ALTERNATE TALES OF THE
STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS—ENDGAME
Being the ninth part of THE
NEW COMET--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
This Act is being completed with the
Cooperation and Assistance of Derek A.C.
Wakefield (as usual)
Thanks to Gail Kopetz (Fluffy! My Wife!) and Eva Giordano and
Ami Meitsu for helping to inspire me….
Note: This chapter contains some mature
content…just wanted to warn you…
ACT ONE: THE DEADLY
RECON
I.
TAKING STOCK…
Space
Battleship Argo
Near
the Sapphira System
Thursday,
July 23, 2207: 1422 Hours Earth Space-Time
On the Argo, the
search for the Eritz Gatlantis and
Invidia’s battle fleet continued for sixteen more days as they continued to
hunt Desslok in order to try to rescue him.
The Star Force had found lead after lead, only to have it
lead to a blind alley or to have their lead go to naught as Invidia warped away
yet again.
They were now near a far edge of the Great Magellenic Cloud,
fifty thousand lightyears away from the Sanzar System near the Sapphira System.
This system, claimed by Gamilon, was an old outpost, and a frontier system in
barely colonized territory.
Their latest lead had taken them there.
However, at the moment, Derek Wildstar wasn’t all that
focused on their search.
He was more interested in the young woman lying naked on an
examining table in Sickbay. It was Nova. She was clutching his hand and crying
a little as Doctor Sane finished a pelvic exam on her. She wore nothing but her
wedding band and a few foam transmission sensors on her chest that were being
used to monitor her heartbeat.
“How is it?” she said as she finally got to close her legs.
“
“My back’s been hurting more lately,” said the more heavily
pregnant Nova as she rubbed her stomach.
“You’re fine,” said Sane as Derek kissed her. “Now let’s see
how the children are doing,” said Sane as he smeared some lubricating jelly on
her bare stomach. Nova giggled and shivered a little at the touch of the gel on
her bare skin. Sane rubbed her down with a gloved pair of hands, pausing to
drink some of his latest “Spring Water” concoction as he worked. He didn’t drop
the bottle because he was a veteran drinker, Then,
Sane turned on the scanner unit and began to run a hand scanner over Nova’s
stomach.
“This ultra-scanner will give us the clearest look we have
had at them yet,” said Sane as Nova sat up a little to look at the screen,
fascinated by what she was seeing in her own womb, and innocently unconcerned
about her own nakedness for the moment.
Sane ran the scanner over her as an image of a little girl
appeared on the screen. It was Ariel, and the picture of her was so clear that
her gender was obvious. “It looks like she’s on top of Alex,” said Doctor Sane.
“It is my guess she’ll probably be born second….”
“She’s growing very fast,” said Derek.
“Ohhh….She’s going to have such a cute little nose,” said
Nova as she looked at the screen.
“Excuse me,” said a voice from over the partition around the
examining table. “Are Nova’s babies being scanned?”
“Yes, Diane,” said Nova. Derek then whispered in her ear,
“Honey, I don’t want her here now…”
“It’s okay,” said Nova with a blush. “Diane, you can come
in…”
Diane Henson arrived just as Stephen Sandor peeked around
the partition. As soon as Nova saw him, she blushed in a ladylike fashion as
she squeezed Derek’s hand, covering her breasts with one arm and putting up her
right thigh so she would have some modesty, but Nova said, “Steve, I guess you
can see, too…..the kids are up on the scope.”
Diane and Steve came in, looking at the screen just as
Doctor Sane ran a printout of the color image. “Here’s a picture of Ariel for
you. Nova, take a breath and move up a little and lower that leg just slightly
while I capture Alex. He’s lower inside your stomach.”
Nova nodded, squeezing Derek’s hand as a view of their son
came on the screen while she pushed up on her bare toes. Sandor laughed. “He
looks just like you, Wildstar! What are you naming him?”
“Alex, after his uncle,” said Nova.
“Nova, Derek, I think Alex would be proud of him. He looks
adorable…”
“Thanks,” said Derek as Nova relaxed a little, looking at the
screen and letting her body become exposed as she looked on. “Look at his
head!” laughed Nova.
“He’s gonna be a little fighter, I think,” said Diane. Her
eyes misted a little as she thought, Derek,
if I hadn’t been such a jerk years ago, that might have been our child. But,
what’s done is done, I guess… Then she looked at Nova in her innocent
nakedness and murmured, “You look so beautiful
pregnant, ma’am…all full of life like that. How old are you, ma’am?”
“Twenty-nine,” Nova said.
“Ma’am, you look about seven years younger than that without
any clothes on. My God, you still look like a kid!”
“Thank you,” said Nova with a smile. “I’m looking good for a
blimp, I guess…you could probably screw in a light bulb where my belly button
is now…look how big I’m getting!” she said with a laugh.
“You’re one tough little lady,” said Diane as she held her
hand. “Pardon my mouth, ma’am, but you’ve been through more shit than any one
of us on this ship and you’re still smelling like roses, kiddo.” Diane then
touched Nova’s naked shoulder. “Is that where Invidia stabbed you with that
knife?”
Nova nodded, not minding too much as Sandor also took a look
at the small dimple above her collarbone. “You healed up well, Nova. I thought
that was the second time we were going to lose you,” he said as he studied the
remnants of Nova’s old wound. The little dimple actually looked sort of cute on
her shoulder, and not at all disfiguring. Nova would proudly bare her shoulders
in quite a few of her warm-weather outfits after the pregnancy, and they
wouldn’t look bad at all. Derek then kissed Nova there on her shoulder as she
blushed again, with sheer joy at how much she was loved by her husband and her
friends. Right now, I miss Mark, she
sighed. If Venture would have been here,
he would have had a good laugh at my tummy and my boobs and the kids in me
along with everyone else. But, he’s on his way back to Earth now. Where I wish
Derek and I were headed…
Then, Doctor Sane moved the scannner, and everyone could see
Ariel. “Awww,” said Diane. “Look at her! What’s her name going to be again?”
“Ariel,” said Nova.
“She looks like her mother,” said Sandor with a smile. “I’ll
bet she’ll be a girl that all the guys will be lining up to date for
lightyears…”
“I know,” said Derek as he held Nova and patted her tummy.
Doctor Sane moved the probe again so they could see Alex and Ariel together.
Nova then made a little face. “Aaaaak!” she said as everyone
laughed. On the screen, Alex was busy kicking. Nova looked down at herself,
laughing as she saw her stomach jiggling. “Look, guys! He really wants out of
there!”
Derek grinned a little and made a funny voice. “This is
Alexander! Mommy, let me out of there! I want some of that food!”
“Oh, you!” said
Nova as she playfully slapped her young husband. Both couples then shared a
good, hearty laugh as Doctor Sane took some more scans before Derek began to
wipe Nova down. Then, after everything was disconnected, Nova just began to get
dressed again while they talked.
“We’ve had a lot of leads,” said Sandor. “Nothing concrete
yet…”
“We found signals on this planet we’re approaching,” Nova
said after she pulled on her underpants. “It’s called Demonranstra.”
“Demo-what?” said
Diane.
“De-mon-ran-stra,”
said Nova as she enunciated each sylabble while pulling her bra on. “It means
“planet of the borderlands” in Gamilon, I think. Derek, I can’t get that..help
me…?”
Derek kissed Nova’s back and helped her close her bra.
“Sure,” he said while Nova reached for her skirt and slid into it. “We’re
sending a team down to investigate those life signs we picked up after last
next warp.”
“Who’s going down?” said Sandor.
“Deke
“What?” Nova said. “Derek, I can handle an easy survey
mission like that. We’re looking for just a few life signs, and they’ll be in
and out!”
“I don’t want you leaving the ship unless it is absolutely
necessary, Lieutenant Commander,” Derek said. “You can monitor the mission from
the ship; you’re too valuable an asset to waste.”
“Yes, he’s got a good point,” Sandor added. “Take that as a
compliment…we need your brains up here on the ship….”
“Even if my body is fat and nearly eight months pregnant?
Thanks a lot,” laughed Nova as she finished buckling on her sandals. “I guess
you’re not sending Sasha down there for the same reason?”
Commodore Wildstar nodded.
Nova then said, “Derek, Dawn and Deke get along like oil and
water. Which means they don’t.”
“They’ll just have to live with each other for a few hours,”
huffed Derek. “You don’t always get to choose your partner in the Fleet. It’s
about time those two realized that.”
“Who else is going down with them?” asked Henson.
“Ensign Leyland from Living Group,” Nova said as she combed her
hair. “Accompanied by Sergeant Sandoval and two Marine privates whose names
escape me at the moment. A six-man team. They should be in and out in just a
few hours. No big deal. Derek, permission to speak freely?”
“Granted,” said Commodore Wildstar.
“I wanted to supervise
“You can supervise him on a recon where we don’t expect any
enemy forces around,” huffed Derek. “After that battle we had a few days ago,
I’m not putting you in front of enemy fire again if we can help it. The
decision stands, Nova. Dawn takes your place.”
“Yessir,” Nova said as she thought, Well, I’ve been going to the head a lot more lately, so…maybe this is
better all around. I hope Dawn knows what she’s getting into…
II.
RELUCTANT WARRIOR
Space
Battleship Argo
The
Fourth Planet of the Sapphira System
Thursday,
July 23, 2207: 1601 Hours Earth Space-Time
The Argo had just
made a space warp, and Ensign Dawn Hardy was not a happy woman.
“I’m going on a mission?”
she snapped as she tapped her sandal-clad foot in her nurse’s minidress.
Nova nodded. “Mrs. Hardy, you’ve got my orders, and you’ve
got the Captain’s orders. Now go get into a set of Medical Group away team
clothes, and get your Astro-Automatic. Lieutenant Wakefield will be your
commanding officer on the ground. You will take your orders from him.”
“
“Probably,” said Nova. “Do you have something against that,
Mrs. Hardy?” Nova said in a firm voice.
“Permission to speak freely?” said Dawn.
Nova rolled her eyes and nodded. “You have the deck.”
“Why aren’t you
going, ma’am? You’re better at away missions than I am. You could do this
survey stuff in your sleep, ma’am, along with all of your other talents. Face
it, ma’am. You’re Wonder Woman!”
“Orders from the Skipper,” Nova said. “I wanted to go but
I’m beached for this mission. A little something about my being pregnant.”
“No fair, ma’am,” said Dawn. “Just because you have a bun in the oven!”
“Number one, I have orders I have to follow, too!”
Nova snapped. “Number two, you are
tacky and close to being insubordinate, and number three, you are not in high school, you are in the military. We all have to take orders,
Hardy! I have given you a direct order to go. Go and do it, and curse me all
you want on the way down, but you will go and do it. Are we clear?”
“Aye, aye, ma’am,” said Dawn. She bowed her head. Nova was
usually very nice but she could have a temper if you rubbed her the wrong way.
“Now that we know what we’re expected to do,” said Nova.
“Make sure that you get back safely! Please make sure you have an extra power
pack for your sidearm,” Nova suggested. “There’s a slot in your belt for ammo
like that next to your waist.”
“Aye, aye,” said Dawn as she left.
Nova then looked at Doctor Sane. “So, what do you think,
Doc?”
“That girl needs either a good drink or a swift kick in the
butt. Maybe both,” said Doctor Sane as he opened his bottle and drank.
“Doctor, if I wasn’t expecting, I’d ask you to pour me a
double right now,” Nova sighed. “Having a buzz would be a vast improvement over
my current state of mind, which is grey like a cloudy day and rotten.”
Doctor Sane patted Nova on the back. “Nova, if we survive
this war, after you wean those twins, do you think you can get the Skipper’s
permission to hit every sake shop in Shinjuku with me some night before you
start medical school? I’ll carry you home if you get too giddy and giggly like
you do when you’ve had too much.”
Nova smiled. “If Derek won’t mind sitting the kids, consider
it a date, Doctor. I’ll throw on my best kimono.”
Sane had a good laugh. “That’s what I like about you! You’re
a great kid!”
Nova smiled as Doctor Sane took a big swig.
III.
DEPARTING
Space
Battleship Argo
Planet
Demonranstra
Thursday, July 23, 2207: 1625 Hours Earth Space-Time
“We’re what?” said
Deke as Dawn looked at him.
“Because of Lieutenant Commander Wildstar’s condition, I
have been ordered to go on the mission down there to that planet in her place,” Dawn said after she had changed into a white
jumpsuit and boots. “That means, we have to work
together. Sasha, stop looking at me like that.”
“What?” said Sasha as she suddenly felt very protective
about Deke and hugged him hard. “You stuck down there with him?”
“For just a few hours,” said Dawn. “No, I am not about to
take your husband and go off and have
some romantic tryst with him. That is stupid. Like you!”
“I am not stupid,
Hardy!” snapped Sasha.
“Yeah, like I’d want to have a tryst with you,” snorted
“Sir, what we had was old news and way in the past,” said Dawn. “I like Jeff a hell of a lot better than
I like you and your totally brainless bimbo wife! Her and her
half-bimbo, half nutty aunt.”
“Dawn, shove that comment up your BUTT!” snapped Sasha.
“I knew we were old news, but do you have to be so snotty
about it?” said Deke. “Damnit, you’re acting like this is high school, Dawn! My
wife happens to be very nice and Nova happens to be a respected comrade of ours
who was saving the planet when you were playing around in high school and going
sis-boom-bah!!
“Yeah, and what did you
two do in high school?” snapped Sasha.
“You keep out of this, Goldenrod!” snapped Dawn.
“I beg your pardon!” huffed Sasha.
“I’m not talking to you any more today. I don’t need my
blood pressure up,” said Dawn. Dawn then looked at Deke and his arsenal; he had
his Astro-Automatic and his old Shetland weapon. “DJ strikes again, huh?”
“Old good-luck charm, Dawn.
You know that. If we get shot at it might save our lives.”
“Don’t go saving me; I’ve got a weapon,” growled Dawn. “Mrs.
Wonder Woman is making me carry…”
Then, one of the Living Group Ensigns with the group
snapped, “TEN HUT!”
They snapped to as Nova showed up, followed by Derek. Derek
was grinning a little as Nova asked, “Ladies and gentlemen, are
we playing nice?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
snapped the group.
“Sir,” said Nova as Derek took the deck.
“Now, people,” he said. “We need you to cooperate.
Communications picked up coded signals, and, subsequently, Nova and the Second
Bridge Crew spotted life signs around a hill that sonar scan states is filled
with limestone caves. We tried to decode the signals from the ship, but we
can’t figure out what is down there. Hence, your mission.
Just get in there, take scans at close enough range to try and ascertain what
sort of people are down there, and take some pictures and then get back up
here. If, IF they are hostile, your job is to cut and run and
get back to the ship. We don’t need you to play hero or take any
unncessary chances. Are we clear on this?”
“Yessir!” they all barked back.
They got into the Cosmo Hound a few minutes later. Dawn was
in command of the Living Group team and the Marines, while Deke was the flight
commander. In her helmet, Dawn grimaced as she heard Deke’s voice asking, “Are
we ready?”
“Yes, now that you and Sasha have finally detached from each
other.”
“Be quiet, I haven’t left yet, I’m saying goodbye to Deekee,” said Sasha as she
hugged Deke for a last time. “Please be careful,” she whispered.
“I will be. Where’s Jeff?” said Deke on the circuit.
“On patrol and you damn well know it,” said Dawn. “I said bye-bye on the comm circuits.”
Deke hugged Sasha and then Sasha left the Cosmo Hound
through the access tunnel. A moment later, the launching platform whirred down
and locked into place. “Hound One ready for liftoff,” said Deke over the
circuit.
“Cleared to take off and good luck,” said Angie Hartcliffe’s
voice over the circuit from the ship.
“Taking off!” said Deke.
The Hound lifted off, separated from the Argo, and she headed down towards
Demonranstra.
The flight down was uneventful. The Hound landed safely in a
clearing on a remarkably Earth-like planet a few minutes later as two Jet Recon
Boats came out of her underbelly. Deke and Dawn were in one of them, and
Leyland, Sandoval, and the Marines went into the other one.
Before separating, Dawn addressed the group.
“This is our plan,” she said, feeling stupid as she thought, Nova is so much better at this commanding
officer crap than I am, but, then again, I’m ranking officer of these survey
geeks. I have a few days’ seniority on this Ensign Leyland here. “
“Aye, aye, ma’am,” they all said together while Deke just
watched her. Then, IQ-9 turned his dome towards her. “Dawn, you are not a
genius like I am.”
“Who the hell wants to be like you?” she snapped as the
others laughed. “You’re just some collection of chips and circuits.”
“I am insulted by that,” he said. “I am an officer.”
“What rank?” Dawn snapped. “Pervert Tinwit First Class?“
“Let me compute,” said IQ-9 as he beeped. “Readout
of Ensign Dawn Hardy. Hair, streaky with blond bangs.
Build, average. Eyes, snarky.
No cute light in them like some other lady I know.”
“Good, I don’t need you falling in love with me,” Dawn
snapped.
“Legs, unremarkable.
Waist, average. I think you need to diet,” said IQ-9
as even Deke began to chuckle. “Command voice needs work. You sound whiny,
ma’am. No. You still sound like a cadet or a civilian ninety-day wonder.”
“CUT THE CRAP!” Dawn snapped.
“I was going to put my hands on your tush but it is not
logical. I think you would bite my hands off. You have no sense of humor. You
do not love Deekee. Deekee loves Sasha. The Captain loves Nova. Derek and Nova,
sitting in a tree,” he began to squeak.
“You stupid robot!” said Dawn as the others began to laugh.
“K-I-S-S-I-N-G!” spelled out IQ-9. “First came love, then came marriage. Next recon mission, here comes Nova with
a baby carriage!” said IQ-9 as he looked at Dawn and said, “If you get pregnant, you’d be fat!”
“I have no plans of getting pregnant on this mission,
stupid!” Dawn yelled.
“Yeah, who’d wanna get you
pregnant?” said Deke with a grin.
“You’re already fat, Dawn,” burbled IQ-9.
“I AM NOT FAT!” yelled Dawn back as she hit IQ-9 on the dome
with a tree branch she picked up.
“Let’s go,” said Deke. “IQ, can it.”
“Yes, sir,” he said as he got into the recon boat. Deke mockingly
looked at Dawn and gave her an “after you” gesture.
“You drive,” she huffed as she got into the boat. Deke
nodded, and they got into the recon boat and shut the canopy. Deke started it
and the boat whirred off on its RV wheels. “Take this thing east,” said Dawn.
“East, we go,” said Deke.
The boat cruised on through the woods.
Not far away, a small port opened up in the ground. A
blue-helmeted head emerged. The face beneath it was green and was grinning.
“This is Leftenant Eglin, Number Forty-Six,” whispered the Cometine trooper
into his comm mike. “The Earthlings are splitting up, Princess. Interesting
that you have taken a special interest in this mission, ma’am.”
“The Star Force is my business for now. Don’t do anything
overt yet,” snapped Invidia into his
headset. “Let them fumble around a bit! Then, you and Sargus set the trap down
there while I have Major Carghax spring the trap in space with his missile
ships.”
“How’s Desslok doing?” said Eglin.
“Miserable. And that’s the way I like it!” laughed Invidia.
“I think I’m going to be bringing him some company, ma’am,”
said Eglin.
“Good job. Be careful,” said Invidia.
“Loud and clear,” said Eglin.
IV.
PLOTTING
The Eritz Gatlantis
Fifty
Lightyears from Planet Demonranstra
Thursday, July 23, 2207: 1700 Hours Earth Space-Time
The
New Comet had been re-ignited and was blazing across the skies again as, on her
main bridge, Cometine officers ran the Eritz
Gatlantis through a course change.
“Output level up!”
barked the Officer of the Deck.
“Output level one hundred percent!” yelled an engineer.
“Course steady, affirmative!” said the Officer of the Deck.
“Increase speed per order from the Palace!”
“Magna-Power Engines six through twenty-five increase
thrust!” said the Officer of the Deck.
“Switch on!”
barked the engineer.
“Helm, adjust course five degrees to port!” snapped the
Officer of the Deck.
“Adjusting course five
degrees! Changing speed!”
Down
below, in the palace, Invidia had her Court gathered for a meeting.
“Tonight is the Star Force’s last night in space,” she said.
“Princess, I think you are overconfident,” said Gorse.
“Why do you say that?” Invidia snapped.
“They have been very good at outsmarting us, even though they
play us like a cat with a mouse.”
“You are so
inept!” yelled Invidia.
“Dear,
may I interject an opinion?” asked a
young woman who strode in on stiletto heels. This young woman had long white
hair, a cutesy face, a blue and white dress, and she was green.
“Duchess Caella. Welcome again, cousin. What brings you from
the boudoir to a strategy meeting?” hissed Invidia.
“You always mistreat me so, Invidia!” she whined. “Your other last remaining living blood relative, and you treat me so terribly!” she whined in her high voice.
“Father loved you, but he loved me more,” said Invidia.
“Oh, he sure loved me,” said Caella. “Pity he never loved
you in the same way? Or did he? I’ve
heard amusing tales about you in his lap,” smiled Caella.
“You are sick,” said Invidia.
“The poor, misguided Earthlings.
Why do you persecute them so?” said Caella.
“I do not hate all Earthlings. Why, I own one!” chuckled Invidia as she patted
Michelle’s hand. Michelle bowed her head beside the throne, unhappy at the
prospect of seeing the Star Force attacked tonight. She disliked her friend
when she got into these sort of moods.
“You think you are amusing, Invidia?” said Caella with tears
in her eyes. “You make me want to throw up.”
Invidia got up, slammed down her pointer, and nearly hit her
third cousin in the face with it. “I am in command here! I am the one who says
STAY or GO! You hold noble rank, and be lucky! That is the only thing that
keeps your rotten body out of the Sphere of Joy or off the torture rack or the
head-block!”
“Like you’d dare to take my head?” said Caella.
“One more comment from you, and I just might order that,” said Invidia as she glared
at Caella.
Finally, Caella smiled and said, “Ekogaru might be very interested
in hearing how you sound right now. Although his Lordship
probably knows already. Still, I could talk to him if he gives me the
right price.”
“This is your last warning,” said Invidia as she grabbed a
gun from an officer. “Back in ranks, and shut your damned mouth, or I’ll just
shoot you right here in Court!”
Caella glared at Invidia, but then she said, “We’ll speak
later, ma’am. Oh. Your father would be very disappointed in you now.”
Tears filled Invidia’s eyes as she whispered to Michelle, “You
ever know anyone like that?”
“Back on Earth, there was…this girl who liked to just cause
trouble? Her name was Carla, and…”
“So I see,” said Invidia. “Enough. GORSE! Latest
status on Major Carghax!”
“Yes, Princess,” he said with a bow.
Caella took a walk down to the torture chambers a while
later.
She smiled as she watched the torture of an Earth POW on the
rack. He was a youngish-looking man with short, dark hair, a slightly chubby,
boyish face, and what she thought was a rather cute nose.
He had on only a tattered pair of EDF blue uniform slacks,
and his bare chest strained with sweat as his bare wrists and ankles strained
along with his tormented arms and legs in the rack he was locked down into.
“TALK!” yelled a blue-helmeted officer as he slapped him
across the face. “What, again, is your name, rank, and ship, Earthling scum?”
The man wheezed and said, “Lieutenant Shigeru Sakamoto.
Former Second Squadron Leader of the Red Centaurs, EDF spacecraft carrier Shiryu. My serial number is
FO-525-325621-01A. Go to hell!”
Sakamoto screamed as the guard poked him in his bare stomach
with an electrified probe. “This is just a little bit of encouragement, scum!
What were your forces doing on Iscandar? Tell me Commodore Wildstar’s
strategy!”
“Derek Wildstar and I are not on
speaking terms, jackass!” Then, he noticed Caella. “Oh? Are you that stinking
Goddamn Princess Invidia?”
“Duchess Caella,” she said with a smile. “You’re cute.”
“If you care so Goddamn much, let me up outta this thing!”
said Sakamoto.
“We’ll see,” she said as she came up to him. With a smile,
she undid the snap holding his pants closed (they had taken his belt) and she
pulled Sakamoto’s pants and underwear down to his ankles. “ooooo,
nice,” she said. “Captain Gerer! This one is cute! Can I have him?”
“Does Invidia allow it?” snapped Gerer.
“Invidia sent me down here with my pick of a prisoner to
play with. My own little pick,” she said as she teased Sakamoto’s navel. “Don’t
dislocate his arms. Let him go!”
Gerer nodded, and he hit a button that released the pressure
on the rack. Sakamoto breathed hard as the pain was finally allieviated for
him. Then, with a snap, his manacles were released.
Sakamoto sat up and wobbled right into Caella’s arms. To his
immense shock, she kissed him and pulled his pants back up. Then, she helped
him up and said, “I’m taking him to my suite. Have food and drink brought up
for two, Gerer. Then leave us alone.”
“Yes, ma’am,” he said with a nod at the noble as Caella
helped Sakamoto out of the room.
Maybe half an hour later, Sakamoto was naked again, and as
happy as a pig in a sty as Caella, also naked, cuddled up to him in her suite,
which was almost as large as Invidia’s and even more decadent, since it was
full of erotic artwork. He had not been with a woman in many months, and he
felt utter shock when Caella took the lead to utterly seduce him, lying on top
of him and riding him like a cowgirl with no shame.
“So, how high up are you in their mucky-muck heirarchy,
Duchess?” asked Sakamoto. “And how old are you?”
“High enough,” she said. “I’m older than Invidia at about
twenty-eight Earth years. I’m part of the Royal Family of House Gatlantis. My
parents are dead, I think. They were on the original
“Wait. Zordar was your cousin?”
said Sakamoto.
“Third cousin, Invidia is my fourth cousin. I’ve been
around. Let’s see. I’ve slept with Gorse, Dyre, Zordar…,”
she said as she counted on her fingers.
“Your cousin?” said Sakamoto.
Caella nodded eagerly. “He was lots of fun. I’ve also been
with Bleek, Turpis, Radnar, Tendor, Marklis, got to
Desslok once when he was still recovering…”
“You slept with Desslok?”
“Yes, he was really big. I think he thought I was Queen
Starsha,” she giggled. “I have also been with…Scorch…,” she said as she counted
on her last finger. Then, she brought up her feet and began counting on her
toes. “Talan once, Miklas, Solana, and the others, I forget,” she said as she
held her little toe on her right foot, “but, they were fun. You’re the first
Earthling I’ve had. You’re big,” she said as she pulled down the blankets and
looked at him as she grinned.
“Can you count up to twenty if you aren’t using your toes?”
he teased.
“You’re funny,” she said as she kissed him again. “I’m going
to keep you,” she said. “You’ll like it better up here than in that gross
prison. Oh? Like to know what I plan to do?”
“What?” said Sakamoto.
“Kill Princess Invidia and take over. Wanna help me?” she
purred as she played with his belly button.
“Okay, you want me to defect?” he said.
“Not necessarily,” said Caella. “Hmm…after I kill Invidia,
we could trick that Ekogaru out an airlock, take over, take this thing to
Earth, say the war’s over, and then I will keep you. Want to win the war all by
yourself?”
“Okay, this is crazy,” said Sakamoto. “I’m being tortured, and
this cute girl shows up, and forty-five minutes later, I become her main
squeeze and she is plotting to kill Invidia. I’m a lucky guy, huh?”
“And I want to have your baby so we can bind our races
together. I wonder what shade of green she’ll be?”
“Plotting to be barefoot and pregnant already?” asked Sakamoto. For a moment, he thought, This is a complete nut! But she’s cute for
someone who’s green…
“Pregnant, I like. I like being barefoot too,” said Caella
as she wiggled her toes. “I almost had a baby once but I lost it. Turpis was
the father. He was so depressed when I lost him.”
“So what do you wanna do?” said Sakamoto.
“Guess,” said Caella as she pushed him down again.
V.
COMBAT
Deke
and Dawn’s Jet Recon Boat
Planet
Demonranstra
Thursday, July 23, 2207: 1718 Hours Earth Space-Time
“Argo, we’ve found
life signs that seem to indicate Cometines,” said Dawn as she looked at a
readout in the Jet Recon Boat that IQ-9 had confirmed. “Argo, we’ve found enemy life signs. Argo, respond!”
“Deke, they’re not answering!” said Dawn.
“IQ-9, see if you can raise the ship!” barked Deke.
IQ-9 blinked. “Trying.” After a
moment, he went silent. “They are not responding. I am also picking up a
jamming field!”
“Jamming field?” said Deke. “Crap!”
Then, the enemy began shooting at them.
“Damnit!” yelled Deke.
He opened the canopy but he and Dawn tried to keep under
cover while Cometines shot at them.
Dawn pumped a few shots at them, but she screamed as she
took a hit in her hand and her Astro-Automatic flew out of her hand.
“I’m hit!” she yelled.
“I’ll protect you!” said IQ-9. He stood up and prepared to
jump out and mash the enemy, but three shots went through him and left smoking
holes. His dome flew off and he collapsed inert into a smoking heap beside the
ship.
Then, a shot hit the Jet Recon boat and set it on fire.
“Dawn, run!” yelled Deke after he grabbed a few items out of
the boat.
Both of them ran as the enemy began shooting like crazy.
Deke covered them as, somehow, they made their escape.
If only they knew what was going on up above them….
“Captain’s Log…23 July
2207, 1722 Hours.
Commodore
Derek Wildstar recording,” Derek said into a
microphone connected to his computer in the Captain’s Quarters of the Argo.
“No word yet from the landing party. Lieutenant Homer Glitchman
reports signs of a jamming field in the area that might compromise
communications; Lieutenant Commander Nova Wildstar also reported that a few
more life signs were picked up before the jamming field went up. Life signs
still being analyzed by Living Group.
I
have the uneasy feeling that we may have sent our landing party into a trap. But why? Any enemy force down below on Demonranstra must be
small. We picked up no buildings, and no constructions except for the abandoned
Gamilon base. I am considering sending a second party led by Marine Group
Leader Hemsford into the mix. But, given the jamming field, there is the
possibility that an enemy fleet, or fleets, are in the area. If so, we must be
sure to watch our back as…”
Then, Derek saw a bright flash of light from his canopy and
felt the ship shaking. He saw the coffee in his cup trembling as he looked up
and heard a distant rumble.
“It may be starting
already. We may now be facing attack ourselves…”
A
moment later, Derek’s guess was proved right.
The Argo herself
was under heavy attack from a squadron of Cometine missile ships and two enemy
space battleships. She was busy firing her bow missiles when Commodore Wildstar
reacted to a call on the PA system for him to come to the bridge just as the
alert klaxons went off while he was pulling on his peacoat. In his cabin, he
put aside his coffee, turned off his log recorder, and ran for the bridge.
When Commodore Wildstar got to the bridge, Diane Henson,
acting as the Officer of the Deck, yelled, “We’ve taken three missile hits
already, all in the forward part of the ship!”
“Number one gun turret has taken damage; we can’t train it
properly!” said Nishina.
“Call the landing parties, Homer!” snapped Commodore
Wildstar.
“Can’t get through; now there’s truly heavy jamming around
Demonranstra!” said Homer. “The circuit’s dead!”
“We’re surrounded by ten missile ships and two space
battleships at seven megameters’ range to port! Third wave of missiles
approaching!” said Nova from her post. “Range, six megameters, approaching from
thirty-five degrees port!”
“Kitano, turn the ship, thirty-five degrees port! Domon,
fire number two turret and bow missiles!” Derek ordered.
“Yessir!” said Domon. “Main guns, FIRE!”
The
main guns went off a moment later, followed by the bow missiles. The only hit
was to the Argo’s port side
observation deck.
The Argo’s guns
and missiles took out two Cometine antimatter missile ships.
One of the space battleships returned fire. The Argo’s forward auxilary turret took a
hit, blowing one of the gun barrels off.
Eager blurted out, “One of the enemy space battleships just
warped!”
“Fourth wave of missiles!”
Nova cried. “Bearing, thirty degrees to port!”
“Ninety degrees port!” barked Wildstar. “Ready all working
main and auxilary turrets for a broadside!”
“Turning ship,” said Kitano.
“Retraining main guns,” said Domon.
“Turret aberration, ten degrees forward, fifteen degrees
aft!” said Nishina.
“Open fire!” barked Domon.
The guns went off again, blowing another Cometine missile
ship to bits.
“NO!” cried Nova. “Enemy space battleship has just warped in
two megameters off the stern! It’s firing its shock cannons!”
The main screen was switched quickly, and Commodore Wildstar
saw the vortex beam coming right at them. If
that catches us dead-on, we’ll be crushed! Derek thought. “Kitano! Ninety degrees to port!”
“Evasive! Ninety degrees!” he snapped.
The Argo began making
her turn just as more Cometine missiles slammed into her. The mighty space
battleship was smoking in several places when the shock beam caught the wildly
manuevering space battleship’s stern.
The vortex beam skipped over the fantail deck and caught the
number three gun turret dead on and crushed it like a soda can. The speakers
were on, and Nova covered her face and gasped as she and the others heard the
death screams of the men in that turret being crushed to death. Mercifully, the
heavy thud of an explosion as a regular plasma hit knocked out the starboard
side auxiliary engine cut the terrible sound off.
“We need to get that engine fixed!” Sandor snapped. “Henson,
get Orion to meet me down there! Captain, permission to leave
the bridge!”
“Denied.
Get Bando down there!” said Derek.
Sandor nodded, and he ordered Bando down to the appropriate
engine room a moment later.
The Argo took
several more hits; Sandor read off a terrible roll-call a moment later.
“Environmental control damaged! Smokestack missile silo damaged! All-celestial
radar room damaged! Port side pulse laser deck number two badly damaged!”
“Another
wave of missiles coming in!” said Nova. “Brace for impact!”
The Argo shook
again, returning fire and taking out another missile ship with a desperate
strike from her working gun turrets. “Which squadron is at alert-three?” barked
Derek.
“Hardy’s…down below in the lower fighter bay!” said Domon.
“Hardy, prepare to launch Black Tigers!” said Wildstar. “We
have to take those people out!”
The Argo then took
another heavy hit. The lower flight bay filled up with smoke. “Negative!” said Hardy.
“What?” said Wildstar.
“The lower bay door just took a hit. The mechanism’s
jammed!” yelled Hardy from the cockpit of his now-helpless plane on the flight
deck as Flight Maintenance Group men and women yelled and cursed while putting
fires out and trying to work the manual wheel that would open the lower flight
deck.
“What about Marrable in the upper starboard bay?” Wildstar
demanded.
“Artificial gravity to that deck is compromised!” said
Hardy. “Brew just told me he could use
a brew right now!”
“Damnit, what about Capistrano?” yelled Derek. “Don’t you
dare tell me Bangs can’t launch from the upper port bay!”
“Their bay doors were damaged by shrapnel,” said Hardy.
“They think they can launch in eight minutes! We might be able to launch our
boys in ten!”
“What a spot!” hissed Derek. “We’re
screwed!”
“Yeah, you can say that again, hon,” said Diane with a wink
from her post.
“This isn’t funny,
Diane!” snapped Nova.
“Should we get the Padre to say the Rosary now?” teased
Diane.
“Henson, quit it! I’m trying to plot vectors!” Nova cried.
Sandor
sat looking at his damage control readouts as the Argo manuevered and fired again. This is getting worse, he thought. Then, he said, “Wildstar, the
ship can’t take much more of this! We’ve taken damage from fourteen hits in
five minutes and one gun turret is destroyed and the other one is damaged!
We’re down to one turret, some missiles, and the wave motion gun!”
“Homer, try to reach that landing party one last time,” said
Wildstar as the ship shivered from more hits.
“Main gun turret number one now working again!” said
Nishina.
“This is Marrable!” said Brew’s voice over the speakers.
“Artificial gravity’s back in our flight bay; tryin’ to clean up a mama-jama
load of damage! I think we can launch planes in maybe two minutes!”
“Good! Domon, hold them off with the guns! Fire our
remaining turrets at the enemy fleet now!” said Derek.
“Yessir, making adjustments!” said Domon.
“Unable to reach landing party!” said Homer.
At his Captain’s post, Commodore Wildstar sat in deep
frustration.
Then, Nova said, “Large warp disturbance being picked up near
Planet Number seven; something big is coming into the system!”
“Nova, scan that area at full magnification!”
“Yessir,”
she replied.
A moment later, Eager cried, “Sixth wave o’ missiles,
approachin’! Looks like they let all the dogs out at the Dallas
Center Dog Show!”
“DAMNIT!
Not what we need now!” said Nishina.
Down below, as two men and two heavy robots manhandled his
Tiger back into launch position in his elevator, Brew said, “Good job! One more minute, and we can start launching!”
From her post, Henson said, “Captain! The auxiliary engine
is back on line!”
The Argo fired
again, taking out one enemy space battleship and one missile ship.
The ship took two more hits; one of them made Commodore
Wildstar’s heart drop as Sandor said. “Port side rocket anchor damaged. Wave
motion gun firing gate, damaged!”
But, Nova’s heart sped up as she picked up the pattern at
Planet Seven. It’s them! But now we can’t fight our way out of a
paper bag with the wave motion gun down! That was our trump card! Nova
thought in despair. “Object at Planet Seven confirmed; intercept with this
region in twenty-two minutes at current speed, changing video panel!”
“What is it?” yelled Derek.
“Look!” Nova snapped back.
A
moment later, just as big and ugly as life, the unmistakable form of the New
Comet appeared on the main screen.
“They’re coming right for us!” Nova said. “Eighteen minutes
to intercept at their current speed! They’ve picked up speed, Derek! They’re
close to .75 C…that is…lightspeed and accelerating right for us! I think they
want to crush us! They’re insane!”
“This whole thing was an elaborate trap, Wildstar!” said
Sandor.
“I know,” said Derek. “For once, those bastards outsmarted
us.”
“Ready to launch!” yelled Brew over the speakers.
“Abort launch,” said Wildstar.
“Whatthemamajama is
this bullshit, sir?” yelled an angry
Brew. “The Trojans are locked and loaded and ready to rock!”
“It’s called the New Comet, and it’s boiling up on an intercept
course with us and we’re badly damaged!” Wildstar snapped. “I’ll hate telling
Sasha and Hardy this, but there’s only one thing we can do now!” said Wildstar
as the Argo took yet another hit.
“Kitano, ready us for a space warp. We’ll have to pull
out with our damn tail between our legs to another system to make repairs. We
have to consider the mission. We’re too heavily damaged to fight that Comet
right now! We’ll have to abandon that party for the moment…if they’re even
still alive!”
“Oh, no!”
Nova cried. “Poor Dawn! Poor Deke! What about the rest
of those men, Derek? We can’t just leave them!”
“Nova,
remember the Magnetron Fortress?” Derek snapped as Nova’s heart again dropped
as she saw Derek putting on his Captain’s hat at his post. Then, she coughed as
some smoke blew over from a short-circuited board next to Kitano at
Environmental Control, along with some smoke from the damaged Astro-Compass.
Nova knew that was very uncharacteristic of Derek, and she
knew it meant one thing: he was expecting to go down with his ship soon.
Nova changed the view of the Comet to a dead-on forward view
as Derek said, “Nova, do you remember the order Captain Avatar was about to
give?”
“It would have left you dead, Derek!” she cried. “You and Sandor. I thought Avatar was being so cold-blooded,
but…”
“He would have had to do it,” said Sandor. “He would have
had no other choice.”
“No other choice,” Nova said dully. “Guess we have to do
that, too, don’t we?” she said with tears brimming in
her eyes.
“Not if we want to have any chance of surviving,” said
Commodore Wildstar. “Otherwise, in about sixteen minutes now, we’ll be sucked
into that thing, and we’ll go right down, just like Captain Gideon did.”
“Message coming in!” said Homer.
“From the party?” cried Nova.
“No,” he said. “The Comet.”
CRAP!
Derek thought.
A moment later, Commodore Wildstar was looking right at
Princess Invidia even as her fleet continued to batter them. Invidia meant to
have some fun. She had sent Michelle away, knowing that the girl would not want
to see her taunting other Earthlings on the screen.
“All right, you can see that your forces are pounding at us
and we’ve taken damage!” Derek snapped. “Why are you calling us now, Invidia?”
“Desslok sends his greetings. He’s miserable! Hahahahaha! I hope your people down on
that planet are having fun dying!”
“Princess, spare that party. They were only a lightly armed
survey party. At least take those men and women prisoner humanely.”
“We will, the ones who are still
alive!” said Invidia. “Maybe. Right now, I think you
will soon join them. I offer you a chance at asylum. Surrender the Argo and we will allow you to peacefully
land on the Comet. You will be my prisoners, but you will be treated well as
our slaves if you retire from battle and give us your ship for analysis and
dismantling. We would love to see what makes your old spaceship tick!”
Derek shook his head, “Invidia, have you had too much to
drink? I’d like to make a deal. Surrender Desslok to us alive and unharmed and
we’ll warp away for now and leave you be.” For
the moment, he thought. “I could attack you right now with our wave motion
gun,” he said as he bluffed, not wanting Invidia to know how badly off they
were. “If you give us Desslok and let us leave to take him back to Gamilon and
repair our damage, we’ll call it even for the day.”
“Never.
We need Desslok here. I”ve studied your Earth game known as chess. I am not
about to let your strongest piece back onto the board without a fight. You want
Desslok? You’re your men in here to get him,” Invidia sneered. “If you can avoid being crushed by our Comet field, that is.
Why don’t you warp in and fire that gun at me, my dear long-haired idiot? You
know where I am!”
“I don’t want further bloodshed. Enough people died today on
our side and yours. I’ve had to kill some of your brave warriors, Invidia.
Let’s settle this honorably.”
“This is our answer!” she said as she cut off.
She waved her arm, and the New Comet warped.
A moment later, it reappeared.
At maybe just fifty megameters
away. It filled their screen, it filled their bridge windows, and
the Argo’s superstructure creaked and
groaned dangerously as the Comet Field pulled at the ship.
Kitano worked the helm controls furiously to keep from being
sucked into the Comet. Domon jumped up to help him. A moment later, Nova jumped
up in her male-patterned blouse and bellbottoms, planting her sandaled feet
hard on the deck as she strained, pulled, and helped Domon and Kitano force the
Argo into a hard one-hundred and
eighty-degree turn, even as the Comet field ripped one of the ship’s aft
catapults off and consumed it. A moment later, the aft atmospheric stabilizer
fin was torn off the ship, and the techtite dome of the aft observation deck
shattered and was ripped off the bridge tower into the maw of the New Comet.
The ship’s superstructure now moaned as Diane Henson pulled
off every override she could and gave them 140% power from the wave engine;
more than it was designed to put out.
“Wildstar!
Thirty more seconds of this, and the Argo
will be ripped right in half like a piece of paper!” cried Sandor. “The hull’s
beginning to weaken!”
“Our only chance to escape this now is a random space warp!”
said Kitano. “We’ve got no time to calculate anything!”
Over Kitano’s shoulder, Nova screamed, “We’re breaking free
from the worst of the field!”
“Nova, get back to your post! You, too, Domon!” yelled
Wildstar. He hit the comm switch. “All hands! We are
making a random space warp in fifteen seconds! Kitano will be using low power,
but we have no idea where or even when
we will end up!”
“Switching over power!” said Diane even as she pulled on her
harness. “We’re risking a burnout!”
At that moment, Sasha ran onto the first bridge. “Uncle!”
she yelled. “What are we doing? Deekee is STILL DOWN THERE!”
“Right now, we have to run for it!” Derek snapped. “Go over
to Analysis and strap in! We’ll be warping in five seconds!”
Sasha ran over and sat down as tears ran down her cheeks
just as Kitano counted down, “4…3…2…1…ZERO!”
“WARP!” yelled Wildstar.
“WARP!”
yelled Kitano.
The Argo warped,
ripping part of the Comet Field into hyperspace with it as a shocked Invidia
felt her ship suddenly bucking and slamming like an aircar with a dying engine.
For a moment, the Comet was almost sucked right into hyperspace right behind
the Argo herself as the drainpipe of
the Cosmos remained open. Then, it slammed shut with an explosive blast and
flash of light as the Argo vanished.
In the meantime, the Argo’s
engines kicked, bucked, flashed, and roared as the ship ripped into the deepest
possible level of hyperspace as the stars streaked past as blue light.
Then, something went wrong, and the crew felt as if they
were going to die as they momentarily all felt their stomachs dropping.
Then, the streaking of the stars stopped, and Nova opened
her eyes and looked down at herself as her top and pants faded into
nothingness, leaving her in her underwear in a weird, distorted hyperspace she
recognized all too well. 
“This
is the old-style warp!” she said as her voice sounded around her in a weird
echo. Time seemed to be dragging, and each breath seemed to be incredibly hard
to draw as she found herself sitting there stark naked a moment later. She
covered her breasts with her hands as she cried, “Sandor! What’s wrong with the
ship?”
Nova glanced over, and saw that he also sat there in nothing
for a moment. “The stabilizer circuits…seem to be compromised. Hard to tell
with everything swirling around like…this…”
Nova looked back at Derek. For a moment, he just seemed to
be in his Captain’s hat and nothing else. Then, her clothes and Derek’s
reappeared as fog filled the distorted atmosphere of the bridge.
“This is weird!” said Domon. “My stomach!”
At her post, Sasha still went naked, and she unashamedly
threw up all over the Analysis board. “How did you people do this in 2199?” she
asked. “This is like being in Hell!”
“What the heck is going on?” cried Homer from his post; in
just his undershirt and boots, and nothing else.
“It’s a distortion,” said Sandor. “Wildstar, remember when I
said without proper calculations we could disappear forever, probably into the
Fourth Dimension?”
“Yeah,” said Derek as he found himself in just his
undershorts again, using his Captain’s hat to swat away some weird…thing…that
looked like a huge Venus Fly Trap.
“That’s where we are,” said Sandor. “We got away from
Invidia, but…”
Then, a moment later, as some strange little animal that
looked like a baby dinosaur ran across the bridge and tried to bite the
Astro-Compass (and left a load of steaming droppings on the deck as it relieved
itself) Nova felt someone tapping her on the shoulder. She screamed when she
saw that it was Captain Avatar! There he was, dignified and proper in his full
uniform, leaning on a cane and looking just like he had when he had been alive!
“You’re dead!” she
said. “Are we dead too?”
“No, just in Between,” he said.
“Between?” she said as she got up. Finding herself barefoot in
a crocheted minidress and floppy 1968-style hat, Nova picked the baby dinosaur
up and squeaked as it peed on her. “Between what,
sir?”
“They say the spirit world is another dimension,” said
Captain Avatar in his old, characteristic growling voice. “I’m still learning a
lot here, but we’re all on the same plane for a moment. Nice seeing you, Derek
and the others again. I see you’re expecting, Nova. You look good.”
“Are we ever getting out of this, Captain?” Derek asked as
he ran over, now clad in a polo shirt, soccer shorts, and nothing else.
“Your energy is running out; you should break back into your
normal space in maybe a minute, back in your own time with a dislocation of
perhaps ten minutes into the future, and you should be roughly two star systems
away from Demonranstra,” said Captain Avatar as he tapped the Astro-Compass
with his cane to make it indicate the right heading before going to sit down at
his old post for a moment, sighing deeply as he sat back down in his old chair.
“Good tactic, Commodore Wildstar. Invidia will never know where you went now.
Let’s say you made your course a bit untraceable with that little tactic. Glad
to see you made flag rank, by the way, my son. You’ll have a lot to get through
in the next few weeks, Wildstar. But don’t ever give up!”
“No,
sir, I won’t,” Derek said as he found himself back in his old uniform again,
although he didn’t have his peacoat on. So was Nova.
Avatar came up and said, “I wish both of you the best of
luck,” he said.
Then, he came up to Derek and Nova and gave them both a hug.
“Goodbye,” he said. “Until we meet again, some day…”
Then, he went back to his old post.
Derek saluted Avatar before he departed. Avatar nodded back
at him, and faded out as the strange distortion slowly passed as the Argo faded back into reality and normal
space again in a slow fashion, just as it used to with her old engines.
The odd, familiar hum of warp emergence hummed across the
bridge as the crew looked around to find the bridge back the way it was, with all
of them decently clothed in their uniforms again, with no more plants, no more
dinosaurs, and no more Captain Avatar. Derek, however, swore to his dying days
(only to Nova) that right as they had emerged, he saw the old Captain’s face in
his metal plaque winking at him. However, while Derek was putting his coat back
on, Nova looked down at her uniform and said, “Uh, Derek, it’s still wet…”
“I think I just stepped in dinosaur poop!” said Eager as he
staggered over. “And I’m dizzy!”
“Kind of normal for you, Eager,” said Sandor as Diane ran
over and gave him a hug.
Sasha looked down at herself; she was fully dressed, but her
slightly used dinner was all over the Analysis panel. “I’m okay,” she sighed.
“Or would be if I knew where Deekee was! Where are we? It’s awfully hot in here!”
Derek nodded. The normal gentle whirring sound of the ship’s
climate control units had disappeared for the moment. The
Sandor and Nova huddled for a moment at her post. Then, Nova
said, “We’ve emerged in the Dikensia System, three lightyears away from
Demonranstra. It is now 1816 Hours. It was 1805 when we went into warp. We
travelled ten minutes into the future. Not that bad, except where we are.”
“Where are we?” said Domon.
“In the orbit of the second planet, near a major blue-white
star,” said Sandor. “Commodore Wildstar, unless we can get out of here soon, we
all may need to put on full spacesuits with cooling units.”
“Why is that?” said Derek.
“The temperature is climbing in the ship,” Nova said. “The
temperature in the ship is currently 37.22 degrees Celsius, 99 degrees
Fahrenheit. The enviromental control system is somewhat damaged. It might be up
to 40.55 Celsius or 105 Faherenheit in here in the next half hour. Maybe we
could move to a cooler area?”
“Nothing doing,” said Kitano. “We’re stuck here.”
“Stuck?” said Derek.
“Until we make repairs, sir.
The main engine is dead,” said Diane Henson sadly. “We’re on priming reactor
power right now and batteries. We need to cut power consumption down to the
barest minimum since we can’t move. If it goes above 120 degrees, we’ll all
need spacesuits. The problem will be recharging them. If we
can even do that.”
“In other words, we’re in trouble,” said Commodore Wildstar
as he shrugged off his peacoat and opened his shirt somewhat. He was already
sweating. Then, he said, “Nova, try to get the enviromental units fixed well
enough so we at least don’t need to break out the old-style spacesuits to
survive unless we really have to. Your job is getting the temperature
stabilized. If you feel hot while working because of your condition, get into a
spacesuit as soon as possible or get into a medical boat to cool off.”
“Spacesuits; we don’t have enough power to recharge the
batteries if we use them up; same thing with the boats, Derek. If we go in the boats now without the engines running, we burn up
batteries, and if we idle those engines, we use up heavy-water fuel. Stripping
down a bit would probably work for the time being,” Nova said as she pulled off
her shirt and sandals and stood there in just her bra and slacks. “We have to
conserve spacesuit power for a real emergency,” Nova added as she rolled up her
pants legs. “I think I can get the temperature stabilized, at least. I’d recommend
waiving uniform requirements for now. Our biggest problem might be incipient
heatstroke; I think the oxygen exchangers are working OK, at least.”
“Okay, get down to Mechanical and get to work on it,” said
Derek.
Nova saluted and ran off as Homer pulled off his shirt. “I’m
hot,” he groaned. Sasha stood there with her boots off and her uniform slightly
open fanning herself and feeling very depressed. “When can we get back to look
for Deke?” she said to Derek.
“Maybe a week,” he said. “Is he still alive?”
“Yes. I just barely feel him through our bond,” she said as
tears ran down her cheeks. “He’s slightly hurt, and he’s cold. We’re hot and
he’s cold. I wish we could send him some of this heat…”
“Where do you think he is?” said Sandor.
“In some cave, with some animal,”
she said as she began to dolefully clean up her vomit.
“Doesn’t sound promising,” said Derek.
“No…it’s not,” said Sasha. Derek hugged her as she just
began to cry.
VI.
DEKE AND DAWN IN THE SOUP
A
Planet
Demonranstra
Thursday, July 23, 2207: 2045 Hours Earth Space-Time
“Well?” snapped
Dawn Hardy as she sat beside Deke Wakefield in a cave.
They were shivering a little. They had just gotten away from
the enemy and the Jet Recon Boat with their lives, Deke’s weapons, two canteens
filled with water, and a few days’ worth of survival rations and one blanket
between them in a pack, and Deke’s flight bag.
“Nothing,” Deke said as he threw down his comm unit and
rubbed his wounded wrist. He had taken a glancing hit from a Cometine weapon.
“The jamming field is gone, but no response what-so-ever
from the Argo, Dawn.”
“So, you are the pilot and military genius, Deke! What
happened to them?”
“One of four things.
First, we got attacked, so they must have gotten attacked, too. The Argo is either, damaged, and somewhere
in this system, damaged, and they had to run somewhere to make repairs. Or,
she’s damaged and marooned, or just blown into a million pieces. If they were
surrounded by enough ships, it would be possible for even the mighty Argo to finally buy the farm. No one is immortal, Dawn.”
“Either way, I’m stuck here. With you,” said Dawn.
“Yeah,” said Deke as he sighed while not wanting to meet
Dawn’s accusing eyes. “Look on the bright side. This cave is pretty big. We can
see thanks to the luminescence on those stalagmites over there, and I found a
little stream of water a few hundred meters down there so we can refill our
canteens. And the enemy gave up pursuing us once we went past that treeline.”
“Think they’re gone?” Dawn said. She didn’t sound that
confident now. Or cocky.
“I don’t know. Care to go out there and look?” Deke snapped.
“Considering I just have your Astro-Automatic and you’ve
just got DJ…no,” said Dawn. “You know, I have not been all alone with you since
the night we broke up.”
“I wasn’t thinking about that; I was thinking about living,”
said Deke.
Dawn sighed and drank some water from her canteen. “This dry
food won’t last forever. Do you know how to hunt?”
“Barely,” he said. “I got a “C” in survival training at the
Academy. The best place I could manage to get us food is if we were marooned on
a beach someplace.”
“Nova should have come on this mission instead of me,” Dawn
said, sounding depressed.
“Why?” said Deke.
“You wouldn’t be wondering where our next meal is coming
from after our food runs out with her
here. She’s bloody Super Ms. Survey Officer. She even was one of the authors on
the textbook I had to read about Survey crap! You know how good she is in the
woods. And she could probably make a radio out of her bobby pins and bra buckle
or something about as weird and call for help. And she’s a far better
conversationalist than I am and better for morale. I don’t think she knows what
serious depression is; the girl just has a good cry and lets it out.”
“You forget she’s maybe five weeks away from having twins,”
said Deke.
“I bet you could deliver kids,” said Dawn.
“No. Even the thought of her breast-feeding gives me the
willies.”
“Why, Deke?” said Dawn.
“Sasha,” said Deke.
“Your wife?” said Dawn.
“NO! YOU DON’T REMEMBER?” barked Deke. “Sasha Morningstar!
The half-naked pregnant woman I had to kill in the riots? Dawn, I still have
nightmares about that!”
“You still do?” said Dawn.
“Of course!
My occupation is being a soldier, but, what…you think I get a kick out of
killing people at close range? I don’t!
None of us like it! I do not like it! I brood about it! So does Sasha,
Wildstar, Brew, Nova…none of us like killing the enemy
all that much! You think it’s fun blowing someone’s
brains out, Dawn? HELL NO!
“You have a conscience about this?” said Dawn.
“What do you think I am? A monster?” snapped Deke. “Of course I have a conscience!”
“I had the impression…that’s what you were turning into…a
monster…when…we broke up,” Dawn said as she reached out and grabbed Deke’s
hands. “Please stop shaking, Deke,” she said in the sort of soft, friendly
voice Deke hadn’t heard in years. “I know…I know that….damnit…I’m shaking
myself…” Dawn said as she realized she was crying. “Look at me! I’m so weak!”
“I’ve seen Super Woman Nova crying after she has to kill
someone, too,” said Deke as he found himself hugging Dawn…anything to make her
stop shaking. He was beginning to get a headache while he did so; he had no
idea why. “I…Dawn…war is not fun! Got that?”
“Now I think I understand you a bit better,” said Dawn in a
barely audible voice. She lay back and let Deke hold her for a while.
Eventually, she just went to sleep in his arms.
VII.
REPAIRS
Space
Battleship Argo
The
Edge of the Great Magellenic Cloud
The
Dikensia System
Thursday, July 23, 2207: 2200 Hours Earth Space-Time
Commodore
Derek Wildstar was walking around the Argo
after a late dinner, watching his stripped-down crew working away as they made
repairs to the ship in what was now an internal temperature of about 108
degrees. He wore a half-open Combat Group shirt, PT shorts, and gym sneakers as
he walked the ship, stopping every now and then to help out himself with
various repair tasks.
By the
time Wildstar ended up in the sweltering Environmental Control Room in the
Mechancial Group area, he was thinking about something to drink and wondering
how Nova was doing.
He found
her crammed up inside one of the Envrionmental Control air conditioning unit
electrical cabinets. In the cramped, hot room, he found Nova working amidst a
work light, some
piping that dripped with condensation, a tool kit, and plenty of
grime. Indeed, all he could see of his wife at that point were her bare feet
and legs; the soles of her feet were almost black at that point with dirt. He
saw that Nova’s uniform pants and a pair of flip-flops were discarded near her
tool kit.
He felt
terrible at the thought of his pregnant wife laboring in a hot Nakajima Air
Conditioning unit that dated back to 2199. To try and cheer her up, he bent
down and greeted her gently by tickling the sole of her foot.
“Hey!”
she yelled inside the cabinet. “Who’s that?”
“Just the
Skipper,” Derek said.
Nova
struggled out of the cabinet wearing only her bra, panties, cross necklace, and
lots of sweat, dirt, and a few streaks of blood from various small cuts she had
endured while crawling around in the electrical cabinet. “Hi,” she said with
her pregnant stomach showing. Derek kissed her and tenderly pulled her panties
up a little more to make her fully decent.
“How is
it going?” Derek said.
“This was
the only one I could immediately salvage,” Nova said in a tired voice. “I had
to go in there and replace four circuit breakers, the main limit thermostat,
and about a meters’ worth of electrical conduit. But we’re ready now. If I can
flick this one on, the temperature should be back down to 100 degrees within
half an hour. Status of the other four units is that we can get the other
Nakajima and the two Carrier units from 2201 running again in about two or
three days, but they’ll have to be rewired. But the one they put in the ship in
2203 is toast. Luckily, once we get away from this star, we have enough
redundancy to complete the rest of our mission on four units, provided that we
don’t get so close to a star again.”
“Turn it
on now, Nova,” said Derek as sweat ran down his back like crazy under his shirt.
He felt pity for Nova having to work like this while pregnant, but she seemed
to be only very tired.
Nova
nodded and stuck her head back in the unit. He heard breakers clicking, and
then heard the unit’s squirrel-cage fan revving up, and then he heard a zapping
noise, heard Nova screaming, and then he overheard her cursing in frustration
in language that was typical for a pilot but utterly shocking for Nova.
“My God,
Lieutenant Commander,” said Derek as Nova came out biting a bleeding fingertip.
“You usually don’t talk like that.”
“Well, I
don’t work half-naked on a lousy SOB of an air conditioner unit nearly eight
damned months pregnant every stinking damned
day, either, Derek!” Nova snapped. “Give me some space to vent my frustration, damnit!”
“I’m
sorry, hon,” Derek said in a soothing voice. “Is your finger okay?” he said as
he dabbed at the blood with a gauze pad.
“Yeah,”
Nova said through sudden tears. “Get me a bandage. I’ll live. My pants are off
because I can’t bend in there with them on with this stomach,” she said.
Then,
Derek picked up a wrench after looking at a circuit schematic.
“What are
you doing?” Nova said as she put on her bandage.
“Finishing
that job for you.
Take a rest.”
“Derek,
you won’t be able to reach that fourth circuit breaker! Only I can get in there
to do it! And I know what I’m doing! That red wire there is hot!”
“How
hot?” said Derek.
“Six
hundred volts hot,” said Nova.
“You mean
you’ve been working here for two hours around high voltage barely dressed with a
puddle of water ten centimeters away from your right knee?”
“I’m
desperate! Someone has to do it!” Nova barked. “I’m still the Living Group
Leader of this ship! My other two best Living Officers, well, we left them back
on Demonranstra! If we don’t get this ship cooled down soon, people might start
collapsing! It’ll only take me a minute!”
“Okay,”
Derek said as he felt sick again as Nova crawled back into the cabinet with
another circuit breaker. He gently put a hand inside the unit to mop up the water
so it would be a little less hazardous for her while she worked.
Ten
minutes later, Nova crawled out and pulled down the huge power switch again.
This time, the unit took hold and finally began to run as two enlisted
crewmembers showed up with tool kits.
“Ma’am,
how it it going?” one of the crewmembers asked. The young Corporal had on only
gym shorts and a lot of dirt. The other crewmember, a Sergeant named
“We have
Number One running now, Corporal Pittman,” Nova said. “You and Sergeant
Martinez should start on Number Three next. It needs to be rewired. I’ll be
down here in the morning to hook up the logic circuits and breakers like I did
with this one.”
“Aye,
aye, ma’am,” said Pittman.
“Ma’am, I
can fix Number Three myself if I work through the night,” said Sergeant
Martinez.
“You’re not working through the night, Eva,”
Nova said. “It’s too hot and the other crews are trying to repair the
refrigerators in the galley so our food doesn’t all turn into an unauthorized
science project in mold growth! I’ll finish it in the morning by 0700. With
this unit going, the ambient temperature should be down to 98 degrees by
morning. If we stay minimally dressed today and tomorrow we should be able to
survive; unless that star shoots a solar flare at us.”
“Then?”
said Derek.
“Then we
need to get into spacesuits within ten minutes to survive the radiation and the heat,” Nova said as she visibly
sagged against Derek as her husband tried to tenderly wipe her face with a wet,
slightly dirty rag. “You people know what to do,” she said.
“Yes,
ma’am,” said
“Yes, I
was,” said Derek.
“You guys
aren’t like other lousy officers,” said Pittman. “You get right down in the
nasty parts of the ship to work with the rest of us. Thanks.”
“We need every hand busy fixing this ship,” Nova said. “Derek, let me check on
those…”
“Negative.
You’re relieved, Nova,” said Derek.
“Huh?”
she said.
“You did
your job. You’re done for the watch and for the night,” Derek said. “I’m
getting you up to our cabin to get you washed up and into bed.”
“Thanks,
sir,” said Pittman as he and
Ten
minutes later, Derek was actually carrying Nova back up the stairs to their
quarters in his arms, huffing in the heat as he carried her.
“I can
walk,” she said sleepily.
“No, I am
keeping you off your feet until I get some fluids into you,” Derek said.
Stopping at the door to their head, he kissed Nova, slipped her feet out of her
sandals, and then pulled down her pants and underwear all at once. He helped
her out of her bra and tossed all her sweaty clothes into a pile by the
hatchway to the head as he stripped and helped Nova into the shower after
making her drink some soda.
Nova finally
sighed with relief as the usually cold water, now lukewarm, hit her naked
backside. She smiled as she watched the dirt melting off her, and smiled as she
felt Alex and Ariel kicking inside her. She stood limp and tired as Derek
washed every centimeter of her body as if he was washing one of his unborn
children, and Nova’s nipples were soon standing up with delight as he tried to
relax her by washing her in an unabashedly romantic fashion.
Nova
weakly washed Derek, but he washed most of his own body himself, finally giving
up on washing when he let his left hand tease Nova’s breasts while his right
hand went down to the center of her. Nova then began to feel a heat that was
most decidely pleasant under the lukewarm water as her pregnant body responded eagerly
to her husband. Nova put her head back against her husband and then shut her
eyes and sighed pleasantly as both of his hands went to her breasts as he
tenderly merged with her waiting body under the lukewarm water as they made
totally unscheduled and impulsive love.
When they
were done with the shower, Derek carried Nova into their hot cabin without
drying her off. Nova turned the blower near their bunk up full-force as they
plopped into their bunk, not caring about getting anything wet as they found
some relief naked under the hot air. They made quick love again under the
breeze and then collapsed into each other’s arms and lay there spent before
Derek got Nova to sit up as he fed her some more Cosmic Cola while playing with
her breasts. Nova smiled at Derek and said, “It’s so nice here in your lap…”
“I feel
half-dead,” said Derek.
“Me too,”
she said as she finished drinking her soda. “Let’s collapse.”
“Good
idea,” Derek said.
They
curled up naked in bed under the warm breeze without even putting on any
covers. Soon, the young lovers curled up into each other’s arms and passed
quickly into a hot, exhausted sleep.
ONE DAY LATER….
Planet Demonranstra, Night.
“I hate
these noises,” said Dawn as she curled up herself in Deke’s arms, fully dressed,
except for her boots, which Deke had pulled off her. They were trying to nap
before Deke had to go on guard again. He also had another headache. He didn’t know
why.
“What
noises?” he said.
“Those
noises out there in the night,” she said. “There’s animals out there! How do we know
a bear or some kind of weird predator won’t get in here from that jungle?”
“I built
a fire outside by the cave entrance while I was looking at the ocean down below
the cliff that the cave entrance comes out of,” retorted
“I hope
they eat the Cometines,” Dawn said in a depressed voice.
“Timing
is everything,” Deke mused.
“Meaning?” Dawn said.
“I met
Sasha around the time I was trying to make contact with you and we became
friends while I was wondering if you knew if I was alive or dead.”
“I was
ignoring your letters, and slowly falling for Jeff,” said Dawn.
“You
could’ve told me a lot earlier,” Deke said.
“Hey, you
too,” said Dawn. “You know, it’s been a long time since
“Mustangs
Forever, hail the Purple,” said Deke.
Dawn
laughed at that. “High school is a dead issue.”
“You
haven’t changed a bit,” said Deke.
“I beg
your pardon?” Dawn said.
“Still
the same look in your eyes, the same blonde bangs, everything. I nearly crapped
myself in bed in front of you and Nova when you two were treating me in Sickbay
that time a few weeks ago, Dawn.”
“Nova
made me help,” Dawn huffed. “I swear, she’s the
biggest royal pain in the butt I’ve ever met. But she reminds me of someone.”
“Who?” said
Deke.
“Your
mom, believe it or not.
Part of me wonders if they might have been very distant cousins or something
like that. She was always trying to push me to improve myself, Deke. That’s
part of the reason I went into nursing…your mom…”
“What
about
“My mom
wanted me to make something of myself, but never with the missionary zeal of
your mother, flight nurse Jessica Wakefield. There’s
times I swear I see your mom looking out at me through Nova’s eyes. It’s weird!
Ever notice that funny, girly way Nova walks? Your mom had the same walk. And
your mom was like a walking textbook.”
“What’s
that power level on the Astro-Automatic I gave you?” asked Deke.
Dawn
opened the handgrip bottom and pressed a small button in the lithium powerpack.
“Twenty percent power. No way to recharge it, either.”
“Given
the way we had to fight our way in here,” said Deke. “If we have to go back out
there again for long, we probably won’t survive for long with those green guys
around.”
“You are
so cheerful and encouraging, Deke,” said Dawn.
“Just
stating the situation,” he snapped.
“Think we
can steal a longer-range radio from the enemy?” said Dawn.
“Not
bloody likely,” retorted Deke. “Oh. I had five clips for DJ. I am now down to two.
Unfortunately, Dawn, 7.62x39 cartridges and
radios don’t grow on trees or in caves. “
“Smart-ass,” snapped Dawn.
“Yeah…like I’m overjoyed you ended up with
Jeff.”
“I’m so
happy you ended up with your Iscandarian floozie!” snapped Dawn.
“SHUT UP!” yelled Deke with a violent look in
his eyes.
Dawn got up and said, “You hate it that much
when I mock her?”
“I have what is called a bond with her,” said
Deke as he made a pair of fists, which began to tremble. “Probably, that is the
only way that she knows that I am alive. I vaguely feel her, so I know she is
alive. But do NOT knock her in front of me again! EVER! I get VERY aggressive
when someone threatens her. I’ve told this to Wildstar and to Nova, and they
told Alex and Starsha while we were on Iscandar. Then, Alex told us exactly
what happens to me. Threaten her, and I go into something instinctive from my
bond called “Consort Mode”. So does she!”
“What the heck is…Consort Mode?”
“It’s a state close to madness. If she is
threatened, I have to wipe out the
offending party, whether by words, or by actions. Actions are more likely.
That’s why I ripped Von Delvitz, that Gamilon bastard, to shreds in that duel. So, don’t you dare say a bad thing
about her again, Dawn! EVER!”
“Deke, I’m scared of you right now,” said Dawn.
“You’re being Mister Vengeful again!”
He glared at her and said, “Never disrespect
Sasha in my presence or keep me away from her, and you should be safe. Got
that?”
“Yessir,” said Dawn meekly with her eyes downcast.
“Don’t say anything mean about, Jeff, either.”
“Why not?” said Deke.
“Basic Goddamn fairness,” she said with her eyes
brimming with tears.
Deke went over to give her a hug. “Not now,” she
said as she pushed him away.
“Why not?”
“You scared me, Deke. We’ll talk later,” she
said. “You’d better go on guard duty.”
Deke nodded and stalked off with DJ.
This is going to be a very, very long couple of weeks…or months, Deke thought as he lit up one of his few remaining cigarettes a
few minutes later. And what do we do when
our clothes begin rotting off us due to the humidity? Dress in leaves? How the
hell can we be half-naked in front of each other again? The Argo is
bound to come back here and check for us soon…if they still can, that is, Deke
thought. We’re not going to be forgotten.
We can’t be. That is all the problem is…
TO
BE CONTINUED…
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