Hmm... this chapter (and Chapter 6, which I'll post in a few days) has been
done for a while now. I was hoping for some prereader comments, as someone
volunteered to preread last time I posted a chapter, but I didn't get
anything back. *shrug* If YOU want to be a prereader, let me know.
As a note, despite chapter 6 having been completed (and chapter 7 being
started), I really haven't been writing much of anything lately. That
Mononoke fanfic was something I'd written over a month ago, and both of
these chapters were completed several weeks ago... honestly, I've just been
too lazy to write. (well, there was a one hour challenge fic I wrote on
the FFIRC, but that isn't finished... I'm thinking that, since the FFIRC is
having more 1 hour challenges lately, I'll just continue it next time
there's such a challenge...). Don't worry- I never abandon anything... I
may ignore it for a while, but I never abandon anything.
Chapter 5
The seven ships had rendezvoused again, and Tylor was still in his chair,
ready to give more orders.
"Open a channel to all ships," he said.
"Yes, sir," Lieutenant Kim replied, flipping a few switches efficiently.
"Channel open."
"The blackout period is ended for one hour," Tylor began. "From here on
out, you are ordered to maintain a communications blackout for twenty-three
of twenty-four hours. All transmissions during that one hour period must
be triply encoded, and no ship is permitted to divulge its co-ordinates or
future destination to anyone. These are admiralty orders, not mine. I did
my best to get you all that one hour. Use it wisely- that is all."
Lieutenant Kim cut the transmission, and then turned her attention back on
Tylor. "Receiving acknowledgments from all ships, sir."
Tylor nodded. "Good," he said, standing up. He walked over to her console
and deposited seven data cards. "Just before our hour is up, transmit
these orders to the squadron. I'll be back shortly."
Kim hesitated. "No need to rush, sir- you've been up twenty-three hours a
day since we left, and that can't be good. Yamamoto's not the same sort of
person you are, but he's capable of running the ship in off-hours enough to
let you sleep a bit longer."
Tylor shook his head. "I'm fine- got used to weeks on end with an hour or
less of sleep back in college. I couldn't sleep easily for the first three
weeks I was there- either I was at a party, or throwing a party, or a party
was being held so close by that it kept me up all night. I'll be fine for
a while yet."
"If you say so, sir," Kim answered uncertainly.
"If an emergency comes up, I'll be in my cabin. See you in an hour!" Tylor
said, waving as he left the door.
Kim clicked a certain button on her console. "Did you guys catch all
that?" she whispered.
"Yes, we did," Harumi's voice answered quietly. "I don't THINK human
metabolism allows such a degree sleep deprivation for as prolonged a period
as Tylor's gone through without SOME form of physical manifestation, but
I'm not entirely sure. I certainly have no idea how he can be staying
awake and alert as long as he is..."
The doctor's voice chimed in. "Harumi's right- it SHOULDN'T be possible
for Tylor to act as he does right now. I'm not a psychiatrist, though, so
I don't know if there's some sort of psychological effect that allows a
person to remain conscious for an extended period of time which might be
effecting him. There is one other possibility, but... I hesitate to accuse
him of something like that here."
"Whatever it is," Yamamoto's voice interrupted. "We'd better find out...
this isn't healthy."
The Doctor's voice returned. "I'll try and get him down for a physical in
a couple of days, and that should reveal whatever it is."
"Good," Yamamoto replied. "Until then, everyone, remember: Keep an eye on
Tylor, and make sure he doesn't become a danger, either to himself or to
us."
Down in his cabin, Tylor sighed, putting away the freshly used bottle of
stims. Again, they had wore off much more rapidly than they had before-
he'd almost collapsed before he could give himself the injection. He
didn't have time to worry about that, however- Yuriko was waiting for his
call....
* * * * *
Dom and Azalyn continued to stare at the intelligence data that they were
carrying, trying to discern some pattern which they could use to guess what
both the terrorists and Tylor's next move would be. They were having
problems, though, because they had no idea what Tylor himself knew.
Dom shook his head, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly. "We've cut it
to twelve possibilities, but without that intelligence from Earth, there's
no way to narrow it down any further."
Azalyn yawned and stretched, standing up. "I'm going to head down to the
mess hall and get a snack. Do you want anything?"
"Coffee. Earth coffee. Not the imitation stuff we produce- it's never the
same. Black."
Azalyn perked up a little. "You drink coffee? I didn't know that..."
Dom allowed himself a slight smile. "Only Earth coffee- the stuff we make
tastes like boiled mud. Since we didn't meet until the start of the war,
and coffee was illegal contraband during that time, I couldn't indulge
myself. Now that we have peace, however, I'm an avid drinker."
Azalyn shook her head as she started to leave. "I'm sorry I didn't know
that! My father obsessed over coffee, and when he died we still had two
warehouses full of his private stock of Earth coffee in storage. I don't
like drinking it myself, but the aroma when someone else drinks it is
delightful and reminds me of him. I would have let you have access to
those warehouses if I'd known."
Dom smiled sadly at her retreating back. "My failure to inform you was my
loss, my Empress," he said. Once he was sure she was out of earshot, he
finished with, "And not just about the coffee."
After a few seconds of contemplation on what might have been, he returned
to sorting through the data he had, trying to guess exactly what moves
Tylor might make, given what he knew of him. A few minutes later, a
messenger arrived.
"Captain Dom, sir! I have a pair of messages to deliver. May I ask where
the Empress Azalyn is?"
"In the mess hall," he answered, not looking from his computer terminal.
"She'll be back in a minute or two."
"There's an encoded message for you from Shia Has, and a privately coded
personal message for the Empress."
Dom turned to the messenger. "A message from Shia Has? They must have
broken radio silence. Give them to me- I'll make sure the Empress gets it.
Carry on."
The messenger nodded, handing Dom the two message chips. "Aye, aye, sir,"
and then left. A moment later, Azalyn returned carrying a cup of coffee, a
sandwich, and a plate full of cookies and candies.
Dom smiled slightly at her return, putting the first chip into the computer
receptacle. "Ah, just in time, my Empress. Radio silence has been broken,
apparently- we received a message from Shia Has, and I was just about to
view it." He handed her the other chip. "Also, a personal message arrived
for you."
Azalyn blinked. "A personal message? From whom?"
Dom shrugged. "It was privately encoded."
Azalyn looked at the chip curiously. "I can't imagine who it would be
from. Oh, well... I'll look at it later. Maybe Shia Has's message will
tell us how to find Tylor."
"I sincerely hope so," Dom replied, activating the chip.
Shia Has's face appeared on the screen. "Greetings, Captain Dom- this will
be a short message. I suspect the information you most want is where we
are and where we are going, but I'm afraid that is impossible. Captain
Tylor has ordered that, while we may break radio silence for one hour a
day, we must encode all of our messages and messages must not contain any
information related to our movements. However, I can tell you I will not
be with Tylor much longer- he's splitting the task force up into four
groups to cover more territory, though we haven't received our orders yet.
I will try and send more information at a later time, but I figured I
should send you this brief update while I had some opportunity."
The screen blanked. "Well," Dom said. "It appears that we are on our
own."
"Now what are we going to do?" Azalyn dispaired.
"Actually," Dom said. "The information in Shia Has's message helps. We've
cut the number of possibilities down to twelve, and now we know that we
know they're splitting up into four groups instead of moving as one group,
we have better chances at our worst case scenario: we can just try one of
the twelve sites at random, and we'll have a decent chance of running into
one of the task force ships. Then we can follow that ship to wherever the
next rendezvous is, and we'll have found Tylor in no time."
Azalyn looked relieved. "Well, let's try to make those chances better,
okay?"
Dom nodded, but then looked at her. "What about your message?"
Azalyn looked at the message chip in her hand. "I forgot! Oh, well... it
can wait until later. We really only have about an hour before we have to
choose a spot or else we'll risk missing them at the rendezvous... I'll
check my message after we've started moving."
Dom nodded again. "Very good, my Empress."
* * * * *
Yuriko shifted uncomfortably as she talked with Tylor. Sure, he SEEMED all
right, but there was an edge to his voice that wasn't normal. It had been
there for the past several days, and it scared her.
Suddenly he asked a question that knocked her out of her reverie.
"Yuriko, do... do you still love me?" he asked hesitantly.
"Wh- what?!" Yuriko cried, startled.
"You seem distracted, and-"
"What does that have to do with anything? Why in the world would you think
that I don't still love you?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Tylor said, his voice trembling. "I never proposed to
you, even though I knew you wanted to marry me. I wasn't there when the
bomb went off and you needed me- I only showed up after it was too late to
do anything about it. Then, instead of taking care of you, I left you to
go off on this terrorist-hunting crusade... oh, god, you must hate me!"
Tears were starting to drip down his cheek.
Yuriko panicked. What had brought this on? Just a little distracted
thought during their conversation? There had to be more to it than this-
he was acting extremely paranoid, which she KNEW he wasn't usually. She
took a deep breath, hoping to calm herself enough so that she could comfort
him without making a mistake, and then answered him.
"Tylor, please listen to me. I don't hate you. It would take a lot to
make me hate you- after all, I didn't fall in love with you until after I
saw you at your most annoying, and it didn't stop me. I did- and do- want
to marry you, but I know that marriage isn't your sort of thing, even if
you ARE committed to me. And you think I hate you for not being there when
the bomb went off? I'm GLAD you weren't there- if you had been, you might
have been hurt or even killed. And I know WHY you left me to go after the
terrorists, so of course I don't hate you for that. Believe me in this,
Captain- I love you."
Tylor shook his head. "Why? Why would you love me?"
Yuriko opened her mouth and closed it a few times. "Tylor, there are so
many reasons I couldn't list them all."
"Then name one."
Yuriko tried desperately to think of just one reason she could give him.
True, she could list a number of reasons, but none of them were
satisfactory for an answer. She loved him for his sense of humor, but that
same sense of humor also had angered her so often that he probably wouldn't
believe her if she mentioned it. She loved him for his courage, but
probably even he didn't realize how much courage he had- it had taken her
an entire war to learn of it herself. She could mention that she loved him
for how good he was in bed, but that would seem so shallow she feared it
would disgust him. What could she answer?
"Captain, I don't know of any answer that would satisfy you," she finally
said. "Anything I would say either wouldn't make sense or wouldn't seem
enough. I'm sorry... but just because I can't name a reason why I love you
doesn't mean that I don't love you- I do, more than I think you could
imagine. And that's not about to change any time soon."
Tylor seemed to slump back into his chair. "If you'd been able to name
one, I would have known you were lying. Now, I know you're not...."
Yuriko was happy that she'd seemed to call him, but now she wondered what
the hell had brought that on. "Tylor, something beyond my being a little
distracted brought this on. Why are you acting so-"
A loud beeping interrupted her. "Uh, oh, Yuriko. You know what that
means..."
Yuriko sighed- yes, she did. That sound meant they had only thirty seconds
before they had to disconnect. She'd have to find out the next time he
called. "Goodnight, Tylor. Talk to you tomorrow. Remember that I love
you."
"Goodnight, Yuriko.... I love you, too."
The screen went blank.
Yuriko shook her head. "There's something really wrong about him- I need
to talk to someone. But who?"
* * * * *
Ensign Kojiro, the ace pilot who had managed to earn a reputation as a
combat veteran despite the fact that the ship he was on almost never fought
a normal battle, was performing the usual daily inspection of his fighter
when the two most terrifying people he had ever met appeared out of nowhere
to stand less than six inches in front of him.
"Hi, Ensign Kojiro! How are you today?" Yumi and Emi chirped.
"Ack! Get away!" he floundered, stumbling back. Then he recovered
slightly- he was trying to be nicer to them, so he shouldn't get so upset
when they showed up like that. "Uh, I mean, um, I'm fine, I think. And
you?"
Yumi and Emi smiled happily. "Oh, we're fine." they giggled, answering
together. Then Yumi looked at him with some worry. "Ensign Kojiro, what
happened to that doll we gave you?"
"We worked so hard on it for you," Emi explained.
"And we always used to be so happy seeing it hanging in your cockpit," Yumi
added.
"So we were wondering why it was no longer there." Emi finished.
"Right?" they chorused, a little sadly.
"Oh, that," Kojiro laughed nervously. "I'm sorry- it was destroyed in that
test plane crash I was involved with during the war."
"Oh!" the twins said, blinking at each other.
"Well, then," Yumi said.
"We'll just have to make a new one for you!" Emi continued.
"Right!?" They chorused, much more enthusiastically than before.
As they ran out the door, Kojiro called, "Wait! You don't have to... do...
that." He sighed. They were gone before he could finish his sentence.
Oh, well- he wouldn't mind having a replacement for that little plushie
version of him they had made before. Until it had been burned up in the
crash, he had liked that little good luck charm.
He finished up his inspection, and then turned his attention to the girls'
fighters. Maybe he was trying to be nicer to them, but that didn't mean he
trusted them to conduct all of their own safety checks- they were, after
all, the ditziest pair of people he'd ever met... though if he could get
over his fear of girls, he might even think they were kind of cute. Okay,
very cute... still, that cuteness just made them even more terrifying.
Not finding anything wrong, he left the fighter bay and bumped into Captain
Tylor- literally.
"Oh, I'm sorry, Captain!" Kojiro said, offering a hand to help him up.
"Are you okay?"
Tylor glared at him suspiciously. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Tell me, why,
exactly, were you in there? You weren't sabotaging the fighters, were
you?"
Kojiro stared, shocked. Sure, Tylor joked a lot, but that sure didn't
sound like one of his usual jokes. Maybe there really WAS something to
this rumor of Tylor being affected strangely by the terrorist attack on
Yuriko.
"Of course not!" Kojiro sputtered. "Why would I do that? It would be
suicide- I'm the one who has to fly those fighters most of the time, you
know. I was just completing my daily inspection."
Tylor coughed. "Of course he was- what was I thinking?" he muttered to
himself. Then he perked up a little, putting on the smile he usually wore.
"Of course you were- I was just joking, of course. Yeah, just joking. Of
course I was just joking- I wouldn't be serious, would I? No, of course
not." With that, he seemed to stagger away drunkenly, muttering the
occasional 'of course.'
Kojiro stared after him, a look of horror etched on his face. "Was that
really Captain Tylor? I've got to tell the others about this...."
* * * * *
Admiral Mifune growled at the papers he'd received. The terrorists had
been totally silent since he'd sent out the task force- not just the ones
attacking Earth forces, but the ones attacking Raalgon forces, as well.
That meant either the terrorists heard of the task force and gave up before
the action started, or... or it meant that they were planning something
big. Very big.
The intercom on his desk beeped. He pressed the acknowledgment button, and
his secretary's face showed on the screen.
"Excuse me, sir," she said, "But you've got a call from a... Commander
Yuriko Star, asking if she can talk with you privately for a moment.
Should I put her through?"
Mifune shrugged- he was doing nothing that demanded his immediate
attention. He could take a call from a worried serviceman's lover, no
problem. "Sure. Transfer her here."
"Aye, aye, sir," the secretary said. His screen blanked for a second
before Commander Star's face showed up on the screen.
"Admiral Mifune, sir!" Yuriko said, saluting with the wrong hand. Over the
video transmission, the Admiral could see she was still suffering from the
injuries received during the bomb blast- bandages were still covering a cut
on her forehead, and there were a couple IVs stuck in the arm she was
supposed to salute with.
Mifune waved it off. "As you were. How are the injuries?"
Yuriko shrugged. "They aren't painful any more, sir, just annoying- I
don't know why I have to stay here." That last bit was said a little
bitterly.
Mifune laughed. "Don't worry, Commander Star- I'm sure the doctors are
just thinking of what's best for you. Now, why are you calling? I'm a
busy man, but I've got a couple minutes."
Yuriko hesitated. "It's about Captain Tylor, sir..."
Mifune nodded. Of course it was- just like he thought, she was worried
about her lovers well-being. He'd gotten thousands of calls like this in
his career. For once, he could give someone some good news. "I'm fairly
certain he's okay, Commander Star. You don't have to worry. Why, he
hasn't been in action once since he left port!"
Yuriko nodded. "Yes, I know. I know that, physically, he's just fine.
What I'm worried about, though, is his mental state. He and I have been
communicating daily since he left port... when we last talked, he seemed...
I don't know, a little paranoid? I was wondering if it was possible to
send someone to check him out, and make sure he's fine, psychologically..."
Mifune frowned. Maybe he'd grown to respect Tylor's ability to get the job
done (maybe not the RIGHT job done, necessarily, but get it done,
nevertheless), but he'd ALWAYS thought he needed psychological help,
regardless. Still, if the woman who knew Tylor best said that he was
acting strange, maybe there was something to that.
"Well, I'm afraid that there's nothing I can do for you right now,
however... in one week, we're supposed to send a supply ship, a ship
tender, and an escort to repair his squadron's ships. I might be able to
join that relief force and talk with him, if I'm not too busy. If he IS
having problems, I might consider stationing a ships counselor on board the
Tsunami to help him out."
Yuriko smiled, relieved. "Thank you, sir. I'll leave you to your work....
Oh, and, Admiral, sir?"
"Yes?" Mifune said.
"If you DO decide to place a ships counselor about Tylor's ship... make
sure that counselor is a MALE, okay?"
Mifune laughed. He never understood why the girls were attracted to Tylor
(though obviously they were- not only had he captured the beautiful
Commander Star, but he'd also managed to get a android spy to feel human
enough to betray her programming for him, and if that wasn't enough he'd
ALSO managed to get the Empress of the Raalgon to offer her surrender in
order to protect the man... and those were just the women he knew about),
but they were. And this particular girl who was attracted to Tylor would
probably be a little bit jealous if he were to give another girl a chance
to fall for Tylor.
"I'll consider it, Commander Star. Now, are you satisfied?"
"Yes, sir," Yuriko answered sheepishly.
"Good. Now, rest up- if Tylor's paranoid, it's probably because he's
worried about you. Besides, you need your sleep for the baby."
"Admiral!" Yuriko cried, scandalized. "How did you know about the baby?"
"Tylor mentioned it, of course. Now, get some sleep! That's an order."
"And I wanted to surprise everyone with printed baby announcements, too,"
she pouted. "Oh, well. Thank you, Admiral."
The screen went blank, and Mifune chuckled. "Poor girl," he said, shaking
his head. "That's what you get for falling in love with Tylor." That
said, he went back to his papers, feeling a little happier for the day.
* * * * *
Dom sighed. "Well, we cut it down to the seven most likely possibilities,
but we're out of time. So, my Empress, which location would you go, if you
were Tylor?"
Azalyn looked at the sites listed, and pointed. "Earth Colony Station 535.
It's got the largest number of people on it- he'd want it protected more
than any of the others."
Dom nodded. "Makes about as much sense as anything else we could decide.
I'd probably have picked it for the same reason, myself. I'll go tell the
navigators where to go."
Azalyn nodded. "I'll come with you."
Dom shook his head. "Why don't you see what's on that private message
first, my Empress? It might be good news...."
Azalyn slapped her forehead. "Of course- the message! I totally forgot
about it. Thank you, Dom. I'll join you on the bridge in a moment."
Dom nodded and left. Azalyn pulled out the chip and placed it in the
computer receptacle. A picture of a handsome blond she remembered quite
well from her past flashed on the screen.
"Hello, Azalyn," the man said.
Azalyn's jaw dropped in shock. "Him!" she cried.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
desaix@sysnet.net
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/7872
fanfics available at
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