Send In the Clones
by Naia Zifu
Chapter Three: Dreams
Watching him sleeping so peacefully, I found it hard to believe I
had once actively disliked this man. How could I not have known what a
completely wonderful person he is? Of course, he _was_ only a Malcontent at
the time, and I was just a cocky, headstrong journalist in pursuit of my
next big story. I suppose he's really changed a lot since then...
"Par dessu, Naia," Quelt'san said, smiling drowsily, as he began to
stir.
"Par dessu, my conquest," I replied, leaning over to kiss him good
morning. "Did you have a pleasant sleep?"
He yawned and stretched in a way I found adorable. "Oh, quite so.
I dreamt about a glorious battle, and you and I were fighting side-by-side,
crafted in some of the most beautiful, most qantao mecha you could
imagine..."
"I've always wanted to go into battle with you by my side," I
interrupted.
"So have I."
"Did we win?"
"Not decisively," he admitted. "But we did fight courageously, and
were able to repel the invaders and save the kingdom once again from the
tyranny of the evil King Lokar..."
I laughed a little, and saw him blush at that.
"So how was your sleep?"
"Lovely," I replied contentedly, settling into his arms. "I had a
naughty dream about you last night..."
"Oh?"
"Usai! It involved a quiet cargo hold, a raging space battle, a
giant tuna..."
"A giant tuna?"
I explained, "Floating around in space, of course. What'd you
expect?"
"In your dreams?" he quipped, "Who knows?"
"What, so now you don't like my dreams?"
"Let's just start this over..." Quelt'san proposed, hoping to defuse
the situation before an argument ensued. " 'Par dessu, Naia. Did you have
a good sleep?' "
"Yes, very," I replied in a singsong way. "I had a naughty dream
about you last night, Quelt'san."
"Huonta?" he said, suppressing a laugh. "Gee, I hope there was a
giant space tuna in it."
"Why yes, there was. How did you know?"
"I was hoping there would be. You _know_ how I feel about space
tuna, don't you?"
"No, how?" I asked cautiously, not knowing what to expect.
"Only that it's the best _aphrodisiac_ there is," he teased.
I couldn't help laughing at that.
"See, now, isn't that better?" he said cheerfully. Then casually
asked, "So you're going to be talking with Grex today?"
"Why? Are you jealous?"
"Jealous?" he repeated. "Me? Of course not... He's only a clone,
after all..."
"You say that a lot lately," I noticed, choosing not to remind him
again how he was as much a clone as Grex. "Don't worry, my conquest, you
know no-one else will ever take your place in my heart..."
"To be in love/ must be the sweetest feeling that a girl can
feel..." I saw Grex wince as the music started.
"Deng yar!" he shouted. "Don't _ever_ play that song in my presence
again. It brings back some rather unpleasant memories for me."
Just testing... Obligingly I took out that CD and put in something
more pleasant.
He observed, "This isn't a language I understand... Can you explain
the words?"
"I, um, I really don't know," I lied, preferring not to recite the
translation.
"...Souyo watashiwa detaramade, kimagurede, namaikide... wagamamade,
zeitakude, kidoriyade... usotsukide, ayafuyade, iikagen..."
"Let's talk about the first two years following the Rain," I
suggested, "when Khyron was seemingly nowhere to be found. I want you to
tell me where he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking and feeling...
everything."
"What a jueqon-daeire question," Grex said with a frown. "I
expected so much more from you... But if you really must know, Khyron was
in Alaska at that time, his ship buried under ice and snow. I thought you
knew that already, Naia, especially with all the research you've done... As
for what he was doing there, he was waiting for the proper time to _attack,_
naturally... The days and nights started to run together after a while, and
it became hard to know how much time had passed. For two years their only
contact with the outside world was through reports delivered by spies...
Not a very pleasant existence, you know. It was only _her_ company that
made the wait tolerable..."
I leaned in interestedly, eager to hear more. But Grex stopped
there, turning off the tape recorder.
"I think I've said too much already," he explained.
I suggested, "Maybe you should take a break. We can continue this
later."
"Perhaps," he agreed, seeming to immerse himself in thought. After
a while he asked, "You said there is no more protoculture anywhere in the
quadrant... but what about that naturally present in the systems of the
T'sentrati?"
"That protoculture is still in our systems, but no, that does not
mean that we are still capable of returning to full size."
"You have a sizing chamber..."
"Kerosan, and has no source of power," I told him. "I don't know
why you're even bothering with these questions, Grex. You couldn't size up
even if the chamber _were_ functional. There isn't any protoculture in your
systems."
"What?!"
"Nope, sorry, not a drop," I said with a certain amount of pleasure.
"The Invid carried away all the protoculture fifteen years ago. Physically
and genetically, you are T'sentrati, but were grown here on Earth in a
Neogenics lab over the course of about five years."
He complained, "Well, I can't very well remain this size forever..."
"I'm afraid you're going to have to," I replied curtly. "So deal
with it. I'm sure you've had more than enough of a break by now, so what
say we get on with the interview, shall we?" I reached to turn the recorder
back on. "Now, what was it you were saying about the wait?"
©1996-1998 Naia Zifu, all rights reserved. Written originally in script
form, changed to narrative a bit later. My apologies for all the material
left out in the switch to first-person narrative. Illegal T'sentrati words
were removed when the change to narrative occurred, but replaced for
electronic use. Some new ones added to this one, probably to become a
common event in future parts too! Robotech and all borrowed ideas (and
basis for the clones' characters) are trademarked by Harmony Gold. Again I
am not trying to infringe on any trademarks or copyrights, or profit from
anyone else's ideas.
by Naia Zifu
Chapter Three: Dreams
Watching him sleeping so peacefully, I found it hard to believe I
had once actively disliked this man. How could I not have known what a
completely wonderful person he is? Of course, he _was_ only a Malcontent at
the time, and I was just a cocky, headstrong journalist in pursuit of my
next big story. I suppose he's really changed a lot since then...
"Par dessu, Naia," Quelt'san said, smiling drowsily, as he began to
stir.
"Par dessu, my conquest," I replied, leaning over to kiss him good
morning. "Did you have a pleasant sleep?"
He yawned and stretched in a way I found adorable. "Oh, quite so.
I dreamt about a glorious battle, and you and I were fighting side-by-side,
crafted in some of the most beautiful, most qantao mecha you could
imagine..."
"I've always wanted to go into battle with you by my side," I
interrupted.
"So have I."
"Did we win?"
"Not decisively," he admitted. "But we did fight courageously, and
were able to repel the invaders and save the kingdom once again from the
tyranny of the evil King Lokar..."
I laughed a little, and saw him blush at that.
"So how was your sleep?"
"Lovely," I replied contentedly, settling into his arms. "I had a
naughty dream about you last night..."
"Oh?"
"Usai! It involved a quiet cargo hold, a raging space battle, a
giant tuna..."
"A giant tuna?"
I explained, "Floating around in space, of course. What'd you
expect?"
"In your dreams?" he quipped, "Who knows?"
"What, so now you don't like my dreams?"
"Let's just start this over..." Quelt'san proposed, hoping to defuse
the situation before an argument ensued. " 'Par dessu, Naia. Did you have
a good sleep?' "
"Yes, very," I replied in a singsong way. "I had a naughty dream
about you last night, Quelt'san."
"Huonta?" he said, suppressing a laugh. "Gee, I hope there was a
giant space tuna in it."
"Why yes, there was. How did you know?"
"I was hoping there would be. You _know_ how I feel about space
tuna, don't you?"
"No, how?" I asked cautiously, not knowing what to expect.
"Only that it's the best _aphrodisiac_ there is," he teased.
I couldn't help laughing at that.
"See, now, isn't that better?" he said cheerfully. Then casually
asked, "So you're going to be talking with Grex today?"
"Why? Are you jealous?"
"Jealous?" he repeated. "Me? Of course not... He's only a clone,
after all..."
"You say that a lot lately," I noticed, choosing not to remind him
again how he was as much a clone as Grex. "Don't worry, my conquest, you
know no-one else will ever take your place in my heart..."
"To be in love/ must be the sweetest feeling that a girl can
feel..." I saw Grex wince as the music started.
"Deng yar!" he shouted. "Don't _ever_ play that song in my presence
again. It brings back some rather unpleasant memories for me."
Just testing... Obligingly I took out that CD and put in something
more pleasant.
He observed, "This isn't a language I understand... Can you explain
the words?"
"I, um, I really don't know," I lied, preferring not to recite the
translation.
"...Souyo watashiwa detaramade, kimagurede, namaikide... wagamamade,
zeitakude, kidoriyade... usotsukide, ayafuyade, iikagen..."
"Let's talk about the first two years following the Rain," I
suggested, "when Khyron was seemingly nowhere to be found. I want you to
tell me where he was, what he was doing, what he was thinking and feeling...
everything."
"What a jueqon-daeire question," Grex said with a frown. "I
expected so much more from you... But if you really must know, Khyron was
in Alaska at that time, his ship buried under ice and snow. I thought you
knew that already, Naia, especially with all the research you've done... As
for what he was doing there, he was waiting for the proper time to _attack,_
naturally... The days and nights started to run together after a while, and
it became hard to know how much time had passed. For two years their only
contact with the outside world was through reports delivered by spies...
Not a very pleasant existence, you know. It was only _her_ company that
made the wait tolerable..."
I leaned in interestedly, eager to hear more. But Grex stopped
there, turning off the tape recorder.
"I think I've said too much already," he explained.
I suggested, "Maybe you should take a break. We can continue this
later."
"Perhaps," he agreed, seeming to immerse himself in thought. After
a while he asked, "You said there is no more protoculture anywhere in the
quadrant... but what about that naturally present in the systems of the
T'sentrati?"
"That protoculture is still in our systems, but no, that does not
mean that we are still capable of returning to full size."
"You have a sizing chamber..."
"Kerosan, and has no source of power," I told him. "I don't know
why you're even bothering with these questions, Grex. You couldn't size up
even if the chamber _were_ functional. There isn't any protoculture in your
systems."
"What?!"
"Nope, sorry, not a drop," I said with a certain amount of pleasure.
"The Invid carried away all the protoculture fifteen years ago. Physically
and genetically, you are T'sentrati, but were grown here on Earth in a
Neogenics lab over the course of about five years."
He complained, "Well, I can't very well remain this size forever..."
"I'm afraid you're going to have to," I replied curtly. "So deal
with it. I'm sure you've had more than enough of a break by now, so what
say we get on with the interview, shall we?" I reached to turn the recorder
back on. "Now, what was it you were saying about the wait?"
©1996-1998 Naia Zifu, all rights reserved. Written originally in script
form, changed to narrative a bit later. My apologies for all the material
left out in the switch to first-person narrative. Illegal T'sentrati words
were removed when the change to narrative occurred, but replaced for
electronic use. Some new ones added to this one, probably to become a
common event in future parts too! Robotech and all borrowed ideas (and
basis for the clones' characters) are trademarked by Harmony Gold. Again I
am not trying to infringe on any trademarks or copyrights, or profit from
anyone else's ideas.