ALTERNATE
TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---A ROOT OF BITTERNESS
Being the third part of THE
NEW COMET--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz (With Artwork by Angie Dargo)
This Act is being completed with the Cooperation
and Assistance of Derek A.C. Wakefield (as usual)---Freddo
ACT FOUR:
I. BACK INTO
Space Battleship
On the Surface of Beta
Nikaldis IV
One Hundred and Eleven
Lightyears Away From Earth…
Monday, December 16,
2205
1502 Hours: Earth Time
“Do
we have enough energy to lift off?” barked Captain Venture as he sat down in
the Captain’s chair on the bridge of the beleaguered
“You
have the potential,” said Sandor as he assisted Lt. Alex Nelson, the
“However,
sir,” said Nelson, “It’s a matter of getting the computers rebooted.”
“Who’s
working on that?” snapped Venture as the
“Mister
Beauregard’s on it,” said Nelson. “Dietrich is helping him!”
“Dietrich
belongs down there in the damned engine room!” snapped Venture. A moment later,
Lt. Miyazaki, at Communications, said, “Sir, message from the Argo for Commodore Wildstar!”
“Bring
up the main comm screen,” snapped Venture.
An image
of Nova appeared on one of the
“Derek!
That’s where you are?” she said. “Where’s Sandor?”
“Right
here,” said Sandor.
“That
makes you ranking officer for the moment on the Argo,” said Derek. “I’m assuming command of our Task Group from
here until the situation calms down a bit…”
“I’m
holding the last portable passageway open for you to report back,” said Nova.
“Negative,”
said Commodore Wildstar.
“Sir?”
said Nova.
“I’m
staying here. You’re in command of the Argo.
Begin taking action to break the connections. If you have to, take off first
and get those ships. I’ll have Captain Venture upload a final log up to you
that you can get back to Earth if we don’t make it….”
“I…”
said Nova with her mouth open.
“For
now, you are the skipper of the Argo.
We should be following you. But if not, it’s your job to get home and get a
report to Earth Defense Command.”
“Derek…I…”
A
slew of emotions went through Commodore Wildstar’s mind at that moment. “I know. If we don’t make it, the house is
yours. But I expect to make it. Begin
breaking those connections; break the main power trunk connection last. Do your
job! You’re an officer fighting her ship! Got it?”
“Yes,
sir,” she said, snapping a salute. “Commander Wildstar, signing off, sir…”
“Good
job,” said Derek as he saluted. “And Godspeed.”
As
soon as the link was severed, Nova let the tears flow as she sat down in the
Captain’s Chair on the Argo. But, she
let them flow for only a moment as a flabbergasted crew watched her. Finally,
she said, “Orion, you heard our orders. Begin breaking all connections with the
The
sirens began to blow as Homer turned rapidly in his seat. “Captain Wildstar!”
he barked, remembering Nova’s current position as the Argo’s skipper.
“What?”
she snapped back. “We have a battle
to fight! Us, and the
“An
urgent message is coming in, ma’am….from the enemy…”
“From
the enemy??” repeated Nova with a bit
of sarcastic venom in her voice that sounded more like her husband than like
her. “All right, Mister Glickman…let’s see what they want, huh? Main screen
on!”
A
signal came up a moment later; it was the inside of a R’Khell space battleship.
A head crowned with honey-blonde hair turned around as the face grinned at Nova
and the rest of the First Star Force. They just sat there with their mouths
open.
“Hello
there,” said the enemy commander’s voice. “Are we having a nice day?”
“You’re
dead,” hissed back Nova. “I killed you myself. I saw you die, Yvona. You’re dead!”
“Don’t
I look good for a dead person?” said Yvona’s clone. “I am dead, yes. The
original me…you killed her, and she’s in Hell now. But she was weak. I’m the
improved model, grown by Ekogaru in a clone tank. No, I’m not dead. Yvona lives
on in me, as her memories were uploaded into my mind before she died. And, do
you know something, my dear niece?”
“What?”
hissed back Nova.
“I’m
awfully pissed,” said Yvona with an evil grin. “Running me through was not a
nice thing to do. And you’ll pay for it.”
“I’m
not afraid to die!” snapped Nova.
“Who
said I was going to kill you?” said Yvona. ”Princess Invidia and I want you…alive.”
II. DEKE’S EXAMS…
Earth
The Space Fighters’
Training School
Monday, December 16,
2205
1400 Hours
“All right, mate,” said Bryan Hartcliffe from the aft place
of Deke Wakefield’s Cosmo Tiger II. “I know you’ve been promoted, but they
still want yer to pass this fighter tactics exam. Now, do me a Bravo roll…”
Deke nodded, and lost himself in his flying as he executed
an almost letter-perfect roll in his Tiger while Hartcliffe held on. Both of
them were a little bored, and both knew the reason why.
Deke had already
been told that he and the Sun Tigers would probably be joining the crew of the
space battleship
Finally, with his flying done, he laconically asked
Hartcliffe, “Did I pass?”
“Ain’t supposed to tell you, yet, mate…”
“C’mon, dude, cut the crap….”
“Okay, man, ya
passed,” said Hartcliffe. “Don’t land me too hard, I don’t wanna kill me
sperm.”
“What?”
“Me and Angie are
tryin’ again this afternoon for a kid, man…”
“Isn’t that too much info, sir?”
“Well, mate, what
about you and the cute blond cadet named Petrovsky? I hear you’re getting’ cozy
with ‘er, man. She’s a bit young, but you’ve got good
taste.”
“Sir, no comment.”
“What do you mean, no comment?” mocked Hartcliffe as Deke
made his last turn and homed in on the runway after checking his glide slope.
“No comment, sir,”
said
“I see,” said
Hartcliffe as even he knew when to
shut up. “Fix that glide slope a degree, Ensign. It’s kinda sloppy.”
“Yessir.”
As they landed and
Deke began to brake the fighter, Hartcliffe added. “Yer grade on the exam is A
Minus, Ensign Wakefield.”
“Thank you, sir,”
said Deke.
“Deke,” said
Hartcliffe as he caught
“What?”
“Anytime you wanna
discuss Sasha in the Officer’s Club, bloke, I’m buyin’.”
“Thanks, sir,” said
Deke as he shook his head. “But it’s a bit complex. I really don’t want to get
into it. I don’t even open up that much about this with my roommate lately. It
confuses him to no end.”
“I see,” said
Hartcliffe. “Believe it or not, I’ve been
there, mate. But the offer stands. Me and a Guinness, anytime.”
“Sir, I drink Anchor
Dark.”
Hartcliffe laughed.
“Bleedin’ piss made in a factory, huh? Okay, me and some Anchor pig swill, mate.”
“Sir, I beg to
differ. Anchor Dark is NOT pig swill.”
Both of them laughed
over that. Although, granted, Deke wasn’t really in the mood for laughing…
Later on, Deke sat
moping in his room. He was watching a football game; USC vs.
He had also been
hoping to see a shot or two of Dawn with the cheerleading squad on Pan-Am’s
side; one part of the game had focused on the two cheerleading squads, since
the captains of both cheerleading squads were both intellectual prodigies of
some sort with very high grades. Part
of the program had focused on other famous women who were cheerleaders (and
Where They Were Now), and, ironically (but to be expected) one of the
cheerleading alumni was quite well-known to him; Nova D. Forrester, class of ’99, UC Boulder said the title strip below an image of her as a
cheerleader. Deke froze the frame for a moment.
“She hasn’t changed
much,” he said out loud. “Face has gotten a little thinner, but, damnit, I wish
they’d show one Dawn Westland, Class of ’06, Pan-Am U, and…”
A knock came at the
door. “Come in, Brew,” he said in a depressed voice.
“Deke, this isn’t Brew,” said a cheerful, female voice.
Deke recognized that voice at once. Sasha,
he thought. Crap. With my fucked-up
emotional state right now, I do not need to see you…
“Sorry, I know you’re
not feeling well,” said Sasha through the door. “I didn’t see you at the game,
and I thought this might cheer you up…”
Sasha opened the
door, which was unlocked, and she danced in wearing her sweater, short pleated
skirt, tiny socks, and saddle sneakers with her pom-poms. “Deke?” she said.
“You like?”
He couldn’t help
smiling at this. ”Yes, Sasha. And you modeled it yesterday, remember?”
“Oh, right,” she
said, while thinking RATS. And it’s too
cold right now for that bikini and heels Auntie got me. “I know we talked
yesterday,” she said. “I was wondering if you wanted to go out and get some
coffee?”
“No,” said Deke in a
sad voice. I wish I could tell you
everything, he thought. But I damn
well know you wouldn’t understand.
Sasha smiled sadly as
she looked at him as she thought, Deke,
if you’d open up that mind a little, you know I’d understand. I feel pain
coming off you like heat from a hot oven.
But, Sasha knew that she couldn’t say much. Then, she saw Nova’s
face in freeze-frame in her mind and her mind jumped elsewhere at once…
No…it was forced
elsewhere. It was psychically forced right to the Argo’s bridge at once as the following scene unfolded in her
mind’s eye as she felt a very malign
presence mocking her Aunt (who was, as she saw, in the Argo’s Captain’s chair) and saw and heard her saying….
“You’re dead,” hissed Nova. “I killed you myself. I saw you
die, Yvona. You’re dead!”
“Don’t I look good for a dead person?” said Yvona’s clone.
“I am dead, yes. The original me…you killed her, and she’s in Hell now. But she
was weak. I’m the improved model, grown by Ekogaru in a clone tank. No, I’m not
dead. Yvona lives on in me, as her memories were uploaded into my mind before
she died. And, do you know something, my dear niece?”
“What?” hissed back Nova.
“I’m awfully pissed,” said Yvona with an evil grin. “Running
me through was not a nice thing to do. And you’ll pay for it.”
“I’m not afraid to die!” snapped Nova.
“Who said I was going to kill you?” said Yvona. ”Princess Invidia
and I want you…alive.”
“You won’t get what you want,” said Nova. “If you defeat us,
I know how to blow myself right to Kingdom Come. But you’re not gonna defeat
us…Orion, continue breaking those links!”
Sasha’s
mind spun back to the real world a moment later, as she felt Deke shaking her
by the shoulders. “Sasha! Sasha!
Are you all right?”
“I…I
am, Deke. What happened? Why were you
shaking me?”
“You
were yelling something at the top of your lungs in some unknown language. I
thought I recognized some of the words. Some of the words sounded like the Iscandarian I learned in one of my
classes. What’s up?”
“I’m
sorry. It was weird today at the game, Why weren’t you there again?”
“Exams.
I had exams today.”
“Oh.
Yeah.” Sasha said. “I have a language exam tomorrow. Basic Iscandarian,” she
laughed. “I have lessons going through my head like craziness. My exam’s
tomorrow…just remembered. Uh…I’ve gotta…go…”
“Maybe
I’ll take you up on that coffee?”
Sasha
looked at Deke as if he’d grown a second head. “Thanks…but….” Sasha stammered
as she thought, I can’t tell you that I
feel Uncle and Auntie in danger and that Yvona’s behind it. I can’t tell you
that! NOT NOW!
“Sasha?”
“I’m
sorry…I have to go,” she said. She kissed Deke on the forehead and ran out of
there as fast as her legs would take her.
“What
the Hell was that about?” said Deke. “And I thought I was messed-up!”
III. TRIAL BY COMBAT
Space Battleship Argo
In Orbit about Beta
Nikaldis IV
One Hundred and Eleven
Lightyears Away From Earth…
Monday, December 16,
2205
1519 Hours: Earth Time
So
far, Nova was taking the brunt of Yvona’s attack on her own.
The Argo took hit after hit at close range
as Cometine destroyer after Cometine destroyer was warped in next to her via SMITE
and plane after plane was warped in from the Q’Randia, which was near Yvona’s flagship. The Cometines had a
vicious but effective tactic. They warped in, and ripped at the space
battleship with their guns at close range and then tore away just as the Argo’s pulse lasers fired back at them.
Two destroyers had been brought down by this tactic, but eleven enemy ships had
ripped at the Argo like mad badgers.
The
ship was managing to evade the worst of the fire by changing its yaw angle a
little each time an enemy ship appeared, but even this tactic of Nova’s was not
helping matters. Already, ten crew members had been killed in the Argo’s passages thanks to enemy fire.
And, the attack was not abating.
“Does
anyone have any idea where Desslok is?” cried Nova as Bando worked Sandor’s
post. He was trying to counterattack some heavy radar jamming that was keeping
them from picking up much.
“If
I had a clue, Mrs Nova, I’d tell ya!”
said Eager, who was manning the Cosmo Radar in her (necessary) absence from
that post as the Argo’s CO. “I still
can’t pick up a thing on this damn set!”
“
“And
lack of long-range radar means that I can’t get a bead on them with the main
guns!” said Domon from his post.
“I
can’t even get a visual through the rangefinders for a missile attack,” said
Kumyat from his post on the Argo’s
main bridge at Artillery.
“And
I’m getting a… headache…” said Nova as she sat and held her head.
“What?”
said Domon as he and Kitano turned their heads to look at their skipper. Nova
sat slumped in her chair, with a hand shaking, in agony.
“Message
coming through on the main screen!” yelled Homer.
The
bridge crew looked up, only to see Yvona grinning down at them as she sat in
her command chair on her R’Khell battleship with her hand up. “Do you like
this, Star Force? My dear Cometine friend, Field Marshal Balkal, is helping me
with the attack from his flagship along with General Tarvitz. He is generating
the jamming waves that are keeping you from getting a fix on us, and I am
generating the SMITE field from my flagship that is sending twenty destroyers
to attack you and the
“You’re
sick,” hissed Nova. “You are
warped….my God….”
“If
you’ll surrender and let me take you to my torture chambers, you little bitch,
I’ll stop it,” said Yvona pleasantly. ”All I want from this is you.”
“Yes,”
said a Cometine liaison officer in a white uniform with greasy black hair who
stood in the background on the
“Enough,
Colonel Miru,” said Yvona with a pleasant voice. “This is, after all, a family affair!”
“With
relatives like you…” gasped Nova, “Who needs enemies?”
“Oh,
aren’t we brave today?” said Yvona. “I…..”
Then,
Yvona was cut off as everything abruptly went silent. The Argo’s main screen went dead, and all of the lights went out.
Finally, even the Astro-Compass went dark.
The
only light was from the Cometine lasers as they raked the Argo.
“What
happened?” asked Kumyat.
“We
just lost every megawatt of power,” said Orion. “The engines are out. The
energy generator is out. We can’t even switch to batteries. The ship’s dead!”
“Prepare…to….vent
atmosphere…to space…then open the tachyon baffles in the energy…generator,”
gasped Nova as waves of pain ran through her head. “Bando…they’re not taking us
alive…I….”
“Nothing’s
responding!” said Bando. “I can’t do it! I can’t destroy the ship!”
“You
can’t…?”
Then,
for Nova, the pain lifted. An image of Sasha appeared in her mind.
“Sa…Sasha?” whispered Nova.
Auntie, I have picked up your
travail from afar and I also know of Uncle’s ordeal, came
Sasha’s voice in her mind. I ran off from
Deke to my quarters and I am helping to block Yvona. I have called for aid with
my mind. Soon, you shall receive aid…
“From
where?” Nova gasped. She wiped at the bottom of her nose and found that the
psychic attack had given her a nosebleed.
I have called to Mother, said
Sasha. She will help you fight…as will
others….
“Let
it happen soon,” said Nova. “Please….”
In
the meantime, on the Q’Randia,
General Karnaz said, “Now, Yvona, we move in for the kill! Stand ready, all
planes! Destroy the Argo!”
At
that, the evil R’Khell carrier stood ready to attack.
The
“What
is Aliscea doing?” asked Wildstar with a whisper as Paul looked at her and
nodded.
“It’s
not PMS, is it?” asked Nelson.
“HELL
NO!” roared Aliscea. “Tell them, Paul!”
“She
is protecting us from a powerful psi-attack, origin unknown!” said Rosstowski.
“Aliscea did tell me that she picked up a R’Khell flagship well to the rear of
their fleet. They’re concentrating most of their fire on us and on the Argo from there.”
“Captain
Venture, we still can’t raise the Argo,”
said
“What
about the upper flight bays?” asked Wildstar.
“They’re
no good; Lieutenant Commander Dan Gorman lost twenty-three pilots in that
battle we were in and we just have one plane in the starboard upper bay by the
catapult and the two squadrons left in that lower bay that took a hit,” said
Venture. “Derek, with the Argo
unavailable, we have no help available in the way of fighters.”
“Where’s
Desslok?” said Wildstar. “The
Gamilons were supposed to be helping
us.”
“He’s
pinned down around the other side of the planet in orbit,” said Aliscea. “The
enemy has a battleship squadron there for him. The Cometines had this trap
well-laid.”
“Then
we’re stuck,” said Venture as he banged his fist on his console. Outside,
another Cometine destroyer came around and blasted more holes in the
“Mark?”
said Holly from her post. She was waiting for power to lift off. “Are we going
to die?”
“I
don’t know,” said Venture. “Guys…I don’t know…”
“Great!”
said Sandor with an evil grin as he banged Nelson’s board as a display changed.
“Venture, Wildstar, the
“That’s
if we can survive that barrage!” snapped Derek. Suddenly, outside, in the
distance, there was a huge explosion.
“What
in the name of Heaven was that?” cried Holly.
“Cometine
Shock Cannons,” said Aliscea grimly. “Battleships are beginning to bombard us
from orbit!”
“A
direct hit from one of those…” said Sandor, “And we’re finished!”
C’mon, Nova…C’mon, Desslok…thought
Derek in anger and desperation. Damnit,
one of you…do something!
Not
far away, Desslok ground his teeth as his fleet was pinned down in mortal
battle with the major part of Balkal’s fleet and thus unable to aid the Earth
ships. And, to make matters worse, Balkal called Desslok, specifically to mock
him.
“Tell me, Desslok,” mocked Balkal from
his missile cruiser. “Why are you fighting with such difficulty? Are your men tired?”
“You
are vicious and dishonorable,” snapped Desslok. “Targeting my own SMITE units
first…”
“Oh,
it wouldn’t make it a good fight if you had SMITE and I had SMITE. Only one of
us having SMITE makes it more interesting, doesn’t it? Too bad you won’t be
able to stop us from retaking Rotella, you Gamilon upstart!”
“I
am a head of state!” roared Desslok. “You have no right to address me with such
rank disrespect!”
“You’re
head of a beaten band of gypsies masquerading as an Empire,” retorted Balkal.
“If I kill you, Gamilon will dry up and blow away in the winds of war!”
“I
think not,” said Desslok. “Gamilon shall still live…even if I do not!”
“The
remaining Gamilons will serve us very well as slaves,” hissed Balkal. “I wish you a fine death, Desslok!”
At
that, the screen on the Gamilstadt
went dark. Desslok stood there in rage trying to collect himself.
“Leader Desslok,”
said Talan. “There is still the battle. We are not beaten yet.”
“Continue
to work on breaking that accursed jamming field so I can target him with the
Desslok cannon,” hissed Desslok.
“I
can help,” said a gentle voice from near the lift. ”But it will take time.”
“Astrena,”
said Desslok with a smile. “Why have you been delayed?”
“Yvona,”
said Astrena grimly.
“That
Terran fanatic is dead. Our dear Nova saw to her death herself.”
“Yvona’s
clone. If you remember, she was one of those who tried to assassinate us months
ago on Ashura. You meant to warn the Terrans, but…”
“I
regret now that I could not do so,” said Desslok with a grim, sarcastic smile
as his ship took three more +021hits. “Now, I am paying the penance for that
mistake.”
Astrena
braced herself against a console and shut her eyes. “I will lift that jamming
field…and, I see that it extends further than I…this will take time…”
Desslok
nodded in grim anger as the Gamilstadt
took another hit. His comm officer reported, “Sire, the spacecraft carrier Pavarna has just been destroyed. The
task group is taking even more damage.”
“Leader
Desslok, perhaps a measured retreat,” said Talan.
“That
word is not in my vocabulary at the moment, Talan,” said Desslok. “We will stay
the course until our mission here is complete.”
On
the darkened Argo, the main screen
suddenly came to life with a flash that shocked the bridge crew.
Then,
a small image appeared and began to grow as a gentle voice spoke.
“Star Force,” said the voice. “This is Starsha, of the Planet Iscandar…”
“How…how
did you get here?” blurted Nova.
“My daughter Sasha knew of your travail, and
she summoned me,” said Starsha. “Yvona’s
unnatural clone is helping the Cometines jam your radar and systems and she
tried to suck all of the energy from your ship as it was once at the Galactic
Whirlpool. I am counteracting that move, and I am causing your Astro-Compass to
indicate the heading you must warp towards in order to disable Yvona’s ship as
quickly as possible. She is skulking in the rear of their fleet in a red
R’Khell space battleship in which the enemy installed SMITE. You must stop them
and drive Yvona away. Yet, her doom is far off, and it is not by the hand of
mortal man by which she shall fall. Please prepare to aid your husband Derek
and Leader Desslok as soon as possible. I shall aid you. I am Starsha…of
Iscandar…”
Starsha’s
image faded, and the Argo’s main
compass immediately lit up as the ship’s systems came back up one by one.
Including
the radar.
“All
right!” yelled Eager. “This is good!”
“What
are we facing?” said Nova as she wiped the blood away from her nose. Her head
still ached a little, but it was clear, and she was angry.
Very,
very angry.
“The
enemy fleet’s split up into three segments! A line of six destroyers is before
us at RPG-112, range, five megameters. Behind them, there are two battleship
squadrons of five ships at ten megameters’ range; one’s attacking the planet,
the other is lining up to get us. And, last of all, there’s a second line of
ten destroyers and one battleship way in the back. It’s R’Khell, and it’s got
SMITE! The enemy battleship is at twenty megameters’ range! Heading is RX-113!”
“That’s
what the compass says,” said Kitano.
“Do
we have engines?” demanded Nova. Orion nodded.
“All
hands!” barked Nova. “Prepare for a space warp! As soon as we emerge from warp
at five hundred kilometers’ range away from Yvona’s ship, turn about ninety
degrees to starboard and target her with all guns!”
“Aye,
aye, ma’am!” said Domon and Kitano together as one.
“Transferring
energy to the main engine for warp,” said Orion. “Power reading…seventy
percent!”
“One
minute to warp,” said Nova over the speakers. “All hands secure for warp!”
“Energy
level ninety percent!” said Orion a moment later as the Argo’s engines screamed as they revved up.
“Thirty
seconds to warp!” said Kitano. “Course locked in to intercept enemy ship!”
“Give
us a good ride,” said Nova with a smile.
Finally,
the warp indicator ticked down the last seconds as a Cometine battleship was
SMITED in right before them, bearing down for the kill. It was followed by two
squadrons of planes from the Q’Randia
working under Karnaz’s orders….
“Four…three...two…one…enemy
vessels approaching…” said Kitano.
“WARP!”
barked Nova.
“WARP!”
said Kitano.
The
Cometine battleship’s turrets locked on. But before the ship’s Captain could
fire, the Argo flashed into a blue
pattern of light and vanished.
“Where
in the name of Arishna…?” yelled the Captain.
“General
Karnaz!” yelled the lead pilot. “They’re gone!”
“GONE?”
yelled Karnaz on the Q’Randia.
Then,
a moment later, another ship appeared out of warp right off the Cometine
battleship’s starboard side where the Argo
had been.
“Sir,
they’re going to ram us!” yelled her weapons officer.
But, the
ship didn’t ram. Instead, it fired six torpedoes into the enemy space
battleship, which exploded into debris as soon as she was hit. With a grim
smile on Commodore Derek Wildstar’s face, the
“Holly,
turn about, one hundred and eighty degrees!” ordered Venture as Wildstar sat
down beside him to direct the battle as the
The
now-repaired and dangerous
At
last, the tide was beginning to turn for Balkal.
And
he did not like it.
IV. THE LAST CHALLENGE
Space Battleship Argo
Some Distance From Beta
Nikaldis IV
One Hundred and Eleven
Lightyears Away From Earth…
Monday, December 16,
2205
1552 Hours: Earth Time
The Argo blasted through hyperspace at a
fiendish rate, but Kitano’s hands were tensed on the helm and throttle
controls, since he was ready for maneuvering orders even as he sat at his post
with his eyes closed.
The
mad light show continued for a moment longer, and then the Argo emerged from hyperspace like an avenging angel not far from a
shocked Yvona and Karnaz.
“Well,
Mistress?” said a R’Khell lieutenant sarcastically as the Argo turned rapidly as she was training all her guns on Yvona’s
single battleship and Karnaz’s carrier. Nova knew her tactics well, and it
showed.
“She’s
just crossed my T,” laughed Yvona. “In about a moment, we’re going to start
getting blasted, and my powers are almost drained. Wheeeee! All right, Nova.
Two of us can play the game here. You warped in, and I’m warping out!”
“Where
do we go, Mistress?” asked her helmsman.
“Ma’am!”
yelled Yvona’s comm officer. “Karnaz has just warped out! He sent a message
that he didn’t like the odds with most of his planes gone; they never returned
to his ship! The Q’Randia has left
the area, Mistress!”
“Faithless
fool! Give me a moment…” Yvona said while twiddling her thumbs. “Those energy
bolts won’t do much to us…”
“Main
guns locked on and ready to fire, ma’am,” said Domon with a wicked grin on the Argo’s
“I
wonder why she’s not training her guns on us?” said Nova. “If I were in her
shoes…okay…we have the advantage…FIRE!”
The
Argo opened fire, once, twice, three
times from all of her main and auxiliary turrets at once. The broadsides
slammed into Yvona’s flagship like hot knives into butter and several of the
shots also tore apart the nearby Cometine destroyers, which were caught
off-guard.
“Ma’am!”
yelled an officer aboard Yvona’s ship, which she had renamed the Blood Vengeance in a wonderful
act of hubris as Ekogaru’s “successor” amongst the R’Khells. ”Our fleet is
being blown to bits by the Argo! Our
own forward gun turrets damaged!”
“Main
radar aerials shot off!”
“Starboard
engine badly damaged! Starboard engine shut down!” screamed a voice from below
in her ship’s engine room.
“Radio
room badly damaged!”
“Fighter
bay destroyed! We lost our escort pilots and planes and…WAAAAAA!” yelled a
voice over the speakers as another explosion rocked the ship and came over the
intership speakers before they went silent.
“Mistress!”
yelled Yvona’s combat officer as the Argo’s
second barrage finished off the remaining Cometine destroyers while Colonel
Miru stood aghast looking at the destruction. “We have to get out of here now!”
“I
know that, Executive Officer Parsha,” smiled Yvona. “This is going as I have
foreseen…we are still alive, but battered, Targask!” she yelled at the
helmsman. “Execute a warp…I mean it…execute…!”
“What is the destination?” he screamed as
the Argo’s fire hit the ship again
and knocked him out of his seat.
“Use
the return to base function and take us back to R’Khelleva! I don’t want to talk to these green Cometine jackasses
again until I come back with some better escorts!” yelled Yvona.
Miru,
who was the voice of Invidia (and her spy) aboard Yvona’s ship, got up and
yelled, “Princess Invidia will not be pleased with that decision, Yvona! Return us to the Eritz Gatlantis! The Argo may have destroyed our task group’s
escorts, but the second custom SMITE set that we built for you must be saved at
all….”
Yvona
just stood and pulled her sidearm and pumped several shots into Miru’s gut.
“You go
tell Princess Invidia to screw herself,” said Yvona pleasantly as he fell to
his knees on the ship’s ruined bridge. “No, wait, you’re going to Hell. Go tell
Zordar to go and screw himself!”
laughed Yvona with a wicked scream. “And the same goes for your asshole cousin
Mortar. When Desslok killed him, that
was the one good thing the blue bastard did!”
Two
more shots from the Argo blew apart
Yvona’s second bridge. The impact threw everyone on Bridge Number One of the Blood Vengeance to their knees.
“And
now,” said Domon proudly. ”Here we go with the last few…”
The
Argo’s bridge windows filled with
light as two missiles abruptly slammed into the ship’s bow. Then, the burning
form of the Blood Vengeance glowed
green all over as its remaining engine powered up and she went into warp just
as Nova was trying to react to the abrupt parting sucker-punch of Yvona’s last
two torpedoes.
“That
could have been a little faster, Domon,” said Nova.
“I’m
sorry,” he said.
“Seven
ships warpin’ in around us!” said Eager.
“What?”
barked Nova. “Another trick, I’ll bet….pulse lasers, ready to….”
“Incoming
communication on visual!” yelled Homer.
Nova
nodded and then breathed a sigh of relief as she looked outside and saw that
the ships that had just warped in were dark green and orange. They were Gamilon
destroyers.
And, then,
as if on cue, Desslok appeared on the Argo’s
main screen. Domon and Kitano stood up in shock and surprise, but Nova remained
calm, just folding her hands on her console as she studied the Gamilon Leader.
“Wildstar,
I’m sorry I was delayed…” he began. Then, he stopped and shut his eyes when he
noticed that it was Nova Wildstar in the Captain’s chair and not Derek
Wildstar.
“Go
on,” continued Nova. “You got the last
name right, Desslok,” she said with a little grin.
“How
is it that you’re in command? Was the
Commodore…?”
“He’s
fine,” said Nova. “He and Sandor are still on the
“Starsha?”
said Desslok.
“Yvona…or
her clone…was in command of her ship. She tried attacking us with her psychic
powers, but Starsha and her daughter helped me put a stop to that. Then, I
banged them up pretty good and made them run. But there’s still a fleet out
there, Desslok. Is Derek all right?”
“My
advance destroyers say that the
“Thanks,”
replied Nova. “We’ll meet again soon.”
Desslok
nodded and cut off. Homer then said, “We’ve received a large file on the
secondary circuit in their assembly language.”
“Translating
now,” said Bando as he picked up the file. “It’s the SMITE-blocking code!”
“A
little late, but we could use it,” said Nova as she watched the Gamilons
signaling to the Argo outside.
“Kitano, heave to and follow their lead. I think they’re taking us to safety.”
“Yes,
ma’am…”
“We’ve
received a signal from the Argo,”
said Lieutenant Miyazaki as the
“Read
it,” said Venture.
“Combined R’Khell and Cometine
task group at rear defeated. Enemy flagship with SMITE units warped away
severely damaged; all escorts destroyed. We have been provided anti-SMITE code
and escorting destroyers by Desslok, who apologizes for his lateness; he was
fighting another Cometine fleet in the area. Desslok advises us to come up in
your rear and form a single battle line in order to counter remaining enemy in
second task group. Desslok states he will combat third enemy task force himself
at TXG-115. Argo has sustained moderate damage but still able to fight.
Awaiting your orders, Commodore Wildstar; signed, Lieutenant Commander
Wildstar, acting commander, Space Battleship Argo.”
“Not
bad,” said Derek with a grin beside Venture. “You said Gorman and his boys got
the lower hatch working?”
“They
did,” said Venture. “We have eighteen Red Centaurs left, but they’re ready to
go…them and that spare plane in the upper bay…”
“Is
it ready to go?” said Derek as he stood up. “Mister Miyazaki, tell the Argo I’m on my way back. Now.”
“Derek?”
said Mark.
“It’s
about time I did a little flying,” he said as he motioned Sandor over and tossed
him a spare flight helmet. “Sandor, it’s time I transferred my flag back to the
Argo during this lull. I think
Venture has things well in hand here…”
“But…”
said Venture.
“I’ll
be fine,” said Commodore Wildstar as
he stood up and clasped Venture’s hand. “It’ll be a quick flight…I’ll letcha
know when I get back.”
“You
should stay here,” said Venture.
“You
have command of the task force until I’m back on the Argo’s bridge,” said Wildstar. “It’s an order, Mark.”
“Yessir,”
said Venture reluctantly as he and Derek shook hands. “Good flying.”
“It’ll
be a quick trip,” said Sandor with a wicked smile as he put on his helmet.
“You’re
on your way back NOW?” cried Nova in Commodore Wildstar’s helmet headset as the
Cosmo Tiger rode up the
“They
have two megameters to fly before they can catch up with me, and my plane’s
fully armed,” said Derek.
“I tried
to talk him out of it, but you know how he gets,” said Sandor with a shrug.
“Well, I do need some RSO practice.”
“I’m
sending Conroy over there to escort you home,” said Nova.
“Nova,
stop babying me!” snapped Derek. “I’ve been through worse than this! And cut
the chatter! Wildstar out!” he snapped as he turned his radio off.
“Derek!”
cried Nova. “DEREK!”
“My
sensors indicate he turned his radio off,” said IQ-9 as he trundled over. “No
need to worry. Commodore Wildstar is a competent fighter pilot. He’s better
than you.”
“He’s
taking an unnecessary risk!” snapped
Nova.
“He’ll
be fine,” said Orion as he walked over and patted Nova’s hand to console her.
“Tim,
if he lives through this, I think I’ll kill
him!” snapped Nova as she blinked tears out of her eyes while looking at the
younger Orion.
“Nova,
it is not logical to murder the Commodore,” said IQ-9.
“That’s
not what I mean!” she barked.
“IT
would be good if you would,” said IQ-9. “Then you could be mine again!”
Nova’s
boot then slammed against IQ’s midsection in a drop-kick. “Check your logic
circuits, Tinwit! I DON’T REALLY WANT DEREK DEAD! GOT IT?”
“I’ll
never understand humans,” said IQ-9. ”Especially women.”
Wildstar’s
Tiger II blasted off the
“Roger,”
said Derek. “I might as well turn that radio back on.” He turned the radio on
and got the bridge frequency. “Uhhmm…hmmm…good. Quiet.”
“Why
is that good?” said Sandor.
“Nova’s
not screaming at me,” said Derek with a lopsided grin.
“Yet…”
said Sandor.
“Amen
to that, Steve,” said Wildstar as his scope began to bleep.
“Oh,
crap,” said Sandor as he caught on as
to what was up. “Do you see what I see?”
“Company,”
said Wildstar. He looked back and said, “High Speed Interceptor and Paranoia
fighters. Green SOB’s. “
“Run
for it!” said Sandor.
“Not
while they’re on my six,” said Derek
as he flipped around and made sure his target scope was on. “Steve, maybe she
was right…”
“Too
late now,” said Sandor.
“Well,
let’s teach them a few things…,” said
Wildstar.
He
began a screaming run down onto the Cometine fighters and he promptly blew
apart one of the heavier Interceptors. A Paranoia fighter approached Derek from
another angle and fired a shot into his port wingtip that caused it to smoke
somewhat, but he blew it to bits with a missile.
“Not
bad,” said Sandor. “You’ve still got it.”
“I’m
not even thirty yet,” snorted Derek. “Course I’ve got it!”
Another
Interceptor attacked Wildstar and again hit the port wing of his Tiger, causing
the fire deep in the guts of the port sensor unit to smoke harder. Derek did a
sharp snap-roll and proved payback was a bitch when he blew the ship apart.
Then,
Derek focused in on the other six approaching enemy ships and fired a spread of
missiles. He got five of them, and was left in a dogfight with one Cometine
pilot.
“No
more at long-range, Wildstar,” said Sandor. “There’s just that one Paranoia
fighter left. And we’re approaching the ship,” he said as he saw the Argo looming up in the distance.
“Well, let
me render paid to that guy’s account,” said Wildstar as he swung around and
pumped several lasers into the enemy pilot’s cockpit. Then, he saw another
plane in the distance…no…it was a flight of six.
“What
the…?” said Wildstar as he gritted his teeth.
“IFF
says they’re ours,” said Sandor.
A
moment later, a mixed group of six Black Tigers and Green Hornets surrounded
Derek’s plane.
“Hey,
Wildstar,” said Cory Conroy over Derek’s headset in his familiar drawl. “Ya
save any for us?”
“What
are you doing out here?” said Wildstar.
“Nova’s
idea,” said Conroy. “Please follow us back home before any more of these green
guys pull an Admiral Yamamoto on your flag-rank butt and assassinate ya!”
Wildstar
didn’t say what was on his mind…
(most of which consisted of various four-letter words) but he said, “Roger that, Conroy. Lead us home…”
“Now
you’re seein’ reason, sir,” laughed Conroy. “Tigers, take the Skipper home.”
V. BALKAL’S LAST GASP
Space Battleship Argo
Some Distance From Beta
Nikaldis IV
One Hundred and Eleven
Lightyears Away From Earth…
Monday, December 16,
2205
1641 Hours: Earth Time
Wildstar’s
Tiger was the first one to slam home on the Argo’s
lower flight deck five minutes later. Because of the electrical fire in the
port wingtip, it was still smoking when it came to a stop on the flight deck.
It was surrounded by flight deck crewmen with fire extinguishers who put out
the blaze while Derek slowly taxied to an empty deck-level bay space. When the
fires were out and he and Sandor opened the cockpit, a figure in yellow holding
a black peacoat came running up as Conroy’s plane began to approach the ship.
“Nova?”
said Derek.
Nova
looked at her husband with an intense glare, and, just as he dropped his flight
helmet on the deck, she hauled off and slapped him across the face.
“What
the hell was that for?” he barked.
“I’ve
got my reasons!” snapped Nova. “That’s for risking your butt for no good
reason, sir! Lock me up in irons, if you want to,
but…but…oh, I’m glad you made it home, you big, silly jackass! I would have
been stuck with Tinwit if you hadn’t gotten back!” she yelled as she threw her
arms around her husband and kissed him hard. Then, she hugged him and let the
tears flow.
“nova…”
said Derek. “Okay…I’m glad to be back….but don’t you ever slap me like that again!”
“Don’t
go risking your life for no good reason in a battle zone!”
“Nova…we’re
all risking our lives on this ship…or did you forget?” he said as he watched
two more Tigers roaring in through the magnetic arresting field. “Sandor, let’s
get out of here before we get hit by a plane.”
“Okay,
but I have to check that plane out before we get on the bridge. You two go up
alone.”
“Got
it,” said Derek. ”Nova, let the bridge crew know we’ll be up from that phone.
Meet me in the lift. What’s that in your hand?”
“Your
coat,” she said.
“Thanks,”
he said as he pecked her on the cheek and took off.
A
moment later, Nova ran up just as Wildstar was closing up his peacoat and
beginning to enter the lift (he was holding the hatch open for her.)
“Upper
deck,” Derek said as he punched a button while Nova boarded. The lift began to
whiz upwards as Nova said, “I have another reason for going a bit crazy about
you risking your life, but I couldn’t say it down there.”
“What
is it?”
“You
remember Operation Stork?”
“Yeah…but
I thought we gave up on it, and…”
“Derek,
two days ago, I missed my period.”
Then,
he looked at her. “Don’t tell me that…”
“I
don’t know yet,” said Nova. “I went down to see Doctor Sane this morning and
took a test.”
“What
were the results?”
“Inconclusive.
We’ll need to do a blood sample in a few days”
“So
that’s why you’re so worried about me?”
Nova
nodded, ”Derek, if I am pregnant, do
you want our children growing up without a father because you have to go and
test your manhood in a Tiger?”
“Good
point,” he said as she handed him an ascot. “Hey, this isn’t mine….”
“It’s
mine,” said Nova. “Smell the perfume on it?”
Derek
rolled his eyes until he saw Nova smiling at him. “That’s a nice
thing…thanks…for babying me.”
She
smiled back at him. “You’re welcome…sir. No more slapping you on the flight
deck.”
“You’re
forgiven…but you watch your butt,” he
said as he patted her stomach. “If you are…”
“I
know…I’ll be careful. But, you be careful, too.”
“I
will be. When we defeat these guys.”
“Good,”
she said as the lift came to the end of its run.
About
five minutes later, Derek and Nova took their usual respective places on the Argo’s bridge just as Sandor showed up
to relieve Bando. As the other crew members left, Wildstar said to Eager (as he
resumed his normal post) “Anything nearby?”
“Five
more planes are showing up. Range, two megameters!”
“Domon,
did the rest of the Tigers get in yet?”
“Nope,
there are still two outside.”
“Keep
them out there! Order Conroy back out with his element to get those guys and
cover us.”
“Got
it.”
“Nova,
what are we facing?”
“More
of them showed up. We’re facing ten battleships, two missile cruisers, a
carrier, and twenty destroyers at MP-212. They’re in two groups, range, fifteen
megameters, speed, ten space knots. They’re preparing something….”
“Maybe
an antimatter missile attack,” said Derek. “Homer, order the
“ASAP?”
said Homer.
Derek
nodded. He took off his peacoat. ”Mister Domon, great work today. You’re
relieved.”
“Huh?”
said Domon.
“Go
below and get some coffee. It must have been a rough battle,” said Wildstar as
he walked up to his post. “I hope you understand…I want to do this myself.”
“Do
what, sir?” said Domon as he stood.
Wildstar
grinned evilly and opened a small locker and took out a dark pair of goggles.
“Show these guys payback is a real bitch.
Mister Orion, when we’re lined up and I give the word, begin
transferring power to the wave motion gun! I’ve had enough crap from the enemy for one day!”
“Yessir,”
said Orion as the Argo began to
maneuver about.
“Sir,”
said Homer. “Venture reports they’re taking formation about us,” he said as the
ship slowly turned. “He asks what’s going on?”
“Tell
him to cover us with his main guns, and to watch the fireworks. We are clear of
Desslok’s location, Nova?”
“Roger,
he and the other fleet are below the ecliptic, Derek. Range of enemy fleet,
thirteen megameters, speed increasing to twelve space knots! They’re preparing
something!”
“So
am I,” said Wildstar as he put on his goggles. ”Are we in place, Kitano?”
“Affirmative.”
“Stop all
engines,” said Wildstar. ”Begin transfer.”
“Stop:
all engines!” said Orion. “Transfer beginning,” he said as the low, ominous hum
began to ring up through the Argo’s
hull. “Energy level, seventy-two percent!”
“Open
target scope,” said Wildstar with a wicked grin.
As
the target scope and firing pistol came up, Wildstar opened the intership comm
channel and said, “All hands….now hear this! The wave motion gun will be fired
in three minutes! Find secure stations and prepare for recoil shock!”
“Energy
level, eighty percent!” said Orion.
A
dim glow appeared at the Argo’s bow
as the magnetic field began to lock into place.
Not that