SAILOR JOURNEYS: SECRETS OF AN UNKNOWN PAST
Chapter 1: Shooting Starr.
Place: Observation Post Delta 6 (Codename: Moon Rider.)
Location: LaGrange point 1 in Alpha Centauri
It was a tranquil morning in Moon Rider. All the systems were working, the personnel was
enjoying a relative free time with each other, and there were no emergencies in the
foreseeable future. All the Observation Teams were on duty, and everything was working like
a switch watch.
In short, the perfect scenery for an adventure.
* * * *
A buzzer rang in the desk of the commanding officer.
"Yes?"
"Sir, There's someone who says was summoned by you."
"I've been expecting him. Let him in."
"Yes, sir."
The door slide silently inside the wall. A young lieutenant entered the office. 'Nice place',
he thought. 'Spartan, yet elegant and efficient. I like it.' After a couple of steps, he stood
rigidly in front of the desk and sharply saluted the Commander of the space station.
"Lieutenant Yohann Starr reporting as requested, Sir!"
Behind the desk, a man in his mid forties was reading something in a screen imbedded on the
desk. After a few seconds, he turned off the screen and began to observe the young man in
front of him. Around 6' 7", dark hair, blue steel eyes. Not more than 23 years old. Not an
ounce of fat in his well-trained body. Everything in him spoke of attention and an internal
fire. 'Yes, he's the perfect man for this', thought the Commander.
"At ease, Lieutenant.
Do you know why I summoned you here?"
"No, sir."
"Do you remember what do we do here for a living?"
'What is this?' "Yes, sir. We observe, catalog and learn from all the different events in the
Multiverse."
"Correct. Is that all?"
'What is the purpose of all this??' thought Starr. "No, sir. One of our primary rules is to
observe undetected. The main rule is never to interfere with occurring events of the observed
place."
"Correct again, Lieutenant. Is that all?"
'Man, this guy is going to drive me crazy!!' "Yes sir, as long as I'm aware, sir."
"That, Lieutenant, is where you fail to see the big picture. Tell me, what is the purpose of
watching all this, learning all this, cataloguing all this.... And after all this hard work,
what do we do?"
That question took Starr flat-footed. But his body didn't betray his surprise, for the
exception of his eyes. He blinked twice.
"Excuse me, Sir?"
"What do you think we are, librarians? In the end, we have to distribute all this knowledge
to the rest of the Multiverse, in the hopes of trying to avoid the same mistakes committed
in other places. Our final goal is to achieve a stable society, one that can live in peace
and harmony with the rest of the other sentient races on the Multiverse. That is our real
work. And that's were people like you enter."
"I beg your pardon, Sir, but I don't get it."
The commander pointed a chair. "Please, sit down. Heck, let's forget the formalities for a
moment, Yohann. Do you want something to drink?"
"Mint tea will be fine, Sir." Answered the lieutenant. He then proceeded to sit down in the
chair.
"I told you, let's forget the formalities. Call me by my name, for Chrissake! We are alone
now, and we can give ourselves the luxury of being normal once in a while, don't you think?"
"As you wish, Si... sorry, Galos."
"That's better." The commander then proceeded to an alcove in the wall, and after punching a
couple of buttons, two cups of hot tea materialized in the serving tray. After taking the
tray with him, the commander sat in front of Starr, placed the Mint tea in front of the
Lieutenant and placed his own in front of him. After taking a few sips of his tea, the
commander spoke again.
"Yohann, I've been reading your files all over again. And I'm very proud of you. You achieved
a lot since I picked you from your own universe 20 years ago. First of your class, top scores
in the Academy; one of the few who are able to combine magic and technology seemingly without
effort; your I.Q. is in the range of the 200-250 points. Have the ability to think winning
strategies almost without anything that shows the contrary. If you were my natural son, I
wouldn't feel prouder. But..."
"But?"
"You also have developed the fame of being an eternal bachelor. There have been rumors around
the station that you don't like women at all! And I won't even bother to mention the rest
of the rumors. They are too humiliating to even consider."
"Sir, I..."
"Yohann..."
"Sorry, Galos. It's just that... I haven't found anyone I can feel comfortable with. I mean,
there are lots of beautiful women around, I know, and each one of them are great persons,
but..." He just waved his hands in front of him, at loss of proper words to express his
feelings.
"I understand. You don't feel that 'special connection' with no one, right?"
"Correct. Perhaps I'm destined not to find that 'special person' for me."
The commander only smirked at the remark. After that, there was silence in the office, each
man drinking their respective teas, deep in thought. After finishing, the commander picked
up the empty cups, placed them back in the alcove, and dematerialized them. Then, began to
address again the Lieutenant.
"Yohann, I'll be sincere to you. To me, it seems that you need a little vacation. Therefore,
I'm going to give you a simple assignment. Nothing strenuous, just a delivery run to Centrum."
"Centrum, Sir?" Starr was back in his official mode. All business. "But Centrum is the main
manufacturing plant in the Agency. And you call that a vacation?"
"No, Yohann. Let me finish! You will take some special cargo there. After you deliver it,
you are going to take a shuttle to Crystal Palace, and once there, you will have 3 weeks
of R&R, the same weeks you've been postponing in favor of your work. What do you say to
that?" Added the commander, a big smile on his face.
Crystal Palace! The garden of the Multiverse, no less! All the installations on that base
were geared toward giving visitors every kind of entertainment imaginable. And even some
other kinds not imagined yet.
"Sir, with all due respect, I don't think I deserve that kind of..."
'Nonsense, Yohann! You are my best man here, and I want to keep you that way. And since you
seem to live by the book, then listen carefully. I'm ORDERING you to take that cargo run,
and then take that R&R on Crystal Palace. Is that clear now, Lieutenant?"
'Geez, the old man seems to be pissed!' "Yes, Sir. As you wish, Sir."
"Good. Now, go to R&D first. They will brief you with what kind of cargo you are going to
take to Centrum, along with certain equipment I ordered for you. And as soon as you get
the manifest, you'll take off as soon as your ship is loaded and ready to go. That is
all, Lieutenant."
"Yes, Sir." After a quick salute, Lieutenant Starr exited the office.
Commander Galos was still watching the now closed door, when a yellow light began to blink
on his desk. He only sighed at the sight. A few seconds later, a pink portal opened behind
him, and a person entered his office.
"I was wondering when would you grace my office with your presence."
The person, a woman dressed in a sailor suit of sorts, was grabbing a long staff, in form of
a key. A glittering orb was shinning at the top of it.
"There's no need to be sarcastic. I was watching your conversation, Commander. And I have
to tell you, you were on the brink of revealing too much to him."
"I know, but I'm worried for him. He's like a son to me, you know? And like all parents
everywhere, I don't want him to suffer. However, I understand his importance in future events.
I'll abide with this, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I understand your feelings, Commander. But remember I'll be near him. I'll do all I can to
help him, but you also know that I am limited by the rules of Time. If some harm must come
to him in order to preserve the time line, then there will be nothing I can do to prevent it."
"Yes, I know. That's what makes it so difficult for me to accept. Nevertheless, I have
complete confidence in the boy. I know he can face anything that stands in his way... well,
perhaps one little detail."
Sailor Pluto only gave the faintest of smiles to that last remark. "I know, Commander.
That's the most difficult thing anyone like him can face."
"Yes, you're right, Pluto. Well, since it's going to be quite some time before Yohann is
ready for his little adventure, would you mind joining me in the mess hall? It's almost
time for lunch, and even the Guardian of Time has to eat once in a while, correct?"
"You know me, Commander. I have to guard the Gate."
"Come on, I'll send a probe to keep an eye on it. It will alert us if something happens.
You should know by now that we are quite efficient in that field. Besides, this will be the
last time we will be able to relax before all this pandemonium starts."
"All right. I can live with it. As I said before, you know me too well, Galos."
"A privilege of my rank, Setsuna." Added the commander, and after punching a few buttons
on his desk, he disconnected it. "Shall we go?"
And with that, Commander Galos and Sailor Pluto went to enjoy what would be their last meal
in peace before Starr's adventure began.
* * * * *
Starr arrived at the R&D wing of Moon Rider a couple of hours after his meeting with
Commander Galos. He took his time ordering all his stuff before starting his new assignment.
'What's the matter with the old man?' thought Starr. 'He seems a little worried, but for
what? I swear, sometimes I think he knows more than he admits. It felt like he was trying
to warn me of something, but what? And what's all this about new equipment for me?' At that
same moment, he arrived at the entrance of the main lab. All his previous doubts forgotten,
he entered and presented himself to the chief of the department.
"Lieutenant Yohann Starr reporting, Doctor Hathaway."
Doctor Maximillian Hathaway was what most people would catalog, the perfect image of the
absent-minded professor. He only lived when his experiments were in progress. A man fully
dedicated to his work, he even earned the mote "Dr. Brainiac" among his personnel... of
course, everybody called him that behind his back. He was watching a 3-d simulation on
his computer, and didn't seem to notice the presence of Starr behind him. After a few
minutes, Starr decided to take direct action.
"Doctor Hathaway?" he asked again, this time touching his shoulder.
"Huh, what? Who...?" said Hathaway, startled by the interruption. When he finally saw the
face of the Lieutenant, he asked in an angry tone. "Well, who are you? What are you doing
here? Don't you know I'm in the middle of an important research here?!? Don't you know this
is a restricted area?? Get out of here before I call Security! Shoo! Scat! Get out! " he
then began to push Starr to the door.
"Doctor Hathaway, I'm here under orders of Commander Galos himself. He mentioned that you
have some special cargo I have to ferry to Centrum today!"
"What? Who...? Oh, yes, yes, I remember. Why didn't you say that before? I swear, young
people these days expect that everybody guess what he or she is thinking. They don't have
any respect for their elders. If I were in charge of this place..." And with this kind of
comments, the two men entered another room. The place seemed a combination of laboratory
and warehouse. All kind of scientific paraphernalia was inside, in an apparent chaos.
At least, Starr couldn't find any semblance of order inside the place.
"Ok, young man. I warn you, don't touch anything! I have everything in here in a strict
order, and I don't want you to mess with it! What was your name again?"
"Starr, Doctor. Yohann Starr." Said the Lieutenant. 'strict order? Geez, this place could
give a service droid an overload just looking at it!'
Without an effort, Doctor Hathaway produced a paper sheet. "Oh, yes, here it is. Hmmm...
that's strange. It seems that, besides the things you'll be transporting, there seems to
be some special equipment for you as well. Oh, well. Everything seems to be in order. If
you follow me, please. And don't touch anything!"
"Yes, Doctor."
They then crossed a door at the end of the main lab. After entering, Starr noticed that
this was some kind of testing lab. On a table on the left wall, there were some strange
looking artifacts. Doctor Hathaway proceeded to the table, and began to explain the artifacts.
"Well, Lieutenant, all this equipment was ordered for you. Let me explain all of this. First,
here's your new armor." He explained as he handed Starr a strange looking belt. It seemed
to be slightly bulkier than average, but it was light nevertheless. "When you want to
activate it, you just touch the blue jewel in front of it and say 'power on'. Try it.
I'm very proud of it, I designed it myself!"
Starr just shrugged, then put on the belt. After putting it on, he then touched the jewel
and said "Power on". Immediately, metallic plates began to protrude from the belt,
unfolding and covering every part of his body. A few seconds later, all his body was
covered with a suit of armor made of some sort of steel blue alloy. Doctor Hathaway looked
like a mother hen after laying an egg after the transformation was complete.
"You see, my boy, this armor is a special biometal design. It has the ability to regenerate
itself if something happens to cut through it. The helmet is equipped with the latest
nanocomputers and the most sophisticated analysis programs, and to boot, the memory banks
have incorporated all the files contained in the main computer of the base! The sensor array
is state-of-the-art! You will be able to analyze every situation you face and come up with
a strategy in just nanoseconds! And ... err... oh my... what else is there?"
"Why don't you let me explain the rest, Doctor?" Said a feminine voice from the helmet. That
startled Starr in such a way, that he fell to the floor, looking frantically all around the
room.
"What? Oh yes, yes, I forgot. Starr, let me present you to A.L.E.X." said the good doctor
in a proud tone of voice.
"Alex? Who is she? And where is she?" asked a startled Lieutenant, still on the floor.
"I'm right with you , dummy!" answered the voice. "And stand up! You look like a fool in
that position! Not to mention that you make me look bad, to boot!"
"What kind of joke is this, Doctor?" demanded Starr, while picking himself from his
undignified position.
"It's not a joke, my boy. You see, A.L.E.X. stands for Analogic Logistic Expert Xperimental.
She's an Artificial Intelligence, the most advanced of her kind. I designed her, per direct
orders of Commander Galos himself, using your own brain algorithms stored on the mainframe.
But I'm sorry to say, she has a little temper problem."
"Ha! Look who's talking! You don't know the day of the week you are living on, and you
expect me to believe that you can understand such a marvel like myself? As if!!"
"Doctor, I don't want to offend you or anything, but I don't think I have a use of an
Artificial Intelligence. Is there a way to remove her from the suit?" Asked Starr. He felt
a little uncomfortable in front of flesh and blood ladies, but this was ridiculous!
"I'm afraid not, my boy. She is an integral element of the system. Besides, once you two
are acquainted, I believe there will be no problem at all. Ahem, allow me to proceed. Alex,
this is Lieutenant Yohann Starr. You two are going to be together for quite some time."
"Well, Lieutenant, pleased to meet you... I guess."
"Err... same here, Alex." Answered Starr. 'Geez, the doc has to be joking! I don't think I'll
be able to stand this piece of software for more than a minute!'
"Hey, take that back!" promptly replied Alex.
"WHAT?!?! You read my mind??"
"Of course. The moment you activated the armor, I immediately linked myself with your
biorhythmic readings, and coupled my matrix to your brainwaves. In short, we are together
from now on."
"Great." Mumbled Starr. He knew when he was beaten.
"Come on, Lieutenant. It's not that bad. After all, if we are going to be partners, we must
be on the best of terms. What if I call you by your name? And you know what?"
"What?"
"You have nice buns down there, Yohann. giggle"
"WHAT????"
During all the conversation, Doctor Hathaway was waiting for them to finish, but that was
enough! "Alex, cut that out. You're embarrassing him. Can I go on explaining the rest of the
equipment?"
"By all means, Doctor. Proceed." Answered Alex. Starr just nodded in agreement.
"Thank you. As I was going to mention, to deactivate the armor, you just say 'Armor out',
and it will return to its original state. It will then recharge itself with the surrounding
energy and will be ready for use again after 2 hours. Now this..." He then proceeded to
activate 3 little spheres on the table. The spheres then floated around Starr, glowing slightly.
"Those spheres are part of a sophisticated system for attack and defense. This sphere,"
pointing to the one in front of Starr, "is your defense system. It can either use the
surrounding energy to create a protective shield against physical attacks, or it can use
your own energy to create a psionic shield to protect you against magical or psionic attacks.
To activate either protection, just say 'Alpha, shield' for physical attacks, or 'Alpha,
aura' for the psionic shield. You can even use both shields at the same time, but that will
drain you too fast. I strongly advice against it."
"Now, this sphere," pointing to the one of Starr's right, "is used for physical attacks. It
follows the same principle as your armor, and it can also link to it to form any kind of
weapon you can muster. It can also allow you to link the cybernetic systems of the armor to
any kind of electronic equipment. You only have to say 'Beta, engage', and it will
automatically attach to your suit. And if you say 'Beta, attack', it will home in and attack
the enemy."
"And finally, this sphere," pointing to the one of Starr's left, "is used for psionic and
magical attacks. You just have to mention the word 'Gamma', followed with the kind of attack
you want to realize. For example, if you say 'Gamma, fire', it will launch a fire attack.
Alex can brief you with all the different kind of attacks and combinations you can do with
all of this. And now, let's deactivate all the systems. Just say 'spheres, attach' and presto!
All of them will unite with your armor."
"All right. Spheres, attach." Immediately, the three spheres attached to the armor. Alpha
on his forehead, Beta and Gamma on each shoulder. Shortly after, he proceeded to deactivate
the armor, which turned back into a belt.
"I have to admit, Doctor Hathaway, this is highly impressive. I never thought that this
kind of technology was available."
"Thank you, my boy. Thank you! I'm pretty proud of my work as well. Now, can I give you the
manifest of the cargo you will be taking with you?"
"Of course, Doctor. By the way, am I going to use a regular ship to transport the cargo?"
"No, no, no, my boy! I don't know why, but Commander Galos assigned you to pilot one of our
new prototype ships. And to top that, you will be the only pilot of the Leviathan!"
"Excuse me, Doctor?? Did you say... Leviathan?" Asked a stunned Starr.
"Yes, my boy! Didn't he tell you? You'll be piloting the new Leviathan Mark I! The new
flagship of our fleet! I designed all the systems myself." Doctor Hathaway had the smuggest
smile anyone had ever saw in a person's face! "Do you know what is it?"
"Only the partial reports I could muster, Doctor Hathaway. This ship is able to move in
almost any kind of terrain, isn't it?"
"Terrain? HMPH!! My boy, the Leviathan is a multifibious ship! It can fly in any imaginable
kind of environment! And its power core is the most sophisticated one ever designed! It's
equipped with the latest cloaking devices I have thought! And to top it, it's weaponry is
state-of-the-art!"
"Sorry, Doctor Hathaway. I didn't want to offend you."
"All right, my boy. Apologies accepted. Now, let's go get that manifest, shall we?"
"Of course, Doctor." 'Geez, this guy is totally wacko!' thought Starr.
'Yes, I agree with you. But you shouldn't say that of my creator!' transmitted Alex.
'Cut that out! Can't I have a little privacy here?'
'Alright, alright, I'll leave you alone. Geez, what a grouch you are!'
"Why me?" muttered a suddenly tired Lieutenant Starr.
'Why not?' answered an amused Alex.
"This is going to be a long, long trip..."
* * * *
Two hours later, Starr was standing in front of the Leviathan. He couldn't do anything else
but marvel in front of such a marvelous machine. The special alloys and composite materials
used for its construction gave it an undefined tone of blue, and it seemed to change tones
while looking at it! It was an elegant and stylized ship, and the form of the fuselage
reminded him of a hammerhead shark. The propulsion nacelles were located under the hull,
the exhaust ports barely protruding from it. The whole hull looked seamless, not a trace
of welding in all it's surface. It gave the impression of being a living entity, not an
artificial construction. It was the size of two large heavy trucks (the kind called Thorton
on 20th century earth), and it's cargo hold was spacious enough to hold all the largest
equipment used by an observation team. Its hull was strong enough to wistand even a
direct hit from a small nuclear device, and was able to repair itself using nanoprobes
embedded inside its structure. Its power core was a mix of a matter/antimatter reactor
and a plasma reactor. And the weaponry! If it was necessary, this ship was able to flatten a
city three times the size of 20th century New York in no time at all!
In short, the Leviathan was a piece of art in itself.
"Wow", said Starr while he approached the ship. "No wonder they are sending this prototype
to Centrum. Once it's in full production, all the other ships on the Agency will look like
toys!"
"I agree. But that piece of crap doesn't compare with me! Don't you agree, sweetheart?"
promptly answered Alex.
"Will you PLEASE stop bugging me?? You're giving me a headache!"
"Not in your life, sweetie. Besides, we're partners, right? And partners talk with each other."
"But not all the time! You haven't stopped talking since we left the lab!"
"Well, ex-cuuuuse me! I was just trying to break the ice!"
"Well, with your chatter, you could break a whole glacier! Now, let's board the ship and be
on our way, ok?"
"All right. And while we are traveling, I'll fill you in with all the enhancements of your
armor, deal?"
"sigh ok, but at least, will you let me sleep sometime during the flight?"
"It's a deal, sweetbuns. Do you want me to sing you a nursery rhyme so you can have sweet
dreams?"
"Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" asked a stressed-out Lieutenant Starr, watching the
ceiling.
"And why not?" answered an amused Alex.
"AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!"
* * * *
It was so far an uneventful flight. The Leviathan was handling like a dream, there were no
trouble passing through the jump gates, and they were only 2 universes away from Centrum.
Lieutenant Starr was steering the Leviathan towards the next jump gate, located near the
moon of the Earth of this universe. And during the whole trip, Alex was briefing Yohann about
his new armor suit. He had to admit it, she was handling pretty well, but that annoying
attitude of her towards him... like she was an overprotecting mother at times, or an
annoying little sister at other times...But most of the time, she acted like she was her owner.
"... And when you combine Alpha and Gamma together, you can create a sub-spatial shield that
can cure and recharge any member of an observation team, although it would deplete your
natural energy reserves. You have to have this in mind, because this could leave you
vulnerable to an attack, or in a position where you could be spotted. Also... Yohann, are
you listening?"
"hmmm.... What? Oh, sorry. I was partially listening. Alpha and Gamma, right. Curative
shield. Got it. Not overuse. Check."
"What's the matter? You've been acting strange since we entered this system. Is anything
wrong?"
"I don't know, Alex. I was just looking at these readings. It seems that something happened
on the rings of Saturn quite recently. Take a look, and tell me what do you think of it."
"Ok, pork chops. Analyzing... "
"And would you PLEASE stop calling me names??"
"Don't interrupt me, dear. Analyses complete. It seems that some sort of artificial
structure blew up. There are traces of alloys and inorganic compounds drifting nearby.
I suggest you alter the route and head toward the jump gate outside the elliptic. That
should minimize the risk of an unwanted collision with the debris. "
"Check. Introducing new course on the navcom now."
"Sweetbuns?"
"For the Nth time, DON'T- CALL-ME-NAMES!!!"
"All right, all right! You should learn to relax some more, you know??"
"sigh I'll try. What was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh, nothing important. Just that a particularly vicious solar wind is approaching. ETA,
15 seconds."
"Nothing important???? Why didn't you tell me that earlier???"
"Because I was explaining to you the nature of the debris you found, remember? Besides, you
were busy yelling at me! After all I've one for you, you treat me like this!" answered Alex
in the most melodramatic tone she could muster.
"Stop that!" yelled Starr. "I'm altering course now. Engines at 3/4 thrust. Getting out of
the elliptic."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, honey."
"Oh, and why not, "baby"?" asked Starr, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Ooh, you called me "baby"!! This is a first! Wait till I download this to the mainframe!
The rest of the AI's are not going to believe it!" Alex responded, almost in the brink of
ecstasy.
"Cut that out, already! Tell me, why wouldn't you change course like I did, eh?"
"Well, because if you continue on this flight path, you are going to..."
WHAM suddenly, there was a huge impact on the starboard section of the Leviathan.
"...collide with a debrie that was heading toward us."
"NOW you tell me! Damage report!" 'Boy, the old man is not going to like this at all! I
damaged a prototype! He's going to skin me alive for this!' thought Starr, while images of
grossly tortures and interminable speeches began to dance in front of him.
"Nothing serious. It seems that a pole-like object imbedded itself in the hull. The
nanoprobes are starting to remove it. Estimated time for repair: 4 minutes."
"That's good. Will there be any permanent damage to the ship?"
"Weeeeell.... Yes and no."
"What do you mean by that??" Starr was beginning to feel VERY preoccupied by now.
"Well, no, since the ship's self-repair mechanisms can handle damage far worse than this.
And yes, because that solar wind I mentioned earlier is hitting right now. And that thing
seems to be of a VERY conductive material, and it's going to relay the energy all over the
ship!" And, as soon Alex said this, there was an enormous power surge all over the
Leviathan's electric system. Sparks were flying all over the place, and suddenly, all
lights went out. Shortly, the emergency lights went on; the acrid smell of burned isolation
hanging in the air.
"cough, cough Alex, damage report! cough"
"Navigational system down. Engines down. Power core shut down. Main computer down. Life
support on emergency power. Hull's integrity at 97.3 %. That pole is still embedded on
the hull, but it will come out eventually. Self-repair mechanisms at 56% efficiency ratio
and climbing. All damage will be repaired in approximately 6 hours, 40 minutes, 23 seconds.
And there's something else. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Of cough, cough course! I don't like to be flying blind!"
"Ok, you asked for it. Because of your little stunt, we are on a collision course on Earth.
ETA, 6 hours, 35 minutes, 10 seconds. According to our trajectory, we will crash land in the
vicinity of the city of Tokyo, in the woodlands near the area known as Juban. Any last
requests?"
'Yup, the big man won't like this at all.' Thought Starr. He was considering what was worse...
to die on the crash, or returning to Moon Rider to listen what Commander Galos was going to
tell him.
"Well, it seems that I won't be able to have that R&R at Crystal Palace after all. And I was
considering taking it with you, Alex. Tough luck, eh?"
"Don't worry, sweetie. I know I will think of something to take us out of this mess. And
don't forget, you said you will have 3 weeks with me at Crystal Palace!"
'Great, now I'm certain that I'm doomed.' Thought Starr.
* * * *
6 hours later...
"Honey?" Asked Alex.
"What?" By this time, Starr was completely sure that this was his end.
"I have thought something that would help us to survive the crash."
"Are you sure of that?" Asked Starr. He began to feel hope raising inside of him.
"Well, I was thinking... if you don your armor, and then link with Alpha and Beta with the
Leviathan I/O port, you would be able to create a shield that could withstand reentry.
Meanwhile, I'll link with the navcom and try to guide the Leviathan into a controlled landing."
"And do you think we will be able to do it?"
"There's a 78.12% probability that we could make it. Because the engines aren't still at
full capacity yet, I'm not too sure that we can have a soft landing."
"Well, this plan is better than nothing. Let's do it!"
"Alright! We're back in business, pork chops!"
"Right!! And stop calling me pork chops!!!"
* * * *
35 minutes later...
"All right, Alex. We're entering the atmosphere. Activate the cloaking device. We don't want
to be detected by Earth's tracking stations."
"Roger. Systems engaged."
From and outside point of view, the Leviathan became invisible to radar and other kind of
detection systems.
"Ok then, let's proceed. Power on."
Immediately, the armor began to cover his body, and soon enough, he was ready to rumble!
"Let's party! Beta, engage!" Immediately, the Beta sphere detached from its socked on his
right shoulder and embedded itself on his right arm. Starr then linked his arm with the
I/O port of the main computer. "Well, Alex, interface with the navcom now."
"Roger. Negotiating with host... Link established. Downloading parameters... Download
complete. Link stable and running, baby!"
"Ok, now for a real fire test! Alpha, Shield!" Immediately, the Alpha Sphere began to glow,
sending the energy to the hull. Outside, a faint yellowish glow enveloped the Leviathan.
"Shield enabled," said Alex. "initiating reentry now. Exterior temperature: 1000 degrees
Celsius and climbing.... 2000... 4000... 6000... 10000..."
"uuurrrghhh How... much... till... landing... Alex...?" Because of the link, Starr was
feeling some of the heat, and the effort to maintain the shield was beginning to be too
much for him. He felt like if every cell on his body was on fire!
"Hang in there, sweetie! Five more minutes, and we'll be clear!"
"AAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" Suddenly, a wave of pain and nausea cursed all over his body. "I...
don't... know... if ... I can... make.. it!!! AAAAHHHH!!" Because of the increasing pain,
his concentration to maintain the shield began to weaver.
"Shield integrity in danger. It's beginning to collapse! Yohann, do something!!"
"I'll... try... Alpha... Aura!" Suddenly, a green glow surrounded the Leviathan.
"What are you doing!?!? Are you crazy?? You are too weak to try to use the aura! You could
die! Stop it!"
"Shut... up... and... drive!! YYEEEAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!" By now, the torture was intolerable
for Starr. He felt that his mind, along with his body, was about to become a supernova!
"Entering lower atmosphere. We made it! Altering course... preparing for landing... Emergency!
Engines shut down! Attempting controlled crash land!"
To be sincere, Alex did a great job. The Leviathan made an almost perfect landing... if you
exclude the fact that the ship had no functional engines at the time and that the landing
area was covered with trees. The ship skidded a good 400 yards before coming to a stop, its
hull still glowing faintly. After a few minutes, the glow disappeared. It was fortunate for
them too, that it was 2:00 A.M. in the morning, and since the area was desserted, no one
witnessed the landing.
"Ship's integrity nominal. Nanoprobes beginning reparation. Estimated time for repair:
3 hours, 36 minutes, 12 seconds. I can't believe it, Yohann! We made it! We are still
functioning!" exclaimed an ecstatic Alex. Since there was no immediate response, Alex began
to worry.
"Sweetbuns?... Honey?... Hello? Is anybody home? Don't scare me like that, baby! Answer me!"
But Lieutenant Yohann Starr, Member of the Multiple Reality Monitoring Agency, pilot of the
Scout Ship Leviathan, was completely unconscious, in a state near to a coma.
"Yohann? Answer me, please! Wake up!! Don't leave me alone, please!! Wake up! I won't bother
you again, promise! YOOOOHAAAAANNN!!" Because Alex was still linked to the Leviathan's
system, and since Yohann's last command was to use the Alpha sphere to create the Aura, her
scream was broadcasted in a mental level.
And in the nearby city, four girls woke up, sensing in their minds and souls the anguished
cry of Alex.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Chapter 1: Shooting Starr.
Place: Observation Post Delta 6 (Codename: Moon Rider.)
Location: LaGrange point 1 in Alpha Centauri
It was a tranquil morning in Moon Rider. All the systems were working, the personnel was
enjoying a relative free time with each other, and there were no emergencies in the
foreseeable future. All the Observation Teams were on duty, and everything was working like
a switch watch.
In short, the perfect scenery for an adventure.
* * * *
A buzzer rang in the desk of the commanding officer.
"Yes?"
"Sir, There's someone who says was summoned by you."
"I've been expecting him. Let him in."
"Yes, sir."
The door slide silently inside the wall. A young lieutenant entered the office. 'Nice place',
he thought. 'Spartan, yet elegant and efficient. I like it.' After a couple of steps, he stood
rigidly in front of the desk and sharply saluted the Commander of the space station.
"Lieutenant Yohann Starr reporting as requested, Sir!"
Behind the desk, a man in his mid forties was reading something in a screen imbedded on the
desk. After a few seconds, he turned off the screen and began to observe the young man in
front of him. Around 6' 7", dark hair, blue steel eyes. Not more than 23 years old. Not an
ounce of fat in his well-trained body. Everything in him spoke of attention and an internal
fire. 'Yes, he's the perfect man for this', thought the Commander.
"At ease, Lieutenant.
Do you know why I summoned you here?"
"No, sir."
"Do you remember what do we do here for a living?"
'What is this?' "Yes, sir. We observe, catalog and learn from all the different events in the
Multiverse."
"Correct. Is that all?"
'What is the purpose of all this??' thought Starr. "No, sir. One of our primary rules is to
observe undetected. The main rule is never to interfere with occurring events of the observed
place."
"Correct again, Lieutenant. Is that all?"
'Man, this guy is going to drive me crazy!!' "Yes sir, as long as I'm aware, sir."
"That, Lieutenant, is where you fail to see the big picture. Tell me, what is the purpose of
watching all this, learning all this, cataloguing all this.... And after all this hard work,
what do we do?"
That question took Starr flat-footed. But his body didn't betray his surprise, for the
exception of his eyes. He blinked twice.
"Excuse me, Sir?"
"What do you think we are, librarians? In the end, we have to distribute all this knowledge
to the rest of the Multiverse, in the hopes of trying to avoid the same mistakes committed
in other places. Our final goal is to achieve a stable society, one that can live in peace
and harmony with the rest of the other sentient races on the Multiverse. That is our real
work. And that's were people like you enter."
"I beg your pardon, Sir, but I don't get it."
The commander pointed a chair. "Please, sit down. Heck, let's forget the formalities for a
moment, Yohann. Do you want something to drink?"
"Mint tea will be fine, Sir." Answered the lieutenant. He then proceeded to sit down in the
chair.
"I told you, let's forget the formalities. Call me by my name, for Chrissake! We are alone
now, and we can give ourselves the luxury of being normal once in a while, don't you think?"
"As you wish, Si... sorry, Galos."
"That's better." The commander then proceeded to an alcove in the wall, and after punching a
couple of buttons, two cups of hot tea materialized in the serving tray. After taking the
tray with him, the commander sat in front of Starr, placed the Mint tea in front of the
Lieutenant and placed his own in front of him. After taking a few sips of his tea, the
commander spoke again.
"Yohann, I've been reading your files all over again. And I'm very proud of you. You achieved
a lot since I picked you from your own universe 20 years ago. First of your class, top scores
in the Academy; one of the few who are able to combine magic and technology seemingly without
effort; your I.Q. is in the range of the 200-250 points. Have the ability to think winning
strategies almost without anything that shows the contrary. If you were my natural son, I
wouldn't feel prouder. But..."
"But?"
"You also have developed the fame of being an eternal bachelor. There have been rumors around
the station that you don't like women at all! And I won't even bother to mention the rest
of the rumors. They are too humiliating to even consider."
"Sir, I..."
"Yohann..."
"Sorry, Galos. It's just that... I haven't found anyone I can feel comfortable with. I mean,
there are lots of beautiful women around, I know, and each one of them are great persons,
but..." He just waved his hands in front of him, at loss of proper words to express his
feelings.
"I understand. You don't feel that 'special connection' with no one, right?"
"Correct. Perhaps I'm destined not to find that 'special person' for me."
The commander only smirked at the remark. After that, there was silence in the office, each
man drinking their respective teas, deep in thought. After finishing, the commander picked
up the empty cups, placed them back in the alcove, and dematerialized them. Then, began to
address again the Lieutenant.
"Yohann, I'll be sincere to you. To me, it seems that you need a little vacation. Therefore,
I'm going to give you a simple assignment. Nothing strenuous, just a delivery run to Centrum."
"Centrum, Sir?" Starr was back in his official mode. All business. "But Centrum is the main
manufacturing plant in the Agency. And you call that a vacation?"
"No, Yohann. Let me finish! You will take some special cargo there. After you deliver it,
you are going to take a shuttle to Crystal Palace, and once there, you will have 3 weeks
of R&R, the same weeks you've been postponing in favor of your work. What do you say to
that?" Added the commander, a big smile on his face.
Crystal Palace! The garden of the Multiverse, no less! All the installations on that base
were geared toward giving visitors every kind of entertainment imaginable. And even some
other kinds not imagined yet.
"Sir, with all due respect, I don't think I deserve that kind of..."
'Nonsense, Yohann! You are my best man here, and I want to keep you that way. And since you
seem to live by the book, then listen carefully. I'm ORDERING you to take that cargo run,
and then take that R&R on Crystal Palace. Is that clear now, Lieutenant?"
'Geez, the old man seems to be pissed!' "Yes, Sir. As you wish, Sir."
"Good. Now, go to R&D first. They will brief you with what kind of cargo you are going to
take to Centrum, along with certain equipment I ordered for you. And as soon as you get
the manifest, you'll take off as soon as your ship is loaded and ready to go. That is
all, Lieutenant."
"Yes, Sir." After a quick salute, Lieutenant Starr exited the office.
Commander Galos was still watching the now closed door, when a yellow light began to blink
on his desk. He only sighed at the sight. A few seconds later, a pink portal opened behind
him, and a person entered his office.
"I was wondering when would you grace my office with your presence."
The person, a woman dressed in a sailor suit of sorts, was grabbing a long staff, in form of
a key. A glittering orb was shinning at the top of it.
"There's no need to be sarcastic. I was watching your conversation, Commander. And I have
to tell you, you were on the brink of revealing too much to him."
"I know, but I'm worried for him. He's like a son to me, you know? And like all parents
everywhere, I don't want him to suffer. However, I understand his importance in future events.
I'll abide with this, but that doesn't mean I have to like it."
"I understand your feelings, Commander. But remember I'll be near him. I'll do all I can to
help him, but you also know that I am limited by the rules of Time. If some harm must come
to him in order to preserve the time line, then there will be nothing I can do to prevent it."
"Yes, I know. That's what makes it so difficult for me to accept. Nevertheless, I have
complete confidence in the boy. I know he can face anything that stands in his way... well,
perhaps one little detail."
Sailor Pluto only gave the faintest of smiles to that last remark. "I know, Commander.
That's the most difficult thing anyone like him can face."
"Yes, you're right, Pluto. Well, since it's going to be quite some time before Yohann is
ready for his little adventure, would you mind joining me in the mess hall? It's almost
time for lunch, and even the Guardian of Time has to eat once in a while, correct?"
"You know me, Commander. I have to guard the Gate."
"Come on, I'll send a probe to keep an eye on it. It will alert us if something happens.
You should know by now that we are quite efficient in that field. Besides, this will be the
last time we will be able to relax before all this pandemonium starts."
"All right. I can live with it. As I said before, you know me too well, Galos."
"A privilege of my rank, Setsuna." Added the commander, and after punching a few buttons
on his desk, he disconnected it. "Shall we go?"
And with that, Commander Galos and Sailor Pluto went to enjoy what would be their last meal
in peace before Starr's adventure began.
* * * * *
Starr arrived at the R&D wing of Moon Rider a couple of hours after his meeting with
Commander Galos. He took his time ordering all his stuff before starting his new assignment.
'What's the matter with the old man?' thought Starr. 'He seems a little worried, but for
what? I swear, sometimes I think he knows more than he admits. It felt like he was trying
to warn me of something, but what? And what's all this about new equipment for me?' At that
same moment, he arrived at the entrance of the main lab. All his previous doubts forgotten,
he entered and presented himself to the chief of the department.
"Lieutenant Yohann Starr reporting, Doctor Hathaway."
Doctor Maximillian Hathaway was what most people would catalog, the perfect image of the
absent-minded professor. He only lived when his experiments were in progress. A man fully
dedicated to his work, he even earned the mote "Dr. Brainiac" among his personnel... of
course, everybody called him that behind his back. He was watching a 3-d simulation on
his computer, and didn't seem to notice the presence of Starr behind him. After a few
minutes, Starr decided to take direct action.
"Doctor Hathaway?" he asked again, this time touching his shoulder.
"Huh, what? Who...?" said Hathaway, startled by the interruption. When he finally saw the
face of the Lieutenant, he asked in an angry tone. "Well, who are you? What are you doing
here? Don't you know I'm in the middle of an important research here?!? Don't you know this
is a restricted area?? Get out of here before I call Security! Shoo! Scat! Get out! " he
then began to push Starr to the door.
"Doctor Hathaway, I'm here under orders of Commander Galos himself. He mentioned that you
have some special cargo I have to ferry to Centrum today!"
"What? Who...? Oh, yes, yes, I remember. Why didn't you say that before? I swear, young
people these days expect that everybody guess what he or she is thinking. They don't have
any respect for their elders. If I were in charge of this place..." And with this kind of
comments, the two men entered another room. The place seemed a combination of laboratory
and warehouse. All kind of scientific paraphernalia was inside, in an apparent chaos.
At least, Starr couldn't find any semblance of order inside the place.
"Ok, young man. I warn you, don't touch anything! I have everything in here in a strict
order, and I don't want you to mess with it! What was your name again?"
"Starr, Doctor. Yohann Starr." Said the Lieutenant. 'strict order? Geez, this place could
give a service droid an overload just looking at it!'
Without an effort, Doctor Hathaway produced a paper sheet. "Oh, yes, here it is. Hmmm...
that's strange. It seems that, besides the things you'll be transporting, there seems to
be some special equipment for you as well. Oh, well. Everything seems to be in order. If
you follow me, please. And don't touch anything!"
"Yes, Doctor."
They then crossed a door at the end of the main lab. After entering, Starr noticed that
this was some kind of testing lab. On a table on the left wall, there were some strange
looking artifacts. Doctor Hathaway proceeded to the table, and began to explain the artifacts.
"Well, Lieutenant, all this equipment was ordered for you. Let me explain all of this. First,
here's your new armor." He explained as he handed Starr a strange looking belt. It seemed
to be slightly bulkier than average, but it was light nevertheless. "When you want to
activate it, you just touch the blue jewel in front of it and say 'power on'. Try it.
I'm very proud of it, I designed it myself!"
Starr just shrugged, then put on the belt. After putting it on, he then touched the jewel
and said "Power on". Immediately, metallic plates began to protrude from the belt,
unfolding and covering every part of his body. A few seconds later, all his body was
covered with a suit of armor made of some sort of steel blue alloy. Doctor Hathaway looked
like a mother hen after laying an egg after the transformation was complete.
"You see, my boy, this armor is a special biometal design. It has the ability to regenerate
itself if something happens to cut through it. The helmet is equipped with the latest
nanocomputers and the most sophisticated analysis programs, and to boot, the memory banks
have incorporated all the files contained in the main computer of the base! The sensor array
is state-of-the-art! You will be able to analyze every situation you face and come up with
a strategy in just nanoseconds! And ... err... oh my... what else is there?"
"Why don't you let me explain the rest, Doctor?" Said a feminine voice from the helmet. That
startled Starr in such a way, that he fell to the floor, looking frantically all around the
room.
"What? Oh yes, yes, I forgot. Starr, let me present you to A.L.E.X." said the good doctor
in a proud tone of voice.
"Alex? Who is she? And where is she?" asked a startled Lieutenant, still on the floor.
"I'm right with you , dummy!" answered the voice. "And stand up! You look like a fool in
that position! Not to mention that you make me look bad, to boot!"
"What kind of joke is this, Doctor?" demanded Starr, while picking himself from his
undignified position.
"It's not a joke, my boy. You see, A.L.E.X. stands for Analogic Logistic Expert Xperimental.
She's an Artificial Intelligence, the most advanced of her kind. I designed her, per direct
orders of Commander Galos himself, using your own brain algorithms stored on the mainframe.
But I'm sorry to say, she has a little temper problem."
"Ha! Look who's talking! You don't know the day of the week you are living on, and you
expect me to believe that you can understand such a marvel like myself? As if!!"
"Doctor, I don't want to offend you or anything, but I don't think I have a use of an
Artificial Intelligence. Is there a way to remove her from the suit?" Asked Starr. He felt
a little uncomfortable in front of flesh and blood ladies, but this was ridiculous!
"I'm afraid not, my boy. She is an integral element of the system. Besides, once you two
are acquainted, I believe there will be no problem at all. Ahem, allow me to proceed. Alex,
this is Lieutenant Yohann Starr. You two are going to be together for quite some time."
"Well, Lieutenant, pleased to meet you... I guess."
"Err... same here, Alex." Answered Starr. 'Geez, the doc has to be joking! I don't think I'll
be able to stand this piece of software for more than a minute!'
"Hey, take that back!" promptly replied Alex.
"WHAT?!?! You read my mind??"
"Of course. The moment you activated the armor, I immediately linked myself with your
biorhythmic readings, and coupled my matrix to your brainwaves. In short, we are together
from now on."
"Great." Mumbled Starr. He knew when he was beaten.
"Come on, Lieutenant. It's not that bad. After all, if we are going to be partners, we must
be on the best of terms. What if I call you by your name? And you know what?"
"What?"
"You have nice buns down there, Yohann. giggle"
"WHAT????"
During all the conversation, Doctor Hathaway was waiting for them to finish, but that was
enough! "Alex, cut that out. You're embarrassing him. Can I go on explaining the rest of the
equipment?"
"By all means, Doctor. Proceed." Answered Alex. Starr just nodded in agreement.
"Thank you. As I was going to mention, to deactivate the armor, you just say 'Armor out',
and it will return to its original state. It will then recharge itself with the surrounding
energy and will be ready for use again after 2 hours. Now this..." He then proceeded to
activate 3 little spheres on the table. The spheres then floated around Starr, glowing slightly.
"Those spheres are part of a sophisticated system for attack and defense. This sphere,"
pointing to the one in front of Starr, "is your defense system. It can either use the
surrounding energy to create a protective shield against physical attacks, or it can use
your own energy to create a psionic shield to protect you against magical or psionic attacks.
To activate either protection, just say 'Alpha, shield' for physical attacks, or 'Alpha,
aura' for the psionic shield. You can even use both shields at the same time, but that will
drain you too fast. I strongly advice against it."
"Now, this sphere," pointing to the one of Starr's right, "is used for physical attacks. It
follows the same principle as your armor, and it can also link to it to form any kind of
weapon you can muster. It can also allow you to link the cybernetic systems of the armor to
any kind of electronic equipment. You only have to say 'Beta, engage', and it will
automatically attach to your suit. And if you say 'Beta, attack', it will home in and attack
the enemy."
"And finally, this sphere," pointing to the one of Starr's left, "is used for psionic and
magical attacks. You just have to mention the word 'Gamma', followed with the kind of attack
you want to realize. For example, if you say 'Gamma, fire', it will launch a fire attack.
Alex can brief you with all the different kind of attacks and combinations you can do with
all of this. And now, let's deactivate all the systems. Just say 'spheres, attach' and presto!
All of them will unite with your armor."
"All right. Spheres, attach." Immediately, the three spheres attached to the armor. Alpha
on his forehead, Beta and Gamma on each shoulder. Shortly after, he proceeded to deactivate
the armor, which turned back into a belt.
"I have to admit, Doctor Hathaway, this is highly impressive. I never thought that this
kind of technology was available."
"Thank you, my boy. Thank you! I'm pretty proud of my work as well. Now, can I give you the
manifest of the cargo you will be taking with you?"
"Of course, Doctor. By the way, am I going to use a regular ship to transport the cargo?"
"No, no, no, my boy! I don't know why, but Commander Galos assigned you to pilot one of our
new prototype ships. And to top that, you will be the only pilot of the Leviathan!"
"Excuse me, Doctor?? Did you say... Leviathan?" Asked a stunned Starr.
"Yes, my boy! Didn't he tell you? You'll be piloting the new Leviathan Mark I! The new
flagship of our fleet! I designed all the systems myself." Doctor Hathaway had the smuggest
smile anyone had ever saw in a person's face! "Do you know what is it?"
"Only the partial reports I could muster, Doctor Hathaway. This ship is able to move in
almost any kind of terrain, isn't it?"
"Terrain? HMPH!! My boy, the Leviathan is a multifibious ship! It can fly in any imaginable
kind of environment! And its power core is the most sophisticated one ever designed! It's
equipped with the latest cloaking devices I have thought! And to top it, it's weaponry is
state-of-the-art!"
"Sorry, Doctor Hathaway. I didn't want to offend you."
"All right, my boy. Apologies accepted. Now, let's go get that manifest, shall we?"
"Of course, Doctor." 'Geez, this guy is totally wacko!' thought Starr.
'Yes, I agree with you. But you shouldn't say that of my creator!' transmitted Alex.
'Cut that out! Can't I have a little privacy here?'
'Alright, alright, I'll leave you alone. Geez, what a grouch you are!'
"Why me?" muttered a suddenly tired Lieutenant Starr.
'Why not?' answered an amused Alex.
"This is going to be a long, long trip..."
* * * *
Two hours later, Starr was standing in front of the Leviathan. He couldn't do anything else
but marvel in front of such a marvelous machine. The special alloys and composite materials
used for its construction gave it an undefined tone of blue, and it seemed to change tones
while looking at it! It was an elegant and stylized ship, and the form of the fuselage
reminded him of a hammerhead shark. The propulsion nacelles were located under the hull,
the exhaust ports barely protruding from it. The whole hull looked seamless, not a trace
of welding in all it's surface. It gave the impression of being a living entity, not an
artificial construction. It was the size of two large heavy trucks (the kind called Thorton
on 20th century earth), and it's cargo hold was spacious enough to hold all the largest
equipment used by an observation team. Its hull was strong enough to wistand even a
direct hit from a small nuclear device, and was able to repair itself using nanoprobes
embedded inside its structure. Its power core was a mix of a matter/antimatter reactor
and a plasma reactor. And the weaponry! If it was necessary, this ship was able to flatten a
city three times the size of 20th century New York in no time at all!
In short, the Leviathan was a piece of art in itself.
"Wow", said Starr while he approached the ship. "No wonder they are sending this prototype
to Centrum. Once it's in full production, all the other ships on the Agency will look like
toys!"
"I agree. But that piece of crap doesn't compare with me! Don't you agree, sweetheart?"
promptly answered Alex.
"Will you PLEASE stop bugging me?? You're giving me a headache!"
"Not in your life, sweetie. Besides, we're partners, right? And partners talk with each other."
"But not all the time! You haven't stopped talking since we left the lab!"
"Well, ex-cuuuuse me! I was just trying to break the ice!"
"Well, with your chatter, you could break a whole glacier! Now, let's board the ship and be
on our way, ok?"
"All right. And while we are traveling, I'll fill you in with all the enhancements of your
armor, deal?"
"sigh ok, but at least, will you let me sleep sometime during the flight?"
"It's a deal, sweetbuns. Do you want me to sing you a nursery rhyme so you can have sweet
dreams?"
"Why me? What did I do to deserve this?" asked a stressed-out Lieutenant Starr, watching the
ceiling.
"And why not?" answered an amused Alex.
"AAAAARRRRGGGHHH!!!!!!!!!"
* * * *
It was so far an uneventful flight. The Leviathan was handling like a dream, there were no
trouble passing through the jump gates, and they were only 2 universes away from Centrum.
Lieutenant Starr was steering the Leviathan towards the next jump gate, located near the
moon of the Earth of this universe. And during the whole trip, Alex was briefing Yohann about
his new armor suit. He had to admit it, she was handling pretty well, but that annoying
attitude of her towards him... like she was an overprotecting mother at times, or an
annoying little sister at other times...But most of the time, she acted like she was her owner.
"... And when you combine Alpha and Gamma together, you can create a sub-spatial shield that
can cure and recharge any member of an observation team, although it would deplete your
natural energy reserves. You have to have this in mind, because this could leave you
vulnerable to an attack, or in a position where you could be spotted. Also... Yohann, are
you listening?"
"hmmm.... What? Oh, sorry. I was partially listening. Alpha and Gamma, right. Curative
shield. Got it. Not overuse. Check."
"What's the matter? You've been acting strange since we entered this system. Is anything
wrong?"
"I don't know, Alex. I was just looking at these readings. It seems that something happened
on the rings of Saturn quite recently. Take a look, and tell me what do you think of it."
"Ok, pork chops. Analyzing... "
"And would you PLEASE stop calling me names??"
"Don't interrupt me, dear. Analyses complete. It seems that some sort of artificial
structure blew up. There are traces of alloys and inorganic compounds drifting nearby.
I suggest you alter the route and head toward the jump gate outside the elliptic. That
should minimize the risk of an unwanted collision with the debris. "
"Check. Introducing new course on the navcom now."
"Sweetbuns?"
"For the Nth time, DON'T- CALL-ME-NAMES!!!"
"All right, all right! You should learn to relax some more, you know??"
"sigh I'll try. What was it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Oh, nothing important. Just that a particularly vicious solar wind is approaching. ETA,
15 seconds."
"Nothing important???? Why didn't you tell me that earlier???"
"Because I was explaining to you the nature of the debris you found, remember? Besides, you
were busy yelling at me! After all I've one for you, you treat me like this!" answered Alex
in the most melodramatic tone she could muster.
"Stop that!" yelled Starr. "I'm altering course now. Engines at 3/4 thrust. Getting out of
the elliptic."
"I wouldn't do that if I were you, honey."
"Oh, and why not, "baby"?" asked Starr, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Ooh, you called me "baby"!! This is a first! Wait till I download this to the mainframe!
The rest of the AI's are not going to believe it!" Alex responded, almost in the brink of
ecstasy.
"Cut that out, already! Tell me, why wouldn't you change course like I did, eh?"
"Well, because if you continue on this flight path, you are going to..."
WHAM suddenly, there was a huge impact on the starboard section of the Leviathan.
"...collide with a debrie that was heading toward us."
"NOW you tell me! Damage report!" 'Boy, the old man is not going to like this at all! I
damaged a prototype! He's going to skin me alive for this!' thought Starr, while images of
grossly tortures and interminable speeches began to dance in front of him.
"Nothing serious. It seems that a pole-like object imbedded itself in the hull. The
nanoprobes are starting to remove it. Estimated time for repair: 4 minutes."
"That's good. Will there be any permanent damage to the ship?"
"Weeeeell.... Yes and no."
"What do you mean by that??" Starr was beginning to feel VERY preoccupied by now.
"Well, no, since the ship's self-repair mechanisms can handle damage far worse than this.
And yes, because that solar wind I mentioned earlier is hitting right now. And that thing
seems to be of a VERY conductive material, and it's going to relay the energy all over the
ship!" And, as soon Alex said this, there was an enormous power surge all over the
Leviathan's electric system. Sparks were flying all over the place, and suddenly, all
lights went out. Shortly, the emergency lights went on; the acrid smell of burned isolation
hanging in the air.
"cough, cough Alex, damage report! cough"
"Navigational system down. Engines down. Power core shut down. Main computer down. Life
support on emergency power. Hull's integrity at 97.3 %. That pole is still embedded on
the hull, but it will come out eventually. Self-repair mechanisms at 56% efficiency ratio
and climbing. All damage will be repaired in approximately 6 hours, 40 minutes, 23 seconds.
And there's something else. Are you sure you want to hear it?"
"Of cough, cough course! I don't like to be flying blind!"
"Ok, you asked for it. Because of your little stunt, we are on a collision course on Earth.
ETA, 6 hours, 35 minutes, 10 seconds. According to our trajectory, we will crash land in the
vicinity of the city of Tokyo, in the woodlands near the area known as Juban. Any last
requests?"
'Yup, the big man won't like this at all.' Thought Starr. He was considering what was worse...
to die on the crash, or returning to Moon Rider to listen what Commander Galos was going to
tell him.
"Well, it seems that I won't be able to have that R&R at Crystal Palace after all. And I was
considering taking it with you, Alex. Tough luck, eh?"
"Don't worry, sweetie. I know I will think of something to take us out of this mess. And
don't forget, you said you will have 3 weeks with me at Crystal Palace!"
'Great, now I'm certain that I'm doomed.' Thought Starr.
* * * *
6 hours later...
"Honey?" Asked Alex.
"What?" By this time, Starr was completely sure that this was his end.
"I have thought something that would help us to survive the crash."
"Are you sure of that?" Asked Starr. He began to feel hope raising inside of him.
"Well, I was thinking... if you don your armor, and then link with Alpha and Beta with the
Leviathan I/O port, you would be able to create a shield that could withstand reentry.
Meanwhile, I'll link with the navcom and try to guide the Leviathan into a controlled landing."
"And do you think we will be able to do it?"
"There's a 78.12% probability that we could make it. Because the engines aren't still at
full capacity yet, I'm not too sure that we can have a soft landing."
"Well, this plan is better than nothing. Let's do it!"
"Alright! We're back in business, pork chops!"
"Right!! And stop calling me pork chops!!!"
* * * *
35 minutes later...
"All right, Alex. We're entering the atmosphere. Activate the cloaking device. We don't want
to be detected by Earth's tracking stations."
"Roger. Systems engaged."
From and outside point of view, the Leviathan became invisible to radar and other kind of
detection systems.
"Ok then, let's proceed. Power on."
Immediately, the armor began to cover his body, and soon enough, he was ready to rumble!
"Let's party! Beta, engage!" Immediately, the Beta sphere detached from its socked on his
right shoulder and embedded itself on his right arm. Starr then linked his arm with the
I/O port of the main computer. "Well, Alex, interface with the navcom now."
"Roger. Negotiating with host... Link established. Downloading parameters... Download
complete. Link stable and running, baby!"
"Ok, now for a real fire test! Alpha, Shield!" Immediately, the Alpha Sphere began to glow,
sending the energy to the hull. Outside, a faint yellowish glow enveloped the Leviathan.
"Shield enabled," said Alex. "initiating reentry now. Exterior temperature: 1000 degrees
Celsius and climbing.... 2000... 4000... 6000... 10000..."
"uuurrrghhh How... much... till... landing... Alex...?" Because of the link, Starr was
feeling some of the heat, and the effort to maintain the shield was beginning to be too
much for him. He felt like if every cell on his body was on fire!
"Hang in there, sweetie! Five more minutes, and we'll be clear!"
"AAAAAGGGGHHH!!!!" Suddenly, a wave of pain and nausea cursed all over his body. "I...
don't... know... if ... I can... make.. it!!! AAAAHHHH!!" Because of the increasing pain,
his concentration to maintain the shield began to weaver.
"Shield integrity in danger. It's beginning to collapse! Yohann, do something!!"
"I'll... try... Alpha... Aura!" Suddenly, a green glow surrounded the Leviathan.
"What are you doing!?!? Are you crazy?? You are too weak to try to use the aura! You could
die! Stop it!"
"Shut... up... and... drive!! YYEEEAAAAAGGGHHH!!!!!" By now, the torture was intolerable
for Starr. He felt that his mind, along with his body, was about to become a supernova!
"Entering lower atmosphere. We made it! Altering course... preparing for landing... Emergency!
Engines shut down! Attempting controlled crash land!"
To be sincere, Alex did a great job. The Leviathan made an almost perfect landing... if you
exclude the fact that the ship had no functional engines at the time and that the landing
area was covered with trees. The ship skidded a good 400 yards before coming to a stop, its
hull still glowing faintly. After a few minutes, the glow disappeared. It was fortunate for
them too, that it was 2:00 A.M. in the morning, and since the area was desserted, no one
witnessed the landing.
"Ship's integrity nominal. Nanoprobes beginning reparation. Estimated time for repair:
3 hours, 36 minutes, 12 seconds. I can't believe it, Yohann! We made it! We are still
functioning!" exclaimed an ecstatic Alex. Since there was no immediate response, Alex began
to worry.
"Sweetbuns?... Honey?... Hello? Is anybody home? Don't scare me like that, baby! Answer me!"
But Lieutenant Yohann Starr, Member of the Multiple Reality Monitoring Agency, pilot of the
Scout Ship Leviathan, was completely unconscious, in a state near to a coma.
"Yohann? Answer me, please! Wake up!! Don't leave me alone, please!! Wake up! I won't bother
you again, promise! YOOOOHAAAAANNN!!" Because Alex was still linked to the Leviathan's
system, and since Yohann's last command was to use the Alpha sphere to create the Aura, her
scream was broadcasted in a mental level.
And in the nearby city, four girls woke up, sensing in their minds and souls the anguished
cry of Alex.
TO BE CONTINUED...