THE MIDNIGHT HOUR

A Star Blazers short tale

By Frederick P. "Freddo" Kopetz

Thanks to Gail Kopetz, Jamie Tucker, "Yuki Wildstar", Tom Szcepkowski, and “Anonymous Reader” for support and ear-bending.

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ACT SEVEN: THIRTY SECONDS TO MIDNIGHT

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I. HORROR

Dark Nebula Empire Space Battleship Magriades

Lower Landing Bay

The Edge of the Sirius Star System

May 29, 2214

0820 Hours: Earth Time

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“WHY DID YOU DRAG ME HERE FROM THAT SPACE FORTRESS?” cried Richie Hartcliffe as a Dark Nebulan trooper hit him in the back with a whip.

“You’re going to see more of your friends die before we show you to the Star Force as an exhibit just before we blow your brains out!” snapped a Dark Nebulan officer.

Then, he saw his friend Shelley, another little girl, get shot through the head. The trooper kicked her body to the deck and said, “Leave it there…let’s make a nice show of this!”

“Next?” yelled another officer.

“Shoot her mother!” said the officer.

“No…please…don’t…I’ll do whatever you want!” begged the tearful woman in a white sweater and brown skirt before the officer shot her through the head as well. She screamed and then was still.

“Should we get the boy next?” said the officer as he put a blaster against Richie’s head.

“Leave him until we can contact the Argo,” said the officer. “I understand they’re somewhat…busy…” he said with an evil laugh.

“You’ll leave him until WHEN?” said a giant of a man who appeared from nowhere.

“Where…where did you come from?” said the head officer.

“Thin…air!” said Grimslade Halleck as he paced towards the Dark Nebulan officers. All eight officers had blasters pointed at him a moment later.

The huge Pellian nodded and raised his right hand.

Using his psi-energy, Halleck threw two of the Dark Nebulans against the bulkhead, breaking their metal spines.

Before they could react, Halleck had whipped a gravity saber out of nowhere (actually a pocket dimension around himself) and he fired two shots through the heads of the Dark Nebulan troopers.

Then, Halleck said, “Does anyone else care to try me? If not, let me leave with the boy, and I’ll leave your destruction to my Queen.”

“Queen who?” hissed a Dark Nebulan, who didn’t say anything else a moment later as Grimslade leaped over to him, howled like a wolf, and decapitated him with his saber.

Then, before they could react, Halleck ran to Richie, picked him up, and vanished into thin air again just as the Dark Nebulans fired their weapons at him…some hit each other.

“Ralnoz, what the hell is going on?” said a Lieutenant in the room.

“Simple tricks and games…he has to be somewhere on this ship…he…”

“He has returned to his ship!” said a female voice from out of nowhere. Then, a moment later, Nova’s image appeared in front of them, from out of nowhere. She was still holding a hand to her bleeding eye, but she ground her teeth as she said, “And, as he just promised…your ship is finished! Dash! The Dark Nebulan Battleship in front of us! Hit them now!”

Then, Nova’s image faded out as the Lieutenant laughed. “We know their main guns can’t pierce our armor…they…”

A moment later, before they could shut the landing bay hatch and raise shields, two shells slammed into the room and hit the bulkhead behind the Lieutenant.

“What kind of damned stupid weapon is that?” snorted the Lieutenant who ran up to the shell to spit on it.

Unfortunately, a moment later, the wave motion cartridge from the North Carolina went off in his face! The other cartridge blew, as well, and a moment later, the Magriades was history as it blew apart from the inside! Then, the same thing happened to two more Dark Nebulan space battleships, which also blew apart since Nova had used her power to open their landing bay doors from afar to allow wave motion cartridges to blow them apart, along with two others that the Argo took care of in a similar fashion as the enemy ships were launching fighters.

Then, the R’Khell vessels nearby gathered themselves into a battle line to fire upon the North Carolina, the Argo and their battleships and cruisers.

The combined task force fought back, firing shot after shot at the R’Khells as the Argo and the North Carolina slugged it out at far range against the R’Khell forces, with the entire task force following Admiral Wildstar’s lead and warping out and then in again into the heart of the enemy force as the enemy ships fired.

Derek’s mind met Nova’s, and they both nodded.

Nova then ordered, despite her pain, “Fire at the enemy! ALL guns! Take them out before they can regroup!”

And, that is exactly what Dash and Dayliss did, working as one to blow the enemy to kingdom come as on the Argo, Rosstowski was doing the same thing.

When Admiral and Commodore Wildstar were finished with their onslaught, nothing was left of the enemy force except the single Gorba.

The whole gun duel had taken just seventeen minutes, but in those seventeen minutes, the Showboat would become just as famous as the Argo herself, and as famous as the Arizona as she warped in and aided the Star Force and the crew of the North Carolina in their onslaught.

On the North Carolina, so many cheers went up on the bridge that Nova smiled in spite of the pain in her eye, where she had wrapped a second improvised dressing torn from the lower half of her ascot.

The Argo called in again, and Derek said, “Nova, what the HELL do you think you’re doing?”

“Fighting,” she said through gritted teeth. “I just finished off several enemy battleships for you, space cowboy!” she snapped.

“When are you going to Sickbay?” Derek said.

“Either when the battle is over or I pass out from loss of blood!” Nova said. “If the latter happens, I gave Dash orders to carry me to my Sickbay.”

“I feel your pain,” Derek said. “Literally, through our Bond. It feels like there’s a hot poker in MY eye!”

“Good description,” Nova gasped.

“Okay…” Derek said, admiring his wife and Commodore’s sheer willpower. Something told him it was just the adrenalin keeping her going for now...and maybe some Matrix energy. “The question here…how do we…?”

“Derek, Ekogaru’s going to listen in on this channel, even encrypted as we’re doing now. I have a plan in mind…send to me and let’s put our heads together and see what…”

…we can do about that damned Gorba, Nova said inside Derek’s head.

Derek nodded and he and Nova began to discuss a battle plan quickly even as the screen went off.

“When are you bringing in that Black Hole Fortress, Rosskovsky?” Ekogaru demanded through the cyborg Count Prencov.

“The ship…is still damaged,” Rosskovsky lied.

“I wanted to distract them with a major attack while you picked them off bit by bit, leaving the Argo and North Carolina as the last two ships so I can get those accursed Wildstar youngsters wearing Flag Officer coats, drag them here, and begin to assimilate them into my ranks as soon as possible as cyborgs!” Ekogaru roared. “Never have I met such an incompetent race as yours!”

“Lord, we are sorry,” said Rosskovsky.

“LORD, WE ARE SORRY!” Ekogaru said sarcastically right back through his cyborg. “I give you one hour to get your ship repaired and into this battle, or I shall attack you myself!” Ekogaru roared.

“We will do that,” said Rosskovsky as he cut off and then sent an encrypted call to Abdulov…psionically, through the honest R’Khell R’jkharraz agent Vlaner.

“What is it?” Abdulov’s voice said through Vlaner’s mouth.

“I think it’s time to execute our plan,” said Rosskovsky. “It’s easier, now, since Ekogaru’s actually here in the system aboard that vile Dark Nebulan Fortress of his.” He paused, and Vlaner added, “A Pellian General named Grimslade Halleck and I worked together to get a surviving hostage off one of their battleships before the North Carolina finished her off. It’s the little boy.”

“What did they do with the other hostages?” said Rosskovsky.

“Dead,” sighed Vlaner. “At least we saved one. But we have an issue. The Tsarina is hurt. I can feel her pain from here. I need to go aboard her vessel to render some treatment. If I may leave…”

“You can,” said Rosskovsky. “Abdulov and I know what to do.”

“Thank you,” said Vlaner. “God’s blessing be upon you, Rosskovsky.”

“And upon you, too,” whispered Rosskovsky as he kissed Vlaner on both cheeks before the red-cloaked R’Khell vanished.

Vlaner appeared on the North Carolina’s bridge a moment later.

After Dash and the others got their wits about them, the R’Khell agent found himself in a ring of EDF sidearms.

“No, it’s okay!” Nova said. “I know him! He’s on our side!”

“What the hell?” snapped Dash.

“Ma’am, you have to be kidding,” said Haanen and Elkins as one.

“I’m not, ladies,” Nova snapped. “Mister Vlaner, why are you aboard?”

“To share intelligence and help heal you, ma’am,” he said.

“I could use some help with pain relief and stemming the blood flow,” Nova said as she stood up, shaky on her feet. She leaned against her panel panting with the effort as Vlaner ran over to her. Nova and Vlaner prayed together, and then the R’jkharraz priest put his hands on Nova’s head and used his energy to staunch the blood flow and relieve her pain somewhat.

At the same time, Nova also received the intelligence he had to share about the Bolar commanders changing their allegiance away from Ekogaru.

Nova smiled and grimaced in pain, but she said, “Very good, my friend…very good,” to Vlaner as the young man held onto Nova’s board along with Nova as the North Carolina made a hard turn. The heating system at Nova’s post came up, and Vlaner felt welcome warm air against his bare legs under his red tunic and cloak. Nova smiled a little at the same blast of warm air against her bare legs under her skirt. 

“I did what I could, Nova,” he said softly.

“Thank you,” Nova replied. “To get my sight back in this eye, I’ll need surgery. Stay here. In case Ekogaru tries to play games, I could use your help.”

Vlaner nodded. “Grimslade can leave his ship. Do you need him on the Argo to shield your husband?”

“No, Sasha of Iscandar is there, and she can do it,” Nova said as she shakily sat back down. “Dash, ready another volley of wave motion cartridges. Derek is doing the same thing on the Argo. Derek and I agreed that we’re going to get them through the heavy armor on that thing by opening up one of those hatches on that fortress…” Nova said.

“Who’s going to do that?” said Dash.

“I will,” Nova said. “I….”

Then, a moment later, the North Carolina was battered by a blizzard of particle beam fire from the Gorba.

The Argo was peppered with the same blizzard as the ship was hit over and over again.

“Main gun turret number two hit!” yelled Rosstowski from his post.

“Port side bow thrusters hit!” cried Holly Venture from her post.

“Port side auxiliary engine out!” said Diane Sandor from Engineering. “They just blew the SMITE projectors off the ship, too!”

“We are in a massive mess!” Derek barked. He thought to Nova, would you hurry up and get those damn hatches open on that Gorba?

Can’t do…it…she sent back. Knocked onto the deck on my head…beginning to black out…

NOVA! Derek sent.

Vlaner’s on the ship, and he’ll…do…it… Nova sent. Love you…I…

Derek gritted his teeth, feeling Nova passing out. Their bond was intact, meaning she was alive, but not in very good shape.

“What’s wrong?” Sasha yelled, feeling her uncle’s pain herself.

“Nova’s hurt bad…and we have to depend on a R’Khell to carry out our attack plan,” Derek said. “He’s on our side…but…”

“…but what?”

“I hope we can trust him!” Derek barked as there was an explosion and Rosstowski was knocked to the deck.

Derek got up and checked his pulse. “He’s out and he’s bleeding! IQ-9, get a med kit!”

“On my way,” said the robot. “I’m also calling Doctor Sane and the medics via radio.”

The Argo shook from another hit. Derek pulled off his peacoat and stepped over Paul to sit down again at Combat himself.

Sandor yelled, “Wildstar! We can’t take this kind of damage! And the North Carolina is hit far worse than we are!”

“I’m not giving up!” Derek snapped. “Even if I have to ram that thing myself and get Venture to fire his wave gun through our ship into that thing! If Nova survives this, she’ll understand why I gave my life and why she’s a widow! If not, she’ll be waiting for me at the Gates of Heaven. Holly, turn us around…Homer, connect me to the Arizona so I can order him to wipe us and that Gorba out, I….”

“The hatches are opening!” yelled Sasha.

“Vlaner, thank you!” Derek said. “Ready working main guns! Adjust angle fifteen degrees… FIRE!”

At that, the Argo’s main guns went off.

Cataracts of fire blasted out of the guns as six wave motion cartridges blew into the Gorba.

Thanks to Dash carrying out Nova’s orders, the North Carolina also fired six cartridges of her own.

On the ship, Ekogaru knew what was going to happen as soon as he heard the shells slamming into the ship.

He phased himself back to R’Khell’eva and abandoned his Dark Nebulan allies as the Gorba blew apart.

On the North Carolina, in the meantime, all was chaos.

The main Cosmo-Radar station was blown to bits. Porsha Elkins was dead.

Peale was gravely wounded, moaning in his seat as he now had a hand up at his own eye, which had been blown out.

Bando and one of the ship’s robots; a fairly new black Ninth-Class named Cooper were both working like mad to put out the fires.

Cooper looked over at Nova as Dash and Vlaner ran to her side.

“Mister Bando!” said Cooper in his whiny, somehow arrogant voice. “Explain to me why the Captain is not functional! Her bleeding all over the deck is ruining my schedule! I wanted to discuss my model train layout with her after the battle!”

“She’s wounded, you damn hunk of bolts!” snapped Bando.

“What a shame. She’s the only other railfan aboard this ship of fools and imbeciles!”

“I’m sure if Nova comes to, she’ll spend hours with you in Sickbay discussing the Alco PA locomotive!” snapped Dash as he picked Nova up, remembering a very bizarre conversation between the robot and the Captain that the Skipper had actually tolerated!

He thought he would need Vlaner’s help, but he was a little shocked at how light the limp and unconscious Commodore Wildstar was in his arms. She was very slender, almost frail…which surprised Dash because when she was in full command of her faculties, Nova had the will and heart of a young lioness.

We’ll get you fixed up, ma’am, Dash thought as he handed Nova off to two medics who had appeared with litters for her and Peale. If this doesn’t work, Admiral Wildstar’s gonna kill me, he added to himself.

Then, Dash turned back to the battle, stepping around Cooper, who said, “I have to make a shipboard agreement! Everyone on this bridge will have to sign it when this stupid battle is over, even the Captain!”

“Would you be quiet?” snapped Haanen. “We have ten more Dark Nebulan ships coming at us on my radar, you idiot!”

“I thought we got them all!” Dash snapped.

“It appears…” said Haanen, “That we did not!”

Then, a moment later, the Bolar Black Hole Fortress warped into the battle scene.

Rosskovsky fired his weapon…aiming at the Dark Nebulan ships!

Five of the enemy ships vanished into nothingness as black holes appeared behind them and sucked them in.

To the surprise of Admiral Wildstar, Commodore Venture and Dash aboard their appropriate ships, Admiral Abdulov’s fleet warped in among their ships, and for the first time ever, Bolars and Terrans were firing at the same targets as one while Grimslade Halleck assisted the three Terran commanders and Admiral Abdulov in finishing off the enemy fleet.

A moment later, Admiral Abdulov called up Admiral Wildstar.

Derek saw him on the screen and said, “Were you the Bolar Commander who assisted us?”

“Da, I am,” said Abdulov. “I am Admiral Abdulov. I fought your spouse a few days ago and was taught a lesson by her. She helped me see that we were being deluded by the Dark Lord along with many others, so I came here to assist you. May I request a truce between us, you and I, for now?”

“I never thought I’d say this to one of your people, but thank you,” Derek said. “Your request for a truce between us and your forces is accepted. Just don’t try anything funny, my friend!”

“Good. We have to do something about the cyborgs Ekogaru sent aboard our Black Hole Fortress,” said Abdulov. “We will need to take them out in a surprise attack…so he won’t and can’t take control of my compatriot Admiral Rosskovsky’s Fortress again.

“Give me some time to repair our damage, Admiral,” said Derek. “We’ll talk again in nine hours. Are you safe for now?”

“Admiral Rosskovsky advised me that he had the cyborgs Ekogaru was acting through put in his brig aboard his ship. If I may ask, how is your lovely wife?”

“Wounded and in surgery,” sighed Derek. “My Doctor Sane is leaving our ship now in a shuttle to assist the North Carolina’s young doctor in the operation.”

“I never believed in any God before,” said Abdulov. “But that might change now. Do you think my prayers for your lovely Commodore would be heard?”

Derek was taken aback, and he said, “Thank you, Admiral Abdulov. I think they’d certainly help.”

“Thank you; we shall talk again soon,” said Abdulov.

At that, the transmission ended.

And, on that note, the First Battle of Sirius was over at 0915 Hours Earth Time. It was a complete rout for the enemy.

Ekogaru was stunned on how well the Combined Force had fought back.

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II. RECOVERY

Space Battleship North Carolina

Earth Date: May 29, 2214

1912 Hours: Earth Time

Commodore Nova Wildstar woozily came to in her Sickbay, cleaned up and dressed in a white nightgown, and her Captain’s hat, with a blanket over much of her body. She was cold.

“How’s your left eye?” said a familiar high-pitched voice near her as Nova turned her head and saw Doctor Sane grinning at her, along with Derek.

“Well…it feels sort of weird, and the vision is blurry,” Nova said. “My head hurts a bit, but it’s not as bad as it was before. She felt her own face and said, “No scars?”

“None,” said Derek. “You look as pretty as ever, Nova.”

“Thanks,” Nova said with a blush. “Can someone tell me what’s going on with my left eye? My vision’s blurry and it feels…sort of strange!”

“I’ll tell you,” said Doctor Sane, “But you might be a little shocked,” he said as Nova grabbed her husband’s hand. “You took a licking in that battle, Nova! In the course of the battle, your face and your left eye were both wounded. The damage to your left eye was so bad that we couldn’t save the natural eye and you needed two units of blood! The left eye you’re seeing out of now is a bionic one, Nova. We made it match up with the right eye that you still have. Your vision is uneven, and it will be that way for a few days. There are glasses beside you on the bedside table that you can wear to compensate until your new eye syncs up with your existing one. Then your vision should be one hundred percent normal again!”

“Oh, NO!” Nova said as she shut her eyes and began to sob. “Derek…do you love me as much as ever even though I have some…mechanical parts now?”

Derek embraced her and then tenderly put her glasses on her face. He kissed her nose and said, “Yes, I do. I think that’ll help, won’t it?”

“It does help,” Nova said. “Thanks. What else is in your hands, Derek?”

He then stood up and said, “On my authority, Commodore Nova Wildstar, I have awarded you a decoration for your bravery in this campaign, and especially in light of how you fought hard in the battle here near Sirius, wounded, disregarding your own welfare, but fighting your ship until your loss of blood made you collapse. In light of that bravery and valor, I again award you the Earth Defense Forces Sunburst of Honor; your third; the first earned in September 2200 when you turned on the Cosmo-DNA and saved the entire Iscandar Mission, and your second, earned in November of 2201 when you confronted Leader Desslok and defended me. I have recommended you for other awards, including the local Order of the Kite for Japan and the local Congressional Medal of Honor for the United States. Congratulations, Commodore,” Derek said as he opened the box and tenderly put the EDF medal around his wife’s neck. “You earned this, Nova. Nice work.”

“I’m a little…overcome,” Nova said. “Derek, I just did my duty…Did Mark get one of those awards?”

“He sure did,” Derek said.

 “I’m so glad to hear that!” said Doctor Sane with a big grin as he sat down with a fresh bottle of sake’.

“Especially, Nova, because every time you earned one of those medals, you’ve damn near killed yourself!” Sane then barked. “What’s wrong with you? Do you have a major death wish?” he screeched in his squeaky voice. “You’re an MD now, you should KNOW BETTER! Unless you’re getting as stubborn as your husband! Then I should smack your heads together! You two are just as bad as the other one!”

“Doctor, please,” Nova sighed. “Derek, stick up for me? You get it!”

“I do, Nova. She did what she felt she had to do, Doc!” snapped Derek. “That’s the way Nova here is wired, and even though she has a knack for danger…I don’t think I’d change that aspect of her personality if you asked me!” Derek said.

“Thank you, Derek,” Nova said.

“You’re welcome, my tenshi-chan,” Derek said, smiling as he called her his angel in Japanese.

Cooper, the Ninth Class Robot took a picture of a stunned Nova sitting up in bed that would soon be on the front page of most newspapers and news websites on Earth twenty-four hours later.

“Those glasses become you, Commodore,” said Cooper. “When can you and I discuss the technical aspects of the Alco PA passenger diesel? Five reproductions of that locomotive have been built since the Gamilon War! Don’t you agree, Commodore Wildstar, that the new Lehigh Valley Number 612 is the prettiest thing in existence, other than yourself?”

“Yes,” Nova said with a blush. “Doctor Sane…Doctor Bixley, when can I get out of bed and get dressed? I have a ship to run!”

Doctor Bixley then said, “Well, Nova, give yourself a night down here, and you should be clear for duty tomorrow morning.”

“Good,” Nova said.

“When can we discuss building a new train layout aboard this ship?” asked Cooper.

Derek rolled up his eyes at that one.

“After my husband leaves,” Nova said as she squeezed Derek’s hand.

THE NEXT DAY…

What remained of the bridge crew on the North Carolina applauded as Nova walked back onto the bridge of her ship hand in hand with Derek.

“Captain on the Bridge!” snapped Dash. “Admiral on the Bridge!”

“As you were,’ Nova said as she adjusted her glasses. “Dash, I don’t recognize the lady at the radar…since we lost Miss Elkins in the battle.”

“Ma’am, introducing myself,” said the young woman with straight dirty-blonde hair as she stood up and saluted. “Ensign Penelope Wolowitz, ma’am. It’s an honor to serve on your bridge, Commodore Wildstar. I’ve always admired you. Meeting you is like a dream come true, ma’am.”

“Thank you, Miss Wolowitz,” Nova said as she returned her salute. “Is your panel operational?”

“Yes. Ma’am,” Penny replied. “Bando and two electrician’s mates made repairs while you were in Sickbay. I helped a little. My Major at the Academy was Engineering.”

“Engineers are lower forms of life than physicists, Penny,” said Cooper as he appeared on the bridge, trundling up on his treads. “I don’t think any woman has the mental acuity to be a physicist!”

Derek glared at the black robot, but Nova said, “Derek, I’ve got this!”

Nova walked forward and said, “Mister Cooper, are you aware of what my college majors were?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Cooper. “Your major was biochemistry. I almost feel sorry for you.”

“You’re partly correct,” Nova said. “I was a dual major at UC Boulder. Biochemistry…and physics! You owe me an apology, and you owe Ensign Wolowitz an apology. Then, you need to stow your misogyny,” Nova said as she sat down at her post while doors whirred open and an enlisted man brought her a bento box of sashimi. “Sorry I have to eat at my post, ladies and gentlemen. I sort of missed lunch.”

“Mind sharing?” said Derek as he brought a chair over and sat down beside Nova at her Captain’s post.

“I’d gladly share my lunch with you, Admiral,” Nova said with a smile in her eyes. “Dig in, Derek,” she said as she handed Derek a pair of chopsticks. Derek smiled and both of them began to eat after they quietly bowed their heads and said Grace over the food.

Cooper watched the Wildstars eating together, and he said, “Commodore, ma’am. I’m sorry about the comments.”

“Thank you,” Nova said between bites. “Now go apologize to Ensign Wolowitz,” Nova said.

“Miss Wolowitz, I apologize for my comments,” said Cooper. “They were rude and ill-considered. It’s not your fault that you’re a…”

“That I’m a what?” snapped Wolowitz.

“I was going to add a further comment, but since it looks like the Commodore is about to throw a rice ball at me, I’d better not! Have a good day! Toodles,” he said as he ran off.

“Nova, he’s weird,” said Derek as they ate. “Is he better or worse than IQ-9?”

“Worse,” Nova said.

“Why?”

“He’s a stuck-up, snobbish, misogynist hunk of junk that should have been recalled by the factory,” Nova said.

“Yeah, who programmed him, anyway?” Derek added.

“Someone who likes early 21^st century sitcoms?” Nova said. She shrugged and continued eating with her husband.

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TO BE CONTINUED….