Chapter 22
How Iscandar Became The Center of The Side of Light
Royal Palace
Iscandar
Time Unknown
Michael Garibaldi paced around the room like a caged lion. Despite being in space for most of his life, he hated closed in spaces. He thought of himself as somewhat of a claustrophobic, but he was able to handle it. Besides, he had more things to be scared of in his life, especially letting himself get out of control. Starsha had asked him to come to her office after the meeting to explain why she allowed Deslok to bring his forces into the fight. It seemed to be the height of stupidity, but he had been outvoted in the matter.
Starsha walked into the room, and Garibaldi was reminded of Talia, a woman he had an interest in years ago. He shoved down the memory as she made her way around the desk and sat down. She indicated that she wanted him to sit down as well and he obliged her. Garibaldi came straight to the point, "Listen, you may know this guy, but I think it's a bad idea to bring him on our side, especially after he bombed Wildstar's Earth almost into oblivion just so he could take over the joint."
Starsha was unfazed, "Doesn't your world have a saying, 'Desperate men do desperate things'.? His race was dying."
Garibaldi glared back, "Lady, I've been in law enforcement for a hell of a long time, so I know all about that. It's no excuse for what he did."
"I know it's not, Mr. Garibaldi, but at least let me explain why I chose to let him join with us."
Garibaldi ran his hand over his baldhead, then looked at her again and said, "Well, I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, so let's get on with it."
Approaching Gamilon/Iscandar system
2201 AD
Deslok and his ragtag fleet approached their homeworld for the last time. He had planned to hold a memorial ceremony for those lost, then see Starsha on Iscandar before heading out in search of a new homeworld. He walked onto the bridge, and the crew acknowledged his presence. "Hail, Leader Deslok," they all said. Talan, his chief aide, came up to him and gave him the latest, "We are now on final approach, sir."
Deslok nodded and replied, "It's been nearly 15 months. This will be the last time to see my great planet Gamilon." And Iscandar, too. Starsha, I've not forgotten about you. You are the one I miss most., he thought.
As they made their landing, Deslok saw something was amiss on the surface. Talan saw it at the same time. "What's that," Deslok said to no one in particular. He soon saw what it was. Some alien race had trespassed on his homeworld and has started to mine the planet. Deslok raged, "How dare they desecrate our mother planet! Fleet to battle positions! Form up behind my flagship and open fire!"
General Dada raced to the bridge from his office, and saw that his chief of Gamilon mining operations, Ladra, was on screen. "General Dada! Emergency contact! We have a situation on Gamilon, General. Our fleet has been attacked by an unknown enemy."
Dada was not pleased by this news, and belted out, "What?" Ladra continued, "The battle rages on even now, sir." The general didn't take long to decide on what to do. "Defend yourselves as best you can! Reinforcements are on the way!"
A Dark Nebulan cruiser came over head through one of the openings on the upper crust and headed down to strafe Deslok's ship, but the ship missed hitting his vessel and hit the main mining vessel, causing it to crash into the main refinery and setting off a chain reaction. Deslok bellowed out a desperate order, "Retreat! All ships pull out!"
Within moments, to his horrified eyes, he watched his planet blow up. It was a miracle that he'd managed to pull the fleet out in time, but he fell to his knees at watching his homeworld erupt in a massive fireball.
"Gamilon...our mother planet...is no more...it was fated to be so. But I did not expect such a cruel ending. I didn't know such a day would come!"
It was then that Talan cried out, "My lord, look! It's moving! Iscandar is moving!"
Deslok's fleet tracked the planet. Hours later, they were still trying to contact Starsha and Alex Wildstar. "Still no contact from Iscandar"he asked Talan. "It's coming through now, Leader Deslok. I have them," replied Talan.
Starsha and Alex Wildstar came onto the screen. Starsha began to speak, "Deslok! I didn't know if you were still alive!"
"Very much so, Queen Starsha! You must leave Iscandar while time allows! You and Alex Wildstar are both welcome aboard my ship"
Starsha looked skeptically at him and asked, "Are we?"
Deslok nodded and looked eager, "Believe me, Starsha. I only want to aid you as a friend and neighbor. No more, no less."
Starsha replied, "Thank you, Deslok. I hardly expected such a favor, but I cannot leave my planet."
Deslok was perplexed, "Iscandar is gathering speed. You are nearing a warp curve!"
"I am aware of that, Deslok, but I was born here and have lived here all my life. I share the feeling you had at the end of Gamilon."
Alex then spoke up on her side, "We've decided to stay, Deslok. If you meet my brother again someday, please tell him we lived happily."
Talan cried out, pointing at the planet, "Look! Eruptions!" Deslok replied, "It begins! Iscandar's accelerating! The space curve is turning over! It's warping!"
Talan asked for instruction, and Deslok commanded, "Calculate their warp
trajectory and follow them! And inform Earth of the situation.
Prioritize the message for Derek Wildstar and the Star Force."
They tracked the planet as it came out of warp, near a massive nebula. They reached Starsha and Alex again, and Alex said, "Deslok! He came after us!"
"Starsha! Give me permission to land! I won't allow you to die! You must come aboard my ship!"
Alex turned to Starsha, "He's right. We have to go! But I won't leave without you!" Starsha simply said, "No. Deslok, you must leave at once!"
Deslok was becoming frustrated, "Listen to me, Starsha! I---" A blast to his ship interrupted him.
A crewman cried out, "Enemy fleet approaching!" It was the Dark Nebulans, coming down to attack his fleet and take the planet. Cries came out about the status of the ship: "The launch pad is hit! Second gun turret is hit!" Talan said to his master, "My lord! Half the fleet has already been disabled! We're being surrounded!"
Deslok cried out, "All ships return fire at once and follow me to the surface! We'll make our stand in the sea around Mothertown! Launch the Deslok space mines---put a layer of them between us and the enemy! Do it now!"
The mines hindered the Dark Nebulans little, and soon they were making their way to the surface. Deslok ordered his ships to open fire, and they made their last stand on the world.
The battle was turning against him fast, and he asked, "Still no word from Yamato?"
"Not yet, sir," said a crewmember.
Deslok whispered, "They got the signal. They'll come," as Talan yelled out, "The enemy fleet has broken through!" Deslok looked up at them and said, "So...this is the end!"
It was then Talan spotted them, "Wait! Look! Yamato! The Star Force has come!"
Yamato was able to force the enemy fleet back into orbit, and the battle continued there until Iscandar warped again. Both fleets frantically tracked and warped to intercept. Another battle ensued, and Yamato was able to wipe the rest out with their wave motion gun shortly before Iscandar warped again.
Hours later, Yamato tracked down Iscandar, which had finally managed to warp into a stable area of space. Sandor stated that he didn't think the planet would warp again, and Homer contacted Starsha and Alex on the surface. They tried to get them to come to Earth, but had no more success than Deslok. It was then that the message was interrupted by a massive warp field. Eager cried, "I've got a signal warpin' in, Wildstar---a big one!"
A massive black space fortress came out of warp, and they received a signal from it, "Greetings, brave people of Earth! You have fought well, but now I claim my prize! Planet Iscandar belongs to the Empire of the Dark Nebula."
Derek responded, "Dark Nebula? It was your fleet that attacked---"
The Dark Nebulan interrupted, "Yes! I intend to utilize its ore, the Iscandarium. Do not attempt to stop me again!"
Talan spoke up, "Leader Deslok, you heard?"
"Every word, Talan! They are the ones who destroyed Gamilon---the Dark Nebula Empire! We will avenge our mother planet! All troops to battle stations!" Deslok sent his ships to attack the massive fortress, but the Dark Nebulans repelled them. "Order all remaining fighters out of the firing line and bring up the Deslok cannon!"
When the cannon was ready to fire, Deslok grabbed the trigger and cried out, "And now, at last, for Gamilon! Fire!"
The massive blast of energy had no effect. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHA," maniacally laughed Dada, "How utterly pathetic! You thought you could damage Goruba with such an inferior weapon! Watch, now, as I keep my promise! Equatorial cannons, take aim! Fire!"
A massive blast drove down into the planet, blasting out massive chunks of rock that rained down on Mothertown. Alex and Starsha huddled to avoid the falling debris inside the castle.
Dada announced again, "Farewell to the lovers! Watch closely, people of Earth! Our next shot will end their pain forever!" The cannon began to power up again, and Deslok made his move, "All engines full ahead! Ram their cannon barrel!"
Before they could get off a shot, Deslok's ship lodged itself inside the cannon. Deslok called to Yamato, "Wildstar, here me! This is your only chance...I've made Goruba vulnerable. Fire your wave motion gun, now!"
Derek hesitated, and Deslok continued, "Don't you understand, Wildstar? I love Starsha! I do this for her!" With much reluctance, Derek powered up the gun, but before he could fire, Starsha asked him to stop and she sent out a communication, giving the planet to the forces aboard Garuba. She said that Alex and her would leave Iscandar.
Starsha brought forth her infant daughter and handed her to Alex. "Goruba's descending. We should hurry!" Starsha replied as he entered the ship with their daughter, "No matter what happens, we'll always be together. You believe that, don't you? Always?"
"Of course. What's the matter?"
"Take care of her, Alex.," said Starsha, who pressed a button, closing the door and locking it on the ship. "Starsha! Open the door! What are you doing?"
Starsha pressed a button on a nearby console, and the ship launched into space. "Forgive me.," she said, as she made her way down deep into the castle.
The ship was picked up by Yamato, and when it docked on board, Derek and Nova raced to meet them. "A-Alex, where's Starsha?"
Alex looked at his brother, and he knew right then what was about to happen as he said, "She...isn't coming. We're on our own now."
That's when the blast wave hit the ship. Starsha triggered a massive bomb deep inside the planet, which took out Goruba. Yamato and Deslok's remaining fleet escaped harm by having pulled away earlier. Deslok cried out, "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO," as he saw the planet go up.
Royal Palace
Iscandar
Garibaldi watched as the video display ended, and his jaw was visibly open. "Well I'll be damned. But how are you here, as well as this planet?"
"In another timeline, the Legendora pulled me out of the timeline as I was setting off the self-destruct sequence. They managed to yank another Iscandar from another and bring it here to serve our purposes. That is why I renamed the capitol Queentown, because it isn't like the one of my time."
Garibaldi paced around the room and there was silence for a while. Finally he said, "I have to admit. I don't understand any of this. But you've convinced me that he's on our side, so I'll drop my objections."
Starsha nodded, "Good. We need unanimity on this, Michael. We have to be united against the Ragendora, because they will try anything to destroy all of us, including creating division."
Garibaldi paused again, "But why are you doing this?"
Starsha sighed, clearly not comfortable telling him the secret that she had found out. "The reason I have joined the fight, and why the others should, is that the Ragendora were the ones responsible for the plague that took my people. They also aided the Shadows in creating the plague that took over your world."
Garibaldi shook his head, clearly stunned at what he was hearing. "You mean, the Shadows didn't create it?"
"Oh they created it, all right, but it was from the same formula that was used against my world. The Shadows were the masters of the Drakh, and, long ago, the Shadows were the servants of the Ragendora!"
"Who knows about this?"
"You, now, along with Alex, Valen, Sakai, Marcus, Sisko, Genon, and Sasha. Franklin and Bashir have discovered a link, from what I understand, but they don't know for sure."
Garibaldi walked over to her desk and sat down in the chair again, clearly upset with all that he'd heard. "But what of the Vorlons?"
Starsha nodded, "According to Genon, the Vorlons were a race nurtured by the Legendora. They were brought about to eventually take over the galaxy, much like your races did when you threw out the Vorlons and the Shadows."
"Will they return?"
Starsha looked at him and said, "I do not know, Michael. I honestly do not know."
Material used from Starblazers Comics 2-5, The New Voyage Parts 1-4,
by Argo Press