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Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 07-26-2009
Chapter One: Meeting The Past
[color=white]Kure Shipyards, Hiroshima system
Present Day
She was seething. At least, she was seething under the very calm and subservient demeanor she had to put up. Sachiko Kondo, new commander of the KNS Kataki, could not afford to make mistakes. Especially not mistakes in challenging the traditional gender roles too much. Sachiko would like to think that she had landed the position as CO of the gunboat through skill, but she knew it was a token gesture by the KNF to assuage the growing unrest against the rampant sexism prevalent in society. A token gesture. Her entire bridge crew was male, and gave her such looks as to make her suspect a mutiny was being plotted.
And, of course, she had had to jump through hoops simply to arm the ship. The engineers on Kure balked like mules being prodded too hard. She had to attain guard status, which took a long time of proving herself.
It was going to be hard for her. She had to prove herself time and again, had to be strong yet appear to be timid... which wouldn't be hard, considering that she was.
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-28-2009
[color=white]Battleship Matsumoto, Hokkaido system
A year ago...
A few Naval officers sat around the bar, sipping their sake and recounting the gossip of the station. This far out, there was a certain camaraderie between the men -- the Kyofo made sure that reinforcements and outside contact was limited. It was even difficult to get transmissions back and forth.
"I heard," the first one of a group of three said, with a conspiratory inflection, "a rumor. That there is a Liberty Navy ship around our system."
A round of uneasy chuckles greeted his claim. Ludicrous as it sounded, strange things happened out here...
"Sachiko!" the man who had spoken shouted. He was Ouya Kondo, her elder brother and crack fighter pilot. There were very few female pilots in the KNF, and those few were usually much better than their male counterparts -- they had to be, in order to overcome the prejudice against females inherent in Kusari society. She was not a fighter pilot, not having the skill required, but she was a member of the Naval Forces nonetheless. "More sake!"
She ducked her head and went to pour the bottle. One of the other men in the circle leaned forward, and asked, "What about this Liberty Navy ship?"
"It is only rumor," Ouya continued, sipping his sake, "but I heard it is the dread cruiser Tundra."
The name had no affect on the Kusarians, because outside of the deepest Omicrons, the Liberty Navy High Command and the LSF, it was a little-known ship. "Whispers only," he continued, lowering his voice even further, "but... some say that it is a cursed ship, bearing the mark of Aoi Iseijin."
That got their attention. The Blue Aliens. He smiled and enjoyed the attention lavished on him. "Rumor only, of course."
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-28-2009
[color=white]Unknown Sector, Tohoku system
A year ago...
"Break formation! Break --"
The end of the statement was consumed in a firestorm of purple bolts of destruction, raining from the shadowed form. Ouya banked hard to the right and avoided his own death amongst the stars. The harbinger of death had come upon them in an instant, heavy electromagnetic interference scrambling all sensors until it was upon them. Some form of electronic warfare.
Ouya tried to call in for backup, but long-range transmissions were also being jammed. As he came about and faced the ship, flying parallel to its elongated form, he noticed numerous glowing patches along it's obviously Libertonian hull. Towards the forward section was one word: "Tundra".
Shocked to the point of flying in a straight line, Ouya took several hits and slammed 'eject' just in time to save himself. Then he felt the tractor beam pull him in...
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-29-2009
[color=white]Seiran Dust Cloud, Kyushu system
Present Day
The KNS Kataki plowed through the blue mists with apparent ease, though in reality it was some of the most treacherous space to navigate. Radiation was not a problem, but the sensor-scrambling soup made for tough going, especially coupled with such poor visibility.
"Captain?" said the most junior of the officers on the deck, the comm officer. "Do you hear that?"
"No. What is it?" Sachiko asked, not too interested. On patrol in this mess, certain... delusions weren't uncommon.
He simply stared blankly ahead. "Officer?" she inquired, concern growing. Then he whispered one word.
"Ouya."
Her face went pale. It was the name of her brother, who had gone missing on a patrol -- the entire wing had fallen off radar in Tohoku, and search parties turned up no sign of their ships. Some of them went missing themselves. All efforts were abandoned, and the system was sealed off except for the most veteran of pilots, who continued to keep a vigilant eye out.
Concern turned to wonder. "Officer? What is it?"
In response, he got up from his seat, walked over to the helm controls, and set a new waypoint over the protest of the helmsman. With a stern word, Sachiko made him acquiesce. The course was set, and then Sachiko heard it too... the whispering voice. It was comfort and peace, because she heard her brother, who she had missed very much. And then...
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-29-2009
Unknown Sector, Tohoku system
A year ago...
Ouya felt as if he was floating along, instead of being dragged. An inner peace descended on him, though somehow it was from an outside source -- he could feel the small corner of his mind that was drenched in pure terror.
[color=#6666CC]***Submission... (peace/joy/unity)***
It was like gentle sunlight caressing his skin... He could almost feel all of humanity in that moment, together and united. A vast network of interconnected consciousnesses, one mind and one will.
***One***
While the thought came from all at once, Ouya could tell that it originated from him. He relaxed completely, almost every muscle in his body going slack. His heart even faltered for a moment before it continued beating. And he submitted, and he found peace, and he was one. The escape pod was pulled into the ship, which disappeared into the darkest recesses of the Omicrons...
OOC: Feedback Here
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-30-2009
[color=white]Seiran Dust Cloud, Kyushu system
Present Day
...something appeared out of the mist. A flash, like a serpent flickering across your peripheral vision for the briefest moment. Sachiko flinched in surprise, and ordered all stop. It, whatever it was, rippled across the blue fog again. Murmurs from the crew, some shocked, others mystified, some cautious, filled the bridge. She called for silence but no one listened.
"Scanners see nothing?" Sachiko asked. The sensor operator's face flushed red.
"No sir, I umm... turned them off. They were not working with all the disturbance anyways."
"Well turn them back on and try again!" she said, anger breaking through her usually placid manner. The berated man's back straightened, and he turned to do what she said with a curt "yes sir."
As he tapped a few buttons, his countenance changed to one of shock. "Sensor's are working! Reading... a Chimera, sir. Readings are a bit funny, but it's one of ours."
As if by summons, the ship appeared in front of them and stopped. It had a weird aura, as if it was glowing blue, but that was probably just the Seiran Dust Cloud.
"Sachiko, it has been a long time."
The familiar voice of her brother made her smile, but then she realized something. All comm channels were closed, and they had received no transmissions. The Chimera moved still closer, and she noticed that the strange aura she had seen was indeed emanating from the ship itself, not the nebula. Something wasn't right here.
"Indeed Ouya, a long time..." she replied, curious of the response. None of the bridge crew looked at her as if she had just grown a third arm, so they must have heard the original sending as well.
"Join me, my sister. It is so much better here. I want you to know what I know, to see the universe on a different level." He sounded completely normal, calm and collected. But the words he spoke made no sense.
"What is wrong? Where have you..." As she spoke, the world spun out from underneath her. Lurching across systems and intermediate space where nothing lived or moved except our hopes and dreams, she found herself floating in space in the Tohoku system. Her brother was next to her, in his Naval Forces uniform. The lack of air did not cause trouble, nor did the total vacuum affect them. All was right in the world. There was Heaven's Gate, the most amazing wonder of Kusari. Ouya smiled at her, and she felt her heart skip.
Without speaking, his eyes conveyed so much to her. And she knew that things would be better here. All she had to do was reach out and be with her brother.
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-31-2009
Unknown Sector, Tohoku system
Present Day
When Sachiko found herself back on the bridge of her ship, the entire crew was unconscious. Not bothering to think about it, she pushed the helmsman out of his chair and set a course for the Tohoku system, using the little-known Hokkaido jump hole. How she knew its location, she wasn't sure... she simply did. The presence in her mind was reassuring. Maybe it told her, or nudged her in the right direction. Why was everyone unconscious?
Hokkaido, then loop around through the system to the Tohoku jump hole. Again, she was not aware of how she knew where it was. But that wasn't important, just like why her crew was unconscious wasn't important.
And then there was Tohoku. The first thing she saw was the Heaven's Gate, the most amazing architectural structure in Sirius. It took her breath away, and she wished that more people could see it.
[color=#CC33CC]More will see it soon, little sister. We will make sure of it.
She engaged cruise and set a course for the Arch. Permission to moor was granted before it was even requested, as if they could read her intentions. Docking lines were extended to hold the ship in place, and an umbilical was extended to meet the Arch. She crossed the line onto what she hoped was a wondrous place. A lone corridor ran away from the mooring point, and she followed it. It ended in a door, though the occasional door had marred the perfect walls. As she approached it, the door opened and her brother stepped through. Sachiko ran up and hugged him, a smile on her face.
"Ouya! I thought you were dead for so long, it's good to see you." Pure relief and joy filled her voice. Finally, here he was -- real and in front of her.
"It is good to see you too, Sachiko. There is much to tell you, but first, you must come with me." He led her down another series of corridors into a room. It looked like a bedroom, with a bed with a real mattress (as opposed to the utilitarian bunks Sachiko was used to in the Naval Forces). Rich Kusarian rugs covered the floor, and the lighting was dimmed.
"Lay down, rest. There will be time to talk in a little while." Ouya gave her a nudge into the room, and closed the door behind him as he exited the room. Laying out, she wondered what was going on for the first time. Something was off about Ouya, and... she wasn't alone in the room. A quick survey brought up nothing, but some sixth sense was ringing a million different warning bells. Then something slithered out from under the bed, on top of her, and forced its way into her mouth despite her struggles. Her muscles felt like water, and she couldn't find the will to bite down. All at once her body relaxed, her thrashing quickly subsiding.
There is much to tell you sister. Much has happened since the time of Tekagi. There is work to be done...
* * * * * *
[font=Tahoma][color=white]I watched it all with growing horror. They got my sister. I regret all the wrongs I did to her, everything. I had always wished for a brother instead, and I regret that as well. I was -- and am -- powerless. I've had a lot of time to think, and it didn't take a lot of that time to realize that something had taken control of my body, severing my mind from anything below my neck. All I can do is watch, and listen. I can hear their thoughts, too... all of them.
Sometimes I question my sanity. The thing that hurts the most is that I cannot even weep for my sister's fate.
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 08-31-2009
Chapter Two: On The Heights...
Shortly thereafter, Sachiko Kondo officially joined the Aoi Iseijin. There was no great ceremony, no undo flair. She simply became one with the Community. The crew which she had led there were also joined to the Community. Some time later, she was on board the KNS Kataki, which was being refitted with Nomad weaponry (to think of all the trouble she had gone through to equip it in her previous life). Ouya Kondo, her genetic relative, met here there. He spoke using his vocal chords:
"Konnichiwa, Sachiko. Do you understand your task?"
Indeed she did. Her ship was to move to interdict certain shipments of goods -- and passengers -- to resupply and recrew Heaven's Gate.
"Good. There is something that must be shared with you at length, first, though. The very history and purpose of our Community..."
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 09-01-2009
It started with a single Incubi, in Rheinland. A diplomatic meeting of enough importance to warrant a Governor, but not enough for the Emperor to leave Kusari. Tekagi was chosen to go by the Emperor himself, as the tense times required the touch of a man of known political and diplomatic skill. And so the Incubi crawled inside the Governor and flicked over that first terrible domino. Numerous other Incubi were stored aboard his ship, and everyone of the crew was Enlightened.
Thus the pattern was set to infect the soldiers, which would prove a costly mistake. Instead of solidifying political power beyond Governor Tekagi, they believed that the battle would begin -- and be won -- soon enough that having soldiers was more important than having political or corporate power. Of course, this belief was terribly mistaken. The Blood Dragons, with the help of Edison Trent, killed Tekagi and planted a bomb in Heaven's Gate. The Dragon fighter pilots demonstrated their widely-acclaimed prowess, mopping up most of the remaining Aoi Iseijin, and the First Nomad War was over almost before it began.
Then a reporter, a man named Noritaka Kamuta, was assigned to do a story covering Heaven's Gate. It had been a few months since the incident, and Kusari as a whole had not heard from their most beloved landmark. Overnight the Tohoku system had become restricted space to all non-Naval Forces ships. Noritaka Kamuta managed to sneak into Tohoku, and when he got to Heaven's Gate, he found a deserted and desolate station. It's magnificence was not diminished however, and he just happened upon a Nomad Incubi as he searched the station for signs of what had happened...
Paved With Daggers - Zapp - 09-02-2009
[font=Tahoma]I can see the one who was my brother, but isn't anymore. I suppose he's somewhere in there like I'm in here, but also powerless to do anything. I feel like screaming out at him that I am alright, that I know he couldn't do anything about it, that I love him. I can hear them talk without using words, and what I hear scares me...
[color=#CC33CC]Noritaka Kamuta was the first one to truly begin the resurrection of the Aoi Iseijin. He returned to Kusari proper, quit his job, and began giving tours to Heaven's Gate under the Naval Forces' noses. He made sure to gather those with useful skills, such as engineers, doctors, scientists. It was an attempt to set a good foundation for what would eventually become a more militaristic-based group.