Star Blazers: A Time For Serenity
Chapter 13: The Order to Rebuild
By: Jamie A. Tucker
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 2014by Fredrick P. Kopetz and is used with permission. The characters of Carrie Braun, Jake Tucker, Gamilon General Kilt, General Radlock, Col. Faust, Commander Luthar Dr. Nelson Gramme, President William Paul and Gen. Elisha Eisenhower and Dr. Berkovich are original characters developed by Jamie A. Tucker and are copyright 2014.
Scene 1: The Order to Rebuild Earth
Place: Earth Defense Headquarters
Great Island, Underground City
Date: March 24th, 2200
In the Earth Defense Command Council conference room, the remaining World leaders from The Asian Union, North American Union, European Union, Union of Socialist Russian States and surviving Middle Eastern Union leaders met for the first time in more than 10 years since the Gamilons started bombing Earth with radioactive cobalt planet bombs. Each union had five representatives who were flown in on EDF Cargo Planes to Great Island’s Haneda underground spaceport. The last CS-17 plane lands at the underground space port were carrying a small delegation from Israel, the only country that has not been affected by the Unification Wars and Gamilon’s planet bombing.
To so many, Israel has been the nation of mystery after it miraculously survived a double invasion from the Russian-Islamic alliance nations and The Asian Union in the later part of the 21st Century over its small tract of land the size of New Jersey as well over its coveted Mount Moriah where thousands of years ago stood the Ancient temples of Solomon and Herod and the site where Abraham nearly sacrificed his son, Isaac.
The Israeli delegation is met by General Singleton and North American Union’s General Secretary, United States President William Paul and NORAD’s Supreme Commander, Gen. Elisha Eisenhower. The CS-17 taxis to ramp 35 where the delegation is waiting. The aircraft’s engines are shut down as the plane’s rear ramp door opens with the Israeli delegation ready to disembark. The Israeli delegation disembarks from the CS-17 surrounded by a small contingent of IDF soldiers armed with semi-automatic rifles.
“Good morning, Dr. Berkovich. Welcome to Great Island and Earth Defense Command Headquarters, “said President Paul as he extended his hand for a handshake.
“Thank you, President Paul. It is an honor to meet you face to face finally. We owe you a debt of gratitude for your military assistance during the Unification Wars. However, what Gamilon has done to our planet is beyond human comprehension. They are total barbarians that must be stopped at all cost. General Singleton and Commander Eisenhower, thank you so much for your service in defense of our planet,” the Israeli Prime Minister said as the four men exchanged handshakes.
The man next to the Prime Minister caught Eisenhower’s eye. A seventy-four year old, four-stared General reached out and shook Eisenhower’s and General Singletary’s hand.
“I’m General Moshe Chaikin, IDF liaison to the Earth Defense Forces,” the General said with a smile.
“You’re a fighting legend. I know you fought gallantly during the battle of the Temple Mount during the last days of the Unification War. Your experiences and lessons were taught by a great number of officers in War College years ago,” Gen. Eisenhower said.
The men continued on the conversation as they walked up to the elevator that lowered them more than two miles under the Earth’s scorched, barren, radioactive surface. Gen. Singleton pressed the button sending the signal to lower the men to their destination.
“General, I thank you for your compliment. I have seen and experience so much in my life time that I believe it will take a thousand books to tell the complete story of my life.” The Israeli General paused and added,
“But even to this day, I have seen Elohim, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the God of my forefathers continually and fiercely protect my nation. The German Empire of the 20th Century, War for Independence in 1948 in which we became a nation overnight, The 1967 Yom Kippur War, The revived Ottoman Caliphate along with the Russian-Turkish Invasion, both world wars of Unification could not destroy Israel. Gamilon has tried but they have ultimately failed. I’ve come to the realization long ago, that if any country attacks my people or our land; history has shown time and time again that horrible judgments have befallen our enemies. I would not doubt that Gamilon and the planet’s leaders will come under some kind of judgment,” said General Chaikin.
The other men stood in complete silence as the elder General recounted the history of Israel over the last 250 years. The three men have read the reports and seen the evidence. Not a single evidence of damage or death was found in Israel that was a result of Gamilon’s atrocity. Now they are hearing it in person. From one who has fought, sacrificed and served with dignity and honor, General Chaikin was no ordinary general. To Singleton and Eisenhower, Chaikin outranked them in stature, wisdom and experience. Chaikin’s six-foot still muscular frame still filled out his olive green uniform. He sported an old black Beretta .9mm on his hip. Numerous ribbons were emblazoned on his right breast to signify that he was a well decorated soldier, an example for all young men under his command.
The men stepped off the elevator quietly after hearing General Chaikin’s speech. The small entourage was met by a small contingent of Space Marines led by a muscular, well-armed Sergeant named Knox. Knox and his men saluted the Generals while Dr. Berkovich and President Paul shook their hands and thanked them for their services.
“Gentlemen, please come this way,” said Singleton as he showed them the hallway as they entered the door to the EDF Headquarters in the underground city.
“General Singleton, are we in the area where the Yamato was launched on the mission to Iscandar?” the Prime minister asked.
“We are about fifteen kilometers from that area. For your information sir, Admiral Avatar had the Yamato renamed to Argo with the designation of 2199-01 being the first space battleship to be equipped with propulsion and weaponry developed from plans that were included in the message capsule that Queen Starsha of Iscandar sent to Earth,” Singleton replied as the entourage continued to walk the well lit hallway.
“The capsule along with an Iscandarian woman and ship were discovered on Mars by a couple of space cadets…isn’t that right General Singleton?” asked President Paul.
“That is correct. However, Derek Wildstar and Mark Venture were not your ordinary Annapolis cadets. They were immediately promoted Lieutenants upon reporting to the Command Council when they got back from Mars. At the last briefing I had with Captain Avatar, Wildstar has been named his XO,” Singleton said as they arrived at the door to the EDF Command Conference room.
Earth President Gustav Mendelssohn greeted the entourage upon their entrance to the ultra large conference room.
“Greetings, Gentlemen. I trust that your flight and arrival has been an excellent one. We have been anticipating your arrival for quite some time,” he said as he shook the hands of the Israeli delegation.
General Chaikin had a feeling of distrust about the Earth President. He sensed that something wasn’t right with him given how he read reports that the Earth President believed that Earth will no longer need space naval protection once the war with Gamilon is over. He cautiously shakes Mendelssohn’s out-stretched hand.
“Good to see you, General Chaikin. The reports of Israel’s miraculous survival continue to amaze me. I trust that you will look forward to working with our wonderful colleagues at the Earth Defense Command. In the meantime, we have a great amount of work to do,” said the Earth President.
“Same to you Mr. President….I would like to give you a friendly reminder that no matter what challenges our country faces, we will always have a right to defend ourselves and if necessary defend ourselves preemptively too,” replied the elder General.
“I see you still believe in the nation-state doctrine. You are right, every country and every planet has a right to defend itself against acts of aggression or evil. After all, we are working towards the common goal to rebuild Earth and eventually live in peace.
The entourage walked to the huge conference table which showed the map of Earth in a computerized three dimensional image. At the North end of the conference table, General Singleton sat in his chair as the Supreme Commander of all Earth Defense Forces including Space Navy, Army, and Marines. He also chaired the meetings between the old alliances of the Unification Wars such as NATO, ASP COM (Asian Pacific Command), Revived Warsaw Pact and defunct Ottoman Alliance. Those meetings ceased when the planet bombings began in 2194. At the South end of the table, Earth President/UN Secretary General Mendelssohn seated himself as the other delegates took their chairs at the table and opened their note pads and placed on their translator earphones. On right side of the table, representatives from the Israeli Delegation, North American Union, European Union and Union of Socialist Russian States took their places for the meeting while the delegates for the Asian Union, Middle Eastern Union and African Union took their positions in the meeting.
The Earth President gaveled the meeting into order with three knocks of the gavel.
“Ladies and Gentlemen, I call this meeting to order. We are gathered here today to express not only our resolve but our eagerness to rebuild our once beautiful world. As you see on the video screen, this is a video capture made by Battleship number 225 formerly commanded by Admiral Abraham Avatar as he arrived back from the Battle of Pluto. Our world still glows blood red from the radioactivity caused by Gamilon’s planet bombs. We have until September of this year to save our planet and humanity from extinction. The Star Force is getting ever so closer to the Planet Iscandar. We have not had contact with Avatar in over several months now. I am confident that they will arrive back on Earth with the Cosmo-DNA machine and forever, rid our planet of the results of Gamilon’s horrendous war crimes,” said Mendelssohn.
The delegates nodded in agreement as news agency cameras captured the meeting in real time. People all over the underground city, including Carrie, Dr. Gramme, and others watched the proceedings live on news feeds that came in all over the world.
Mendelssohn continued, “With this in mind, I welcome each of you to Great Island in what was once known as Japan, a land that is famous not only for Mt. Fuji but its contributions to the arts of Science, Business, Martial Arts and Education. As of this time, myself and General Charles Singleton, Supreme Commander of the Earth Defense Forces are extremely pleased to announce that not one Gamilon planet bomb has struck our planet in the past five months. In some areas of the world, especially the North and South Poles, levels of radioactivity have diminished to nearly safe levels. But I caution you, it is not the time to venture out from underneath the underground cities. Before each of you, is a golden folder, emblazoned with the emblem of the Earth Defense Command. This folder contains a document that we will vote on and if approved by this delegation, we will immediately send a call out for volunteers to take part in the recovery efforts to rebuild, renew and restore our planet and our way of life.”
“Ok….rebuild, renew and restore…Where have I heard that one before? History….14 years after the American tragedy of 9/11/2001…Isaiah 9:10…Another Harbinger?” thought President Paul of the North American Union. He mentioned the thought to General Chaikin who knew the Old Testament and the Talmud like the back of his hand. He knew the prophecies and warnings of judgment.
“Hmmm…now you know why I don’t like this guy. My take on this is that I’ve got a strong gut feeling something else is going to happen after this war will be over with. But I pray, G-d forbid!” whispered Chaikin to President Paul.
Prime Minister Berkovich couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He also had a strange feeling about Mendelssohn’s words which reflectively caught the spirit of Isaiah 9:10, which states, “The bricks are fallen down, but we will build with hewn stones: the sycamores are cut down, but we will change them into cedars.” He knew that many political leaders throughout history have used the verse to show a spirit of resolve or defiance in the face of adversity. But little did those leaders know that they were pronouncing judgment upon their nations rather than turn in humility and repentance to the Creator of the Universe. Prime Minister Berkovich and President Paul both saw that the Earth President was no different from the past leaders who quoted the same verse with horrible results.
“At this time I would like for Supreme Commander, General Charles Singleton to come to the podium to give the details of the treaty we are about to sign and the military orders that we will quickly implement upon the signatures of the delegations present before us.”
General Singleton rose up from his chair, taking only several steps to stand behind the podium with microphones dotting the top of the stand. He quickly scanned the crowd which consisted of the delegates and the reporters. He took a deep breath and sighed.
“Thank you, Mr. President Mendelssohn, North American President William Paul, Israeli Prime Minister, Dr. Berkovich, and General Eisenhower of NORAD, IDF Commander, General Chaikin, members of the Media and my fellow citizens of this great planet. As President Mendelssohn stated, we are gathered here to sign not only a treaty but military orders to rebuild our planet. Earth has been under martial law since the wars of Unification and that’s been over more than 45 years now. We have heard the cries of the citizens for help and assistance. Yes we have heard each and every one of you. To the families of the Star Force, we want to thank you for their bravery and sacrifice. Though we have not heard from Admiral Avatar in five months as to the progress of their mission, but I assure you that every challenge will be met with the strictest confidence that the Star Force will achieve total victory.”
Applause and cheers rose up from everyone that heard the Supreme Commander’s speech. However, not everyone was rather enthusiastic towards the proceedings especially General Stone and Major Bonheur, Stone’s assistant and former commanding officer of the only French Space Battleship, The Waterloo. General Stone and Major Bonheur believed that vast space fleets would no longer be needed to protect Earth as they considered that only Gamilon was the only real threat to the Solar System. Both officers have tried to stop Admiral Smith’s general design board from putting forward proposals to build far advanced vessels with the new Iscandarian Technology. They believed that once the Star Force has returned, peace would be achieved and space fleets would no longer be needed.
General Singleton continued…” Gentlemen, please open the folders before you and find the first page of the treaty. Many of you have read several drafts of this treaty that had formally made its way through the Earth Parliament. After including the strong language of rebuilding space naval fleets, many of you approved the new gold, silver, and copper backed currency called the Dobra, still Israel will remain on the Shekel currency as they have been for thousands of years. The Dobra Currency will be valid and recognized worldwide since a majority of the nations’ currencies and economies collapsed at the onset of the Unification Wars. This is the first step to rebuilding our planet’s economy. Gentlemen…you may sign section one if there are no last minute objections.”
After a pause of a few minutes, there was very little debate among the delegation as the first section of the treaty was signed. Members of the media applauded the signatures of the delegates as they turned the first page of the treaty over which revealed the last and second portion of the treaty. The second section of the treaty dealt with the future of the Earth Defense Forces and the mission of the global military command.
“Very well, Gentlemen. We are now on the path to rebuilding our economies, jobs and our well being as citizens of Earth. This second portion of the treaty bought much debate with many objections coming from the Middle Eastern Union which consists of the last Islamic nations which took much devastation and destruction from both Gamilon’s atrocities and the Unification Wars as well as objections from the Russian Union over fears that Iscandarian technology can be used to once again fight wars on Earth. While we hear those objections and understand the realities of Wave Motion Energy, the second portion of The Treaty on Global Renewal involves only the Earth Defense Forces and not regional or nation-state military commands. While we are confident that the Star Force will achieve victory over Gamilon, we must remain vigilant after they return. While Gamilon may no longer remain a threat to Earth, there are those threats possibly out there that will threaten our planet.”
There was a murmur among the delegates. Many asked among themselves if there the possibility of another threat which caused some members of the delegation to become uneasy.
“General Singleton….if there’s a possibility of another threat to Earth, can you name the threat?” asked Asian Delegate Kim Ug Scong from the Korean Peninsula.
“Ambassador Scong, There is no other threat that we haven’t received any intelligence on. Remember for hundreds, if not thousands of years of human history, humanity as well as experts have asked the question, “Are we alone or are there alien races out there?” We learned that lesson harshly from the Gamilons. If Gamilon was a threat, it can be assumed that other threats are out there.”
“But General, once Gamilon has been defeated, we’ll no longer need the Space Fleets!” said Russian Union General Secretary Mikhail Sergey who has twice seen his nation nearly destroyed from two attempts to invade Israel and Gamilon’s atrocities.
“Mr. General-Secretary, I understand your concern. You have a right not to ratify the treaty if you choose to do so. The Order to build the new First Earth Task Force is greatly needed to counter any possible threats that we do have,” Singleton said in a rather firm tone.
General Eisenhower stood up from his seat. “General Singleton, Permission to speak?”
“Permission, Granted,” said Singleton as he acknowledged the American General.
“Mr. General-Secretary and others, if you so choose to object to signing the Order to Built section of the Treaty, You may choose to do so. However under legal precedent when the Treaty of Global Martial Law was signed at the beginning of the Gamilon War, those nations that refused to sign that treaty were not afforded the legal protections and rights to defense against extra terrestrial threats. I want to remind you… that should you object to the building of a new capitol Earth fleet, you do so at your own peril. If you choose to build your own fleets’ independent of the Earth Defense Forces, you will NOT fall under our command if the need arises,” said General Eisenhower in a stern tone of urgency.
General Stone whispered to Major Bonheur, “This guy is getting on my damn nerves!! He just suckered the Russian delegation into signing the second portion. Just watch…Sergey is gone from our inner circle.”
Bonheur nodded in agreement. General Eisenhower returned to his seat as the delegates raised no further objection. The signing of the second portion of the Treaty on Global Renewal authorizing the building of a new Earth Defense fleet commenced as General Singleton nodded for the delegates to sign. It was no surprised that the Russian, Asian and Middle Eastern delegations formerly signed on while they yet still had objections to the authorization of the new fleet.
Members of the media as well as everyone in the conference room applauded the signing of the treaty. The delegates shook hands and posed for picture as photographers snapped one picture after another. President Mendelssohn returned to the podium and banged the gavel three times to call for attention.
“May I have your attention please? At this time I would like to thank General Singleton for hosting us here. Since the delegates have signed their copies of the treaty, I announce as a result of this meeting, the government of Earth with my seal and signature will sign this treaty into law. Beginning immediately, everyone shall receive their pay in Dobras. Each of the regional unions may debate and pass their own laws concerning wages, salaries and employment. Taxes are a matter of Regional law and will not be determined by the Earth Government at anytime whatsoever. All workers being employed in the underground cities of the world shall enjoy a year’s worth of back pay of their wages without any taxation as a result of section 1 of this treaty. Immediately, General Singleton, Admiral Smith and the General Design Board may move forward to the building of the first Capitol Earth Space Battleship at the underground dry dock of Kure. I, Earth President Gustav Mendelssohn formally adjourn this conference of regional delegates,” said the Earth President as the banged the gavel three times in closing.
General Singleton, General Eisenhower, Admiral Smith and General Moshe Chaikin of the IDF quickly left the conference room with Admiral Yamanami and Admiral Gideon. The men quickly walked down the hall unnoticed by the media to another more private conference room to talk about the plans for rebuilding the Capitol Fleet. Admiral Smith flipped on the lights as the men sat at an oval shaped conference table made out of pine wood that was salvaged at the end of the Unification War.
“Ok, Gentlemen…we have a long road ahead of us now that the politicians are out of our way,” said Admiral Smith as he opened up the briefcase containing the approved plans for a Capitol Battleship and a destroyer.
“General Singleton, we’re missing General Stone and his assistant. They should be included,” said Admiral Smith as the men looked at each other with disapproval.
“Admiral, if I wanted General Stone and his lard eating assistant, I would have invited him to this meeting. I’m quite disappointed in him for cozying up to those folks who don’t think Earth needs any further protection. Let’s carry on, shall we?” said General Singleton with his eyes closed.
“Very well, general…Let’s have a look at this approved plan for a Capitol Command Ship,” said Admiral Smith as he and Admiral Gideon laid a huge design drawing on the table.
The men rose from their chairs and stood over it. One could see that the design called for the implementation of Iscandarian technology and very incredible firepower. This ship was bigger, faster and more powerful than the Argo. While it boasted the usual 18-inch shock cannons, Yamanami raised his eyebrows.
“A DOUBLE WAVE MOTION GUN??!!” exclaimed Yamanami.
“Yes, sir, since the Wave Motion Gun on the Argo was a total success, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to increase the fire power in that area,” said Admiral Smith with a smile.
“You remember what captain Avatar reported to us from Jupiter after they successfully fired their wave motion gun at the Gamilon Floating Continent,” said Singleton as he looked at the group.
“Yes, the whole entire Gamilon base was wiped out in one single shot. Based on the energy yield of that test, it was 2 times more powerful than Russia’s Tsar Bomba of the 20th Century,” said General Eisenhower.
“That is correct, General. That’s something I would probably go with…only when the need arises,” said General Singleton as he studied the plan closely.
“Admiral Smith, do you have a name or nomenclature for this proposed Capitol Flagship? “asked General Chaikin with a smile.
“The General Design Board has already offered the nomenclature for this class of vessels. They will be known as the Constellation Class with the first ship being named, “The Andromeda”, said Admiral Smith.
“I have a proposal to make to everyone of you. Israel has two remaining untouched ship yards. We can under classified conditions and keep those politicians out of the loop, we can let the Andromeda be built secretly in Israel,” offered General Chaikin.
“That’s an idea I would pursue, General Singleton. What do you think of it?” asked Admiral Gideon as he looked at Singleton in the eye.
General Singleton sat in silence for a few minutes taking all of the information into being. He knew that since the Earth Government has now instituted a new currency, politicians can once again play with the purse strings and kill any projects that Earth would greatly need.
“Give me that Order, Admiral Smith. I know you have already gotten it typed up. I can legally later put in a signing statement stating that the Andromeda will be built at Israel Shipyards. General Chaikin, thank you for your offer. Feel free to immediately start pursuing any preparations you may have. Admiral Gideon, I’m putting you personally in charge of this project. You and Commodore Macpherson will leave with the Israeli delegation to return to Israel. As a cover on this matter, we will build another second Constellation Class ship at Kure. Admiral Smith, you’re in charge of that project immediately. As I sign these orders, these projects take effect immediately. General Eisenhower, I’m sending over much needed equipment and staff for you to upgrade your radar, communications and computer systems at NORAD,” said General Singleton as he signed the orders.
“General, I thank you very much for your assistance. I also sincerely hope that the Global Internet communications cables will once again be operational. President Paul recently signed executive orders authorizing the rebuilding of those systems and most of the eastern former American States from New York to Florida are back on line. Those systems are only in use by law enforcement and government agencies at all levels. Civilians have only limited access to the systems,” said General Eisenhower.
“We’ve only had one main cable that enabled the planet’s governments to send reports to Great Island on a limited basis when their power grids went out. That main cable has been restored. The personnel doing these operations are wearing special protective suits to protect against radiation and other elements,” said Admiral Yamanami as he read the recent reports he had before him.
General Singleton gave the men one last folder to examine. Its contents were an order to modernize electrical grids against space borne threats including a dreaded Coronal Mass Ejection event from the Sun. The men voted unanimously to repair and restore the world’s power grids. It would take up to 9 months for global teams to rebuilt solar power plants and restore electrical power to the world. In public and in classified secrecy, the effort to rebuild Planet Earth has begun too much fanfare, while the Star Force continues its progress towards Iscandar.
Scene 2: Alex's Escape
Place: Gamilstadt, Gamilon
March 24th, 2200
It wasn't much longer after Queen Starsha had departed Gamilon for Iscandar after her rather disappointing evening with Desslok. Alex Wildstar had just escaped Gamilon in Gamilon Fighter. He wasn't exactly sure where he was. All he knew that he was in a binary planet system with two planets orbiting each other. He left the Gamilon spaceport in a hail of laser fire that caused him to do barrel rolls just to escape every shot. He punched the throttle at full speed, lifting the nose to twenty-two hundred feet per minute ascent rate going nearly twice the speed of sound. The G forces pushed him further against his seat as the fighter made its way through the upper atmosphere. Within in eight minutes, Alex had the Gamilon fighter in Gamilon's orbit. He saw Queen Starsha's ship off in the distance.
“So far I made it out of Gamilon alive! All systems seem normal,” thought Alex to himself as he tried to make use of whatever avionic instruments he can understand in spite of the readings being in Gamilon language.
Alex noticed a strange thing as he increased the distance between himself and Gamilon. After an hour of flying the fighter to more than three thousand miles above the surface of Gamilon, He began to fiddle with the communications console in an attempt to reach any possible elements of the Earth Defense Fleet. He tuned the radios to 601.78 gigahertz and was able to amply the signal.
“Earth Defense Fleet Battleship 225, this is Captain Alex Wildstar sending out distress signal...Gamma Echo Tango, Mike Echo, Oscar Uniform Tango Tango Alpha, Condition Red!” he announced through the microphones in his headset.
He repeated the call on multiple frequencies to no avail. An hour later after making the first call, he made the calls again on what he thought was a Ku Band frequency in hopes that an Earth Radio Telescope would pick up the signal even if it would take years to receive.
“Damn, I am lost in space and nearly lost my life to those disgusting blue idiots. I guess my only option is to land on the nearest planet,” Alex said to himself as he changed course and proceeded towards Iscandar.
As he neared Iscandar's orbit, two Gamilon fighters engaged him in a fierce dose of combat. Alex cursed as the planes engaged him head on, firing on him from a twelve o'clock position. Alex barell rolled to avoid getting hit. He punched the throttle to full thrust, igniting the engine's afterburner in a fierce trail of blue flames.
“Missed that time, you pieces of snot!” screamed Alex as he maneuvered his fighter in behind one of the fighters.
The HUD showed he had locked on to his target. He fired off a missile, hitting the first plane in the left wing sending it towards the blackness of space.
“That's one!” thought Alex.
The other Gamilon fighter flew right past Alex to set up the shot. Alex banked hard to the left as he saw the surface of Iscandar in all of its beauty from twenty-five hundred miles above the planet.
“I know that's not Earth but it looks like a planet I should survive on,” said Alex to himself as he once again out maneuvered a missile fired by the remaining Gamilon fighter.
“Return to base!! Do not pursue the enemy!” the second Gamilon pilot heard through his headset.
Instead of returning to base, the enemy pilot faked a retreat towards Gamilon. Alex watched as the fighter flew off in the opposite direction headed back towards Gamilon. He felt a since of relief that his battle was over for now. Sweat ran down his brow as he returned to the previous task of attempting to send out a distress signal for help. Only this time, he sends the same signal out in a different frequency band. Little did he know that this time, the signal reached someone. A series of tones sounded alerting him that the message was received.
“Thank you, Great Architect of the Universe!” Alex exclaimed since he himself was a 2nd Degree Mason who had just gotten initiated prior to his departure on the Yukikaze for the fateful Battle of Pluto.
“At least someone got my distress signal but WHOM?” he said to himself with a raised eyebrow.
Two minutes later, alarms started going off as he began the procedures for planetary entry into Iscandar's atmosphere. The Gamilon fighter that had retreated returned with a vengeance. Before Alex could react, the Gamilon fighter fired several rounds of red lot laser shots right into the engine causing an engine explosion as Alex's stolen fighter began the hot fiery decent into Iscandar's atmosphere. Two pieces of shrapnel lacerated Alex's left leg and right arm barely missing a major artery. The Gamilon pilot flew off quickly just as it all began. Alex struggled to keep the fighter stable and on course. With no parachute whatsoever, Alex's only choice was to crash land the fighter as safely as possible to save his life. Blood raced down his arm and leg as he felt intense pain shoot through his body. Nausea, dizziness and muscle weakness threatened to diminish the chances of Alex surviving a crash landing on the alien planet.
“That looks like a palace of sorts there on the water front. Let's try to bring this thing down as safe as possible.” said Alex to himself as he maneuvered the fighter for the terrible approach.
Queen Starsha watched the commotion on the video monitor. She knew that somehow she would be needed to save the life of what she thought was a Gamilon pilot. She left the place in her boat on the waterfront. She saw that Alex had set up the approach to land in the clear land behind the palace. As Alex continued to lose altitude, he banked the fighter on a thirty degree turn to make his final approach. The smoking fighter descended quickly as the landing gear was lowered during the final approach.
“OK, THIS IS IT!!!” screamed Alex in pain as he was now less than a thousand feet above the surface of Iscandar.
The Gamilon fighter barely maintained a three to five degree glide slope leaving a trail of grey/black smoke that could be seen for miles. Queen Starsha hurried to the site and watched as Alex flared the fighter for the touchdown. The landing was hard, painful and the main gear and nose gear broke upon impact slamming Alex around the cockpit. The fighter slid down the grass terrain as it bled its speed from one hundred and twenty miles per hour. A few seconds later, the fighter's left wing snapped from its fuselage as it hit a tree on the right side of the field. The fighter spun around one hundred and eighty degrees several times before coming to a rest near a wooded area. Alex passed out in the cockpit as he suffered weakness resulting in a loss of blood from his wounds. Queen Starsha raced to the crash site beaching her boat on the beach of the Iscandarian ocean. She ran up to the smoking fighter and pulled the emergency rescue latch on the side of the canopy. She was shocked to see that the pilot was not a Gamilon pilot but someone from Earth. She quickly unbuckled an unconscious Alex Wildstar and extracted him from the destroyed fighter.
As she laid Alex on the ground several feet from the destroyed spacecraft, she placed her right hand over Alex forehead and she began to glow. She said a soft prayer in Iscandarian language. A few seconds later Alex opened his eyes to see Queen Starsha looking at him worriedly. To stem the loss of blood, Starsha ripped off a sleeve from his blood stained jacket and make two tourniquets, one for his leg and the other for his arm.
“Pardon me, I'm from Earth and you are the most beautiful person I'd ever seen. My name is Alex Wildstar,” he said with a weak smile.
“I am Queen Starsha of Planet Iscandar,” Starsha replied.
“Iscandar?? That means I am not inside the Milky Way Galaxy anymore,” Alex said as he grabbed his arm as he felt a shot of pain.
“Alex, you are badly injured. You have escaped Gamilon and their vile prison. Let me help get you to safety,” said Starsha as she helped Alex to his feet.
“Gamilon??? They are the most evil beings I've ever seen. What they did to Earth is beyond horrid in description. Iscandar looks just like Earth before those awful planet bombs started hitting the planet. Ouch...that pain in my leg...it hurts with every step I take,” Alex said as he winced.
“There are many things I want to tell you. We must get you back to Mothertown and get you rested,” said Starsha as she assisted Alex in boarding the boat.
“There is a whole lot for us to talk about,” said Alex as he sat in the back seat.
The Iscandarian Queen un-beached the boat and the two headed back to the palace. The boat traveled along the shore at 35 knots as it bounced along a few waves. As they neared the dock, Starsha slowed the vessel and eased it up against a dock. She helped Alex disembark and they two made the hundred and fifty yard walk up the pathway to the glistening place. The pain in Alex's arm and leg greatly subsided thanks to the Queen's prayer for healing. Alex still wouldn't walk very well without assistance. As they made their way to the entrance of the Palace, Starsha helped remove Alex's Jacket and placed it on a chair in the front room of the palace. Starsha escorted him to a room just off the main hallway and assisted him in getting in the bed.
“Queen Starsha, Thank you so much for everything you have done. I owe you a great debt,” said Alex as he winced a little bit as she removed the tourniquets and placed proper bandages on his injuries.
“Alex, Earth is in great danger. I have sent plans for Wave Motion Technology to Earth. My sister, Princess Astra made the journey to Earth. I do not know whether she survived or not,” said Starsha as she closed her eyes.
“I'm so sorry to hear that. I remember before leaving for the battle of Pluto in my command ship, Paladin, that Admiral Avatar had plans to build some sort of space ark out of an ancient battleship from the second great world war. I don't know how far those plans have gotten. Last I heard they had the ship seventy-five percent complete when I arrived at Pluto,” Alex said as he turned over on his right side to face Starsha.
“Alex, those plans have been realized...I miss tell you that the Star Force is on the way to Iscandar,” Starsha said as she stroked Alex's head in a soft caress to comfort him.
“Captain Avatar must have succeeded in getting past Pluto. Whatever you do, Starsha...do not let them know I am on Iscandar. If Captain Avatar is in command of this ancient vessel, I want to see him and hopefully my brother too.
“You have a brother?” asked Starsha with a smile.
“Hahaha...yes...a rather rash and sometimes hot headed brother...his name is Derek,” Alex said as he laughed for a bit.
Starsha rose up from the side of Alex's bed and walked towards a sink across the room.
“Perhaps, you will see your brother again,” said Starsha.
“Um....one other thing ma'am...When I first saw you when you came to my rescue, you looked very familiar. You looked like a good friend of mine from my days at Space Fighter's Training School,” said Alex as a smile formed on his face.
“Who do you think I look like on Earth?” said Starsha with a slight laugh.
“You just might meet her too if she's assigned to the Star Force. Her name is Nova Forrester. She's one of the smartest ladies I have ever met. Bachelor of Science Degree in Microbiology, Master's Degree in Aerospace Engineering and Ph. D. in Astrophysics...all from the University of Colorado at Boulder,” said Alex with pride.
“Do you have a picture of her?” inquired Starsha as she raised her eyebrow slightly.
“Ha ha ha ha....no...I wish I did. I never did have any nerve to ask her out on a friendly date.” he said with a laugh.
Starsha walked back towards Alex with a warm wet white rag and she laid it across Alex's brow.
“What do you mean by friendly date?” she asked.
“That's something that may take some time to explain. It's really nothing more than a man taking a lady friend out for a meal and spending time together back on Earth, “replied Alex.
“Sounds like something Desslok and I did quiet much.” said Starsha.
“Desslok??? I've heard that time when I was on that vile Gamilon prison ship. That's the name of the Gamilon leader isn't?” said Alex as he quickly sat up in the bed with the rag falling off his head.
“Alex, please rest. Yes...that's the leader of the Gamilons. I have tried for years to persuade him to stop his campaign of conquest and death towards Earth and other worlds. I have told him many times I have hated how he has devastated Earth and killed her population all in the name of his love for Gamilon and Iscandar,” said Starsha as she looked away from Alex and closed her eyes.
“So...that's why the Gamilons started war with us and fought us for more than 40 years prior to the planet bombings,” he said with his eyes widening.
“Desslok wanted Earth so Gamilon can be reborn. The planet is so wrecked with sulfuric acid seas, quakes, and storms. His people live in underground cities because the planet's crust has been deteriorating for centuries.” Starsha said as she looked out the window to see Gamilon in the sky.
“Then at all cost, Captain Avatar and the Star Force must get to Iscandar. What are they supposed to get here?” asked Alex.
“I have given them a machine called the Cosmo-DNA. It is a machine that restores a planet to its natural state and removes radioactivity from its atmosphere. It is the only thing that can save humanity from extinction,” explained Starsha.
Alex lay back down in the bed as he placed the rag back over his forehead. Starsha pulled out a bed from a storage wall and placed a couple of sheets and blankets on it. She purposed within herself to stay with Alex as he recovers from his injuries. Alex looked over at Starsha as she dimmed the lights to the room.
“Queen Starsha...your honor...once again, thank you for saving my life. If Captain Avatar can turn the tables on the Gamilons, he will surely make it to Iscandar,” said Alex as he closed his eyes for a night of rest.
“Good night, Alex and rest well,” replied Starsha as she laid in her bed across from Alex.
The lights of the Iscandarian Palace ceased to shine as the darkness of night descended on the planet.
Unknown to the Star Force, Alex Wildstar is finally safe from all harm caused by the Gamilons. Only two more space warps to go upon departure from Pegasus. Hurry Star Force!!! Earth is growing ever more desperate in the race for humanity’s survival.
“