The bazaar police on Uranus (never ~ gonna ~ stop) investigate an
empty cargo freighter, clean but dilapidated, their guns drawn, lights
on, creeping ... the lead hold up the hand to halt, seeing the flashing light.
A flash wave of fire fills the bay.
____
From '柿 Tales', just after the moment the priestess touches Chiyome's forehead, sending her curled backward, eyes wide, the priestess' red robes fluttering past in slowest of time.
Chiyome - Voiced over in the slow silence, "Two hundred years ..."
~ Chiyome slowly arcing, the last of red slipping by. The view of her face is static while the walls behind turn instead.
A field of wreckage floating, bodies amid, the tip of a flagships bow forcing through.
~ Chiyome ...
The view of the craft passes it's bulk, the bow as a snake's tail, body widening.
~ Chiyome - Voiced as she continues slowly, "I have hunted ..."
Along the craft's widening hull, a small village under frame supported glass, smaller craft docking and departing the framework. Each craft has a bladed nose as a tanto, to penetrate hulls for boarding, three harpoon cannons from wings surrounding the cockpit.
~ Chiyome - A tear falls over her eye, "Lived ..."
A woman robed as clearly a high rank walks through the ship's village, hunters training, village life. They train in robes, and the loose fitted gear underneath, various specialties practiced, with no costumed distinction. The view continues to the hull's curve over to a head like a cobra looking forward.
~ Chiyome - A shaken breath "And now ..."
She (not a known character) sits at the command chair in the serpent's head, and out to the smaller warships in formation, their own buzzing activity, similar designs, simplified for their varied function, without the village habitat.
~ Chiyome - "What's this ?"
The high hunter taps the chair console, "Speak."
Comm - "The local police force found the ship her crew arrived in before her. Cleaned out, abandoned and trapped. The boarding party is dead of course and the vessel was destroyed."
Hunter - "Surprise escapes me. And the betrayer ?"
Comm - "They drifted the high ionosphere by sail before porting out it seems. Clean port, no trail."
Hunter - "Indeed in such junk. Their quarry ?"
Comm - "Recording shows they hunt the deity Apollo. Also recorded was some very ... unique historical data. An immortal is among them, if her tale be true. Uploaded to the librarians, the interrogation recording to your comm."
Static out.
Hunter - "An immortal ... a demon ... and the third ... an anomaly." She smiles. "I've always hated Apollo." To the helm, "Course Nibiru."
She taps the armrest in thought.
Hunter - To the gunnery command at fore on the bridge, "Bring half battle flank, layer the rest for backup deployment, ground assault next up. Intend strike upon the victor, whichever it is, when weakened. Containment seal for one demon, and load for the gods."
Tapping in rowed fingers ...
Hunter - "I have a feeling."
Scene out the view port with comm static passed between the fleet, mostly crew return orders from clue salvage of the destroyed vessel, another hunt (a later tale).
____
The ships accelerate, view past the hull moving past to the engine's burning. As background ships begin to port out, looking into the engine's fire, underneath ...
Hector and Sally roll gently in the engine's burn, puffing an occasional stabilizing blast. His head stabilized with the roll, Nix and Nocturne in the seats, the latter listening in and tuning between
Over the hull as the UFO on Hector's back past view (upside down, under the burn), Qiu inside, arms crossed, actively ignoring a plate of food.
The flagship ports out last and they roll away ...
On comm ~
Mishil - "Holy shit. That actually works."
Nocturne - "Told ya. Hot. (Nix joining in) Dog. ! Rolllllennnn ... !"
A flash wave of fire fills the bay.
____
From '柿 Tales', just after the moment the priestess touches Chiyome's forehead, sending her curled backward, eyes wide, the priestess' red robes fluttering past in slowest of time.
Chiyome - Voiced over in the slow silence, "Two hundred years ..."
~ きょめ (Chiyome) ~ the last persimmon ~
('You Only Live Twice' by Pain Teens)
~ Chiyome slowly arcing, the last of red slipping by. The view of her face is static while the walls behind turn instead.
A field of wreckage floating, bodies amid, the tip of a flagships bow forcing through.
~ Chiyome ...
The view of the craft passes it's bulk, the bow as a snake's tail, body widening.
~ Chiyome - Voiced as she continues slowly, "I have hunted ..."
Along the craft's widening hull, a small village under frame supported glass, smaller craft docking and departing the framework. Each craft has a bladed nose as a tanto, to penetrate hulls for boarding, three harpoon cannons from wings surrounding the cockpit.
~ Chiyome - A tear falls over her eye, "Lived ..."
A woman robed as clearly a high rank walks through the ship's village, hunters training, village life. They train in robes, and the loose fitted gear underneath, various specialties practiced, with no costumed distinction. The view continues to the hull's curve over to a head like a cobra looking forward.
~ Chiyome - A shaken breath "And now ..."
She (not a known character) sits at the command chair in the serpent's head, and out to the smaller warships in formation, their own buzzing activity, similar designs, simplified for their varied function, without the village habitat.
~ Chiyome - "What's this ?"
(song over)
The high hunter taps the chair console, "Speak."
Comm - "The local police force found the ship her crew arrived in before her. Cleaned out, abandoned and trapped. The boarding party is dead of course and the vessel was destroyed."
Hunter - "Surprise escapes me. And the betrayer ?"
Comm - "They drifted the high ionosphere by sail before porting out it seems. Clean port, no trail."
Hunter - "Indeed in such junk. Their quarry ?"
Comm - "Recording shows they hunt the deity Apollo. Also recorded was some very ... unique historical data. An immortal is among them, if her tale be true. Uploaded to the librarians, the interrogation recording to your comm."
Static out.
Hunter - "An immortal ... a demon ... and the third ... an anomaly." She smiles. "I've always hated Apollo." To the helm, "Course Nibiru."
She taps the armrest in thought.
Hunter - To the gunnery command at fore on the bridge, "Bring half battle flank, layer the rest for backup deployment, ground assault next up. Intend strike upon the victor, whichever it is, when weakened. Containment seal for one demon, and load for the gods."
Tapping in rowed fingers ...
Hunter - "I have a feeling."
Scene out the view port with comm static passed between the fleet, mostly crew return orders from clue salvage of the destroyed vessel, another hunt (a later tale).
____
The ships accelerate, view past the hull moving past to the engine's burning. As background ships begin to port out, looking into the engine's fire, underneath ...
Hector and Sally roll gently in the engine's burn, puffing an occasional stabilizing blast. His head stabilized with the roll, Nix and Nocturne in the seats, the latter listening in and tuning between
Over the hull as the UFO on Hector's back past view (upside down, under the burn), Qiu inside, arms crossed, actively ignoring a plate of food.
The flagship ports out last and they roll away ...
On comm ~
Mishil - "Holy shit. That actually works."
Nocturne - "Told ya. Hot. (Nix joining in) Dog. ! Rolllllennnn ... !"
"! Whooooooo !"
('Same Song' by Digital Underground & Tupac)
They roll through space before porting out.
(leaving a notable puff of shaken off radioactive particle dust behind ~ years later nerd debate answer = the puff would not be recognizable as theirs, due to the long burn. Note also the hunter ships left none ( ... ).
~ The map dots their path to Edo.
A shuttle crewman throws a domino down hard, all others pulling back "! Oh !"
~ The ninjas leap from the rooftops. Running through the streets against the guard.
Nocturne dumps the money bag, Nix dives over the pile of jewels and candy.
~ A burn in the map grows from Japan's shore as the travel dots follow tale's course.
They port into empty space.
From a wanted poster, corner tucked under the (good looking) plate of food. The poster showing Qiu trying to control the UFO on security footage from the bazaar, then out the UFO's bubble window to passing space.