Disclaimer: I don't own Nadesico or its plot, but I would like to imagine that I own the characters and ship I made up. Please don't steal those without asking me.
A Destiny Star
Episode 1: Who Will Leave the Blue Planet Earth?
In the CEO's office of Nergal Heavy Industries, the CEO and his secretary Erina Won were contemplating their next move. The CEO had just been informed of the ND-001 Nadesico's disappearance from Mars.
"Well, you look lovely as usual, Erina," the Chairman of Nergal said as Erina Won, his personal secretary, walked up to him with her report.
"The Nadesico has left Mars, sir, but they have suffered tremendous losses," she began.
"Hmm... That's pretty much what we expected, wasn't it? I suppose it can't be helped. Let's move on to Plan B," the Chairman replied. He had realized that the Schiaparelli Project was not likely going to work, and he wasn't in a position to do anything about it now that the High Mobile Battleship Nadesico had left Mars.
"Hmm... Maybe I should board the Nadesico as well," Erina suggested.
The Chairman reached for the speakerphone and paged one of his "yes men." "Get me the commander of the United Earth Forces. Tell him I've decided it's time to kiss and make up."
-
"They want to let bygones be bygones and work together to win the war?" Admiral Kenji Minamako said as he read the report from Nergal. "After the Nadesico's disappearance from Mars, I can understand why they would do that. They're facing some potentially ugly public backlash for the whole ordeal. But I do have some conditions for their new deal."
"What should I tell the Chairman, sir?" the officer who delivered the message asked.
"There are two conditions," he said. The officer began to write on a legal pad. "First: They must abandon Project Schiaparelli entirely. Second: They must begin building phase transition core battleships for use solely by the UEAF. Those are the conditions, and they are non-negotiable."
The officer bowed and left the room. The admiral was left to his thoughts. "With a UEAF-owned Phase Transition battleship handed to us on a silver platter, we could easily take the design and mass-produce them ourselves without having to rely on Nergal. I doubt they'd be too pleased about that, but it's better than the situation we're in now."
-
Two days later, Admiral Minamako received the reply from the Chairman of Nergal. In the multi-paged document, the Chairman agreed to scrap Project Schiaparelli, the plan to use the Nadesico to retake Mars. Next, it laid out plans for the next Nadesico-class battleship, the ND-002 Cosmos, which would be completed in about four months. Finally, and most importantly, a document outlining the details for the United Earth Forces own phase transition battleship, the Samayahita, was enclosed.
The admiral carefully looked over the document, especially the last part. "Very interesting, Mr. Nakasone," he said to the Nergal employee who delivered the document. The Nergal man cleared his throat. "Yes, I see the part about you being present on the battleship as a Nergal liaison, Mr. Nakasone. I might have known that Nergal wouldn't turn over the phase transition and distortion field technology that easily. Nevertheless, everything else seems to be in order, and I am very interested in seeing everything that is planned for this UEAF ship." The admiral finished talking and signed his name at the bottom of the document.
"Thank you Admiral. You can expect the Samayahita to be completed at about the same time the ND-002 Cosmos will be deployed," Mr. Nakasone said as he picked up the signed document. "In the meantime, you should probably start thinking about your human resources. The best of the best left with the Nadesico, but there are still many other qualified crew members out there."
"I agree," the admiral said quickly. "But it is my personal opinion that the only tragic loss of personnel on board the Nadesico was the science officer Ruri Hoshino. Because she was essentially created in a lab, she was very valuable. I guess such things can't be helped though. I happen to have a few of the candidates for crewmember positions ready for you to interview right now. Please follow me."
The admiral got up and walked towards the door. Mr. Nakasone followed him out of the room.
"We have set up separate interviews with the potential bridge crew members," the admiral said as he lead Mr. Nakasone to the elevator. "You may have heard this line before with the Nadesico's crew, but some of the crew that we have assembled are somewhat unusual. Nevertheless, I would not trust a battleship like this to anyone else but these people. The strangest people are usually the smartest."
The admiral led the Nergal employee to the elevator. They went up three floors before disembarking. After they got off of the elevator, they walked down a long hallway before coming to their destination. They entered the room and sat down.
"The first person we will meet with is the potential captain, Daniel Shroads." The admiral finished and pressed a button on the table. "Send in Captain Shroads," the admiral requested. "Daniel is a very competent man, although he uses some slightly unorthodox tactics in the battlefield. He graduated at the top of his class and was the man with the fewest defeats in the tactical simulator. He was the executive officer on the Kamiseriu before being recommended for a promotion by his captain, Captain Akira Dimeso. He passed the next level of his training with flying colors and was able to beat the simulated enemy by firing a gravity blast cannon at it through an asteroid." The admiral ended as the young man entered the room.
"Good evening Admiral Minamako," the tall, 21 year old said while bowing. "Is this the gentleman from Nergal Heavy Industries?"
"Yes he is, Captain Shroads," the admiral replied. "He would like to know more about you and your background. If you are what he is looking for, he may put you in command of the UEAF's pending Phase Transition core battleship."
Daniel straightened his back slightly and sat in the seat across from the two men. "Well what can I tell you, sir?"
Mr. Nakasone leaned forward. "My name is Victor Nakasone, and as you know, I am from Nergal Heavy Industries. After the fiasco involving the Nadesico and Project Schiaparelli, we have given up our stance that Mars must be retaken. As a result, Nergal will resume working with the UEAF to defeat the Jovian lizards. As part of our "penance" we will be designing one phase transition core battleship for the sole use of the UEAF fleet. This ship will be completely independent of Nergal, unlike the Nadesico, with only me on board as a link between the two parties involved. I would like to see your credentials and find out a little about your interests."
Daniel sat upright and slid forward a folder. Victor pulled it closer and examined the contents carefully. "You've had quite an impressive combat record, not to mention high honors from both academies you attended. A man of your skills does not come by every day. I do not think there would be any man better for the job."
Dan shifted anxiously. "Does this mean..."
"That you will be made captain?" Victor finished for him. "I would be very disappointed if the admiral did not see to it immediately." Dan smiled and expressed his thanks before rising to leave. Victor spoke up one more time. "One more thing. By chance are you a fan of the Anime Gekigangar?"
Dan turned, puzzled. "No, but I do enjoy drawing mechanized units in my spare time. Why do you ask?"
"Mechanized units? What on Earth?" Victor thought to himself. Out loud, he said, "No reason at all. I was just curious." Dan shrugged and excused himself, closing the door quietly behind him.
The admiral laughed. "I have mixed feelings about telling you this," he said, "but he's probably the most normal of the bunch." Victor faked a smile. "Next up is the executive officer, Kato Fatomiyo." The admiral paged Kato and he entered the room. He was a heavyset young man around 20 years old. A short beard that went the length of his face and met his sideburns covered his lower face.
"Hello gentlemen," he said as he seated himself across from Victor and Admiral Minamako. "What can I tell you two?" Victor explained the situation and the development of the PT powered battleship Samayahita that was being built.
"Can I see some documents detailing your military career?" Victor asked. "An executive officer is second in command, and you must have the proper training." Kato didn't try to hide his anger at the insinuation that he was not properly trained to handle a battleship. He quickly pushed his folder of documents forward and scowled at Victor. Victor pretended he didn't notice and opened the folder. After several minutes of reading, Victor closed the folder and pushed it over to the admiral. "It seems you are indeed qualified for the position of executive officer. You seem to be a brilliant tactician. I was surprised to see your in-depth study of World War II tactics, especially since warfare has changed so radically that the old forms of war are obsolete."
Kato folded his arms and smirked. "One is never too old to learn from the masters," he said. "Besides, the old tactics are only obsolete in weaponry. Replace a tank with an Aestivalis and it's basically the same thing. Anyway, warfare is interesting to me."
Victor seemed satisfied with this response. "You know your stuff. I believe you have the job." Kato smiled lightly and rose to leave. Victor asked one final question, "What kind of Anime do you watch?"
Kato was confused. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Just answer the question"
"I like realistic Anime with a great deal of action. I also watch a lot of mecha Anime as well."
"Like Gekigangar?"
"Absolutely not. That is by far the worst mecha Anime in the solar system."
Victor enjoyed the final response and waved Kato off. Kato turned quickly and left.
"Why do you keep asking them if they watch Gekigangar?" the admiral asked, curious. Victor shifted uncomfortably.
"That information is on a need-to-know basis, Admiral, and you most certainly do not need to know that," he snapped. He quickly regained control of his emotions and asked for the information on the next recruit. The admiral merely raised an eyebrow and turned back to his papers.
"Her name is Hana Sazeda. She is currently the helmswoman of the battleship Bayakasu. The battleship is so powerful partly because she is the woman in the driver's seat, so to speak. She could successfully steer through an asteroid field an astronomical unit long without taking a pinprick of damage. As far as navigational skills go, she is the best."
He rang for Hana and she entered the room. A young woman in her early twenties, Hana had long black hair and a neutral expression. She had an aura of casual feeling about her, and she was dressed in a loose fitting T-shirt with the UEAF logo on it.
"Good evening Miss Sazeda," Victor smiled.
"You can turn off the charm. I'm immune," she replied quickly. She gently sat in the chair "Are you going to interview me or not?" she asked.
"Yes," Victor replied. "I would like to ask you a few questions about your training." Before Victor could continue, Hana slid the manila folder of her information forward.
"I believe this can answer all of your questions. I'm not really in the business of self-praising." Victor picked up the folder and looked over it.
He looked up and said, "You were trained by Nergal? If this is true, why did we let you go?"
"I quit," she replied curtly.
"Why?"
"That's personal"
"Why?"
She glared at him. "It's personal"
He raised his hand dismissively. "Fine, have it your way. Of course if someone quits, Nergal doesn't generally hire that person back."
She stared knives at him. "Then I should thank God that you are not the one making the decision to hire me."
The admiral cleared his throat. "That will be enough. Based on your past experiences, you are plenty qualified. You have the job, Miss Hana."
She stood up to go, and Victor held out his hand for her to shake. "See you on board the Samayahita, Hana," he said. She ignored him and walked out of the room.
"You didn't even get a chance to ask her if she liked Gekigangar," the admiral laughed.
Victor frowned. "To hell with her anyway," he hissed. "Who's next?"
The admiral glanced down at the sheet. "Sosuke Vakia is next. He's the potential communications officer. Apparently he's also a trained soldier and expert marksman. He has the Image Feedback System implants, so he would be able to serve as a backup pilot in a pinch. He has served as the communications officer for the Menijo for the past 8 months, and before that he was an Aestivalis pilot."
"Impressive. Send him in."
The admiral pressed the button on the desk and asked for Sosuke to be sent in. The door opened and a 23-year-old man walked in. He was wearing a black trench coat and had black, slicked back hair. He was wearing black, mirrored sunglasses, and walked proudly. "Hello gentlemen," he said in a low voice as he sat down.
"My God, what is this, the freaking Matrix?" Victor sighed under his breath.
The admiral smiled. "Looking good Mr. Vokia," he said out loud.
"Thank you," Sosuke replied. "I suppose that compared to what you two are used to seeing, this outfit is pretty unusual, but I am a trained soldier and I like to look the part."
Victor regained his composure. "Yes, well your records are quite impressive, despite your unusual garb. It is my personal opinion that anyone could do the job of a communications officer, but you would also be serving as a backup Aestivalis or Delphinium pilot if necessary. In the event of an emergency, you would be deployed and the science officer, who for all practical purposes controls the battleship anyway, would take over your position. Are you fine with these terms?"
Sosuke visibly raised an eyebrow from behind his glasses. "I did read the contract you sent out, thank you very much."
Victor smiled, more or less. "That's fine then. The job is yours then. I expect you to be ready for the training classes the crew will go through. They aren't a cakewalk."
Sosuke nodded his head and turned to leave. "One more thing," Victor called. "What kind of Anime do you watch?"
"I watch Anime with a lot of action and violence," he replied.
"How about Gekigangar?"
"Absolutely not. That is the absolute worst Anime I've ever seen."
Victor smiled satisfactorily. "Very good then. I will see you soon."
Sosuke walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. "Who is the next recruit?" Victor asked before the admiral could say anything.
The admiral fumbled with some papers. "His name is Hitoshi Tsumiyagi. He will be the science officer. He had his DNA altered after his birth using genetic transplants so he could operate the main computer of a battleship. It was an unusual circumstance, actually. He was born on Mars and placed in an orphanage. Soon after he was bought by Nergal and had nanomachine injections, IFS implants, and several genetic alterations using viruses. By the age of four, he was completed and began his extensive education. He is quite capable, but somewhat of an introvert because of his unusual upbringings. Of course, once you get to know him, he's really a nice person. I guess it isn't easy to grow up in a laboratory."
Victor placed his hand under his chin. "Send him in, then."
The admiral paged him and the door opened soon afterwards. A young man in his early 20's walked into the room. He was of average height and had brown hair. He was fairly slim, and somewhat pale. The most striking feature, though, were his yellow eyes. Victor was not surprised in the least, though, since all humans undergoing genetic alterations and some of the more complex nano-implants had yellow eyes. The admiral, on the other hand, was quite taken aback.
"Good afternoon," Hitoshi said as he sat down across from the admiral and Victor. "I'm ready to answer your questions."
Victor sat up. "I believe most of my necessary questions have already been answered by your file and Admiral Minamako. I would like to ask you one or two more personal questions, if you don't mind."
"Okay," Hitoshi said nervously.
"How did your biological parents die?" Victor asked with no concern in his voice.
"They were killed in a skiing accident on the polar ice cap of Mars," Hitoshi replied with equal indifference. "Since I had no other living relatives, I was sent to a foster home where I spent exactly three months, until I was one year old. At that time, I was "adopted" by Nergal and modified to the form you see before you."
Victor was struck by the lack of concern Hitoshi showed. "Don't you even care that your parents were killed?"
Hitoshi sighed. "Of course I care, but I can't really do anything about it. I would have loved nothing more than the chance to grow up as an average child, but it is too late for regrets now. Anyway, I don't care for aliens, and I would like to fight in this war to get rid of them."
Victor shrugged. "Okay then, question number two. Have you ever been to Scandinavia?"
Hitoshi shifted uncomfortably. "I'll assume you are referring to the Nergal research clinic there, the one where they "made" Miss Ruri Hoshino, the science officer of the Nadesico. I've never been there myself, but I know a great deal about it, not to mention the fact that it was shut down a few years ago because it was inhumane. I was not educated there, mostly because I was genetically modified after I was born."
Victor placed his hand on the manila folder Hitoshi had brought in with him. "Only two more questions left. You're doing good so far Mr. Tsumiyagi." Victor slid the folder off of the desk onto his lap for safekeeping. "Do you remember what your parents did for a living?"
Hitoshi was beginning to get angry. "I can't really see how that is any of your business," he snapped.
Victor smirked. "You don't know, do you?"
Hitoshi turned away from him. "No, I don't. Are you happy now?"
The smirk on the Nergal employee's face grew. "Final question: What kind of Anime do you like?"
Hitoshi turned back to him. "I like most everything, especially giant robots and space battles."
"Gekigangar?"
Hitoshi almost smiled at the man. "You can't be serious." He got up and left the two men.
"You can expect to begin the crew training in about two weeks," the admiral called to him. Hitoshi turned, bowed to them, and left.
The admiral turned to Victor. "You really are something else," he said. "You do realize you will be spending an undetermined amount of time with these people on board the Samayahita, don't you? If you make these people your enemies now, the people on whom your life depends, you will be in big trouble later."
Victor merely waved his hand. "Don't worry. I know how to play this. I've learned from the best at Nergal. The crew will learn to trust me before you know it."
The admiral turned back to his papers. "The question is, can Nergal even be trusted?" he thought to himself. He said out loud, "Next up is a scientist we have commissioned to study the Phase Transition technology in detail, and to study the Jovian attack patterns and AI coordination. His name is Kadin Ara, and he was born on Mars as well." The admiral reached over and paged Kadin. A young man in his mid 30's burst through the door.
"Hi everybody!" he yelled in a voice that likely couldn't get any louder. Victor jumped and nearly tumbled backwards. He regained his balance and acted as if nothing had happened. Kadin hopped into the chair and smiled at them. He then threw his manila folder at Victor, who was just barely able to catch it.
"Lovely, I was hoping to avoid the personality disaster we experienced with the Nadesico," Victor muttered under his breath. He said out loud, "Hello Mr. Ara. I trust you have the training to back up your request to be instated on the battleship Samayahita."
Kadin looked around the room and then looked back at Victor. "Yeah, I have everything you need. Just take a look see in that there folder right there that you're holding." He pointed to the folder emphatically.
Victor sighed and opened the folder. His eyes went wide. "You worked with Nergal at the pole?" he gasped.
Kadin smiled and closed his eyes proudly. "Yeah, that's right. They would have been lost without me." He folded his arms and sat back in his chair. The admiral leaned over towards Victor. He attempted to glance into the folder when Victor pulled it away and closed it.
"Admiral, of course you understand that some of Nergal's research on Mars is top secret. Even though earthlings no longer hold Mars, it is vital that the research remains secret until we can analyze it." He turned to Kadin. "As for you, you are still under your oath of silence. You are not to tell anybody about what went on under the Martian polar ice cap. Other than that, you have the job. It was nice getting to know you."
Kadin stood up, grabbed Victor's hand, and shook it enthusiastically. He then turned and ran out of the door. The admiral laughed again. "You meet all kinds in this job, don't you?" Victor turned his head, disgusted. The admiral looked at his papers. "As for the maintenance crew and security chief, we do not need to set up interviews. Their names are on the dossier Nergal was provided with. If I remember correctly, the chief maintenance man was named Douglas MacGyver Valentine. The security chief was named John Massimo. They are both very qualified for their fields and were hand picked by a joint cooperation between the Chairman of Nergal and the commander of the UEAF. Of course, you will remain on board the Samayahita as a Nergal liaison, and I will be placed on board as an advisor to the captain. Do you think those crew members will really work out?"
Victor was lost in his own thoughts. He jumped back to reality just in time to hear the last sentence of the admiral's one-sided conversation. "Oh, yes of course." Victor stood up. "I guess I'll see you in a few weeks for crew training."
The admiral stood and shook Victor's hand. "Yes, I'll see you then. Victor left the room with the stack of folders he received from the crewmembers. The admiral sat back down and paged his secretary. "Follow Mr. Nakasone for me, but be discreet about it. I want to know where he goes after he leaves this building." The woman on the other end acknowledged his request and the line went dead. The admiral thought to himself, "If he goes directly to the Chairman's private quarters instead of back to Nergal's main office building, this is going to be a long and complicated couple of months."
As he had expected, an hour later the admiral received word that Mr. Nakasone had entered a small, nondescript building near the edge of the Nergal research estate. That was where the Chairman liked to meet his employees when the situation demanded the utmost secrecy. "Just great," the admiral thought to himself.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Please give me a review or two. I can assume you probably didn't enjoy the first chapter since it was mainly character introductions, but it will get better, I promise.