****Disclaimer****
All characters that appear in this story that have appeared or have been mentioned in "Sabrina on Line the comic strip" by Eric Schwartz are the copyright of E.S. Productions & Eric Schwartz and are used with his permission.
The characters Chris Foxx and Dexter are the copyright of Chris Yost and are used with his permission.
Character Thomas Woolfe is the copyright of Michael Higgs.
Character Lee Evans copyright of Mr. Evan Mayerle.
The characters Max The Black Rabbit & Zig Zag are the copyright of Malcolm Earle and are used with his permission.
Author's note: Tabitha in Eric's timeline is about 3 and Sabrina is 22 in this time line and story Tabitha is 6 and Sabrina is 25.
This story is based on Copyrighted characters and situations created by Mr. Eric Schwartz, Chris Yost and Malcolm Earle but is not intended to represent or be a part of the Sabrina on Line Universe Created and drawn by E.W.S. Or the Sabrina Online Story written by Chris Yost and Sabrina at Algonquin. Written and drawn by Malcolm Earle A.K.A Max The Black Rabbit.
Other characters mentioned in this work of fiction are the creations, ideas and situations of the writer.
Special thanks goes out to David White, who's ideas and input truly make this a great first chapter! Thanks Dave.
Legal Notice: This story is Copyright © 2002 Mark F White. This story may not be sold or used for commercial profit in any form or fashion. This story may not be modified in any way. This story may not be copied, posted and/or distributed, in any way, shape, or form, in any print, magnetic, electronic, visual or optical mediums, or on any Internet site other than the specific one in which the story appears, without the expressed written permission of the author. Full permission for non-author character use in this story was obtained prior to their appearance in this story.
**WARNING**
This story is a work of fiction and does IMPLY SEXUAL & VIOLENT SITUATIONS please be aware of that before you read this story.
Note: Zargozians are both male and female; I will however refer to them in the feminine as her or she.
Sabrina Cubed
Chapter One: The Mists of Tarra.
A Star System Far, Far Away:
The Zargozian Empire spanned eight full Star Systems and had numerous off world colonies. They were a peaceful race resembling bipedal weasels. They came in all sizes, shapes and colours, the most common being a light blue. Their bodies housed the sexual organs of both sexes and a rare few possessed the power of morphing. Others had unique abilities, remnants from wars long past. Their children, through generation after generation, still carry their parent's traits, but their purpose long forgotten. The Morphers, as they were called, were monitored continually by the government and their abilities could not be used to impersonate others. It had become a major problem in ancient times and so laws were drafted and the matter taken under strict control. It was the law and it was not taken lightly, the penalties imposed were not worth the risk. All Morphers had to be implanted with genetic tags that could be easily traced. The law was the law.
This did not mean that the Zargozian system of governing was perfect. Far from it; but for the most part it was a peaceful world. Each colony had its own governing power; however they were still loyal and obeyed the Emperor of Tarra (Tar-rah their Home world). Although most affairs of the colonies were left to the local governing power, the Emperor had the concerns of Tarra to deal with.
They were not religious creatures; their faith was in the Emperor, although there were a few whose beliefs went beyond her. Their belief in an all-powerful God of creation gave way to turmoil in the ranks of the Citizens but as with freedom they were allowed to practice it, but not sell it. All free citizens could choose who or what to believe in though most chose to walk the path of reason. Those who did practice religion in some form or another did so quietly and in private. Not, however, because it was unlawful or anything, far from it. It was kept private because it was considered the up most in rudeness to impose one's beliefs upon another. Each Zargozian Citizen had the right to make up her own mind. Since other life had been found out in the galaxy the idea of being the only creatures under the stars had long since vanished. For them, their society had truly matured.
Almost all Zargozians did put one belief above all: that all Life was sacred, and to cause harm or death to another was an enormity. Scientists and Researchers had to be very careful in their treatment of animals and specimens to see that no real harm came to them. Lower life forms fell into a gray area but it was generally accepted that one should do the best one could for them as well.
It hadn't always been like this. The philosophy had been implemented and struck down countless times in the Zargozians' Dynastic history. It had been the Scientists and Scholars hundreds of years ago that pressured the government to adopt this way thinking and in the end had made life better for millions of creatures across the Zargozian Empire. The first citizens off world in ancient times had no rules, no idea of the wonders that lay before them. However with no directions on how to proceed much diversity of life was lost during those times. These courageous Scientists and scholars fought long and hard to preserve what was left and eventually they won the hearts and minds of the people and more importantly the support of the Empire. Soon, life of any form was declared sacred and had to be treated with respect. Creatures had rights even though some of them couldn't speak for themselves. The age of exploration was upon them and all looked promising for the next stage in the Dynasty's legacy.
As a society Zargozians tended to form family groups, usually 3 to 5 was the most common. Since they possessed both male and female organs, mating was a far more complicated and socially intensive activity than with what we consider normal. A family group was usually much more successful producing offspring than a couple because of the way their hormones worked and how they assumed male/female roles biologically. Couples were common enough and through careful timing and patience there could be offspring in some cases. This arrangement worked for many couples, however for one pair it didn't work. Things went poorly and the timing was extremely bad apparently. They finally split, not knowing what else to do. They haven't seen each other in over a year. It has been a hard time on both of them, for their split was anything but happy.
This story starts with one half of this unfortunate couple, her life is about to change in a way she could never have anticipated.
Her name is Afain (A-fen). An Historian #1 class, close to the top of her field but not quite a Master yet. She is an expert in the "Age of Enlightenment" which is considered the 2nd and 3rd Dynasties in Zargozian history. By Zargozian physicality she was young, but in knowledge she was older than her years. Her fur is light blue and she has a small patch of white on her chest. She has blue eyes that seem to twinkle, showing off their beauty. She also has a very short tail which for a Zargozian was a bit odd, most tails were at least down to the mid-leg; hers was just past her rump. She found it convenient and stylish and one thing she hadn't changed in years.
As Zargozians go she wasn't anything really special to look at. She could be, but she decided to remain neutral. As a Morpher she could look anyway she pleased but she didn't like sticking out in a crowd. So she decided to keep to the norm and not change her fur style.
She already knew that many a scholar were jealous of her high ranking and this aggravated her to no end. She felt she deserved the title but no one except for a few peers believed it so. She, however, did not push the issue, figuring it wasn't worth the effort. Her reputation stood out and she knew it, she was proud of her accomplishments but she just wished that others recognized it too. There was one who did but it was best she not think of that particular person. Her thoughts had been of her as of late, maybe it wasn't too late to try again.
However today was her day of rest, one she had been looking forward to for a long time. With her eyes closed she relaxed in her favorite chair, letting the sun warm her body. Her fur absorbed the gentle heat; it was a very invigorating experience for her tired body. Her relaxation, however, was short lived for she was rudely interrupted by her chamber caller. Her eyes opened and she sighed. At this time in her life, the being growing within her made her feel very awkward. Plus the fact that she was developing a chest was always on her mind. She didn't like having breasts. She sighed again and roused herself, and the extra weight that was her hatchling moved within her body in protest.
"Easy little one", she patted her tummy ever so lightly. "I know. I was enjoying that way too much for it to last." She tied off her robe and reached the control panel and pushed it to the 'on' position. She had no idea who would be contacting her today. A gray face appeared on the screen in front of her and she recognized it immediately as a high commander by her fur markings and insignia. She immediately fell into attention. It wasn't really necessary but she always felt a higher rank deserved as much respect as they could get as she herself got very little. Her face showed a bit of a smile, "You are Historian #1 Afain." The guard asked, in a monolithic tone.
"I am." Although Historian was her proper rank she seldom used it, it posed too many problems when conducting business, librarian was much better for getting along socially.
"Then the Emperor has need of your skills. Please ready yourself for transport as soon as possible. There is an escort outside your door, follow her and do what she says. Do not bother to ask her any questions for she knows nothing of why you have been summoned. Your activity for the next few days has been accounted for. Do not contact anyone after this conversation has ended." The Commander became silent awaiting a response.
She was stunned and only had one word for her. "Understood."
"Good, I bid you good day Historian #1 Afain." The screen went blank. Her mind was a-race with thoughts and above all, questions. What did the Emperor want with her? Or any historian not already at court for that matter? True, there were few of them, but they all dwelled in matters of the past. The Emperor could have picked any of them, so why her? She patted her tummy, "Looks like our plans for a peaceful day just went out the window little one." To which she got a good kick. She swore to herself that this one was already learning from her, but it was way too early for that. She readied herself and found her ceremonial robes, which took forever to find. She hadn't worn them in years and she worried that they were out of fashion. She took a few personal items in a travel bag and soon she was ready to go but in her mind she felt she was forgetting something.
The escort took her to a spaceport via a personal carrier. She had never been in such a fine vehicle in her life. The ride was smooth and she could actually see the outside, not many transports had windows. The seats were plush and very comfortable; above all it was super quiet, almost all the vehicles she had been on you couldn't hear yourself think. Only executives or the Emperor's personal entourage had such transportation. On what they gave her for her services she could never afford a transportation vehicle. She would have loved to have one but it was a fantasy that would likely never come true.
She truly hoped the air travel didn't make her sick, she really didn't enjoy flying all that much. As they approached the port she could see the massive floating airships docked. They were huge constructs of varied designs and built of exotic materials. She had only ridden in one a couple of times but each time had been a splendid adventure. They roamed the globe as gentle giants of the air. She only hoped this trip was as splendid. She kept on going over things she had done lately, something that might have roused the attention of the Emperor, but nothing came to mind.
As they entered the terminal they continued past the airships' launching area to the spaceport area, and it was only then that Afain knew she would be going off world. She stopped dead in her tracks, which aroused the guard's attention.
"Are you unwell, Historian #1 Afain? I will seek medical attention for you if so." She was light brown and pretty, too pretty to be just a guard; she wondered why.
"I didn't think we…gulp… or I was going off world."
"Well normally you wouldn't but the Emperor is not on Tarra at this time."
"Oh." She said nervously, then continued on but at a much slower pace. The thought of going out there still frightened her to no end.
A technician greeted them at the entrance to the spaceport. The guard spoke to her explaining the situation, then bid Afain good day. It was then the Technician began to outfit Afain for her journey. Afain thought she had to inform her of her condition before it was too late.
"I am with Hatchling." (Hatchling is the term use for a child within its carrier.) She said calmly, although she was terrified, she had never been off world. "It may complicate matters." Afain was sure it would, she wasn't sure if the technician was able to tell. She really wasn't too far along, about halfway.
"It is good you spoke up." The bright yellow technician said smiling. "We can modify the settings to make you more comfortable." The technician did something to the collar of the suit then began to help her put it on. It was a snug fit and bound up against her fur, a horrible feeling. The technician saw her discomfort and snickered to herself.
"First time off world?" She knew the answer already.
"Yes it is." Afain said nervously.
She smiled, "You'll get used to it, the suit will help keep things stable inside, it will also loosen a bit as soon as you get out of our atmosphere."
"Thank you." She hated this suit and she wanted to scream, all her fur was of an itch.
"You are most welcome." She handed her a pill and presented her some water. "Take this please."
She looked at the pill that would almost choke a Dominon (Horse). "What is it?" She inquired.
"A neutralizer for the field around the planet, it will take away the nauseous feeling that would accompany you if you passed through the field without it."
She quickly swallowed it, knowing that being ill on a spacecraft would not be wise. The ship was small and cramped and hard to maneuver in. But the technician took her time assisting her to her seat and belting her in. The chair almost seemed alive and supported her in all the right places. It was a pleasure just sitting in it.
This was a whole new experience for Afain, as a historian's life did not typically take them into space. "This chair is fantastic!" she exclaimed.
"It has been made aware of your condition and has adjusted itself to suit your needs." The technician chuckled slightly. She hadn't seen this reaction in years. It was a pleasure to do so again, since space travel had become so common; no one really appreciated it anymore.
Afain was totally overwhelmed and impressed, "Can you buy these?" She spoke as she rubbed the chairs smooth arms.
"Yes you can." Afain made a mental note that she was going to look into the cost of one of these fantastic devices. "It will also massage you as well."
"It will?"
"This button will activate it." The technician pressed the button and waves of minute pressure were put upon her aching muscles. She was in heaven.
"Oh!!!! Afain said in surprise, enjoying to the feeling all too much. "I don't think I will want to leave now." She smiled at the Tech.
"I've heard that many times before." Again she smiled. "You're all set, please enjoy your trip."
"I will thank you. You have been most kind." She nodded to her and watched her leave; from that point on she didn't remember a thing, not even taking off.
The ride was over too soon, she didn't want to leave the extreme comfort of the chair but she knew she had to. Another technician helped her out and she was led from the ship to a room where she could change. It was a relief to get rid of the suit. She took out her robes and put them on, noting that although they were a bit tight in the tummy department, nothing was going to pop. She smiled to herself when she looked in the mirror. It had been years since she had put this robe on, the jewelry was the gaudiest looking but it was necessary as it showed her rank. The technician noticed something amiss; she hesitated in saying something, but then changed her mind and spoke up.
"Pardon my speaking, but your insignia's are out of order. Please forgive me." Her head bowed in gesture of speaking out of turn. She knew the Historians rank and gave a gesture of respect.
"Huh." She looked and it was true she had reversed the order of the Tasion pins (Education Merits). "Thank you, you did not speak out of turn, you have done me a good service. I've never met the Emperor in person and I would've felt embarrassed to learn of such an obvious error." She touched the technician's shoulder that showed respect in turn, and smiled. Then another Zargozian who spoke not a word to her, leaving her feeling extremely nervous, led her quickly to another room. The room was huge and there were two others in the room besides her. Looking closely at one of the figures she recognized her immediately! It was the Emperor and she turned around quickly to avoid her gaze. She cursed her escort for not warning her.
No one was allowed to just walk in on the Emperor face to face, unless you were on her staff or of high rank. Her position might have allowed her to do so, but she took no chances of being in error. She prayed that she had not offended her majesty. Her only recourse was to apologize for her entrance. It was better safe than sorry. She cleared her throat and spoke, "Please forgive me your majesty; I was not aware you were present." She said facing a blank wall, feeling a bit ridiculous. "I am Historian #1 Afain; I am here due to your request to see me."
The Emperor had seen her enter and the surprise on her face but had no problems with her entrance. "It was not your fault, please come forward and face me Historian #1 Afain."
She turned and bowed, a standard symbol of courtesy. It was not required but this was her first meeting with the Emperor and she wanted to make a good impression. "I am honored to be in your company."
The Emperor was black mostly, with white paws and eyes of deep yellow. To most she looked frightening, not a good image to have as a ruler. She had been selected over seven years ago. Afain remembered the ceremony. It was one to behold: one of six children, she had led the Dynasty into its finest hours. It took time but the people had come to accept and love her.
The Emperor said nothing but was nonetheless impressed by this Historian. "You should learn from this one, Garan, she is well mannered." The Emperor laughed.
It had been a slanderous remark and Garan showed her teeth in distaste. "Yes your Majesty." She gazed upon Afain and she could feel the tension raise a notch. It was something she didn't want, she knew now she would have to watch her step and to stay out of Minister Garan's way.
"Historian #1 Afain what do you know of the "Age of Enlightenment?" The Emperor asked looking not at her but out through a window at the space station. It must have been a spectacular view, thought Afain. It was a broad question and statement but she was an expert of that time period. However she didn't want to shine too bright in the Emperor's presence. She would have to choose her words carefully. "Many things my Emperor. To what time period or subject were you referring?" She sighed softly to herself; that was pretty good she thought.
"Space Exploration." Again she did not turn to look at her, just stared off into space.
Oh boy, it was basically a carnival back then as there was limited knowledge in that area. However she had to answer the Emperor's question, "It was a time that explorers were free to go as they wished my Emperor. A lot of our knowledge was gained from that era. Although they were strictly bonded by the preserve life clause it was …ahem excuse the term ….a free for all." She grimaced.
"As I suspected from what I gathered from my own research. However I think you may find this of interest."
The Emperor pushed a button on a remote in her paw and a giant screen came to life on a far wall. What she saw she couldn't believe. It was an image of a fairly large ship, oval in shape with huge mammoth engines at the stern. The main cockpit was on the belly of the ship, with huge collector scoops on the topside. She knew what it was, "An Evangelon." She covered her maw immediately for she had spoken out of turn.
The Emperor's ears perked up, "What was that you said Historian #1 Afain?" The Emperor asked.
It seemed the Emperor was overlooking her error, but she was going to have to be more careful. "An Evangelon, it was the term used for that type of craft. They made them for many, many years, and as our technology advanced, so did its design. I am not sure if the Evangelon still remains as a ship design though. I'm not much on modern starship design."
The Emperor nodded, "Ah…… so that's what that thing is, then it is one of ours."
That was a strange answer Afain thought, "Yes your Majesty."
"Can you approximate its age, from this holo?"
"Your Majesty is this a real ship, no offence?"
"A reasonable question. Yes Historian, it was found drifting in a stellar cluster, and now a long range cargo vessel has it in its cargo bay. We were alerted to its capture, however we were unsure of what it exactly is, that is why you are here."
She couldn't tell from where she was standing and moved in closer. "Your Majesty can the image be made larger and to focus on a certain area of the ship?" The Emperor made the ship's image closer, it was then she saw the markings. "Your Majesty could you focus on these markings?" She pointed on the screen and the Emperor did so. It was then Afain let out a gasp and covered her mouth.
This was something the Emperor did not expect, "What is it Historian? Speak!" She commanded.
"The marking your Majesty!" She pointed.
"Well what about it?" She had no idea of its significance.
"It's the mark of the Second Dynasty! Your Majesty, this ship is over 1000 years old." She couldn't even begin to imagine that thing actually existed in real life.
This stunned the Emperor. "Really! Then we have quite the find here then, don't we Garan."
"It would seem so your Excellency." Garan said with little enthusiasm.
"Garan get a ship out to that freighter and retrieve that ship. I want it here as soon as possible."
"Yes your Majesty." Garan just stood there beside the Emperor not moving.
"Now Garan, now!" The Emperor exclaimed, with a harsh tone.
Garan scurried away as quickly as her two legs would carry her.
"Ah it's hard to find good help these days." The Emperor sighed, and looked upon the Historian looking closely at the ship. She was still staring at the symbols and markings. "You find this intriguing?"
"Yes." She had forgotten whom she was addressing and quickly backed up upon her mistake and apologized.
"It's understandable Historian, you may speak freely with me." Afain knew what that meant; she could be less formal which helped a lot. "Well Afain I too am intrigued with the past. I have studied quite a bit about the Fourth Dynasty or what there is translated of it, but nothing of the Second. Are you sure this craft dates back to that era?"
"Yes Madame." She hoped that title was good enough, and when she saw no reaction she took it as a good omen. "If you look closely," she pointed to the crest symbol on the ship. "This crest represents Pyiman the Goddess of Eternal Happiness. Religion played a big role in our past, but now has become minor in its role in our modern society. Above her is the symbol of the Dynasty, which is represented by leaves of Pargine. It symbolizes the vitality of the Empire and with each passing Dynasty they added a leaf. This continued up until the Seventh Dynasty. The crest remained that way almost unchanged up until then. There are only two leaves on the crest, which says it's a Second Dynasty vessel, which I still find hard to believe."
"Ah…..hmmm, how is it you recognized it? Is there one in our Museums?"
It was a good question, and to be honest there were not many starship designs back then, the Evangelon being the ship of choice. "There is none Madame but there are a few models in the archives of some ships, which is how I know of it. There are only a few texts left that mention we even had Starships back then due to the vicious wars in the 8th 9th and 10th Dynasties."
"Ah yes, a horrible time in our history." The Emperor said in disgust.
"Yes Madame. The ship looks to be in good shape. If all goes well its archives may well be intact. It could tell us a lot of our ancestry, and fill some of the gaps left in our earlier history." She went back to staring at the ancient ship.
The Emperor moved back and sat down at her desk, she did a quick evaluation of this Historian that Garan had called upon. She obviously enjoyed her work and used all the proper manners in which she should be addressed. Even wore her ceremonial robes, which wasn't necessary. Even apologized when she didn't have to. She decided she would be the one. "Historian #1 Afain, I am now putting you in charge of getting the archives off that ship. You may call upon any resource or personnel that you may need. Also you will report all your findings to me personally. You will encrypt all your data you accumulate. You are now relieved of any other duties you had, as this is now your job and sole purpose in your duty to the empire. Do you understand Historian #1 Afain?"
She couldn't believe that the Emperor had just put her in charge but this was a direct command from her and it deserved the proper answer. She bowed and spoke, "Yes My Emperor I understand and accept the position and task placed upon me."
"Good, that's what I wanted to hear."
Afain looked at the ship and dreamed of what wonders it held. The Emperor turned back to her console and began to type. Afain didn't really care what the Emperor was doing she just stood and marveled at the ship, pondering how it came to be. Its condition was a wonder to behold, it looked completely undamaged. Now all she had to do was see it, and touch it to truly believe. For nothing like this had been seen in generations.
The door opened and Minister Garan entered and hurried to the Emperor's side. "Your Majesty, the Elite Guard Ship Alpha will rendezvous with the freighter four days hence; and then will return as quickly as it is able."
"Excellent Garan. You made them aware that they are to most careful with this craft?"
"I made it so." She nodded.
"Good, excellent job Garan."
The door again opened and a very young Zargozian entered into the room backwards, showing the proper respect. She was also carrying a large case.
"Good it's here, ENTER." The word was the authority to turn and face her Emperor. "Quickly bring it here." She rushed up to the Emperor and handed her the case. "You have done well, away with you." The servant bowed and quickly left the Emperor's presence.