"So not only did you establish yourself in Earth mythology, but you also formed the basis of the Pri'Tan religion."
"Again, we did so unintentionally," Celaeno said, still not making eye contact.
"Bullshit," Derek said, shaking his head. "Maybe that's what you tell everyone who calls you on it, but I don't believe the same mistake could have happened twice. Which one happened first?"
"We made contact with the Pri'Tan first."
"I see." Derek leaned back and crossed his arms. "And from that, you decided that you enjoyed having people worship you, and moved to Earth."
"We did not visit Earth until much, much later. Your people were not interesting enough."
"You eventually saw a need for your services?"
"Your people had no guidance. No purpose. They were doomed to destroy each other through petty squabbles. We gave them purpose."
Derek stroked at his beard thoughtfully. "Yes, in the form of Greek and Roman deities. If history is even remotely accurate, several wars were fought in the names of their gods."
"We never told them to go to war over us. They had the free choice."
"Makes me wonder if the Roman Empire would have been quite as prosperous without your 'intervention.'"
"History is already written, and as such I cannot speculate on that."
Derek closed his eyes and shook his head. "There's more to this. There has to be."
"I..." Celaeno began, then stopped suddenly. She turned to the doorway, which had opened without anyone else noticing. "I wondered when you would find your way down here, sister." She put an angry hiss on the last word.
Derek looked to the doorway and gaped. "Sister?"
Maria shrugged. "I apologize for my deception. The time just wasn't right."
"Oh, I am getting a headache." He put his head in his hands and pulled at his hair. "You mean one of my crew has been a spy for the Seven?"
"No, sir. Only since my, well... my death." She walked over and leaned on the wall behind Celaeno. Here, in the dim light, did Derek notice a faint yellow glow to his former Ensign.
Caleano made a noise that sounded like a snort. "You learned nothing from Electra's mistakes."
"You're wrong, Sister. I did learn. I waited until the host was already deceased."
"So which one are you?" Derek asked.
"My name is Alcyone," she said in a slightly softer, lower pitched voice.
"Why did you take the form of my Ensign?"
"She died. It was convenient." Maria/Alcyone shrugged, as if she couldn't figure out why this answer wasn't so obvious.
"Yes, but why?" Derek was trying to contain his frustration at being used as a plaything again.
"Derek Wildstar, not all of us agree with what has transpired. I learned from Electra how to take a human form, only I did not wish to become trapped as she did, so I waited for the right time."
"You possessed the dead body of one of my bridge crew."
"Yes, in order to observe directly, and wait for this moment. The time when we can reveal to you what you must do to ensure the survival of your world."
"We?"
"As I said, not all of us agree with the path." Maria took a seat, exchanging a quick look with Celaeno before looking back at Derek. "Your Maria Santiago was killed by the Pri'Tan. I needed to be among you in order to help you, but until her death there was no opportunity. When she died, I went to her."
Derek shook his head. "The light we saw in the hallway. It was you."
"Yes."
"Why didn't you just come to us, as your sisters have done?"
"I needed a conduit. A mortal form. We cannot simply make up any form we wish. My sisters have all taken mortal forms, and that is how they appeared to you. Up until now, I have never taken mortal form. When Maria died, I borrowed her body in order to help you."
"Help us with what?"
She began to speak, then gasped as her eyes focused to Derek's left. Derek caught it, turned to follow her gaze, and gasped. Before him stood the forms of Trelaina and Mark.
"I tried to tell Jordy," Mark said softly. "The sisters cannot be trusted. Well, not all of them anyway."
Derek shook his head. "Not all of them? So which ones can I trust? It seems that all of them have deceived us at one time or another." He looked at Trelaina. "How do you fit into all this?"
Trelaina looked back and forth between Maria and Celaeno, then said, "I was unable to stand idly by and watch what my sisters were doing. They were manipulating cultures, controlling advances on one world while holding back those of others. All this for their own amusement. I spoke out against them, but my words meant nothing. I left the realm that my sisters inhabit and entered what you may call another dimension, where I watched and waited."
"Where Mark eventually joined you." Derek looked back at Mark, who was smiling. "So what changed? You and your sisters are worshipped by our enemy. Got bored with it, did you?"
Trelaina frowned and shook her head. "Please, I ask that you keep an open mind about this. I had to withhold certain facts in order to help you, but I have not lied to you."
Derek sighed and nodded. "Very well. As much as I want to know everything right now, I think this is best left until you can address the entire senior staff. Agreed?"
"Agreed." Trelaina looked to Celaeno and Maria, who both nodded. Celaeno disappeared without a word, followed by Trelaina and Mark.
"Alcyone," Derek began.
"I know what you are going to say."
"And?"
"I will speak with Tetsu before the staff meeting. It wouldn't be fair for him to find out what I am at the same time as everyone else."
"He's going to be devastated."
"It will hurt him, yes, but it is unavoidable." She turned and left the room, leaving Derek alone with IQ-9. He looked around to find that Razil had somehow managed to slip out unnoticed.
Rear Observation Deck, 0230 HoursThe door opened, and Kitano stepped through it. His eyes were still partly closed, and he was muttering to himself, but he stopped suddenly when he saw Maria leaning against the railing.
"Tetsu."
"Maria! You know, this is going to sound really strange, but..."
"I came to you in a dream and told you to come here."
"Um... yes. It was as if you were – oh. Oh no." He closed his eyes and shook his head. "You're still dead, and I've been talking to myself this entire time."
"Not quite. What I have to tell you will hurt, but you must know the truth."
Staff Room, 1100 HoursDerek was seated at his usual place at the head of the long table. Down both sides of the table sat his senior staff: Nova, Eager, Sandor, Homer, Kitano, Maria, Orion, Doctor Sane, and Conroy. Derek cleared his throat and began.
"Okay, everyone, this is probably going to be the strangest staff meeting I have ever held. I assume you have all read my report about the Seven Sisters."
There were nods, mumbles, and one sleepy voice saying, "most of it."
"I realize this is a lot to take in all at once. Some of you may have difficulty accepting it. Well, sorry but it's about to get even worse. I now turn the floor over to our guests."
At this, Celaeno, Trelaina, and Mark appeared from nowhere. Responses to this were varied, but Kitano remained silent, staring down at the table. Then Maria stood, squeezed Kitano's hand, and joined her sisters. She turned to address the rest.
"After much discussion, we decided that I would speak for my sisters since I am a more familiar face. You all know me as your navigator, Maria Santiago. My name is Alcyone, and I am inhabiting this body in order to be among you." She paused for a moment, then said, "As I look around the room, I see mixed reactions – some of you are familiar with seeing ghosts, others not. You all know Mark Venture, of course." He waved to the group. "Some of you know my sister Electra as Trelaina from the planet Telezart. And to her left is Celaeno, who has been a part of your ship since it was raised from the sea bed eight of your years ago."
"Sister, before you begin," Celaeno interrupted, "Derek Wildstar, with your permission. Two more wish to attend." Derek nodded, and a few seconds later Merope and Sterope appeared behind their sisters. "Your records show them as Starsha and Astra of the planet Iscandar. They are, in fact, two more of the Seven. Sterope and Merope."
"Hello," Merope said timidly.
"Hush," Sterope hissed. "We're not supposed to say anything."
"Very well," Alcyone coughed. "I shall try to be brief, but there is a lot to cover. Millions of your years ago, the race you know as Pri'Tan became sentient. Just as humans became the dominant species on Earth, the Pri'Tan evolved to become the dominant species of their world. As time went on, they grew and changed to survive their harsh environment, evolving to be strong and hardy. They proliferated quickly, and soon their land became overcrowded. They began to fight over territory, breaking off into factions. These factions went to war with each other, and would have ultimately destroyed each other had we not stepped in.
"Some of us appeared to their leaders in various forms. We offered enlightenment and knowledge, and in exchange they gave us their faith. We chose the strongest tribes and helped them to control the others, until finally, many generations later, there was one ruler over all others. The conflict ended, allowing them to focus on other things, and with our guidance they eventually were able to reach to the stars. They colonized other worlds, until they had spread to six other planets in their system. They continued to explore and colonize other worlds, but none were noteworthy.
"It was about this time that we grew bored with the Pri'Tan. They were at peace with themselves, and we were no longer entertained by them. So we went in search of other worlds to play with, eventually settling on your Earth. As with the Pri'Tan, your people lacked a direction. They fought amongst themselves, with no one to unify them towards a common goal. Many had tried, but they were quickly deposed. We decided to bring Order to Chaos and attempted to mold your race much as we did the Pri'Tan. The results of this are apparent in your ancient beliefs in gods and goddesses. Many tales were written about events from this period, some based on true events. Your ship was once called Argo, so named for the tale of Jason and his quest for a mythical golden fleece. I am not here to confirm or deny your system of beliefs.
"It is our shared opinion that we have meddled for far too long. We used your race, as well as others, as toys. Pawns in a game that had no rules, no purpose, and no definitive end. We simply believed ourselves to be so powerful that all others were below us. Long, long ago, so long ago that even we have difficulty remembering it, my sisters and I were appointed as Watchers. While I cannot get into the details of this honor, suffice it to say that it did not allow for direct intervention in the various worlds of the galaxy. We broke that pact, and have fallen out of favor with other... beings. It has been a long path to earn their forgiveness, but one thing worked for us – during our interaction with your people, we ourselves changed and evolved. We began to feel what you call emotions. Some of us felt attachment, others affection, but overall we felt regret. Our actions have caused untold catastrophe upon your people, and we began to gain a sense of responsibility for it. We decided that the best thing to do was to leave you to your own devices, and so we left. And the years passed.
"We did still watch, however. We watched as you grew, learned, and created. We watched you go through various ages of discovery, and then noticed a disturbing trend – many of your greatest inventions were used to cause death and destruction. Some of us felt that we had not stayed with you long enough to give you a more noble purpose, while others said we had stayed too long. Either way, we could not go back. We were forced to witness the result of our handiwork – your race was destined to destroy itself. You almost did too – had the Gamilas Empire not taken notice to your planet and began their attack, you surely would have killed each other off with your atomic weapons.
"And so our paths became intertwined. You have run into us countless times, but most recently through your meetings with Sterope and Merope, Electra, and Taygete. It was not simple chance that these meetings took place. The Fates had a hand in all of this."
"So what of Maia?" Nova asked. "We haven't heard from her since we left your planet."
"A power struggle has been going on for a long time. Maia alluded to a set of rules that we must follow; those rules were set forth by Zeras. Maia believes that Zeras has been too soft and has been too inactive in the nature of the universe, and thus wishes to usurp him. Zeras has his followers, she has hers, and these followers are constantly at war with each other in the name of their gods."
"Zeras... Zeus?" Orion asked.
"Quite so," Alcyone nodded. "To put it into terms fitting your history, a civil war has broken out on Mount Olympus."
Derek made a snorting noise. "So, the gods are at war with each other. What are we supposed to do about this? We are, after all, 'mere mortals.'"
"Directly, nothing," Trelaina spoke. "There is nothing at all you can do that would affect any of us. However, while there are some codes that we have broken, there is one we absolutely must not. We cannot directly harm each other, nor can we harm a world that is under another's protection. To do so would mean sacrificing ourselves."
"And the Earth is under someone's protection?" Sandor asked. "Then why have we been attacked so many times?"
"The Earth is under Zeras' protection," Maria said. "None of us can directly act against Zeras or his followers. However, if some other world wishes to attack you, we can not interfere."
"But," Derek said, "there is nothing stopping you from recruiting others to do your dirty work for you, is there?"
"Correct. We are free to influence others, as we have done many times."
"Wait," Derek said, straightening up. "You're saying that, with all your power, you cannot harm us?"
Trelaina nodded. "Certainly we could, but we cannot. It is strictly forbidden. As long as the Earth is under Zeras' protection, Maia can take no action against the Earth or its people."
"But she can use the Pri'Tan to do this for her," Nova said.
"Which is her plan," Trelaina said. "While the rest of us have left the Pri'Tan alone, Maia has continued to speak to their leader. She has been planning for a long time to attack the Earth using the Pri'Tan as her instrument."
"And Zeras would do nothing to stop them?" Derek asked.
Maria nodded. "He couldn't even if he wanted to. He must abide by the same rules as the rest of us. The Pri'Tan are under Maia's protection, therefore he can take no direct action against them. It is Maia's hope that if the Earth was defeated and all life exterminated, he would lose interest in the Earth. She will use this to strengthen her argument that Zeras was unfit to rule and seek to replace him. If enough were in agreement, Zeras would be removed from power. We believe that the universe would be a much different place under her rule."
Sandor sat back in his chair and looked up. "So, even if we had no contact with the Black Nebula Empire, the Earth would still be under attack by the Pri'Tan anyway."
"Actually," Maria replied, "your encounters with the Black Nebula Empire were orchestrated by Maia. Do you really think it was a coincidence that, out of all the planets in the universe, the Black Nebula Empire would choose Iskandall and Gamilas for a mining operation?" She tried to stifle a chuckle here. "Forgive me for being so blunt, but only human arrogance would assume that some random world would choose your planet to just fly in and take over. Before Maia invented the idea of 'Iscandarium' and 'Gamilarium,' the Empire had never even heard of you, your galaxy, or anyone you've had contact with. Maia approached their leader, Skaldart, and told him that another empire was planning to attack, and his only way to counter was to gather special minerals that could only be found on two distant planets in the Sanzar System. She knew that Desslok would defend his home, and she counted on the Earth's response. Remember, we've watched various cultures since the dawn of time, and it is rather easy to guess how a people will respond to almost any situation. Desslok is quite predictable in his actions. What he calls honor, you call tenacity, we call stubbornness. While Maia did not know what form Earth's response would take, she was fairly certain it would be strong. By sending Yamato, you played right into her hands."
"And I destroyed their world, which destroyed the Pri'Tan homeworld." Derek looked down at the table.
"Actually," Maria said, "the destruction of Dezarium was not entirely your doing. Again, do you think it complete coincidence that the planet's energy source reacted so violently to your tachyon based weapon? All according to Maia's plan. Your weapon is powerful indeed, but to destroy an entire galaxy?"
In the back of his mind, Derek heard a quiet voice. Wash your hands of it, my brave Uncle. You've carried this guilt on your soul for far too long. Find solace in the truth.
Nova looked to Derek and said, "The woman you met on the false Earth – Sada, was it? Could she have been.. ?"
Trelaina winked at Nova and gave an almost imperceptible nod.
Nova gasped as the entirety of it all hit her. "Maia used us to destroy an entire galaxy, just to get to Zeras?"
Maria shook her head. "To you, a galaxy is a large thing. To us, it's a tiny part of a vast cosmos. To Maia, destroying the Twin Nebula was as if you crumpled up a piece of paper and tossed it into the trash. There is a lot more paper where that came from. Know this: had you not destroyed the Pri'Tan home world, she would have found some other reason to send them to Earth. This war was going to happen one way or another."
"Which takes us right back to the idea that we have no control over our destinies," Nova said. "Certainly you can see why we have problems with all of this. All-powerful beings interfering in our lives from long before any of us were born, now telling us that no matter what we did, the outcome would still be the same."
Merope giggled. "Many of your planet's religions were based on the same idea, Nova Wildstar. No matter what you did, there was some divine plan that dictated what would happen to you. If you were bad you went one place, if you were good you went someplace else, or maybe you just stayed on Earth and came back as another person. In most cases, there was nothing at all you could do about it. Your people believed in this, and were okay with it for thousands of years. Yet, as soon as it happens on a galactic scale, suddenly people are upset." She stopped and looked back and forth between Sterope and Maria, who were staring at her. "What?"
"What she lacks in tact, she makes up for in accuracy," Maria said apologetically. "This is nothing new to your world. Since your war with Gamilas, you believe yourselves invincible. People now have faith in your rebuilt battleship. In essence, they worship the Yamato, and what it represents. Considering that Calaeno has been a part of your sacred idol -"
"Yes, okay, I got it," Derek said. "If Zeras is our protector, why has he not stepped in to help us?"
"Why do you think we are here?" Maria asked. "He asked us to act on his behalf."
Nova smiled. "More likely, he made a deal with you – you help us, you get your good standing back."
"Maia was right about you, Nova," Trelaina said with a smile. "Your perceptions go beyond human understanding."
"So he isn't going to appear out of nowhere, or take over the body of a dead crew member, and offer advice to me?" Derek scoffed.
"He doesn't do that anymore," Maria said. "He prefers to work through others. Besides, his form is a bit, well..."
"Outdated?" Calaeno offered.
"Yes, I suppose," Trelaina agreed.
"Outdated." Maria nodded. "After all, he hasn't taken mortal form since the Peloponnesian War."
"I see." Derek looked around the room. "What you have all heard is not to leave this room." Everyone nodded. "Okay then. So what is our next move?"
Sandor spoke up first. "We still don't know where the people of Earth have gone."
Trelaina replied. "They never left Earth. Maia has hidden them from your view, much in the same way we created a planet for you to land on for our first meeting. Likewise, the people of Earth have no idea that you are in orbit."
Eager chuckled. "Probably to prevent any uprisings. If word got out that we were up here..."
"Quite so," Maria nodded.
"So they are safe?" Derek asked.
Maria shrugged. "For now, although that will most likely change depending on your next move. No doubt Maia knows of our meeting, and will advise the new Pri'Tan ruler accordingly."
"Can you remove this illusion?" Sandor asked.
"Yes, quite easily." Maria replied smugly.
"Very well, don't do anything yet," Derek said. "There is something we need to do first."
Planet Gatlantis – Bed Chambers of Emperor Dorzal"Emperor Dorzal!"
"Ssnnxxzzzz..."
"Emperor Dorzal!"
"What? Who's there?" He opened his eyes and sat up quickly.
"Emperor Dorzal, I am Trelaina. Trelaina of Telezart."
Dorzal looked across the room at the shimmering figure. "You! What do you want?"
"Dorzal, I am here because you need me."