Brought to you by the letter 'R.'
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Rusted Soap
Written by Razorclaw X (spiceoflifeAD@hotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/index.html
Disclaimer: This file can be freely distributed so
long as it appears in its complete form and proper
credit. No part may be reproduced for monetary gain
without permission from the author.
A tale of how war can drive people apart, as well as
bring them together.
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In the territory under the grip of House Jion, open
rebellion exploded after the people decided to rid
themselves of the current patriarch, who was
dangerously insane. Nergal Jion, the next in line
for succession, fought back, but found the support and
money House Jion once possessed dwindling as contacts
and suppliers deserted to the rebellion. No doubt the
rebels sought to eliminate every last trace of House
Jion, considering what Nergal's father had done
during his rule-- actions best left unsaid. At the
moment, Nergal assumes command of House Jion in his
father's place.
Why was House Jion under fire, after enduring
popular support for the last thirty years? Nergal
asked himself. Only one man, his own father, managed
to turn the popularity into revulsion. Grandfather
would roll over in his grave if he'd heard about this.
On the grand agricultural-industrial world of
Halydis, the base of House Jion, Nergal and his
remaining loyal forces made their last stand. Jion's
father, the patriarch, was kept locked up in a cell
under the compound under tight security. Ironic that
Jion, his father, and his sister were the only
surviving members of House Jion now, the others having
been killed in the earlier stages of the rebellion.
Jion shuddered at the thought of Grandmother's death;
she'd been publicly-disconnected from the life-support
machine that kept her vital fluids going.
The planetary shield over House Jion headquarters
prevented orbital bombardment, so it would have to be
ground combat with the rebels.
At least, until the generator ran out of power.
In the large hangar beneath the Jion headquarters
Jion made his way to his personal battle mech, helmet
under his arms. Resting on two legs was what resembled
the curved beak of a vulture, the cockpit in the
center. Two arms jutted out of the vulture's 'ears,'
ending in large cannons. Missile launchers rested
beside the cockpit. Painted figures of the bronze
phoenix decorated Jion's personal 'mech.
"Brother, wait!" called a feminine voice from across
the hangar. Jion looked over his shoulder, watching
his sister, Sharky, run toward him. The younger Jion
dressed in a plain suit with a white lab coat over it,
fitting for her biological work.
"Sister, you should be with the transports," Jion
said.
"How can I leave you behind to die here alone?"
Sharky pleaded. "If I have to go you must come with
me! You're the head of House Jion."
"I can't," Jion replied. "It is not for your eyes to
behold what will happen today." A sight which might
make Sharky go over the edge if she saw his own
death. "As head of House, I order you to reach the
Terra Combine safely, or there will be no one left to
carry on the Jion name. Once there you, as the last
living Jion, can rally the Combine to return and crush
the rebels. As for me, it is my duty as a warrior, and
as head of House Jion, to join our ancestors in the
afterlife this day. I've been preparing for this day
all my life; let it be my finest hour!"
Sharky slapped Jion across the face. "Well, if
you're not coming with me, then why shouldn't I stay?
I'm not such a bad fighter myself! Stop spouting this
warrior-martyr crap and let me fight! Vengeance be
damned, we can die together in the field of battle!"
Jion rubbed his cheeks, slightly annoyed. "Don't you
get it?" He grabbed Sharky's shoulders, hard, and
shook her. "If we both die, nobody would be left to
avenge our deaths!" Calming himself down, Jion added,
"The Combine won't act unless you survive. It's not
your time to die. You have to live, Sister. If not for
our family honor, then for me. Promise me that you'll
go!"
"I can't live knowing that you died in order for me
to live," Sharky protested. Tense moments of silence
followed. Finally, she said, "I'm not a little girl
anymore. If it means so much to you, I'll go. But not
for the family, or honor, or because you're the head
of House Jion. Just for you. I promise."
"I'll be fine," Jion assured his sister. "But you
have to go, now! If you don't, the escorts won't be
able to punch a hole in the blockade."
Sharky let Nergal go. As Nergal turned and
walked away, she called, "The House of Jion will
survive!" Almost to herself, Sharky vowed, "Your
sacrifice won't be in vain, I promise."
Watching the scanners on board his 'mech, Nergal
watched as the transport his sister was on broke
through the rebels' blockade around the planet. With
luck House Jion may one day return to power.
Nergal wondered for a moment why he was defending
his insane father, so unfit for rulership, until the
scanners picked up planetary landers breaking pass the
perimeter defenses. The landers housed a single enemy
mech each, he knew. More and more were making their
way through.
Jion patched into the House commlink. "This is it,
men. Today we die heroes for House Jion! Let this be
our finest hour!"
The reply to Jion's bold statement was a unified
battle cry of the warriors of House Jion.
The twenty-odd 'mechs of House Jion charged in a
battle line to meet their opponents, weapons blazing.
In the meantime, arrangements were being made
between House Kiivon and House Mesno for a diplomatic
alliance, thus forming one House. The matriarch of
An'Ra'Sha, Triloch, was less than pleased. For many
years she badgered House Kiivon to wed their only son
with Triloch's great-granddaughter, recognizing the
strength of both Houses. Now they add insult to the
rejection.
It was time to mobilize.
"Warning: heat level critical."
"Oh shut up!" Jion screamed at the 'mech computer.
The last enemy 'mech was in his sights, and in
critical condition. It was now or never. With seething
anger Jion fired both of his particle projection
beams, and watched as both bolts slammed into the
enemy 'mech.
Well over six hours passed since the beginning of
the battle on Halydis. The forces of Jion were
dwindled to a mere four 'mechs, including Jion's
own mech. And they were out of missiles.
Jion let himself relax for a moment as the last of
the fourth wave of rebel 'mechs was destroyed. He
watched the heat levels overflow the heat sinks, and
the 'mech powered down for a moment. It usually took
only thirty seconds before the heat sinks compensated
for the overheating of mechs.
A transmission from headquarters beeped in.
Communication systems were still on-line. "Go ahead,"
Jion said, opening transmission.
"Sir," started the communications officer, "we've
identified the ships of the attacking force. They
belong to House Kiivon."
"Kiivon," Jion spat. "No wonder why the rebels were
so well-organized, a rival House plotted against our
own."
"We're detecting more landers dropping in your area,
about seven of them," continued the comm. officer.
"Sir, you'd better fall back."
"Never!" Jion shouted. "My structural integrity
readings may report critical in several areas, but I
will go down fighting!" The heat sinks finished
compensation, and the 'mech began to power-up again.
"But sir, we've got...." then the transmission went
blank. In the distance raged a large explosion, where
the Jion headquarters once stood. Damn them, that
means the planetary shield over headquarters was down!
Which also meant orbital bombardment would rain on the
four remaining 'mechs at any moment, Jion thought,
hiding his glee in the knowledge of the demise of his
father.
"Enemy 'mechs in visual range!" shouted another
'mech warrior. Sure enough, there were seven of them,
all bearing the marks of House Kiivon.
So, Jion thought, the Kiivons themselves decide to
join the fight. "This is it, men!" Jion thumbed the
long-range laser cannons, firing on the lead 'mech.
The lead mech, resembling a man with a missile
launcher on his shoulder, returned fire with a volley
of twenty missiles, straight at Jion's 'mech. Without
thinking, Jion reached for the ejection lever, and
threw it.
Realizing too late that this was no way for a
warrior to die, Jion watched from his ejection pod as
his personal 'mech exploded into a million pieces.
Suddenly, the ejection pod's upward velocity halted.
Jion expected the downward velocity to increase, but
it never came. He looked up, and saw that the ejection
pod was attached to a sleek space fighter. The body of
the fighter was shaped like a needle, except for the
broad wings, shaped like a quarter circle, that curved
forward from the rear of the craft. Jion's eyes moved
to spy the markings on the underside of the wings, and
saw the mark of the gorgon.
Sharky.
"Today's not a good day to die, Brother," Sharky
told Jion over the commlink. Her image appeared on the
communications monitor in Jion's pod. She was dressed
not in a flight suit, but still in a lab coat, which
meant big trouble for her if the ship ruptured in
space.
"Sharky!" Jion exclaimed. "I thought you were long
gone!"
"Well, I was, until I gathered a few volunteers to
come back for you," Sharky replied. "I never promised
not to come back."
"Damn you," Jion muttered under his breath.
"I'm not going to let you die like this, not now,"
continued Sharky. "Now hang on, because we still have
to get out."
The next thing Jion heard was Sharky's maniacal
laughter. Damn those adrenaline rushes....
Almost lost in Sharky's laughter, Jion muttered,
"Damn you for disobeying my command!"
Surprisingly, Sharky replied, "I'm doing this for
you, Brother, not for anything else. Appreciate it
while you can."
Sharky maneuvered her personal fighter into space,
with several other fighters close behind. The small
contingent headed straight for the Kiivon space
fleet's blockade.
Sharky opened her channel to the other fighters.
"We're going in fast!" The Jion girl punched all
available energies into the fighter's engines, and
cruised on afterburners, outdistancing the trailing
fighters. She weaved back and forth between incoming
fire and spacecraft, dodging with ease. And soon
Sharky's fighter punched through, with only three
other fighters making it through as well.
"Sharky, that was the dumbest thing you've ever
done," Jion voiced over the commlink. "You could've
been killed, and the House of Jion with you."
"You're welcome," Sharky replied, curving her lips
in a smile. Nerggie sure did have a way with
'thank-yous.' "I promise you brother, we'll live
and die together. Punching in hyperspace coordinates.
Next stop, Terra Combine."
To know what lies in the future, one must know of
the past.
In the year 2232 of our modern reckoning, mankind
spread throughout an entire sector of the galaxy under
one government, called the Earth Alliance. Science and
technology advanced with leaps and bounds under this
single government, and mankind was on the road to
success. But it was not to be.
For in the year 2232 the Earth Alliance erupted into
civil war. Corrupt officials in the government spent
taxpayer money for their own agendas. Grievances in
several sectors went unheard or were ignored. It was
then the outer colonies of the Alliance, who wished to
govern themselves, sparked the rebellion. This,
combined with the presence of numerous corrupted
officials in the government, drew others in the
Alliance into the war as well. Seven years of bitter
war, mankind destroying itself from the interior until
the year 2239, when the most powerful rebel faction
overthrew the Alliance government. In the end the
former Earth Alliance was split into five governments,
each with a different idea on how to live their lives.
The first of the five governments declared rule
under the influential House Kiivon, the very ones who
sparked the rebellion in the first place. This
particular House valued the strength of the one above
the strength of the many, and wished above all other
desires to become the most powerful force in the
galaxy. The Earth Alliance weakened them, they argued.
The second of the five governments was under the
rule of House Mesno. This House, while more
domestically-oriented than the Kiivons, favored the
rebellion and provided the rebels with much-needed
supplies. The Houses of Kiivon and Mesno have long
been in collaboration, but remain together only under
paper agreements.
The third government prospered under the rule of
House Jion. A powerful and influential trading House,
during the civil war the patriarch wisely decided to
remain neutral. In the end the House was left
relatively intact, and gained valuable space in the
process. The wise head of House Jion enjoyed the
popular support of the people throughout the worlds of
the old Earth Alliance, and no one dared to challenge
the Jion authority.
The fourth House came under the tyrannical rule of
the An'Ra'Sha House. While they were not part of the
initial rebellion, the matriarch decided to make use
of the opportunity to grab power. An'Ra'Sha also
valued strength of the one, similar to the Kiivon
philosophy, but believed the weak must be weeded out
for the good of humanity.
No single House ruled the fifth and final partition
of the sector. Those who formed the Terra Combine were
the remnants of the Earth Alliance that still held
some kind of power. The philosophy of the Combine, the
largest of the five governments in terms of territory
and population, was that the government was based on
the people it governed. The Combine often absorbed the
minor Houses and governments swept away from the
rebellion, and thus became reviled by the other four
governments. Yet the resources of the Combine remain
vast, and those who oppose them usually end with their
deaths.
Time passed with few major incidents. But, in the
year 2296, with memory of the unified Earth Alliance
still fresh in the peoples' minds, that was about to
change. It began with the ascension of the third head
of House Jion... this is the tale of its fall.
The head of the Kiivon government, under one Baron
Kiivon, played their hand in the so-called 'Halydis
Massacre.' Records and information were falsified to
place blame on the Terra Combine, so only Baron and
his top advisors knew of the operation. After that
news was made public, the Kiivon government
'moved-in' to Jion territory and 'quelled' the
rebellion. How 'unfortunate,' that there were no
surviving members of the Jion family any more. Kiivon
claimed the land for itself.
The Terra Combine, while publicly-denying
involvement in the Massacre, failed to act on the
accusations. The issue got lost in the sea of debate
that plagued the Council of the Combine.
The resources of the former House Jion would support
Kiivon nicely, Baron thought. Jion was only the
first.
Soon thereafter the An'Ra'Sha launched their dual-
pronged attack against the Mesnos and Kiivons. With
the relatively-nonmilitaristic nature of Mesno and the
spreading of Kiivon forces, the An'Ra'Sha scored
early victories during the conflict. However, final
victory was not to be.
It came to pass that the An'Ra'Sha's attack
against the Mesnos and Kiivons ended in failure. The
Kiivon heir, Davey, was wed to the youngest of the
Mesno daughters, thus sealing the alliance between the
two Houses. Their first order of business was to
consolidate their newfound power where House Jion once
stood. Once that was completed, the new, single House,
under the name Kiivon, attacked the An'Ra'Sha
House. The tide of battle turned quickly against the
An'Ra'Sha forces.
Triloch held a meeting in the secret headquarters of
the An'Ra'Sha, hidden deep within an asteroid. Among
those present were Hitomi, the great-granddaughter,
Kujata, the war captain, and his lieutenants, Pran and
Repun, the devilish pair of warriors. The rest of the
An'Ra'Sha leadership was also present.
"My warriors, we are at the brink of disaster,"
Triloch began. "Something must be done, and done soon,
or our proud House will fall to our enemies."
"House Jion fell before the Terra Combine," argued
Kujata, "and they went down fighting to the last man.
I say we should do the same."
"Nonsense!" Hitomi protested. "We know that two of
the House Jion heirs survive in Terra Combine. The two
were granted amnesty, and aren't political prisoners.
In fact, it was Kiivon, not the Combine, behind the
rebels and the Massacre. The tiger must lick its
wounds before returning to the fight."
"Who gave you that report?!" cried Kujata. "I've
heard no such news!"
Hitomi's lips curved into a malicious grin. "Some
information Intelligence discovered. My personal
agents." Then, feigning surprise, she added, "Oh, I
forgot! You aren't cleared for Intelligence."
"I agree with Hitomi," Triloch said. "We will
appeal to the Terra Combine for aid, surely they
cannot refuse us! Both the Kiivon and Mesno Houses
are their enemies, as the Combine is made up of the
remnants of the old Earth Alliance."
Kujata slammed his fist on the table. "That's the
coward's answer! We should go down fighting!"
Triloch bopped Kujata on the head. "Is it cowardly
to consolidate one's forces and allies, Kujata? Or is
it your pride getting in the way again?"
Kujata backed down, defeated. Of course the
matriarch was right, and he hated it when that
happened.
And so it came to pass that the remnants of the
once-proud House of An'Ra'Sha fled across the
borders to the Terra Combine, the Kiivon fleet hot on
their heels, lead under the banner of Davey Kiivon's
own mothership, the Unseeing Eye.
Davey leaned forward in his command chair, watching
the viewscreen before him, depicting the last of the
An'Ra'Sha convoy cross the borders. To the helm he
shouted, "Faster, they're getting away!"
"Sir," the sensors officer called, "we're detecting
another fleet heading this direction."
Davey had the viewscreen changed to watch the new
arriving fleet. They bore the marks of the Terra
Combine, but the lead ship also bore the marking of
the jade dragon. A symbol of good luck.
"We're receiving transmission," the communications
officer said.
"Audio and video," ordered Davey. The viewscreen's
starry field was replaced with the view of the
interior of the lead Combine craft. Standing there was
the captain of the lead ship. This captain dressed in
the traditional Earth Alliance fleet uniform, and
appeared as a clean-cut soldier, except for the long
hair flowing behind the uniform in a pony tail. Davey
dropped his jaw in surprise.
"Kanchan...?" Davey said in recognition and
disbelief. Kanna was a friend from childhood; the two
met during one of Baron's tours on the border worlds.
Even after so many years Davey could distinguish
Kanna's features.
"Greetings, Heir-apparent Davey Kiivon," returned
Kanna. "But, you should refer to me as Captain Kanna
Rajura of the Terra Combine Ship Jade Dragon. And
you're violating our territory."
Davey regained some composure. "We are in pursuit of
enemy vessels. Stand aside and let us pass, or risk
the enmity of House Kiivon."
"Ohohohohoho... that was good, Kiivon," Kanna
laughed. "The Terra Combine deals not with rebels like
you. Leave now, or we will return fire."
"Look, Kanchan," Davey started, visibly sweating,
"for old times sake, let me pass."
"Sorry, Kiivon," returned Kanna, keeping a
professional tone, "but you're still in our territory.
I advise you to leave now, or pay the consequences.
Think twice before defying the Jade Dragon fleet." The
viewscreen shut off.
Damn! cursed Davey to himself. After all these years
apart, just a hostile reunion. So hostile... and
beautiful. He marched to the scanning station. "How
many Combine ships are there?"
"There's only three of them, sir," returned the
officer.
"Three? Against our twelve?" Davey laughed as he
returned to his command chair. "We go through." The
Heir-apparent pushed thoughts of Kanna behind him. What
Kanna was doing with the damned Combine would have to
come later.
I can't believe he's taking the bait, Kanna thought.
Well, that's Davey for you. Kiivons weren't
particularly bright, after all.
She turned to her aide, Pazuzu. "Signal the
An'Ra'Sha convoy. It's time to play possum."
The Kiivon fleet pressed further and further into
Combine space in pursuit of the An'Ra'Sha convoy,
little realizing the present danger they were in.
Davey was so full of himself that he failed to realize
the danger, and even removed a bridge officer for
pointing out that fact. After that, no one dared defy
the wishes of the Heir-apparent.
After seven tense hours into Combine space, the Jade
Dragon reappeared from behind. This time there were
over thirty Combine ships. The An'Ra'Sha convoy
turned around as well.
Davey couldn't help but wonder why Kanna was serving
the enemy.
Kanna appeared on Davey's viewscreen to gloat. "Oh,
poor you, Davey. As I predicted, you fell for my
trap." She spread her arms wide. "I introduce you to
the Jade Dragon battle fleet! It's a wonder how you
Kiivons got as far as you did since the collapse of
the Alliance."
Davey replied, "Kanchan, please! You're serving the
wrong side! Join me, and we can go back to Kiivon
space together."
"Wrong, Kiivon," countered Kanna hotly, "I serve the
side of the people." She disconnected the
transmission, then sat back in her command chair. To
her weapons officer and the rest of the Combine fleet,
she ordered, "Turn them into hot molten slag."
Pausing for a moment, she added, "Make sure that the
flagship remains intact. Inform Major Grolum to
prepare his marines for boarding. I want the Heir-
apparent prisoner!"
Much to Davey's disappointment, he was taken down in
hand-to-hand combat by overwhelming numbers of the
Combine's marines, lead by one Major Zuh Grolum. He
sat alone in the middle of a dark room, strapped to a
chair that was bolted to the floor. A single,
annoying light glared from the ceiling into Davey's
face.
A door appeared in the darkness, letting light
within. Three figures stepped inside, two remaining at
either side of the doorway. The middle figure
approached Davey, and in the light he could tell who
it was.
"Kanchan...." Davey said weakly.
Kanna slapped Davey across the face. "Never call me
that while I'm on duty, Kiivon!"
Davey shook his head to gather his senses. He peered
at his old friend, age never touching her perfectly-
shaped face. "Kanc-- Kanna... why are you serving the
other side? The Combine's the bad guys!"
Kanna began to pace around Davey's restraining chair.
"When we last separated twenty years ago," Kanna
started, referring to the time when both she and Davey
were children, "you promised to help the poor people
that were my friends and family. You lied, and left me
behind to rot, worse than I was before. The hope I
once held was shattered forever."
"But join the Terra Combine?" Davey said. "How could
you?! The Terra Combine is the bastard child of the
corrupt Earth Alliance! Us Kiivons stand for
righteousness, justice, and honor! Why did you betray
your own government?"
"Justice? Righteousness? Honor? That's not what your
father, the head of your government, said," Kanna
countered. "I remember the two weeks you and your
father spent touring the border territories, making
promises to end poverty, famine, and suffering among
my people, my family, my friends. All of them, those
words, were lies, lies! Did he act upon his words? No!
Did the poverty and famine end? No! All he wants is to
fill his stomach and live comfortably! He cares not
for the people, those who need help. He cares only for
his own health and prosperity, at the expense of
others."
"After you left for good," continued Kanna, "I
couldn't stand to live under Kiivon rule. I grew up
with the spark of hatred for your family. Your
government cares nothing about the people it governs
over, not even the poor! One day I met a visiting
naval officer from the Terra Combine, one Lieutenant
Kaza. In fact, I saved his life from the pro-Kiivon
mob. He saw my potential, so I was offered honor and
glory if I joined the Terra Combine Navy, and so I
did."
She stopped in front of Davey proudly. "I
excelled in every course, surpassing those ten years
my senior! I studied the ancient arts of warfare, from
the Art of War to the thirty-six strategems and
beyond, and applied them to present day. I rose in the
ranks to become the youngest captain in the Navy!"
"I always knew you were brilliant," Davey commented.
So, this was all about revenge. "But it's a shame that
you must serve an evil government. You sunk so low in
your quest for vengeance that you'd serve money-
grubbing, indecisive politicians and baby-slaughtering
generals. We know what you did in the Halydis
Massacre-- the last surviving members of House Jion
were destroyed by your hands."
"What?!" Kanna glared. She slapped Davey across the
face. "Granted, the political system needs work, but
the Halydis Massacre? You fool, the destruction of
House Jion was YOUR fault!"
Davey was taken aback. "Liar! You'll say anything to
make my family look bad!"
"Pazuzu, bring me the Halydis record!" Kanna snapped
at one of the two men. Pazuzu saluted, then exited
the cell.
Minutes later, Pazuzu returned and handed a datapad
to Kanna. Kanna punched in a few keys, then showed the
display to Davey. "These are the reports filed by the
sole heirs of House Jion."
"Sole heirs of Jion?" Davey said, staring in
disbelief at the datapad. "I thought you killed them
all!"
"No, two of them escaped, and the Combine granted
them refuge," Kanna said. "Right here, plain and
simple, are the accounts of those who were at the
Halydis Massacre. The Heir-apparent of Jion, Nergal,
personally verified the reports of Kiivon craft in
the area. The black box under his ejection chair
proves it further."
Davey stared at the report, then at Kanna. "Lies!
They're all lies!"
"The evidence is irrefutable," Kanna replied. "Would
you like me to introduce you to Nergal and Sharky
Jion, too?"
"It... can't... be!" Davey cried.
"Yes, it is!" Kanna boomed. "YOUR government is evil!
It was YOUR government that massacred House Jion!"
The Kiivon Heir-apparent seemed to hang his head in
shame. "Why...?"
Kanna continued, "If it wasn't for your family the
Earth Alliance would still exist today. The Terra
Combine seeks to rebuild those days of unity, and you
seek to undermine it in your quest for dominance! The
Combine serves the people, not the other way around,
like your government. The most important part of
government is to serve the people; your government
seems to have forgotten that."
"Kanchan, please, let me go," Davey said, hope in his
eyes. "You can come with me, back to the Kiivon
government, where you'll be safe. We can change things
for the better! We can be together again."
"Together? After you married the Mesno girl? Don't
make me laugh!" Kanna spat on the floor after
mentioning 'Mesno.' "Both your Houses should be
condemned for what they've done! Service in the Terra
Combine is based on three principles, Kiivon: duty,
honor, loyalty. These are what I hold most dear, and
if I join you I have to violate one of them! You can't
convince me to betray the people!"
Kanna straightened her shirt, then assumed her
official-air again.
"Under orders from Fleet Command and the Council,
I'm to bring you back to Earth." Kanna slapped Davey
across the face twice more. "I don't know what I'm
going to do with you, Kiivon. But be warned, try to
compromise my principles once more, and I guarantee
you won't see another day."
News of the capture of the Heir-apparent sent a
shockwave throughout the new Kiivon-Mesno Dominion,
as it became. As only the Terra Combine stood in its
path, the leaders resolved to declare war.
Backed by the resources of the former House Jion,
and the warrior people of House Kiivon, the Kiivon
fleet plunged into Terra space like a knife into
butter, border worlds absorbed by the Dominion quickly
and without fanfare. The knife plunged further into
the Combine until it reached planet Earth, the
ancestral home of mankind, and the center of
government of the Terra Combine.
Kanna was disappointed, to say the least, when fellow
captain (and mentor) Kaza continued to report failure
to rout the Dominion fleet. She was even more
disappointed when Command decided to hold the Jade
Dragon fleet in reserve, back in orbit over Earth,
instead of at the front lines.
The political prisoner, Davey Kiivon, was kept
isolated within the center of the Combine prison
complex in Siberia. The heads of the Combine bickered
over what to do with the Heir-apparent; while some
continued to argue using him as an ace-in-the-hole
(read: threaten to kill him to make demands), those
with clearer heads (who were, unfortunately, in the
minority) wanted to return him to the Kiivons, just
to get the Kiivon fleet out of Combine space before
something terrible happens.
However, one day Davey had a visitor. Kanna stepped
inside, flanked by Zuh and Pazuzu.
"What do you want this time?" asked Davey. "I
thought you hated me."
Kanna flexed her gloves. "Apparently your wife
and parents managed to rally enough support that the
Kiivon government has declared open war against the
Combine. Your own wife, Christy, insisted on leading the
charge, even though she has no fleet experience. I
suspect the actual military actions were monitored by
your Kiivon generals." She started pacing around
Davey. "I don't know whether I should admire such an
action, or condemn it, after all, they are doing this
for their own benefit, not for that of the people.
Even your wife's doing this for her own benefit, if
not for the benefit of your government, but for love."
Kanna's eyes seemed to stare at the ceiling of the
cell. "Imagine, a Kiivon-by-marriage, selflessly
throwing herself into danger! I could admire such a
trait, if her rescue mission wasn't so reckless.
Perhaps there is hope for you Kiivons after all."
And I barely know Christy, Davey thought. He wasn't
surprised that Baron and the other Kiivon family
members chose to stay home. Apparently the Mesno girl
WAS different.
"Kanna," Davey started, "just because we're on
different sides, doesn't mean we can't still be
friends."
"If you're trying to get out, that won't work,
Kiivon," countered Kanna.
"It's not that, I mean," corrected Davey. "I just
want to spend time alone with you. To talk, that's
all."
Kanna glanced over to Pazuzu and Zuh, who left the
cell. "Talk."
"That cold, hard exterior, Kanchan," Davey began,
"it's not the Kanchan I knew. Whatever happened to the
happy girl that played in the streets? The girl that
knew every street and corner, who knew everybody on
the block, who helped the Heir-apparent find his way
home after getting lost. The one who didn't care what
I was, but cared about who I was."
"That girl grew up, D-chan," Kanna replied. "And
grew up hard. I can only guess how your life growing
up must've been: the best food, the best clothes, the
best house, the best service... everything you could
ever want at your fingertips!"
"It wasn't the same without real people to call
friends," Davey said. "There were those back home who
wanted to get it good with me so I could do favors for
them later when I became ruler. They weren't really my
friends. When we toured the border worlds I met real
people, people who didn't care about my heritage or my
past. I met you, Kanchan."
Kanna sat down on the cold floor alongside Davey.
"Those were good old times, weren't they?"
"For the first time in my life," continued Davey,
"I met someone who was more alive than the world, who
had everything that made her happy right there. I
thought, 'if only I could be like that!' I realize now
I've lived a sheltered and closed life; I don't know
what it's like to really live, like you do."
"I remember the dinner you invited me to, D-chan,"
Kanna said. That was the same night Kanna helped the
lost Davey find his way back to the local governor's
mansion, where Davey was staying on their border tour.
"I remember thinking, 'look at all this wonderful
food!' Of course, such meals as that were probably
normal to you, but to a poor girl like me it was a
feast; I would've been lucky to get a loaf of bread
all to myself."
"Pop didn't want to take you back with us," Davey
said. "'After all,' he had said, 'what good would it
do to have another pauper in the shining capitol
city?'" Davey remembered vividly the streets of the
capitol, with not a single poor person in sight, all
having been deported to the border worlds. The menial
tasks were left to the far-more-efficient machines.
"Destiny's conspired against us, D-chan," Kanna
concluded. "Perhaps some things weren't meant to be."
She got up.
Davey reached for Kanna's arm. "I'm not going to ask
you to let me go, Kanchan. But I must know: what's
going to happen to me?"
Kanna showed a faint smile to her old friend. "You
won't be executed, if that's what you're worried
about. The higher-ups think you're more useful to us
alive. As a hostage." For all the good it did the
Combine, as I know the chances of beating back the
Kiivon forces were next to nothing so long as we hold
their Heir-apparent. "To tell you the truth, if it
were my decision you would've been released
unconditionally a while ago."
"Because you want to protect your people, or
personal reasons?" asked Davey, humor returning to his
eyes.
"Both," answered Kanna. "Bye, D-chan, whenever we
meet again, in this life or the next."
The Terra High Command met in the confines of its
headquarters in Geneva. The heads of military were
gathered here, along with Kanna, Kaza, Triloch, and
Nergal, among others.
The Director of Military presided over the meeting.
"It is a grave day for us all, as the rebel forces of
the Dominion plunge toward Earth with frightening
speed. Captain Kaza informs me that they'll be here
within a few standard hours."
Kaza nodded sadly. "Border forces have cut their
supply lines, but it appears that the Dominion doesn't
care; obviously, they're putting everything at stake
on Earth itself. We have reason to believe that the
strike force consists of every ship in the Dominion
fleet that isn't patrolling the border worlds."
Nergal said, "Those people upstairs whom you call
leaders are still bickering whether or not to hand
over the Heir-apparent to the Dominion. Had they done
so before, this disaster would never have happened! By
holding the Heir-apparent, the Dominion people became
fiercer than ever."
Triloch voiced, "We were fools to believe the
Combine could turn the tide of battle against the
Dominion. If you surrender, we will go on fighting."
"As shall we," the Director replied. "I don't intend
to hand Earth over to the Dominion, but if any of you
don't wish to fight, leave now." Nobody left. "All
right, then, we shall begin. Captain Rajura?"
Kanna stepped up and took the podium. "The Dominion
justifies their attack by claiming a rescue mission
for their Heir-apparent, but we know the truth of the
matter. Since our esteemed Council has their hands
tied behind their backs, so to speak, it is up to us
to deal with the incoming fleet. Under recommendation
by the Director, and with the recent losses at Beta
Ceti, I assume the role of Grand Admiral of the Navy."
Murmurs shot across the room. "The Dominion won't
have Earth without heavy losses, I guarantee it. All
available ships have been recalled to assist in the
defense of Earth. With the ships we have available we
will form a defensive perimeter around Earth. Nothing
must to get through."
After the meeting was adjourned, Captain Kaza
approached Kanna.
"My protegee," greeted Kaza.
Kanna hugged her mentor. "It's good to see you
again!"
"It's good to see my protegee surpass her mentor,"
Kaza congratulated.
"Yeah, but who knows how long I'll enjoy my
promotion," Kanna said grimly. "You know as well as I
our chances of success." Damn those politicians
upstairs.
"It doesn't matter," assured Kaza. "History will
remember us for what we do, and judge us accordingly.
The most important thing to remember is to live and
die with consistency; you should die the way you
lived. I intend to die by my principles, and so should
you." Kaza stared at his chronometer. "I have to get
back to the Minotaur's Eye soon. I'll see you on the
field of battle."
Kanna saluted Kaza, and watched her mentor stride off
down the hall.
Kanna reclined in her command chair, watching the
viewscreen as the Kiivon Dominion fleet returned from
hyperspace into realspace. The Combine fleet was
deployed in an array about Earth, nothing must get
through.
The newly-promoted admiral checked a datapad by her
armrest. Major Zuh Grolum and his marines lay
waiting to repel boarders, if necessary. Otherwise,
Grolum and his marines had another task. Sharky Jion
and her Gorgon squadron held pattern around the
Jade Dragon. Sharky retained her needle-shaped medium
fighter, a Jion design shared by only two other
fighters in the squadron, the others made up of
different models. Nergal and his force of Bronze Phoenix
star-mechs hung silently nearby, waiting for battle.
Not far away were the remnants of the An'Ra'Sha
fleet, under the command of the heir, Hitomi, who in
turn was under Kanna's command. Kujata formed the
command of his Chimera wing of fighters nearby
Hitomi's ship, the Pride of An'Ra'Sha.
And of course the heads of government, including
Triloch, waited below in Geneva for the outcome.
Politicians still bickered in their seats, with an
outcome not likely in the foreseeable future.
In a cell in Siberia Davey Kiivon rotted, waiting
for the inevitable end, one way or another.
The first of the Dominion warships entered realspace
just outside Earth's orbit. Soon it was followed by
several more warships, each launching smaller fighters
from their bays.
Kanna's lips curved into a malicious grin. Pazuzu,
her aide, scrambled to her side in panic.
"Sir, engage the enemy?" asked Pazuzu.
"No," replied Kanna. All eyes turned to the officer
in surprise. "The arrogance of the enemy is their
weakness. Watch, and learn."
Dominion fighters surged ahead of the slower
warships. They passed several unarmed satellites
unconcerned, heading straight toward the Combine
fleet.
It was a mistake.
Concealed within the depths of the satellites were
several high-powered anti-ship weapons, which made
short work of the approaching fighters.
The celebration on the Jade Dragon's bridge was
short-lived as a swarm of warships entered realspace.
Kanna maintained her composure, and pushed a single
button.
Had the Dominion fleet exited hyperspace well out of
Earth's orbit, they could've performed sensor sweeps
before heading in; standard Combine Navy procedure for
invasions. The scanners would've detected the stealth
fields of numerous tactical nuclear weapons, designed
to detonate at the touch of a button. The proximity of
the enemy warships to the space mines caused several
shockwaves to glow across their shields, then through
to their armor. The Dominion warships were far from
crippled, but were shieldless. Some even lacked
weapons batteries in certain locations.
"Order all squadrons to break and attack," commanded
Kanna.
Sharky's Gorgon squadron, made up of medium
fighters, escorted the heavy bombers of the Catoblepas
squadron toward the oncoming Dominion warships. The
bombers would make a torpedo run on the warship, but
needed about twenty seconds for the torpedo to match
shield modulation. However, since the shields were
temporarily burned-out, that was no longer necessary.
All the bombers needed now was cover from enemy
fighters.
"This is Catoblepas Leader, ready and arm
torpedoes!" Sharky heard over the commlink.
"Incoming fighters!" shouted another.
Sharky thumbed on her commlink. "Gorgon
squadron, do not engage! Stay with your escorts!"
Had the squadron been her usual team, they would've
complied without hesitation. But, since only two
survived previous conflicts, the rest were made up of
green Combine pilots, who barely listened to Sharky.
Three broke off to engage the Dominion ships.
Damn, Sharky thought. Damn those green pilots!
She reached for the commlink and opened a channel to
the rest of her squadron. "Alright then, Dervish and
Thorn are with me, delta formation! The rest of you,
STAY with your escorts!" Time to save some greens.
"Copy, Gorgon Leader!" replied Thorn.
"Time to open a can of 'whoop ass!'" Dervish cried.
Sharky and two other fighters broke from the rest
of the squadron in a triangle pattern, Sharky at
point, the other two behind. Together the three
fighters chased after the three green fighters.
The three greens were reduced now to a mere two as
they engaged six heavy fighters. Both were panicking
over open frequencies, something in which Sharky
punished if it happened within her veterans' circle.
Dominion heavy fighters, armed with beater weapons and
power plants than medium fighters, pummeled shields.
Sharky opened a frequency to the lead enemy
fighter. She taunted, "Hah! Six heavies against five
mediums? Sounds fair to me! Ahahahahahahaha!!"
Without waiting for a reply, Sharky and her two
companions opened fire. All three lines of fire
converged on the lead fighter, crippling its forward
shields until it peeled away armor. Thorn and Dervish
rotated in a circular pattern about the axis fixed by
Sharky, dodging fire as they dished their own. The
first enemy fighter burst into flames, then exploded.
Sharky identified the stray green fighters and
opened a channel. "You two'd better stick with me!
Extended delta formation!"
The two greens complied, and joined in the rotating
triangle behind and to the side of Thorn and Dervish,
extending the triangle further. Together the five
craft engaged the remaining Dominion fighters as a
flying wedge.
Nergal waited in his star-mech as the Dominion
fighters broke past the satellite defense batteries.
Star-mechs were specially designed for space combat.
Unlike standard 'mechs, star-mechs had better
propulsion jets, but not nearly enough to replace the
function of actual fighters in battle. Of course,
their weapon loadout made them a plus anyway.
This particular 'mech had a similar sloped-down
cockpit resting on two legs like Nergal's old 'mech, but
the similarities ended there. There were no missile
launchers on this 'mech. The 'arms' of the mech
carried two energy weapons each instead of one each,
two of those weapons being the deadly particle
projection cannons. Mounted on top of the 'mech was a
huge machine gun; sometimes old-fashioned weapons
worked better than energy weapons. Of all the 'mechs
Jion was offered, this one in particular appealed to
his taste and combat style; it was an older model, but
experts in 'mech combat praised this one as a marauder
in battle.
Nergal's 'mech, along with the rest of his squadron,
stood atop the armored plating of the Jade Dragon
herself-- effectively mobile turrets. He watched his
scanners as the Dominion fighters approached the
Combine capital ships. It was time to join the battle.
"Bronze Phoenix squadron, prepare to engage the
enemy!" Nergal cried into the commlink. All at once,
every single 'mech ignited their jets, and catapulted
into the void to the oncoming enemy. Nergal fired off
several particle beams of death to greet the enemy.
From behind Nergal and his 'mechs the weapon batteries
of the Jade Dragon fired, shooting lasers that cut
through the fighters like a knife through bread.
The battle seemed to fare well for the Terra
Combine. Pazuzu was already ready to celebrate, but
Kanna was not.
"What troubles you, sir?" asked Pazuzu.
"They're holding out, they've got to have more than
this," Kanna said. "Either they're trying to soften us
up, or this fleet's just bait...."
She watched the tactical display. The Dominion
forces appeared to be pulling out. Several of the
Combine ships left their positions to pursue.
"Who is that, and get me a link to him!" Kanna
ordered Pazuzu.
"It's Captain Lugar Bluestein, sir. Putting him
through."
The image of Bluestein appeared on Kanna's
viewscreen. "Come on, Admiral! We got them on the
run!"
"Get back here, you idiot," Kanna snarled, suddenly
realizing the danger, "they're luring you away!" One
of the oldest tricks in the book....
Someone shouted from behind Bluestein, "Sir! We're
detecting massive jump gates forming around us...!"
"Oh shiiiii...." Bluestein screamed, then the
transmission went blank.
Kanna didn't have time to contemplate Bluestein's
demise. She opened channels to the ships surrounding
Bluestein's previous guard position. "Close up that
hole in the array! Nothing gets through!"
But the defenders were too slow to act as the
Dominion reinforcements plunged through the defensive
perimeter left open by Bluestein. The real battle just
began.
Kujata's heavy fighter weaved through the swarm of
Dominion craft. What remained of his Chimera
squadron was now battered, as they took the full brunt
of the frontal assault.
Over the comm-channel Kujata heard Pran scream,
"Oh my god! They're torpedoing the Pride!"
Kujata checked his radar, and sure enough, a full
torpedo spread fired off at the main An'Ra'Sha
battleship. Hitomi's ship.
"Hitomi, I'm coming my liege!" he cried, leaving
the squadron behind in the wake of afterburners.
Silently, Kujata cursed whoever it was that was
supposed to take out the bomber squadron.
The torpedoes were getting closer.
"All available power to engines, including shields!"
Kujata shouted at the computer. The speed of his
fighter increased significantly as laser blasts
punched through the hull.
The torpedoes were almost within shield range.
Kujata flew faster and faster, ignoring the
explosions around him. His visor cracked in a sudden
blow, blinding Kujata with Nerggies of glass. But he
didn't need his eyes anymore.
Kujata let out a war cry as his fighter crashed
through the torpedo spread.
Hitomi stood staring out the window from the bridge
of the Pride, watching the torpedo spread make its way
to her ship. Then, without warning one of her fighters
drove itself into the spread, detonating the warheads
and sparing the Pride from destruction.
Hitomi turned to the tactical officer. "Identify
that craft!"
"Sir!" the female officer replied, "that was
Kujata's fighter."
Kujata. Damn fool had to be a hero. He died a
hero.
"This is Pran," they heard over the comm traffic.
"Chimera is now under my command!"
"Sir?" the officer said to Hitomi. The captain
hadn't said a word for a long time. Or what seemed a
long time.
"Divert all power to weapons," ordered Hitomi.
"Take all of them down with a fiery death!"
If it hadn't been for that damned Lugar, Kanna'd be
in control of the situation. Now things were getting
out of hand.
She watched the tactical grid with disgust as more
and more Combine blips faded away from the screen, and
more and more Dominion ships appearing. Once the toe
was in the door, it would cost dearly to get it shut
again, Kanna knew. Perhaps the cost was more than the
fleet could offer. It was one problem with being on
the defensive.
Kanna stared in horror as the blip that represented
Captain Kaza's ship, the Minotaur's Eye, vanished. She
bit back the tears as her mentor died in battle. He
died the way he lived, just as he wanted.
The ship rocked as Kanna stood oblivious to her
surroundings.
"Incoming torpedo spread!" warned Pazuzu.
Kanna snapped back from her thoughts. Now wasn't the
time to mourn.
"Sir!" an officer cried. "Our countermeasures have
been exhausted!"
"Brace for impact!" Kanna yelled furiously.
The Jade Dragon rocked once again, this time more
violently than before. Bridge crewmen were sent
flying, some dying before they hit the ground from
explosions. Fire erupted on the bridge. Kanna was
thrown from her position.
Pazuzu rushed to replace the dead helmsman as Kanna
gathered herself.
A transmission burst through the confusion. "This is
Admiral Ritecourt of the Kiivon Dominion flagship
Black Omen. Combine vessels, you are ordered to
surrender to the Kiivon Dominion. Failure to do so
will result in your destruction."
"In hell," Kanna spat under her breath. She half-
expected one of the blood-relatives of Kiivon to be
on the flagship, especially Christy, issuing orders, but
it seems they were all too-cowardly to lead the
assault themselves. So where the hell was the wife of
Davey, Christy? The small admiration Kanna held for the
girl before faded to nothing.
She glanced over at the comm officer. "Tell the
marines to drop on Earth, as per pre-instructed
orders. We no longer need them. We're not going to go
down without a fight."
Kanna stood before her seat, the blood and sweat
trickling down her face. She watched silently as the
marine dropships descended toward the surface. "All
weapons forward! Target the flagship, the Black Omen!"
To Pazuzu she barked, "Full speed ahead!"
The officers on the bridge stared at their captain
as if she were mad.
Pazuzu looked back at Kanna in alarm. "Full speed?!"
"Ram them, dammit!" Kanna snarled. "No one destroys
the Jade Dragon but me!"
Pazuzu nodded in understanding. "It has been an
honor to serve under you, sir!" He stood, and withdrew
the blaster he held at his side. Taking aim, he shot
at Kanna.
Kanna never flinched. She looked over her shoulder,
to an officer standing behind her, holding a weapon in
his hand, pointed at Kanna's neck. Pazuzu's shot hit
the officer right between the eyes. Kanna's lips curved
into a smile as she watched the life drain from the
treacherous officer's eyes.
The master of the Jade Dragon nodded to Pazuzu, who
returned a salute. Loyal to the bitter end.
Pazuzu returned to his seat and punched in the
proper sequence. The Jade Dragon lurched forward at
high velocity.
Kanna sat back in her command chair. All hands were
busy at their consoles. "All available power to
forward shields, engines, and weapons! We won't
need life support where we're going."
"Yes sir!" cried an officer. "Not enough power for
forward shields, but enough to hurt them!" The Jade
Dragon accelerated faster than before as the fire from
the ship's batteries intensified.
"Jade Dragon, cease your present course
immediately!" Admiral Ritecourt ordered, almost
pleaded, as he realized the intent of the Jade Dragon.
Kanna walked to the communications console herself,
and replied, "I AM the Jade Dragon, and I hunger for
you! Stare into my gaping maw, and know that you
behold Death incarnate!" She opened the comm-channel
to broad-band frequencies. "Burn in the fires of honor
and justice, you bastards!"
Damn all Kiivons to Hell. Kanna stood on the bridge,
a stone sentinel to the inevitable doom before her,
never flinching, eyes open. She stared death in the
face, and was enjoying every minute of it.
Pazuzu had just enough time to stand from his seat
to meet Death with open arms. My honor is my life....
The Dominion flagship Crazy Horse couldn't get out
of the way in time.
Oh, the light, D-chan! If only you could see it
with me....
Far from the collision between the Jade Dragon and
the Black Omen, Christy, now of Kiivon by marriage,
slammed her fist on the desk of her stateroom, hard
enough to cause a mug to jump off the edge of the desk
and shatter on the floor. A maintenance robot was on
hand to clean up the mess.
"Shit, that was our flagship!" cursed Christy.
The captain of the light cruiser, Dio's Blade,
replied, "It is a shame to lose Admiral Ritecourt,
Mistress, but he was far from the only military head
at our disposal. Shall we open a channel to Admiral
Jackstone?"
"No!" fumed Christy. "Those Combine bastards have
taken my husband and imprisoned him in God-knows-what
hellhole! They've destroyed quite a number of my
ships! I will direct the battle myself!"
The captain bowed. "If that is your wish, Mistress!"
Christy stared out a window, facing the battle that
raged at the front line. It was a little-known fact
that the wife of the Heir-apparent was not on board
the flagship, as others would've done. Instead, Christy
wisely chose not to present herself as a target;
disaster such as the loss of the flagship and losing
the wife of the Heir-apparent in the process would
have crippled the Kiivon government. Following her
own advice, Christy chose to remain on board one of the
smaller, more 'insignificant' ship in the fleet, far
from the front line. From the Dio's Blade Christy
directed her subordinate officers, as was her right as
Commander-in-chief of the fleet.
She didn't know why she stood here today, here to
rescue her husband and topple an evil government.
Christy barely knew Davey Kiivon; the little she knew
of him came from the brief moments during the wedding
ceremony and the short honeymoon afterward, which was
cut short due to Davey's desire to lead the attack
against the An'Ra'Sha. Perhaps the real reason Christy
was here today was to avenge a soiled honor; she found
it insulting that the Heir-apparent, her husband,
wasn't returned safely to the Dominion. Her father,
Dio, and her sisters tried to dissuade Christy from
going, but Christy felt she had to deal with the
situation herself. Honor and duty demand it.
Her new father-in-law, Baron Kiivon, had destroying
the Terra Combine in mind for years; this was the best
chance the Dominion would get to crush the Combine.
Christy knew Baron supported the attack to claim Combine
space, more foremost in his mind than rescuing his own
son.
Well, it wasn't bad to kill two birds with one
stone, Christy thought. After all, the corrupt Combine
massacred millions of innocents and stole from the
people; the galaxy would be much better off without
the murderous bastards.
Christy marched back to her desk, and opened a comm-
channel to the captain. "Inform the fleet to
annihilate the enemy fleet. No quarter! I won't be
satisfied until the entire Combine fleet is reduced to
ash and the Heir-apparent safe at my side!"
Sharky watched as the Jade Dragon plunged into the
Dominion flagship. The fireworks were spectacular.
The Jion girl's fighter shot off more energy bursts
at her opponent. In no time flat her opponent's craft
was ripped to shreds. Sharky flew through the
explosion at full-speed, letting the shields soak up
all the damage. Suddenly, one large chunk of debris
slammed into Sharky's fighter. The shields couldn't
take the impact; all about Sharky computer systems
shorted-out or exploded outright.
"Damn, that was one hell of a boom," noted Sharky
to herself.
It was about that time Sharky's fighter was nearly
helpless; wires dangled from exploded panels, sparks
flew, weapons malfunctioned, shields failed. And the
hull was getting punched up to hell. Ejection was
simply out of the question, as the mechanism was shot.
They all knew the fight was hopeless. They all knew
the risks. They knew they weren't going home. The most
dangerous enemy was one that had nowhere to run.
Sharky was one of them.
"If I'm going to go down, I'm taking the bastards
with me!" she vowed.
Sharky turned on her commlink, broadcasting on all
frequencies. With one hand on the flight stick, one on
the commlink, she cried, "AAAAHHHHAAAAAA,
AAAAAHHHAAAHAAAAAHAAAAAAAA!!!"
The light blinded Sharky as she cried out
maniacally.
Sharky rammed her ship into the engine section of
one warship. The chain reaction it caused sent
shockwaves throughout the ship that ripped it apart
from the inside.
Little did Sharky know that her interference in the
comm-frequencies screwed-up communication on both
sides, with larger losses on the Dominion side as a
result. Nergal knew what Sharky was doing when her
laughter burst from every frequency.
So, I am the last of the Jion line, Nergal thought as
he watched his sister plunge to her fiery doom. The
phoenix was reborn in fire, perhaps it was time for
Jion to do the same. We live and die together, Sharky
had said. I'll see you shortly, dear Sister. I
promise.
As his star-mech accelerated at the nearest warship
with guns blazing, Nergal shouted over the commlink, on
all frequencies, "For House Jion! We die for honor!"
It was indeed Jion's finest hour.
Christy was taking a sip of coffee when Nergal's death
cry blared from her communications board. She spat out
the coffee in a spray, for she recognized the voice
that shouted, "For House Jion! We die for honor!"
She thought it was bad enough when the awful
laughing appeared on all frequencies, and now this?
It was the voice Christy recognized from diplomatic
dinners and summits: it could only be Nergal Jion,
the Heir-apparent of House Jion, and a memorable,
thick-skulled man. But wasn't he supposed to be dead?
"Computer," Christy started, "cross-reference speech
patterns between that of Nergal Jion and sample
73-48-mark-2."
"Accessing," replied the computer. "Speech patterns
match."
Oh shit, what the hell was Nergal doing alive, and
working for the Terra Combine, at that? Nergal Jion
was supposed to be dead, killed in his sleep during
the Halydis Massacre. Something was wrong, and Christy
intended to find out what.
"Computer, access records of Halydis Massacre,"
began Christy, turning to the console on her desk. Time
to do a little research.
Davey watched as the door to his dark cell opened,
revealing Major Zuh Grolum, of the late Jade Dragon.
"Come here to gloat?" Davey speculated.
"No, I'm under orders from the admiral to make sure
you don't die," Zuh replied.
"Kanchan's doing?" Davey said in surprise. "Why?"
"She wanted to make sure you lived to see the next
day," explained Zuh. He handed a datapad to the
prisoner. "She recorded her final message here. You
have five minutes to look it over before I come back."
With that, Zuh stalked out of the cell.
Davey looked at the datapad curiously. Then, with a
shrug, he turned it on. The image of Kanna appeared on
the small screen.
"Greetings, D-chan," Kanna said. "By the time you
hear this, I'll be with my ancestors." Kanchan... dead?
"It appears that your Kiivon government have won.
Know that I lived and died by my principles, for the
people I serve. Never forget that, old friend." She
halted for a moment. "I have one favor to ask of you,
one I'm sure you'll carry out. When it's time for you
to take the throne, remember the people. Always
remember that the government exists to serve the
people, my friend. I wish things were different
between us; I've come to forgive our pass differences,
perhaps you can do the same. You don't know how
tempting your offers to defect were, just so I could
be with you! See you, D-chan, wherever we meet again,
in a place without wars to tear us apart."
The message was short and to the point, just like
Kanchan. Davey held the datapad tightly, silently
mourning the loss of his friend. She's right, I will
do her this one favor.
It was then Major Grolum returned with a group of
marines. The marines picked Davey up off the floor
unceremonially. They followed their leader as he
marched down the hall, enter an elevator, and descend
several floors before stopping. Zuh lead the
marines and their captive to yet another cell, far
below the surface.
Why am I not surprised? Davey thought to himself.
The marines tossed Davey into the dark cell. Zuh
called, "This is for your own safety."
Even in death, Kanna held quite a bit of power, Davey
thought as the cell door slammed shut.
Major Zuh Grolum left a small squad just outside
the Heir-apparent's cell as he made his way to the
compound's single entrance. Dominion marines may
arrive at any moment, and Zuh was itching for
battle.
Surrender was not an option. The Director of
Military, and the admiral, made that point clear.
Zuh intended to put up a good fight before he bought
it.
As he strode down the corridor Zuh reached for a
stim-pack. Producing the pencil-thick pack, Zuh
jabbed the needle end of the stim into his arm,
letting the drug flow in his veins. The stim-drugs
gradually did a great deal of harm to one's system as
a cost for heightened awareness and strength, but now
it didn't matter. Zuh knew he was going to die.
The major made his way to the entrance of the prison
compound, shouldering a heavy bazooka before
approaching the officer he left in charge. Saluting,
Zuh said, "I assume the batteries and barricades are
in place?"
The officer returned the salute. "Yes sir! Twelve
heavy laser batteries facing the projected direction
of assault."
"Good," Zuh replied. "If it's a fight the Dominion
wants, they'll get one." Heavy laser batteries seemed
like overkill in a defense of such an insignificant
building, but Kanna insisted on the finest of defenses.
Zuh intended to use them, and use them well. He
estimated at least three marine contingents would go
down before the compound's defenses were broken.
Another officer approached Zuh, out of breath.
"Sir! Dominion landing craft sighted to the north!"
Zuh nodded. "This is it, men! Get to your posts!"
Zuh intended to fulfill the admiral's dying wish.
In the end none of the Terra Combine fleet survived
the onslaught of the Dominion's numbers. However, the
Dominion only barely succeeded in rescuing the Heir-
apparent from his Siberian prison, as the forces under
Major Grolum set up a fierce defense. Unfortunately
for the Combine, the entire defense force was wiped
out. Zuh died a warrior, as did those who died in
the heavens above before him.
Christy arrived on the surface in a personal shuttle
to greet Davey as he was escorted from the ruins of
the Siberian prison. Davey found himself embracing the
woman he married, a woman he barely knew, but a woman
with such passion and determination to get the job
done.
"I've missed you," began Christy. With a sudden change
of expression, she yelled, "Why'd you have to run off
and play cowboy like that?! We didn't even finish our
honeymoon!"
"I missed you too," Davey replied. He didn't know
why, but somehow, Davey knew he loved this woman. Oh
well, at least she cared. "So, how's Pop been?"
Christy's expression became grave. In short order she
explained the past events, and a new discovery.
The Terra Combine was crushed under the heels of the
Kiivon Dominion, but at what price? Following Nergal's
final war cry and blazing death, the truth of the
Halydis Massacre was revealed to all in the Dominion
fleet; records within the Combine archives and Nergal's
own black box and logs verified that it was Kiivon,
not the Combine, responsible for the eradication of
House Jion. There was too much evidence for the
accusation to be false. None of them would look at
their leader, Baron, in the same way any more.
"An entire family was murdered for material gain,"
Christy concluded sadly.
"I know," Davey replied. "We've been living
sheltered lives for too long. It took another to open
my eyes, and I'm disgusted at what I see." He shook
his head. "No, actually, it was a friend that helped
me, and now she's dead. I wish you could've met her."
And, Davey thought, the two, having similar
dispositions, might even have become friends.
"This friend of yours," Christy started, "what was she
like?"
As Davey began telling his tale to Christy, the couple
was escorted back to the waiting shuttle.
Davey watched as the surviving enemy were lead to
the prison ships, among them Hitomi, who somehow
survived the destruction of her own ship (she wanted
to kill herself, but the escorts prevented her from
doing so). Nowhere Davey saw a trace of Kanna, and he
felt a pang of guilt in his stomach, even if he did
know she was dead already.
I could've saved you, Kanchan, Davey thought. If it
weren't for these damned wars, everything would've
been different between us. In the end, you chose your
duty over friendship. I have to respect that.
Good-bye, Kanchan. Your sacrifice will not be in
vain.
So it came to pass that when Davey returned home he
memorialized Kanna and those under them for their duty,
honor, and loyalty, in the face of death. Posthumous
honors were bestowed upon the defeated officers, and
their families were provided with full benefits of
other military families. Baron wanted to punish those
who acted against the Dominion during the war, but
Davey dissuaded him, arguing that it was time for
things to heal. With those who participated in the
final battle against the Combine behind him, and some
stern backing by Christy, Davey threatened to make
Baron's treachery public. Reluctantly, Baron agreed.
When it was time that Davey became head of
government, with Christy's help sweeping reforms were
made throughout the Dominion to make it a better
place. For Kanchan. For the people.
-----------------------------------------------
Author's Notes
A monstrous combination of Wing Commander, Battletech,
Babylon 5, and everything else spacey under the sun.
What a mess.
Incidentally rewritten and rereleased to fulfill an
experiment: would a reader enjoy the story more if it
used original characters rather than other peoples'
characters? I've gotten as much from this story, so two
years after initial release here it is. See if you can
figure out who was who.
P.S.: The names for some of these characters is quite
intentional. I wonder how many rabid complaints I'll
get from a certain someoen this time?
My name is not Hitomi, it's Razorclaw X.
-- Razorclaw X (spiceoflifeADV@hotmail.com)
http://www.crosswinds.net/~slythe/ranma/index.html
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