Star Blazers: Time of Serenity

Chapter 14: Expected Surprise

Please note that Space Battleship Yamato and Star Blazers are registered trademarks of Voyager Entertainment, Inc. Star Blazers/ Space Battleship Yamato is copyright 2014 by Voyager Entertainment, Lejji Matsumoto and Yoshinobu Nishizaki. Star Blazers: A Time of Serenity is copyright 2014 by Jamie A. Tucker and is a fan-fiction as a personal hobby that is not intended to infringe upon the copyright holders of Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato. The Character of Paul Rosstowski is copyright 2014 by Fredrick P. Kopetz and is used with permission. The characters of Carrie Braun, Jake Tucker, Gamilon General Kilt, General Radlock, Col. Faust, Commander Luthar and Dr. Nelson Gramme are original characters developed by Jamie A. Tucker and are copyright 2014.

Scene 1: Expected Surprise

Time: March 2200

Place: Planet Pegasus

It has been a rather uneventful mission thus far as Conroy and IQ-9 team up for the operation of the new and larger balloon ship replica of the Argo. Earlier in the day, Wildstar had ordered a surveillance and reconnaissance mission in the southern hemisphere of the planet. Sandor and Nova had reported flying over what seems to be an abandoned Gamilon base hidden inside of a crater. The base lacked the necessary camouflage to ensure its concealment. The base seemed to have been abandoned long ago and its main runway and buildings seemed to be in good shape. Little does the Star Force know that Gamilon Pilot, Kristok and his RIO, Galak are manning the base in preparation for a mission to survey the activities of the Star Force.

“Are we about ready to carry out this mission, Galak?” asked the six and half foot tall, muscular Kristok.

“All of the equipment is checked out. Pre-take departure checks have been completed,” responded Galak as he walked underneath the plane’s left wing.

Suddenly they looked up. They heard the roar of the engines of another aircraft approaching the Gamilon base.

“Oh boy…the Star Force as arrived…take cover!” shouted Kristok as he jumped into the cockpit and started warming up the engines.”

Over the radio, a voice speaking in the Galmanian language was heard.

“Commandant Kristok, ist dies Veliz von Ruby eine Erlaubnis eingeholt zu landen!” said the pilot of the unknown aircraft. (Translation: “Commander Kristok, this is Veliz of Ruby requesting permission to land!)

“Veliz, Landeerlaubnis erteilt wird. Im Namen des Desslok Gamilon, wir begrüßen Sie auf der Pegasus Basis,” said Kristok over the radio as the plane made the final approach to the base’s only runway. (Translation: Veliz, permission to land is granted. In the name of Desslok of Gamilon, we welcome you to the Pegasus base.)

“Commander, why would General Kroltz send another plane out here. We’re only watching the activities of the Star Force not attacking,” said Galak as the plane touched the runway.

“I don’t know Galak. That pilot speaking in the ancient Galmanian language sounds like one of those Terran languages. It sounds a bit like the German language of Earth. That Voyager One space thing that led us to the Planet Earth told us a lot about the planet and it’s culture. Terrans are quiet weird to us as we are weird to them,” said Kristok.

The Gamilon Fighter plane landed and taxied up to Kristok and Galak’s plane. The pilot shut down the engines and opened the canopy.

“Captain Veliz! What brings you out to Pegasus?” asked Kristok.

“Gentlemen, the plans for the mission have changed…. quite a bit. You two are still to carry out your recon mission of the Star Force. However, you will go armed. Let’s go to hangar three to assign you to your fighter,” said the Captain as they walked towards the third building on the base.

“Why would General Kroltz change the mission?” asked Galak as they walked towards the hangar.

“General Kroltz wants to surprise the Star Force. They are getting quiet uncomfortably close to Gamilon. I will be joining you on this reconnaissance mission as an attempt to distract their fighters and you will be assigned to drop several bombs down the Argo’s smokestack. We don’t need what happened on Pluto to happen again,” said Veliz as he activated the power to Hangar three and opened the doors.

Inside the Hanger was a fighter plane in new condition that had been left abandoned after Gamilon left the base to carry out operations in other parts of the universe. The plane was already loaded with necessary weaponry and had the latest technology and propulsion systems.

“Men, this plane is an upgrade to our fighters we know currently have. You two will depart in this plane. One word of warning, the Star Force already has a balloon ship in the sky. Once you are spotted, I can almost guarantee you that you will be met by those pesky black tiger pilots.

“I’m sure their hot shot fighter pilot, Wildstar or Conroy will come out and play with us,” laughed Kristok

“How’d you know the names of Star Force Pilots? Have you ever personally met an Earth Pilot?” asked Veliz as he raised his eyebrows.

“Ha ha. I know about those two pilots because I’ve hacked into their radio communication systems during dog fights,” replied Kristok as he and Galak made preparations to take off in their new plane.

“You’re going to have to offer me some training on that. What all have you heard through that headset of yours?” said Veliz as he began to remove the air stair from the RIO’s position.

“We’ll if we get through this mission without encountering any resistance, We’ll make sure we’ll get you trained well in the art of hacking radios,” said Galak as he strapped himself in the RIO seat behind Kristok.

Kristok quickly made the last few checks around the front of the plane and removed the wheel chocks. He made his way up the air star and sat down in his seat.

“You are ready to do this aren’t ya?” said Galak.

“Sure am! It won’t take us long to get to the Star Force’s position. We will linger around there a while before we and Veliz do the deed of dropping a bomb or two down that smokestack. Ok…. let’s start her up and get out to the runway,” said Kristok as the engines began to roar to life.

Veliz quickly removed the remaining air star from the front pilot’s seat of the new plane. He marshalled the new fighter out of the hangar and on to the taxiway. Both men saluted each other as the plane passed Veliz.

Veliz ran back to his plane and started up his fighter’s engines. He placed his helmet on his head and locking his oxygen mask over his face. Both planes taxied to the runway holding point for takeoff.

“Kristok, can you read me?” said Veliz over the headset.

“Copy you loud and clear. I’m now lining up on the runway for takeoff. See you in the air, my friend,” said Kristok as he taxied the new fighter to the center line of the runway.

Kristok slowly advanced the throttles forward with the engines building up thrust, pushing the fighter towards its takeoff speed. Orange white flames exited threw the engine nozzle as the fighter rose from the runway performing a steep climb to the departure altitude.

“Kristok and Galak is away and departing for the mission point,” Veliz heard through his headset.

Veliz slowly advanced the throttle to full thrust. Within mere seconds, his fighter was airborne, climbing to the departure altitude that was planned for the mission.

Within a couple of minutes, the planes spotted the balloon ship.

“Veliz, I got radar contact. 85 miles bearing 3-2-5 degrees,” said Galak.

“Yeah... that’s the balloon ship they have in the air. Do not fire unless fired upon! Proceed with the mission!” exclaimed Veliz as the planes spotted the Argo’s balloon ship on the radar and visually.

It was only a matter of time before the alert came to the Star Force that company was coming.

Scene II: Unexpected Response

Time: March 2200

Place: Planet Pegasus/Space Battleship Argo

The bridge crew of the Argo took to their stations after the balloon ship was launched from the aft deck. Conroy and IQ-9 were at the controls watching the instruments making sure the drone ship was on the correct heading towards the abandoned Gamilon base. The video screen on the bridge lit up with the first views in the air.

“Wildstar, does that look like a Gamilon plane in the distance?” said Venture as he noticed the strange shape that seemed to be miles away from the drone ship’s position.

Wildstar watched in silence as he observed the shape making a decent through the atmosphere towards the destination of the drone ship.

“Nova, did you spot anything on the radar five minutes ago?” asked Wildstar as he looked at her.

“Just one blimp, Derek. I didn’t think nothing of it since there were a lot of birds flying in the area.” Nova responded as she flipped a few switches at the cosmo radar.

“Eager, did the pan-celestial radar pick up anything?” said Derek as he looked at Eager.

“I got the same thing Nova did. It didn’t seem like a hostile radar signature.” Eager said.

The drone ship continued on it’s course as Jake’s cosmo tiger was loaded on to the aft catapult.

“Jake to bridge...Alert Five ready to go!” said Jake Tucker who is flying his first mission in a cosmo tiger. It is a welcome break from running one of the Argo’s main shock cannon batteries.

“Copy that, Jake. We may have a situation unfolding. Stand by for further orders,” said Homer through his communications headset.

“Roger!” said Jake as he ran through his pre-flight checklists.

Sandor walks over to Eager and puts a few commands in the computer keyboard.

“What are you doing, Sandor?” asked Eager with a raised eyebrow.

“I’m going to see if we can get a better radar signature of that aerodynamic shape we saw. It would not surprise me if it was a Gamilon fighter or a reconnaissance plane.” said Sandor as he folded his arms after inputting commands into the system.

“Sandor, it looks like you are right. Nova, put that signature on the video display panel.” ordered Wildstar as the signal was translated into an image.

“Well, the Gamilons are up to something. There has to be something going on at that base.” said Dash as he pushed his glasses up his nose, looking at the video display panel above the bridge windows.

“Think we can get a few shells to that area and light it up?” asked Venture.

“Nope. That Gamilon base is a bit out of range for ordinary eighteen inch nuclear tipped shells,” said Dash.

Derek went to his console at the combat command station. He retrieved the microphone for the ship’s PA system.

“Attention...Sakamoto and Hardy, report immediately to the hanger and man your fighters. Sakamoto, prepare for alert five Take off. Hardy..back them up on alert ten!”

“I get the feeling...” Derek said before getting interrupted.

Two Gamilon fighters suddenly came into view on the balloon ship. A missile was fired by Kristkok at the drone ship coming within inches of destroying it. The radar scopes beeped with emergent activity that alerted everyone to a hostile situation.

“Jake, take off NOW!!!” shouted Wildstar through the headset.

The cosmo tiger roared off the catapult as Jake did several barrel rolls after taking off. He was quickly followed by Sakamoto.

“Jake, you’re going to get your first taste of a dogfight. Are you ready?” asked Sakamoto as he flew as Jake’s wing man.

“Damn straight...let’s do this!” said Jake as they both maneuvered their planes to the same altitude as the balloon ship.

Wildstar began to have sweat dripping from his forehead as he watched the action from the bridge. He looked at Nova and Eager.

“How are are those planes from us?” he asked.

“Two hundred and fifty nautical miles, bearing two-six-five,” said Nova as she looked from the radar screen at Derek.

“Is Hardy on the catapult yet?” asked Wildstar.

“Yes, sir he’s ready to go, “ said Homer from the communications station.

“Sandor, send a radar jamming signal to both of those planes. I don’t want them getting near the ship.” Wildstar said as he watched the action.

“Jake, you get that plane closest to the balloon ship. I’ll go after idiot in the other plane.” said Sakamoto through Jake’s headset.

“Roger that.” responded Jake as he lined up for the potential shot.

“Let me switch to guns. I want to scare the daylights out of him.” thought Jake.

“Kristok, you got a bogey on your six!” shouted Galak.

“Captain Veliz, get to the Argo. I got a bogey on my six and I can barely shake him off!” shouted Kristok as his plane barrel rolled to avoid getting hit by tracer bullets from Jake’s plane.

“Take out that drone ship, Kristok! Don’t engage that fighter until you’ve taken out the drone ship!” ordered Veliz as he began his decent to the Argo only to be met with Sakamoto flying on his wing tip.

Veliz looked to his right and was shaken to see Sakamoto on his wing. The Gamilon fighter lurched from side to side and barrel rolled as white hot laser streaks fired from Sakamoto’s plane.

“You coming to do some harm to my buddies?” Veliz heard through his headset.

Veliz broke off his attack run and began to engage Sakamoto in a fierce dog fight. Veliz punched the throttle forward and pulled back on the control stick hard causing the plane to accelerate into a steep climb. Sakamoto followed suit this time firing the first missile of the dog fight. The missile missed it’s target as Veliz arched his plane to the right and began a steep negative G dive.

“Arrrgh...this Gamilon’s good,” sneered Sakamoto in frustration.

Wildstar watched from the bridge as he witnessed the balloon ship take out a missile fired from Kristok’s plane.

“Jake, you need help with that idiot?” radioed Hardy from the catapult.

“Not yet, but he will be history soon!” replied Jake through Hardy’s headset as he maneuvered the cosmo tiger for another shot at Kristok.

Jake and Kristok maneuvered their planes through barrel roles, steep climbs and inverted negative G dives that resembled acrobatic planes showing off at an air show.

“Arrrgh, I can’t get a shot on this guy!” said Kristok to Galak.

The balloon ship was now fifteen nautical miles from Jake’s position. He set up his next shot by performing a steep climb as Kristok followed his every move in an attempt to take him out.

“Missile number one away!” said Galak as the air to air missile was fired from the Gamilon plane towards Jake’s cosmo tiger.

“Wildstar, this is Jake. That missile missed me. I am afraid his aim is to take out the balloon ship! Have Conroy or IQ-9 fire up those mini pulse lasers and give that Gamilon pilot some hell.” said Jake as he radioed the Argo.

“Conroy...open up fire from the balloon ship on that Gamilon plane. Jake needs a little bit of help.” said Wildstar as he radioed the command to the third bridge.

“IQ-9...on my mark open up both sides of pulse laser batteries on the Gamilon plane’s next pass,” said Conroy as he maneuvered the ship in a sixty-five degree turn.

“Target acquired!” replied IQ-9.

The balloon ship fired it’s mini pulse laser batteries from its starboard and port side spraying a hail of red hot tracer rounds at Kristok’s plane. Several rounds tore into the top of the plane’s fuselage setting off alarms in the cockpit.

“Kristok, we’re hit! That balloon ship is ARMED!!” shouted Galak as the plane momentarily lost control.

“Great job, Conroy and IQ-9!” radioed Jake as he set up his cosmo tiger for the final shot.

“Veliz, this is Kristok. I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be in the fight. I’m loosing control of my plane and I’ve been hit by the drone ship. Be advised...it’s armed to the teeth!” said Kristok as he began to regain control of his plane not realizing that Jake was setting up for the final shot of the dogfight.

“Take out that Terran Pilot and then take out the drone ship. I’m sending a message back to the fleet that more assistance is needed,” said Veliz as he kept avoiding all the shots thrown at him by Sakamoto.

As Kristok leveled his plane out from a free fall, Jake set up the perfect shot as he was headed right towards him the starboard side.

Jake fired two missiles which swiftly left the pylons underneath the wings. The result was a massive fireball that engulfed Kristok’s fighter instantly killing him and his RIO.

“I’m done for. Kristok and Galak are gone,” thought Veliz as he continued to evade fire from Sakamoto.

“Return to base at once!!” Veliz heard through his headset.

Sakamoto maneuvered his plane into position for a final shot. He switched his weapon options to missiles in preparation to send the Gamilon pilot to the eternal time.

“I have got you now, Gamilon. Send this message to Desslok!” said Sakamoto as he pulled the trigger on his control stick.

The missile hit Veliz’s fighter in the left wing tearing it to shreds. Veliz made several attempts to eject from his plane only to find that the ejection system was no longer working due to the hit. The fighter fell from twenty thousand feet hitting the solid ground of Pegasus landscape in a blazing ball of fire instantly killing Veliz.

“Wildstar, this is Sakamoto. No more enemy planes sighted within the area.” he said as him and Jake made course corrections to head back to the Argo.

“Guys, remain on station in the area for at least another hour. Conroy and IQ-9 will check out that abandoned Gamilon base with the balloon ship,” ordered Wildstar.

Back on the Argo, Conroy and IQ-9 continued their mission of surveying the abandoned Gamilon base. They flew the balloon ship for another hour and reached the base.

“Wildstar, all repairs to the ship are final. We are ready to depart at anytime,” said Sandor as he and Orion walked through the elevator door after completing a quick survey of repair work.

“Does that include repairs to the Wave Motion Gun?” asked Wildstar.

Sandor nodded in the affirmative. The elevator door to the bridge opened again a few minutes later. Ensign Rogers, a galley attendant brought lunch along with coffee and other beverages for the bridge crew.

“Wildstar, We have located the Gamilon base. One fighter is seen on the tarmac. No signs of anyone in the area,” reported Conroy from the third bridge.

“Ready smokestack missile tubes!” ordered Wildstar.

“Sandor, are we far enough way to launch an atomic strike on that base like we did with those Gamilon bases on Pluto?” asked Wildstar.

“Hmm...I have something else in mind. That Gamilon base is more than 250 miles from our position. Although, it may take me a while to perfect this but what do you think of the idea of a wave motion cartridge?” asked Sandor as he gave Wildstar a diagram.

“Wave motion cartridge? You mean an eighteen inch main battery shell containing one-third the power of the wave motion gun?” asked Nova with a raised eyebrow.

Wildstar, Sandor, Venture and Nova studied Sandor’s diagram in silence. Sandor presented mathematical equations that explained the physics of such a weapon.

“Sandor, the math you presented sounds plausible. I’m sure you did some rechecking to make sure you came to the right solution,” said Nova as she studied the mathematical equation.

“How long will it take to produce one shell and energize it with wave motion energy?” asked Wildstar.

“It would take less than twenty minutes for the dynamic do-all to produce the shell and electronic sensors. We can fill the shells with wave motion energy from within the gun turret itself. I would suggest firing the shell from the middle gun in battery number one. I’m thinking that we can pack a very destructive punch without any radioactivity and harming surrounding ecosystems. I got this idea after the battle at the Rainbow Star Cluster. Wave motion cartridges...if proven effective can be a very viable alternative to the wave motion gun if the gun is out of service.,” said Sandor as he folded up the diagram and placed it in a blue portfolio.

“As acting captain, I will authorize this as a test operation. If it works, we can see if we can get authorization from the Earth Defense Command Council for further testing once we arrive back on Earth. Sandor, program the dynamic-do all and give us two shells instead of one. Two tests in one can verify its effectiveness and prove your theory as fact,” said Wildstar.

“Sakamoto and Jake, this is Wildstar. You are ordered back to the ship immediately!” said Wildstar through the pilot’s headset.

Both cosmo tigers left their patrol areas and headed back to the Argo. The balloon ship loitered above the abandoned Gamilon base capturing photos, video and other intelligence over the space of two hours.

“Conroy and IQ-9...send a self destruct signal to the balloon ship. You are dismissed upon destruction of the balloon ship,” ordered Wildstar from the bridge.

“Roger that!” replied Conroy as IQ-9 sent commands to the balloon ship.

Two minutes after the balloon ship received the destruct signal, the balloon ship exploded resulting in a fireball that lit up the sky over the Gamilon base.

The Argo’s machine shop consisted of all sorts of the tools of the trade. Everything from maintenance to damage control equipment was stored in this shop. Chief Petty officer Neville Royster was in charge of the daily operation of the ship’s machine shop. Everyday there was always something for the machinists to manufacture whether it was a part for a cosmo tiger or a sheet of titanium metal to replace damaged parts of the ship’s hull. Royster called the room to attention as Wildstar, Sandor and Nova entered the shop. Royster exchanged salutes with the visiting officers.

“At ease, Royster. How are your men doing here in the shop?” asked Sandor as they walked towards the dynamic do-all machine.

“Everything is well, sir. Wildstar...Nova...welcome to the machine shop. Any request you may have, he will have it ready for you within the space of thirty minutes to an hour,” said Royster.

“Very well. Royster, I understand you attended Space Fighter’s Academy attending the non-commissioned officer’s school. I’ve seen your academic record and was very impressed with the certifications you’ve earned since graduation,” said Wildstar as he shook Royster’s hand.

“Thank you, sir. What brings you guys here to the shop?” he asked as he scratched the back of his head.

“I would think the answer to you question would be classified. What I can tell you is that your group commander has all sorts of ideas to to make the ship fight more efficiently. That’s why we are here,” said Wildstar.

“Royster, we are going to test a new shell for the shock cannons. Could you please find these sensor parts for me in department B1-D3? I will program the dynamic do-all to produce what we need and then get them up to turret #1 for the test,” said Sandor as he began to power up the dynamic do-all and key in the appropriate commands for the production of two eighteen inch shells.

The group watched as the machine fabricated the metal from two sheets of steel and titanium metal. The internal parts of the shell included the inserts for the sensors and internal compartment which would contain the transfer of wave motion energy. Ten minutes later, the first test shell codenamed Alpha Striker emerged from the dynamic do all. Sandor and Royster inserted the sensor plugs into the shell. Alpha Striker was loaded on a transfer cart to a near by elevator to the first turret.

“Wildstar, the first shell is ready to go. The second shell, Bravo Zulu will be completed in fifteen minutes. I programmed the dynamic do-all a little differently for the second shell to accommodate a larger amount of stored wave motion energy,” said Sandor as they watched the manufacturer of the second shell.

“Wildstar, you have a call from the Captain’s quarters,” said Nova as she handed him the communications phone.

“Yes, Sir!” said Wildstar as he spoke into the handset.

“Wildstar, what’s the update on the repair work. Dr. Sane also informed me that we were nearly attacked by the Gamilons,” said the weakened Captain who only recently made Wildstar his official executive officer.

“Sir, the repair work is one-hundred percent complete. Sandor says we are able to depart Pegasus at anytime. Most of the crew are completing their liberty time. We also have one more mission planned before we do depart,” said Wildstar as he conversed with the Captain.

“That mission is...” said Avatar as he was concerned that he wasn’t routinely since he slept through most of the stay on the Earth like planet.

“There are two ships that are very similar to the Iscandarian ship that crashed on Mars. Sandor and I have planned to lead an expeditionary mission to investigate those ships and to see if there are any survivors in that area. Those ships are less than twenty miles east of our position. As for the Gamilons...they are history. Lieutenant Jake Tucker and Sakamoto engaged two Gamilon fighters that were enroute to commit a hostile action against the ship. The dogfights lasted no more than forty minutes at the most, sir.” said Wildstar as he gave his report.

“Very well. I will retire for now. Please keep me informed as to the health of the ship and crew. Dr. Sane is here with me administering routine care. Thank you, Wildstar,” said Captain Avatar as he ended the conversation.

“Wildstar, the second shell is ready and sensors are plugged in,” said Nova as Derek hung up the communications phone on the wall.

Nova and Wildstar walked over to the dynamic do all. The three officers gave the shell a final inspection and sent it on up to the turret.

“Ok, let’s get back up to the bridge and test these two. I’m confident this will work.” said Sandor as the three walked towards the elevator to the bridge.

“Sandor, can we have a third shell to test as well? Why not fire all three guns in the test? A triple punch is better than two,” said Wildstar as they arrived at the elevator.

“Royster, keep these programs safe and top secret. We need a third shell for the test as a control factor in case the other two fail. Can do you do that for me?” asked Sandor as he handed him a chart containing the programming code for the dynamic do-all.

Royster nodded in the affirmative saluted the three officers as they made their exit.

“Great job, Royster! Keep up the excellent work,” said Wildstar as he patted him on the right shoulder.

Up on the bridge, Dash monitored the number one main battery as the experimental shells arrived to the gun breach. Eager monitored the weather for signs of pattern changes as well as signs of enemy presence in the skies.

“Venture, Jake is back at the number one turret ready for action,” said Dash as Venture assumed command of the bridge while Wildstar was in the machine shop.

“Very well. Tell him that all personnel must exit that turret out of safety precautions for an experimental test. We will control the turret from the combat station,” said Venture as he noticed some crew members leaving the main forward deck for positions in general quarters.

“Bridge to turret one, Jake have all your personnel evacuate the turret for safety precaution for an experimental test. Report to the galley for chow time,” said Dash over the intercom.

“Gotcha, Dash! We’re leaving now,” replied Jake as he motioned his men towards the turret exit.

Five minutes later, Wildstar, Nova and Sandor arrived back on the main bridge. Nova took her station at the cosmo radar while Sandor sat down at the mechanical engineering station. The trio monitored their instruments and worked their calculations for the test.

“Derek, no enemy planes are sighted in the area. All is clear for the test,” said Nova from the cosmo radar station.

“Thank you, Nova! Dash load the three cartridges into the guns. Sandor...transfer energy to the shells and release the connection,” ordered Wildstar.

“Roger, Wildstar,” said Sandor as he pushed a couple of buttons to send the command for the energy transfer.

Wildstar set the angle of fire into the ship’s central computer system which related the commands to the turret. The first main battery turned ninety degrees to the port side as the guns aimed at an angle of 85 degrees.

“Wildstar, energy build up complete. The wave motion cartridges are now officially hot!” said Sandor.

“The deck is all clear, Wildstar!” said Venture as he sat at the navigation command station on the bridge.

“Eager, Nova...Any sign of the enemy?” asked Wildstar as he held the firing button in his left hand.

The radar beeped three times alerting Eager of a potential bogey.

“I got that too, Eager!” said Nova from the Cosmo Radar.

“Huh?” asked Wildstar with a surprised look.

“Wildstar, I thought Jake and Sakamoto took care of those Gamilons.” said Venture with a sigh.

“Three planes headed right in the direction of that base!” said Eager as he put the radar signature on the video display panel.

“They are Gamilons alright!” said Wildstar.

“Dash, prepare turret number two for firing. Same heading and angle of fire,” ordered Wildstar as Dash sent commands to the turret.

“Start the ten second countdown!”

“Ten…, nine...eight...seven...six...five...four...three...two...one...FIRE!!!” shouted Wildstar as he pushed the button.

The number one turret fired all three guns expelling three live wave motion cartridges. The blazing fire of attack lit up the deck like the noonday sun.

“Wildstar, the cartridges are on target! Time to impact 35 seconds,” said Sandor as he monitored the test from the mechanical engineering station.

The Gamilon planes proceeded on course to land at the abandoned Gamilon base. Little did the pilots know that they were about to no longer see the light of day. The wave motion cartridges reached their apogee and began a ballistic decent towards the base.

The southern sky lit up brighter than the sun as the first cartridge made it’s impact on the base’s runway. The blast caused the three Gamilon fighters to be caught up in the shock wave that essentially destroyed all three fighters as they made their final approach. The second cartridge hit the tarmac making an impact crater three hundred yards in circumference and four hundred feet deep. The third cartridge hit what was left of the air control tower and hanger reducing the entire base to a smoldering and half vaporized ruin. As the Argo’s sensors picked up the blast wave and other data, Sandor monitored and made calculations of the tests effectiveness.

“Wow!!! That’s much more powerful than the nuclear tipped smokestake missiles we used on Pluto,” said Wildstar as he walked over to Sandor.

“Ok...here’s the preliminary data. The firing of those cartridges is a success. The range is pretty much limited to three hundred and fifty miles in a planetary setting. So I figure in a vacuum environment, wave motion cartridges can travel at least a thousand mega meters to its target. This would make a very effective back up option in case the wave motion gun were to be severely damaged and inoperable,” said Sandor as he monitored the incoming data.

“So, what you’re saying is that we can hit something with a blast yield of at least three megatons per cartridge without radiating the surrounding environment,” said Nova as she stood beside Sandor on his right.

“That is correct, Nova. Preliminary data suggests that with all three cartridges we essentially pulled an ancient Castle Bravo test without radiation and negative impacts on the surrounding area twenty-five miles outside of ground zero and with much less energy,” said Sandor.

“Castle Bravo?” inquired Dash as he moved his glasses up his nose.

“You never heard of Castle Bravo, Dash? Castle Bravo was a nuclear test that was carried out by the former United States in the year 1954. It was the most powerful bomb ever detonated and it was also seriously miscalculated resulting in a radiation accident,” said Sandor as he looked at Dash.

“Dash, if you had taken nuclear physics or studied the history of nuclear warfare prior to the war with the Gamilons, you would have heard plenty about that awful test,” said Nova as she handed him a note that contained a book title for him to read.

“The good thing is that our calculations and theories are proven correct. Remember, great power comes with great responsibility. That’s why we only use the wave motion gun only when it’s absolutely warranted,” said Sandor.

“Sandor, please keep all of this test data stored in the ship’s central computer system. I will report to Captain Avatar on the effectiveness of this potential weapon option,” Wildstar said.

“Do you see further development on this technology?” asked Venture.

“Yes, most definitely. When we get back to Earth, I will make formal research and development request to General Singleton which will include data captured during this test,” said Sandor as he began to type a formal report that will be sent to Captain Avatar and stored in the ship’s central computer.

“Sandor, make sure you get some printed copies of that data for me. I’d like to be of assistance to further develop this technology,” said Nova as Sandor continued typing.

“I will definitely keep your offer in mind, Nova,” said Sandor as he completed his report.

Wildstar walked back to the combat station and flipped the switch to the public address system.

“Attention all hands! We are now in condition green! All hands may continue their normal watch and off duty activities,” said Wildstar.

The ship’s crew resumed their normal activities such as dining in the galley, playing cards or working at their primary duty station during their watch. As the sun set over the Pegasus horizon, a peaceful serenity began to return to the ship. Little does the Star Force know that General Kroltz is planning a trap for the Star Force. Hurry Star Force, Earth needs the Cosmo-DNA or radioactivity will cause all life on Earth’s underground cities to cease.