Well, here we go again, after a 2 1/2 month hiatus, it's time for the Vandread crew for some mishaps and the PSE--along with the evil Boogaloos on their trail.
CHAPTER 15: TIME FOR ACTION
Not too far away from where Hibiki and the group were, tossing their bouquets to Dita and Misty, hidden in a dune, were General Tsitra Steg and Major Gie Bele Taltli, seeing from their vantage point.
"So they finally got The Key Gem," said the Major. "The Empress will be pleased with the results."
"Don't bother with.......," said the General as she almost broke off, once again in a zombie state as she saw Bart in the group, staring at the bald bishouen helmsman, "let's just.....call the retinue and we'll head back to the carrier......."
Seeing her friend like that, Gie Bele shook her by the shoulder saying, "Hey, lover girl, let's hurry."
Again, Tsitra shook out from her trance, saying, "Sorry. Let's hurry."
Running down a ravine, the officers battled the winds--until those same winds loosened a seven foot steel beam that was stuck in a sandy hill; it fell loose and landed on Tsitra, causing her to fall on the soft sand, pinned down by the beam.
"You all right?" said the fearful Major.
"I'll be fine," said the General. "just fell on my stomach.......help me get it off, it's heavy."
Try as she might, Gie Bele couldn't lift the beam even with here friend's help, grunting, "It's way too heavy. We'd best call for help back on the Hohenzollern."
At that moment, Bart, along with Gascogne showed up, the former saying, "I thought I heard someone here," and the latter saying, "You may be right--and it looks like two of Ms. Pereira's flunkies. You've come to spy on our treasure hunt, huh?"
"Wait," said Tsitra. "I remember you--we met at the bathrooms in The Firebird on Balderon, remember?"
"I remember," said Bart. "Sure took me by surprise when we met, you and your friend."
"Wait," said a suspicious Gascogne, "you two met before? It's a wonder you and your friend didn't report that to your Empress."
"Not if was love at first sight," said the General. "Name's Tsitra Steg, General of the carrier Hohenzollern, my long time friend's Gie Bele Taltli, our Major."
"You must be Gascogne Rheingau," said the Major. "We've heard so much from you, mostly from the Empress....I just wish our meeting was under better circumstances, but as you can see, Tsitra's trapped under a steel beam, way too heavy for ourselves to lift."
"No way," said the supply officer, "you're with the enemy, you know that? Wait--your said you were Tsitra Steg, the one Jura saved years ago, right?"
"Right said," replied Tsitra. "No sense in denying that, we've known the truth can set all free. You know Jura? How is she? She told you, didn't she?"
"Yup," said Gascogne, "and it was a shock.......well, seeing as the Nirvana crew is dedicated to saving lives, even your crummy PSE lives, we'll risk it--even if you blab to your Empress."
"You joking?" said Gie Bele. "We hate the Empress, Tsitra and me, always spouting off at one time or another......besides, you know how it is when it comes to love.......between the General and your bald friend here."
"Garsus," said the bald bishounen, "Bart Garsus. Anyhow, let's see what we can do with that big beam......."
With all four lifting the beam, that steel thing came off with no worries, General Steg only winding up with a bruised stomach. "At least I wasn't seriously hurt," she said. "Hurry back to your allies, your secret's safe with me and Gie Bele here."
"Fine and dandy," said Gascogne, "Just be careful."
"We will," said Gie Bele as she and Tsitra ran off to who knows where, the supply officer saying, "I cannot believe we spared them yet I couldn't believe they spared our hides, eh, Bart? Bart? Hey, Bart!!"
Bart, who had been in a trance, staring out after the long departed Tsitra, snapped out. "Oh, sorry, Gascogne.......well, that was the strangest moment here....."
Shrugging, Gascogne could only say, "Well, we got The Key Gem, let's round up our Vandread braves and squaws and head back to the Nirvana tepee."
In the time to come, Bart would later relate to Magno Vivian his experiences and how he seemed to be falling in love with the PSE General, the boss assuring that such unusual and forbidden romances were common, as evidenced by Samson and Delilah, Dave and Bathsheba, Romeo and Juliet and Tony and Maria (remember West Side Story?).
"I wouldn't doubt she and I falling in love," said the helmsman, "but that don't mean she and the Major friend of hers could change their minds."
"They wouldn't dare change their minds," said Magno.
"You willing to bet on that?" said the doubtful Bart.
Long after the Nirvana and The Cornerstone Empire had zoomed into hyperspace en route to Jupiter and its moons, one of which was Europa for the next phase of the Vandread crew's quest, the Hohenzollern, back with the rest of the PSE carrier fleet was abuzz with activity, the Empress and her officers in the bridge.
"How soon will the fleet be ready for lightspeed to Jupiter?" said Pereira.
"Just one minute," said Admiral Xaltocan Chimali, "is all it takes, ETA, 12 minutes time after that."
"Thermo tracker contact, Empress!!" called Officer Cici Kano, who was in charge of the Hohenzollern's radar, sonar, thermo, etc. tracking systems. "Range, 8400, bearing, 3-1-5, grid coordinates 541/770, must be using a stealth fold generator, can't see anything big, yet we've detected huge heat blooms in that section........extreme thermal transients for sure, Balderonian, Hale-Warp engines."
"The Cornerstone Empire?" said Rear Admiral Ilyo Eos. "Only Balderonians use Hale-Warp engines."
"Agreed," said Brittany, "but remember, they took off for hyperspace with the Nirvana, so that new ship must be a prototype built by some other Balderonians.......besides Cornerstone Empire reactors and engines carry a tempature rating of 12,000 degrees Fahrenheit, but that ship's burning at 4000 degrees."
"Only one ship I know," said Gie Bele, "is a prototype ship that uses high temp engines........the ship Vouivre, manned by the evil Electric Boogaloos led by Jiggy Jiggy Juddin."
"Those terrorist prostitutes?" said a shuddering Tsitra. "I thought we'd seen the last of them!!"
"So they're much smarter than I thought," said the Empress. "Those &^$#%^* Balderonians may be a race best known as the most technologically advanced, but what we lack, we can make up for. Order all ships for battle stations, prepare all weapons and Diamantes, yet stand by for lightspeed jump to Jupiter. Battle stations!!"
"Battle stations!!" relayed Admiral Chimali, as throughout the fleet, alarm klaxons blared
Onboard the Vouivre, in the neon lit bridge, Jiggy Jiggy stood in elation as his ship started to close in. "Those Pereira Star Empire bimbos may be safe in their stealth fold generator invisibility, but with our digital thermograph trackers, we can spot them, even with their invisability."
"Sorry, B.P.," sneered Pee Cee Bee, "run, but you can't hide."
"If they only knew," said Harlow, "that inasmuch as they claim to have the most formidable weapons, our weapons happen to be the most advanced. What should we start with first?"
"Prepare missile silo number 21," said Jiggy Jiggy, "and launch a plasma ion warhead tipped SSN 541 missile."
"C'h'ruhsi, ris," said Harlow, manning a general missile control ops section; deep in the capital ship's bowels of the missile silos, a long arm loaded a jet black pencil pointed missile--an SSN 541-- with white Balderonian and english writng on the side, into one of the silos, before a door slid to seal the silo. Then, on the outer surface of the ship, the outer hatch opened.
"Ready," said Harlow. "Missile set for automatic homing, will use heat seeking tracking to lock on the Hohenzollern's largest heat source, distance to target, one mile, 70 feet, missile armed, standing by to launch."
"XOSHRAN!! (LAUNCH!!)" bellowed Jiggy Jiggy.
"Tao!! (Yes!!)" replied Harlow, who slammed her hand on a red crystal launching switch--
--and the SSN 541 shot up out from the silo and was rocketing out to lock on the engines of the PSE's flagship.
"A missile was just launched!!" said Officer Kano. "It went active upon launching and it's locked on our engines......wait, several more were launched, and their phaser cannons and torpedoes have been gearing up....they're coming out from their invisibility, and they're bearing down, missiles coming on fast!!"
"Sheilds up!!" said Brittany. "Launch all countermeasures!!"
"Launching countermeasures, understood!!" said Rear Admiral Eos, who turned to a panel and stabbed several switches. Outside, several cylindrical canisters were flying out from the Hohenzollern's stern before the other carriers followed suit; after that, they exploded in clouds of gas, that drew the missiles off the trail, causing several of them to lock on each other missile's hot engine, destroying each other. Yet all that remained was the first missile that had been launched.....until the Empress gestured at it with the thumb, index and center fingers of her right hand and the SSN 541 blew up. After that, she barked, "Launch the Diamantes and open fire, full percussion firepower!!"
All over the Imperial PSE fleet, thousands of Diamante fightercraft were launched streaking towards the Vouivre, while the phaser cannons, missiles and torpedoes from the carriers were bombarding the said energy sheilded capital ship of The Boogaloos, to the chargrin of Pee Cee Bee, who said, "They know how to jam our missiles, and even now, they've sortied their fightercraft and they're blasting our ship!!"
"FIRE TORPEDOES!!!!" roared Jiggy Jiggy.
Not only did the Vouivre launch salvo after salvo of plasma torpedoes, it also blazed its own phaser cannons and even launch their own prototype hybrid fleet of fighter ships, each one a different hybrid design of ship, each armed with similar weaponry. Yet even while the Vouivre was larger, there were way too many of those Minotaur class carriers making up for what they lacked in size.
"Empress," said General Steg, "you know Jiggy and his fellow Balderonians might get around to using their magical neurological chi of their CTI magic to get the upper hand."
"Not if I can help it," said Pereira. "Remember, their Centralized Telepathic Interface talent is useless under electrostatic stastis projections. Howsoon can the fleet make the jump?"
"Two minutes time," replied Major Taltli, "not much when we got the Vouivre bearing down."
"Stand by to make the jump when the time comes," said the Empress. "All ships, prepare the Stastis Field Projectors."
From each stern of all twelve carriers, a square antennae sprouted upward and trained on the Boogaloos' capital ship, just as the Diamantes headed back to their carriers.
"They're pulling back their Diamantes," said Harlow. "Guess they just couldn't take it."
"Told you those PSE bimbos were wussies," said Jiggy Jiggy. "Let's focus our CTI flux on the single brained Jovians known as Brittany and her merry women and play with their minds."
"Victory is ours," said Pee Cee Bee.
"All ships report in, all Diamantes onboard, with all SFP antennae locked on," said Admiral Chimali.
"Transmit," said Pereira.
Throughout the PSE fleet, the antennae broadcast a brilliant sprialing whte light that engulfed the Vouivre, rendering it, its weapons and its fightercraft fleet useless, and inside the said craft, Jiggy Jiggy and his crew staggered as if they were in the grip of a brain stroke.
"W-what's happening.....?!?" said Jiggy Jiggy. "M-my mind, so zombie like....can't think of a thing, my CTI magic chi fading......."
"They must know how to jam our CTI.......and our ships and weapons!!" said Pee Cee Bee.
"They must be using an electrostatic source," said Harlow. "Only that can disable our CTI."
Back on the Hohenzollern, Admiral Chimali said to Brittany, "We're ready for the jump, course programmed and set."
"Wait 4 seconds," said the Empress, "then switch off the SFPs before the jump."
Four seconds passed......then the antennae stopped projecting the stastis beams, retracted back in their ships, and before the Boogaloos had time to react, the PSE fleet geared up then zoomed into lightspeed, all 12 ships at once.
"Confound it!!!!" roared Jiggy Jiggy. "They got away!!!! Get a fix on their last trajectory, and seek out their heat bloom trails again!!"
"We'll get them one way or another," said Harlow. "My head......."
"At least I still got a head.......," said Pee Cee Bee. "LIke I said, run, but you can't hide."
Emerging from lightspeed near Jupiter, the Nirvana, with the Cornerstone Empire War Machine Synthesis coming on behind, pulled to a stop near Jupiter. And right now, in the council chamber, the C.E. Empress Vanna, Magno, B.C., Gascogne, Meia, Misty and Hibiki were debating on how to carry with the upcoming phase of their mission on Europa, where The Pyramid Of Europa was, and their latest object of their quest, The Green Pyxis.
"Once we get ahold of that Green Pyxis," Gascogne was saying, "the Empress Brittany can't use her Apocalypse Engine."
"But who can say what she may do, given her hybrid magic?" said Meia. "We've seen what it can do, after what happened to Gascogne and Bart as well as Hibiki."
"It's a chance we'll have to take," said B.C., "if we're to thwart Ms. Pereira's plans."
"Supposing we do all that," said Hibiki, who was coughing a bit on his cigarette, "how do we put away the B-gal and her not so merry women away for good?"
"A suggestion, if you will," said Vanna. "Remeber what Jura said in her story, when she was serving the PSE, how she and Cara overheard the Empress' plans for her hired killers, when that head of the Emerald Guard mentioned XEW fumes? Well, that got me thinking on how and why the PSE would use something like that. You see, XEW is a vapor gas drug, used for crowd control to keep the peace and prevent trouble."
"I remember," said Magno, "the Mejere military uses XEW gas to stop any riots, just as the Taarak corps do.........it gives you a serenity tranquil feeling, with no cares, following orders like a zombie..........as such, it also eliminates freedom, however, it works mostly on weak minds, which may explain why it didn't work that much on Jura, Cara and that girl she saved, Tsitra Steg."
"Freedom.......," said Misty. "So what you're saying is that the Empress Brittany controls much of her Imperial personnel by pumping that gas into the ventaiation system of her ships and such, but once that power source for the gas is turned off, they should be out from her power."
Stifling a cough, Hibiki added, "So if we knock out their gas company, the PSE might rebel against their fearless leader........er, what does XEW stand for?"
"Xantho Eleptic Werrenhydrate," replied B.C. "It's a potent yet organic gas which thankfully is nonflammable. So.........how do we know which of the PSE's women were brainwashed by the gas and which ones were truly loyal to their Empress?"
"That would call for one heck of a process of elimination," replied Gascogne, "all touch and go, no less."
"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it," said the boss. "So it shouldn't be no problem in seeking out The Green Pyxis in The Pyramid Of Europa; Misty, you expertise based on when you and Dita did The Pyramid Of Titan, you should be a big help in getting past the traps to claim The Green Pyxis."
"I'll do whatever it takes, no worries," said the newbie. "Whatever or not if we can get there before the PSE does remains to be seen."
"Let's think positive," said Meia. "So it's official, we assemble a team and land on Europa for the pyramid, infiltrate it and claim that Pyxis."
"Then is everyone set?" said Capt. Vivian.
"YUP!!" said the group.
"Then we'll arrange it as soon as possible when the time is right," said Magno, opening a wall safe and placing The Key Gem in it, before closing it.....and that was when Hibiki, having been stooped over, coughing while valiantly smoking his almost burnt out cigarette, only he was hacking in the worst way, gasping and choking, till he fell to the floor.
"Hibiki? HIBIKI?!?" said B.C.
"I knew it, I knew it!!" said Meia in fear.
"What'll we do?!?" said a fearful Misty.
"He shouldn't been smoking, plain and simple!!" said a disgusted Gascogne.
"Never mind that!!" said Capt. Vivian. "Just get him to Duero, STAT!!"
"And soon!!" added Vanna. "What a day......."
Meia and Misty had just flanked the passed out Hibiki and picked him up; they were getting ready to carry the hothead out, when he pitched his head back and coughed, racking, getting his breath back and pulling loose from Meia and Misty, gasping and staggering, saying, "What's happening?"
"It's like we told you," replied Meia. "Like Dita said, smoking is bad for your health."
"Hear that?" said the boss. "Please don't smoke."
"Please, Hibiki," said Misty, "I care for you so much, and so do Barnette, Dita, Cara, Jura and the rest."
"My sentiments exactly," said Gascogne. "Please don't smoke."
"We don't want to lose you," said B.C.
"How 'bout it, huh?" said Vanna. "At least you not only save your lungs but also everyone else's from that black tarred secondhand smoke."
Taking in huge gulps of breath, Hibiki stood upright and said in a tired out way, "That does it, it's the last straw for me--NO MORE SMOKING!!"
So saying, the hothead took out the last cigarette packs from his pocket and crushed them all in one hand, dropped them to the floor and stomped on them, grinding them with his heel and tossed them in the trash can nearby, the women cheering and hugging the Van mechanic.
1200 yards from where the Nirvana and the Synthesis were, the PSE carrier fleet came out from lightspeed, having eluded The Electric Boogaloos, yet maintaining a distance so as not to be detected by The Cornerstone Empire, nor the Nirvana crew. And in the Hohenzollern's bridge tower, the Empress Brittany stared out through the windows at the unsuspecting quarry. Turning to Admiral Chimali, the Empress said without rancor, "Now we wait."
"Till our spy reports in, right?" said Chimali.
"What do you think?" said the PSE ruler.
In no hurry to reach Europa, the Nirvana crew and its ship drifted on the way to Jupiter's moon, a care free mood settling in with nearly everyone, the War Machine Synthesis following for cover. In the days that followed, Hibiki had to admit quitting his smoking habit had been a wise move, even if he had to deal with his angst in another way which was playing billiards, which he could win at, to Gascogne's chagrin. Now and then, he and Jura, theirsecret love life blossoming bigger and better thatn ever, had been sharing a bed together at night (and no, it's NOT what you think!!), sharing a hold, a kiss and some slumber. But on occasion, the hot head had something he never had, since the war with The Harvest--nightmares, in which he was running some dark city alleyways, voices assailing his hearing, the sensitivity intensified with one voice saying, "Even if you win, you might lose--and lose something you cherish the most." Another voice said, "The dance is over, or words to that effect." But the biggest scare was, upon reaching the light at the end of the alleyway, there, at the end, was the evil Empress, who, after giving out the meanest demented laugh, said propheticlly, "You shall NEVER have Jura!!"
"You $^&*%# crazy or something?!!?" charged the Van pilot. "I love her so much and she loves me!!"
"Don't be stupid," said Dita from behind; turning 'round, the mechanic could see the UFO otaku in a PSE uniform, who added, "You belong to my world--you belong to me."
On that, the dream stopped, with Hibiki waking up fast, yelling out his frustration and fear, sweat pouring down his face, strung out till he could calm down with some ice water and answering nature's call. For Hibiki Tokai, perhaps it was just as well he didn't sleep every single night with Jura, after all, the last thingthe hothead wanted was for the blonde Dread pilot to see him like that, a scared coward that acted like such a tough guy on the outside. But in the end, she did, more often than not, holding Hibiki close to her, rocking gently the distressed Van pilot, saying, "And I thought the Empress haunted me in my dreams. But why would she say you'd never have me? Dita maybe, but why Brittany Pereira? What's the connection?"
"I wish I knew........," said the Van pilot. "Scary thought, huh?"
With the Nirvana nearing closer to Europa, Hibiki, after a meal he did, bell peppers and beef, naturally, had been laying on the bed, pondering his fate, when there was a knock on the louvered door, and Dita (of all people) calling out, "Hibiki?"
"I already gave at the office," muttered the Van pilot.
Knocking at the door, Dita said, "Hibiki, please, it's important!!"
"You better be dying," grumbled Hibiki as he got up, went to the door and opened it before saying, "So what's got a bug up your head?"
"I had got to thinking," said the UFO otaku, "that as to how The Harvesters knew of our whereabouts, as did the PSE--I think we've got a spy onboard the Nirvana."
"Sure, Rabat," said the Van pilot, "but he's already dead."
"No, I mean after Rabat, or at least before died," said Dita. "We know Ms. Pereira built those Harvest ships and their drones, so she must've relayed the news from her spy to them. Another thing: How did she know those stolen files you downloaded were in Pyaro? How and why else would her Emerald Guard would head to Taarak to track down and take out Pyaro, thinking those files were still in his hard drive?"
"Now that I think of it........," said Hibiki, "how did they? From what Bart said 'bout the near run in in The Firebird's bathroom hallway with General Steg and Major Taltli, how'd they know we'd be heading to Balderon? Not to mention Titan? So if NASA could arrange a backup team, why not a backup spy? Wait, you saying someone in our group could be a spy?~!~? NO!! I trust anyone; sure, Jura and Cara used to be in The Empire, but they defected. Barnette? She'd have to be a nut to be a spy. B.C.?no, his loyalties stand with Taarak. How could ANYONE be a spy?"
"I don't know........," said the UFO otaku, "but I can't help but sense bad vibes.......I can feel danger."
"You'd best see a shrink," said the hothead, "you're getting freakazoid."
"The word is 'paranoid,' stupid," shot back Dita. "Besides, I know I should've mentioned it sooner, but an afterthought came up. Number one, congrats on you stopping your smoking habits. Number two, I'll say it again: why you wanna hang me out to dry and hang out with Jura? An' before you ask, I've been hearing a lot from you two from Paiway."
"Paiway again," grumbled the Van pilot. "That *%#$^& brat. So whoopie sexin' do."
"What's Jura got that I haven't got," demanded the UFO otaku, other than the fact she's got a body with a rack to match? I thought she only wanted you as a so called 'babymaker'"
"Rumors of that," said Hibiki, who was getting a bit testy, "were greatly exaggerated. At least she's no UFO freak that shows off her midriff day after day, let alone wears that costume jewlery of a tiara, an' called me that CRUMMY Mister Alien outa habit."
"So?" charged Dita, her face red, losing her temper with the hothead for the first time. "My midriff and tiara make me look stylish. And does the word 'pet name' mean anything to you,Know All Hibiki Tokai? Besides, Cara shows off her midriff herself."
"At least she's no ditz like you," said the Van pilot.
"DITZ~~~~~~~?!!!!?" yelled the UFO otaku. "I've given you the benefit of the doubt and all you do is act like a bad tempered butthat of an ingrate after we took you, Duero, and Bart in, gave you food and a place to rest and you act so ungrateful!! I lay down all my love for you, Hibki Tokai, and you never told me you loved me!!"
"What's love got to do with it?" said the hothead. "Anyhow, pet names suck, and I say now's hardly the time to organize a protest. OK, if you may pardon my Russian, I'll spell it out for you,D-I-T-A--I--don't----love----you. I love Jura, and she loves me, and we can't abide coveters. At least she's been improving on her cooking skills, much better than you did."
Sighing, a chagrined Dita muttered, "Serves me right for getting her those cook books for her birthday. oh well, at least she's learning from them so well. But one thing's for sure--my second nature claims there's bad vibes in the air that say there's a spy onboard the Nirvana, mark my words."
"Your second nature just faw down and go boom," said the Van pilot.
"Don't say I didn't warn you," said the UFO otaku glumly.
The Nirvana was 200 yards from Europa and it was Hibiki's birthday, the fete taking place in the park section of the ship, starting with a barbeque and a jam session of an impromptu band--Dita on drums, Gascogne on Fender Rhodes electric piano and synths, Hibiki on Hammond B-3 organ and synths, Meia on lead guitar, Misty on rtythm guitar, Jura on bass, and much of the rest of the group on horns and strings, jamming away at their own version of Get Your Kicks On Route 66, The Hippy Hippy Shake. Life Is A Highway, Surfin' Bird, The Land Of 1000 Dances,Lookin' For A Love, Roll Over Beethoven, Papa Oom Mow Mow, Mama Don't Allow (Hibiki's favorite), Christine Sixteen, Tragedy (as in The Bee Gees classic), Tycoon's Such A Woman, New England's Don't Ever Wanna Lose You, The Who's My Generation, The Beatles' Come Together and finished with their faithful rendition of UFO's Doctor Doctor, after which came the gifts; pots and pans from Meia, a plasma ball from Dita, wine and cheese from Bart, a first aid kit from Duero, platinum playing cards from Gascogne, an Uzi from Barnette, a pair of dice from Cara, a classic DVD on Emeril Lagasse from Misty, a box of chocolates from Jura, and so on.........by which, the Nirvana maids wheeled in an angel food cake with blazing candles--and that was when Dita announced, "OK, here's the cake, so Hibiki here can make a wish, blow out the candles and make a pig of himself."
Despite the others laughing, Hibiki fumed, as did Meia, who rebuked, "That ain't funny, Dita, come on.....Hibiki, make your wish and blow the candles."
"Your crudeness," said Gascogne, "get in here for your cake."
"I already AM in here, OK?" said Hibiki. "So let's get to blowing those candles out."
"We're all havin' to eat that white cake," grumbled Cara. "Echo City, why didn't youse ask for chocolate cake?'
"Seemed like an idea at the time," said the hothead. "Well let's put out that forest fire here."
"Wait," said Jura, "you've got to make your wish first, it's the rules."
"Rules suck," grumbled the Van pilot. "Let's see, I wish--"
"Stop!!" said Dita, who sounded a bit hurt. "You can't say your wish, otherwise it won't come true."
"Bull crap," retorted Hibiki. "Superstistions also suck. I wish the so called Nirvana spy will be revealed."
With that, the hothead blew out the candles and all cheered, but always the annoying, Dita warned, "Now you've done it--you told your wish and it won't come true."
"So what else is new?" said the Van pilot.
Back in the bridge tower of the Hohenzollern, an officer said to the Empress Brittany, "Incoming transmission from our Nirvana spy."
"Onscreen," said Pereira.
Once again the triangle screen came out of nowhere, displaying the mystery female, her face hidden in shadow, the interior of her Nirvana cabin dim lit with the glow of a nearby moon shining through her window as she said, "I await the time to steal The Key Gem and rendezvous with you at Airlock 48 of the Nirvana when we dock."
"You did well," said Brittany. "Wait 15 minutes, then collect up your belongings and pack up, then steal The Key Gem along the way before we meet at the airlock--we'll do the rest. Your work is complete after so many years, Saergent....you can finally come back to the Hohenzollern."
"At last........," breathed the female. "you've got no idea how long I've been waiting for that moment."
"You've got your orders," said the Empress, "initiate them."
"Understood, Empress," said the spy......who at that moment chose to move back from the shadow that hid her--
--and into the streaming moonlight from the window which revealed her as..............Misty Cornwell, who added, "Saergent Cornwell, out."
"Empress Brittany Pereira, out," said Pereira, before the screen vanished. After that, she instructed the crew, "Wait 15 minutes then arrange for the fleet to close in on the Nirvana while we link up with Airlock 48."
After much of the crew and the Vandread team, et al, had finished stuffing themselves with cake, Hibiki related to the others of Dita's theory that there was a spy, Meia, Misty, Cara and Jura paled, but Barnette turned livid and slammed her fist against a lamp post, snarling, "I'll murder the bum!! If I meet that lousy traitor spy, I'll kick its butt!! No----I'l use a piledriver and break the spinal cord!!"
"Calm yourself, Barnette," said Magno. "Dita, you sure?"
"My second nature," replied the UFO otaku, "tells no lies. Don't forget, when we first put together our pirate crew, we didn't know each other at first, in fact, we didn't know Hibiki, Bart and Duero when we first met them."
"And you think it could be me and Cara?" said a frightful Jura. "I tell you we defected!!"
"AAAA----MEN!!" said Cara.
"Let's not get paranoid," said B.C. "We'll post guards in the crucial spaces till we flush that spy before we reach Europa."
"And the sooner, the better," said Misty.
"Right now," said Gascogne, "let's get to the fun part of our birthday shindig--a birthday dance for the birthday boy, H. T."
"Fine," said the hothead, "only I get to pick the tune."
"Sure, knock yourself out," said the supply officer, before the Van pilot went to his MP3 player which had been patched into the sound system, and had it play The Crew Cuts' Sh-Boom; as soon as it started, Parfet was tripping the light fantastic with Duero, Meia with Misty, Cara with Dita (to the UFO otaku's embarrassment), Barnette with Gascogne, Bart with Magno (which was hard since she needed her cane), Paiway with B. C. and (who else?) Jura with Hibiki, as a mirror ball, reflecting off krypton ion lasers of different colors spun, and fog set the mood. For the moment, it seemed there wasn't a care onboard the ship, the Nirvana crew unaware of the impending danger in the works. and when the tune finished, Misty said to Meia, "Listen, I got to head for the head, OK?"
"Just don't be scuba diving," said Meia, before her friend ran off........
........and hightailed it to her cabin, changing into her PSE uniform, packing all her clothing and possessions in a backpack, pulling out from under her bed, a two foot square console device with a keyboard, an onmidirectional antenna and a screen which she had used to discreetly communicate with the Empress and her fleet and stuffing it in her pack. Finished, she shouldered her PSE issue phaser crossbow and ran down to the council chamber; using her flashlight, she opened the wall safe, having memorized Vivian's combination, and took out a cystalline T shape with a groove in the center that seemed to almost seperate the two haves of the T--The Key Gem.......and that was when the lights came on, and behind Misty, a machine gun in one hand, was an irate Barnette Orangello, who said, "Intrested in our Key Gem, Rosy Nosy Misty?"
Whirling round in shock, Misty stammered, "Wait, Barnette.....I......I can explain everything."
"Wait?" mocked the gunner. "Wait for what, Benedict Arnold Cornwell? Or is that Cornwall, as in Cornwallis? I had a feeling you were the spy because I noticed how experienced you were when it came to you knowing so much 'bout the 'ol PSE, I mean, why else would those troopers at the gate to their Balderon missile base snap to attention when they saw you in that uniform when you came out from that tank you stole? Or how you took to piloting your Dread like a pro, the same way those PSE Diamante pilots did? Not to mention how much interest you showed at the meeting when it came to The Key Gem and how you were looking foward to The Pyramid Of Europa? But the real clincher is the fact I now see you, with your crossbow and your uniform, stealing The Key Gem from the safe."
"Well, THAT did give me away.......," said a blushing Misty.
"Yup," said Barnette. "Right now, you've got some 'splainin' to do, before I turn you over to Capt. Vivian."
"If you insist.....," said Misty, "I don't like the idea of using dirty tricks and stealing, but I, like it or not, got my orders from the Empress Brittany, to bring The Key Gem to her......forgive me....."
Upon saying that, the blue haired newbie aimed her crossbow at the overhead lighting and blasted it, putting the chamber in the dark, before running out with the Gem, a furious Barnette calling out, "HEY! Get back here, you stinkin' traitor!!" and running out after the newbie down the hall.
"The PSE fleet's here?" said the Empress Vanna. "Where'd they come from?"
It was here in the bridge of the C.E.W.M. Synthesis that Tracking Officer Weg Orn had just related the news to Vanna, adding, "My guess is they must've came out from lightspeed at a distance so that our tracking couldn't detect them at first; they're now bearing at 4-1-3, range, 5515, trying to surround the Nirvana, their speed increasing to 70 miles per hour and counting, turning off their stealth fold generators."
Turning to the main telescreen, Vanna, her mother the Govenor Mallory, Xaan, Cid Dorn, Major Kolid Fendleman, Rael Tobias, Gospodin Polkovnik, General Jessica Per, Weg and the rest could see the PSE carriers shimmer into visibility, racing toward the Nirvana like a pride of lions closing in for the kill--and one of them was nearing as a speed faster that the others.
"One of those ships is moving in with a purpose," said Major Fendleman.
"No doubt, it's the Hohenzollern," said General Per.
"We've got to warn the Nirvana, stat," said Mallory.
Turning to her niece, Xaan, Vanna said, "Get ahold of the communications annex to get the Nirvana, NOW!!" Then to Polkovnik, she added, "Full speed on the engines, all cannons and weapons on standby." To Jessica, the Empress spoke, "Order all Manta ships on standby," and last of all, she said to Rael, "Prepare your squadron."
"TAO!!" chorused the said officers.
Back at the Nirvana's park section, Cara had asked Hibiki, "Yo, Biki, how's it feel to had ditched the tobacco stick?"
"Let's just say," replied the jovial hothead, "that I feel a natural high. It's been days since I had my last cig." For good luck, he rapped on the wooden part of a park bench.......and suddenly, there was some shaking up, as if the Nirvana had been taking some hits....and no wonder, for there was a beeping and the alarms sounding, which prompted Celtic to head to a panel nearby and after touching some switches, said to Capt. Vivian, "Incoming message from the C.E.W.M. Synthesis, it's urgent!!"
"Onscreen," said the boss.
In a second, one of the projected screens came with the image of Vanna Traedi who blurted out in fear, "Hey you in there, check what's outside--The Pereira Star Empire, and they've come out from their stealth fold, surrounding you!!"
The instant Celtic turned on a second screen, all could see the now visible gloss green carrier ships crowd in on their quarry, blasting with their phaser cannons, the Hohenzollern moving in fast towards one of the pirate ship's airlocks, and again, the tune Hibiki In A Fret in the background.
"That tears it!!" barked Magno. "Battle stations, MOVE!!"
But even as the bridge staff ran to the bridge, The Cornerstone Empire's Imperial Manta fleet trying to break up the enemy strike, and the remains of the Vandread crew ran down the hall, it was at that point the group stopped, in the hallway and no wonder; they saw someone running down the intersecting hall--someone with blue hair, a back pack, a phaser crossbow and a PSE issue uniform--and that someone was Misty, who upon spotting Hibiki and company, froze in fear, stammering, "I......I can explain....."
"What's with the PSE uniform?" said the Van pilot. "Is it Halloween yet?"
"For that matter," said Meia, "how come you're running 'round here?"
"Youse look like youse got your hand in the cookie jar," said Cara.
"What the hey?" said Dita. "Hurry up, Misty, we've got to get to our Dreads and stop those PSE jokers."
"Never mind that," said Jura. "how come Misty's got The Key Gem in her hand?"
It was true; in her haste, Misty had The Key Gem in her hand, without thinking of stashing it in her pack with Barnette chasing her, till she had lost her in the hall, but who could say the gunner would locate the blue haired newbie here? Even so, one glance at the key in Misty's hand told the story, prompting Hibiki to yell out, "Hey!! Misty!!"
That started Misty running down the hall with the Vandread team chasing her, just as Barnette came from behind, calling out, "Stop that Misty, you guys!! I saw her steal The Gem from the safe!! She's the spy for the PSE!! Stop her!!"
"I knew it!!" said Dita with an I-told-you-so manner. "There WAS a spy here, and I had a feeling it had to be Misty!!"
"And I thought Cara and me were the only ones that served in the Empire!!" said Jura worriedly.
"Misty, a spy!!" moaned Meia glumly with the mood of someone who the income tax report. "What a shock!! And I trusted her!!"
"Never trust a stinkin' traitor!!" said Barnette.
Along the way, Gascogne came from one hallway and was running with the pack, saying, "Hey you jokers, the hangar's that way!! We've got PSE carriers to fight!!"
"Hang that!!" said Hibiki. "We've found our spy and it's that %#*^& Misty, who took off with The Key Gem!!"
"Misty's the spy?!?" said the supply officer in disbelief. "I always thought there was something suspicious bout her when she first came on board in the pod. That sucks."
Even as the Vandread team chased Misty, the Hohenzollern, in the midst of the mish mash melee had paked alongside the Nivana, like two ships in the night; on one side of the carrier, a white accordion bellows like square shaped passage extended out from the carrier and linked up with one of the Nirvana's airlocks. Up in the bridge, Admiral Chimali said to the Empress, "Vestibule secure. All pressures equalized."
"You've got the conn," said Brittany. Then turning to a quartet of Emerald Guard shock troops, she said to them, "Starker, Acitcalag, Noivo, Aiepoissac, let's go."
"UNDERSTOOD!!" chorused the troopers before following their ruler, their weapons at the ready.
Up in the Nirvana's bridge, the staff was tracking the enemy ships taking a few potshots, the valiant efforts of the Manta fleet and the Synthesis detaining them, when there was a buzzing noise that had B.C. turn to a screen the depicted one of the pirate ship's airlocks already opening. "We've been breached!!" he said to Capt. Vivian.
Airlock 48 was where Misty came to a stop, one hand on the controls and the other with her crossbow, now aimed at the Vandread crew that had just stopped a yard ahead of her, the blue haired newbie saying, "Stop!! I won't fight, but I got my weapon set for stun. And before you ask, the truth should be known--I AM a spy, comssioned by The Pereira Star Empire. Permit me to reintroduce myself--I am Misty Cornwell, Saergent of the Hohenzollern's 440th Diamante Squadron."
"Just as I thought!!" said Hibiki. "You're stupid for having a lot of guts to gain our trust to be a friend, but in reality behaving as a spy!! You're *%#$^& STUPID!!!!"
"Misty," sobbed Meia, "I...............I trusted you........!! We were like sisters..................and now you're breaking my heart."
"Why I kissed you that one time," said Jura, "is beyond me. Traitors like you should be lynched at dawn!!"
"Shame, shame on you!! For shame!!" charged Dita.
"Youse bad news," said Cara.
"You should be horsewhipped--thouroughly horsewhipped," said Gascogne.
"It's all over, you stinkin' traitor," said Barnette.
"I don't blame you all for how you feel for me," said Misty somberly, "but unlike the Empress I ain't technically a real enemy, per se. Even if it's once a spy, always a spy, I don't like my job in the Empire one bit. You could say, that like Jura, Cara, General Steg and Major Taltli, I too, am strong minded which can make me immune to the Empress' XEW gas she uses. Yet, if I didn't follow her orders, I would've met a death worse than fate."
"The same old sad song and dance," said Meia. "Come on, get real!!"
"Like I said," said Dita, "my second nature tells no lies."
"At least hear me out," said Misty.
"Then get those &^$%*# jaws hoppin'," muttered Hibiki.
"I was," said Misty, "born on Pluto, that part was real, and long after my parents died, I took up piloting fighter craft as a test pilot for some cut rate company, until a huge carrier came flying in the sky, using its weapons to demolish the factory I was working for; I was flying high in the sky at the time, and when I saw what the carrier--the Hohenzollern--did, I took off, flying from the scene, but the ship chased me down and in the end, used its tractor beam to pull me onboard where I was captured. After that, the Empress Brittany, said to me that she had been impressed my flying skills so she offered to spare my life if I joined her Empire--which I did, otherwise I would've been earmarked for the firing squad if I refused. What was I to do? Take it as a doubt if you don't believe me."
"And so on and so on.......," said Jura.
"At the time of the war between you and the Empress' Harvester creations," said Misty, "she had Rabat as a vassal for her espionage purposes on the Nirvana crew, but fearing that one day Rabat would get untrustworthy and take off on his own independant conquests, Ms. Pereira chose to send in a back up spy, and that was when she chose me for the task--to infiltrate the Nirvana and discreetly report to her your activities so she could route her Harvest to her evil gains."
At that, Hibiki's fists were clenched and shaking in rage while the Van pilot grumbled, "*%#$^&."
"When the time was right," added the blue haired newbie, the Hohenzollern drew in close to the Nirvana, hidden in its stealth fold yet staying far from your tracking range, then a pod was prepared for me, in which I was placed under cold sleep, then my back pack, which was packed with my belongings along with my Imperial issue communicator, which I used to report to the Empress, in a secret compartment in the pod, which I recovered long after I got settled in. The pod's onboard computer, by the by, was programmed with false info 'bout me, save for the fact I did come from Pluto, after that, I was jettisoned to your ship and the rest is history. I had hoped that when the war with the Harvest had stopped, I would be free but the Empress gave me a new mission to stay with you till we had claimed The Key Gem after she came up with The Apocalyspe Engine. You see, prior to our reunion, she had entrusted the plans for that weapon to her spy network on Taarak and transmitted a back up copy online there--how were we to know Hibiki's computer and Pyaro would intercept the broadcast? Anyhow, that was how it was with me and The PSE--no compromises."
"Youse an' that ^&$*%# PSE," said Cara. "What 'bout our lives? Did ol' B. P. consider that Gem an' the Green the only priority an' that our lives were secondary when the time was right?"
"What do you think?" said the newbie as the airlock's inner hatch opened and the Empress Brittany and her Emerald Guard, their weapons aimed at the Vandread team, entered, the evil ruler taking The Key Gem from Misty, saying, "You did well, Saergent, congratulations. So that is the famous Nirvana......it sure don't look so tacky in matters of decor--not bad for a bunch of L7 sods."
Naturally, Hibiki (who else?) rumbled at Pereira, "You're the lowest........and so is Misty here....."
"Now that wasn't nice," said Brittany, just as a squad of Nirvana troops showed up with their weapons behind the Vandread crew, their leader saying, "Give it up, Ms. Pereira!! You're surrounded!!"
"What the bloody $&^*#% difference does it make how many people you use to oppose me?" said the PSE ruler. Like it or not, you've got to do as I say." And saying so, she gestured with her right hand and some unseen force shoved the Vandread crew and the troops hard, far down the hall in a pile up, before she, her troops and Misty (who said, "Sorry, Hibiki....we had some rockin' times together then, and forgive me too, sister Meia.") ran back into the airlock, the hatches closing........
Shaking out the cobwebs from their heads, Hibiki and company came back to their senses before Gascognesaid, "Well, let's look on the bright side....at least Hibiki got his birthday wish....."
The task complete, the Hohenzollern retracted its vestibule from Airlock 48 and took off, building up in speed, followed by the other carriers, breaking off the battle with the Nirvana, the Cornerstone Empire's Manta fleet and the C.E.W.M. Synthesis before all carriers went back under their stealth folds of invisibility. Already onboard the said War Machine, the Empress Vanna and her group saw what happened and sensed the immient outcome.
"We've lost a battle, yet sustained no casualties, we must try harder," said Vanna.
"How?" said Mallory. "If Brittany succeeds with The Green Pyxis, the fate of the Nirvana and our Conerstone Empire, if not Balderon, not to mention the universe, is sealed."
"So?" said General Per. "No one's perfect."
Shades of Benedict Arnold!! So that is it!! Misty is the spy!! And what's worse, with the blue haired newbie's help, the evil Empress got The Key Gem, which means yet another Pyramid and The Green Pyxis meaning Apocalypse Engine fuel!! But then, like General Per said, no one's perfect. The only hope is for Hibiki and co. to get the Gem back before Ms. Pereira uses it, sure, right. Boy, life stinks, don't it?
--a440
Next: Chapter 16: Expect The Unexpected