"What do you think?"
"Hers are bigger."
-Geobreeders
**************
"I said, stand down your men, Captain," Makibi said, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.
"Not until your friend lowers her gun and our systems come back on-line," Jeffords replied.
"If you think I'm going to let a damn ape dictate terms to me," the woman snarled. "Mihoshi!"
The brown skinned woman pulled the trigger and there was a bright flash of light, followed by a metallic crash. Jeffords looked to see Mihoshi sliding out of a huge dent in the lockers to slump to the floor. Moldiver turned to look at Makibi and Jeffords was startled to see how cold her eyes were behind her visor.
'Shit,' Jeffords thought. 'There goes the fan.'
"Sir!" One of the crew barked. Jeffords looked back at the lockers and was startled to see Mihoshi get back to her feet without using her arms, seemingly flowing into the position as though she was part cat and then she started forward.
"Enough!" rang out another woman's voice as a glowing barrier sprang up between Mihoshi and Moldiver. "Call off your dog, Captain Makibi. Your prejudices have run away with your good sense."
"But-" Makibi started.
"Now!"
"Mihoshi," Makibi snapped and the woman returned to her side.
"Captain Jeffords," the woman's voice said. "On behalf of the Empire of Jurai, please accept my apologies for the Captain's actions."
"Sir. We have power to engines and weapons again," one of the techs said.
"A show of good faith, Captain."
Jeffords hesitated before replying. "Thank you," he said carefully. "And apologies accepted." With that, he lowered his rifle, the rest of the bridge crew following suit a moment later.
"And now, Captain, if you and the one called Moldiver would care to follow Captain Makibi, she will bring you to my chamber where I will explain everything. Oh, and if possible, could you bring with you a pot of coffee?"
"Sir?" asked his exec.
Jeffords frowned for a moment. "Cancel red alert," he said. "But stay sharp." He laid the rifle on the table. "Give us twelve hours to return and if we don't, then assume the worst and do as you see fit."
"Aye, sir."
********
Growing up, Jeffords had been a fan of science fiction. His bookshelves had groaned under the weight of the works of Asimov, Heinlen, Gange, Bova, Clarke, Biles, Robinson (Both Spider and Kim Stanley), Weber, McSpon, Brin, Temhaire, Bear, Glace, Lackey, Biblat, Chi Nau, and Oleneyzack, to name but a few.
But none of them, even though many had written about the fabled First Contact, had prepared him for the ship he and Moldiver now walked through.
He felt as though he was in an indoor garden. A stream ran along each side of the path and vines topped the walls where they met the ceiling, which seemed to glow with a soft light. The air smelled sweet, and pure. Before them, Makibi and Mihoshi led the way. Beside him on his right, Moldiver walked, her wings now draped over her shoulders. From the lower edge of those wings hung black fabric making it appear that she had a cape or rather, two capes draped about her. Another strip of fabric, which fell from the back of her shoulders, completed the illusion. Her helmet cast the visible part of her face in shadow, which gave her a slightly supernatural look.
Finally, the hall opened out into a huge garden. A waterfall flowed down the right side wall into a stream which flowed across the room and into the opposite wall. On the other side of the stream, in the center of the room was a raised dais, and upon it was the largest tree Jeffords had ever seen in his life, dwarfing even the legendary sequoia redwoods of California. At the base of the dais was a small table and standing next to it was a woman dressed in a blue and scarlet Japanese kimono. Her blue hair was tied back and a slight smile graced her lips. Jeffords felt his stomach clench. She was impossibly beautiful.
"Captain Jeffords, Ms Or-excuse me, Moldiver, welcome aboard the Tsunami. Please, come join me." The woman's voice was soft and musical, but it was most definitely the same one as the one that had rang out on the Christopher's bridge.
"But how-" Jeffords cut himself off as he realized that clear crystal blocks were set in the water, their tops just above the surface. There were enough of them that arranged as they were, one could walk across.
Feeling just a bit foolish, he moved forwards and stopped at the table, laying the extra large thermos of coffee on the table. "In the name of the people of Sol, I greet you in friendship."
The woman laughed. "And how long did your politicians take to come up with that greeting?" She picked up the thermos and poured some coffee into a cup.
"A whole month," Jeffords admitted after a moment.
"Only a month?" She seemed surprised. "For humans, that's very quick." A wolflike creature in a blue robe approached the table carrying a tray with a pitcher and a bowl in one hand, and two stackable chairs in the other. "Thank you, Misai," the woman said. The creature set the tray on the table, placed the chairs at the table, bowed and then left the room. "Please, sit." The woman poured them each a cup of coffee. "Cream and sugar?"
"Cream? Sugar?" Moldiver asked.
"Yes. Former Emperor Azusa's first wife was a Terran and her dowry included a sizable number of cattle. We don't care much for beef, but Terran cream and It's side products, such as cheese and butter have become quite the vice among the more affluent members of the galactic community. The sugar is not quite sugar, but saffronid, a plant remarkably similar to your sugarcane."
"I see..." Jeffords said as he trailed off.
"Oh. Where are my manners?" She stood up and bowed. "Forgive my rudeness. Special Assignment Minister Tsunami, pleased to meet you."
"Tsunami...like the ship?" Moldiver raised her cup to her lips and sipped.
"In a sense. It is complicated. For simplicity's sake, let us say that the three of us are one." She turned her attention to Jeffords. "Your presence here complicates matters, Captain. Our instructions were to pick up Moldiver."
"But the message-"
"Yes. I took the liberty of scanning your mainframe. I will be honest, Captain. There is little you and your men will be able to do against our current...problem.
"How do you know?" Jeffords asked, surging to his feet. "So what if we don't have the level of technology you do. Give us a chance to at least try!"
"Calm yourself, Captain. I am not insulting your people's accomplishments or level of technology. The simple fact is that I am the most powerful ship in the Juraian Navy and I can barely hold my own. In that regard, the most your people will be able to do is die, and be better off for it." Jeffords opened his mouth to protest further when she raised her hand. "Perhaps if I explain our foe." In the center of the table there appeared an image of a white bearded man. One eye was covered with a patch and his beard and hair had been combed into strips which stuck out from his head like a collar. "Doctor Clay. The third most brilliant mind in the known universe." A second image appeared, this one of a creature with a catlike face and rabbit ears. "And this is Ryo-Oki, she's a Cabbit. For years, the only one of her kind. Cabbits, you see, can transform themselves into spaceships many times larger then the form you see before you. In that form, they have access to massive energy reserves, and powerful weapons."
"You speak as though there's more then one now."
"In a manner of speaking," Tsunami said as the images vanished. "Three years ago, as Terrans measure time, Clay obtained a sample of Ryo-Oki's DNA at the request of Lord Daroyn on behalf of the King of the Thaniean Empire."
"But for what purpose?"
"Why else? To-" The floor suddenly and violently heaved, sending them flying onto their backs.
"What the hell?" Jeffords demanded, his sidearm already drawn and primed.
Tsunami got to her feet, staring at the wall. "Damn! We were followed!" The floor lurched again. Then the wall glowed and moments later a man stepped into the room. He was tall, with pointed, elflike ears and catlike features. His skin was a dull gray and hair covered his shoulders, forearms, upper chest, calves and flowed like a mane down his back. A pair of black trunks was his only clothing. But it was his eyes that chilled Jefford's blood. They were completely void of anything except an odd sort of hunger.
Slowly, he looked around the room, and then leapt at Tsunami, only to come up short as Moldiver appeared between them. For a moment he stared and then slashed at her chest. His claws had no effect.
Moldiver's smile was ugly. "My turn." With that, she backhanded the creature across the room. Snarling, he flowed to his feet without using his hands and charged, claws outstretched, howling like a banshee.
Moldiver sidestepped and spun, her claws leaving a diagonal slash across his back, sending tufts of hair to the floor. The creature howled again and leapt at her, both fighters tumbling to the floor, grappling for leverage.
Without thinking, Jeffords lined up his shot and fired three times. The polysteel-ceramic darts covered the ten yards to the creature at 200kps and shattered against his hide.
The creature looked up.
And got his attention.
"Shit," Jeffords swore and emptied his entire clip at it's face, picking targets at random. The creature howled as one dart found it's eye, popping it. Swearing under his breath, Jeffords reached for his spare clip.
Moldiver slammed her claws into the other eye and threw the creature off, slamming him into the floor. And then, without letting go, slammed his head into the deck plates repeatedly. He fell still after about the twentieth time, but Moldiver continued to beat his head against the floor for a good two minutes before finally stopping and falling into a sitting position on the deck, breathing hard.
"What-" the creature twitched and Jeffords reflexively squeezed off several shots at it's head. "What is that?"
"That?" Tsunami asked, moving to stand next to him, one hand pressed to her left hip. "That, Captain, is why you and your crew would be better off dying. That is that the Thaniens do to their prisoners." Some more of the wolflike creatures came in and picking up the body then left. "I believe you Terrans have a saying? Something about a fate worse then death?"
"She was one, wasn't she?" Moldiver burst out. "Mihoshi."
"Yes," Tsunami said. "We restored her as best we could, but there are some remnants. I was not choosing my words lightly when I ordered Makibi to call off her dog." She looked pensive for a moment. "And I have just been left with no choice. Return to your ship, Tsunami is damaged and I must rest."
Jeffords and Moldiver exchanged looks.
"But isn't there anything we-" Moldiver started to say and was cut off Tsunami's raised hand.
"I must rest. Go." Moldiver started to protest more but stopped when Jeffords grabbed her arm and shook his head. So instead she bowed, her wings folding about her and the strips of fabric falling back into place as she straightened. Turning, they walked back across the room to where a man carrying a twisted wooden staff was waiting.
As they left, Jeffords looked back. Tsunami was nowhere to be seen and the tree was pulsing softly with a golden inner light.
********
Rather then leading them back to the airlock that they had first entered from, their guide instead led them to a hanger bay where the Saint Christopher rested on some sort of gridwork. By the ship's hatch, no less then ten Marines waited in full armor, rifles in hand. They were nervously eyeing the two women who stood next to the nearest wall. Like their guide, both held wooden staffs.
This of course, was a two question problem. Question one; why were they there? The answer was simple. The ten Marines were simply a way to say. "You're not gonna get away with any funny business." Such a display was countered with an equal display by the other party to say; "Yeah? Well neither are you."
The second question was a bit more troubling. Were there only two because that's all that could be spared, or worse, because that's all that was needed?
Returning the salutes of the Marines, Jeffords boarded the Christopher and called a meeting of the senior officers.
********
"...And then we came here," Jeffords finished. "I'm still not sure how that creature got on board. Did we pick up anything?"
"Aye, sir. A radar blip rushed the Tsunami's starboard side. Approximately ninety seconds later, we were drawn inside the Tsunami and before the bay doors closed, our instruments recorded a massive surge of some kind of electromagnetic radiation similar but far more powerful then the radiation observed when the Tsunami docked with us. I believe that powerful radiation was a sign of the Tsunami's...stardrive activating."
"So we're traveling interstellar right now?" Jeffords asked.
"That would be a reasonable assumption, sir."
"But where are we traveling too?"
"The Juraian's home system, or as we refer to it, Altais. Apologies were offered on behalf of the Empire of Jurai and Misaki's message came from Altais. It seems logical that the two are one and the same."
"But hold on. Misaki's message had some sort of battle going on in the background. Why would we be heading to a battle zone? Hell, if this ship is the only thing in their fleet that can stand up to these things, why is it even playing taxi service?"
"Perhaps these Thaniens attack in a certain pattern with so much time between attacks. This may be one of those times."
"Or that they need Moldiver so badly that they sent the one ship that could bring her back alive, losses or no," Jeffords said. "We need more information."
"We can't collect that until we reach the battle zone, sir."
"I know," Jeffords replied.
********
Jeffords was in a foul mood.
According to the Christopher's Chronometer, three days had passed since the meeting with Tsunami. Three days and not a peep, despite repeated messages sent through the guards for an audience. To keep the chance of violence resulting from misunderstandings down, the Marines standing guard at the hatch had been reduced to two and were rotated often to prevent boredom from sneaking in. Meanwhile, the same two women were still standing by interior bay doors. Not once had they been relieved. Either the Juraians had a different measurement of time, didn't need to sleep, or the theory that they were all that could be spared was true. If that was the case, their discipline and endurance was incredible.
Sighing, he threw back the covers and got up. Perhaps some reading would help. Picking up his favorite book, he headed down to the rec hall.
As the hatch slid open, he was greeted with darkness. Reaching for the light switch, he stopped when he realized that there was a subtle blue glow coming from the far side of the room. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness he realized that the blue glow was that of a hologram of Misaki and Moldiver, her wings in what he had come to think of as "cape mode" was studying it. A moment later, he realized that the hologram was being emitted from her open palm.
Softly, he cleared his throat and her head turned slightly in response.
"I'm sorry," Jeffords said quietly. "Am I interrupting?"
"No." She closed her hand, and the hologram vanished, plunging the room into complete darkness. "I was simply thinking."
"May I ask what about?" Jeffords asked as he turned on the lights, wincing at the sudden brightness.
For a moment, it seemed as though she would say nothing, and then she walked across the room to stand before a painting of the Earth rising over the moon. "Have you ever loved, Captain? A love so deep, so powerful, that you go against everything that you believed in?"
Jeffords gave it some thought. "Once. But that was a long time ago. The sea is all I need now."
Moldiver was silent for a moment and then her shoulders sagged. "I am a traitor, Captain Jeffords. For the sake of love, I abandoned Tokyo and it's people to come with you, and given the chance to change it, I would do so again in a heartbeat. But that does not change what I am. Or my selfishness."
Jeffords decided to play a hunch. "It's not selfish to love. But only if Misaki loves you back."
She spun. "How-No...no, it doesn't matter...during the Sakigake's launch, when I was engaged in a battle to the death, I got the idea to go inside the sun. Over the radio, Misaki pleaded with me not to do it. Not to give up my life. He even was willing to give up his dream for me. I went in anyway and there, I saw..." she took a deep breath. "Suffice to say, I survived and emerged victorious. Misaki got his dream and I returned to Earth to wait. He should have been back in three weeks. It's been three years." She whirled to face him. Her eyes once again as cold as they had been on the bridge during the argument with Makibi. "Three years, Captain Jeffords. Three years and all I've had to keep me going is one brief moment in his arms right before the Sakigake jumped." She strode forward and was almost to the door when Jeffords found his voice.
"Wait. The sun..."
She stopped. "What about it?"
"You were inside it. What did you see?"
She turned and looked at him for a moment before replying. "Eternity."
********
Jeffords signed off on the last of the morning's paperwork and passed it to his yeoman before leaning back in his chair. Five days. Five days inside the Tsunami's hold. The crew was starting to get edgy and the Marines had already broken up a couple of fights. If they didn't get to wherever the hell they were going soon, there was no telling what might happen.
At that moment, there was a soft chime and a holo of Tsunami formed next to him.
"Greetings, Captain."
"Minister," Jeffords responded, his words icy cold.
"You have every right to be angry, Captain. My assistant had been keeping your requests from me and I only just now found out about it." Her expression hardened. "I assure you, the matter has been dealt with."
"I see," Jeffords said, but despite his best effort, his tone was still cold.
Tsunami sighed and then brightened. "I thought you might like to see our approach."
"We've arrived?" the Exec asked.
"Yes. We'd have been here sooner, but the...attack damaged one of my thrusters. We have, as you would say, limped back home...such as it is." She gestured and an image formed at the front of the bridge. There in space was a metal triangle, each corner a giant sphere from which bristled tiny cylinders. Connecting the spheres were thin cylinders and tiny lights moved over it's surface with still more lights surrounding it.
"What is it?" Jeffords asked.
"The Kobayashi Maru," Tsunami replied. "Silly I know, but her builder liked the name."
"Oh? Who built her?"
"I did!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice. Jeffords spun. Standing behind him was a young girl, no more then twelve. Her bright red hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore some kind of suit/robe. The pupils of her eyes were red and literally shining with glee. "Is that a fifteen gigaherz chip in there?" She dashed to the operations console.
"Um..."
"Captain, may I introduce Professor Washu of the-"
"But you can call me Little Washu," the girl called from where she was perched on the engineering console, her head inside it. "They called me Washu-chan when I was on Earth, that was ni-wow! Pure silicon! I thought Terrans would be using protein silicon mixes by now."
"Do not judge her by appearance, Captain," Tsunami said softly. "Professor Washu is easily the greatest mind in the universe."
"I suppose it would be too much to expect that she's impressed by the Christopher's technology," Jeffords sighed.
"Only Zero degree cooling system? You got this far on that?" Washu shook her head. "Just when I hoped you humans might surprise me-Ack!" Washu suddenly shot into the air and away from the console. The air blurred and then resolved into Moldiver, who had Washu by the collar of her blouse. "Put me down, you big bully!" Washu snapped, wriggling her fingers. Moldiver released her.
"What the?" Moldiver asked, staring at her hand.
"I just sent a fake message to the nerves in your hand, which triggered the muscles and caused you to let me go." The diminutive scientist's expression became pugnacious and she took out a small remote. "Of course that was just for starters and-"
"Professor Washu, please. They are guests. Tenchi would not be happy with you if you turned her into a Kappa."
"But she-"
"I'm sorry," Moldiver said bowing.
Washu appeared to be thinking for a moment. "Oh very well. You're forgiven." With that, she did a little skip dance and then vanished.
"Again, Captain, my apologies. Professor Washu, as of late, has found it amusing to suit her behavior to her outward appearance." Tsunami pinched the bridge of her nose, suddenly far older then she appeared, shoulders slumped under some immense weight. "It occasionally creates difficulties."
"I would imagine so," Jeffords replied diplomatically, turning his attention back to the view screen more to give Tsunami time to recover then out of curiosity, and was startled to see that the Maru had seemingly grown in size and the lights were now tiny ships.
"For what it's worth, Captain, we are still two of your astronomical units away. Twice the distance from Earth to the sun, I believe. For an idea of scale, each of those spheres is roughly twice the size of your planet Jupiter. The cylinder's connecting them are roughly three times the diameter of Earth. Many of those lights you see are in fact massive battleships and carriers. Quite a few larger then me."
"And that little girl built it?"
"Many things, Captain Jeffords, are not what they seem out here. Professor Washu, for example, is twenty thousand years old. I will meet you when we dock with the Maru in a few hours and escort you directly to the Emperor's chambers. He has expressed an interest in meeting you." With that, she vanished, leaving a suddenly very weary captain.
"I just had to want to go meet aliens," he muttered.
********
Jeffords took one last look at his party and nodded. After much debate among the senior officers, it was decided that the party should consist of himself, the science officer, Moldiver and four marines.
All of them, with the exception of Moldiver, were in their dress uniforms. Jeffords and the science officer in their dress whites, the Marines in red and gold. He had the uncomfortable feeling that they were wearing loincloths to a royal wedding, but it couldn't be helped.
"All right," Jeffords huffed. "Remember, we're diplomats here. Think twice before you speak and then think again. We don't want to piss anyone off." A chorus of "yes, sir's" was the response.
Exiting the Christopher, they found that the two guards were gone and Tsunami was standing there dressed in series of layered robes, hands tucked into her sleeves. There was an odd air about her. She seemed almost...jumpy.
"Ah Captain. Very impressive. Shall we?" She turned and led the way through the corridors. "You'll excuse my nervousness, Captain," she said after a few minutes. "Part of me was left behind when I went to Sol and I'm not quite myself without her. To be this close..."
"I quite understand." Jeffords did not, in fact understand, but he had spent much of his Naval career around diplomats and politicians. It was a useful phrase when being bored with some overly technical weapons or political situation explanation. Or in the case of Tsunami, walking on an emotional powder keg.
A few minutes later, as they approached an archway, Tsunami stopped, turning to face them. "I suggest you all brace yourselves. Juraians favor a slightly higher gravity then what you're used too. It can be a little disconcerting. Also, when you meet the Emperor, you'll be expected to kneel on one knee and perform the First Gesture of Respect for the Higher Ranks.
Fortunately, the Emperor is more cosmopolitan then his court when it comes to Terrans and he will be satisfied with a simple bow. When you bow, keep your hands at your sides, palms pressed against your thighs and bend at the waist at a nintey degree or greater angle. I cannot stress this enough. Without even this minuscule gesture of respect, the court will literally tear you to shreds right then and there. The Emperor is fanatically respected at the moment and those parasites will go to any lengths to demonstrate their loyalty." She let that sink in for a moment. "Currently, the Imperial Court is in formal session which requires the use of certain customs. As I announce your names, step forward and bow as I told you. Make no sudden moves, do not speak, even if spoken to, and make no eye contact with the Emperor or his wives."
The Terrans nodded and Tsunami led the way into through the archway. The shift in gravity was immediately noticeable and the crew staggered a bit before managing to adjust and continue walking, albeit with a great deal more effort. Glancing over at Moldiver, who was at his side, he noticed that her face seemed slightly red with effort. Odd for someone who not only possessed super-strength but could defy gravity at...will? He looked down and saw that her feet were just over the floor, she was literally walking on air. That wasn't effort on her face he realized, but embarrassment that she could fly and they couldn't.
For some reason, that made him feel better.
********
The throne room was magnificent. Massive wood doors opened onto a palatial room, divided in half by a wide creek bridged with stepping stones. On each side, a vast half circle shaped lake and directly ahead, another half circle dais rising out of the water. Twin waterfalls emptied into channels which spilled down the sides of the dais into the lakes. Men and women lined their side of the creek in two groups one on each side, each group two rows deep.
On the dais was a woman who was Tsunami's twin in appearance. Unlike Tsunami, who's hair was tied back, the other woman's hair was a pair of ponytails, extending down from a ball of hair on each side of her head, which was faced with a circle of what appeared to be gold, which framed a large red jewel.
Behind her an elderly white haired man and much younger man, his long black hair tied back, stood side by side. Both were dressed in plain white Shinto priest's robes and wore blank expressions. It took Jeffords a moment to realized that the younger man was in fact Masaki. A strangled gasp from his right proclaimed that Moldiver had realized it too. On the dais, Masaki locked eyes with Moldiver, his eyes widened, and then he smiled slightly and returned his attention to them all, his expression becoming blank. Moldiver let out a happy sigh and then fell silent.
Rising up from the dais, four steps led to a platform. On each side of the platform was a throne. Seated in the one to Jefford's right, a young woman sat. Her purple hair was tied into twin ponytails and her expression was serious, her eyes bright and very alert. Her posture was very formal, forearms on the armrests, fingers loosely spread on their surface.
On the left hand throne, another woman lounged, her blue hair standing up in large spikes. She had one leg thrown over the a chair arm, one arm rested on the other, which in turn held up her head while she munched on some kind of fruit. Her expression was bored and she seemed to be paying them only a cursory interest. Between their thrones, three stairs climbed to an even higher platform where a man who had to be the Emperor sat.
Tsunami gestured them to stop, distracting Jeffords before he could get more then a momentary glance of the Emperor, and then continued onwards to the very edge of their platform. "Special Assignment Minister Tsunami," she said, then, she knelt, her arms out at a ninety degree angle, her head bowed. "I have completed the task set before me, Your Highness." Then she brought her hands together as though praying, the tips of her middle fingers touching her chin. Then, keeping her fingertips together, she moved her palms apart until they were pointed at the floor and then slowly, moved them back to their starting position. Then she rose, lowering her arms to her side, keeping them perfectly vertical, timing the movement so perfectly, that she was standing straight at the exact same time as her hands stopped their movement.
The white haired man stepped forward. "It is the Emperor's wish that you tell us who you have brought before him," he said in ringing tones. "To confirm that you completed your task. You were instructed to bring back only one, yet we see seven."
"The message was disrupted," Tsunami replied. "Only fragments, as I explained in my report, were received. The Terrans have sent aid. May I present Captain Jeffords of the Sol Alliance Ship Saint Christopher and Terran Ambassador." Jeffords stepped forward and bowed as he was instructed. "The woman known as Moldiver." Moldiver did the same. "Science Officer Major Alexander Tarn, Ph.D. and MD." Another bow. "And Master Sergeant Kleppe, First Sergeant Yonge, and Corporals Sommer and Oliver."
"No!" One of the courtiers stepped forward. "He has insulted the Emperor," he yelled, pointing a finger at one of the Marines. "He bowed at a eighty-nine degree angle!"
The old man raised an eyebrow and the green haired empress sat up. The courtiers all edged away from their fellow.
"Lord Collal," the old man began, "your patriotism is appreciated but it is the Emperor's wi-"
"I will not stand by and watch my Lord be insulted!" The courtier yelled and pulled a sword handle. There was a flash of light and then a long glowing blade sprouted from the handle.
"Bloody hell," one of the soldiers exclaimed. "Man's got a friggin lightsaber!"
"For the honor of Jurai!" the courtier yelled and then charged.
**************
"I said, stand down your men, Captain," Makibi said, a hint of irritation creeping into her voice.
"Not until your friend lowers her gun and our systems come back on-line," Jeffords replied.
"If you think I'm going to let a damn ape dictate terms to me," the woman snarled. "Mihoshi!"
The brown skinned woman pulled the trigger and there was a bright flash of light, followed by a metallic crash. Jeffords looked to see Mihoshi sliding out of a huge dent in the lockers to slump to the floor. Moldiver turned to look at Makibi and Jeffords was startled to see how cold her eyes were behind her visor.
'Shit,' Jeffords thought. 'There goes the fan.'
"Sir!" One of the crew barked. Jeffords looked back at the lockers and was startled to see Mihoshi get back to her feet without using her arms, seemingly flowing into the position as though she was part cat and then she started forward.
"Enough!" rang out another woman's voice as a glowing barrier sprang up between Mihoshi and Moldiver. "Call off your dog, Captain Makibi. Your prejudices have run away with your good sense."
"But-" Makibi started.
"Now!"
"Mihoshi," Makibi snapped and the woman returned to her side.
"Captain Jeffords," the woman's voice said. "On behalf of the Empire of Jurai, please accept my apologies for the Captain's actions."
"Sir. We have power to engines and weapons again," one of the techs said.
"A show of good faith, Captain."
Jeffords hesitated before replying. "Thank you," he said carefully. "And apologies accepted." With that, he lowered his rifle, the rest of the bridge crew following suit a moment later.
"And now, Captain, if you and the one called Moldiver would care to follow Captain Makibi, she will bring you to my chamber where I will explain everything. Oh, and if possible, could you bring with you a pot of coffee?"
"Sir?" asked his exec.
Jeffords frowned for a moment. "Cancel red alert," he said. "But stay sharp." He laid the rifle on the table. "Give us twelve hours to return and if we don't, then assume the worst and do as you see fit."
"Aye, sir."
********
Growing up, Jeffords had been a fan of science fiction. His bookshelves had groaned under the weight of the works of Asimov, Heinlen, Gange, Bova, Clarke, Biles, Robinson (Both Spider and Kim Stanley), Weber, McSpon, Brin, Temhaire, Bear, Glace, Lackey, Biblat, Chi Nau, and Oleneyzack, to name but a few.
But none of them, even though many had written about the fabled First Contact, had prepared him for the ship he and Moldiver now walked through.
He felt as though he was in an indoor garden. A stream ran along each side of the path and vines topped the walls where they met the ceiling, which seemed to glow with a soft light. The air smelled sweet, and pure. Before them, Makibi and Mihoshi led the way. Beside him on his right, Moldiver walked, her wings now draped over her shoulders. From the lower edge of those wings hung black fabric making it appear that she had a cape or rather, two capes draped about her. Another strip of fabric, which fell from the back of her shoulders, completed the illusion. Her helmet cast the visible part of her face in shadow, which gave her a slightly supernatural look.
Finally, the hall opened out into a huge garden. A waterfall flowed down the right side wall into a stream which flowed across the room and into the opposite wall. On the other side of the stream, in the center of the room was a raised dais, and upon it was the largest tree Jeffords had ever seen in his life, dwarfing even the legendary sequoia redwoods of California. At the base of the dais was a small table and standing next to it was a woman dressed in a blue and scarlet Japanese kimono. Her blue hair was tied back and a slight smile graced her lips. Jeffords felt his stomach clench. She was impossibly beautiful.
"Captain Jeffords, Ms Or-excuse me, Moldiver, welcome aboard the Tsunami. Please, come join me." The woman's voice was soft and musical, but it was most definitely the same one as the one that had rang out on the Christopher's bridge.
"But how-" Jeffords cut himself off as he realized that clear crystal blocks were set in the water, their tops just above the surface. There were enough of them that arranged as they were, one could walk across.
Feeling just a bit foolish, he moved forwards and stopped at the table, laying the extra large thermos of coffee on the table. "In the name of the people of Sol, I greet you in friendship."
The woman laughed. "And how long did your politicians take to come up with that greeting?" She picked up the thermos and poured some coffee into a cup.
"A whole month," Jeffords admitted after a moment.
"Only a month?" She seemed surprised. "For humans, that's very quick." A wolflike creature in a blue robe approached the table carrying a tray with a pitcher and a bowl in one hand, and two stackable chairs in the other. "Thank you, Misai," the woman said. The creature set the tray on the table, placed the chairs at the table, bowed and then left the room. "Please, sit." The woman poured them each a cup of coffee. "Cream and sugar?"
"Cream? Sugar?" Moldiver asked.
"Yes. Former Emperor Azusa's first wife was a Terran and her dowry included a sizable number of cattle. We don't care much for beef, but Terran cream and It's side products, such as cheese and butter have become quite the vice among the more affluent members of the galactic community. The sugar is not quite sugar, but saffronid, a plant remarkably similar to your sugarcane."
"I see..." Jeffords said as he trailed off.
"Oh. Where are my manners?" She stood up and bowed. "Forgive my rudeness. Special Assignment Minister Tsunami, pleased to meet you."
"Tsunami...like the ship?" Moldiver raised her cup to her lips and sipped.
"In a sense. It is complicated. For simplicity's sake, let us say that the three of us are one." She turned her attention to Jeffords. "Your presence here complicates matters, Captain. Our instructions were to pick up Moldiver."
"But the message-"
"Yes. I took the liberty of scanning your mainframe. I will be honest, Captain. There is little you and your men will be able to do against our current...problem.
"How do you know?" Jeffords asked, surging to his feet. "So what if we don't have the level of technology you do. Give us a chance to at least try!"
"Calm yourself, Captain. I am not insulting your people's accomplishments or level of technology. The simple fact is that I am the most powerful ship in the Juraian Navy and I can barely hold my own. In that regard, the most your people will be able to do is die, and be better off for it." Jeffords opened his mouth to protest further when she raised her hand. "Perhaps if I explain our foe." In the center of the table there appeared an image of a white bearded man. One eye was covered with a patch and his beard and hair had been combed into strips which stuck out from his head like a collar. "Doctor Clay. The third most brilliant mind in the known universe." A second image appeared, this one of a creature with a catlike face and rabbit ears. "And this is Ryo-Oki, she's a Cabbit. For years, the only one of her kind. Cabbits, you see, can transform themselves into spaceships many times larger then the form you see before you. In that form, they have access to massive energy reserves, and powerful weapons."
"You speak as though there's more then one now."
"In a manner of speaking," Tsunami said as the images vanished. "Three years ago, as Terrans measure time, Clay obtained a sample of Ryo-Oki's DNA at the request of Lord Daroyn on behalf of the King of the Thaniean Empire."
"But for what purpose?"
"Why else? To-" The floor suddenly and violently heaved, sending them flying onto their backs.
"What the hell?" Jeffords demanded, his sidearm already drawn and primed.
Tsunami got to her feet, staring at the wall. "Damn! We were followed!" The floor lurched again. Then the wall glowed and moments later a man stepped into the room. He was tall, with pointed, elflike ears and catlike features. His skin was a dull gray and hair covered his shoulders, forearms, upper chest, calves and flowed like a mane down his back. A pair of black trunks was his only clothing. But it was his eyes that chilled Jefford's blood. They were completely void of anything except an odd sort of hunger.
Slowly, he looked around the room, and then leapt at Tsunami, only to come up short as Moldiver appeared between them. For a moment he stared and then slashed at her chest. His claws had no effect.
Moldiver's smile was ugly. "My turn." With that, she backhanded the creature across the room. Snarling, he flowed to his feet without using his hands and charged, claws outstretched, howling like a banshee.
Moldiver sidestepped and spun, her claws leaving a diagonal slash across his back, sending tufts of hair to the floor. The creature howled again and leapt at her, both fighters tumbling to the floor, grappling for leverage.
Without thinking, Jeffords lined up his shot and fired three times. The polysteel-ceramic darts covered the ten yards to the creature at 200kps and shattered against his hide.
The creature looked up.
And got his attention.
"Shit," Jeffords swore and emptied his entire clip at it's face, picking targets at random. The creature howled as one dart found it's eye, popping it. Swearing under his breath, Jeffords reached for his spare clip.
Moldiver slammed her claws into the other eye and threw the creature off, slamming him into the floor. And then, without letting go, slammed his head into the deck plates repeatedly. He fell still after about the twentieth time, but Moldiver continued to beat his head against the floor for a good two minutes before finally stopping and falling into a sitting position on the deck, breathing hard.
"What-" the creature twitched and Jeffords reflexively squeezed off several shots at it's head. "What is that?"
"That?" Tsunami asked, moving to stand next to him, one hand pressed to her left hip. "That, Captain, is why you and your crew would be better off dying. That is that the Thaniens do to their prisoners." Some more of the wolflike creatures came in and picking up the body then left. "I believe you Terrans have a saying? Something about a fate worse then death?"
"She was one, wasn't she?" Moldiver burst out. "Mihoshi."
"Yes," Tsunami said. "We restored her as best we could, but there are some remnants. I was not choosing my words lightly when I ordered Makibi to call off her dog." She looked pensive for a moment. "And I have just been left with no choice. Return to your ship, Tsunami is damaged and I must rest."
Jeffords and Moldiver exchanged looks.
"But isn't there anything we-" Moldiver started to say and was cut off Tsunami's raised hand.
"I must rest. Go." Moldiver started to protest more but stopped when Jeffords grabbed her arm and shook his head. So instead she bowed, her wings folding about her and the strips of fabric falling back into place as she straightened. Turning, they walked back across the room to where a man carrying a twisted wooden staff was waiting.
As they left, Jeffords looked back. Tsunami was nowhere to be seen and the tree was pulsing softly with a golden inner light.
********
Rather then leading them back to the airlock that they had first entered from, their guide instead led them to a hanger bay where the Saint Christopher rested on some sort of gridwork. By the ship's hatch, no less then ten Marines waited in full armor, rifles in hand. They were nervously eyeing the two women who stood next to the nearest wall. Like their guide, both held wooden staffs.
This of course, was a two question problem. Question one; why were they there? The answer was simple. The ten Marines were simply a way to say. "You're not gonna get away with any funny business." Such a display was countered with an equal display by the other party to say; "Yeah? Well neither are you."
The second question was a bit more troubling. Were there only two because that's all that could be spared, or worse, because that's all that was needed?
Returning the salutes of the Marines, Jeffords boarded the Christopher and called a meeting of the senior officers.
********
"...And then we came here," Jeffords finished. "I'm still not sure how that creature got on board. Did we pick up anything?"
"Aye, sir. A radar blip rushed the Tsunami's starboard side. Approximately ninety seconds later, we were drawn inside the Tsunami and before the bay doors closed, our instruments recorded a massive surge of some kind of electromagnetic radiation similar but far more powerful then the radiation observed when the Tsunami docked with us. I believe that powerful radiation was a sign of the Tsunami's...stardrive activating."
"So we're traveling interstellar right now?" Jeffords asked.
"That would be a reasonable assumption, sir."
"But where are we traveling too?"
"The Juraian's home system, or as we refer to it, Altais. Apologies were offered on behalf of the Empire of Jurai and Misaki's message came from Altais. It seems logical that the two are one and the same."
"But hold on. Misaki's message had some sort of battle going on in the background. Why would we be heading to a battle zone? Hell, if this ship is the only thing in their fleet that can stand up to these things, why is it even playing taxi service?"
"Perhaps these Thaniens attack in a certain pattern with so much time between attacks. This may be one of those times."
"Or that they need Moldiver so badly that they sent the one ship that could bring her back alive, losses or no," Jeffords said. "We need more information."
"We can't collect that until we reach the battle zone, sir."
"I know," Jeffords replied.
********
Jeffords was in a foul mood.
According to the Christopher's Chronometer, three days had passed since the meeting with Tsunami. Three days and not a peep, despite repeated messages sent through the guards for an audience. To keep the chance of violence resulting from misunderstandings down, the Marines standing guard at the hatch had been reduced to two and were rotated often to prevent boredom from sneaking in. Meanwhile, the same two women were still standing by interior bay doors. Not once had they been relieved. Either the Juraians had a different measurement of time, didn't need to sleep, or the theory that they were all that could be spared was true. If that was the case, their discipline and endurance was incredible.
Sighing, he threw back the covers and got up. Perhaps some reading would help. Picking up his favorite book, he headed down to the rec hall.
As the hatch slid open, he was greeted with darkness. Reaching for the light switch, he stopped when he realized that there was a subtle blue glow coming from the far side of the room. As his eyes became accustomed to the darkness he realized that the blue glow was that of a hologram of Misaki and Moldiver, her wings in what he had come to think of as "cape mode" was studying it. A moment later, he realized that the hologram was being emitted from her open palm.
Softly, he cleared his throat and her head turned slightly in response.
"I'm sorry," Jeffords said quietly. "Am I interrupting?"
"No." She closed her hand, and the hologram vanished, plunging the room into complete darkness. "I was simply thinking."
"May I ask what about?" Jeffords asked as he turned on the lights, wincing at the sudden brightness.
For a moment, it seemed as though she would say nothing, and then she walked across the room to stand before a painting of the Earth rising over the moon. "Have you ever loved, Captain? A love so deep, so powerful, that you go against everything that you believed in?"
Jeffords gave it some thought. "Once. But that was a long time ago. The sea is all I need now."
Moldiver was silent for a moment and then her shoulders sagged. "I am a traitor, Captain Jeffords. For the sake of love, I abandoned Tokyo and it's people to come with you, and given the chance to change it, I would do so again in a heartbeat. But that does not change what I am. Or my selfishness."
Jeffords decided to play a hunch. "It's not selfish to love. But only if Misaki loves you back."
She spun. "How-No...no, it doesn't matter...during the Sakigake's launch, when I was engaged in a battle to the death, I got the idea to go inside the sun. Over the radio, Misaki pleaded with me not to do it. Not to give up my life. He even was willing to give up his dream for me. I went in anyway and there, I saw..." she took a deep breath. "Suffice to say, I survived and emerged victorious. Misaki got his dream and I returned to Earth to wait. He should have been back in three weeks. It's been three years." She whirled to face him. Her eyes once again as cold as they had been on the bridge during the argument with Makibi. "Three years, Captain Jeffords. Three years and all I've had to keep me going is one brief moment in his arms right before the Sakigake jumped." She strode forward and was almost to the door when Jeffords found his voice.
"Wait. The sun..."
She stopped. "What about it?"
"You were inside it. What did you see?"
She turned and looked at him for a moment before replying. "Eternity."
********
Jeffords signed off on the last of the morning's paperwork and passed it to his yeoman before leaning back in his chair. Five days. Five days inside the Tsunami's hold. The crew was starting to get edgy and the Marines had already broken up a couple of fights. If they didn't get to wherever the hell they were going soon, there was no telling what might happen.
At that moment, there was a soft chime and a holo of Tsunami formed next to him.
"Greetings, Captain."
"Minister," Jeffords responded, his words icy cold.
"You have every right to be angry, Captain. My assistant had been keeping your requests from me and I only just now found out about it." Her expression hardened. "I assure you, the matter has been dealt with."
"I see," Jeffords said, but despite his best effort, his tone was still cold.
Tsunami sighed and then brightened. "I thought you might like to see our approach."
"We've arrived?" the Exec asked.
"Yes. We'd have been here sooner, but the...attack damaged one of my thrusters. We have, as you would say, limped back home...such as it is." She gestured and an image formed at the front of the bridge. There in space was a metal triangle, each corner a giant sphere from which bristled tiny cylinders. Connecting the spheres were thin cylinders and tiny lights moved over it's surface with still more lights surrounding it.
"What is it?" Jeffords asked.
"The Kobayashi Maru," Tsunami replied. "Silly I know, but her builder liked the name."
"Oh? Who built her?"
"I did!" exclaimed a high-pitched voice. Jeffords spun. Standing behind him was a young girl, no more then twelve. Her bright red hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore some kind of suit/robe. The pupils of her eyes were red and literally shining with glee. "Is that a fifteen gigaherz chip in there?" She dashed to the operations console.
"Um..."
"Captain, may I introduce Professor Washu of the-"
"But you can call me Little Washu," the girl called from where she was perched on the engineering console, her head inside it. "They called me Washu-chan when I was on Earth, that was ni-wow! Pure silicon! I thought Terrans would be using protein silicon mixes by now."
"Do not judge her by appearance, Captain," Tsunami said softly. "Professor Washu is easily the greatest mind in the universe."
"I suppose it would be too much to expect that she's impressed by the Christopher's technology," Jeffords sighed.
"Only Zero degree cooling system? You got this far on that?" Washu shook her head. "Just when I hoped you humans might surprise me-Ack!" Washu suddenly shot into the air and away from the console. The air blurred and then resolved into Moldiver, who had Washu by the collar of her blouse. "Put me down, you big bully!" Washu snapped, wriggling her fingers. Moldiver released her.
"What the?" Moldiver asked, staring at her hand.
"I just sent a fake message to the nerves in your hand, which triggered the muscles and caused you to let me go." The diminutive scientist's expression became pugnacious and she took out a small remote. "Of course that was just for starters and-"
"Professor Washu, please. They are guests. Tenchi would not be happy with you if you turned her into a Kappa."
"But she-"
"I'm sorry," Moldiver said bowing.
Washu appeared to be thinking for a moment. "Oh very well. You're forgiven." With that, she did a little skip dance and then vanished.
"Again, Captain, my apologies. Professor Washu, as of late, has found it amusing to suit her behavior to her outward appearance." Tsunami pinched the bridge of her nose, suddenly far older then she appeared, shoulders slumped under some immense weight. "It occasionally creates difficulties."
"I would imagine so," Jeffords replied diplomatically, turning his attention back to the view screen more to give Tsunami time to recover then out of curiosity, and was startled to see that the Maru had seemingly grown in size and the lights were now tiny ships.
"For what it's worth, Captain, we are still two of your astronomical units away. Twice the distance from Earth to the sun, I believe. For an idea of scale, each of those spheres is roughly twice the size of your planet Jupiter. The cylinder's connecting them are roughly three times the diameter of Earth. Many of those lights you see are in fact massive battleships and carriers. Quite a few larger then me."
"And that little girl built it?"
"Many things, Captain Jeffords, are not what they seem out here. Professor Washu, for example, is twenty thousand years old. I will meet you when we dock with the Maru in a few hours and escort you directly to the Emperor's chambers. He has expressed an interest in meeting you." With that, she vanished, leaving a suddenly very weary captain.
"I just had to want to go meet aliens," he muttered.
********
Jeffords took one last look at his party and nodded. After much debate among the senior officers, it was decided that the party should consist of himself, the science officer, Moldiver and four marines.
All of them, with the exception of Moldiver, were in their dress uniforms. Jeffords and the science officer in their dress whites, the Marines in red and gold. He had the uncomfortable feeling that they were wearing loincloths to a royal wedding, but it couldn't be helped.
"All right," Jeffords huffed. "Remember, we're diplomats here. Think twice before you speak and then think again. We don't want to piss anyone off." A chorus of "yes, sir's" was the response.
Exiting the Christopher, they found that the two guards were gone and Tsunami was standing there dressed in series of layered robes, hands tucked into her sleeves. There was an odd air about her. She seemed almost...jumpy.
"Ah Captain. Very impressive. Shall we?" She turned and led the way through the corridors. "You'll excuse my nervousness, Captain," she said after a few minutes. "Part of me was left behind when I went to Sol and I'm not quite myself without her. To be this close..."
"I quite understand." Jeffords did not, in fact understand, but he had spent much of his Naval career around diplomats and politicians. It was a useful phrase when being bored with some overly technical weapons or political situation explanation. Or in the case of Tsunami, walking on an emotional powder keg.
A few minutes later, as they approached an archway, Tsunami stopped, turning to face them. "I suggest you all brace yourselves. Juraians favor a slightly higher gravity then what you're used too. It can be a little disconcerting. Also, when you meet the Emperor, you'll be expected to kneel on one knee and perform the First Gesture of Respect for the Higher Ranks.
Fortunately, the Emperor is more cosmopolitan then his court when it comes to Terrans and he will be satisfied with a simple bow. When you bow, keep your hands at your sides, palms pressed against your thighs and bend at the waist at a nintey degree or greater angle. I cannot stress this enough. Without even this minuscule gesture of respect, the court will literally tear you to shreds right then and there. The Emperor is fanatically respected at the moment and those parasites will go to any lengths to demonstrate their loyalty." She let that sink in for a moment. "Currently, the Imperial Court is in formal session which requires the use of certain customs. As I announce your names, step forward and bow as I told you. Make no sudden moves, do not speak, even if spoken to, and make no eye contact with the Emperor or his wives."
The Terrans nodded and Tsunami led the way into through the archway. The shift in gravity was immediately noticeable and the crew staggered a bit before managing to adjust and continue walking, albeit with a great deal more effort. Glancing over at Moldiver, who was at his side, he noticed that her face seemed slightly red with effort. Odd for someone who not only possessed super-strength but could defy gravity at...will? He looked down and saw that her feet were just over the floor, she was literally walking on air. That wasn't effort on her face he realized, but embarrassment that she could fly and they couldn't.
For some reason, that made him feel better.
********
The throne room was magnificent. Massive wood doors opened onto a palatial room, divided in half by a wide creek bridged with stepping stones. On each side, a vast half circle shaped lake and directly ahead, another half circle dais rising out of the water. Twin waterfalls emptied into channels which spilled down the sides of the dais into the lakes. Men and women lined their side of the creek in two groups one on each side, each group two rows deep.
On the dais was a woman who was Tsunami's twin in appearance. Unlike Tsunami, who's hair was tied back, the other woman's hair was a pair of ponytails, extending down from a ball of hair on each side of her head, which was faced with a circle of what appeared to be gold, which framed a large red jewel.
Behind her an elderly white haired man and much younger man, his long black hair tied back, stood side by side. Both were dressed in plain white Shinto priest's robes and wore blank expressions. It took Jeffords a moment to realized that the younger man was in fact Masaki. A strangled gasp from his right proclaimed that Moldiver had realized it too. On the dais, Masaki locked eyes with Moldiver, his eyes widened, and then he smiled slightly and returned his attention to them all, his expression becoming blank. Moldiver let out a happy sigh and then fell silent.
Rising up from the dais, four steps led to a platform. On each side of the platform was a throne. Seated in the one to Jefford's right, a young woman sat. Her purple hair was tied into twin ponytails and her expression was serious, her eyes bright and very alert. Her posture was very formal, forearms on the armrests, fingers loosely spread on their surface.
On the left hand throne, another woman lounged, her blue hair standing up in large spikes. She had one leg thrown over the a chair arm, one arm rested on the other, which in turn held up her head while she munched on some kind of fruit. Her expression was bored and she seemed to be paying them only a cursory interest. Between their thrones, three stairs climbed to an even higher platform where a man who had to be the Emperor sat.
Tsunami gestured them to stop, distracting Jeffords before he could get more then a momentary glance of the Emperor, and then continued onwards to the very edge of their platform. "Special Assignment Minister Tsunami," she said, then, she knelt, her arms out at a ninety degree angle, her head bowed. "I have completed the task set before me, Your Highness." Then she brought her hands together as though praying, the tips of her middle fingers touching her chin. Then, keeping her fingertips together, she moved her palms apart until they were pointed at the floor and then slowly, moved them back to their starting position. Then she rose, lowering her arms to her side, keeping them perfectly vertical, timing the movement so perfectly, that she was standing straight at the exact same time as her hands stopped their movement.
The white haired man stepped forward. "It is the Emperor's wish that you tell us who you have brought before him," he said in ringing tones. "To confirm that you completed your task. You were instructed to bring back only one, yet we see seven."
"The message was disrupted," Tsunami replied. "Only fragments, as I explained in my report, were received. The Terrans have sent aid. May I present Captain Jeffords of the Sol Alliance Ship Saint Christopher and Terran Ambassador." Jeffords stepped forward and bowed as he was instructed. "The woman known as Moldiver." Moldiver did the same. "Science Officer Major Alexander Tarn, Ph.D. and MD." Another bow. "And Master Sergeant Kleppe, First Sergeant Yonge, and Corporals Sommer and Oliver."
"No!" One of the courtiers stepped forward. "He has insulted the Emperor," he yelled, pointing a finger at one of the Marines. "He bowed at a eighty-nine degree angle!"
The old man raised an eyebrow and the green haired empress sat up. The courtiers all edged away from their fellow.
"Lord Collal," the old man began, "your patriotism is appreciated but it is the Emperor's wi-"
"I will not stand by and watch my Lord be insulted!" The courtier yelled and pulled a sword handle. There was a flash of light and then a long glowing blade sprouted from the handle.
"Bloody hell," one of the soldiers exclaimed. "Man's got a friggin lightsaber!"
"For the honor of Jurai!" the courtier yelled and then charged.