STAR BLAZERS: A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER
A fanfic recapitulation of Series One “The Quest for Iscandar” by
Frederick P. Kopetz
EPISODE FOURTEEN: A SHOT AT REDEMPTION
October 14, 2199
(Big Thanks to “Bells of Nevermore” and “DTill359”)
Bells of Nevermore’s Characters are used by permission. However, by mutual agreement, they may be written differently in the Galaxy Visions Saga than in Bells’ own works…
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Ten
would be laid to rest; eight of them were men and women from Science,
Navigation, and Medical. The other two were the empty caskets for Lance and
Kato.
At a solemn moment before the funeral, Father Likanski, Captain Avatar, Mark Venture, Derek Wildstar and Nova Forrester stood in space suits, placing small items that had belonged to the dead in their open caskets on the deck in open space.
Of course, for the dead, the lack of warmth and air no longer mattered.
Venture knelt and placed a Bible that had belonged to Chief Petty Officer Second Class Jan Nagurski, a Navigation tech from Poland, in his casket.
“God grant you eternal rest; may His Angels guide you,” said Father Likanski as he photographed the crewman at rest and anointed him with some holy water, which froze at once in space. His casket was closed.
They went to the next casket. Doctor Denise Carroway lay at rest in her Medical whites.
Nova quietly placed two guitar picks in her casket and saluted, with tears running down her cheeks under her space suit visor.
“Commander Denise Carroway, Medical Doctor,” said Father Likanski. “May God grant you the rest in eternity you craved in life, and may your sufferings be at an end.”
Nova and Derek closed her casket together.
So, it went for the remaining two officers and men who lay exposed to the vacuum of space.
Twenty minutes later, there was a convocation on the main deck.
Captain Avatar and Father Likanski both led the funeral service.
Not far away, Cory and Andrew sent prayers for the repose of those men and women as per their own religious traditions.
Then, the bodies were cast off into the Argo’s wake after salutes were fired over them.
Doctor Carroway’s casket was the last to be jettisoned. Derek and Nova cast her over the side themselves, saluted, and then held hands for comfort.
In one hour, it was over.
The battered Argo cruised on, beginning to make repairs, as she cruised towards the Kuiper Belt, a huge belt of asteroids between Pluto and Planet Number 11, also known as Planet Brumus. It would take several days, at reduced speed, and the ship would not reach the Kuiper Belt until the end of the month.
But, three hours behind her…was Ganz’s fleet.
“So, what are we picking up?” said Colonel Ganz on his flagship.
“Ten small capsules,” said Bane. “I’m scanning them now. Eight of them appear to contain…Terron corpses. The Star Force must have given their comrades some kind of primitive funeral,” chortled Bane. “Sir, permission to take target practice on those…coffins…they’ll make lovely targets!”
Bane began to activate the flagship’s guns, but, to his utter shock, Ganz slapped him.
“Sir?” said Bane.
“The Argo fought hard!” snapped Colonel Ganz. “We have to redeem ourselves before Desslok by finding her and destroying her! But, do you think honor is served by destroying the dead bodies of those Terrons, idiot? NO! They should be saluted. They gave everything for the defense of their world. We may be Zaltzians, but we are not without honor!” barked Ganz. “Leave them be! Leave them to rest in the hands of their gods. We will not descend to attacking the dead! Do I make myself clear, Bane?” snapped Ganz as he drew his weapon and pointed it at Bane.
“Yessir,” Bane squeaked.
Ganz saluted the caskets. “All ships!” he barked. “Fire honor salutes for the Terrons’ dead! Pray that the rest of the Star Force will soon join them in cold graves in space!”
On Ganz’s orders, the Gamilons turned their guns over the floating caskets, and they fired one volley for the repose of the Terrons.
“Cease firing,” snapped Ganz. “Let them be. Now, we shall find…the Star Force!”
The Gamilon fleet cruised onwards.
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October 19, 2199
Repairs
continued for the Argo as Derek Wildstar and Nova were in a meeting with
Conroy on the flight deck.
“I called you two down here,” Conroy said, “Because I was reviewing your flight hours on the log. Wildstar, you could use some more flight time in order to bring your record up to specs for flight hours.”
“You mean my doing patrols hasn’t been enough?” Derek snapped.
“Well, we’ve only been able to do patrols for the last few days, so we’re takin’ that into account,” Conroy said. “Nova, you’ve gotten some flight time doing recon with IQ-9, but you could really use more time.”
“Okay, I can do some patrols,” she said. “As long as we clear it with the Captain and Doctor Sane, that is.”
“That should do it,” Conroy said. “Except, all the Type 100 recon planes are down for flight maintenance. Think you could learn to fly a fighter real fast if Wildstar gives you some pointers?”
“I guess so,” Nova said after biting her lip for a moment. Then, she admitted, “But I hope I don’t get into combat. I have very minimal training in combat. My certificate is for flying recon and survey.”
“She got a B+ in Basic Flight Tactics at ROTC at the University o’ Colorado,” said Hardy as he came up.
“How do you know that?” said Conroy.
“Yeah, how do you know that?” said Dana Starion as she looked at Nova, thinking, You have combat experience, girl? Yeah. Tell me another one.
“We were classmates,” Hardy said as he put an arm around Nova, who cleared her throat softly. “I taught her the basics since I was more advanced then.”
“So, you at least know how to shoot at something,” Derek teased.
“Yeah. A target on a range,” Nova said. “Conroy, can this wait until we get the Type 100’s back on line?”
He shook his head. “I have to get your hours up by the end of the month, and since this is a quiet period…”
Nova sighed. “Okay. Show me what to do and I guess…I can do it.”
“I’ll give you familiarization with a Black Tiger,” Derek said. “They’re easier to pick up than the Super Starfighter 52. This way, Nova,” Derek said.
Nova shrugged and went to get flight gear.
FOUR HOURS LATER…
“So,
how’s the patrol so far, Nova?” OVER,” Derek said. They had been on patrol for
ninety minutes now.
“Not bad. The controls of this Black Tiger take a little getting used to, but I’m managing it,” she replied.
“You had a pretty good takeoff,” he said.
“I’m hoping we don’t run into any company out here,” Nova said.
“Same here,” Derek said. “We should be done in sixty minutes, then back to the ship.”
“Wonder where the Gamilons went after the battle?” Nova murmured.
“They’re probably hiding out someplace in the Kuiper Belt,” Derek said.
“Or they went back to Gamilon…or whatever base they worked from,” Nova suggested.
“Hold it,” Derek snapped. “I’m getting four blips; range, twenty-two hundred kilometers…direction, ninety degrees to starboard…”
“I’ve got them, too,” Nova said. “They’re coming in fast. They’re reacting just like…”
“Gamilons,” Derek snapped. “Nova, get back to the ship! I’ll cover you!”
“I’m not leaving you alone!” she said. “You taught me how to use these cannons…well, looks like I’ve just got to,” she said as she flicked on her targeting scope.
The
Gamilons began their attack a moment later.
There were two of the familiar boomerang-shaped interceptors, and two blue Gamilon ships they had never seen before; they looked like fighter/dive bombers.
One of them dropped a number of rockets at them.
Derek was able to evade, and so was Nova, by the skin of her teeth.
She pulled up with an interceptor on her tail.
“Nova! Watch your six o’clock!” Derek snapped. “I’ve got him…pull up hard!”
“Right,” she said, pulling up, and looking back to see Derek bringing down her pursuer with one well-timed shot from his cannons.
“Terron!” came a voice in Nova’s ears. “Do you know how to shoot, idiot?”
“What do you think?” Nova said as she flipped around and came broadside at one of the dive bombers.
Nova fired.
The dive bomber maneuvered back around to her six.
Another
one was below her underbelly until Derek flew in and got it.
Then, Nova did a loop that almost made her throw up, but it put her on a head-on course towards the dive bomber who had taunted her.
She got it in her target scope and fired.
He was blasted to bits!
Nova grinned giddily as Derek asked her, “You all right out there?”
“Affirmative! I got him!” Nova said.
The last fighter turned about and tried to head home, but Wildstar lined him up and fired at him with gritted teeth.
Soon, there was a lot of Gamilon debris, and Nova was breathing very fast.
“Are you okay, Nova?” Derek snapped.
“Affirmative; I’m trying to get over the fact that I got an enemy bird!”
“Beginners’ luck,” Derek teased.
“Oh, you!” Nova said. “Are we doing any more flying?”
“No, we have to get back to the ship and warn them; especially about that new type of Gamilon plane; I never saw one of those before…”
“Looks like they have all sorts of tricks up their sleeves,” Nova said.
A FEW MINUTES LATER…
Derek and Nova were back on the Argo and were in a debriefing with Captain Avatar, Conroy, Hardy, and Starion in the Captain’s quarters.
“I’ve looked over their gun cameras,” said Starion. “Sir, three more confirmed kills for Lieutenant Wildstar, and one for Lieutenant Forrester.”
“Those new planes sort of reminded me of World War II Stukas,” Derek said.
“German dive bombers,” Nova added. “They’re fast and powerful. I just barely survived that.”
“Nova, why did you go out in a Black Tiger with hardly any fighter training?” Captain Avatar barked.
“My fault, sir,” said Conroy as he bowed his head. “I thought it would just be a training flight to rack up flight hours, and I didn’t think we had any Gamilons around.”
“Wrong assumptions on both counts, Conroy!” snapped Avatar. “And, Wildstar, you supported that?”
“Sir, I thought I’d be the logical escort for Nova,” he said. “I didn’t see any danger, either.”
“Well, now we know they’re out there,” said Avatar. “Nova, I’d rather not have you back in a fighter cockpit again unless it’s an absolute emergency. Understood?”
“Yessir,” she said, bowing her head. “But, Captain…”
“But what?” barked Avatar.
“When I go out on a recon flight in a Type 100 again, I’d better have a full damn load of ammo,” Nova snapped.
“Young lady,” Avatar said. “You…”
“She makes a good point, sir,” said Starion. “The Gamilons can be anywhere. I’d agree. We need to make sure the weapons work on all the recon planes, and send them out with fighter escort whenever possible!”
“All right,” said Avatar. “We are to make sure those recon planes are repaired ASAP and armed. Nova, go paint a kill mark on your Regular Type 100 bird. You earned it,” Avatar said gruffly. Avatar opened a drawer and threw a pair of gold wings at Nova. “As of now, you’re fighter-certified because you got into battle and survived it and brought down an enemy ship. Let’s hope you never have to use that skill again, though. Do I make myself clear?”
“Yessir,” she said.
“You be careful,” Derek said, looking hard into her eyes.
“And don’t get cocky,” said Hardy as he playfully punched Nova in the arm. “Although if we run outta pilots, I maight issue yew a Black Tigah uniform, Nova.”
“Not my cup of coffee,” Nova stammered. “I only survived out there by God’s grace.”
She and Wildstar left together.
“So, what do you think, sir?” said Conroy.
“We need to speed up those repairs,” said Avatar. “And you’d better pick up on those patrols. The ship is very vulnerable right now. Too vulnerable to leave our defense to Wildstar and a young lady who barely knows what she’s doing out there.”
“Are you saying we can’t fight?” barked Dana Starion as she stared hard at Avatar.
“Not your gender, Starion. Nova’s not really a fighter, and we all know that.”
“Who knows what we may have to know by the time this mission ends, suh?” said Hardy. “We may be puttin’ people from food service out there in planes.”
“We may have to put Doc Sane in a plane,” quipped Conroy.
“Heavens, no,” snapped Starion. “The man’s never sober. At least Forrester is sober.”
“Enough,” said Avatar. “This briefing is over with. We’ll do a very short warp at 1600. That should put some distance between us and the Gamilons.”
And, even though it was dangerous, the Argo indeed warped.
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October 21, 2199
Major Bane was scanning from Colonel Ganz’s flagship as his fleet got closer to the Kuiper Belt.
“No contact with the Argo?” demanded Ganz.
“Not since Hauptmann got killed…”
“I
heard the telemetry,” snorted Ganz. “Lieutenant Hauptmann. Brought down not
only by a Terron but by a woman, too. A girl just a little older than my own
Hilde, 
I
understand! How dishonorable!”
“We have visuals of the Terron pilots sent over from our planes before Hauptmann’s squadron was shot down, Colonel Ganz. Not the clearest, but we enhanced them quite a bit.”
Ganz looked.
There was the male; Derek Wildstar.
“Typical Terron youth,” snorted Bane.
“And, the woman,” said Ganz.
They looked at Nova’s image.
“Pretty, but another stupid Terron,” snorted Bane. “Nice for a night in the shipboard interrogation room, perhaps. Preferably relieved of her uniform,” said Bane as he licked his lips.
“You idiot, don’t you see it?” said Ganz.
“See what?”
“The woman looks like an Iscandarian. Possibly the Princess Astra herself,” said Ganz.
“It can’t be,” said Bane. “What would the pacifist Princess be doing flying a fighter ship and hanging around with a bunch of those primitives?”
“We know she made it as far as Mars,” said Ganz. “Can we risk a boarding operation to take her?”
“Possibly,” said Bane. “But what about the rest of the Star Force? Leader Desslok expects us to kill them all.”
“Well, if Princess Astra is slain, that would be rather unfortunate collateral damage,” smiled Ganz.
“But that would really displease Desslok!” said Bane.
“Listen. We are not jeopardizing this operation to save one stuck-up Iscandarian Princess who would be lecturing us even from the interrogation rack while we are having our way with her,” snapped Ganz. “She dies with the rest of them.”
“Understood,” said Bane. “But, sir?”
“Yes?”
“Isn’t she sort of…cute?”
“You idiot,” hissed Ganz.
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FIVE DAYS LATER…
October 26, 2199
Now, given the discoveries made by Wildstar and Forrester the other day, Fourth Interceptor Squadron was out on the prowl, led by Jose’ “Buzz” Taylor. He was squadron leader, and he had two wingmen today flying Type 52 Zeroes like his own.
One was being flown by the blue-haired, taciturn Canadian woman known as Ensign Dana Starion. She was at Buzz’s left.
At Buzz’s right flew a pilot with steely eyes, Japanese features, but blonde hair under his helmet which showed his mixed Japanese-German ancestry; this pilot was Ensign Erich Nishizawa; who had three battles under his belt…and six Gamilon kills already. The mission to Iscandar was young, but Herr Nishizawa was already an ace, with over five kills. So far, only Wildstar and Conroy matched his kill record; Derek with six kills, and Conroy with five.
“Alpha Flight people, check in,” said Buzz over his intercom.
“Alpha Three reporting in,” said Starion in her taciturn voice.
“Alpha Two reporting in, sir,” said Nishizawa. Erich was nothing but a by-the-book pilot.
“Keep your heads up, people,” said Buzz. “As you can see, we’re at the edge of the Kuiper Belt, and we don’t need any stupid collisions with asteroids out here.”
“Roger that, sir,” said Starion.
“Yessir,” said Nishizawa.
Nishizawa
flicked his nose up, evading a stray asteroid that skipped by under his plane
two kilometers away, going at a pretty high speed.
“Picking up something on radar not consistent with the behavior of an asteroid, sir,” said Nishizawa.
“I got it, too,” said Taylor.
“Gamilons,” hissed Starion.
“All planes in Squadron Four, all flights, Gamilons spotted at ER-321, distance, five hundred,” said Buzz.
“Ready to intercept,” said Starion.
However, Nishizawa was first off the bat, peeling off just a little to confront one of the green planes.
Making sure his gun camera was going, he peeled in and did a frontal attack right at the first Gamilon.
No need to jink; it was an immediate hit.
Nishizawa’s brow furrowed; his thoughts stoic and almost unreadable.
Buzz roared in and got another one.
Dana cursed loudly as two missiles whizzed past her plane, forcing her to jink hard.
Gritting
her teeth, Starion lined up her tormentor in her sights and fired.
Another hit.
The Gamilon plane whizzed off in a trail of gasses and exploded.
Then, Buzz lined up his sights on two more Gamilons.
He got one; but another fired a missile and clipped his wing.
“Crap!” he yelled.
“Sir, what’s your situation?” said Nishizawa.
“I’m hit! And they got my LOX tank!”
“Punch out, sir. Now.” said Erich as he whipped his Zero around in deadly battle to avoid a Gamilon on his six.
“Wrist is broken…hit the control panel!”
“Sir. You’re on fire. Punch out!” snapped Nishizawa. “Losing a good officer like you makes no sense whatsoever.”
Buzz ejected, drifting in space in his space suit as his Zero blew apart.
“Damnit!” Buzz yelled.
“His location, Erich, is RX-320!” said Dana.
“Call that in to the Argo and get a medevac boat out here stat,” snapped Erich. “There’s four more Gamilons coming, bravo flight! I’ve taken command; Taylor’s hit. Back me up now,” Erich ordered as the five planes there reorganized for a counterattack.
Starion called in Taylor’s location, and soon, back on the Argo, Hardy, Nova, Michelle Sakamoto, and Natalie Fisher were prepping a medevac boat to take off, complete with rescue gear. They were awaiting an “all-clear” of enemy planes to go out and rescue Buzz.
Erich avoided a Gamilon on his tail by tricking him into firing. He dodged the laser cannon and came out in a dive on top of the shocked Gamilon, blasting in to blow him apart. Then, he did the same with a second Gamilon.
The three remaining Gamilons converged on Starion, who jinked around and got one. The enemy got a Bravo Flight pilot named Hasegawa, blowing his Zero apart as he screamed.
Ensign Stan Gabreski from Bravo Flight took out a Gamilon plane, whooping as he got his first kill.
Nishizawa got his remaining pilots to form up at each side, and they formed an arrowhead formation, taking out the last Gamilon pilot.
“Something large on radar, sir,” said Gabreski.
Erich nodded and flew his group through a cloud of dust.
What they found was an ugly four-armed Polmeria-class Gamilon carrier, which looked as if she was ready to launch more planes.
“Polmeria-class Gamilon carrier sighted at RL-325,” said Erich.
Everyone replied in the affirmative.
Dodging cannon and missile fire, the five Zeroes pounced on the Gamilon capital ship and blew her apart before she could launch any more planes.
Then, a moment later, Erich heard Wildstar yelling in his headset. He felt slightly irritated at the Fighter Captain’s…explosive voice and temper, but he said, “Sir. No further action needed. All Gamilon planes destroyed, and we got the enemy carrier, too.”
“You brought down a carrier?” Derek said in disbelief.
“Affirmative, sir,” said Nishizawa. “A Polmeria. She was about to launch more bogies.”
“Good work. Shall I send out Hardy and Nova?”
“Yes, sir. Mister Taylor is drifting at RX-322 now,” Erich said.
“Are you all right out there, Buzz?” Derek asked.
“Yeah, but I’m pissed and I hurt. Good work, though. Wildstar, I advise we give him Fourth Squadron until I heal up.”
“Have to clear it with the captain; I’m sending Hardy and Forrester out now to pick you up; keep your eyes open, guys. Good work.”
“Thank you, sir,” Nishizawa said to Wildstar.
--------------------------------------------------------
NINETY MINUTES LATER…
Buzz was out cold, under anesthesia in Sickbay.
Both his wrist and his left leg were shattered.
Doctor
Sane was working on the wrist, doing delicate microsurgery, while Nova was
cleaning up the mess from the compound fracture Buzz had gotten that had left
his left knee shattered and had shattered his tibia in three places and left
jagged edges of bone sticking out.
“How’s that leg look?” Sane said as he worked.
“Total mess, Doctor,” Nova said as she shook her head, both scanning him and examining him with gloved hands.
“What do you think?” said Sane.
“Doctor, there’s already infection setting in. If I were you, I’d amputate and fit him with a bionic replacement lower leg.”
“Get to it, Nova, while I work on this wrist.”
“Yessir,” Nova said, sweating a little as she began the gruesome work of taking Buzz’s leg off and leaving the nerve endings ready for an adaptor. She was already tired, having been on duty on the Bridge, having flown the medevac plane as Hardy’s co-pilot, and having made the pickup.
A phone rang in Sickbay; and IQ-9 picked it up. “Yes?”
“This is the Captain,” said Avatar. “How is Lieutenant Taylor doing?”
“Not well, as far as his ability to fly again for a long while,” said the robot as he watched Sane, Nova, and Michelle working hard under the Operating Room lights to patch up the wounded pilot. “He’ll need a bionic leg; and probably several weeks of physical therapy before he can fly again.”
Up in the observation theatre, Wildstar, Starion, and Nishizawa watched the operation.
“Looks bad,” said Derek. “Sane and Nova are both operating on him at once.”
Natalie Fisher showed up. “When we got his boot off in the shuttle, I honestly puked. Luckily, Nova and Michelle have strong stomachs. He must’ve smashed up his leg punching out.”
“Punching out of a plane is sometimes necessary, but it’s like slow suicide,” said Starion, shaking her head.
“It should be avoided whenever possible,” said Nishizawa quietly, keeping his emotions bottled up. “Wildstar, what time is it?”
“0400,” he replied.
“We need to get some rest,” said Nishizawa. “You said the Captain will be briefing us in the morning, right?”
“Bright and early at 0800,” Wildstar said.
“Yeah, I’d better turn in,” said Starion. “Good night, people.”
“Good night,” said Natalie, shaking her head.
It
was 0700 the next morning; October 27th.
Wildstar decided to stalk the ship to see what was up with Taylor and if any more intercepts had been made while he had gotten…what? Three hours of sleep?
Oh, well, Derek thought irritably. If we need to blame anyone for the current lack of sleep, we need to blame the Gamilons. Thank God for Erich; who’s got…what…ten kills now?
He popped into Sickbay to find Doctor Sane chortling away as he sat Yang-legged on a cushion with his ever-present sake bottle while Nova stood behind him, smiling slightly, looking fresh as a daisy in a clean scrub dress.
“Hey, Wildstar! Have a drink!” laughed Sane. “You need a pick-me-up by the looks of you!”
“No, thanks,” Derek said.
“I’m looking over Buzz’s chart now,” Nova said. “We can probably fit him with a bionic leg in a day or two; physical therapy will probably take six to eight weeks on top of that. He’s going to be down a while, and he’s pretty mad about it.”
“He took it out on me until I told him to shut up and have a drink,” laughed Sane.
“Are you two going to be at the briefing in an hour?” Wildstar said.
“I sure will be,” Nova said. “Coffee does wonders.”
“But it messes up your heart rate!” squeaked Sane. “Nova, sake would be better for you!”
“Thanks, Doctor, but I need a clear head,” Nova said. “Besides, too much of that stuff messes up your liver. I want to live a couple of years,” she chuckled.
“Sure, you don’t want a drink, kiddo?” laughed Sane, offering the glass to Derek.
“No thanks, Doc,” Derek said, walking off with a smile.
----------------------------------------------------
An
hour later, Wildstar took his place around the Central Briefing Room screen,
standing near Mark and Nova as Captain Avatar gave a report of the battle the
previous evening.
“We had another contact last night that cost us two pilots: Ensign Hasegawa, killed in action. Lieutenant Taylor, Squadron Leader of Fourth Squadron, wounded in action. The squadron was brought in by Ensign Erich Nishizawa, who brought down five more Gamilon planes and led an attack upon a second Gamilon Polmeria-class carrier in the place of Lieutenant Taylor, who ejected and was badly injured. By virtue of his actions, Mister Nishizawa is promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade and installed as Fourth Squadron Leader, effective immediately,” Avatar said as he worked a remote and the names of the Group and Squadron Leaders flying Zeroes were immediately posted on a screen behind him.
“Sir,” said Erich as he saluted from behind Sandor. “Thank you for this honor.”
“I expect you to continue to perform to the utmost,” said Avatar.
“Captain,” said Sandor. “The ship is still badly damaged. In six days, we’ve had two contacts with the Gamilons, and we’ve brought down twelve attack planes and a carrier. We encountered two new types of Gamilon planes in both encounters. It’s obvious that Colonel Ganz’s fleet is still out there somewhere.”
“Are we bound to have another encounter with them?” said Avatar.
“We are, sir,” said Wildstar. “Right now, they’re toying with us; but sooner or later, that whole fleet is going to come out and get us. We are probably going to have to train some gunners as pilots if we have any more losses; maybe even train Ops Group personnel to fly fighter patrols.”
“Get a crash program going, Wildstar,” said Avatar. “I want you to train four to six new pilots.”
“Yessir,” Derek said.
“Sandor, how can we protect the ship during repairs?”
“I have an idea in mind, sir…but I have to develop it further,” he replied.
“Nova, can you and Sandor do something to boost our radar range?”
“We can, sir,” Nova said. “We can boost the operating voltage on the magnetron coil by another two thousand volts. That will give us more range, but it will wear out the coil faster.”
“You and Sandor work on that. How long will Taylor be laid up?”
“Several weeks, sir. Doctor Sane and I are trying to attach and activate his bionic leg later today. Of course, the physical therapy will be the tough part for him,” Nova said.
“Very good. Remember to delegate your routine duties to your staff members; that goes for all of you. I need my primary team fit and ready to go at a moment’s notice,” Avatar said. “Venture, how’s our maneuvering capability?”
“We need a few thrusters replaced, Captain,” said Mark. “If we had to go into battle right now…I don’t know how well we’d do moving the ship about. Particularly if the Gamilons swarm us.”
“Then the repairs have to continue,” said Avatar. “Regardless of the risk…”
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October 31, 2199
Colonel Ganz’s flagship.
Bane looked at a blip on a radar scope. “Sir, picked up a large blip. It could be the Argo. It IS the Argo, sir!”
“Bearing and speed?” snapped Ganz.
“DA-323, speed, twelve geradsha speed. They’re just creeping along…near the edge of the belt. No planes on patrol!”
“All ships…prepare to attack! Break formation, and take separate courses to the rendezvous point!” Ganz snapped. “I will join you!”
There were salutes.
And,
at that, the Gamilons broke formation and began to cruise off.
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Captain Avatar said, “Sandor, continue with the repair work. I want the repairs to our critical systems done as quickly as possible!”
“Can we launch planes on patrol, sir?” Derek asked. So far, he had two non-fighter-pilot trainees ready for combat, only if absolutely needed; Paul Rosstowski, and Nova. However, he knew he could not pull Nova off her post without direct orders from the captain. Besides, those two were only checked out to fly Black Tigers, not the Super Starfighter/Zero 52, which were much harder to fly than the simpler Black Tigers.
“Our launch bays are under repair now since we have to repair the power cables at the aft part of the ship,” said Sandor. “We don’t have power right now to open any hatches, maintain artificial gravity and atmosphere, or to recover fighters.”
Derek gritted his teeth at that. He thought, I have forty fighter pilots, but can’t deploy any of them due to the damage. Damnit!
“You look angry,” Mark said.
“What do you think I am, Mark?” snapped Wildstar.
“You’re being a jerk!” said Venture.
“Quit it, you two!” snapped Sandor.
Nova put her hands over her face and shook her head. I can’t stand it when those two can’t get along, she thought miserably, praying they would chill out.
“I need to meet with my staff, sir,” said Sandor. “Permission to leave the bridge?”
“Granted. Get Royster up here because I know you and Holloway are hard at work.”
“Yessir.”
The
repairs continued while Sandor met with his staff in the Technical/Science
workroom.
“Work Crews One and Two will work on the interior repairs and get power back up. Work crews Three and Four will finish the exterior repairs and get our armor plate back up. We must hurry since the Argo is very, very vulnerable right now,” Sandor said.
“Sandor, should we send the Black Tigers back out on patrol once we have power back up to the landing bays?” asked Jr. Lt. Neil Holloway, Sandor’s second in command.
“I don’t think so, because I have an idea I want to talk to Captain Avatar about, Neil,” said Sandor.
“What does it involve, sir?” said Holloway.
“Original research,” Sandor said, stalking off. “Keep the crew out there.”
“Aye, sir,” said Holloway.
He gave the proper orders.
On the First Bridge, Nova sat at her radar, keeping her eyes peeled with the slightly extended range she had by pushing the equipment a little harder.
“Captain,
bogie detected on radar,” Nova said. “It’s at RPX-321, range, two thousand five
kilometers; speed fifteen space knots. Slowly accelerating!”
“Get me a visual on it,” snapped Avatar.
Nova got a visual up. “One Gamilon Destroia-class heavy cruiser. She’s advancing slowly.”
“Get the repair crews back in, Royster!” said Avatar.
“Yessir,” he said in a quavering voice. “Repair crews; back in the ship now!”
“Royster, take your station below,” ordered Sandor as he appeared.
“Yessir,” said the shaky young man before he left.
“There’s just one ship,” Wildstar said. “Captain, can’t we take it now? I’d sure love to know where the rest of them are…”
“Agreed,” said Avatar. “All hands…battle stations!”
“Captain, belay that order, please,” said Sandor.
“Why?” Avatar snapped.
“We can’t go into battle right now, sir. The damage was more extensive than we first thought. If we fire the main guns or take a hit to the stern now, the shock could blow it right off the ship!” Sandor said. “That would finish our mission right off like that.”
Avatar sat with his eyes closed and prayed for a moment. “Does anyone have a suggestion?”
Nova then scanned again, “The enemy ship is heading off…and there’s a belt of asteroids off to the upper port quadrant; two hundred and ninety degrees dead ahead.”
Avatar said, “Get me a relative reading of ferrous material, Nova.”
“Yessir,” she said. She did some scans. “Content of material; oxygen, 46.1 percent, silicon, 27.2 percent, gold, 1.0 percent, aluminum, 7.2 percent, iron/ferrous mass, 6.6 percent. Consistent with it being planetary mass at one time by the spectroscope, sir.”
“That’s all that’s left of the Planet Minerva,” mused Captain Avatar. “Some scientists called it Mondas. There may have been life there at one time. Cybernetic, possibly, per the archaeological digs.”
“Minerva was a planet once?” Wildstar said.
“Yes, a mass about the size of Pluto or Brumus. It used to be the tenth planet until the Gamilons destroyed it,” Mark said with an angry tone of voice.
“The material is radioactive with proton decay,” Nova said. “They must have used some type of proton weapon on it.”
“Is it radioactive now?” barked Avatar.
“No, sir. Short half-life,” said Sandor after he checked Nova’s figures while huddling with her at the radar.
“Venture, dead ahead into the asteroid belt,” said Captain Avatar.
“Yessir,” said Mark.
--------------------------------------------
On Ganz’s flagship, Bane squeaked, “Colonel Ganz, the picket cruiser reports that the Argo has changed its course and is heading right into the Kuiper Belt.”
“They are either trying to hide or trying to commit suicide,” mused Ganz. “Well…we can’t let her get away. A single beat-up Terron battleship is no match for our entire fleet! Tell all of our ships to rendezvous at Point X-24 for a mass attack!”
“Yessir,” said Bane.
The Gamilons turned and began to mass for their attack.
At her radar, Nova reported, “Seventeen Gamilon ships approaching at slow speed. One battleship, one carrier, eight heavy cruisers, and seven destroyers, Captain! Range, 103,000 kilometers and closing. Bearing, CIL-92. Speed; ten space knots. They will be in attack range in seven minutes.”
“Speed increasin’ to twelve space knots,” added Eager.
Derek looked up at the revised Tactical Plot Nova had put up on the main video panel. “The whole Gamilon fleet is coming right at us!” he snapped.
Avatar said, “We’re still in no condition to fight that many ships. Venture, take us into the Kuiper Belt; slow speed.”
“Aye, Captain, slow speed ahead; Eager, Nova, plot those asteroids for me,” he said.
“Optimal course comin’ your way,” said Eager. “You’ll have to watch the helm.”
--------------------------------------------
The Argo slowly slipped into the Kuiper Belt.
Bane squeaked, “The Argo disappeared! She vanished!”
“Hmmm…they could have some Electronic Counter-Measure that interferes with our radar. Intenstify the scans, Bane!”
“Yessir,” he said.
Ganz said, “Take the conn, Bane, for a time, please. Continue the search.”
“Yessir.”
Ganz went alone to his cabin.
There, he opened up the last hologram he had received from his daughter Hilde and watched it again with a very melancholy look on his face.
He
listened to her encouraging message as a sense of foreboding hit him.
This will probably be the last time I see your face, my child, he thought as he watched Hilde over and over again. I am not optimistic about our chances now. Avatar is too wily. I believe this battle may be my death…my last. Yet, I must stop him, regardless of the cost. Your mother would have loved this…until she got ill, and left you alone with our kinsman Norran Oschett when I was not there. Now, your cousin will have to care for you. I pray that Desslok gives you and Norran full status as first-class Gamilons after I die.
Ganz shook his head and said to himself out loud, “I will finish the Argo. But I believe I shall die soon afterwards.”
He closed the hologram unit for the last time and smashed it under his booted foot.
Then, he opened a bottle of liquor and took a hard, deliberate shot, gasping as it burned its way down his throat.
“Adonai, have mercy on me,” he said in a low voice. “For, today, I go to die.”
He swept up the remains of the holoprojector, threw them into a trash slot, and stomped back out to confront Bane, wiping away the tears of rage and loss that ran down his cheeks.
As far as he was concerned, Colonel Ganz was now a dead man walking.
-----------------------------------------------------
On the Gamilon ship where he was held prisoner, Alex Wildstar was having a very, very strange dream.
He
was dreaming about his brother, Derek, looking older, but not too old, wearing
an EDF Combat Leader’s uniform, standing close…no…embracing a mysterious woman
the likes of whom Alex had never seen before.
The woman was clad in an ornate white formal gown, and a gleaming silver circlet about her head.
What he could see of her face was incredibly lovely, young…or ageless…and both gentle and strong at the same time.
The woman had long honey-blonde hair that flowed down to the middle of her back.
She and Derek were speaking in the dream as he embraced her and gently stroked her cheek.
He could sort of make out what Derek was saying…almost…but the woman’s voice sounded like a Yang between a whisper and a tone of command.
In the dream, he thought, Derek has never dated a blonde before. The closest he ever got to a blonde was that red-headed woman named Diane who did him dirty. He’s never had much luck with women before. But whoever this is…I’ve never seen him or any man obviously so much in love before…and I never saw a woman respond to his affections like that before. She’s wearing a coronet, and light is coming from her, whoever she is. Is she a Princess? A Queen? An alien not of our world? An angel?
Alex sat up in his dark cell, groaning as a bloody bandage was around his head.
The Gamilons had beat him, and what he had on of his uniform was bloody.
There were two bloody cuts on his face.
The strange, haunting image stayed in Alex’s mind even as the cell door opened and a Gamilon came in.
The Gamilon had on the same brown armor as the others, but his skin was a strange shade of azure…that is, blue.
“Are you a Gamilon?” he said.
“You be quiet, Terron pig!” hissed the Gamilon as he kicked Alex in the kneecap.
“What did you people do to Adam and Carol?” demanded Alex.
“They’re dead,” the Gamilon officer lied. “They were aboard another vessel. I understand there was an encounter with a demented space pirate and they were killed. Sorry to let you know that, Terron,” the Gamilon said with a mocking note in his voice. “Now, get up! You are being taken to the interrogation suite again,” hissed the officer.
“I’ve given you all I’m willing to,” snapped Alex. “You can’t get any more out of me!”
“Maybe…just maybe, when you speak with Lady Iroze you will change your mind,” sneered the Gamilon, who snapped his fingers. Two of the Terran-colored Gamilons Alex was used to, one with Caucasian skin tones and the other with dark ebony skin tones, came up and dragged Alex from his cell.
The two strong, cruel ratings smashed Alex’s face hard into a bulkhead.
“Do you like that, Wildstar, boy?” hissed the Gamilon with very dark ebony skin. “We just saved you the cost of cosmetic surgery by breaking your damned nose! Ha hahahahahahaha!”
“You people are monsters!” Alex gasped as he was dragged away. “Monsters!”
They just laughed at him.
As before, Alex was stripped of everything but his boxer shorts and strapped down to a table.
An unsympathetic doctor examined him and slapped him aYang the face when finished.
“He will survive a long session with Her Ladyship, Colonel Garrotte,” said the Doctor.
“Great, Halza,” said the tall blue Gamilon as the hatchway hissed open and a woman, the first he had seen in weeks, sidled in.
Only,
Alex found he could NOT charm this woman.
“Tell me who you are,” he demanded.
“Terron, I am Commander Iroze, Gamilon Imperial Special Forces,” she said in a sensual, slightly high voice with a strange lilt to it.
“What are you here to do?”
“I am here to force you to talk to us,” said Iroze.
She was holding a number of metal needles. “I am, you see, an assassin. I usually poison these. I also have the power to make myself invisible when I wish. See?” she said as she seemed to flash out of existence….
…and then reappear right next to his bed out of nowhere.
“That doesn’t impress me,” Alex snapped.
“They told me you would be a tough case,” Iroze sighed as she began to shove needles into his body…and into his very skull. “These are electrodes,” she said. “Do they hurt you?”
Alex’s response was to spit on his tormentor.
Iroze just laughed. “Garrotte! Connect these to the equipment, and now!”
“Yes, milady,” said the Gamilon as he saluted. “ZAR BELK!”
Wires were connected from the electrodes to a computer.
“What I am about to do, Terron, is download your memories for examination at my leisure in meditation. Consider yourself quite fortunate that I am not about to erase your memory engrams and store them. We can do that, you know. But I think our Leader Desslok wants these, so…they will be stored in my mind so I can report to him, and left in your withered mind…for further verification. Our torture equipment on Gamilon is far more effective than aboard this small ship, you see. Do you not tremble at our superior technology and intellect? You are like dung compared to us! And do not think you will kill me. I can see the future. It has already been revealed to me that no living man of any race will slay me!”
“You would be pretty,” he said to the chortling blond woman with fair skin and a small scar on her temple, “If you weren’t a total bitch!”
Iroze nodded.
Pain like the sort Alex Wildstar had never felt before roared through his mind.
After three minutes of it, he blacked out…mercifully.
But, Iroze had what she needed to know.
He has never met an Iscandarian before…she thought. Except in his misbegotten dreams. My guess; Princess Astra of Iscandar is dead, unlike the idiotic reports Ganz and Bane have sent us. He saw her ship fly out of battle, badly damaged, heading towards a dead world. She could not have survived that crash…and Terrons have as much psi-potential as my boots. Total barbarians. Totally unfit to live. Not like the Master Race of Gamilon. And not like myself…a daughter of Iscandar! Leader Desslok will be so pleased with this news…
-------------------------------------------------
In the meantime, aboard the Argo, things were going…rather differently.
“There are so many asteroids in the way,” Derek commented as they slid into the Kuiper Belt.
“That’s, right, Wildstar,” said Captain Avatar. “I need a break. Royster, advise Sandor to get back to the repair work. Venture, you have the conn. Have Mister Yang take over the helm. You’ll need both Eager and Nova to keep two sets of radar eyes open to plot those asteroids,” said Avatar as he left the bridge, leaving the Captain’s station to Venture.
“Yang, get up here. I’m in command,” said Venture on the intercom.
“Aye, sir,” said Andrew. “It’s going to take me five or six minutes, sir.”
“Fine; I’ve got someone to cover the helm until then. Nova, you take the helm for a few minutes,” Mark said as he left his seat and sat down at Captain Avatar’s chair and Nova took over at the helm.
“Don’t get us into a fender-bender with those asteroids, Nova,” said Derek.
Nova smiled and pulled down an eyelid and stuck her tongue out at Derek. Then, she got down to business. “Eager, cover the main radar,” said Mark from his post. “Don’t get us lost.”
“I’m not about to get us lost,” Nova snapped as the Argo cruised nice and close past an asteroid with a delicate course change. “Occassionally, guys, this ship needs a woman’s touch to fly right.”
“Can’t argue with that,” said Derek.
A few minutes later, Yang took over for Nova, saying, “I’ve got her now. Good steering.”
“Nice job,” Derek said.
“Thank you both,” said Nova as she sat back at her usual post, blushing slightly.
--------------------------------------------------------
In his lab, Steven Sandor sat working on blueprints and sketches on paper and on his computers as IQ-9 came in, bringing some tomato juice.
“Sandor, I brought you some tomato juice, made from tomatoes grown in the hydroponic garden by myself, Nova, and Natalie Fisher, sir,” he said, bringing a tray and a glass of tomato juice.
“Thanks, IQ-9. Almost done with these plans. Of the three of you, who has the green thumb?”
“Sir, I do,” said IQ-9. “Natalie tends to drop seeds and pour in too many nutrients, and Nova sits around on the deck talking to the plants. She is so unscientific at times. I can’t compute her weirdness.”
“How do you know talking to plants doesn’t help their growth, IQ?” said Sandor.
“It is no sense scientifically.”
“Read the work of Dr Sarah Darwin and the Royal Horticultural Society from the early 21st century, tinwit,” said Sandor. “All scientifically valid and I actually told Nova about the work in college when I was her professor. I have to go. I have to show these plans to the captain,” Sandor said, getting up.
“I take credit for growing these!” snapped IQ-9. “I grew them in our hydroponic garden! I developed three new fertilization methods. Oh, well,” he said as Sandor left.
A few minutes later, Captain Avatar met with Sandor in his Captain’s cabin.
“You are telling me you have found a method to harness the asteroids, Sandor? Explain, please.”
“Yessir,” said Sandor. “I have devised a set of shells that we can fire out the auxiliary 155-millimeter, or 6.1-inch turrets located fore and aft. These shells will carry polarity reactor units that can hit the asteroids and then we can deploy some gravity/antigravity generators I’m having built into the units in the shells. We can then pull in the asteroids to give us further cover and cover up the ship so we can finish the repairs. Each shell will contain twenty-five of these units. Two salvoes from those guns will disperse enough polarity reactors to allow us to pull in the asteroids.”
“So, you’re saying if we cover the Argo with those asteroids, we’ll be camouflaged?”
“Yessir. And it will give us time to complete the repairs.”
“Get those shells fabricated in the dynamic replicator, as soon as possible,” Captain Avatar said. “Your ingenuity is an answer to our prayers.”
“Thank you, sir. God grant that these things will work,” he said as he saluted and left the Captain’s Quarters.
----------------------------------------
As this went on, an hour passed. The Gamilons were still having no luck whatsoever in finding the Argo.
“Colonel Ganz,” said Bane. “I’ve continued to scan. The Argo disappeared at this point; TS-25 on the grid. I haven’t picked up any emissions since. I have tried everything, sir!”
“They couldn’t just vanish, damn them!” barked Ganz. “Do they have supernatural powers we do not understand?”
“That’s not very scientific, sir!” said Bane.
“Adonai and the gods of Gamilon are with us, so spirits from the seven Hells must be with them!” said Ganz. “Avatar must be a sorcerer!”
“It’s time to report to General Krypt, sir,” said Bane.
“Then, let’s do it and get it over with!” said Ganz. “Connect us to Gamilon!”
“Yessir,” he said.
After a few moments, Krypt’s face appeared on the screen. “What is it, Ganz, Bane…?”
“Sir, we’ve lost sight of the Argo,” said Bane. “Do you have any intelligence that it performed a space warp?”
“We
have no intelligence but your useless guess that Princess Astra is on that
ship!” roared Krypt. “Lady Iroze interrogated a prisoner just transferred off
Garrote’s cruiser to a destroyer to be brought to Gamilon! That guess of yours
is false! The Terron prisoner we tortured saw Astra’s ship going down in
flames, and we learned it was your fleet’s fault! We had a standing
order to leave Iscandarian interests alone! Now you lost the Terron ship, and
we can expect more trouble than ever from Queen Starsha! You two are a pair of incompetents!”
Krypt screamed as his eyeballs nearly seemed to pop out of his head! “With an
entire fleet at your command, you cannot locate one Earth vessel?”
“They might be using supernatural power, sir,” said Ganz.
“I never heard anything as idiotic in my life!” screamed Krypt. “No space fleets we know of ever used supernatural power, except for the Pellians of legend and the ancient Iscandarians! But both are dying races so far as we know and the dying fire of the far-away power of Pellias and their High Queen and her adepts has almost gone out of the universe along with Iscandar! Few of the vessels of the Pellian Grand Fleet have been seen in this Galaxy for centuries and their fabled March of the Camelias is only heard now on old data capsules.”
“This ancient history lesson is totally irrelevant, Krypt,” said Desslok in a mocking voice as he came out of the shadows. “Tell Ganz that I’m a little confused, Krypt. Whose side are they fighting on anyway?”
Then, he laughed.
Ganz went aghast as Desslok shut down the transmission.
“He thinks we’re traitors!” said Bane.
“Don’t be a fool! He’ll think we’re heroes when we destroy them and report the news of a great victory over the Star Force!”
I hope, Ganz thought.
---------------------------------------
AN HOUR LATER…
“All hands,” said Captain Avatar from his post as he took the conn again. “We are going to use the asteroids to shield and camouflage the ship and give us enough time to complete the repair work before we travel onwards.”
“Wildstar, get ready to fire the polarity reactor shells,” said Sandor. “I briefed you on how they work.”
“Roger!” he said. Derek prepared the turrets.
“Polarity reactor units in the shells armed!” Derek said.
“Open
fire!” said Avatar.
“FIRE!” snapped Derek.
The auxiliary turrets went off.
The main shells blasted off and exploded like star-shells.
The polarity reactors were blasted out and slammed into the asteroids, one by one.
“Asteroid field ninety-five percent bracketed,” said Nova from her post. “I read a hundred and thirty-five good impacts!”
“Nice shooting,” said Mark.
“All repair crews stand by,” said Sandor. “The asteroids that will be pulled onto our hull will shield us from attack and we can continue with the repairs.”
Sandor paused, looking at some readings at his post. “Activate reactors, positive neutron polarity…pull them in!”
The reactors, driven into the asteroids, began to activate and they were pulled in around the Argo’s hull, covering her with rocks.
Neat trick, Wildstar thought as he saw the asteroids coming in. He, and all of the other crew members nodded with approval and watched how the tactic would work as Avatar thanked the Deity for His Providence. In years to come, three of those young officers on the bridge would become Captains of the Argo themselves in time, and each would remember this tactic and use it themselves in the mighty ship’s subsequent battles over the years.
“Asteroid camouflage operation completed, Captain,” said Sandor. “We should be done with the repair work in six hours.”
“Very good. Sandor, continue with the repair work,” Avatar said. “Eager, take the helm over from Venture…keep us on course slow speed with the autopilot. Wildstar, Nova, Venture, your watches are ended for now. Take some breaks and get something to eat. Get your reliefs on those stations.”
“Aye, sir,” all three of them said. In a few minutes, Andrew Yang came back up with Yuria Misaki and Ensign Robert Turner. Dash took Tactical over from Wildstar, Eager took the helm from Venture, Yuria took over for Nova, and Turner sat down at the post Dash had vacated while Yang took Eager’s post.
That
done, Derek, Mark and Nova met in the messhall, where they got what passed as
late-night snacks (it was, after all, almost 2300), namely bento boxes filled
with sushi and some tempura-fried veggies and shrimp.
They unwrapped the boxes and began to dig in.
“Not bad,” Derek said as he attacked the meal with his chopsticks.
“Don’t talk with your mouth full, Derek,” Nova chided gently. “We cloned the spiced tuna meat in the lab.”
“Tastes real,” said Mark.
“It is real,” Nova said as she ate and had some coffee, attacking the food with her own chopsticks.
“Not like those stupid noodles we get half the time,” said Derek. “What? Do they think we’ll fight harder if we’re losin’ weight?”
“I promise both you guys that if we survive this mission, I’ll make you both chateaubriand on a plank, if we can get real beef, that is,” Nova said.
“Where do we get the rice from?” said Mark.
“The hydroponic garden,” Nova said. “After we eat and I get a nap…I have to go down there and check things out.”
“If we don’t get attacked again,” Derek said.
“I think the Gamilons will hold off for a few hours,” said Mark.
“Yes. Even they must stop to eat,” Nova said. “I wonder what Gamilon food is like?”
“Green crud, probably,” Derek said. “Maybe they spice it with metal shavings and broken glass!”
“Derek, you’re being silly,” Nova said. “Well, gotta go. Bye!”
“You eat fast,” said Mark.
“That’s because I’m always on the run,” Nova said. “See you guys on the bridge later.”
“Later,” Derek said. He took a deep breath. “There are times she’s always on my case, Mark! “Derek, stop being silly” “Derek, comb your hair” “Derek, stop making fun of me.” Why does she always yak at me?”
“I think she likes you,” said Mark. “A lot.”
“She’s got a weird way of showing it. She’s always nice to you, Mark.”
“Some girls endlessly tease guys they like,” Mark said. “Half the time you tease her back. Is it love? You don’t tease any of the other ladies on this ship except for her.”
“Don’t be stupid, Mark…she’s married to her job…all twelve of her jobs. And so many of the women on this ship either flirt with me or won’t give me the time of day. Nova’s different! She’s actually kind of…cool. You can actually hold a conversation with her. Sort of.”
“And why the heck did she and that dead Princess Astra look alike?” Mark said.
“Coincidence, probably,” said Derek. “I wonder what Astra was like?”
“Probably cool. Like Nova,” said Mark. “But Starsha…you saw her image. She’s gorgeous! There’s no one in the universe like Starsha,” he said with a sigh.
“You’re setting your sights awfully high, Venture,” teased Derek. “She must be taken. She’s a Queen, right?”
“Who knows?” said Mark. “I might meet a lovely, mysterious woman from space someday, Derek, and she might fall for me like a ton of bricks. Maybe there’s some other Queen out there for you, Derek. I think Starsha’s taken.”
“Yeah…whatever, Mark,” he said.
The funny thing was…Venture would prove to be right. Far more correct than even he knew…
--------------------------------------------------------
Nova crashed out for a few hours, just taking off her boots in her cabin and putting on a headset to listen to a “mixtape” she had made of some favorite songs.
After While My Guitar Gently Weeps played on the mixtape in her computer, Nova listened to a contemporary Christian piece she liked known as The Garden. She smiled when listening to the lyrics and then fell asleep.
In his cabin, Captain Avatar sat looking at his picture of his son Adam, praying softly, “Father, I know he is in Your Bosom, where You are granting him eternal peace. Grant us the same peace, and victory over the evil we are forced to fight. This I pray in the name of Jesus…Amen.”
Avatar watched his chrono clicking over from 2359 to 0000. Then, he wrote in his log:
Captain’s Log: November 1, 2199
The Argo is badly damaged, but Sandor has successfully covered the ship with asteroids with a technical invention known as the Polarity Reactors.
The repairs continue, but with each hour, I know that our time ticks away with every moment. We should have been out of the Solar System by now, on the way to Iscandar. Our steps are dogged by the Gamilons. When we make our repairs, my hope is that, if the Gamilons haven’t given up, that we can maneuver them into a position where we can use the wave motion gun again, thus decisively ending the threat from them once and for all and enabling us to escape the Sol System.
As for the Gamilon commander, Colonel Walke Ganz? He spoke briefly to us. He seemed arrogant, cruel, but we know he has an intelligent and cunning mind. Still part of me wonders if this cat and mouse duel we fight is being felt as keenly by Colonel Ganz as it is by me. I wonder what sort of man this Gamilon is. The Gamilons are known for doing monstrous things; and I have encountered them many times using all sorts of cruel trickery to gain the advantage. Does Ganz think like we do? Does this man have a family? Loved ones? What is the Gamilons’ motive for nearly wiping out humanity? What makes these men tick?
And, my wound. It is still not healing as it is…and I feel new pains. In my ribs. In my bones, especially my left knee joint. The pain…what is it like? It feels like an invisible demon driving an ice pick into my bones. I become more fatigued daily. I also have trouble controlling my very thoughts…my emotions. The pain makes me want to rage at people. So far, I have been able to, by God’s Grace, control myself, but what if I lose control?
God, grant me the time to finish this mission and see Earth blue again. Time. How much do we have?
--------------------------------------------
Two hours passed in the wee hours of November 1st, 2199.
Homer was also tossing and turning in his bunk. He had been given a break by Sandor, who now had the conn on the Bridge.
However, he could not sleep.
His thoughts were at home.
My parents are aging, he thought. I know Father was ill with the radiation sickness. When I spoke to them on video before I left, he seemed to be in good spirits, but he looked grey-faced…tired. Adonai, how can I sleep with these worries on my mind?
Homer almost snarled. He got up, put on his boots, and he began to walk the ship.
He ended up on the aft observation deck, looking at nothing more than the shell of asteroids that covered them.
“Hey, Homer,” said a voice behind him; a slightly gruff voice, but very kind.
Homer turned around, and looked at the face of Cory Ainsley.
“So, what are you doing up here, Cory?”
“Couldn’t sleep,” he said. “A lot on my mind.”
“Sounds like me,” Homer said.
“Want to talk about it?”
“Maybe,” Homer said.
“I’m a trained psychologist,” Cory said. “That’s what one of my doctorates is in, you know.”
“If you’re a counselor, how come you didn’t take a posting in Medical with Doctor Sane and Nova?”
“I help them out,” he said. “They sort of act as my triage specialists. Sane’s good at talking with people, but Nova’s even better. That lady could charm someone into buying the old Brooklyn Bridge. But she’s just learning. What’s on your mind?”
“My parents,” Homer said. “My father…when we left, he seemed to be getting ill.”
“The radiation sickness?”
Homer nodded. “Yeah.”
“I’m worried about my family near Tucson, if that helps,” said Cory. “However, I’ve dream about women who…can move the stars.”
“Who?” said Homer, intrigued.
“Queen Starsha may be one of these,” he said. “Iscandar is an ancient civilization. I’ve had a dream or two myself. They have access to arts we do not even know of, and there are others like them; far away in the Cosmos,” said Cory. “The Wheel of Time continues to move. If we survive this, I think the history of humanity will be changed greatly by some of these Powers.” Cory paused. “We even have powers of a sort on this ship. If we make it…”
“Do we make it?” asked Homer.
“I think we do,” said Cory, patting Homer’s shoulder. “Keep your head up, my friend. Keep your faith in your God. Do your job. And don’t give up. I think better days are coming. Good night,” he said as he walked off.
Homer shook his head. That guy’s actually pretty good, he thought.
------------------------------------------------
Nova had also gotten up, an hour early.
She was in the Argo’s hydroponic garden, picking a few tomatoes and placing them in a basket.
She sat on the deck, at her leisure for a rare moment, with her boots off.
After picking the tomatoes she needed to make the bridge crew some tomato juice as a treat, she stroked the leaves of the plant and softly began to sing The Garden to the plants.
Love is lifting me from sorrow
Catching every tear
Dispelling every lie and torment
Crushing all my fears
You crush all my fears
You crush all my fears
With Your perfect love
Ohh-ohhh, with Your perfect love
Now
I see redemption
Growing in the trees
The death and resurrection
In every single seed...
Nova smiled and said, “Grow, our little friends. Please grow…we need you…for food….”
Then, the doors whizzed open. IQ-9 came in.
“Hi, IQ. Here I am looking at the flowers…the plants. I picked some tomatoes we can squeeze for the bridge crew for tomato juice.”
“Were you singing to the plants again, Nova? You make no sense to me whatsoever.”
“Yes, I was singing,” Nova said. “About God’s Grace…”
“I don’t understand why you humans worship an invisible Being,” IQ said.
Nova sighed. They had had this debate before. “God’s footsteps are in history, and in the very craftsmanship of our bodies. Humans made you. The Lord made us in the depths of time.”
“So many things you do are not logical? Why do you have your shoes off?”
“Cultural,” Nova said, barely looking down at her bare feet. “When people with Japanese ancestry want to relax, the shoes come off. I’m part-Japanese, you know. And my feet hurt.”
“You do too much walking, Nova,” said IQ-9.
“Well, we need to do more,” Nova said as she pulled her boots back on. “Let’s go get these things squeezed in your high-speed squeezer in the galley.”
“I invented it,” he said. “To impress you and Sandor!”
“I know,” Nova said. “You talk about those inventions all the time. You’re strange, but you are a genius.”
“So are you, Nova. Your mind works well. For a human. Even if you do weird female things I cannot compute. Like sing to plants!”
“Well, you don’t know much about women,” Nova said.
“I am doing more research. You are my prime study, Nova.” He patted her bottom. “Very well-toned! I was going to tickle the bottom of your foot, but you got those boots on too fast.”
“Would you quit that?” Nova snapped. “Women don’t like that! Especially me! There are times this behavior of yours creeps me out! A LOT!”
“You turn funny colors when I do that, Nova. You amuse me. I also am beginning to admire you.”
“Really?”
“It could be another emotion, Nova. Maybe…love?”
“Let’s get these tomatoes squeezed,” Nova huffed as she picked up the basket.
------------------------------------------
On Ganz’s flagship, Bane looked out at the asteroids.
“I think I see the Argo,” he said.
“Where, Bane, where?”
“It was here a minute ago,” he squeaked.
“Let me take a look at that image, Bane,” said Ganz. “Hmm…odd-looking asteroid.”
“But where is it?” Bane squeaked.
Then, Ganz saw a glint of metal when he enhanced the image.
The shape of a bridge tower, partially covered by asteroids.
“Bane! BANE! Are you blind? There’s the Argo!”
“That’s what I said, sir,” said Bane.
“A shot at redemption,” hissed Ganz. “Gamilon fleet…all ships…battle stations!” he roared as he picked up a microphone.
The Gamilon fleet finally moved into attack formation.
“Distance, 156,000!” yelled a radar tech.
“Intercept in twenty-six standard time units!” said another officer.
“Powering up all missiles and guns,” said another officer.
“Argo, I have you!” snarled Ganz. “At last, you shall know the bitter taste of defeat!”
“Do we rescue any survivors, Colonel Ganz?” said Bane.
“Yes. Then we torture them, execute them, and dissect them,” hissed Ganz. “We need to know how quickly Terrons die so we can guess at when we can capture Earth!”
“Do I get to play with the women?” hissed Bane as he rubbed his hands together.
“Of course, Bane,” Ganz replied. He smiled; he knew of Bane’s…disgusting proclivities with female prisoners. One prisoner he had played around with once, of a green-skinned race they were at war with, Bane had impregnated, allowed the pregnancy to progress, and then slaughtered his captive and took the green baby out for study.
What was that race called? Ganz thought. Gatlantis? Yes. A possible future rival for us…
Ganz smiled like a diseased wolf as his fleet moved in. Maybe they would win after all…
--------------------------------------------
On the Argo, the repairs continued.
Eager had the conn for now as the morning crew reported to their posts.
“Where’s Sandor?” said Derek.
“Still working on repairs,” said Dash.
“How are they going?” Derek said.
“They’re having trouble with the number three-gun turret,” Dash replied.
The hatch whizzed open, and Nova came in pushing a small cart. “I have some extra treats, everyone,” she said in a cheery voice. “Fresh tomato juice, courtesy of IQ-9!”
“Sounds good,” said Eager as he took a glass of juice with a straw.
“Thank’ee for the morale boost, luv,” said Andrew from his post at the battle radar; Eager’s usual post.
“Thanks,” Derek said as Nova handed him his glass.
“Pretty fresh, lass,” said Orion as he took his.
“Yeah, you’re telling me,” Derek said. “Almost as good as what we had on Earth.”
“Thanks, Nova,” Venture said as she handed him his glass before taking her own and taking her bridge post back from a yawning Yuria.
“How’d you sleep last night, ma’am?” asked Yuria.
“Not bad,” Nova said. “For what sleep I got.”
Venture looked out at the asteroid belt. “Oops! Flashing lights! Looks like navigation lights!”
“The Gamilon fleet!” he yelled, spitting out some of his juice on Wildstar.
“Hey! Watch it!” Derek said.
“Distance, fifty-six megameters!” Nova said from her radar.
“Wildstar, go warn the Cap’n!” said Eager in his heavy accent.
“I will. Get us on general quarters, fast!”
“General Quarters! General Quarters!” barked Eager from the conn.
Wildstar ran off.
----------------------------------------
“Captain! CAPTAIN!” Derek said as he banged at the hatch to the Captain’s Cabin.
“Come in, Wildstar,” said Captain Avatar.
“Captain, the Gamilon fleet has been spotted! Distance probably fifty-four megameters by now!” Derek said.
“I know that,” said Avatar.
“But aren’t we going to fight them off?”
Then, a shadow crossed Captain Avatar’s desk, and they heard clomping on the dome.
“What the heck?” Derek said.
Captain
Avatar looked up.
Outside, wearing a spacesuit, carrying a bottle of sake’, and tottering a little on wooden geta sandals tied over his space suit boots…was Doctor Sane.
Sane waved at them.
Then, he got on audio and said, “Hey! Wildstar! Captain! You need to come out here and walk around! This is fun?”
Captain Avatar rolled up his eyes. He replied, “Doctor, you’re being ridiculous. Are you sober?”
“Of COURSH I’m shober!” he laughed. His slurred voice betrayed the fact he was NOT sober!
Derek gritted his teeth.
“Get back in the ship!” barked Avatar. “The Gamilons are coming and it’s not New Year’s Eve, Sakezo! You need to be at your post in Sickbay! And what you are doing is a major safety hazard!”
“Yesshir,” said Sane as he stomped away.
“Captain, he’s getting ridiculous!” said Derek.
“I will address this with him later, Wildstar!” snapped Avatar.
“When are we going to attack the Gamilons, sir? ARE we attacking?” demanded Derek.
“Yes, eventually…after we complete the repairs. Those come first. I have a strategy in mind,” Avatar said. “For now, the asteroids are a very good defensive measure, and Sandor has even more uses in mind for this asteroid belt.”
A FEW MINUTES LATER…
“There’s more ships than we thought, Captain,” Nova said as Captain Avatar came down on his chair-lift. “Twenty-five ships now, sir.”
“Scanners indicate we’re within the Gamilons’ radar range,” said Andrew as Eager left the bridge. “Also, if I were you, Nova, I’d turn down that magnetron coil a wee bit. She’s close to overheating.”
“Cutting back on voltage,” Nova said.
Ganz got within extended visual range.
“Strange, that ship, covered with space trash,” sneered Ganz. “I wonder how they did it?”
“Probably some primitive trick known only to Earth people,” snorted Bane. “Only they would think of covering their ships with asteroids.”
“Good trick, Avatar,” said Ganz. “But your tricks are no match for our ingenuity! START FIRING!”
At that, the Gamilons finally began to attack.
A repair crew was hit by enemy fire. Two more men died.
The Gamilon attack continued.
The Argo was hit from several angles.
Derek held onto his console and barked, “We can’t take this! We’ve got to fight back!!”
“Enemy ships from port!” said Andrew.
“And from the rear, too!” Nova said.
“It’s a full attack!” snapped Avatar. “Sandor, pull in the repair crews. How much longer will the asteroids hold?”
“Not much longer, I’m afraid,” replied Steve. “Captain, we’d better switch to the ring defense now.”
“Ring Defense?” said Venture.
Wildstar looked at a text Avatar had just sent and he nodded. “Ready on polarity reactors!”
“Apply full power to reactors!” Sandor said.
“I hope this works,” replied Derek, watching several meters coming up at his post.
“Reverse polarity of the neutron flow!” snapped Sandor.
“Reversing polarity!” Derek replied.
The asteroids began to fly away from the Argo.
On the Gamilon flagship, Bane said, “Sir! They lost the protective cover of the asteroids!”
“I can see that, you fool!” snapped Ganz. “Now we can attack the Argo with all we’ve got and finish them! We’ll rub this in the face of Leader Desslok! We’ll be heroes!”
The asteroids swirled around the Argo as the Gamilons fired, forming a fast-moving ring.
Derek
worked a control at his post, and he got the asteroids into position with each
approaching shot, deflecting each and every Gamilon shot.
“Captain, the asteroid ring defense is a great success!” said Sandor. “Not a single hit is getting through!”
“You call this a success?” snarled Derek. “We’re just sitting here!”
“Wildstar, we can’t always be on the offense,” said Mark. “We have to have a strong defense, too.”
“Wildstar, release the ring. Let it fly at the enemy vessels!” said Avatar.
“Yessir,” he said.
The ring was released.
It flew out towards the Gamilon fleet.
It slammed into cruisers, destroyers, even the Polmeria-class carrier.
Many of them were destroyed.
In fact, most of them were destroyed.
“Seven ships remaining, including the flagship!” Nova said. “It looks like they’re trying to regroup!”
“Where, Nova?” Avatar barked.
“The void in the asteroid space, EWQ-179, six megameters away!” Nova said.
“Venture, take us to the edge of that point,” said Avatar. “Then, stop all engines!”
“Why, sir?” Wildstar said.
“You’ll see,” said Captain Avatar.
The Argo sped on.
-----------------------------------------
Ganz and his remaining escorts; three heavy cruisers and three destroyers, gathered at the edge of the void area.
“While we were searching for the Argo,” said Ganz. “Avatar had time to make repairs. They must have had time to repair the wave motion gun, and you know what that means.”
“Death?”
said Bane.
“YES! Open inter-ship to all vessels!” said Ganz. “All hands. This is Colonel Ganz. We are going to make a final charge now against the Argo. The Star Force will most likely use their wave motion gun. We will press a final attack. Make your peace with the gods now, men,” said Ganz as Bane began to weep, knowing what was next. “Open a link to Gamilon! LEADER DESSLOK! I want you to know we are making a final charge towards the Argo and their accursed Star Force, like the men we are! They may fire their grand weapon. We do not care, Leader Desslok! We who are about to die SALUTE you! Long life to you and the Empire, YOUR MAJESTY!” he roared as his fleet charged the Argo in a final kamikaze charge, all guns blazing.
“Not bad,” Desslok said impassively as he sipped at wine from his goblet and sat back to watch what would most likely be the end of the Argo as Ganz’s flagship released two drones, which blasted off above the ecleptic, giving two more views of the battle.
“You think he’s going to do it?” said Krypt.
“He’d better,” Desslok hissed, watching a view of Ganz and his men charging, and a view of energy charge after energy charge hitting the Argo.
Aboard the Argo, Derek smiled in a deadly manner as Avatar gave the order…to ready the wave motion gun for firing.
The wave motion gun began to pulse with energy.
“Open safety lock!” said Avatar as he put on his goggles as the Argo shook from enemy hits.
“The keel has been hit!” said Sandor.
“Safety lock open!” said Derek.
“Gun chamber pressure at 89%...now up to 92%!” said Orion.
“Thirty seconds to firing! All hands secure anti-shock and anti-flash measures!” Derek said as he pulled down his goggles. “I have direct lock on the enemy flagship, Captain,” he said as he peered through his target scope.
Another hit slammed the Argo. “Smokestack missiles out!” said Dash. “Flood the compartment with C02 before those warheads explode!”
On Gamilon, Desslok sipped at his goblet. “Look, Krypt. Look, Talan,” he said as another general appeared and bowed. “They’re just sitting there with a weapon glowing. Ganz will finish them before they can fire, I’m sure.”
“Sir, it looks similar to a cannon we are working on,” said Talan.
“Let’s see who wins this,” Desslok said.
“Distance to enemy fleet, two megameters!” Nova said from her post with her goggles on.
“Thanks,” Derek said. “The barrage continues.”
The Argo took another hit.
“Radar’s out!” Nova cried from her post as the screen went dark.
“Energy
at 120!” said Orion.
“Begin ten-second countdown,” said Derek. “10! 9! 8! 7! 6! 5! 4! 3! 2! 1! ZERO! FIRE!”
And,
just as two huge missiles roared towards the Argo, missiles that would
have been the death of her, the wave motion gun fired.
The wave gun went off, and blasted towards the Gamilon fleet.
In two seconds, the enemy barrage stopped.
In three seconds, Colonel Ganz felt his bridge melting around him as the terrible light of the wave motion gun blinded him. Bane cried out like a child as Ganz screamed, “LONG LIVE LEADER DESSLOK!” as he died a quick, and gruesome death in a beam of wave motion energy as his flagship and the rest of his fleet dissolved.
Desslok, Krypt, and Talan saw Ganz’s incandescent death. Then the signal from his ship blinked out. So did the signal from one of the drones.
The last drone sent one more signal.
The Argo had survived the battle, battered and smoking, but intact as she slowly began to sail on.
“All of those Zaltzians, posthumously, are now first-class Gamilons, along with their families,” said Desslok. “Colonel Welke Ganz is posthumously promoted to Captain. Krypt, make sure that his daughter Hilde Ganz is honored and provided for.”
“Yessir,” said Krypt. “Shall…shall we send the…Star Force congratulations?”
“Not yet,” said Desslok. “Let us see if they escape into interstellar space or not. Keep that drone running. If they defeat us again in interstellar space…we shall extend our congratulations,” Desslok added. “I wonder what sort of man that Avatar is? The man fought like an honored Gamilon…like Lysis would have in that same situation. He must be a cunning man. Dismissed,” said Desslok as he stalked off, thinking, Star Force. You are far more dangerous than I thought you were…
FOUR DAYS LATER
CAPTAIN AVATAR’S QUARTERS
Captain Avatar stood in his cabin addressing Sandor, Wildstar, Doctor Sane, and Nova.
“Sir, I am pleased to report the repairs to the ship are completed,” Sandor said. “We’re back on course towards the heliopause; where we’ll be losing touch with Earth.”
“Good work, Sandor. Wildstar, how is our battle readiness?”
“One hundred percent, sir, even though we have spotted no Gamilon ships ever since you ordered us to fire the wave motion gun. We have regular patrols going on again…just in case.”
“Good job, Wildstar. Nova, how is the status of Sickbay right now?”
“Sir?” she said, surprised. Doctor Sane was right there. Why didn’t she ask him?
“Sir,” said Sane. “I…”
“I didn’t ask you, Sane,” barked Avatar. “I asked Nurse-Practitioner Forrester! Nova. Report!”
“Sir, the last battle casualties are released and back at work. Buzz Taylor is on light duty, and he sees me daily for physical therapy. We have nothing else going on in Sickbay, except for routine exams, sir,” Nova said.
“Very good. Wildstar, Sandor, you two are dismissed. The rest of this conversation will be between myself, Doctor Sane, and Nova.”
“Yessir,” said Sandor.
“Sir,” said Derek, wondering if Sane was going to be raked over the coals for his drunken space walk and why Nova was asked to remain.
The two men left. The hatch clanged shut.
Avatar, Sane and Nova were alone.
“Doctor Sane!” barked Captain Avatar. “Five days ago…we were in a potential battle situation! Why weren’t you at your post? Unlike Lieutenant Forrester, you only have one job to do on this ship! Why did you think you could start drinking and put on a space suit and walk around like a buffoon when we might have needed you at a moment’s notice?”
“Sir, I thought you’d find it amusing?” chuckled Sane.
“I didn’t! And you did it in front of Wildstar! What sort of example are you setting for our younger officers if you get drunk at the drop of a hat? Huh?”
“Sir…no excuse…sir,” said Sane.
“Damn straight there’s no excuse,” said Avatar as he made a fist, trying to keep himself from just punching Sane. “Nova! You are to assign Misaki and Fisher to man your bridge post and assume your Operations Group Duties for five days on a rotating basis! You’re not to be on the bridge for five days unless someone needs medical treatment. No survey flights for you, either.”
“Sir?” Nova said.
“I have a good reason for this, Nova,” said Avatar. “Doctor Sane! You are suspended from your duties for a period of five days and confined to quarters! For the love of God, sober up a bit and think about why you’re here! Nova, you will assume Doctor Sane’s duties full-time for those five days. Are we clear? Both of you?”
“Yessir,” the short man and the much taller, willowy-figured woman said together.
“Good. Nova, escort him to quarters. Perform an exam later today and check his blood alcohol levels. Perform detox on him if needed. You know what to do, I’m sure. Dismissed.”
“Yessir,” both of them said. They saluted and Nova walked Sane out of there.
The hatch slammed to.
Avatar
looked out at the stars. God, why did you take Doctor Carroway from us when
we really needed her? You left us with our medical department in the hands of a
54-year-old drunken genius and a 21-year-old girl genius who barely knows what
she is doing in the middle of the most important mission known to mankind. Why?
Give us Your blessing, please. Right now, we really need it.
Captain Avatar coughed again. Then, the pain hit. Again. He wondered what would happen to the ship and the mission if he was incapacitated.
Which, increasingly, seemed to be a possibility…
Avatar knew the Argo would have to hurry.
As of today, November 5, 2199, Planet Earth had 333 days left…
TO BE CONTINUED…