Note: I hope this turns out interesting.  I started this as a side-story, not sure where it will go yet.  It's based on the extinction of the Shee-Yar and the fallout from it and other events going on in the Saving the Future story.

Adventures in Parodyverse - Saving the Future Part 12.5.1


    The Shee-Yar empire vanished.  Not the physical location of it, but every intelligent sign of life from within.  It made the news galaxy-wide...but perhaps it was all hype.  One day, all their transmissions, and all their patrols, and all their usual aggressive tendencies, simply ceased.

    A silvery white Energy Glider sailed through the atmosphere of the planet which formerly hosted the Shee-Yar empire.  The Glider was about the size of a mobile home, only larger and sleeker, with an downward angled narrow nose, rounded edges, and downward pointed stubs of wings mounted at the bottom of the hull for stabilization.

    It’s strange metallic hull carried sparks of the energy which powered it.  That gave it the appearance of surfing waves on an ocean, only those blue-white waves were pulses of energy.  It had windows, but they weren’t obvious from the outside.

    The Glider was absolutely silent as it punched through the cloud layers above and turned almost completely transparent, aside from some light refraction if someone were looking directly up at it.  The Glider silently surveyed the ground below for clues to what happened, and more immediately, why the advanced Shee-Yar didn’t detect their presence and respond.

    Surprising the surveyors was that the Empire didn’t entirely disappear.  They were killed where they stood, and were still lying dead, mutilated, and rotting.  Multiple buildings were damaged or destroyed, or burning.  It looked like a massive attack of some kind had taken place, only there were no signs of a bombing from the air.  It was as if warriors had landed and carved through every living person, and crashed through every door and building to get every last life.

    At their current altitude, the Z’Sox attack ship flying in plain sight, low to the ground, didn’t see them.  Unfortunately the Z’Sox had a hive mentality - if there was one attack ship there were more, and probably a cruiser somewhere in orbit.  The Glider alerted its host transport ship on a coded digital signal and continued on its survey.


---


    Ã¢â‚¬Å“The Z’Sox are interested too.”  the Captain of the Light Cruiser orbiting the planet told her bridge crew.  As she spoke, she faced the back wall of the bridge, to the floor to ceiling silver and blue winged logo of the private organization which owned the ship.

    The bridge itself was padded with a pattern that resembled a light colored wood.  There were black soft synthetic fabric work chairs anchored in two rows, numbering in few, but as much form as function.  There were two such rows, the rear higher than the front, and in the center a pair of fixed chairs for the Captain and First Officer.

    The Light Cruiser itself was about the size and look of a sculpted thirty-six story glass skyscraper, but in texture only.  The shiny material was a metal, and wasn’t obviously transparent, so it emitted no light into space.  The shape of it was something like the Gliders, only on a much larger scale.

    It had four launch bays which held twelve Gliders and dozens of much smaller Z-Class Wing fighters, which could be deployed either with a pilot or as a pilotless autonomous fighting platform.

    A man standing in front of that company logo on the bridge had his arms crossed.  He looked concerned, but not upset.  “The Galactic Government gave our Company salvage rights specifically to keep the Z’Sox out.  As long as no living soul survives, we can use all the Shee-Yar planets for research.  The Z’Sox are trying to get a foothold in case Earth loses its Nexus status, so they can control access to Earth.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“But the Z’Sox don’t know we exist.”  the Captain noted.

    The man shrugged.  “And they musn’t.  It’s the order of the Galactic Government.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are we combat authorized?”  the Captain finally asked the man.

    He nodded.  The man was much more crisply dressed than anyone else on the bridge.  He represented the Company, and had to project a polished image at all times.

    The Captain waved her left hand in the air.  “So be it.  The Z’Sox mission shall not return home.”

    The Z’Sox cruiser didn’t even see the huge Pulse Packet turret fire at them until it was too late.  After a single shot their ship was fragmented and burning noiselessly in the vaccum of space.  The Z’Sox fighters didn’t see the swarm of automated Z-Class Wings close in and shoot them down with rapid pulses of superheated plasma, blasting them into oblivion before they realized they were being fired upon.

    The Captain chewed on her thumbnail as she listened to the combat chatter over the airwaves.  Her crisp bright blue uniform and silver decoration was unmarred by her emotional state.  “No communications?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“None.”  the comms officer reported.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Good.”  she agreed.  “They’ll appear to be lost and never returned.  Recall all the Gliders, we’ll go back to silent mode in case more Z’Sox arrive.  We’ll keep surveying from orbit until the research teams get here.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Since when have the Z’Sox been interested in surveying?”  her female First Officer asked.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Scavenging is more like it.”  the Captain whispered, trying to keep her voice from being heard by the Company man.  “They heard the rumors of Shee-Yar’s destruction, and that Shee-Yar was using Parody Master technology.  Everyone heard of it, everyone wants a piece of it.  The only reason we don’t have Skunks or Lovetoads here too is they both got their share of the tech after the war.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Is this why we’re going to Earth?”

    The Captain eyed the Company Man, making sure he didn’t overhear.  He was busy reading something on a thin electronic pad.  She said in a whisper, “We must speak to the commander of the Earth Forces, Sir Mumphrey Wilton.  Earth is on the verge of losing Nexus status, and if they do, they must accept our protection, even if it’s only secretly.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“What if they refuse?”  the First Officer asked as the Captain led her into the Captain’s Office and shut the door.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“They musn’t.”  The Captain whispered, still instinctively paranoid about the Company Man’s hearing.  She gently swiped her hand over a glass case hanging on the wall, and it lit immediately.  Inside that case were models of a brass pocket watch, a walking stick, and a folded cloak.  “My ancestry has too much riding on the safety of the cosmic items.”

    There was a long pause while they both stared at the case.  The Captain then swiped again, and the case went dark.  “Anyhow, the Company can’t object as long as we maintain stealth.  And as long as they don’t hear about it when I meet with Sir Mumphrey.  As soon as the research ships get here, our unfriendly guest will take charge of them and leave us to go to Earth.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“We’ve been friends for a lifetime.”  the First Officer said.  “I’ve always stood by you, and I’ll stand by you now.”  She smirked a little and added, “Even if I do think you’re completely crazy this time.”

    The Captain laughed but not too loud.  Her smile quickly faded when Company Man tapped the doorbell pad and then entered as the door slid open.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“I’m sorry to say I’ll be taking leave of your ship.”  he said, almost with disdain.  “The research team is here.  I bid you good luck.”  Before he stepped out of the room, he gave the two women a suspicious look, as if he knew they were up to something.  Then he dismissed it and left, the door closing behind him.


---


    The Captain was all business when she returned to the bridge.  Without even looking at her crew, she gave her first order, and trusted them to follow.  

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Our next stop is Earth, quickest route.”  she said, watching her navigator set the course.  

    She watched the Company Man’s personal Energy Glider launch from Bay Four, headed to rendezvous with one of the other two Light Cruisers present, sent by Research and Development.  Their presence signaled that the Galactic Government accepted the Company’s bid for salvage rights to Shee-Yar.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Are we ready for launch?”  the Captain asked.

    The Navigator tapped a few controls and then nodded.  “Wormhole drive is queued, coordinates plotted.”

    The Captain nodded.  “Launch the anchor.”

    Upon that order, the Light Cruiser launched a small device that looked like a pin tearing through space.  The large ship followed it as if being towed by a cable.  Both the pin and the ship vanished after they travelled a short distance that way...

    ...and when they both reappeared, they were passing Mars in the Sol system at high speed.  The pin then exploded into the energy it was formed of, leaving only the Light Cruiser.  It was quickly closing on Earth as it turned transparent.  They knew of the Moon Public Library and had to evade its detection systems.

    Minutes later the large Cruiser shuddered slightly as it plowed into Earth’s dense atmosphere, still transparent.  It began to decelerate rapidly as it passed through heavy cloudcover...and then the tiny city of Paradopolis was visible through the front window of the bridge.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“It’s kind of beautiful, in its primitive and fragile way.”  the Captain mused to herself.  She then turned to the navigator again.  “Our navs have the location of Sir Mumphrey Wilton, I hope?”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Yes, from his last known location during the Parody War.”  the Navigator announced.  “The last time the humans transmitted a signal into our sector.”  There was a confused pause, and then, “But it seems to be missing.”

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“Missing?”  the Captain asked.

    The Light Cruiser - still invisible so Earth technology couldn’t detect it - slowed to a stop, a few thousand feet above where the Lair Mansion used to be.  Only there was nothing but open sea below them.

    Ã¢â‚¬Å“This is most unusual.”  the Captain noted as she moved to the front window and looked down at the water below.


TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin