Horde Advance Fleet
Deep Space
Z MINUS 67 HOURS, 6 May 2017
Catra's foolishness almost proved to be the end of her. Her ship's sensors had detected the explosions, but her crew barely had enough time to drop out of hyperspace. They caught a piece of the compression wave magnified by the hyperspace corridor as they dropped back into normal space. That glancing blow had been enough to all but cripple the ship irreparably. In the three days since tangling with the Eternia all they had been able to do was stabilize life support for the few sentients like Catra onboard to survive, and repair a few thrusters to stabilize the uncontrolled tumble through space. It took General Rongar those three days to locate her sole surviving cruiser, or so he claimed.
Since the ship could not be salvaged, the surviving crew was evacuated; self-destruct activated, and cast the crippled vessel adrift. As the fleet powered away a small nova briefly lit the night as the ship exploded. The vapor cloud quickly dissipated as the ships jumped into hyperspace in small groups.
Captain Zarin was dispatched with six destroyers to track down the Human starship with orders to follow it. They were after something and Rongar wanted to know what it was. Only after the their plan was fully discovered was Zarin to engage the starship. General Rongar made that exceptionally clear by showing the feline alien his fate if he failed to follow orders to the letter. The sight of Catra writhing in torment on an agony table was enough to convince him.
General Rongar took his remaining ships back to Horde World leaving only a single stealth ship to monitor the Human's solar system. As his command jumped into hyperspace Rongar re-read the message he received yesterday.
Dear Horde Prime,
On 3 May 2017, Earth Standard Calendar, I and several members of my
Crew, were hosted to a meal on board the Horde battleship Hoscar under the
command of General Rongar. I was impressed by your extensive knowledge of
our home, its customs, and cuisine. The champagne was excellent, the meal was
delicious, but your hospitality really sucks!
Sincerely,
Jo-jo Majourny, Captain
Starship Eternia
That infernal woman sounded like she was joking when she asked that Colonel Markson to remind her to send that letter. And here it was. Did she truly not realize the might if the Horde Empire? No. She was quite well aware of it. She just didn't seem to care, though she obviously respected the firepower that could be launched against her single starship. No matter how powerful it was, the Horde could eventually overwhelm it with shear force of numbers. No. This letter came from a starship commander who knew who and what she was dealing with, didn't care, and had nothing to lose while having everything to gain. A most dangerous combination, indeed.
Starship Eternia
Deep Space
Galactic Spiral Arm
Z MINUS 61 HOURS, 6 May 2017
Adrian no longer felt the pull from the armor destined for him to use. It appeared that after the transfer of knowledge and experience before the battle on the Hoscar, and one final meeting the day after the escape, the essence left this world continuing its journey to whatever awaited beyond this life. Captain Hohiro Takamora decided to find out the extent of the gift Adrian had been given.
The drop bay was the only area of the ship meeting Hohiro's space requirement for what he had in mind. Small groups began to gather as Hohiro explored the skills Adrian gained in the transfer. Hohiro was amazed at the wealth of skills gained. Using them took some getting used to, but Adrian was adapting. The knowledge gained contained a fair amount of tactic, which Adrian already knew from lots of reading, and the rest harkened back to the days before the Horde. Nothing there that was useable at the moment.
The crowd really started to grow when the pair squared off with beam sabers. A few worried about either getting injured, but Hohiro was a master and took the session in steps. He also made sure the weapons were powered down to a level that only deliver numbing blows. After thirty minutes of exploring technique, Hohiro decided it was time to try a mock battle. This went extremely well, much better than the training sessions on Earth.
While Adrian had the knowledge and experience of the dead guardian whose name he didn't even know, sorting through it was something else. Many times he avoided numbing contacts by accident. He still tried to sort through the mass of information cluttering up his brain rather than heeding Hohiro's advice to left instinct take control. Hohiro managed to work Adrian into a corner from which it would take a miracle the young man to get out.
That's when it happened.
Backed up to the port side of a power dropship, Adrian had nowhere to go that Hohiro couldn't deliver a numbing blow that would be fatal were the sabers at full power. That left only one option. The crowd fell silent as if a switch had been thrown. The reason was Adrian suddenly changed shape into that of an Alien from the popular second movie in that sci-fi/horror series, scaled the dropship's hull, and leapt over Hohiro's lunge. The nightmare executed a backward somersault, hit the deck in a backward roll ending with the tail spiking the deck to stop suddenly and regain balance. Adrian shifted back to human form with sabers re-ignited and waiting for Hohiro to resume battle.
It didn't. It wasn't often one could surprise a veteran like Hohiro Takamora, but Adrian Cobretti had achieved just that. He just stood there nearly thirty feet away sabers held loosely at his sides, and jaw agape. When he finally found his voice, about the same time Adrian relaxed, he said cautiously, "Do you have any idea what just happened?"
Not entirely sure what the man was talking about, Adrian replied, "What do you mean? You backed me into a corner. I got out of it. The fight continues."
"It's how you got out of it. You really don't know what you did?"
"No." Now Adrian was growing uncomfortable in the silence as the crowd stared at him. Some showed a little fear in their eyes.
"We gotta talk," Hohiro said, closing down his sabers.
Sorceress awoke from her refreshing slumber when her subconscious alerted her to a presence close at hand. Doctor Carter's blurry smile greeted her. "I know you need the rest, but a situation has developed which needs your particular perspective."
Sorceress sat up slightly, clutching the soft furs to her chin. "Why me?"
"It's best if you see it. I'm not sure I believe it myself, and I've seen the footage three times."
Sensing she wasn't going to get any better answers, Sorceress politely asked the doctor to leave so she could dress. Ten minutes later, dressed in the costume of the Guardian of Castle Grayskull, Sorceress followed a somewhat surprised Doctor Carter to the briefing room. He was surprised because he had expected her to dress in the black and gray jumpsuit.
Still not sure what to expect, and resisting the urge to use her magic to get a feel for the emotional tension on the ship, Sorceress was surprised to see Captain Majourny, Colonel Markson, Captain Takamora, and Adrian Cobretti waiting for her. She knew right away something serious was afoot.
"Thank you for coming," Jo-jo replied. "Sorry to disturb your sleep."
Sorceress waved off the apology. "I know you wouldn't have roused me without a good reason."
At the colonel's gesture, Hohiro told the story of his trials. He spoke of the training session to explore the knowledge bequeathed to Adrian. Sorceress listened intently to the entire story sensing the other boot about to drop sometime soon. Her expression changed to one of shock when Hohiro got to the part about the transformation.
"We didn't believe it, either," Colonel Markson replied, picking up a remote, pointing it at the far wall, and pressing the PLAY button. "That is, until we saw this footage shot of the entire session"
The tape had been forwarded to the point just a few seconds before the transformation. Sorceress watched in rapt fascination as Hohiro backed Adrian up against one of the two dropships leaving no avenue of escape. Adrian, however, found one. The Guardian of Castle Grayskull jumped seeing the smooth change to inhuman shape, evasion, and return to human form all in the span of just a few seconds.
After a long, awkward moment of silence, Sorceress finally said to Adrian, "It would appear you have a few hidden talents."
Adrian did not know what to say. He didn't believe what happened until seeing the footage. It happened so quickly and naturally he had no idea he'd done it. All he could do was shrug helplessly.
"Don't let it bother you. When I took over stewardship of Grayskull I emerged from the Pool of Power as Zoar the Falcon. An unnatural feeling, to be sure," Sorceress explained, trying to sooth the conflict Adrian was undoubtedly feeling inside.
"I don't want it, " Adrian declared.
"That's too bad, son," Colonel Markson said sternly. "It looks like you're stuck with it. For whatever reason you have this ability, it will undoubtedly come in very handy in the future."
Adrian snarled, "As what? Your resident monster who can see in the dark? Scare the hell out of the enemy at will? Climb walls and go places the rest of you wouldn't dare to go?"
"That's not fair, Adrian," Jo-jo put in. "We all accepted this mission. We knew there might be unknown side effects to accepting the armor."
"And where the troops would invite me to eat with them after our battle on Rongar's ship, they now shun me as a monster," Adrian spat.
"No, they don't. I could order them not to, but I don't need to because they don't," Hohiro replied. "We know the six of you are going to acquire abilities beyond our understanding. Beyond yours, even, but we are here to help understand and master those abilities. Our very survival will depend on it."
"You have a destiny that goes far beyond being the jet engine mechanic always wanted to be," Sorceress replied. That statement cut through all the arguing. "Our individual paths currently follow the same course. Much as I would rather be back at Castle Grayskull among familiar surroundings, I know my place is here. For most of us here, we chose this path. For the rest like you and me, this path was chosen for us."
"If you had doubts, why didn't you voice them before we left?" Captain Majourny asked.
Adrian looked her square in the eye and pointed the frozen image on the monitor. "Because they were dispelled. Until now."
Council of Elders
Location Unknown
Z MINUS 54 HOURS, 6 May 2017
Kodec Ugnor waited impatiently for the others to arrive. The arrogance of the Elders was rapidly reaching an all-time high. Kodec and a junior member by the name of Corwin stood in a pitch-black chamber where the only light was the blindingly white circle in which they stood. Neither was sure just how long they had been waiting past the time Kodec called for the meeting. Both were pretty sure it was approaching two hours by the human system of time keeping.
Corwin looked nervous. "Do they intend to show up, or not?"
"Patience, my friend," Kodec replied. "It's only a test."
"Of what?"
"Their arrogance versus our nerve."
Over a dozen circles of light became materializing in from of the pair. It was impossible to judge the distance in the inky blackness, but Kodec guessed it at about ten meters from the semi-circle. Fourteen cones of light appeared in all. In those circles was one elder sitting cross-legged atop a fifteen foot white pillar. Of these core members, eight were male, and six female. Members like Kodec and Corwin was added later to increase their sphere of observation in the universe.
"This is highly irregular, Kodec Ugnor. For what reason have you called this meeting?" the bald man in center of the lineup said tonelessly.
"Thank you for coming so promptly, fellow Elders," Kodec replied, voice almost dripping contempt. "The matter I have called you here for is of the utmost importance."
A female to Kodec's left responded, "There are many such matters demanding our attention."
"This one involves the Humans and their attempt to revive the Guardian armor. While I do not know the exact location, they are approaching two solar systems where I believe their journey will end. They need a sign. Something, anything to help guide them to their destination."
"We can not interfere. We have already done what we can in spite of your continued predilection to helping them," a male on the right pointed out.
Corwin saw no change in Kodec's features at the pronouncement of her continued involvement. If anything, she appeared to have expected it. "They have been given a time limit to find the armor." Kodec explained.
"We know," a male on the left, said. "They will succeed."
"Not if they don't find the planet in time," Kodec countered angrily. Could these…people…really not see the necessity of the moment? Had they really become so blind?
"Come now, Kodec," the balding Elder in the center, acknowledged leader of the council, chastised. "You yourself advocated for using Earth as the place to plant the seeds of rebellion. We acknowledge the humans there is likely the nexus legend speaks of that would prove the downfall of the Evil Horde. You also said they are very resourceful, resolute, and determined."
"They will learn, adapt; that is their greatest advantage, you said," another Elder reminded Kodec. "With all these traits why do you still find it necessary that we help them? They near the end of their journey, and the beginning of another."
"Their mission will be recalled if they do not locate and acquire the armor by a specific day and time, by their method of time-keeping," Kodec reminded them pointedly.
The Elder to Kodec's far left spoke next. His deep bass voice resonated clearly throughout the area despite his soft speech. "If such and order was given by their politicians, do you really believe Captain Majourny would obey it? You vouched for her having a firm grasp of the seriousness of the situation they face. Have you changed that opinion?"
"I have not," Kodec replied, keeping her voice neutral. "However, I find myself wondering if all of you truly grasp the seriousness of the situation. You allowed Horde Prime to grow as powerful as he has. It was you who had to come up with the power swords, and then took a piece of each member put together in a sphere of magical energies to power the swords. And now even that is not enough."
"Enough, Kodec. We are all aware of the situation, but we do not have the resources with which to combat the Horde. Alerting Horde Prime to our continued existence will undermine what we are doing," another Elder elaborated. "That is why the revelation of the Sorceress' existence is now a dangerous quantity that must be dealt with. We feared she would not have the strength to use the armor effectively."
The reference to the Sorceress sent a shiver down Kodec's spine. "What do you mean by that?" When no answer was forthcoming by any of the fourteen being facing her, Kodec began filling in the blanks. "You intercepted the Eternia while it was traveling back from the future. You added information to the ship's computer core, which you knew would entice the humans into taking action. But you suppressed all the memories of the Sorceress being here and being briefed on the current state of affairs in the galaxy deep in her mind. Why?" Kodec thought a moment, though she already knew the answer, the horror of it was almost too much to bear. "You did something to her, didn't you?" No Elder moved to contradict the near accusation. "What did you do?"
"This meeting is over," the Elder in the center of the assembly declared. That statement alone was all the admission Kodec needed.
The council disappeared one by one in rapid succession, save one. A relatively young man not much older in appearance to Kodec herself stayed around long enough to issue the barest of nods before disappearing.
"That could have been better," Corwin remarked sourly.
Kodec wasn't listening. Her thoughts raced furiously on several different points. How to get the Eternia directed to the right planet before their deadline. Figuring out just how far she could push her own involvement before the Elders are forced to take action against her. And most important: finding out what they did to the Sorceress before leaving her and the Eternia for the earthers to find two years ago.
"Hey! What's this?" Corwin said suddenly. His exclamation drew Kodec out of her dark contemplation.
"What is it?"
Corwin picked up a simple folded piece of paper. Kodec looked on clamping down on her impatience as he slowly unfolded it. What they discovered confused them, at first. Then the realization of what they had been given finally dawned on the pair.
The race was on.
Starship Eternia
Twin Star System
Galactic Spiral Arm
Z MINUS 50 HOURS, 6 May 2017
"Well, there it is," Ace sighed. "Looks kind of beautiful."
What Ace referred to was the twin solar system they were currently scanning from half a light-year away. The eighth planet in the system was in fact a blazing sun like the system's primary. Its moons orbited like a miniature solar system. The effect reminded Jo-jo of earth's system, specifically the moons of Jupiter. That only increased their problem. This was obviously their destination, however, Sorceress and the others had no idea which section of the system was the target world. If the system hadn't been a twin binary, it would have been far simpler to scan the planets in that fertile belt where planets orbited in the specific distances from the sun to support life.
With two suns, there were approximately five planets identified by their recalibrated sensors to search. With the Guardians unable to pinpoint anything more than this system, their task just got a lot harder.
"Anything?" Captain Majourny asked Sorceress.
She slowly shook her head, hands clamped tightly together and hidden under the feather cape. "No. I can sense the armor, but I can't communicate with it. The pull is much stronger, but I still can't pin it down to a specific planet, or moon." She didn't add her reluctance to use her magic. She tried that once. The result was being bed-ridden for up to fifteen hours.
Jo-jo pursed her lips. There was just under fifty hours left to them. They could start a systematic scan of the planets, but that would eat up valuable time. If they guessed wrong on, say, the first two worlds, there wouldn't be enough time to scan the rest and still make the deadline. And then there was the Horde fleet she knew was tracking them. Once they had their sensor array recalibrated into top working order, they discovered a ship traveling through hyperspace left a signature wake. That wake quickly dissipated, but not before it could give a directional bearing.
"Ace, engage the sub-light engines. Take us in at half speed," Jo-jo ordered. She absently watched as McCloud and Comorov worked together to get the powerful starship pointed toward the target system.
Sorceress had turned to leave, but a question from Jo-jo stopped her. "If you had to guess, a gut instinct, where would you search?"
Sorceress closed her eyes and concentrated on the yearning pull of the mystical armor. She forced her way past the pain to see the solar system in her mind's eye and let her instincts direct her to the most likely place. "The moons. Start there." She left before anyone could ask further questions.
"You heard her, gentlemen. Head for the eight planet." Captain Majourny rose from the captain's chair and headed for the lift. "You have the bridge, Ace. I'll be in my quarters if anyone needs me." She was gone before the acknowledgements were uttered.
The door chime sounded thirty minutes after Jo-jo returned to her quarters. She reviewed a few notes before calling a couple people to her quarters. "Come."
The door slid aside and in stepped the Sorceress followed by Doctor Carter. Sorceress once again had her hands hidden under the feathers by crossing her arms below her breasts. They waited for several moments as Jo-jo stalled looking over a few reports.
"You wanted to see us, captain?" Doctor Carter said, knowing full well what this was going to be about.
"I had a rather interesting conversation with Doctor Joanna Frazer. She called to see how the Sorceress was doing. At first I thought it had to do with the injuries suffered when we blasted our way off General Rongar's warship." Jo-jo paused to let that sink in before continuing. "After she told me the reason for her inquiry I find myself wondering when the two of you were going to tell me."
"Doctor/patient confidentiality still applies," Doctor Carter replied.
Jo-jo rose from her seat. "Not when it concerns a member of my crew." She turned her attention to Sorceress. "How long has this been going on?"
"Since a few months after arriving on your world," Sorceress responded, unable to meet the captain's piercing stare.
"Which explains your reluctance to use magic lately. If I understand the nature of your armor, it enhances your magical abilities. How much have you deteriorated?" When Sorceress withdrew her hands from hiding Jo-jo could clearly see they were shaking. "So the first time you use the armor could be your last. How is the pain?"
"Manageable," Sorceress responded, hiding her hands again. The look in her eyes said otherwise.
"Doctor Frazer came up with a treatment to slow the degeneration, and a drug for the pain. However, the more she uses her magic, the worse it gets," Doctor Carter elaborated.
Jo-jo dreaded the answer to her next question, but it needed to be answered. "How long?"
"The deterioration is happening regardless of whether or not magic is used. Using magic simply accelerates the process," Doctor Carter replied.
"The result leaves me very weak and bed-ridden," Sorceress added. "There is also the pain from the damage to my nervous system."
"That isn't what I asked, doctor," Jo-jo said evenly.
"If the Sorceress refrains from using magic heavily as she did on the Horde warship, another year. Eighteen months at the most," Doctor Carter reluctantly answered.
Doctor Carter opened his mouth to elaborate on how the deterioration would continue up until Sorceress finally died, but Jo-jo held up a hand. "Don't elaborate, doctor. I don't intend to find out how awful this condition will get. Can Grayskull heal you?"
She had been giving that a lot of thought. "Possibly. I won't know until I get inside. A lot has happened, most notably that I maintain my human form outside its walls without the aid of a magic crystal. That's just one of a few questions I need answered."
"Is the use of magic the only thing that accelerates the degeneration?"
Sorceress nodded.
Jo-jo sighed heavily, and returned to her seat. "Very well. I want you to refrain from using magic. Conserve your strength. Continue your training with Captain Takamora. We will proceed as if nothing is wrong for as long as we can. Agreed?"
Both nodded their agreement. Sorceress looked relieved. "Thank you, captain," she said. She turned to leave, but stopped at the door. "Captain, there is the possibility the armor may prolong my life long enough to hopefully find the answers I seek in Castle Grayskull."
"Yes. I was just thinking about that. But there is no sense getting your hopes up until we know for sure," Jo-jo cautioned.
"Of course. Thank you for your time," Sorceress replied, this time, leaving the captain to her concerned thoughts.