"LUNAR: Tales From Crystal Tokyo"
LUNAR:
Tales From Crystal Tokyo
By
Daryll Pung
Episode
1-18: Engage!
Rated:
R
Atlantis-1,
Atlantis system, 23 October 2736
From space, with the interference from the atmosphere, it appeared as if
a small sun had burst into being.
Unfortunately for the inhabitants of Atlantis-1, it was really that bad.
The first stage of the self-destruct sequence began the overload of the Demon's
engine cores, while detonating specially placed explosives packages and all
remaining armament systems. As a
result of this, small explosions blossomed all over, with the weapons pods
blowing themselves out of existence and the shaft disintegrating.
The front section, containing the remainder of the
Negatorpedo launchers, was blasted into a few fairish-sized chunks, which began
to burn up in reentry of the atmosphere. These
hazards would normally be bad enough, but the worst was yet to come.
The back section explosives didn't blow.
A fault in the wiring (caused by engineers taking components and not
rewiring afterwards) ensured that the back section would survive mostly intact
its plunge through the atmosphere, right to the splashdown in the ocean.
It continued to sink.
The back half, with the reactor now approaching critical, at almost three
minutes after atmospheric entry, finally settled on the bottom of the shallow
ocean, right near a fault line.
It would have been fatal for the population with a runaway reaction
tearing up the atmosphere.
Now, it was much worse.
The
SLS Destiny
"Status?" asked Neo-Queen Serenity I quietly.
"There is massive ionization of the majority of the atmosphere in
the region of the detonation," began Sailor Vulcan.
She frowned. "However, for whatever reason, the aft section of the
enemy ship did not detonate. As a
result, it impacted with the eastern ocean still 77% intact. It appears to have settled on a fault line.
Scans are still sporadic due to the explosion, but I am attempting to
compensate and ascertain the status of the remains.
Sailor Sirius, please retask the forward weapons targeting systems to
provide more range and power to the sensors."
"Okay... done. Hope
that helped," said Sailor Sirius, her fingers dancing over her controls.
"Thank you. Scanning..."
trailed off Sailor Vulcan.
"What was the purpose of this?" muttered Sailor Orion, puzzling
it out. Sailor America glanced at
her, concern showing in her features.
"Sailor Vulcan," began Serenity.
She turned, as Sailor Vulcan looked up.
"Your Majesty, there is no need for you to utilize the power of the
Crystal," Sailor Vulcan stated matter-of-factly.
"The inhabitants of that planet have exactly forty-five seconds to
live... and we have fifty-five seconds to leave the system."
"What?" blinked King Endymion.
"The ship's reactor is approaching critical mass.
When it explodes, due to its current proximity on a primary fault line of
the planet, the planet's core will be breached, and consumed in the reaction.
The reaction will end rapidly, but the resulting instability will cause
the planet to detonate, and send out a Force 10 shockwave, as well as several
other undesirable effects," Sailor Vulcan reported.
She paused. "Screen 2.
The core explosion is in progress."
The screen blinked on to show a large blast of steam, miles wide, in the
midst of the ocean. Fire billowed
out of the center, and a shockwave began rippling across the planet, spreading
the devastation.
Serenity stepped forward, eyes wide.
"Fleet-wide broadcast: Exit the system, now!
All ships! Maximum speed!
Helm, turn us around, and get us to a safe range."
"Aye, Ma'am!" said Sailor Orion, tapping her panel in the
appropriate places. The Destiny
heaved about, accompanied by the rest of the fleet.
As one, engines flared bright, blinding white; and then the Royal Star
Navy leapt out of normal space.
Behind them, oblivious, Armageddon continued unabated.
As the shockwave rippled out, tsunamis rose and the ground shook and
chasms opened. Volcanic fire and
lava shot upwards, and severe lightning raked the skies from the sheer amount of
static electricity being generated. The
inhabitants died by the thousands.
The quakes got worse, even as all of the energy of the planet began to be
expended all over the surface. Massive
rifts rent the crust, venting the planet's core straight up; and a loud,
thunderous roar filled the air as the seas boiled and the atmosphere was burned
away.
Then, for the second time in mere months, a bright, blinding, cataclysmic
explosion burst to life in the Atlantis system.
This one was far more catastrophic, blowing outwards billions of tons of
rock and debris, and a massive shockwave originated at the explosion, inexorably
marching forth.
The
SLS Destiny
Serenity let out a long sigh. She
opened her eyes again, noting all eyes on her.
"I had been mentally preparing myself to commit a horrendous act.
Probably a necessary one to be sure, yet an act akin to those perpetrated
by the most vile dictators and criminals in our history.
What would have happened to me afterwards?
What would I have done to myself? I
know not. And now, I find myself
reprieved. But even more inhuman
than what I was preparing to do... is what they have done to their own.
I find myself regretting my decision; even regretting thinking about it;
but the concept was not so nearly reprehensible as the events that have just
unfolded in front of us. I find myself glad, glad to not have to do what I was
preparing to do. I also find myself
in horror."
She shook her head slightly. "It
does not matter, anymore. They have
destroyed a world with eight hundred thousand of their own.
They did not even make an attempt to rescue any of them.
So, this raises the question: What
would they do to a world full of our citizens?"
Endymion stepped forward. "In
other words, we still have a job to do."
"Yeah," echoed Sailor America.
"Let's do it," agreed Sailor Orion.
"Oh, yeah," Sailor Sirius echoed.
"Sailor Vulcan," Serenity said quietly.
"Status?"
"The shockwave is approaching," the stoic Senshi of Order
reported. "Currently Force 2;
it will be mostly harmless."
"And the situation in the Atlantis system?" Serenity asked.
Sailor Vulcan paused.
"Sailor Vulcan?" asked Endymion.
"It is difficult to ascertain the extent of the damage, as the
situation is still degenerating," Sailor Vulcan reported.
"Exact readings cannot be acquired at this time."
"Well then, we shall wait," Serenity said calmly.
Even as she said those words, the deck under their feet shuddered
slightly as the energy wave washed over them.
The
Dread
"Impact!" called Aaryx.
The ship shuddered as the shockwave passed through the area. It rocked them viciously.
As things settled down, Heran raised an eyebrow.
"What force was that?"
"Five, Lord," replied Aaryx.
Heran raised an eyebrow. "We
would have felt that a lot more in the Demon.
Oh, and by the way, no one calls me 'Lord' anymore.
Sir, Captain, or something along those lines will do."
"You got it, boss," grinned Aaryx.
"Anyways, situation is still highly volatile; as you can see on the
screen, the nebula is still feeling the effects of the shockwave.
It'll be some time before we can get accurate readings of anything."
"Very well," nodded Heran.
"I'm going to my quarters. Alert
me when you learn anything. Neris-"
"Actually, sir, I was wondering if I might possibly join you?"
Neris said silkily.
Heran grinned. "Sure,"
he said. "Aaryx, you have the
bridge."
Aaryx raised an eyebrow, watching as Neris joined Heran in the lift. "I see no one's wasting any time exploring our new
freedom." He stood.
Like Heran and Neris, he was humanoid, with a black crescent turned down
on his high forehead. Unlike the two, his skin wasn't a pale tan; it was a dark
orange. His hair wasn't red like
Neris', or white like Heran, but a dark black.
His eyes were red. He was
also considerably larger and physically stronger than the other two.
He paused, sitting in the very comfortable captain's chair. He considered Neris. She
had a sultry figure, and her bright red hair and brown eyes made her quite
attractive. He supposed only her
previous fear of Heran and his power had kept her quiet.
"Ah, well," he grinned. He,
unlike Heran, had perfectly normal teeth, at least by human standards.
He glanced down at the clothes he was wearing.
A far cry from the dark steel-gray uniform.
They had found the designs in the parts of the Dread's computer
that had still been operable; any useful tactical or strategic information had
been destroyed. Heran favored
black; Aaryx liked the look, but added brown to the mix.
Neris had picked a red form-fitting outfit.
The whole crew had exercised newfound freedom to pick their own outfits.
The only common thing amongst them was the symbol adorning their belts,
headgear, and weapons.
An omega symbol. What was
an omega? he idly wondered. He
recalled the line that had inspired Heran to pick that symbol.
"I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end,"
Aaryx recited. Omega.
He shook his head, and glanced about the bridge.
"Anything yet?"
"No, sir," came the reply.
"Okay," he nodded, and flipped up the console in the arm of the
chair. He began researching the
omega symbol. He was curious, and
realized that he had no restriction about expanding his horizons, now.
After all, the only allegiance he now had was to Heran.
So far, he had no problem with that.
Edge
of the Atlantis system, 25 October 2736
The
SLS Destiny
"Commencing in-depth scans," said Sailor Vulcan.
Serenity gazed at the main screen. Asteroids
now filled the area, and collisions were frequent.
Every now and then, the Destiny's shields flared as dust clouds
swept over them, or micrometeorites bounced off. Lightning occasionally rippled between two asteroids, showing
the raw power of the death of the planet hadn't completely equalized or worn
down yet.
Sailor Vulcan spoke up. "The
analysis of the system is difficult, Fleet Admiral.
There is a lot of interference and upheaval in every background energy
field I can think of to scan. The
nebula is in chaos; I cannot get readings other than heightened protostar
activity, including several which have exploded. The Atlantis star is also showing heightened activity,
including massive sunspots, solar flares, and radiation output. Gravimetric activity is high; background gravity fields are
in a state of flux. The asteroid
movement is as yet highly unpredictable, and the electrical potential in the
system is still extremely high."
"The end result is that navigation, communication, and sensor
systems are going to be erratic and untrustworthy.
Any ship moving through will likely generate an ionized trail of
electrical discharges. There is a
high possibility any ship struck by any of the electrical discharges will have
major systems shorted out, to the point of instantly destroying a cruiser or
less," Sailor Vulcan finished.
"In short, the system is now a deathtrap, especially if more than
one ship goes in," translated Sailor Sirius.
"I believe I have stated that already, Sailor Sirius," Sailor
Vulcan replied.
Serenity turned from looking at the viewscreen.
"It matters not. We
must still destroy that gate. What
is the probability that the gate and any nearby ships survived?"
Sailor Vulcan hesitated. "I
cannot accurately predict that, Fleet Admiral, but I would estimate the
probability being... high."
"Well, if only one ship can go in... it has to be the Destiny.
We are going to have to adjust our plans.
Make contact with the others, and schedule a briefing here at 1300
hours," ordered Serenity. "Also,
we may need to make a few temporary technical changes to the Destiny."
"You got it, your Highness," said Sailor Sirius, turning and
pointing to the comm officer, who immediately set to work.
As one o'clock in the afternoon drew near, the participants in the
previous briefing were assembled and talking amongst themselves.
"Awful, huh?" Archmage Derrelli asked Sailor Sirius.
"To say the least," she replied.
"The horror of it all is... staggering."
Sailor Eos nodded slowly. "Who
would have thought even the DK was capable of something so horrible."
"It is illogical for the Dark Kingdom to commit such a grievous act
on their own citizens," Sailor Vulcan began.
"It is far more probable that this was the act of one captain,
rebelling against his commanders; specifically, Heran."
Sailor Orion frowned. "It
does make more sense; we saw very little contact other than the Demon,
and the Demon wasn't fully staffed, with an empty bridge."
"Where did they go, then?" asked Sailor America.
Derrelli blinked, and sat up. "Whatever
happened to the Minotaur and her two escorts?"
Sailor Vulcan's left eyebrow rose as she considered Derrelli's words. "No contact past the report that they were under attack.
Logical. If they acquired
the Minotaur, it is not improbable they could have repaired that ship
sufficiently to have it operational."
"Especially if they got the destroyers Haruna and Fiore,
as well," said Sailor Orion.
"Which we now feel is a certainty," commented Serenity as the
doors hissed shut behind her. Everyone
in the room sat up in their seats and focused their attention on her.
"We just received a report from the Gemini," Serenity
continued. "They reached the
area where the Minotaur task force was intercepted; there was massive
energy readings, both from our ships and the Dark Kingdom's; but absolutely no
debris. We now believe that the Minotaur,
Haruna, and Fiore fell mostly intact to the Dark Kingdom.
Several facts support this theory: one,
the destruction of the foremost ship of the Dark Kingdom fleet to destroy a
planet is not something even they would do to their own; two, several large
chunks of debris drifting through the Atlantis system prior to our arrival,
discovered when the Ursa Major sifted through its data, were identified
as the proper amount of remains for two of our destroyers, where we only sent
one, and we all know that was destroyed by the 'gate'.
We aren't too worried about them getting any information of importance
from the computers; the AIs would have automatically deleted sensitive
information. What worries us is the
simple fact that we now have a Dark Kingdom crew on a ship with our technology,
including the TPA. This, however,
is not our major concern; our original goal still stands, and that is what this
briefing is about."
"Destroying the DK fleet, and their pretty little gate," put in
Sailor Mars.
"Exactly," said Serenity.
"With the current conditions of the Atlantis system, sending more
than one ship in is suicide. The Destiny
alone will make the trip."
Sailor Mercury frowned. "Serenity,
even the Destiny can't handle that many ships by herself."
"Normally, Amy, you would be right.
However, there are extenuating circumstances.
Firstly, we have kept the technicians aboard busy modifying the TPA
system. Four new consoles have been
added to the bridge, and the system resources have been modified, allowing
simultaneous operation of five TPAs, similar to what was done to the late Nephlyte.
The second circumstance is the fact that I am aboard," said
Serenity.
"Five?" murmured Mercury Knight.
"Hmm."
"It is my intent that the center console will be manned by Sailor Eos," Serenity continued. "She
will help to absorb and redirect incoming fire, although we hardly have to worry
about Negatorpedoes in the current conditions.
Do you think you can handle that?"
After Sailor Eos nodded, Serenity glanced about.
"Myself and Small Lady will man two of the other consoles.
We will help shield the ship, and assist in defeating our enemies, as
well as keeping the other TPA operators in healthy condition.
Are you up to that, dear?"
"Yes, Mother," nodded the pink-haired princess.
"Good. The last two
consoles will be switched around amongst all of the Senshi present: Amy, Raye,
Hotaru, Sailor Vulcan, Sailor Orion, Sailor America, and Sailor Sirius; the
Knights and my dear Endymion will stay away from this phase," finished
Serenity. The named Senshi nodded
enthusiastically. "Good.
If you are getting tired, switch out.
That is an order. We have come to the conclusion that the gate is probably well
shielded, and even mostly repaired by now, due to Amy's finished analysis of the
Nephlyte's probe data. It is
most likely their fleet is in close protecting it. Therefore, we will launch the dropships containing the 187th,
and the Knights and Endymion, and protect them as they punch through.
While we are dealing with the fleet, they will penetrate the gate, rescue
any of our citizens, and sabotage the gate so it self-destructs, by any means
available. I would normally put Endymion
in charge, but instead you four will watch and advise Archmage Derrelli
and Mage Torym."
Endymion grinned. "No
problem, dear."
"We'll get it done," promised Derrelli emphatically.
"I know you will," Serenity smiled, humor in her eyes. "This time, your assignment is to destroy the place, so
it is okay for you to blast your surroundings instead of your enemies."
Derrelli flushed, a sheepish grin on his face is chuckles spread around
the table. "Yes, your
Majesty," he managed. "But
it still wasn't my fault the bad guy jumped."
"'Don't hit the beams'," chortled Torym.
"'Leave that to me'!"
Derrelli leaned back, a smile spreading across his face.
"And I nailed it dead center, didn't I?"
The chuckles became open laughter, and even Serenity enjoyed the joke.
"Okay. We all know the
plan. Now, let us prepare; it is
time to end it. Dismissed."
Ten minutes later, Derrelli finished briefing the 187th, with the three
Knights and Endymion watching.
"Well, guys, that's the deal. We
all now know what's up. Brace
yourselves, and be ready to load when we get the word.
It's on, and the most important part is up to us," Derrelli said.
He looked at Endymion. "Did
I miss anything, sir?"
"Not a thing," Endymion said.
"Now, time for the old military pastime."
"Hurry up and wait," agreed Torym.
"When does it start?"
As Endymion prepared to reply, the lights overhead darkened to red, and a
loud alarm went off. Destiny
spoke.
"Red Alert, Red Alert, all hands to battlestations!
This is not a drill! Repeat-"
"It starts now," said Endymion quietly, activating the
viewscreen. "Destiny, patch in
the view on Screen 1 down here, please."
The view changed to show two asteroids smash into each other, as the Destiny
moved ahead of the fleet, into the hazardous Atlantis system.
The big ship moved slowly at first, barely ducking under and avoiding the
debris from the asteroids that had just collided.
A massive electrical bolt leapt just ahead of them, as the shields flared
from contact with smaller debris.
The Destiny cut wide right, as a large asteroid twice the ship's
size missed it by mere meters. It
smashed into another one, and both spun away erratically, the second one
brushing against the Destiny's shields with a vicious shudder.
On the bridge, sparks flew from the tactical console, as the shields were
hard-pressed to protect the ship.
"We're gonna get slaughtered if we don't get into the nebula and
away from all this debris!" gasped Reeni.
"We may get slaughtered if we go any faster," replied Serenity
quietly. "And I would rather
save my strength for the battle."
"Perhaps not," said Sailor Sirius.
She glanced at Sailor Vulcan. "Ensign
O'Connor survived, right?"
"Affirmative," replied Sailor Vulcan.
"But he is not fit for extended duty."
"Perhaps not, but he's one hell of a pilot!" Sailor Sirius
said.
"Serenity to Ensign O'Connor," Serenity said.
"Go ahead, Majesty," came the reply after a half-second.
"Can you handle piloting the Destiny for one battle?" asked
Serenity.
The reply came back immediately, full of pride.
"Of course, your Highness!"
"Report to the bridge immediately," Serenity continued. "Serenity out."
"What if something happens to him?" asked Princess Serena.
"Amy's here; she can stabilize him in the event something goes
wrong," said Serenity consolingly. Then
she glanced at the screen, and grabbed the armchair supports.
The Destiny heaved violently as a massive burst of energy jumped straight
to her. Sparks cascaded around the
bridge, and several panels flickered on and off for a few seconds.
As the shield flare faded onscreen, Serenity looked around.
"Is anyone injured? Damage
report!" she ordered.
"Minor injuries reported in the forward sections of the ship,"
replied the ops officer. "The
energy shorted out a few minor systems, most of the overload was handled by the
appropriate systems. We got lucky.
Repairs in progress."
Serenity nodded, even as Sean stepped on the bridge.
He had received a severe head wound during the initial assault on the
pair of scout ships, as well as a broken arm, and had been off duty ever since.
He didn't look too steady on his feet, but he made his way to the helm with confidence, tapping the officer there on the shoulder.
As she got up, he slid in.
"O'Connor, get us to the nebula and out of this debris field in one
piece; and as fast as possible," ordered Serenity.
"Of course, your Highness," he replied, hands racing over the
controls.
The Destiny's sublight engines suddenly burst to violent life, the
red ion trail thickening behind it, with crackling energy rippling along the
edges and across the wake. Like a
champ, the Destiny responded instantly, surging ahead.
"Our chances of safely navigating the area at this speed are
approximately eight hundred, sixty-three thousand, four hundred seventy-eight to
one," commented Sailor Vulcan.
"Never tell me the odds," muttered Sean as he frowned in
concentration.
The Destiny suddenly spiraled to the right, diving around a large
asteroid. The ship settled, then
shot upwards, dodging another electrical blast.
Sweat shone on Sean's forehead, as on screen asteroids were shooting by
at a frightening rate of speed. A
pair of asteroids neared them, getting closer.
"Oh, shit," whispered Sailor America.
"They're gonna collide right on top of us!"
Serenity's eyes widened slightly, and then she glanced at Sean, who was
holding his hand over his panel, obviously waiting for the right moment. As the two huge chunks of rock got dangerously close, he
pressed it.
The Destiny suddenly flipped sideways with a loud squeal as the
structural integrity and inertial dampening fields were hard-pressed to
compensate. The flagship shot
through, with a few centimeters to spare. Then
it rose, righting itself, immediately flipping the other way to dodge another
asteroid.
Despite the danger, Sean was having the time of his life.
He had thought flying a scout ship had been fun; now he was driving the
flagship of the fleet like it was a racing shuttle! His hands were a blur as he constantly made adjustments,
anticipating, reacting. He winced
as a smaller asteroid brushed against the shields and caused the ship to buck
violently.
"The debris field is thinning out," reported Sailor Vulcan. "Nearing the Atlantis star; there is a large solar flare
in our path. Shields level one
holding at fifty-eight percent."
"Got it," called Sean, as the Destiny spiraled to the
left, dodging inside the arc of the solar flare.
As it raged by, he leveled the Destiny out, and began reducing
speed as they passed the star and neared the nebula.
"Good job, Ensign O'Connor," smiled Serenity broadly. "We shall forgive you that little bump."
"Thank you, your Majesty," he grinned.
"Senshi, take your positions," ordered Serenity.
She stood, moving to one of the new TPA consoles.
Reeni took hers, and Sailor Eos strapped herself in.
Sailor Mars and Sailor Saturn took the other two.
"All ready," reported Sailor Mars.
"Same here," called Sailor Eos.
"Ready, Mother," said Reeni.
"I, as well," said Sailor Saturn.
"Amy, you are in command until you take your turn.
You, Raye, and Hotaru take turns commanding the Destiny,"
Serenity spoke as she settled in.
"All right," said Sailor Mercury.
"I have the bridge. Ensign,
take us in. Follow the path the Nephlyte's
probe took; uploading it now."
"I've got it," Sean replied.
"Here we go."
The Destiny shuddered slightly as they pierced the roiling mass of
gasses that showed a nebula in upheaval.
"Hmm," murmured Sailor Mercury, seeing chunks of debris from DK
ships. "It appears not all of
the DK fleet survived. Can we get a
rough idea how many ships died here?"
"Based on the limited readings we are getting through the
interference, an estimate of approximately fifty ships, mostly cruiser-class,
were destroyed here," reported Sailor Vulcan.
She narrowed her eyes, trying to gleam some nugget of further information
from the readings.
"Sailor Mercury," Sailor Vulcan said suddenly.
"Several of the hulks are recent; there is some background energy
readings that only come from our ships."
"What!?" blinked Sailor Mercury, spinning around.
The Destiny slowly passed through the remains.
Behind one of the larger ones, a swept crystalline shape ducked out,
coming up behind her.
The
Dread
"Ready?" grinned Neris.
"Ready!" replied Aaryx.
"FIRE!" roared Neris.
The
SLS Destiny
"Sailor Mercury!" shouted Sailor Vulcan as the Destiny
pitched violently forward. All
around the bridge, geysers of smoke and sparks erupted, and several alarms
blared insistently. Sailor Mercury,
the only person not sitting, had been thrown, and was slowly getting up.
"All shields are down!"
On the main screen, a silvery field could now be seen surrounding the Destiny,
with a look of intense concentration on Serenity's face. Her crescent moon glowed brightly.
"What hit us!?" gasped Sailor Mercury, finally on her feet,
holding one red-stained glove to the vicious cut on her forehead, where blood
was running down her face.
"Based on the readings, we were just attacked by a proton
cannon," said Sailor Vulcan mechanically.
"A death ray?" blinked Sailor Mercury.
"Oh, no."
The swept shape of a GM cruiser raced ahead on the main screen, executing
a tight turn around a DK hulk. As
it came back, they could plainly see the torpedo tubes had been modified into
Negatorpedo launchers, and the purplish, crackling aura that rose above the
entire ship.
The
Dread
"It's all yours, Heran!" called Neris.
Heran was strapped in the TPA; dark energy crackled around him as he
channeled his power into the system. A
look of fierce concentration was on his face, and he gritted his teeth as the
attack built to dangerously high levels.
His eyes popped open suddenly, as the energy vanished from view.
"Hah! Take THAT!"
On the main screen, a tremendous blast of black energy raced through the
nebula, heading right at the Destiny...
STAY
TUNED!