Chapter 2 - Homeworld

Chapter 2 - Homeworld

                Cathy peaked her head into the cockpit of the Silhouette to see Captain Akiro sitting up very straight and still at the controls.  He was asleep of course, soldiers she knew could sleep upside down hung from their feet.  She considered going back to her cabin to snuggle up with Sal but dismissed the thought because of Sal’s standoffish nature after agreeing to travel with these two NNA (New Nippon Army) soldiers.  He said it killed the mood.  It was either that or start a fight they couldn’t win.  Besides it was Sal’s idea anyway to come here. 

                She sat down in the copilot’s chair and dialed up the main view.  They were still millions of miles from the planet now thrusting in the other direction.  Captain Akiro stirred to life.  He moved only his eyes to see Cathy sitting there pretending not to notice he was sleeping.  “Captain Cathy, why do you spend so much time here?  Shouldn’t you spend more time with your husband?”

                “I’m excited to see your planet and its government.  I’ve only been to one planet and that was a barren world, we were the only people.  Your world has such history and culture, a world teaming with people.  It must be beautiful.”  Cathy stared at the enhanced image with a glint in her eye no reality could diminish. 

                Captain Akiro sighed and turned to face Cathy.  “Cathy you talk like us and more importantly you act like us.  So I tell you with discretion that our planet is beautiful and I hope you get to explore, it but first you must pass through the imperial court.  No one enters into the planet without passing before a magistrate or the emperor and empress.  I’ve seen fools enter and exit heroes and brave noble men enter only to exit disheartened or in pieces.”

                Very slowly Cathy turned her head, saying in a soft voice, “are you saying the imperial government is capricious?”

                Akiro snorted his nose, “Probably not, they probably do what’s in their best interest as does every government in the history of people kind.  But they are unfettered and whimsical.  Like I said before, these few days maybe better remembered in the company of a loved one.”

                Cathy smiled but could not contain a huge laugh.  The Walls seemed to echo with her laughter.  “You still live, captain.  I have already died.  The day I had to fight lieutenant Takei I considered myself dead.  I was forced to live beyond death and to take his life.  Only heaven can decide when it’s my time to go.  I welcome the challenge.

                A chill ran up captain Akiro’s spine.  He thought of his wife and child on Bliss asteroid.  He never anticipated ever coming back to homeward.  He had hoped to live his quite life in space and enjoy his comfortable position.  He had one month off per imperial year and his family wanted for nothing.  He was like a king when at home and his own emperor when at work.  He grimaced while facing the screen, “You know captain, I think I will take my leave.  Perhaps I will do what you will not and send a message to my wife and child.”

                Cathy wasn’t sure why she was playing this game but it felt right.  She didn’t want to be too close to Sal.  If she played her cards right, he would seem like the lesser partner and her the greater.  She slid her slender fingers over the physical controls to enhance the image of the planet.  Unlike the colony ship Cordelia where she spent two thirds of her life this ship didn’t have virtual controls projected into the air.  The small pinpoint became larger and larger until she could barely make out the blue and green.  It looked quite different from planet Acorn where her and Sal had married.  The Silhouette was still traveling at tremendous speed towards the fourth planet of the system, New Nippon Prime, slowing down approximately fast enough to simulate standard gravity.   Radar showed an increasing density of darts around and about closer to the capital though they cleared out of the direct path.  A hard stone formed in her stomach and she forced herself to rid of fear.

                Fourteen days later Cathy and Sal were lying in bed together, watching a holo of their wedding.  She rubbed his chest gently as he sighed.  “Sal, why did we come here?”

                Sal brushed her hair back and carefully considered his answer.  In a way there was nowhere else to go.  They had defeated the tyrannical ruler of the fledgling town on Acorn.  Their colony ship was destroyed and there was no way Sal was going to fit in with the refugee Hokori fleet.  That left only one option.  “You know honey, I thought about us growing old together on the planet.  It’s a virgin world to conquer but I think it’ll be more about gardening and child rearing than adventure and discovery. You’ve known me since we were children, I’ve always wanted to do something great, to change the face of the universe.  This is our chance. We’re going to go to that planet and make contact with an undiscovered planet and bring healing to an ancient tragedy.”

                “What if we don’t come out of this alive?  What if it’s all for not?”

                “That doesn’t sound like a Hokori captain talking?  We’re going to have to come up with a game plan for when they ask for the location of the refugees.”

                “I say we tell them.  These small ships they have are not warp capable.  When we’re down on the planet let me lead, let me do the negotiating.” That’s what she always wanted, to lead not necessarily other people but her own destiny.

                The four of them stepped off the ship onto a large tarmac which looked freshly paved.  It was unusually windy. They were in the middle of the imperial city.  To the left and right were a dazzling array of lights from advertisements, some fixed to high rise buildings and others floating in the air.  Sal, ever the engineer wondered if they were being virtualized or if there was an apparatus hovering projecting the display.  Cathy noticed a train of flying cars passing in the distance.  A dozen guards in stark red uniforms approached, their boots clicking the pavement in unison.  An officer headed them up.  It was so apparent that he was an officer with that telltale long officer’s coat with the large buttons, similar to hers except his was silver and hers was blue.  Was that a designation of location, duties?  Perhaps because he was a planet officer his uniform as a different color.  The men stopped in front of them and the officer addressed Captain Akiro. 

                “Captain, I will take charge of the foreigners. You will come with us for debriefing ”

                “Yes colonel.”  So it was rank that denoted the different coats.   She and Akira were captains and their coats were blue, so were the lieutenant’s coats but they were shorter. 

                That’s when the colonel glanced at Cathy and said, “Why is she wearing one of our uniforms?”

                Before Akira could answer Cathy spoke, “I am officer with the Hokori refugee fleet.”

                The soldiers visibly moved when Cathy spoke in their language but not the colonel.  “Yes I’ve heard you speak our language quite well.  I had to see it for myself.  Welcome to New Nippon.  I will accept that you spoke out of turn because you are not a member of our force.  Do not attempt to give orders around here but for now you may wear the uniform as you appear before the imperial court.   This way.” He made a motion to a train that had pulled in just outside the edge of the landing strip.  After passing through an underground passage way they made their way to a train platform.  There were soldiers on guard and no civilians. Cathy could tell they were well trained because they didn’t even look at her.  She must have been quite a sight, a foreigner in an ancient uniform.  When they boarded the train Sal twitched the finger in his pocket to try one of his toys out. 

                “When will we meet the emperor?” Sal spoke in his language and after a moment his clothes seemingly spoke his message.

                The colonel glanced at Cathy and then addressed Sal.  “In thirty minutes, you will be at the imperial residence. You will have a brief time to clean up and then appear before the court.  You too Captain,” pointing at Akiro.

                Cathy and Sal faced the large chamber doors each with its gold crested dragon flowing up the door and ending at the top facing each other mouth open, teeth bearing.  The doors opened slowly and the two of them were disappointed not to find a vid like throne room.  All residents of the colony ship they had come from spent many hours watching vids.  On some of their shows a king dressed in purple would sit atop a gold throne in decorated hall. Before them lay a pathway and a dim light.  They walked forward before being prodded by the guards.  Sal was coming out of his day dream as if a veil were lifting they saw the edges of two stadiums on either side.  Over the edges people looked over and as soon as they saw Cathy and Sal a great multitude of conversations could be heard. 

                Sal who was to the right of Cathy said, “These people appear to be different from the Hokori, I mean Nipponese.  It’s like they’ve never seen people like us before.”

                “The people on my side Sal look very much like the Nipponese and they are looking at us with contempt. Could it be that there are different cultures that live here?  Wait I see a light up ahead.”  It became obvious they were in a big arena with sections of bleachers in an octagon array around a central circle.  There were five bleachers each holding thousands of people separated by a horizontal road traveling from left to right with a huge circle in the middle.  The two of them entered into the circle and when they reached the center the ground lit up where they were supposed to stand.  Only then did they realize the one direction where there were no bleachers and no road was a series of steps leading up, terminating in a platform.  That must be where the throne was.  A man was heading down the steps, the king?  No.  He had shiny silver clothes and even a shiny cape and a purple flower on his shirt.  The crowd quieted down.

                “Greetings honored dignitaries from around the world.  This is the moment you’ve all been waiting for.  A legitimate representative from the renegade fleet from the battle of the asteroid belt has come forth.”  He waited for the appropriate applauds before continuing.

                Sal leaned over after hearing the translation, “It really is like a show.”  Why doesn’t Sal care she thought?  He was a brilliant engineer and no doubt he had some surprises in case things went sour but they were in a precarious position. 

                The man continued to speak, “All rise for Emperor Sakito accompanied by Empress Shiori.”  Cathy and Sal shot each other a quick look, remembering the young mechanic who did so much to free them from her brother Eiri’s grip.  All the crowd rose as a man and woman appeared on the stage.  Their clothes were of gold and silver and matched the ornate design on the door they entered.  The man wore a suite with a slithering dragon up one side and the woman with a long feathered bird.  He sat and then his wife followed by the various people in the bleachers. 

                He spoke and his voice as obviously amplified but it sounded natural, even angelic like, “Vice regent, whom do you have to present to me today?”

                Bowing low the man with the silver cape said, “I have a strange looking woman who claims to be a captain of the renegade fleet.  We also have captured an antique ship from the renegade fleet” 

                “You have verified the ship’s authenticity?  Have you searched he ship’s records?”

                “Your majesty, we have identified its authenticity.  This woman has given us access to the ship’s records.  The original leader of the renegade fleet Captain Bushito was eventually succeeded by Captain Daiki who was granted the title of admiral by the other captains.  This woman Cathy Rikes was assimilated into the crew along with others of her ship.  This man, Salvadore Dalsie is her husband now but was not with the renegade fleet.  She apparently left the fleet, which is not recorded in the ship met up with this man and then came here.”

                The emperor stood, took a few steps and rubbed his chin.  “Regent, do you or your experts doubt the story?”  Sal looked towards Cathy who shook her head for him to remain silent. 

                “It doesn’t appear the ship was tampered with but we don’t have full access and the foreigners may have some technological computing advantages we don’t know about.”

                “Let’s say for argument sake she’s telling the truth.  What was the judgement about the renegade fleet?”

                “Sir, the very next year they were all sentenced to death along with their descendants forever.  Here on this planet, one hundred thousand people were put to death by sword for being related to the foreigners.” 

                A chill ran up Sal and Cathy’s spine.  This can’t end like this, they had to speak up but not out of turn.

                He addressed the two, “You, Cathy stand accused of being part of the rebel fleet by your own admission and electronic evidence which has a sentence of death.  Sal, you stand accused of being related to a rebel which also has a sentence of death.  Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

                Cathy turned to Sal, “Honey, it’s your moment.” 

                Sal’s little toy had hacked into the audio system and he began to speak which was then translated and amplified to the amazement of the crowd, “People of New Nippon, we are visitors to your great planet.  What happened two hundred years ago left a scar in the people that fled and I believe it has left a scar here as well.  I can see that you are not all made up of one people but several.  Your ancestors reacted in a way to quell descent but since that time have you not felt any regret that so many were killed?”  Sal was risking a lot on this speech and what he had gleaned from the lieutenant on board the Silhouette.  Two of the sections were discussing loudly among themselves.  Sal’s wristband interpreted their speech as discontent and his ear piece informed him.  “Emperor did your people ever review this judgement?   Was there ever a retrial?”  Sal knew the answer but this was all about the presentation.

                “Regent, bring forth the minister of history.”  After what seemed like an eternity, there was a recess and after the recess some drinks were brought to the emperor and his wife.  Finally, a short old man carrying a briefcase entered from the far side, opposite from where they had come from.  He came before the throne and bowed.  Then he pulled four telescoping legs from the corners of the briefcase and opened it up. 

                “Emperor, vice regent, accused, the rebel fleet left the system in the year four thousand two hundred sixty.  They were tried and found guilty during the new moon festival of the next year and during the next decade the, uh,” he cleared his throat, “cleansing was carried out.”  Another series of murmurs in the crowd.  “Fifty years later the case was reopened and in order to avoid carrying out any further unpleasantness against newly found relatives of the renegade fleet they were pardoned of their crimes.”  Cathy and Sal visibly relaxed and sighed.  “They were however relieved of duty and honor.  That is all.” 

                Empress Shiori said in a low voice, “Why not strip her of her title and let the dogs tear her apart.” 

                He clenched his jaw, she was usually right but, “The people have been increasingly at each other’s throat already.  Feeding raw meat to one seems to incite another.  I was not handed a kingdom to see it fall apart.  I maybe the most powerful man in the system but neither can I simply over rule prior court’s judgements without a full trial.  My uncle used to always say, “Where there is risk, opportunity will be found as well.” 

                His wife squeezed his hand and shook her head, her bangles clinging softly as she did.  This is why he was born to be emperor and not his brother Hisato.  Sakito descended the stairs about half way.  “That was impressive, what you did before Dalsieson,”addressing Sal.  “Unfortunately lady Rikes I must strip you of your title, even an Emperor cannot overturn a former court decision.  The two sections closest to the throne broke out in applauds while the three other sections grumbled loudly.  Sal and Cathy looked around.  Those people probably suffered most from the culling.  The emperor held up his hand and when he spoke his voice boomed louder, “I have a job for the two of you.”  All of the sections quieted down at this unexpected turn of events.  “I nominate the two of you as ambassadors.  Salvador Dalsie you will be the ambassador of planet Acorn.  You, Cathy Raikes are hereby nominated as ambassador of the rebel fleet.  We will commission interstellar ships and you will lead the mission to make contact with the rebel fleet.” The applauds started from the far and eventually carried through the entire audience and then they started chanting, emperor, emperor, emperor.  Each time delighted Sakito more and more.

                Cathy lowered her head as a swarm of attendants came and removed her officer clothes and donned her and Sal with ambassadorial robes.  True, she had left admiral Daikin’s fleet without his permission but she could never betray him by revealing their new system’s location.  Neither could she deny the emperor.  When the ships showed up Daiki’s fleet would destroy them, they were paranoid from birth of homeworld.