Episode VIII
The Ancient Gift. (Part II)
 

 The plants rustled slowly in the hydroponics bay. The bright sun of Earth, as it was thirty two years ago, draped the two figures in a beautiful glow. Like curtains, it draped them in its bright light. Kate turned slowly to Sam. “Why do I feel this way? It’s not my home, but I have a strong feeling towards it.” Sam nodded slowly.
 “It was our birthplace, as a race, no matter how far we move away from her, she will always be home.” Kate nodded slowly. She turned back to it, the sun rose slowly in the sky, showing more of the Earth. “These plants never saw that sun, and it them it couldn’t matter in the least.” Sam moved over to one of the small flowers sitting in a strange pot in the converted bay. “We are like the plants, space is our tomb, we are not space creatures, if we were we wouldn’t need oxygen to breathe.” Sam started up the isle. “But it has become much more then a tomb, a lively hood.” He spun around and started to walk back down, Kate had moved, she watched the old warrior pace up and down. “We have made that tomb our home, but we have not broken the walls.” Sam stopped; he traced the edges of a fern up and down. “Some still fear space, and that fear turns into hate, and that hate is pointed at innocent Vasudans.” Sam continued with the plant, it seemed to enjoy his touch, as it waved back and forth slowly. “The lost Generation needs a new hero, a hero to break down that wall.” Sam looked up. He smiled. “Heroin.” He looked back down at the plant. Kate couldn’t help blushing; she shook it off and walked forward.
 “How can I help the lost generation? All the way out here, they’ll never know me. Hell, they aren’t even expecting me. How are they going to know?” Sam smiled. He stepped back.
 “Leave that to me.” Sam said, he turned to leave, he started towards the door. The two plates that made up the door separated, and in walked Vo’rant and Dove. Sam was caught of guard, but then he stopped, he stood up stiff and straight. “Vo’rant” he said in the deepest sounding commander voice he could muster. It sounded like Wolfe, the long dead Admiral. The Vasudan suddenly snapped to attention, his long robe flowed into place around him. Sam stuck a hand straight out. “Your sword, let me see it.” Vo’rant drew his sword and handed it to Sam. Sam studied the blade for a moment. “Excellent craftsmanship. They’ve done Vo’tion’s namesake well.” Vo’rant nodded.
 “Tak’eye would not have wanted it any other way.” Sam smiled, he handed the sword back to Vo’rant, the mighty Vasudan took the blade, he slid it back its scabbard. Sam smiled.
 “Vo’tion couldn’t swing a sword to save his life.” Vo’rant cocked his head.
 “But the legends talk of a great wordsmith named Vo’tion.” Sam scratched his chin, as if he had a beard.
 “I think the legends have been a far more thankful to Vo’tion.” Vo’rant almost smiled. “Good with a gun, he was pilot.” Vo’rant nodded, and stepped over to Kate. Sam began to leave, but Dove reached out and grabbed his arm, Dove ruffled Sam’s coat as his did.
 “Vo’tion, is he the Vasudan in my dreams?” The man was serious; his face cringed as he said the words slowly. Vo’rant’s hand twitched, he remember his vow. Sam shook his head.
 “I do not know. Dove, that is one question you will have to ask yourself.” Dove let go, and Sam walked out of the room. Dove chased after the man with his eyes. The door closed.

 “So Sam has been talking to Kate again.” the Shivan said slowly. The Image around them faded back into the nebula. Vo’tion nodded.
 “Nothing to be worried about.” Vo’tion walked forward. “You do not trust in the first Leader for the Shivans?” The Shivan shook its head.
 “It’s not that.” The Shivan began. “He’s not the first, you know that.” Vo’tion stepped forward a pace.
 “He is the first, the last, or all points in between. What does it matter? Time flows together like a river, emptying into a see of darkness. Our destinies are simply water droplets, we go where the river flows. If we don’t make it to the see, then we evaporate, into a cloud, to be rained down into the stream again. What does it matter when we are born? Or when we die? It’s all the same in the end.” The Shiven nodded.
 “I know this place, I’ve always known this place. My race existed here.” The Shiven suddenly began to become ecstatic. “But I am not sure.” He turned suddenly, and screamed out into the blackness. The nebula disappeared. “Who am I? What am I? Why have you brought me here? Why am I still alive?” There came no response. Vo’tion stepped back, a bit shocked a bit understand. “Miztral!” The Shiven yelled into the endless night. “Where are you.” A figure appeared out of the darkness.
 “Right here.” The man said very slowly. He was very calm, his voice didn’t rise, and he didn’t sound threatening, or annoyed. “Vo’tion.” Miztral nodded to the tall Vasudan. Vo’tion nodded back. “I believe you know the answer to those questions.” The Shiven nodded slowly.
 “Perhaps.” The Shiven said. Miztral shook his head. “But what is this place?” Miztral shrugged.
 “You know the answer to that.” The Shiven gave him a weary look. “All right. In the beginning, our two universes were connected. Ours, the one we are currently in, called the Astral Plain and the Terran Universe existed as one. But when the Big Bang, or so they call it, occurred our two universe were split. Time was ripped in half. Like tearing a sheet of paper. The Terran Galaxy was set on course, and the races that developed there, developed properly. But here, on the Plain, only two races were given birth, and we soon found that we could affect anything we saw fit. One race, my race, took up a position to help the peoples of the Terran universe, and most of the second race agreed with us. But there were members of our own race, and the second race that wanted to rule the Terran Universe. There was a war, and we won. The Destroyers were banished, we had no place to send them, so we whipped their memories, and sent them into the Terran Universe. We didn’t realize out folly until afterwards.” The Shiven stepped back. “The second race soon rebelled against us, and we had no choice but to shut them off from the power, and trap them inside of the Plain itself. But the door is breaking down, if they get through we are all dead.” Vo’tion nodded, half shocked.
 “This has been a war, up here, since the very beginning of the Leader for the Shivans. Hasn’t it?” Miztral nodded. “By Ma’tang Cho’rono himself.” Vo’tion said to himself. Vo’tion totally missed the Irony in that statement.
 “We must win, or the intire universe will die.” The Shiven stepped forward.
 “Who is the second race?” The Shiven asked. Miztral gasped.
 “You are not ready.” Miztral quickly replied. The Shiven grew stern, and angry.
 “Who are they?!” Miztral stepped back. He looked up into the darkness and nodded.
 “They are Shivan.” The Shivan stepped back, he fell over, and collapsed to the floor. Vo’tion rushed to his side.
 “no, it cannot be.” The Shivan gasped. “no…” Vo’tion stepped up to Miztral.
 “why?” Vo’tion asked, a slight tinge of naive in his voice.
 “He had to be told, if he cannot accept it, then we will all die.” Vo’tion turned back and looked at the shacking Shivan and sighted. He felt his pain, it was the same way he had felt when he found out Sa’toon was in the Hammer of Light. The darkness doesn’t seem as real until you get right up next to it. And then it hits you in the face like a thousand tons. The wind died out of you, and you felt it all throughout your spine. But it was time to be strong, because if they weren’t they’d all be dead soon, and then it wouldn’t matter.

 “Sir. We have detected an unknown vessel heading through subspace.” A Shivan lieutenant spoke softly to the Shivan lord. The Shivan lord turned slightly to look at his second in command. He got nothing for the thick Shivan. “It is a Hecat, a Terran Battle cruiser.” The Shivan second gave a start.
 “I thought it was unknown.” The Shivan lord said angrily. The Lieutenant Shivan coward.
 “I only meant, lord, that we do not know which ship it is. It could be the Aquitain.” The Shivan lord’s second in command spoke up.
 “What would the Aquitain, the Flagship of the Terran Fleet, be doing deep inside our space, moving through subspace as if they owned it?” The Shivan lord shook his head.
 “What is a Terran ship doing all the way out here in the first place.” The Shivan second in command shrugged.
 “Perhaps we should call the Terran Division.” The Lord shook his head.
 “no, The Triplicate can’t help. It is simply a Terran battle cruiser, and we shall destroy it.” The Shivan lord said. “Plot its course, and inform my fleet.” The Shivan lieutenant saluted and left the room. The Shivan lord pondered this a moment. There must be more going on here then simply a Terran vessel moving through subspace.

 The GTD Requiem flew silently through subspace, Kate was still watching the Earth spin slowly on the screen. Dove turned to her.
 “Magnificent isn’t it?” he asked, “What’s going on back there? Damnit, I wish we knew.” Kate nodded slowly.
 “all we can do is hope.” Vo’rant turned, and walked over to the other side of the room, far away from the Earth in all her splendor.
 “At least you have hope.” Vo’rant said quietly. Kate overheard and turned slowly, she walked up to the great Vasudan. His sword was on his back, its shinning golden scabbard glinted in the light. “Terra is still out there, somewhere. The Shivans killed my world. They took it from us.” Vo’rant looked up sharply. “I will never see the sun rise over Mount Hi’roshta.” He stepped towards the screen. “I will never  again walk in the fields of Ma’tang Cho’rono.” Vo’rant slammed his fist into the screen, it shook with the force of his blow. “and for that they must pay.” Kate put her hand on Vo’rant’s shoulder, Vo’rant turned his head to look at her out of the corner of his eye.
 “I promise you, Vo’rant, They will pay.” Kate said. “we will make them pay.” Warning lights blinked, and the screens changed to show a blue swirling mess. The steady voice came over the speakers.
 “This is your Admiral speaking. We’re exiting subspace people. All hands to battle stations. Repeat all hands to battle stations this is not a drill. Stay sharp people, this is enemy territory.” Kate and Vo’rant looked around.
 “Let’s get to the bridge.” Kate said, Dove followed after her. Vo’rant turned to leave. Dove suddenly stopped and turned to Vo’rant.
 “Do we even have Battle stations?” Vo’rant shrugged, and Dove smiled, they walked out of the room.

 Ridow was already waiting for them on the bridge.  Sam and David were standing at the command chair, talking quietly. Vo’rant, Dove, and Kate piled on to the bridge. They looked around slowly. David turned slightly, and then turned back to Sam.
 “What’s going on?” Kate asked Ridow. Ridow turned slightly, but didn’t take his eyes of the two men.
 “They’re arguing about –“ David suddenly burst out.
 “I will not endanger my crew with a test of an alien device.” David yelled, hailed the bridge crew turned and looked at him. David suddenly realized he had burst out, and looked around the room. “What is this? A garden party? Get back to work!” The crew suddenly went back to setting up the subspace exiting process. Kate walked up the two men.
 “What’s going on?” She asked. Sam turned.
 “The Admiral here, doesn’t want to save the ship.” David rolled his eyes.
 “I never said that, I meant I don’t think it is wise to test out an alien Device of that magnitude.” Kate was puzzled, she had no clew what was going on. Sam noticed, and started.
 “Eight Thousand years ago, the Ancients found a way to clad a ship in there steal that cannot be broken, or dulled. Unfortunately they didn’t have time to test it when the Shivans attacked. So to hide the device from the Shivans they hid it in a artificial moon. This shielding would dampen Shivan lasers by over fifty percent.” Kate turned to David.
An officer spun around.
 “Sir, Shivan battle group detected, coming up the rear.” David turned.
 “Will we reach the moon first.” The officer checked his screen, then turned.
 “Not by much Sir.” David stroked his chin, he turned to Sam.
 “So we can be blasted out of the sky by a Shivan battle group, or we can take a chance, and perhaps die. But if it works…” David trailed off, Sam picked up.
 “The Shivans will never know what hit them.” David turned to the bridge crew.
 “What do you think?” The Captain stood slowly. She looked around the bridge.
 “Frankly sir.” She began. “I’d like to go down in a blaze of glory, but if this thing works, it could mean the destruction of a serious number of ships.” David turned to Kate. She shook her head.
 “David, we don’t have a choice.” David nodded slowly.
 “Take us out of subspace, lock in a course for the moon.” The command was followed by several series of ‘yes sir.’ And ‘aye, aye, sir.’ David stepped up and sat down in his chair. “Viewer on.” The image of subspace appeared on the screen. “Take us out.” White light bathed the bridge in the light of a thousand suns. When the light disappeared they were out in normal space, A plant spun slowly in the distance. “prepare gravitational array.” A blue light flashed over the view screen, and then glued a dim blue. “Take us into the gravity field of the planet.” The ship started to pull and yaw with the strength of the planet. “More power to the gravitational field.” The ship stopped being pulled. “Take us around the moon.”
  The massive vessel moved around the slick moon.
 “how are we supposed to crack that?” Dove asked slowly. Sam turned.
 “That’s your job.” Dove looked around, as if Sam had been talking to someone else. The he pointed at himself, Sam nodded.

 Dove was fitting his helmet on in the cockpit of a GTB Artimis. Vo’rant was helping him. “Why do I have to go out and mine the moon?” Vo’rant was smiling.
 “Because you are the best, Terran.” Vo’rant hit the button and the cockpit began to close.
 “But can’t you do it?” Vo’rant walked down the ladder, and pulled it away from the bomber. “Vo’rant.” Vo’rant waved. The force fields  shifted, and Dove was pushed out into space. “Vo’rant!” Dove yelled as his fighter flew into space. Vo’rant nearly burst out laughing.
 
 Dove squirmed in his cockpit. “The NTF had nothing like this.”  A voice suddenly came over the comm.
 “Alpha1, this is command.” Dove suddenly fell back into his seat, he looked up at Kate’s face. “You’ve been equipped with grappling Cyclops bombs. You’ll have to attach them precisely on these coordinates.” Kate punched in a few keys on her board, and then looked up. White targeting lights appeared on the moon. “Now the gravity won’t affect you too much, and it shouldn’t affect the bombs, but watch out up there. Good luck.” Kate disappeared. Dove checked his controls, he grabbed the flight stick, and headed off towards the moon.  Its surface was hard, and had a slight layer of dust on it. The sun glanced off the moon’s white surface and was filtered out by Dove’s cockpit window.
 “preparing first Cyclops bomb.” He locked in the firing pattern. He pulled the trigger. “missile away.” He said, arcing his ship back. The bomb crashed into the surface of the moon, it’s large claws digging into the strange, alien powder. To each of the spots on the moon Dove maneuvered the small ship, and fired a bomb, it didn’t take very long, and nothing got in the way. But it had taken longer then they expected, and the Shivan battle group would arrive any second. Kate came over the comm. unit.
 “Dove return come back in.” Dove maneuvered the small craft, he looked down the barrel of the large ship. Suddenly all the mines on the moon exploded in a humongus blast. The moon broke apart and shot a thousand dangerous chunks into space.

David jumped up out of his seat. “Report.” He yelled, an officer spun around.
“Sir” they began. “The bombs, they've exploded, looks like sabotage.” David looked around. “I suppose they were meant for Commander Dove.” David looked around.
“Anything dangerous out there?” The officer checked the screens.
“Nothing that can hurt us Sir, but a rather large chunk of the moon is headed towards the docking bay. Sam looked over to Kate, she had a worried look on her face. She spun around and yelled into the comm. unit.
“Dove.” She cried. “Get the hell out of there!”

Dove maneuvered into the docking Bay. He suddenly got the message. He hit his maneuvering thrusters and spun around, there in front of him, was a massive piece of the moon spinning towards him faster then anything he had ever seen. Sweat began to bead on his forehead. “oh shit…”
 

  To be continued…
 

Leader for the Shivans 3: Journey from Dunwitch Hill
Will continue with:

Episode 9:
The Ancient Gift (Part III)