Taking one for the Team-Part I
#1 of Skyguard
Commissioned For: Balasar
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Taking one for the Team
Part I
Journal Entry: 641
Date: January 27, Star year 6718
Planet: Earth.
Alas,
It has been quite some time since I cast aside my father's reluctance on my wishes to join the force. Being a princess of his kingdom, he and I do not quite see eye to eye. To my luck however, I appreciate the fact that he gave in and is using my decision as a way to boost his soldiers' morale, knowing that royalty is on the field itself. He also bought me the most expensive and realiable fighter that was available....just to ensure that his little girl would be safe. It has been ages since I first felt the hum of that beautiful winged angel as I held onto the control wheel of my beloved Fighter...the craft that had outmaneuvered and outperformed both enemy and ally alike. It has been so long since I felt the pains and aches of the acadamy upon my body, the foul bitter taste left in my mouth after breakfast, and the feeling that I would never make it to the top. I now stand upon the peak of a mountain that previously seemed impossible to scale....But it is through my experiences in this academy that I have come to trust in myself and learn that to achieve the impossible...you must believe in it. Today I reflect upon my past....acknowledge the present...and look to the future, both close and distant. Though I may die tomorrow, I can live for today. My colleagues look to me for leadership in the heat of battle, something that I would never fail to service to my beloved crewmates....and my love.... I am Captain Celeste E. Silverlaine and I seal my fate when I say I would rather die than see one of my crew fall from the sky. Captain out.
With that, the blue light of the golden compass-shaped device switched off, the hologram being saved into the microchip within. She closed her eyes for a moment as she stood there, leaning against the wall of her study. She was granted quite a magnificent room in her quarters of the barracks. The walls were lined with mahogany bookshelves and a seemingly constant amber light was cast down upon the azure blue carpet of the luxurious room, illuminating the prismatic dust particles that floated therein (Much being contributed from the dusty old tomes and scrolls that lined the bookshelves of course). Aside from the bookshelves, several large banners painted with the royal mark were draped on either side of a large fifteen foot wide window which she was gazing out of in a calm manner, collecting her thoughts as she witnessed the modern day vehicles zipping through the skies in traffic-like situations. She smiled slightly as she took in a deep breath of air, the room smelling of rich mahogany and that wonderful scent of an aged book, several tables stacked high with them.
Celeste was a pure silver-scaled dragoness with features of a humanoid. Her father was half human half dragon as well as she was. Long ago, the United States had found new technology and advanced in the medical field of science, finding a way to fuse the DNA of a living animal with another, human and beast to be exact. By mixing DNA together, they were able to successfully create a child that had the features of a lizard-like creature, but was able to stand up on two legs just as if it were human. Furious, the majority of the southern states of the U.S.A threatened to break away from the nation, saying that it was not man's place to toy with the genetics created by the creator himself. Unfazed by their threats, the scientists of the north continued their research, continuously creating monstrosities and freaks of nature until having perfected the perfect DNA fusion, the creatures able to think intelligently just as humans would.
Though tensions continued to rise, the southern states had backed off, keeping a close watch on the north while slowly but surely people from the north that shared their views moved to the south, as well as some of the families of the creations that these scientists had made. Though just as intelligent, prejudices were common amongst the humans, but people had also come to love them...despite their disagreements with the north.... Until that fateful day. The offspring of the mutated creatures began to show changes, drastic ones. They began to hunt not only animals, but humans. Fearful of their creations, the North swore they would contain and perfect the tainted creatures, but it was too late. At the point of breaking, the North cried out to the South for aid, but they turned a cold shoulder, leaving them to their fatal mistake. Angered, the President declared a beliggerent decree of warfare against the South. The North had superior weaponry and firepower, but were no match for the constantly evolving mutations they had created, having to fight off both man and beast at the same time. The South was low on morale as the first powerful nuclear strike hit their end of the country, but the radiation backfired and continued to mutate the creatures until they were not only savage, but intelligent....It was during this time that her Grandfather rose up to the duty of becoming their leader in the South's time of need. Her grandfather, being one of the "Dragons" that the scientists had created (By crossing the DNA of several animals to achieve the desired unique genus), was frowned upon and rejected by many, losing his chances of becoming their true leader. It was however during an invasion of the North after the nuclear strike had occurred, that he proved his worth....proving that he was not only an intelligent creature, but also almost a superpowered human, decimating the soldiers that dared approach their makeshift capital during a biological and nuclear war. It was then that her blood became royalty, the south trusting him to become their leader, not only for his powers, but for his determination and courage in that battle. With a few skilled marksmen, he was able to defeat an army of a hundred soldiers, his agility and cunning turning the tide in his favor.
Eventually, the South struck back with the cunning strategies of her grandfather, forcing the north into what would be canada as their former homes rotted under the control of the mutant creatures that had been created. Thus, the north was defeated and broken, forced to live in exile and under the wing of the nation the U.S.A had once overshadowed. Thus, the South ordered their best weaponry to be rained down upon the northern states, once their Northern counterparts had deemed it safe and that there were no innocent people left within them. Hell rained down from the sky that day...the sky having turned black with smoke as they decimated what was once Northern America...leaving it in shambles and without a trace of life. Now, life had flourished amongst the ruins, and the radiation had caused new creatures to appear, some docile and some not so friendly. It had been thousands of years since that War, and it was soon discovered that the newly created races had extremely long longevity, her grandfather dying within her lifetime. Though she did not appear to be that old, she was actually a couple hundred years old, but appeared to be in the ripe stages of her youth.
Since then, medicine and technology had advanced to the point that the futuristic views of the old movies of long ago were laughed at and were often the target of comedies, the flying car being the inconvenient way of travel now...which was actual teleportation.
Celeste closed the compass-shaped device and placed it back in a small pouch along her skin-tight suit, showing off her sleek form. She had piercing blue eyes....silver and chrome colored scales, and the physique of an olympian, her body having been shaped up in the academy. Her tail flowed elegantly behind her, lined with small spikes, defining her as a female other than the fact she had breasts. The mails had Large horns, whereas she had smaller ones. Though she was a synthetic creation created in the image of a dragon, wings were not possible, her body having none. The suit she wore was that of pure white and bore the symbol of captain upon it, the unique insignia defining her as the leader of her squadron. She was the leader of an elite crew of sky fighters, sworn to protect the nation from any threat that would arise as well as serve and defend as the police and law enforcement of the cities therein. Though many saw her rise to leadership a matter of favoratism, none questioned her authority when they faced her in a mock dogfight, her capabilities and natural advantages inherited through her blood made her an intimidating force to be reckoned with on the field.
Though they faced no true threat, there was a constant bother to the nation...and band of gangsters that terrorized the city often for cash bounties or the hell of it, collecting money from their employers and acting much like mercenaries in some occasions. It was the duty of her squadron to hunt them down and eliminate their actions at the source, which was yet to be done. Though her skills were great in combat, she could not pinpoint where exactly they originated from. Some rumors said a hideout in the northern lands, but they were dismissed as tall-tales....
She was smart enough not to dismiss a story however....knowing that most of them held a spec of truth within somehow.
"Those filthy gangsters....always eluding my grasp... They have become a thorn in my side they have..." She said softly...her voice both sweet and intoxicating to the ears, much like that of a fine wine. "They have to be lurking around here somewhere....but where...?" She thought, biting her bottom lip.
They were collectively known as Nova, a group of mercenaries for hire...whether that meant bounty hunting or just causing trouble on their leisure time... Either way, they had become a constant nuisance to Celeste and her crew, especially the townspeople who were forced to deal with their behaviors whilst the Skyguard struggled to contain their activity.
Though they were known to occasionally take up a righteous job, they often asked for outrageous reward fees in return, such as ridding the lower tiers of the city of thugs and otherwise unsavory characters. The city that she now lived in, was the capital of the nation of Erethor. Falandris, the capital, was her home city. Though sky travel was a luxury that anyone could possess now, the city was divided up into tiers in which the lower tiers were often used for housing and general business. The city in which she lived however, was far from a utopia. In the looming shadow of the large buildings, crime seemed to be a constant presence, which Celeste enjoyed, giving her something to do and take care of when she was simply bored.
The higher tiers were reserved for business and travel, especially the highest tier. The highest tier was known for its abiliity to run efficiently by absorbing the energy of the power of two suns for cheap fuel and energy. The years as people had once known them had been reset when a new star was born nearby, now causing the date to be known as "Star year"...commemorating the age of the bright sun that had been born....slightly smaller than the one that had already existed.
Celeste slowly stood upright again, slowly walking towards one of her luxuriously padded chairs before hoppning in it carelessly, delighting in how it bobbed up and down as it took her weight, slowly but surely balancing out before slamming her fist into the wooden table.
Like magic, electrical lights appeared from thin air and seemed to line the blank walls and her table with what appeared to be a transparent computer system, along with a very large monitor that was nearly ten feet in length along the wall. She grinned slightly, always taking a liking to the joys of their modern day tech.
As the screen warmed up, she motioned with her hand into the air, slowly guiding a three dimensional pointer to her desired icons, which were floating in mid air in front of her like some kind of 3-D movie, but in reality. Clicking on one, it brought up a screen and list of the six names of her crew, including herself.... Smiling...she hovered over a specific name..."Richard Cooper". She slowly and bashfully clicked on it, bringing up his personal files, including pictures, emails, and a couple of chat logs that she had with him previously. Though she was the target of many men who wished to be with her, she only had eyes for one particular male, that being Richard.
Richard was one of the fox-like humanoids, and she had expressed her tough love to him by making him do specific tasks that she deemed worthy to test his skills...admiring from afar at how he efficiently worked and obeyed her every command.... She had on several occasions tried to give him the hint that she enjoyed his company a little bit more than she should....but her subtle hints simply bounced off his shield of innocence...causing her much frustration. She had been approached by many males before, none of them truly interesting her.
Her father was a respectable man and only wished the best for her...but he also wasnt the type for arranged marriages. As long as he deemed the male worthy, he would be her mate. But as of now...he did not know of this secret affection she held for one of her own officers.
Richard was a red fox, and a bashful one at that...often shying around her as she gave commands, but he never truly realized his deep down affection for her....always chickening out after a few minutes of speech with her.
Richard had the physique of an average recruit straight from the academy and had a cute smile, always catching her attention when he was in a good mood. Though she refused to admit it to anyone, she on occasion had unclean thoughts bout this male, wishing that he would realize his affection for her as well. Flustered...she also realized that maybe she just needed to push harder...
Lost in thought, she jumped as she heard the airlock of doors open and shut, the heavy sounds of footsteps ringing across her floor as they slowly got closer and closer.
Little did she know that she had a picture of Cooper at a party, in which he looked rather intoxicated and only wearing his pants. As she frantically tried to throw the picture in the recycling bin, a young voice interrupted her actions...."I hardly even remember that...."
"Richard! Ugh! Ack! I'm sorry! I was just looking through some profiles and well...haha! You showed up...." She said, forcing back a blush.
"Its fine....we got a lead on where these Nova guys might be hiding out...Someone in low town spilled the beans after being interrogated by Joseph....We found these leads to be quite reliable and we have found some evidence of their wherabouts. They were stupid enough to order pizza delivery.....You cant get much stupider than that can you? The adress could be a trap however...subtly lain as a tripwire. We dont have a clue as to what to believe right now but all answers are pointing to the northern expanses, just as some rumors had implied," Richard said, wearing his classic attire which consisted of a black coat and his usual necklace of vividly colored beads.
"Good work...your information proves to be invaluable in this situation...I'll notify my father at once and I'll rally the squadron to take to the skies to investigate. I think it is about time that we found out where these guys are hiding and arrest them for the crimes they have committed" she said, gazing up at him with a sense of longing....secretly wanting to tell him everything.....
"Thank you Captain, I shall return to my quarters." He said, walking towards the doors once again.
She eyed him as he walked in silence, biting her bottom lip before hearing the close of the doors once again.
"Oh what am I going to do...?" she said hopelessly, rolling her eyes before pounding her head into the desk in a fit of exasperation.
Later that night, Celeste had ventured to the palace in which her father resided....her mother having passed away when giving birth to her.
She always found entering her father's luxurious palace an uplifting experience. She had found it funny to be living in a monarchy in this day and time, but found it quite interesting as well, everyone agreeing that democracy had been the downfall of the United States. Despite that fact, almost everything within the palace was crystalline, even the plates and dinnerware as she sat down next to her father at a long banquet table, gazing upon the beautiful glinting crystals that made up almost every aspect of the huge mansion.
As she sat down next to her father at the dinnertable, she found him in his usual casual garb of a azure blue uniform, decorated with unique symbols and medals, as well as a circlet that was upon his head, marking his royalty.
Before long, several servants arrived with food, consisting of numerous vegetables and fruits. Though she was a dragon, she didnt mind eating healthy like this... and it had been quite some time since she had sat down with her father for dinner...the last encounter having ended badly with her rushing down the steps in tears when he refused to let her join...only to break the next day and grant her his permission.
She hadnt spoken a word that evening since she stepped through those doors...her stoic father simply sitting down, awaiting the sound of the beautiful voice his daughter spoke with...hopefully to him...
"I heard what news has come up....probably before you did....The answer is no." He said.
"But father! I am Captain of your elite squadron! I Can handle myself out there!" she cried, rising from her seat in a furious manner.
"Sit child...I do not wish to argue with you with such a bountiful feast before us...we should enjoy each other's presence and--"
"No dad! You are always like this to me! I am an adult now and you know it! I can make my own decisions!" She shouted. "You havent changed one bit father.....You havent changed since I wanted to join the academy and you never will!" She shouted angrily.
"As long as I am king to this prosperous nation I will not have my daughter risking her neck out there in the northern expanses! I agreed to allow you to stay here because I could keep an eye on you! Out there you are in the territory of the wild beasts and possibly the territory of a dangerous group of hired mercenaries! You are not safe out there!" Taelan shouted.
"I can handle myself!!!!" Celeste roared angrily.
"Maybe you can! But there are still dangers that I would rather not see you be put through! My father was put through hell trying to lead his people to victory...I got the easy job of just maintaining what he started and pushing forward. I will not see my only heir fall into the hands of an enemy country or worse dead out in the middle of nowhere! Listen to your father!" he retorted.
"You know dad!? This is why I never show up anymore! You are always against me! Why cant we ever be on the same side...?" She cried, her voice cracking slightly. "This is a chance to defeat one of the biggest thorns that this nation has wedged in its side and you are denying me the opportunity to remove it?" She roared angrily.
"We are never on the same side...because I love you...." He replied solemnly. "How could I keep you out of harm if i constantly sided with your impaired judgement? You arent nearly as wise as me child...You have not seen what I have...."
"What would mother say...?" She asked, growling.
At this...he froze and shook his head...."Your mother was always the adventurous one....." He scratched his head for a moment, taking in the fact that his silver scales were losing their luster with age...."You have her eyes you know..."
"Father...dont be like that...." She said softly.
"No...she would want you to do what you wished...not be jailed by your own father....I understand now..." He said solemnly before twiddling his salad for between his fingers.
"I'm sorry dad....but...I think it would be just best if I left...it's getting late and I think I should retire to my living quarters... I am truly sorry for having lashed out at you...her voice slightly cracking.
"It is fine my child...but always remember that no matter how much I may yell and try to hold you back...its because I just dont want my beloved child to be marred....now go and get some rest...I will call upon my servants to help me finish this banquet. Goodnight my jewel," he said before resting his head in his palms, rubbing his eyes in stress.
As she turned to move towards the door, she looked over one last time at her father, noticing that he was rather upset, a subtle tear dropping from his face and onto the table with a noticable splash. Something had stirred in him...and her as well.... As she turned to go, the dams broke loose...tears flooding from her eyes so much that she had to walk slowly and carefully lest bump into things on the way out from her blurred vision.
To her luck, Joseph, one of the humans of her crew, had decided to drop by and pick her up. He flew her to her quarters, saving her the trip to the teleportation booths and a little extra cash in exchange for a hug, Joseph being one of the ones that secretly desired to be with her...yet didnt share his thoughts openly. He had tried to ask her out at one point, but she simply dodged and avoided his questions.
As she flung herself into her bedroom, she was caught mid-air by an unseen force, her body stretching out and getting into a comfortable position in mid-air, the new-age technology allowing her to sleep on air itself with an anti-gravity zone within her bedchambers. As she relaxed, she clicked on her wrist, activating several holograms of her crewmembers, who were still luckily mostly awake at the hour.
"Skyguard, Report." She called out in a groggy voice.
"Joe here"
"Richard here!"
"Sarah here!"
"Jeramiah checkin' in!"
"..."
She frowned for a moment.
"No mom! For the last time I ....oh.....Uhhh sorry about that Celeste....Ahem....Xavier checking in!" a young voice called out.
At that moment she allowed the figures to materialize into her bedchambers, creating lifesize images of them standing around her in ghostly way, their transparent bodies flickering as the hologram projected them into the area around her.
The only non humans were Richard, Jeremiah, and herself, Jeramiah being a rather muscular bear of his middle years.
"I've got leads thanks to some of you on the location of their hideout...even if this is a trap we have to spring it somehow to make sure...that is why I will be forming an operation tomorrow to investigate. I expect you all to be up and ready by tomorrow morning bright eyed and bushy tailed for our mission. The leads indicate that they may be hiding in the northern expanses, home to a variety of both docile and vicious creatures, as well as the possible clan hideout for the Nova. We must press on however and spring the trap if we are to learn anything. I cannot guarantee that we will all come back tomorrow, but we must do this in the name of the law...I will explain our strategy tomorrow. Ready your Fighters....the game is about to begin..."
"Yes captain!" They said in unison before dissapearing in a flash of blue light, her finger resting on the compass-like device before bringing them behind her head and gently rotating in her anti-gravity zone, slowly dozing off.
This will be continued in Part II which I plan on working on tomorrow! Never fear, the true adventure has yet to come!