Yamato - Episode 6
Nathaniel A Miller

 



Yamato: The New Adventures… (Sequel to "Final" Yamato in Episode type format)
By Erwin Stevens & N.A Miller

EPS 6 – A Solemn Victory/Reflections in Time


The infinity that is space, a world filled with serene light, uncountable stars in the deep darkness and with dying and forming stars abounds with many life forms. Yes, space is alive. The entire universe, our galaxy, and even the many solar systems are filled with many such life forms. They are filled with many that love, aspire and fight in war, and there are others that are peace loving. Many forms of life are in the universe, and they live scattered throughout its cold vastness.


The speck that makes up our Earth is one such place, where wars have come, and have gone, leaving their mark. A solar system named "SOL" resides in a mere corner of the infinity of space, and so does the huge galaxy known as the Milky Way, where the SOL system resides. It is one of seventy such systems located here in the mere tip of this galaxy and in this solar system that nine planets orbit the single life-giving star. Living on the third one, an insignificant body called Earth is an advanced civilization known as human kind.


However, the story takes place far from Sol and the Milky Way Galaxy, in deep space where a battle had been fought between the forces of Earth and the Cybertron at Aquarius. A decisive victory won, by the Earth forces and a battle that decided the war of the future of humankind. Earth had destroyed the Aquarius water planet to keep the evil war machine from the future from launching their offensive against Earth. The primary mission of the Cybertron had been to come from the future, intending to change time and history, destroying Earth far before she could ally with forces involved in a huge galactic war that would result in their defeat in the future. With the help of a ship from the future, Earth had been successfully warned of the plot and rallied to fight far before it had happened in the way the Cybertron had planned resulting in their defeat rather than Earth’s destruction.


It is on board the Earth ship, the Space Destroyer Whirlwind, however, that Sergeant Major Perry stands alone in his quarters. As he stares out from a porthole at the stars of space, his gaze also falls upon the other ships that surround them in the convoy headed for Earth. The mission is complete now and as he watches the stars, he thinks of the past few hours and days that and to the mission they have just completed. It had been a hard mission, harder than anything he had ever done in his entire military career. Harder than even stasis, being placed in and recovered and having to catch up learn into the new century in which they found themselves. They had to destroy a planet called Aquarius and had succeeded to do so.


“But at what cost.” The Sergeant Major thought, thinking of twelve people and countless others that would not be coming home after a diversion that allowed them to be deployed to Aquarius undetected, thanks to the Clouds, a ship from the future.


“We might have won the day, but with not without cost and death aplenty.” Sergeant Major Perry thought, continuing to stare at the stars through the porthole on the ship. Here he shook his head, limping as he walked as he moved toward the nearby table in his quarters where he sat at the table. It is covered with papers, compliments of the Lieutenant who was in charge of the group as second in command.


“It won’t be long now and we’ll be home to a Hero’s welcome.” Manual thought, “But some party that will be without the real heroes who did he deed. God knows we certainly paid for this party with our dearest blood.”


As Sergeant Major Perry also stood in his quarters, his mind is filled with cosmic thoughts, thinking of his lost friends. He had almost had forgotten about the meeting he still had to do back on Earth with Captain Stethem and the others in the stasis group who had seen them off on this mission. She is the Commander’s friend, lover and companion from his stasis group, the very one whom he had promised to bring back intact from this mission. Now, all he would be doing now was take the personal effects of Nathaniel to her and have to explain why her lover had not come home. Why he ended up killed on this mission, instead and all because of a command decision that he alone had made. One decision alone, that had won the battle and the war for the universe and for time itself.
                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

“Oh yea, I almost forgot about that.” Manual mused, “Jesus, what a meeting it will be too, an emotional one at that. There will probably be shouting, resentment, frustration, anger, and hatred. It will be all for nothing for something that happened on a mission that was against the odds anyway.”


He shook his head in silence, groaning as he paused to take a sip from a flask at his belt, letting the Kentucky Bourbon sting his throat as it went down. The alcohol seemed to steady him, and it was a far better solution than Sane’s injected relaxants that had a tendency to upset his stomach. Perry managed his turn his head and scan the empty room before turning his attention back to the porthole. Here he managed to shake his head negatively, suddenly disgusted by the death and destruction around him.


“Hah shit.” The Sergeant Major muttered, as he stood angrily in frustration, grabbing his hat, and headed for the door of his quarters. As he stepped through the hatch into the corridor, he turned to limp alone down the center of it, heading for the galley where he would get a cup of coffee, passing and ignoring many of the crew of the Destroyer.


“Sergeant Major…!” A voice said sharply, and Manual startled, looked up from his pensive thoughts.


“Sir…!” He replied sharply, nodding his head. It was the Lieutenant, the second in command for this mission, who had been put in charge and sent to the Whirlwind with the men while the officer of the past set off the EMP. He had his group, with the Lieutenant while the Lieutenant Commander directly led the group with Sergeant Jeevers as his squad leader in two groups.


The Sergeant Major blearily stared at the pensive expression on his face and immediately sensed something was up.


“Just so you know, when we get back to Earth, there will be an inquiry by the council.” He told him, “Those assholes want an explanation it seems for the loss of ships and personnel, even though we won the war. Make sure you have your Class A uniform ready, put on your saddle and report to the sawdust ring. You, Jeevers, and I are on the hot seat with about twenty other Commanders."


"Why what's happening sir…?" Perry asked.


"Well, it seems the families are pushing their rights and made it a very political battle at Headquarters to for the EDC to accept responsibility for the loss of those at Aquarius. The Council is blaming the military for blatant incompetence and not doing our job, through we were engaged with overwhelming odds and we did do our jobs.”


“What? Why the hell are they putting us in the hot seat Lieutenant?” Manual asked, “We did the job. We had our hands full. There was nothing anyone could do any differently, on the ground and in space.”


“I know, but it seems they think it could have been done better and cleaner than it was. It is a political game now. They are looking for scapegoats, not heroes.” Kino replied, “I was just giving you a heads up, when we land at Earth in a few days. Things are going to seem chaotic. Just relax and give them a full statement of your report as you were there. In addition to be happy where they place you in the end for your contribution. You did good work Sergeant Major. You can fight along side me anytime.”


“Aye, Aye…” Manual replied, “Thanks, Lieutenant.” Manual grimaced as he watched the Lieutenant depart.


“As if my morale is not low enough already, it just got totally worse.” He muttered, “Great, just fucking great.”


“And the hits keep oooon coming.” The Sergeant Major murmured as he hobbled toward the galley, supported by a cane he held in one hand.


When he finally arrived, the galley was empty, save one other person who was in here. He immediately went to the dispensary and he took a cup, seeking out a strong cup of coffee to drink to stay focused, despite seventy hours of no sleep since pulling back from Aquarius. There was just too much on his mind to sleep now and too much paperwork that was now required from him to back up the statement of the Lieutenant to the council on Earth.


Manual, as he limped toward the large bay window, stood before it a moment later, and it is here that he gazed at the stars before taking a chair. (Which he turned and straddled in the same gesture like certain Commander from a distant TV Show called Star Trek the Next Generation.) The same as Major Aguilera had while alive back in the twentieth century, and now briefly in the twenty-third century. The Sergeant Major took a determined sip of the rotgut coffee with a grimace, thankful for the stimulant as he let the stars sooth his troubled mind. He tried to consciously decipher what was going on and what they were about to go through back on Earth.


“Hell. It is not my fault for the Nathaniel or the others dying. He had done his duty as he saw fit and made a command decision where he saw to his crew first.” Manual muttered, “That’s the sign of a good officer. He saw to his men first and took the responsibility for us for his own actions. So why are the Lieutenant and I being made responsible for this and going to be screwed for what happened? That makes no sense. The military, people die is part of the job. There should be no place for politics here, not now, not ever, not for what we just went through. I can understand the grieving families, but to force the council and EDC to accept responsibility for winning a war? Ridiculous…”


Looking from side to side, Manual pulled out a flask, pouring a bit of the contents into the now empty coffee mug and took a hit of the Kentucky Bourbon that stung his throat as it went down hard. He took another sip of the liquid in his cup, turning his attention back toward the stars of space. A lot of images and thoughts whirled through his head as he sat there. He shook his head, trying to clear the unwanted images of hell they had gone through.


“Excuse me, Sergeant Major?” A woman’s voice asked, and he turned to see Nova standing at the hatchway. She frowned at him as he took another shot from the cup, emptying the contents. The liquid burned his throat. He remained silent, meeting her gaze with a questioning expression.


Nova noted how he was sitting in the chair, his posture a macho type, but also his readiness for anything showed.


“Well it should, after what they went through on the ground.” She thought and smiled at him.


“The Captain needs to see you on the bridge.” She said, and he nodded slightly, rising to his feet. Manual took out his flask and took a determined gulp from it. The young woman frowned seeing the flask. He let out a silent exhale of exasperation.


“Alright, let’s go Ms. Wildstar.” He replied, and hobbled toward her.


“Is that alcohol?” She demanded, “You know that’s against regulations.”


“Yea… it is, so sue me. Tell it to my draft board.” He replied sharply, “Because I don’t give a flying…”


Manual stopped cold, blearily staring at the startled young officer. He quickly realized that he had reared up and bit her head off. It was not her fault that the Lieutenant Commander, his friend and the Clouds were destroyed. She had not had caused the inquiry coming up, or caused the many losses of manpower from the two task forces that took on the Cybertron as a diversion to make the drop onto the planet. He realized snapping at her was unnecessary at best and the Sergeant Major backtracked immediately.


“Sorry.” He murmured, and turned his attention back to the view port.


The young woman’s mouth dropped open at the sharpness and insubordination in his tone. Nevertheless, she stepped up toward him, placing her hand on his shoulder.


“Steady, Sergeant Major.” She told him as the young Lieutenant shook her head in disgust, smelling the bourbon, “Believe me, I understand.”


Nova did understand why he was drinking. It was to forget. Yet, with all the bloodshed they had seen through the years among the Star Force, she wondered why they were not all boozers too.


“Come with me, now, please.” She said sharply, and motioned for him to follow her through the hatch.


“Where to… Lieutenant…?” He snarled, “Captain’s quarters for a Captain’s Mast?”


“No, being drunk I will ignore that, but you have a message at the Communications console on the bridge.” Lieutenant Wildstar stated sharply, “But we shall speak of this incident later, not for disciplinary action with the Captain. Talking helps and you always have a friendly ear who will listen.”


Manual muttered under his breath, followed her to the hatch, stepping through it, and down the corridor toward the nearest lift that would take them to the bridge of the Space Destroyer. As they boarded the lift, he leaned partially against the wall. Nova glanced at him in silence.


“I would suggest you do not get too close to the Captain, and let him know you have been drinking.” Nova suggested, “It would smash your career with a court-martial on your record. He pretty much goes by regulations. I am willing to overlook it if you continue on coffee and get sober by twenty-three hundred hours. It is approximately twenty-two-twelve.”


“It doesn’t matter.” Manual said, “I have a right to get stinking drunk, after having to watch my comrades get chopped to pieces, and then my best friend disappear in a flash of an explosion.”


“Yes, but seventeen stayed alive and countless others.” Nova replied tersely, “Or have you forgotten.”


“I have not forgotten, but I was charged to protecting my friend.” Manual replied hotly, “Now I have to face an emotional friend on Earth, to give her the effects, and explain to her what happened after the mission was supposedly in the bag. Some mission this was… NOT!


“I totally understand your pain, but for the moment, just trust me and take the call.” Nova said gently, seeing the pain in his eyes, an almost intense look there. Nova was reminded of someone else, who had taken his advice and did his duty well. Manual nodded as he entered the waiting lift to the bridge and managed to step dexterously out onto it without staggering.


“Sergeant Major Perry, reporting, sir.”


The Captain and the others stared at the rumpled uniform of the Sergeant Major, and the haggard look about him. They managed a grim glance between themselves.


“Jesus, you look awful Sergeant Major.” Captain Yamazaki told him with a grimace, “You need to see Doctor Sane. You need to get some sleep.”


The comment made the Sergeant Major frown as he turned toward the communicator.


“I’ve heard that a lot lately out of the crew.” He said, “I will when the paperwork and other stuff is completed, sir. Count on it, sir.”


“If you are having trouble sleeping, Doctor Sane can help you with a knock-out drop.” The Captain suggested and Manual merely nodded his head.


“Aye, Captain. That it will, sir.” He replied lamely and he turned to the Communicator.

 
“Alright, Homer is it? What’s going on?” Manual asked, straightening, but keeping a distance from the console.


“Play the message.” The Captain instructed and Homer hit the button on the console.


This is Lieutenant Commander Miller, on board the U.S.S. Magellanic Clouds, reporting on board at coordinates three-forty by two-eighty by three fifty three. We are heading on course at two eight zero, we have survived and are on course for the edge of the known galaxy. Currently we are computing time warp computations at this time, starting our run into the time-stream to stabilize time itself. If successful, our hope is that time will be changed and stabilized to avoid a paradox in time caused by the Cybertron. Please inform the EDC Headquarters of our intentions. Miller out…”


“That’s all we have, Sergeant Major.” Captain Yamazaki said, and Manual turned, paused and he grinned letting out a loud whoop.


“He’s alive…?” He exclaimed, excitedly, “T-that son of a bitch… I don’t believe it!”
    
 
     “Neither could we.” The Captain said, “We had to confirm and authenticate three times when we got the message. What I do not understand is what he is doing. What and where is he going? Why is he not on his way home to Earth? The battle is over, and what does he mean by stabilizing time?” Multiple questions rounded the bridge and Manual shrugged his shoulders.


Manual’s mirth had stopped abruptly when he thought back to the jam session in the Major’s quarters with Angie, Ihsss, Felonious and Kino and himself. He had told him then what he planned, and what he had intended to do.


“Jesus, you’re actually going to jump time as he said you were, aren’t you Nathaniel?” The Sergeant Major murmured to himself, and nearby Nova frowned, hearing his words.


“Sergeant Major, is there something you aren’t telling us and holding back? By the look on your face, you seem to know what he is talking about it with the time warp computations…” Nova asked, “Please fill us in? What is he doing? What is happening Sergeant Major…? After all, he is your friend from the past. What is he doing?”


“Okay, well… the way he explained it, was that he was going to first conceal his departure and go with the Clouds to recover a Hero.” The Sergeant Major said solemnly, “Then said something about stabilizing time as we know with minimal bloodshed and eliminate a paradox detected by the Clouds when the Cybertron warped into this time intending or having changed it by using Aquarius as a base.”


“That doesn’t make much sense.” Derick said, “Recover a Hero? What in god’s name does that mean? And stabilize time with minimal bloodshed?”


Sandor and the others on the bridge stood around mulling over the two statements in their brains.


“If you don’t see it, the Hero is Seth, he’s going to go back and ambush an ambush and save Seth.” The Sergeant Major said, “And by stabilizing time, he is going to make it where time is once again fluid, and eliminate the Cybertron’s interference once and for all using Aquarius as a base, before they ever even get there. Seth was a focal point that his death was an after computation, as you will, and was not necessary and he is going to change the stream back so he will live. But with one consequence, this time stream may or may not exist after he does it and the many who died here today a few of them won't. He will be saving one life and many others, perhaps time itself from winking out of existence.”


“Oh, Dear God…” Nova murmured, paling slightly.


“Sweet Jesus, that’s crazy!” Another voices said, but Sandor waved his hand to stop their protests.


“Maybe not, it will depend on the events he corrects.” Sandor said, “If he succeeds in his task, and wins that day, we may or may not need to fight this war against the war machine of the future, with a different outcome and less loss of life. All I can say is God speed, Commander.”


There was a pause. A low murmur rounded the bridge.


“...And even if he gets a little bit of happiness for himself, as a plus too, I say give’em Hell, Commander Miller. Give’em Hell…” Manual murmured, making Nova gasp quietly at the sentiment. She smiled quietly at him when he turned his head.


“Let’s hope so, Sergeant Major.” Nova said quietly, as she stood next to her husband, who had come up to stand beside her, and embraced her warmly.


Thoughts of the entire crew of the Whirlwind was with the Commander, on an impossible mission that would risk the very winds of time and space. They all were still astonished by the risk involved but they all knew the sacrifice involved for one man, and perhaps the many who had died here today.


Meanwhile on board the Clouds, the grizzled officer of the past sat in the quarters he and Angie had shared when they had begun the mission to Aquarius. As he worked at his laptop, he worked on the plan of attack for when they arrived into the past in the year 2208, the night Seth was killed and the Star Cruiser Class Starship was on its way to Earth. He would be dropped off, to ambush an ambush on Hero’s Hill, despite that his past self would be at the Space Dock at Federal City and working on board the Space Cruiser that he was assigned. He had already prepared a message that would simulate a false message from Angie at the Hero’s Hill, even though she came after the battle was lost and Seth had died, sacrificing himself on the hill. He would do the same to bring Angie, Mitty and even himself to the memorial to assist in his plan.


His plan was simple and direct. He would take Seth’s place as a casualty, taking on the enemy by surprising each one of the Cybertron shooters. The officer would plan to eliminate them and to hold the hill until his past self arrived on the scene with Angie, Commander Mitty McDonald, and reinforcements because of the simulated message that would alert them all of the surprise attack at Hero’s Hill. It would be a direct assault against a platoon of Cybertron, but with a bit of luck, he would eliminate them all, and Seth would be alive and well.


“It will be a difficult timed assault, but I think we can do it.” Nathaniel thought to himself, and managed a nod at the screen at his recorded data on the screen.


A moment passed and he was deep in thought until he turned his head when the buzzer sounded inside the room. Commander Miller reached over and hit the switch on the console, allowing the hatch to open. It allowed a young Thyrnn female to enter, and to stand at the hatchway. She was lean and timid with an hourglass figure, curves like a young human female.


“May I help you, miss…?” He asked as she shot him a toothy grin. She was covered with a flight suit over her brown scales with a white underbelly. She had small b-cup-like breasts. She carried a large bag what appeared to be her space bag with her.


“Thyssstha…” She replied, smiling and even nodding to the young Major. The young reptilian felt a hot flash in her body, and somewhere down below that she felt liquid surge from her body as she stared at the grizzled Lieutenant Commander. She found herself suddenly madly in love, the first time ever seeing a human for herself up close. Her body seemed to respond with her pheromones toward the presence of him. He grimaced.


“Damn, if I may say this sir, you are the sexiest human I have ever seen.” She told him casually and he grinned. She was sexy and exotic as hell to the officer of the past but he shook his head. He remembered that somewhere he was promised to someone else.


“Can I help…?” He asked and she shook her head.


“We are sharing these quarters, sir.” She said, “Captain’s orders. May I store my gear? I’d like to get a little bit of downtime.”


“Uh, by all means…” He replied, standing formally, as she brought over her bag and quickly unpacked it into the drawers.


He gasped as she began removing her boots and unzipped her flight-suit. As the zipper continued to fall, it revealed a little more than he was prepared for.


“Oh.” He said, and turned his back toward her as she stood there.


“No need for that Commander.” She said, as she peeled off the flight suit standing in the buff. She placed her flight suit on the chair as she walked toward the bunk and climbed into the top bunk. “Like you humans, we are not ashamed of our bodies.”


He glanced at her as she lay there, and nodded shortly. He could see that she was almost human in many ways, the only difference that she had a tail where humans ended at their butt otherwise without it she could easily pass as a human. She was quite shockingly beautiful to the grizzled officer. She was hairless on her body, but he definitely could see the definition making her almost human-like features. Embarrassed, he turned his head away again.


“Night sir…” She said, smiling, realizing he was watching her. She closed the privacy door over the opening.


“Night…” He said, “Sleep well, Thyssstha.”


He retook his seat and continuing to type on his laptop well into the night. He watched her, as she got comfortable, and soon she was asleep.


By the next morning, the grizzled Lieutenant Commander sat in the chair, still working on the laptop and writing out the plan that would be used for his landing on Earth of the past. It would be when he alone would change history and make it for the better by preventing Seth’s death at the memorial and balance time, as they knew it.


He glanced over at the young Thyrnn officer who slept on the top bunk and he shook his head. He shifted uncomfortably at his desk, glancing at his laptop clock that read ‘08:00’. He realized it was time what he must do now and according to the mapping software, linked to the bridge systems, he knew that they were almost to their destination. He was on his way to die. The officer paused for a moment, grimacing, as he had to force himself to remember how to click on the intercom and even speak into one of these things.


“Miller to Bridge…!” He said sharply, but softly.


“Bridge, H’Mthsss T’Larra…” A musical voice replied.


“Hi, get your mother.” He said, “I have us almost at the jump point, according to my monitor.”


“Ihsss’ Here.” Another voice said, “We are on course, sir. We are almost there. We are standing by to jump on your order.”


“Okay, I’ll be right up.” He said, glancing at the nude form of the Thyrnn woman in the quarters with him, “Out.”


Without making noise, he walked to the privacy screen and he closed it. Adjusting himself, he moved toward the hatch that opened obediently for him and then closed. It allowed him to walk silently down the deserted corridors of the Star Cruiser Class Starship to the nearest lift. Here he took that lift, and yet he leaned to the one side, as pain throbbed in his side. Straightening, as the lift slowed, the doors opened allowing him to exit into the bridge.


“Lieutenant Commander…” Ihsss said, greeting him with a smile, then a frown. “Forgive me for saying this, but you look like hell. You need to get some sleep.”

 
“Not until after the jump, and only then a few hours.” He replied, “There is so much to do.”


He did not mention a certain reptilian woman she had put in his quarters with him whose pheromones were causing him to have problems sleeping. It was her coming onto him and falling madly in love with him.


“So what are your chances of pulling this off?” Ihsss asked, and he regarded her for a moment, shaking his head.


“Slim.” He replied, “But you guys will already be here in that time when we arrive, so we have to hurry, drop and you guys can boogie on to your own time.”


“This timeline… It won’t exist though will it?” Ihsss asked, "If you are successful."


“No, it won’t so it’s imperative you guys get out of here. I do not want to risk having your personnel helping chance the stream and change time when your ship is just arriving at Earth. It would really bring us too close to another Paradox.” He said, “Best you get your ship out of here after the drop. Don’t worry, if this works, you guys might get to go home a little earlier from the partial rewrite.”


He smiled.


“We all still have to go through the mission of course, but it will already be set. The battle will practically be mapped for our attack force.


“We have to make one jump, where we went back before the Cybertron make it to Aquarius, and plant the explosives, and hide them.” The officer said, “From there, we head to Earth and carry out the rescue mission. All that needs to done, after that is a team needs to head out to Aquarius, and destroy the planet.”


“The mission will be the same but it will be less bloody than it was.” Nathaniel pointed out. "If the Cybertron want to be changing time, we can too, and set wrongs to right."


“It sounds really complicated, what happens if the Cybertron find the explosives?”


“Not likely, but if they do then it will be the same thing over again, the same bloody conflict for the EDC.” He replied, “Seth will probably die again, and I will have to take charge, and go to Aquarius.”


“Meaning nothing will change.” She said, “Why are you so bent on changing history that was already done? Why must Seth Aquilera live?”


He did not answer as the conversation was interrupted, leaving him to his contemplated thoughts. Ones that he knew deep down were the right move, in which he could right a wrong that had been made. He would save a friend and the universe in one instant by his risk and actions through time and space. He was indeed the focal point to this mess that spurned this deadly war that started and forced Earth’s involvement on a deadly plot from the future.


“It’s because of a promise, Ihsss, I made to a good friend.” He said solemnly, “If he survives, our chances of returning from this mission just doubled from the start of the stream of the mission.”


“Excuse me, Captain, we are entering the sector.” Veloxa reported, half turning as he managed a nod.


“We have company it seems.” Felonious said, as he placed his head into the viewer of the sensor module. The scanners hummed and echoed across the bridge.


“Visual.” Ihsss turned, “Slow to fifteen space knots and activate cloaking.”


“Cloaking device engaged.” Kwai said, as outside, the ship disappeared, leaving silence and the stars of space behind. On the screen before them was a lone ship, and the crew grimaced when they recognized it as Cybertron. A low groan echoed across the bridge.


“Sir, there is no power emanations from it.” Felonious replied, “It’s drifting.”


“Approach cautiously, it might be a trap.” The Captain ordered, “After what we have seen major, this would be a perfect ruse to lure us in.”


“Agreed…” He replied.


“Shields up, stand by weapons, target missiles for one barrage.” Ihsss replied, “Let’s eliminate it from being an issue.”


A moment later, Kwai turned to nod her head, as she pulled the handle of the handle with the trigger on it for the missiles. It beeped when she pulled it.


“Ready, Captain.” Kwai stated.


“Fire…!”


 Missiles erupted from the Cruiser, as the ship suddenly came to life and turned on them. Cybertron torpedoes struck their shields. They answered with missiles and their attack struck the Cybertron many times. An explosion followed a moment later, the Cybertron ship disappearing as it left only the silent stars of space and debris behind.


“Whoa!” Ihsss gasped, as she turned her head at Nathaniel who was grimacing at the screen.


“I knew it was a ruse.” He said with a smile, and she managed a toothy grin.


“We’re clear Captain.” Felonious reported, checking the scanners, “There is nothing within three sectors in distance around us. We can make the jump anytime.”


Ihsss glanced at the human officer who nodded his head slowly.


“Alright, make the computations, and power up, ready for time warp computations.” The Captain ordered, “Engineering, ready your engines. Engage the computer systems.”


The Commander took the seat next to Felonious’ side of the bridge, as he pulled the two arms together, securing himself in the chair. On the bridge, there was a stream of busy activity on the bridge as the crew began to prepare the ship for the jump through space and time.


"Computers are engaged, we have targeted the time as twenty-two oh eight, in February.” Felonious said, “All systems ready.”


“Engineering to Bridge…” A voice said, Ihsss turned to the console when hearing Voloxa’s accented voice on the speakers.


“Bridge…” Ihsss replied, hitting the button.


“Full power is ready, Skipper.” He replied, “I don’t know how long I can give you the power though.”


“Just do your best, Voloxa.” She replied, “Keep it coming as long as you can.” With that, she closed the channel, turning to the Helm and Navigation consoles.


“All right, Thyrac, Plot course, for Aquarius upon arrival to new time.” She said, “Voloxa, Engage engines for jump.”


On the bridge there was a hum as the engines began power up and a ticking, as the indicator began operating, the blip of the ship tracking among the indicator lines of the simulated waves that made up the invisible waves of time they were about to jump.


“If we had our warp engines, this would be a hell of a lot easier.” Felonious grumbled, as Ihsss glanced at him, seated in her chair. She managed a toothy grin and a nod of agreement.


“Warp…!” Ihsss commanded, and outside the ship glowed as it disappeared into the warp space, literally leaping out of time and out of space. The mission had begun.


Back on Earth, however, Angie Stethem, at this very moment, sat in her quarters alone as an incessant knocking and use off the buzzer echoed the room for several minutes. Someone was at the door, and desperately Angie tried to ignore it for several minutes as she had just staggered through it herself, after three days being AWOL. Miss Stethem found herself in trouble right now, having ignored her duty at headquarters assigned to her. In addition, having gone absent without leave with no authorization and right now, she really did not give a damn.


As she stood there, she held the bottle, taking hits from it, thoroughly intoxicated from the Sake she drank from it. She wanted just to die right now, drinking since she had received the transmission from Headquarters, that Nathaniel had been killed in action aboard the Clouds. She was numb right now from the pain of the death around her, but not the anguish of remembering those deaths. Death was all around her, having seen much in her travels and duty in the EDC and witness of two years prior as they were placed in stasis two hundred years ago. She had not known that the Whirlwind would report the mistake, having received the message from the Lieutenant Commander who now jumped time and space.


Nathaniel and Angie had seen a lot of time as friends, having spent stasis together, both witnesses to the carnage that happened when a bomb detonated in the chamber after both were put in stasis. It had erupted in a massive explosion, fire, smoke, and shrapnel ripping through the chamber as it killed everyone in the area, covering the chambers around them. The pair had just been placed in stasis, a few moments before the bomb had detonated, and as they watched in utter horror at the carnage outside. At that point, both realized the chamber was being torn apart and they would be the only survivors of their project.


As they drifted off into a nightmare driven sleep, which they both would not wake up for the next two hundred years, dreams and images of the horror show they had seen before them firmly burned into their mind making for a fitful sleep.


Then it would be off to war. Both of them would then serve, inducted into the EDC into the Dinguil War, where they would earn their baptism of fire and witness carnage in space. They both serviced aboard a Space Destroyer, escorting the Yamato to Pluto to fight the fleet of the Dinguil that waited for them. Here, they would both be wounded in battle, but not without serving excellently with their new duty aboard ship, completely new to the being in or working in space. Being brought into the heat of battle had brought out the heroics, doing their duty and risking themselves to be wounded. However, they would save many of their comrades when the evil empire sneak attacked while they gathered the wounded and dead from the other ships damaged or destroyed. Many had died in the campaign in the preliminary counter strike against the Dinguil, where of the nine destroyers seven had lost many or all hands.


“Death seems to be nothing new for us.” She thought.


 “You’re dead, and I am alone, that’s a fact. I really don’t want to live without you.” Angie said, “There is just one way out.”


She turned blearily to the door, placing her Astro-automatic on the table next to the console. A grim reminder what she was about to do and what was about to happen.


“Right now I just want to be numb and unconscious.” Angie thought to herself, “… and left alone.”


 The buzzer sounded again a pounding on the metal door.


“…And who the fuck is at the door?” The last part of it she had yelled, turning to the console and slammed her hand on the metal tabletop.
 
 
Outside she could hear the insistent voices of her friends who had been rejoined with her after the long period of stasis in which they had been thrown out of time and space, literally. A knock sounded again on the door, if not an incessant pounding on the hatchway to her and Commander McDonald’s Quarters. The blond-haired woman, their friend managed a grimace at the sound.


“Angie! Open the damn door!” A voice said, “We know you are in there, damn it!”


The blond woman recognized the voice, as Melinda's voice and grimaced angrily as she staggered to her feet, blearily wobbling to the controls on the console that opened the door. Here she reached for the pistol on the table, taking aim at the door as she hit the control. The young woman grimaced as she turned it on her self, suddenly feeling strangely, as the alcohol caught up with her, and her hand began to shake as she took aim, her friends rushing in and seeing her.


“Angie! Hell no…!” Melinda shouted, as they rushed toward her. The young woman’s hand shook as the blackness of unconsciousness filled around her. Her hand slipped, and there was a shot. Everyone dodged, and Angie crumpled to the deck, as her Astro-automatic fell with a thud to the ground.


“What the hell?” The dark skinned young woman breathed, as she moved to her friend’s side, kicking the pistol away.


”It is okay, she unconscious, but now disarmed.” She told her friends who clustered around Melinda and their friend. Kneeling, the dark skinned young woman began examining her for any wounds. She found the gunshot to the left shoulder, and blood seeping from it. She ripped the uniform tunic, exposing the wound, and putting pressure against it with a piece of the tunic of her uniform. She placed a hand on her chest, and felt the strong heartbeat there.


“Jesus, she’s been hit in shoulder near the neck!” Melinda shouted in alarm, “Den, you and the others check the bathroom for smelling salts and the other rooms to see if anyone else is here. Amy, Call Security, let them know we located Captain Stethem and for the medics, get them over here stat. Also, someone find a first aid kit!”


“Aye…” Amy replied, as she ran to the nearby communicator. She contacted the hospital and Doctor Phillips after calling the medics who were on their way after disconnecting.


Meanwhile, Melinda held Angie in her arms, holding pressure on the shoulder wound. Luckily, Angie’s hand had been shaking from the overload of alcohol and had not hit anything vital except her shoulder when she pulled the trigger, trying to take her own life. Her hands had been shaking bad enough to keep her from her original aim of her heart in the dead center of her chest.


“No-one else is here.” Lieutenant Watson reported, as Amanda and Emily joined them. Denise handed Melinda a bottle of smelling salts. Amy brought the medical kit, while the others brought kerchiefs, antiseptic and rubbing alcohol.


“Great idea Denise…!” Melinda said, “Maybe we can figure out what the hell is going on.”


“Yea…”


“Someone guard that damn door.” Emily said, as Amanda nodded, taking position near the entrance, “Until the medics and doctor get here.”


“I’m on it.” Amanda replied sharply and stood there watching, drawing her pistol and watching the hallway outside.


As Angie lie on the floor, wounded, her blood seeped into the rug, the strong smell of alcohol reeked from her breath, body and clothes. Melinda grimaced at the sight of the blood, as did everyone else. They had not expected her to try to shoot herself, trying to kill herself. They understood why she did it, and her reasoning behind the attempt. Now they were looking after her.


“Jesus, is she alright?” The question came from Amanda who looked on in question, like the others as Melinda and Emily worked on her. They were concerned for the young woman, their friend who lay wounded on the floor.


“Come on, wake up Angie! I need to talk to you and you need to be coherent.” Here, she slapped Angie’s face. A moment later, they waved smelling salts under her nose and Angie’s eyes flew open abruptly.


“Get that shit out of my face.” Angie slurred, as she cursed under her breath.


Relieved chatter rounded the room as Captain Stethem lay on the floor, staring up at the ceiling only for a brief moment before trying to get up. The young Captain lifted her hand, feeling the bottle in it, and she grimaced, sitting up trying to take a determined swig, only to find it empty. The contents had sloshed out onto the floor, mixing with her blood that now covered the shag carpeting. They pushed her back and put a hand on her chest to keep her in a laying position.


“Hey, why are you holding me down on to the fl…” Angie slurred, as she placed a free hand on the wound on her shoulder. Feeling the wet, she pulled it back, blearily staring at the blood there. She gasped.


“Angie lay still.” Melinda told her sharply, putting a hand on her chest, “You’ve been shot.”


Angie, turning her head staring at Melinda at the others as she struggled, making her wound bleed more. After a moment, she grimaced, finally feeling the pain in her shoulder, and placed a hand on it, staring at the blood on her hand again.
  

“Melwinda…” Angie slurred, “H-how’s it g-going? How’s about a b-e—elt…?” Here she burped and she giggled then began to cry.


“Oh my god, she’s drunk off her ass.” Emily observed, “Thank god for that. She is at least relaxed and not feeling the pain. I can bet its execrating.”


We had better sober her up, quickly before Commander Mc Donald gets here, and she has to go up and stand before the General for being AWOL. Also better do it for the sake of her child.”


Amy glanced at her.


“According to Doctor Sane’s Office, she is a few weeks pregnant.” Emily whispered to the group, “His office has been taking care of her and she missed her check-up in these last few days. When she went missing, they were concerned about her.”


“Oh my god…” Amanda said with a grimace when hearing that bit of information. She turned as two burly men appeared at the door, one carrying a box and the other a stretcher, both of them had the Red Cross band on their sleeves. They were followed by two more men who took up positions outside followed by a third.


The third man at the door flashed an ID.


“Colonel Douglas Reynolds, EDC Security.” He told Amanda and she saluted, stepping aside to allow him to enter, “I understand you have located Captain Stethem?”


“We have sir.” She replied, “But there has been a complication, that she tried to take her life tonight.”


“Oh my god…” He whispered, as he stepped further into the room seeing the pool of blood on the floor and the splatters on the wall. The prone figure of Angie lay on the floor still with the EMTS working over her body and his eyes caught the ricochet of the small arms fire from Angie’s Astro Automatic where it struck the wall.


“Sweet Jesus…” Colonel Reynolds murmured, as he moved toward the two EMTS being assisted by Melinda and Denise. He grimaced seeing Angie laying there, awake, and blood covering her as they patched up the wound in her shoulder and neck.


“Will she survive?” The Colonel asked, and an EMT looked up from his work, glancing down at Angie for a moment before shrugging his shoulders.


“Unknown sir, she’s lost a lot of blood.” He replied, “We’ll have her out of her and at Central Hospital in a few minutes.”


“Carry on.” He said, and both the EMT nodded.


Meanwhile, Commander Mitty Mc Donald, the General’s aide was off-duty and walked down the hall toward their quarters. As she walked in their quarters, she started at the two security men posted outside her door. Muttering a curse the young woman ran toward the door, and proceeded to be blocked by the security men.


“Sorry Commander, this is a crime scene.”


“I live here.” She replied, flashing her id at the guards who straightened, “What do you mean a crime scene?”


“Captain Stethem who lives at this address and block tried to commit suicide here tonight.” The guard said, “The block is on lock-down.”


“I don’t care if the block is on full red alert and there is a battle out here, outside my door. I want in my quarters.” Mitty replied gruffly, “I carry the authority of the General Staff…”


“Guards, Pass her on authority alpha.” A voice said, “My responsibility but no one else.” Mitty glanced at the door at the prone figure of the colonel who had stood inside the door, hearing the exchange and had briefly appeared at the door.


As she entered, her eyes trailed around the inside of hell, at the quarters that belonged to Captain Stethem and herself. Blood splattered the walls; a ricochet mark of the discharge from Angie’s pistol still was on the wall. With the hole where the shell had lodged as it had went through Angie’s body, and ended up making a hole in the wall. A pool of blood was visible on the carpeted floor, under the prone figure of Angie who lay calmly on the carpet as two EMTS worked over her body. Her head turned to the galley where Amy made coffee, while Denise and Melinda assisted the EMTS. Amanda helped Amy by relaying the platter of coffee to the many people who now occupied the quarters.


“What the hell happened here?” Mitty gasped, and she felt cold fear instead of anger and just was eager to find out what was happening. Angie as she lay there moaned as she was restrained by Melinda and Denise, giggling with each tries at patching her wound.


“I-is this how ya get a drink awound here?” Angie slurred, and they shook their heads.


“Be quiet Angie, and hold still.” Melinda warned, pushing her back onto the floor. Emily talked quietly with Colonel Reynolds as he questioned her on what happened here tonight.


“Attention on deck!” Mitty shouted, “What in God’s name is going on here?” The Commander exclaimed sharply, as she stood three steps into her quarter’s galley.


“Angie is drunk, Commander.” Denise said, “We’re trying to sober her up. Doctor Phillips and Nurse Proficient are on their way here. The EMT’s here are doing their best to patch her up just a little bit.”


“I can see that, as well as two security personnel outside our door.” Mitty told the group, and there was a grimace.


“Where the hell did you find her?” Mitty asked, “Or do I want to know.”


“No, we found her here, clearly intoxicated, on the floor passed out when we came over here. She was about to commit suicide, she had a pistol.” Melinda replied with a nod.


“Dear Lord.” Mitty muttered, and walked into the room further.


“Besides finding here, drunk and suicidal, what else did you come for?” The message and question was clear. They were intruding in their quarters but the four had been tracking Angie per orders for the last three days. They had followed her, this far and found her in Mitty and hers quarters.


“We’ve been under orders to find and follow her, bringing her from your quarters.” Amy replied, “To the General directly.”


“We bring also were bringing a message to her, some great news to tell her that might have snapped her out of her funk, Commander, about the Clouds. We tried telling her but we can’t tell her while she’s like this.”


“The Clouds…?” Mitty exclaimed, “What news is that Miss Montgomery? They found debris, bodies or what…?”


“No actually, the Major and the ship are alive and well, and are cruising toward Solace. The Whirlwind received the message and forwarded it to Earth Headquarters.” She replied.


“Holy shit…! T-there alive, the Lieutenant Commander and the Clouds are not destroyed?” She stammered, and the group nodded.


“Alive, and well….” Emily said, “We will be glad to see them, but something was wrong they were way outward into space and not returning to Earth. I think he is going with them to their time for some reason.”


  “They mapped them at Sector one-eighty by two, zero, three. They are reporting at being at jump point, and computing time warp calculations at this time.” She replied, with a grin forming on her face. Mitty was stunned by the news. She gasped aloud, unable to believe her ears.


“Does the Commander know?” Mitty asked, and then thought about it. Something did not make sense to her.


“Wait a second… if that’s true, then why didn’t they just jump to Sol Sector and why in god’s name is the Commander going with them out into space, instead of home. Why must they do time calculations way out near Solace? Why is he not returning to Earth? After all he’s got a kid on the way.” Mitty asked, her flurry of questions echoed the room.


“We don’t have that information Commander.” Emily replied, “According to Sergeant Major Perry and the Whirlwind, they received the message, and it didn’t give details.”


Emily handed Mitty the dispatch taken from and forwarded from the Whirlwind to Headquarters. She scanned the message several times and a frown appeared on her face.


“This is damn peculiar.” Mitty said. She turned her head to the Doctor and his mechanical nurse beside him who stood in the doorway, Doctor Jeremiah Phillips and Nurse Perfection, who worked with Doctor Sane in his Earth bound office.


“Come on in Doc.”


“I hear you have a bit of a drunk… officer.” He said with an amused tone, “And a gunshot wound?”


“So drunk she passed out on the deck when we got here, after trying to shoot herself.” Melinda said looking disapprovingly at Angie who still on the floor a they force-fed her coffee.


Doctor Phillips examined her quickly, shaking his head. He nodded at the bandage wound for the gunshot wound.


“She might miscarry with the amount of alcohol consumed or serious complications might set in.” He said, “An alcohol dependent child, or possible complications to cause her to have a deformed or handicapped child. We might have to abort it, to protect the mother."


Phillips pulled off the bandage and saw the gunshot wound to her shoulder. He gritted his teeth. It oozed blood and mottled purple and black from cauterization around the edges.


“Dear god.” Amy muttered, and held Angie firmly.


“Don’t worry.” Phillips said with a smile. “It was a clean strike, there is no shell lodged in it. It went all the way through. I can seal it up and it should heal itself.”


“Thanks doc.” Mitty said, smiling as he began to work. He motioned to the nurse for a sterilizer and she handed it to him. There was a low hum as he placed it over the wound.


“Suturer…” The Doctor said, and the nurse placed it in his hand. There was another hum as the wound was sutured shut, making for a thin line across where the wound had been,


“Can I ask what and the hell is she drinking like this for anyway?” Mitty asked, and most of them shook their heads or shrugged, except for Emily who grimaced silently.


“I think it was because of the initial dispatch declaring Major Miller dead at first.” Emily said, “It surely affected all of us when we learned of it. This makes up for that stunning news, her trying to rub herself out.”


“After I get done, we’ll work on the alcohol drunkenness. I brought B-Twelve with me and a couple of anti-hangover remedies to help too.” Phillips said, “We need her coherent for duty without issues, to explain herself.”


“Agreed Doctor…” Colonel Reynolds said, as he took a determined sip of the coffee brought to him by Amy.


Doc Phillips walked toward Angie who was now seated upright and who was drinking black coffee. He pulled out his kit and he withdrew an injector. Phillips rolled back her sleeve and put the injector to her skin. He pushed it and it made a hiss as it injected the chemicals into her body.


“Ow… What is that?” Angie complained, flinching at the injection on her skin.


“It is just a little B-twelve, to counteract the alcohol.” Phillips said, with a smile. They poured her another cup of coffee.


“I don’t want another cup of this stuff.” Angie complained and yet her friends shook their heads. They handed her another cup and they forced her to drink. The dispatch lie discarded on the table near her cup.


As Angie drank cup after cup of coffee the others stood around the living room and shot the bull. They could not believe the message they had received from their friend and the Clouds, who had survived the explosion of Aquarius, turning into a Tritium Black Hole, sucking everything in range into another dimension. All wondered, however, where and why they were headed to deep space, let alone making time warp computations, unaware by this time, they already warped into another time.


An hour elapsed and after several trips to the head, Angie returned to drink some more. Phillips handed her some tablets that she took with a questioning frown. She started to show signs of sobering, starting with twinge in her head.


“What’s this doc?” She asked, blearily and he shook his head.


“It’s Aspirin.” He told her with a chuckle, “For when your hangover starts. I didn’t say you weren’t going to have one.”


“Oh.” Angie said sarcastically, “Is that what it is?”


She felt the pain starting in her head, however, starting at the temples. Her eyes fell upon the dispatch, and she took it up holding it in her hand as the others looked over at her.


“Feeling better?” Melinda asked and the young blond-haired woman merely groaned as she met the smile of her friend.


“You should have left me alone.”


“Sorry, we can’t do that.” Emily replied, “Not for a friend who needs us.”


“That’s not going to help her for her going AWOL for three days.” The Colonel said, shaking her head, “Might as get a crack lawyer though and make a fight of it. You were out of your head. I think you can prove emotional instability and stress.”


“Yea Probably… Say what is this dispatch doing here?” Angie asked, and Denise and the others all stopped and they were smiling.


“Just read.” Denise said and the others murmured. Mitty was grinning. Angie took up the dispatch and read, almost dropping her coffee cup, as she fell back into her chair. She let out an excited gasp.


“Nathaniel! How can… Where is… He is alive! I don’t believe it!” Angie shouted, extremely pleased by the news. Her mind began to whirl as she began thinking for a moment and frowned playfully. She realized what he was doing, and where he was going, and why he was still on board the ship. Angie remembered the discussion that night aboard the Clouds about time travel. What he told her of his plan with the Clouds and realized he was not kidding, and now was really going to do it.


“Yes, but why is he on his way to a far off sector. Where is he going? Why is he going to that far off star cluster with that ship from the future?” Denise explained, “We don’t have a clue but we’re all glad to see he didn’t get wasted as it was first thought.”


Angie grimaced, suddenly remembering his words and wondered if she should tell them, that this timeline would cease to exist if he were successful in saving Seth and rigging Aquarius to explode. The whole mission they had been through, the hell of landing, loss of life during battle, all would never have happened the way it happened in these last weeks and lives that were lost would not be lost in this change. Her love even would be alive and well. They would win the war, but by rewriting, a bloody soiled time already lived. For the sake of her comrades, she kept her mouth shut and held her silence.


She paused, blearily glancing at the strong coffee in the cup in her hands.


“I hope the hell you are successful my love.” Angie murmured, having a sinking feeling at the complexity of the time and the changes to come, unable to decipher what was what, out of the whole exercise to come that the Clouds was undertaking. All she could do is watch, as time would change seamlessly as she knew it. His love did not know entirely of the stakes that had come into play, and the risk involved. The stakes were high, for time itself. She realized when time itself changed, that he was the bait and it would change without a glitch to the other timeline.


Back on the Magellanic Clouds, the ship appeared from warp, and as everyone sat, quite disoriented from the longest trip through warp that was ever undertaken by any ship. As the Lieutenant Commander opened his eyes first, he managed to stand up, stretching as he reached for the ceiling bulkhead. Ihsss and the others murmured as they too began to show signs of life on board the bridge of the ship. They had arrived at their destination a few months earlier than where they had come from, their mission to change time and possibly restore time to the original flow that it once had been.


“Felonious, status report,” Ihsss asked, “Where are we?”


“Breaking thrusters have fired, Captain.” He told her.


“Navigator, plot a course for Earth.” Ihsss said, “Maximum Impulse Speed.”


“No need, Captain. Warp Engines are operational now.” Voloxa’s voice said as he stood on the bridge of the bridge. He moved to the nearby console, hitting a switch. “We have full warp capability, now.”


“Voloxa, I thought you were down below.” Ihsss replied and he managed a huge buggiest grin, shaking his head.


“I thought to pass the message to the bridge, personally.” He joked.


“With thanks Vol.” Felonious said, rising from his station to walk toward the engineer and placed a hand on his broad Insectoid shoulder. He shook his claw-like hand.


“Helm, Warp twenty-five.” Ihsss said, “Upon arrival, set us in a standard orbit with cloaking engaged.”


“Aye, Captain.” Veloxa said with a smile, and Thyrac smiled too. Their hands danced across their consoles as the ship disappeared into warp space.


Nathaniel sat on the bridge as he watched this crew worked, totally amazed by the teamwork they displayed. They were almost as good as the stasis crew who he had been put in stasis with two hundred years ago. Even though it was not to do anything, but ride out the cryogenic sleep for a short period of time of five years, ending out to be two hundred years too late from awakening. Now he, Angie, and the others were here.


He grinned, reminded of Star Trek series on TV and the movies back in his century, which he watched without fail. The Enterprise and both crews always did a time travel somewhere in the series and this resembled so much of that series. But he also realized that was on TV and movies, this was certainly real.


“Well, we're here and at least I have people I know in this century.” He thought.


“ETA to Earth is two hours, forty five minutes.” Veloxa reported.


“Alright… Voloxa…?” Ihsss asked, and he looked up nodding.


“I’ve already talked to my engine room… we’ll try to get more speed out of her.” Voloxa replied, and the reptilian Captain nodded. She turned to the Lieutenant Commander who sat watching the stars in silence, almost transfixed. It was the same way when he had been in space aboard his Heavy Cruiser, which was docked back on Earth.


“Are you alright, Mister Miller?” She asked, and he looked up, “You look like hell, you should get some sack time.”


“I have heard a lot of that from your crew.” He said, “Especially from Doctor Platt… I’ll be alright.”


The young Lieutenant Commander grinned when she put out her hand and he took it, rising from his chair. He still did not complain about a certain nymphomaniac Thyrnn female who was bunking with him and who kept coming on to him. Who was madly in love with him and he knew it, but he knew he belonged to Angie so he kept himself distant.


“Well, how about a cup of coffee then?” She offered and he nodded.


“That sounds great, Ihsss.” He replied, as she led him to the nearby lift.


It arrived with a whoosh, and he grinned, again suddenly reminded of Star Trek™. He stepped aboard behind the reptilian Captain and faced the doors. When the doors closed, he scanned the interior quickly of the lift. It was just as he would find on Earth, or even on the show, he watched as a kid back living in the past. It had a map of the ship on a panel on direct back and the control panel dominated one side of the double doors. It hummed into life when Ihsss pushed the button and he closed his eyes, feeling suddenly like Captain Kirk aboard the Starship, Enterprise.


The doors opened a few minutes later, and she led him down the corridors to the nearby galley in which they sat drinking a form of coffee. Both stared at the stars of space that hurried on by in the observation port they sat next to at their table. They made small talk here and there, but they were alike in a few ways, being silent and just taking in the spectacular view of space.


“So, how does it feel to be on board a ship, in space, when you were not even in deep space flight back in your century?” Ihsss asked suddenly. He turned to look at her with a frown.


“I reviewed your file before leaving Earth and your team in route to Aquarius.” She told him, “I thought I would just get to maybe know you a bit better before you go be a hero. You are one hell of an Earth-man.”


The human officer grinned broadly and yet he nodded.


“With thanks, Ihsss.” He replied, sipping the coffee, “You know I do appreciate the lift Captain, with the valorous crew of the Magellanic Clouds.”


“It is our pleasure.” Ihsss replied, grinning, and here she paused. “You name us well.”


“It is my pleasure to do so. One hell of a crew you have Captain. I am glad we served together.” The officer told her.


“So am I.” Captain T’Larra replied, “Even though you guys were a pain in the ass aboard my ship.”


The Lieutenant Commander laughed loudly.


“I never would have thought to actually meet someone outside out galaxy before. It is a lot like a TV show in my century called Star Trek™ by exploring space. It is just too surreal for me.”


“Oh? How so…?” Ihsss asked, curious at his statement.


“Well… we had TV programs on Earth that dealt with this very thing.” He said, “I didn’t think we would make it this far, and I would be left in stasis to see it.”


Ihsss smiled toothily, chuckling quietly.


“When I awoke from stasis it was certainly different than now. I am a computer technical person, not an astronaut. I expected us only to be five years for stasis not two hundred years. Angie and I really did not expect to be on a ship out in space.” He said, “Or shoved into two wars where we had to learn fast. Maybe I was a bit too rigid and I apologize for that.”


“I understand, totally.” Ihsss replied, “You had to learn the ropes quickly and really learn your tasks quickly. You were just beginning into a place and had to catch up, assimilate and survive. You seemed to have done well, despite it. I read you were even shot three times in the line of duty. You really took to space well and this world, you should be commended.”


“Well it is the least I could do, since I can’t go back to my own time.” He replied, “Might as well make the best of it.”


“Your world sounds like it was something. What was Earth like in your century? Maybe I could visit it sometime. Now that we have traversed time travel capability and know how to do it."


“It was mostly war and battle against our own people, genocide among our own races.” He said, “And we ended up probably blowing ourselves up for racial intolerance, and fought because of racial intolerance, greed, political gain, and hatred. Not a century you would want to visit, Ihsss. They never saw extra-terrestrials before.”


She grinned, shaking her head, but her next statement was interrupted by the whistle sounding from the intercom. They had talked for two hours laughing and joking.


“Bridge to Captain…!” The hissing voice on the intercom said.


Ihsss held up her hand and she rose, as he fell silent. The young reptilian officer walked toward the intercom, touching the button on it.


“Captain here…”


“We are at Sol’s edge, Captain.” Felonious’ voice said over the intercom and she grinned as she turned. Ihsss noted he was grinning too.


“Slow to Warp five, and engage cloaking device. Maintain course to Earth.” She ordered, and he rose after she nodded. She closed the channel on the intercom and returned to the table where he was standing.
 

“Remember your ship is here too, probably close by near Pluto.” He said, “You were just arriving and found the derelict of Yamato, so you have not made it to Earth quite yet. We don’t want you to run into yourselves, and have it be a paradox to destroy our efforts here.”


“Yea, we’d better get to the bridge.” Ihsss suggested and he nodded, “If I suspect what is ahead, we were not cleared yet for this sector.”


“One-stop, though, Captain.” He said as they left the galley. She paused to cast a questioning glance at him.


 “I need to head to my quarters for a moment.” He told her and she frowned, “Just for a moment, I will meet you on the bridge.”


“What do you need from your quarters?” Ihsss asked.


“Laptop, as we head to Earth, I can send those dummy messages to Angie, Mitty and myself, bringing them to the hill before the ambush happens.” He said, “If we can get them there, it’s more of us against the Cybertron at that time.”


The Captain nodded her head.


“Very wise…” She thought, impressed by his quick thinking.


“Alright, I’ll meet you on the bridge, Commander.” She told him and he nodded. They split up from here and she walked away to the bridge turbo-lift nearby. As Ihsss walked down the corridor, she nodded to her crew who worked nearby and had paused to shoot the breeze for a moment then disappeared into lift that opened for her.


As for the human officer, he walked/half ran down the corridor toward his quarters. When he arrived at quarters, he entered in a rush, and he turned his head to see his roommate still in her bunk. She was still nude as she sat on the edge of the top bunk, smiling. Grabbing his laptop, he nodded to her and she jumped down, running to embrace him.


“Thank you.” Thyssstha told him lustily, managing to kiss him on the cheek. “And good luck Commander…”


He smiled, embracing the young reptilian back, winking at her as he held her.


“You are welcome, Thyssstha.” He replied, bowing slightly, to kiss her hand gently. She embraced him again.


“Do you really need to go?” Thyssstha asked, and he glanced at the door. He considered what she meant by her statement, but he also managed a nod of his head.


“Sorry, I’m expected on the bridge.” He replied, as he held her with one arm, “Maybe later.”


Quickly, he exited the room, heading to the nearest turbo-lift that would take him to bridge. As he waited for the lift, it arrived with a whoosh, and he stepped into it, closing his eyes as the doors closed. It quickly moved upward as he headed to the bridge of the Star Cruiser. A moment later, the cab arrived with a whoosh and he stepped off, onto the busy bridge, walking across to the empty seat. Pulling out his laptop, he plugged in, and he began typing out the two messages that would lure his past self, Angie and Mitty to the memorial before the ambush was to happen.


To Commander Miller, October 4th 2208
Heavy Cruiser, U.S.S Kosheo.


Just a reminder, you are expected at Heroes Hill on the 6th for a reunion of your stasis personnel, I and Mitty will be on hand.
Angie.


On the bridge, Major Miller grinned at the message that he had sent via subspace, to the docks where he knew he was working at this very moment in time and space. He also sent one to Mitty and Angie, bringing them to the memorial on a matter of an utmost urgency. When he was done, he nodded to Hi’Mthsss who sent the message.


“Messages sent, Captain T’Larra.” He told her and she turned to nod to him.


“Do you think they’ll go for it?” Ihsss asked, and he shrugged.


“We were not exactly chummy with the second team until Seth was killed, our orders were to stay clear of them that’s why the EDC Command assigned us space jobs or positions that would not be in a highly noticed capacity.” He replied, “But now that I sent those, we will have the reinforcements necessary to protect Seth, the stasis team and the Yamato team.


“Sounds like you will have your hands full, saving a friend and the universe.” Ihsss commented as a beep sounded from the Helm console.
 

“Helm, Status report…” Ihsss asked sharply, “The Commander has a date and is working against time here.”


“ETA is one hour and twelve minutes.” Veloxa said, “We are at Warp five, a safe margin for the solar system, Captain.”


“Press her even harder.” Ihsss said, and Felonious looked up in surprise.


“We should not exceed Warp five, or we might end up in planet, moon or a star, Captain.” He said, “We can try Warp six, but that’s cutting it close.”


“Have you done a preliminary scan of each planet as we passed, of the stations?” She asked and Felonious nodded.


“No change. Especially at Saturn and Pluto bases, this is great news.” He replied, “That means we have not shown up yet.”


“I would stay cloaked as we get closer, Ihsss.” Nathaniel suggested.


“I agree. Sensors indicate two ships in nearby section sixty for SOL…” Felonious reported, “They seem to be Interceptor Class ships.”


“Stay cloaked, and on course…”


“Take no action?” Kwai asked.


“You heard me, mind your console Kwai.” Ihsss replied.


The humanoid woman nodded simply.


“We are in range of Saturn Station, Captain.” The Insect-like Navigator announced, “By the looks of the ships, they don’t know we are here.”


“For precautions, are shields still up?” Ihsss asked, “Full cloaking activated?”


“Yes, Captain.” Kwai replied with a nod.


“Veloxa, turn to zero, seven three, mark two.” Ihsss said. Outside the ship banked, as it moved away from the EDC Ships as it continued to trek on its way to Earth. The ship continued to plow on ward through the stars. Even as the ship evaded the many patrols, there was still the chance of being caught. Everyone on the Clouds knew that, and yet every procedure was being followed to avoid that.


“Passing Saturn Station will be the hardest thing to do, as it has the most intruder webs.” The human officer suggested, “If they do pick us up, it will take them time to get a beam on us, being cloaked, so we have an advantage. I would haul ass right to Earth and in a straight line if that happens.”


Meanwhile, on the Saturn station, an operator named Sharon Patel sat at her console and she monitored the radar impulses that were being sent out across space around the station. As she sat there, she managed a yawn, reaching over for a cup of coffee as she with many other operators watched the several sectors that surrounded Saturn base. The did not notice anything unusual at this moment, other than a space transport or two headed to and from Titan, Saturn’s moon. They did not notice the Clouds from the future in which had successfully infiltrated the sector and SOL.


Commodore Russell Bates, the Commanding officer of Saturn base stood on the floor, gazing at the screen and the information that scrolled across it.


"Status report…" He ordered.


“All systems are normal, Sir.” An operator said, “Nothing but two transports in the area of Titan, and a couple of Destroyers exiting out airspace for a patrol route of Sector five.”


“Check all systems, including motion sensors.” Bates ordered, and the Operator named Steven Charwolski frowned, when he saw the blip there. He realized there was an intruder on the scopes and he let out a silent sigh.


“Sir, we have another unknown contact, inbound out of and out at one-three, five degrees.” He said, hitting the console, as his dark eyes studied the screen.


“Is there any identification on that contact?”


“Negative, sir…” He replied, as he touched the buttons on his console. The Clouds had been discovered, but as the grizzled officer of the past had pointed out on board, they were only on the motion detection sensors, in which they would be on unidentified contact.


“Alright, keep me informed, and keep scanning for contact on that ship. We’ll dispatch U.S.S Sherwood and Bates for a closer look.” The Commodore said, and the console operator nodded.


“Aye….”


On the bridge of the Clouds’ however, Nathaniel stood up from his chair ready for what he must do, and what he would be facing ahead of him when it came to battle to protect Seth, his friend who died at the memorial and time itself.


Nathaniel headed toward the turbo-lift, at the nod of Ihsss when he glanced at her, disappearing into it and saluting as the doors closed behind him. His destination is the hangar deck, which he moved to the rear of the Star Cruiser Class Starship for the last time. He had a job to do, and he knew it. He headed to the airlock and the hangar deck where he would take a transport to the surface. The young officer had no idea 'how the hell' he was going to pull this off either, other that he would take out the shooters one by one with a little luck, and skill, as he always had when learning a new field of operations of being a sniper in this new century.


He rounded the corner, stepping through the airlock hatch and he let out a silent gasp. Thyssstha, his roommate, stood at the transport aboard the Clouds, having volunteered to take him to the surface. As she stood in her tight flight suit he walked purposely toward her, and she snapped to attention, saluting him hard.


“Before you say it, Commander Miller," She said, her voice almost musically accented, “I volunteered, you need a pilot.”


“No objection here.” He replied, as he stared at the young reptilian woman, at her brownish white skin, and her crystal blue eyes. She had a long neck and a long tail, reminding him of the lizards found in the Arizona deserts back home on Earth a long time ago. He grinned at her.


“We don’t have much time, shall we go?” She asked, and he nodded, stepping aboard the transport, taking a seat at the command chair, where during a similar mission he was in charge of twenty-four space Marines who took on the impossible to destroy a world.

  
 Thyssstha took up the pilot seat and she strapped in. She put on the headset, and the human officer took up a headset, nodding to her.


“Test, Teest...” She said, “Transport is ready to depart, control.”


“Copy…” Ihsss said, “Stand by to launch.”


“Roger.” Nathaniel replied, as he began power up systems on board the craft. The console blinked before him and he did a systems check. The officer nodded to Thyssstha who clicked switched on her console.


“Alright, open the airlock.” He ordered.


Slowly the hangar doors opened and revealed the stars of space, and the blue ball of the planet they now orbited.


“Good Luck Major.” Ihsss said, “We’re routing for you and your mission.”


“Thanks Ihsss.” He replied, "For everything."


"Floor it!"


The engines roared and catapulted the transport out of the hangar into space. As it banked, and plummeted toward the blue planet of Earth, it headed down and through the atmosphere. The nose of the transport glowed as it heated up, passing through the atmosphere of Earth. When they entered the high altitude, they steered course toward Federal City, the ship streaking down low against the waves of the sea, moving back and forth.


“We have radio contact, Federal City, sir…" She told him, “about thirty minutes…”


He took his seat at the console, scanning the radar, the sensors, and other instruments as they approached, all directed at Federal City.


“Doing a sensor sweep and it looks we are still undetected.” He said, “Activating ECM Jammer. Adjust and bring us right, three degrees.”


“Roger.” The reptilian pilot replied, the ship banking slightly, as it stayed low and at slow speed.


At Headquarters, inside the Radar station of Federal City, the operators watched for anything out of the ordinary, on duty against anything or anyone out of place. As they sat in their seats, in the main operations room, their attention was glued to the monitors.


Josh Stouts managed a yawn as he sat at his console and stood up to stretch, stretching his neck and back before he sat back down. A blip intermittently appeared on the screen.


“Ho! Contact established! We have something.” A voice said, “Get the Commander.”


A harried young Lieutenant entered, followed by a grizzled Captain, in charge of operations here on Earth. Both had entered on the run, clad in the familiar uniforms found of the EDC forces. The Lieutenant Nick Rivera and the Captain Sal Fischer were on duty that night when the transport had entered Earth’s orbit and through the atmosphere.


“Alright, what do you have?” The Captain asked, and he glanced up at the observation windows where he knew the Aide to the Commander of EDC worked usually.


“We had a blip on the motion sensors Sir.” The operator said, “It looked like a Meteor came in, it dropped straight down and went off scopes.”


“Alright, keep your eyes open.” The Captain ordered, “If we have any more meteor strikes on planet, we might have an issue with protecting the base.”


“Strangely this one didn’t seem to burn up in atmosphere.”


“If it were a ship, was there any more motion after it dropped off scope?” The Captain asked and the operator shook his head.


“Negative sir…”


“Let’s just keep our eyes out for anything unusual, please.” He ordered. The operators nodded in response.


On board the transport, there were smiles by the Commander and Thyssstha, who had been piloting the ship. Both had realized they had successfully entered orbit and the atmosphere successfully, now on their way to their destination.


“At least, I am.” He muttered with a sigh, and he glanced up at the reptilian pilot. She was studying him.


“Keep her on course.”


Nathaniel began gathering supplies from the transport stores, hauling out mines and grenades, a sniper rifle, an AF-2255, a few mini guns, hand pistols, a portable rocket launcher, and overt a thousand rounds in which he would place in a large bag. He then stripped to his uniform and he replaced it with body armor, leg armor and arm support, and a helmet with infrared and tracking sensing capability. The officer brought heavy firepower, to eliminate every Cybertron at the memorial and as a one-way ticket to his fate, all to change time. He wondered if it was enough, they were tough bastards to crack and destroy, as he saw on Aquarius.


“We’re on course, at FL five hundred feet and maintaining.” Thyssstha reported and he looked up as he was going over his inventory stores.


“Very well…" He replied returning to his post, and here he checked the scopes. They had thirty-five miles to fly in, under cover of darkness, and have to avoid sensor webs of fighters if discovered. Thankfully had had setup the transport to look like an EDC carrier, to disguise their presence against fighters who probably would not know the difference.


“Are you ready Commander…?” Thyssstha asked, and he looked up at her with a frown and a slow nod.


“As ready as I’ll ever be.” He replied. “Just get us there Thyssstha, and drop me on the other side of the memorial outside of town when we arrive on station. I’ll take it from there.”


“Copy that.” She replied and he sat at his scope, murmuring the plan that he was going repeatedly in his head. The one he had had come up with during their trip to Earth after jumping through time and space. The ship banked gently left and right, across the white capped waves of the ocean, masked by the waves in which would conceal its presence to any ship that flew nearby.


“Thyssstha, radar contact two bogies in a high course above us going zero–nine zero.” He reported, touching the screen to zoom in on the bogies.


“Are they intercepting us?” Thyssstha asked, and she glanced up to see them in as two dark blobs in the blue skies on Earth, traveling among the clouds overhead.


“Negative.” The officer replied, “Be careful, we are going to run into more patrols. Reduce speed and bank left three degrees. Avoid any sonic booms signatures here. We would be detected.”


“Aye, reducing speed, and banking three degrees to port.” She replied, as he kept his eye on the scopes.


A few minutes later, they approached the landmass ahead of them. On the far end of it was the Federal City that shone in the light like a candle.


“Feet dry, Commander, in five minutes.” She said, “Get ready.”


He was on his feet in a heartbeat and Nathaniel strolled across the bay where he grabbed the bag, and the launcher, moving it to the front of the landing craft.


“Whisper mode engaged.” Thyssstha reported, “Coming in low and hot.”


The craft streaked from the sky, as it approached its destination, like an avenging angel. As the ship wobbled its wings a couple of times, Thyssstha banked the ship’s nose upward on the control stick, landing it with a thud on the memorial grounds.


“It’s been a pleasure, Lieutenant Commander,” Thyssstha told him, and here she smiled. "Take care and win…"


“For me too, Thyssstha, you take care too.” He replied, and he nodded back to her.


“Don’t get yourself killed without doing the job first, and watch yourself out there, k?” She coached and he smiled nodding to her with a quirky smile on his face.


“Don’t worry Thyssstha, the plan is going to work and we are going to win.” He said sharply, nodding and he motioned to the doors, “Out please.”


“Good luck…” She murmured, as the doors opened. He nodded as he exited the transport into the darkness, crouching near a bush nearby. The transport closed up its doors a moment later, banking up its nose and peeled off as it disappeared into the blue skies, heading the way it had come. He was alone.


Quickly, he painted his face and exposed extremities with the dark paint marker, making his face the same color as the surrounding bushes. He then turned to scan the memorial.


“Good, Empty.” He thought, as he quickly crouched and moved throughout the memorial, where he mined the location heavily with the mines and claymores that he had brought with him. He set them all for Cybernetic targets. He was ready when he finished mining the memorial, taking up a station crouched with a full field of view of the entire memorial.


“They so much as twitch, their asses are going straight to robotic hell.” He murmured through gritted teeth and he used his helmet to scan the memorial multiple times, keeping a secure location at the memorial with a clear view of the entire main section of it where the chaos would go down.


He sat concealed in a nearby bush, in a small igloo of wooded material where he had his equipment, but was not visible to anyone if anyone came to the memorial, which many people did. No one noticed him at all, which he was thankful.


Many hours later, a lone figure approached with a young woman and together they walked up to the top of the memorial. As the Commander of the future turned his head, he managed a curse.


“Damn, you’re too early Seth!” He cursed under his breath, “You aren’t supposed to be here until sixteen hundred hours.


Major Aquilera and his intrepid guide Marla McGivers were the two people who had come to the memorial. They had come early, planning to meet the others for a celebration of life before they took on the new mission that would be to protect Earth from yet another foe, The Cybertron Empire, out and aimed to destroy Earth far before their time in this century.


Nathaniel watched Seth as he saw him standing watching the sunset, remembering that he and Emily watched frequently, the spectacular fiery red, burnt orange, and mauve colored sky, along with mixed lavenders and gold of many sunsets they watched from North Beach, two hundred years ago. Even he did that before the military when he was dating young women in the area where he was living.


The young Major suddenly realized that this one sunset that Emily would not be sharing in, and inside, his stomach heaved as he thought of her. The pain of her death still haunted him like an open wound. Many things in the future still reminded him of her, making his existence harder and harder as the days progressed since their burial. The officer of the brief future watched Seth through the scope, grimacing at the face he made, knowing why he was here this evening, and what he must do to protect him.


“Over watch, guard and eliminate.” Nathaniel muttered to himself, “With extreme prejudice.”


Here the Commander of the future’s stomach heaved again, as he was not crazy about dying, but it must be done to save the day and put a stop to the carnage that was about to happen now in a few minutes. Nathaniel knew he has a job to do and if he lost his life doing it, so be it. It would be done.


Seth stood at the spectacular sight a few minutes more before he turned, and through the scope the officer of the future watched, listening in with a listening device that he brought with him from the Clouds.


“She's dead and that's a fact.” Seth had murmured, “I cannot undo what is. I thought it would not be so hard to get over, I guess not.”

 
The grizzled officer of the future watched as Seth shook his head, remembering his lost love and as tears welled up. Major Aguilera stood with the young guide beside him at the memorial, staring at a gorgeous sunset, but in strange time and place. A place that had rescued them all from hell and Seth stood remembering that the young woman whom he had fallen in love with had come from the east. Who never had dreamed of a city like San Francisco where they were all being trained in their task. The young officer smiled as he remembered the good times they shared together, memories that seemed to lessen the pain a bit.


The Lieutenant Commander of the future watched as Seth looked passive and reminiscent, hearing his words in his mind from long ago. It was several minutes before Seth could force his gaze away from the scene, and turn to the memorial itself. He managed a few more steps up the path toward the center of it. The officer from the future had loved Emily once too, but had to leave in eighty-eight, forced by his parents who divorced to take him away from Emily and Ohio. He had lost his chance, and Seth had met her, hitting it off, much more as he had so long ago.


As it spread out before Seth, the young officer still found it an amazing sight every time he saw it. It is huge memorial, built in a circular design and made of granite. Around the whole area is green and overgrown, with several trees, several thick shrubs under the trees and several grassy areas. A huge stone obelisk stands in the center of the memorial and a statue of Captain Abraham Avatar stands directly beside it, staring off out to the sea. Lining the grassy area, under the statue, are the many graves of Yamato's crew who were buried here after their missions to save Earth.


Seth stared at the obelisk and panning from it, his gaze fell on the statue of Avatar. It then moved to the surroundings around the memorial itself. He walked with Marla toward the obelisk and toward the graves for the Yamato crew. The young officer did not stop as he walked right past the graves and only glanced up at the statue of Avatar. Here he exhaled sharply, before saluting the graves, statue and the flagpole bearing the EDC flag. Behind him, the officer of the future, kept his weapon trained on the memorial, keeping a close eye on his friend and for the Cybertron that was expected to be here soon.


Nathaniel watched as Sergeant Marla McGivers followed suit, gasping, as this would be the first time at the memorial and seeing the Yamato crew's graves. The young Major's path was only twenty-five feet past the Yamato graves, his destination, where a new section of the memorial was surrounded by short granite pillars and chain. He arrived at the graves of his friends, and here he stared at the familiar sight that he had seen many times through his recovery, with Doctor Sane. Exhaling sharply, his long stare panned across the section and to each tombstone where a familiar name and face were carved in the smooth granite surface.


Seth was over watched by the officer of the future, looking and watching through the sniper scope as he casually glanced at the names, as he had several times before, carved in Old English Text, and inscribed on each tombstone as he was on station here. 'Emily Montgomery', 'Denise Watson', 'Doug Woolard', 'Christina Cook', 'Sherry Carnelli', 'Edward McKee', and 'Katherine Lewis'. Seth's gaze stared at the faces carved on the tombstones as well, and he walked along the line of them. When he got to the end, the young officer stopped at the farthest one, at Emily Montgomery's grave. Nathaniel waited impassively through the scope and nodded his head respectfully.


“Well Em, Here I am again. I thought I would stop by to say goodbye for a while.” Seth whispered and held his hand on her tombstone, as if he could gain strength from her. The young officer thought of the young woman, her long brown, curly hair, brown eyes, round face, and her sweet kisses. The officer of the future found himself envious of Seth just a bit, being there for her, where he could not.


The officer of the future knew that it was all a sham, a farce, that Emily and Denise were alive and well, and being treated in the ICU of the Federal Hospital, after mistakenly being thought to be dead. He led with his weapon, watching the memorial carefully, for any signs of the Cybertron. However, he saw nothing yet.


“Damn, when are they going to show up?” The grizzled officer of the future thought, as he tried to contain a yawn and over-watch of his target.


“…It looks like I have been reactivated to duty, assigned to a new mission and heading out into space on a classified project. I probably will see you soon babe, if the mission is as it sounds. It seems like it is a suicide mission.” Seth said, and he paused, fighting back the pain of heartache in his chest. It pounded like a piston engine in his chest, and he could hear the blood in his ears.


“You would never believe how much Earth has changed. We made it almost two hundred and five years past the end date of the project, making it into the twenty-third century now. Earth seems to have had advanced so much and I wish you were here with me. It's no fun to share this alone.” He shuddered with the brisk sea breeze and glanced to the surroundings.


“Whatever happens, I may see you soon, and wherever I go and do, I still will always love you.”


From his jacket, he withdrew a long stemmed red rose with a shaking hand, and placed it at the foot of her tombstone on the ground at her grave. He then placed his fingers to his lips, kissing and then placing them on the cold stone mouth of the granite face carved on the tombstone. Behind him, Marla had backed off and walked toward the other graves under the obelisk and the statue. Seth and his companion did not sense the surviving Yamato crewmembers arriving at the memorial, coming here before every mission into space. The officer of the future saw the rose, and he nodded his head, smiling.


“Just like Seth.” He thought, “A gentleman.”


 He turned his head, peering through the scope as he saw others arriving at the memorial.


“Shit.” The officer murmured, “It’s time.”


He had glanced at the chronometer on his wrist, and confirmed the time. In exactly twenty minutes, all hell would break loose here at the memorial. He prepared himself, already mining the memorial with claymores set for robotic entities and now his mission was clear.


As always, the Yamato crew gathered here to pay their respects to their friends lost aboard ship and always coming here to visit before a mission or when they needed inspiration.


Together they walked clustered in a small group, toward the memorial, and the group that made up the Yamato crew who had not been expecting Major Aguilera to be here or the young Sergeant with him. As usual, they had been laughing, joking and carrying on as they crested the hill, their voices and footsteps echoing on the granite pillar in the center of the memorial.


When they saw Seth and the young Sergeant, however, they stopped and glanced at each other, before walking forward toward them.


The group consisted of Stephen Sandor, Derick Wildstar, Nova Forrester-Wildstar his wife, Dash Jordan, who arrived from Mars, Thomas Orion, Christopher Eager, Homer Glitchman, Cory Conroy, Chief Toragawa, Angie Stethem, and Mitty Mc Donald.


They were all confused by the single officer's presence at first, but suddenly realized what he was doing. The Yamato crew remembered, practically never forgot, when Thomas Orion had been here tending his father's grave, doing the same thing.


“Who is that?” asked Derick, exchanging a look with Nova, who managed to shrug.


The group stared at the officer, the dark hair, bearded face, and dark eyes. Nova had not recognized him as they had walked up to the memorial or the young enlisted woman who panned a look at the Yamato graves in stunned silence. Mitty turned her head, smiling broadly, when she recognized the newly appointed Major and the Sergeant who had guided him through the city.
 

“Whoever he is, he's quite handsome.” Nova commented, suddenly grimacing when she recognized the young man from the past. He had been the one, whom she had been introduced to, before a funeral at Hero's Hill, a few months ago, after he was awakened from stasis. She also cast a look at Sergeant McGivers who stood in front of the Yamato graves. She turned, snapping to attention.


“Attention on deck!” She shouted and Seth looked up at the group from the graves where he had been kneeling in silent prayer. Derick, who led the group, took a step toward the officer. He nodded to the Major who stood several feet from the graves that were located under the obelisk and statue of Avatar. Here, the Major turned his head and acknowledged the young Sergeant with him. She saluted sharply. The officer of the future got a glimpse of the Cybertron in the bushes, and took aim.


“I see you…” He murmured, “Time to play.”


“Carry on.” Nova told her sharply, “Relax it's a social call here.”


“Nice to see you again… Lieutenant Aguilera!” Wildstar called out sharply as Seth approached the duo. Derick saw the gold oak leaf on his collar.


“Excuse me, Major.” Nova smiled, as she stood beside him.


“Oh, Hey Chief… How is it going? Good Afternoon, Commander McDonald and Captain… uh… have we met miss?”


“Stethem…” Angie replied, “Angie Stethem… You must be Seth, nice to meet you, finally at last.”


“A pleasure young Stethem,” Seth said, taking her hand and bowing kissing her hand gently.


  “May I present Sergeant Marla McGivers… My intrepid young guide.” The young sergeant smiled at Seth.


“It is nice to meet you Sergeant,” Derick told her, “First time to the memorial?”


The young woman nodded slightly.


“I never thought I would see the graves for the Yamato crew in person. I read about your exploits in school and I never thought I would meet anyone from the Yamato.” She replied, “It is an honor to meet you all.”


“So Seth, you were promoted today, according to Commander McDonald, Congratulations.” Nova said, and murmured congratulations rounded the group.


“I just was reactivated today.” Seth replied casually, “I am assigned to a combat group that is going to Aquarius. General Singleton is eager to get this group formed, briefed and dispatched to the water planet without delay.”


"Oh we're the command crew…" Derick mused, grinning, "We'll be giving you boys a lift out of there."


"It is awesome to serve with the Star Force…" Seth told them, "Hopefully we're not going to take long for this battle."


His thought was interrupted by the shout by Doctor Sane.


“Ah so you have come!” Sane said, and Homer was first to turn his head as Doctor Sane arrived at the memorial. A big smile appeared on his face, and the same smiles appeared on everyone's faces as he approached. The doctor arrived with two young women, holding onto his arms on both sides. Seth recognized them to be the two of the members of the stasis crew. The young Major smiled broadly, as a ripple of laughter sprinkled through their group.


“Just like Doctor Sane to make an entrance with beautiful ladies on each arm.” Homer commented and laughter cycled through the group. Amy and Melinda colored slightly as they met everyone's gaze and smiled largely when they met Seth's smiling face.


Both of the young women broke from the Doctor's arms, and rushed toward him. Amy embraced Seth first and then Melinda followed suit. Both of them kissed the young Major on the cheeks and he blushed. Amanda embraced Seth as well. Manual back slapped him. Doctor Sane was shaking his head. There were questioning looks by all hands, as they watched a touching reunion of old friends.


In the bushes, Major Miller from the future, watched the reunion of the Yamato crew in placid interest, but he stayed on high alert, as he also noted the stasis crew and the reunion of old friends that was about to happen between Angie, Melinda and Amy. He would watch as old friends of Bellbrook who had not seen each other in a very long time would reunite. They had not seen much of each other since they were together in school back east when he was there with them. He smiled as the stasis members had ran toward Seth.


“Damn. You win a few and you lose a few.” Sane exclaimed, and the Yamato group heard him, laughing loudly as they clustered around him, greeting their fellow shipmate warmly.


The Yamato members glanced several times at the young women, Seth's friends. They had been on the arms of the doctor, behind them had been the other two, a red haired young woman and young man.


Sane glanced at Angie and Mitty curiously.


"Commander, Captain…" Sane nodded solemnly, "it's nice of you both to pay your respects."


“We're not here for that, Captain Stethem and I received a message saying that there was a point of great of need we are here at the memorial, but I surely don’t see it. If there is no reason to be here, we need to return to Headquarters.”


"Really…?" Sane asked, "From our group?"


The two officers from the headquarters had nodded.


"I think someone is pulling your leg." Sane told them, and he paused.


"That is extremely strange."


“…So Seth, what about your friends here…” Nova asked, “Are they going on your combat assignment to Aquarius?”


Melinda, Amy, and Amanda glanced at the youthful wife of Wildstar, politely shaking their heads.


“Oh no… Only Sergeant Major Parry, myself, and a small group of Marines will be going. The rest will stay here on Earth.”


However, before Seth could reply further, a voice interrupted them. Doctor Sane had taken his place at the memorial of the Star force, peering up at the statue of Avatar, before he turned to the others.


Nearby in the bushes, the officer from the future kept a sharp eye on the Cybertron who was gathering here at the memorial. Time was clicking down and about to change. The group was still not aware of their presence or the officer of the future's presence.


“I’ll take them when Seth charges the guns to protect Nova.” The officer of the future thought, as he peered through the scope and his finger found the trigger. He put his thumb on the safety. He was ready for instant action.


“Star force! Fall in!” He shouted and the Yamato crew gathered at the graves quickly. Commander Mc Donald and Captain Stethem joined he ranks quickly, even though they were not a part of the Star Force.


The stasis group stood nearby as the remaining Yamato crew fell into neat ranks. Sane turned to the stasis crew, who stood nearby.


“You guys too. Don't be strangers we are honoring your friends too.” Manual motioned to his friends and they took up a position on the side of the Yamato crew, making up an L-shaped formation.


Nova looked around for the young Major, and saw he was nowhere to be found. He had wandered off to the sea and stood alone staring out at the blue water, feeling the stiff wind that hit his face. He turned to sprint back to the formation. He nodded to Sergeant Mc Givers who hung back and motioned her to join in.


“Crew Atten-hut…!” Seth shouted and the stasis crew listlessly snapped to attention.


The Doctor glanced at him, as did the others. “Once again we have gathered here, and honor you Captain Avatar and those who lay to rest here in the name of peace. We honor you, the one hundred and fifty-six of the Yamato crew who lay here at rest. In addition, the seven from the stasis project, whose deaths will never be in vain, as you and the members will live forever and shall be remembered forever. Pray for the swift response of Yamato. Pray for the quick response of stasis crew two-fourteen.”


The stasis crew turned and stared at Sane. Each member of the two groups stared at the graves and remembered their friends. Meanwhile in the bushes, the officer of the future prepared for action.


“Okay. Bring them on.” He murmured, as he watched the entire exchange.


“Prayer finished.” Sane shouted, “Salute!”


Stiffly the members of the stasis crew raised their hands in salute, the old-fashioned one compared to the salute across the chest as the Yamato crew had done. They held the salute, each one remembering their respective groups and their time together as comrades in arms.


“Return Salute!” Sane bellowed and they all dropped their hands in unison.


Afterward, the crew of both worlds broke off into small parties where cups distributed among them and Avatar's spring water freely poured. Here they also included the stasis crew, treating them as they would fellow crew aboard ship. They sat in silence as the stories flowed from the Yamato crew and joined in uncertainly at the laughter and banter. They were trying to be polite, and try to fit in, as this was now a long stretch ahead of them. They had accepted service over release, having nowhere to go in this century.


As Melinda, Amy, sat together with Manual, Amanda and the young Sergeant Mc Givers, they sat talking with among themselves and the Yamato crew. Melinda had eyed the young woman with Commander McDonald in wonder. The young woman looked very familiar to her. Here she nudged Amy.


“Doesn’t that look like Angie Stethem who was with us at Bellbrook?” Melinda asked suddenly and Amy shook her head, turning to look at the dark blond haired woman in silence.


“Yea, but that can’t be. She’d be long dead by now.” Amy replied.


“I know, but the resemblance is too uncanny.” Her friend and classmate replied, “I wonder.”


Melinda stood up, walking a few steps to stand over Angie. She waited until the blond woman turned her head and was looking up at her from where she was seated with the Yamato crewmembers and the youthful Commander whom she had been shadowing at Headquarters since her awakening at stasis a year ago. They had given her Captain, as thanks for her service, even though Angie was attached to the Earth Defense Forces. However, she also wore the familiar uniformed of the Space Corps.


“Uh… I have been meaning to ask you… are you Angie Stethem?” She asked, “Is that you Angie?”


Angie had glanced back at Mitty then turned her head abruptly.


“Huh?”


Melinda repeated the question and Angie stared at the dark skinned woman for a long time, and then to the ash-blond woman who had joined her at her side. She was puzzled at first who it was who had asked her by her name, and shaking her head, the faces finally clicked, as they had over two hundred years ago in another place, perhaps another time. She let out a gasp that if any louder could have echoed across the whole memorial. Tears formed in her eyes as she slowly rose to her feet, staring at a pair of people she had not seen in a very long time, not since school. She smiled, as she also nodded affirmatively.


“Melinda Morris? Amy Pantstingle?” She gasped, and they nodded. “I don’t believe it! Is that you? You were in stasis too… I had only heard rumors. I can’t believe you are here!”


She warmly embraced the two women as she stepped back, the old banter between them going a mile a minute between them as they talked with excitedly with each other.


“…Yea, we were with a second group, Seth here is the leader.” Melinda said, “Amanda and Manual here are also part of the group, we are only part of the few who made it though.”


“So I heard.” Angie replied, they took a seat and as they began chatting informally, they were being shadowed by the officer from the future, but also by the Cybertron who had now been beamed to the memorial and were on station, waiting.


Fifteen minutes elapsed and Seth sat alone nearby, staring out across at the sunset, the ocean, and the beginning of stars that now twinkled in the darkening sky. He sat listening to the thunder of the ocean that boomed in the distance, as waves struck the shore, making a fine cool mist swirl about him as he sat deep in thought. There was a party going on with the Yamato crew, and the stasis crew, his team welcomed without question to a new century from which they did not belong. The young officer did not partake too much, staying alone and stared off at the fading sunset as he felt the pain in his guts. His face carried a hard look, as the sting of the cold wind struck his face, and did not hear the Yamato crew tell the stories of their adventures in space.


 The young Major had not been blamed for their mishap or their jump in time. He had just preferred to be alone and wanted to prepare himself for the mission at hand ahead of him. Angie and the others caught up on old times, glad to see each other after a very long time, very unaware of both projects that had been kept secret from each other. She did not dare mention Nathaniel who was at his ship, the Heavy Cruiser, S.S. Kosheo located at the Dry Docks here on Earth.


“Excuse me Major. Please come back and partake of the conversation.” A voice said, and a moment later, he felt a hand placed on his shoulders. Seth surprised by the presence, half-turned to regard Lieutenant Nova Wildstar standing over him.


“I want to be alone. I just don't feel like being sociable right now Lieutenant, with apologies to your friends of course.” He replied dully, “But a nobler part of me lies there at those graves.”


Nova glanced at the memorial in pain.


“I know your pain, and understand.” She said quietly, “I lost a good man here on the last mission, Mark Venture. He was my first love as was she to you. He died protecting us all on Yamato, in the line of duty. Remember that, she died in the line of duty for your project.”

 
“Even worse for Derick, myself and the others, that Avatar, who was as a father to us all had to die again. It was even after we thought him dead, coming home from our very first mission to Iscandar. You are not to blame for something that happened centuries ago, and because of something that was tend to malfunction. You are blameless, you should forgive those who left you there and forgive yourself…”


Seth nodded, “I know. I read about your exploits.” He replied, dully.

“Then, we are the same, you and I. Your team and the Star Force are the same.” She continued, “What you need to do is to forgive yourself for what penance you feel you must face, also to just accept, remember them, and move on.”


Nova paused, seeing his astonishment and then a look of bewilderment.


“You can also dismiss their statements as crazed anger and shock of a loss.” She continued, making Seth grimace. He had glanced up at her in surprise by her words. Nova smiled and nodded before returning to the group, leaving the young Major to think on her words:


“Very wise,” He admitted gravely, “Now I need to just forgive myself.”


He watched Nova mingle back with the others and his gaze saw something on the other side of the memorial that caught his eye. A gleam of metal appeared from the bushes, near the party. Seth's gaze moved from the metal gleam, his gaze falling on Nova, then back to it. It went back and forth several times quickly, and he realized it was the barrel of a weapon.


“Holy shit…! A gun barrel,” Seth breathed, seeing a shadowy figure in the scrub bushes and with what appeared to be a rifle of some sort. The shooter was taking aim at the young wife of Derick Wildstar.


"Oh no you don't, I don't think so.” He thought, drawing his Astro-automatic pistol, leaping over the pillar and charging.


Startled, the other stasis crew, and Yamato crew, looked up in astonishment at Seth charging toward them. Both groups noted his weapon was drawn. Quickly, they rose to their feet in confusion. Derick Wildstar's gaze went from him to Nova and back again. Seth seemed to be traveling in slow motion and Wildstar's gaze bounced between them, before he figured out what and why Seth was charging. He was heading right for Nova.


“Nova…! GET DOWN…!”' Seth was shouting, running full speed at young Nova Wildstar.


Derick sprung instantly into action, moving toward the Major who charging toward his wife, not sure what was going on and trying to intercept him.

“AHHHHHHHH…!” Seth yelled as he charged, and he lunged across the path of Nova as two shots rang out simultaneously. There was a ricochet as the bolt had gone wide. Seth felt his body collide with the young woman as he knocked Nova clear. On the other side, Nova felt the push, hearing the shot, and see her husband just miss grabbing the young officer. Derick's had lanced out, just brushing his uniform as Seth crossed her path and saw the young man stiffen as he saw a bolt pass by him. The ricochet had sounded, and he had heard her gasp, knowing he had protected her. Time seem to pause in a lag as events were changed forever.


“Success…!” Seth thought as Nova yelped in alarm as he flew past, hitting the ground with a hard thud. He rolled twice and returned two shots. The shots had streaked across the memorial and hit their target in the bushes. A robotic figure fell from the bushes.


Everyone turned, seeing the two robotic creatures fall from the bushes as smoke billowed over the memorial like a thick blanket.


His action had been swift, and a few seconds had passed from when the shot rang out, to his now crouching on the ground. There was startled silence in regards to what had just gone down here. Several of those seconds had elapsed as Nova sat on the ground, looking up in fear.


“Oh my god…!” Nova gasped, "What on earth was that about?"


The others, especially her husband, turned horrified. He was confused what was happening.


“Derick!” She stammered and fainted onto the ground.


“What the hell?” Derick replied, turning to catch her as she fainted. He lowered her onto the ground. The young officer stared at her


“Nova…!” He said, “NOVA!”


The young woman lay motionless, and he panicked when she did not respond.


“Doctor Sane,” Wildstar exclaimed, “I think Nova has been hit!”


Sane was beside her in a heartbeat.


“What the...” Sane gasped, staring wide eyed at her. Laser fire erupted from all directions around them. Seth staggered to his feet, and ducked behind a tombstone. He began shooting, cut off from the others.


“AMBUSH…!” Wildstar shouted, as a cross fire appeared from all sides. The Yamato crew took cover, returning the fire and trying desperately to keep from being shot.


“Damn, pinned down in a cross fire.” Derick thought, watching as automatic laser fire lanced out. “This is not exactly what I had in mind.”


“How is she doctor Sane?” Wildstar asked, and he looked up as the young chief returned the fire.


“She is just fine.” Sane reported, “This is not her blood, she has only fainted. Your wife and child are still okay.”


He pulled her unconscious body close to the tombstone.


Nova opened her eyes, jolted by the smelling salts, from his kit, and turned her head. She looked at the young Major nearby, as laser shots streaked across the wide expanse.


Melinda and the others stared at the figure standing across from them, ducking and dodging and he stood taking fire as shots struck him. He was shooting back, and picking off the robots from the future one by one. He had appeared out of nowhere, like a ghost, and was taking heavy fire from their enemy.


“Who the hell is that?” Melinda asked, glancing at the others. Amy shrugged.


“I don’t care who it is, give him some cover!” Seth shouted, as he rose up and dropped several Cybertron, jumping a tombstone and running toward the figure. Manual was with him, at his side. Their pistols echoed across the memorial as they shot back at the Cybertron. Automatic laser fire ricochet across the memorial as the Major ran toward the memorial, dodging the fire and diving behind the tombstones to land beside Angie.


“You okay, Captain?” Seth asked, and she nodded. He grunted as he peeked out and continued to shoot back blindly, rolling out and toward the Cybertron and the stranger who stood fighting it out on the granite threshold.


Explosions and smoke blanketed the memorial, masking the memorial as laser fire could be seen darting across the memorial. One by one, the officer of the future fought, dropping the enemy. When it was all done, the officer of the future knelt on one knee in the now silent memorial. Thick smoke billowed around him and the only sounds were the sparking of the robot's components. He gathered himself again, the pain unbearable, as he staggered to his feet, and he staggered a couple more steps.


The officer leaned against a nearby pillar lining the walkway as Astro-fighters rocketed overhead and troops came running toward the memorial. There was a gasp by all around the memorial as silence echoed across the memorial, but the smoke was heavy like a fog, billowing into the sky. Slowly everyone stood, Wildstar the first, as he glanced at his wife who lay next to a kneeling Doctor Sane beside her.


“It's over.” Wildstar said to his wife. “Nova, are you alright?”


She slowly opened her eyes, meeting her husband's loving eyes.


“I'm okay Derick.” She whispered, “I did not get hit. Find whoever it was that won this fight and Seth too… Please find him… He saved my life.”


“Don't worry we will.” Replied her husband, but he stayed beside her.


“You just rest.” Sane instructed, and he was on his feet as a silent wind whipped across the memorial, clearing clear the smoke that covered it like a fog. He quickly moved about the memorial, finding the other Yamato members. He found Dash, Conroy, Eager and Homer. He found the chief and Thomas Orion. He then found each stasis member, with exception to Seth. After five minutes, the stasis volunteers stood up, rattled by the battle that had raged here. Sane went to work. The wounded were brought to one place. A few of the Yamato crew had been unfortunately clipped by the gunfire. Manual had been shot in the shoulder, as had Angie. Amy, Melinda, Amanda had been fortunate to duck when the fire had started. Each one had returned fire too and the trio had at least over one kill to their credit.


Melinda's eyes darted to the bushes, as did the others standing over Manual who lay on the ground as Amanda tended his wound. She put a pressure bandage on it, ripped from the bloody uniform sleeve. Her teammates knelt next beside them. A Yamato crew member knelt beside Angie as she lay on the deck, and he held her down.


“Holy cow, what the hell was that about?” asked Amanda and the two other young women only shrugged.


“Who was that stranger?” gasped the dark haired woman, remembering it was he, who had won this battle.


“I don’t know.” Amanda said, “But I think Seth knew him.”


“Yea, but where is Seth?” Melinda asked, and she turned to shout his name. She rose and started looking around the memorial. Amanda's eyes fell upon the tombstone where Seth had been ducking behind as the firefight was going on, and seeing the marks of shots streaking the cement tombstones.


“Oh my god,” Amy stammered as she turned her head, scanning the memorial through the smoke that billowed upward into the sky. Melinda was already on her feet and Amy was too, moving out and around the memorial looking for their comrade. A landing craft ripped across the memorial and landed nearby. A platoon of Marines appeared, followed by a young officer leading them, shouting orders.


“A little late,” Derick muttered under his breath and he met a smile from Nova who giggled at the sentiment. He nodded, as she lay back, relaxing from the meds Sane had given to settle her down for a moment.


“Is everyone all right?” The officer asked, and Wildstar rose up as he approached with Commander Mc Donald.


“We've got wounded, sir. We need a medic over here to assist Doctor Sane. We need to get them out of here, as soon as possible.” Derick told him, “We were ambushed by a new enemy. There might be more out there.”


“Rally your men Lieutenant and be careful.” She ordered and the young officer nodded.


Wildstar returned to Nova’s side and slowly helped Nova to her feet, scanning the memorial. She silently nodded to Manual and Amanda, approaching them. Melinda had been shouting for Seth, walking to the far side of the memorial. Amy had taken the closer side, but there was no sign of him. They could barely see, with the thick smoke still clearing by the wind, and Melinda becoming more panicked as they continued their search.


It was here that Nova realized what had happened, and what had been done. A strange officer had given himself to save her and the others. She watched as Melinda walked through the smoke that billowed across through the memorial and on the other side was Amy. The young women were getting frantic now as they called Seth's name and got no answer.


When Melinda finally saw the shadow of her friend, a second later through the smoke, a wave of relief fell upon her. The young dark-skinned woman's gaze fell upon the Major sitting on the ground. He was alive and well, seated next to the stranger that had saved Seth from certain death initially when he had saved Nova.


“Seth!” Melinda exclaimed, “Are you alright?”


  She ran toward him, pausing briefly when she saw the blood on his tunic, but she embraced him anyway.


“Jesus, you’re hurt bad Seth!” Melinda gasped, and he waved his hand.


“I’m alright, Melinda.” He stammered, gritting his teeth, “But this man needs some help, I just couldn’t call for help, or catch my breath for some reason.”


Melinda examined Seth, and saw he was hit in the upper chest near the shoulder.


“Oh my God…!” The young woman said, holding her friend warmly. She turned and raised her arms. “You’re hit in the chest, Seth, Just sit there and relax a second…”


“OVER HERE!” Melinda shouted, “MEDIC! Please come quickly, I found them!”


Melinda turned to the other man, sprawled out on his back, lying in a pool of his own blood, pale, waxen and immobile. The young woman stared at him, for a long time.


Amy ran from the other side of the memorial, as did the medic. They both knelt beside the officer, looking horrified at the wounded man, who lay bleeding on the ground and Seth who had two hits, one to the chest, and the other to his shoulder. Both men were pale, as they sat there.


“Oh my god…!” Amy gasped, peering at the familiar face. Seth grimaced, knowing immediately who it was when he saw him at first and totally blown away he was here. The two young women gasped loudly.


“It’s… N-Nathaniel Miller?” Melinda gasped and Amy did too. They stared at the grizzled, recovered face, thanks to Falora aboard the Clouds, and very astonished he was here too.


“Doctor SANE…!” The medic shouted, and a few moments later, the doctor was at his side with Nova. The good doctor had smiled at first, when seeing him, but it quickly faded becoming a grimace.


“Oh my god,” He murmured quietly. Nova gasped. She recognized it as the young officer of the past that she herself had spoken to an hour ago. Who was supposedly busy working at the docks, repairing his ship per his orders by its Captain. She did not understand why he was wearing a Space Marines uniform and why he had come to the memorial. It would have been against orders for him to do so. He also wore battle armor, which told her that he seemed to know this was going to happen. However, he had come and he had saved the day, saving Seth and her from death. She knelt beside him.


Mitty had walked up to gasp, staring at the young officer, her new friend whom she had welcomed into the new century. She was stunned that he lay in a pool of his own blood. The young Commander put her hand to her mouth in overwhelmed silence.


“Is he alive, Doctor Sane?” Nova asked. The officer opened his eyes slowly, and his absent stare met their faces, before it found the blue sky. Nova, the two-stasis personnel began weeping, tearing up at the sight of blood that pooled around the officer of the future.


“Fortunately for him, yes, but not for long Nova, we must get him to the hospital at once.” Sane replied, “He has already lost quite a bit of blood.”


Sane began to examine the young officer and noted the hole in his chest, just below the breastbone of the ribcage.


“Give me your medical bag.” Sane told the medic and silently the medic handed him the bag. Sane pulled out the contents and began applying compress pressure bandages. Nova helped him.


“What happened here, Chief?” asked the Marine Commander and Derick shrugged, stepping back as he pulled the officer aside. Mitty was standing with him.


“It looks like we have a new enemy. We were here at the memorial paying our respects and were attacked.” He said, “As you can see, Lieutenant it is some sort of robot. We must inform the Earth Defense Commander at once.”


The young officer nodded and he signaled to a young corporal who had a radio. Shouting orders, the marine platoon dispersed and took up flanking positions. A medic helped Manual, Angie and couple of Yamato crew to the rescue ship and it rocketed off into the sky. Marines scoured the memorial, taking up protecting positions, as a full medical team arrived from another ship that landed. Doctor Sane sat over the officer as they came to his side.


“What's going on Doctor Sane?” asked another young Medic and the doctor nodded toward the young officer.


“This man needs immediate attention, and can be moved out of here!” Melinda, Amy, and the few remaining Yamato crew still clustered around the stranger as he lay here bleeding profusely.


Mitty turned, “Doctor Sane, will he make it?” Her eyes were tearing up too, staring at the young man who had been through their office not long ago beside Angie who stood beside him, not long ago. Who with the General had decorated them personally for their heroism in the line of duty.


“He's hit in the mid chest, and I think it has nicked the heart. Also he has several hits to the mid abdomen.” Sane said, cutting away the tunic, “I was trying to stabilize him. This does not look very promising but at the moment, until I can examine him more, I would make him as comfortable as we can.”


Sane worked with the young medic. Melinda and Amy, with tears in their eyes, were weeping as they watched the hero of Earth, and their old friend dying. Sane glanced up from his work at the young women. He smiled.


“Don't look so worried, he will be ok. I do not think he is in that bad in shape. I have seen much, much, worse.” Sane grimaced as he cut away the tunic and saw the wound in his chest. Nova continued to kneel beside the young man and the doctor, assisting him in field dressing the officer's wounds. They were much worse than he had ever seen. Sane gasped loudly.


“Oh, Dear God,” He murmured and Nova, with tears in her eyes turned to meet his stunned expression.


“How can he be alright Doctor Sane?” Nova asked, still fighting back the tears.


Sane grimaced, as he set to work, working fast to patch him up quickly. “We'll suture him up… To at least stabilize him and keep him alive,” Sane murmured. Nova’s gaze showed question and the doctor shook his head slightly.


“Don't tell them yet.” He instructed Nova, “I don't know how bad the damage is, it could be much worse.”


The Lieutenant Commander, from the future, lying on the ground, stared up absently at the blue sky above him, already knowing he was wounded badly. He had been shot in the abdomen and chest. The young officer knew it had done more damage than the Sane actually had found, and he already knew he did not have long to live.


Strangely, the young officer of the future was not afraid of dying and could almost see his friends who waited for him and family, wherever they are. He thought of Angie back in his own time, six months from now. His eyes focused on the Doctor and Nova and his face showed a weak smile. He relaxed and closed them.


“Doctor we've lost a pulse.” The medic cried out. Sane's head, as well as everyone who remained here, had turned in alarm. The doctor's resolve was immediate, and his fist struck the wounded officer of the future’s chest in frustration. The others stood around him and watched as Sane worked on him desperately.


“Come on.” He said, “We can't let you die like this.” The young man gasped a sharp breath in response.


“No pulse Doctor…” The medic's heavy voice told him, as the future officer exhaled sharply again.


“Come on, another one like that.” Sane snapped, and again, his fist struck the Major of the future’s chest. The Doctor began doing CPR compressions on his chest, over his heart, just as another rescue craft landed at the memorial. It was the longest agonizing moment they had ever encountered when the medic had announced that the young officer's heart stopped. It was like standing in slow motion, and they clustered around him.


Sane pounded on the officer of the future’s chest several times, gritting it teeth and quietly swearing under his breath.


“We have something Doctor Sane.” The Medic said, and everyone let out an exasperated breath.


“Jesus, his pulse rate must be over two hundred.” The medic observed and Sane nodded.


“Get that litter over here, stat!” He ordered, and together the men and Nova lifted him into it.


Nova was weeping, as was the stasis crew, the men and Sane himself lifted him to carry him to a waiting transport. As Amy, Melinda, and Amanda stood watching the trio frowned when they overheard the comments made by the other Yamato crew.


“This is a hell of a way to start a mission.” Homer said.


“Yeah, that's for sure.” Orion replied and Melinda nodded in silence, staring at the Rescue craft as it headed toward the city. The craft contained their one friend, alive and well, saved by a friend who had risked all.


She ran to the waiting landing craft with the Yamato Crew, the remaining stasis crew, the Commander’s Aide and the Marines. They all were being taken back to the base for debriefing, despite the Yamato crew and stasis crew had technically been off-duty during this attack. On the transport, Melinda and Amy sat with the Yamato crew, also Mitty in silence, their thoughts of what they had seen at the memorial. There were still so many questions among the group and no answers of why or how the strange officer looked like their friend, or how he had appeared out of nowhere, and had saved the day somehow, giving his life for Seth.


Their conversation was of the officer of the future, who had appeared out of nowhere. Nova still did not understand why he did it though, and was deep in thought as she sat next to Derick. It was someone she had met during the funeral that Seth had put the others to rest, and had been decorated with the other young woman named Angie during the Dinguil War a year ago. She wondered why he was here and how he had known that this event had happened.


“He should be at the docks, and came against orders.” Nova murmured, “Or did he?”


She sensed something was not right about the officer of the future.


Time had been restored and protected. Now the only thing to do was go out to Aquarius and destroy it, finishing the job again to win the battle and protect Earth from ambush of the Cybertron Empire. Led by Seth himself, in which a team gathered, and would report at sixteen hundred hours tomorrow at the EDC Headquarters. Thanks to a Hero of the future who had risked the winds of time to be here.


Nevertheless, the battle was only beginning.


To be continued…


Episode Seven: Future Echoes/Epilogue

 

 

Copyright © 2017 Nathaniel A Miller
Published on the World Wide Web by "www.storymania.com"