Chapter One
All was silence, except for the whine of a distant, one-man plane's engine. It had been several days since the split decision to leave their home behind, and already the pilot could see that it had been a good one.
"How he could have possibly known that the Machine Men would go to such measures to silence me, I will never know." the man mused, as he gazed at his son. The boy was now nestled snugly against his chest, sound asleep. The wolf pup was also in deep slumber; occasionally growling at some dream or another. Neither of them had heard, therefore, the news reports that had come in through the plane's radio about the former captain's narrow escape. As far as he knew, their home was gone...All of the memories that had been stored there were now going up in smoke.
"Probably for the best, I suppose." the man mused; wincing slightly when he remembered that his wife had died just a couple of years before; losing her battle with a lingering illness...a battle she'd fought with just as much determination as a rightful member of the Harlock Clan. With a sigh, he banished his sadness, and listened to the familiar thrum of the Messerschmidt's engine. He'd put so much work into the old plane; replacing the old gasoline engine with a solar-powered one, putting in new radios and even simple radar equipment...All the while wondering if someone from the beyond was guiding his hands as he installed it all.
"There's certainly more to this earth than a mere human mind can understand. I know that without having to even look very far..." the man mused, as he gently gazed at the wolf pup his son had found. They now were flying over what had once been the Atlantic Ocean, once again causing grim musings to pass through the man's mind.
"It seems Queen Starsha's gift didn't last long enough for this ungrateful world." he sadly thought, as he looked out at the dried-up expanse; silently wondering about whatever had become of the ancient battleship that had gone to the distant world for the aid the earth had needed then. Legends had said that it had disappeared, but no one could be absolutely sure.
"Yet no one had ever come across it's remains, either. The Yamato could still be out there, somewhere." the man silently added; looking aside when Fritz began to rouse up.
"'Morning Dad." Fritz yawned, as he rubbed the grit out of his eyes.
"Good morning. Sleep well?" the man asked. This got a nod from both boy and wolf pup.
"Yeah. Are we almost there yet?" Fritz answered, as he looked out from the cockpit at the desert below them.
"It shouldn't be too much longer. We'll be in Europe before you know it." the man reassured.
"Good. Can't wait to see if the big Arcadia will be there." Fritz said, eagerly. At this, his father could only feel a little dread creep into his heart. The two sides of the clan had been estranged for centuries...would they even be welcome by the land itself or its' people?
"Attention unidentified aircraft! This is ground control! Do you copy? Over!" a voice said, authoritatively, over the radio.
"Yes. Reading you loud and clear." the man replied, as he looked out of the cockpit and gazed at what appeared to be a rather new airfield.
"Good. What brings you all the way out here in that old thing?" ground control asked, confusedly. At this, the man could only smile.
"Just taking my son up for a while." the man replied; not really lying, yet not really telling the truth, either.
"I see. Well, guess you'd better come down for a bit. My superiors are having a conniption down here over a civilian plane coming into military airspace." ground control muttered, exasperatedly. This got a chuckle from the man, in response.
"I know only too well what you mean, my friend. Do we have clearance to land?" the man asked.
"Yes. Go right ahead." ground control replied, before the radio went quiet, once again.
"Now, to see if the Machine Empire has placed a bounty on my head..." the man mused, as he guided the plane towards the runway; doing his best to hide his misgivings about this decision from his son, and the precocious wolf pup in his arms.
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"Falko Harlock, eh? You've got a pretty infamous surname, if I do say so myself." one of the officers on the airbase said, when he'd gotten a good look at the man's pilot license and identification.
"Many have said the same." the man replied, calmly, as he watched his son look out the window at the different aircraft on the nearby runway. They were now within one of the small buildings near the airfield; one that was just adjacent to the hangars and supply buildings. The inside was as plain as the outside, with only a few momentos to show that a human being even lived within it.
"What were you doing so far away from civilian airspace? Granted, this base hasn't been here very long, but you still should have known it was here." the officer said, as he handed the paperwork back to the pilot.
"My son and I have just moved to Europe, so we're still getting used to the lay of the land. Flying just seemed, then, the best way of doing that." Falko replied, calmly.
"I see...But you're a brave man, regardless. I never would have expected to see an aircraft as old as that fly into our airspace." the officer said; casting an appreciative glance at the restored plane as he did so. At this, Falko allowed a smile to cross his scarred face.
"I guess you could say that I am an airplane enthusiast. Before the war, I used to restore antique aircraft for a living." Falko stated.
"Then you'd better talk to Kai while you're here. I'm sure he'd leap at the chance to meet another man who enjoys flying in old aircraft." the officer muttered, yet not without a chuckle and a shake of the head for added emphasis.
"Just might, before we leave." Falko murmured, even as a feeling of an impending, life-altering event loomed within him.
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The sight of a comical little man standing there within yards of the Arcadia, drooling as his eyes roved over the gleaming metal, was enough to make Falko smile again; this time in amusement.
"Greetings. I take it you're the 'Kai' one of the officers on this base had referred to?" Falko asked, causing the little man to jump slightly and whirl around to face him; watching as a broad grin replaced the startled expression on his round face.
"Yep! That'll be me! Kai Oyama's the name! Pleased to meet you!" the little man said, amiably.
"And it's good to meet you." Falko replied, even though a feeling of deja vu was passing through him.
"This plane is in fantastic shape! You've done a phenomenal job refurbishing her!" Kai stated, appreciatively, as he walked over and patted the side of the old plane fondly.
"Thanks. This plane in particular is my favorite, since it had belonged to an ancestor of mine." Falko said, as he stood alongside the diminutive man.
"And mine as well, Dad!" Fritz shouted, breaking his unusual silence. Silvereye uttered a yip in agreement. This got a chuckle from Kai, even as he gave the plane a wondering look.
"That seems to be true. In any event, anything with the name 'Arcadia' seems to be indestructible." Kai said, conspiratorially; whispering so he could be certain that no one outside of their group heard him.
"Well, I'm not as certain about that...But, if you meant against time and the elements, then yes. It seems to have had the will to remain despite the centuries passing around it." Falko agreed; seemingly surprised at having found a kindred spirit in the smaller man.
"Got that right. By the way, what's your name? You'd said one of your ancestors had flown in this plane, so that must make you a member of that same family." Kai stated; proving that he had a sharp mind behind the seemingly simple facade of an airplane enthusiast.
"Falko Harlock, and this is my son Fritz." Falko introduced; smirking when Silvereye barked again to remind them that he was there, as well.
"And his friend, young Silvereye." Falko added, almost as an afterthought. Again, the smaller man grinned.
"Then it's definitely good to meet you! I never thought I'd be lucky enough to meet two members of the Harlock Clan! In fact, ever since I'd come out here, it seemed that my luck had finally hit rock bottom. Glad to know I was wrong!" Kai said, cheerfully, as he started leading them towards the mess hall.
"It remains to be seen if meeting us has been good luck for you. As of now...I am currently on the run." Falko admitted; keeping his voice soft so he wouldn't be overheard.
"On the run? Why?" Kai asked, curiously, as he went ahead and got them some food while he was at it. At this, Falko's expression darkened.
"I refused to surrender...refused to break under the rule of the mechanized men. I'd even grounded my former command permanently, before handing in my resignation." Falko murmured, as they sat down at a table nearest the door.
"Sounds like somethin' a Harlock would do." Kai stated; nodding as he did so.
"The Octavian's gone?" Fritz asked, his tone more than a little saddened, as he looked up at his father. Falko reluctantly nodded; knowing how much the ship had meant to the boy.
"I'd always promised him that I would take him out into the Sea of Stars on his tenth birthday...but I never got the chance to fulfill it." Falko mused, darkly, as he took a sip from the mug of coffee Kai had offered to him just moments before; the guilt over that broken promise hitting him like a ton of bricks.
"Looks like our only chance of getting us to freedom is to fly in that plane of yours'." Kai murmured, thoughtfully; these words getting a look of unadorned shock from Falko.
"But that plane is a single-seater! The only reason Fritz and Silvereye can fit in the cockpit with me is because they are still fairly small! How do you propose to ride along with us?" Falko asked; trying his best to keep his voice down, since more of the base's personnel were coming in for lunch. At this, Kai only offered him another grin.
"I'll ride in the tail of the plane. 'Sides, what kind of Oyama would I be, if I didn't at least try to fight by your side?" Kai said, then added, "And it's because of my being related to the infamous Tochiro Oyama that I've been made a virtual prisoner here, on this base."
"You're a prisoner? But you're not wearin' any chains..." Fritz said; trailing off when he got a warning look from his father for the comment. Yet it only got a chuckle from Kai, and a shake of his head.
"Your kid is very observant, Falko! No, I don't wear any physical chains, but the people here have imprisoned me by destroying my own aircraft before I can get them to fly...I can only hope they'll forego doing that to your plane until after they've eaten." Kai muttered; watching as a look of barely contained alarm crossed Falko's face, and his eyes widened marginally.
"Then we've gotta hurry! I don't want Arcadia to be destroyed too!" Fritz said, worriedly, and as Silvereye whimpered in agreement.
"Try not to worry, kiddo. We'll be long gone from here before they can even pick up their tools! Trust me on that!" Kai reassured, then gave Falko a look that said how much he trusted the taller man's piloting skills.
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And thus it was, as evening shadows fell over the small base, Falko made the Messerschmidt ready for flight again. This time, however, he opened the compartment in the tail of the plane, helped Kai get into it, fastened it back into place, and then hurriedly bundled his son and wolf pup back into the cockpit.
"You all right back there, Kai?" Falko asked, as he closed the cockpit and started the engine.
"Right as rain, Falko! Arcadia Hasshin!" Kai replied, eagerly; his voice sounding tinny over the comm-link.
"Dad, what does 'Hasshin' mean?" Fritz asked, as he watched the propellor begin to move.
"It means 'take off'...And that is exactly what we're going to do." Falko said, with daring beginning to emerge in his voice, as he revved the engine, and began the take-off procedure.
"Ground Control to civilian aircraft! What the hell are you doing?.! You don't have clearance to take off! Cut your engine and get out of your aircraft! Repeat! Cut your engine!" the ground controller shouted, as the plane began to pick up speed.
"In the words of some of my former British crewmen, 'Bugger Off'!" Falko retorted, before cutting off the radio, and speeding down the runway.
"Arcadia, Hasshin!" Falko cried, as the plane left the tarmac, and soared into the nighttime sky.
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Meanwhile, on the bridge of a very well-known space pirate ship, a certain captain paused in what he was doing when a chill rushed down his spine.
"What is it, Harlock? Is something the matter?" someone asked. For a moment, Harlock's eye narrowed, then he shook his head and sighed.
"It felt for a moment as though something had just happened on earth. What it is, I don't know...It was almost like someone's fighting spirit has just been re-ignited." Harlock murmured, thoughtfully, as he gazed at the monitors, and their images of the earth below them.
"Should we go and investigate? It could be the Noo raisin' their ugly heads again." one of the member of the crew said, with some irritation in his voice.
"We'll wait. If it looks like another threat of that nature, then we'll act. It's too soon to tell, at this point." Harlock said, calmly, even though he could sense something familiar about the spirit that had regained its' courage and dignity.
"But what could it be, I wonder?" Harlock mused, as he sat back in his chair; scratching the ears of a pitch-black wolf absently as he did so.
Author's Note!
Not much to say, this time, except at some point, I'll have to draw these guys so I'll know what they look like, lol! Hope this was an 'all right' chapter, despite it being so quick!
Gemini14