STAR BLAZERS: A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER

A fanfic recapitulation of Series One “The Quest for Iscandar” by

Frederick P. Kopetz

EPISODE SIXTEEN: THREADING THE CAMEL THROUGH THE NEEDLE’S EYE…

(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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November 23, 2199

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The Argo completed its first long space warp and she emerged from warp near Ross 353, a standard blue-white star slightly hotter than Sol.

“Warp completed,” said Venture.

“So why did we stop at this dump in the middle o’ nowhere?” said Wildstar.

Captain Avatar said, “We’re following a course out of the Galaxy that Queen Starsha sent us, Wildstar. There are few known Gamilon starbases in this area.”

“I’m picking up something,” said Homer. “But it’s really faint.”

“A distress call?” said Dash. “Out here?”

Nova made a scan. “It’s faint electromagnetic energy…with aspects of an old-style analog video signal. Let me see if I can amplify it.”

 “Good luck,” sneered Derek.

Nova ignored him as she worked her controls and said, “This is very primitive…it’s an ancient monochrome signal…incredible! Trying to amplify it so we can see something and putting it up on the main screen now…”

They saw the figure of a rather dumpy-looking middle-aged man in an old-style suit speaking before a curtain as Natalie Fisher came up onto the bridge for the watch change. The picture and sound fizzed out as they lost the signal, but then got it back.

Natalie looked at the picture and said, “What? That’s from Earth?”

“Earth?” said Derek.

Sandor said, “Even ancient video traveled into space at the speed of light. This would be video from the 20^th century.”

“Looks like Ed Sullivan,” Natalie said.

“Who was he?” Eager said.

“A popular TV Host of the late twentieth century,” Nova said. “They made some very interesting music in that period. I studied it somewhat in History class.”

The video skipped as Ed Sullivan said, “…They just received a wire from Elvis Presley and Colonel Tom Parker….” Then, the video and sound frizzed out again.

“Was Colonel Tom Parker one of those military men who tried to take over the West in a military coup?” said Venture.

“No, silly,” Nova said as she leaned her chin against her hand and smiled. “I think I’ve seen this video before in History class.”

“You got a better education in obscure and useless history than I did,” Derek snorted.

“I know every aspect of twentieth-century history you can think of,” said IQ-9 from his station at Analysis. “I am a complete genius. I can also program myself with new human characteristics.”

“Such as?” snarked Derek.

IQ-9 promptly belched, or made a strange electronic approximation of a belch.

“That’s rude!” Mark said.

“I heard it from Nova,” he said.

“You’re impossible,” Nova mumbled as she played with the transmission while Sandor shook his head.

The video came back up, with an image of two men smearing shaving cream on their faces.

“What’s the relevance of this?” said Dash.

“They were called commercials,” snorted Captain Avatar. “Venture, before we change course, let’s stick to our current heading. Nova, are you recording this?”

“Yessir, I am,” she said.

“What the heck was “Aero Shave?” Derek said.

“I don’t think it’s been made for two hundred years,” said Sandor.

Then, an ad came up for shoe polish on a women’s black pair of pumps.

“Hey, Nova, could you use those for your dress uniform?” Derek snorted.

“If I wasn’t recording this I’d get up and hit you,” Nova teased.

“We need to keep on task, people!” Avatar said. “Nova, apologize to Wildstar!”

“Sorry, Derek,” she said.

“S’okay,” he replied.

Ed Sullivan came back up on line and said, “Now, yesterday and today, our theatre’s been filled with newspapermen from across the nation…and never has anything been generated by the excitement of these youngsters from…” There was a long pause, and then Ed Sullivan said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, the Beatles!”

The soundtrack was filled with the sound of screaming teenagers as the camera zoomed in on four mop-topped young men in matching suits; an archaic-looking rock band. Andrew Yang came up next for the watch change, and he said, “What the….how’d you get video of the Beatles?”

“They certainly don’t look like insects,” IQ-9 piped up from Analysis.

“We hit the electromagnetic spectrum just right,” Nova said as the Beatles began to sing and play, “Close your eyes, and I’ll kiss you…Tomorrow, I’ll miss you…” as they went into the first chords of All My Loving.

“They look weird,” said Venture.

“That’s Paul, Mark! He was cute!” Nova said as Natalie grinned widely.

“Paul who?” Derek said.

“Paul McCartney,” Nova said. “They knighted him before he died.”

“For shaking his head and playing out of tune?” quipped Dash.

“You dope,” said Andrew. “They sort of invented the rock band. This was history in the making!”

“Song’s catchy,” said Derek. “The drummer’s got a big nose, though.”

 “That’s Ringo,” said Natalie. “Even he was cute. George was the Quiet Beatle in the middle.”

“That guitarist on the far right looks dangerous,” said Dash. “Who was he?”

“John Lennon, another genius,” Nova said. “He was shot dead just sixteen years after this performance.”

For the next song, there were subtitles identifying each Beatle as PAUL, RINGO, GEORGE, and last of all, JOHN -- SORRY GIRLS, HE’S MARRIED: (sic)

After the message, the signal frizzed out. “We’re past that point on the spectrum,” said Homer. “I can’t get them back.”

“Well, we saw a piece of ancient history,” said Captain Avatar. “Back in the days when Earth was still blue and we had cities above ground.”

“Yeah,” Derek said sadly.

Andrew took over for Mark while Natalie whispered to Nova. Nova then stood, saluted the captain and asked, “May I speak to Natalie in private in the elevator for a moment? Outside?”

“As long as you don’t take more than three or four minutes,” said Avatar. “We need that station covered, Fisher.”

“Roger,” Natalie said.

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“What is it?” Natalie said.

Nova cleared her throat and said, “Natalie. I guessed what was going on after I did a pair of double-blind tests…but I couldn’t say anything due to medical ethics until Doctor Sane talked to you and Robert. I’ve been briefed and cleared to discuss it since I’ll be assisting with the pre-natal care.” Nova took a very deep breath. “Part of me wants to say congratulations, and part of me is asking ‘why?’”

“Why what?” Natalie said with angry eyes.

Nova said, “I’m not going to ask why were you sexually active with Robert? That is honestly none of my business, even though it is against my personal convictions to do that before the wedding night. My question is…what happened with your contraceptive shot?”

“I was due for it and I forgot,” Natalie said shame-facedly. “Did you get yours, Sister Nova Berenice?” Natalie said sarcastically.

“That’s below the belt and you know it,” Nova snapped. “Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

“The first reason is obvious,” Nova said. “On Titan, Derek and I were captured by the Gamilons for two minutes. If we had been kept longer than that, I could have been taken, studied, and raped by the Gamilons. I’m not too anxious to have a Gamilon child because I don’t know if we can Yang-breed, and I might die from eclampsia due to blood-type issues if I was impregnated by an alien. The other reason? I have my convictions, but if I really, really fall in love with someone, and things get hot and heavy, even though I feel it is a sin, convictions can be overruled by romance and the heat of the moment. I’m realistic enough to know we’re fallible, and those things…happen, and I can easily end up involved like you…even sexually intimate. That’s why I can’t judge you and Robert for that…but…what concerns me is the pregnancy. I hope there aren’t complications to your having a baby in space, Natalie,” Nova said as she held her friend’s hands. “And I’ll have to work harder to…take up some of your load…but I can do it.”

“Nova, you need to delegate more.”

“I will. I talked to Yuria about it. Besides…I’ll help you through this. What are friends for, Natalie?” Nova said as she gave Natalie a hug.

“Thank you, Nova,” Natalie said, sobbing a moment. Nova gave her a pat on the back and then the slightly older woman left.

Nova, thank you, Natalie thought. I always thought you were cool. You’re my best friend for a reason.

Natalie returned to her station, breathing a sigh of relief that what she thought would be a fight with Nova over her pregnancy had gone well.

Natalie set up the radar and began to scan and lay in a course for their next warp as her mind drifted back to her past…

She was thinking of her diary, when she was ten years old, and due to her attorney father having to travel, she had gone to school in Osaka, Japan (aka Great Island) for a time…

…and that was where she had met Nova; in Parochial School in Osaka….as a transfer when the cherry blossoms were out…

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April 12, 2188 (8:42 in the morning)

Guess who was late and guess who Sister Constance made stand out in the hall in her new navy-blue and white school uniform? It looks just like a sailor dress. I kind of like it! Even though I hear the drizzle outside, it’s pretty here.

Sister Constance is my homeroom teacher. We start to go to different classes for things this year. Because I’m good with Math, I get to go to Math with the Sixth Graders. I’m confused.

And the cherry blossoms outside are so pretty. That’s why I was late. I was watching them fall in the breeze and in the light rain.

Sister Constance is yelling at me to get back in and apologize to the class. I bow and apologize in Japanese. I think I said it right, so why are some people laughing at me?

“Stop laughing!” yells Sister Constance. (She’s old and yells a LOT). “This is our new girl, Natalie Jennifer Fisher. She’s ten years old, and they say she’s gifted at some things. All of you stand and give her a proper greeting!”

“Welcome to our school!” all of the boys and girls say while bowing. Sister Constance leads me to a desk between a boy in a navy-blue jacket, white slacks, and a blue and white tie, and some girl with very dark hair, darker than mine. (I am not writing in class; I remembered this stuff during lunch and wrote it down).

“Are you gifted?” says the boy, who looks bigger than he should be. “I hadda repeat this grade and I don’t like smart people like you. You should hang out with the class weirdoes. They all have weird-colored hair just like you…”

“And I think they’re part-Gaijin,” giggled the girl next to me. She had jet-black hair in a ponytail. “Just like you, Fisher-kun!”

“What’s your name?” I said to her.

“Fujiko Tomizaki. I’m the boss and the smartest girl here, don’t you forget it!”

“If you’re the smartest girl, I think I might be a baka, neh?” said another girl behind me with blonde hair in rather high-pitched Japanese. The class went “oooooooooo” which sounds the same in Japanese as well as in English.

“Mori-san, get UP here now!” yelled Sister Constance.

Then, I saw this girl with COOL dark blond hair coming up with her head bowed slightly. She still walked as if she was a Princess or something, though. She was cute, and she had worn sandals today, in spite of the drizzle. While trying to figure out why someone who spoke such slightly witty Japanese had blond hair, she walked up to the front of the class and bowed and said, “Sister Constance, my deepest apologies.” She then turned to the class. “And I apologize to you ladies and gentlemen. Merci beaucoup,” she then said in a funny, somewhat lower voice.

“Mori, please stop showing OFF,” said Sister Constance. “I’m a little ashamed that you’d react to Tomizaki and Yamanami like that. You’re supposed to be the second-smartest girl in this class.”

“Brain Farm!” yelled Yamanami, causing more laughter.

“Get up here, Yamanami-san! Apologize to Mori-san!”

“I’m quite sorry,” he said.

“Mori, you take his seat next to the new girl. Yamanami, you get up near the front so I can keep my eye on you. Now, we’ll call the roll, then we’ll go over your schedules.”

While Sister Constance called the roll, Mori motioned me over and whispered, in English, (in a voice that was mellow like her French voice) “Are you from America?”

“Yeah.”

“Where in the country?” she said.

“Boulder, Colorado.”

“Me, too, but my dad travels a lot. I’ve been here two months. Hated leaving school in Colorado, actually.”

“So does mine. What’s your full name?”

“Yuki Mori; at least when I’m in Japanese school because that’s how Dad registered me in the family register in Tokyo when I was a baby. My full American name is Nova Dawn Yukiko Forrester. When we’re speaking English, just call me Nova for short.”

“Call me Natalie in English,” I said. “You’re cool.”

“Really? I get called nerd, geek, and brain-pan a lot.”

My name was called, and I yelled “Hai!” in Japanese.

“Mori!” yelled Sister Constance.

“H... Hai!” Nova said (in Japanese, in her Yuki identity in that funny high voice.)

“Please stop whispering during roll,” said Constance.

Yuki stood up and bowed. “Merde” she whispered in French.

I almost giggled at this.

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Later that day, two crewmembers met by agreement in the holography room, where a hologram of an old-style Japanese dojo, or sparring room, was the background.

One of them, barefoot but otherwise clad in heavy protective gear and mask, was swinging a bamboo boken stick as hard as he could at his opponent. He was clad in navy blue and black.

His opponent, clad in white, also wore a padded protective suit with Star Force markings in black, but it was much lighter, and although the fencing mask hid his opponent’s face, the slighter build of his barefoot opponent, who was swinging a blunted fencing rapier at him, made no secret of the fact that his opponent was female.

The male fighter moved fast and very aggressively, and he would have seriously hurt or killed his opponent had he been using an actual sharpened katana sword. Instead, the worst damage he could cause might be a bruise or two.

His opponent moved even faster, almost as if she was dancing, although she caught swords several times with her own opponent with her rapier, and she jabbed and swung almost as fast as her opponent, quickly picking up aspects of his style.

A few crewmen came in to watch this “duel”. Among them were Eager, Hardy, Conroy, and Nurse Michelle Sakamoto.

The light caught the swordsman’s face for a moment. “That answers that question,” whispered Conroy. “That’s Wildstar.”

“But who’s that lady? She’s danged fast,” said Eager.

Derek screamed an enraged “kiaiiiii!” at his white-clad opponent, who sidestepped his thrust, caught his sword with a parry, and then jumped up and did a somersault in mid-air, landing on her toes near Derek.

She jabbed at him and made contact on his chest just as he made contact and slapped her arm.

“Hardy!” yelled Derek. “Did we make contact at the same time?”

“Yeah,” said Hardy. “Yuh sure did.”

“Looks like a dead-even tie. Neither of you won,” said Michelle Sakamoto.

“Not a bad outcome,” said the female as she pulled off her screened mask and hood and bowed to her opponent, and then shook hands. The flying blond hair made it clear; Derek had been sparring with Nova. Then, she turned off the holographic display at the control panel. “Derek, I’m shutting down, unless you’re up for a rematch.”

“I thought you were an amateur at this,” Derek said. “You’re not half-bad, even though your style was hard for me to figure out.”

“Never fenced before?” Nova said.

“No; just boken fights,” Derek replied. “But I picked up a few new moves by going one-on-one with you.”

“You taught me a bit, too,” Nova said. “Am I a good sparring partner for you?”

“Heck yes,” Derek laughed. “That was fun. Interesting…”

“Interesting what?” Nova teased.

“Uhh…interesting fight,” Derek stammered.

“We’ll do have to do this again when we have time,” Nova said.

“Definitely,” he said as he gave her a pat on the back. She smiled and didn’t mind.

They walked off together.

“What do you think?” said Conroy.

“They’ve been hanging out more together off-duty,” said Hardy. “They’re not like Robert and Natalie, yet…”

“I’m noticing the signs,” said Michelle with a grin. “I bet you ten credits they’ll be a couple by the end of the cruise.”

“I’ll bet ya ten against it,” said Eager.

“I think yoah gonna lose, Eager,” said Hardy.

“You think what you think, I think what I’ll think,” said Eager.

The group broke up.

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November 24, 2199

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On Planet Gamilon, some rather different plans were afoot.

His Imperial Guard, Generals, and sycophants were cheering Leader Desslok as he swept down a hallway in his Palace to his throne room. He barely returned the chant of, “Desslok, Desslok, DESSLOK, Desslok, Desslok, DESSLOK!” that echoed down the corridor.

The Leader threw himself onto his throne and looked at General Krypt. “All right, let’s get on with it.”

“Yes, your Highness. The Star Force left Earth fifty-four days ago, calculated as per Terron time. When they arrived at Mars, they achieved the impossible and made a very effective Gestcham jump. Then, in two battles, one at Jupiter, and one at the ruins of Minerva, they broke our Sol System defense lines with a new weapon we never knew the Terrons had; a surge cannon, or wave motion gun. The Floating Continent Base was wiped out, along with Colonel Ganz’s entire space fleet. The Argo appears to be a very effective and most formidable space battleship, Your Majesty. They have a great deal of ingenuity and power.”

Desslok looked annoyed. “So, what you’re reporting, Krypt, to review the situation, they defeated us twice over?”

“Yessir. They also destroyed our Reflex Gun at Pluto and all of our occupation complex facilities.”

“Where are they now?”

“They completed another jump and are now four hundred and fifty lightyears away from Terra, near Imperial Defense Line Number One, not far from Polmeria.”

“Tell me what their plan is, Krypt,” said Desslok.

“We have no idea, sir, but for some reason known only to them, they are penetrating into our territory,” Krypt said. “But they are only a temporary threat.”

“Indeed, sir,” said General Talan as he saluted. “Here along the twentieth meridian, along the defense line, we have planted a field of hundreds of our new Desslok Space Mines.”

“Desslok Space Mines?” said Desslok. “You do me great honor, Talan. In spite of your…questionable beliefs.”

“Thank you, sir,” said Talan as he began to sweat a little. “With the space mines along the Argo’s course, they will surely be destroyed. A perfect trap.”

“Talan, I’m glad you arranged this little entertainment,” Desslok said as a graphic of the minefield came up on the throne room’s main screen. “It brightens up an otherwise dull evening. Now, let us drink a toast…to the annoying Star Force’s last night in space!”

A concubine knelt and brought Desslok a chalice of wine. More wine was distributed.

Suddenly, a gross, portly officer known as General Schlenk, who already seemed to be drunk, began to laugh like crazy. “That’s very good, Leader Desslok! It’s too bad they won’t be alive long enough to appreciate your great kindness! Ha ha ha ha ha ha HA! HAHAHAHAHA!”

Desslok looked very annoyed and he touched a button on the arm of his throne.

A hole opened up in the floor, dropping General Schlenk down a pipe way into a nice little room into the dungeons.

The room was thoroughly stocked with a pack of Genath, rather large raptor-like reptiles that Desslok kept around for special prisoners. They smelled General Schlenk and attacked.

Desslok smiled and said, “I can’t stand a man who laughs at his own jokes!”

The officers made a toast.

Then, a comm phone went off. “Yes? Iroze, dear? How are you? How are you doing with that Terron prisoner? Oh? He’s been transferred to the Destroyer Z-276? When will he be on Gamilon? Twenty days from now? Wonderful. He’ll be thoroughly examined and interrogated, and then I’ll drop him down to the Genath pit. They’ll probably be rather hungry by then. I wonder how they’ll like Terron meat? Oh, only after Intelligence is all done with him. Thank you. We’re having a lovely evening. We are about to destroy that annoying Terron ship you’ve heard about. It will be nice to see you again. Best wishes.”

Desslok hung up. “Now, let us watch…the end of the Star Force. It will probably make a lovely comedy show on my propaganda channel.”

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The Argo cruised towards the mine field.

Nova picked up a group of objects on her radar. “They’re along a twenty-degree arc, and they’re blocking our path,” she said.

“I suggest we send out the balloon decoy ship,” said Sandor.

“A balloon ship?” said Derek as, in the Lower Flight Bay, a crew blew up a balloon drone and launched it.

“Yes, we use them as decoys,” said Sandor.

“It looks just like the Argo,” teased Derek as the smaller drone took off. “A baby Argo!” he laughed.

“It doesn’t look much like a toy balloon, does it?” Sandor said as he steered the drone with a joystick. The drone was powered, with its own little thruster.

The bridge crew watched as the drone cruised towards the mine field.

“What are those?” Nova said.

“They sort of remind me of old Naval weapons,” said Dash.

“They do, come to think of it,” Derek said.

The drone drew close to one of the objects as Venture said, “You’re right…they’re….”

The decoy ship exploded.

“Mines,” Derek, Mark, and Nova all said together.

“Good observation, you guys,” said Dash.

“We’re in a serious situation, Dash,” said Avatar. “We have no time for jokes. Venture, how are we going to get out of this?”

“We’ll be fine, sir, you’ll see. We’ll just make a hard left at the next star,” Mark said.

The Argo made a turn.

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On Gamilon, Talan observed, “They’ve changed course!”

“They’re trying to avoid the Desslok space mines,” Desslok said. “Not that it will work, of course…”

Nova took another scan. “The mines are following right along with us! We can’t avoid them, it appears. Yuria,” she said as she called the Second Bridge. “Double-check my readings, please! There has to be a gap so we can get out.”

Yuria Misaki scanned with her equipment below in Bridge Number Two. “Your readings are correct, ma’am. They’re following us from all angles.”

“They’re all over us in a three-hundred-and-sixty-degree sphere,” Nova said. “We can’t get above or below the sphere, Captain!”

Captain Avatar sat in deep thought.

Derek then snapped, “What about if we do a space warp out?”

“Do you think you’re a cowboy, Wildstar?” said Sandor. “We’re in the middle of a mine field!”

“Anyone have any other bright ideas?” Derek sneered.

“How about you shut your trap?” snapped Mark.

“Both of you, stop it right now!” Captain Avatar barked. “Venture, stop the ship; dead stop!”

“Aye, aye, sir,” Mark said.

Derek grunted when the ship stopped.

“Nova, calculate the distance between the mines,” Avatar ordered.

“Roger,” she said, beginning to type values in at her board.

“What about using the wave motion gun?” suggested Venture.

“I can’t,” Derek replied. “Those mines are following us and I don’t have enough time to build up an energy charge!”

“Well, I could do it,” Mark snapped.

Derek said, “Hah! You take care of your job, and I’ll take care of mine!”

“What’s that?” Mark snapped back. “Say that again to my face, Wildstar!”

“All right, you two, knock it off!” barked Sandor.

Nova looked at her figures, keeping her mind on task and avoiding the chaos around her. “Captain, I’ve computed the distance between the mines. They’re one hundred and ten meters apart, and they completely surround us in all directions as Yuria and I confirmed before.”

Captain Avatar said, “And the Argo’s beam or width is thirty-four point six meters. That’s cutting it closer than I like.”

“It’ll be like threadin’ a needle with a piece o’ Texas rancher’s rope, sir,” said Eager.

Captain Avatar said, “Do you think you can thread the proverbial camel through the eye of the needle and get us out?”

“Yessir,” said Mark. “Start auxiliary engines!”

“Starting auxiliary engines,” repeated Orion down below in the engine room.

“Bringing auxiliaries up two points,” said Cory at a switch.

“Coolant temp is within limits,” said Sparks.

“I got ‘ye power, Venture,” Orion said into the radio speaking tube.

Venture worked the controls. “Keeping my fingers crossed…we should be able to get through this.”

Derek said, “For a space jockey like you, Mark, this should be a real snap!”

“You said it, slowpoke,” Mark said.

The Argo began to cruise out through an opening…or so it seemed.

On Gamilon, Talan said, “It’s working perfectly, Leader Desslok. It will soon be over.”

Desslok sipped at his wine. “Yes. The Argo will soon be blasted into cosmic dust. Forever.”

The Argo slowly cruised through the mine field, even though some of the mines came awfully close.

Venture concentrated hard, adjusting the trim of the ship carefully every few seconds.

Derek got up to goad Mark again. “You’re really doing great. Do you think you can make it?”

“I’ll get us through,” Mark grunted. If you’d quit bothering me, you jackass! Mark thought.

“If you get us through those mines, Mark, you’ll be a big hero!” said Derek.

“Grow up, Derek! Do you think I care about that?”

The Argo cruised on.

But…the mines moved in closer and closer.

“I don’t believe it!” Mark said. “The mines are moving in closer to us!”

“Eager, take over at Analysis; assist Nova with her scans,” said Captain Avatar. “You two, find out what’s making them do that.”

“Roger,” Nova and Eager said together.

Eager then said, “Captain, I think I’m picking up a carrier wave. The mines seem to be under some sort of remote control.”

“Damn!” said Derek.

“There’s a definite carrier wave, 59,000 megacycles,” Nova said. “Captain, should we try to jam the wave? It might stop the mines.”

“Give it a try, Nova,” said Avatar.

She worked her controls. “Eager, try jamming everything between 50,000 megacycles to 60,000!” she said.

Eager punched in numbers. “Sendin’ out Electronic Counter-Measure waves…and they’re moving in faster!”

“My God,” Nova said. “Frequency jumped up to two million megacycles, and I’m picking up electromagnetic waves from each mine as well as a vast carrier range net. Whatever we try, something out there is picking it up for the entire net, and if we get too close to one of those mines, we’ll break the field at the mine and set it off.”

“Can’t you do a “gee-whiz” math solution to figure it out, Nova?” said Derek.

Nova gritted her teeth. Lord, don’t let him get under my skin, too, she thought. “Derek, I tried three adjustments up to two million and three million megacycles, but whatever I do, something out there adjusts it and changes the frequency! Remember the old analog TV transmission we picked up a few days ago? It’s like something out there has a fine tuner to counter-jam whatever jamming measure I try.”

Sandor said, “Be careful, Venture. As Nova said, if we get too close to one of those mines, we’ve had it!”

“What?” Derek said. “Mark, it’s too dangerous! We’d better stop the ship!”

“Stop worrying; we’ll be fine!” Mark said.

“If you stop the ship,” Derek said while kneeling down in a mock gesture of prayer, “I promise I’ll never call you a space jockey again!”

“Never?” sneered Mark.

Captain Avatar said, “You two, cut out your adolescent contest right now, or I’ll relieve you both of your posts! Venture, stop the ship!”

“Aye, sir, stop the ship,” said Mark as Derek sat down, chagrined.

Nova then got up and put her hands on both men’s shoulders. She quietly said, “You two…we all need to work together. Okay?”

“Right,” they both said.

“Back to your post, Nova,” Avatar said, although not unkindly, because he knew Nova was doing one thing that she was particularly good at; offering encouragement. Avatar then said, “Orion, how is it going in the engine room?”

“Fine,” he said. “Stop the ship!”

“All engines, reverse,” Cory said as he worked a control.

“What do they think we are?” Orion complained, “Stop. Start. Do they think we’re a yo-yo?”

Avatar said, “Nova, you said that the mines seem to be radio-controlled. Find the source of the transmitter.”

“Yessir,” she said. “Tracing waves back to their origin point.”

“How are you doing that?” said Homer. “This place is giving me the creeps!”

“Triangulation, Homer,” Nova said calmly.

Derek looked back at her. How does she keep her cool under pressure like that? She’s not much older than Mark and I, but she’s just about as good as Sandor, he thought.

Captain Avatar said, “Sandor, if we’re going to save the Argo and our mission, we have to find and destroy the transmitter for the mines. Can you take care of it?”

“I certainly can. IQ-9, report to the lower hangar bay and ready a Type 100 recon plane. Royster, take over at my post.”

“Roger,” he said.

In the meantime, IQ-9 said, “Yes, I will,” as he hiccupped while trundling to the lower bay.

Sandor went below, got into space gear, and he said, “IQ-9, hurry up!”

Captain Avatar looked at Nova. “Did you find where the transmitter is?”

“Yessir, I did,” she replied. “The space mines are controlled by that variable carrier wave I was talking about. The transmitter is five degrees off the port side, bearing, between two to three kilometers away from the ship.”

Avatar said, “Did you hear that, Sandor? The transmitter is five degrees off port, in an area between two to three kilometers from our current bearing.”

“Heading that way now, sir,” said Sandor. IQ-9 hiccupped again. “Would you quit that?” he snapped. “IQ-9, what is wrong with you today?”

“Just a small case of hiccups. My new human characteristic. (hic).”

“I wish you’d quit it. I have to thread our way through this minefield. One slip and we’ve had it,” Sandor said.

On Gamilon, General Krypt said, “Leader Desslok, you’ll note they sent a small plane out. What are they doing?”

“Simple. They must have found the transmitter that controls the mines and they’re most likely trying to destroy it. I wish them luck,” Desslok said with a sardonic smile.

-------------------------------------------

HALF AN HOUR LATER…

Venture was close to a state of panic.

“Look! We’re going to hit a magnetic field!” he yelled as a mine came close to the first bridge.

“Captain, we’re going to hit a mine!” Derek said.

“Venture, tilt the ship; five degrees port!” ordered Captain Avatar.

“Sir?” said Mark.

“You heard me!” Avatar barked. “I said, tilt the ship five degrees to port right now!” After he yelled, he got a twinge of pain in his side and grimaced. Going right down to my knee now, he thought. I have to discuss this with Doctor Sane, but I can’t give the conn to any of these kids…not now.

“Aye, sir, tilting five degrees,” said Venture.

“We’re going to die!” screeched Royster. “We’re all going to die!”

“No, we’re not,” Nova said. “Keep your shirt on, please.”

In Sandor’s plane, Sandor asked, “IQ-9, do you have the exact coordinates for the control mine figured out yet?”

IQ-9 hiccupped again. “The electromagnetic field is interfering with my computations. It’s difficult.”

“Deprogram those hiccups,” Sandor said. “We’re on a very delicate mission to save the Argo!”

A moment later, IQ-9 said, “We’re near Nova’s coordinates. There’s a strange signal coming in from a mine to port. It looks like that reddish-brown one.”

“I think that’s it,” said Sandor. He stopped the plane. “EVA procedures. Going over to the mine.”

The cockpit was opened, and Sandor and IQ-9 floated towards the suspected mine.

“Now we have to find out where the transmitter is in the mine,” Sandor said.

“That’s why I’m here, sir. (hic)” The robot jumped as he hiccupped again.

“Be careful, you crazy tinwit!” Sandor said.

“Doing my best, sir. (hic)”

On the Argo, Dash said, “The mines are still closing in!”

“The rate is increasing,” Nova said.

“Captain!” said Venture.

“Tilt the ship to port again…another five degrees,” said Avatar.

“Aye, sir; tilting the ship,” Mark said.

At her post, Nova shut her eyes, and rested her head on her hands.

Derek watched her, and he shut his eyes and addressed the Deity himself. Lord, he thought. If You get us out of this, I’d love to know You better. I’m too young to die yet.

Outside, IQ-9 found one of the main antennae. “Sandor, this device seems to screw into the main unit. If I can open it, I think I can get at the processor for the transmitter and kill it.”

“Very good,” Sandor said. “Start opening it up. Show us just how good you are.”

“That should be easy,” he said. “I am one thousand more times efficient than you, and ten thousand times more efficient than Nova and her rotten coffee and lousy chili. None of which I like. (hic)”

“You’re a robot,” Sandor groaned. “You can’t ingest coffee or chili con carne.”

“Au contraire. I am a gourmet. (hic) And I am opening up the unit now,” he said as he grabbed on to the antenna and began to spin it around using his thrusters.

Sandor reported, “We have found the control mine and we are now dismantling it.”

“Very good,” Avatar said.

“Nova, you also aided the mission, I must admit,” said IQ-9. “Even though your chili can and should be classified as hazardous waste material.”

“Chili is not relevant to defusing a mine,” Nova said.

“Yes, it is, Nova!”

“Why?”

“Because thinking of dumping some on your head when I get back has cured me of my hiccups,” IQ-9 said as he unscrewed the antenna.

“You are incredibly weird,” Nova said. “Be careful; it’s transmitting again!”

“I’ll be inside it in twenty-six-point niner seconds,” he burbled.

“How long can we stand this waiting?” Cory grunted from the Engine Room.

“Listen, the Captain’s got a lot to worry about,” Orion said.

Outside, IQ-9 had unscrewed the antenna.

“The transmitter intensity has weakened by fifty percent,” Nova said.

“IQ-9, be careful in there,” said Sandor.

---------------------------------------------

On Gamilon, Desslok sipped at his goblet and said, “They almost have it. I wonder what they’ll do now?”

IQ-9 spoke in the meantime, “I have it! This will be easy for my extensor fingers,” he said as he grabbed a circuit packet and tore it out. “Here’s the controller unit! The transmitter is dead!”

“Good job, Tinwit,” laughed Sandor.

The mines stopped moving towards the Second Bridge.

Nova confirmed. “Captain, the radio transmitter net is down. The mines are still magnetically live, so they have to be moved to clear a path.”

Captain Avatar said, “Wildstar, take your Black Tiger squadron and go out and clear a path. Use only your hands. No metal tools. Is that understood?”

“Yessir,” said Derek. “But…just using our hands?”

“Using metal would set the mines off,” said Royster. “The local field on each mine is still live.”

“Yessir,” said Derek. “Beginning EVA now.”

He saluted and left the bridge.

He and the Tigers floated out in EVA suits with thrusters and began to move the mines…by hand.

Derek said, “Hey, Mark! How about a game of space volleyball?”

“After they’re defused!” Venture said.

“C’mon, Mark! I’ll spot you five points! Ten!”

--------------------------------------------------------------

On Gamilon, Desslok watched the proceedings. “So, they found the master control mine and defused it. Very interesting. Krypt, what was the name of that new weapons system? It seems to have slipped my mind!”

“Sir, we named it after you…the Desslok space mines. It was presumptuous of us. We should have tested it first. It was defeated by the Terron Captain Abraham Avatar’s brilliant strategy, sir.”

“Don’t be frightened, Krypt,” Desslok said. “I’m just rather surprised at you and at General Talan. We have some of the finest scientists in the Local Galactic Group…but look at those barbarians, proving that simple solutions are the best. They found the control mine, deactivated it, and now…they are using only their gloved hands to move the mines. Imagine that. Just using their hands.” Desslok began to laugh. All of his staff began to laugh as well, including Krypt and Talan.

A while later, a passage was cleared through the mines. Wildstar and his pilots were back in the ship.

“The passage is clear, and no fighter planes or ships are coming,” Nova said.

“Start the engines, Venture, and get us out of here, to our next warp point; we’ll jump a thousand lightyears later to make sure our equipment was not damaged, and make some additional warps. After we scout the Orion region on the twenty-eighth and twenty-ninth, our next waypoint will be the vicinity of Betelgeuse, on the thirtieth. I want to be out of the Galactic System by December the third or fourth so that we can make time to our next waypoint; Balan, the halfway point of our cruise.”

“Start the engines!” said Venture.

“Start the engines!” said Orion.

The Argo began to cruise out of the mine field at last, looking for a clear point to make their next space warp.

---------------------------------------------------------------

On Gamilon, Desslok saluted the Argo as she cruised away. He smiled. “This time, you win, Star Force. I would have liked very much to see the end of the Argo. It would have been a great entertainment. But perhaps it was just as well. If it was too easy, all of you would have thought you would be very clever and you would be complacent while fighting other battles with more dangerous foes…such as the scout ships of Gatlantis that General Lysis is fighting now in the Diamond Sector. Dismissed!”

Desslok turned to leave, and then he said to Krypt. “By the way, General Krypt, what was the name of the Captain of the Argo? It appears to have slipped my mind.”

“His name, sir, is Captain Abraham Avatar.”

“Abraham Avatar,” mused Desslok. “Send him a congratulatory message, and be sure to sign my name.”

“Yessir,” said Krypt as Desslok turned with a loud snap of his cape and left.

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NOVEMBER 27, 2199

“Warp completed,” said Venture with a sigh. “Captain Avatar, we are now five hundred lightyears away from a small star system on the way to the Orion region known as Castellanus.”

“There could be a Gamilon base there,” Yuria Misaki said from the radar. Nova was about to spell her. “We’d better launch some patrols when we get there.”

“Agreed, Miss Misaki,” said Derek.

The doors whirred open and Nova came in on time at 0700 for the watch change. “Get some rest, Yuria.”

“Thanks,” she said. “Did you get enough sleep, ma’am?”

“Yes, for once,” Nova said. She looked at Mark and Derek. “Are you two behaving yourselves this morning?”

“Yes,” said Mark.

“He hasn’t tried to noogie my hair yet, Nova, so that’s an improvement,” snarked Derek.

“How nice to know we’re a happy family again,” Nova sighed.

Homer sat bolt upright at his post. “Sir! We’re getting a message! It’s from the Gamilons!”

He sat and waited for the computer to process a coded punch card, which came out. He stood and saluted the captain.

“Is the line still open, Homer?” said Avatar.

“No, sir,” he said.

“What a missed opportunity. It would have been a great opportunity to learn where their home base is.”

“What’s the message?” said Derek.

“Read it to the crew,” Captain Avatar said.

“Yessir,” said Homer. “To Captain Abraham Avatar. I salute the Argo and her brave and resourceful crew known as the Star Force. We shall meet again, and we shall prevail next time. Signed, Leader Desslok of Gamilon.”

“Desslok?” said Mark. “So, that’s the name of the Gamilon Leader?”

“Why is he attacking Earth and humanity like this?” Nova mused.

“Boy, I can’t wait to get my hands on HIM!” laughed Derek as he put up a hand and smacked his fist into it.

“Start main engine!” snapped Captain Avatar. “We have a job to do. Onwards towards Iscandar!”

The bridge crew saluted and then returned to their tasks.

And, on that note, the Argo sailed on.

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EARTH HAS 311 DAYS LEFT TO SURVIVE

Note: The Chapter Title and Captain Avatar’s comment about threading a camel through the eye of a needle were based upon Jesus’ Words in Mark 10:25-27: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. ‘Then who can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘with man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God”

Of course, an analogy can be made with the Argo’s narrow escape-possible only through Divine Providence.

TO BE CONTINUED…