Epilogue;
The light sound of his boots hitting hard floor echoed down the long corridor of the hidden base he had been left directions to go to.
He'd heard rumours about this place during his work with the ISO in Ameris yet nothing ever confirmed it existed. That was until the day he learned of Uncle's death at the hands of his enemies.
He didn't know how to feel when he heard the news delivered to him by his secretary.
"I'm sorry to tell you this, your Uncle Nambu was assassinated by Galactor…the Science Ninja Team failed to reach him in time…" She said.
Anguish…Anger, sadness, neutral…all of these varying emotions went through him until he stood there on a dark night watching the uncle he barely knew being lowered into the ground surrounded by his own team. The same ones who failed him when he needed them the most. Tears stung his eyes yet he refused to allow the tears to flow and lose the moment he had before him in wallowing anguish.
The sweetness of finally being in the presence of the ship he spent years yearning to see in real life, not just in glimpses on the TV news, was enough to overwhelm him on its own.
Failed…they failed his Uncle… that's all he could think about as he silently watched each of their faces at his funeral. That's when he decided when he got the chance he'd disband the current team, even after their success of destroying the satellite he didn't feel he could totally trust them to protect him if it was needed. And he would one day need protecting since his ambition to become the overall Chief of security of the new federation looked promising at the conference in Geneva.
Rounding the corner he stopped to turn on the lights of the auditorium.
The soft humming sound of the rarely used florescent lights broke the silence that had fallen once he stopped walking. The ceiling of the launch bay rose up so high the light didn't even reach the heights of the cave. Closing his eyes he allowed the anticipation of the moment to take hold of him, opening them he wasn't disappointed with what he saw. His eyes fell on the most famous ship in the world. The blue ships with its red high lighted thermal paint, warn from extensive use, yet it still held its magnificence. The sleek slightly bent nose of the ship and its side pods fascinated him from the minute he saw the blue prints of the God Phoenix in his uncle's lab.
He wondered why they didn't keep with the vehicles that transmuted after all it made more sense to him to have the team ready at a seconds notice. And the absence of the firebird mode on the Gatchasparten could have been the end of them if he hadn't talked his Uncle into adding it a few weeks before his death.
Uncle Nambu was a genius but it was his amulet… not his Uncle that saved them in the end. Then he came up with the idea of the teleportation device linked in with their bracelets and the automatic firebird mode... And then the incompetents lost it the amulet! Letting fall to the bottom of the deepest part of the ocean in the world. And with the blueprints for it destroyed at the former Mountain Base he had little hope of working out how his uncle implemented its connection into the ships systems to execute it.
It worked and that's all he ended up knowing about it since the team couldn't recall any other details after they landed in middle of the ocean.
Slowly he walked up to the ship, reaching up to run his hand down her side. He felt the ripples of thick paint under his hand of ship that knew combat well- each ripple told its story of war, defeat and victory over incredible odds.
Closing his eyes he imagined her in flight… The deadly swiftness and she struck out against a mecha of superior intelligence, and yet in Firebird mode she became a graceful yet toxic force against any who dared get in her way…
"I'll create my own team…one worthy of flying you…" He said opening his eyes he looked up at the clear glass dome and imagined it opening up- there they stood in full birdstyle waiting for action. Then he pictured them sitting in their seats waiting to launch out of this cliff top cavern, out across the ocean turning upward into the open blue skies above…them his dream changed to the new better and more superior underwater base he intended to build for the new federation.
Centre Neptune has a good ring to it he thought. He had the funding for the project through his late Uncles will, and he intended to make good use of it.
He already started forming the dream when he saw the team for the first time in full birdstyle. He didn't like Gatchaman despite his lofty principles. He had too many rough edges for his liking with his other team mates, and the infighting he heard about amongst them didn't fit his ideals of an obedient successful force against evil. He thought about their last victory, and it felt hollow to him since Dr Nambu wasn't here to rejoice in it.
His newteam would be more submissive than the previous, and have better grounding. He knew war would come again one day…after all they were combing a new frontier and who knows what would be waiting out there for them…
He knew what the skills his future team would posses, and he saw it in two little boys with cybernetic implants. Mark and Jason…All he had to do was get the parents out of the way. Not in a sadistic way like killing them he'd never stoop to that level…Murder belonged to organisations like Galactor. It would be a gradual process of influence, and getting Joe Asakura to take up a Command position was a good start.
He still had to deal with the Butlers, since Jun and Ken were easy to get rid of since they had very little influence in direction of his life anyway. When Gatchaman's resignation finally landed on his desk he accepted it knowing he would stay in Utoland and worked out far better than he could have planned sending them all off into out space. It wasn't really his idea to separate him and Jun- that was the military's way of thinking eh couldn't care less if they were together on missions.
In all he cared about the Earth and the human race and felt the needs of the many out weighed the needs of the one.
He would find a way over the years to minimise Marks adoptive families influence in his life. All he had to do was win their trust, and being Dr Nambu's nephew, and he knew how to do that. He loved his planet, and his deepest desire was to serve the people, to do that he knew sacrifices had to be made. Nothing ever worthwhile ever happened without personal sacrifices.
"Dr Anderson." His secretary addressed him from the doorway of the launch room holding up a mobile phone. "I have an urgent call for you…"
"It can wait a minute." He told her looking back at his prize. "I'll simply call you the Phoenix…in honour of your past…By the time I'm finished with you…you'll be as good as new…and feel loved again with a new commander at the helm."
Walking away from the Ship Dr Anderson left the base with a clear vision of the Earths Future and he liked what he saw…
* * * *
At the same moment on a remote planet…
The lights in the empty room switched on…Gellator knew his victory over the people of the planet of Spectra was complete…they were at his mercury and he found delight in taunting them on a daily basis. They wore the uniforms of the slaves from his home planet of Selector. Sighing heavily his victory became hollow when it was destroyed by an asteroid. The resources he faith sent back to his home planet had all been for nothing and now he was left on this depleted rock! And to make matters worse his brother failed to secure Earth, and was defeated himself at the last minute.
Not that he liked his brother much- the moron was to bent on destruction of a valuable resource for his own planet, when he pointed this out to him in a communication line, he simply snubbed him over it. Telling him all he cared about was revenge and that meant killing all of them. Gellator didn't care about the humans…he cared about the minerals, the gold, the natural occurring gasses on the planet…he wanted to raid it for his own conquest.
"Aluminous one… you call for me?" His current young teenage servant bowed before him. Why the insisted on calling him that name he couldn't recall, but then it had been 2 thousand years since he became their divine leader.
"Zoltar…it appears the Earthlings have decided to expand their boundaries…" He said evenly.
"Sire…that is what our satellites say from our eavesdropping on their communications." He responded politely.
"Watch them…observe them…and when the time is right…we strike! After that Spectra will be saved from disaster… your people will no longer be starving." Gellator promised. He knew how to motivate these weaklings into doing his bidding. Zoltar held some promise, the first a thousand years to be his best obedient puppet. Most of his chose underlings rebelled and tried to outsmart him, wasted talent, he thought absently.
"In honour of my late brother's sacrifices… you will wear this." His light indicated to a purple outfit with a pointy mask sitting in the corner. Zoltar's face held a distained look, but he didn't protest. The boy knew not to from the untimely deaths of countless others in his position before him.
"Anything for you my lord." He bowed again, and then picked up his new uniform and left the room after Gellator dismissed him.
A storm is coming planet Earth…Gellator sent his thoughts out into the universe. In a split second he saw a man with stormy grey eyes staring back at him…challenging him to battle. Soon…he promised- you'll all know who I am soon. And you appear to be a challenge. He lusted to control the mind of this man- he would make a powerful servant. Gellator could feel his power radiating from him. I'm a storm…a subtle wind in your face for now…you'll know me when I chose for you to know me. And with that he switched off, and began to rest and plan and to wait and prepare for when the time to strike and add to his conquest of planets…
Two illuminating eye's set their focus on the resourcefully rich planet Earth…Watching…waiting…watching….waiting…
* * * *
"Ghosts of the past" is a bridging story for this series. Its in 3 parts, I'm currently working on the rest of the series that spills over into Battle of the Planets, its just weaving it's cannon into my own plots that take the time. Thank you for reading this series and I hope you've enjoyed the journey so far!