_{ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE}

_{STAR BLAZERS--AND THEN THERE WERE TWO...}

_{ACT TWO-THE NEW "UNSINKABLE"}

_{I. BY NEPTUNE'S KNICKERBOCKERS...}

_{The Vicinity of Planet Neptune}

_{Space Battleship Argo}

_{Second Bridge}

_{Earth Date: January 10, 2202}

_{0038 Hours: Spacetime}

_{On the Argo, Captain Wildstar was, at the moment, standing near the huge hexagonal tracking display on the port side of the bridge next to the main Astro-Navigation consoles. Venture was seated directly behind the main console, with Holly Parsons seated at his right in a seat that was usually like Eager's private property when he was on the Argo.} 

_{Nova Wildstar was about a meter and a half behind them, standing near a coffee trolley that an orderly had just hauled onto the bridge a while ago, and which she planned to take back to the galley before the main staff meeting. Indicative of the level of tension on the second bridge; the trolley had arrived full; but the cart was now empty.}

_{Captain Wildstar was a little behind Nova, to the right, near Sandor. Royster was in front of them, manning a console behind the even larger tracking screen on the port bulkhead of the second bridge.}

_{"So, what's the situation?" asked Wildstar.}

_{"According to what Royster is pulling up now, our confidence factor as to the plot of the hyperspatial disturbance is now 99%."}

_{"In other words, you're damn sure this is the course it'll take."}

_{"umm-huh," nodded Sandor. "Have a look now."}

_{"This is a plot of the wave of disturbance, as it goes across the solar system," said Royster as a huge graphic came up. A moment later, Venture nodded to Parsons, and they both keyed in some commands at their consoles, and a light blue box filled with data came up below the main graphic.}

_{"Right now, we're here," said Sandor, pointing up at a flashing dot near Neptune's orbit. "Wildstar, we've already received a preliminary report that chronometers went berserk on Brumus for a second...that's the edge of the wave as it begins to phase into normal space. See that line? That's the plot of the wave, based on what Venture could pick up on his instruments."}

_{"If that's one of the hills and valleys of the substance of space that you usually track when you warp, then, that...," said Wildstar.}

_{"That's Mount Kilimanjaro," said Venture as he turned his chair around to face everyone. "If a ship would hit that thing when it warped out, God only knows where it'd end up."}

_{"You could probably kiss it good-bye, Mark," said Nova. "I don't think we were able to track how deep into subspace that thing cuts, were we?"}

_{Venture shook his head. "In normal space, any ship that this wave passes over would either have to be in dock or sitting in perfect station-keeping attitude. Otherwise, it would either tumble straight into the rift or it would take structural damage that would take months to repair."}

_{"And that's just what we predicted for the Argo, Venture," added Sandor. "You don't want to know what I came up with regarding how a frigate or passenger liner would take a hit like that."}

_{"Where does this thing pass out of the solar system?" asked Captain Wildstar.}

_{Royster ran an animation of the graphic as Nova said, "Right near Mars, Derek. However, there is a 5% chance the wave could just graze Earth, around the vicinity of Newfoundland."}

_{"About when?"}

_{"At its current speed, which is hard to predict, right in the middle of the night, local Newfoundland time," said Parsons, looking at a chronometer on her console. "That's sometime around 0610, Megalopolis Standard Spacetime, our usual standard for shipboard operations."}

_{"We'd better notify Earth Defense of that ASAP after the staff meeting," said Wildstar. "And what's the time it'll hit here again, Sandor?"}

_{"0405, Wildstar."}

_{"We'd better hail the Colin Powell and let them know about it. To be safe, they'd better be in dock with that liner by 0300," said Captain Wildstar. "While we're at it, we should notify Earth Defense right now."}

_{"Good idea," said Venture as he got up. Holly, meet us in the Central Planning Room as soon as you record those latest plots."}

_{"Aye, aye, sir," she said with a slight smile.}

_{"Let's go, everybody," said Derek. A moment later, he, Nova, Mark, Sandor, and Royster were heading for the lift.}

_{"Message successfully transmitted to the Colin Powell," said Homer six minutes later at his post on the first bridge while his replacement stood ready to take his place when he left for the staff meeting.}

_{"Did the message to Headquarters go through, too?" asked Wildstar.}

_{"It sure did. Sounds like I distracted General Stone away from his coffee break or something. He's manning the watch tonight there."}

_{"I feel sorry for the people at Headquarters tonight," said Venture. "That guy's got it in for everybody, including us."}

_{"Be fair," said Wildstar. "He's mellowed out a little..."}

_{"...but not much," added Nova. "Do you know that when I was dancing with him at our wedding, he checked his watch twice? When I felt his wrist for a second, his pulse rate was way up there. I don't know why he's always so tense. It's not good for his health, or for the health of those around him."}

_{"Maybe his wife was nearby, and she's really jealous," chimed in Dash from his post.}

_{"The secret of General Stone's bad moods...wish we could decipher them," said Homer as he stood up....just as a red light on his console began to blink.}

_{He sat down and said, "There's a message coming in."}

_{"From where?" asked Venture.}

_{"From Headquarters, Venture," snapped Homer as he listened to his headset for a minute.}

_{"Put it up on the main panel," said Wildstar.}

_{The panel lit up, and Wildstar and the bridge crew saluted as a glowering General Stone came onto the screen.}

_{"Wildstar, I know of the danger to shipping," said Stone. "Where did you get this supposition that Newfoundland will be affected by this wave?"}

_{"From a plot of every possible course it could take, sir. I know it's merely a possibility, but I feel we can't leave anything to chance in this situation. If even one person on Earth suffered harm as a result of this, and we didn't inform you, wouldn't we be derelict of our duty, sir?"}

_{Stone grunted. "I guess you're right. I just wanted to be certain that we had a good reason to call the Commander at his private residence at this ungodly hour and let him know about your strange theories." Stone took a deep breath and said, "By the way, how is the effort at herding in the Westhampton Beach coming?"}

_{"It's going well so far, sir."}

_{"Good. I have some personal friends on that liner. I want to be certain they're kept safe. I'll notify the Commander of your report and stand ready to take whatever action he recommends, Captain. Is there anything else?"}

_{"No, sir. Our report covered it."}

_{"Very well, then. Dismissed."}

_{Wildstar and the crew saluted. Stone returned the salute in a perfunctory manner before the screen went dark again.}

_{"His friends are on that liner? He has friends?" quipped Dash.}

_{A good laugh went around the bridge as Nova smiled at her husband for a split-second. "Yeah, that's a good one," murmured Derek.}

_{"Sir," said Homer's replacement as he sat down. "The Powell has acknowledged receipt of our orders."}

_{"Great," said Captain Wildstar as Yamazaki from the Engine Group came onto the bridge.}

_{"Your turn with the Officer of the Deck duty this watch," said old Lieutenant Commander Patrick Orion as he let his assistant sit down. "Take good care of this fine old lady while we're occupied," said Orion as he patted his console.}

_{"I assure you I will, sir."}

_{"Good," said Orion with a smile.}

_{"Derek, let's go," said Nova as she looked around. "Coming, Paul?"}

_{"Yeah, just give me a minute, " said Rosstowski as he flicked a few switches and turned the Artillery console over to his replacement. Sorry...I'm not quite myself tonight...just a few things on my mind."}

_{"We'll need your full concentration below during the meeting," said Wildstar. "Even though your Group's not directly involved in this...who knows what could happen if any hostile vessels showed up?"}

_{"Would they, Captain?" asked Homer. "Didn't we just check off all our enemies as either defeated, gone, or allies?"}

_{"Homer, you've been with us a long time. You never know what could happen out here in space. Remember how the Cometines first showed up on that patrol mission we were on...with this very ship? We weren't expecting anyone like them then....so who knows what could happen in the next few hours? Let's go. We're running behind, everyone," said Wildstar.}

_{II. STORM WARNINGS}

_{The Vicinity of Planet Neptune}

_{Space Frigate Colin Powell}

_Bridge

_{Earth Date: January 10, 2202}

_{0052 Hours: Spacetime}

_{"Captain, we've just received a message from the Argo," said Ensign Kir Flaarheim.}

_{"Read it, please," said Lieutenant Commander Rey Fuentes, who was the frigate's calm, genial commander.}

_{"Yessir. It reads:}

_{To: Lt. Commander Rey Fuentes, Captain of the space frigate Colin Powell.}

_{From: Captain Derek Wildstar, Captain of the space battleship Argo and Commander of the Star Force.}

_{Captain Fuentes:}

_{Be advised that our tracking instruments have determined that there is a ninety-nine percent probability the predicted wave of hyperspatial disturbance will break over the Neptune area at 0400 Hours. As commander of the escort detail guarding the space liner Westhampton Beach, you are urged to make certain that the liner is safely in dock on our base on Triton no later than 0300 Hours, as a safety precaution.}

_{You and your accompanying commander aboard the frigate Thaddeus Kosciuzko are also hereby advised to make certain both of your vessels are in dock by 0300 Hours. This is because the energies in the wave are so strong and of such an unknown nature as to be deemed a threat to your vessels as well as to the liner.}

_{We have determined that this wave may even be a direct threat to the Argo herself. Therefore, we anticipate being in dock by 0300 ourselves.}

_{I anticipate meeting with you, Captain Delgado of the Thaddeus Kosciuzko, and with Captain Wordsworth of the Westhampton Beach and some guests of his over breakfast on the Westhampton Beach at 0730 in order to thank all of you for a job well done.}

_{We will keep you posted as to any changes in situation.}

_Signed,

_{Captain Derek Wildstar, Commanding Officer, Space Battleship Argo. (SBB-1)}

_{"Message ends, sir."}

_{Fuentes stood furrowing his bronzed brow for a moment. "Thank you, Mister Flaarheim. Notify the Argo that we'll be changing course momentarily and urging the liner to increase her speed."}

_{Flaarheim nodded, and he began punching in data at his free-standing console.}

_{"Mister Trent, increase our speed by one knot and change course starboard five degrees. After we notify Captain Wordsworth and Captain Delgado, we'll increase it two more knots."}

_{"Yessir," said Quentin Trent, the ship's Navigation officer and Deputy Captain. "Making course and heading change now. Increasing engine output by two percent. Steady as she goes, sir."}

_{"Sir, with all respect, aren't we using a multi-hit missile to fix a nick in the bulkhead?" asked Senior Lieutenant Ember Tyson, who was the ship's Combat officer and the third-in-command. She flicked back her chestnut hair and said, "Aren't we taking too many precautions?"}

_{"Where there's human lives at stake, Tyson, we've got to go by the book," said Fuentes in a not unkindly voice. "I know you're a terror in maneuvers. I just hope we don't have any call for your services tonight. Still, I'd like you to stand by your weapons as they pass into Neptune's gravity well. We will be quite vulnerable there. Understood?"}

_{Tyson nodded, while thinking, Aye, sir. Damn, this is such a dullsville cruise. What could be worse than baby-sitting lots of rich people as they sip at their martinis in the wee hours of the morning? Nothing....}

_{"What time is it, honey?" asked a calm, assured voice whose owner was holding a very dry martini.}

_{"It's almost one o'clock, Glenn," replied a gentle, kind voice whose owner was beautifully dressed in a black and silver evening dress and silver open-toed evening pumps. "Don't you think we should get going in about a half hour?"}

_{"Jonathan's in good hands with Michelle, Michiko," replied Glenn Hartnell-Iiyama in a soft voice as he adjusted his tie. "Michelle's thirteen, she's very bright, and she's proven her baby-sitting skills with our neighbors' children many times over, dear."}

_{"But they're going to be going to bed so late tonight," said Michiko.}

_{"Honey, this is a cruise. It's a vacation for us, and for them. I think we can bend the rules a little during a vacation. Besides, Jonathan wanted to see some real warships up close tonight. You know how he idolizes the Earth Defense Forces. It'll drive Michelle crazy, but let him look for a battleship or carrier tonight. We're getting close to a base...they might just see a big one coming in..."}

_{"Is it right for such a young buy to idolize warriors so much? I mean, don't we pay the military to kill people?"}

_{"Yes, but we need to be defended, and not every race out there among the stars is friendly. You know that, Michiko. For every Iscandar, you have a Gamilon as its evil twin. You know how it seems to go. Every good has its evil."}

_{"I wish it wasn't like that," said Michiko as a dance band played Scarlet Scarf softly in the background with a sort of Latin arrangement. "I wish we could say that we could all put an end to aggression and war forever. I detest it. I want our boy to become a doctor and heal others, not learn to kill them."}

_{"What we can do is one thing. What an enemy will do is something different, Michiko. Look out that huge dome. See all those stars? You see how huge the universe is. You see what could be out there in the Sea of Stars? Any damn thing your nightmares could think of. It's a mystery to us. We need someone to defend it."}

_{"Are you saying you want our little boy to become...a killer?"}

_{"No. But I don't think you ought to throw cold water on all his dreams, either."}

_{Michiko sighed sadly. "That boy's just too active. His mind goes places I'd never imagine a sane mind would."}

_{"What were you like at eight-going-on-nine? Weren't you a bit insane, too?"}

_{"I was a good girl, Glenn," laughed Michiko.}

_{"Therein lies the difference," said Glenn. "I was a bit of a bad boy."}

_{"You still are," whispered Michiko with a wink. "Now can you guess why I want the children asleep in their cabin in a while? I want to keep you awake for...just a while longer."}

_{Glenn smiled at that.}

_{"It's a seven!"}

_{"Is not!"}

_{"Is so!" insisted Michelle Hartnell-Iiyama, dark-haired, pretty, and looking authoritative as her lace- trimmed nightgown sleeve touched the contemporary updated Monopoly game board that featured most of the major streets and courts of the Great Megalopolis. "It's what you rolled, Jonathan! Why must you be so difficult?"}

_{"Because the die over there on the right hit the Chance deck. It's a cracked dice. I roll again!"}

_{"Where'd you get that idea from?"}

_{"From Jack and Erik. When I'm at their house, we always play that way."}

_{"Jonathan, your friend Jack is a spaz, and your friend Erik is a retard. Putting a Mega-Super Loan Fund in a Monopoly game is the most stupid thing I ever heard of in my life. And why have you had your pajama top off for the past twenty minutes?"}

_{"I'm hot! I like playing with my shirt off!" said Jonathan.}

_{"You look like the world's biggest dork, Jonathan," said Michelle. "Okay. I'll humor you. Roll again."}

_{Jonathan began to roll, but as he turned his head he was distracted by a flash of light out in space, visible though the viewport he was facing.}

_{"Michelle, I saw a light! Get me my binoculars!"}

_{"Okay, time out so Jonathan can look at the ships again," grinned Michelle. "What does it matter? I'm beating you anyhow, little brother."}

_{"I will soon make my great comeback," said Jonathan as he bobbed his head, making the cabin light gleam off his honey-blond mop of hair for a bit. He seemed to notice no discomfort from the slightly cold deck, even barefoot. Michelle made certain her socks were up under her long nightgown as she accompanied Jonathan over to the viewport.}

_{In his red pajama bottoms, Jonathan was a bundle of energy as he grabbed up his binoculars, looked out, and began to focus. "I see a warship!"}

_{"Every freighter you've been seeing is a warship, Jonathan," grinned Michelle. "If we had as many warships as you claimed you saw on this cruise, we would've beaten the Comet Empire in five minutes, silly."}

_{"This one is a warship, Michelle! It looks like a frigate! She's flashing signal lights!"}

_{"Let me see this! Silly, silly...Hey! You're right! It is a frigate, and he is flashing a light at us!"}

_{"Hi, guys!" yelled Jonathan as he began to wave like crazy. Michelle, rolling up her eyes, waved just a little too. A moment later, Jonathan yawned. "Sis, I'm starting to get sleepy."}

_{"Okay," smiled Michelle. "Ready to go to bed now, you spaz?"}

_{"Yeah. I saw a patrol cruiser! How cool!"}

_{"Great," said Michelle as she pushed the Monopoly board aside while Jonathan yawned. "Up in the upper bunk, sport. I'll take the lower one."}

_"Okay,"

_{Jonathan went up into his bunk, yawning like crazy.}

_{"You've been up too long, haven't you?"}

_{"I wanted to see Mommy and Daddy before I went to sleep! I like it when Mommy kisses me good night."}

_{"Will I do?" smiled Michelle as she clambered up the ladder. "Good night, silly boy," she said as she kissed him on the cheek. "Sometimes I can't stand you, but I love you."}

_{"Love you too, Michelle," he yawned. Michelle smiled and tucked him in before going to sleep.}

_{Unknown to Jonathan, this was the last time he would see his sister for a very, very long time....}

_{Not long after the children had gone to sleep (Jonathan quickly, Michelle, somewhat more dreamily as she thought vaguely about a boy in school that she liked that she hoped would ask her to the Valentine's Day dance soon after they got back to Earth), in the club, Glenn and Michiko heard a soft chime going off over the ship's PA system.}

_{Glenn noted the time; it was one AM on the dot. Wondering what the crew might be announcing at 1 AM, he listened as a calm, reassuring British voice with an Oxford-type accent voice said,}

_{"Attention, all passengers. For your safety, as well as for your comfort, we request that all passengers should be secured in their staterooms by two AM. We are approaching Neptune and slowly increasing our speed in preparation for our scheduled landing at the Earth Defense Base at Triton at three AM as an a unannounced port of call on our way home to Earth. We are asking that all of you remain in your staterooms from two AM until first breakfast call at seven AM because of unexpected course changes we may have to make as we head towards the base, escorted, as a precaution, by two Earth space frigates. For your safety and peace of mind, all passengers are also requested to close their cabin viewports from two AM onwards. This is because a vessel or two may be warping in at close range, and, as you have been previously informed, viewing a warping vessel at a distance of less than one hundred kilometers can be rather dangerous to those who have not received the proper training. "}

_{"In return for your patience, it has been arranged for our ship to dock close to a piece of living Earth history upon our arrival on Triton at seven AM. Also, a select two couples will receive an invitation to have breakfast with myself and a few Earth Defense officers aboard this liner here in my private cabin at 7:30 AM. That will be all".}

_"Sincerely,

_{Your Captain,}

_{Captain Clive Wordsworth, White Star Line."}

_{The Star View Lounge was filled with mutterings and hubbub as soon as the announcement ended.}

_{"They're hiding something, Michiko."}

_{"Glenn, don't be paranoid."}

_{"No. I know Wordsworth. There's something going on that he can't tell us about. Stay here...I'm going up to the Bridge to see him."}

_{"Glenn...you can't!"}

_{"They'll let me up there," said Glenn angrily. "If they don't, I'll pull every Governmental string I have to pull this ship's license, and Wordsworth damn well knows that. We were in college together; he knows what I'm like!"}

_{"Then I'm coming with you!"}

_{"Michiko, please don't insist on it. Go check on the kids. Make sure Jonathan has those blinds closed in his cabin. You know what our boy's like...he'll want to see everything."}

_{"Okay, Glenn. I'll see you in our cabin. I love you," she said as they got up. They kissed quickly, and hugged. Then, Glenn went his way, and Michiko went hers.}

_{Unknown to them, that was the last time they would ever see each other alive.................}
 
 

Here ends Act Two of And Then There Were Two....
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