BACKGROUND (22/10/2000) : Heh, I had a rather bad spell wif a friend of mine who was giving me C&C yesterday, and somehow I got the impression he was flaming me. Anyway I lost my head, then he lost his. I was so upset I juz went to my word processor and this Prologue emerged at my fingertips ^_^, although I was raging at the time. XXXXX, if u really are out there, I juz want to let u noe, this fic is for you... ^_^. If we make it up to each other, I'll write your name here wif your blessings, and dedicate this piece to you. Basically this fic does not change the plot, juz answers many numerous questions about the character's nature and where he really stands with respect to Washu. I've shown this to my Proofreader Serajadeyn and he gives me the thumbs up, saying this will not interrupt or make the fic weaker, so here it is ^_^. That's about it, I'm a simple soul at heart... Disclaimer : Most characters in this story are property of AIC and Pioneer. They are in such a situation solely because of my imagination. This story was written purely for fun. DARKNESS & LIGHT - No Need For Kova By Zyraen PROLOGUE : No Need for Liberation Okay, time to check… Putting down his pen, he quite casually flicked through his course completion paper, checking to make sure that all was to his satisfaction before he submitted it. First he went through the elementary open ended answers. Right, right, right, wrong, wrong, right, right, wrong, right right, right, right, wrong, right… Satisfied with his solutions, he moved on to his experimental planning, including the essay on the procedure as well as the necessary calculations involved. Bad point, standard point, good, bad. Standard, good, wrong, good point, standard, bad… Still not touching his pen he checked his calculations, and noted that there was an intermediate value that he substituted a wrong constant for. There… I’m done. He glanced at his watch. Ah well, looks like it’s fifteen minutes more. Turning his paper over, he sat back and picked up his pen, as the rest of the candidates bustled on their work. Twirling the pen about absently in his fingers, to an onlooker he would have seemed a candidate stumped by a question, but this is what went through his mind. Heh, no Alpha this time round again… ==================================== My ticket to freedom… His fingers ran tenderly over the smooth metallic surface of the sleek unit he had built, with its silver surface shining back at him, and the gleam from its shine lighted up his blue eyes behind his steel spectacle frames with joy and anticipation. They trembled with excitement as he admired its surface, of adamantine, silvery steel… He had known all along what he would call it, right from the time he conceptualised it. There was a perfect name, an item that symbolised its speed and range and size and deadliness. Oh yes, it was deadly. He thought to himself with a smile. It had taken a long time and much of his energy, ingenuity, combined with all the new things he had learnt, along with many other not so conventional avenues of knowledge, to finally fit the device into the unit. And he would have left back then, about ten months ago, except that he had learnt about a new item he could use. The professor had returned to a warm reception, which she greeted with her usual, typically endearing modesty, to embrace her chairmanship. To tell the truth, he had been surprised at her appearance and demeanour, even though he already knew how she looked like. I wonder if she would have made a good spy, he had thought. Since then, he had learnt more about her, and most interestingly, of her latest invention… He sighed as his hands left the surface of the metal. What a wonderful piece of work… He frowned. This is my weapon. It is my defence, my ticket out of here. And that is all it is… It was dangerous for him at times, and things were getting more difficult now. Assuming another personality, while only minorly different from his own, was trying on his energies, and there were times the pseudo person within him threatened to overwhelm his old, pragmatic, energetic, eager and enterprising side. Now, being himself again, he cast a critical look at the unit. All along, it had troubled him that his creation had no convenient way of entering or leaving, had no… user mobility. I must get this done… It will be done. He turned away. Then glanced back at the unit. It would open the world, the galaxies… I will be able to roam freely, fearing nothing… the universe beyond this drab, ascetic place called to him… He closed his eyes, and whether it was truly him or his pseudo personality that thought next, he knew not, which was discomforting in itself. It can wait… I can leave any time… only when I leave I *must* be well equipped. Reluctantly he wrenched his gaze from the unit, and let his other consciousness take over him completely. Settling into his bench, he looked through the paper, and his latest designs and calculations, refreshing his mind, before pulling from the machine in front of him all the materials and tools he needed, plus some other non-standard material he had gathered for the purpose of this project. It would have been extremely difficult, but his mind was still fresh from his previous attempts and experimentation with the other project of his, so it wasn’t as difficult as it might otherwise have been. ==================================== It was after a seven-day sabbatical in his workroom, islolated, having worked for nearly a hundred and sixty hours, that his worn and haggard figure finally let out a sigh of relief. Thank god for my enhanced stamina, he thought. Beside him was an empty container, slightly over three litres capacity, and its insides were stained brown. By its side was an empty cup, also stained brown here and there. And for caffeine. Forcing his bleary eyes open, he tested the weapon against the laptop he had, by placing it on a pad linked to his terminal. Yes, perfect… the balance, everything had been maintained. I have lost no edge, lost no ground in this aspect. The DNA reactive component was still within too, as well as the signature mark. Excitement and exhilaration, as he had often craved experiencing, rushed into his veins again, driving away his weariness, and he picked the device off the pad, holding it in his hand, and turned so he had the space to test his device out. Blue light filled the room as he activated the device, and lit his face up in a splendid azure glow, causing the steel frame of his glasses to shine cerulean, and made his neatly parted brown hair seem to darken to black. Smiling somewhat, he swung his device around a little. Good, that function still works, but it was in there already, and elementary anyway. He picked up something a corner on the floor, something that looked like a hollow cylinder, but with what looked like synthetic fibres and some grey, synthetic skin in the middle. Wires ran from it to his terminal. Tapping the tip of the rod twice with his thumb, he inserted the rod into the cylinder, and let go. Nothing changed it seem, except for the numbers on the screen. Not bad… he read the numbers off. Reaction time point zero five seconds, voltage two thousand. Okay… now for the most crucial test. Tentatively, trying to force himself to stay calm, he gently shifted the item, a certain point out, and pride and joy swelled in him as he beheld a small gap, a void… Gingerly picking up a tool from the bench by his side, he lobbed it into the rift, and another rift opened up at the opposite end of the room, where the object fell out. EUREKA! IT WORKS! All right! I’m great, ain’t this neat!? His brows furrowed together. Right, big deal. What did you expect? You pulled all the right spots, correct? Trembling, he drew it up before him, then his eyes were staring into the unknown darkness, into nothingness… It will work… One by one, he steadily gathered up all the remaining items from the workbench, and lobbed them gently through the hole. Each and every one emerged at the far end of the room… All right, it should work… does work… all my calculations and designing are precise, besides records have it that at least four people have used such a portal, including the great Washu herself, so it should work… You’re getting soft, part of his mind snorted back at him. Hello? He grinned dangerously. Here goes then… ==================================== "There you are, Yoda," an eager, husky voice greeted him as he emerged from his room. "I’ve been looking for you." He sighed, his voice gravelly, even though he had treated himself to some cups of soothing tea and a good four hours’ rest since he completed what he deemed his magnum opus. "So, what is it now, Marasa?" He turned to face the voluptuous, svelte brunette wearily. Her laughter sounded as she caught his expression of distaste in his words and face, and his scowl deepened in response. "Come on, why are you such a tough nut to crack?" she joked. He rolled his eyes. "Am I the only guy in this entire Academy that you haven’t slept with?" "Well… the only one who looks under thirty-five, I guess." "Who are into the bets you ladies are laying on laying me?" He asked, sounding almost accomodating. Marasa wasn’t the worse of them, and he might have to keep on his toes for the others. He still felt the fear the first time he had been approached, over thirty years ago. Not to mention one day when he spotted someone trying to spike his drink with aphrodisaic. "Let’s see…" Marasa thought. "Me, Karima, Janimi, Gesuki, and Sekura." He smiled, slightly to himself. One of the reasons why he let Marasa come near him was that she was in a way, the most trusting and open, and she wasn’t as forward as the others. In his eyes, she was the pick of a very bad lot. "Only? What happened to Tamura?" Though he knew, of course. "She said she wasn’t interested in you ‘bastard’, and that if we were thinking to get you, we had better take care." Marasa thought a bit. "She’s a real looker, you know that? What happened anyway?" "Heh," his smile broadened. The woman had been astonished when he casually ordered her out, despite her being well… dressed in her birthday suit, then became dumbfounded as he, looking straight and disinterestedly at her, casually started tossing glass vials at her. Barely half a second after the first one had sailed just by her head and smashed into the wall, he noted her face had turned pale when she heard the hissing crackle as the acid inside ate into the wall. The next vial just barely missed her body, then she had turned to make a run for it. He had tossed two more after her, aiming to miss, as usual, just to make sure. "Believe me, Marasa, you don’t want to know." He laughed a little more. "You really don’t want to know." "So… none of them have gotten to you yet, right?" "I should think so." He said carefully. "They say you pretend they don’t exist…" "I suppose it is rather hard to lay a person who can’t seem to notice you…" He replied cautiously. "That makes me special to you!" Marasa announced jubilantly. "Come on, you acknowledge me, you talk to me, you greet me, but you don’t bother with them…" He frowned. "Look, that’s because you aren’t as extreme as them. Believe me, if you try something like what they do, I’ll treat you no differently." He paused a while. "Besides, you are willing to tell me things without bargaining with me." He sighed again. "And why the hell are you people bothering with me at all? I’m not handsome, not brilliant in the Academy, never got an Alpha in the past ten years, never won any prizes, and hell I’m shorter than you with your high-heels on!" "Oh…" she looked uncertain, then laughed. "Well almost all the other tough guys have been taken care of in one way or another… there’s only you from the under thirty-five category left." "Look, I’ve told you people before and I say it again, I am NOT under thirty-five! I came in when I was twenty-five, and that was frigging *forty* years ago!" "Heh… but you look it, and that’s what counts… besides…" she laughed. "Out of our group, how many of us do you think are *really* under twenty-five?" "None." He answered, without a doubt. "Look, I got to go now, so if you please…" He turned and moved… She reached out to seize his arm, but he ignored it, his pace not slowing in the least. Marasa cursed as she ran two steps, still refusing to let go, and jumped… He didn’t pause as her lithe, slim, youthful seeming arms wrapped around his shoulders, instead his pace didn’t slow, and she had to keep her feet moving quickly or be dragged of him. "Marasa, I am *warning* you. If you were any one of the others, I’d have gripped you by the neck as you tried that," He answered, his voice calm and steady. "But don’t you…?" "I have never known love before, and I don’t intend to learn it from you harlots." Something in Marasa riled at that. "HEY! I’ll have you know I got straight Alphas for all the projects and test in my advanced space technology course!" "I am warning you *again*. I have no qualms about striking those who try this kind of thing. Now I will count to three, and if you’re still with me by then, I *assure* you you will wake up in the infirmary twelve hours from now. And if you even try choking me…" Marasa’s eyes widened as she felt a cold metal point press hard against her clothing into her side. "One…" She felt herself recoil in fear. "Two…" She heard his cold, steely words again… ‘I’m warning you…’ and let go. He was almost five metres down the corridor from her before she stood steadily back on her feet. "Damn you Yoda!" She cried, frustration and anger in her voice. "Why won’t you give!?" "Because I never will… not to your kind." His pace didn’t slow. "Now one of the others will get to you!" "Your concern is noted, but badly misplaced." His receding figure sent a mocking laugh down the corridors. "Thank you, Marasa," and disappeared around a corner. *DAMN*, Marasa thought, grinding her teeth together. Could have sworn he was warming up to me… he even laughed. Cursing at how she had been thwarted, she went back to her room to bury herself in her latest project… ==================================== Stepping back into the room, he smiled to himself as he looked about the one of many Virtual Reality chambers within the Science Academy. These were generally set up to go about the room, and the settings and options available on the programs were generally suited to the program used. Students themselves were welcome to write programs that detailed and reacted to some stimuli, as well as insert random processes into the VR program. This particular room was one of the semi-arena types, used for larger programs, and he had written, or rather modified, various programs for the purposes of testing it out here, an activity he also called ‘practice’. In response to his enhanced reactions, he had taken the liberty of speeding up the program speed levels by about fifty percent, and randomised it. Sensory cameras were mounted from various angles about the room, so they could see through the VR, as well as observe the simulation, although this was rarely the case unless operators deemed it fit for it to do so. Unfortunately, there were other, more conventional ways to confound the cameras. He grinned as he noted the photos pasted to the front of the cameras. They had not even seen him enter the room. After he had been done with them, he had donned the skin tight simulation suit, which effectively covered his whole body. The suit was flexible and designed to exert pressures of varying force and strength on various parts of the body. Within it there was a thin, disposal inner suit of material that was actually in contact with the skin of the user, and every user was expected to fit in a new one and dispose of it after use, for hygiene purposes. Now there left only the headgear for him to don, and he removed his spectacles followed by his contact lenses. Remember, he reminded himself. First half an hour, space warfare, next half hour, blaster training. The next half hour will be solely the silver rod, then the next one hour, the laser armaments, and for the next one and a half that, a wild free for all. As he put on the light headgear that would simulate his eyes and ears, the room dissolved away… As always he felt a pang of nostalgia, as he sat down at the helm of his ship, to look out upon the darkness of space, and the familiar controls and consoles. In reality it had been forty years since the Wanderer had fallen to ruins… Then he grinned as he felt the old thrill race through his veins, his ship sensors picked up over five enemy ships approaching from various directions homing about his coordinates… In a breast pocket his blaster was nestled, an old companion whom he never quite could bring himself to forsake, while else where about him, a silver rod… Bring them on… he thought, as he manuevered the Wanderer into a headspin, and golden lasers streaked through the darkness of his space, barely missing the outline of the swiftly moving ship. Silver beams shot out from within his ship, to race towards the enemy craft locked on in his sights, and as the enemy came flying in and loosing salvoes in retaliation, Yoda Shiro gradually dissolved into nothingness. ==================================== He sipped his tea, and gave a loud sigh of contentment. Oh man, that was one great work out! It is great to exercise after seven days in that miserable room of mine… He smiled, as he thought how he had emerged from the VR room, adrenalin running through him in surges. It was satisfying to know he held his own against a simulated character that was programmed to NEVER be defeated, as well as having just about random and swift execution of numerous moves and strokes he could gather from all the fighting organisations about the universe. Okay, on to the next task at hand… It is logically sound and understandable, given the nature of subspace dimensions, that they can be used to carry out experiments as they obey all the rules of the universe they currently inhabit. Therefore it follows that I can store things in here, and even travel through here. Carefully, gingerly, he open the insides of the silvery unit, and adhered the functions to controls, so he could employ his latest addition to his arsenal. Heh, piece of cake. It’s just about controlling and applying stimuli… should be done in a jiffy. Then I can pay a visit to some of my old friends. ==================================== Humming lightly to himself, he crawled through the narrow passage way. It was so narrow there was no way he could even bend his elbows, except to dig into the sides of the shaft, and his shoulder muscles had to strain continuously to curl down and in front of him so he would not get stuck. The designer had assumed, rightly, that no one in his right mind would go through the ventilator system. Unfortunately, the person obviously never counted on a person not being in his right mind in the first place, and of a person who was as determined as he was. His body cut across yet another one of the invisible infrared lines, but no alarm went off. Which was no big deal really. After learning how to alter the security settings here, which incidentally took him well over six months to figure out, it had been no worry at all. It was much easier now, than it was when he first arrived, due to his enhancements, but the rite of passage was nevertheless still a grueling exercise even for one such as him. That it was an exercise he welcomed, a way to keep in shape, was one of the reasons why he employed this method of access rather than using the subspace rift he had just learnt how to use. The other reason is that occasionally, he had to admit saw some pretty interesting things from where he wandered. Sleeping, busy people, people having fun together… Although it was old, in a way it was still an experience, to never cease wondering at how one who looked drab, uninteresting and utterly ascetic in the day could be comely, serene and human as one slept. Ah, here we are, the last room. There wasn’t enough space for him to see through past his hands to what he was doing, but his fingers worked nevertheless, sliding out from his long sleeves the various tools he would need. First a sight tube went through, to check on the room, and the headgear he wore projected an image of a slumbering person, in the darkness of the shaft, and he knew it was safe to proceed. Securing the cover first with certain removable hinges, he then inserting a flexible screw driver through the thin slits in the cover and unscrewed the covers. Pushing gently, the cover swung down, soundlessly as the hinges dampened the movement, and worked to prevent it from making any sound.Wriggling through the shaft like a worm, he emerged from the ventilator, until his shoulders were free. Removing a thick bar from within his works, he placed it before him, in the air, it stayed there, hovering as he turned it on. Gripping it firmly with both hands, he pulled the rest of his body out from the shaft, then pressing another button on the bar, let it levitate down until his feet soundlessly came into contact with the floor four metres below the opening of the shaft. Letting go of the levitating bar, he took a glance at the restful figure, with his broad face, in life too often wearing a gregarious smile. No one would have thought this sunny person could actually be a spy for the Syndicate, and he did his work rather well, at least for his level. However, the one who watched his repose knew better. His gloved hands sifting through the scans he knew the person always kept in a secret compartment, he checked the data, as he customarily did, once a month. He made it a point to monitor these spies as best as he could, as the Science Academy was full of potentially promising material that, if brought to the attention of either Jurai, Galaxy Police, or the Synera Stellar Syndicate, could result in the creation of a weapon that could well incite an inter-galactic war as the empire with the advantage struck out in bid to seek universal dominion. Quite ironically, it was himself that held in his hands such an item, but he had no intention to ever let anyone alive know about it being in his possession. After all, it is only to be used in self defence and extreme circumstances. My own EMP device should suffice to deal with regular threats. Well, looks like he also has this particular gem… he thought as he looked at the note. It was not the deadly armament that he himself had acquired, just a modest notes on insidious biological warfare and on mutating then mass producing a very rare, almost unheard of virus strain that could well spell calamity for countless colonies throughout the galaxy. Quite carefully, he opened a portal with his rod, and reached in, to produce a piece of paper, and part of him marvelled at this particular invention’s utility. Truly Washu is a genius of the highest order! He smiled at the sleeping man. It had been over four years this person had obtained a lover in the Academy, a lady, whose chambers he had visited about half an hour ago. It might have been a coincidence that she also had this piece of vital information, but he doubted it. After all, she was working for the Juraians. As for who stole from who, he sincerely didn’t give a damn for. As he did earlier, he picked up the piece of offending information, and replaced the paper with a slip that was utterly identical, except in one crucial aspect - the virus strain would not in fact be a long lived one. By altering several minor points on altering the mutation of the original strain, it would be such that the virus would be unable to reproduce in any form, and effectively cause its own extinction. If it did survive, it would be harmless, as it produces non-toxic products. Also, the original name of the virus strain, by changing a single letter in the spelling, would in fact refer to a different, more common strain, which would die in the process of undergoing the alterations, both original and modified. Jumping back onto the bar, still hovering soundlessly, slightly below two metres above the ground, he reached up with his hands at the ventilator shaft and the cover. Removing from the cover the hinges, he tossed into the rift that was still below him, where he had taken out the paper, and replaced the cover, taking care to screw it back on securely. Then opening the portal he got back down on the floor, and using his silver rod to widen the portal, stepped through, to emerge back into his own room. It is indeed a splendid tool, he marvelled as he admired the subspace rift. Finally settling down for a rest, he carefully tore the tanned skin off his face, removed the small folds of fat under his jaw and around his cheeks, as well as the flesh toned material that lowered his jawline. He pulled the tanned brown gloves from his hands, and removed the extra material that made his fingers seem thicker and shorter than they really were. Applying some powder to his fingers, he ran his fingers through his grey hair, and it became lustrous brown. Then he clipped his shoulder length hair together, close to his scalp, then combed it neatly into his customary side parting. "Welcome back, Yoda," he smiled to himself. There was one room that he feared entering though. That was the lab in the higher level of the Academy, belonging to a particular professor Washu. He had only ever been there once, and much knowledge he had gleaned in there. Most significant was how to actually reduce the mass required for a device to create the rift, and the other was so astonishing, he almost could not believe it. His weapon had far greater destructive power than he had ever imagined. Unfortunately, even the original device was so difficult to miniaturise, he knew it would be folly to attempt to alter it further for adjustable controls, and still hope to fit it into his unit. Since that visit, he had never dared enter the lab again. He knew it was safer not to take chances, and besides, he had often the suspicion that she had her sights on him, as in found his activities noteworthy, and might be on his trail. He might have rested more easily if he had known Washu never flipped through or checked her paper notes. She had only made copies in obligation for the Science Academy rules, and all of the material she actually made reference to were stored in her spectral computer. However, he was right in his suspicion that she was watching him. Of all the pupils, she had found him noteworthy for the extent of his range of knowledge, and the nature of his projects. It had also been somewhat astonishing for her to note that he had, in the course of forty years, he had consistently achieved between Beta and Delta for his course graduation papers and his projects. Alpha achievement had only been awarded to him twice, apparently happening only once every twenty years… His projects, while full of promise, tended to achieve mediocre results due to some experimental planning, design or calculation flaw, rather than conceptual errors. Looks like I am finished here… ==================================== Ah…To be free… to be free at last… These thoughts filled his mind as his eyes sprang open from his sleep, and a smile of pleasure crossed his face… Then he sighed… I shall miss this place. It has been okay while it lasted. His mind wandered far away, to admire the beauty and wonder of the countless landscapes he had seen - awe inspiring rock formations, monuments to nature’s majesty; frigid barren tundras and the sweltering parched deserts, forbidding and lifeless, yet also captivating and teeming with unseen lifeforms ; ivory sands of beaches flanked by towering cliff heights, a beautiful contrast of the serenity of nature against its heights ; of galaxies and nebulas of stars, splitting through the darkness in myriad colours and forms and lights, each and every one unique, reminding him of the ubiquity of beauty even in the emptiness of space. Yes, it’s been nice here, but I’ve got to move on. The rest of the universe is waiting out there, and now I should be able to handle them tolerably, with the knowledge and changes that I have formed about myself here… But my experiments, my projects? There is so much more to learn, so much more knowledge to glean, so many more fields to delve into, countless wellsprings of information untapped… I’m sorry, but I *have* to leave. I think I’m being watched, and I have always trusted my instincts. Also, I don’t wish to stay here forever, I wish to apply what I have learnt out there… Ah well, I guess you are right. It might work… just an experiment, right? He smiled. Right, I guess. This life is an experiment, after all, I have no idea where I’m going. Hmm, application on the spot… just like I used to do… Yes. He walked towards the silvery shiny unit. It is time to face the world out there again. Opening it, he settled down comfortably into the seat. Are you ready? Will you help me? The silver rod was inserted into a hole within the unit, and appeared at the tip, mounted at the front of the craft. Yes… but one last request, please… There was a shudder in the room, then an inky darkness appeared before the unit, and he could see through the glass into the void. Okay… here we go then… There was a rush of engines, barely discernible, as it ran so smoothly… Then suddenly the room was empty. ==================================== High over the Science Academy, there was a flash of silver, as an object appeared in orbit over it. Within it, someone looked, even as he was dying. There… take a good look. The blue eyes rove over the place below him. From above here, the complex was nowhere as impressive as it looked, after all it had been built for Science, not for aestethics. The watcher looked down, remembering all the memories and exhilarations, of the objects created, the successful projects, of fathoming secrets and achieving objectives through sheer hard work and determination. The space craft hung in the air for a long time, unseen and unnoticed. All right… I’m ready. Very well then, let’s go. As his hand pushed the throttle up, the ship raced forward into the darkness of space. And I shall embrace what the fates have in store for me… === End of Prologue === PLEASE send COMMENTS & CRITICISMS! (C&C) IMPORTANT : I'm seriously worried I may have serious difficulty finishing D&L b4 Jan 2000, so in case that happens I want to set up some kind of mailing list for D&L. Basically it will tell u when a new chapter comes out. Please mail your Name & Email to zyraen@yahoo.com, no other data is reqd. If u like u can provide your age, sex, and readiness to C&C. I hope you have enjoyed this Fanfic as much as I have typing it. If there are any more grammar errors, please mail me too ^_^. Me and Serajadeyn are my only Proofreaders. This is my first FF, so go ahead and mail me at zyraen@yahoo.com with comments, especially on character portrayal, realism. PLEASE send COMMENTS & CRITICISMS! (C&C)