STAR BLAZERS: A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER

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

Frederick P. Kopetz

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE: A TALE OF MONKEY WRENCHES, HUGS, AND ROYAL BEE JELLY…

(Big Thanks to “DTill359”)

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Space Battleship Argo

January 10, 2200

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“I wonder where the heck Nova is. She’s late,” Derek Wildstar said as he munched unenthusiastically at his lo mein noodles.

Across from him, Mark Venture sat tapping his fingers on a long monkey wrench and said, “I think you have Lieutenant Forrester on the brain, lately, Wildstar. Are you losing your edge?”

“No, dude!” Derek snapped back. “Nova’s just opened up a whole new world for me; that’s all there is to it! In more ways than one.”

“Okay. First, she’s got ya reading the Bible like a theological student, and now, you guys are hanging out together almost every spare moment you get.”

“We’re supposed to be the Three Musketeers, Mark. But, tell me, you can figure out that there’s stuff I can share with sweet, serious Ms. Aramis that you don’t get, Mister extroverted Porthos. Or lately, you’ve been Mister Gloomy. You’re acting more like me, Mister Athos, no luck with women.”

“Okay, Derek. I’m a little jealous of how close you and Nova are getting, and it’s coming down pretty fast,” Mark said.

“Nova would never hurt me like Diane Henson, if you’re wondering,” said Derek. “She’s just not that type. She is the nicest young lady on this command.”

“Just be careful,” Mark said. “You may be setting yourself up for a major crash, Athos.”

“Okay, smooth old Porthos,” Derek laughed. “Look at this garbage. It’s the same noodles as yesterday; they just give it a different name on the menu!”

Then, they heard quick, high-heeled footsteps as a woman entered and made her way towards the serving line. “Derek, you complain about the food all the time, it’s just silly!”

The mostly male crewmembers let out an “ooooooo….”….just as Nova turned, wearing a pink and burgundy dress with burgundy boots. “How do you like my dress?” she said in a cute, coquettish voice. “I think I’ll wear it on Iscandar when we meet Queen Starsha; I have to look dignified, don’t I?” she said as a few crewmen clapped. “I took this old thing I had and altered it so it looks like a Pierre Cardin design from the twentieth century. I call it “Image of the Rose”, designed and modeled by Miss Nova Dawn Yukiko Forrester. It’s been so long since I’ve been dressed up…I thought I’d better practice.”

Then, IQ-9 burbled up. “Hello, cutie! You have a lovely butt in that thing. I wonder what your underthings look like?”

Then, the robot grabbed at Nova’s skirt.

She snarled, danced deftly out of the way (holding her lunch tray) and zipped over to Derek and Mark’s table. “I need to set this down…and borrow this,” Nova said as she picked up the monkey wrench.

“Nova, I’m supposed to give that back to Orion in a half hour!” yelled Mark as Nova challenged the Tinwit with anger in her eyes and a monkey wrench in her hand. “Let’s see how you like it, Tinwit!” she snapped as she swung the wrench and banged a dent in IQ’s body. IQ grabbed at her, but Nova swung again and smacked his techtite dome hard enough to leave a crack!

“Do you get the idea I’m not a toy, IQ? Huh?” Nova said as she swung again and the robot screeched and did an about-face and ran out of the messhall. There was applause and laughter, but IQ-9 was being laughed at rather than Nova.

Nova took a bow and walked back to the table where Derek and Mark were sitting and she plunked the wrench back down. “Used for four minutes, Mark. Want to charge me rent?”

“No…that’s not necessary, Nova,” Mark said.

“What is IQ-9’s problem?” Derek snapped.

“I’ve been trying to figure out the same thing myself,” Nova said as she drank some punch and then began to eat. “He’s been following me around like a lost animal everywhere, lately. He even tried to get into my cabin once; while I was in the shower. That was yesterday. Sorry I was in a bad mood that day, Derek.”

“That’s okay. I’d talk to Captain Avatar about his craziness,” Derek said.

“I intend to; later on,” Nova said. “Oh, did you guys finish The Three Musketeers yet?”

Mark nodded and pointed at Wildstar. “He’s Athos. I’m Porthos, and Nova, you’re Aramis.”

“Not a bad comparison,” Nova said. “How did you like Dumas?”

“I liked the plot,” Mark said.

“I liked the swashbuckling,” Derek chortled.

“I liked both,” Nova said. “Here is a little bit I liked from Chapter Nine.” Nova cleared her throat and began to recite, from memory: “While D’Artagnan was running through the streets and knocking at doors, Aramis had joined his companions; so that on returning home D’Artagnan found the reunion complete.

“Well!” cried the three Musketeers all together, on seeing D’Artagnan enter with his brow covered with perspiration and his countenance upset with anger. “Well!” cried he, throwing his sword upon the bed, “this man must be the devil in person; he has disappeared like a phantom, like a shade, like a specter.”

“Do you believe in apparitions?” asked Athos of Porthos.

“I never believe in anything I have not seen, and as I never have seen apparitions, I don’t believe in them.”

“The Bible,” said Aramis, “makes our belief in them a law; the ghost of Samuel appeared to Saul, and it is an article of faith that I should be very sorry to see any doubt thrown upon, Porthos.”

“You memorize some…interesting bits of literature,” Derek said.

“That just stuck in my head for some reason,” Nova said. “Like Aramis, I have seen some apparitions, but I’d rather not talk about it right now,” she said as she saw Sparks approaching their table. Almost in perfect synchronization, the three latter-day Musketeers of Derek, Mark and Nova gave Sparks rather nasty looks.

“What do you want?” snapped Derek.

“Hey, Nova, your voice sounds cute when you read stuff. Read me a bedtime story sometime?” Sparks said.

“No,” Nova said.

“C’mon…” he wheedled.

Then, a young man who looked a bit like him, but a little chubbier, stared Sparks down and said, “Sparks. The lady said no. No means No.”

“Get off my case, Yabu!” said Sparks.

“You can sit next to Derek and I,” Nova said as she smiled at Yabu. “You’re okay in my book. On the other hand, your cousin needs to get back to his engine room.”

Yabu sat down while Sparks said, “Hey, Nova?”

“Sparks. Leave me alone. That is a direct order, Mister,” Nova barked.

“Aye, aye, ma’am,” said Sparks as he saluted and left.

A bit later on, Derek, Conroy, and Venture were lying in swimwear in the Holography Room, which had been set up with heat lamps so that they could receive a share of Vitamin D; something vital during this cruise where they were not often in sunlight on a planet. There was also a beach hologram running, complete with the sound of murmuring surf hitting the shore.

IQ-9 was also lying on a chaise lounge with the others, and Derek said, “You’re very well-constructed, IQ-9. I’d say you’re almost human.”

“I am more human than you,” said the robot.

“You are a machine. You can’t be human,” said Mark. “The two categories are totally exclusive.”

“Here come the lovebirds,” said Peter Conroy as Robert Turner and Natalie Fisher came in, dressed in swimwear and laughing as they held hands. Natalie had on a blue tank suit, but Derek swore that her stomach looked slightly larger than the last time he had seen her in swimwear weeks ago. Maybe she’s eating really well? Derek thought, unaware that Natalie was pregnant, since to preserve her confidentiality, Nova had not told him.

Natalie stood by IQ and patted his dome. “Hi, big boy…I heard about your little performance before in the messhall. You can lift my skirt any time, babe.”

“Natalie, quit it,” Robert said. “We don’t want to encourage him. Or it,” he said, glaring at the robot.

“I am not interested in your female, Mister Turner. My eternal love is sworn to Nova,” IQ-9 retorted.

“Your love is sworn to Nova?” Derek said, in a dismayed voice. “That makes no sense. Electronic gadgets don’t have feelings!”

“I have changed my opinion of Nova. She is not a psychopath who means to kill all of you with her five-alarm chili and run you over with a Jeep,” IQ-9 insisted. “She is my true love.”

“That’s ridiculous!” Derek snapped.

“And where is she going to get a Jeep out here in space?” Mark added.

While everyone was kibitzing with IQ-9 in the Holography Room, the subject of IQ’s rather bizarre conversation happened to walk into the room, clad in a white bikini top, matching white hot pants, and brown sandals.

Nova looked at the group and set down her bottle of Diet Pepsi, drawing hearty male applause for the second time that day.

“Like this beach holo I designed?” Nova said. “All I could use now is a can of beer and a volleyball,” she quipped. “Unfortunately, Snack Yamato only has Diet Pepsi.”

“Lookin’ good,” said Conroy.

“Sight for sore eyes,” Derek quipped. “Is this your fashion show day, Nova?”

“Nope, just decided to get Vitamin D,” she said.

IQ-9 trundled up to her and said, “You look even better in swimwear, Nova.”

“Thanks,” she said as she looked for a chaise lounge.

IQ-9 got down on one knee. “I love you, Nova. Will you marry me?”

“Say what?” Nova said coolly.

“I said, will you marry me?” IQ-9 said.

Nova rolled up her eyes and went to Derek. She whispered in his ear, “Do me a favor.”

“What?”

“Tell him we’re going steady and are considering marriage. Maybe he’ll GO AWAY.”

“That’s a surprise!” Derek said.

“So? You look much better than Tinwit,” Nova said as she kissed Derek on the nose.

“Must I fight you for Nova, Wildstar?” IQ-9 said.

“You won’t have the chance. We are going steady, and we are considering…marriage…” Derek said, surprised when Nova shut her eyes and smiled, not looking at all as if she minded the idea.

Her response surprised Derek. “Good. I like that, love.” She didn’t sound like she was kidding, either.

“WHAAAATTTTTTTT?” said IQ-9.

“IQ-9, can’t you see?” chuckled Pete. “You’re a robot and Nova is a human being, and judging from the way she is looking into Wildstar’s eyes, she is very much attracted to him, and not to you.”

“IQ-9,” Nova said, as if she was talking to a child. “I am in love with Lieutenant Derek Wildstar, and from the way he is holding my hand right now, it should be fairly obvious said love is reciprocated. You are my friend and colleague. Please behave yourself?”

“Are…you…serious?” said IQ-9.

Nova nodded. “Yes. Please. Stop leering at me. GO. AWAY.”

“No! You broke my heart!” IQ-9 snapped as he ran out of there.

Everyone laughed.

At IQ-9.

Nova pulled up a chaise lounge and laid down beside Derek.

“So what are you doing?” Derek said.

“Spending time with my boyfriend” Nova said with a wide smile as she sat up.

Applause filled the room as Nova lay back down and began to muss up Derek’s hair.

“You’d better talk to the Captain about IQ-9,” Derek said. “I trust him about as far as I could throw him.”

“I agree. And I can’t throw him very far. He’s rather…heavy…”

AN HOUR LATER…

Nova had changed back into her dress and boots to see Captain Avatar.

“This is a most unusual situation,” Captain Avatar said after coughing a bit.

That cough worried Nova.

“Yes…IQ-9 has been following me everywhere lately,” Nova said. “The other day, I found him in my cabin with a camera. That’s why I changed my combination lock, sir.”

“That’s pretty intrusive behavior,” said Avatar.

“Sir, you’re telling me,” Nova sighed. “Today, at lunch, he tried to lift my dress,” she said, pointing at her skirt. “I chased him away with a monkey wrench I borrowed from Wildstar and Venture. Then, I went to get some sun before in my new holo room beach set, and he leered at me in my swimsuit and said he wanted to marry me…and he didn’t stop even when I told him Wildstar and I are going steady.”

“I know you, Nova. You don’t lie when that young man is concerned, and it is very good you are looking after him. He needs a good friend, and so do you, for that matter. I think you work too hard.”

“Sir, I’m fine,” Nova said with a blush.

“I will want to talk to Sandor about his maintenance records,” Avatar said after coughing again. “I’ll see if he’s due for his hundred-thousand-hour checkup yet. I’ll ask him to include a partial memory flush and maybe change out his emotional simulation card. It might cure some of his eccentricity.”

“Perhaps, sir…” Nova said. “I’m worried about how independent his AI functions are becoming. It’s almost like…he’s…alive.”

“Nova, he’s a machine. He can’t be alive,” Avatar said. “You’re a very smart woman, but sometimes, some of your conclusions are a bit…odd…still, given your Blanchard Scores, I’m thinking you have a substantial share of ESP that you are just learning about.” Avatar then paused and looked hard at Nova. He didn’t dare tell her about her strange origins and the fact that it seemed evident she carried Iscandarian genetics…yet. God knows what she will end up becoming as she ages, he thought. She may become like a clear glass filled with light for those to see who can. God has gifted this young lady in so many ways. I do not presume to know why.

Then, Avatar began to cough. Very hard.

Nova grabbed a cloth hanky and patted Avatar’s back hard as he coughed up a mixture of phlegm and blood.

Nova noticed and gasped.

“Sir. How long have you been like this? Level with me!”

“I’ll be…fine…” he said.

“You don’t sound fine,” Nova snapped right back. “Open your peacoat and your shirt, please,” she said as she opened a locker and put on a stethoscope that Sane kept up here at all times. “Cough again,” she said as she put the instrument to his chest and back.

Avatar looked reproachfully at her and complied.

“That right lung sounds horrible,” Nova said, feeling near his wound. “My God, I’m feeling spongy matter between two of your ribs! Have you been keeping up with your therapy? You are seeing Doctor Sane tomorrow morning…stat. I will just schedule you for 0900,” she said as she ran to one of Avatar’s computers and pulled up Medical and also e-mailed Doctor Sane.

The last line of her e-mail read:

Probable gross carcinoma in the Captain’s lung and chest wall. Immediate surgery needed. We should consider excision of the lower lobe of the lung and impinging lymph nodes followed by heavy radiation treatment and chemo. Recommend we install a chemo port in his chest wall at the same time we excise the cancer. Please advise if you agree with probable diagnosis.

--Nova

“What did you write about me?” Avatar said.

“You’re a sick man, but we’re going to make you well again,” Nova said with an unconvincing smile as she thought, My God. Seven or eight months. That’s all he has left, depending upon how deep the radiation cancer is in his lymphatic system. This may be the first of many surgeries, Captain…

Nova buttoned Avatar up and put away the stethoscope as Venture’s voice came over the 1MC.

“Captain Avatar. We have found a planet that shows signs of vegetation. I believe we should check it out.”

“Affirmative,” coughed Avatar. “Standard orbit, please. I’ll send a survey team down ASAP. You will lead it.”

Avatar then looked at Nova. “Report to the bridge. Please don’t wear that dress. You may rip it. For all of your talents, you are occasionally accident-prone and trip over things if you get excited and run.”

“Of course, sir,” Nova said, returning his smile.

On the First Bridge, Nova reported to Captain Avatar. “Sir, I have a three-place Type 100 recon ship prepared for launch. I requested that refrigerated compartments were to be added for any vegetation we find.”

“Look at that planet,” Avatar said. “There are seas, plentiful vegetation…and it almost reminds me of Earth before the Gamilons ruined it. As I said, I am sending you down to lead a party to find edible plants and seed for our purposes.”

“Yessir,” Nova said. “Captain, I would like to have Lieutenant Wildstar pilot us down to the planet. He would also be a very effective bodyguard if we run into any Gamilons or hostiles down there. You remember how he saved IQ and I on Titan.”

Derek looked at Nova and smiled.

His smile faded when Avatar said, “Nova, I must deny your request. Wildstar will be needed to fly a patrol over the planet with Conroy to make sure that no Gamilons jump us while you are on the surface. I am assigning you Ensign Angela Collodi, since she is very skilled in botany, and I am also assigning IQ-9 since he will help you scan for edible plants. You will be in overall command and will fly the party down yourself. However, you have standing orders to leave if you encounter hostiles. Do not try to fight them. Are we clear?”

“Yessir,” said Nova as her face dropped slightly. “I understand your orders. IQ-9 will be very helpful. He is well-equipped to do the job.”

Nova saluted and left.

Derek said, sotto voce to Venture, “You’ve seen his antics today, Mark. I wonder if that’s a good idea.”

“We can’t argue with the Captain,” shrugged Mark. “And you’d better get ready to fly that patrol.”

“Yeah,” Derek said.

 “Angela, I wonder where IQ-9 is?” Nova said as she sat in the pilot’s seat of her recon plane, running through the checklist with two enlisted Flight Group techs.

“Maybe he changed his mind, ma’am,” Ensign Collodi said with a slight chuckle in her low voice as she pushed some of her brown hair out of her eyes. “Request permission to call for Kowalski from Botany in five minutes if that robot doesn’t show up.”

“Probably not a bad idea, but it’s my call, Angela,” Nova sighed. “IQ’s sensors would be useful. Chief Hanjin!” Nova called down from the cockpit. “Make sure that second refrig unit is on. I’m getting a weird voltage reading on the main bus!”

“Checking out the connection, ma’am,” he said. “Darn…the ground wire wasn’t in right. Fixing it now!”

IQ-9 soon appeared, and the party left for the surface of Beemira.

Near the planet, unseen to any of them, Metzler’s dark spirit floated nearby.

He was pleased with what he thought the outcome of his latest game would be. He had an agent on the planet, a renegade Iscandarian, ready to do his bidding.

The evil spirit was very pleased with him (or “itself”?) as he saw the puzzle pieces for his latest plot falling neatly, oh so neatly, into place.

In the meantime, in Beemira’s atmosphere, IQ-9 was being…very obnoxious.

“NOVA!” he screeched.

“What is it?” she said, as she thought I’m trying to set the glide path to land somewhere solid in this swamp, and he wants to chat now?

“I still love you, Nova. Will you marry me?”

“NO,” she said firmly. “Right now, I’m trying to get us down for a decent landing. Angela, confirm my altitude!”

“Twelve thousand meters, and you need to get up in the green on that glide path,” Angela said as she scanned the instruments and area as Nova’s co-pilot.

“Nose up…that does it,” Nova said. “Retros, reverse thrust and airbrake on. VTOL thrusters ready. Airspeed is okay.”

“Roger that,” said Angela. “Now at a thousand meters. Alert the baggage crew we’re here at Gate Thirteen.”

Nova smiled a little at that. Then, she called the Argo. “Forrester Patrol Alpha. About to land at thirty-eight and twenty on the map. No enemies spotted.”

“Roger that,” said Homer in her helmet headset. “Wildstar and Conroy just took off. You have air cover, just in case. Be careful down there, Nova.”

“Thanks. Out,” Nova said. “All passengers, raise your seats to the upright position and fold up tray tables. Prepare for landing.”

“Can’t I do anything?” IQ-9 burbled.

“Yes! Scan for edible plants like you’re supposed to be doing!” Nova snapped.

The Type 100 came down through some heavy foilage, and Nova neatly put the bird down on some solid ground at the edge of the swampy mere they were at. Nova shook her head. If I had let myself get flustered, I would have come in on a spin and put this bird down on its nose and wrecked it!

“Enviromental scans show Earth-nominal before the bombings. Hot and humid,” Collodi said. “Some of the edible plants we need are akin to watercress. We’ll have to jump in that swamp and dig in.”

“I don’t mind getting messy,” Nova huffed as she popped the canopy and raised her faceplate. “The air smells good.”

“Smells like the Florida Everglades before the bombings,” Angela commented. “Ever get to Florida, Nova?”

“Once. Disney World. I was five,” Nova chuckled.

“I’ve spotted some plants on the bank akin to large soybeans,” IQ-9 said. “I’ll gather some of those.”

“We’ll work on the watercress,” Nova said. “Keep in contact, Tinwit.”

“I will, because of your lovely eyes.”

Angela giggled at that. “He’s sort of cute.”

“Yes. Sometimes,” Nova said. She got out of the cockpit and climbed down, jumping into the swamp water (while hoping there were no poisonous snakes around).

Nothing much happened. Angela followed, and IQ-9 went to the bank.

The two women were wearing backpacks. They got to work gathering plants and samples, hoping to get at least a hundred kilos’ worth after a few trips. Those would either serve as seed stock for the hydroponic garden or the gene-splicing lab for Botany, or would be processed and consumed as part of their meals. Nova guessed at the very least there would be a lot of salads for the next few days.

However, unknown to them, a set of rather unfriendly eyes was watching a hundred meters away in the heavy growth.

“You damned vegetable thieves,” he hissed to himself in his own language. “And you two are Gamilons, too! Curse you and your machines and slavery! Councillor Artophagous will love hearing this!”

The observer began to make strange noises in his own tongue into a commlink he carried on a belt pouch.

An hour passed on Beemira.

Nova, Angela, and IQ-9 were loading their samples into the refrigerated bays of the Type 100 and were almost done with their collection tasks when they heard the unmistakable sound of twigs snapping.

“I heard a sound,” IQ-9 said.

“Where?” Nova asked.

“In that direction…the jungle.”

“Let me check it out, ma’am,” said Angela.

“Take a look but keep under cover,” Nova said. “We don’t know if they’re hostile or friendly.”

Angela nodded, taking off with her Astro-Automatic in her hand.

Something doesn’t feel right about this, Nova thought as she unholstered her own weapon. But what is it?

“There are sounds in that direction now,” IQ-9 said.

“IQ, scan the area. Take point,” Nova whispered. She then called Angela on her commlink. “Angela. Ensign Collodi. Where are you? Over.”

There was no answer. Then, a voice came over her link. “Nova. Captain Avatar here. When are you taking off?”

“We were about to take off, sir, when we heard strange sounds in the jungle. We went to check them out. Now Ensign Collodi is missing.”

“See if you can get out of there as soon as possible,” Avatar said. “I just heard from Wildstar and Hardy. They picked up Gamilon radio chatter three hundred megameters from the planet. They’re checking it out now, but I don’t want you in hostile territory. Find Ensign Collodi and take off as soon as she is discovered.”

“Roger,” Nova said.

Nova looked around, and then she suddenly saw something like a metal arrow whizzing past her and impacting in a tree.

“What the…?” she said as she spun about.

She saw a creature approaching with a crossbow. It looked like a large humanoid bee wearing a ragged loincloth and slippers of brown material.

It howled at her and brandished a sword with its other hand. Then it ran for Nova with a blood-curdling yell.

It swung its sword. Nova ducked and fired a shot into its thorax. It fell twitching in the foilage.

Then, four more of the creatures came at Nova and IQ-9. The robot absorbed a crossbow quarrel (arrow) in his midsection, but he shielded Nova as he grabbed one of them and twisted its neck.

Nova pumped a shot at a second one, but it fought on in spite of its wound. It tackled Nova and knocked her Astro-Automatic out of her hand. Another of the creatures picked her weapon up.

On her back, Nova kicked hard at the creature, but a second one grabbed her shoulders in a death grip, placing a sword threateningly against her neck point-first. Nova was shocked when it said in guttural Terranglish. “You. Gamilon. Surrender, damn you!”

“I’m not a Gamilon!” Nova said.

“No. You human Gamilon,” it said as it spat in her face. “Would kill you but the old man want you alive! With your monster.”

“Let me stretch my legs, please!” Nova said, reaching for her boot. On the advice of Rosstowski and Derek, she kept a combat knife in her boot.

A third creature grabbed her legs and said, “No. I see outline of knife. Trickster woman!” he yelled as he pulled the knife out of Nova’s boot and discarded it in the mud. “You big liar! Tie her up!”

They promptly began to tie Nova up, grabbing her helmet/commlink off her head and throwing it in the mud. “You Gamilons cruel,” said the largest one. “We teach you just how cruel and we teach you our cruelty, Gamilon! We find out why you here, thief!”

The others all began making hideous scraping and hissing noises, and Nova thought, I’d better figure some way out…quick!

She was dragged to her feet and forced to walk beside IQ-9, who was also bound.

With a slap to the back of her head, Nova began to walk towards an unknown fate…as a prisoner.

“Gamilon squadron spotted,” Derek Wildstar said a few minutes later in his plane.

“Keep them away from the ship,” Avatar’s voice snapped in his headset. “They’re getting too close.”

“Roger that,” said Derek. “Conroy, Hardy, prepare the delayed action rocket charges. We’re going to attack those Gamilon vessels.”

“Good idea,” said Conroy. “They’ll blow up lightyears away from here.”

“Looks like two ships,” said Hardy. “A destroyer and a tanker of some sort. Wonder if the tanker ship is supplying the destroyer?”

“We’ll attack that one first!” Wildstar snapped. “Conroy, follow me and hit that destroyer! Hardy, you get that tanker!”

“Roger!” said both men.

Derek took a steep dive and attacked the destroyer, dodging its laser beams as he came in. Two rockets in its belly, and a burst of laser cannon fire took out a gun house on the destroyer.

Conroy swooped in under the enemy ship and blasted two more rockets into it.

Far away, Wildstar saw the tanker firing at Hardy. Hardy and a female squadron mate of his named Sabrina Custis planted two delayed action rockets in the tanker, backed up by Robert Turner, who had just been trained to fly a Black Tiger and was filling a space for another injured pilot. Turner got a missile in.

“Dead-center!” laughed Hardy. “Good job, rookie!”

“Thanks,” said Turner.

“All planes…the destroyer is smoking and badly damaged from cannon fire,” Wildstar said. “So’s the Gamilon supply ship. Break off attack! Back to base!”

Sabrina laughed and said, “Hey, Turner, I wish we had Nova flying a Tiger today. I hear she’s not half-bad.”

“She was sent to that planet to do recon,” Derek snapped. He shut his eyes and thought, Nova, hope you’re okay down there.

They saw the destroyer attempting a warp but it exploded. It looked as if the tanker had been about to warp, too, but it stopped and began heading slowly towards the planet.

“Hey, Wildstar!” said Conroy. “Are we letting that supply ship get away?”

“She’ll blow in an hour or two,” Derek said. “It’s moving at slow speed…at least we crippled it.”

“We were watching the battle from here,” Avatar said in Wildstar’s headset. “Let the crippled Gamilon ship go; return to the area around the ship and maintain fighter cover until Nova comes back. She should be back on the ship in a few minutes.”

“Acknowledged,” said Wildstar, who was still a bit bothered by the fact that they had let the Gamilon ship go.

On Beemira, IQ-9 reported, “Nova, we seem to be in an adobe structure, almost like a giant beehive. We are descending at a five-degree angle.”

“Thanks a lot,” she muttered as she looked for an opening for IQ-9 to break his bonds and hers so they could escape.

The Beemirans forced them into an underground chamber, dimly lit, that held a number of large vats.

There was a lot of shouting as both of them watched a number of Beemirans being forced into one of the vats.

One of them noticed the newcomers, and began to yell in Terranglish, oddly enough, “You Gamilons! Tell them to stop this!”

“We’re being executed as rebels for fighting Queen Melina!” yelled another one.

“They’ve enslaved us and are forcing us to make Royal Bee Jelly to sell to the Gamilons for weapons for the Queen!”

A slave-driver forced more into the vat with a whip, and a second slave-driver forced a group of manacled and chained Beemirans to begin turning a large wheel on the outside of the vat.

“I think you see what’s happening, Nova,” said IQ-9.

“Stop it!” Nova cried as loudly as she could before one of the guards slapped her in the face. “What you are about to do is sickening!” she screamed.

“You have no authority, you lower-ranking Gamilon,” hissed one of their guards as Nova watched them…beginning to grind up the screaming prisoners into jelly.

“Maybe she’s not low-ranking,” bellowed another guard. “We can find out! Let our Old Man interrogate her with the drug!”

“But using the drug made the other female unconscious!” screamed a guard.

Then, an aged-looking Beemiran with long white hair and tattered wings entered. “I am Artophagous, counselor to the Queen! I do not serve her willingly, Gamilon! What is your name?”

“Lieutenant Nova Dawn Yukiko Forrester, Service Number 5632789-UN-SF!” Nova barked back. “I am not a Gamilon, and that is all you will get out of me, except that we are enemies of the Gamilons and are on a mission to save our home world! We have nothing to do with your quarrel with the Gamilons! Let us go!”

“We’ll find out if you are telling the truth or not!” Artophagous barked. “Put the intelligent machine monster in a cell in the execution wing! This female will follow after we interrogate her with what she calls Sodium Pentothal!  We have to be careful with this little one. We don’t want to put her out for an hour like her helper! Drag her away!”

“You people are monstrous!” Nova said. “You’re as cruel as the Gamilons!”

“SHUT UP!” yelled Artophagous as he punched Nova in the solar plexus, knocking the wind out of her.

A few minutes later, Nova found herself on her back strapped down in a chair that looked like something used in an execution chamber.

They had beaten her (although she made an attempt to fight back) and ripped off a sleeve of her uniform, baring her arm for the injection, which was given by Artophagous himself, none too gently.

Nova felt herself growing woozy, and she was just able to notice Angela snoring on a couch similar to hers.

“A bit less than the other one…there…” said Artophagous, who began shouting questions at her. In a drowsy voice, Nova gave answers that did not reveal too much about her shipmates, but which made clear she was not a Gamilon.

A younger-looking Beemiran sat near Artophagous and said, “Councillor, she’s told us enough. She’s no Gamilon. In fact, she is a victim of theirs like we are.”

“So?”

“Let her go and take her shipmate and the machine with her. They were only gathering plants for their needs. She just told us that.”

“We’re hungry,” Nova said in a woozy voice. “I’d eat anything right now…even a stupid dry MRE…”

“What is this MRE?” shouted the old man.

“Meal, Ready to Eat,” Nova moaned. “Our Combat rations. I’d even take the lousy cold Swedish meatballs right now, I’m that hungry…”

“You aren’t getting any food,” hissed Artophagous. “Before sunset, you will be part of a demonstration before Queen Melina. You will play a great role. Sorry we aren’t giving you more of our hospitality like we gave those damned Gamilon women a year ago, but we have to rush with you and An-ge-la, female! Off to a cell with you until we need you. You are worthless and stupid!”

The others undid Nova’s bonds and they dragged her to her feet. She walked woozily towards the door as she heard them trying to beat Angela awake.

Then, Nova heard a gunshot…from her own weapon, by the sound of it, and she saw more Beemirans dragging Angela away…with half of her head blown off…obviously killed.

Nova gritted her teeth at the random cruelty as she was thrown into a cell with IQ-9.

“Are you all right?” he said.

“Woozy, and you can see they beat me up, but I’ll live,” Nova sighed. “Angela won’t. They used my weapon to kill her!”

“Ensign Collodi is no longer functioning?” IQ-9 said.

Nova nodded bitterly as she wiped some of her own blood off her chin. “Yes. She is dead. And they just dragged her body away…like garbage.”

“They will probably use her body in the Bee Jelly mix,” IQ-9 said. “They plan to kill us. Your body will probably be ground up like hers in that machine.”

“I wish you’d stop talking like that,” Nova sighed. “Oh, you, they’ll probably just recycle you into some scrap metal, IQ. For us humans, death is an entirely different matter! I’m not afraid to die…but…leaving this world and going into the hands of the Lord would take me away from the mission…and my friends…and those I love.”

“Nova, is that all I am to you…just some scrap metal?” IQ-9 said. “I have life. I can see. I can hear…I can…feel,” he said. “Just as God gave you human beings life in His Image, so you made me in your image, to be like you humans.”

Nova listened in slightly stunned silence as she heard IQ-9 soliloquize. “I live among you, sharing your hopes, dreams and fears. All kidding aside, I have always teased you since you are such a good friend of mine and have been ever since the day when you helped activate me with Sandor and Doctor Shukhandikar. I know you better than you think, Miss Nova Forrester. I know when you are happy, when you are annoyed, and when you are lonely and frightened. I know you are sensitive and quiet, but I also enjoy your laughter when you are boisterous and happy, and even your angry face when I tease you. I know you dream of returning to Earth and restoring it to its former beauty. I have come to realize that all of these feelings and emotions are…love. Even though I am made of metal and circuits and I am strong, I will fight to protect you. If I am destroyed and I become a hunk of scrap metal, well…remember, Nova, that it once held a heart.”

Nova then hugged IQ-9, realizing that she had not been taking him seriously. “Oh, IQ…I’m so sorry…can you please forgive me for being so cavalier with your feelings? Dear, dear IQ. My dear friend,” she said as tears ran down her face. “There is another thing that I hope for, but I will tell you later…in terms you can understand…if we survive this mess…”

“Thank you,” IQ-9 said.

Then Starsha’s voice came from Nova’s ring and filled the air. “Nova, IQ-9, a deliverance is soon coming for you. However, bear in mind, Nova, that you are about to be tested and tempted. Stay true to Adonai, and you will survive this trial.”

“What sort of deliverance, Queen Starsha?” Nova said. IQ’s lights flashed. It was the first time he had heard Starsha speak through Nova’s ring.

Footsteps came from out in the corridor. “The deliverance shall come from within you, Nova,” said a quiet, boyish voice that almost sounded feminine.

Nova looked through the cell door; it looked like a honeycomb, albeit one made from cast metal. “Who are you?” she said to the figure outside with long blond hair who was clad in a strange outfit of white and dark lavender, with a form-fitting bodice and thigh-high boots.

“I am known as Count Alatar of Iscandar,” said the strange figure. “I am a male.”

“Did…did Queen Starsha send you?” Nova gasped, shocked at Alatar’s beauty. He looked very much like a male version of Queen Starsha.

“Starsha knows of me,” Alatar said. “I am far older than I look. But I can help you help yourself.”

Alatar raised a hand, and the cell door began to come up…

In another part of the Hive, a Being, lying in a fetal position in one of the cells, awoke, feeling the presence of Alatar.

The Being was female. She shivered at Alatar’s awe-inspiring presence, and as she reached out with the rough psi-power all of her insectoid species shared, she felt the wink of light that was Nova’s energy and she smiled to herself.

Intelligent you are, o little human, she thought. But you are not a Gamilon. But neither are you fully Terron human. Some Terrons came here long ago; this I feel in our gestalt, accompanied by those who brought them; servants of the High Queen of the Pellians. You feel much like one of these Pellians of legend…possibly even a Queen in being? And you mean us no harm. I am Cecilia, she who is next to be our Queen. I will soon step into the shoes of Melina, who is evil and corrupt, thought the Queen-to-Be of this Hive of Beemirans as she stretched her legs. Would that I could emerge now…and take the allegiance that is soon to be mine by Right. But…I must wait…upon my attendants. May the time be soon!

In yet another part of the Hive, Queen Melina was pushing buttons on a Gamilon comm device like an incompetent. “Queen Melina!” yelled a Gamilon officer from her screen. His face was very distorted. “You have pushed the wrong button again! You IDIOT!”

“O, dear,” said Melina. She was older than Cecilia, but beautiful and filled with a grave vanity, clad in a red and black dress. She pushed buttons until the image of Colonel Von Moltke, the commander of the Gamilon tanker Razar, came into focus.

“That is better,” said Von Moltke. “Remember that this Gamilon transceiver unit has just been loaned to you. Treat it with respect! As you do our Leader Desslok.”

Melina said, “Tell me when your tanker is coming.”

“We were slightly delayed by a minor annoyance; an enemy of Gamilon that Field Marshal Lysis shall deal with before the day is out. We shall be landing shortly. I am glad that you have dealt with your production of royal bee jelly. It is one of Leader Desslok’s favorite foods. And have the mooring mast in position as usual.”

“I am having internal problems with an old rebel leader known as Artophagous who wants to overthrow me. Can you loan me a detachment of Gamilon Marines?” Melina asked.

“That is your problem, Melina,” snapped the bald face of Von Moltke. “If you cannot deal with your own issues, we will send a new governor to rule in your place. And Leader Desslok would be most unhappy!” he barked.

Melina nodded and saluted in the Gamilon manner. “Understood. Long live Leader Desslok!”

Von Moltke cut off without another word.

Wildstar and Conroy’s squadron landed not far from where Nova’s plane was (they had tracked its homing beacon).

Derek jumped out of his plane followed by Peter.

“I see a lot of footprints and boot prints in the mud but no sign of Nova, Wildstar,” Conroy said as he looked around.

“Nova?” Derek said on his helmet commset, “Are you all right? Respond, Nova! Over!”

There was no answer.

“Why isn’t she answering?” Wildstar snapped.

“This is why,” said one of Conroy’s pilots. “Look!” He had picked up a helmet from the mud. “This is Lieutenant Forrester’s helmet!”

Derek’s heart dropped as he looked in the mud. “Nova’s combat knife,” he said as he picked up her sheathed knife, followed by her belt and holster.

“It looked like someone was dragged here,” Conroy said as he looked at footprints in the mud. “I think someone captured her.”

“We’ll go in that direction,” Derek snapped. “Follow me, Conroy! Koyama, go off in the other direction and try to find Collodi!”

“Yessir,” he said.

So, the search party split up to look for Nova, IQ-9 and Angela.

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

“Touch my fingers, Nova,” said Count Alatar through the door.

Confused, and wondering how or why Alatar had recovered her Cosmo-Gun, Nova did so.

She felt a strange surge of psi-power coursing through her body and almost knocking her over.

“Now, draw back,” said Alatar. “Concentrate on lifting that cell door with your mind!”

Nova stood back, and extended her hand, thinking of raising the door.

To her utter shock, the door whirred up.

It locked up.

Nova and IQ-9 simply stepped out of the cell.

“Now follow me,” said Alatar.

They followed the strange Count out of the Hive and ran out into the jungle. Nova had to shoot a Beemiran guard who followed them and shot at her, but they were soon free.

“Hide here,” hissed Alatar as he indicated a stand of high reeds.

Nova and IQ-9 hid with Count Alatar as the Beemirans cheered while Queen Melina and her guards, who wore polished breastplates, ornate loincloths, and sandal-like boots, came out and watched as Melina spoke from a balcony.

“My subjects!” she yelled. “Our Gamilon benefactors are about to land to accept more of our Royal Bee Jelly for Leader Desslok!”

“Curse his soul,” whispered Alatar in a voice filled with hatred that shocked Nova, who wondered whether or not the Count was as benign as he seemed as the demonic spirit of Metzler entered into his willing soul.

“You got me out of there and I’m grateful, Count,” Nova whispered. “When they’re distracted, please let IQ-9 and I return to our ship. We have to get out of here before the Gamilons land!”

“Not until I make you a great offer,” Metzler said using Alatar’s vocal chords.

“Count Alatar…please…” Nova said as he grabbed her arm. “I think you and I need to part ways here,” she said, feeling a horrid sense of cold from Alatar. Are the Iscandarians all like this? Nova thought. Starsha isn’t like this…

Melina raised her arms to speak as the Gamilon ship came out of a cloud and began to land, attaching to a mooring mast. When it was attached, the Beemirans began to load barrels of Royal Bee Jelly into the ship.

Then, Artophagous screamed, “Look! Our Queen is betraying us! Do not be deceived! She serves Gamilon! Bring forth our prisoners!”

Another Beemiran ran up to him and whispered, “The prisoners have escaped, My Lord. We think another Gamilon helped them!”

“NOOOOO!!!!” yelled Artophagous.

“Now kill him,” Alatar whispered to Nova. “Use your weapon!”

“He’s no threat to me now,” Nova hissed back. “He hurt me, sure, but I can’t kill someone in cold blood like that!”

“Okay, don’t use your weapon,” Alatar said. “I can give you the ability to do more with your mind like you did with the cell door, Nova. You have greater abilities than even you guess, for you are one of us.”

“What?” Nova said.

“You are part Iscandarian,” Alatar whispered. “And, behold, you hold a potential that will make Queen Starsha herself bow to you! You can take command of the Argo and confront Leader Desslok yourself and slaughter him with your mind! You can order Starsha to give you the Cosmo-DNA. You can be the start of a dynasty greater than Starsha’s! You can rule Terra! All this I can give you,” Metzler said through Alatar’s willing lips in a guttural voice, “If you will just fall down and worship me!”

Nova shut her eyes in urgent prayer. Finally, she said, “Satan’s cats-paw, depart from me! For, behold, it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him alone shalt Thou serve! If you were really an Iscandarian, you’d know that, you liar!”

“So,” said Count Alatar in the jungle near the Hive as Artophagous had his men drag forth a cannon. “Nova Forrester…it is my understanding you are refusing my generous offer?”

“What can I say to your offer?” Nova said. “It goes against the grain of everything that I believe. I worship the Almighty. As great as your power may be, I cannot and will not worship you. Please let me reunite with my companions on the Argo. I need to complete my mission here while staying clear of the old rebel leader. That is all.”

“Then, unfortunately, you cannot be allowed to return to your vessel, your crew, or your boyfriend,” Alatar said as he stared into Nova’s eyes, very hard. “Are we clear on that?”

Nova blinked, trying with her willpower to break Alatar’s cobra-like gaze. She prayed, Lord, once, this once, let me finish this mission and see Derek again.

After praying, she returned his gaze. “I will not come with you,” Nova said, finally drawing her weapon.

“That was the wrong thing to do, Miss,” Alatar said, sadly shaking his head. “You may note I have no weapons? That is because I have no need of them!”

Alatar raised his hand, and a blast of fire shot from it towards Nova, who took cover behind a tree.

From cover, she fired at the strange blond Count, who just put up his hand and deflected the laser bolt.

“What a pity, young lady,” said Alatar. “You have made this game of wits rather serious. I’m afraid I will have to kill you.”

“Then I’ll go down fighting,” Nova hissed as she prepared to fire again. She lined up Alatar in her sights as he raised his hand…

In the meantime, Nova half-noticed Artophagous yelling at Queen Melina.

“You can prove to us you are a true leader!” he roared. “Fire on that Gamilon tanker! NOW!”

Melina came up slowly to the cannon. She aimed it at the Gamilon ship.

Then, she turned down the weapon, and fired at Artophagous, point-blank, killing the Old Man at once.

There was silence.

Under cover, a trembling Nova prepared to shoot Alatar.

But, then, a moment later, something whizzed through the air towards Alatar.

It was a metal spear, shot from one of the rebels’ crossbows.

It landed in Alatar’s gut.

Nova’s eyes went wide as Alatar screamed…and simply vanished.

Nova then narrowed her eyes at the rebel. “If you reload, I’ll take you out next,” she hissed. “I may be smaller than you, but I am no pushover! Why do you look familiar?”

“No, no…” said the rebel. “Did you see them kill the Old Man?”

“Yes. Alatar made sure I saw it. But why did you…help me by shooting Count Alatar? And am I really an Iscandarian? Was Alatar an Iscandarian? He sounded almost like Metzler at the end!”

Then, Starsha’s voice spoke from Nova’s ring, “That, we shall cover later, Nova my dearest, woman born on Terra. It is a story for another time. You were true to Adonai, and you saw that Alatar was evil. He is an Iscandarian, but a renegade. I cast him out from us long ago. He will not bother you again, and for now, neither will Metzler the demon!”

Nova then looked at the Beemiran. “My name is Venla, young woman from Earth. I serve Cecilia…the soon-to-be-Queen. I spoke up for your freedom before the old leader, but you may not remember it.”

“So, it was you!” Nova said.

“Yes. I did not agree with what they were doing to you. I can see you are no Gamilon. I boarded the Gamilon ship to spy on them, and I found out that you and your companions are wanted by the Gamilons. Cecilia is about to hatch, and we were sworn to serve her and overthrow the traitor, Queen Melina. I apologize for the actions of old Artophagous; he was our leader, and unfortunately, the old man had never seen anyone from Earth before. Tell me. Are you really a vegetable thief as he said?”

“No, Venla,” Nova said. “It is just as I said when I was interrogated. My ship, the Argo, is on an important mission. We merely need a small portion of your foods to tide us over. We can clone them and grow the fruits in our Botany section for our own uses.”

“So I see. What is your name again? It would make things easier.”

“Lieutenant Nova Forrester, Venla,” Nova said as she extended a hand towards the Beemiran. “I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing, but I trust you.”

“I take your hand in friendship, Miss Nova,” Venla said. “I know where your friends are now. They are looking for you. I will reunite you with them, and then I suggest you remain far away from the fighting between our forces and Melina’s. When Cecilia prevails, I will introduce you to her, and you can plead your case before her since she will be the new Queen. I believe she will be able to help you.”

“Thank you,” Nova said as she bowed slightly, putting her Astro-Automatic down.

“They are coming for you and the robot,” said Venla. “Run!”

“Run, IQ!” Nova said. “Follow me!!”

They ran, but from under cover, a rebel fired a slingshot.

The stone hit Nova in the head and knocked her out.

Then two more rebels came.

“Nova, I will protect you…because I love you!” IQ-9 said, standing between Nova’s unconscious form and the club-swinging rebel Beemirans.

Finally, he struck out with a strong metal fist.

He killed a Beemiran on impact.

Another one swung at him with a club.

IQ-9 grabbed the club and shoved it right through the Beemiran.

Then, he picked up Nova’s limp form and began to drag her through the jungle.

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

In the meantime, near Melina’s Palace, the Gamilon vessel suddenly began to smoke.

Two dead Gamilons fell down the boarding ramp, followed by a group of Beemiran rebels.

A running battle was taking place between rebels and more Gamilons as the boarding ramp went up. Some barrels of Royal Bee Jelly fell onto the ground as the Gamilon ship undocked and flew up into the sky on full thrusters as blasts went off inside the ship.

The Gamilon vessel roared away from Beemira and made a Gestcham jump towards Balan, offloading its cargo to another supply ship there as its crew tried to salvage it. The second supply ship undocked and left, heading back to Balan as the first vessel finally succumbed to the Star Force’s delayed action missiles and blew apart.

Near Melina’s Palace, a group of rebels in shiny light blue breastplates escorted a female Beemiran with short blonde hair, blue skin, and a blue and black dress straight to Melina.

Melina hissed at her and said, “Princess Cecilia, I assume?”

“I am, and I challenge you for the throne, Melina,” said the younger female in a dignified voice that almost sounded like Starsha’s. “You have allied to Gamilon. Their Empire is being defeated from without and within. I would break that alliance and ally with the peaceful Terrons!”

“Bring forth the dueling weapons!” barked Melina. One of her guards brought out a wooden case that Melina opened. “The Gamilons gave me these weapons. Duplicates they made for ceremonial purposes of a more elegant weapon made long ago by a lost civilization from a different age.” She held forth a silver pommel that looked a bit like a flashlight. “The Terrons would call these lightsabers, after a weapon from a fictional film series they made. Desslok has provided me with much to view from the Terron civilization he will soon wipe out! They amuse him! En garde!” yelled Melina as she took one of the weapons and a hissing red blade of energy emerged. She threw the other to Cecilia.

Cecilia hit a button and a hissing blue blade of energy emerged from her weapon.

Melina attacked first, but Cecilia expertly parried her enraged blows as the two Queens dueled.

“Your rage will be your undoing, Melina,” said Cecilia as she swung at Melina and took off one of her antennae.

“Your stupidity will be yours!” roared Melina as she swung at one of Cecilia’s black-booted calves. Cecilia hissed in pain, but she jumped up and used her vestigial wings to allow her to fly for a moment as she came at Melina with her teeth bared in a snarl.

Cecilia dived at Melina and rammed her saber through the Queen’s neck. Melina fell, and Cecilia landed awkwardly and took off Melina’s head.

The Beemirans cheered as Cecilia held up Melina’s head by her black widows’ peaked hair and she shut down her saber.

“Hail, Queen Cecilia!” they yelled as Cecilia stumbled and put away the weapon, even as a Gamilon fighter plane swooped in and began strafing them.

Enraged, Cecilia ran for the cannon and aimed it at the plane.

She shot at it and did what Melina could not do as she brought the Gamilon ship down.

“Down with Gamilon!” she yelled as she watched some of Melina’s forces still fighting her own. “Today, we fight with the Terrons for our freedom!”

IQ-9 carried Nova over a ridge as she woke up and he said, “Look, Nova! I told you before in the cell that the rest of the Star Force would find us!”

Nova then noticed who was leading the charge. “DEREK!” she cried as she jumped up with her remaining strength and leaped into his stunned but waiting arms. There, she finally began to cry her heart out as Derek held her and soothed her. “It’s all right, Nova…shhhh…it’s all right.”

“The…Beemirans…injected me with truth serum and I’m almost seeing double now,” Nova whispered as Derek held her while IQ-9 watched. “Let me get back…to my plane…I have to fly those samples back to the…ship…”

 “No, no, NO,” Derek said. “You’re in no shape to pilot a plane now! IQ-9, take Nova’s plane. Fly it back to the Argo! She’s coming with me in my Zero,” he barked as he picked Nova up in a princess-like carry.

“Yes, Mister Wildstar,” IQ-9 said in a morose voice.

“You’re a good robot,” Nova said in a slurred voice. “But…I need human comfort right now. Please do as he says. He loves me. I’m safe. I’m all right…”

“Yes, Nova,” IQ-9 said in a sad voice as he turned and left.

“You were an answer to my prayers, Derek,” Nova said. “I wanted to see you again so badly…!”

“And seeing you was an answer to my prayers, Nova…” Derek said as he kissed the top of her head. “I’ll get you in the Intercept operator’s seat in my plane…your helmet and combat knife are in there with your belt. We found them.”

As he helped Nova into his Zero, he said, “You may have to help me spot targets after all. I see Gamilon planes coming in…great!”

“We’re gonna have to fight our way out of this, Derek?” Nova said in a woozy voice as she put on her helmet and other gear and slid her combat knife back down her boot against her thin knee sock.

“Damn straight. You ready?”

Nova nodded. “Booting up the targeting computer now…”

“Let’s go!” he yelled. “Conroy! Get your bunch up now!” Derek yelled before he shut his canopy and put on his helmet. “This is gonna be a mess!”

“Reading three bandits at nine o’clock,” Nova murmured as Derek took off.

“GO!” Derek snapped as he took off at high speed into the starry jungle night. “Guys! Bandits at nine o’clock! What happened to you down there, Nova?”

“A lot…too much…I met an Iscandarian renegade…Metzler was working through him,” Nova said. “He said all kinds of…weird things. Why can’t I remember them, Derek?”

“You have a lump on the back of your head the size of a silver dollar, that’s why!” Derek snapped. “I’d order you to keep calm and quiet, but we have no choice thanks to the Gamilons. Stop reading vectors if you feel too sick. Got that?”

“Roger that. Need pain meds later for this bruise on my jaw.”

“You need a new uniform, too.”

“Yeah. I like a sleeveless blouse but a sleeveless Star Force uniform sorta stinks when we’re flying,” Nova quipped. “Bandit at twelve o’clock high!”

Derek hissed a very nasty oath, but he flew up and took aim on the enemy plane and blew it to bits.

“I hope the Gamilons don’t blow their hive up,” Nova said. “Some of those Beemirans were actually decent to me. And we have more bandits at four o’clock!”

“I’ve got them in my sights…here we go!” Derek snapped.

He brought down two more planes.

Nova refused Derek’s order to go to Sickbay, and she followed him right onto the First Bridge of the Argo a few minutes later and took her seat at the radar from Natalie Fisher, who was now obviously pregnant. The crew had been buzzing about it for days.

“We’re takin’ heavy damage, guys!” Eager said as Derek took his place at Combat. “Missiles all over the place! I can’t even tell how many Gamilon ships are out there!”

“Seven hundred and twenty-three,” Nova said. “They’ve got destroyers, cruisers, carriers, battleships…”

Wildstar and Dash were firing the Argo’s main guns like crazy, but that was not stopping the onslaught as the Argo took hit after hit.

“Wildstar, are the Black Tigers back in?” snapped Captain Avatar.

“They are, sir.”

“Venture! Can we evade and warp out?” Avatar said.

“Sir, they have our escape path blocked,” Mark said.

“Nova! How long until they surround us?”

“Three minutes at their current speed,” Nova barked from her post, ignoring her bout of double vision. She even went up in Dash’s estimation, fighting at her post with obvious injuries and bruises and missing a sleeve of her uniform.

“Just enough time,” snapped Avatar as he coughed. “Orion! Transfer all energy to the wave motion gun! It’s our only shot!”

“Yessir, openin’ the circuit,” said Orion. The lights on the bridge dimmed.

“Wildstar, if we don’t fire in two minutes or take a direct hit to the bow, we’re finished!” Sandor snapped.

“Captain, the Gamilons are demanding our surrender so they can board us and bombard Beemira!” Homer said.

 “Tell them to go straight to hell!” snapped Avatar as Homer nodded.

“Gun chamber pressure increasing. At eighty percent now!” Derek said as he brought up the target scope. “Target is the Gamilon Fleet, dead ahead!”

“One minute to firing!” said Avatar. “Prepare anti-shock and anti-flash defenses!”

The bridge crew put on their goggles.

“Begin ten-second countdown!” Wildstar yelled. “Ten…nine…eight…”

“They’re starting to split up, Derek!” Nova cried. “NO! NOT NOW!”

“They won’t have time!” snapped Mark as Derek said, “Three, two….one…ZERO!”

“FIRE!” snapped Avatar.

“FIRE!” yelled Derek.

The wave motion gun fired.

The light, heat and blast were incredible.

When the energy surge faded, Nova reported, “No survivors. Entire Gamilon fleet annihilated!”

“Good job, Wildstar,” said Captain Avatar.

“Thank you, sir. May I give Lieutenant Forrester an order?”

“Be my guest,” said Avatar.

“Nova. Great job, and I love ya, but please get your tail to Sickbay. Like now?” Derek said.

“I’ll go if you walk me, sir,” Nova said with a shaky smile. “Love you, too,” she said as the bridge crew went “Awwwwww…”

“Wildstar, please escort the headstrong lady to Sickbay,” said Captain Avatar.

“My pleasure, sir,” Derek said as he saluted. He and Nova left holding hands.

TWO HOURS LATER…

Nova was lying in Sickbay in a nightgown smiling weakly at Derek as Doctor Sane stood at the foot of her bed with IQ-9 and berated her.

“I don’t know what kind of trouble you got into down there on that planet, young lady!” he snapped. “You came up here with an infected needle wound in your arm, we had to detox you from badly mixed Sodium Pentothal, you had a bruised jaw and two bruised ribs, and you’re staying here overnight because you have a minor concussion!”

“I had a couple of scrapes down there, but I’m fine,” Nova said.

“Fine? You and Wildstar are smiling at each other like lovesick laughing hyenas and you say you’re fine?”

“Doc, she’s a lot tougher than she looks,” Derek said.

“I did a good job protecting her, but she did a nice job protecting herself,” IQ-9 said.

“I feel bad about Angela,” Nova said.

“Hey. You’re not Supergirl,” Derek said, mussing up her hair a little. The bruise on her jaw was hidden under makeup. “We have a lot to discuss once they spring you from here.”

“Yes, we sure do,” Nova said.

Then, the door to Sickbay whizzed open.

Nova’s eyes went wide when Venla came in, followed by Queen Cecilia.

“How did you two get on the ship?” Nova said.

“I flew them back in your plane,” IQ-9 said. “The Beemiran in the dress is their new Queen, Queen Cecilia. She killed Queen Melina in one-to-one combat and broke off relations with the Gamilons.”

“Until they allow you to get to Iscandar and back to your Earth, that is,” said Cecilia. “Even then, I will not allow my subjects to be killed to produce more Royal Bee Jelly than we normally make for baby Queens. It is an honor to meet you, Miss Nova,” she said as Nova bowed to her in bed. “Venla and your robot both tell me you are a very brave and gifted woman, and a devoted follower of the Great Spirit. I see awesome things in your future if your Earth survives. In token of your bravery, I have ordered Venla to supply you with more vegetables and our special honey as well. Our friendship with you and your brave shipmates shall endure for a long time if all goes as you hope. I do have foresight, and I foresee, Nova, that you will one day return here and I will bow to you. You are special, and not everything that monster Alatar and his demon said about you were lies. Now, please rest. You did so much to help free us from Gamilon slavery, along with your brave Star Force friends. Fare thee well.”

“Fare well, Your Majesty,” Nova said. “If all goes as we pray, someday I will name a daughter after you. That is a promise.”

Cecilia held Nova’s hand. Then, she embraced Derek, Doctor Sane, and IQ-9 and left with Venla.

“Nova, visiting hours are over for you,” Doctor Sane said. “Wildstar, we’d better go. IQ-9. Stay with Nova and watch her vitals.”

“Okay,” Derek said. “Uh, could you guys turn your heads for a minute?”

Sane and IQ did, but IQ peeked as he saw Nova and Derek sharing a kiss. “They’re kissing, Doctor!”

“Out of here, Wildstar!” snapped Sane. “Out, out, OUT! This patient needs her sleep!”

Nova winked at Derek as Sane shoved him out and left.

Then, she was left alone with IQ-9. She looked at the robot and said, “That away mission was crazy, but it was a success. Thank you for helping, IQ-9. You’re such a dear friend.”

“Thank you,” he replied in a sad voice.

“Why are you upset, IQ?” Nova said.

“You said something about…having a child someday, Nova. Is that something most humans want?”

“Some don’t but if we live through this…I do,” Nova said. “Which reminds me, IQ. This is what I wanted to tell you before. Many humans hope to be parents and reproduce their kind for the next generation. I can certainly become pregnant someday like Natalie Fisher, but only with another human being, and I have that human picked out already,” Nova said with a blush.

“Is that human Derek Wildstar?” IQ-9 said morosely.

Nova blushed and said, “Yes. It is. Derek told me…if we make it to Iscandar he will propose to marry me then. I told him I intend to accept. You’re a dear friend, IQ, but I want to spend my life with Derek, and he wants to spend it with me. I mean, you’re very sweet, but I can’t accept your proposal of marriage. I’m sorry, but you can’t give me a child. Derek can.”

IQ was silent for a long time. Then he said, “I understand, Nova. But there’s no reason I can’t love you. Even if…it must remain forever unrequited. I will be back later,” he said as he quietly left.

Nova stared into space and she thought, No, IQ. No reason…

EARTH HAS 267 DAYS LEFT

POSTSCRIPT: PLANET GAMILON, A FEW HOURS LATER…

“Leader Desslok, we will have to allow you to subsist with our existing supply of Royal Bee Jelly and what we received from our last shipment,” said General Krypt. “The new Queen is adamant about refusing to work with us until we permit the Argo to travel to Iscandar and return to Earth unmolested.”

“She is, is she?” Desslok purred as he ate some Royal Bee Jelly on some toasted bread. “What happened to the fleet I ordered Lysis to send? The First Attack Fleet headed by General Von Moritz? Von Moritz did a great job laying waste to Alteria a few weeks ago after that unfortunate…rebellion there. Three billion rebels dead. No survivors. Then he also destroyed a Gatlantean Fleet on the way back. That’s why I sent him to Balan. How did he fail to wipe out a bunch of insects at Beemira?”

“The Argo was there, sire,” said Krypt as he began to sweat. “They took the initiative and destroyed Von Moritz’s entire fleet with their wave motion gun. There were no survivors. A magnificent counterattack led by Captain Avatar. If only we had men like him on our side, Leader Desslok.”

“What happened to old Count Alatar? We paid him well to disrupt things on Beemira. He was to assassinate Melina if we had trouble with her. The man is mercenary scum, but…very useful at times.”

“Apparently killed by a Beemiran and a female member of the Star Force, sire,” Krypt said. “Von Moritz sent images to Lysis from one of his fighter pilots before his demise. Blurry, and it is hard to see her face, but look at the build and hair, sir. Another Iscandarian.”

Desslok looked at the image. “Probably. What is the false name she goes under?”

“False name, sir? We picked up that her name was ‘Nova Forrester’, sir. What do you suspect?”

“That woman is Princess Astra of Iscandar,” Desslok said. “She evidently survived and joined their Star Force with short hair and that hideous gold Terron uniform. This complicates matters. At some point, she should be captured alive, if possible. I think Iroze can eventually handle it. And, tell me, why does this Royal Bee Jelly taste somewhat off? And I’ve never seen it having this red color before. It looks like Terron blood.”

“How could that be?” chuckled Krypt.

“I don’t want this,” Desslok said as he threw the jar at Krypt. “Get me another batch!”

“Yessir,” said Krypt, who thought, It is fortunate we never told him how the Beemirans…make the stuff.

TO BE CONTINUED….