Commander Galos <gabinol@infosel.net.mx>

SAILOR JOURNEYS: SECRETS OF AN UNKNOWN PAST


Chapter 3: A rough awakening



"What do you mean?" asked Usagi. "Is there a new danger coming toward us?"

"No." answered Setsuna. "It's an ancient event that came to life during your last fight with 
Queen Metallia. By itself, it's harmless, but the time has come that its presence on our time 
line could mean the destruction of Crystal Tokyo if left unattended."

"What are you talking about?" said Ami. "We destroyed Beryl and Queen Metallia at the North 
Pole. We foiled all their energy gathering attempts and destroyed all their allies! Did we 
miss anything important?"

"I'm not talking about that fight, Ami. I'm talking of another fight, that you are better not 
knowing about it, for the exception of a few people." Was Setsuna's response.

Suddenly, Usagi and Chibi-Usa looked each other. They thought the same thing: the adventure 
they had when Chibi-Usa opened that dimensional rift, making Usagi jump around lots of 
alternate universes, and ending with their final confrontation with Queen Metallia outside 
the sphere of reality. They were the only ones, whom remembered that adventure, because they 
were outside time and space when everything went back to normal, time going back to the point 
where nothing happened.

"But what danger are you talking about, then?" It was Rei's turn to ask. "If it's not related 
to the Dark Kingdom, then what is it?"

"Everything will be revealed to you when Lieutenant Starr returns to his ship. All you need 
to know is stored inside the cargo hold." Was Setsuna's only response. "I'll be in touch." 
And with that, she left the meeting, leaving behind a confused group of people.

*   *   *   *

'Ooh, my head.' Was Starr's first thought after he regained consciousness.  'I swear, this is 
the last time I'm letting Kowalsky let me buy a drink.' Then he began to feel the surrounding 
area. He then noticed that he was lying on a bed in a strange looking room. 'Hey, wait a 
minute! This isn't Moon Rider! Where am I? What am I do...? Oh, yes. I remember now. The 
Leviathan. The crash landing... but how in the name of the Multiverse I ended up here? And 
what is this place?'

He was still pondering that when the door opened. He had to blink a few times because of the 
light, but when his eyes adjusted, he was greeted by a lovely vision. In front of him was 
standing the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Tall, slender, with delicate facial 
features, medium length black hair, with a silver mane on her forehead that added a touch of 
distinction to her; silky skin, a feature that reminded him the most delicate china dolls. 
And her eyes! They were emerald green, and gave him the impression that if he ever locked 
gazes with her, he would immediately drown on their unmensurable depth. Her lips were 
luscious, well formed and with a tone of red that mesmerized him. And her body was perfectly 
balanced. Not a single curve out of place.

In short, he made a perfect impersonation of a deer in front of a speeding car in the middle 
of the night.

"Hello. Are you feeling better?" said Robin, her voice sounding like celestial music to 
Starr's ears.

"Uh?" answered Starr, his mind back on track, the illusion broken.  "Oh, sorry. Yes, I was 
still a little dizzy. Forgive my ignorance, but, where am I?" His deep baritone and 
well-cultivated voice had Robin under a trance, her gaze locked on him intently. 

'Wow, he's even cutter when he's awake! And his voice...!' thought Robin. "You're at the 
Cherry Hill temple, in Tokyo. My friends and I found you after your ship crashed. We brought 
you here to tend your injuries. By the way, here's your friend." Said Robin, handling Alex 
back to Starr.

"Thank you. I hope she didn't bother you too much." Said Starr. 'I wonder what happened while 
I was out cold? It seems that a lot has transpired during that time. Alex has a lot to 
explain!'

"Not at all. Alex was really concerned for you. By the way, what's your name? I'm Robin 
Redwing." Said Robin, extending her had to him. 

"Oh, she presented herself. My name is Yohann. Lieutenant Yohann Starr. Pleased to meet you, 
Ms. Redwing. And thank you for rescuing us." He took her hand and shook it. At that moment, 
both felt like an electric shock running up and down their backs. They froze immediately, a 
faint blush on Robin's cheeks. Starr felt a little uncomfortable. 

At that same moment, the door opened again, allowing Makoto enter with a tray. On top of it, 
was a bowl of hot soup. Robin and Yohann immediately withdraw their hands from each other's 
and looked at Makoto while she approached the bed.

"Hi! I'm glad you're finally awake! Here, I brought you some soup to help you regain your 
strength. By the way, I'm Kino Makoto, pleased to meet you." She said, while placing the tray 
with its content on a  nearby table. 

"Uuuh... hello. I'm Lieutenant Yohann Starr. Pleased to meet you, Ms. Kino." Answered Starr. 
'My God! Is every girl here as gorgeous as those two!? Where in the Multiverse's name I ended 
up?? Not that I'm complaining or anything, but still...'

"Same here, Lieutenant." Said Makoto. 'I stand corrected. He's waaay better than my old 
boyfriend was! Just his voice is worth the admission fee!' "I made this soup myself. I hope 
you like it! And please, call me Makoto. All my friends call me like that. " added with a big 
smile on her face.

"Thank you. It smells delicious. And to tell you the truth, I'm starving! And please, call 
me Yohann." He then proceeded to stand up, but when he began to raise the sheets, he realized 
with a shock that he was naked! 'Oh my God! What happened!?! Where's my uniform??' He began 
to look around him, and found his clothes neatly piled on a chair. "Err... excuse me, ladies. 
But would you mind leaving me alone for a few minutes? I would like to... you know." He said, 
pointing his clothes.

Both girls blushed slightly when they looked at the uniform. And without saying a word, they 
left him alone, giggling nervously.

As soon as the door closed behind the girls, Starr went to the chair to retrieve his clothes 
and began to dress. As soon as he put on Alex back on his waist, he began to interrogate her 
using their mind connection.

'All right, Alex. Begin to explain, and I don't want you to leave anything out!'

'Ok, honey, don't get upset. After all, you're recuperating from an excruciating experience. 
I thought you were a goner! I was so scared, after all, I'm not a medical program! I didn't 
know what to do at the moment, and I...!'

"I'm touched, Alex. And now, would you mind avoiding the subject, and begin with the briefing,
please?'

Alex made the equivalent of a mental sigh, and began to explain what happened after they made 
the crash landing. When she reached the point where he was put on the bed, he interrupted.

'Hold it, Alex. Do you mean, that this is the same universe where Sailor Moon and her daughter 
from the future faced and defeated that Queen Metallia that almost destroyed the Multiverse?'

'Precisely. I didn't know you heard about them.'

'Are you kidding? The old man showed me the reports. Besides the high brass at Reality Base 1, 
him and myself, no one knows the whole story! I'm an admirer of them! And to be near them, 
it's a dream come true!'

'Hmph! If you ask me, they're not such a big deal.'

'Cut that out. Now, how in the Multiverse's name you allowed them to undress me and took you 
away from me? I thought you would fight with all your might!'

'Oh, that. It was none of the girls. It was that guy, Usagi's brother who did it. Besides, 
they had to remove me from you if that blue-haired supergenius of them wanted to get some 
accurate readings of your health with that toy computer of hers.'

'Blue haired? Oh, you mean Mizuno Ami.'

'Correct. I have to admit it, she made a pretty thorough examination, and came up with a 
decent diagnostic of your health.'

'Well, at least I'm not for the worse. Anyway, now that that's explained, tell me. What's 
the Leviathan's condition?'

'When we left, I camouflaged it with a holographic projection of the surrounding flora and 
terrain features. No one will ever find it. The self-repair mechanisms were almost finished 
repairing the damage. By now, the ship must be fully operational.'

'I'm glad to hear that. What's the status on the cargo?'

'No harm done on that department. Not a single crate out of place.'

'Those are the best news I've heard in a long time. Do you think the girls could give us a 
ride back to the Leviathan? After all, we don't have a ground transport of our own, and I 
forgot my wallet on my other suit.'

'That's the oldest joke on the book, pork chops! But you are right. Since they brought us 
here, they have to take us back. And sweetie?'

'Yes, Alex?'

'Eat your soup. It's getting cold and I don't think Makoto would like to see it go to waste.'

'Yes, *mommy*!!!' And with a sigh, he mumbled. "Why me?"

"Why not?" answered Alex.

*   *   *   *

A few minutes later, a refreshed (and fully dressed) Lieutenant Starr headed towards Rei's 
room following Alex's directions, feeling much better, and still savoring the delicious 
soup he just ate. 'I have to admit it. It's one thing to read of Makoto's skill at cooking, 
and one completely different to taste it. Even more, those reports don't do her justice at 
all. I envy the guy who finally marries her... and I feel sorry for him. He's going to gain 
weight like there's no tomorrow!' When he finally reached the door, he knocked softly, hoping 
not to interrupt anything important. 'The old man would skin me alive if I interfere more 
over here! And who says he's not going to do it, anyway?' A moment later, the door opened, 
and a smiling Robin allowed him to enter.  He was surprised to see the whole group together. 
Starr never expected that he would meet the legendary Sailor Scouts face to face, much less 
the famous Sailor Moon who defeated Queen Metallia and restored the Multiverse! "First of all, 
I want to thank you all for saving my life. I doubt I could have made it without your help. 
Don't worry, I'll leave as soon as possible, and I hope my stay among you won't disturb you 
more than necessary." 

Robin gave him a strange look, almost like she was hurt by something. When Starr looked at 
her, he felt a strange pain inside his chest. 'What was that? Perhaps I'm not as healthy as 
I thought. I'll visit the Medical wing back at the base as soon as I return.'

"It was pleasure, Lieutenant. Believe me." Said Usagi. Mamoru and Shingo felt uncomfortable 
for a moment. All the girls (with the exception of Haruka and Michiru, whom were looking at 
his belt), were staring at the young Lieutenant with star-filled eyes. 

'Why do I feel like a steak in front of a pack of hungry wolves?' thought Starr, feeling 
suddenly uncomfortable under their collective gaze.

'Because you look delicious, sweet buns!' answered Alex in his mind. 'But if they think they 
can lay a hand on you, they are going to be very surprised!'

'Will you cut that out, Alex?'

"Not so fast, Lieutenant" said Haruka all of a sudden. "First, you have some things to 
explain before we let you go back."

"Of course, Ms. Ten'ou. I'll gladly answer as best of my capacities."

"First, how is that you and your belt know so much about us?"

"That's fair. And since Alex already told me that you and your companions were the ones who 
helped me, I'll be glad to dissipate your doubts." He sat down in an open space near Mamoru, 
and began to talk. "We've known of all of you for a long time. In the past, we had diplomatic 
relations with your former Silver Millenium, and when Queen Beryl attacked, we tried to help, 
but Queen Serenity prevented us from helping you. I don't know the reasons, but we fold back 
to our homeworld. After we heard of the destruction of your Moon Kingdom, we mourned for the 
loss, but by then there was nothing we could do about it. Shortly after, we began to expand 
our explorations, but kept some surveillance satellites in high orbit around your planet, in 
hopes that some day we could reestablish contact. When the satellites sent the readings of 
the battle that destroyed once and for all Queen Beryl and the Dark Kingdom, more sophisticated 
surveillance equipment was dispatched to take a closer look at you. We've been watching since 
that day, and our government is now waiting for you to create the city of Crystal Tokyo to 
reestablish our relations with you." 'There, it's not a complete lie, but that will be enough 
for now.'

"But if you knew about us, why didn't you help us sooner? You could have prevented a lot of 
grief for us!" said Rei, anger beginning to fill her voice.

"Because, we were not allowed, and besides, you weren't ready for a contact of that kind. 
Answer me this... if in the middle of a battle, you saw a ship like mine hovering above you, 
guns at the ready, what would've been your reaction?" A heavy silence hung around for a while.

"That's right", answered Rei a moment later. "We would have thought that you were also from 
the Dark Kingdom, and we would have attacked you on the spot."

"Precisely. And that would have ruined our plans to make a peaceful contact with all of you."

"And how advanced is your technology, Lieutenant?" It was Ami's turn to make a question.

"You can judge it just by looking at what I'm carrying, Ms. Mizuno. We began to produce 
Artificial Intelligence programs only 80 years ago, being Alex the latest model..."

"Thank you, dear. I'm happy you think of me on those terms!" interjected Alex. With that 
remark, everyone began to laugh, with the obvious exception of Starr. When the laughing 
subdued, he continued.

"... but as you can see, there's still some work to do. The kind of alloys that makes my 
armor possible were developed 20 years ago, and they are in reality DNA based, allowing 
them to 'heal' themselves if something pierce them. The material of my ship, although not 
living, has self-repair mechanisms embedded on its structure, having the same effect like 
the one of my armor. Our medical science has evolved to the point where, if a person is 
seriously hurt, we have the choice of either clone a new body for him/her, or to transfer 
his/her mind to an android body while the original is being healed."

After hearing this, Rei felt a sudden chill. She remembered her discovery about themselves, 
but having this person talk about this in such a normal manner! 'Well,' she reflected, 
'for him, it's common. But that doesn't mean I have to like it!'

Ami had a completely different reaction. She thought of Minako, still in the hospital after 
so much time... 'perhaps this person can help healing her!'

"And what about your powers? Do you have something like us in your planet?" asked Michiru.

"To a certain extent. Although we don't have protectors like you, Ms. Kaiou, there is a big 
percentage among our population that is able to use magic to some extent. Some of them, 
like myself, use their magical powers in combination with our technology, allowing us to 
function longer than a regular magician."

Those statements brought a strange look from the Senshis. Agreed, they had now Soul Power, 
but learning that there was a way to combine it with technology...

"And what about your society? What kind of government you have?" asked Shingo.

"We incorporated to our government the kind ways of your Moon Kingdom over a thousand years 
ago. We don't judge by skin color, weight, stature, or anything like that. What really 
counts," and he pointed both his head and chest, "is what we take in account. All people 
have the freedom to do what they want, as long as their efforts help the rest of our society. 
Crime as you could conceive it is non-existent. If someone steps out of the norm, we first 
learn what makes him/her different, and then try to find a place in our society for he/she. 
If there's no place, then that's what our colony program in other planets is for. They go 
to another planet to create their own destiny, while we try to help them at the best of 
our limited capacities." Starr lowered his head after that, knowing that not always that 
worked for all...


That remark brought another stunned look from all the presents. That sounded like a perfect 
society, and he called themselves limited!

"And... what do you do for recreation?" asked Robin. Everyone turned to look at her, wide 
eyed.

"Well, there are different ways to spend our free time, Ms. Redwing. We have all kind of 
sports, some still in use here on your planet. Besides, there are amusement parks the size 
of your main cities," that made Usagi and Chibi-Usa stare at him. "Museums, Concert Halls," 
this time, it was Ami's turn to look at him. "And of course, we have all kinds of what you 
call 'videogames' for the small kids." Now, it was Shingo who stared at him. 'Boy, that 
sounds like a great place to visit!'

"And how long are you planing to stay with us?" asked Haruka.

"Alex informed me that my ship should be ready by now. I think the time for me to depart 
is now."

"And how did she do that??" asked Makoto. She didn't hear a thing from the belt!

"It's because she is linked to my brainwaves. It's some sort of telepathy. Pretty useful, 
I must add... but sometimes it's a real test for my mental stability and endurance."

"Ooh... that's sooo mean from you, sweet buns! And I thought that you cared for me!" 
promptly answered Alex. Starr said nothing, trying to hide his uneasiness. Everyone 
laughed again. Poor Lieutenant! Having to stand Alex all the time!

"But before you continue on that track, honey, I must add that you are not still one 
hundred percent capable to wistand the rest of the trip. I calculate that one good 
night's rest will allow you to be as good as new," continued Alex. "Besides, it's 
getting dark."

"Well, that settles it. You can come and rest with us!" said Robin. Haruka and Michiru 
looked at her, Haruka shooting daggers from her eyes. Michiru just gave a little smile.

"No way! He can rest with me at my apartment!" added Makoto. 'Besides, I could cook 
something special for him! Who knows? Perhaps I could convince him to stay here!'

"Nonsense! I have plenty of room at my place! He could sleep at the guest's room!" 
promptly said Laurella. This time, Shingo gave her a dirty look. "What?" she said. 
"It's only polite to make such an offer!"

"Forget it!" It was Rei's turn now. "He's going to remain here. Besides, he already have a 
room here, and my grandfather is out of town, anyway." 

"Well..." began to say Ami. Everyone turned to look at her. "My mom's out because of the 
medical conference she's attending, and he could sleep at my room. I'll sleep in the couch." 
'Besides', she thought, 'I could ask Alex if there is something I could do to help Minako 
get out of her coma.'

"Since I'm the leader, I say that he can sleep at my house," said Usagi. Everyone looked at 
her, completely stunned. "Chibi-Usa can sleep with me, and he can stay in her room." Mamoru 
was completely out of his mind at that point. 'What's gotten into her?!?' he thought. To say 
that Shingo was speechless was the understatement of the century! "Way to go, mommy!" added 
Chibi-Usa.

"Errr... all of you are too kind," said a heavily blushed Starr. "But I don't want to cause 
any trouble. I can sleep on the pilot's chair back at the ship." 'Thank you, Alex!' 
he thought. "Now look what you've done!'

'Sorry, baby! I didn't know they would react that way! But don't worry, I'll protect you 
from those... those... men hunters!'

'Shut up, Alex! Just... shut up!'

"That's no trouble, Lieutenant. Shall we go?" said Robin.

"He's coming with me!" prompted Makoto.

"No, with me!" retorted Laurella.

And with that, began an all-out fight to determine who was going to keep the Lieutenant for 
the night. Mamoru, Shingo, Haruka and Michiru had huge sweat drops on their heads. Starr 
just closed his eyes, waiting for the outcome. 

Suddenly, an ear-piercing whistle was heard. "ALL RIGHT! EVERYBODY SHUT UP!" yelled Mamoru a 
few minutes later. Silence descended immediately. "Since there seems to be no agreement on 
that part, I'm going to say this: Lieutenant Starr is going to sleep at MY apartment, and 
I'm not going to accept a 'no' for and answer. All of you are going to abide with this, and 
that's final! Any questions?" He was literally throwing flames out of his eyes. Everyone was 
surprised of his reaction and only denied with their heads. Starr looked at Mamoru, a silent 
"thank you" forming on his lips.

"All right. Now that everything is in order, I believe that it's time for all of us to get 
some rest." Added Mamoru, more relaxed.

And with that, the meeting ended, everybody going back home.

*   *   *   *

Meanwhile, at the Gate of Time...

Two figures were in front of the Gate, watching the unfolding events. 

"Everything is proceeding as anticipated." Said Sailor Pluto.

"Yes, you're right. But don't you think that was a little rough on the boy?" answered 
Commander Galos, standing by her side.

"Perhaps. But remember, it could have been worse."

"Point taken. Is everything ready for tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Good. In that case, I'll return to Moon Rider. There is some paperwork pending, and I want 
to stay alert for tomorrow's events. Keep an eye on him, Pluto. Too much is hanging on the 
balance."

"I know, Commander. Good night."

"Good night, Pluto." And with that, Commander Galos entered the Gate of Time, and returned 
to the space station.

*   *   *   *


The next morning...

Starr awoke completely revitalized. 'Perhaps this is not my bed back at home, but it's 
comfortable nevertheless. I slept like a tree!' He decided to get up, and perhaps prepare 
breakfast. After all, all members of an observation team must learn how to function under 
any circumstance. Besides, he owned Mamoru the rescue the night before. Good thing it was 
Saturday; since Mamoru had not classes today, he could easily take him back to the Leviathan. 
Since Mamoru already told him that he could use the shower, he took a relaxing hot bath. 
He was drying himself with a towel borrowed from the nearby closet, when someone knocked at 
the door.

'Who could it be this early in the morning? Hmmm... Mamoru is still asleep. I'll take it.' 
Forgetting that he was only wearing a towel around his waist, he went to open the door. 
When he realized his state of undress, it was too late.

 Standing on the other side, were Makoto, Rei, Ami, Usagi, Luna, Robin and Laurella; all of 
them had come to say goodbye to Starr, but when he opened the door, they were speechless, 
their mouths hanging lifeless, their eyes wide open, and blushing furiously.

"Good morning," began to say Starr. Since there was no answer, he looked at them, then back 
at himself, and he too blushed furiously. "OH NO!!" he screamed, and slammed the door, 
rushing to get dressed.

The girls and cat stood motionless for a moment, their minds filled with the image of his 
perfectly sculptured body still dripping water from his bath. After what looked to them like 
an eternity, they blinked.

"Oh..." began Usagi.

"My..." said Ami.

"God..." said Rei.

"What..." continued Makoto.

"A..." said Laurella.

"HUNK!" finished Robin.

"Meow..." was Luna's contribution.

Meanwhile, Starr was furiously dressing up. 'OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod 
OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod!!!' That was the only thought his troubled mind could handle 
for the moment. As soon as he closed the buckle of his belt, Alex linked to his mind.

'Good Morning, sleeping beauty! Had pleasant dreams?'

'OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod...'

'Yohann! What happened?!? Snap out of it!'

'OhGodOhGodOhGodOhGod... uh, what?? Oh, it's you Alex! Thank God! You have to help me!'

'Of course! That's what I'm here for... but... with what?'

'I made the biggest blunder in my life!'

'Tell all to mama, baby. I'm listening.'

A short explanation later, Alex began to transmit again. 'Geez, you're right. That's the 
biggest blunder on your life! How, in name of my programmer, could you do such a thing?!?'

'Never mind that! What am I going to do!?! If Mamoru finds out that I was in front of his 
girlfriend literally naked... or Shingo!! Or Ami's mother!! Or Rei's grandfather!! Or...'

"First of all, calm down! Looking at it logically, no harm was done. Second, I don't think 
they are going to say a word. And third, remember that we are going to be on our way in a 
few hours.'

'You're right. But...'

'But nothing! I strongly recommend that you keep your mouth shut for the duration. That's 
the best course of action to take. All right?'

At that moment, Mamoru's door opened. "Good morning, Lieutenant. Slept well?" It took all of 
Starr's strength not to jump through the roof! 

"Yes, Mr. Chiba. Thank you. Your couch is very comfortable. By the way, I took the liberty 
to use your shower. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all. After all, you're my guest."

In that instant, there was a knock on the door. Starr began to tremble.

"I wonder who could it be?" said Mamoru. When he opened the door, Usagi greeted him. 

"Good morning, muffin! I hope you had no troubles last night."

"Not at all. By the way, what are you all doing here?"

"We came to say goodbye to Lieutenant Starr, Mamoru." Answered Ami. "Besides, I wanted to 
ask him if I could take a look at his ship. I'm curious about his technology."

"And I came to make you two breakfast! No one should start a long journey with an empty 
stomach!" said Makoto.

"Thank you, Makoto. I was about to prepare breakfast myself!" answered Mamoru. "Please, 
come in." After everyone was in the apartment, Usagi began to talk again.

"Muffin?"

"Yes, Usagi?"

"There's something I have to tell you..."

'Oh God,' thought Starr, 'I'm doomed! This is it! I'll end my days as plant food!'

"I want to apologize for my behavior last night. I was acting childish, I know. I promise 
that will never happen again. Can you forgive me?" said Usagi, while looking at Mamoru 
with big, round puppy eyes.

"Of course, my dear. Besides, no harm was done. I also wanted to apologize with you all for 
screaming at the temple. It was not proper."

"Don't worry, Mamoru. As you said, no harm was done." Answered Rei.

At that moment, Usagi's stomach grumbled. She blushed a fade shade of pink. "Sorry." 

"I got the message, Usagi. Breakfast is on its way!" said Makoto, heading towards the kitchen, 
while giving a big smile to Starr on her way. He only nodded, still trembling.

'Oh, boy, that was too close for comfort!' he thought.

*   *   *   *

An hour and a half later, everybody was standing in front of the camouflaged Leviathan. 
Since Laurella's father allowed her to use one of his cars, everyone was able to make the 
trip back to the ship.

"Again, thank  you everybody for your help. I don't know what I could've done without it." 
Said Starr. 

"No problem, Lieutenant. It was our job." Said Usagi.

"Ok, Alex. Remove the cover."

Immediately, the holographic disguise disappeared, and everybody gasped at the sight of the 
Leviathan in front of them.

"My God..." muttered Rei. 

"It's enormous!" said Laurella.

Everyone else was speechless. 

"Lieutenant Starr?"

"Yes, Ms. Mizuno?"

"I was wondering... Can I go inside with you? I want to look at your ship's control room. 
I won't touch anything, and I'll exit as soon as your preparations for departure are 
complete." 'And perhaps I could find something to help Minako.' Added Ami for herself.

"I don't see why not. Please follow me. And that invitation is open to everyone." Said Starr. 
'After all, what harm could it do? It's not as if they're going to steal the ship or anything.'

And with that, everyone followed Starr inside the Leviathan's hatch. Soon, they all were at 
the control room, everybody admiring the elegant design of the ship's devices. There were 
in total 7 seats: one pilot, one copilot, one communications officer, one engineer and three 
extra seats for passengers. 

"All right. Alex, link with the main computer, and began the procedures for take off."

"Right away, baby!" was Alex's response. A couple of minutes later, she spoke again. 
"Sweetie?"

"Is everything ready, Alex?"

"No. It seems that we have a problem here."

"What kind of problem, Alex?"

"Err... do you remember the power surge that brought us here in the first place?"

"Yes. What's with that?"

"Well, it seems that it did something else besides causing a short circuit."

"Stop stalling, Alex! Get over with it! You told me that everything was already repaired 
and we would be ready to continue our journey!"

"Is anything wrong, Lieutenant?" asked Robin. She looked at Starr, a worried look on her 
lovely face.

"I'm not sure, Ms. Redwing. Alex?"

"Ok, here's the whole scoop. It seems that the power surge burned some of the memory chips. 
The nanoprobes restored them already, but it seems they did a thorough job. They rebuilt 
the hardware completely."

"And that means...?" asked Starr, but he already knew the answer.

"It means, sweetie, that, besides the basic instructions on the main computer and internal 
systems control, the rest of the files, and I mean EVERYTHING ELSE, is completely wiped out. 
No star charts, no jump gates coordinates, no assigned communication frequencies, no flight 
control programs, no nothing!

"In short, baby... we're marooned here, with no way to get in touch with home base, or anyone 
else. Right now, the Leviathan is one 300 metric tons paperweight."

TO BE CONTINUED...