Sonic the Hedgehog - " As the Wheel Turns " - by Aaron Lye
E-mail : vicl@pacific.net.sg
Sonic the Hedgehog , Miles Tails Prower and other related characters are
based on the characters created by SEGA , Archie Comic Publications , and
the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning series created by DIC and Sega of
America . Other characters that appear or are mentioned in this story are
original creations of their respective authors.
"Cast" of characters used in this story ( in random order )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sally
Sonic
Tails
Rotor
Antoine
David Prower - courtesy of Shawn Wolski
Bunnie
Ari
Several other characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous
Union of Allied Worlds - Joseph De laCroix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE : IF I HAVE CREDITED THE WRONG PERSON(S) HERE , DO LET ME KNOW
AND THE MISTAKE WILL BE RECTIFIED.
ALL INFORMATION ABOVE IS CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
READ ON TILL YOU SEE THE WORDS " THE END " , THE STORY'S INCOMPLETE
UNTIL YOU DO
Queen Sally Alicia Acorn looked out of the window . Ten years after their
victory over Snively and his forces , the restoration of Mobotropolis and
Mobius in general was about to be complete , with the de-roboticization of
one last group of Snively's once-slaves . Mobotropolis was once again a
sprawling city , where technology and nature co-existed peacefully .
Atmosphere re-generators had purified the air that Robotnik , then Snively
had polluted , and environmental units had repaired the damage to the
surface of the planet .
The computer beeped , bringing her out of her reverie . " Queen Sally ,
the Council awaits your arrival . " Sally acknowledged the computer's
message , then proceeded to the Council Chambers . She had kept the
title of 'Queen' as a sort of flag rank , as a tribute to the past rulers
of Mobius . For the planet was no longer ruled by a monarchy . By majority
vote , the races of Mobius had petitioned against a monarchy , remembering
how that form of government had failed them almost twenty five years ago .
In its place was an alliance of the races : The Federated Races of Mobius .
This government was headed by a president ( Sally ) , along with a
representative of each major race which had joined the FRoM Alliance .
After the recent upheaval , it was only natural that Sally would want
people she could trust in places of power . And who better to fill in
those roles than the people whom she fought beside all those years ....
The doors of the Council Chambers swished open leisurely , and Sally
matched its pace , strolling in casually , yet regally , a trait she had
not lost . Once in the room , she surveyed the people present .
Seated around the retangular Council table , next to the majestic windows
which offered a panoramic view of Mobotropolis sat the former Freedom
Fighters : Sonic , representing the hedgehog race , Knuckles , representing
echidnas , Bunnie Rabbot ( She kept the name even after her
de-roboticization ) , for the rabbits , Miles "Tails" Prower representing
the reclusive Guardians , Antoine as ambassador of the fox race , Rotor
for the walruses , Dulcy for dragons , Ari representing his race , David
representing the cybernetic lifeforms , and representatives from the
Wolf Pack , the lions , squirrels and ferrets . Several races had yet to
join the alliance , but talks were underway .
The meeting commenced soon after , with each ambassador giving a summary of
the restoration work in their sectors .
With that part of the meeting complete , Sally spoke , " Very good . By
tomorrow , Mobius will finally be totally free of Robotnik's "legacy" . By
good fortune , that day coincides with the anniversary of Snively's defeat ,
and I want the celebration to be one the people of this planet will not
forget for a long time .
Antoine interrupted at this point . " Madame President , there ees one
thing . We recieved a .... what do you call it .... a communique from the
Union of Allied Worlds . They want a reply to their request that Mobius
join their Union . "
Sally seemed a little uncomfortable about this topic , but she replied
smoothly with a " I'll look into it. "
She continued , " Unless there is anything further , this session is
closed . Go home , get some rest , and prepare for tomorrow's Liberation
Day celebrations . " The ambassadors left , either returning to their
respective rooms in the Great Hall of the Council , heading to make
preparations , or went to the recreation centers .
Sally went back to her apartment to get something . She keyed in her
security code and entered . She was greeted almost instantaneously with
a " Mom ? That you ? " , followed by the hedgehog-squirrel hybrid that
was her daughter . " Yes , dear . " " You finished at the meeting already?
Where's Dad ? I haven't seen him since this morning . " Sally smiled to
herself . Seven years old and Samantha was already talking non-stop .
She answered her daugther . " Daddy's overseeing the preparations for
tomorrow's Liberation Day party . Now , go back to your room , dear .
Mommy needs to rest for a while . " " OK . " came the reply , as Samantha
zoomed back to her room with the speed she had inherited from her parents .
Sally went into her bedroom , took her wallet and walked to the elevator ,
where she told it to bring her to the lounge . The place was nearly
empty at this time of the day , but she didn't mind . After all , she
hadn't come here to talk . She ordered a small glass of a sweet Mobian
wine , and proceeded to sit in a quiet corner seat . She played with her
drink , swirling it around the glass , oblivious to her surroundings , deep
in thought . She didn't even know why she took the blasted drink in the
first place . The last thing she wanted to do was get drunk at two in the
afternoon .
A voice broke her train of thought . " May I join you ? " Startled , she
looked up to see the now-not-so-young Miles Tails Prower standing in front
of her . She could not help but notice that Tails had not changed at all,
other than his height , and seemed to be the same lively cheerful fox that
he had been when he was just a kit . She also remembered how Tails , using
the power of the emerald , had been instrumental in Snively's defeat .
She motioned for him to sit down , which he obliged . Tails looked
concerned when he said , " Sal , you seem disturbed . " She smiled .
Despite Tails now being in his twenties , he still had that cute
boyish look about him . " Yes , Tails . I'm worried about this Allied
Worlds matter . The council is split on whether we should join . Some
representatives were vehement against the join , even to the extent of
threatening me...some rubbish about compromising Mobius' integrity ....
I'm sorry , why am I telling you this ? You were there."
Tails motioned that it was all right , at the same time signalling her
to continue . She did so . " If the Council votes to join , the vehement
members will surely cause trouble within FRoM , and dissent in our ranks
is the last thing that I want . If the case is reversed , the Council
remains strong , but should another dictator like Robotnik usurp control
again , Mobius would not have the help of the galactic community . You
can see my dilemma . What should I vote for ? To join or not to join ?
" I wish I could help , Sal " Tails replied , " but this is a decision you
have to make . "
Sally continued , " I know . And that's what's making this even harder .
I'm totally stressed out . " She drained her glass .
Tails spoke up . " People say that history will tend to repeat itself , if
the people do not learn from past mistakes . This is quite true . However ,
there are some things that are beyond our capability to control . " The
two-tailed fox paused for a moment , as if deliberating over something, then
continued , " Life can be like a wheel . It turns and moves , but like a
wheel , it repeats itself over and over again . Things that have happened
may occur again , and this is something you must take note of before you
make any decision . " Sally stared at Tails . Was he trying to pass her
some hidden message ? Just as she was about to ask him , Tails abruptly
stood up and walked away . This talk had left her even more confused .
A few hours later , Sally Alicia Acorn had made her decision . There
was no way she would risk Mobius to the whims of another Robotnik . She
would petition for Mobius' entry into the Union of Allied Worlds ....
The celebrations on Liberation Day were spectacular . It started with a
victory speech from the Queen , then the festivities began . The nightsky
was filled with fireworks and laser effects . Mobians celebrated across the
globe , celebrating being free , and life in general . Things were looking
up .....
Two days after Liberation Day , the Federated Races of Mobius Council had
its next meeting . Sally walked in as usual , knowing that today they would
be making the hardest decision they had made so far .
She spoke , " This Council will now vote on the motion of Mobius joining
the Union of Allied Worlds . Sonic Hedgehog , where does the hedgehog
government stand ? " to which Sonic replied , " Ms President , we support
the motion ."
"How does the Guardian Council stand ? " " Madame President , the Guardian
Council ..... abstains.(for younger readers , abstain means that they do not
wish to cast a vote)" came Tails' reply . This continued , with several
others , including David Prower and Dulcy , abstaining . In the end , the
vote was three for , three against ....
* ... this is a decision you have to make*
Sally remembered Tails' words . Hers was to be the deciding vote ...
She spoke , keeping the quavering out of her voice , hoping against hope
that she would make the right decision . " I support the motion . Final
tally : 4 for , 3 against . Mobius will join the Union of Allied Worlds . "
Before she could adjourn the session , Ari , and the representatives of the
race of lions and the ferrets stood up and addressed the rest of the
Council . " Our governments foresaw this outcome . In the event of it
truly occuring , we were to read this statement . 'In view of the
Council deciding to join the Union , our three governments have declared
that we are formally splitting from the Federated Races and that we
initiate war on the Federated Races as of today . There will be no peace in
our time , as long as Mobius remains a member of the Union ." With that ,
the three walked out of the chambers . All the remaining members , save
Tails , looked shocked .
Sally sat down , overwhelmed . This time , they would not be fighting
Robotnik or Snively or their mechanical horrors . They would be at war
with flesh and blood , like their own . They were literally fighting their
kin .....
She had failed . Failed to stop this from happening . Failed to understand
Tails' warning .....
*no peace in our time*....
The wheel had turned a full circle....
It had begun again....
The wars had begun again.....
THE END
(IF YOU DON'T INCLUDE OTHER STORIES IN THIS TIMEFRAME COMING SOON ...)
Note : Anyone who wishes to continue stories in this era are welcome to do
so , though it would be nice if anyone wishing to make MAJOR changes could
just let me know beforehand .... thanx ! Happy writing !
Aaron Lye
e-mail : vicl@pacific.net.sg
Sonic the Hedgehog - " No Peace in Our Time " - by Aaron Lye
E-mail : vicl@pacific.net.sg
Sonic the Hedgehog , Miles Tails Prower and other related characters are
based on the characters created by SEGA , Archie Comic Publications , and
the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning series created by DIC and Sega of
America . Other characters that appear or are mentioned in this story are
original creations of their respective authors.
"Cast" of characters used in this story ( in random order )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sally
Sonic
Tails
Rotor
Antoine
David Prower - courtesy of Shawn Wolski
Bunnie
Ari
Several other characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Miscellaneous
Union of Allied Worlds - Joseph De laCroix
Federated Races of Mobius - Aaron Lye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
NOTE : IF I HAVE CREDITED THE WRONG PERSON(S) HERE , DO LET ME KNOW
AND THE MISTAKE WILL BE RECTIFIED.
ALL INFORMATION ABOVE IS CORRECT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timeline : One day after the events in " As the Wheel Turns " .
It was a dark day for the Federated Races of Mobius , the darkest since its
inception almost ten years ago . Three member races had just split from it ,
and had formed a union , called the Alliance of Races , with virtually all
the unaligned races that had just days ago been considering admission into
the Federated Races , and were now preparing for war ....
And Sally Alicia Acorn was taking the brunt of that darkness .
Just yesterday , she had been sitting in a quiet corner of the
lounge in the Great Hall of the Council , sipping a light Mobian wine ,
worrying about the decision to join the Union Of Allied Worlds .
Today , she was seated in the exact same position , with a glass of the
hardest , strongest liquor Mobius had to offer , worrying that her decision
to join the Union would tear the planet apart ...
Taking a gulp of the liquor , feeling the potent liquid burn her throat ,
she looked out of the large windows of the lounge . The view that greeted
her seemed so tranquil and peaceful , the skyscrapers mingling with the
large , open , tree-filled parks , the citizens of Mobotropolis walking on
its' streets and the usual shuttles and hoverunits going to and from their
destinations . It seemed like an ordinary day . But , she knew that all
across the globe , the people of Mobius were mobilizing for the greatest
war since the Robotnik era ...
Sally-Alicia was on the verge of breaking down . She had not managed to
prevent a war . Like her father before her , she had failed to protect her
charge ... the planet of Mobius . Tears started to stream down . Because
of her , the people of her planet would once again not know peace ....
Maybe the House of Acorn was never meant to rule this planet ....
Maybe she should just reverse her decision to join....
Maybe....
"Sal ? We should talk . " Sally looked up to see Tails there for the second
time in two days . When she first sighted the fox , she felt angry . It was
HIS fault . Why couldn't he have been more specific ? Told her straight out
to not join the Union ? WHY ?
But logic prevailed . Tails had a very limited view of the future , since
his transformation to a Guardian of the Emeralds , and it would be a breach
in Guardian protocol to reveal that view outrightly to a non-Guardian . He
did what he could . She was the one who was at fault ..
She motioned for him to sit , this time way too distressed to say anything.
The two-tailed fox began , " Sal , you cannot ... must not blame yourself .
What happened today can no more be blamed on the wind than on yourself .
It is now , most of all , that your people need you , their leader , to be
strong , and to face up to the task of leading the Federated Races to
victory . "
Sally seemed to regain some resolve , but very little .
Tails continued , " It is true that I knew that this would happen when
you opted to join the Union . However , this could easily be said to be the
best of bad choices . "
That caught Sally's interest . "What do you mean ?"
Tails proceeded , " Since these events will not occur , I can relay them to
you . If you had chosen to opt not to join the Union , it was highly likely
that Ari would have initiated a revolt against your government and your
allies within two months . Without Union help , you would be virtually
alone against the combined forces of 80% of Mobius's races . If you had
chosen to abstain , the Council would have continued to disagree until those
who walked out today would walk out then , the only difference being that
you would not have aid from the galactic community . You did make the
correct choice . The choice that gave you the best chance for victory . "
That clinched it . Before his eyes , Tails could see the old Princess Sally
, the one he knew as a kid , come back into the queen .
Sally looked at Tails , now firmly resolved to fight to the end , to once
again regain Mobius .
" Tails , I understand now . Thank you . " With that , she gave him a
platonic kiss on the cheek .
Several hours later , a renewed Sally joined the remaining loyal member
representatives of the Federated Races inside the Tactical Analysis Center .
"Report , people . "
Sonic spoke up . " So far so good , Sal . Ground , naval and lower
atmostphere forces are ready for action . Just give the word . "
Rotor piped in , " The orbiting space defense fleet is currently docked
for last minute maintenance and should be ready within the hour .
A new voice spoke up . " Ms President , a small Union fleet will be
arriving in orbit of your planet shortly ."
She turned to see the representative from the Union of Allied Worlds.
"Thank you for joining us , Mr. Z'bar ."
"It is my pleasure , madam . "
Sally returned to the business at hand . "As I was saying..."
Before she could complete her sentence , the ground shook . The group inside
Tactical looked at the status monitors , flipping views till they found the
source .
All across Mobotropolis , bright energy beams were bombarding the city ...
from the sky .
Rotor gasped , " That's not possible . The Alliance races had nothing to do
with the space program ! "
Sonic snapped an order throught the commpanel, " Get the fleet ready ,
I don't care how , but do it ! "
Bunnie and Antoine left the room to mobilize the medical teams , while the
rest proceeded to the control center .
The nerve center of Mobotropolis was a thriving hub of activity , even when
so when Sally and company stepped into it . The president of the
Federated Races gave a few commands , and Mobotropolis powered up its
formidable planetary defense system . The defensive shields were activated ,
and these took the brunt of the energy beams that were being thrown at the
city .
Rotor ordered a technician , " See if you can get a visual of the attacking
ships . " which the technician obediently set about to .
A few seconds later , the main viewscreen lit up with a video display from
orbit . They saw about five massive green vessels , totally alien in
design , constantly firing on their planetary targets .
Rotor was confused . "I've never seen this configuration before ... "
Just as he turned to activate a scan on the vessels , the Union ambassador
spoke up , " These ships are known to us . They belong to an empire with
which the Union has ... differences . They are called Ghrakel , a
militaristic empire who occupies a number of sectors on the rim of Union
space . They are a small empire , but have slightly advanced technology ,
and have constantly had arguments with our Union . It would seem that your
enemies have made friends ... "
A technician interrupted the Union rep . " Incoming recorded tranmission .
It is from President Ari of the Alliance of Races . He wishes to know if
we surrender . "
Sonic stepped aside with the technician to work out the "polite" response
to Ari's request .
"Look ! " Rotor pointed to the visual screen . The Ghrakel ships were now
being bombarded from space as well as from ground . It was a miracle their
defensive shields were holding . What Mobius had managed to send to meet
the threat was really pathetic . Only two heavy cruisers were in operational
condition . Vastly outnumbered , the ships fought valiantly , but were
destroyed in the end .
"Our energy shields are collasping ! Now at 12% ! " Rotor was reporting
from a tactical station .
"Fire at will . Take as many down as possible . " Sally commanded . The
large ground based phased energy pulses fired continuously , managing to
knock one ship out of commission .
"Shields are now collapsing ! " Rotor yelled . Without warning , a bright
light emitted from Tails' paws . Rotor checked his screens . " Wait...
shields have increased slightly ... holding at 30 % . " Sally silently
praised Tails . This from the fox who couldn't even hold an invisibility
spell long enough to get in and out of Robotropolis .... ( See Of Foxes
and Sorcery III ).
"They're still going down ! " Rotor snapped from his station . Tails was
visibly shaking from the strain of maintaining that level of sorcery .
Sally was just about to give up hope when the visual displayed an image
of a Ghrakel ship barraged with a furious volley of directed energy . The
ship blew apart soon after .
"That's Union weaponry ! " The rep observed . True enough , seven Union
heavy cruisers and destroyers had just jumped out of warp , and were
engaging the Ghrakel .
Outnumbered and damaged , the Ghrakel retreated .
Cheers reverberated through the control center . Sally smiled . They
had just won the first battle .
She finally and truly understood .
She had made the correct choice .
The choice that gave them the best chance for victory ...
THE END
Sonic the Hedgehog - " Tides of War " - By Aaron Lye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
E-mail : vicl@pacific.net.sg
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE LEGAL STUFF
Sonic the Hedgehog , Miles Tails Prower and other related characters are
based on the characters created by SEGA , Archie Comic Publications , and
the Sonic the Hedgehog Saturday morning series created by DIC and Sega of
America . Other characters that appear or are mentioned in this story are
original creations of their respective authors.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Cast" of characters used in this story ( in random order )
-----------------------------------------------------------
Sally
Sonic
Tails
Bunnie
Rotor
Antoine
Tayla - Aaron Lye
Tasha
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Governments
-----------
Union of Allied Worlds - Joseph De LaCroix
Federated Races of Mobius - Aaron Lye
Alliance of Races - Aaron Lye
The Ghrakel Empire - Aaron Lye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 1996 Aaron Lye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
TIMELINE : One month since the declaration of the Race Wars
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
WARNING : THIS STORY CONTAINS ONE REFERENCE TO AN ADULT THEME.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REMEMBER : READ ON TILL YOU REACH THE WORDS " THE END " !! IF YOU
DON'T SEE THEM , THE STORY'S NOT COMPLETE .
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"You sure about this , Sal ?" Sonic asked his wife for the third time
today . " I'm not sure if it's a good idea , what with the war and all
that ... " he trailed off .
"Sonic , stop worrying ... It's just a community tour ! I have to keep
relations with the general populace on good terms , show that we're still
in control , assure them . And what better way than for me to go on a
walkabout around Mobotropolis ? " Sally assured Sonic . " Besides ,
Antoine's arranged adequate security precautions , and the defensive shield
around Mobotropolis is up 24 hours a day ... " She added .
With a bit more persuasion , Sonic reluctantly agreed . " Promise me you'll
be alert to your surroundings . "
"Ok , you big worrier !" Sally teased him . " See you tonight ! " kissing
him as she left . As she went out the door , she called out to her daugther.
"Bye , Jess ! " A muffled "Bye , Mommy ." came through Jessica's door .
Not having any meetings scheduled for that day , Sonic spent it at home
with his daughter . Lately , because of the Race War , he hadn't been able
to spend as much time as he wanted to with his daugther .
*****
The blue hedgehog had just finished feeding Jessica and had tucked her into
bed . Looking at the wall chronometer , he noted that Sally should be on
the final lap of her walkabout . He turned on the visual display and
switched to the news network . He then walked over to the wall replicator
and scrolled through the list of wines available . as he looked down the
list , he overheard the reporter on the screen .
"...of the Mobian News Network , reporting live from Eastern Central Park ,
where Queen Sally Alicia Acorn , president of the Federated Races of
Mobius , is conducting the last leg of her day-long Mobotropolis walkabout .
The reporter paused , presumably to let the camera switch views . Sonic
look a quick glance at the screen , and saw Sally talking to a few squirrels
and their kids , surrounded by civilians and reporters only held back by
police officers who were cordoning off the area . He was pleased to note
that in addition to the police , Antoine had arranged for a number of
Council Guard officers , who were flanking Sally , to watch over his wife .
The reporter droned on , " Queen Sally's public appearance is intended to
allay the general public's fears on the first civil war in Mobius's history.
" The reporter droned on for a while describing the war .
Sonic's attention drifted back to the wine list , scrolling through to
select a wine he thought Sally would enjoy . Just as he found the right one,
he heard some phased energy shots from the screen . Alarmed , he focussed
on the display . The reporter was frantic . " We have just been informed
that the shield generator has malfunctioned , and several sections of
Mobotropolis is now unshielded . " The view panned to Sally , or actually ,
a view of Sally being surrounded by Council Guard Officers . The CGOs were
shooting at targets beyond the scope of the camera . The reporter continued
off-camera , sounding like she was lying on the ground . " The minute the
shield collapsed , several people in the crowd started firing at the Queen ,
taking out three guards . " Sonic could hear people screaming and the sound
of running was also very prominent .
Without any notice , Sally was enveloped in a sparkling beam , and she
dissapeared . The reporter seemed relieved . " Queen Sally has been
transported out of the danger zone . With the Queen's escape , the shots
from the crowd has diminished , and the police and CGOs are apprehending
the assailants . "
Sonic tapped his communication device . " Transporter room , do you have
her ? "
The reply he recieved sent a chill down his spine . " Who , sir ? "
Sonic snapped , " Sally ! Do you have her ?! "
"No , sir . The Queen is on a walkabout and we did not recieve any
orders to transport her . "
It was then that Sonic realized the truth .
The tide of war had just turned against them .
Queen Sally Alicia Acorn , ruler of the Federated Races , his wife , had
just been abducted by the Alliance of Races ....
*****
Sally felt the stinging blow lance across her cheek , the latest in a series
of injuries that her captor had deemed necessary to inflict on her .
" Not feeling cooperative are we now ? " her captor , a large-sized tiger
spoke in a gruff voice . " You will tell us the defense preparations of
Mobotropolis !! "
Sally gave the standard response . " I am Sally Alicia Acorn , of the
Federated Races of Mobius . " She had said that to every single question
she had been asked .
Her jailer gave her another slap . She winced , but still refused to give
in . She would have hit back , but being tied to a chair usually hinders
such actions .
The tiger walked away from her and looked outside the interrogation room .
When he turned back to face her , a lustful look seemed to appear in the eyes
of the tiger . " If physical injury doesn't make you talk , I can think up
... better ways to get the job done ... "
He started walking menacingly towards her , at the same time unbuttoning his
shirt . Sally was too horrified at the thought of what this tiger wanted ,
and she was rooted to the spot . The tiger towered over her as he got close,
untied her , grabbed her by her cloak and picked the comparitively small
squirrel off her chair . " Last chance , squirrel . You gonna talk ? "
Sally promptly kicked the tiger hard in a *sensitive* spot , causing the
afore-mentioned mammal to double over in pain and drop her . She scrambled
up and raced to the other side of the room . With the immediate danger gone,
her thought processes returned to normal , and she knew that the tiger
now posed not much of a threat . If he tried something again after he
recovered , she could easily outrun the silly creature .
"Why you .... " The tiger had a glazed look in his eyes , indicating pain .
Not enough pain , however , for him to not try to catch the squirrel .
The tiger was faster than Sally expected . Before she could react , the
tiger had her by the scruff of her neck . He raised a paw , as if to
strike her . Sally braced herself for yet another blow .
"Leave her alone ." came a voice from the door . The tiger turned , as did
Sally , to see Ari standing there . The tiger growled a bit , but obeyed
Ari .
The ram continued , " How nice of you to pay us a visit Sal . I trust the
.... accomodations meet your approval ? "
Sally spoke vehemently , " If you think you can get away with this , you're
sadly mistaken . "
Ari rebutted with , "Is that so ? We'll see ... in the meantime , Sal , sit
tight . We're not finished with you yet .... "
The ram shut the door , leaving her in the dark room .
Sally Alicia Acorn never felt this alone before .
*****
Things in the Great Hall of the Council was chaotic , to say the least .
Sonic was literally yelling at the rest of the Council . " How did this
happen ?? WE HAVE TO GET HER BACK ! "
Knuckles , Sonic's long time "opponent" countered , " I suppose you have
a plan , Mr. Hero ? "
Sonic glared at echidna , but said nothing . He looked around the Council
Chambers . "Where's Rotor ? He was supposed to give a report on the
shield generator . "
David Prower spoke up . "He's still looking into it . It's not that easy ,
you know . "
Bunnie added , " Where do ya think she could be ? And how do we get ta her?"
Sonic was at a loss . " Mr. Z'bar , can the Union ships detect anything
from orbit ? " The reply came . "We've already tried that , Sonic . During
the transport , they scrambled her combadge , and redirected it to the
southern region . Without that device , we can't really locate her . "
The blue hedgehog was stumped , when Tails spoke up . " I will attempt
to locate her , and if possible , retrieve her from the Alliance . "
Sonic agreed . " No harm done . Give it a shot , bro . "
The two-tailed fox disappeared in a haze of yellow . In his absence , the
remaining Council members attempted to ascertain a plan of action .
One hour later , Tails reappeared in the chambers . To the surprise of
the rest , he seemed injured in some fashion .
Tails paused a moment to catch his breath , then updated the rest on what
had happened . " Ari has more supporters than we thought . He has somehow
managed to rope in a society of mages into his Alliance , as well as a few
rogue telepaths ... I managed to locate Sal , but the mages detected me
before I could help her . I had to fight my way out of there ... but Sally
seems fine , other than several bruises and such . "
He continued , "There's no way I can take on the mages and the telepaths
by myself ... and while they're on the loose , any rescue attempt you make
could be severely jeopardized . "
A voice at the Chamber's entrance interrupted Tails . "Well then , Tails-
sugar ,it appears that we've come at just the right time ... "
The group turned to see Tasha and Tayla , once apprehensive of each other ,
now standing at the entrance . Tails greeted the pair , as did Bunnie .
Sonic smiled . Things were turning out better than he thought ....
*****
Sally paced around the interrogation room . She had to escape ... but how ?
She didn't even know where she was ... let alone what kind of security had
been *provided* for her . The only clue she had was that every so often , a
cloaked figure would look through the glass section of the door . She could
only assume that that creature was some sort of mage . Her meals were
provided for her via a transporter beam ... she had limited contact with
other people ... she was about to give up hope when she suddenly saw a blaze
of yellow outside her door and saw Tails standing there . She had cried out ,
warning him of the mages , but he could not hear her . He could see her ,
though . She saw him get struck by a magic green bolt , saw him get injured ,
saw him retaliate with his signature magical wave . But , she knew that Tails
was easily outnumbered ....
She tried to help him , picking up speed recieved from using the Deep Power
Stones all those years ago , she leaped in a Sonic-esque fashion and smashed
through the glass . Before she could even raise a paw to help her friend ,
she felt immense pain searing through her mind . She screamed in agony ,
remembering the last time she witnessed this first-hand . She managed to
turn , and saw a raccoon staring directly at her . She knew instantly that
the raccon was a telepath , and that it was doing to her what Tayla did to
Angela all those years ago .
Suddenly , she felt herself get up and walk back into the room , without
her control . It felt strange to be moving without wanting to . There was
no need to question why this occurred . The telepath was mind-controlling
her . As she walked back into the room , she saw out of the corner of her
eye , another blaze of yellow . Tails had managed to escape .
In front of her eyes , the broken glass of the door seemed to reform , this
time reinforced with steel , courtesy of the mages . A blue energy field
suddenly enveloped the room , and she felt out of breath . She tried to
move , but each step was agonizingly slow and required a lot of effort .
The field brightened , and she haplessly fell to the ground , unable to
move . She was alarmed at first , but soon realized what they had done .
they had artificially increased the gravity in the room ....
*****
The Council Chambers was abuzz with action . Sonic spoke , " Since we
cannot reveal the fact that Sally was captured , we cannot use the military
to retrieve her . Besides , I think a small force would have better
chances than a large scale military strike . So , you all ready for some
action again , or have you forgotten how to ? "
"Ready and willing , sugar !" came from Bunnie .
"What do you think ? " This from Tails .
Tasha and Tayla just nodded .
Knuckles replied , "Always ready , willing and most certainly ABLE." waving
a spiked fist in the air .
David Prower answered , "I don't forget."
Antoine said the expected , "I is never ready."
Finally , the ex-Freedom Fighters had something to do other than sit behind
desks and give orders ....
Sonic asked a few questions . " Tasha , you sure you can handle the mages
by yourself ?" Tasha replied , "No prob , Sonic . Being promoted to Guardian
of the First Emerald of Control also gives enhanced abilities . The mages
will prove to be no more than a minor nuisance . "
Sonic turned to Tayla , "What about you ? Tails said there were at least
two telepaths ."
Tayla replied , " The rogues usually have less abilities than normal
telepaths . I can handle them . "
Sonic continued , "OK , I'll run through the plan . Tayla will hold the
telepaths , Tasha , the mages , Bunnie , Tails and Antoine will take out the
normal guards while David , Knuckles and I rescue Sal . "
Since Alliance Central , the Mobotropolis of the Alliance of Races , was
protected by a similar forcefield to the one around Mobotropolis , they
had to rely on Tails' and Tasha's teleportation capability . The yellow
blazes dropped the ex-Freedom Fighters down in an alley just next to the
Chambers of Rehabiliation (the Alliance's main prison ) , where Sally was
kept prisoner . Sonic gave the final command , and with a raise of their
paws , Tails and Tasha teleported the group to their respective
destinations . As predicted , the mages of the Alliance were of a low
caliber , and could not stand up to the Control Guardian . Fighting a
short battle , all the mages had either been subdued or fled . Tayla ,
however had more trouble with the rogues than she originally expected .
They were better than she had thought . They bore down on her , intent on
destroying her mind . They would have succeeded , if Tasha had not appeared
in time to send them flying . Tayla gave the other rabbit a look that said
thanks .
Bunnie and Antoine were shooting the guards from behind a magic forcefield
provided by Tails . The field absorbed all incoming fire , yet allowed the
phased energy beams from Antoine and Bunnie to stun the guards with
pin-point precision ...from Bunnie that is .
More than one smouldering hole in the surrounding walls belonged to Antoine.
The fox in question never had much training with directed energy weapons .
Meanwhile , Sonic , Knuckles and David had taken care of the guards outside
Sally's interrogation room cum holding cell . The echidna smashed the door
and they entered the room . Immediately , Sonic and Knuckles both collapsed
to the ground , unable to withstand the higher gravity that the room had
been set too . Noticing the dilemma , David looked around for the gravity
generator . After a few seconds of scanning , he detected it embedded in
one of the walls . Bringing his phased energy emitters to bear , the
cyberfox melted the required sections of the wall and deactivated the
generator , not wanting to destroy it for fear of bringing even more
attention to themselves .
The three stood up , glad to be free of the restraining gravity . Sally
had some difficulty at first , since she was the one who had been in it the
longest , but she soon recovered . Sonic gave her a big hug , and she
reciprocated likewise .
Sonic spoke , "C'mon , let's go home before Ari finds out that you've given
him the slip . "
*****
The next day , all was once again normal in the Great Hall of the Council .
The Council of the Federated Races once again gathered for it's daily
meeting . Z'bar was just running through the status of the Union fleet
orbiting Mobius when Rotor entered hurriedly .
Sonic seemed annoyed . "Where have you been ? We didn't see you at all
since the generator malfunctioned ."
Rotor spoke , "It was no malfunction . The generator was sabotaged ."
Sally gasped , "Sabotaged ?"
The walrus nodded , " What's worse , access to the generator is restricted
to only Council members and key military staff . I've checked up on the
military staff , they were all out on missions at the time . That leaves
us with only one other possibility .... "
Rotor didn't have to say anything else . It was obvious what had transpired .
Someone in the Council of the Federated Races ... the highest lawing making
body in their government... was the saboteur , a traitor ...
There was a traitor in their midst ....
TO BE CONTINUED...
THE END
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enjoyed the story ? Write to me at vicl@pacific.net.sg and let me know !
Thanx for reading !
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aaron Lye
Power of the Mind - A Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Fiction Story
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Written by: Aaron Lye
E-mail: prower@pacific.net.sg
URL for the Sonic Fan Fiction Archives: http://home.pacific.net.sg/~prower
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Necessary Legal Stuff
Sonic the Hedgehog and related characters are owned and copyrighted by Sega of America, DIC and Archie Comics. Other characters that may appear in this story are created and owned by their respective authors, as listed below.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cast of Characters in random order
Sonic
Sally
Tails
David Prower - Shawn Wolski
Bunnie
Rotor
Antoine
Dulcy
Z'bar - Aaron Lye
Tasha - Aaron Lye
Tayla - Aaron Lye
and other characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Governments
Federated Races of Mobius - Aaron Lye
Alliance of Races - Aaron Lye
Union of Allied Worlds - Joseph De laCroix
The Ghrakel Empire - Aaron Lye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timeline: Immediately after the events in Tides of War
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A betrayer .... right in the highest law making body on Mobius ....
Sally Alicia Acorn's world was quickly crumbling in front of her eyes ....
First, Ari, a person whom she had fought beside against Robotnik, splits
from her government, forms his own, and starts the greatest war since the
Robotnik era, Mobius's first civil war: The Racial Wars.
Now, one of her closest friends .... had betrayed her to the enemy and
allowed her to be captured ....
This could not be happening .....
It was obvious that everyone on the Council was now seeing each other in a
different light ... any of them .... Bunnie, Sonic ... even Tails could be
the traitor, and all were eyeing each other suspiciously.
Sonic snapped. "Good going, Rote! You HAD to blurt that out! Now, whoever's
guilty knows that we're on to him .... or her."
Rotor retorted, "What was I supposed to do? Keep it to myself? "
David interjected, "You have severely diminished our chances of apprehending
the criminal. "
Before the Council could tear itself to pieces by bickering, Sally composed
herself and spoke. "Everyone, listen up. Until we find out who is
responsible for this, I think the Council should be unofficially disbanded .
Rotor , whose access code was used to enter the generator room ? "
Rotor turned to face the Queen and President of Mobius . " I'm not sure ,
Sal . Whoever did it erased the security code log . All I know at the moment
is that at 12:59am yesterday morning , someone entered the generator room
and placed a virus inside the shield's control computer that would cause it
to crash partially at the exact time you were captured . The only way I
think we can get some identification as to who did it is via the visual
records from the cameras placed inside the room .... I'll have to check . "
Sally continued , " You realize that you're also under suspicion , Rotor ? "
"Yes , Sal , but I'm the one who knows the most about the generator . If
there's anything to find , I'll find it . "
Sally gave in . "OK Rotor . But , you must have at least two scientists
and two CGOs present at all times to collaborate your findings . "
It was then that Tayla spoke up . " Sal , if you want , I might be able
to solve this problem now . I could do a surface scan on all the members
to see if they had anything to do with the sabotage . "
Sally replied , " If you're a suspect , can we trust your report ? You
know the findings of a telepath is not admissible to court . "
Tayla spoke back . " Sal , I'm not a suspect . Remember ? I'm not a
member of this Council and I have no access to the generator . My people-"
Sally interrupted . "-your people refused to join the Federated Races
before the war . I remember . Sorry . Anyway , as long as no one here has
objections , I'm for it . "
No one on the Council disagreed . Tayla faced Sally . She spoke , " Sally ,
did you sabotage the generator ?"
"No." she replied . Tayla looked relieved and said , "That's true . You're
clear , Sal "
The process was repeated , and Knuckles , David , Tails , Rotor and Antoine
, Sonic , Lupee , Bunnie and the reps from the squirrels and several other
races passed with flying colors . Tayla had problems reading Z'bar's alien
mind at first , but the problem was solved .
Tayla came to Dulcy . She focused on the dragon . "Did you sabotage the
generator ? "
"No."
Tayla frowned . She sent a message to Dulcy . *You're holding something
back , Dulcy . Let me scan you.* and waited for the reply .
*No*
Tayla's suspicions rose . *I'm sorry , Dulcy , but I have to do this .*
Tayla did a deep scan of Dulcy and was shocked at what she found . She had
no idea ...... how did Dulcy manage that ?
She came out of her reverie and spoke .
"She's telling the truth ."
*****
Sonic was speaking . "This isn't possible . Everyone checks out fine ! Rotor
was sure it was one of us who did it ! Tayla , you sure that you did a
proper scan ?"
Tayla seemed to be engrossed in thought . "....What ? Oh , I'm sorry ,
Sonic . I wasn't paying attention . What did you say ?"
Sonic repeated his question and Tayla replied . "Yes , there's no doubt
about it . None of us had anything to do with it ."
Sally seemed relieved at that information . "Then we have another problem .
Someone has access to our security codes . Rotor , try to get those visuals
. The rest of you , come up with a plan of action ."
Rotor left for the generator center . He soon arrived at his destination and
keyed in his access to the building . He proceeded to the administration
section and seated himself at a terminal in the empty room . No one was
allowed in here , except Council members , and the center was fully
automated . He called up the visuals of the time in question , and told
the computer to scan for biological lifeforms on the visual records . The
computer obliged and took several lengthy seconds to process the 12 hours w
orth of visual information . Rotor activated the final result and the
first lifeform he saw on the screen was a rodent scurrying over the floor .
Rotor ordered the computer to display only visuals with people . The
computer narrowed the list and Rotor saw himself staring at a list with
only one item .
He had found the culprit .
Quickly selecting the item , he waited for it to be played back on the
monitor . He drummed his fingers on the tabletop . When the visual finally
played , Rotor gave a gasp of shock at who he saw on the screen .
He was looking at Sally placing an isolinear chip into the control computer
and typing in commands .
He couldn't believe his eyes ....
Sally was the traitor ????
*****
A beep came from the door to Dulcy's quarters , and the dragon told the
door to open . Dulcy turned to see who her visitor was , and found herself
facing Tayla .
"Um....Tayla , hi . What can I do for you ?" The dragon seemed uncomfortable
.
Tayla looked at the dragon . "Why keep this secret , Dulcy ? There is
nothing to be ashamed about ... the Power is a good thing , and with the
proper training , can be an invaluable tool . Why suppress it ? It is
inborn in you . You cannot suppress telepathy ... "
Dulcy spoke . " Tayla ... you've been a telepath all your life . You just
don't see it , do you ? Haven't you noticed how strangers react to you ?
Like you're some kind of freak .... and then the Persecutors and all that .
Why ? Because of your "Power" . People value their privacy , and they
don't like the fact that there are people who can read their innermost
fears and secrets as easy as reading a book . They see you differently ,
and that's why I've kept this a secret all these years . Besides , it
really isn't much . I can only get a few feelings from people once in a
while . I can't even read a mind , for crying out loud .... "
Tayla didn't say anything , and Dulcy continued . "I would very much
appreciate it if you kept this a secret . No one has to know , and I would
rather no one find out about it ..... for the moment ."
Tayla obliged the dragon , and got up to leave .
As she exited , Dulcy called out after her .
"Thanks."
*****
Rotor opened the door to his room , admitting Sonic and Tayla . " What's
this about , Rotor ? Found the culprit already ? " Sonic joked , and was
surprised when he got a positive response .
" So soon ? Man , you're good ." Sonic commented .
Rotor motioned for them to take a seat , then he inserted the isolinear
chip into the viewer and played back the visual .
Sonic and Tayla were stunned . Sonic started to speak . "But.....this makes
no sense ! Why would she sabotage the generator to get herself captured ?
And besides , Sally's the last person who would do a thing like this .
This isn't possible ... could this be a fake ? "
Rotor shook his head . "I see no way that this visual could have been
faked . It incorporates a new encryption technology . A fake would have
been spotted in a instant ."
Tayla was shaking her head . "This is definitely impossible . When I
scanned her , she was positively sure that she was not the culprit .
There's no way she could deceive me ."
Rotor continued , "Sonic , was Sally at home with you last night ?"
To which the hedgehog replied , "She only got back at 1:30 . She had a
late meeting . Which makes it even harder to prove that she didn't do it ."
Rotor thought for a moment , then spoke . "I have an idea . Now that
everyone on the Council believes that no one on it is a traitor , we can
lay a trap ...."
Sonic questioned , "How?"
Rotor continued , "We could create a fictional story about some top secret
item or something . Then , we announce it to the Council , and we wait at
the trap to see who comes . Agreed ?"
The rabbit and the hedgehog nodded .
*****
"A prototype version of the quad-ion beam has been constructed . It is
currently in Security Cargo Bay Nine , awaiting final testing . In theory ,
this new weapon can penetrate Alliance Central's deflectors within five
seconds of contact , making it an easy target . Ship-based defensive screens
will collapse within two seconds , making this possibly the most deadly
weapon in our arsenal . I will give further updates on it's progress . I
now hand the floor over to Mr. Z'bar ." Rotor concluded .
*****
Sonic checked his phased energy weapon for the sixth time , making sure
that it was set to heavy stun . Rotor was tuning up his scanning device ,
and Tayla was in a state of meditation . The three had been hiding in wait
at Security Cargo Bay Nine for over two hours with no sign of "Sally" .
*****
Back in Sonic's apartment , Sally was sitting in bed , catching up on
reading a fiction novel she had replicated a month ago . She had reached
the last chapter when she dozed off , too tired to wait up for Sonic any
longer .
*****
The cloaked figure had been waiting for this moment . He closed his eyes ,
and used the ability .
*****
Tayla's ears pricked up . "Shh... someone's coming ."
Rotor activated the scanner . "One lifeform .... female ... ground squirrel
......."
Sonic couldn't believe his ears . His wife .... betraying her own government
... why ? He didn't know what to feel ...
The door opened , and Sally walked in , holding a scanner . She walked
briskly over to the "device" , which was covered with a white cloth .
Before she could activate the scanner , the three burst out from their
hiding place .
The moment she saw them , she instantly withdrew a phased energy pistol ,
but Sonic fired first . The orange beam from the weapon impacted on Sally ,
and she fell to the ground .
Tayla suddenly gasped , and Sonic realized that all this time , she had
been scanning Sally . He asked what was wrong but the rabbit was too
engrossed in something to reply .
Rotor cut in . "Sonic , take a look at this reading of Sal I took before
you stunned her ." He proffered the scanner to Sonic , who took it . "If
you look here , you'll notice that there is very little synaptic (brain)
activity . It's almost as if she's asleep ....."
Sonic seemed skeptical . "You mean she's SLEEPWALKING ?"
Tayla then interrupted . "No she's not . Quickly now , follow me . We have
to go somewhere now if we are to solve this mystery once and for all ."
Tayla rushed them over to Tail's quarters and she banged rather loudly on
the door , which opened to show a rather disoriented two-tailed fox who had
been roused at 1 am in the morning .
Tayla just looked at the fox , and Sonic assumed she was communicating
telepathically . Tails seemed to understand , and a bright flash enveloped
the fox , which dissipated to show Tails in his standard Guardian cloak .
The group proceeded to the nearest transporter room , and Tayla keyed in a
set of co-ordinates . She told Sonic and Rotor to wait in the transporter
room and wait for her signal to beam them back . The fox and the rabbit
stepped on the platform and disappeared in a torrent of sparks .
*****
Five minutes later , Rotor heard a voice in his head . *Rotor , get us
back now . Three to transport .*
Rotor obliged , wondering who the third was ...
The three materialized , and saw Tails and Tayla propping up an unconscious
and injured cloaked wolf .
Tayla spoke . "Here's your culprit . He's a rogue telepath , and a supporter
of the Alliance of Races who lives in Mobotropolis . This isolinear chip ,"
She held up a chip "contains visual data on our encounter with this telepath
, including a rather heated , but enlightening conversation we had prior
to our skirmish , and when coupled with a statement from Sally , should be
enough to charge this guy in cour--"
At the mention of Sally , Sonic and Tayla rushed to Security Cargo Bay Nine
, where Sally was undoubtedly awake and wondering why she's where she is .
Tails and Rotor dragged the telepath to a holding cell , and placed two
telepaths on guard there , as normal guards could easily be mind-controlled
like Sally .
*****
Sonic concluded , "The rogue telepath who had been mind-controlling
President Sally , under orders from the Alliance of Races , was today
convicted of treason against the Federated Races of Mobius , and has been
sentenced to life imprisonment at the Institute for the Rehabilitation of
Rogue Telepaths , without possibility of reprieve or parole . This incident
has reached all corners of the globe , and in a gesture of goodwill , the
race of Telepaths has agreed to join the Federated Races , to prevent such
events from happening again . The rogues , however , still work for the
Alliance , and the situation must be monitored . That is all . I hand the
floor over to the representative from the telepath government , Miss Tayla
Earheart ."
Sally smiled . She had not been betrayed by those closest to her . It had
all been a matter of the mind .....
The End
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Enjoyed the story ? Write to me at prower@pacific.net.sg !
Aaron Lye
Clouds of Grey - A Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Fiction of the "Wheel Series"
Written by : Aaron Lye
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cast of characters ( in random order )
--------------------------------------
Sonic
Sally
Tails
David Prower - Shawn Wolski
Bunnie
Tasha
Tayla
and other characters
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Governments
-----------
Federated Races of Mobius
Alliance of Races
Union of Allied Worlds - Joseph De LaCroix
The Ghrakel Empire
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Timeline
It has been two years since the declaration of the Race Wars , the first
civil war in the history of Mobius . After several early victories , the
war effort has gone downhill for the Federated Races of Mobius since then ,
with Sally's government slowly losing ground day by day to the forces of
the Alliance of Races . 10% of the planet's surface has been rendered
uninhabitable , ever since the Alliance of Races abandoned the treaty
stipulating the non-use of weapons of mass destruction , and bombarded
several major Federated Races population centers with medium-radius
biological weapons . Many Federated and Alliance cities have been bombed
out of existence , including 3 of the Forest Rim cities , several from the
mountainous regions and several from the Southlands . Ground , naval and
lower atmosphere combat still rages on , but both governments now
concentrate funds and efforts on space combat . The orbiting spacedock
operated by the Federated Races was sabotaged and destroyed five months
into the war , taking along with it 40% of the starships owned by that
government . Since then , the Federated Races has been covertly building
a massive starbase to take it's place , their last chance of turning the
tide of the war back into their favor...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE STORY
----------
The council viewed the holographic projection of the most expensive project
they had ever funded , and listened to Rotor give a summary report on it .
"Starbase Victory Alpha will be activated in five hours and will be fully
operational within six ..."
Sally gazed at the hologram . The station was vaguely oblong in shape , and
was built vertically , and to the layman , would have looked like a bunch of
spheres and cubes of varying sizes connected to each other .
"Victory Alpha can house at any time , up to half of the entire fleet . It
measures 5 kilometers in radius , and 12 kilometers in length . It requires
30000 personnel stationed at all times to operate smoothly , although it can
manage with 25000 . The station is powered by 15 matter-antimatter reactors
situated in the center of the station , as well as 5 backup generators and
3 batteries ."
Sonic questioned , "What about defenses ?"
To which Rotor replied , "I was just getting to that . Thanks to the large
surface area of the station , we were able to lay a deflector matrix much
more elaborate than that was possible on a normal starbase , thereby
increasing shield power by ten times that of our current maximum for
starbases . There are vertical and horizontal phaser arrays covering all
720 degrees and 20 torpedo bays flanking all sides , with an arsenal of
15000 quantum torpedoes . In addition , it has 4 fighter wings , 5 Freedom-
class starships and 4 light cruisers . This base was built for combat ."
Sally took over , "Thank you , Rotor . Now , we have to decide who is
to officiate the ceremony . I will be going as guest of honor , of course ,
but we'll need at least four others with me ."
She stood up , and walked over to the large windows overseeing Mobotropolis .
The city was once beautiful , but the ongoing war and lack of funds had
left the buildings in a general state of disrepair and the parks unkempt
and overgrown .
She continued , "Tails has already volunteered to come , and I'd like
Sonic to stay here as Acting President while I'm gone ."
It didn't take long for people to volunteer , especially those who were
eager to see the station . In the end , Rotor , David and Bunnie were to
follow Sally and Tails .
"Very well , the presidential shuttle departs Bay One in three hours ."
*****
The party officiating Victory Alpha's activation met on time at Shuttlebay
One , and boarded the large presidential shuttle . Just as they seated
themselves in the lounge area , the pilot started up the engines and took
off into space .
Bunnie spoke , rather excitedly , "Y'know , this is the first time Ah'm
going inta space ."
Sally smiled ,"It's probably the first time for most of us here ."
Tails had a question . "How long will it take the shuttle to reach the
station ?"
To which his brother replied ," About half an hour , since the shuttle only
uses impulse drive ."
"Then why didn't we just take the transporter ?"
Sally had the answer for this . "They wanted us to make a grander entrance
than materializing on a transporter pad."
The group chatted amiably for the majority of the duration of the trip ,
until they left the atmosphere , and entered into orbit .
They were awed by the sight . Bunnie spoke softly , "It's so beautiful..."
She was , of course , referring to the sight of Mobius against the black
backdrop of space .
Sally nodded , "You'd never know a war was going on down there ... you can't
even tell where the Black Zones are ..." referring to the areas of the
planet that had been hit with bio-weapons .
That sentence brought about an uncomfortable silence , and Sally chided
herself for spoiling an otherwise perfect moment . Tens of thousands had
died when the bio-weapons impacted in the Black Zones , and even now ,
thousands more were falling ill with sicknesses brought about by those
weapons .
The silence was broken when the pilot activated a comm link to inform
the passengers that they were approaching their destination. A live comm
link to the cockpit let them listen in on the communication between the
pilot and the station .
"Victory Alpha Control , this is shuttle Council 001 , approaching station .
Request docking clearance." The pilot spoke as he deftly manuveured the
shuttle towards the station .
>From the shuttle's windows , the passengers got their first actual glimpse
of the project that had cost their government 20 billion credits .
The passengers gaped at the sheer size of the station . None had even
imagined an artificial object of that magnitude.
The compartment's speaker came to life again . "Council 001 , this is
Victory Alpha Control . You are clear for docking . Please assume
approach vector and velocity and proceed to Port 21 , Bay Epsilon ."
"Roger , Control . Assuming approach vector and velocity ."
The pilot swung the shuttle around to the other side of the station , and
flew it into the huge opening that was the door of Bay Epsilon . Once
inside the bay , they saw all the seperate ports , each holding several
ships . The ports on the left contained fighters , presumably Epsilon Wing ,
while the ones on their right contained commercial vessels . They quickly
made their way to port 21 , and soon were passing through the one-way
shield that kept the port's atmosphere in , yet allowed the shuttle to
pass through . They saw through the windows that a full honor guard dressed
in the red and blue uniform of the Mobian Space Defense Fleet was in
attendance , as well as numerous reporters .
The shuttle landed slowly , and the door opened . The honor guard saluted
as Sally and her companions walked out . Almost immediately , a fox walked
up to her and nodded . "Queen Sally , it is an honor to meet you personally.
I am Captain Katya , commander of Victory Alpha ."
They were led out of the bay and given a brief tour of the station . They
covered the habitat areas , the commercial sections , the defenses and
other key areas of the station .
Before long , they were led to the control center of the station , which
was a thriving hub of activity . Orders of all kinds were been given , and
officers of the MSDF were hastily doing their jobs , and even the reporters
present seemed busy .
Upon seeing the commander and Sally's group , they snapped to attention .
Katya spoke . "This is the moment we have been waiting for . The President
of the Federated Races of Mobius will now officially declare Victory Alpha
operational ."
*****
Back on Mobius , Sonic was watching the proceedings on the screen in the
Council Chambers , and listening to the reporter speak .
"In a few seconds , Queen Sally Acorn will issue the command that will
activate Victory Alpha properly . Up till now , the station is functioning
at minimal levels ."
*****
Sally stood up , and addressed the reporters with a short speech . That over
with , she turned to a console and spoke .
"Victory Alpha . Identify Sally Alicia Acorn , President ."
"Sally Alicia Acorn identified." the console responded.
"Deactivate security locks , command of station handed over to Captain
Katya , MSDF."
"Locks deactivated , Captain Katya recognized . Victory Alpha now running
at full capacity"
True enough , a low hum started emitting from around the station ,
signifying that the antimatter reactors were charging up , and the lights
and consoles brightened .
A round of appluase ensued , only to be quickly silenced by an insistent
beeping from the tactical console . A MSDF lieutenant glanced at the
console and reported . "Captain , sensors have detected a strange energy
fluctuation . Distance .. 0.1 light years ."
"On screen." Katya responded , as all eyes turned to the viewer . The
captain frowned , "There's nothing ther-" and stopped herself when she
saw the previously empty space warp and ripple as a large blue ship
faded into view .
Katya ordered , "Full scan."
The officer at tactical shook his head . "No success . The ship is
generating a massive power signature that is preventing our sensors from
getting any readings ."
"Dispatch one of the cruisers . Tell them that the ship may be hostile."
Everyone watched as one of the Mobian ships intercepted the newcomer , and
gasped when it was fired upon the minute it got into the weapons range of
the unknown vessel . The blue beam enveloped the Mobian vessel , penetrated
the shields and left the vessel hanging in space .
The tactical officer reported on the status of the disabled cruiser .
"Shields are drained , power drained . No hull damage or casualties ."
Katya had a grim look on her face . "We can't take any chances . Raise
shields , launch all fighters and dispatch the remaining cruisers . Tell
them to not fire unless fired upon ."
Within two minutes , the entire fleet protecting Victory Alpha had been
sent to meet with the threat .
The first ship to approach the vessel was deactivated in the same manner .
Katya spoke through the comm system . "All ships , fire at will!"
All the Mobian starships opened fire with both phasers and torpedoes , and
the fighters barraged the vessel with phasers alone , the best weapons
Mobius had to offer .
All the weapons unleashed found their target , and impacted with no effect
whatsoever .
The tactical officer spoke up , "Enemy vessel has absorbed the weapons fire
."
Katya whispered , "Impossible..."
All this time , Sally kept quiet . Something about that ship seemed
familiar ...
The unknown vessel was now making a beeline towards the station , leaving
in it's wake a fleet of deactivated starships .
Katya was now yelling orders . "Tactical , fire all weapons!"
She turned around to face a comm console . "This is the captain speaking
to all civilians on board . Evacuate Victory Alpha , repeat evacuate
Victory Alpha . This is NOT a drill . I repeat , abandon Victory Alpha
immediately .
Katya faced Sally . "Queen Sally , I think you should leave while you can."
Sally however ,was not paying attention , not even to Tails or Bunnie .
Somehow , she knew that ship ...
*****
Meanwhile , on Mobius , Sonic was yelling at the viewscreen . "SAL ! Get
out of there ! NOW !"
But to no avail , of course . The ruler of Mobius seemed rooted to the spot.
*****
A barrage of 100 quantum torpedoes and a similar number of phaser pulses
streaked towards the blue ship , and all had the exact same effect as the
weapons fired by the starships a while ago .
Katya was now yelling at Sally . "You must leave NOW ! Guards , take the
Queen and her entourage back to the shuttle !"
She waited long enough to see Sally and company put in the turbolift and
turned to face the viewscreen , and incidentally , her enemy .
She thought to herself as she depressed the button that would unleash
another useless barrage of weapons at the enemy vessel .
"Fight to the end ..."
*****
Sonic's viewscreen switched to a space shot , presumably since the reporter
would have evacuated the station .
"The enemy vessel is now 10000 kilometers away from Victory Alpha and we
have no confirmation as whether Queen Sally's shuttle has depar...oh my..."
The screen showed the station firing at the vessel , with no effect , and
showed the alien ship returning fire with a bright red pulse .
The pulse moved towards the station and passed through it's shields , as
though it wasn't there ... and impacted with the station's hull .
Within microseconds , a fiery explosion erupted from the impact point and
spread across the station . When the explosions had subsided , there was
no trace of Victory Alpha or the alien vessel ...
*****
Sonic stared at the viewscreen , unable to speak . His mind raced . There
was still hope , Sally could have escaped . She had to have escaped ...
The reporter spoke from the viewscreen . "We have recieved confirmation ....
that Sally Alicia Acorn's shuttle was not one of those that escaped before
the station exploded .... the President of the Federated Races of Mobius is
dead ."
*****
One day later , the Acting President of the Federated Races walked into
the Council Chambers , summoned by Z'bar .
The Union ambassador spoke . "Sonic , I'm sorry about your recent loss ..."
"Get on with it."
The ambassador continued . "I know this is a bad time , which makes this
even harder to bring up...."
"I said GET ON WITH IT !" Sonic yelled .
"I just recieved this statement from my government . I'm afraid the Union
can no longer support your war effort . We are now in direct conflict with
the Ghrakel ourselves , as well as with some of our more unfriendly
neighbours , and we can no longer afford to send troops or resources to this
war ... I'm sorry , but you're now on your own . I wish there was some way
we could work this out , but-"
As far as Sonic was concerned , this discussion was over . "Get out , Z'bar
. Get out ! I don't ever want to see you in here again ! Go fight your
war and ignore us ! If it were up to me , I would just remove Mobius from
your Union right now ! But , I have to respect Sally's wishes and keep
this planet in ! So , just get out , before I do something I'll regret .."
He didn't need to say more , as Z'bar activated his combadge and beamed
out of the room .
Sonic sat down and shook his head . Was this their best chance for victory ?
Sally , Tails , Bunnie , David and Rotor dead , Victory Alpha destroyed ,
Union support terminated , millions dead ...
And now the baton had been handed to him . So many had been lost already ,
but he could save those who had not yet been killed .
He touched a companel . "Contact the heads of the military forces."
Within seconds , he had been patched through . "I am hereby ordering
a ceasefire . Withdraw our troops from the front lines and set up a
defense perimeter along our border . Take no provocative action , but
defend as you see fit ."
He spoke to the computer again . "Patch me through to Alliance Central ,
President's Office."
A secretary appeared on the com screen . Sonic paused , then spoke
slowly . "Put me through to President Ari . Tell him I wish to discuss
the terms of our surrender ..."
TO BE CONTINUED