Rise and fall of the Shooting star

Chapter 2

"Light Arrives Death Falls"

"Ok sir....16 degrees......descend.....20 meters....15.....10.....5......launch nets!!!"The hanger commander shouts out the orders and takes a drag from his cigarette, then turns to the hanger doors...and stares in awe at what he saw. "Christ what a mess...Hanger crew to standby, fire crew to standby." The entire hanger crew rush to standby positions as the massive nets shoot up from the deck. The commander tosses his cigarette and attaches the helmet to his EVA suit "this is hanger 3 to bridge...ready"

"Rodger hanger, Bridge to Med lab...you are cleared to proceeded to Hanger 3. Bridge to all security personnel red alert, proceed to Hanger 3...Bridge out."Lancer sits back in the communication officer's chair. He looks over to the now empty captains chair and closes his eyes..."Murphy strikes again...."

Nex struggles with the controls as he transforms from solider mode to gerwalk, the engines in his VF-19 slow his decent"Crap stay still.... stay still damn it!" The Attitude gauge beings to pitch “Shit..Shit....!!" Nex fights with the control stick to the bitter end as his VF-19 tilts over and smashes into the massive nets. The enemy craft on his back rolls off and smashes into the deck.

Swarms of technicians and fire crew float towards the crash site as Nex blows the cockpit away. Engineers approach him

"Sir are you OK?!"As the crewmember detaches Nex's harness.

Nex removes his helmet and gives a thumbs up then points towards the alien craft"Where's this goddamn thing's cockpit!!"

The hanger crew responds "Well sir the head appears to be its sensor cluster.."

Nex interrupts "And Im guessin its not in its crotch right! Nex to Razek, join me at the crafts mid section“. The hanger crew's attention is now drawn to the alien craft lying on its back. Its massive wings take up most of the area as hanger crew fined it difficult to maneuver through the rubble.

Nex leaps out of his cockpit and reaches for his sidearm."Nex to Razek where are you!"

A team of security officers rush in and scramble towards the alien craft. They are followed by a large and muscular man, A scowl draws over his face as he cock his sidearm" I'm right here sir. Alpha team secure the craft, set all stun guns to maximum."

But as Razek sets to approach the alien's mid section, through the crowd of crewmen, a lone voice screams through"Out of my way Razek, There's an injured man in that thing!" Dr Lia Chen shoves Razek aside and runs toward the enemy craft with her team of doctors and nurses trailing behind her. She leaps on to one of the elevator pads and climbs toward the mid section of the alien craft.

Nex leaps and tackles the doctor and stands back up" Hold off doc! We don't know what the hell is in that thing!" Nex turns and joins Razek on the alien craft mid section guns pointed at what appears to be a hatch. Nex eyes down towards a leaver on the hatch's side as Razek reaches down towards it.

Nex screams down"Were blowin the hatch! " Each security member points their weapons towards the craft as Nex braces himself. Razek pulls the lever as the hatch blows away. smoke billows out of the cockpit as Nex and Razek activate the laser dots on their handguns.

The smoke clears away as Nex freezes in amazement" What!! that's it!!" He holsters his sidearm as the med team approaches the alien cockpit. "I cant believe that I got my ass kicked by a kid!! damnit!"

Dr Chen reaches inside the cockpit and gently pulls the unknown assailant out and places him on a stretcher. She reaches into her med kit and pulls out a scanning device. She sweeps it over his head and torso"No doubt about it he's human male 16 years old....Im reading massive internal head trauma, elevated levels of seratonin and adrenalin, high activity in the frontal lobe...strange."She presses down on his chest "Four broken ribs..."she puts the scanner away"...prep the ER for surgery one male human adolescent code blue!!" The nurses scramble as they lower the boy onto a gurney and wheel him to the med lab.

Razek calls over his team"Follow them I want a full detachment on that kid's ass now!"

As the team of medics prep the boy for surgery, Nex removes his flight suit "You guys do something with that thing ....Ill be on the bridge."

As Nex floats towards the hanger exit a crewman approaches him and salutes "Sir about the captain...is he ok?" Nex looks down. The crewman then asks again"What about my brother sir? Lt. Siccro?"

Nex puts his hand on the young crewman's shoulder "I'm sorry...." Nex walks over to the gravlift and proceeds to the bridge as the widowed crewman falls to his knees and floats away.

..........................

"Wha...ugg...where am I ?""Bright lights, I smell iodine....I must be in a hospital." Heero yui lies in a med lab bed, strapped down tight, barely aware of his surroundings. Sharp pain shoots through him as he struggles with the straps. He cringes and grits his teeth "Ribs must be broken....no good." As Heero scans his eyes around the room , the doors open, a nurse enters. She walks over to Heero's bed and grabs his chart unaware that he is awake. Heero thinks to himself "she must be a nurse ...." he looks over to the door "two guards...9mm pistols....security camera...." The nurse walks over as Heero rears his head up "Where am I"

The nurse drops the chart in fear and runs out of the room. Heero remains still. The door opens again as Dr Chen and two other nurses enter. Heero asks again "Where am I".

Dr Chen walks over and begins to scan the young boy."Remarkable.....simply remarkable his wounds healed very quickly and he's responding well to the medication." The nurses take notes as they continue their duty. Dr Chen looks over to the young boy and responds "You are aboard the UNS Agamemnon med lab facility. I'm doctor Chen . Can you tell me your name and place of origin?."

Heero puts his head down "My name is Heero yui and where I'm from is not important. How did I get ....."

His words are cut off as Dr Chen activates her wrist communicator "Sir he's awake"

The radio responds "Rodger that doc. Razek and myself are on our way .

Heero asks the question again "How did I get here."

Dr Chen checks his pupils and answers his question."Don't you know, you attacked us first."

Heero draws a confused look on his face " What attack?...."gradually images begin to fill his mind, images of the five gundams, Epyon and the fall of Libra "Libra!!, did I destroy Libra!" Heero attempts to violently struggle free from his bonds as the two security officers surround him and hold him down.

Dr Chen screams out "Anesthetic now! put him under!" A nurse reaches over to administer the injection as Heero dislocates his shoulder and slips free. He punches the nurse , knocking her to the ground reaching for her broken nose. Heero angrily pushes a security guard aside and grabs his handgun and grabs the injured nurse.

Heero points the handgun to her head."I will not kill her just back away" As Heero painfully stands out of bed and drags the nurse out of the room, he palms a small cylinder.

Heero cringes as the nurse cries in panic and pain "Please...please don't kill me...please..." Heero ignores her plea for her life as he exits the med lab. But just as Heero slowly limps down the hall , Razek followed by ten of his best men close off his escape. They each arm their MP5 semi auto rifles and aim for the assailant.

"Freeze Scumbag!!" Razek steps forward as Heero presses the gun harder into his victims head. Razek pauses " Put the gun down and let Nurse Jenna go . She has children....." Razek slowly reaches down for his waist as Heero drops the small cylinder.

Heero throws the nurse down and shoots the cylinder as a shroud of gas billows into the hall . Heero holsters his gun and charges past Razek ,and in the chaos , steals his security card.

As Heero exits the smoke he thinks to himself "I have got to get the HELL out of here..." He crosses down another hallway "Damnit this place is a maze" Joging down the hall , the pain from his ribcage catches up with him. " Agg...My mobile suits too damaged....going to have to steal a shuttle." Heero stops and ducks behind a bulkhead as two guards run past him in the opposite direction. Suddenly his attention is drawn to the sign above his head that reads "Terminal Access." He Raises an eyebrow at the incredible luck "Maybe I can get some answers." He pauses then enters.

...........................

Aboard the Bridge, Nex walks In with a Sigh as Lancer places the last corpse into its body bag. Lancer stands up and faces Nex. He reaches into his pocket and places a set of gold bars into Nex's hand."As second highest ranked officer aboard the U.N.S Agamemnon I hereby award you with the temporary rank of captain....." Nex stops his friend and turns around...

"I cant do this Lance..."

"You no longer have the choice Nex. Right now you are the highest ranking officer aboard and according to the helm...its gonna be awhile before we reach any outpost or colony fleet.." Lancer pauses and looks behind a reluctant Nex to a winded doctor Chen standing in the doorway.

"Nex we have a problem.."

Lancer hands Nex the gold bars. He pauses for a second....and pins it to his uniform. Nex turns around and looks Dr Chen into her eyes."What's the situation."

............................

"Humm......Ship roster....."Heero sits alone in the small terminal room, the only source of light is the faint blue glow from the computer monitor. "Captain Jadrian Madison Born January 12, 2007?!?!.....Second in command Commander Sheryl Diaz born August 17 2012....." So many confusing ideas fill his mind as he continues to read. "What the hell, the calendar is on the AD timeline not AC....Human colonization began on Mars? and some planet called New Eden.... Accessing Earth History....."

Heero begins to read to himself "In this place the year 1999 an alien craft crashed on earth. At the time earth was at war. A new type of weapon was introduced.....the mobile suit..." Heero sighs uncomfortably and reads on. "When the craft crashed a cease fire was declared and the earth nations formed a united earth government." Images of the crashed ship appear on the monitor."An alien race?" The memory of the large security chief enters his mind. "He must have been one of them...." Heero places his head in his hands "This is too much" All of Heero's military training, all of his experience , nothing could have prepared him for what he thinks happened to him. "All of my life.....all that I know....." as the memory of Relena flashes into his questioning mind "gone."

Suddenly bright white light fills the room as the doors are forced open. Standing in the doorway is Razek with a gun pointed to Heero's head "Hands in the air now!!!"

Heero puts his hands up and turns around slowly "There is no need for that I'm not going anywhere" Razek Places handcuffs on Heero's wrists and violently turns him around. Two security guards grab the assailant and escort him to the brig. Razek speaks into his radio but is cut off as the words "Captain on deck !" ring in his ears, He immediacy stands at attention and is taken by surprise as Nex approaches Heero.

"You got a lot of FUCKING NERVE!!!" Nex relieves the stress of his day into that scream and takes a deep breath as Lancer, Razek and Dr Chen are frozen in amazement. Nex never looses his temper. Nex continues as Heero stands at attention, unwavered.

But just as Nex begins another rant, Dr Chen places her hand on his shoulder and steps forward.

"He seems confused sir , like he doesn't belong here...."

"Well he's gonna get a lot of time to consider his surroundings in the brig!"

Heero interups "Your doctor is right. I don't belong here."

Lancer approaches Nex "Look , maybe we should think about this..."Nex immediantly interrupts

"How about this guy thinks about the ass whoppin he's about to get, its along way to the brig from here"

Dr Chen squeezes on Nex's shoulder and whispers in his ear "Calm down Nex, no public floggings!"

Nex breathes in deeply "Look, just take him to the brig, Ill be there to question him later....Ill be on the bridge."

Razek immediately salutes "Yes sir."

.........................

As Dr Chen enters the med lab, the bodies of the former bridge crew are wheeled in. She presses aganist the bridge of her nose underneath her glasses and takes her pad , noting each body and freezes. She knew there was no way that he could have survived but always, a glimmer of hope made her believe that maybe, just maybe, he was still alive. The memories of them two on the promenade enjoying a quiet meal, playing "scramble valkyrie" in the rec center, and sharing intimacies within the warm confines of her quarters. She grabs her face in terror, quiet tears streams down her face. Her trembling hand reaches for him but falls short of the body bag. The pain of loss acts like a weight as she falls to her knees. "God Max...please....I'm so sorry.."

Her team of nurses act like a buffer as they crowd around her."Its ok mam we can handle it from here" The soft words from the young nurse ring in the Doctors ears."Come on Ill take you to you quarters Dr Juarez can handle it." She walks the Doctor down the hall and looks over to her , a sigh draws on her face "I'm so sorry mam, we all know how much he meant to you. Try to get some sleep."

Dr Chen wipes the tears off her face "I will Jessica I will." But just as she walks back to the med lab, Chen stops and turns the other way "I cant sleep, not yet. He's gonna need me "

.............................

The captain's quarters aboard the Agamemnon is a sight to behold. The walls are covered with pictures of the former captain's family and his home in Iowa. Nex to those are pictures of the bridge crew, First officer Diaz, Lieutenant Commander Jake Cirrico, Lieutenant Maximillian Bright, Lieutenant Lisa Yaori and Ensign Gina Mesa. All were like a second family to him, indeed they were. Then next to them, in a gold frame Is a picture Nex will never forget. He takes the picture down and sits down in the capti...his chair.

The door sounds an approach, Nex looks over and resumes looking into the picture "Enter."

"Hey dude." Lancer walks in holding a case of beers. He tosses one over to Nex and walks forward. "You busy?"

"No...not really just inventorying the captains stuff....I came across this." Nex opens his beer and hands lancer the picture.

"Hey I remember this, That was the same day the Captain went joyriding with us when we first got the VF19's," Lancer lets out a chuckle "That was also the same day you got your first command. bastard."

"Hey! Nutz to you"

"I'm just kidding. Actually I'm glad you got it. Like I want to deal with all that responsibility. But you got to admit..." as he hands back the picture "He was like a dad to us, He treated us, all of us like his own sons and daughters."

Nex swills back a sip of the beer and rears the chair back " Sir.....damn I wish I knew what to do.....If you could only tell me what to do....Like anyone really expects me to take your place."

The door opens again as the voice of a saddened Lia Chen enters, "They are big shoes to fill aren't they, lil' bro." She walks over to the two and grabs a beer. "Thank god for oxy-pills , I could drink a keg and still not get drunk." Nex looks up to her and smiles

"I think UN spacy will forgive us if we get drunk now. Unless we do what we did the last time..."

Lancer interrupts "No way we nearly got court marshaled for it. "

Nex bursts into laughter "There was panties and shaving cream everywhere."

Lia raises an eyebrow "I'm sure I don't want to know."

Nex closes his eyes " When the captain found out, he had us locked in the brig for like a week. But I remember what he said to me and lancer.

Lancer and Nex join in unison "Ensigns , panties ,toiletries and homemade air cannons do not MIX!!" They burst into laughter as Lia takes another sarcastic swill of beer."you two are impossible, I might as well prep med lab now!"a chuckle leaves her now growing smile "Knowing you two you just might build an air cannon big enough to shoot Meltrandi panties!!"

Nex leans over "I'm sure Razek wouldn't mind that!!"

The laughter continues into the night, each of the close friends exchanging stories of the time before all this saddens. In their own way they mourn for the loss of their friends. The clock strikes 2 as Lancer and Lia both leave the captains quarters with a slurred "Goodnight." Nex leans back and closes his eyes, he places the picture of Lancer, Himself and the captain standing in front of the bridge, each member of the lost crew sits behind them smiling "Bye guys, Goodbye sir."

To be continued