Author's Note: I do not own Code Lyoko, etc.
Chapter Nine – Old Friends
Inside the Kalsharian Science Center, the large white bulkhead slid apart and Trickster stood there, stretching out his back and his arms to the side. The Kalsharian Alicia was next to him.
"Wow, that was less painful than the first time." He continued stretching as she smiled.
When he was finished, he dusted off his gloved hands, "Finally back in my regular clothes. I was sick of being in a hospital gown."
She smiled, "But it did suit you well."
"Jeez, didn't think you'd be interested in a human."
"Why not, interracial breeding between Humans and Kalsharians has been considered an acceptable norm in the eyes of both societies."
"Well, in my time, it was unthinkable. Our two races were at each others' throats at every encounter."
"I understand. Back then, we were enemies that refused to see through the eyes of the other. However, that is no longer, Humans and Kalsharians have created two utopian societies that remained allies for over two centuries. That is until Enigma's recent actions."
"That's why this is a Dark Future."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing. I was thinking out loud. Um, where are we going?"
"We promised you a fast ship that will get you to Enigma's territory in record time. We are going to Hangar Bay Thirteen where it is being prepared for launch."
"So, what is it? A Stinger Class Kalsharian Fighter? A Hornet Class Kalsharian Cruiser? Something brand new?"
"The first two have been decommissioned classes for the past hundred years. This ship is nothing like the others, something truly unique."
Trickster smiled as they now were in front of the large bulkhead with the number 13 written in several languages. Suddenly, Trickster felt her hands over his eyes.
"What are you doing?"
"I believe this is the Human tradition of 'no peeking'."
"Ah, fair enough."
He heard the bulkhead opening and the light of the Hangar Bay filled the hall, even if only slightly.
"Ready?" She asked.
"Ready." He replied.
Letting go, he blinked his eyes a few times, readjusting to the light. What stood before him was something truly amazing, a ship so beautiful it brought his smile as wide as it could.
On the New Light, everyone was gathered on the bridge as they entered the Valuxia system. A popular stopping ground for the Golden Nirvana. Keeping their eyes on the horizon, the Lyoko Warriors hoped to caught the sight of the ship for real this time. Shelly had her eyes focused on what was in front of her as Alicia held onto Daedalus.
"Shelly?"
"Yes, Alicia, I know." Shelly pressed some buttons and brought a few holo-screens down around her, looking at them with the utmost scrunity.
"What? What's going on?" Yumi questioned.
"According to the most recent charts I was given yesterday, we should be in the center of Millennium City." She shook her head in confusion.
"Maybe, you got some misinformation?"
"I don't think so, Jeremy. Gabriel is meticulous with the charts, he always makes sure his navigators give him updates everyday, being that the Golden Nirvana is a huge ship, they don't want to get close to things like gravity wells, for instance."
"Okay, okay, but it should be close. I mean it's the size of New York City and Seattle combined, right? Something that big can't be hard to miss."
"I know, it's just I don't know what else it could be." She paused, "Unless..."
"Hellllloooo, Beautiful!" Her radio shouted.
She sighed and took the receiver in-hand, "Damn it, Gabriel, where are you?"
"Look up."
Shelly saw as the Golden Nirvana was now coming into view above the ship.
"You, cheeky bastard, you finally got some of that stealth tech to work."
"Yeah, sorta."
A loud shriek echo over the radio and then the Golden Nirvana appeared on radar.
"So, you're still working out the bugs, aren't ya?"
"Hey, not easy when brand new parts are hard to come by."
"Can't you just order them? Doesn't Millennium City have manufacturing?"
"Yes, but they are subsidiaries of actual corporations that kick back some of their profits to me for allowing their factories on my ship...and I exhausted my free parts quota for the quarter."
"Still playing the wise ass, huh?"
"How about you, Sassy Shelly?"
The kids looked at each other, "Sassy Shelly?"
"You promised me, you'd never use that name again."
"Come on, a pet name's a pet name, no matter who you say it to."
"Damn it, Gabriel, I got kids aboard and they're grinning at me."
"Okay, okay, jeez, you should have said so in the first place."
"Look, wise ass, can we come aboard or do I have to ram this ship into that dome of yours and I don't mean the laser reflective one."
"Hold on, I gotta step away for a moment."
Shelly relaxed in her chair as she sighed, "This is just like him."
"So, Sassy Shell..." Odd's mouth was clamped shut.
"If you ever want to talk again, you and the rest of you all will never repeat that. If you don't, I will rip off your jaw and beat you to death with your own tongue, got it?" Her yell could have shaken the ship.
The teenagers nodded.
"Um, it is wrong to be turned on right now." Gabriel said over the radio.
So caught up in the moment, Shelly didn't realize she was still holding down the receiver button.
"Damn it, Gabriel!"
"What? You exude so much passion when you're angry. Remember that time on Mzera IV for that one weekend, when you threw me on the couch and we..."
"WHOA! Teenagers here, remember?"
"Oh come on, teenagers? Like what don't they know already."
"Sorry, Gabriel. You're not a wise ass, you're a dumb ass! Can you please tell me where I can dock, so we can land and I can punch you upside the head."
"Relax, babe, you can park your ship at lot 2AC-245."
"2AC? Really?"
"Hey, if you called a week earlier, I may have gotten you a better spot. You want me to get you a nice parking space, don't call the day before you visit and expect one."
"Fine, can I get long-term parking?"
"How long term?"
"Uhhh, Trickster long term."
"Damn! Okay, okay, sure. Seeing as we're old friends, I'll waive all the fees."
"Why, how gracious of you, it's not like the ships are costing you anything extra for just sitting there, doing nothing."
"Great, your sarcasm has killed the mood. Now, you have to start all over."
Yumi shook her head, "Really? What do you see in that guy?"
Shelly smiled, trying to hide it beneath her hand, "He is..." She exhaled, "well, he...has his moments. Look, we better get going. There's no telling when our spot will be taken."
They drove around the outer ring, looking for the bulkhead door they needed to park at.
"Gabriel! You guys really need to repaint the outside of your doors. I can't tell what's what out here."
"Yeah, I'll get right on that, it's not like I got a ship the size of a Class VI Metropolitan Center to run. Do you need some help?"
"No, I'm sure I can..." She sighed, "Okay, can you open whatever door section 2AC is the nearest to? We don't have all eternity floating out here, you know?"
"Glad to see that planet life hasn't made you lose any of your sassy. But..." He stretched out the last word.
"Damn, what do you want this time?"
"How about this? I will open the door if you do that thing I like you to do for me."
She groaned, "I'm not going to do that. You promised me the last time, it would be the last time."
"Come on, you liked it, too. I remember the way you danced and..."
"Great, you got the teenagers grinning at me again. Can you just open the fucking door? I'll do whatever, just fucking open it!"
"Okay, okay, opening it now."
The door closest to them opened and the guiding lights turned on. Shelly turned the ship and entered the huge ship. Following the lights, they would soon land and their adventures aboard the Golden Nirvana would begin.
"What is that?" Trickster asked, a smile like a child on Christmas Day.
The white ivory ship looked like something out of a dream. It was a sleeker design of a speed boat yet the size of the New Light while the back was equipped with four steel gray boosters that liked as if from a federation warship.
"This is a ship that combines the epitome of Kalsharian and Human technologies. This will be your vessel. I'll guide you through the internal corridors."
Trickster couldn't climb on board fast enough. Inside had the same feel as the corridors of the Science Center and yet some components were still the familiar feel of Human technology.
"The ship has an integrated biofeedback matrix. This piece of our technology notifies you of hull breaches, intruders, and other irregularities in real time, much faster than those of Human ships. However we also have incorporated parts of Human design that were lacking in ours."
"The boosters? They didn't look Kalsharian."
"Your people had developed faster ships, but their environmental cost was unacceptable by my people's standards. So, we combined the speed of Human boosters with a Kalsharian Hodarus-142 Crystal Matrix Engine. This allows for the speed, but it burns much cleaner which aids in stealth for there is no smoke to be seen."
"How long is the lifespan of one of those crystals?"
"10.354 to the second power."
"1035.4 years?"
"No, 1035.4 average human lifetimes...as long as the crystal is fully functional. Spare crystals are stored in a safe beneath the armory."
"Armory? This ship has an armory?"
"Fully stocked with various hand and rifle weapons, grenades, your belts."
"My belts? Crap, uh, you didn't happen to find a backpack with some belts in it, did you?"
"We did, it came next to you shortly after you were reanimated. We were hoping you'd explain."
"Well...it's a...kind of...a soulbound item?"
"Really? We didn't find anything like that in your journals."
He tapped his head twice, "All up here, sweetheart."
"Okay, the armory is also regenerative, so everything gets replaced as long as you have materials for the nano-organisms."
"Cool. I can find everything out for myself. Now, show me the bridge."
"Very well."
In a few minutes, they were standing in the bridge. The domed room had a front view screen with floating holo screens above it and a large control panel with several seats below it. The helm was a raised platform climbing stairs to get into the pilot's seats with its own floating holo screens.
Trickster ran up the stairs and plopped himself on the seat, "Comfy."
"Kalsharian bioleather, it will never go flat or bumpy."
Then, a circular screen came down in front of him and two handles appeared up on either side.
"Whoa." He gripped both the handles and moved them back-and-forth, rotating them the same.
"Biolocks ensured that only recognized personnel can drive the ship. Turn the handles to turn the ship, pulling them forward accelerates and pulling back will decelerate. The display screen warns you of obstacles and targets."
"Why doesn't it work?" His playing of the controls yielded no results.
"Standard safety feature inside the Hangar Bay. Once you're in free space, you can pivot and turn to your heart's content."
"Okay, time to start this baby up."
"Very well, we will start the launch procedures immediately."
As he continued playing with the various buttons and the handles, a question struck him.
"Wait, what's her name?"
"The ship? Her name is The Hope of Future and something tells me, she'll love you as much as you love her."
End of Chapter Nine.
