First came the sensation of coldness.  Yuki awoke gradually to a dark room, and at first could not tell if her eyes were open or closed.  She felt groggy and disoriented.  She reached out her hand but encountered only air.  After several long moments she set her hands on the floor to lift herself up.  Dizziness made it difficult to control her limbs and it was some time before she reached the bed.  She collapsed for several hours more.

When Yuki woke again it was because a feeling of wetness about her face made her uncomfortable.  Her head felt like it was full of lead but she managed to sit up.  Her hands felt wet too.  After a few minutes she stumbled to the bathroom.  Her face was smeared with blood and her hair matted with it.  She rinsed herself off as best she could only to find the right side of her face swollen and bruised.  Sickbay, she thought, and began the trip there. 

Upon arriving, Yuki called weakly for Dr. Sado but he was nowhere to be found, and she was in no shape to go looking for him.  She cleaned and tended to her injury, wrapping a thick length of gauze around her forehead.  She administered herself medicine to ease the pain and reduce the swelling.  Feeling tired after so much effort, Yuki lay down on one of the cots and fell asleep.

Yuki jumped up with a start; it made her head spin but she steadied quickly.  It was too…quiet.  She met no one on her way back to her quarters to change into a fresh uniform.  Yuki decided to make rounds.  The bridge was empty.  The hum of the main systems sounded loud to her.  It felt eerie.  Third bridge-empty.  The Captain’s quarters were unoccupied.  There were no signs of activity in the commissary.  Checking the engine room she discovered that the systems were on stand-by.  Rushing back to the bridge she sounded an all-hands on deck.  Still there was no response from anywhere on the ship. 

Am I the only one here? she thought.  Susumu!  You left me!  Though it made her head pound, Yuki let the tears flow and cried uncontrollably.  She felt tangled in a web of helplessness, and then fear and indignation began to build.  Those sisters…they meant to draw Yamato to this planet.  They wanted something.  But what could she do?  For all she knew they were monitoring the ship or planned to return.  Yamato was too far from Earth to communicate.  A radio message would take months.  Yuki felt she had to risk an SOS.  Her hands flew over the switches as she programmed a message.  At any rate she was useless for anything else until her condition improved.  Yuki sat back after initiating the signal.  Susumu, she thought, please be all right!  I’ll come alone if I have to.

  Not one to sit idly, Yuki began running scans of the planet and its cities.  She detected a very large, powerful energy source coming from the southwest hemisphere.  Here is an enigma for you, Mr. Sanada, she thought.  She reviewed and stored the data as it streamed in.  Some kind of massive structure channeled the energy but it was difficult to trace what it was used for.  Yuki continued her monitoring.

About a day later, Yuki had retired for the night when a klaxon sounded an incoming message.  She dressed quickly and raced to the bridge.  Radar revealed a massive ship off of Yamato’s port side.  The ship ID search came back UNKNOWN.  Yuki took a deep breath and after opening a communications link switched on the video screen. 

A striking female with reddish blonde tresses sat against a high backed chair intricately wrought and topped with skull and crossbones.  A scar lay prominently across her left cheek.  “You called?” she said, upon meeting Yuki’s gaze.

Yuki stared at her in amazement (this not being the cavalry she had expected).  “Who…who are you?”

  “My name is Emeraldas.”

  There was a long pause as Yuki absorbed the image before her:  The woman’s proud expression, the extensive cape, and the holster thrown casually over the back of the chair. 

  “You sent an SOS.  I imagine you are in need of assistance.  If there is anything I can do I am at your service.  But first let’s start by telling me your name.”

  Hesitant at first, Yuki identified herself and began to describe her situation.  The words came out faster and faster as she tried to condense the past two weeks’ events into a coherent summary. 

  Abruptly Emeraldas stayed her with a hand.  “This sounds very serious.  I think you should invite me aboard sooner, rather than later, Miss Yuki.  Wouldn’t you agree?”

Hurrying to the hangar, Yuki reached it just as Emeraldas’ shuttle taxied aboard.  She escorted her to the senior officers’ lounge and served her tea and light refreshments.  Emeraldas did not speak a word until they were settled. 

  “Please,” Emeraldas said.  “Tell me again what happened.” 

  Yuki relayed the tale from the beginning, from the moment Yamato first made contact with the Moessans to the crew jumping ship.  “…and when I woke up, my husband was gone too.  I went to the-“

  “Your husband?” Emeraldas asked.

“He-I mean, the captain.”  Yuki blushed.  She found it difficult to continue as her throat began to tighten.  “He-,” she looked down at her teacup that she was turning around in her hands. 

  “I see,” said Emeraldas. 

  Yuki looked up at her.  “How many men are with you?” 

  Her eyes widened in surprise as Emeraldas uttered a sharp laugh.  “I know better than to bring that raggedy crew to this place!”  Remembering Yuki’s situation she sobered quickly.  “Miss Yuki, I am a space pirate.  I travel throughout many galaxies.  When I received your SOS I ordered my crew to disembark light years from here.”  She leaned in closer.  “I know this planet.  The citizens of Moessa are sirens.  They lure men of any race, any age, and enslave them.  Their sexual appetites are very familiar to certain parts of this sector.  They haunt men even in dreams.”

  Yuki’s eyes were wide and her stomach in knots.  “Sirens?” she whispered. 

  And very sexy ones too, I hear,” said the pirate, and leaned back in her chair. 

  Yuki slumped in her chair.  “Emeraldas,” she said, her voice wavering (inside she was screaming, Susumu!),  “Thank you so much for coming.  I can’t tell you how much it means to me.”  Their eyes locked.  Yuki continued.  “But I can’t ask you to risk your life like this.  If there’s anything you need before returning to your ship…” her voice trailed off and her arm extended as if to say, what I have is yours.  Yuki suddenly felt very discouraged.

  “Nonsense!”  Emeraldas stood up.  “Show me to my guest quarters and in the morning you’ll tell me what you’ve found out about the planet.”  Her lips curled into a smile.  “Then we’ll plan our attack!”

  And Yuki knew there would be no further debate that night.

The pair convened on the bridge early the next day.  Yuki shared the results of her scans, including the massive structure in the southwest hemisphere, near what seemed to be a major city (that would be the capital Akelos, Emeraldas informed her).  Based on the findings Yuki and Emeraldas speculated that the structure was some kind of transmitter that affected the brain chemistry of males.  (Pity we’re not so lucky, eh, Yuki? commented Emeraldas sarcastically).  The transmitter hypothesis would account for the strange behavior of the crew, especially Kodai, who had become ineffective as captain. 

  “Yuki,” said Emeraldas, who guessed at her concern for her husband.  “We need to destroy that transmitter.  Firing from either of our ships would be too dangerous for your crew.  We have to go down immediately and plant explosives.”  She pulled up a schematic of the transmitter.  “I think it’s possible to break through the ceiling here,” she pointed, “and drop directly onto it.”  She reached out to Yuki’s face and gently rotated her head to get a clearer view of her injury.  “Are you sure you feel up to it?”

  “Yes,” said Yuki staunchly.  She pulled off the gauze.  “I’m fine. Anyway, that’s what certain…medications are for.”

  Emeraldas chuckled.  “Good girl!”

Gathering what weapons and explosives they needed they loaded Emeraldas’ shuttle.  She insisted on piloting her own craft and told Yuki she expected to return to her ship alone after the rescue.  When Yuki presented to the hangar ready to launch, Emeraldas looked at her in disapproval.  If she didn’t have anything darker to wear, Emeraldas said, then she would loan her an outfit.  Yuki stammered something about standard issue but complied with a change of clothes after Emeraldas tossed her a black shipsuit. 

  After a final systems check, Emeraldas began the launch sequence.  The ship glided smoothly out of the hangar.  They wove their way among the various cruisers and freighters, keeping to the shadows when possible. 

  “Initiating descent,” said Emeraldas.  “Shielding.”

  The shuttle murmured in compliance as the mechanism kicked in, effectively hiding them from radar.  Before long they were flying in above Akelos.  The two had planned to attack at night, and city lights shone multicolored and radiant out of the darkness.  Emeraldas piloted the shuttle expertly toward their target, weaving over and around city buildings that thrust into the air.  The sirens had a name for their bewitching transmitter: Terpsichore.  It came suddenly into view.    Thick glass walls surrounded its main body and a giant antenna stretched above it.  

Emeraldas landed the shuttle on the roof and they unloaded the equipment.  Using a palm held device Emeraldas programmed the shuttle to take off and hover above, shielded and at a safe distance.  Then the pair set about to the business at hand.  First came creating a way of entry.  From the slim sack around her torso Emeraldas pulled a small but very powerful drill.  Yuki watched in amazement as she drilled two circles, about twenty feet apart.  Using a suction tool she lifted the disks out effortlessly. 

“How do you know how to do this?”  Yuki asked, keeping her voice low.

“You forget what I do for a living,” Emeraldas replied. 

They strapped on harnesses and looped one end of each rope to the base of the nearby antenna.  Emeraldas knelt and peeked through one of the openings before they began their descent.  The interior was softly lit.  No one was about.  Through the separate holes Yuki and Emeraldas descended quickly and dropped as lightly as they could onto the crown of the transmitter.  According to a pre-planned strategy they each took a side and attached explosives to various parts of the machine.  Both wondered at the apparent lack of security.  Reaching the bottom they stepped out of their harnesses and ran down the only corridor that led from the room.  The charges were set to go off in five minutes.

 “It’s too quiet,” muttered Emeraldas. 

They had to stop short when a large door-if it could be called a door-blocked their path.  It was seamless and without a visible lock or catch. 

“Emeraldas!” Yuki exclaimed.  “T-minus three minutes to detonation!”

“I’d wager this door is meant to keep intruders in as well as out,” was her response.  She let loose a string of curses as her hands pushed and prodded for any clue to the door’s release.  Yuki stood guard and racked her brains for ideas. 

“We’re going to have to blast through,” said Emeraldas.  She placed a couple of small charges at waist level.  After a moment of consideration she added a third.

“T-minus two minutes,” Yuki informed her.

  Emeraldas grabbed Yuki’s arm and they raced back down the passageway.  The pirate had earlier noted a corridor jutting off from the main one.  They turned the corner just as the bombs on the door exploded.  When it abated, Yuki stood up to head back but Emeraldas blocked her with an arm and cocked her head sideways.   Smoke and debris were spilling past the opening.  Yuki stared at her anxiously.  Suddenly Emeraldas drew her pistol, widened her stance, and shot at guards who streamed down the passageway.  She picked them off one by one, men mostly, by the sight and sound of them. 

“Now, Yuki!” Emeraldas shouted.  “Hurry!” and the pair ran for their lives.  They heard the rumbling of the blast as the charges on the transmitter detonated. 

They dashed down the corridor and could see the exit in sight.  Thunderous cracks assailed their ears as the building began to collapse.  Yuki could feel a warm sensation at her back.  Glancing behind she saw a fireball hurtling down the corridor.  Picking up speed the women burst outside, but not in time to avoid the force of the explosion.  First Emeraldas then Yuki sailed into the air.  They landed roughly on a grassy plot that angled downward.  Hot bits of fragments pelted their backs and seared their clothing.  They rolled away as quickly as they could.  Emeraldas jumped toward Yuki and pulled her behind a low-lying concrete wall.  Catching their breath they stayed hidden for a few moments.  Fiery bolts streaked into the night air, temporarily lighting the surroundings like fireworks.  Nearby buildings caught on fire.  Emeraldas peeked around and could see men and women running in different directions, but no one approached the derelict transmitter. 

  Emeraldas turned to Yuki.  “Ready to go?  It’s time to find your crew.”

Yuki nodded, and refrained from mentioning her sprained ankle.  Minimizing her hobble as best she could, she followed the pirate through the city.  They encountered many men of different races dashing to and fro, but no one bothered them.  The Moessans whom they saw seemed confused.  Some were panic-stricken; others scuttled for cover.  Emeraldas approached one such woman and compelled her to tell them where Yamato’s crew might be found.  Using her as a reluctant guide, they made their way to the capital city’s seat of power, a great white edifice with gilded arches and ornate architecture.  Casting the siren aside Yuki and Emeraldas marched up the steps.  Inside was a collection of luxuriantly garnished rooms and halls.  Various Yamato crew came into sight.  They were looking about in apprehension but were making some attempt at re-grouping.  A few were pulling on shirts or otherwise straightening their uniforms.  Yuki rushed to them and urged them to gather at the shuttles.  Emeraldas busied herself with checking the ground floor for the rest.

“Where’s Kodai?” Yuki asked around.  “Where is the captain?” 

“I think they took him to an upper room,” someone offered.  “But I’m not sure-“

“Get to the shuttles!” Yuki shouted, for the noise level was rising with the number of people milling about.  She ordered a man named Morimoto to take charge of the exodus.  Hearing her name called, she looked at Emeraldas who was motioning her to follow up a wide staircase on the left of the foyer.  Yuki’s foot throbbed painfully as she pushed through a sea of strange faces.  She limped up the stairs after the pirate. 

The noise and the crowd faded as they traveled to the uppermost floors.  They burst into room after room looking for Kodai.  Many of them were empty but a few produced Yamato officers.  Yuki insisted they return to the ship and all complied, as they knew where they were and were aware of the vulnerable position in which they had landed.

Finally they reached the top floor.  Emeraldas and Yuki split the corridor, one exploring each side.  The plush carpeting and heavy drapes muted their sounds.  The fifth door Yuki tried to open was secured.  Aiming her laser gun down she shot out the lock.  The room was very dimly lit and Yuki positioned herself flush up against the wall just inside the doorway while her eyes adjusted, her weapon ready. 

There were people here.  Yuki was in an antechamber and she followed the sound of the voices.  On the left through a glass door that was draped with translucent curtains Yuki saw them.  They were bathed in a warm yellow light and on the bed there a woman straddled a bound figure.

It was Kodai.

Yuki pushed open the door.  Standing transfixed she was too shocked to say anything.  As surprised as she the Moessan and Kodai turned to look as she entered the room.  Kodai’s face melted into an expression of relief and discomfiture.  His arms were fastened by rope to the bed and his chest was bare.  The siren was draped in nothing but a diaphanous lavender gown that had fallen nearly to her waist.  She studied Yuki and her eyes narrowed. 

Yuki heard the buzz of a pistol discharging and the siren’s left shoulder snapped back.  A gun dropped from her hand and she withdrew from the bed.

“Party’s over, sister,” said Emeraldas as she leaped across the room.  She shoved the muzzle of her pistol against the woman’s neck and began to secure her.  Looking over her shoulder at Yuki, Emeraldas urged her to get going.  Yuki untied Kodai’s hands but could not bring herself to look him in the eye.

“Yuki,” he said dazedly.  “You got here just in time.”  Relief and concern flooded his eyes.

“You’d better change,” she said, as he was wearing nothing but a loose pair of white linen pants.  Yuki tossed him his uniform that had been hanging over the back of a chair.  She heard voices and went to the antechamber to investigate.  Shima and a group of bridge officers had entered the suite. 

“Yuki!” they exclaimed. 

“Did you find out-oh there he is,” said Shima.  “We have to hurry.  Hundreds of men are trying to get away from this planet.  If we don’t get to the shuttles now we may not have any left.”  He turned to Kodai as the captain joined them.  “Most of the crew has taken off already.  Some of our men are guarding the last few.”

Kodai nodded and the group exited the suite.  En route to the shuttles they encountered hundreds of men ranging in age from twenty to eighty racing about to get back to their ships.  Yuki thought that they must all have been slaves and were made to work for or service the Moessans.  The destruction of Terpsichore released them from the spell.  The sirens themselves were running to and fro, looking helpless and lost.  Emeraldas caught up to Yuki when the crew was about to board the shuttles. 

“Yuki,” she said.  “We are well met.”  Emeraldas gazed at her steadily.  “We have done a great service for this part of the galaxy.”  She looked around at the disarray.  “Husbands, brothers, and sons will no longer be targeted by these deadly vixens.  At least not for a while.”  Her eyes settled again on Yuki’s.  “My ship calls.  I hope Yamato’s voyage home is safe.”  She started to leave.

“Emeraldas!”  Yuki said.  The pirate turned around and Yuki swept her up in a gentle embrace.  “Thank you, Emeraldas,” she whispered in her ear, choking back tears.  “If you ever need Yamato’s help I will make sure that she comes.”  A smile lit Emeraldas’ eyes; she spun on her heel and was gone.

During the shuttle ride Yuki briefed Kodai and the senior officers on the nature of the sirens and their transmitter.  Aboard Yamato, the crew set about a thorough systems check and prepared to set course for Earth.  Per protocol, Kodai busied himself with take-off preparations and Yuki lost track of him almost immediately after they left the hangar.  By this time her ankle was nearly useless and walking had become difficult.  Yuki had nothing on her mind but relief from the pain.  Using the walls as support she slowly made her way to her quarters. Once there she crawled into bed.  The silence was soon broken with the sound of her crying.  She couldn’t get the image of Kodai and that siren out of her head.  Probably nothing had happened but—

There was a knock on the door.  Yuki tried to settle her breathing and was suddenly aware of how bruised and sore she felt.  Going to the door felt like an impossible task. 

But Kodai used his override code and entered the room.  Yuki wanted to go to him but because of recent events felt painfully shy about it.  Had she admitted it to herself she would have known it was anger she was feeling.  She propped herself up on her elbow.  “What’s wrong?” she said weakly

Kodai looked at her in alarm, seeing the crisscrossed scratches and burns on her body.  Her cheeks were smudged and he noticed the remnant of her head wound.  He sat down gingerly on the bed next to her.  “I’m taking you to sickbay, “ he said.  His eyes were tearful.  Kodai reached out to her arm and glanced at her in surprise when she pushed him away.  She bit her lip but could not hold back the tears.

Kodai instinctively knew what was bothering her.  “Yuki,” he said.  “Nothing happened.  You came just in time.  When I arrived there they kept me alone.  I was made to wait for the woman you saw.  She was their empress, I think.  I’m sorry, Yuki.  I’m so sorry this happened.  Like you said, that transmitter changed us somehow.  I felt…completely different.  It was like being in a dream.  I couldn’t focus.  Obviously my judgment was extremely impaired.  But it’s over now.  Please come to sickbay, darling, you need medical attention.  If you’re upset I understand, but—“ he was cut off as Yuki suddenly buried herself against his chest.  He held her gingerly.

“She didn’t excite you?” came the muffled question.

“No, no she didn’t.  Something felt wrong, and it was bothering me.  And I kept wondering where you were.  I was trying not to forget--” and his lips found hers, and they kissed, and the nightmare melted away. 

End

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