Scarlet eyes flickered open to view a plain white ceiling in a room that was not her own. Tears began filling up the ruby red orbs as memories best forgotten came crashing down on a poor soul that had been through enough pain as it is. Having been born in a litter of eight kits and having slept in a huge pile of those self same kits for all 17 years of her life; Vassago Daemon felt lonesome in her large, empty bed. Her kind lived for centuries; legend had it that if there wasn’t any kind of accident that the Dragonkind could live forever. This was unproven as all Dragonkind eventually ended up either in a fatal accident or committed suicide, tired of watching friends and family waste away while they stayed young all their lives. Being her age, it seemed Vassago would have to live for all eternity sleeping in an empty bed all alone but for her crew in the emptiness of the void, remembering that fateful day.
“Vassago Daemon, congratulations! You finally graduated from your Space Commander class,” called Triana Daemon, mother to the slender, young kit before her. Vassago shuffled her feet and blushed, hiding behind a long silver curtain of hair that curled and waved all the way down to her knees.
“Ah, Ma, it wasn’t even that hard,” the girl murmured.
“Oh,” cried Triana, pulling her smallest kit into her arms and basically crushing the life out of her. “The top of your class in a class of only eight people!” The woman crooned to her daughter. “And it’s such a hard class to get into, my lovely! I’m so proud!”
It really was a hard class to get into. You had to have top grades in school from kindergarten on up and be valedictorian in high school to even have a shot at that class. Even then, most people flunked the entrance exams and those that managed to pass usually dropped out before first quarter exams, finding the class to advanced for them. Vassago, of course, graduated top of her class since kindergarten, where she was already on long division and writing in cursive, and was valedictorian of her senior class when she was 12 years old. Her mother had made her wait a year before joining the military as the youngest enlisted in the history of Byu-tifuru at 13. She was promoted at top speed and passed the entrance exams for Space Commander at 13 ½. She spent four years in that class with an A+ average. She passed the Space Commander class as Valedictorian for eight people. She was a prodigy.
Her mom had been so proud. They had celebrated with gusto that night. She had received presents from everyone. Crawling out of the large and empty bed, she pulled out a box from her closet and went through it. Here was a hair ribbon from Kendreth (having no fashion sense of his own, he made Tinlith, his boyfriend; pick it out for her so it was technically from both of them). Taking it, she used it to tie her unruly hair up in a tail at the top of her head. Here was a beautiful diamond necklace made from Tiara’s tears since the Dragonkind cried tears of precious stones based on their eye color. Oh! Here was the floor-length, jet black leather duster coat her mother had bought for her, with the long lapels and ruby buttons. Flicking it up and over her head, she slipped her arms through the silk lined sleeves and flicked the hem away from her body. From her second and third sister’s both, Tiriana and Jexxie, having have had to pool their money, here was a book in a wooden cover wrapped in expansive leather and encrusted with rubies, sapphires, diamonds and emeralds, her families colors, and the family emblem, a dragon wrapped around a pair of crossed Japanese Katanas with blood red hilts. From her dad a bokken with a snow white dragon with red markings on the sheath. This she attached to her waist with a blood red leather belt with a black dragon stitched into it, from Toren, her brother. A pair of black leather stiletto boots with the tops turned down like a pirates from her sister Katiranna went over her feet. Adjusting the cuff of the skin tight black leather jeans from her brother Cain, she stood up. This was one of her favourites because though it was skin tight it flared away from her calves and ankles. She adjusted the plain black cotton T-shirt as she stalked over to a mirror and looked inside of it, the poetry book tucked under her arm. Setting the large, heavy, and expensive book on a stand next to the mirror, she looked into the highly polished silver, examining the twining Celtic never ending knot shaped like a triangle at the corner of her right eye. This was what Pentro paid for so it could match his. She stilled remembered getting it.
Brushing her snow white bangs away from her face to better see the tattoo, Vassago grinned happily up at Pentro, her ruby red eyes sparkling in the light of the parlour. “Best present ever,” she said.
“I certainly hope so,” replied the black dragon. “It certainly cost enough. I’ll have moths flying out of my wallet for a year and a day, sis.” The slender girl laughed. “Come on, you’ll be late for take off, Master General Vassago Daemon,” the man said in a mock regal tone, making the girl laugh even more. The two of them left the tattoo parlour happily, but sobered up as they came closer to the launch port.
“Hey, Bro?” said Vassago.
“Hn?”
“I…I’m really gonna miss you all,” she murmured. “Sometimes I think that, maybe, this is just a bad idea.”
“No, sis, this is your dream,” Pentro said. “You gotta follow it.”
Follow my dreams, huh? Well, look just where it got me.
“Master General Daemon, you have an incoming message from Fleet Admiral Corbiere,” called a voice over the Com.
“I’m on my way,” Vassago replied, striding out of her room quickly. Zipping down the hallway a quick stride, she arrived in the main control room just as a slender, purple haired girl jumped out of the command seat. As she took her seat, she sent a glare over to General Kira Batalla and growled, “Why were you just in my chair, General Batalla?”
“Um, aheh,” the girl poked her fingers together before clearing her throat and tossing aside her Royal Purple hair from her lavender eyes and saying, “Mr. Kim, please pull up the connection with Fleet Admiral Corbiere!”
“Yes, Ma’am,” replied the Oriental as he clacked away on his keyboard. Abruptly, the face of Fleet Admiral Lois Corbiere appeared upon the main screen.
“What is your reason for contacting me, Fleet Admiral Corbiere?” Vassago crooned softly.
On the screen, sparks flew from the console located on the arm of Corbiere’s chair. "Those asses seem to think I'm their personal play thing." Glancing off screen she called, "Not you Squall ... we will talk about that later. Listen, just get up here. We can't hold them off for much longer. I've already taken the ship through one battle today, and this one might be the end of us."
Glancing over at Kira, who twiddled her thumbs quietly next to her chair, she replied, “Alright, we’re on our way. Duo should be up and running in his Deathscythe by the time we get there. Just hold out for a minute or two. Mr. Chakotay, get us over to the
Chakotay called "Yes ma'am" from over by his console as Vassago turned her attention back to the Fleet Admiral and raised her slender, snow white eyebrows.
Lois giggled that the actions of her peer. "If I remember right we were supposed to play tag this morning. Care to play Bomb Squad with me and light up the skies?"
Grinning menacingly and making Kira squeak with fright, Vassago replied, “Bet I can take out more n’ you?”
"I've got both arms and a leg tied up and I know I still have you out matched,” replied the Admiral.
“Oh, it’s on now,” said Vassago. Pressing a button on her armrest, she called through the Com System, “Duo Maxwell, get your ass over to your GUNDAM and get ready to take out as many of the enemy as you possible can! I got my pride running on this so if you know what’s good for your lily white ass then you better get moving!”
“Preparing the Deathscythe for battle,” called Chakotay. On the rear of the ship, a port opened up as the Deathscythe slid out of the ship, Duo Maxwell in the cockpit. The Andromeda flipped around, showing her rear to the Migurushiian battle ship that was advancing upon the
"Oh now, sweetheart, I haven't even got a GUNDAM on the field. Do you really need him to win?" Lois grinned while the ship was tossed around under her.
"I said I was gonna take out as many as possible, doll," replied the Dragonkind with a sharp toothed grin. "I keep to my word." Lois nodded and cut the transition just as she was turning to bark out some orders to her crew.
Vassago snapped out, “Connect me to the Deathscythe.” Promptly, a screen viewing the face of Duo Maxwell popped up. Vassago paused briefly to examine the young mans features; his large chocolate brown eyes rimmed in long, dark lashes. Long, waist length chocolate brown hair pulled back in its customary braid. Sensitive, red mouth, corners tilted up in a slight smirk that told of confidence. “Mr. Maxwell, if a crippled ship and a shuttle take out more gliders then you, I will be very disappointed in you. Either you take out more then them or I will be forced to punish you, is that understood, Mr. Maxwell.”
“Master General, you hurt me,” said the over confident GUNDAM pilot, touching his chest and making a sad face. “Of course I can take out more Gliders then a cripple ship! If you can’t, then I deserve any punishment dished out.”
“Good,” replied Vassago. “And remember, if you don’t…” She trailed off and there was a brief, menacing flash in her red eyes that made Duo’s blood run cold. “Well, just see that you do.”
“Yes, ma’am,” replied the GUNDAM pilot as the Com Link disconnected and his GUNDAM was released.
“Preparing the Slayins and the Korpil B-Wings for launch,” said Chakotay.
“Send out 10 for battle, Chakotay,” Vassago said. Promptly, 5 Slayins and 5 B-Wings shot out of the rear of the ship as the large, elegant spacecraft turned around and powered up its laser beams. Through the large window, Vassago watched as Deathscythe collided into battle with a large, white and light blue GUNDAM called Ghost.
The black GUNDAM shot forward, bullets flying. The Ghost ducked down to the side avoiding the flying shrapnel and launched a missile in Deathscythes vague direction. Spinning to the right, Deathscythe quickly pulled out the long metal rod. Abruptly, a long, glowing green blade erupted from the end, forming the large scythe that gave the GUNDAM its name just as The Ghost whipped out a laser blade and swung down at Deathscythes head. Blocking the laser with his own blade, Duo forced the blade off to the side and down below them before setting off a hail of bullets that forced The Ghost to either back off or loose the battle.
Backing off, The Ghost began powering up its lasers located on its shoulders. The light flaring from those weapons began growing brighter and brighter as Duo moved so that The Ghost would be forced to aim away from the ships in order to hit him. Twin blasts of white light shot towards the GUNDAM as he barrel rolled out of the way and shot towards The Ghost and slammed the blunt end of his scythe into the large robots abdominal region, leaving a large and sparking hole. The Ghost jumped back and streaked back towards the large Corellian Cruiser, firing a wide missile back at the Deathscythe.
The spaces between the battling ships were filled with weapons fire as the shuttle, Slayins, and B-Wings engaged the gliders in battle. Bullets tumbled left and right as lasers blasted from the Andromeda slammed into several Fighters. The Deathscythe sliced through three more before rocketing over to the De Nile and throwing several missiles into the Corellian Cruisers side, blasting off several hunks of metal from the side. Gas and air started leaking out of the ship as all the fighters were forced to return to their Mother Ship and the huge, lumbering hunks of metal shot out of sight.
The battle over and won, Vassago sat back in her seat and remembered the fight that had taken out her home.
"Master General Vassago Daemon, now commander of the battleship, Andromeda Ascendant, please board you ship,” called a genderless voice over the
“Holy fuck, what the hell was that!” snapped out the Dragonkind, fangs briefly extending in irritation. (Like a Dragonkind is ever going to admit fright.)
“I’ve no idea,” replied the Lieutenant General, lifting the surprisingly light girl and setting her on her feet.
Striding away from the tall blonde, she entered the Command Deck and snapped out, “Someone wanna tell me what the hell that was?!”
“We’ve no idea, General!” called a tall, handsome brunette man with a facial tattoo. If she remembered her lists correctly, this was Lieutenant Colonel Chakotay. He was in charge of preparing the support ships. On the other side of the large room was a handsome oriental who, according to her lists, was Major Harry Kim, Navigator.
“I’m getting reading on a three large battleships in our outer atmosphere,” called the Navigator. “The blastings are coming from there.” Another blast rocked the planet and Vassago looked out the front window just as a beam of light annihilated the area directly in front of the Andromeda Ascendant…right where her family had been standing.
Abruptly, filled to the brim with a fiery rage, snow-white scales rippled across her face, the natural armour picking up the bright red tattoo on her cheek bone. Fangs extended from her gums to extend past her chin and a vicious growl erupted from her chest. Her ears grew pointed as spikes extended along the back of her head, her neck, and along her spin, shredding jacket and shirt of her uniform. A slender girl next to her Commanders chair yelped in sheer fright, but managed to hold her ground. Forcing herself to calm down, the slender Dragonkind snarled, “Get us in the air yesterday, Mr. Kim!”
The frightened oriental mans fingers flew across his keyboard as the Andromeda’s blasters prepared for launch. Vassago dropped into her chair heavily and covered her eyes with a clawed hand, trying to calm down to the point where she no longer had spikes and fangs. There was a loud roar as the Andromeda shot into the air alongside their partner, The
~
It had been lost, and badly. Vassago was curled up in the center of her bed as rubies fell from her eyes. Already, a small pile of rubies was piled between her feet. Vassago felt lonesome in her large, empty bed.