In Memory of Leiji Masamuto (1938-2023)
For Freddo (1962-2023)
Chapter 32 - Case Full of Thorns
December 25th 2204 – Caledonia – 2045 hrs
High above in the upper exosphere of Caledonia, Orbital Spaceport 3 shone brilliantly like a chandelier in the night sky. Its pyramid-like glass structures sparkled from the building lights within and its branching moors were dotted with red and green navigational lights. If looked at from a distance, one might call it a crown that sat on top of the tropical paradise below, welcoming visitors and assuring them of their safety.
However, the beauty of the station was somewhat marred by the sight of the enormous grey and red hull of the Audacious which was jutting out of one of its mooring berths. The Andromeda-class battleship did fit into the port's parameters, but it looked completely out of place. Especially in comparison to the smaller Earth warships and the few civilian Garmillan vessels neighboring it which docked nicely within the station.
Inside the mess hall of the Andromeda-class battleship, Ensign Johanna Gibson blew gently into her cup of hot chocolate as a soft jazz instrumental of 'Jingle Bells' played from the ship's PA speakers. She waited as the thick brown liquid swirled from her breath, and quietly took in a sip before looking out of the window next to her.
She was currently alone in the gallery as one of the select few among the Audacious crew who had to stay aboard and operate the berthed vessel. While some would find the isolation unpleasant, especially on such an occasion, the black-haired girl was most content with the role since she was able to let her social guards down and enjoy herself. In this case, this came out in her choice of dinner: Hot chocolate with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Not like there's anything wrong with that, she quickly corrected herself. It's just that apparently the social norm around here is to have a denser meal for dinner. Yes, I must not forget that.
Nodding contentedly to herself, she took a delectable bite of her sandwich, followed by another and another. Until suddenly, it disappeared from her hands. Slightly stunned by her own hunger, she looked down.
"Hm," Johanna let out, "That's… not normal."
It was at this point that the corners of her feigned smile began to feel heavy again. In response, the ensign quickly shook her head and picked up her mug as she turned to look out of the window again at the planet below. However while her action succeeded in distracting herself internally, the reflection of her face betrayed her by showing otherwise.
As Johanna took another sip of her hot chocolate, the quiet of the cafeteria was suddenly disturbed when she began to hear the semblance of an argument coming from the corridor outside.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" said a voice that sounded a lot like Chief Engineer Fujimoto. "Forcing all the crew members on the planet to return back to the Audacious?"
This immediately got a reaction from the ensign who glanced toward the nearing voices in surprise.
"At this rate we've got no choice!" exclaimed another voice, this one she recognized was Hobbs. "With both the Captain and the Flight leader still missing along with that damn Zalti girl. I rather have everyone that is not part of the security detail to be confined to the ship to prevent further disappearances."
Zalti girl?
As she suspected, this had something to do with the disappearance of Anika. Contemplating briefly to herself, Johanna made a decision and scooted silently to the tables nearest to the doors.
"I understand that, but I'm not sure if it would be wise to recall them back this hastily," argued Fujimoto. "Such a mass movement of personnel back to the ship is bound to leave cracks in our security."
"All the more to get them back onboard," insisted Hobbs. "If any of the perpetrators dare attempt to enter this ship, they'd be hard pressed to find anything but a set of cuffs and cell waiting for them in the brig. Rest assured, the security measures we already put in place to deal with the already known threats will-"
Suddenly, the voices cut. Johanna felt a sharp breath escape her, followed by a gulp. Did they notice she was eavesdropping?
Cautiously, the ensign took a slow glance toward the mess hall door windows and saw the heads of the two senior officers motioning to each other. They didn't seem to be looking in her direction-
With a thud, the doors of the canteen swung open before the ensign could even react. Widening her eyes as she heard the boots of someone walking in, Johanna hastily lowered her head and assumed the most natural posture she could as she trained her vision on the cup in her hands.
"Ensign Gibson."
"Eep!"
Johanna covered her mouth as quickly as the undignified sound had left it. However surprisingly, the voice that called to her was not from either of the earlier officers. Wait. Oh god, that was a greeting. She'd recognise that exceedingly formal voice from anywhere.
"Captain Nerge," she turned with a nervous smile. "What a delightful surprise."
Turning around, she was indeed met with the blue face she expected looking down at her, his sharp gaze just as imposing as expected.
"Is it?" the ex-imperial asked. "I was under the assumption it was still the stipulated meal time."
Crap.
"Yeah no… I meant I was surprised to see someone with your work attitude here," Johanna replied with the sheepish rub of her head. "You are usually… quite focused when on duty."
The Garmillan officer stared at her, giving her a few moments to relish what little of her nerves she had left. Eventually, he shook his head dismissively.
"Nonsense," he stated before heading to the O.M.C.S. counter. "Regardless of their stature, all officers need time to refill their energy."
Johanna let out a sigh of relief as Nerge's back faced her. It seemed like the robot's focus was more set on resupplying than on her.
"Is this a common conception among Earth's people?" Nerge continued, causing Johanna to wince. "That those who work hard don't need to care for themselves?"
Nevermind.
"Uh, no. Not really," Johanna replied as her eyes shifted away. "But I guess some people think that having any level of personal comfort means they're not putting in their one hundred percent― not that that was what I was thinking of you of course."
"I see, that is a way of perceiving it."
Hopefully it was, Johanna couldn't claim to know people's thoughts well.
"Is that why you chose to not go down?" Nerge asked.
Johanna's head jerked up upon hearing his response.
"N-No? Why would you think that?" she asked with a feigned chuckle as she turned to look at him over her shoulder. He still seemed to be waiting for his food.
In response, the ex-imperial guard gave her a look.
"Considering how stressed you looked whenever we worked together, I figured you would be eager to accept shore leave the moment it was given. Since you didn't, I assumed there must have been a reason."
Johanna felt the edge of her mouth twitch. She was definitely not ready to address that particular statement, or rather the implications that came with it. Curses, was her fear around him that obvious?
"H-How about you sir?" she hastily deflected, picking up her mug as if to drink from it. "You've also been hard at work, why haven't you gone down?"
At the same time, Nerge's packed meal rolled out of the O.M.C.S counter.
"Me?" he asked with the curious perk of an eyebrow.
"Mm," Johanna continued. "Have a grudge against sand or something?"
Nerge picked up his package and eyed it for a moment, his body staying still as a statue as he did so. Oddly enough, the usually impeccable Garmillan was taking a while to respond.
"Nothing of the sort," he replied. "My presence is simply… unwelcome in such a place."
"Unwelcome?" Johanna repeated.
But when she turned around, she found the imperial officer quietly taking a set of cutlery from the counter, his hands clinking among the forks and spoons until he got a pair out. The way he stood was odd. It was still straight as always, but something felt off. Like his head was slightly lower than it usually was.
"Excuse me Ms Gibson," he said with a nod as he passed by behind her. "But I have somewhere to be."
"O-Oh. Sure…"
With that, Johanna watched Nerge leave through the mess hall's doors just as promptly as he had arrived, leaving her alone yet again in the empty cafeteria. However as she eyed where he had been, she couldn't help but let out a sigh.
"Ever the conversationalist I suppose," Johanna mumbled, before turning back to take a sip of her drink.
But before she could relax, the doors opened again, this time with a slow knock. Flinching, she turned her head to see Lieutenant Hobbs at the doorway.
"Ms Gibson, are you done with your meal?"
It took Johanna a moment to register his words. Had he been waiting outside until Nerge left?
"Y-Yes sir," she replied standing from her seat. "Do you need something from me?"
"I need a three-way private link set up in the communications room," the security head explained. "To Commander Vivian on the Manchester and Lt Cmndr Olson on the ground."
She felt her head raise at the two names. Suddenly, the cloud of hesitation around her disappeared as she remembered the problem at hand. Blinking to reset, she quickly gave her answer.
"I'll have it ready at once sir," Johanna replied with a determined nod. "Give me a moment."
With a quick chug of her drink, the young ensign dropped off her still half-filled cup at the dishes bin and followed Hobbs out into the corridor. While she was still a little curious about Nerge's words, it'd appear she'd have to leave that for another time. For now, figuring out Anika's whereabouts was the priority.
"I see, so that's the current situation…"
Inside the communications room a few minutes later, Hobbs, Johanna and Fujimoto grimaced as they watched the concerned image of Commander Vivian at his desk put a finger to his chin in thought. Upon contacting the CO of the flotilla, Hobbs and Eddie had debriefed him on the details surrounding the disappearance of the trio and were now discussing their follow up investigation.
"And you're certain that cufflink belongs to Lieutenant Asuka?"
"Yes sir," the XO's voice replied, coming from a blank microphone image next to him. "I've confirmed its authenticity with the crew members involved in the play, apparently it came in a set along with his costume."
"What about your investigation of the captain's room?" Hobbs asked, his arms folded in slight impatience. He was seated right in front of the screen, in front of Johanna and Fujimoto who were for now only there to observe. "Were there any spy devices?"
"Nothing of the sort," Eddie's calm voice replied again. "The security team has already combed the area multiple times over to make sure. We also checked the hotel's security feed of the routes leading out of their room from the time we arrived in orbit till the captain and Ms Welmer left for their outing. The only visitors their room got were the medical team that brought him there as well as Kudo of the Ikazuchi and Wells of the Thunder-Child. All of which were our own personnel so it's unlikely their destination was compromised from there."
"That's assuming there were no such devices among their personal effects," The security officer stated with silently gritted teeth.
As he did this, the British commander on the screen paused as he let out a slow breath.
"How much do the rest of the senior officers on the ground know about this?" asked Vivian, looking up as he did so.
"I've kept them out of the loop for now as I wanted to get more information before making any hasty moves," Eddie replied. "Whoever's behind this may be watching the party for our reactions so I figured I should check in with you first before notifying them."
"Commander," Hobbs added after the XO finished. "I recommend we immediately recall the crews or at least the commanding officers back to their ships for safety. There's a possibility they targeted as a distraction to take our-"
"Now hold on just a second Lieutenant," Vivian stated sharply.
The security officer flinched, but did as instructed. At the same time, the rest looked up in surprise. The British commander on the screen paused as the rest waited for him, seemingly thinking to himself as he held his chin.
"How long has the captain been missing again?" he asked slowly.
Hobbs paused.
"He was last seen five hours ago according to Commander Wells' account," he answered slowly before raising an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?"
Crossing his arms, the image of Vivian leaned back in his seat as he tilted his head.
"Isn't it a bit premature to assume that the captain has been kidnapped so quickly?"
Hobbs' eyes went wide.
"What- sir you can't be serious!" the security officer exclaimed, almost slamming the dashboard as he got up from his seat. "Have you not been listening to the evidence we've presented?"
On screen, Vivian let out a soft sigh and pulled in his seat closer to his desk.
"I have Mr Hobbs," he replied, pausing briefly to look through his notes on a tablet next to him. "But if we look at what you've gathered, all we know is that Commander Lee and Lt Cmndr Welmer went out for an outing once the former recovered from his exhaustion and failed to return to the hotel by the time the party started. Given that context, five hours isn't a lot of time for what they might want to do and it's very likely they could have simply lost track of time. You do recall this might be one of the last few days Ms Welmer will be with us right?"
"What about Lieutenant Asuka's disappearance then?" Hobbs pressed. "He had plenty of responsibilities on hand with the party, even being in costume when he presumably went to stalk them. Are you saying he abandoned his duties completely to chase some gossip?"
Vivian didn't respond to his question immediately, instead lowering his head as he considered his answer. But before he could, he noticed something behind Hobbs.
"Ensign Gibson, do you have any insight into the matter?" he asked, causing the girl to flinch.
"I- uh."
Immediately, the rest of the room turned to the black-haired ensign who froze with her hand half-raised. In particular, she hesitated at the presence of Hobbs who she could tell was getting increasingly annoyed.
"Without giving too many details to protect their privacy," Johanna began, focusing her attention on the friendlier Vivian. "Lieutenant Asuka contacted me this morning to help with a personal situation between the captain and Ms Welmer. It ended up resolving itself so we didn't do anything, but he was clearly concerned about the two and was observing them because of that. It's possible he was doing something similar here."
"Then what about the signs of struggle Lt Cmndr Olson and my team found?" Hobbs stated, his fierce tone causing Johanna to flinch. "Are you saying that their assessment was wrong?"
"N-No but maybe the two caught sight of him?" she hastily replied.
"Mr Hobbs, that's enough."
In response, the security head gritted his teeth and swung back to face the screen.
"Sir with all due respect, it is my duty to ensure the safety of this crew and ship and right now there is a clear threat to our security that I cannot ignore."
"Yes and I understand that," Vivian replied, speaking with a level tone. "Which is why I am not going to ask that you stop your investigations or any precautionary measures you might want to carry out. Despite what I've said so far, I do agree that some suspicion is warranted."
"Then?" Hobbs let out, earning a glare from Fujimoto.
"Though that is the case," Vivian continued patiently. "I still cannot in good conscience give out an order to the rest of the task force based on a situation that's still hypothetical. There is just not enough evidence to support the jump between their absence and a kidnapping. Remember we are still on someone else's soil right now, if we pull any big moves without proper grounds to back it up there will be diplomatic consequences."
Hearing the British commander's words, Hobbs growled as he gave them thought and curled his fists. Behind him, Johanna gave Fujimoto a nervous glance as if to urge him to say something. However the chief engineer seemed content remaining silent.
"What are your thoughts Commander Olson?" Hobbs finally spoke up, his voice now calm as he turned to the microphone image that represented Eddie. "I can't help but notice you've been silent throughout most of this conversation. How do you think we should proceed?"
In response, everyone in the room turned to the blank image in anticipation of the XO's answer. While Vivian still had the ultimate authority over what they could do, Eddie's opinion would still hold influence over the decision since he was next in command after Jonathan.
Slowly, after a few moments passed, the newly minted commander behind the microphone let out a sigh and began giving his response.
December 25th 2204 – Caledonia – 2105 hrs
"So what now?"
Thoma's head cocked to the side as he watched Eddie step out of Jonathan and Anika's hotel room, leaving the wooden door behind him to close with a chunk. Letting out another sigh, Eddie leaned back against the wall of the corridor.
"We continue tracking down the captain," he replied, closing his eyes as he rested his head. "I have another subordinate working to track the three's communicator signals. In the meantime, Ensign Gibson sent me a list of restaurants from Ms Welmer's notes that they might have gone to. Unless they came back to the party, the three of them are bound to have found somewhere to eat."
The blonde officer paused at his statement.
"You don't sound convinced."
Eddie glanced back at Thoma in response.
"If the pair had met up with Lieutenant Asuka, I really doubt they'd have lost track of time," the XO explained.
"Because we know he left the party in his suit, and they would have seen it if they met up with him."
"Precisely."
Thoma folded his arms with a small frown.
"If that's the case, has Commander Vivian given us the go ahead for more serious precautions? It really sounds like our suspicions are becoming more true by the moment."
"Not until we confirm the disappearance of their communicator signals," Eddie stated. "We… have to still consider Earth's image while being here."
"I- see, politics huh?" Thoma replied, prompting a small empty smirk from the XO.
"Yeah," he chuckled before rubbing the cynicism off his face. "Anyway, since we both agree that searching for the trio in restaurants is not ideal, I was thinking we could use this downtime to go over what we know again and see if there's anything we missed."
Thoma lifted his head in response before putting a hand to his chin in thought.
"Hm, about that, there was actually something that came to mind while I was waiting for your meeting to end."
"Oh?" Eddie let out. "Do tell."
"It's about our current understanding of what happened on the beach," he explained. "From what we gathered, we believe that Lieutenant Asuka left the party to go watch Commander Lee and Lt Cmndr Welmer until a certain point where we suspect he was attacked."
"Yes, the signs of struggle we found at the edge of the jungle seem to support that theory."
"But if that were the case," Thoma continued as he narrowed his eyes. "How did the two commanders not notice the ambush that was coming for them?"
Eddie paused at the statement. It was odd. If Kaito had encountered and fought with their kidnappers in the jungle before they had captured the two officers, then they would have had time to fight back or at least react in some way due to the inevitable sound. Though it was difficult to tell in the darkness, they were certain there wasn't as much of a violent struggle on the sand as there was at the spot Kaito was, which means either Jonathan and Anika had surrendered or they were somehow knocked out before they could do anything.
"Perhaps they were held at gunpoint?" Eddie suggested. "Maybe the kidnappers hadn't planned on encountering Asuka in the jungle and ended up being forced to take him hostage to persuade Commander Lee and Ms Welmer to come with them quietly."
"If they could do that then I don't think the Lieutenant would've been able to struggle as much as he did," Thoma said with a shake of his head. "At least without bloodshed."
"But there were no traces of blood or a gunshot so I think we're safe on that front," Eddie murmured, holding his chin in thought.
He considered the possibility that Kaito had instead walked in on Jonathan and Anika after they were ambushed, but that didn't line up with how long he had been absent from the party for.
"Could they have been distracted by someone else?" he added. "Perhaps from the beach?"
"That… seems rather unlikely," Thoma replied. "I doubt the captain and Ms Welmer would be absentminded enough to get captured by strangers in the open. Unless…"
"Unless?" Eddie repeated, turning to Thoma in curiosity.
"They had some way to pacify them?" the blonde officer replied. "Some kind of sleeping gas maybe?"
"With the sea breeze blowing that would be too dangerous for them," Eddie said with the shake of his head. "I think our would-be kidnappers would have wanted a reliable, quick capture. If they were to use a sleeping agent, they would have to administer it from up-close."
"Which brings us back to our previous question," Thoma confirmed. "How did they approach our two commanders without seeming suspicious?"
Eddie lowered his head in thought.
"A disguise… then? Someone who looked so non-threatening that they might lower their guard," he murmured. "Or the opposite perhaps."
Thoma raised an eyebrow.
"The opposite?"
"I mean, they were in a pretty isolated portion of the beach late in the evening," Eddie explained. "If beach security approached them saying they weren't supposed to be there, they might have panicked and tried to pack up quickly…"
"Leaving them open to a surprise attack," Thoma finished, causing both of them to pause.
For a moment, the lights above them in the corridor flickered- though neither seemed to notice.
"It's… not impossible," Eddie murmured, breaking the silence as he folded his arms and furrowed his brow. "Both the captain and Ms Welmer do get flustered fairly easily outside of their duties. But such a hypothesis would be… difficult to test."
"Especially with no evidence," Thoma added thoughtfully. "Is there any way we can get the local security to work with us on this?"
"It wouldn't be hard to schedule a meeting with Governor Mathis since I have to follow-up some admin details with him," Eddie replied. "But as you said, without evidence I am quite hesitant to get anyone involved. The last thing we need is another person hounding us for-"
Suddenly, the sharp ping of Eddie's communicator cut through the room, causing both officers to jump. Realising what it was though, the XO let out a sigh and gave an apologetic wave to Thoma before stepping away to take the call.
"Olson here," he said, flicking the device open. "Go ahead."
"Sir, it's me. I have a lead on tracking the commanders' communicators."
"Already?" the XO let out with widened eyes. "Which ones?"
"I only managed to get a lock on the captain's unfortunately," the crewman replied. "Though… that might not be the biggest issue, all things considered."
Eddie paused.
"Why do you say that?"
"Well- the signal's coming from in front of the hotel sir."
The XO felt a pit open under him.
"…What?"
December 25th 2204 – Caledonia – 2112 hrs
Jonathan found himself staring down the entrance of the Caledonian Hotel they had been staying at. It was a single high-rise building that was a mix between cozy and exotic, with a sandy brown exterior that was peppered with crawling vines and flowers.
Through the sliding glass doors upfront, he spotted a number of Cosmo navy officers leaving what looked like a function room to the right side of the lobby, the doors of which were decorated with fairy lights and wreaths.
That must be where the party is, he thought.
Gripping his bag strap, he tried to ignore the rogue sensation of the device in his ear that reminded him of the situation he had been placed in. At the same time, his fingers unwittingly slid up to touch the button-like shiny object that was attached to his bag's strap, however they quickly shifted away as if they weren't supposed to.
Slowly, he took in a deep breath and took a step forward into the hotel, letting the cool air-conditioned air blow past him as its glass doors slid open. However, just before he could turn into the function room, he was interrupted by a loud voice that caused him to freeze.
"Captain!"
When Eddie had called out for Jonathan, he had basically done it out of instinct the moment he left the elevator and spotted the bespectacled commander in the lobby.
However as he rushed over and got a better look at his face, he realised that it had contorted in shock.
Something was wrong, he realised.
Immediately, he mentally switched gears and slowed his rushed pace to a walking one- which caused Thoma behind him to almost trip in surprise.
"S-Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you sir," the XO chuckled as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly upon reaching speaking distance with the captain. "It's just that we were looking for you since you didn't show up to the party on time. Where have you been?"
That seemed casual enough, Eddie thought to himself as he watched for his commander's reaction. He threw a quick glance to Thoma, hoping the security officer would get the memo.
"O-Oh, right. My bad heh," Jonathan replied with a guilty chuckle and grin, drawing his attention back to him. "I.. was out building sandcastles with Anika on the beach and might have turned off my communicator for a bit. Hope you weren't too busy while I was gone."
"No no not at all!" Eddie laughed. "I was just finishing up some admin work and wanted to talk to you about some things..."
As they continued to make small talk, Eddie found himself cursing at the back of his mind. He really wanted to just let everything out and ask Jonathan outright about what was happening. Where was Anika? Where was Kaito? Was he alright?
No, he thought to himself as he steeled his expression. Calm down, there's still a lot of things left unexplained about this situation. Best not to jump the gun.
He observed the captain as he spoke.
"S-Speaking of which," the XO finally said. "Where is Ms Welmer? Didn't you say you were with her at the beach?"
He watched Jonathan pause for the smallest of moments in response to his question.
"Oh yeah, I forgot to mention," he replied leaning to the side a bit as he gripped the strap of his bag.
Briefly, something silver on it glinted under the ceiling lights.
"She won't be able to come to the party," Jonathan continued, drawing the XO's attention back to him. "We met one of her old friends on the way back from our date so she's out to have dinner with them."
Eddie's eyebrows raised.
"Oh?"
"Yeah," the captain continued. "One of her old schoolmates apparently. We talked together for a bit and planned to go out for dinner- which was why we lost track of time. But then we realised we had promised Kudo and Wells that we would show up so I…"
Listening as Jonathan continued his explanation, Eddie narrowed his eyes as he continued observing the captain. He wasn't talking unnaturally per say, but his head was leaning slightly toward his strapped shoulder- a habit he hadn't seen before.
Before Eddie could think about anything else however, he noticed Jonathan tap his finger a few times.
Pap pap pap
His mouth creased. Was that some sort of signal?
He glanced back to meet Jonathan's eyes. The captain was looking right at him with a firm expression as he spoke; it was not unlike how he had turned to face him on the bridge over the past few months during battle.
"Also," he added slowly. "I need you to help me call down a shuttle. There are some things I realised I forgot to settle back on the ship."
It had to be a signal.
"Oh? That shouldn't be a problem," he replied. "Does Ms Welmer know about your plans though? It would be a bit rude to leave her here."
His eyes shifted back to the captain's fingers momentarily. This time, instead of taps, Jonathan shifted the tip of his finger sideways a few times as if he was drawing lines.
Zzt zzt zzt
Lines? Eddie thought. Then if that's the case- perhaps the previous taps were dots?
"Y-Yeah," the captain replied, drawing Eddie's eyes momentarily. "Although I should be back by then. She said she'll be coming back quite late."
As the captain spoke, he continued to rhythmically tap the strap of his bag softly, switching between the two different actions.
Pap pap pap
Zzt zzt zzt
Pap pap pap
Morse code! Eddie realised, barely hiding his shock. Simultaneously, it appeared that Jonathan had noticed the XO's understanding and immediately began tapping in a new pattern.
I see, so that's what's happening. Eddie thought as he hardened his feigned smile.
The message was clear:
SOS. BEING WATCHED.
December 25th 2204 – Rebel Flagship Ehrenfalz, Caledonia – 2112 hrs
Unbeknownst to Eddie, back at the unknown location Jonathan had left from, Martell and his own XO stood at the middle of their flagship's bridge with commlinks in their ears as they watched a feed of the conversation play on the main view screen.
From their perspective, they could see Jonathan talking to him through the glass entrance from the outside. But due to the angle it was being taken from, they could only see the XO's face.
"Hm, interesting. Not quite the person I was expecting," Martell smirked as he observed Eddie's features.
"What do you mean?"
The punkish rebel turned to his XO who had glanced at him inquisitively. He was another Zalti with spiky hair and rectangular glasses. Similarly, he wore the brown second-class military uniform, though unlike Martell he lacked a coat.
"I pegged the captain as the strong headed emotional type who needed to be reigned in by someone on the colder, more logical side, Alan," he explained with a gesture of his hand. "From what Idele said about his interactions with others as well as talking to him myself, he seemed like the kind of person who'd go where his heart sends him. And usually for someone like that, they'd have their weaknesses covered by a second in command who complements them, whether by their own volition or orders from up the chain."
His XO raised an eyebrow.
"But?"
In response, Martell turned his attention back to Eddie's face on the screen.
"Mr Refreshing here seems to be anything but that," he said thoughtfully. "Logical perhaps, but certainly not cold, the type whose strength is in the sensibility they bring."
Alan paused at his statement.
"Perhaps your time would be better spent making sure your field team is ready," his XO frowned as he adjusted his glasses. "If you're going to spend all this time making compatibility theories rather than making sure the captain stays on script."
His response prompted Martell to give him a shrug.
"Come on Alan, when it comes to these sorts of things you can't be too uptight," he jested as he put an arm over his XO's shoulders. "Look, I've got a pretty good understanding of this guy. He isn't going to sacrifice the opportunity he has here nor his girlfriend."
"As much as I would like to believe you, your understanding isn't a replacement for proper planning," his inquisitive second in command stated before lowering his voice. "We're already taking a big risk as is doing something like this sir, we can't afford to get careless again."
Martell narrowed his eyes at the comment. Instead of fighting back though, the rebel commander instead moved away from his XO and crossed his arms as he looked back at the screen with a sigh.
"I know Alan, I know," he muttered plainly. "Don't worry. I've got it handled."
But before his XO could say anything else though, the two were interrupted by the opening of the bridge's doors and they turned to see Dani entering the bridge with a tablet in her arms.
"Oh Idele!" Martell greeted, his face brightening by a smidge. "You're back. How's our guest doing?"
Dani closed her eyes.
"About as well as expected," she sighed as she walked up to the two commanders.
Quietly, she took a look at the screen in front of the bridge.
"What's happening on this end?"
There was a small pause as Martell observed her for a moment. Though she seemed to be focused now, there were small red marks along the sides of her eyes that hinted at her previous emotional state.
"The captain just gave his reasoning for their absence and confirmed a ride back to his ship," the punkish rebel explained as he took off his earpiece and handed it to her. "So far his XO seems to be buying it."
"I see."
The Alterian slipped the device over her ear and proceeded to observe Jonathan as he handed Eddie his bag. As she did, a ping was heard from the communications console which prompted the officer manning it to turn to Martell to get his attention.
"Sir, hangar crew says your team and transport are ready for―"
However, the rebel leader put a finger to his mouth to stop her and shook his head before turning back to watch the grey haired Alterian.
"You sure you don't need this back onboard?" Eddie asked on screen.
"Yeah it's fine, I'll only be up there temporarily anyway. Afterwards I'll be coming back here to stay the night."
The XO glanced at the duffel bag in his hand.
"Hm, we'll if that's the case, you might want to spend some time clearing up this misunderstanding with Hobbs. He's been…"
"Did we search his bag by any chance?" Dani asked.
Martell lifted his head at her question and glanced at Alan who paused.
"Of course. We checked it the moment they arrived on this island," he replied, watching her as she eyed the screen with an unnerving intensity. "Other than his communicator, clothes and other amenities, there wasn't anything else of note inside."
He waited for a response.
"The Terron XO seems to be putting a bit too much focus on the captain's bag," the grey haired girl murmured, eyes still locked to the screen. "He's looked at it at least four times now… There's also a strange scratching sound in the background."
"Scratching sound?" Martell repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"Nevermind, it stopped."
Alan furrowed his brow as Dani took off the earpiece and pulled her hair to the side. Onscreen, it appeared that Jonathan had finished talking to his XO and was now heading into another room. But as he replayed the previous few seconds through his earpiece, he recognised what she was referring to.
Zzt pap pap.
"Did we mess up the microphone placement?" he asked.
"Perhaps, but it could've also been some sort of code."
Dani's answer caused the XO to stiffen immediately and turn to Martell.
"Should we confront him sir?"
"Hm…"
Tapping his finger with his arms crossed, Martell took a step forward closer to the screen.
"Comms, do we have any eyes on the inside yet?" he asked.
"Yes sir, switching now."
The screen flickered to an image of the candlelit setting filled with round dinner tables around a stage. The room was filled with people, all focused on the actors that were currently onstage playing out some sort of traditional performance involving melee weapons. At the back, Martell could make out Jonathan moving around.
"Idele," he said after a while. "I want you to take over the rest of the surveillance operation."
Immediately, both Dani and Alan widened their eyes.
"Me?" the Alterian let out. "But I'm not…"
Her statement prompted Martell to turn to her.
"Trained?" he finished. "That hasn't stopped you so far."
Dani paused at his remark and looked down as she thought to herself. Her eyes shifted from side to side for a moment before she creased her lips and looked back up.
"Alright, I'll see what I can do," she replied before turning to the comms officer. "Would it be possible to wire this feed to one of the private rooms and give me a line to the ground teams?
"I can make the preparations for that now. Just ping me from there and I'll send it to you."
"Will do."
With a small bow, Martell and Alan watched as the grey haired Alterian left the bridge the way she came. Once the doors closed behind her, Martell turned his back around and put a hand on his XO's shoulder.
"I know what you're thinking Alan," he whispered next to his ear. "But I need you to focus on commanding the fleet. She has what it takes."
His XO eyed him for a moment.
"No need to tell me," the bespectacled rebel sighed begrudgingly, swatting his hand away as he made his way back to the head of the bridge. "The only concern I have is that if you keep pushing her like this she is going to crack."
Martell smirked at his comment.
"You're a good man Alan," he chuckled as he closed his eyes and turned to leave. "But in this case you don't need to worry."
"And why is that?" his XO asked, though his head still faced the front.
Martell stopped as he reached the exit of the bridge.
"Do you stop a caterpillar from going into chrysalis?" he smiled rhetorically, before the doors slid close behind him.
Down a few decks below some time later, the ship's interior rumbled softly as a Garmillan shuttle launched from its launch bay.
From one of the isolated quarters' square windows, a certain auburn haired Zalti watched from her seat on the bed as the craft's glowing purple thrusters disappeared over the silhouetted treeline in the distance. She grasped a little tighter onto her legs in response, pulling herself into a ball and lowering her head as she closed her eyes.
Just then, a soft ping played over the room's speakers. Her eyelids flickered open.
"It's me, Anika," a quiet voice sounded from the other side.
She paused at the statement, glancing at the door briefly before frowning as she turned back to the window.
"I didn't know you needed a prisoner's permission to enter their cell," she muttered.
The voice remained silent at that.
"I'm guessing you haven't eaten yet have you?"
The plate she was referring to sat with its plastic wrap untouched on a table next to the door.
"Well," she continued, realising Anika wasn't going to answer. "I figured I should let you know I got moved over to take care of your boyfriend. I'll be doing my best to keep him out of trouble."
Anika scoffed silently as another strand of hair fell over her face.
"Is that all you came here to say Dani?" she murmured as she turned downward. "Because if you're looking for small talk I'm not in the mood right now.
In response, the intercom went silent.
"I don't- want things between us to be left like this. Once I'm gone I doubt we'll see each other again."
Anika felt a chuckle escape her lips.
"There's not much to say is there?" she said quietly. "You've betrayed everything we used to stand for."
"…and what was that supposed to be?"
Her words drew a sharp breath out of Anika.
"Peace! Dani!" she exclaimed as she got up from the bed and stepped toward the door. "We got treated poorly but that never meant we had to treat them in the same way they treated us! We forced ourselves to be better because that was the only way we could reach their hearts! Even if it was going to be a slow process we still strove onward because that was the only way to bring about a lasting change! Have you really been so brainwashed that you've forgotten all that?"
"Anika, I've never been brainwashed. And I've never once betrayed any of those principals."
Her response caused Anika to grit her teeth.
"How could you say that while holding a gun to my head and forcing my friend to do your bidding?!"
The door suddenly slid open and before Anika realised what was happening, she felt a hand grab her collar and let out a grunt of pain as she was shoved backward onto the ground with a thud. In the instant that followed she saw a flash of her friend's face right above her before she felt a cold metal barrel planted into her mouth.
"Is this what you wanted?" Dani stated as she stared emotionlessly down at her.
Anika widened her eyes as she felt her throat tighten at the foreign object in her mouth. She tried to move her arms, hands or anything to get her friend off of her. But all that resulted in was more weight being planted on her and she let out a squeak of horror as she met her friend's colourless eyes.
"You said that I was holding a gun to your head," Dani said as she firmly pressed more weight onto her pistol, her grey hair falling over Anika's face as she held her position. "But I don't think you know what that really feels like."
Anika let out another gasp as she struggled to breathe. Her eyes darted to Dani's, but she paled when all she saw was a deep black.
"Well? Aren't you going to reach out to me?" her friend asked her with a low, slow voice. "You don't need violence to protect yourself, that's what you said correct?"
The Zalti could only let out a whimper as she felt the barrel of the pistol get pushed further up the roof of her mouth.
"Well?" her friend asked again. "We used to be friends for years, there must be something you could say to get me off you."
Anika felt tears escape her eyes as Dani pressed the pistol painfully up again.
"WELL?!" her voice echoed throughout the room.
In the moments of silence that followed afterward, warmth streamed down Anika's face as she shut her eyes in preparation for the worst.
But just as she expected another sharp pain to be pushed into her, she felt Dani's pistol relieve its hold slightly and she opened her eyes to see her friend above her with a sombre look on her face.
"It's painful isn't it?" she smiled lightly. "This was the first thing the folks in the imperial guard tried on me when I told them I wasn't an Alterian dissident."
Anika could only meet her eyes with fear. Even though all malice seemed to have disappeared from Dani's face, her finger was still dangerously close to wrapping around the trigger.
Seemingly reading her mind, her friend's smile faded.
"The next thing they did was release me, saying my sentence would be lessened if I admitted my wrongdoing now since losing my home planet was punishment enough. Of course, I didn't because I knew I had done nothing to deserve any of this," Dani continued, glancing down. "I told them: ask Mr Langscroff! My respected commanders! They'll tell you- show you the kind of person I am!"
She let out a dismayed chuckle.
"And then they repeated the cycle," she smiled, straightening her back. "Because all they saw…"
Dani wiped two fingers slowly over the red markings on her face, before giving a pained grin and a shrug.
Anika widened her eyes at the gesture.
Pausing for a moment, Dani finally pulled her weight off of her and removed her weapon, leaving her on the ground sputtering and coughing from the sudden release in pressure as she got up and holstered her weapon.
"You might now ask how I'm any different from that man who tortured me," she said as she locked her pistol in place and turned to look at her. "And you know what, maybe in your eyes, we may be indistinguishable. But at least I'm doing it for the right cause. And I know when and where to draw the line."
Anika barely got out her reply between coughs as she sat up.
"I- I never knew… I thought- you were just transferred away."
"I don't blame you."
"But… even if that was the case," Anika murmured as she weakly rubbed her neck. "You can't justify everything your group has done based on that. It's an endless slope."
Dani frowned for a moment as she lowered her head, before turning back to Anika with a smile.
"I know. And perhaps one day I'll pay for that," she replied. "Just not right now."
Anika met Dani's eyes once again. This time however, she knew perfectly well who she was looking at.
"I will stop you," Anika stated, holding her throat.
Dani eyed her in response, before turning to leave with her hands in her pockets.
"No you won't," she replied. "At the rate this war is going, there won't be anything left of the empire to fight over."
Glancing over her shoulder, she gave Anika a cold glare.
"So maybe beat the Gatlanteans first, then we can have another talk."
Finishing her sentence, the door closed behind the Alterian with a hiss, leaving Anika on the floor to drop her hands in silence.
A/N: Blows out the cobwebs and restarts the systems. Man it's been almost over two years since I last updated this huh? Sorry for the very long delay as my proofreader/co-writer and I have been really busy these past few years. Me being stuck with my part-time diploma while working. But don't worry, we are not planning to cancel this fanfic. In fact, Chapter 33 is scheduled to be released soon this December. We both have been working on this story as much as we could. But this chapter and the next one had a ton of rewrites as both are very linked together. As the two chapters set the stage for the rest of this arc's plot with intricate detail, we needed to get everything right before proceeding towards the climax. Progress is still slow but it's getting there.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Space Battleship Yamato franchise which aired the first episode of the series on October 6th 1974, helmed by both Leiji Matsumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki. The rest is history as the franchise became one of the most influential and iconic pioneers of anime sci-fi, inspiring later legendary works such as Mobile Suit Gundum and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Even the author of the recent 86 mecha anime/light novel series also highlighted Space Battleship Yamato as one of her most favorite works.
For me I was only introduced into the franchise via Yamato Resurrection (2009) and later Series 2 with the Comet Empire. It wasn't until the live action film adaptation directed by Takashi Yamazaki of Godzilla Minus One fame where I finally got interested to see the original first series. My most memorable memory was probably the scene where Kodai and Yuki lament the destruction of Garmillas where the former comments that "Victory tastes like ashes". A very haunting and bittersweet scene that has stuck in my memory in which the remake has yet to fully recapture. That sense of utter despair of being forced to commit unintentional genocide as an act of preservation or defense. Man… that was tough to watch. 2202 was close but it was bogged down by other things.
Personally, looking through all of the Yamato series and films that were made in the past fifty years. I still think that the 2199 series is as a whole the best one of the lot. It just has the right balance of everything that makes the franchise as a whole tick while not being hampered by some troublesome trends of the past that haven't aged well. If you want to introduce anyone into the Yamato/Star Blazers franchise, I think it's the best one for them to start.
For the present and the future of the franchise, well 3199 has aired and so far I really liked the first two episodes and I am excited to see where it goes from there provided it saves a certain character from her tragic and unnecessary canon death. In addition, during the special airing of the 50th anniversary Yamato film marathon in Japan, it was recently announced that Hideaki Anno of EVA and Shin Godzilla fame and Yutaka Izubuchi of 2199 are officially partnering together to create a brand new Yamato anime that would be separate from the current remake series! To say I am very hyped would be very understated as it would hopefully bring some fresh ideas and new material to the franchise aside from remaking older stories. Perhaps a long awaited sequel to Resurrection? Who knows? I can't wait to see it!
As earlier stated in my author notes for Chapter 4 of Star Blazers Arethusa, this chapter is also dedicated in memory of super SBY fan and veteran fanfic author Frederick P. Kopetz, also known as Freddo, who passed away exactly one year to this day of release after battling with cancer on 12th October 2023. To my fellow fanfic author, thank you for your kind words and feedback in regards to my fanfic. You will be sorely missed within the SBY community and I wished you could have still lived a few years longer to see the completion of my current stories for both Audacious and Arethusa. (sad sigh)
Well I hope you enjoy this spicy chapter for Audacious and look forward to what comes next in the following chapter! Things are looking quite tense for our characters ain't it? Has Jonathan fully conceded to the demands of the rebels? Well just wait and see in the next chapter! In addition to working on Arethusa Chapter 5, I have been working on a new fanfic of a different franchise from Japan which is also celebrating its own major anniversary next month. The 70th year to be exact. The story will be a prequel to the events of its very first film with the first chapter scheduled to be released on- (Thump!) Whoa… what the. (Thump!) Wait, why is the ground shaking!? (Thump!) Why is my geiger counter going up very high!? (Thump!) Why do I hear people screaming outside!? (THUMP! Pulls down the blinders of my windows and looks up) Oh shit! It's- (screeching roar bellows before a large charred black foot smashes into my home!)
Godzilla - Genesis of the Kaiju
Coming Soon: November 2nd, 2024