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)---Freddo


ACT FIVE: INVIDIA’S FINAL CHALLENGE


 

I. ONE LAST NIGHT OF JOY

 

Space Battleship Argo

 

Orbiting Planet Beemira

 

Thursday, August 13, 2207

 

2300 Hours

 


 

Now, in the meantime, even in the midst of the continuing war, the two tiny young lives inside Nova Wildstar continued to flourish and grow.

 

Nova’s shoulder wound was well on the way towards healing now. The much-smaller bandage on her shoulder was now all that she wore as she cuddled against Derek on her hands and knees as part of a rare quiet evening in their cabin, whimpering with joy as Derek and she tenderly made love, with his hands on her beautiful, swelling breasts as she not only accepted him, but cuddled into the lovemaking they were sharing.

 

“Yes, darling, yes, my darling, oh…yes…” Nova said as Derek hungrily kissed the back of her neck and held her while he made her feel absolutely beautiful. He urgently breathed in her ear, and gasped, “yes…oh…God…oh..God..oh…”

 

Nova’s toes flexed and spread on the bed while Derek touched her swelling stomach with light, tender hands. Alex and Ariel kicked inside their mother, happy with the rythym of their parents’ act of love, love so reminiscent of how they had been conceived, as Derek and Nova’s bodies exploded with pleasure and the two of them collapsed laughing and crying at the same time into their bunk in a heap, with Nova falling on her back with her legs open while Derek cuddled next to her on her right side.

 

“How was that, Nova?” whispered Commodore Derek Wildstar, who was young, sweaty, trim, muscular, taut, and very naked as he held and cuddled his beautiful naked pregnant wife.

 

“Heaven,” she whispered as tears ran down her cheeks. “Too bad that this is the last time we can do this according to Doctor Sane, until…”

 

Derek nodded and kissed Nova’s swollen stomach in reply while he tenderly played with her breasts. “Until they arrive,” Derek replied. “Due date?”

 

“Sometime in the first week of September, he said,” Nova replied. “Maybe sooner. That’s why he said we have to let up on the intercourse soon….until after the birth….I…”

 

“Well, I can find other nice things to do to you when you have no clothes on, Mom…” whispered Derek.

 

Nova blushed and playfully slapped her husband. “You are so bad, Derek!”

 

“But don’t you just love it when I’m a bad boy?” Derek whispered.

 

Nova blushed harder and nodded.

 

Derek licked his lips and he smiled at Nova as he crawled down the bunk a little. “Hmmm,” he said as his tongue licked his lips.

 

Nova smiled at her husband and shut her eyes to await more of his attentions.

 

She would not be disappointed…

 

Not at all…

 


 

THE NEXT DAY….

 

The Argo had made a rendezvous with the 45th Gamilon Battle Fleet, led by a General Gustaf, just two days ago in order to allow Leader Desslok to return to his own people to lead his Fleet. By agreement with Wildstar, Desslok left the Argo flying the captured Cometine shuttle in which he and Sasha had escaped from the Eritz Gatlantis. Of course, Sandor had made a careful analysis of the captured Cometine ship, and he had a complete set of plans and scans of the ship, including careful engineering drawings he had made of its Magna-Flame powered warp engines. Sandor and Desslok thought that someday Earth might build a new weapon based upon this captured and reverse-engineered technology.

 

Now, Leader Desslok was back on his flagship, the Excelsior, which was now approaching the Rainbow Cluster as he led the Grand Fleet on its way towards Earth in order to help Earth in a possible final batle with Invidia and the Eritz Gatlantis.

 

On the Excelsior, Desslok sat on his bed in his quarters with Astrena, who had been very happy to see him return safely to his people.

 

“So, then, we are heading towards Earth?” asked Astrena.

 

Desslok nodded. “Yes. We have been tracking the Eritz Gatlantis, which Wildstar damaged very badly in combat a few days ago. We have been able to track that ship by its radiation trail. It is a dying ship. It is my hope that we can catch up with it and destroy it before it ever gets to the Sol System. I also have word that several Cometine fleets are gathering ahead of the Eritz Gatlantis itself. We might be able to engage those fleets, as well, before they ever reach Earth.”

 

“What is the situation with the Argo?”

 

“She is ahead of us; at Beemira, dropping off survivors that she rescued from a crash site some days ago. She is expected to rendezvous with a combined Earth-Iscandarian Task Force at Pluto at the edge of the Sol System in eighteen days. The other Earth ships will be led by the space battleship Arizona, while the Iscandarian force will be led by the spacecraft carrier Princess Astra. They expect this rendezvous to be on their date known as September 2nd. They anticipate that they will do battle with soon afterwards.”

 

Astrena kissed Desslok and she said, “Please assure me you will not leave this ship again until the great battles are over and we win.”

 

“I shall do my best to remain here leading our people,” Desslok replied.

 

“I am glad,” said Astrena as they kissed again.

 


 

II. A DAY OF PAIN

 

Planet Earth

 

The Iscandarian Embassy

 

Saturday, August 15, 2207

 

1030 Hours

 


 

Jonathan Hartnell-Iiyama knew that the time had to come, but he was not looking forward to this.

 

He sat in an air-skimmer boat with Alex Wildstar as they cruised slowly towards the island where the Iscandarian Embassy was.

 

“I have to leave you guys on the Princess Astra?” he sighed.

 

Alex nodded. “Your mother Astra finally communicated with us and she said she wanted you back home on Earth.”


“I bet she was not happy about Dad’s death.”

 

“No, she was not,” said Alex. “I don’t think she blames you for it anymore, though. Otherwise, I would not have you come here.”

 

“I have a bad feeling about this,” said Jonathan as he shivered in his shipboard uniform. “Uncle Alex, don’t take me there to the Embassy.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“I don’t want to be there. I have a very bad feeling about Mom.”

 

“Then where else would I take you? Back to the Princess Astra? Too dangerous. We’ll be going into battle in about two weeks. We have intelligence from the Argo and Desslok that the enemy is on its way here.”

 

“Take me to Derek and Nova’s house,” he pleaded.

 

“What?” said Alex.

 

“I can wait for them there. I…I want them to adopt me. I’m scared of Mom. You remember how she cut off when I last talked to her three days ago when we stopped at Saturn-Titan space station? I don’t have a Dad now. I…I want your brother to be my new Dad, and I want Nova to be my new Mom. Please, Alex…”

 

“My oldest daughter loves you,” Alex sighed. “She promised me you would be cared for. Isn’t that good enough?”

 

Jonathan nodded, refusing to say any more.

 


 

ONE HOUR LATER….

 

“Thank you for bringing him home, Father,” said Astra of Iscandar stiffly as Jonathan stood at attention between Alex Wildstar and Astra. “I swear to you he will be cared for. Now, please leave us.”

 

“I’d like to stay,” said Alex.

 

“We should be fine,” replied Astra. “Please leave us.”

 

Alex nodded and he squeezed Jonathan’s hands. “I’ll see you again before the battle, son. I’ll be back to check on you. Be sure you mind your mother.”

 

“Don’t go,” Jonathan replied with tears in his eyes as Astra began to laugh slightly.

 

“I have to,” he said as he pushed Jonathan towards Astra, who hugged him stiffly in her purple gown and sandals. “See? She loves you. I will be back.”

 

Alex then left.

 

A moment later, Astra looked down at Jonathan, held him tighter….

 

…and then, she abruptly slapped him across the face while she laughed.

 

“Mother?” said Jonathan in shock.

 

“Do not call me that again,” sobbed Astra, who then began to laugh like a devil as her face twisted. “You killed him. You killed my husband Conor! You killed your own father!”

 

“Yes, he died saving me, but…”

 

“He would not have been where he would have been in that battle if you had not been interfering and if you had been out of their way as you had been told to be!” snapped Astra. “I cannot raise anyone who engages in patricide! I have prophesied into your future, and all you will be in will be trouble, pain, and you will drag down everyone who will be around you! Your first set of parents did not want you! You were a change of life baby from your mother! You were trouble, trouble, trouble! WOE be unto anyone who accepts you to their bosom!”


“Don’t you dare talk about my dead parents!” sobbed Jonathan. “Why are you saying this, Mother?”

 

Astra grabbed him by the shoulders and shook him as a scary amount of drool ran down her chin. “You, Jonathan, are trouble! That is why! You were trouble to them, trouble to Conor and I…”

 

“I…”

 

“You only stayed with us because of your adoptive father Conor! When you began to become ill-mannered, when you began to use your mouth more, that is when I wanted to have you sent to a boarding school! Conor never accepted that idea. Now, he is dead because of you! For that, I disown you!”

 

“What?” cried Jonathan as his adoptive mother slapped him again and again. Then, she threw him brutally to the crystalline floor and made a quck call. “Guards,” she said. “The boy was trouble, like I said he would be. Come for him. He tried to assault me.”

 

“I DID NOT!” screamed Jonathan into the phone.

 

Astra slapped him again and pushed him away. “Please come for him. He is under arrest.”

 

“Yes, Princess,” said an Embassy guard.

 

A moment later, two large Embassy guards showed up and grabbed Jonathan. One put him in handcuffs at a signal from Astra while the other slammed a billy club into his stomach.

 

“Take him off this island. I arrest him and he is persona non grata on Royal Iscandarian territory from this day forth! He is rebellious! I disown him here and now! I never want to see him again!” Astra snapped. “You know what we arranged for him if he was to grow rebellious and to try to harm me. He did so. He must pay the price.”

 

“Yes,” said one of the guardsmen as Jonathan tried to scream defiance. Jonathan could say nothing more, though, since a third guardsman showed up and gagged him.

 

He was dragged away like a sack as Astra wept and laughed. Then, Astra screamed, cried, and began to tear at her own clothes.

 

She was becoming utterly unhinged due to her grief over her husband.

 


 

A while later, Astra sat writing in her journal.

 

Recently, her entries had been becoming stranger and stranger. This was the latest one:

 

Conor, my love, my love, my love, my LOVE.

 

Where are you?

 

I know where you are. You are in the Spirit World wherein I can see you and speak to you but not touch you.

 

I want your arms around me so badly it hurts!

 

I need your love and your attentions more than ever.

 

But he took them from me forever.

 

The boy.

 

He killed you.

 

Jonathan killed you!

 

That is unforgivable and unpardonable.

 

Today, I have disowned him and he is no longer a son of mine. And he never shall be again.

 

I have cast him into Saint Anselm’s Orphanage where he shall suffer the due penalty of his crimes as a delinquent youth.

 

Because, Conor, did you not even say he was too hard to handle? IS NOT THAT WHAT YOU SAID? Hahahahahahahahahaha!

 

Oh, I foresee what will come next. The Earth girl, we know who, shall take pity on him in a few weeks and take him in and then he will make that family suffer.

 

I shall be Queen of Iscandar soon. A lonely Virgin Queen as the Whispering Voice of the Black Void of Depression I lie in has promised.

 

I am sorry, Mother, but he has decreed you must die, die, die.

 

Conor, Father shall soon join you in battle, and Mother shall join you when his agents land on Iscandar and her head is cut off after she is duly tortured for her resistance to the the the Voice of the Void. O, I will be an orphan, my brother shall die on Iscandar, and my sister Sasha will die in battle-no great loss! Little Sister, you were always an airhead anyway! Deekee…really, now!

 

The Void calls to me. I listen.

 

O, the Void. O, the Voice that promises I shall be QUEEN!

 

Astra then laughed, cried, and drooled as she continued to write in her madness and grief.

 

And, somewhere far, far away, the Dark Lord laughed.

 

Everything, Ekogaru thought. Everything continues to progress just as I have foreseen….yes…..

 


 

III. MORE OF DANA HALL’S STORY

 

Planet Earth

 

Near The Rio Amarillo Apartments

 

Saturday, August 15, 2207

 

1108 Hours

 


 

Dana Hall, the young widow of the dark hair and slender form, lay in a sort of free-floating depression on a towel in the sun on the beach not far from the apartment complex where she lived. She wore a very minimal red and white bikini, simply to get a good tan.

 

She was not quite as brave as her friend Marina Carmody, who, because it was legal here on this clothes-optional beach, lay sunbathing in the nude. Of course, the fact that the 37-year old Marina had just had twins in June (one of whom was being nursed on her mother’s stomach) also had quite a bit to do with Marina’s decision to just go naked. Marina’s husband Frank was a supervisor of civilian contracting teams at the nearby EDF San Diego Space Naval Shipyard. Right now, Marina was privy to the fact that the Combined Fleet flagship, the space battleship Pennsylvania, had just put in here in San Diego for some quick repairs. There were also rumors that the Defense Fleet was expecting to fight a major fleet action in the next few weeks that might finally end the war for good.

 

“Where’s Lynn?” Dana asked.

 

“She said she’d be coming after she did some housework. She’s also trying to e-mail her daughter again,” Marina said.

 

Marina sighed and pushed some of her red hair out of her eyes. “Now, Jason, stop biting me,” she said to the tiny baby who lay on her stomach in nothing but his diaper. “OUCH!”

 

“You may not have him latched on right,” said Dana.

 

“I’m trying,” grinned Marina.

 

Dana rolled up her eyes a little as a red-headed girl in a polka-dotted bikini bopped up on her toes and bent down and kissed her mother; the girl was the Carmodys’ oldest daughter, named Felicia. She was fourteen, and she thought she knew everything. She grinned at her mother and said, “Put something on.”

 

“If you’re going swimming, take that thing off,” said her mother. “The way that thing ties on you…it doesn’t stay on well in the water, and…well, you were so embarrassed last month when you lost your yellow bottoms in the water, Felicia. Remember?”

 

“That’s because it was in front of Hiroshi-kun,” said Felicia. “I broke up with him three days later. Remember?”

 

“He was a smart boy,” said Marina.

 

“He was a dopey boy, Mom,” said Felicia. “You know, we need more kids around here? Where’d everybody go?”

 

“The people around here are Fleet families, many of whom have been reassigned to other posts and ships,” said Dana sadly, as if by rote. “People are in and out of here all the time. Fleet brats. You do know that the Graf Spee pulled out yesterday, right? Her and her whole fleet?”

 

“Yeah, and there went Freddie Harper. He was cute,” said Felicia. “I was going to ask him out at the canteen next, Aunt Dana….Mom…”

 

“That’s nice,” sighed Dana as she tried to keep tears out of her eyes as she remembered her late husband Alan. Alan, who was still dead and still floating out in his wrecked Tiger near Uranus.

 

Lynn Westland showed up a moment later, in a white tank swimsuit, sandals, and a white hat. “Hi, girls.”

 

“Hi, Auntie Lynn,” said Felicia dutifully as she bowed a little on her bare feet while Lynn spread out her beach blanket. “Did you hear from Deke or from Dawn?”

 

“The last one I got from Deke was short; they had just been in combat somewhere and he was tired,” said Lynn.

 

“Where?” sang Felicia. “Was it an exciting battle?”

 

“He couldn’t say where, except that the Star Force is still well outside our own galaxy someplace,” said Lynn. “Dawn said a little more.”

 

“What did she say?” asked Marina, who was now trying to pull her other son, James, onto her other naked breast. Felicia reached down, gave her other baby brother (who had on nothing at all) a kiss and helped position him on her mother’s stomach.

 

“She said that they are following a major Cometine unit towards our solar system, and that when the next battle comes…,” Lynn said.

 

Dana shivered at that, even though it was very hot in the sun, and said, “Go on…”


“…she thinks when the next battle comes, it will be a big one. She also says hi to everyone, and says that Nova and the Commodore say hi to me and all our neighbors…”

 

“She knows Nova and Commodore Derek Wildstar??” Felicia screamed. “Wow! Can we get their autographs?”

 

“She works under them,” Lynn said. “She knows Princess Sasha, too.”

 

“Cool! What’s it like to be an Iscandarian Princess!? And tell Dawn to tell Derek I think he’s dishy!” said Felicia.

 

Lynn rolled up her eyes and smiled at that, knowing that Felicia was one of the many teenage girls who had a major crush on the rakish-looking long-haired Commodore Wildstar. Felicia also didn’t know whether she admired Nova Wildstar as a role model or hated her for taking Derek away from her and thousands of others. The EDF received a couple of marriage proposals for Derek Wildstar from lovestruck teenage girls every week (along with marriage proposals from lovestruck teenage boys to Nova Wildstar). None of the teens cared much that they were already married to each other. Derek and Nova were very good-natured about their fan mail; they would sometimes write back to their teen admirers, letting them know they were happily married, and encouraging them to do well in school so they could enter the Fleet or government service someday.

 

Lynn said, “Where’s Frank, Marina?”

 

“On the Pennsylvania today,” said Marina as she burped her babies one by one and then clothed her nakedness in a short caftan. “He’s supposed to be home at 1500. Short day.”

 

Not far away, some young male Ensign in swim trunks from the Pennsylvania on liberty caught a glimpse of Marina’s breasts as she dressed, and he whistled at her. She waved back, flattered, while Felicia stuck out her tongue at him.

 

“The reason I’m out here,” said Lynn. “Is that there’s going to be a Press Conference of some kind about the war at 1200,” she said. “Anyone interested in coming to my place to watch it?”

 

“ME!” piped out Felicia.

 

“I’ll come as soon as I get a diaper on James,” said Marina as she kissed her baby boy.

 

“Guess I’ll come,” sighed Dana without much interest as she stood up to dust some sand off her bottom, which was almost bare in her tiny bikini.

 


 

In the meantime, the Cometine destroyer Vikansha’s thirteen-day journey to Earth was almost over with.

 

Sakamoto and Caella sat tensely on the bridge of the ship as she emerged from her final space warp, right near the Moon.

 

“Now what do we do?” said Caella as she looked nervously at the Moon and Earth looming in their windows.

 

“We wait,” said Captain Vada as he took a deep breath. “I would establish contact with them as soon as possible before we are shot at. After all, despite our sentiments, we are still the enemy to them.”

 

“They’re gonna jump on us pretty fast,” sighed Sakamoto. “They always have several squadrons of Tigers on patrol from the Moon Bases,” he said with a sigh. “It’s not hard to find our ships here in Area One…no, not at all…”

 

“Contacts spotted on radar!” cried an officer on the bridge. “Six contacts, coming at us fast!”

 

“Video panel change,” said Vada. “Terran deck planes. As I thought. Hold your fire, men! We are not here to fight, remember.”

 

Caella and Sakamoto nodded at each other and held hands as the Comm Officer of the ship, a man in Cometine blue named Vakrendis, said, “Captain! They are signalling us! Voice only!”

 

“Speakers on,” sighed Captain Vada. “Open microphones so I can respond.”

 

Vakrendis flicked a switch as laser fire whizzed right past the Vikansha’s bow. “Enemy vessel!” barked the young squadron leader, a young man named Katz. “We know you’re Cometine! I hope you son-of-a-bitches can translate me fast! This is Lieutenant Bernard Katz of the White Lions! State your reasons for being in Earth’s territorial space! You have about twenty seconds before I blow you green assholes out of space! What is your mission? OVER!”

 

Caella nodded and said, “Lieutenant Katz, my name is Duchess Caella of the House of Gatlantis. Please do not harm us. We are here to surrender to you. Over…”

 

Katz’s eyebrows went up as one of his wingmen whooped and said, “Skipper, I have them in my sights! Ready to blow missiles right up their bridge! Why the hell aren’t they firin’?”

 

“They say…they’re surrendering?” said Katz. “Duchess Caella! Since you can apparently speak our language, what is going on? Over!”

 

“I am what you might call a defector from the Eritz Gatlantis. I am bringing an Earth prisoner back to you as proof of my goodwill, and I have many of the battle plans of Princess Invidia’s plan of attack upon Earth. They are coming here. But I had a quarrel with Invidia, and I would like to surrender to you, live on Earth, and help you stop them. OVER.”

 

“Defecting,” muttered Katz.

 

Katz’s CO came up on his headset a moment later. “Katz! This is Commander Femara! Why haven’t you shot down that Cometine ship yet?”

 

“Sir, they say they are here to surrender to us; they say they’re defectors from the Comet Empire! Shall I guide them to a dock at Moonbase?”

 

“Surrender?” muttered Femara. “If they have spoken to us, they must know they will never, ever be allowed to go back to their own people. Zordar’s rule. Invidia still keeps it. Katz, hold them there. Make sure this is not a trick. I don’t trust these bastards! I’m calling some destroyers and cruisers, and we’re taking them prisoner. They’re coming back here under tow. Order them to stop all engines and kill all power to their weapons at once and cut power down to minimal lighting and life support functions. Tell them they are being scanned now to make sure they comply. I’m reporting to my Captain and then to Earth.”

 

“Yessir,” said Katz as he relayed Femara’s orders to Caella.

 


 

In the meantime, on Earth, Lieutenant Gary Maples stood quietly at attention in General Stone’s office in Earth Defense Headquarters in the Tokyo Megalopolis, smiling as Stone turned from some paperwork to look at him.

 

“Lieutenant,” Stone said. “It is most unusual that you are applying for a post as a Roving Intelligence Officer at this time. You’re a good combat Marine, and your superiors said that they could use you as a unit commander in what we think is going to be a major death-struggle for Earth when the Cometine forces hit the solar system in a few weeks.”

 

“They’re coming?” said Maples, trying to hide (and hiding well) the fact that the Darkness within him knew all too well about the coming Invasion…he had, in fact, been instrumental in engineering it.

 

“This is classified,” sighed Stone. “But, the Argo and the Gamilons have definite intelligence that the Eritz Gatlantis is on a rather slow but relentless course that will lead right for this star system. The Star Force is hunting their Fortress like a bloodhound. The last place that it was spotted was the Ormond System, right here….,” Stone said as he pulled up a complex star map of the Local Group. “That area is right at the old Gamilon Sixth Defense Line, now about 42,000 lightyears away from Earth, and 12,000 lightyears outside of our Galaxy. They appear to be warping that thing two thousand lightyears a day. At that rate, the ETA of the Eritz Gatlantis at the edge of the Sol System will be Friday, 4 September. That is now less than three weeks away. And we have intelligence that the enemy is beginning to concentrate more and more fleets upon our home star system. The R’Khells also seem to have a hand in this too; the Rikashans have reported that a major enemy fleet under the direct command of the R’Khell Marshal, their new leader, the traitor Piper Sandberg, is on its way to Earth. It seems Sandberg became their new Marshal after Lecha Voton died in his sleep one night.”

 

“Yes, what a shame,” thought Maples solemnly as Ekogaru arose in his head and thought, We strangled Voton on R’Khelleva the other night. Remember? He was getting a bit too independent for his own good. Too bad that Marshal Sandberg now has his corpse hanging on a cross, being eaten slowly by the carrion birds. What a shame for Voton, who is now nice and deep in Hell. Too bad, Lecha.

 

Stone said, “But, enough, Maples. I am promoting you to the rank of Major, and you will serve under Colonel Lechmann in the new Special Services Division as a roving intelligence agent. Do you accept this new assignment?”

 

“Yessir,” said Maples.

 

Stone shook his hand. “I wish you luck, Maples. Now, for your first assignment…”

 

The phone on Stone’s desk rang, and he picked it up and snapped, “Lieutenant Hitchcock, you airhead girl! I told you that I was not to be disturbed until 1300…I…”

 

Maples smiled to himself as he heard the pleading voice of Stone’s secretary. So, she is here, he thought. That damned Caella. This makes things interesting….

 

A few minutes’ worth of conversation transpired until Stone banged down the phone. “Maples, we have work for you. Would you like to catch a shuttle for Moonbase?”

 

“When, sir?” said Maples.

 

Now,” said Stone. “I’ll have Miss Hitchcock send an aircar right here to Headquarters. You’ll be briefed by a Captain Koyama at Moonbase. It seems that some members of the Cometine Hierarchy have just defected to Earth? I believe they said they have a ship and a great deal of information to surrender to us. Get me all you can, Maples. Don’t you dare fuck this up on me, Major! Are we clear?”

 

“Yessir,” said Maples with a grin, as, inside his head, the Dark Lord himself also grinned.

 


 

Dana sat on her haunches on the rug in Lynn Westland’s apartment, with Marina sitting on the couch holding baby Jason, while Felicia held baby James. Lynn flipped on the video screen and sat down in her recliner as Wendy Singleton came on the screen in her EDF whites, presenting a press conference for the gathered reporters as General Singleton’s aide. Lynn smiled, remembering the times during 2200 and 2201 when the-then Lieutenant Nova Forrester had served as the Commander’s aide, and had then been the public face that the EDF had used to present itself to the civilian populace of Earth at press briefings like this. Wendy smiled at the reporters to warm them up, and she said, “I have two important announcements to make to the World Press today, at the request of the Commander.”

 

“What’s the first?” yelled a hostile reporter from the crowd.

 

“This is Mike Solara, NorthAm Net News. Come on, Singleton! Where the hell is the New Comet Empire?”

 

“Where’s the enemy fleet?” demanded another reporter, who was named Vanessa Flager.

 

“All in good time,” said Wendy quietly. “First, it is my duty to report that Desslok of Gamilon was recovered by the Star Force and was returned to his fleet. The Gamilon Empire has vowed to honor its alliance and to stand by us in this moment of crisis, along with large parts of Iscandar’s forces, the forces of Pellias, and the Rikashan Federation. The New Comet was badly damaged in a battle with the Argo a few days ago. It is being tracked towards Earth now.”

 

“Where is it?” demanded Flager.

 

“It is currently twenty days away from Earth at its current speed, and elements of the Gatlantean and R’Khelleva fleets are also beginning to converge on Earth. In fact, the first engagement took place between the 21st Patrol Squadron and a Cometine advance force near Arcturus just yesterday. The Comet Empire also sent us one of its typical demands for surrender. They said another one will be coming shortly.”

 

The room filled with hubbub as Solara yelled, “Why didn’t they report that?”

 

“We just learned of the battle this morning, sir,” said Wendy. “Luckily, the Earth forces won. But more battle is coming. Provisional evacuation orders are being prepared now as we speak. It is expected that some elements of humanity will be evacuated to the underground cities, while other elements of humanity will be evacuated off-planet in cargo vessels and passenger liners. Fortunately, we have an edge that Invidia may just be learning of now.”

 

“What is it?” demanded another reporter as an aide handed Wendy another folder. She paused to read it, and said, “Ladies and Gentlemen, I am told that a party has just defected from the Comet Empire to Earth.”

 

“Who is it?” yelled another reporter as Dana sat up, shocked at the news. She glanced at Lynn, who nodded as she looked hard at the screen while Wendy continued with, “A noble, sir. I am told she is named Duchess Caella, and she and her party have just warped in near the Moon and have surrendered to us. She has reportedly offered intelligence on the enemy attack plans and she has said that there is major dissension in Princess Invidia’s ranks.”

 

“How can they not know she escaped?” demanded another reporter. “And won’t they change their attack plans once they know she turned them over to us?”

 


 

FIVE HOURS LATER….

 

Duchess Caella sat exhausted in an interrogation chair on Moonbase, with a lie detector helmet on her head and an unprecedented amount of probes on her sweating body. She had been stripped of all of her clothes and jewelry upon her arrival at Moonbase, and she sat in the chair naked except for a very thin slip that covered her sweaty body as, ironically, Maples stood there evaluating her interrogation by an Admiral Renate Silva, a hard woman who stood there facing the captive in a black peacoat, white skirt and white pumps.

 

Admiral Silva stared down Caella through her wire-rimmed glasses, and she said, “They know you ran with this book. They’re going to change these tactics, now, aren’t they? Don’t feed me any of your bullshit, Cometine! Isn’t that the truth, Duchess?”


“Yes, but the thinking of the General Staff is not very imaginative,” said Caella. “That book I gave you? All of the possible attack plans upon Earth were set forth as case studies. They had decided upon a plan called Gamella Five before I had my quarrel with Invidia and left. The other ones they were thinking of were Plans Gamella Eight through Twelve. I just ran thirteen days ago. They can’t come up with a new attack plan in less than twenty days, I’m sure. In fact, they had some forces in place for the operation already. They were calling it “Operation Vengeance” in their thinking.”

 

“Operation Vengeance?” said Silva.

 

Caella nodded. “Ma’am, what they mean is Vengeance for the first loss to you and Trelaina years ago. Invidia, Dyre, Gorse, and their crowd were planning this attack for years. It was actually supposed to have come off months ago, but they are most angry that your valiant forces, Desslok’s forces, and the Star Force have prolonged this war for so long. It is their intent to defeat Earth so strongly this time out that your standard of living would be reduced to a near-primitive level. They also intend mass genocide if they find that they cannot defeat and control Earth to their satisfaction. Many of us in Invidia’s ranks have had enough of seeing our resources, ships, and men thrown away by Invidia in such a vindictive cause. There have been plots on Invidia’s life. I tried to kill her myself.”

 

Officers and enlisted muttered loudly at this dark revelation. Silva raised her hand and said, “So that is why you demand asylum?”

 

“It is. I want to help defeat them. Also, our people have been subverted by a monster. A monster from the pit of Perdition itself.”

 

“The mysterious Ekogaru?” asked Maples as he came up behind Admiral Silva. Caella did not recognize his body as being the new shape of the Dark Lord since she had left the Eritz Gatlantis on the same day in which Stovall had died. Ekogaru was not about to make himself known to Caella now, but he could certainly let Invidia know the little bitch was spilling her guts to Earth. Yes, he could.

 

He didn’t intend to let Invidia know how much of their plans that Caella was revealing to them, though. No, not at all.

 

Why? He wanted both sides weakened in this conflict….beaten and weakened so that, in years to come, he could take over what was left.

 

Ekogaru’s plan, indeed, was to just show up and taunt Invidia about her ineptitude in letting Caella go….

 


IV. INVIDIA’S GREAT PLAN

The Eritz Gatlantis

At The Edge of The Milky Way Galaxy

Friday, August 21, 2207

1200 Hours: Earthtime


The Eritz Gatlantis, still under heavy repairs, had plunged at last into the Milky Way Galaxy with their latest space warp.

Ironically, it entered the Milky Way Galaxy at the Telezart System, a system which had held nine planets. With the destruction of one of the planets of the system years ago by General Torbuk as a test of his power, and the destruction of Telezart itself by Trelaina, it was now a system that held just seven worlds.

The Eritz Gatlantis was now in orbit of the second planet of the Telezartian system.

Admiral Shandara, the Cometine commander in black whom Invidia had chosen to be the commanding Admiral of their advance fleet, stood waiting as he was handed a set of plans. Finally, he said, “My Princess, I am delighted to report that our flagship for Operation Vengeance will be the Cometine space battleship Krineda, refitted recently with heavier guns and a new Magna-Flame gun setup. I will be leading the main battle fleet into action in five days.”

“Give us the extent of the Fleet,” said Gorse.

“Yessir,” said Shandara. “We have six hundred and fifty ships under my direct command. Of those, three hundred ships will be at the rear under my command as the Second Striking Fleet. The Second Striking Fleet includes my battleship, twenty more heavy space battleships with two destroyers each as escorts for eighty-one ships under my command as Squadron One. Squadron Two consists of the Final Planetary Genocide Force under Admiral Shakra’s command; that force consists of thirty antimatter missile ships and sixty destroyers. They…”

“Wait,” said Invidia. “The Planetary Genocide Force? What are they for?”

“Princess,” said Gorse in a disdainful voice. “They are intended as a last-ditch measure. Part of our Gamella-class battle plans. If Earth will not surrender, this time out, it must be destroyed. Fourteen antimatter missiles would be a sufficient payload to do the job on a small planet like that. The other ships are intended as a reserve.”

Michelle looked horrified as she glanced at Invidia. Invidia shook her head and said, “I do not want Earth destroyed, Gorse. I want them enslaved. Withdraw those ships from the operation.”

“I…”

“Withdraw them!” Invidia snapped.

“Very well,” said Gorse. “The rest of the fleet consists of Squadron Three, with one hundred and twenty more ships; which is, to say, forty space battleships and eighty destroyers. The First Striking Fleet, a carrier force under Admiral Veda’s command, consists of two carrier fleets; a heavy carrier force and escorts of forty carriers and eighty escorts, and a light carrier force of eighty carriers and one hundred and fifty escorts; mostly destroyers and corvettes. We should be able to eliminate their Earth Defense Fleet with those ships. Earth itself will be bombarded by our light carrier force early in the operation; they will be joined by two hundred R’Khell ships led into battle by the new R’Khell leader, Marshal Sandberg.”

“The Earth traitor,” said Invidia. “How amusing that we have other Earthlings on our side,” she said as she hugged Michelle, who felt very uncomfortable being here, even in her splendid uniform. I cannot believe this. I am with the enemy, she thought. Can I get Invidia to stop all this? Please, God, make her stop this! I don’t want Earth to be conquered!

“Now?” said Invidia.

Gorse looked at her and said, “Let us break this down moment by moment. Then, I suggest you send Earth a challenge to make sure they take the bait and are ready to fight us…”

Invidia smiled at that.


In the meantime, on the Argo, Commodore Wildstar looked up at the screen at General Singleton.

“She defected?” said Derek.

The Commander nodded. “It would appear so. Caella is now being held with her paramour Sakamoto in a safe house in the country outside of the Megalopolis. We are analyzing everything she gave us. So far, it seems to make sense.”

“You don’t think she’s a plant, then, sir?” asked Sasha, who was at the radar at the moment in her Black Tiger uniform.

“No,” said Derek as he turned to Nova, who was at Analysis, and then he looked up at the Commander. “Sir, can you download the data and codes to us?”

“We will, as much as possible, as soon as they are all translated.” said the Commander. “Have you spotted the Comet City anywhere recently?”

Nova stood up, grimacing a little as she did so. “Sir, we are tracing a radiation trail and a one-hour old intercept from the Time Radar. We think they might be in the region where Telezart was. Could you inform Desslok?”

“We will do so,” said the Commander. “Do you think you might be ready to engage them, Commodore Wildstar?”

Derek said, “We’ve just completed some repairs. How are the preparations regarding Task Force 2.0, sir?”

“The Arizona is on station near Pluto, along with the Shiryu, the Nagato, the Wasp, and the North Carolina. The Princess Astra should be in position in the next two days,” said the Commander. “The Task Force could be summoned if you need them, and…”

Homer sat bolt upright at his post. “Commodore! Commanding General! We are getting a message from Desslok!”

“Now?” said Wildstar.

“Multiplex him in over our call,” said Singleton. “I’ll be able to speak to him, too…”

“Bringing him up, sir,” said Homer.

A moment later, the Commander’s image shrank somewhat on the Argo’s screen as Desslok’s image appeared in a split-screen mode. “Wildstar,” said Desslok. “I understand you are conferring with your Commanding General? I can see him, as well..”

“Yes, Desslok,” said Derek. “What is happening?”

“We have a fix on where the Comet City is,” said Desslok. “Commanding General Singleton, I request leave to have Commodore Wildstar’s assistance in attacking the Princess?”

Nova’s heart sped up as she looked up at the Commander from her post. “Granted. Commodore, I will have Captain Venture and the Task Force warp to your location. Then you can warp in on Desslok’s coordinates!”

“What are those coordinates?” asked Derek.

“RPG-212 by RX-322,” said Desslok as Captain Venture’s image appeared on the split screen. Mark looked confused. “Wildstar?” he asked.

“Venture, we need you and the Task Force. We’ve got them,” said Derek. “RPG-212 by RX-322. If you are observant, I’m sure you can see Leader Desslok on your screen.”

“We shall be assisting you with over four hundred ships,” said Desslok. “Our job is to finish off Invidia. Once and for all.”

“Derek? Commander?” said Venture.

“Those are my orders,” said Derek. “Mark, don’t screw this up, okay?”

“Yeah, right,” laughed Venture. “Like I’d mess this up for the world. Once more unto the breach we…”

“Another signal coming in!” yelled Homer.

“What is this? Penn Station?” said Venture irritably.

“Penn Station?” said Desslok.

“A place you wouldn’t want to be on Earth,” said Derek. “Long story, Desslok…”

“Good afternoon, people,” said Invidia as she came up in a fourth panel, sitting there smiling as she held her phone. “Did I interrupt something?”

“Princess Invidia, you’re about as welcome as prostate cancer right now,” snapped Derek. “What do you want?”

“Yes, I pray this is good,” said Desslok. “You never were very good at honoring party invitations, Invidia. You always had this gauche’ habit of crashing parties.”

“Princess Invidia, what do you want?” said General Singleton. “If this is some idea of a joke…

“I wish I was joking,” she said. “However, we know where all of you are now, thanks to his Lordship doing me a special favor. This is my last peace offer to Earth. I am here to let you know I will be entering the Sol System on September 4th, 2207 in your reckoning. That gives you some time to think this over. I make you one final offer to surrender to us and negotiate an honorable peace. If you persist in refusing the protection of House Gatlantis of the Comet Empire, I will be forced to attack your Planet Earth one last time. I would prefer to enslave you, but some of my men are champing at the bit somewhat. If we have to attack you, I cannot and will not guarantee that the Terran race will survive another attack. Nothing and no one on Earth would be left alive in such a circumstance. It is not what I want to do, but we will act if we have to. If you decide to negotiate a surrender, the Argo will be granted safe passsge to the Comet City with a surrender party. If you choose to fight, our reception for you at Pluto will not be quite as friendly. Desslok, if you stick your nose in this, I will cut it off and murder you like I should have a few days ago. Are we clear? Your so-called Alliance does not stand a chance! Surrender to me is your only hope of survival! And, yes, I have a little gift to seal the offer! Best wishes and I hope you consider a surrender! Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha HA!

Invidia faded out as several objects appeared on Sasha’s radar. “Captain!” she cried. “A fleet of thirty vessels just warped in! They’re Cometine ships!”

“We have the same thing,” said Venture a moment later.

On Desslok’s side, Talan called out, “Leader Desslok! A R’Khell fleet has just been picked up on sensors!”

“Then I had better leave you be,” said Singleton as he bowed his head.

The Argo shook as several missiles slammed into her. “First wave of missiles; hit on the starboard bow!” cried Eager. “Second wave of missiles approachin’!”

“Signature of vessels indicates a mixed fleet of Cometine destroyers and antimatter missile cruisers!” cried Nova from her post.

“Range, twelve megameters,” cried Sasha.

As the Argo took more damage, Derek thought, Here we go again…always at the worst damn time, too. Always!

 


TO BE CONTINUED…

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