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Part 1

Adventures in Parodyverse - Saving the Future Part 24.2


    Lara Night stood, and moved to stand with her back against the wall.  Sir Mumphrey sat up.  Sharon didn’t seem to react at all, she continued eating biscuits.

    The sudden reaction was to Shen Rae’s transformation from what looked like a jet black haired, brown eyed human to a woman with fiery red eyes, and silvery hair with red streaks.  Her appearance or demeanor didn’t change much otherwise.

    “My race joined the Alliance...and we still keep a lot secret from it.”  she explained.

    “Like shape changing?”  Lara guessed.  She was finally calming down, and returning to her seat.

    “No, I can only change the most basic features of my appearance, like eye color, and hair color and length.”  Shen Rae replied.  “We use it as a disguise, so we don’t look frightening or dangerous to the other members of the alliance.  So we don’t stand out too much.  So we...appear human.”

    “But that’s not all, is it?”  Sharon ventured.

    “You are correct.”  the Captain answered.  “We’re quite powerful, everything in our world is fragile to us.  The Alliance would never tolerate it, if they knew.  And since my race only numbers in the dozens...we could be wiped out easily with technology.  So we must be careful.”

    “Why do you only number in the dozens?”  Lara asked what she thought was the obvious question.

    “We are so spread out now, with our space-faring interests.”  Shen Rae sounded a little sad as she explained that part.  “We live a long time, but...I suppose because we are separated we don’t reproduce in pure blood as much as we should.  Our success is causing us to gradually die out.”

    “Right.”  Sir Mumphrey finally spoke up.  “Why come all this way to tell me so little?  What do you hope to accomplish?”

    The Captain’s hair suddenly changed back to jet black, and her eyes to a soft brown.  

    “I’ll show you.”  she said.  She motioned for Mumph to follow her.

    Lara seemed to know where Shen Rae was going, as she moved quickly.  Mumph followed the two of them, noting that the Captain turned around from time to time to make sure he, Lara, and Sharon were following.

    They headed down a short, white hallway to a door at the dead end.  The door slid open, leading to a large circular room.  They passed a much larger version of the logo on Shen Rae’s uniform on the back wall.  Directly across from that was what looked like a large window with a panoramic view of Paradopolis below.

    “As you may know,”  Shen Rae began, “We are at much too high an altitude for this city to look like this.”

    Sir Mumphrey nodded in agreement and grunted.  He was starting to put together the hints.  “It’s a still image.”  he noted, pointing at the unmoving thin clouds above the city.  “Surveillance?”

    “Not ours.”  Shen Rae replied.

    Mumph looked at Lara.  They both knew that was bad.

    “We intercepted it.”  The Captain added.  “It means one of three things.  Either it’s a harmless survey.  Or it’s a tactical survey for a possible invasion.  Or...it could be a salvage appraisal.”

    “Salvage appraisal?”  Sir Mumphrey narrowed his eyes.  “As in sell to the highest bidder?”

    Shen Rae nodded.  She then looked around her bridge.  “I’ve told you more than I’m allowed.”  she said.  “Fortunately my crew has been with me forever...they’re very loyal.”

    “Quite all right.”  Mumph agreed with a nod.  “I believe I can form some conclusions from what you’ve given me.”

    “Excellent.”  Shen Rae said with a smile.  “Let me have my attendants return you to Earth.”

    Lara Night interrupted then.  “No thanks, I think I’ll handle it.”  she said.  She looked at Mumph and added, “I think we have a lot to talk about anyhow.”


---


    “Salvage appraisal.”  Sir Mumphrey muttered at the moment he and Lara Night appeared outside the Lair Mansion.  Lara was looking around, surprised that the mansion was back where it was supposed to be.

    “Huh?”  she asked, focusing her attention again.

    “The Captain said that.”  Mumph explained as they started walking to the door.  “It’s stuck on my mind since then.”  He looked at Lara.  “As did the look on your face when she said that.”

    “You saw that, eh?”  Lara whispered quietly.  “It just felt like the right answer to me.  Call me pessimistic.”

    Mumph stopped again.  “Tell me what you know,”  he said.  It was difficult to tell if that was a request or an order.

    Lara bit her lip and looked down.  She then reluctantly replied, “Sharon and I...we discovered the possibility that someone who’s on Earth now may have once wiped out a whole planet.  But that might now be related to what she’s telling us now...I don’t know.  It’s all I can tell you right now, though.  The rest...Shen Rae was telling the truth about.  It’s too dangerous to spread around right now.”

    “I will trust you, Miss Night.”  Sir Mumphrey told her in the tone of a teacher lecturing a student.  “I trust your instincts.  I have faith in your abilities.  If we are misguided by our new alien friends, I trust you will take appropriate action.”

    “I get it.”  Lara nodded patiently and smiled.  “You think Shen Rae is hiding too much, and you’re holding me personally responsible.  Don’t worry though, because I know she is.  And I’m already taking responsibility.”

    “Right, then.”  Sir Mumphrey ascended the steps to the door of the Lair Mansion.  He turned around for a moment and noticed Lara walking away.

    She stopped too when she didn’t hear the front door open right away, and decided to quickly explain why she was going the opposite way.  “I have to get my friend Sharon home,”  she explained.

    Sir Mumphrey grunted and nodded, and then opened the Lair Mansion door.  He looked back again.  This time, Lara was gone.


TO BE CONTINUED?


-- Story written and copyrighted (C) 2008 by Jason Froikin, and may not be 
--    reprinted without permission.  
-- Yuki Shiro designed by Jason Froikin, based on designs by Masamune Shirow
--  Liu Xi Xian and the Psychic Samurai are original design by Jason Froikin
--  Lara Night is an original creation by Jason Froikin