Star Blazers-A Voyage to Remember Ch. 27

STAR BLAZERS: A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER

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

Frederick P. Kopetz

EPISODE TWENTY-SEVEN: “A BATTLE OF HONOR IN RAINBOW CLUSTER” (Part Two)

Special Thanks to KaijuDirector for his guidance and editing advice in several scenes regarding his original character of Erich Nishizawa, whom he has graciously allowed me to use in this chapter.

Note: Some parts of this chapter are rather…gory. Such is battle. -- Freddo

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

Time passed.

Five…ten minutes.

“One minute to power for the wave motion gun,” said Neil Holloway over the 1MC near Sandor’s post.

“Good. Keep working it.”

The doors at the aft part of the First Bridge whirred open.

Nova came in, in a fresh gold and black shipboard uniform, looking very sheepish.

Avatar looked at her. “What happened?”

Nova sighed. “Sane and I had a fight about his drinking and his deciding to send Fisher out into the ship as a medic in spite of her condition. He threatened to have me court-martialed, made me do push-ups, and said I was relieved of duty in Sickbay for now.”

“He and I need to have a serious talk if we survive this,” Avatar said.

“What are you doing back up here if you were relieved?” Derek said.

“Derek Wildstar. We are in battle. I needed to do something!” Nova snapped.

“Okay, you have no argument from me. Take your station. Hope they fix your screen soon.”

“Thanks,” Nova said with a slight smile. “I hope Natalie’s okay. I’m worried.”

“Prayer is a good idea, Nov?” Derek said with a smile.

“Yeah. He like…seems to listen to you,” Venture said.

“It sure is. Thank you,” Nova said as she shut her eyes and began to address the Deity in silence behind the radar.

“You’ll have power to the wave gun in thirty seconds,” said Holloway from below.

“Wildstar, Orion, make the preparations,” said Avatar.

On the Omega, Borka took off, flying towards the area before Lysis’ flagship.

“In position!” he said.

“ACTIVATE SMITE!” laughed Lysis.

The SMITE units went off, and the drill missile bomber vanished.

One, two, three seconds passed.

On the Argo, Orion said, “Beginning to transfer all power to the wave motion gun!”

“Open the circuit!” snapped Wildstar.

“Opening the circuit,” said Orion.

The low, ominous hum of the energy charge began to resound through the hull of the Argo.

Captain Avatar was the first to put on his anti-flash defense goggles.

God, give us one minute. That’s all I ask, he prayed urgently. One minute to escape this hell.

Then, Borka’s plane appeared right in front of the Argo with a blinding flash of light.

“What the hell?” Derek said as he stood up with his goggles in his hands.

“What’s that?” barked Venture.

“My God, when does this nightmare end?” Nova cried.

Borka fired the drill missile.

It flew true, flying a quarter of a megameter.

Sandor was breathing incredibly hard.

Venture’s hands shook.

Eager was kneeling on the deck in open prayer.

Nova looked at the missile in shock, standing up behind her post.

She slipped, fell, painfully hit her knees on the deck.

Dash, trying to bring a little humor to the dark situation, said, “Hey, Nova! Never knew you could do a split like that!”

“Can’t you ever be serious, Dash?” she cried back.

“Stop being a jerk!” screamed Homer.

Then, the missile hit.

The entire ship shook with the impact.

“I thought we were done for,” said Venture.

“It must be a dud,” Wildstar said. “All that happened is that it’s in the wave motion gun muzzle. I can shoot that stupid thing out!”

“Wait. The missile is turning,” said Sandor.

And the drill missile began to turn.

It went right through the safety lock and breached the inner works of the wave motion gun.

Down below, in the firing room, Holloway yelled, “All hands to the upper decks! That thing could explode any minute!”

People began to run, but then, something shocking happened.

There was the sound of rapid footsteps, a scream out of nowhere, and suddenly, a burst of energy like a bright pink flame, looking like, all things, a lightsaber from some movie, appeared from nowhere and swung at Holloway.

He died with his head cut off.

A random Chief from Technical fired at the area where the pink flame was.

Ten poisoned needles came from nowhere and pierced his body; and he was the second to die.

The invisible footsteps crossed the room, and a Gamilon sapper charge was thrown against a panel.

There was an explosion, Three more men were killed.

The footsteps faded as Lady Iroze ran down a passage, smiling to herself.

She expected to die in the attempt, but for the next twenty-four hours, the treasonous Iscandarian killer and favorite bed-toy of Leader Desslok would lead a reign of terror throughout the Argo.

Iroze, with the fully developed senses of her people, knew that Desslok had given her a special gift ten days ago.

She was carrying his child; a child who, like her, was a suicide soldier doomed to die for the Empire.

TEN MINUTES LATER…

Sandor and IQ-9 made it into the wave motion gun firing room with a cherry picker cart.

“I am reading that it has a one-megaton nuclear warhead, Sandor,” IQ-9 said. “And it is armed.”

“Chief!” yelled another man.

“What is it? Why do we have an intruder alert up?” Sandor demanded.

“Someone…we think she’s a woman…she’s invisible. She came out of the missile, sir, took off Holloway’s head, killed Chief Hasegawa, and she blew the manual firing panel with a charge, sir. We have to find that bitch!”

“If it wasn’t for the dead bodies, I’d ask you if you were hitting the sake’, McCloskey,” said Sandor. “One thing at a time. I want to reverse this thing and get it out of the ship! IQ, give a hand!”

“Yessir!” he said.

He and Sandor stepped into the drill missile.

“This is Sandor,” he said over a radio to the first bridge. “For some reason, the Gamilons left the control room to this nuclear missile open. IQ-9 are going inside, and we’re going to try to reverse it and get it to back itself out! Tell Royster to get our radar and sensors fixed!”

“Acknowledged, Sandor,” said Avatar with his microphone in a shaking hand. “Good luck. You are in our prayers, my friend.”

“Thanks,” said Sandor.

Borka came in for a safe landing on his carrier, and he reported, “General Lysis, mission accomplished. Timer set for ten.”

“Ten minutes,” said Lysis. “Excellent. Volgarr, connect me to all commanders.”

“Yessir,” he said.

Lysis picked up his microphone. “All hands. This is Lysis. The drill missile has been planted aboard the Argo. It will explode in nine minutes now. I request that the Omega lead a final barrage upon the Terron vessel to make certain they remain helpless and to relish our victory by kicking their arrogant faces into the dirt of their soon-to-come graves. The rest of you, great job. We will soon be in position to view the fireworks as the Argo blows itself apart. Then, we shall celebrate.”

Outside around the Argo’s bridge tower, crews replaced the radar aerials and began to rewire the damaged circuits.

“How are you doing with the drill missile?” said Captain Avatar.

“Still trying, sir,” said Sandor.

“We have six minutes,” said IQ-9.

Then, outside, the Omega approached and began to fire straight at the Argo.

Blasts of pink fire roared out into space and battered the space battleship. One of the crews at the port side radar aerial was killed, and their work obliterated as the Omega’s fire slammed right into the ship.

Another barrage hit the Argo’s aft portion.

Eight more men and women were killed.

In Sickbay, Yurisha hit the deck and was knocked out again as she carried Natalie into Sickbay. Sane and three other nurses got Natalie onto a bed and realized what was happening.

“Doctor, she’s in labor,” said Michelle Sakamoto. “I can’t stop it. We have to do a Cesarian and deliver the baby. He’s also injured. Gestational age, just over six months.”

“He might live if we get him out soon,” said another nurse.

“Let me do this myself,” said Sane in a very subdued voice as he realized something; this whole situation was his fault.

He shut his eyes and thought, Maybe I should resign for the rest of this voyage. Nova has a much clearer head than I do. She has better hands and vision, and she seldom drinks. I screamed at her, but she should be doing this job…

The Omega fired again, again, and again at the Argo.

“We need to finish those repairs, Sandor!” Avatar said.

“Almost there, sir,” said Sandor.

“Four minutes left,” said IQ-9.

Time passed.

Finally, IQ-9 grasped two wires. “Sandor. It’s turning! Three minutes left!”

“Okay, let’s clear out of here,” said Sandor as he and IQ-9 jumped out of the missile.

The drill missile backed out of the wave motion gun and reversed thrust.

It was heading right towards the Gamilon Fleet.

One minute to explosion.

Captain Borka stood aghast as the missile blasted towards his ship.

It hit his bridge tower right as the timer went off.

BOOM.

The Omega was destroyed, and Captain Borka was dead.

The nuclear fireball expanded.

The Eliasite and her captain and crew perished next, followed by the last surviving tri-deck carrier.

Lysis’ flagship was battered and blown away from the fiery doom of his carriers.

He got to his feet, hearing numerous damage reports.

“Missile launchers out.”

“SMITE system inoperative.”

“Auxiliary engine number two is out.”

“Gestcham drive is out, sir!” said Lysis’ Chief Technical Officer.

“Our entire fleet is destroyed!” yelled Volgarr. “And the Argo survived. They will want revenge!”

Lysis looked at his Technical Officer. “Commander Varal. What do you recommend?”

“We are down to depth charges and the self-destruct switch, sir,” said Varal. “I recommend we contact the Argo and request terms for surrender. Sir, we lost. We cannot face Leader Desslok again after this.”

“You’re mad!” hissed Lysis. “Disloyal and mad! All of you! Well, we have depth charges and the self-destruct bomb? We shall use them.”

“Sir?” said Volgarr.

“I am not about to become a Terron prisoner of war trusting in the mercy of the Star Force,” said Lysis. “I would have liked to see my wife and son again, but that is not possible. Maybe I can share a drink with Avatar and his resourceful crew in Hell after we are all dead. In death, we are all equal. In death, we are all comrades.”

“I am taking command of this vessel!” yelled Varal as he aimed his sidearm at Lysis. “Send the Argo our request for…”

“Oh, you be quiet! I have heard of Terron women who have more bravery than you!” said Lysis as he drew his sidearm and shot Varal through the heart. “Anyone else in the mood to die without honor?”

No one answered.

“Good,” said Lysis with a smile. “Volgarr, take a straight heading for the Argo!”

The flagship headed off.

On the Argo, Royster was sitting in an observation post in the bridge tower.

He spotted the Gamilon flagship roaring at the Argo.

“Captain! We have one Gamilon vessel left!”

“What the heck are they doing?” Derek snapped.

“They’re…they’re buzzing us!” Mark said.

“Looks like he’s bent on ramming us!” said Homer.

“He looks suicidal!” Nova said. “Sandor? When am I getting the radar up?”

“Two minutes, Nova,” said Sandor.

“If I can get gun turret “B” working, I can get him!” Derek said.

“Our best hope is to evade,” said Avatar. “Fly into the cloud of gas. Perhaps they can’t track us there!”

A random voice came over the 1MC. “Captain Avatar. Your quarters are repaired. There was damage but they are habitable.”

Avatar nodded as pain hit his chest again. Is this it for me? He thought. I would have liked to see if we survive this…but…

They were now two and a half hours into the battle.

Lysis said, “We have a sonar reading on them? Great. I can see you, Argo, but you can’t see me!”

“Drop charges!” said Volgarr.

Depth charges flew from Lysis’ flagship down towards the Argo.

The Terron space battleship rocked hard as the charges exploded around her.

“Space depth charges!” snapped Wildstar. “Fire smokestack missiles!”

He and the gunners fired, but they missed Lysis’ ship.

“Cease firing,” said Lysis. “We will go under their hull and place our self-destruct bomb against their third bridge structure. I want to talk to them before the end,” said Lysis. “They deserve that much. They fought well. They almost won.”

The flagship flew up under the Argo.

“Radar is back up!” said Royster over the 1MC.

“No!” Nova said. “The Gamilon ship is right beneath us!”

“What are they doing?” said Avatar.

“Locking on to us?” Nova said.

“Hey! There’s something on the screen,” said Wildstar.

Once again, they looked up, and Lysis’ face reappeared on the Argo’s screen. “Crew of the Argo. I am fluent in your language,” said Lysis. “I am Field Marshal Erich Lysis, as I told you when I sent all of you my challenge. I am the one who has been fighting you. You have done well, but now, it ends.”

Avatar stood with some effort. “Field Marshal Lysis, I am Captain Abraham Avatar, commander of both the ESS Argo and of the First Star Force. You have fought well, but you have lost to us. Lysis, do you desire to negotiate terms of surrender?”

“Not unless you do, Captain,” said Lysis. “I have my suspicions, but I must ask you why you have intruded so far upon the territorial space of Gamilon. We consider your presence in the Great Magellenic Cloud a threat to our survival.”

“We have been forced to fight you many times, Lysis,” said Avatar. “Even if you refuse our offer to surrender and accept our aid due to the damage to your flagship, I am going to advise you that our voyage is not one of aggression. We seek to save Planet Earth. We have been in touch with Queen Starsha of Iscandar. I request that you overlook our presence and grant us safe passage…to Planet Iscandar. On Iscandar they are promising us a means to save our planet. I am sure with the damage to Terra repaired; we can come to a reasonable peace. We are not that different, you and I.”

Lysis’ mouth fell open. She is giving them the so-called Cosmo-DNA? So that’s what these barbarians want. Very clever, Avatar. Starsha, why do you stab us in the back? We need Cosmo-DNA…to heal Gamilon. You promised Desslok. Damn you, Starsha, you traitor! Do they have a right to live? If so, it is lesser than our own right to live. And I cannot allow them within sight of Gamilon.

“I cannot permit it,” said Lysis. “I need not tell you the reasons, Avatar. I must say that you are a brave man. But as you have a mission, so have we. You will return back to your Galaxy at once and find a means to your survival there. Will you leave?”

Avatar shook his head.

“You have chosen your end, then,” said Lysis. “So be it, old man. I have a bomb against your hull. It is inside my flagship. In ten seconds, it explodes. Glory to the Gamilon Empire and glory to the brave people of Terra.”

Lysis grasped a handle and disappeared from the screen.

Avatar took the microphone. “All hands! Lysis has placed a bomb against our keel! All hands to the upper decks! Secure Bridge Number Three from the blast!”

Men and women ran out of the Third Bridge structure in a panic.

Lysis shut his eyes. I greet thee, Sweet Death, he thought.

The bomb exploded.

Screams filled the Argo as much of the keel was blown out.

The burning wreck of Lysis’ flagship was blown away from the Argo.

Right before he slammed his head against a console into unconsciousness, he realized that Lady Death had eluded his embrace, that his ship was perhaps fatally damaged…

…And that the Argo was afire from stem to stern, but she still lived.

The Star Force still survived.

On the First Bridge, as they coughed and smelled smoke, fire, and burning insulation, the bridge crew, Wildstar first, lifted his head.

We lived through that? He thought. NOVA! Are you alive? He said to himself as he saw she was not at her post.

Then, he heard her coughing. She was putting out fires with one hand, and helping Captain Avatar up with the other hand, but his fiancee’ was alive and well.

Even though she looked like a total mess again.

“How’s the ship?” he barked at Sandor.

“Auxiliary engine one is out. Keel badly damaged. We don’t have a third bridge anymore. But we still have power, Wildstar,” said Sandor. “We can still move.”

Wildstar heped Eager to the radar. “Lysis is gone,” Eager said after scanning. “I read a big load of debris. The arrogant cowpoke is finally deader than a doornail,” Chris said with a smile.

“The Captain is barely breathing, Derek!” Nova said.

“Get medics up here…that’s your bailiwick, Peppermint. But nice job today. Expect a Distinguished Service Cross for today; you, Venture, Sandor, and Erich!”

“I wonder how Natalie is?” Nova said after medics came up. “I hope she’s not in danger…”

AN HOUR LATER….

“She…she what?” Nova said, stunned by what she found in Sickbay.

Sane was sitting in a chair, drinking more sake’ and crying. “She had her son, Nova. He was born prematurely. And it’s my fault. All my fault….” He sniffed. “I should resign my post. I totally wrecked this.”

Derek stood beside Nova, stunned. “Michelle, how is the baby?”

“Not good. His lungs are diseased,” Sakamoto said with a sob. “I called for Robert Turner. He deserves a chance to meet his son…before…”

“Before what?” Derek said. This was totally out of his league.

Nova was listening to the tiny boy’s chest with a stethoscope. “Before…before he dies. I don’t know how he’s going to…make it…”

Robert ran in.

“What did you want?”

“That’s…that’s your son,” Nova said. “He’s very weak. Natalie went out in the ship. Doctor Sane’s orders. I…”

Then, to Derek’s utter rage, Robert looked at his pale wife, then at the weak baby, and he lashed out at the nearest target…Nova herself.

He picked her up by her collar like a rag doll and slapped her in the mouth. “YOU DIDN’T STOP IT? YOU UNFEELING ROBOT!!!”

“No, no, NO!” Nova cried with blood streaming from her mouth as Derek made fists. One more swing at Nova, and Wildstar was ready to break his neck. “I tried to stop it, Robert! I know a pregnant woman can’t run around this ship in battle! I risked a court-martial to keep her down here, and safe! Sane overrode me, but Natalie volunteered. She went out on her own…and now we have…this. Please put me down?”

“Or what?” said a grief-stricken Turner.

“Or I will punch your front teeth down your throat!” Nova cried. “Not that I want to. I like you!”

Robert set Nova on her feet and hugged her hard. He began to sob. Derek then embraced both Nova and Robert as tears ran down his cheeks.

Nova and Derek sobbed back as Sane sat drinking himself senseless. Sane collapsed a moment later into a drunken sleep fueled by his own guilt.

They heard an alarm at Robert Junior’s crib.

They jumped up and Robert Senior grabbed his baby boy’s finger and watched as he coughed, wheezed…and the light of life left his eyes.

Robert howled in grief, holding the baby, as a sobbing Nova signed his death certificate.

Robert Turner Junior had lived for only ninety-one minutes, the smallest and youngest casualty of Lysis and the Battle of Rainbow Cluster, and the most innocent.

SIX HOURS LATER

One hundred and thirty men and women were gathered in space gear on the foredeck of the Argo, which had left Rainbow Cluster behind.

There were seventy-nine coffins on the foredeck. All of the dead that they had been able to gather up from the battle.

Most of the Black Tigers and many men and women were drifting dead in space; their bodies unrecoverable. All in all, ninety-one members of the Star Force had died in battle.

Derek Wildstar and Mark Venture stood guard together beside the coffin of Lieutenant Neil Holloway, slain by Lady Iroze.

Behind them stood Robert Turner, accompanied by Nova. Both of them stood vigil by the tiny coffin of Robert Turner Junior, no rank. Natalie Fisher had not been advised of the birth and all-too-short life of her son.

Doctor Sane was suspended from duty again. He sat in a cell in the Brig this time. He had been advised by Paul Rosstowski that he would stand Captain’s Mast tomorrow before both Avatar and Wildstar.

Captain Avatar, weak, very weak, stood in his spacesuit on top of one of the Argo’s battered gun turrets with Father Likanski behind him as he haltingly gave some comments.

“Today, my comrades, we have won a great battle. But the cost was very high. Ninety-one of us died today. Maybe half of our original crew still lives today. Much has taken place. But we cannot give up. We have too much to do, all of us. We must remember we all belong to the Star Force, and to each other. We must soon dry our tears, even though not all tears are an evil. We must repair this great vessel by repurposing the scrap metal we were able to recover from our enemies’ ships. What a strange chance it is that our enemies’ vessels will now give us a new lease on life. We must say farewell to our friends, and even remember the gallant sacrifices of our enemies. Indeed, we are lying three Gamilon kamikaze pilots to rest with our crew with full military honors. Lysis, wherever you are, please remember we bear you no hatred. You fought to the end as we did. Father Likanski, you have the last words.”

Father Likanski watched Yuria and Toru holding hands over the casket of a comrade, and he recited, “For all those we now lay to rest. Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen and Amen.”

“Honors. Music,” coughed Avatar.

A few sharpshooters began to fire salutes as the crew members assigned to the dead marched stiffly forward to the rail, each casting a weightless casket into the cold of space as music began to play from the 1MC over their headsets.

See the girl, she is waving to you….

A scarf, so bright and red….

As you race into the blue…

She is waving, waving to you…

As you travel on your way…

And night, turns into Day…

You will carry, in your heart…

Memories of that Bright Red Scarf….

The crew then stood in silence, saluting together as the caskets drifted off into space.

Then, Nova and Homer marched forward, and snapped to attention, standing alone.

Homer raised his hands in the ancient gesture of a kohen and he recited, in Hebrew, the Aaronic Blessing over the Argo and over the dead, who drifted among the stars.

Then, all alone, Nova shut her eyes and began to sing, solo and a capella, How Great Thou Art, her sweet, somehow sad voice a slight balm over the wounded hearts of those who had lived.

Then, there was silence as the caskets drifted away.

Captain Avatar then said, “These proceedings are ended. Now on to Iscandar.”

Captain Avatar coughed, hard.

He was very dizzy.

Except for a few occasions, after this evening, he would retire to his cabin and his bed, barely able to walk.

He watched as Wildstar confidently barked the commands calling the crew to attention.

My young friend, my foster son, you are leading us now, my Deputy Captain…Avatar thought as tears ran down his face. You did well today. God be with you. Even if I die tonight, the Star Force is now in good hands with a new young leader. I am at peace at last. You have indeed survived your baptism of fire, Derek Wildstar. With the bravest woman I have ever met at your side.

There was an about-face.

Wildstar called cadence as if he had been doing it as a grizzled Captain for years.

The crew marched back into the ship.

Somehow, they had lived.

They had lived.

PLANET EARTH HAS 214 DAYS LEFT.

TO BE CONTINUED….