A MII fan fic by Wega the blue sun. No copyright infringement is intended, the characters of Macross II don't belong to me and I'm not making any money off them. Only the story and the OC's in it belong to me, and I'm still not making any money whatsoever!
Ch. 2 Introduction to a new life
"Beyond these doors are your personal quarters and the meditation area, Lady Ishtar. The transmission room is directly accessable from there, please familiarize yourself with the equipment", Feff said, gesturing toward a closed entry at the front of a short corridor. Although he was the captain of the vessel, he along with the rest of the crew was prohibited from entering these chambers. "The temple has sent over your belongings, but be certain to let me know if you require anything else." The young woman nodded but made no move to leave, she knew the commander had to complete one more task before she officially became a member of his crew. "We'll leave homebase soon and proceed to the practise area. Once there I want you to participate in a battle simulation", Feff continued and brandished a wide metal cuff. Ishtar compliantly held out her arm, and without touching the girl's skin Feff quickly slipped the band over her slender wrist. A moment later a chirping sound indicated that the device had been activated. A flicker of light pulsed rapidly within the recessed part of the brightly polished cuff, then faded away.
No mere adornment, the sophisticated device had just transmitted the emulators vital statistics to the fleets computer systems, and a constant communications loop with the Zentran troops had been established. Ishtar bowed slightly to express her acceptance of the visible symbol of her duty, and resisted an impulse to scratch where the unacustomed contact of the bracelet chafed her tender skin. "I will be ready whenever you need me, Lord Feff!", she said as the commander activated the door lock. He lowered his gaze respectfully as Ishtar walked by and entered the chambers. The doors closed behind her with a soft swoosh and Feff took a deep breath. The short interaction had been unexpectedly stressful, particularily the application of the bracelet, and it had him taken some effort to conceal his nervousness. But throughout the emulator had remained cool and calm, and he liked her confident attitude. Provided her battle performance was equally remarkable, and there was no reason to assume otherwise since she'd come with the highest recommendations, his fleet was now completely outfitted and ready for action.
Ishtar looked around the unfamiliar, softly lit space. Despite the tasteful arrangement there was a sterile quality about the room, as if she was the first living being to set foot into it. And in fact no other emulator had lived here, this ship was fresh off the dock and had never seen service before, the commander had said. Ishtar slowly walked through the quarters, exploring every nook and cranny of her new domain. Considering that the relationship between commander and emulator was severed only upon the death or decommission of either, this apartment would probably be her last home, she thought as Elensh's instructions ran through her mind. Ishtar wasn't afraid to die, but she missed the temple. The only other home she'd ever known was already filled with a new group of acolytes eager to submit to the same training she'd just graduated from, and her cozy little room had a new occupant. "Embrace war and make the battle field your home!", Elensh had repeated until it became a familiar mantra.
Ishtar breathed a sigh of relief as she recognized the large flowering plant on the table. Just the day before it'd decorated Lady Elensh's personal rooms, she thought and gently brushed against the fleshy orange petals. A light perfume scented the air. Relieved and invigorated, the young emulator searched until she'd located the container with her personal belongings. When she pulled out the meager contents, a holographic slate tumbled into her hands. The image showed her graduating class asssembled before the massive monument honoring emulators who'd given their life in service. Wherever her fingers rested upon the glassy surface of the slate, a larger detail of the image appeared and for several minutes Ishtar studied the somber faces of her colleagues. What were their assignments like, she wondered, were their commanders as respectful as the young Lord she was now pledged to serve? One of the girls in the picture had the bad luck of being assigned to Lord Toht, and she shuddered imagining that emulator's future. How easily that could have been her fate, she mused, reflecting on the twist of fortune that had brought her together with Lord Feff, who despite his stern and taciturn demeanor failed to inspire any fear in her.
A low rumble pulled her out of her meditations. The ship was under power and departing from the homebase, and Ishtar hurried into the transmission room. The vast chamber was barely lit, but she'd trained so often in a perfect replica of the room that she had no trouble locating the hoverchair in the gloom. She shrugged off her cape before she entered the chair which swiftly and silently rose to the top of the elegant structure. Ishtar relaxed as the soft material of the chair cradled her in a recumbent position. Soon the simulation would begin, and she was determined to ace this test, she thought, practising the breathing techniques she'd learned at the temple.
"Lord Feff, the emulator has entered the transmission chamber and activated the system. Shall I establish visual contact?", one of the bridge techs asked and Feff snapped out an affirmative. One of the large view screens flickered to life. Despite the surrounding darkness Ishtar was plainly visible. No longer covered by the dark cloak, the glowing lines of her body suit affirmed that she was fully integrated into the ship's systems and ready to transmit to the Zentran warriors. It was a lovely picture, Feff thought, laid out like as if in a golden vessel the girl resembled a precious gift, and the sight of her voluptious figure rendered him momentarily speechless. "Are you ready, Lady?", he finally asked and Ishtar's soft reply came right away. Now he'd see if this emulator's skills were everything they'd been praised to be.
Ishtar was more than ready to prove herself to the commander. Her future depended on his satisfaction with her performance. To be rejected and sent back to the temple was the most humiliating fate an emulator could suffer, and she had no intention of returning in shame. A part of the wall facing Ishtar became translucent and gave her a good view of the battlefield. The participants were already in position, with numerous Zentran battlepods racing about while several officer's mecha hung back to observe the melee.
On the bridge Feff gave the command to begin the staged battle. "Now sing, Ishtar!", he ordered and no sooner had he fallen silent when an eerie, high pitched vocalization filled the airwaves and the little hairs on the back of his neck rose. The Zentran immediately reacted to the siren song. Conditioned to obey, the ferocity of their response amazed and delighted Feff as the melody continued to pour forth. Now this was the right way to go to war, he thought as frenzied activity filled the screens and the bridge attendants shouted out stats. The wordless song reverberated in the command center, and Feff regretted not being out there in the field to experience the action first-hand. Although this was merely a mock battle without casulties, he'd never seen his troops fight with such singleminded purpose and relentless energy. The emulator's skills not only exceeded his expectations, her song motivated the troops in a way he could not, and the results were nothing less of spectacular, he thought as the exercise went on.
Eyes firmly closed, Ishtar concentrated on her singing. Without the aid of instruments the melody was carried only by her powerful voice, yet all the more effective in its sparseness as the young emulator skillfully applied all the techniques she'd been taught. Within seconds she entered a trance where producing the melody became effortless, and thus allowed her to sing for hours. Rapture filled Ishtar's mind as she lost herself to a universe filled with the music of the spheres.
Delighted with the success of the simulation Feff gave the troops orders to cease and return to their stations. "Thank you, Lady Ishtar, you did very well!", he said as the last notes of the song faded away and the exited chatter of his crew replaced the music while the officers on the field called in their reports. Superimposed on the screen before him was the image of the emulator, and he noted that the markings on her serene face glowed. Ishtar opened her eyes and watched the battlefield as the last light from the explosions flickered out and died. "You did very well", the commander's deep voice repeated and Ishtar knew that her assignment was secure. "Please rest now, you must be tired. I expect that we'll soon receive orders", Feff continued. The results of the test had left him nearly trembling with anticipation. Now all he needed was a war, and the Emperor would hopefully soon provide him with an enemy worthy of such talent, he thought while the song of the emulator continued to play in his mind.