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#I didn't get your punchline either. Also, it seemed like you
#were conviently bending the available technologies and
#personalities just to 'fuse' Nadesico characters to Star Trek
#ones.
All characters TM & copyright 1998 by ZEBEC/TV Tokyo
#XEBEC
The Wrath of Nadesico
by
W*ING Higley
Yurika whooped with joy as the Nadesico's Anti-Grav cannon ripped a huge, 10
meter long hole in the side of the Jovian Super Carrier.
#Going by the anime, the closest thing the Jovians have to
#Super Carriers are the Tulips, and the Gravity Blast literally
#disolves them.
Looking at Ruri, Yurika asked, "What's their status?"
Ruri Hoshino squinted as she studied the read-outs on her display screen.
"They're dead in the water, Captain. Engines are off-line and life-support
is nominal.
Yurika nodded and turned to Megumi, the ship's communications officer.
"Megumi, is their communications grid working?"
"I believe so, Captain. I'm getting faint intra-ship signals."
"Very good, Megumi. Patch me through."
Turning to the main viewscreen, Yurika waited until Megumi gave her the
signal to begin speaking. "Jovian carrier, this is the High Mobile
Battleship Nadesico. Prepare to lower your shields and take on boarding
parties. If you surrender peacefully, I guarantee that you will be treated
fairly."
#This may seem like a silly point, but is this set after the
#discovery of the true nature of the Jovians or not?
#Prior to this, there would have been no attempt at
#communication, just blow them out of space.
They waited quietly for any sign of response from the Jovian ship. Ruri
grew wide-eyed, however, as she read the latest reports from ship's sensors.
"Captain! I'm getting huge energy spikes from the Jovian carrier."
Yurika rushed to Ruri's side. "What is it?"
Ruri studied the read-outs for a moment before saying, "It's a
matter/anti-matter self-destruct device."
"WHAT?!!?" Yurika said in shock.
"Yes," Ruri said, "the Jovians have matter/anti-matter technology on this
ship."
Megumi became puzzled. "What's that mean, exactly."
Ruri rolled her eyes. "When matter/anti-matter intermix, it can create an
explosion with the force level of a supernova."
"Meaning...."
"Meaning we have to get out of here, now!" Yurika screamed. "Minato, full
speed."
The helmswoman looked panic. "I can't, Captain. The engines have suffered
too much damage.
"Megumi! Get me engineering!"
*****
"I repeat, we need maximun power. Mr. Uribatake, do you copy?"
"I can't do it, Captain." Uribatake's voice sounded weak and haggard to
Yurika. "There's a breach in the intermix chamber,
it's...radia-...radiation...."
#I didn't think the Nadesico's engines used a radiation (or
#dylithium crystal for that matter) based system. The
#transposition engines use space as its fuel.
He collapsed to the ground.
*****
"Megumi, get Dr. Versange down there."
#Fresenje
As Megumi radioed sickbay, Ruri paused to consider things. Nodding silently
to herself, she got up from her post and headed towards the elevators.
*****
"How is he?" Inez Versange looked up in surprise to see Ruri standing over
her and Uribatake.
"He'll live, but he won't do us any good right now."
"What's wrong with the engines?" Ruri asked.
>From where he lay, Uribatake gasped, "The intermix chamber is jammed and we
don't have any contamination suits on board. We need to de-pressurize the
chamber, and then go in and manually unclog the system."
Ruri frowned slightly. "We do not have time to de-pressurize the chamber.
The Jovian ship will self-destruct in less than a minute."
"Then we're doomed," Inez said morosely.
"No, we're not." With that, Ruri punched the button to open the intermix
chamber, then stepped inside and locked the hatch before a stunned Inez or
Uribatake could stop her.
Horrified, the two watched as Ruri Hoshino opened the intermix hatch and
began to pull gobs of the fuel-solid out of the jammed tube.
"NO!" Versange rushed to the Plexiglas shield that separated engineering
and the chamber, banging desperately on the shield to try and get Ruri to
stop.
*****
"10 seconds to detonation," Megumi reported sadly.
Suddenly, Minato shouted, "Captain, we have full power!"
"Bless you, Uribatake. Full-speed out of here, then." Yurika collapsed
into her chair in relief. On the screen, she watched as the Jovian Super
Carrier shrank away, then exploded in an amazing display of pyrotechnics.
#The Nadesico may be fast, but not fast enough to
#outrun an explosion, unless they can Boson Jump
#out of there.
"Bridge to Engineering, good work Mr. Uribatake." Yurika frowned at the
silence that followed on the Comm-channel.
Finally, "Captain, I think you should get down here." Yurika became worried
when she realized that it was Ms. Versange speaking, then she panicked when
she noticed that Ruri was not at her station.
*****
Engineering was packed with crewpeople, Yurika noted. Among them Akito and
Ryoko. They were all staring at the intermix chamber, where Ruri Hoshino
lay slumped against the ground.
"NO!" Yurika rushed towards the chamber, only to be held back by Akito and
Ryoko.
"Don't! You'll flood the whole compartment!" Akito shouted.
"She'll die!"
"Captain, she's dead already." Yurika looked in horror at Ryoko's
pronouncement.
She relaxed and the two let go of her. Slowly, sadly, she walked up to the
chamber wall and knelt downwards. Ruri stirred and crawled towards Yurika.
Activating the intercom, Yurika said, "Ruri!"
Her face was a mass of welts and boils, radiation burns covering her hands.
"The ship....out of danger?" Ruri had a hard time speaking.
"Yes."
"Don't grieve...Captain. It was only....logical. The needs....of the
many....outweigh...."
#That's not something Ruri would say.
"The needs of the few." Yurika finished.
"Or...the one..." Ruri collapsed against the bulkhead.
"I...never took...the Kobayashi Maru test...'till now. What did you
think...of my solution?" The ghost of a smile crossed Ruri's disfigured
face.
Yurika was close to tears. "Ruri...."
"I have been...and always shall be...your friend." She placed her hand on
the glass. "Even if...you are...an idiot." With that, the light left Ruri
Hoshino's eyes and she slid downwards, dead.
#Now that's more Ruri-like
"No...." Yurika collapsed, next to her friend.
*****
The entire crew turned out for the funeral.
Speaking solemnly, Yurika said, "We are assembled here today, to pay our
final respects to our honored dead. But let it be said, that in giving her
life for us, Ruri Hoshino ensured that life shall continue for the rest of
us."
She choked.
"Of my friend, I can only say this. Out of all the souls I have
known....hers was the most...human."
#Ruri is human, just with a little genetic modification.
Yurika finally broke down, and began weeping uncontrollably into Akito's
arms as Ruri's coffin was loaded into the Anti-Grav cannon and fired off
into deep space, where it became another shining star in the night.
#Not unless you've changed the way the Gravity Blast works,
#you can't load a coffin into it.
Author's Notes: WAAYY back in July, I tried to write a fic fusing
"Nadesico" and "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." That attempt fizzled,
but the sole reason for the fic was to get to the punchline you see above.
Thank you for reading.
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