Star Fleet: The Revenge of Makara

[Vanessa]

Heh heh Cool!I'm really enjoying this story. It's just so gripping..Top stuff!At last, Makara is back!

[Shane]

Chapter 12: Rebirth‘Commander Makara?’ was that her name? The frail damaged woman lying in the makeshift pod thought to herself. Her mind was elsewhere; roaming the infinite landscape of the unconscious. She had been on this journey for quite a while now and in that time had only heard the occasional whisper. It had always been the same name though, ‘Mary!’ Was that her name? Or was she really Commander Makara? This new name was certainly far from whispered as its shockwave threatened to tear her world apart.Her soul had visited many weird and wonderful places in the time that she had spent in her comatose state. On the way she had met many strange alternate versions of herself which seemed to relate to the environment she was travelling through at the time. Some were quite alien and primitive to her and the remaining stored memories she had of herself, although she wasn’t sure if even these were hers or not. The one thing that was clear in her fractured mind was that she had been sent to this strange domain by a giant red devil with 3 beating human hearts. This beast would sometimes return and force her to leave her current doppelganger behind as she tried to escape the fiery red devil. She wondered how many times her other selves had fell to this monster? One day she would destroy it, she vowed! But would she ever get that opportunity now that the very fabric of her world was being pulled apart. Whether this was her name or not, it meant apocalypse.Makara regained consciousness and moaned at the pain she was now enduring. The Dai-X had crushed her body just over a year ago sending her mind into a coma. Her battleship had broken up into many pieces after the Dai-X had destroyed it from the inside and she had found herself floating through space in part of its wreckage. The weakened symbiont had taken over control of Makara and utilised the Thalian technology on board to build a life support unit for its counterpart. The defeat of The Imperial Master saw a new set of implanted instructions appear in the symbiont’s mind - They were to head for the nearest gravity well and sleep in the dark shadows of Sargasso. The great strategic mind of The Imperial Master always planned several moves ahead in his cosmic game of chess with the F01! ‘Makara, I can feel the pain you are in. I can make it stop with just one word.’ said the Imperial master in a dread tone. Makara could not see who was addressing her, but she knew who he was and she did not like it one little bit. Her time spent in her sleep had awoken different perspectives. She’d had a life or two before the Imperial Master had perverted her; using her as his agent of evil. It wasn’t a question of morals as she felt there had been both good and evil inside her in the past, no! It was a question of choice and he had taken that away from her. ‘I... will not... say it!‘ was the wounded warrior’s response. She felt the pain inside increase and cried out. This wasn’t related to her injuries however as The Imperial Master, who was now in control of her symbiont was using its connection to her nervous system to torture her broken body.‘Don’t be a fool Makara! Serve me and I will rebuild your pathetic frame and grant you what you desire the most... Revenge!’‘Revenge?’ questioned Makara at first, before remembering the giant red beast that haunted her dreams. The Dai-X had done this to her! Piloted by Shiro Hagen and his lieutenants - John Lee, and, the one who delivered the ‘deathblow‘, Barry Hercules. If joining with the Imperial Master again meant a chance to avenge herself, maybe it was worth the sacrifice of her reborn memories. What use would these memories be anyway if she was dead?‘How?’ whispered Makara.‘A weak mind is about to break, leaving its powerful giant shell ripe for the taking. I grant this to you if you pledge yourself to me. Refuse, and you will die... Slowly!’Makara wondered why The Imperial Master didn’t just take control of her via her symbiont. The truth was her symbiont had been permanently weakened trying to keep its counterpart alive. There was also the fact that the Imperial Master’s abilities weren’t as strong in the spirit form that he currently assumed. Still, there was no doubt in her mind that a slow painful death beckoned if she didn’t accept his offer.‘What is the word Makara? Say it!’Makara finally relented, ‘Yes!’‘Good.’ was the evil spirit’s reply. Inside the pod, attachments started to disconnect, freeing Makara from her imprisonment. An invisible force elevated her body into the air and she floated out of a newly formed exit. Makara could now see the ghostly image of The Imperial Master for the first time; it reminded her of his holographic form that had terrorised her time and time again in the past. Before she could think about anything else she was hit by a beam of energy originating from the direction of the Master’s spirit. She was bathed in blinding light which caused pain to spread across the remains of her organic body. The Imperial Master went to work re-sculpting Makara’s battered exterior; mending bone and fusing metal attachments to it, while also, with the help of her symbiont, repressing any memories that might have re-surfaced during her time spent in Sargasso. He then completed the mental sculpture by amplifying her desire for revenge. In a few short minutes he was finished. ‘You are reborn!’ he bellowed! Makara had been miraculously brought back from near-death and now looked as she once did before her savage beating at the hands of the Dai-X.‘I am grateful to you my master!’ She pulled out her blade, ‘My sword is yours!’The Imperial Master gave out an evil cackle and explained his plan, ‘I have set a chain of events in motion that will lead to my eventual release from my ethereal prison, but there is an outside force that threatens my well laid plans. The Great Skull has slept for an age, but has now risen to thwart my destiny. You must remove this threat! Only then will I grant you the means to gain your revenge.’The word revenge echoed in Makara’s mind, ‘Yes Imperial Master! He will be eliminated!’‘You will need an appropriate vessel for your mission.’ growled the evil master’s voice in a low bass tone. His spirit surveyed the battle cruiser wreckage. The makeshift pod constructed by Makara's symbiont would provide a good base of raw Thalian material to fashion into a more fitting vessel for his reborn emissary. The Imperial Master’s spirit flew into the pod as quick as lightening. The Thalian wreckage soon started to glow white hot and began reshaping itself; drawing in various parts from nearby shipwrecks to supplement the main Thalian building block. A hull was formed and then a few twists and turns later masts sprouted out of the main structure. From these masts, large metal sails unfurled and connected themselves to booms which were simultaneously being sculpted out of the molten metal. In a few short dazzling minutes The Imperial Master had finished his masterpiece. His drained spirit departed the shining vessel which instantly cooled down from its previous white-hot condition. 'Behold!' boomed the Imperial Master, 'The Bloody Mary!' A more than apt name for this vessel, for in the past Makara had infamously been referred to by this moniker, among other equally imposing titles. Makara pondered the long delirious voyage of her splintered mind that had just come to an end, the Imperial Master hadn’t been completely successful. ‘Mary!’ she thought to herself. That name seemed to be significant; like an echo from across time and space. There were questions that needed to be answered regarding her past, but they would have to wait, as there was the matter of an overriding desire for revenge on those responsible for her near death experience.Before Makara now floated a 40 foot long beautifully sinister Thalian version of the Skull’s sailing ship. Makara floated over to the vessel and planted her feet onto the deck. The ship could project a controllable gravitational field at her mind’s command; it could even generate a life supporting oxygen bubble, not that Makara required air to live. The only thing that she lived for now was revenge! She would happily do the Imperial Master’s bidding if it allowed her to exact a slow and painful vengeance against the crew of X-Bomber and that giant metal monster of theirs. ‘You have your mission, Makara. Destroy The Great Skull and I will see to it that you have the means to take your revenge on those accursed humans!’ Bellowed the spirit of evil. Just ahead of Makara’s ship an eerie red warp gate formed. ’This will take you to the sector of space that he is currently travelling through. ‘Hunt him down! Kill him Makara! ’ Makara Bowed, ‘By your divine guidance!’ With just the power of thought she sent her sailing ship through the warp gate. The Imperial Master’s spirit, now weakened by all of the energy he had expended, could slowly feel himself being sucked back into the ethereal realm. As his spirit faded he gave out a final maniacal laugh. His plan was proceeding perfectly.

[Zordon]

simply awesome man.

[Shane]

Thanks a lot, Zordon, I appreciate that. That was a ruddy hard chapter write!

[Crash]

He's right!... please continue.

[Vanessa]

OMG!!! The crux of TROM has risen again!!!Ha Ha Haaa! I'm glad I came across this forum... More please!

[Shane]

Cheers. Well, I suppose I had better get cracking with the next 12 chapters then. I'll finish this yet...

[Shane]

Chapter 13: Planetary AssaultA gate of pure light opened in the darkness of space and from it emerged X-Bomber and its escort of X-Fighters. The journey had been instantaneous; one second they had been in the depths of Sargasso the next they had been spat out into the dark void of the Thalian Zone. It was actually hard to tell where one ended and the other began as The Thalian Zone seemed to be devoid of all star light, however the crushing gravity of Sargasso had ceased and X-Bomber's power system's were slowly returning to normal so they were out of danger, for the time being.A few millitons ahead lay their target known as the so-called: ‘Lost World of the Ancients’ by some, but designated by Star Fleet Command for the purposes of this mission as Gelma 2. The small fleet of ships that had vacated the now closed warp gate remained stationary. Energy supplies needed to return to normal and a tactical plan of action was required to be formulated. They had found their planet, but who or what would they encounter on its surface and how would they find them?‘Ok that was fun! Let’s not do that again in a hurry though eh guys? said Lee in his comically sarcastic tone.‘You can say that again, Lee!’ agreed Hercules. ‘That’s twice now we’ve escaped Sargasso by the skin of our teeth. We’re tempting fate here!’‘I am speechless. I must re-check my computations as for once I seem to be in full agreement with Lieutenant Hercules.’ blurted PPA.‘Knock it off you guys, we made it in one piece. Lamia didn’t let us down!’ said Shiro, who for a brief moment in Sargasso had thought that Lamia might have indeed forsaken them. ‘Father, Gelma 2 is four millitons away. What’s our next move?’Professor Hagen pondered the question. He had found of late that he was being asked more military questions than scientific ones. He had completed basic training in his academy days, like everyone else who wanted to serve with Star Fleet Command, but his incredible scientific abilities guaranteed his path would be an academic one. Truth be told he would have made a good Commander, maybe even a General if he had chosen to take the military path. Now the fates had conspired to place him in just such a position. All those games of chess with General Kyle had paid off and the Professor possessed a solid strategic mind to complement his other more well known abilities.‘Shiro. Take Braincom and assume command of the X-Fighter wing. Fly towards Gelma 2 in a protective formation in advance of the X-Bomber. We don’t know what to expect, but this is the domain of the Imperial Master, so be vigilant, my son.’ said the Professor.‘Yes Father.’ replied Shiro as he made his way to the docking car.‘Hercules, Lee, mount the gun ports.’ said the Professor.‘Yes sir!’ replied the two lieutenants although with differing levels of excitement.‘PPA you’re with me. Monitor systems and be ready in case of a trap.’‘Yes Professor Hagen.’ responded PPA in a proud electronic tone.Professor Hagen had learned many things from his games of chess with General Kyle; one of those lessons was that an entire game can change with one move. Little did he know that the Imperial Master had already made his decisive move in this cosmic game of chess and that this particular game was indeed about to change.Briancom launched from the underside of X-Bomber and took up a position well ahead of the main ship. The wing of X-Fighters then split into two groups and formed up in a diagonal formation either side of Shiro's Dai-fighter. Professor Hagen's garbled voice sounded in Shiro's cockpit. 'The lead is yours Shiro. Head to Gelma 2. Full quantum speed!' Shiro replied and launched his formation towards the direction of the planet with the X-Bomber following behind. The planet soon appeared in their sights, gradually growing larger as they neared it. Before Shiro could get a good look at the planet a searing electronic warning tone rang out in his cockpit. 'X-Squadron. We have multiple missiles inbound! Take evasive manoeuvres!’ called out Shiro to the small fleet he now spearheaded. The Imperial Master's planetary defence system that had remained idle, save for one rogue platform, when Arkama's battle cruiser had entered its gaze had now awoken. The X-Fighter squadron broke formation and prepared for the onslaught of missiles heading in their direction. The first missile struck one of the X-Fighters head on. The initial blast only damaged the fighter, but the explosion had released many smaller explosive pods which attached themselves to the star fighter and exploded; tearing the ship into thousands of pieces. Shiro looked to his left, another X-Fighter had been destroyed. To his right, Emma Steel had successfully shot down the missile that was locked onto her and was targeting another. 3 missiles had passed through the formation, though, and were now heading towards X-Bomber.PPA raised the alarm. 'Professor we have 3 missiles closing in on our position!''PPA, adjust speed and direction. Give Hercules a clear shot!' ordered the Professor.Hercules checked his gun-scope; he could see the 3 blips approaching. He squeezed the trigger, letting off a salvo of laser fire that destroyed the first missile, but the other two still remained and were closing quickly. He fired again, destroying the second, but the third and final one was coming in too fast. Hercules shouted to his crew mates, 'One's broken through people. Brace for impact!' The missile hit the underside of X-Bomber and exploded followed shortly after by many smaller explosions. X-Bomber shook all over, but was still intact. PPA gave a status report. 'We have sustained minor damage to the hull, but all systems are stable.' The crew of X-Bomber wondered how many more hits they could take before their situation became critical. Meanwhile ahead of them the depleted X-Fighter squadron had made it through the first wave of missiles. It had cost them dearly, though, and they had already lost five of their number due to the ferocity of the attack. They could now make out the origin of the missile salvo as the ominous sight of a dozen ancient weapon platforms faced them. Shiro gave the order for half of the remaining fighters to fall back and cover X-Bomber while he and the others took the fight to the weapon platforms. The X-Fighters came into their own in close quarter combat and were able to knock out a couple of platforms with some well aimed laser torpedoes. The weapons platforms were unable to obtain a missile lock on the attacking X-Fighters, so instead relied on short ranged bursts of super high velocity projectiles. These passed through the energy shielding of one X-Fighter, cutting it in half. The ancient, but powerful weapons onboard these platforms represented the Gelma Empire in its prime. They weren’t as sophisticated as a laser torpedo or as devastating as a Delta laser, but they were never-the-less effective and a reminder to Human and Thalian alike not to underestimate so-called obsolete technology.The battered X-Bomber prepared to make its way through the orbital blockade and into the planet’s atmosphere. The X-Fighters created a pathway for the X-Bomber to fly through, keeping the remaining ancient weapon platforms busy while it flew through a wall of flack. Superheated metal bombarded the ship, lacerating its metal frame, as it passed through the atmosphere. The great vessel had taken a considerable beating and now, with its engines on fire, prepared to make a crash landing on the planet’s surface.

[Crash]

Awesome! It's crazy how close our ideas of the X-Bomber world are.

[Vanessa]

Another great chapter Top stuff Shane!I like the way you're already paving the way for "older" tech to begin to shine. Do I detect a hiss of Steam...punk? Poor X-bomber's got a bit tatered though I wonder what's next, it's all very gripping...