it landed, I pulled the goggles over my eyes. The ship blew up dirt and Tai and Mimi were temporarily blinded. After the dust settled, the door opened and the two other passengers walked up the ramp. I trailed behind Mimi as she stepped aboard the freighter and Tai followed suit. We found an empty coach and sat together. "So, where's this famous place you're taking me?" she asked with a seductive grin on her face. Tai looked at me with a slight smirk on his face. "It's called Jobee's. The owner is a friend of mine." I didn't say another thing. "I need to get out," Mimi said a minute later. She walked away leaving Tai and me alone. "Don't you see that she likes you!" Tai was practically in my face. He didn't care, though. "Yeah, I know, but I have to take it slowly. Last time I dated anyone, I nearly pushed them away." "Well you're the smarter of us two. Use your brain. She doesn't want you to take it slow. That's why she asked you to a mug of sakka dude! No girl in their right mind would even ask you your name, man. You're too stiff." He couldn't keep a straight face. I laughed at his play on words. "You wanna see stiff?" I grinned. I held up a fist playfully. Finally. "You haven't smiled in a long time. I mean a real smile." I stopped for a moment.
Tai started talking again when his IM'er beeped. The message was from Sora. "Tai, I received message from the Commander. She wants us to ship out in two days, at the latest. The 'situation' has escalated." Well,well,well. Tai had a day to find a deceiver. "Oh joy. Oh rapture," he said sarcastically. "I found a Blestat doctor. His name is Joe Kido." I told him. He thought for a moment. "Blestat are humanoid species. They are amazingly good surgery. They worked on Michael Jackson." "Yeah," I replied. Michael Jackson is still alive in CryoChambers. One day I'm going to bomb that place. It's sick knowing he's still alive.
"Hey, why don't I ask Mimi 'bout the operation. Who knows, she might enjoy the peril." Tai was about to agree with the thought when, speak of the devil, Mimi walked in. "Anything interesting happen lately?" she asked jovially. "Yeah. We need you for a mission to Earth," Tai said flatly. She almost shouted "Yes! A chance to see the famed planet Earth for the first time would be amazing." She signed her named and ID number on the a clipboard. She sighed. I know she wanted me to ask her out. That's the only reason she left. She wanted Tai and me to talk. We all sat in silence. Mimi fidgeted with a strand of hair and watched Tai and me shoot daggers at each other. The fact that the girl liked me was crazy. She didn't even know me. I watched her out of my peripheral vision until we entered the moon's atmosphere. We landed on Bodere and exited the ship. I sighed heavily. Meems, as I've come to call her, stood by my side and Tai on my other. We, amazingly, fit in with the grungy and seedy characters that roamed the moon. We all walked through the streets, avoiding speeders that were driven by damn maniacs. I led the way to Jobee's and from there, Mimi and I parted ways with Tai. We walked in and sat down at a booth and a droid came and took our order. "Two sakka," Meems said. I noticed how the droid eyed her suspiciously before sending the order to the kitchen. Mimi and I met up with Tai who introduced us to Davis Motomiya, our deceiver. We boarded a transport back to Resylia and Tai gave me the rundown on how he met Davis. "I stood outside of Jobee's, watching people walk by. After waiting long enough, a ragged looking human walked secretively over to me. 'Hey, leté, want some Injection Darts? They don't come cheap but they give you one a hell of a trip.' He laughed at his own joke. 'If you tell me where you get them from' I said slyly. With a flash of his eyes he said, 'It doesn't matter.'"
He stopped for a moment as Davis came by and looked at us menacingly.
"Okay, so I completely forgot the question I was going to ask him but didn't forget why I was here. 'Wanna step in?' I asked, motioning toward Jobee's."
He coughed hard and then grinned at me. "Still no cure." He continued.
"Once we sat down, I got straight to the point. He listened intently and after I was done he asked what was in for him. 'Oh...ketts. Lots of them,' I lied. The Academy Board wasn't planning on paying anything. 'I'm in then,' he said strongly. He added 'as long as you provide me with transportation and a fake ID. I have some 'customers', per say, who weren't happy with the product I was selling.' 'I'll see to it that you are a new man...or...whatever.' I took a picture of his face with a micro camera and in minutes, he was Mr. Davis Motomiya, ID # 189-23114."
"Wow. You risked all kinda' stuff just letting him on," I said. I was impressed. "Yeah, I know," Tai said, not looking so good about it.
Once at Resylia, we contacted Sora and Joe and told them to meet us in the hangar at the Academy. The four of us arrived at the hangar and there met our two other team members. "We are going to the Commander's office to present our team. Don't do anything stupid," Tai practically begged. We rode the lift down to the office and I knocked on the door. I then remembered that I wasn't wearing my uniform. 'Oh well.' The commander's domineering voice ordered us to enter. We did and lined up shoulder to shoulder. I heard Sora, who was to my left, swallow hard. I was nervous, too. What if she didn't like the team? I swear she could hear my heart beat. The Commander wasn't a person who you'd deal lightly with. "What is this?" the Commander speculated. Tai stood forward. "This is our team. We have assembled them according to your requirements, ma'am," he said without blinking. The Commander stepped from behind her desk and walked in front out the row. She asked the Blestat his name and position and job on the mission. "Joe Kido. Medic for the mission," he said without falter. She continued down the line. She stood in front of Sora and then passed. I blinked hard and left out a breath. "Mimi," the commander said. "Do you know what you plan to do on this mission?" she asked Mimi. Mimi answered back, not missing a beat.
"Thank you Mimi. Mjr. Matt Ishida and Lt. Tai Kamiya, I must say this is the most rag-tag, crackpot of a team I've ever seen. It's sheer madness." She paused. "A criminal," she pointed to Kierem, "a mutant," she pointed to Joe, "and I don't know what else is going through these others' minds." She stopped for a moment. "All in all, though, you did a damn good job." She saluted us and we saluted back. "But you need more than just this. I welcome officers from other Academies."
From behind the Commander's desk came two Academy officers. "This is Ken Ichijoji from the Alpha Academy fleet located at the space colony Neo Japan, and Michael Smith from Français Navette Académie. Its French fleet is the best in five galaxies," the Commander stated. The French guy winked at Mimi. I was a little surprised, but also angry.
"They will accompany your team during the mission to Earth. You are all dismissed." We turned to leave. "Oh and Matt, Tai, Ken and Michael please wait after," she said firmly. Meems looked at me with longing. I glanced at her and smiled slightly. She turned and closed the door. I stood at attention. At the Academy, one who doesn't stand before their commanding officer at attention is not ready for battle. "Now understand this. I am putting in control Ken because of his tactics in battle and overall experience. I also have Tai in charge of the special assignment." I wasn't aware of a special assignment.
'Special Assignment?" I enquired. "Yes. A group of three individuals are to be sent on a reconnaissance mission into the Reiun compound. When safely inside they are to plant a nucleux bomb. This bomb will kill all humans who are controlled by the 'HIVE'. You will need to escape because the after affect of the bomb is a nuclear meltdown. All living matter within a 3 mile radius will die instantly or suffer traumatic radioactive poisoning." I took all of this information in without even a slight change in breathing.
"Now I want you to prepare because you will be leaving tomorrow. The Reiun has possibly been alerted to our mission. We have been robbed of the element of surprise, but we still have the element of time on our side. Good evening gentlemen." She saluted and we all saluted back. We exited, single file, out of her office. "I wonder how the Reiun was aware of our invasion?" Tai asked. "Who knows," Ken answered. "I want to get ready. Collect the best weapons. Get my fighter in prime condition," I said. "Good," Michael said quietly. Already, I could tell Tai didn't like the guy. "Hey Matt, I need to talk to you alone," he said staring at Michael.
We stopped and he told me how he felt. "The guy is bad luck," he said firmly. "Why do you say that. You don't even know him." "Well," he exclaimed, "maybe it's because his Academy ID is friggin'666!" "At the Academies, cadets are allowed to choose their own ID number. You know that Matt. So don't tell me that it's all happenstance. I know bad luck when I see it and he's it." "I'll think about it. You might be the leader on this 'secret' mission but I am still ahead of you in rank. Remember that man, okay?" I walked away to the lift. I was entering the lift when I overheard Mimi and Sora talking down the hallway. "I can't believe that you like Matt!" Sora squealed. "Yeah and he doesn't have a girlfriend,' Mimi said, her head split open in a grin. "I can try and get to know him more. I mean there's almost a month aboard a ship, alone, in space with no one to bother us." The girls sighed in unison and walked into their room. I walked into the lift, guilt and worry grabbing at my chest. After a tune up I went to my quarters and tried to sleep. The digital clock above my head read 1:30 am. I still couldn't get to sleep. All that was going through my head was the fact that I would have to spend a whole month aboard a ship with Meems. As I went to close my eyes a fierce blast made me wide awake. A siren bellowed and red lights flashed. "The Academy is under attack. The Academy is under attack. All cadets and non-licensed pilots take evasive measures. All fighter pilots, report to the hangar immediately."
I jumped out of bed into the hallway. Dozens of students were scrambling towards the various exits. I headed toward the lift and rode it up with Tai and the other pilots on our team. Tai glared over at Michael. I nudged Tai in the ribs. Once it stopped, the four of us ran to our ships. I climbed up the ladder and into the cockpit. As the hangar doors opened, I could see that the city of Artega was aflame. Alien fighters circled around, shooting at random buildings or people running for safety.
"Star fighter QUASAR V-23 you are clear take-off." "Okay control tower." As I fired up my engines, an enemy star fighter exploded into the hangar bay. It's flaming hulk hit the gasoline fuselage and the back of the hangar was swallowed by flames. I pushed the throttle into green. The engine core opened wide and my QUASAR burst out of the hangar door. Right by my side was Tai in his XJ-97. He throttled forward as a fighter pulled up on him. The fighter sped in front of me and I pulled behind it. "I got a monkey on my back!" Tai yelled. I pulled the weapons mainframe into view and targeted the bogie. I pulled back in the trigger and the ship exploded into a ball of flame. I was in its wake. "Crap!" I pulled the ship down and out. The hulk missed my vertical stabilizer by meters. I barrel rolled out of the way and laughed out. The dogfight was leaving the city and quickly moving higher. The enemy fighters veered off toward the planet's stratosphere. The Delta squadron followed. Michael and Ken followed suit, dodging stray fire. A Delta fighter entering the stratosphere was shot being at by a bogie. "Bloody hell!" Ken yelled into his comlink. Some of the fire was headed toward him. He dodged it and I watched as the Delta fighter got hit on the belly. One of the shots hit the air intake spoiler and I watched as the pilot slowly began to suffocate to death. He was in the Academy piloting class with me. I was, for a moment, in shock.
He fired all the ammunition that he had, sometimes even hitting our Delta fleet. After thirty seconds of that his ship swayed and almost collided with me. After a minute he slumped over the steering mechanism, clutching at his throat. The uneven pressure caused his head to implode and seconds later explode into the cockpit glass. I cried out in sickened surprise and disgust. The ship spiraled out of control and exploded into an enemy fighter. I was pushing 392 tarsels when a fighter locked onto my position. Whatever it was, it was pretty fast. I opened the throttle and was pushed back into my seat. The Tarselometer read 407. The damn fighter was stuck to my ass. I pushed the ship into red. "Baby you better do 421. You'd better," I said through gritted teeth. The bogie was losing ground, or space. The frame started to shake when I sped into 415. Oxygen was escaping my lungs. I glanced at the console. My air intake spoiler was leaking. A milky vapor trailed behind my ship. I gasped. That was oxygen leaving my lungs. I veered right and pulled behind Tai and radioed his intercom. "Tai, I'm leaking O2. Repeat. Tai, I'm leaking oxygen." He didn't answer to my calls. I was being tailed be a bogie. I broke right and shook the bastard off my tail. "Who the hell would send ships to attack us?!" I yelled out loud.
I then noticed I was being hailed. I tried to answer but couldn't even speak. The transmission ended abruptly. I looked around for Tai's ship. A bogie was above me and I couldn't get at it. Out of nowhere a Delta fighter in a XC-51 knocked it away and launched a torpedo. The bogie blew into a million pieces.
The attacking fleet retreated toward open space. I turned back toward Resylia, hoping on top of all hopes that our whole team was alive. It then hit me. A bogie shot at my engines. "I'm hit!" My ship swirled This was a delay tactic. It was probably the Reiun out to destroy our fleet. I entered the atmosphere and turned the rudder left. The smoking city of Artega loomed ahead. My ship spun out of control. As I fell, my last source of oxygen depleting, I realized that this was a delay tactic. It was the Reiun out to destroy our fleet. I entered the atmosphere and turned the rudder left. The smoking city of Artega loomed ahead. I reached for the cockpit eject handle and pulled it. The cockpit exploded away from the ship. I breathed a joyous breath but didn't forget my main situation. I twisted the stabilizer and right my ship. Badly scorched and shaken up, I steered my fighter back to the hanger.
I landed near the XC-51 and saw Mimi climb out. "Matt, you're okay!," she said. She came over to my ship and waited at the base as I got out. I jumped down and saw that she had blood on her face, hair and clothes. "Are you hurt," I motioned to the blood. She looked and then froze for a minute, like she was trying to keep something inside. She collected herself and said softly, "No." "You saved my life. H-how did you get a ship? Why did you...." I didn't complete my sentence. She started to tell me what happened at the Academy dorms. "I was being herded through a corridor when a torpedo blew into the wall. Fire engulfed the bodies and people screamed in fear and gut wrenching pain. I was able to miss the explosion. I had already lost sight of Sora. I prayed that she was safe and ran to the hangar." She paused, gulping in air.
"I was surrounded by chaos. Smoldering ships and the smells of burning flesh and spilled fuselage. I looked around for a ship. There, waiting to be piloted was what looked like an empty XC-51. Not as agile as Tai's but it would work. I ran over to it and climbed up the ladder. In the cockpit was the pilot, or what was left of him." She started crying. I reached over and hugged her. "I screamed. He was severed through the mid-section by a large piece of shrapnel. I worked at removing him of the metal and vomited at least twice. The stench was unbearable. I finally removed the dead pilot and the metal slab." She was shaking all over. I held her tightly. "The ship started up and a diagnostic check showed that everything was in the green. I-I blasted out of the hangar at like 302 tarsels. I steered the ship and set the coordinates for the planets stratosphere. Death was falling everywhere. Fire was everywhere. The carcasses of the ships fell like meteors. As I flew through the blazing shells and numerous dogfights and I saw a streak of black and green fly by me. It was you. I followed you till you needed help." "Why? Why would you put yourself through such torture?" "For love Matt. I love you." I was shocked. "Do you love me Matt?" "I don't, I don't know," I stammered. She looked up at me. "What?" "I don't know. I can't even-I don't even know you." Mimi looked at me and I felt like killing myself. She pushed away from me and, tears caught in her eyes, walked away into the wreckage that surrounded us.
The year was 2276. The year I was to turn three years old and the year my life was changed permanently. The name's Matt Ishida. I don't remember everything that happened that day, of course, but the one thing that does stick in my mind forever is the loss of humanity. I remember when the race of humans was spread acKamiya the galaxies. The cybernetic creatures called the Reiun, like the Borg on Star Trek, came in their ships on a crusade. A crusade to take over our planet. We tried to eradicate them, but to no avail. They took over planet of the Milky Way System, and claimed it for themselves. We humans had to colonize other planets. So far, eighteen years later, we still haven't found a planet to call our own. I feel it's time to get Earth back, by any means necessary.
Pilot's Log Day-4 Month-7 Year-2294 Time-1333
I walked through the halls of the Artega Library on the planet Resylia. The planet was the only location of the Star Fleet Academy in this galaxy. Our Academy Delta 45 was probably the smallest of the 120 plus Academies run by the Star Fleet. I was searching for an Academy colleague of mine, Tai Kamiya. I walked up to the service desk in the library, pressed a button on the tabletop and waited as a holographic female librarian appeared on the other side of the desk. I am service clerk 081 of library Artega. How may I help you? "spoke" the fuzzy projection. "Yes," I replied shrewdly, "has Tai of Academy Delta 45 been in this library?" The hologram faded for a few seconds and then it sharpened. No. "Okay then. Could you search the outlying databases for a trace of him?" Radius? "Three miles." The hologram faded a second time and then focused its image. Tai is located at the Academy launch bay. If you would like, for a few ketts, I could arrange- "No it's fine," I said quickly. Those damn holograms will do anything for money. I walked out of the Artega library.
The rain was falling swiftly. I stood looking up at the sky. My uniform was quickly getting soaked. I ran for an over-hang at a sakka shop. I stood for about two minutes before the city bus arrived. I got aboard and paid the driver 7 ketts. "Thanks," the elderly man grinned. I gave him a little too much but I really didn't care. I had to get to Tai. 'What is he doing at the launch bay?' I thought. After about 5 minutes I was at the hangar. I ran over to the entrance and the doors slid open. To my left were two lifts. I took the one that went up. On entering the lift I met an officer to the program. Her badge read Mimi. "Good day to you," she smiled, glancing at my name badge. "No it's not a good day." She looked up at me. "Oh sorry. I hope it gets better for you." I put a smile on for her. She seemed like a nice girl. "No I'm sorry." "Oh well, thank you Matt. It was nice meeting you." She stopped talking as the lift doors opened. I stepped out and a speaker screeched out, "Ship deck." I looked over my shoulder and noticed that Mimi continued to ride up the lift. I walked to a computer console. There I typed in Tai's Academy name and pressed search. The hard drive buzzed to life and displayed a map and a blue dot as to my location. Tai was not to far away. He was a red dot in a ship that just landed. I walked over to his direction from what the map told me. A few seconds later I found him. There, bending over the engine to his gold-yellow star fighter was Tai Kamiya. It was a model XJ-92, probably the fastest and most agile in the Delta Fleet. Besides mine that is. I flew and owned a QUASAR-V23, a jet-black model with gray stripes. It supposedly could go about 421 tarsels an hour. I'd probably never have to push it that far. "Hey Tai!" I yelled. He glanced up and over to me. "Matt! Hey man, how are you doing?!" he exclaimed. "Great. Great," I lied. "What are you doing over in the hangar bay?" "Well that has to do with us and the Commander. I was hoping you'd get my message," he grinned. I didn't. I looked at my watch/ Instant Messenger. It showed it had 2 messages. One was from Tai. The other was from an unknown sender. "Well, what does the Commander want?" I ask with a smile on my face. "Well why don't we ask 'er, huh?" Tai jumped off his XJ- 92, closed the engine hatch and ran for the lift.
I sped after him. By the time I got there he closed the lift and was already heading down for the ground floor with a grin on his face. I ran to the cargo lift and pressed ground floor. The cargo lift was much faster and dangerous because it carried no human or alien passengers. It was something I'd never do again. By the time I reached ground floor I was really shaken up. I ran for the Commander's office and knocked once on the door. "Come in," said the voice. I walked in. "Your late Mr. Ishida." "Yes ma'am," I said quietly, stealing a glance at Tai sitting at the Commander's desk. "Take a seat Matt." "Ma'am, yes ma'am." "Now the reason I called you two in here is we at Academy Base Centre, which is the 'mother ship' of the Academies, have spotted a large mass of human activity in the Milky Way System." I gasped. That's where I grew up! Neither Tai nor the Commander had ever lived on Earth. I had a connection. I noticed that they both were staring at me. "Is something the matter?" the Commander inquired. "No ma'am," I replied. "I have a question. How large is large?" Tai asked. "It could be 40 or 4000. We can't be sure." "Wow." "Yes. Now I want you both, being my best pilots, to create a team that is willing to search throughout the galaxy Milky Way for this human activity. From what we know, it would have to be on Earth. Do you accept, even with the thought that the Reiun has full control over the area?" "I do ma'am," I answered direly. Tai did the same. "You have 43 hours, 34 minutes on day 7 to recruit this team. I do have one requirement. You must find a member who is a very good deceiver. Tai, I appoint that task to you. You may both leave." We saluted the Commander and exited the office. Once outside I sighed loudly. Tai looked at me. "What's up man?" he probed. "I lived on planet 3 in the Milky Way system. Well I was born there anyways." "Oh. Earth? What was it like?" "It was paradise." I looked up at the ceiling and accidentally bumped into someone. "Oh 'scuse me," I said lamely. Tai stood back and watched me. The girl, a cadet, got up off the floor and looked me in the eye. "'Scuse me?! Of all the lame things to say!" "Yeah well I'm sorry," I glanced at her nametag, "Sora. Will you accept this sincere apology?" The girl smiled. "Why with that attitude, I'd say hey sign me up for a wild mission!" she joked.
Tai immediately jumped in. "You're in then." She looked at him. "What are you talking about?" "We've got to recruit a team to travel to Galaxy 120-03 to-" "That's galaxy Milky Way isn't it? Earth right? I grew up on Earth." I jerked my head in her direction. "You lived on Earth too?" I asked excitedly and then composed myself. "Yeah and-" "Hold up!" Tai yelled. A couple of first year cadets, walking by, jumped in fear. "We can continue this conversation later. Now Sora, please, do you want to or not? We need someone with your spunk on this mission. It'll mean being gone for at least a year and invading enemy territory." "Yeah. I need some excitement in my life." Tai handed her a clipboard and she signed her name and ID on it. "Well, we'll contact you tomorrow with the launch date," I said. Tai eyed her as she walked off and around the corner. "Seems to me that there's a little attraction between the young Academy cadet and the officer," I teased. "Yeah well she sure is a spunky little vixen. Too bad there's no one for you," Tai joked. "Whatever. Listen I'm going to stop by the lab for a look. I want a doctor on this mission. 'Kay?" He seemed a little angry. He pushed a button. I then turned away from him, walking briskly down the corridor. I walked away from Tai quickly. He really ticked me off and I wanted to get away from him as fast as I could. I don't even know what he did to piss me off. I didn't really care anymore. It passed. I looked down at my watch/ IM'er and decided to read the unknown message. It was from Mimi. "Matt, it's Mimi. I'd like to meet you, maybe over a cup of sakka. IM me back. My line is 0800-11234. Bye." I had to smile. She wanted to meet me. I didn't get a chance to ask her rank but I knew she was lower than me. I sent her one back, telling her to meet me at the star port. I'd take her for a real cup of sakka. On Resylia's moon, Bodere, was Jobee's Mug o' Goodness. Jobee was a good friend of mine. He could make some damn good sakka, too. Before I met Mimi I had to stop by a hospital, or maybe a med school and find someone who would be willing to even think about going on the mission. I grabbed a hover cab and told the small bot-driver to floor it to the Artega medical college. I was on the other side of the city. An officer of my high status would never usually be seen with a lowly cadet drinking sakka. I didn't care, though. I asked the cab to speed up so I wouldn't miss the med student and make Mimi wait. I was cooled down now. Tai had to find someone who was good with deceit. Good luck doing that. Most cases someone like that didn't want to be found. Well the one place to find a deceiver would be that "wretched hive of scum and villainy" also known as Jobee's Mug o' Goodness. I had to laugh at that old line from Star Wars. I took Tai there once and he said it was like hangin' out in a jailhouse courtyard. I swear. I got out of the cab and walked to the entrance of the medical building.
After completing the task at the college, I arrived at the star port. I paid the cab driver 32 ketts and got out. As I stood looking, only four people were waiting to go to the moon. Three were burly characters. The first looked like a Spuwd. The "mandibles of death thing" kind of' gave it away. The other was a human. Grungy clothing, and an unshaven face. Hobo from the looks of it. Two hundred and twenty years into the future and there're still slums through the galaxy. Kinda' depressing actually. The third was a human girl. Really pretty with long brown hair. Light-skin. Not the kinda' girl who would go to Bodere. I then noticed that under her wrool- skin jacket was an Academy uniform. I figured it was Mimi. The last was also a human. He stood out a little, though, with his regal standing. Not like a vigilante or hobo.
I pulled on a synthetic-leather duster and a pair of jeans with combat boots. Around my neck was a pair of metal-rimmed goggles. Even at the time, the Levi Strauss Co.™ made zillions of ketts. They provided jeans to all kinds of multi-limbed beings all through different galaxies. As I ran toward the port, I recognized the fourth guy. "Tai!" He looked to me. "Matt, what are you doing here?" "Me and Mimi are going to Jobee's for a mug of sakka, and you?" "Same here. I've got to look for a deceiver." Right then an explosive roar from overhead signaled the arrival of the transport. As it landed, I pulled the goggles over my eyes. The ship blew up dirt and Tai and Mimi were temporarily blinded. After the dust settled, the door opened and the two other passengers walked up the ramp. I trailed behind Mimi as she stepped aboard the freighter and Tai followed suit. We found an empty coach and sat together. "So, where's this famous place you're taking me?" she asked with a seductive grin on her face. Tai looked at me with a slight smirk on his face. "It's called Jobee's. The owner is a friend of mine." I didn't say another thing. "I need to get out," Mimi said a minute later. She walked away leaving Tai and me alone. "Don't you see that she likes you!" Tai was practically in my face. He didn't care, though. "Yeah, I know, but I have to take it slowly. Last time I dated anyone, I nearly pushed them away." "Well you're the smarter of us two. Use your brain. She doesn't want you to take it slow. That's why she asked you to a mug of sakka dude! No girl in their right mind would even ask you your name, man. You're too stiff." He couldn't keep a straight face. I laughed at his play on words. "You wanna see stiff?" I grinned. I held up a fist playfully. Finally. "You haven't smiled in a long time. I mean a real smile." I stopped for a moment.
Tai started talking again when his IM'er beeped. The message was from Sora. "Tai, I received message from the Commander. She wants us to ship out in two days, at the latest. The 'situation' has escalated." Well,well,well. Tai had a day to find a deceiver. "Oh joy. Oh rapture," he said sarcastically. "I found a Blestat doctor. His name is Joe Kido." I told him. He thought for a moment. "Blestat are humanoid species. They are amazingly good surgery. They worked on Michael Jackson." "Yeah," I replied. Michael Jackson is still alive in CryoChambers. One day I'm going to bomb that place. It's sick knowing he's still alive.
"Hey, why don't I ask Mimi 'bout the operation. Who knows, she might enjoy the peril." Tai was about to agree with the thought when, speak of the devil, Mimi walked in. "Anything interesting happen lately?" she asked jovially. "Yeah. We need you for a mission to Earth," Tai said flatly. She almost shouted "Yes! A chance to see the famed planet Earth for the first time would be amazing." She signed her named and ID number on the a clipboard. She sighed. I know she wanted me to ask her out. That's the only reason she left. She wanted Tai and me to talk. We all sat in silence. Mimi fidgeted with a strand of hair and watched Tai and me shoot daggers at each other. The fact that the girl liked me was crazy. She didn't even know me. I watched her out of my peripheral vision until we entered the moon's atmosphere. We landed on Bodere and exited the ship. I sighed heavily. Meems, as I've come to call her, stood by my side and Tai on my other. We, amazingly, fit in with the grungy and seedy characters that roamed the moon. We all walked through the streets, avoiding speeders that were driven by damn maniacs. I led the way to Jobee's and from there, Mimi and I parted ways with Tai. We walked in and sat down at a booth and a droid came and took our order. "Two sakka," Meems said. I noticed how the droid eyed her suspiciously before sending the order to the kitchen. Mimi and I met up with Tai who introduced us to Davis Motomiya, our deceiver. We boarded a transport back to Resylia and Tai gave me the rundown on how he met Davis. "I stood outside of Jobee's, watching people walk by. After waiting long enough, a ragged looking human walked secretively over to me. 'Hey, leté, want some Injection Darts? They don't come cheap but they give you one a hell of a trip.' He laughed at his own joke. 'If you tell me where you get them from' I said slyly. With a flash of his eyes he said, 'It doesn't matter.'"
He stopped for a moment as Davis came by and looked at us menacingly.
"Okay, so I completely forgot the question I was going to ask him but didn't forget why I was here. 'Wanna step in?' I asked, motioning toward Jobee's."
He coughed hard and then grinned at me. "Still no cure." He continued.
"Once we sat down, I got straight to the point. He listened intently and after I was done he asked what was in for him. 'Oh...ketts. Lots of them,' I lied. The Academy Board wasn't planning on paying anything. 'I'm in then,' he said strongly. He added 'as long as you provide me with transportation and a fake ID. I have some 'customers', per say, who weren't happy with the product I was selling.' 'I'll see to it that you are a new man...or...whatever.' I took a picture of his face with a micro camera and in minutes, he was Mr. Davis Motomiya, ID # 189-23114."
"Wow. You risked all kinda' stuff just letting him on," I said. I was impressed. "Yeah, I know," Tai said, not looking so good about it.
Once at Resylia, we contacted Sora and Joe and told them to meet us in the hangar at the Academy. The four of us arrived at the hangar and there met our two other team members. "We are going to the Commander's office to present our team. Don't do anything stupid," Tai practically begged. We rode the lift down to the office and I knocked on the door. I then remembered that I wasn't wearing my uniform. 'Oh well.' The commander's domineering voice ordered us to enter. We did and lined up shoulder to shoulder. I heard Sora, who was to my left, swallow hard. I was nervous, too. What if she didn't like the team? I swear she could hear my heart beat. The Commander wasn't a person who you'd deal lightly with. "What is this?" the Commander speculated. Tai stood forward. "This is our team. We have assembled them according to your requirements, ma'am," he said without blinking. The Commander stepped from behind her desk and walked in front out the row. She asked the Blestat his name and position and job on the mission. "Joe Kido. Medic for the mission," he said without falter. She continued down the line. She stood in front of Sora and then passed. I blinked hard and left out a breath. "Mimi," the commander said. "Do you know what you plan to do on this mission?" she asked Mimi. Mimi answered back, not missing a beat.
"Thank you Mimi. Mjr. Matt Ishida and Lt. Tai Kamiya, I must say this is the most rag-tag, crackpot of a team I've ever seen. It's sheer madness." She paused. "A criminal," she pointed to Kierem, "a mutant," she pointed to Joe, "and I don't know what else is going through these others' minds." She stopped for a moment. "All in all, though, you did a damn good job." She saluted us and we saluted back. "But you need more than just this. I welcome officers from other Academies."
From behind the Commander's desk came two Academy officers. "This is Ken Ichijoji from the Alpha Academy fleet located at the space colony Neo Japan, and Michael Smith from Français Navette Académie. Its French fleet is the best in five galaxies," the Commander stated. The French guy winked at Mimi. I was a little surprised, but also angry.
"They will accompany your team during the mission to Earth. You are all dismissed." We turned to leave. "Oh and Matt, Tai, Ken and Michael please wait after," she said firmly. Meems looked at me with longing. I glanced at her and smiled slightly. She turned and closed the door. I stood at attention. At the Academy, one who doesn't stand before their commanding officer at attention is not ready for battle. "Now understand this. I am putting in control Ken because of his tactics in battle and overall experience. I also have Tai in charge of the special assignment." I wasn't aware of a special assignment.
'Special Assignment?" I enquired. "Yes. A group of three individuals are to be sent on a reconnaissance mission into the Reiun compound. When safely inside they are to plant a nucleux bomb. This bomb will kill all humans who are controlled by the 'HIVE'. You will need to escape because the after affect of the bomb is a nuclear meltdown. All living matter within a 3 mile radius will die instantly or suffer traumatic radioactive poisoning." I took all of this information in without even a slight change in breathing.
"Now I want you to prepare because you will be leaving tomorrow. The Reiun has possibly been alerted to our mission. We have been robbed of the element of surprise, but we still have the element of time on our side. Good evening gentlemen." She saluted and we all saluted back. We exited, single file, out of her office. "I wonder how the Reiun was aware of our invasion?" Tai asked. "Who knows," Ken answered. "I want to get ready. Collect the best weapons. Get my fighter in prime condition," I said. "Good," Michael said quietly. Already, I could tell Tai didn't like the guy. "Hey Matt, I need to talk to you alone," he said staring at Michael.
We stopped and he told me how he felt. "The guy is bad luck," he said firmly. "Why do you say that. You don't even know him." "Well," he exclaimed, "maybe it's because his Academy ID is friggin'666!" "At the Academies, cadets are allowed to choose their own ID number. You know that Matt. So don't tell me that it's all happenstance. I know bad luck when I see it and he's it." "I'll think about it. You might be the leader on this 'secret' mission but I am still ahead of you in rank. Remember that man, okay?" I walked away to the lift. I was entering the lift when I overheard Mimi and Sora talking down the hallway. "I can't believe that you like Matt!" Sora squealed. "Yeah and he doesn't have a girlfriend,' Mimi said, her head split open in a grin. "I can try and get to know him more. I mean there's almost a month aboard a ship, alone, in space with no one to bother us." The girls sighed in unison and walked into their room. I walked into the lift, guilt and worry grabbing at my chest. After a tune up I went to my quarters and tried to sleep. The digital clock above my head read 1:30 am. I still couldn't get to sleep. All that was going through my head was the fact that I would have to spend a whole month aboard a ship with Meems. As I went to close my eyes a fierce blast made me wide awake. A siren bellowed and red lights flashed. "The Academy is under attack. The Academy is under attack. All cadets and non-licensed pilots take evasive measures. All fighter pilots, report to the hangar immediately."
I jumped out of bed into the hallway. Dozens of students were scrambling towards the various exits. I headed toward the lift and rode it up with Tai and the other pilots on our team. Tai glared over at Michael. I nudged Tai in the ribs. Once it stopped, the four of us ran to our ships. I climbed up the ladder and into the cockpit. As the hangar doors opened, I could see that the city of Artega was aflame. Alien fighters circled around, shooting at random buildings or people running for safety.
"Star fighter QUASAR V-23 you are clear take-off." "Okay control tower." As I fired up my engines, an enemy star fighter exploded into the hangar bay. It's flaming hulk hit the gasoline fuselage and the back of the hangar was swallowed by flames. I pushed the throttle into green. The engine core opened wide and my QUASAR burst out of the hangar door. Right by my side was Tai in his XJ-97. He throttled forward as a fighter pulled up on him. The fighter sped in front of me and I pulled behind it. "I got a monkey on my back!" Tai yelled. I pulled the weapons mainframe into view and targeted the bogie. I pulled back in the trigger and the ship exploded into a ball of flame. I was in its wake. "Crap!" I pulled the ship down and out. The hulk missed my vertical stabilizer by meters. I barrel rolled out of the way and laughed out. The dogfight was leaving the city and quickly moving higher. The enemy fighters veered off toward the planet's stratosphere. The Delta squadron followed. Michael and Ken followed suit, dodging stray fire. A Delta fighter entering the stratosphere was shot being at by a bogie. "Bloody hell!" Ken yelled into his comlink. Some of the fire was headed toward him. He dodged it and I watched as the Delta fighter got hit on the belly. One of the shots hit the air intake spoiler and I watched as the pilot slowly began to suffocate to death. He was in the Academy piloting class with me. I was, for a moment, in shock.
He fired all the ammunition that he had, sometimes even hitting our Delta fleet. After thirty seconds of that his ship swayed and almost collided with me. After a minute he slumped over the steering mechanism, clutching at his throat. The uneven pressure caused his head to implode and seconds later explode into the cockpit glass. I cried out in sickened surprise and disgust. The ship spiraled out of control and exploded into an enemy fighter. I was pushing 392 tarsels when a fighter locked onto my position. Whatever it was, it was pretty fast. I opened the throttle and was pushed back into my seat. The Tarselometer read 407. The damn fighter was stuck to my ass. I pushed the ship into red. "Baby you better do 421. You'd better," I said through gritted teeth. The bogie was losing ground, or space. The frame started to shake when I sped into 415. Oxygen was escaping my lungs. I glanced at the console. My air intake spoiler was leaking. A milky vapor trailed behind my ship. I gasped. That was oxygen leaving my lungs. I veered right and pulled behind Tai and radioed his intercom. "Tai, I'm leaking O2. Repeat. Tai, I'm leaking oxygen." He didn't answer to my calls. I was being tailed be a bogie. I broke right and shook the bastard off my tail. "Who the hell would send ships to attack us?!" I yelled out loud.
I then noticed I was being hailed. I tried to answer but couldn't even speak. The transmission ended abruptly. I looked around for Tai's ship. A bogie was above me and I couldn't get at it. Out of nowhere a Delta fighter in a XC-51 knocked it away and launched a torpedo. The bogie blew into a million pieces.
The attacking fleet retreated toward open space. I turned back toward Resylia, hoping on top of all hopes that our whole team was alive. It then hit me. A bogie shot at my engines. "I'm hit!" My ship swirled This was a delay tactic. It was probably the Reiun out to destroy our fleet. I entered the atmosphere and turned the rudder left. The smoking city of Artega loomed ahead. My ship spun out of control. As I fell, my last source of oxygen depleting, I realized that this was a delay tactic. It was the Reiun out to destroy our fleet. I entered the atmosphere and turned the rudder left. The smoking city of Artega loomed ahead. I reached for the cockpit eject handle and pulled it. The cockpit exploded away from the ship. I breathed a joyous breath but didn't forget my main situation. I twisted the stabilizer and right my ship. Badly scorched and shaken up, I steered my fighter back to the hanger.
I landed near the XC-51 and saw Mimi climb out. "Matt, you're okay!," she said. She came over to my ship and waited at the base as I got out. I jumped down and saw that she had blood on her face, hair and clothes. "Are you hurt," I motioned to the blood. She looked and then froze for a minute, like she was trying to keep something inside. She collected herself and said softly, "No." "You saved my life. H-how did you get a ship? Why did you...." I didn't complete my sentence. She started to tell me what happened at the Academy dorms. "I was being herded through a corridor when a torpedo blew into the wall. Fire engulfed the bodies and people screamed in fear and gut wrenching pain. I was able to miss the explosion. I had already lost sight of Sora. I prayed that she was safe and ran to the hangar." She paused, gulping in air.
"I was surrounded by chaos. Smoldering ships and the smells of burning flesh and spilled fuselage. I looked around for a ship. There, waiting to be piloted was what looked like an empty XC-51. Not as agile as Tai's but it would work. I ran over to it and climbed up the ladder. In the cockpit was the pilot, or what was left of him." She started crying. I reached over and hugged her. "I screamed. He was severed through the mid-section by a large piece of shrapnel. I worked at removing him of the metal and vomited at least twice. The stench was unbearable. I finally removed the dead pilot and the metal slab." She was shaking all over. I held her tightly. "The ship started up and a diagnostic check showed that everything was in the green. I-I blasted out of the hangar at like 302 tarsels. I steered the ship and set the coordinates for the planets stratosphere. Death was falling everywhere. Fire was everywhere. The carcasses of the ships fell like meteors. As I flew through the blazing shells and numerous dogfights and I saw a streak of black and green fly by me. It was you. I followed you till you needed help." "Why? Why would you put yourself through such torture?" "For love Matt. I love you." I was shocked. "Do you love me Matt?" "I don't, I don't know," I stammered. She looked up at me. "What?" "I don't know. I can't even-I don't even know you." Mimi looked at me and I felt like killing myself. She pushed away from me and, tears caught in her eyes, walked away into the wreckage that surrounded us.