Year 3043

Chapter one

"Sir! The rebels are attacking, a whole fleet. I repeat, a rebel fleet is attacking!"

The many arguing diplomats sitting in the room gasped and turned to the window, their eyes met a loathsome sight. The starry atmosphere around them was decked heavily with armed rebel fighter ships. The eldest politician shouted out, "Send out the troops! On the double! Get the pilots to their ships and gunmen to their cannons!". Then under his breath he muttered, "those damned rebels, why do they keep attacking!?" An alarm siren sounded and the alien troops were scrambling to prepare themselves for the rebels. While all the diplomats and politicians ran about screaming that they were all going to die. A few calmer, more experienced individuals muttered and cursed the young rebellious army that had formed under the oppression of the Galactic Government.

Back out in space, the many of the younger fighter pilots smirked and laughed as opposed to the veterans who stared silently at the unprepared congress space colony 3041. Many conversation were taking place through the intercom radios. They were all jittery and anxious to start the battle. Most of the pilots had just turned eighteen, their radical ideas and hopes driving them into a battle many weren't ready for. Many of the fighters remembered what they had been told before they left the rebel base.

'Look to your left, and then look to your right. Memorize the face of the two people on either side of you. You won't be seeing them again.'

"Okay troops, ATTACK!" The war cry echoed over all the radios, and was met by the roars and whoops of the pilots. Then, in the momentary silence, with the first, time defying fire, the battle had begun.

The colony being attacked was getting heavily hit, some of the gunmen were already to the cannons but very few pilots had made it to their ships. Despite the accurate fire from the cannons, the rebel pilots expertly dodged and wove through the backfire.

The whole scene reassembled a rapidly growing flame on the black background of space. Red and white blossoms of light streaked across the black sky like deadly shooting stars.

Finally the mass of Eraton ships zipped out the hangers. The older more experienced alien soldiers took their turn to smirk as they easily out maneuvered the untrained rebel soldiers. Suddenly, the tables of the battle were turned. With the defending ships to deal with some of the rebel pilots were distracted from the cannons lining the colony wall. It was even distracting to try and find the Eraton ships. Their pitch black coloring almost made them invisible against outer space. The hopes and dreams of many rebel fighters were shot down as the colony fighters. The eyes of their murders showed no mercy or regret as they merely moved onto the next target.

While the main of the fighting was taking place at the head of the colony, a lone rebel pilot glided swiftly and silently over the top of the colony. It soon stopped right above the military hanger, where there were no windows so be seen through. Then the pilot of the fighter ship emerged from the bottom of the ship. They wore the trademarked dark blue and black rebel space suit with the silver rebel insignia on the helmet. As the figure floated silently through the space they heard the first shot being fired. Inside the helmet they gave a wry smile of satisfaction. 'So', they thought, 'the battle has begun.' The figure turned to face the colony side. Taking an object out of their pack, a grappler launched out and anchored itself into the colony. It then pulled the person in towards the grapple. Once they hit the colony they started to roll and scramble up the wall the lack of gravity letting them hover above the colony. As they rolled between the columns and rows of windows and cannons they photographed every angle. Not leaving a single asset or weakness of the colony unphotographed.

Eventually there weren't enough rebel fighters left to make a decant attack, those still alive were called back in a retreat. The person cruising over the colony barely saw the leaving ships then scrambled to their own. It took them a good ten minutes to reach where the grappler was anchored in. Placing a gloved hand on the metal shell of the colony, then figure was suddenly shot back towards their ship. In doing so almost slamming their head into the open hatch.

Once the ship was around the colony the other remaining fighter ship were almost lost to view. In a panic the ship suddenly burst forward at maximum speed desperately trying to catch up with the other rebel fighters.

A fair distance away from the government colony a large rebel cargo ship awaited the remaining fighters to transport them back to the rebel base. The fighters assembled into long rows as they approached the cargo ship. Two rebel generals oversaw the fighters, making sure no time costing chaos broke out among the pilots. It took longer then they expected to load all the pilots. More pilots had survived then had been estimated at the battle scene.

"Is that all?" Asked the first the commander.

"I believe so, close the doors." "WAIT!"

The two generals turned to the door, a young solider, fresh from his ship burst in. "There's one pilot left. They forwarded a message to me before reaching the cargo hanger. They requested five to ten more minutes of time to arrive."

"FIVE OR TEN MORE MINUTES!" Screeched the first commander, nearly scaring the solider out of his wits.

"We can't wait that long, the colony sent sleek fighters after us to try and follow us back to base."

"The pilot was aware of that, the pilot also shot three of the sleek fighters down. Or so they said. The remain fighters are eight or more minutes behind, they estimate."

"When did you last receive contact from him?" Questioned the first general, the soldier thought for a moment.

"Just as the third line went in sir."

"Please sir! I just need seven minutes and I'll be in the hanger!" The voice erupted from the radio. The generals turned sharply to the radio and the view screen above it. One the view screen showed the rebel ship going through space at full speed, five colonial sleek fighters behind it.

"Who is this?" Gritted the second general, hiding his confusion of the fact that the radio being used had been broken ten seconds before.

"Pilot 6667849 sir. I was held back," there was a momentary silence, "because I was engaged in combat and my connection to the other ships got damaged. I didn't know the others where leaving until they were out of sight."

"If your radio got damaged, how are you talking to us now pilot?"

"No time to explain sir, I just beg that you wait, five more minutes, then start to shut the doors."

"You'll be securely in the hanger?" Queered the second general.

"No, but if timing is right I can slip through the doors as their closing sir."

"Give me one good reason to wait for you pilot!" Spat the first general, there was some fuzz before the reply.

"Because sir I-" The connection broke into the fuzz. The general poked and messed with the radio, it appeared to be broken again.

"So, do we wait?"

The first general sighed, "Hold the doors."

The soldier smiled as he was dismissed from the room. Satisfied that he had saved a fellow pilot's skin.

The pilot looked back and cursed, the sleek fighters were catching up. After the makeshift connection with the general broke. The reality of what they had set up for themselves sunk in. Only five minutes to make it to a ship that was six and a half minutes away. "Please baby, hold together!" They whispered to the ship as if talking a person. Then suddenly a red light flashed, the fuel was almost gone. The pilot cursed again, why was everything going wrong!? Then, a idea cautiously slipped into the pilot's head. It was extremely risky, would damage part of the ship, but was worth a try. Taking out a small pistol armed with suicide bullets the pilot aimed for the ship's heater/internal engine.

The two generals, accompanied by a throng of the younger pilots, crowded around the biggest window facing the cargo hanger. All watching impatiently for the remaining fighter. For one reason or another, they all thought watching it would be somehow thrilling to watch. Suddenly , one soldier called out, "There! I see them!"

This was followed by a mad scramble of 'what?' and 'where?' Eventually they all found the small rebel fighter with the five following sleek fighters.

"At the rate he's going he won't make five minutes!" Commented one soldier this was met by a chorus of agreement with a few arguments. Suddenly a bright aura of an explosion surrounded the rebel fighter and it gushed forward at an incredible speed. The light from the explosion created a fiery white fountain behind and around it.

All the soldiers watched in awe as the ship flew into the hanger within a minute of the explosion. They suddenly heard a lot of commotion coming from the floors below. The soldiers turned to run down to the hanger but the cold voice of the top general cut brutally through their plans.

"You will all return to your barracks, I'll deal with him."

Then the pilots walked slowly, all grumbling and wishing they could meet the pilot that pulled off such a stunt.

The general, (General Choy) walked quickly to his office. Once he arrived he saw his assistant, (who happened to be his son) was filing papers.

"Hidae, send for that pilot-"

"He's ahead of you, he's requesting to meet you in the meeting room. The one with the projecting screen, he say's he was some information on the colony we attacked earlier." General Choy growled motioning for his son to follow, he then left the room.

Once he reached the meeting room described he saw someone leaning over a computer. The someone stood up at the sound of them entering. It was a very tall young woman. She was still dressed in her space suit, helmet under one arm. "Greetings General Choy, I'm the pilot of ship 6667849. At least, I hope I'm still a pilot!" Her ruby red eyes laughed and shone through her spiky, fiery orange hair.

"That was quite a stunt you pulled. What did you do to your ship?" Hidae asked, his soft smooth voice catching the girl's attention. Her smile grew wider, showing off to rows of flashing white teeth.

"Hit the internal engine with a suicide bullet. I was almost out of fuel."

Hidae's face went black in amazement. "You, hit, the, INTERNAL engine? As in, the engine, inside the cockpit?"

"Yeah, that's what I said isn't it?" Replied the girl smiling.

"You do think your trying to kid? If you had blown the internal engine you'd have blown yourself up!"

The girl frowned for a moment then waved her hand toward the projecting screen. Both General Choy and his son turned to the projecting screen. It project a figure the shape of the colony they recently attacked. Around it were several dozen photographs, all of the colony.

"This, as you know is the colony 3041. These pictures," she gestured at the pictures surrounding the colony model. "Are photographs taken during the battle, every window, hatch, hanger, cannon, evacuation shoot, is pictured. Also if you would examine the pictures closely you'd see a pattern. Unlike most of the older colonies better pre-apired for warfare, 3041 has windows and cannons set in vertical rows, more like a hotel. Every window is set five feet apart, and all the cannons are set twenty five feet apart- " "Who took these photographs?" Demanded the general looking amazed at the clarity of the photographs and the value each one had.

"I did sir."

The general sneered at her.

"Don't like the blood and guts eh miss?"

The girl shook her head quickly, "I've seen my bit of battle sir, but if I could say so sir. We drastically underestimated the colony. Eraton pilots are two times more efficient in battle then the top human pilot, and they have plenty of Eraton soldiers. It seemed a better idea to try and do something unexpected. And besides, their soldiers have been trained for many years in combat, most of our soldiers are still boys who little more then how to fly their ship and how to fire a gun!

"What did you say about my soldiers!?"

"I said, we have naïve, innocent boys and girls as soldiers. Many of which were forced into this by their parents who know little about the Galactic Government and why they are fighting! I'm only twenty years old, but there are girls I fight with who can't even bear children yet! To go head on to direct battle is practically suicide! And they know that! Eratos can turn off their emotions and just fight. But not humans, we thrive of fears and hopes! What we need is battle strategy, something clever that will bring light into our soldiers eyes and the fear into the eyes of a Erato!"

"Are you saying that our cause is not just enough for us to fight?" Questioned Hidae

The girl whirled on him, her red eyes almost glowing.
"I never said the cause wasn't just! Because it is, the government needs to be brought down. But you can only make so many people believe that. Only so many people will rally to the cause and willingly give their life to a pointless battle! If we are going to sacrifice lives, then make them count!"

The general eyed her for a moment,

"You've got gall to say something like that to me, what's your name girl?"

The pilot a shudder run through her body then calmly answered, "Yoko, sir."

"Last name?"

"I'm just Yoko sir, just Yoko."

"Well Yoko, I'll have to examine these pictures, if you'd give me the disc their on, then-"

"Um, one moment sir." Yoko turned to the projection machine and fiddled for a minute. She then turned and offered a small floppy disc to the general. He turned to leave then snarled. "Cadet Yoko, what happened to the other sleek fighters following you? None are following us now?"

Yoko gulped then quickly replied, "b, blew up, when I detonated t, the engine. They'd caught up when it happened."

"Hidae, follow me. Cadet Yoko, you are excused to your barrack."

The general then exited the room, Hidae behind him. Leaving their wake, an extremely relived Yoko. Her secret was still safe.

When Yoko returned to her barrack, all the other women pilots demanded where she had been. "I was talking to General Choy."

The women then went off telling her about the late pilot and all the commotion he had caused. Yoko gave a small smile as the women talked endlessly about the pilot and who they thought it was. They were so engaged in their guessing that none noticed Yoko slip into her bed and quietly fall asleep.

Thousands and thousands of miles away in the colony 3041, an alien government was deep in a debate.

The aliens were called Erato, a human like species that had made it's way to earth in the year 2191. They were taller then human, eight feet or taller. Their eyes were narrower and different colors. Common colors were red, purple, silver, orange, bright yellow, and pearly white. They had no ears, only thin slits on the side of their heads. They could change their skin color at will, any pattern, any shade, at any given instance. Their lungs were on their backs as well. They breathed through long, thin slits on their back rather then their mouth or nose.

They also possessed special mental abilities. They could use telekinesis to move objects around themselves or themselves away from objects. Telepathy to talk to other mentally or to project their messages into objects or people to speak for them. They could store and project images from their hands making them invaluable spies. Their most amazing ability was the fact that they could survive in extreme heats ( up to 2000 degrees Fahrenheit) and could survive in space. Or possibly the fact that they could use their telekinesis abilities on themselves to enable them to fly.

These Erato, for the moment they arrived in earth's atmosphere had taken control over the human race. As much as human's tried to resist the aliens strength, the Erato took dictatorship of the entire Milky-Way galaxy. Forcing the human to leave their home planet of earth and take refuge in colonies up in space, the Erato molested the planet. They stripped it of it's every drop of water and every living feature. Leaving the once beautiful planet, a barren wasteland. Then the Erato took control of the human's space colonies forming and human and Eraton government which was a more of a dictatorship then anything else. Ruled by a single Eraton since the Eratos had arrived on earth, no human being knew his name or what he truly looked like. He was just, alive.

Now the Eraton government with it's handful of human members were in a heated argument about what to do with the rebels who had just attack a colony. Many of the Eratos wanted to simply eliminate all humans with the exception of the government members and their families. Others, the human members in particular said they should simply continue to eliminate the rebellion. There were still a good deal of human's who had not yet joined the rebellion.

"But the longer we wait the more humans will rally to the rebels cause. We mustn't wait another day!" Cried one Erato cried, a human stood up abruptly facing him.

"What d you expect us to do? We can't have just pull a nuclear holocaust in the next few hours!"

"How about we instead of talking about war and destruction we think about persuading the people against the rebellion. The worst weapon we can use is rejection. If we try to hit the rebellion they come back with vengeance and gain sympathy from the people. If they are rejected by the public and ignored by the government then maybe they'll become discouraged-"

"We don't want to discourage them. We want to ELMINATE them! Ignoring them won't work either, that'll just give them more freedom!"

And so the suggestions and rejections got tossed about angrily for good while until a long and clear note of a gong silenced them. They all turned to the entrance to the door, a tall figure shrouded in a robe of deep blood red and a purple so dark, it looked black. The figure was followed by several Eraton servants. The figure gracefully sat down, the robes flowing gracefully over the seat.

"So," the cold eerie voice entered the mind of others people in the room, "What is the matter at hand?"

Back across the galaxy, the Rebel cargo ship had reached it's destination the following morning. As the ship entered the enormous hanger of colony 3039 the pilots and other crew members waiting anxiously o get off the ship. They had been cooped up long enough and many awaited to go home and recover from the anxiety of war.

Among those anxious was Yoko, her fiery orange hair blending in with the mix of purples, reds, greens and silver. In the radical age of 3042, none had normal hair anymore save the high generals and other commanders of both a Galactic and Rebel armies and their families.

When the large door opened a wave of humanity poured forth all trying to be the first to get away from the barking officers and cramped cargo ship. But standing behind the door, watching as her fellow pilots ran out the door stood Yoko. Patiently and quietly waiting for everyone to leave. Unknown to her that another was watching her with keen eyes.

General Choy's son Hidae watched closely as the tall young woman stood just behind the grated door. 'What is she waiting for?' He wondered, he had been suspicious about Cadet Yoko since he had first seen her. Hadn't realized until later that night how extremely tall she was, well over six foot. Her eyes, red, how unnatural was that? She blew up her internal engine, the heat of the explosion would've been too much for any normal human being. Yet later when he inspected her ship for himself, the internal engine was blown, there was no other way she could've done what she had done! And radio the generals had received her message from, it had been broken and was still broken!

The illogic of the whole situation puzzled him until he had gotten a headache, now he stood and watched the woman from above, her red eyes locked forward. Then in petrified horror as he saw one of scarlet eyes rolled up to look at him. Her red iris piercing his own ebony ones in a stare. Her eyes almost seemed to dare him to keep watching her, and Hidae had no meaning to meet that dare. He quickly scrambled from his watch point and out of Yoko's range of vision.

Yoko smiled as she watched he general's son run like a scared kitten, 'shows the power of a glare' she thought to herself. She then glanced around quickly making sure enough people had left the hanger to be safe. Satisfied she placed to hands on the cold wall of the ship then closed her eyes.

Hidae, ashamed of his sudden retreat dashed back to his view point where he had been watching Yoko. When he arrived looked down at where Yoko had been, she wasn't there. In fact, she was nowhere to be found.

Yoko touched her feet to the ground when she reached the metropolis above ground of Neo Tokyo. Many of the cities on colonies where named after cities and countries that had once been of earth, only they added the either 'Neo' or 'Moto' to the beginning or end of the cities name.

Yoko stepped up onto the vertically moving platform and stood as it raised her 150 feet above the ground to the moving sidewalks and brilliant lights of the city awaited.

Yoko looked around the city, she sighed, no matter how many times she looked about that city it never ceased to take her breath away.

The immense, monstrous city floating above the ground, white metal glazing the buildings both capturing and mirroring the gleaming lights. If one would look up, one would see the filmy glass displaying the vast expanse of the ever night sky. The people in flight blowing by on hovering crafts of all kinds, each covered in a bright metallic shell which caught and distorted the glowing atmosphere of the city. The buildings themselves were tall, majestic supreme beings, their circular and rectangular shapes serving as soft reminders of earth, and what the original versions on these cities were. The most awing building however, was the restored Tokyo Tower, standing higher then the tallest skyscraper, wider than four buildings put together, up each leg and surrounding each level, strings of light sparkling, bright enough to be stars shimmering within the oxygenated atmosphere. The majesty and reverence of the building attracting both the young and old, holding ones gaze immovable with it's magnificence. In the city, the air itself hummed and buzzed as you breathed it in, filled with the vibrating movements of the occupants as they were constantly moving, the noise and vibrations never ceasing. It was a city that never stopped moving, never ceased action, and never dared to stop singing with life and humanities tributes to the memory of earth. The ground below the floating city was abandoned, deemed useless by the extreme advances in technology and the pleasures of mankind. Yet it was not completely and utterly forlorn, the ground was used as the colony garbage dump, the waste of the civilians lay scattered, waiting to be collected and blasted into the sun's fervent inferno. While the walkways and floating avenues above were spotless clean, glittering like polished marble under the stars glowing gaze.

When Yoko reached the sidewalk she stepped off the platform and watched the speeding traffic blur before her eyes. She narrowed her eyes and focused on a certain spot in front of her, waiting for a vehicle to appear. The instant she did she leaped out land with cat-like grace onto the top of the vehicle grabbing the silver handles mounted on the top. This was the colony version of hitchhiking, all car-like transport were made with gripping handles on the top so people could jump on top of cars. For if a transport were to pull over it would likely be rammed by five other vehicles. This new way was faster, and all you needed to do tell the driver through a small moon roof on the car were you needed to go. If they felt like obliging, they would, if they didn't they were at least obligated to take you to a bus stop. Unless of course they were in an extreme rush like an emergency, then you were out of luck.

As Yoko clasped tightly on the handles she leaned down and called through the now open moon roof.

"If you please, the Yugebe apartments."

"No problem at all, hold tight!"

The vehicle accelerated and Yoko was forced to bow her head, her neck muscles refusing to hold her head up as the wind whipped her hair about her. To her it was an ordinary thing, zooming through the air, the only thing keeping on was the strength of your grip.

Suddenly the car came to a sudden stop, and Yoko was hurled forward into the wall of her apartment building then down to the ground with a crash and a sickening crack.

'Why do I always do that?' she wondered her conscience then answered her, 'Cause you heal quickly enough it isn't a big deal to you' She grumbled and mumbled as she picked herself up off the sidewalk and looked to see her transport was gone.

"Must've been someone who gave me a ride already." She said thoughtfully, she said this cause every time that happened to her the person would jump out and see if she had been seriously hurt. She remembered the first time something like this had happened. She was about 12 years old, and could barely keep herself from flying off the roof of the car as it zoomed. The person apparently forgot they had a young passenger and jerked to a stop. Yoko hadn't even known what had happened until she picked herself up off the ground. Lifting up a bloody hand and gasping as the skin wove back together before her eyes. The flesh supple and new within seconds. The person driving the vehicle had jumped out and rushed over to her and was amazed she was still alive, let alone conscience and coherent.

Looking up at the elder man, the young girl held up her hand to him. Trying to show him the miracle she had just witnessed. When the man didn't get her gesture she lifted up her arm for him to watch as the long gash repaired itself within seconds. While the girl's eyes shone with the fear of frightened doe, the man looking down at her allowed warmth and understand to seep through his dark brown eyes. Grabbing onto her elbow and wrist he helped her up still staring warmly at her. He tossed his head in a gesture of farewell then got back into his vehicle and sped off. Leaving a confused and shaken Yoko staring blankly at blurred traffic.

When she got inside the door something small and brown attacked her feet growling and hissing. Yoko sighed as she lifted up her foot and saw the small planarian dog dangling off her shoe. "Hello to you to Ojo," she grumbled then jerked her leg flinging the dog off and she continued to walk. Only to have the little dog attack her feet once again and once again she kicked it off. She was about to get into the elevator when the dog attack her foot for the third time. "Ojo." she growled at the dog threateningly, the dog paid absolutely no attention. "Fine, you like it there, so be it." Yoko then continue to walk into the elevator, the dog still stayed anchored onto her leg. As the clear glass elevator shot up the ground rapidly shrinking out of sight the dog was still on her leg. As she walked into her apartment and slammed the door behind her, the dog was still there. She once again looked down at the small dog, her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "You never give up do you?" And with that the dog was shaken off and tossed out the door. Yoko listened to the pitiful whines die off as Ojo walked off to find someone else to terrorize.

Yoko then turned to making herself some food. She opened the freezer and looked, it was stuffed with little micro-heat dinners all stacked neatly on top of each other. Once she randomly selected and heated one of the dinner she sat down at the small sofa in front of her window. Her window looked out at a huge lake in the colony, it was one of the few colony cities that could afford things like artificial lakes and weather systems. Yoko then felt something soft land on her shoulder, she smiled and turned her head to see her small black cat. "Hello Kiyo," she scratched behind the cat's and smiled as he purred contentedly. Even the small metal wings attached to his back fluttered happily. Yoko smiled at her cat, and sighed as she continued to stare out into nowhere as the artificial sun set over the lake. She sighed as she watched the artificial sunlight dim cross the glittering horizon. This city is so magical. she thought, The original Tokyo must've been even more so. She closed her eyes at the twinge in her chest then slowly opened them again to see the daylight cityscape one last time before it fell into the electrical parade of night. How can anyone or anything want to destroy something so beautiful?.

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Okay, this is a story I am SLOWLY working on. I'm partway through the second chapter and I don't know when I'll finish it. And after that god knows how long it'll be before the next chapter is out.

To my relatives who are hopefully reading this, well, whaddya think? I thought up this story about two years ago and it has gone through several stages of revision and MAJOR modifications. I hope to see ya all in Hawaii ^_-