"LUNAR: Tales From Crystal Tokyo"
LUNAR:
Tales From Crystal Tokyo
By
Daryll Pung
Episode
1-01: Sunset, Sunrise
Rated:
R
Nebular
Artifact NAX-1701, near the Saabat system, 3 March 2736
The
Demon
It was black, much like the space around it, black and cold.
The color was originally chosen for two reasons: one, before the advent
of light-speed sensors, it was effective camouflage; and two; the symbolism of
that color matched their outlook.
Still, like its surroundings, it was not entirely without color. The dark green glow of its engines and weapons pods, the dark
violet glow of the torpedo generators and shield projectors, the deep blue
spotlights highlighting its name.
Demon.
It was a ship, although it was far from anything remotely resembling
aesthetically pleasing. Its design
comprised of two large cube shapes, connected by a narrower shaft. The two halves of the ship had spokes attached to it, and a
sphere was attached to each of those. The
whole ship's hull was rough and grainy, and had an organic feel to it, as did
the spines that sprouted from all areas of the hull, with purple-glowing tips.
For it was the spines that generated the protective shielding, they also
oozed a black ichor. The back was
where the engines were located; the spheres were the weapons pods, and the
crackling morass of the torpedo generator was in the lower front portion of the
ship. The bridge was also in front, on the very top of the vessel.
On that bridge, indeed, throughout the ship, various individuals roamed,
performing their duties. They
varied greatly; none save the highest officers even resembled humans.
There were a few common details: the steel gray uniform with black boots,
and the dark crescent moon on their foreheads, with the tips pointing down. The
major shared feature was the fear they all had, fear of the individual who was
even now entering the bridge.
The bio-doors opening onto the bridge parted, and the captain of the Demon
stepped into his domain. He took a
few long, determined strides to his high-backed chair.
As he lowered himself into it, he surveyed the instrumentation and crew.
The bridge was layered beneath him, the electronics a fierce counterpoint
to the molded ceiling, walls, and floor. The
various tiers were linked by sloping ramps.
"Status," he said calmly.
His hair was white, his skin was tan, his demeanor menacing.
His eyes were as black as the space his ship was cruising through.
"Lord, we are on course and time, approaching the nebula as
requested," reported the ops officer.
There was a look of curiosity on her face.
"Good. When we are
within sensor range, let me know. We'll
have to proceed carefully, for we have prey studying the nebula on the other
side," he said with a grin.
It was anything but friendly.
The
SLS North Star
It was bright, reflecting the surrounding ambient light off its
crystalline hull. It was small, yet
seemed capable. Its gleaming,
brightly lit surface proudly proclaimed its name.
SLS North Star.
It sat, comfortably enveloped in the warm light of various blue, yellow,
and white shadings of the nebula its sensors were probing.
Its structure was sleek, beautiful, and dangerous.
It had a shallow center section, oval in shape, from which grew two
larger wings. The wings were
narrow, swept, and serrated. In the serrated sections were its engines, with a muted white
glow, as the main engines were not fully online.
The red glow at the flattened back end of the oval-shape was only
marginally stronger. This ship was
brilliantly lit in color, including the white spotlights highlighting its name,
as well as the numerous windows dotting the ship.
There was a great deal in common among the inhabitants.
They wore similar uniforms, black, with colored sections denoting their
departments. They were, for the
most part, human. And they were all
explorers.
The bridge doors hissed open. The
captain, black uniform offset by the white that denoted her position, as well as
the gold and platinum of her rank insignia, moved casually in.
"Captain on the bridge!" called the first officer.
He stood, removing himself from the big chair. The blonde smiled as she moved forward. This situation was becoming far more common, she thought idly
as she sat in the plush, comfortable Captain's chair. She recalled that only half of the fleet's ships, mostly the
combatants, currently had a Senshi or Sorcerer in command.
She fastened her blue eyes on the three main screens.
The bridge was brightly lit, cheerful, and packed with consoles and
information. The center screen
displayed a view of the nebula, and on both of the side screens scrolled data
from the sensors.
"As you were," she said, glancing about.
"Anything interesting yet?"
"Ma'am, this nebula is erratic as anything I've ever seen,"
commented her senior science officer, his uniform brilliantly green where hers
was white. "I've never seen
such fluctuations in surrounding energy fields, not to mention nebular
viscosity. It'll be a while before
we know anything for certain."
She grinned. She loved
figuring things like this out. "Well,
keep at it. No sense letting all
that powerful equipment go to waste. Besides,
I'm sure North Star is having a blast pushing all her processing power to
the limit."
"But, of course, Captain," came the even, feminine voice of the
ship's computer, with what sounded suspiciously like a chuckle.
The
Demon
"Lord, sensors show the nebula is extremely erratic in nature,"
came the report from the ops officer.
He leaned back, an evil grin playing over his hardened features. "I know. That's
one of the reasons they're studying it. We
must proceed very carefully, for our prey is crafty, and we know the type of
ship we're after has very good sensors."
He was his people's foremost captain, having single-handedly dispatched
twelve enemy vessels. A slight
frown played over his features. His
achievement was tempered by the knowledge that the ships in question were a
single destroyer and eleven scout ships. Still,
a noteworthy achievement, considering every one of his enemies had been armed
with the cursed gestalt amplifier they called TPA.
Even more disturbing was that the one ship that actually had a damned
Senshi on it had rendered his ship with such wounds as to put it out of service
for the greater part of a year.
He shook his head, banishing such negative thoughts, and concentrating on
the stalk. "Come left, and
swing through the edge of the nebula. Use
the background random energy fields to mask our approach, including moving with
the fluctuations. Battle alert! Arm all weapons and raise the shielding!
Increase speed to max!"
His people scattered about, carrying out his orders.
He settled back, forcing himself to be patient.
The
SLS North Star
"Some initial conclusions, Ma'am," her science officer
reported. She raised an eyebrow,
turning in her chair to face him.
"Shoot, mister," she said.
"Well, it appears that the proximity of the double stars of the
Saabat system and their double-lobed gravity fields have had adverse affects on
the natural development of this nebula, although it does contain a
disproportionately large amount of proto-stars," he began.
She nodded. "Yeah, that
stands to reason. After all,
navigation in this sector is a pain, due to those twin stars.
What about the energy fluctuations?"
"Still investigating that, Cap'n," he smiled.
"As far as resources, they're present in spades, but harvesting them
might be a challenge."
"Well, that's why we're here," she said, leaning back. "To have a little fun exploring and studying."
"Is that mandatory or voluntary fun?" asked North Star. The captain grinned.
The
Demon
"Almost in weapons range, Lord," said his tactical officer.
"Target the TPA and weapons first," he said.
"Wait for my order..."
The big black mass of the Demon moved erratically through the
fringes of the nebula, drawing ever closer to its intended prey.
Random electricity crackled around it, as it carefully maneuvered into
position.
"FIRE!"
The
SLS North Star
He examined his sensor readouts thoughtfully, noting what was seemingly a
random background fluctuation. He
blinked, and then whirled.
"Captain-!"
Bright green energy beams ripped out of the nebula, smashing into them.
The SLS North Star bucked as sparks, smoke and fire filled the
bridge.
"Red Alert!" shouted the captain, staggering to her chair.
"Helm, get us outta here! All
ahead full!"
The North Star, nimble as it was, dipped its starboard wing and
executed a tight turn. Black scorch
marks were visible on its hull, as the nebula briefly reflected the light blue
arcs of the starship's protective shielding.
The red glow of her fusion impeller sublight drive kicked in, becoming
very intense as the scout ship raced away from the nebula, and whatever was
firing on it. It left a red trail
of exhaust.
"Damage report!" called the captain as force fields drowned out
the rest of the fires, while air circulation removed the last of the smoke and
North Star severed and rerouted power away from the damaged circuits, ending the
showering sparks.
"TPA offline and blasters slightly damaged.
We'll have a few shots at most, before they overheat. Minor hull damage, repairs already started.
Casualties so far limited to bumps and bruises," reported her status
officer.
"Helm?" she asked next.
"On a reciprocal heading away from the nebula, at full speed,
sublight," came the report.
"What hit us?" she asked next.
"Captain!" called her ops officer.
"It's emerging from the nebula!
We have a visual!"
"On screen 1!" she commanded.
The center screen's view shifted to the immense black shape emerging from
the nebula, green exhaust trail dramatically backlighting it. It was also at its max speed.
"Oh, shit," gasped her tactical officer.
"By the Crystal! Enemy
vessel, classified as a DK battlewagon! They're
pursuing, but can't catch us! All
weapons armed, and they're telling us to surrender!"
She gritted her teeth. Her
options seemed limited, but...
They could outrun it, reach the Saabat array, and get reinforcements.
"Tell them 'Go To Hell'! Helm,
new heading! Set course for Saabat
Array! Comm, distress signal, all
freqs! Ops, compute for RIFT
jump!"
A chorus of "Aye, Captains!" followed as her crew set to work.
She glanced at her tactical officer.
"Target weapons systems. Ready
to fire when we get a chance! Overheat'em if you have to!
Got it?"
"Yes, Ma'am!" she replied to her captain.
The North Star streaked away, doggedly pursued by a nightmare...
in the form of a Demon.
The
Demon
"Fire at will! Prepare
a full spread of torpedoes, and launch when ready!
Knock down those shields and destroy their engines!" he ordered,
pointed teeth showing in his feral grin. He
computed his options even as more weapons fire streaked towards the target.
His prey would soon be out of options.
"We have them!" he proclaimed, throwing back his head and
laughing, loudly, evilly.
The
SLS North Star
"They're firing again!" shouted tactical.
She glanced at the screen, teeth clenched.
A seemingly endless supply of DK tunneling beams raced towards them.
"Evasive action!" she yelled, even as the first beams scored.
The North Star bucked violently as their shields were ruthlessly
pummeled.
"First shield layer down! Second
at 43%!" reported tactical.
"Uh, captain," trailed off her first officer, drawing her
attention back to the screen, in time to see the purple maw on the front of the
enemy ship discharge a salvo of crackling Negatorps, which moved far faster than
either ship.
She stood, fists clenched at her side, heart heavy as the torpedoes
neared. She glanced around her bridge. Hopelessness
marked everyone's expressions.
"I'm sorry," she said sadly.
The first torpedo struck with tremendous force, unleashing a furious
blast of pure negative energy across the ship's shielding.
The energy interactions immediately countered each other, resulting in an
explosion that destroyed the rest of the shielding and scorched the hull.
The second torpedo struck the port wing, blowing a huge hole in it,
exposing it to vacuum. Bodies and debris streamed out as the third torpedo impacted
on the root of the starboard wing, blowing it completely off, just as the fourth
torpedo struck it and destroyed it in a billowing, black explosion.
The North Star tumbled out of control, as the fifth and sixth
torpedoes homed in on the helpless starship's rupturing engines.
The
Demon
"Lucky number thirteen," he said, hands steepled in front of
his maliciously grinning countenance. The
blossoming explosion from the ruptured engine core highlighted a runaway
reaction that would burn on for half a day before finally stopping. A few bodies tumbled by, to be vaporized by his defensive
screens.
"Verify the kill, then take us back," he said, rising from his
chair. He twisted around, a fierce
smirk on his face as moved for the bio-doors.
He paused as they opened.
"Take that, Serenity," he gloated as he departed.
The doors closed behind him. As
they did, his crew sighed in relief.
Starbase
1, Sol system, In high Lunar orbit, 5 March 2736
Sailor Orion sighed as the last reporter departed.
She noticed Sailor Mercury's glance.
Sailor Betelgeuse, Serenity's Head of Public Relations, had conducted the
news conference with her usual panache, but the recent incident still weighed
heavily on everyone's minds. All
were sipping water after the barrage of questions, for even Neo-Queen Serenity
the First needed refresher after the bright lights and harsh queries.
"That was fun," she said.
Sailor Mercury frowned. "It
gets better." She looked at
Serenity.
"Indeed," she said sadly.
"We are deploying a new group of sensor arrays in the region.
It has been determined that only Senshi- or Sorcerer-captained scout
ships go to that region." She
rested her gaze on Sailor Orion and Sailor America.
Sailor America groaned. "Let
me guess. We've just been
reassigned to probe that same nebula."
Sailor Venus chuckled at her discomfiture.
"No need to worry, you will not be alone. So, it should be a nice,
boring excursion."
Sailor America brightened. "Boring,
why that means Sailor Orion and I will have plenty of time to ourselves!"
Sailor Venus rolled her eyes. "Take
the good doctor back to his array, and proceed as per the official mission
orders dictate. Don't have too much
fun, and watch your backs! We have
no clue who's doing this, although it’s a good bet who is."
"Yeah, but how are they getting past the border patrols and
detection arrays, what ship, who, and why?" asked Sailor Betelgeuse.
"Some of our best minds are at work on this issue," replied
Sailor Mercury evenly. She noted Serenity's sad expression.
She also thought she knew why.
So did Sailor Venus. The
casualties, and the loss of a Senshi and pair of Sorcerers, had Serenity upset.
"Good thing its almost Exam time," she said quietly, more to
herself, as Sailor Orion and Sailor America departed with Dr. Freedstrom. She raised her voice. "Good
luck!"
Sailor Orion turned and smiled, before resuming walking, on her way to
the Pleiades, Sailor America in arm and Dr. Freedstrom in tow.
"You're probably gonna need it," murmured Sailor Betelgeuse,
before hastily departing, chased out by the stern look on Sailor Mercury's face.
Sailor Mercury shook her head. "Shall
we?" she said, making an arm sweep toward the door.
Serenity nodded, schooled her features into a smile, and made herself
cheer up.
We'll get to the bottom of this, thought the ruler of the Golden
Millennium. We always do.
The smile on her face became genuine, as she walked, followed by Sailor
Venus and Sailor Mercury. They
paused by a window, seeing the Pleiades at her dock.
Her engines glowed as the ship began to prepare for its voyage.
"What's next on today's schedule?" asked Serenity after one
long look at the shipyard.
"Well..." began Sailor Venus as they moved down the corridor.
Somewhere
in deep space, 5 March 2736
The
SLS Draco
"Captain to the bridge!" came the call over the comm system.
"Why me?" she asked rhetorically, eyes toward the ceiling.
"You are the captain," came the masculine voice of the Draco's
AI.
She snorted as she laid down her laser pen, on top of the notes for her new
novel. "It was a rhetorical
question, Draco," she said, pausing. Ship's
computers, advanced as the AIs were, were usually content to be called by the
ship's name. Of course, there were
a few exceptions, such as the prima donna AI of the Pleiades, who called
himself Antares. She shook it off.
"I wonder what this is about?" she muttered as she moved to the
direct access lift. It hissed open,
then closed.
It opened again scant seconds later, and she stepped onto the bridge.
"Captain on the bridge!" came the call.
The individual in the big chair glanced over in her direction, and stood.
She was tall, black hair reaching down her back.
Unlike most of the crew, she was not human.
Rather, her ears were pointed, her blood green, her demeanor emotionless. Still, her beauty was exceptional, and she was similarly
attired to her captain.
For neither wore the standard uniform of the Royal Star Navy.
Instead, the outfit of a Sailor Senshi adorned the two.
"What's happenin', Sailor Vulcan?" she asked.
Vulcan nodded at the gorgeous ebony woman in front of her.
"We have received at important communiqué, directed your eyes only,
Sailor Sirius."
Sailor Sirius laughed. "Yeah,
right. As if anyone on this bridge
won't know about it five seconds after I read it anyway.
Let's have it. Screen 2,
please."
The text of the message popped on screen.
Sailor Sirius scanned its contents, and frowned thoughtfully.
"Another loss?" she said quietly.
As the Draco was a scout ship, she felt particularly threatened. "And we're being recalled?"
"Logical," said Sailor Vulcan quietly.
"We must regroup to meet the threat, and we are undoubtedly going to
that sector. For the Pleiades
and ourselves are currently the only two Senshi- or Sorcerer-led scout ships in
the fleet."
"Well, I suppose I'll have plenty of time to work on my novel,"
Sailor Sirius sighed. "Helm,
lay in a course for NAX-1701, speed all ahead full.
Warm up the RIFT drive." She
paused, and glanced at her first officer. Sailor
Vulcan tried hard to hide her feelings, to control them, but that didn't mean
she didn't have them. From her
demeanor, Sailor Sirius knew Sailor Vulcan was saddened by the losses, and
apprehensive about their new mission. She
hid a faint smile as she refocused her attention on the helm officer.
"Course laid in, Ma'am," came the report.
"Engage!"
The Draco dropped one wing, spiraling lazily around to its new
heading, as the white glow of her primary FTL drive increased.
For a split second, the ship seemed to stretch to infinity, before
disappearing in a spiraling burst of light.
Planet
Earth, Sol system, City of Milwaukee, 6 March 2736
The alarm went off. The
loud, insistent buzz of the wall unit was designed to wake anyone, and would
increase in volume and intensity until the individual was awake enough to shut
it off.
A hand slid from beneath the covers, fumbling on the nightstand next to
the bed, grabbing the desired object. A
bleary eye peeked out from underneath the pillow, blinking as it sighted. The trigger on the plastic gun was pulled, and the suction
cup dart nailed the off button on the alarm.
The hand dropped the plastic gun, and slowly the person within sat up.
He rubbed his brown eyes, ran his hand through the mass of brown hair on
his head, and sighed.
"This sucks. I hate
mornings!"
Zachary Adam Thomas frowned, and laid his feet on the floor. "Computer, wake up!"
"I do not sleep," came the measured reply.
The shutters opened slightly, to reveal an overcast sky, in response to
the preprogrammed stimuli.
"Hmph. Another day in
paradise," trailed off the cynical voice as he staggered to the bathroom. "Music!"
The hidden speakers began blaring loud, twentieth century rock music as
the shower was activated.
Dong... Dong... Dong...
Make his fight on the hill
in the early day/Constant chill deep inside/Shouting
gun, on they run through the endless gray/On they fight, for they are right,
yes, but who's to say?...
STAY
TUNED!