Carpathia IV: Episode 27 - Omega Directive
Space, Centaurus Void, NCCS Shadowdancer
Adell: Stand down condition red.
The lights on the bridge turned back to their soothing blue color. Aire hoped that the rest of the crew felt as relieved by this as he did. His first assignment after returning from desk duty was not going well, but at this point, he was happy to be alive.
Keiichi: Looks like they're buggering off for good. Do you need us to send our medical team or repair crews?
Adell: We don't know the damage yet, but yes, I think we could do with both of those.
Keiichi turned and nodded to someone off-screen and gave his attention to Adell.
Keiichi: What happened?
Adell: I'm about to have a conference with Aire soon and you can listen in if you like. For now, I need to piggyback on your long-range communications for an urgent message.
Keiichi paused, eyes downturned and mouth askew, looking as though he wasn't sure if he should say what he was thinking.
Keiichi: It's not... the directive, is it?
Adell nodded slowly.
Adell: I'm afraid so. Bring your first officer to a secure location.
Keiichi: I will make arrangements immediately. Sentinel out.
Keiichi vanished from the screen and Adell surveyed the bridge, looking around at his haggard crew.
Adell: I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to disappear for a little while. Teren, you have the bridge. All communication with me or Aire will go through you. Only contact us in case of emergency.
Teren: Understood, Captain.
Adell: Kit, contact Artemis and Phobos. Tell them to please meet me in my ready room immediately.
Kit: Yes, Captain.
Adell flopped onto the edge of his chair and hunched over.
Adell: We seem to be out of danger, Commander, but there is much work to do. I never thought something like this would happen to me again.
Aire took note of Adell's use of the word "again." Suddenly, Aire's earlier musings on Adell's evasiveness to simple questions were starting to make a little sense. Adell wasn't just privy to certain secrets, but it was now evident that he was directly involved. The battle and Adell's current demeanor told Aire that this was not a politician-style coverup for personal benefit, but for something too horrible to comprehend. Aire wasn't sure if he wanted to know what it was.
Kit: Messages sent. Sentinel is ready for long-range comm piggyback.
Adell rose from his chair again.
Adell: Very well. Send to all ships, outposts, and stations. Initiate Omega Directive, level three.
Kit tapped at his console until it beeped ominously. Kit's eyes widened, unsure of what he was seeing.
Kit: This is strange. It wants your handprint, voice match, and retina scan for authorization.
Adell: Transfer to my console.
Adell's console went blank momentarily and then new controls reappeared. He placed his hand on the large rectangle in the middle and leaned in close for the retina scan.
Adell: Captain Adell Akseli Amaranth, NCCS Shadowdancer.
A message appeared on Adell's console. "Authorization approved. Message sent." Immediately thereafter, the lift doors at the back of the bridge opened revealing Artemis and Phobos.
Adell: Teren, the bridge is yours. Aire, Ryuu, Artemis, and Phobos into the ready room with me.
Without waiting for acknowledgement, Adell marched into his ready room and Aire and the others followed. Striding quickly across the room, Adell looked back and tapped the lock control on his desk once the doors closed.
Adell: Have a seat, everyone.
Adell sat in his own chair and directed his attention to Artemis first.
Adell: How is everything in the rest of the ship?
Artemis: Pretty banged up. What happened up here?
Adell tapped at his console and Keiichi's face appeared on his small desktop viewer.
Adell: We've found another one.
Aire watched as Artemis's eyes widened in abject horror as he slowly sank into his chair. Aire's patience was now beginning to thin.
Aire: Captain, begging your pardon, but another what?
To Aire's annoyance, Adell directed his attention to Keiichi first.
Adell: If you'll indulge me for a moment, Captain, this is going to be harder on Aire for obvious reasons.
Keiichi: Of course.
Now, finally Adell gave Aire his full attention.
Adell: Aire, I'm going to ask you some questions. They may seem like they have nothing to do with anything, but I promise that I'm going somewhere with this. Ryuu will show you everything you need to know in a moment, but I want to prepare you first.
Aire cocked his head slightly, growing more concerned by the moment.
Aire: Okay?
Adell scooted his chair forward and leaned on his desk, presenting Aire with a stern, but sincere expression.
Adell: The system of government on your planet, Ramewet. What's it called?
Aire flinched and blinked several times. Adell was clearly not kidding when he said his questions would seem like they had nothing to do with anything. Aire hesitated, wondering if this might be some sort of trick question.
Aire: Um... It's called Adellism.
Without pause, Adell continued with his next question.
Adell: And how did this system come to be?
Still growing annoyed, Aire wasn't sure how much he could tolerate this waiting.
Aire: It was created by our Great and Final King Riven Rotheni.
Adell: Yes, that's the official line, but what does the legend say?
Aire decided to start answering quickly and briefly, hoping that they would move to the point sooner.
Aire: King Riven wrote that, while he was still a prince, that a gloriously sexy angel visited upon him and trained him in the sacred tenants of good governance, but our King was known for having a gift of embellishment.
Adell: And what did Prince Riven say this angel looked like?
Aire was momentarily startled, for nobody referred to King Riven by his previous title.
Aire: Brown hair. Grey eyes. Slender, but muscular. Easy smile. About your height...
Adell raised an eyebrow and shrugged his shoulders, leaving Aire sure that Adell was suggesting that he was the "sexy angel" to whom Riven was referring. Aire now felt like the butt of some sort of sick joke and his irritation now transformed into anger, clearly demonstrated when he threw his hands up in the air.
Aire: Oh, come on! This isn't the time for jokes! Yes, ha ha, you have the same name as our system of government and have a resemblance to King Riven's angel, funny coincidence, but we have bigger problems to worry about!
Adell nodded, seeming, Aire thought, to acknowledge his frustration, but continued with his odd questions nonetheless.
Adell: We're almost there. I promise. How was your planet populated?
Aire took a deep breath and bit his lip, now desperately trying to control his emotions so as not to do something that might jeopardize his career. Despite his efforts to keep his composure, Aire found he could not disguise his contempt for this line of questioning in his voice.
Aire: It was first inhabited by the nekomi thousands of years ago. They left when the tokki took over. When the tokki left, they left behind a wormhole generator which malfunctioned, randomly bringing people from many different planets to ours, depositing them mostly around the city, which is why we have such a rich diversity of species. The generator finally exploded about 170 years ago. This is basic high school history and I don't see how any of this has to do with anything!
Adell nodded, leaving Aire hoping that this was finally going somewhere.
Adell: All correct. The wormhole generator was malfunctioning, but there's more to it than you've been told. There was a time displacement in it that was growing since the tokki left it running. Going to Ramewet took you 150 years into the past. Leaving Ramewet through the wormhole took you 150 years into the future.
Aire opened his mouth to say something, but ended up just staring slack-jawed at Adell. None of his history books ever mentioned anything like this and he thought hard, trying to remember anything that would even hint at it.
Aire: How do you know this? It just threw people randomly across the city and outskirts, far away from the generator itself. We didn't even know it existed until it exploded.
Adell: Because I was the last person to leave your planet by using the wormhole. Deimos, Phobos's sister, is the one who blew it up.
Aire could hardly believe what he was hearing and even still, he could hardly believe that he was starting to believe it himself. Turning in his chair, he looked over at Phobos, who simply smiled meekly and gave a little wave.
Adell: I knew Prince Riven. He was keenly interested in the Carpathian system of government, and I shared all I knew. Artemis was his chief scientist while we were there.
Adell now adopted a grim, stern expression and looked Aire unwaveringly in the eye.
Adell: Now, hold on to yourself, but you've heard of Wishmaster, right?
Aire looked on in horror, desperately hoping this new line of conversation wasn't going where he thought it was.
Aire: Le... legend said that Wishmaster was a devil who terrorized the our planet in secret back in the days before Riven became king.
Adell: Wishmaster was no legend either. He was real and he was a demigod. It took the combined efforts of me, Artemis, Phobos, and several others, to finally kill him. Ksenva mentioned Empress Lazmaedia. She is another evil demigod the dragons have told us about. We all hoped she was dead, but if this is really Lazmaedia and she's in control of the elf planet, this is a problem for all of us.
Aire slumped in his chair, rubbing his forehead. Everything, all of this, was just too unbelievable, and yet too crazy for someone to just make up.
Aire: No, this can't be true. This is insane! All of this! What is really going on here?
Adell: We also met a nice demigod there. His name was Hades and we defeated Wishmaster with his help. Thanks to Hades, I can do this.
Adell held out his hand and Aire watched in astonishment as the stone paperweight sitting on Adell's desk zinged into his hand and began to spin several inches above his palm.
Adell: Stone, iron, copper, basically many things that aren't alloys. Hades is also the reason why I look as young as I do. Artemis can commune with animals and accelerate life processes. He can do something as simple as heal a wound or accelerate aging up to death in the space of seconds. Thanks to him, Specialist Ikari did not die from his burn injuries.
Adell momentarily diverted his attention to Artemis.
Adell: In fact, you should probably see of Dr. Teagan needs any help. I'll brief you later.
Artemis: Yeah, that's a good idea.
Artemis left while Aire slumped further in his chair, eyes wide and completely speechless. The misgivings he had earlier now had an explanation, though one far more fantastical than anything he ever dreamed. The razorbear haggis. The boyish looks. Captain Yoshida's off-hand comment that Adell had seen more than anyone could possibly imagine. If this were a prank played on Aire, it was an impossibly elaborate one. It now occurred to him that his background as a Rameweti could be the reason why Adell selected him in the first place.
Aire: Is this why you chose me? Because I would recognize all of these references if we did encounter another... what did you call it? Demigod?
Adell rose from his chair and rounded his desk, patting Aire on his shoulder.
Adell: I thought it incredibly unlikely I'd ever hear of another one of these demigods again. I selected you for the same reason I would select anyone. You are a highly skilled individual whose talents were being wasted having you hidden behind a desk.
Aire: It's going to take me time to process this.
Adell: You know that Ryuu is a story dragon who can share his memories and ours with you. That will help fill in the gaps. Ryuu can also drain the power of a demigod, which was key to defeating Wishmaster.
Ryuu approached and took Aire's hand in his paw.
Ryuu: It'll take some time, so we can go over to the captain's lounge where we can have some privacy.
Commissioned art in this episode from:
Jenova87
Zelbunnii
Less_End
Thatwildmary
Colourbrand
