Nadesico – Truth and Consequences by StarFire
rsman_404@yahoo.com

Author's Note: Legal stuff: Nadesico, its plot, and its characters are property of Xebec and I am in no way affiliated with them. This is my first attempt at fanfic so any feedback, even on mechanical and writing issues is appreciated. Please ask permission before distributing.


Chapter 2 – Chains of Command

One Week Later – Earth

Erina Won sat in her office in deep contemplation at the recent turn of events. As secretary of the chairman of Nergal she saw everything that would eventually hit Akatsuki's desk. By controlling and monitoring his channels of information she had slowly gained a hidden yet very real power over his knowledge and decisions. She had never taken the step of withholding information though, fearful of the consequences; at least not yet. This information, however, could be explosive. In both the figurative and literal sense. It had come through one of her back channels in the UEF command. Not even everyone at the top of UEF yet knew about this disc. She had thoughtfully cultivated her special connections though. A lot of money here, a little sex there, it would surprise you what you could get people to do for you. Now in particular it may have just gained her the possibility of getting the chairmanship of Nergal and maybe even more…
She opened her desk and pulled out a communicator specially configured to encrypt its information even beyond Nergal's ability to decipher it. After several rings the face she was expecting appeared in view. "Hello. Yes, our time is soon at hand. Prepare the best ship we have and remember, let's kept Akatsuki in the dark on this one." The other person smiled.

The crew of the Nadesico, despite the gag order issued by UEF military command of the events at the North Pole, had been discharged honorably and returned to their civilian lives. In particular, Akito, Yurika, Ruri, Minato, and Yukina had taken up residence and employment at the same restaurant they had been with before they departed for the final battle. Except now, Akito was the assistant head cook and not only helped prepare the menu but received a profit share and had several young apprentices under him. The waitresses, however, were the restaurants real attraction. Yurika was still the beautiful waitress that never forgot an order that everyone came to see, even after they were heartbroken to hear she was taken. Minato was no better telling everyone she was married to a dead man. Anyone who looked at Yukina or Ruri that way risked getting clobbered. Akito and Yurika had joint custody of Ruri who worked on the back end running the restaurant's finances and supply orders.
The lunch time heavy pace was just settling down giving everyone a chance to catch their breath. The boss agreed to give everyone rotating ten minute breaks and as usual, Akito and Yurika took theirs together. It was a beautiful spring day outside as they sat together on the porch behind the restaurant. Holding hands they looked like a couple that had been together for years, not the few months they had finally been "official" after the last battle in the Nadesico.
"It seems so different after all that fighting to finally be able to do what I want," Akito said. His dream of becoming a cook was finally coming true after a long hiatus thanks to his tour of duty aboard the Nadesico.

"I feel the same way too finally being with you Akito," Yurika replied. "Every time I look at the glow in your eyes when you are doing what you love it inspires me to want to continue living this new life with you."

"Are you happy though?" he turned and asked in sincerity. "A top graduate of the UEF tactical academy making ends meet as a waitress? You could at least have gotten a management job at a company."

"Well, I was hoping that your job here would only be temporary until we have the money to start our own place. You know, you need more than a cook to run a business successfully." She put her free arm around his waist and nestled her head into his chest. "I'm sure we can find a way." Akito felt like the luckiest man alive right now. He still wondered why he had been so blind and conflicted about her during his time on the Nadesico. He was the only one not trying to chase her but had still been the one to end up with her. He slowly bent over the sneak a kiss but was interrupted by his boss's voice back in the restaurant.

"Hey Tenkawa! Yeah, lover boy get up here. A customer is here and wants to get served specifically by you." Perplexed, Akito got up and left Yurika to go into the kitchen. "He's out in front next to the window," his boss told him motioning with his hand. Akito walked out front to see none other than Mr. Prospector waiting to be served. "Akito, my friend, long time no see." He got up and shook hands with Tenkawa and offered him a seat. "You know, this restaurant could sit 20% more customers if you rearranged these tables and added three booths along that right wall," Mr. Prospector stated in his normal cheery but rational manner.

Akito smiled. "I'm sure your clients are loving the advice you give them. How is your new consulting firm doing?"

"Well, it's a refreshing feeling to be your own boss. I hadn't realized how much Nergal had stifled me. Let me know when you get ready to go out on your own. I would give you my services at a substantial discount. But then again I am a man of business so I will get to the point of my visit. Where is Yurika?"

"Out back, I can get her if you want," Akito suggested.

"No, this is between you and me. In fact, do not communicate what I am about to tell you and give to you to anyone else at this time, including Yurika," Mr. Prospector said lowering his voice. Akito, perplexed by the recent turn of the conversation dumbly stared.

"I still have many contacts and sympathetic friends at Nergal even though I have been forced out by their 'generous' retirement package. Nergal has obtained some information from the UEF force on Mars that you may find very interesting…."

"No, stop right there," Akito blurted standing up. "I'm through with this. I'm through with Nergal, I'm through with the UEF, and I'm through with everything related to this damn war. What is this? Trying to drag me back into things now? Everyone wants ace pilot Tenkawa back in action, huh?"
"Akito, lower your voice. You know I am as tired of this war as everyone else and I wouldn't tell you this if I didn't think it pertained directly to your interests. Please just hear me out." Akito sat down giving his consent to Mr. Prospector to finish the conversation.

"What the UEF forces found, illegally rummaging through your old house I might add, is an optical disc containing a communication from your father. In fact, the contents of the disc make it clear that you are the designated recipient of the message. It seems to have been created right before his death," Mr. Prospector finished. Akito blanched at the idea. A last communication from his father? What could it say, why did he make it? These thoughts were cut short as he felt Mr. Prospector handing him a package under the table. "Here is a copy of the disc, Akito. I have to leave now because you are back under Nergal surveillance and I was only able to arrange for their distraction for a few minutes. If you have any ideas or questions, please contact me at the secure address written on the disc. Goodbye. I would have loved to taste some of your ramen." Mr. Prospector got up and left the restaurant leaving Akito to stare blankly at the table.

"Akito! Who was your customer, where did he or she go?" Yurika asked coming out of the kitchen after finishing her break. "Oh, it was only…" Akito started and then remembering Mr. Prospector's admonition he finished, "an old friend. A friend from back before I started on the Nadesico. He had an appointment come up suddenly so he had to leave." Akito felt his stomach sink as he deliberately lied to his love.

"Oh, ok. Well, let's get back to work," she said smiling and giving him a peck on the cheek. "Yeah let's," Akito replied in a voice seemingly devoid of emotion.

Akito finished the rest of his work day in a half daze. His boss even asked him why he was so distracted from his cooking. Akito made up an excuse of not feeling well. They had all rented an apartment above the restaurant and as work ended everyone went back up to relax. Next it was Minato's turn to inquire about Akito's temperament. "Hey, you look like you had a tough day? Another irate customer?"

"Nah, I'm just tired Minato. It's nothing to be concerned about," Akito replied. He turned his head to see Ruri offering him a stick of licorice from the jar she had in her room. He smiled and took it. "Thanks Ruri."

"You should come out with us, that would cheer you up," Ruri suggested.

"Nah, I'll just lay back here for tonight. Maybe another day."

At this suggestion Yurika came out of her room with a concerned look on her face. "Akito, is something wrong? Minato, you take Ruri and Yukina out. I'll stay back here with Akito if he doesn't feel like going out."

"No, it's nothing you could help with Yurika. The best thing you could do is go out with the others. I need some time to myself." Akito tried to state this tactfully but like often, it came out wrong.

"I see," Yurika replied not hiding the hurt look on her face. "I'll go get dressed," she said quietly walking away. "Gee, I didn't have to be so hard on her," Akito thought. After all, his father had been dead for so many years. Now wasn't the time to relapse into helplessness. As the four headed towards the door, Yurika gave one last concerned look at Akito slumped on the couch.

"Yurika, it's nothing you did wrong. I just have some thinking to do. How about tomorrow we can go to that movie you've been wanting to see after work? You know, the one Megumi is doing a voice in?" Yurika smiled and said in her normal cheerful manner, "It's a date!" The four walked out. Akito waited ten minutes to be sure they were really gone. He then removed package from his pocket. Inside it was an optical disc and a small round device Akito recognized as a surveillance countermeasure. He turned on the device in order to scramble any electronic surveillance Nergal had on his apartment. Next he placed the optical disc in the playback machine. He closed all the blinds and made sure that no one was in the hall outside his door. He sat down and held his breath as he pushed play on the machine.

A holographic figure of his father appeared. It was particularly shocking because it was as Akito remembered his father soon before his death at the hands of Nergal agents. This realistic portrayal of him now, so many years later still brought a lump into Akito's throat. His father began speaking.

"Akito, if you are seeing this than you are alright. If you are watching this then it probably also means that your mother and I are no longer with you and that my greatest fears have come true. Son, I have much to tell you and most of it will shock you. You may watch this as many times as necessary to ease your disbelief but please listen to my words and follow my instructions very carefully." Akito sat dumbfounded with the thought that his parents may have actually known the danger they were in. He continued to watch. "I knew only you would find this. Seeing how you have a great love for cooking I hid the disc in the cookbook to hide it from prying eyes." Akito remembered how he had thought about that cookbook several years after his parents' death but never was able to find it in all the crap in the basement of their old house. Well, the marines had obviously found it in their ransacking. His father continued the message. "We have made a discovery that would radically change humanity more than any other in history. Working with Nergal we have discovered the ruins of an ancient civilization on Mars that had the ability to travel at superluminal speeds using a concept we have dubbed boson jumping. This discovery could usher in a new age of mankind if made public, however, there are many powerful forces who do not see it that way. We believe Nergal has designs to keep this technology for itself. Also, there are hushed rumors that a remnant of the Lunar Revolt rebels are at Jupiter and have also gained an understanding of this knowledge. We do not have confidence that either of these forces wish to see this technology freely and widely available to all of mankind.
We have been in opposition to this greed and power hunger, but now we fear that our resistance may cost us our jobs if not our lives. We have not told you anything about this before because your knowledge of this would put you into danger from Nergal. What you must realize is that this corruption has covered everything and that you must be careful to trust no one." Dr. Tenkawa hesitated and then continued. "Even many of the UEF brass including the father of your dear friend, Yurika, are possibly in on this conspiracy so you should be very wary of the Misumaru family and the UEF from this point on. The snakes are lying in wait everywhere and with this information you must take no chances. The point of my message is two-fold. First, I have given you one of the boson jumping chulip crystals. You'll remember it as the necklace I gave you several months ago. Second, there is one message left from this ancient civilization that we have hidden from Nergal. I have placed it somewhere that they would never possibly look. If you remember why I wasn't able to take you fishing last summer, you'll know where it is. Please guard this information with your life and let the world know about this deception. I trust your judgment and integrity Akito and always please remember that your mother and I love you more than anything else in this universe. Even our work." The hologram of his father smiled and then stilled while the end of message light flashed on the playback machine.
Akito stared at the flashing light but did not see it. He did not see anything. If the world had been ending around him and he would not have noticed. The information in the disc was so shocking he watched it again. And again. And finally a fourth time. If it was only a message from his dead father he may have coped fine. But the fact that he had known of his impending death made it that much worse. He also realized that somewhere out there was a secret of great importance that everyone had killed for before and would not hesitate to kill for now. As earth shattering as these revelations were though, none stabbed him as hard as the statement that he could not get out of his head, "…even many of the UEF brass including the father of your dear friend, Yurika, are possibly in on this conspiracy so you should be very wary of the Misumaru family and the UEF from this point on. The snakes are lying in wait everywhere and with this information you must take no chances...."
Yurika. His darling Yurika. The first love of his life. Now, his father from the grave was telling him that he could not trust her family? He could not trust Admiral Misumaru, the very man who he would ask for Yurika's hand once he got enough money to start his restaurant? The implications of this information kept swirling in his head. He was sure that he would be sick. He turned off the player, took out the disc, and opened a window to get some fresh air. Who could he tell? What could he say? In his heart he wanted to trust Yurika. She would never betray him. She had already had too many chances to do so if she had wanted. But how would she take this information? The possibility that her father was involved in the cold-blooded murder of her lover's parents? Would she believe this? Should he be believing this? It was all so confusing.
Then he remembered what Mr. Prospector had told him. Nergal and UEF already had this information. Therefore he was probably in danger from all sides. So would anyone else he told this to. "Damn!" he yelled kicking a chair. "Why doesn't this all just leave me alone?" Why can't he go back and be a cook tomorrow and forget everything. He could save his money, start a restaurant, start a family with Yurika. Why did this crap have to happen now? This time he would finish it. He sat down and came up with several sober conclusions.

First, he contacted Mr. Prospector back through the email on the disc. Three minutes later his video phone rang and he answered it to Mr. Prospector's face. "Mr. Prospector, I need to meet you now, tell me where," Akito said trying to hide his growing sense of desperation.

"Akito, I'll come get you. It's not safe for you to try to travel right now. Stay put. I'll be there in five minutes," Mr. Prospector replied. Akito nodded and waited. He went in his room and began to pack. The last time he had left like this he had bumped into Yurika's luggage and ended up on the Nadesico for a year. He would prepare for any eventuality this time. He packed a few pairs of clothes and toiletries, the full episodes of Gekigangar III on compressed video disc, and after a moment's hesitation, a picture he and Yurika had taken in the park several weeks earlier. He then sat down and began to hastily write a note explaining his absence in the vaguest terms possible. He left a sizable amount of money he saved and wrote a short contract giving Yurika power of attorney over his assets in his absence. "If I trust her so much with all of my stuff, why am I running?" he thought to himself. It seemed like running was almost always his course of action.
Meanwhile, Mr. Prospector sped through the streets towards the restaurant. About three blocks from his destination, however, he ran into a construction crew which had blocked the road. "I thought they had finished this construction last week?" he mused. He turned the corner to take an alternate path when he finally noticed a black car trailing his. "Crap," he thought as he put his foot to the accelerator. Akito received an audio only phone call a moment later. "Akito, we don't have much time, get down here now!" Akito said he'd be on his way. He put the note on his bed grabbed the suitcase, made sure he had the disc, and finally took one longing stare back at the apartment. If he could have had one wish it would be to end this quickly and return to life. Deep down he wondered if that was too much to ask though. Akito went downstairs to the vehicle waiting at the curb. The back door opened and just before he stepped in he realized in horror that the man in the driver's seat was not Mr. Prospector. In fact there were three men in the car. "Get in now Mr. Tenkawa," a large man in the back seat with a black suit and shades to match demanded. He pulled out a pistol to emphasize his point.
Akito didn't know what was going on but he knew these men did not have his best interests in mind. He ran. The man stepped out of the back seat and fired at the fleeing Akito, hitting him twice in the back. Akito crumpled to the ground in shock and disbelief as his world slowly faded to darkness.