Ghost Ship (Closed)

[Nemesis]

December 19th
L2 Cluster
Omer Science & Technology Colony "Sirus" Spaceport



"That's... not possible..."

Truth, it turns out, is stranger than fiction.

This expression was far from Rowena Koenig's mind as she'd heard the news upon her return from the United Nations: That the League had a new, unexpected ally.

Negotiations with NUNS had been short, and curt. The spacefaring bureaucratic body would take months to mull over the League's request for a Fold-capable ship that could quickly move their forces to Jupiter to strike back at the Jovian Lizards. Not even two days later, the long-lost fleet, the Galaxy, had resurfaced - in League airspace, no less. It couldn't just be a coincidence - she wouldn't have believed it if she weren't there herself, staring at its colossal deck with unbelieving eyes.

Its appearance had been as sudden and unexpected as any could imagine - and was met immediately by a gushing League press release.

"We welcome the Galaxy Fleet, which has been conducting deep space research and exploration, as allies in our fight against the Jovian Lizards. Our shared passion for how technology lights the way for human development will, we anticipate, serve as an example to other, less animated governing bodies.

The League of Ruling Companies would like to encourage our staff not to spread any salacious rumors or gossip that may have originated in the Galaxy's long absence. Such accusations are unfounded, slanderous, and will be dealt with accordingly."

Below, carefully sealed containers were being loaded onto the battleship - ones containing the Frighteners' Kataphrakts. The Earth invasion plan had, for all intents and purposes, been cancelled - and the League's super weapons were about to be turned upon the Jovian menace. And then, of course, word had come down: she would have the privilege of leading the assault. A death sentence in all but name, given the estimates she'd seen. Served her right, she thought grimly, for tipping her hand just a little early. Perhaps the higher ups had been unhappy with her decision making regarding the Jovian visitor?

Or perhaps... the BAHRAM call...?

Did they know?

She shook her head within her spacesuit, as she landed on the deck, trying not to even think of that possibility. Its surface was pockmarked with debris from distant stars, and she wondered briefly just how such a vessel was related to the League in the first place. She'd have plenty of time to figure it out...

They moved out tomorrow.

 

[Nemesis]

Galaxy Reception Area

There wasn't a thing about this place that didn't feel artificial, Rowena thought. The stiff, synthetic chairs. The acidic, chemical tinge of the coffee she'd been offered. The recycled air being pumped through the vents. It was a far cry from the Colonies, which at least tried to ape humanity's home planet - no, the people here had embraced the falsehoods man had cultivated in adversity, and in doing so, made it an altogether different kind of "real".

She sat rigidly in her seat, hands closed about the coffee, as a man in a blazer entered the waiting room. He didn't look like a cyborg, she thought, but a shake of his hand, and she could already feel the difference in strength.



"Welcome aboard the Galaxy. Would you like some soylent?" Said the newcomer with a wide smile, holding up a green-colored plastic package. Rowena's face ran the gamut of expressions, before he laughed - a slow, halting process, as though he weren't used to it.

"Ha ha. Only joking... We do have a sense of humor here, Miss Koenig." He said, putting the package back in his pocket as he did so.

Rowena's eyes narrowed slightly - there was someone else here as well, she noticed, lingering at the doorway. Watching them, carefully.

"...You know who I am?" She asked, uncertainly.

"Of course. The League delivered our personnel lists the other day... We've already gotten your AI loaded aboard as well - Pharsti wasn't it? Quite a fascinating piece of kit-"

Rowena's frosty smile could have cut steel as she said, thinly:

"She's not for sale."

"Perish the thought." Said the man, raising his hands innocently - but paused, as if to correct himself, clapping them together.

"Oh, where are my manners? I am Captain Felix Coda, and this is... well, an important guest of ours. Would you like to introduce yourself?"

The second individual sauntered out into full view - and Rowena found herself taken aback. The height, for one thing - and how terribly thin they were, their entire body clad in a red, strange looking garment that was like plastic or cellophane. She extended her hand - but the figure instead gave a low, girlish curtsy.



"Nice to meet you. This is my first time meeting a Terran from outside the ship." She said, in a faint, whispery voice that the Frightener had to strain to hear.

"My name is Techne... I serve the great Emperor Mateus, in the distant Joker System."

At this, Rowena's eyebrow cocked up, and she looked in the direction of Captain Coda - who was already launching into an explanation.

"The Emperor has been a very supportive patron of ours. He's quite the visionary, and asked for Miss Techne here to act as an ambassador of sorts. We're making history here, my dear - a new chapter in human interstellar relations!"

Techne bowed her head, hands clasped at her waist as she did so.

"By all means, don't worry yourself on my account. I am merely here to observe."

"What you're seeing is one of the customary dresses of Joker. They're... a culture that values humility, you could say." Added Coda, as if trying to hurry past the subject.

"In any case... We're glad to have you aboard. This little expedition will be taken care of in no time."

There was a clink as Rowena lowered her coffee cup, having let the two of them do the majority of the talking. She'd heard of there being other stars, of course, other places in the galaxy the NUNS had visited and colonized... but it was her first time meeting someone from there. Especially one with such... conservative tastes.

"I hope so too, Captain." She said, finally.

"For all our sake. Now, please show me to my quarters. I have... a lot of work to get started on."

 

[Nemesis]

Later that evening...

"Felix Coda... Captain of the Macross Galaxy. Hand picked by Corporate sponsors from the academy, top of his class. No particular specialty or experience. Presumed dead, MIA with his ship..."

Rowena leafed through her notes, sparse as they were, with one finger flicking across the tablet's surface as she made her way towards the hanger. The other held a zero-g friendly pouch of cold-brew coffee that she sipped on, only half paying attention at she entered the enormous inner hangar of the battlecruiser. A flash of white caught her attention - and she paused in wonderment, eyes tracing up an immaculate leg to the spined, regal form occupying the center of the room. Android crew members buzzed around it in silence, wielding all manner of tools she'd never seen before in her life.

As she stared up at the Gothicmade in shock and awe, for all in the world she could have sworn the thing looked back - and shook her head. Clearly she'd been up and awake too long.

"...So this is a Jokerian war machine..." She said aloud, clicking a picture with her tablet. In the distance, she spied the woman in red, who was busying herself about the thing's neck, inspecting something.

What were they up to...?

 

[Kujo]

December 19th
L1, Macross Vermillion, Captain Alkrijn's office.

"Of course, we don't mean it to be imperative to clean up our mess, but..."
"Think nothing of it, Ms. Long."
"Sorry, could you turn the air on or something, I'm breaking a sweat over here."

Captain Alkrijn looked between the guests before him. On his left the bulky form of the N.U.N.G.'s speaker. William Blocker, and on his right the fresh faced Zentraedi chief of Spacy operations, Zedias Long. Hardly more than a week back in the Earth Sphere and the fleet had already been visited by not one but two of the New U.N.'S Big Five.

"Of course," replied the captain, retrieving a small remote from a door in his long desk. "It may be winter but the Vermillion doesn't get the same climate control the city does." The Zentran captain tugged at his bulky uniform. "I suppose I'm just used to it," he mused. William casually loosened his tie and suit collar in response. "Normally I'd say the same, but I'm still fresh from Russia. All this er- new holiday weight was nice down there but now it's coming back to bite me, especially with all the running around this situation has me doing." The speaker looked dryly at the captain, as if looking for some sort of sympathy. Alkrijn merely replied, "You say that, but what exactly is the issue with the Galaxy being here?" William's thick brow shaded his sharp eyes. "The issue is that it's not supposed to be here." He sighed, cutting his own melodrama. "At least, not like this; not after just disappearing."

Captain Alkrijn raised an eyebrow at this, to which Zedias quickly chimed in. "Given how far out the Vermillion was at the time, it makes sense you wouldn't have much information like that," she said. "The Galaxy is a frontier fleet just like the Vermillion, except you're what we like to call a 'Mission Fleet'. You were equipped as any other frontier unit but your purpose was only to ensure that the Azure reached a suitable location. That's why you're here back in the Earth Sphere."

"The Galaxy lost contact with all Spacy communications several decades ago. Hardly an immediate concern as you know, but we haven't seen hide nor tail of them until a few years ago."

"Years?"

"Yes, well, they haven't exactly answered any of our calls if you can believe it. They haven't done anything until now except loosely hang around Jupiter's orbit."

"So imagine our surprise when they finally wanna talk and the first people they shack up with is the League," interjected William, clearly exasperated. Captain Alkrijn idly crossed his arms. "So what do you want us to do about it, should we ready the cannons?" The Speaker put his hands to his thighs as he stood up from where he sat. "No. At least. Not yet if we can help it," he said as he ambled closer to an air conditioning vent. "Frankly we were hoping that if the Galaxy doesn't bite the League then their little crusade against the Lizards would. We all know what kind of things are just out there on the frontiers; remember what happened with the 7?"

Zedias shook her head, as if dismissing something. "We want you to be on high alert. Anything could happen with this situation," she said grimly. "How is progress on your fleet's new Variable Fighter?"

"The 25?" The Captain looked off to the side as he thought. "I believe our experimental squad is scheduled to handle the first units soon, though we do have a transfer to take care of first."

 

[Fenrir367]

Following the red-oufited Fatima, three more characters entered the room with her, the sound of metal dangling against itself from the first character. Three women entered behind Techne, peering both at Felix and Rowena.

Differing from the affable mood of Felix or the reserved voice of Techne, Acacia held a cold and serious look on her face, a poor habit of her time as a Knight. On each side of her, her own Fatimas accompanied her, each a contrastive image of the other.

After Techne had introduced herself Acacia spoke up.

“I am Acacia Lux, of House Vitalis. I serve Emperor Mateus as one of his Knights. Feel free to think of us as little more than babysitters for Techne here.”

Her cold gaze was broken momentarily by a cheeky grin, though she quickly resumed her resting bitch face. She gave a brief bow to those present.

“These are my two Fatimas, Mistelteinn and Lævatein.”

She gestured to her two companions who each gave their own greeting.

The blonde side-bangs snaked along the sides of her face as she shook her head and gave a sigh of annoyance at Rowena.

Meanwhile the white-haired Lævatein gave a graceful curtsy at the new arrival. One could see the image of fire and water between the two fatima, their opposite personalities perhaps a wonder to others of how they got along with each other.

Acacia shifted her gaze from Rowena to Techne, her charge given by Emperor Mateus. This expedition was paramount to the continued survival of Joker and Mateus had his hopes on this lone Fatima. Beyond first look there seemed to be many facets to this journey, though it all accumulated in one goal.

Then there was the case of Macross Galaxy. They were a peculiar group for the Emperor to ally with, but they were at least able to front the logistics and maintenance for a Jokerian expedition to the Earth Sphere. Acacia found it hard to trust anyone on this trip, but perhaps it was just her gut that was telling her so. She hardly took the words of bureaucrats as truth at first glance. They all had their own agendas they wanted to keep hidden from the public.

There was a lot to think about with this mission, but even with all that said she was to play the role of Knight Protector for the while and so she would fulfill it in whole. However, beyond guarding Techne there was one thing of interest that Mateus had told her; of the Knight of Gold and its Meight. Despite the common populace of Joker thinking of the machine as a pile of junk, she was told to approach it with caution. Just what was so special about it? She was intrigued in meeting its pilot and seeing what kind of person they were.

_____
Galaxy Hangar

Acacia took sight of Rowena having made her way into the hangar, gawking as most would to the Gothicmade standing idle. She approached the woman, the sound of her armor rustling giving sign to Rowena of Acacia's presence.

"It's impressive to say the least."

Acacia spoke up to the visitor, approaching her side looking up in unison. Despite being a war-machine that was a super weapon in its own right, the Gothicmade had a peculiar beauty to its design, like a carefully forged sculpture. One might see it more as an art piece than a destructive weapon. She looked up to Techne probably making more tuning adjustments to the machine. For such a machine perhaps it was only obvious that its maintenance requirements were astronomical.

"Even on Joker it's a one-of-a-kind."

She turned to look at Rowena, placing a hand over her chest and took a bow, giving her a knightly greeting.

"Lady Koenig. Getting acquainted with the interior? It’s quite the labyrinth; this ship. I’ve found myself lost several times.”

Despite her RBF, she tried to give off a friendly, yet professional tone; if but a tad too formal.

 

[Nemesis]

"Miss Acacia... Or, should I say "Sir"?"

Rowena, seemingly aware she'd been caught gawking, scooped her jaw off the floor like a cat that'd been caught eyeballing the family canary. As though trying to remember the motion, she half-dipped into a curtsey... only to realize the lack of skirt made it difficult. Somewhere overhead, Techne giggled, causing the Frightener to shoot her a glare.

"Pardon me. I'm not familiar with the customs on... Joker, wasn't it?" She said, putting a hand under her chin.

There was something about her posture, her presence that was just unnatural, she thought. Larger than life, almost. The way the bones were shaped seemed so different from those of Earth. Eventually, curiosity overpowered anxiety, and she turned her gaze to the other two Fatima.

"Are... all your women so thin? And... tall?"

 

[Fenrir367]

“Ser Vitalis.”

She corrected Rowena and folded her arms and shifted her gaze to Techne above.

“Fatimas are… different from you and I. You could say they were born that way.”

It was a lengthy discussion to explain the origins of Fatima and how they were made. She tried to phrase it as simply as possible but perhaps she just made it more vague.

Mistelteinn and Lævatein had been remaining quiet at the sides of Acacia, though Mistelteinn had been eyeing Rowena since arriving, almost like a predator trying to sniff out prey or size up a foe.

“You seem… uneasy.”

Perhaps she managed to sniff something out from Rowena, Mistelteinn asked the woman. She took a step closer and looked down on the black-haired woman, her ice-cold blue eyes gazing into Rowena’s soul.

“Does our appearance bother you?”

She spoke almost antagonistically, the gap between the two having closed to mere inches.

Acacia looked at the two and gave a somewhat exasperated sigh, the scene looking like a tiger standing over a fox. Lævatein on the other hand had a somewhat concerned look on her face, thinking that Mistelteinn may just scare off the earthling woman.

Acacia thought to step in and break things up, but it was also amusing to watch; and she was curious how the woman would react.

 

[Nemesis]

Rowena seemed taken aback by the forcefulness of the taller woman - the "Fatima", she'd called her. There was something off-putting about their elongated features, their unnatural beauty... but, she stood her ground. Keeping her cool as best as she could.

"I'd be lying if I said it didn't." She confessed, flatly.

"I'm an inspector with the Large Scale Enterprises Central Committe... or, LCC for short. We set - and enforce - rules, laws, regulations here in the Colonies. There are strict limits on genetic enhancements..."

(Or maybe genetic torture might be more appropriate.) She thought, privately. Not all of her job was for show, after all. Some of the things she'd seen, uncovered, the black market for genetic enhancements... the back-alley clinics, the organ-thieves... Just the thought them made her stomach churn. There had been a doctor once, she remembered. One obsessed with breathing life into what he considered "beauty". Unfortunately, his way of sating this fixation had involved nabbing young women off the streets, and making them look like-

Well. These.

"...of course, I'm sure a society as cultured and advanced as your own would see such a thing differently." She finished, hands going into her jacket's pockets as she looked back towards the "knight".

"The only knights here, you'll find in places like Cephiro."

 

[Fenrir367]

Mistelteinn clenched her teeth as the woman spoke, ready to explode on the smaller girl if she even spoke the wrong words.

“Mistelteinn, relax. She’s not our enemy, let’s not scare her off or sour things with our great benefactors.”

Acacia finally spoke up, with but a hint of sarcasm tinged in her voice.

“This is a diplomatic mission after all.”

She placed her hand on Mistelteinn’s shoulder, causing her to relax and step back. She had a somewhat unsatisfied look on her face, but she at least wasn’t threatening to put anyone in danger.

Acacia could only fear for the poor girl in front of her should Mistelteinn lay into her.

“Your opinions are very interesting to hear, Lady Koenig. There is some truth that many in Joker see such enhancements as ‘necessary’ for life there…”

Her expression turned slightly somber at her own words. She ill-liked the fate of Fatimas and they way they were almost treated as slaves for the masters was disgusting to her. She wanted to think she was different, both Mistelteinn and Lævatein following her of their own will rather than being brainwashed.

But maybe she was a hypocrite all the same.

“Chivalry is not commonplace on earth then, is it?”

She could take a breath of relief, never having been a fan of the stuffy culture of Chivalry. Such an idealistic form of society that only becomes plagued with corruption.

 

[Nemesis]

"We take a more... egalitarian view. Under the law here, men and woman are equal." Explained Rowena, grateful as Acacia reigned her underling's temper in, some of the tension leaving her voice as she spoke.

But, before she could continue... the one in red spoke up.

"It's more complicated than that, Miss Rowena. We Fatima aren't human, after all."

Techne dropped down to the assembled group, rising into a perfectly prim and proper pose, as she gave a slight bow. Even this slight sign of servility seemed to irk Rowena somewhat, a minute narrowing of the eyes as Techne gestured to herself, long, elegant fingers brushing against the shiny, plastic fabric.

"We exist to serve our masters, mind, body, and soul. It's not something I expect you to understand."

The disgust on the inspector's face was clear enough that Techne continued, without missing a beat, cocking her head quizzically.

"Do you pity us?"

Rowena folded her arms and glowered. There seemed to be something of a contest of wills going on between the two of them, mask notwithstanding, as they glared into one another's eyes, daring the other to back down.

"There's places, cultures on Earth that take more... conservative viewpoints on equality, of course." Said Rowena, levelly. "Broadly speaking, we believe the circumstances of your birth shouldn't determine the life you live."

"Is that so? Because, I pity you."

The audacity of this statement caused whatever rebuttal was forming in Ro's throat to die, being replaced with a slow, deliberate:

"...Excuse me?"

Techne folded her hands on her lap, as if she were gazing downward, contemplating her words with great care. Her timorous voice was surprisingly steady, her words clarion clear.

"There's joy in knowing, and fulfilling one's purpose. One's role. The security of knowing one's place in the world, in society writ large. What you call freedom is an unnecessary burden. Who would take care of me? Who would protect me? Why would you torment us so, forcing us to makes choices we were never meant to?"

Rowena scowled - but Techne instead bowed her head, as if in supplication.

"Please, do not treat us as "people". We are "tools". Thinking otherwise... Will only cause us both pain, and disappointment."

There was a stiff silence, before Rowena turned her gaze on Acacia. Unfair though it may be - there was disgust in her expression, as though she couldn't bear to look at the monstrosities before her any longer.

"Pardon me." She said, tightly.

"I think I've learned all I care to know for one evening."

...And with that, she stormed away. Techne rose from her bow, watching her leave from the corner of her eye... and waited expectantly for Acacia to speak, as was her standing.

 

[Fenrir367]

“It’s disgusting.”

Mistelteinn turned to Techne, and made several violent steps, closing the gap between the two.

“I’ve seen what we Fatima have been subject to at the hands of our ‘masters’.”

Her eyebrows lowered as she looked into the Fatima’s mask.

“Its as you say, we’re their tools. Their tools of pleasure, of conquest… Just thinking about it makes me sick.”

Acacia looked on at her Fatima going toe-to-toe to Techne, finding the whole situation amusing that she had just been against Rowena moments ago and was now in agreement with her. Lævatein had shrunk behind Acacia, her eyes down and to the side, biting her lip in a pained pout. Acacia moved her hand to grab hold of Lævatein’s and firmly squeeze it, comforting her companion.

“And all the while there’s naught we can do as the mind control makes us subordinate to the Headdliner who chooses us.”

Memories came back from her time imprisoned in the black market; she saw the atrocities committed on Fatimas by Headdliners and others. The condition they were brought to, the light that had faded from their eyes. Every event experienced grew her anger twofold.

“To be treated as nothing more than a tool, abandoned and thrown away once we’ve outlived our usefulness; it's a damning fate.”

“-Now Mistelteinn, let’s relax. Nothing you say is going to change her mind. She doesn’t possess the same freedom you have.”

In all truth, Acacia shared the same feelings as Mistelteinn; that’s why she chose her to be her Fatima. She had no interest in a master-slave relationship and always saw the idea of it as displeseant. Being a knight, however, she chose not to explicitly state her feelings about the situation, her Fatima clearly saying enough for the both of them.

She placed a hand on Mistelteinn’s shoulder, trying to calm her down.

“Let’s all be friends now, shall we?”

She gave an empty smile to the two Fatima, before looking in the direction of which Rowena ran off to.

“Unsurprisingly it seems the culture shock is as intense as I imagined it to be.”

Mistelteinn stepped back from Techne, relaxing her body and returning to Acacia’s side. Lævatein seemed hesitant and uneasy near the blonde Fatima, clenching Acacia’s hand tighter. The headdliner winced briefly at her Fatima’s grip, but kept a friendly expression on her face.

“Techne, is the Luna Flight Unit ready as well? We’ll be lending a brief hand to the Galaxy against these ‘lizards’. To be rallying as many forces as they are, I can only wonder just how much a threat these Jovians pose to Earth. It’s surely going to be an interesting battle.”

 

[Kujo]

"What's all the commotion about, Techne?" A tender voices came across the emptiness of the hanger.

A tall man flanked to one side by three others of similar stature had called out. Fine garb and all, it was clear these four were Jokerian; to those from the star cluster, the man would have been well acquainted even without prior introduction during their stay. This was none other than Seldin DeSain, fifth Mirage Right of the Far Eastern Mirage Corps. To his side, the lean figure of Ren Tenkai Force II, third of the Mirage Left. Farther down the line were their Fatimas, Linaria and Juste respectively. The two were as modestly dressed as one could expect for the living computers, however the former wore a great bundle of frilled cloth that formed a loose robe that shaded her face while the latter simply wore her usual thin, billowing cloak with the sculpted beauty of her face on full display.

"It's not healthy to worry yourself with frivolous arguments, you know."

Ren looked idly off the side at the machines on display while his Fatima stared warily at Mistelteinn and her knight.

It was considerably rare to spot the two imperial Headdliners, even considering the clinical structure of the Galaxy. One would be more likely to find them sequestered in a "spacious" laboratory that the tan skinned Mirage Right had commandeered, yet here they were all the same. For all this time not a single glimpse of their fabled Mortar Headds was caught save for a conspicuous and large white container bearing the red cross of the FEMC, so it was anyone's guess as to why the two knights were about at this time- much less in the hangar.

 

[Nemesis]

As Misteltainn railed against the unfairness of their plight, Acacia may have felt Techne's gaze slide towards her. Mateus had instructed her to ignore, for the time being, the strangeness of the Fatima in question. In due time, she imagined a replacement was inevitable... but for now, she kept silent in the face of the provocation, hands modestly folded on her lap, expression hidden behind her veil. It was only when Acacia addressed her directly that she spoke up once more.

"Yes, Ser Vitalis. The output of the sun out here is considerably lower than what we are used to. It will take some time to fully adjust the Gothicmade's engine, but... Testing its effectiveness against the Jovians may be to our advantage..."

She placed a finger to her lips, thoughtfully tapping the surface of the mask as she reflected on their other primary objective.

"...Especially for when we encounter the Destiny Mirage."

The golden Mortar Headd. She'd seen it once - garish and gilded, little more than a gleaming prop, a symbol of Tsukuyomi's indifference to the suffering of his people. In order for the new order to be welcomed, Mateus had told them, the symbols of the old needed to be destroyed - and what better to do so than the Gothicmade? Her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the two knights, and she pivoted on the spot to address them at once.

"Ser Desain, Ser Force." - The two Mirage Knights were greeted with a bow of the head from Techne, the plastic-like material of her dress rustling gently with the effort. Her voice, thin as it was was, at least seemed to be feigning remorse.

"Thank you for your concern. I only wished for her not to worry on my account."

Any other resident of Joker would have paled at the sight of multiple Mirage Knights in one place, if not voided their bowels on the spot. It was a good thing, she mused, that the Earthlings were ignorant of such arrangements, and mostly kept their distance from the tall, strangely dressed aliens. She had learned a great deal about their... culture, for lack of better term. But, what was it Master Mateus saw in this place?

"Well, it isn't too much of an issue. I understand most of the League personnel on this ship are, sadly, being sent to their demise. We are to remain on standby and protect the Galaxy, in case of any incident. Master Mateus does not wish for us to expend too much in the way of material while so far from home."