"LUNAR: Tales From Crystal Tokyo"
LUNAR:
Tales From Crystal Tokyo
By
Daryll Pung
Episode
4-02: Finding the Hidden
Rated:
R
Sigma
Alpha Six, Sigma Alpha system, 19 June 2745
The
SLS Yorktown
“Standard orbit,” ordered Sorcerer Orien calmly as the Yorktown slowed to a crawl. As the helm officer acknowledged, he turned to the other four standing or sitting nearby. “Well, we’re here.”
Sorcerer Duke grinned. “Want I should call up Sailor Vulcan, or should I let you do it, since you’re old friends?”
Sailor Cygni rolled her eyes. “Hey, it’s your ship,” she teased. “Do whatever the heck you want.”
Sorcerer Derrelli snickered as Sorcerer Merlin shook his head, smiling.
Duke smirked. “Comm, hail Sailor Vulcan.”
Even as the comm officer bent to that task, Derrelli gazed thoughtfully at the image of the planet, on screen one; it was now slowly rotating beneath them.
“Something wrong, Pyro?” Duke asked.
Derrelli shrugged. “I don’t know… I just feel a little... off-kilter, if you like. I didn’t think I had any psychic potential, but I’m sure as hell getting bad vibes from this place. Maybe it’s just the fact that a former friend is down there, somewhere.”
“I have Sailor Vulcan, sir,” comm spoke up.
“Screen two,” Duke said, jerking his thumb towards it.
“Greetings, Yorktown,” spoke up Sailor Vulcan as her image resolved on the screen. It was obvious she was using a portable communications terminal, as behind her the dig could be seen, buzzing with activity. “Your arrival has been anticipated.”
Sailor Cygni grinned. “Yeah, we’re glad to be here to help, too,” she replied, humor in her voice. “Where should our shuttle land?”
“At these coordinates,” Sailor Vulcan responded, entering them on her terminal; seconds later, a beep from ops indicated the receipt of the data. “I shall meet you there.”
“Any further trouble?” Merlin spoke up.
“None so far,” Sailor Vulcan answered. “Of course, we have been somewhat more careful as of late, keeping armed watches. I do not, however, believe the threat is over.”
“Oh?” Derrelli said, sharing a glance with Sailor Cygni. “Why is that?”
Sailor Vulcan paused. “We… have made another significant discovery… and I do not believe that he will so willingly give up this place when such prizes are to be had. I will gladly elaborate upon your arrival.”
“We’ll be leaving immediately,” Sailor Cygni stated neutrally, all emotion now gone from her expression.
“Very good. Sailor Vulcan out,” the Senshi of Logic said before she terminated the connection.
The threesome shared a look as Sailor Cygni turned to Duke. “You’ll hang around for a while, I trust?”
Duke nodded. “Tell ya what, we’ll do some scanning while we’re at it, too.”
“For all the good that it’ll do,” commented Orien. “But maybe we can at least give you forewarning if something’s about to attack you.”
“We appreciate it,” Derrelli said after a moment. “See you guys later.”
“Good luck,” Duke said.
“To us all,” Merlin responded; the trio abruptly exited the bridge, the lift door hissing shut behind them.
A short time later, the shuttle already lifting off behind them, the threesome strolled briskly to the patiently waiting Sailor Vulcan.
“Sailor Cygni, Sorcerer Derrelli, Sorcerer Merlin... it is agreeable to see all of you again,” Sailor Vulcan greeted them.
“Good to see you, too,” replied Sailor Cygni. Then, in a rather conspiratorial manner, she leaned in close, glancing in either direction as if checking for eavesdroppers. “So... what's the big discovery?”
Amidst chuckles from the other two, Sailor Vulcan raised an eyebrow. A hint of a smile twitched at the corner of her mouth. “This way,” she said, turning and leading off.
The quartet moved through the busy dig, carefully picking where they tread. Many of the student workers noticed them, and greeted them; many more were so engrossed in their tasks that they did not.
Sailor Cygni had slowed, lagging slightly behind the others; she stopped finally, watching as one aspiring archaeologist uncovered a rather battered rifle of some sort, and smiled as she took a very deep breath, taking it all in- scents, sounds, sights... down to the feel of the dust and dirt in the air.
At looks from the other three, she grinned, sheepishly. “I've missed this,” she sighed. “I know what we've been doing is important, but I genuinely miss being out in the field... never mind the results of the last dig I was involved with.”
Derrelli grinned. “By and large, babe, the aftermath turned out okay... and we're here to rectify the part that didn't.”
“I know,” Sailor Cygni whispered. “But still...”
“I understand,” Sailor Vulcan said quietly.
The two women shared a long look and a brief smile, and then Sailor Vulcan set off again, with the others quickly moving to follow.
They stopped on the other side of the dig. “What do you think?” Sailor Vulcan inquired of Sailor Cygni.
“Whoa,” she whispered. She examined the still largely covered bone mass in front of her, before finally straightening up with a slight frown. “I'd say a tibia, from the looks of it; but you've only got the one end exposed, and the size alone! It's huge, whatever it is.”
“It was encased in some sort of metal armor,” Sailor Vulcan added. “In my opinion, that armor was actually its skin; it's too thin and flexible... and had no attachment points. The metal used is an unknown alloy, as well. There were also remnants of circuitry on the underside of the metal covering.”
Sailor Cygni stood, and stared at Sailor Vulcan. “You're saying that this was some sort of massive, gigantic cyborg?”
Sailor Vulcan nodded solemnly. “The technology does not match what we have uncovered so far... therefore, I can only conclude that it is not of this world, but another as yet unidentified; and I theorize that this may have been part of this world's downfall.”
“Hold on,” Derrelli spoke up. “If this is the only spot you've dug, how can you be sure that this is not a representative of another technology from this world? Maybe two nations warred here, you know? Or even two sentient species? You've already said the vast quantity of metallic ruins can mask our own shuttles; what's to say that isn't the case here?”
Sailor Vulcan gazed steadily at Derrelli. “One of the base components in the metal alloy, which we have thoroughly analyzed, is not found on this world.”
Derrelli grinned crookedly. “Well, now, that does change things a bit. Of course, you hadn't said that before... or did I just not give you enough time?”
“Humans have been known to 'jump to conclusions' before having all the facts,” Sailor Vulcan offered as an affirmative. “I constantly endeavor to forgive your race for that weakness.”
Derrelli snorted; Merlin shook his head.
“Gee, thanks,” said Sailor Cygni dryly. She cocked her head to one side. “This wasn't everything, was it?”
“No,” Sailor Vulcan answered readily. “The other significant find was discovered during the battle with the undead that attacked us; it is in a small cave in the forest. Please follow me.”
In deep space, Theta Zone, 19 June 2745
The
Drakkenfaer
The bridge of the independent starship Drakkenfaer gleamed; there was no other word for it. From the high-tech holo-displays to the comfortable genuine leather (from some alien animal or other) seats, it proclaimed the wealth of the owner and the pampered nature of the crew. The seats for the captain, and one on either side of that for the first officer and any ‘guests’ were centered just behind the central helm ‘pit’… which was more of a slight depression. On either side of the helm pit were the communications and science/ops consoles, with communications on the left and science/ops on the right. Behind the captain’s chair was an expansive tactical area, consisting of two consoles, side-by-side, and on either side of them was a pair of holographic plotting tables; the surfaces of which were currently dark, with nothing being projected. Directly aft of that was a spare and currently darkened engineering console. Besides the engineering console, the left hand tactical console and seat next to the captain’s chair were the only places unoccupied.
Of course, my crew has earned these comforts; wasn’t that many years ago that the seats were composite bucket seats, and the displays two-dimensional computer monitors, reflected the rather young- he was only twenty-eight- Aiden Pi’ire as he leaned back and thoughtfully examined the massive, ceiling-to-floor main viewscreen- his ship actually only had the one on the forward bulkhead- which showed the starfield ahead, as well as the two separate partitions on the screen displaying zoomed-in images of the two DK starships that were part of the four-ship task force hunting down Separatists in the region. Two other partitions showed the patches of space containing the two GM starships; they were cloaked, but the sensors aboard the Drakkenfaer located them just fine.
They ought to, for what it cost to obtain them directly from the GM: they’d been acquired from a scout ship under construction… as a reward for a mission three years ago, hunting down an elusive DK criminal that the Royal Family of the GM had desperately wanted captured. That same mission had netted the Drakkenfaer’s partner in crime, the VelSatis, a phased cloaking device… which still couldn’t be detected by outside means, either when the VelSatis used it, or the GM. Still, the Drakkenfaer had the best sensors available- they weren’t even on the open or black markets- to go with her awesome maneuverability, reinforced shielding, and potent weapons loadout, which included fusion beams and a Zerm Destabilitator Matrix.
The upgrades for those were next on his list, along with some of the GM’s more advanced torpedoes.
The tall, fiery red-headed half-Cygnian, half-Human frowned slightly. His stormy blue eyes narrowed as he examined the holo-data being displayed in mid-air to the left and right of the viewscreen; he absently ran a finger down the slight scar on the left jawline of his slightly squarish face. His skin was lightly tanned, and his long hair neatly drawn back into a red ponytail that reached his shoulders. He was currently clad in all black, down to his boots and the standard-issue holster for his customized (but otherwise standard issue) silvery metallic plasma pistol, which hung off his belt; the black standard-issue armband communicator on his right arm bore the only other hint of color, the dark red dragon-head symbol of the Drakkenfaer. Of course, such items were standard issue for the crew of the Drakkenfaer only because he said so, but…
“Status?” he asked coolly.
“Overall, nominal,” replied his Vyeran first officer, Kenyrae La’delis. She had dark tan skin, brilliant purple hair, and dark brown eyes, currently cheerful; her rabbit-style ears, poking through her hair and the same color as her skin, swiveled as she spoke. Her sensual figure was clad in a dark blue low-cut form-fitting top, short purple skirt, and blue leggings; her purple boots, standard issue pistol and black holster on her right side, standard issue knife and black sheath on her right, and standard black com armband completed her ensemble. “Everything’s green... but if you’d prefer more detailed reports…?” She turned to look at Aiden, her beautiful face creased in a questioning look.
Aiden nodded. “Everyone else?”
“Helm’s fine,” yawned Denait Jehfrahn, a reddish- and orangish-hued Droylian leaning back in his chair, feet up on his console, top pair of arms folded behind his head, and both his other arms on each armrest, drumming softly away with his fingers. He was clad in a gray outfit, almost a jumper, with the proper accoutrements. He opened his light blue eyes, the picture of total relaxation, as he swiveled to face Aiden. “Like I have a hell of a lot to do when we’re tethered to our partners with a half-dozen tractor beams.” He swiveled back, examined his console, rolled his eyes, sighed, and closed them, shamming sleep once again.
Aiden chuckled. It was unusual to have all the Vyerans he had in his crew, plus a Droylian… especially since the majority of the Vyeran race was still enslaved under the thumb of the Holy Droylian Empire; but Denait was a heretic, outspoken in his support for liberation of Sybarys (the Vyeran home system) and all of the other enslaved races. As a result, he got on rather well with them. “Chip?” Aiden asked as he turned to the combination science/ops station, and the deep blue, with black and green highlights, Miraxic sitting there.
His name was actually Jeck’hist’gerq’fyul’charles, a mouthful to be sure; but he was brilliant, adaptive, and innovative. He was clad in baggy, subdued brown clothing, with all the required accoutrements… with the exception of the pistol, which was a Miraxic disruptor instead of plasma. It didn’t really matter; he was virtually useless in a firefight, and wore the stuff more for show. Information was his specialty; and he was good at it. Unusually for a Miraxic, he had mastered Lunarian and a few other non-Miraxic dialects, and could speak them intelligibly, with only a slight accent.
“Nothing new to report, boss,” Chip spoke up. “Still have firm fixes and reports on all four searchers; no sign of anything else. Of course, combing a dark matter nebula is rather time consuming, even with the best sensors in known space. George is operating within all normal parameters,” he finished, referring to the ship’s AI.
“’Kay,” Aiden said, already turning to communications. “Rico?” he asked, idly wondering why he didn’t have Chip do communications too, since he was good at languages… but Chip wasn’t a ‘people’ person, he was all about data, and he already ran two specialties.
Besides, Rhienallae Ko’rayen, a perky, pretty, slightly mischievous creamy violet skinned Vyeran with sparkling green eyes and lush brown hair, was talented at languages; but she was also great in a crisis, hence her doubling up as the second tactical officer when needed. A light aquamarine dress was her outfit of choice; the black of the standard gear accented her curves nicely.
“Link with VelSatis working properly,” she smiled. “Nothing special to report.”
“Zyrenn?” Aiden said after giving Rico a smile.
“Ready for anything, cap’n,” replied Zyrenn Tal’metae crisply. The Drakkenfaer’s resident bitch, Zyrenn was a taller cocoa-skinned and raven-haired Vyeran with bright orange eyes. Clad all in black like her captain, the only difference was she also sported a knife and an extra pistol, and was lethal with them all. She looked good, too, but unless one was part of the primary bridge crew on the Drakkenfaer, she’d knock a person out just as soon as take their compliment.
Ironic, thought Aiden; she really is a sweetheart underneath it all. She just took the Vyeran trait of loyalty one step past most, and only showed her inner sweetness to those she truly trusted, those who’d truly earned her loyalty. About her duties, however, she was dead serious… and deadly effective. She also doubled as Aiden’s bodyguard when required.
He glanced at the holo-display to his left; it had a full readiness report from Engineering- the domain of the fairly plain-looking, only other human aboard the ship, Stephanie “Call me Steph” Anne Baker, rescued from within the ranks of the RSN. She kept her muddy-brown hair short and bobbed, and was invariably dressed in coveralls of some sort of other, always tinkering, always tweaking something. She was a quintessential tomboy, her green eyes brightest when her athletic form was engaged in some sort of repair or refit activity… or laughing in the aftermath of one of her infamously devious practical jokes.
The display switched to the last major department- Doctor T’krill’s two-person Medical domain. Aiden would’ve liked another there, but with a crew of only twenty-two, two was plenty; and besides, T’krill jealously guarded his domain; his assistant doubled as a technician under Steph’s command when not needed for medical purposes, essentially booted out of there when not required. Still, he was an excellent physician… and unusually for a Vulcan, he actually had a bedside manner, displaying more of his emotions than much of his race. Typical for a Vulcan, though, was his coloration: light tan skin with slight greenish undertones, black short-cut hair, pointed ears, and black eyes. He invariably had a white, many-pocketed jacket over his darker blue or green clothing; and he point-blank refused to carry weapons or get involved in a fight aside from the occasional neck-pinch or subdual hypospray.
All was in order. Aiden stretched, getting out the kinks, before glancing back at Kenyrae. “You had a question?”
“Yeah… why, boss?” she inquired. “Why accept a contract like this one? You only rarely accept anything from the GM- only when the challenge is great and rewards massive- and have never accepted one from the DK. This joint contract…”
“Ah, but you just hit on the big point,” Aiden explained. “It’s a joint contract. The winds of change are sweeping the galaxy, and we either adapt or go out of business.” He paused. “We each have our issues with the DK… and some of us also with the GM. That damn sure shouldn’t get in the way with business; especially when that business meets our moral standards and is as lucrative as in this particular case… and I do mean lucrative. We supply information- such as the data that sent this particular foursome to this region- and capture or destroy a Separatist starship or dozen or so, until the Separatist threat is ended… and we make out big. Yeah it’s open-ended… but can anyone here say it’s not worth it, or that I haven’t always steered us the right way in the past?”
“Couldn’t have put it better myself, Captain,” cooed a sultry voice over the bridge speakers. “Of course, as usual, you overstate your role.”
“Bite me, Captain,” Aiden retorted. “As usual, if you don’t need us, just cut us loose any time. I’ll admit when I’m wrong, just as I admit that the VelSatis is the perfect counterpart to my Drakkenfaer… but I’ll be damned if I let you keep on thinking you’re better than me! Somebody’s gotta keep you in check, and since no one over there is capable of doing it, I guess I have to!”
The voice laughed. “Touché, Captain. Well put. Are you done ranting now? If so, I think maybe we can schedule something as to when I can, as you put it… bite you. Then again, I think I might have my first officer do it instead…”
The VelSatis
As she finished that statement, a smiling Brianna Morrygan glanced at her hulking, massive Ronsari first officer, Gram “Greywolf”. Her sometime lover and always loyal companion, one of the few people she truly trusted, was a tall and muscular shape, covered with silky-smooth fur, in patches of white and light and dark gray. His golden irises were focused on her; his long tail, complete with a furry tuft at the end, was swaying back and forth.
She focused her attention again on the audio feed, hearing Aiden’s laughter. She shook her lovely head, her long, silver-white braids shifting slightly; her auburn striped bangs framed her high cheekbones and slightly luminescent gray eyes, a smattering of freckles decorated her cheeks. She was slightly taller than human norm; and as an Isbanni and Sycoraxi Human blend possessed silky smooth, mahogany colored skin, and a slender, sensual frame, all currently clad in a rather alluring, form-fitting, short red dress and black high-heeled boots.
Her eyes drifted to the main, wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling window at the front of the VelSatis’ bridge; visible there was the dark red metallic shape of the Drakkenfaer, with its nose module, tapered neck, and main body, all sleek and swept, with its wings currently at a slight down angle over the outside edge of the VelSatis’ twin catamaran-style bow protrusions. The Drakkenfaer’s quad gun turrets were currently pointing forward and locked in position, and six beams of tractor energy anchored her to the VelSatis; the muted violet glow of her wing-mounted sublight engines and the subdued orange glow from her twin main drives from the ‘hinge’ cylinders where they were housed could also be clearly seen. The VelSatis had an additional four tractor beams locked on to the smaller ship as an emergency backup; neither captain wanted dents, dings, or even scratched paint. The VelSatis itself was more of a silvery-white color, and much like the heavily-customized Drakkenfaer possessed all sorts of special refinements; among them were the phased cloaking device, heavily reinforced and armored catamaran prow tips for ramming maneuvers, and a special engine modification referred to aboard the ship as ‘overdrive’, which allowed the ship to even exceed the speed of a GM scout ship for up to 26 minutes. From the central join of the catamaran sections rose a sculpted neck, leading to an aerodynamic command module, larger than the join itself; a wing of sorts sprouted from the top of the command module, along with main wings from the rear of each catamaran, and smaller, retractable maneuvering wings that sprouted from the catamarans about a third of the way back from the bow.
Brii, as she preferred those close to her to call her, nodded slightly; both ships were highly capable and specialized. Though she wouldn’t publicly admit it, the Drakkenfaer was excellently suited for offense, maneuverability, acceleration, defensive shielding, and scouting; her own ship had much larger cargo capacity, more versatile shuttlecraft- which included the runabout, Khan- the phase cloak, and good defense in the form of a particularly durable structure and hull… not to mention her incredible speed.
Hence their extremely profitable partnership.
Brii allowed her eyes to roam about the two-tiered bridge. They fell first on the second AI aboard the VelSatis- counting the ship’s main computer, Leviathan, as the first- her operations officer, Dominic Nagase, an android. It was rather obvious; his expressionless amber eyes, white neatly styled hair, and dark tan skin all bore the hallmarks of being constructed, not born. Invariably clad in shades of brown and tan, he possessed four arms, as well; and all four were currently busy on the holocontrols at ‘his’ station.
Her gaze shifted down to helm, where the fairly average-looking, slender, and dark haired-and –eyed Christian Tallon sat, thoughtfully examining his displays, and making the occasional adjustments. He didn’t look like much, inevitably clad in extremely casual clothing, but Brii knew damn well how good he was at driving virtually anything. She could always count on him to pull her ship out of a tough situation if need be.
At science was an older and rather unusual Vulcan and Cygnian mix, named T’riiv. Instead of the typical Vulcan coloration, she possessed a pale rose complexion, oval face with sharper cheekbones and slightly slanted gray-green eyes, and her gray-streaked blond hair was cut short and rather spiky, fully revealing her slightly pointed ears. Dressed rather formally, in a somber plum colored skirt and vest combination with a white blouse, her attention to detail and intellect made her a valuable addition to the VelSatis.
A dark-skinned, crimson-eyed Human woman, Cis Derinn, was monitoring the link to the Drakkenfaer; her black hair streaming down her back, accenting her incredible figure and gracefully exotic features; the form-fitting outfit she was clad in only added to her appeal. She was communications officer for a reason, and it wasn't just her melodious voice.
Brii glanced behind her, where the tactical station was; it was manned by the VelSatis' resident 'pretty boy', Jima Lladriel, whose talent for flirting and spoiled brat mannerisms were only exceeded by his handling of the VelSatis' offensive and defensive systems. Even now, his bright green eyes glinted with a hint of the trouble he was capable of stirring up; his longer dark brown hair neatly styled and with a small braid hanging over his right ear. His squarish jaw and broad, athletic physique filled his rather flamboyant clothes rather well.
Two members of her senior staff weren't currently on the bridge; the first was the motherly doctor, Kellhaym Leal, former resident of Mercury, whose long, dark blue hair now included a few gray streaks, even though her pink eyes still revealed the depth of her passion for medicine and the rest of the crew. The other was her highly optimistic, inevitably grinning, and very capable head engineer, Fabian G'haris, an older, silvery-gray skinned and -eyed Thocqualian who virtually never left his domain, preferring to play with machines over interacting with idle crewmembers.
Brii focused her attention back on the conversation.
“-and somehow, I don't think I'm Greywolf's type,” Aiden was saying. “Besides, that just wouldn't be sanitary; and I'm pretty sure a few of the girls over here might be upset.”
Brii snorted. “Hmmm.... bunny-girls or a man-wolf...” she deadpanned. “Not sure who'd win that one.”
Aiden's laughter could be heard. “Let's pray we never have to find out.” He paused. “Well, well... heads up, Captain; you should be getting what we're getting through the link. Interesting, eh?”
Brii glanced over at T'riiv. “What's out there?”
“DK engine signatures, captain,” T'riiv replied. “Not those involved in the search.”
“Really,” smiled Brii. “Looks like it's play time, Captain.”
“Indeed,” Aiden said, all traces of humor gone. “Indeed.”
Sigma
Alpha Six, Sigma Alpha system, 19 June 2745
Four handlamp beams sliced through inky darkness, as the quartet, led by
Sailor Vulcan, clambered through the tiny, twisting passage.
She passed through the last cleft, to where the cave widened, and paused,
joined seconds later by those following her.
The handlamps played about the cave for a while, settling finally on the
massive pile of rock just off to their left.
“Main entrance to this cave?” Merlin asked quietly.
“Yes,” Sailor Vulcan replied. “Some
millennia ago, an earthquake- or perhaps an attack of some sort- collapsed the
cave entrance; it is likely at the same time that the forces at work opened the
narrow cave we just passed through.”
“You said something about a significant find in here?” Sailor Cygni
queried.
“Yes, it is-” Sailor Vulcan began; but Derrelli had already begun
sweeping his beam about.
“Huh,” he muttered.
His handlamp beam was reflecting slightly off of a green metallic
surface, and as the others shifted their beams to join his, he shook his head.
“Shield your eyes, everyone; I'm going to shed some light on the
situation.” After a brief pause to marshal his thoughts, while everyone
else looked away, he aimed his hand at a stalagmite caught in the beams and
spoke. “Light!”
The stalagmite burst into a brilliant white incandescence; and as their
eyes adjusted, all four could simply stare.
A tunnel hung over it; metal and glass were part of the tunnel's
construction, with some sort of tracking, as if it were a cargo loader of some
sort.
But what really hit home was the view of it, revealed in its
entirety. Metallic white legs and
teeth, gleaming golden tail and dull golden eyes...
It was a massive, green metallic, robotic lion, lying there as if
simply asleep, ready to wake and go at a moment's notice.