The Ramarian Crisis
By DarkHorse

Chapter 2: Alternate Plans

*Present Day on the Starship Weret,
Thousands of Light Years Outside the
Solar System*


  Standing alongside Supreme Commander Drak, the scientist
Higon stared out of the command center�s view screen into a
star cluster. One of those stars represented the sun of the
solar system that was their destination. The view screen was
panoramic so that when he turned to his left and right, he
could see both flanks of the starship. There were two battle
ships on the left and three on the right. What were not
shown were the hundreds of similar battle ships, attack
cruisers and star destroyers that trailed the lead starship
Higon himself was in.

  There were 513 of these space vessels in all,
representing just a little over 10 million Ramarians. This
was what was left of the eleven-planet system called Ramar.
Over 56 billion of his kind, he was sure, were annihilated
when their star died. There were probably those who were
able to escape since star travel was never a restriction but
Higon knew they would only prolong the inevitable. Without
the resources that this battle group had the sense to bring
along for the journey, the others would not survive the cold
of space. Should they stumble upon a planet, they would also
not have the resources to make it habitable.

  56 billion. It was fortunate that as a race, Ramarians
were extremely practical and thus, none shed a tear for
those who lost their bio-electronically enhanced lives. It
was also fortunate that he was able to convince Supreme
Commander Drak of the urgency to finally leave Ramar.

  A charismatic leader, he was able to lead an uprising,
which resulted in the ousting of Fram and his supporters in
the council. That, in itself, was a bloody affair resulting
in the deaths of thousands. In the end, Drak, now head of
the council, began plans for escaping. That it took forty
iatas before the departure was actually effected was, now,
of little consequence.

  Only two things grated on Higon: first, of the 40-man
team he had, all of which he knew would be needed on this
expedition, only 20 were allowed to join. These 20,
including him, were supposed to attend to the medical and
technological needs of the entire contingent! Granted, there
were robots that can do most of the work that were deemed
menial, but still...

  The second thing that grated on him was that he had
actually miscalculated the length of time it would take to
reach their destination. The bloody revolution that
accompanied Drak�s ascension to power also resulted in the
loss of most of their faster space vessels. As such, they
had to make do with the older models, which naturally could
only travel so fast. At their current pace, it would take
another 35 iatas before they reach the solar system, which
was their destination.

  Higon wasn�t sure whether he would even survive to see
this Promised Land of a solar system. He was, after all,
already 211 iatas old1. Nevertheless, he was determined. In
his mind, he above all, will be able to save his race from
extinction. As it is, he is working round the proverbial
clock training up new technicians out of the mostly warrior-
class population. *What a fool Drak is*, Higon thought darkly.
*Warriors do not create civilizations, scientists like myself
do!*

  "Scientist," Drak said in that imperial tone of his,
breaking Higon out of his reverie. "There is an urgent
message for you." Higon raised an eyebrow in reply. The
message could only come from Rogo but he was not yet
scheduled to send a report for days.

  Higon took the portable terminal from Drak and read the
message. It was only a two-word message and yet, he had to
read and re-read it just to make sure he was not imagining
what it said.

  "Wormholes are a thing of fiction, scientist."
  
  *My name is Higon, you fool!* Must these military-types be
so superior? Higon glanced at Drak darkly. "Rogo is no
fool."

  "So you say," was Drak�s only retort.
  
  Rogo, of course, was handpicked by Higon to speed ahead
to Earth to do reconnaissance. His military background and
his aptitude in technical matters made him uniquely
qualified for this mission. Taking the computer with him,
Higon turned away from the front view screen. "If you will
excuse me, Drak, I need to do some research." Without
waiting for Drak�s acknowledgement, he left the command
center towards his own laboratory inside the starship.

  Only when the Higon was completely out of the command
center did Drak look back towards the direction the head
scientist took. It grated on him that someone who was *only* a
scientist should address him simply as "Drak". He will need
to put him in his place one of these days.

                          * * * * *
  
  Inside his laboratory, facing an impressive array of
computers, Higon brought himself up-to-date on the research
of wormholes. Strides have apparently been made towards this
direction, some of which Higon, himself, was not aware of
until now. However, what Drak said was still true: it was
impossible to create wormholes, at least not with current
and available technology. This was primarily due to the
tremendous amount of energy and power that would be needed
to create them. Energy and power of this magnitude was
something they could not generate even when Ramar was still
in existence, much less now.

  So if Rogo truly discovered the existence of a
wormhole...on Earth!? That was impossible! Rogo made it
abundantly clear by providing detail upon comprehensive
detail of the kinds of technology that was currently
available on that planet. Surely, the earthlings could not
have created their very own wormhole.

  Rogo was no fool. Of this he would stake his remaining
iatas. He leaned back on his chair. Patience was a virtue he
had learned a long time ago. All will be revealed in due
time. Of that he was certain.

                          * * * * *
  
  From the bottom of Tokyo Tower, Rogo and his team could
hear the screams of women. The fact that the sounds were
actually coming from several stories up is a small testament
to the sensitivity of their hearing brought about by bio-
electronic implants.

  The team raced upwards, taking the stairs three,
sometimes four at a time, in speeds unheard of for a normal
human being. Rogo and his teammates were, of course, not
human. By the time they reached the 23rd floor, Crata,
barely winded, paused to scan the surroundings. "This is the
floor."

  "Where?"
  
  "That way," Crata replied pointing towards the direction
of the female restroom. They all ran at top speed towards
it, barely noticing three young girls leaving the room. So
intent on actually seeing a live wormhole that they did not
immediately realize that the last three people to leave the
restroom were those very same they ignored as they broke
through the restroom door.

  Rogo and Crata were the first inside. After a few seconds
of scanning, it was clear that the portal was no longer
there. Even though both were disappointed, they did not
bother to show it. "The portal was definitely here." Crata
moved along the far wall of the restroom and stopped. She
put up the computer against the wall and slowly nodded.
"This is it alright. The portal was right against this wall.
The computer can still detect the power signature."

  "Interesting. Any new information?"
  
  Crata shook her head. "Nothing we didn�t already have
about this phenomenon."

  Rogo walked out the restroom. He had to step on what used
to be the door, making a lot of noise in the process.
Already people around the Tower were looking at him. Rogo
scanned the entire area. Of the many people looking at him,
one of them caught his attention. It was that of a little
girl with red hair. There was something about her...

  Grat, noting the look on his leader�s face, also glanced
at the direction Rogo was looking at. "She�s cute for an
earthling." That earned Grat a dangerous glare from Dasma.

  Crata, ever the observant one, also looked at the
direction of the red-haired girl. "I could be mistaken, but
that looks like one of the three that last left this room."

  Rogo looked at Crata. "Are you sure?"
  
  In response, Crata squinted her eyes and focused on the
redhead, now accompanied by a taller blue-haired girl and a
shorthaired blonde. "I�m sure."

  "They are nothing but girls." Rogo continued to stare at
the redhead girl who surprisingly was returning his stare
unflinchingly. "Could it be...?"
  
                          * * * * *
  
  "I can�t believe you did that Hikaru!" Umi fumed once
again. "You consider the ladies� room private?"

  "Well, Miss Umi, at least we cleared the room for our own
use, didn�t we?" Fuu smiled her disarmingly engaging smile
but Umi was clearly not falling for it and she promptly
harrumphed at her.

  Hikaru, on the other hand, was totally unresponsive and
once again lagged behind her two best friends as they made
their way to the elevators. Just as Umi and Fuu were about
to enter the elevator, out of instinct, they turned to make
sure their leader was with them. True enough, she wasn�t.
Umi stomped out of the elevator, clearly peeved. "I wonder
what it is this time."

  Both Knights found her just outside the hallway that led
to the elevators. She was staring fixedly ahead.

  "Hey you guys...see that strange man?" Hikaru said in a low
voice, her eyes never leaving the "strange man" in question.
What was amazing to both Umi and Fuu was that Hikaru was
able to sense their presence even without turning.

  "What are you talking about? I see a bunch of strange men
around." Umi said. When Hikaru didn�t respond, she decided
to look at the direction of her eyes. What she saw was an
impressive specimen of a man but he was, by her definition,
not strange at all. Just your average gaijin. And yet the
man seemed to be staring back at Hikaru.

  "It appears that that man is looking at us. As if he
knows something." Fuu had her hand, slightly closed as in a
fist, up by her chest, which she does when she�s nervous or
unsure.

  Umi and Fuu both heard the sharp intake of breath from
Hikaru. When they looked back at the man she was locking
eyes with, they understood. Not only were there four of them
now staring at them, they were walking briskly towards them!

  "Oooh, I have a bad feeling about this," Umi said as she
tugged at Hikaru�s sleeve. "Shouldn�t we go already?"

  "Miss Hikaru, Miss Umi, I think it is truly best that we
leave right now," Fuu pleaded, slowly backing away.

  Despite her trepidation, Hikaru stood her ground. "Wait."
  
  The taller girls exchange looks. They could not and would
not abandon their leader so Umi went to Hikaru�s right side,
while Fuu took the other and waited. They didn�t have to
wait long. In just a few seconds, the four were already in
front of them. The tall guy who Hikaru had been staring at
had a smile on his face.

  "Hello there," the tall guy said to Hikaru in accented
Japanese.

  "Hello," Hikaru responded, looking up (as always) to the
tall man. She then glanced at the other three that
accompanied him.

  "I�m sorry but I�m sure you don�t get approached very
often, but you have the most amazing red hair I�ve seen,"
the man said amiably.

  *Oh puhleeeease*, Umi rolled her eyes. She turned to
Hikaru. *She couldn�t be buying that line, could she?*

  "Thank you," Hikaru responded flatly, her face revealing
nothing.

  "My name is Roger Simmons. I�m a photographer," said
"Roger" as he presented his business card in the proper
Japanese way, with two hands and a slight bow. Hikaru looked
down briefly enough just to receive the card. "I�d really
like to photograph you, if you are interested."

  Hikaru nodded slowly, and then looked down to examine the
business card she held in her two hands more closely.
Looking up once more, she said: "I�ll have to think about
it."

  "Very well," Roger said, smiling his smile that was
calculated to dazzle any female. "May I have the pleasure of
your name?"

  Umi and Fuu were already expecting that Hikaru would
blurt out her name just like she always does. But Hikaru
completely surprised them.

  "I�m sorry but I don�t think it is wise to give you my
name at this time." Hikaru said evenly. "Perhaps after I
consider your offer."

  The man who called himself Roger Simmons didn�t seem
surprised. "Very well. In that case, I shall eagerly await
your call." Roger Simmons bowed once more than turned to
leave. His companions followed suit except a raven-haired
woman who looked down at Hikaru for a second before turning
to leave as well.

  The three Magic Knights stared at the retreating backs of
the foursome. Only when the four were finally swallowed up
by the crowd did both Umi and Fuu turn and address their
First Knight.

  "What was that all about?" Umi asked as she reached out
to touch Hikaru�s arm.

  "Are you alright, Miss Hikaru? You don�t look very well."
Fuu said with concern etched on her face.

  "That man..." Hikaru began, her eyes were still focused
forward as if she was still seeing him in the distance.
"There is something definitely not right about him."

  "I�ll say," said Umi, indignantly. "Why he�s old enough
to be your father!"

  "Why Miss Umi, if I didn�t know you better, I�d think
you�re peeved because he noticed Miss Hikaru instead of
you," Fuu teased.

  "Why I never..." Umi stared incredulously at the blonde
girl. Her comment broke the spell and Hikaru had to smile at
her indignant friend.

  "You really are funny sometimes, Umi," Hikaru said
grinning widely. "But seriously, something tells me we
haven�t seen the last of Mr. Simmons."

  "Do you think we need to do something about it?" Fuu
asked, concerned.

  "Yeah, watch your back." With that Hikaru turned towards
the elevators, with the Water Knight and Wind Knight in tow.

                          * * * * *

   Seated beside Grat inside the van, Rogo watched as the
three girls walked away. He was about to turn to Grat and
issue a command when he noticed that the red-haired girl
stopped to look directly at him. Rogo tensed and visibly
relaxed a millisecond later after remembering that the
windshield was heavily tinted. And yet...and yet, the girl was
looking straight at him. To say that it was unnerving was an
understatement. Rogo grew up in a civilization where
everything could be explained by science and yet here was
something totally inexplicable. After a few seconds of
staring, the girl walked on.

  "Do you think she saw us?" Grat asked, equally unnerved
as his leader.

  Rogo was grateful for the comment because it broke the
spell he seemed to be under. "I don�t think it�s possible,
especially without special equipment."

  "Equipment or no equipment, those three girls were
definitely exuding some serious energies." Both Rogo and
Grat turned to focus on Crat.

  "What do you mean?" Rogo asked, his eyebrows raised.
Something told him he wasn�t going to like the answer.

  In response to the question, Crata gave Rogo her portable
computer scanner. "When we approached those girls, I left
the scanner on hoping to get some sort of reading. If you
will notice here," Crata pointed to some statistical
information on the tiny holographic display. "These are
energy readings that were picked up. And here," Crata
pointed to an image outline of the three girls. "There were
no signs of any equipment on them that were technological in
nature."

  "Hey, are you saying the energy levels shown here are
coming from their bodies?" Grat had a look on his face that
was akin to fear.

  "I�m not saying that, Grat. I�m merely showing you what
the computer analyzed."

  "Is it normal for human beings to exude energy at these
levels?" Grat persisted.

  Crata shook her head slowly. "No. At least not that I
know of."

  Rogo fell silent, his mind busy trying glue together
pieces of the information he had just received but for some
reason, they were not sticking. It was rare that he showed
emotion but at this stage, it couldn�t be helped. Both Grat
and Crata saw Rogo�s eyebrows furrow in displeasure.

  "We will have to watch those girls."
  
                          * * * * *

  It was dark and quiet in the research center aboard the
starship Weret save for the light emanating from Higon�s
personal work area. Higon was reclining on his form-
contouring seat, looking up at the sturdy paneling that made
up the ceiling in his particular part of the laboratory. He
had just finished reading all the data sent to him by Rogo
two days ago. It was seventh time he had done so.

  An energy source powerful enough to fold space/time
continuum and punch a hole large enough to travel in, was
information one doesn�t swallow very easily. *Even more so*
after discovering that the source of that tremendous power
resides in human beings. Even more so after discovering that
the source were three young females. For the umpteenth time,
Higon�s brows furrowed in deep concentration.

  As a race, for several millennia past, they have
perfected the science of enhancing biological life forms
with mechanical and electronic implants. It was technology
that he was sure the sentients on  Earth would sure to want
desperately. From what he has understood so far based on
Rogo�s periodic reports, human beings are so easily
afflicted with physical maladies ranging from simple myopia
to the debilitating cancer. To be sure, Ramarians have had
those diseases too but they were things of ancient past as
attested by the fact that the Higon, a powerhouse of stored
knowledge, had to look "myopia" up in the Ramarian archives.
But for all their biotechnological advancements, Ramarians
do not possess "internal energies". And certainly not in the
amounts that the Rogo�s data indicated.

  He had to agree with Rogo�s recommendation. The situation
bears further scrutiny. The situation also requires an
alteration of plans. Drak would be a problem, Higon decided.
As soon as that imbecile of a Supreme Commander got Rogo�s
report describing the military capabilities of Earth�s most
powerful country, Drak has ordered a "full speed ahead"
towards Earth. So eager was he to conquer this "weak" world.
Just like the bully that he is. Until Higon, got this latest
report, he was in total agreement with Drak�s course of
action. After all, they have been traveling for too many
iatas already. Their food resources were dwindling. Despite
constant war games aboard most of the battleships, the
people were becoming extremely restless. Their hyperspace
capacitors have been breaking down every so often further
impeding their progress. The sooner they got their
collective feet on solid planetary ground and begin the work
of reestablishing their civilization, the better for all of
them.

  But, and a big "but" it is, if such a source does exist,
it would be dangerous to continue on their present path.
They were after all, the last of their kind. The situation
does bear further scrutiny. The next question is, how to
convince Drak. Presenting him with the data would be
useless. He wouldn�t be able to understand, not with that
tiny brain of his, technological enhancement
notwithstanding.

  After a few more minutes of contemplation, Higon leaned
forward to face the console. He didn�t even have to utter a
single command. The computers they had were sensitive to the
neural implants each Ramarian had. Within a few seconds, the
face of Drak appeared on his screen.

  "There is a development," was all Higon had to say.
  
  "Very well," was the only reply.
  
  From the iatas of association Higon and Drak had with
each other because of this odyssey, they both understood
that the word "development" always meant they had to meet.
Higon stood and picked up his hand terminal before finally
leaving the laboratory.

--------------------
NEXT:
Chapter 3 - Secrets and Suspicions

--------------------
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Normal Ramarian lifespan is 175 iatas or almost 200 Earth
years.

C&C are very welcome. Please e-mail them to
darkhrse0714@yahoo.com

--------------------
DISCLAIMER:
Magic Knight Rayearth and all the characters in that
anime/manga are properties of CLAMP.  These are used here
without permission.


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