Macross II: Past and Future

A MII fan fic by Wega the blue sun. No copyright infringement is intended, the MII characters don't belong to me and I'm not making any money from their use. Only the OC's and the story itself belong to me, but I still don't make any money from that!

Ch. 9 Harsh discipline

"I understand perfectly: You require the baptism of Alus Nova", Elensh said kindly and motioned her acolyte to rise. Ishtar's story was utterly fantastic, but over the years the high priestess had heard worse. Sadly, it was often gifted emulators like the young woman now reluctantly stepping into the hoverchair, who fell prey to the demands of their service. Occasionally acolytes would seek refuge in the temple, partly from a desire to escape their duties as well as their tainted thoughts. Baptism was a reliable cure for all ills of the mind and spirit, and with faculties restored, the once debilitated returned to service. Yet no matter how diligently Elensh worked to make baptism an accepted and regular occurrence in the emulators life, there was still a certain stigma attached to those who underwent purification. And while she wanted to spare the girl the unavoidable embarrassment, Ishtar desperately needed the procedure. She truly believed the ship of prophecy was located on the planet her master was ordered to subdue, and she'd even immersed herself in the alien culture. The potentially devastating effects of this exposure could not be permitted to spread.

Elensh frowned when the readouts of Ishtar's brain activity scrolled across the screen of the instrument panel before her. "Calm yourself, there's nothing to worry about", the priestess admonished her acolyte. "This is a place of meditation and peace, do not infect with your confusion!" "I cannot help it, Lady Elensh. I'm consumed by the songs of that world, they will not be silenced! Forgive me!", the contaminated emulator wailed, but it was her blatant disregard of a direct order which angered Elensh the most. Had Ishtar forgotten everything she'd taught her? Even the deluded had to obey the rules of the temple, and regardless of her fondness for this acolyte, Ishtar needed to be disciplined. "Stop it now before you defile the sacred domain of Alus Nova!", the priestess shouted, determined to put an end to the emulator's rampant emotionality.

Would the baptism destroy her precious memories of the wonderful songs of Earth? Would she forget Hibiki and the Alus?, Ishtar worried as the full force of the temple's brainwashing devices bore down on her. May the power of the real Alus protect me, she prayed, unaware that flesh and blood rescuers were already on the way. At this very moment, Lord Feff's Gilgamesh entered through a gaping hole the aliens had blasted into the Saaride's hull, only to encounter a phalanx of wary Zentran guards. "Lord Wolf, allow me to pass! The Earthlings are after Ishtar, and they're certain to head for the temple!", Feff explained, but the ship's commander wasn't inclined to grant permission and the Zentran mechs remained watchful at their posts, ready to defend the vessel against this new intrusion. "You have no right to enter my ship! Don't you remember the rules? What occurs here is my business, and I will handle this situation without your assistance, so begone!", Wolf thundered, but his curt refusal only added fuel to Feff's fire. "I'm coming through no matter what, even over your dead body if I have to!", he snarled and directed a rain of missiles towards the Zentran guarding the breached hangar.

Guiding his Gilgamesh through the devastation left by the attack, Feff knew he'd just issued his own death warrant, but the thought was more exhilarating than frightening. If he was to die for this, he'd make the Earthlings suffer the same fate. And what possessed Wolf to have such paltry defenses for the flagship anyway? Obviously the man had learned nothing from the debacle at the homebase temple. Then Feff's thoughts returned to the aliens who were the cause of all his troubles. Their latest actions had not only forced his hand, but also brought his predicament to the authorities attention. He should have finished off the alien male right away instead of saving him for brainwashing. Now the female Earthling had joined forces with his former prisoner in yet another attempt to take Ishtar away for good. Why couldn't they just keep out of his business, Feff fumed as he sped down long service shafts toward the temple at the heart of the ship. Now there was no option left but kill whoever stood in his way and return Ishtar to his ship. And then he'd await his richly deserved punishment, Feff thought when a strange sound filtered in from the outside. Although the melody was unlike anything he'd every heard, there was no doubt as to the owner of the silvery voice. "Ishtar!", he gasped and accelerated, leaving all pursuers far behind.

Was the girl trying to get them all killed? "Please stop!", he yelled, willing her to shut up, but the song continued to pour forth, sweetly insistent in its deadly pollution. Others also noticed the melody. "The ship's being contaminated!", a member of the bridge crew sounded the alarm, but Wolf maintained a stony silence as he watched the invasion of his ship unfold. All efforts to contain the intruders had failed, and just like that foolish junior commander predicted, the Earthlings were headed for Alus Nova. Wolf knew what was about to happen, but he couldn't bring himself to do anything. This is it, he thought, mortified to end his career in such a humiliating manner.

Elensh calmly looked the intruders over. At first glance they resembled her own kind, but their mindset proved them completely unfit for the Marduk religion. No wonder Ishtar became contaminated from contact with these sentimental fools, Elensh thought as she listened to the strangers impassioned pleas for peace and equality. But the priestess had to admit a grudging admiration for the aliens willingness to risk their lives just to save one of their foes. Why did they even care? And when was the last time a Marduk had shown similar courage in the face of certain death? "Don't talk to me of peace, my people know precisely how to achieve harmony", she said, interrupting the Earthlings in mid sentence. "Emperor Ingues has charged us to cleanse this chaotic universe of all impure cultures, and we faithfully carry out his sacred commands. Who are you to criticize our Master's will?"

Slowly Ishtar's consciousness returned as familiar voices filtered through the fog the baptism had induced. She knew Hibiki and Silvie were here to rescue her, but a steadily growing rumble beyond the confines of the temple diverted her attention. Most likely a security detail was on the way to capture her friends, she thought when a fireball burst through the wall to reveal a massive shape tearing at the jagged edges the explosion left behind. Still too weak to move, Ishtar watched in horror as the Gilgamesh pushed into the temple and fired its extendable claws at her. "Stop it, Feff!", she screamed as the metal talons destroyed the hoverchair and she was flung out to her death. "Why is he doing this?", the terrified girl thought when the Gilgamesh's gigantic hand scooped her out of thin air and lifted her to the open hatch of the red mecha. I have to stop him before he kills us all, but how?", she wondered, desperate to catch her breath.

"Did you really think you could escape from me?", Feff snarled and Ishtar's heart froze. Barely recovered from the wild ride, she threw herself into his lap, determined to keep him from doing more damage. "Please stop it!", she begged, blocking his access to the controls. "Why do you care what happens to this alien trash? Don't you understand they're the enemy?!", he snapped, enraged by her callous disregard for his efforts. "Get off!", he brutally shoved her aside, but the powerful sensations awakened by their brief physical contact had inflamed his passions, and he needed an outlet for his pent-up energy. Ignoring Ishtar's whimpers of pain, Feff turned his attention back to the Earthlings only to find they'd wasted no time in fleeing.

Untouched by the frenzied activity around her, Elensh stood serene. She didn't need to look at the screen image of the dreadnought sent by Ingues's orders to know the Saaride was doomed. So this is how it ends, she thought, strangely unmoved by the fact that her life was over. She felt no fear, only relief. I die as I've lived, the priestess thought, loyal to my people, firm in my faith. But will the destruction of this ship achieve the desired result, Elensh wondered, suspecting that the poison of contamination had already spread too far.

"Meet your death!", Feff spat and sent another volley of missiles towards the Earthlings transformable fighter, but the wildly maneuvering target sustained only minor damage. The enemy quickly responded with a counter attack, and Feff was relieved to note that his Gilgamesh also registered little damage. "You're good, but not good enough!", he hissed, frustrated to see the enemy ship speed off in an attempt to escape his onslaught. He was quick to follow when Ishtar's gasp of fear reminded him of her presence, he'd all but forgotten her. Then he saw what had startled the emulator. Massive energy beams were slicing through the Saaride, impacting far too close for comfort. With no time to waste he pushed the Gilgamesh to it's limits, managing more shots at the Earthlings ship ahead. Pleased to see the ordnance hit the Valkyrie, Feff now concentrated on finding an exit. More death beams ripped into the hull of the doomed ship as the dreadnought kept pouring on Ingues's punishment.

"We gotta get out of here!", Hibiki yelled, but Silvie didn't reply. She had her hands full guiding the damaged Valkyrie through the Marduk ship, a difficult task made harder by the crazed alien chasing after her, shooting all the while. And now the ship was under attack from an outside source, too! "So this is the kind of discipline the Master likes to hand out?", Hibiki continued, wondering why the Marduk tolerated this treatment. But he couldn't feel too sorry for the people who'd brainwashed their Zentran slaves, turning them into living robots. Right now he worried mostly about himself and Silvie. She'd put incredible effort into saving him, risking her own life over and over again. "How much longer can we hold on? The ship's coming apart!", he shouted just as a dark chasm yawned before them. "This is it! I've found an exit!", Silvie shouted back, relief thick in her voice as the mech flew out of the Saaride into open space.

Feff stopped his mecha at a safe distance to observe the death of the flagship, they'd barely made it out in time. The dreadnought was already gone, its grim work finished. Red and white fire swelled from within the Saaride, pulling the vessel apart, and moments later a massive blast scattered the remains of the ship. "Take a good look, Ishtar!", Feff said coldly, unmoved by Ishtar's sobs. "This is the price Master Ingues exacts from those he deems contaminated. Remember the result of disobedience, Lady, for all this happened because of you!"