EP14:
Scene 133:
Some time had passed on Planet Esper, and an uncomfortable version of calm had descended, camouflaging the sense of fear that pervaded it's peoples. Deep in the underground hanger, the dashing Captain Corliss and his hand-picked team worked away to complete the Space Galleon, the Skull. At the prow of the ship, a sedate yet sinister figurehead of the ship's namesake impassively oversaw the great craft's completion.
Scene 134:
On the deck of the ship, a grubby worker mopped his brow before turning to his compatriot:
"We are so close, Captain, she is almost ready for her first test flight", thought the engineer, unable to conceal his enthusiasm.
"Patience my dear Engineer Marr, the time is near, I can sense it".
Climbing down from the deck, through the heart of the ship, the zealous engineering team members each greeted Corliss as he passed them, though no words were spoken. Exiting at the stern through an access hatch, Corliss approached his valued team leader Chief Dorrin. He gestured Dorrin to follow him out through the personnel doors of the hangar, into the underground corridor.
Scene 135:
"Please come with me, I must discuss with you a most urgent matter", he said. The mere fact that Corliss was speaking told Dorrin that discretion was needed, and he nodded as he followed his Captain. They continued down the underground passage, Corliss pausing briefly to look through the window of a passing door. Inside the room, his son Halley slumbered, safe and sound. Corliss smiled and turned to Dorrin, but before he could even think, Dorrin's thoughts were with him:
"My Captain, I would lay down my life to protect Halley, for he is special indeed, in so many ways".
"Thank you my dear friend", Corliss's words came through to Dorrin.
They neared the end of the corridor, and Corliss removed a small silver key from his black tunic. Placing it into a primitive-looking lock mechanism, he twisted it and the doors in front of them hissed open. Turning to Dorrin he quietly said:
"Sometimes, the oldest technologies are the most secure", and they both entered the chamber.
Scene 136:
This was no ordinary chamber, the first set of doors closed behind them, and they stepped through some kind of energy field towards a second set of heavier doors, lined with precious metals. Concealed motors whined as they strained to open the great doors. Corliss and Dorrin stepped through, and into a little known part of Esper's underground facility. As the doors closed behind them, low energy lamps began to warm up, revealing a small complex. The first room containing a computer plus datafile archiving system, the second larger room held a small workshop and prototype constructional facility. In the corner of this larger room, stacked on racks were what looked like sinister weapons, almost cannon-like in their appearance. In the centre of the room, taking pride of place was a twin-barrelled laser cannon, mounted on a turret.
"We are safe from prying minds here" smiled Corliss. "Welcome to my little insurance policy".
Dorrin let out a little gasp, such a weapons cache was, he felt sure, quite illegal within the Esperian society of today.
"Where did these come from?" he enquired.
"Oh, I've had some journeys, there's a big wide galaxy out there, beyond our little bubble here on Esper", Corliss almost drawled with pride.
"We need to get these fitted to the Skull, soon. I need you to get together your most trusted engineers, keep numbers to a minimum, I have a bad feeling we're going to need these".
"You can count on me sir", said a nodding Dorrin.
As they left the chamber, Corliss held back a little, stopping by to scoop up a small green case, next to the computer archive files, which he slipped into his tunic pocket.
Scene 137:
At the royal palace, preparations were being made to celebrate the latest arrival of the Pizaree family. Crowds gathered outside the palace, in the square, in fact everywhere that people could stand and group together. Bright flags bedecked buildings and bunting lined streets, there was a buzz that had been missing on Esper for a while. People chatted excitedly as they awaited the anticipated announcement. Would it be a boy or girl?, would everything go to plan? The Esperian people really needed this most royal of joyous ceremonies to raise their spirits.
Scene 138:
One royal subject who was not celebrating at all was the distraught Imila. Her beloved, only daughter had been missing for a while now, and despite the leading elders putting their highest mental energies into finding her, as yet there had been not the slightest trace. They could not even say if she was still alive. But Imila would know the answer to her question soon enough. She sat in an empty domicile, trying not to stare at Midia's artifacts, still littered about the place, as any carefree teenager would leave. She tried to fight back the tears, as she felt the great surge of energy present in the air, as the royal birth announcement drew ever closer.
Scene 139:
In an annex to the palace, the Kings most revered friend, the Seer, lay in a coma-like state, as ever attended by devoted courtiers, always hopeful that he would awake after the fateful predictions of the recent past. As a cry was heard in another part of the palace, his eyes flicked open. The attendant maid didn't notice at first, her mind elsewhere, but then he moved, only his arm at first then suddenly she did notice.
"My lord! You awake!" she cried in happiness.
The Seer clearly wanted to sit up, and she could not persuade him otherwise. As if gaining strength from a supernatural force, the frail old man got to his feet. He turned to the surprised girl and immediately she knew his thoughts:
"My child, I must speak with the King! It is most urgent. Please help to dress me".
Feeling his immense stubbornness, she quickly fetched his robes and summoned help. More attandants arrived, their brightly coloured robes signalling the special day that was taking place. The old Seer hobbled down the marbled hallways of the palace towards the King's chambers.
Scene 140:
As the throngs in the royal square waited, the crowds excitedly chatted by both speech and telepathy, when suddenly there was silence. The King appeared at the balcony overlooking his loyal subjects, he was holding a bundle of white blankets. Peeping out, seemingly with no fear were two beautiful blue eyes. They sparkled with a magic not seen on Esper for terra-parsecs.
"Behold, Princess Lamia!" he proudly proclaimed.
A huge cheer seemed to envelope the very ether of Esper, as the joyful crowds celebrated this most special of days.
Scene 141:
The King went back inside the palace, and was met by his old friend. He nearly dropped poor Lamia in surprise! The old man gestured for the King to bring her close to him, he closed his eyes and gave forth an amazing prophesy:
"This child is the most precious gift that the universe and the powers of good could bestow upon us all. For she will grow to become the saviour of all that is good, and at the dawn of the aligning of the planets, her destiny will be fulfilled and she will join with the most noble son of our strongest warrior, to rid the galaxy of evil for all time".
With that, the old man smiled and said "My time is near, my job is done, I bless you dear Lamia". He looked into the tiny baby's eyes, and then passing to an ethereal plane, he disappeared, his robes falling to the ground.
It was at times like these that the King needed all of his royal composure. Holding Lamia gently in his arms, he knelt at the spot where the Seer had stood, and said:
"Dear friend, now I know why you held on so long, your prophesy is safe, we will die to protect it".
Sadly he was not aware of the Evil Imperial Alliances plans, or of how quickly events would now turn.
Scene 142:
In the days that followed on Esper, there was much rejoicing. Word spread by one method or another, of The Seer's final prediction. In a society like Esper, how could it not? Imila felt the words of the Seer strongly. Though she tried to isolate herself from such thoughts, it seemed like they sought her out. As she lay in her bed, trying to go to sleep, ever hopeful that she would awake to find Midia was back with her again, she thought she felt Midia's presence. "No, it cannot be", she tried to shrug off the feelings, but they grew stronger. She sat up, silken sheets falling away from her slender body, "It, it is Midia" she felt her daughter was trying to contact her. She opened her mind and was for a moment lost, then pain, terrible pain! She screamed out, a hollow wail, almost alien in it's composure, as the distorted trace of her poor daughter's supernatural power became twisted and perverted into the abomination of the evil Alliance that it was. Unable to break free from the hold, her mind was raped for every scrap of information.
Scene 143:
On the Imperial Fortress, Caliban cautiously tried to preserve the integrity of the infiltration frequency.
"Master, our subject grows weak, we should desist"
"NO! Continue!" came the reply, as the Evil Imperial Master became totally absorbed watching the prophesy of his nemesis being slowly displayed on the screen. His depraved pleasure was all too quickly over however. It was as Caliban had feared, his device was still a prototype, this was its first ever test. He watched powerless as Midia's life force was extinguished, her body became limp and lifeless, the beam still playing down on a cold body, that almost seemed to crumble away to dust and vanish before his very senses. Before any shred of remorse could infiltrate his cold soul, the Master suddenly snapped him back to the present.
"Caliban, what has happened?" Came the thunderous voice through his implant.
He turned and switched off the assimilatron, composed his reply and said:
"Master, the Esperian has gone".
"Gone?"
"Yes I do not understand it, O great one".
Without the slightest pause, the Master snapped:
"No matter, we have our information, Caliban you have done well".
"Through your divine guidance" Caliban replied.
Scene 144:
On Esper, Imila sat transfixed, almost petrified through the experience of sensing the death of her daughter, and the violation of her own mind.
The next day she was still sitting in the exact same poise, when her friend found her. Unable to even comprehend what had gone on, the shocked friend could do nothing but raise the alarm and hope that the authorities could help her stricken friend.