ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---THE NET TIGHTENS
Being the fourth 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 TWO: GRADUATION DAY…
I. CEREMONIES
Planet Earth
The Space Fighters’ Training School
Memorial Field
Sunday, May 18, 2206
1300 Hours: Earth Time
Ensign Deke Wakefield stood at attention along with the rest of the outgoing Class of 2206 as the Commander of the Earth Defense Forces himself gave their commencement speech.
Deke, like all of the others, had been issued his blue and red officer’s peacoat that morning, and,like all of the others, he wore it over his Stanadrd Blues rather than over his red and white cadet uniform, which he and the other soon-to-be graduates had doffed. The reason why the Class of 2206 already wore officers’ clothing was because at midnight, all of them would be integrated right into the Fleet itself. After all, it was wartime.
Not far away from Wakefield stood Marrable. Deke already knew that the Sun Tigers were being graduated as a squadron under Cory Conroy’s command. The one thing that no one (including Hartcliffe) knew was where the fighter squadron would be assigned. They would be given their orders right after graduation.
It would have been nice, thought Deke as the long speech continued, If Dawn would have shown up…just to say goodbye to me as I graduate. She should be graduating from Pan-Am sometime this month, and it’d be nice to at least part as friends. Too bad Lynn isn’t here, either…she’s been like a mother to me all these years. I wish I could see Sasha from here, he thought as he looked at a crowd of underclassmen at about the point he guessed Sasha was standing at in the vast formation. It would be damn nice if I could talk to Sasha again before we ship out…and let her know that I’ll keep on writing.
Finally, the speech came to its long-awaited end. The new Ensigns saluted the Commander, and then, one by one, they were called up onto the stage to receive their diplomas.
Brew was called some time before Deke was; Deke felt a little annoyed that his own name was near the end of the alphabet when he saw Brew coming off the stage with a big smile as he carried a rolled-up piece of paper in one hand and a small box in the other.
When Deke’s name was called, Deke strode forward, hearing a great deal of applause as he accepted his diploma from the Commandant and then accepted his formal rank pin from the Commander, who also handed him a letter.
“Sir?” he said as he saluted.
“Read the letter after you’re done, Ensign,” said Singleton with a slight grin.”No, it’s nothing bad…just a parting gift from me. Good luck in the Fleet, son.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Deke as he snapped the Commander his parting salute.
Deke came down, nodded to Brew (who was having his rank pin pinned to the collar of his peacoat by a woman that he knew as his Aunt Clarisse), and then, he stood stock-still as he felt a light tap on his shoulder.
Deke turned, and he saluted again when he recognized Commodore Wildstar standing there in his black peacoat and red-and-white Star Force uniform. Beside him stood Nova in a very pretty yellow and white sundress (which had a cute overall-style top that showed off her shoulders and back) with a white hat, sandals and mesh gloves. Beside her stood Lynn Westland…Dawn’s mother, who was dressed in a similar outfit, but in light green.
“Ma’am?” said Deke to Nova.
“Ma’am?” said Lynn softly as she smiled at Deke.”You’ve never called me that before.”
“Uh…I was talking to Lieutenant Commander Wildstar, Lynn…I…”
“You call her by her first name?” said Nova with a slightly raised eyebrow under the brim of her white spring hat. “That’s…different…”
“I’ve practically raised him, Mrs. Wildstar….especially after his parents died. I’m sorry, Deke…Dawn’s tied up. She wanted me to tell you that.”
“I see,” said Deke as he quietly dropped his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” said Nova.
“Nothing.”
“Well, we can discuss that at a later time,” said Nova as she surprised Deke by gently tapping him under the chin. “Chin up, Ensign. Today’s the day you worked towards for a couple of years. At any rate, Lynn and I have been talking about you a little bit. Lynn’s a very interesting lady.”
“The same goes for the famous Commander Wildstar and the Commodore,” said Lynn. “It’d be interesting for you to tell me how all of you met, Deke.”
“I’ll do that sometime, Lynn,” said Deke. “Why are you holding a camera?”
“To take your picture,” said Lynn brightly.
“Oh,” said Deke in a low voice. “Lynn, I thought you were…uh..going to pin my anchor to my collar,” he said. As Deke could see all around him, it was traditional for a graduating male Ensign to have a close female relative (like a mother, sister, or aunt) or significant other (like a girlfriend, fiancee’, or spouse) pin the large anchor of rank to the new Ensign’s peacoat.
“No,” said Nova. “That’s because Lynn and a dear friend of mine asked me to do it. Bear in mind, Deke, I’ve only done this before for one other person…and when I did it for him, it was a little bit late…but it was when we got to Iscandar for the first time,” she said as she smiled at Derek. “And I only plan to do this for my son when I have him someday and he stands here to graduate,” Nova added as she took the anchor in its box from Deke.
Deke gulped a little as he felt Nova adjusting his high collar while Lynn stood back. Then, Nova opened the box and took out the burnished anchor pin. A moment later, she carefully pinned it into Deke’s collar as Deke noticed Commodore Wildstar also taking a picture along with Lynn. Then, he really blushed as Nova gave him a hug, followed by a quick kiss on the cheek. Then, she whispered into his ear, “Deke…that last bit of good luck was from me…and from Sasha.”
Flushing with pride and embarrassment, Deke popped Nova a salute as she turned to put a protective arm around Derek. “Thanks, ma’am…”
“Anytime, “ replied Nova right before she stood up on tiptoe in her heels to kiss Derek. Lynn snapped another picture of the famous couple, who stood blushing as they looked at her.
“I remember how much I loved my husband,” said Lynn softly. “Before the war took him, that is…”
“Yeah,” said Deke.
“You look very handsome in that uniform,” said Lynn as she smiled at Deke. “You’ve really grown up, Deke. Why haven’t you come by more often?”
Deke wasn’t sure how to answer Lynn. He finally said, “Work, school….and, you know…”
“Deke,” said Lynn as she mussed Deke’s hair affectionately. “Aside from anything that happened with Dawn…damnit, I practically helped your mother raise you! How many times did I babysit you when you were little…change your diapers…help potty-train you…you know how close our families have always been ever since we were neighbors at the Rio Amarillo apartment complex in San Diego. I…even nursed you once or twice, Deke…yes, you and Dawn were both suckling me at once together right before you were weaned, you know that?”
At that, Deke blushed, until Nova said, “Lynn…if I can call you that…that’s not weird. My mother and father had twins just a few years ago, and I helped my mother nurse my brother and sister a little when they were born…mom had trouble with her milk…so, I took a hormone shot to help her…I lived in San Diego with my dad for a few weeks, too…when he was on a legal case there, and…”
“My God,” said Lynn as she remembered.”Were you that cute eight-year old who was bouncing that volleyball all around the apartments’ front yard all summer?”
“Yes,” said Nova with a nod. She smiled, and Derek held her hand, noticing that she was blushing a little. Lynn said, “That sounds very sweet, uh…Lieutenant Commander…”
“You can just call me Nova,” said Nova as she blushed right down to her toes. “I don’t stand much on formality…except where you have to, in the military, that is…”
This is damn interesting, thought Deke. Hell, Nova probably saw what I looked like as a baby…
“You know, I think I played with you in the sandbox, once, Deke,” said Nova.
“When was that?” said Deke.
“When you…uh…wet all over me,” said Nova with a giggle.
“Okay,” said Wildstar. “You knew him as a baby, too? Aside from knowing Brew, you knew him, too? Oh, Kamisama, this is weird!”
“I think I did,” said Nova with a shrug. “I can’t be one hundred percent sure. How much of being eight do you remember one hundred percent of, Derek?”
“Man, this is weird,” said Brew. “She knew you as a rugrat, too, Dekesticks! Along with me! Was she your first squirrel?”
“Hell no, Dawn was!” barked Deke.
“What the heck are they talking about?” whispered Commodore Wildstar to Lynn.
“Old home week,” said Lynn with a wistful smile.
At that, IQ-9 zipped up behind Nova. “Nova, I know where you like to stand!”
“Where?” barked Nova at the robot in anger as Lynn suddenly giggled.
“You like to stand on your toes when I do this!” burbled IQ-9.
Then, Nova looked down.
Of course, her short skirt was up…revealing a tanned figure and very brief bikini panties in a floral pattern. Nova stood up on her toes and shoved down the skirt, even as Lynn tried to move back.
“Don’t!” barked Nova. “He’s like a cat! He’ll attack anything in a skirt that moves!”
Lynn froze, and she said to IQ-9,”Who and what in Sam Hill are you?”
“I’m IQ-9, genius robot and member of the Star Force. Sorry, I’m not interested in you, you’re too old!”
“Well, I never…!” said Lynn as she put her nose up in the air.
“He’s more eccentric than any of us,” said a little fireplug of a man as he appeared carrying his usual bottle.
“Doctor Sane, would you help me call off the Tinwit?” cried Nova as she danced around the little robot while all of the men (even Derek) watched with some amusement.
“Why should I?” said Doctor Sane. “Wildstar, doesn’t she look adorable dancing in that dress?”
“No comment,” said Derek in a quick (and diplomatic) fashion as he said,”IQ! Cut the crap!”
“OK, that’s enough! The Commodore says to cut the crap!” burbled IQ. “I repeat, he says cut the crap!”
“IQ, why don’t you cut it out?” snapped Nova.
“Nova, why don’t you take a ^&*%ing leap off a bloody #$%^&*@#&ing short pier?”
“WHAT WAS THAT?” snapped Lynn.
“He’s like a four-year old…he just learned to curse,” said Nova. “IQ-9, if you don’t stop it, I’ll never look at you again!”
“Never?”
“Never-ever,” said Nova. “And apologize to all the women here, starting with me, for having a rotten little mouth like that!”
IQ-9 saw Nova’s wrathful face, and then he finally said, “I’m very sorry.”
“Thank you,” snapped Nova as she tapped one of her high-heeled sandals against the pavement near the stands. “Now, we have other things to do.”
“Such as?” said Derek as he smiled at his wife.
“Such as punching you for looking when IQ was up to his games,” snapped Nova as she gave her husband a light punch.
“Ouch!” cried Derek.
“As for the rest,” she whispered in his ear. “We’ll see later....”
“Okay,” said Commodore Wildstar as Lynn took a few more pictures of Deke and left.
Finally, Deke turned to Nova and said, “Seeing her is nice…”
“That’s good,” said Nova.
“And depressing, too,” Deke said.
“Why?” replied Nova.
“We’ll…uh..talk sometime,” said Wakefield.
“Which will be soon,” Nova said, as she turned to Derek. “We’ll talk to them later, Derek. Right now, we need some quality time. You know why.”
Wildsdtar turned very serious as he said, “Do I ever. We’ll see you later, gentlemen.”
Deke and Brew saluted the Wildstars, who returned the salutes and left.
Some time passed. Deke and Brew were speaking in a very desultory fashion as Brew’s uncle and aunt showed up. Finally, Brew made his leave of Deke, leaving the pilot alone. Wakefield sighed to himself as he looked at the happy families….cadets were being thanked, toasted, and saluted everywhere he looked…one was even being introduced to a younger cousin under a tree (the younger cousin was at a blushing mother’s breast in the shade, but dad inrtroduced the new officer to his cousin, irregardless of what a less-than fully decent Mom thought then.)
“Everyone’s got a family,” said Deke in a bitter and wistful tone as he sat down by himself to watch life pass him by. A minute later, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He started and turned.
“I hope I don’t look that scary!” said a young female voice as a pair of brown eyes stared down at Deke.
“Oh, hi, Sasha,” said Deke in a low voice.
“Hi, Sasha?” said Sasha with her hands on her hips.”I was watching your handsome stance over rows and rows of cadets before and that’s the greeting I get? Excuse me while I talk to this tree…it’s better company than you at the moment!”
“Sasha?” said Deke. “Wait.”
“Hi, oak tree,” said Sasha. “You’re more interesting right now than my boyfriend.“
“BOYFRIEND?” said Deke.
“Yes, boyfriend,” said Sasha. “I can’t hold it back, you dopey tree. He’s my boyfriend but sometimes he acts so dorky that even you seem animated by comparison. Got anything to say about that?”
Sasha stood in silence looking at the tree with a grin while Deke stood open-mouthed. “Sasha…uh..trees don’t talk.”
“How do you know that?” said Sasha brightly. “Seriously..I wanted to let you know something of how I felt before I left for training and you left for your first assignment. This war will get worse, Deke. I feel it in my bones…in the air…everywhere. Deke, this war is more horrid every day. And it is getting worse.”
“How do you know? Sasha?”
Sasha began to shiver as, to the south, she felt….a strange presence.
That was the best way she could describe it.
Not that far away, near a light tower, a figure in fatigues wearing Corporal’s stripes stood holding a weird, whispered conversation with himself.
“If that’s Wakefield,” said one low voice, “I want him dead now. Or, I, Stovall, want ‘im dead!”
“No, not now,” said another deeper and slower whisper as the figure stood alone near a hilltop. “Trust me. I know that it would raise suspicion. I have not lived for almost three thousand years for naught.”
“He should die now.”
“Patience, apprentice,” said the essence of the Dark Lord in a near-silence. “Do you see that plane above us flying a victory loop?”
“Yes…”
“That is a classmate of his…or….rather…it was” said the Dark One as he raised a hand. “Watch…”
The plane exploded in mid-air. There were many screams.
“Oh my GOD!” someone yelled. “That was Ensign Comly!”
“How did his plane blow up?”
“I don’t know!”
“There’s debris!”
“Oh, God, there’s dead children here!” screamed an onlooker near a growing plume of black smoke. Wakefield saw it and turned white as Sasha began to weep. Quietly, ever so quietly, he held her. She kissed him, and he kissed back, just as natural as one could please, before they ran off together to see if they could help.
“You note,” said the Dark Lord Ekogaru quietly. “You note that WAS Wakefield’s classmate. And our work here is done. Let us leave this place, Stovall. If I am the Vine of Corruption, then I believe you see the branches?”
“What did it do?” whispered Stovall. “To Wakefield, I mean…?”
“It upset him,” said Ekogaru in a near-silence. He gritted his teeth and then said to an onlooker in Stovall’s normal voice, “That looks bad! Do they need help, sir? I have medic training.”
“No, they’ve got people there already,” said the new Ensign. “But thanks, Corporal.”
But even as the Corporal left, something creeped out Ensign Vandemar, another member of the Sun Tigers.
He decided he’d discuss it with his friends later. Something looked familiar about that creepy-looking Corporal, but he had no idea what it was.
II. THE CUP OF PARTING
Planet Earth
Derek and Nova Wildstar’s Residence
Sunday, May 18, 2206
1805 Hours: Earth Time
Later on that day, when they were home, Nova and Derek were lying together on a large beach towel in the grass near their pool behind the trees and bushes at their house. The trees and bushes now had thick spring foilage, which was a good thing, since the two lovers wore absolutely nothing at all as they cuddled together in the sun. They had just made love, and they were pleasantly sleepy.
But they knew they couldn’t sleep. Not today. Not with that accident which had happened (which they suspected was not an accident) and not not the news that had come in later that the Comet Empire had just torpedoed and destroyed another Earth freighter near Neptune..
“Just a few more hours,” said Derek, “And we won’t see each other again…for a whole year. The Argo will be taking me to one place…all because of this damned war…”
“And the Arizona will be taking me to another,” said Nova in a soft but sad voice. “All because they want Aliscea Rosstowski trained as a Living Group Leader and nurse for these missions, for this long war, and they want me there to to do it.”
“I don’t know if I’ll be liking the Living Group Leader I’ll be getting for the Argo,” said Derek.
“I know Lieutenant Victoria Becker…promise me you’ll at least be nice to her,” said Nova.
“I will be…but not as nice as I am to you,” he said as he kissed his wife.
“I hope not,” giggled Nova. Then, she laughed as her husband climbed up on top of her, tickled her, and then began kissing her naked breasts.
“I take it that means you want to go again?” said Nova.
Commodore Wildstar just growled and kissed his wife’s neck. She laughed as she opened her arms to him. They were both ready from the last time, so it wasn’t long until their bodies hungrily joined for a second time. When they had finished and were showering one another with kisses, Nova said, “Why don’t I get my heels on and let you take some pictures on me?”
“Won’t you have to dress and shower for those?”
Nova playfully hit her husband. “No, silly. I want to pose nude for you. So you have something of me to remember me by since we’ll be apart for a year?”
“Yeah…” said Wildstar as he looked his wife’s body over from head to toe. “That would be…nice…”
“I thought you’d like that,” replied Nova. “Get your robe on and get your camera while I check my nail polish and get my shoes on.”
Derek threw on his kimono and threw his wife a kiss as she ran into the cabana.
A few minutes later, he was taking some gorgeous pictures of his wife, who wore nothing but her sandals for the shots. Nova lay in the grass, sat up, stood, threw back her head, and looked to Commodore Wildstar far better than any sleazy centerfold model…because she was actually smiling at him while posing for him. When he had enough pictures, Nova took the camera from him and wrestled his yuutaka off.
“Hey!” yelled Derek.
Nova laughed. “Now, you…”
“Me?”
“I want something to remember of YOU on this deployment, big boy. Lie down and behave!”
Derek laughed as he posed for his wife, who took shot after shot of him. Then, they began to snuggle again.
“I can’t believe I won’t see you for a whole year after tonight,” said Nova as she began to quietly weep. “I don’t know if I can take it….”
Tears ran down Derek’s cheeks as he said, “The same goes for me, Nova.”
“Derek?”
“Yes?”
“Wouldn’t it be funny if I ended up pregnant now? After all that trying…I mean….wouldn’t it be…?”
“I don’t want you to have our child alone, without me there,” said Commodore Wildstar.
“But…what if?”
“I don’t know,” said Wildstar. “Nova, I don’t know…”
At that, they embraced again, and then just began to cry in each other’s arms…they cried because of all of the hopes and dreams that they had been sharing…the hope that they could settle down, slow down a bit, have a family…that hope, again, seemed to be deferred…again..all because of another war…a war that was going on for longer than they had hoped…or wanted.
III. DEPARTURE
Planet Earth
Space Battleship Arizona
Sunday, May 18, 2206
2200 Hours: Earth Time
Finally, the Arizona’s crew was gathered at her dockyard berth. Deke and Brew had been ordered to report there and check in before they took off in their Cosmo Tigers under Cory Conroy’s command at 2350 at the nearby airbase; here, they learned that they were assigned to the Second Star Force and that the Sun Tigers would be the space battleship’s Flight Group.
“I can’t believe it,” said Brew as he looked at his the new black and gold Flight Group uniform he now wore. “We’re members of a Star Force unit.”
“And we’re gonna be deployed, as scheduled, until next year,” said Wakefield. “This must be serious…”
“Why are you carrying DJ?” said Brew. “You can’t bring her aboard the ship.”
“Yes I can,” said Wakefield as he cradled his personal weapon. “I have this letter, signed by the Commander, that allows me to bring her aboard any command that I join.”
“Any command?” said Brew.
Deke struggled a little as he got out the letter. “Read this, Brew,” said Deke. This is no shit.”
Brew read the letter and said, “Yeah…this is serious,” he said.
Soon, Deke and Brew got over to the head of the Arizona’s gangplank as the crew checked in. There, Deke was taken aback slightly, since he saw a young woman who looked just like Nova, but with longer hair down to her waist.
“You’re…”
“Lieutenant Aliscea Rosstowski, Assistant Living Group Leader of the Space Battleship Arizona, as well as Radar Officer. Your name is?”
“Ensign Deke Wakefield.”
“You know you can’t bring that weapon aboard ship, Ensign. You’re not a Marine…”
Deke showed her his letter. “According to this letter, ma’am, I can bring this weapon aboard any vessel I am deployed to.”
“Signed by Commander Singleton?” said Rosstowski. She stood in thought for a moment. It feels right, she thought, and then it doesn’t feel right…I wonder how we’ll…
A moment later, Nova Wildstar came down the gangplank. “Aliscea,” she said. “What’s the holdup?”
“Mister Wakefield and this letter, ma’am,” she said. “Is this really the signature of the Commander?” she whispered as she motioned Nova over.
Nova studied the letter and nodded. “That is his signature. Let Mister Wakefield board with that weapon. He has permission.”
“Aye, aye, ma’am.” Aliscea said as she saluted.
“I’ll take over with the check-in here,” said Nova after Aliscea checked in Brew. Brew was the last Sun Tiger to be checked in. “Lead these Flight Group members to their cabins so they can drop off their gear; they have to meet with their Group Leader and be off the ship in twenty minutes to head to the airbase for their planes.”
“Understood,” said Aliscea as Nova took over her job.
After Deke and Brew and the others were shown to their cabins (and Wakefield and Marrable found they would be cabinmates again) they met with Lieutenant Commander Cory Conroy in a quick briefing in the Arizona’s ready room. “It’ll be a quick flight,” he said. “We’ll leave the airfield, fly up to two hundred kilometers over the Eastern Sea and meet with the ship around that altitude and land, per your squadron assignments, in the lower flight bay and the two upper flight bays. After we land, you will check over your planes and then secure for warp…when we reach the Moon Orbit at 0100 Hours on the 19th, which is tomorrow, we will warp to Mars and then warp again to the edge of the Solar System where we will commence a patrol. There was an attack on shipping two days ago in that area near Pluto, and we’re still looking for the enemy. Got that?”
“Yessir!” yelled all forty-seven of the Sun Tigers.
“You know your jobs,” said Conroy in his heavy Southern accent. “Go to them.”
At that, the Sun Tigers began to make ready to leave the ship.
A few short minutes later, outside, they were again heading down the gangway towards waiting busses that would hustle them to the flight line at the nearby airbase. As Deke got onto the bus, he noticed, out of the corner of his eye, Nova checking in a last tardy crewmember, ranking him out a little, and then turning quickly to someone in a black Captain’s peacoat. He noticed it was Commodore Wildstar, and as he sat down in his seat on the bus, he saw Nova and Derek hugging fiercely for a moment before they spoke together and then parted.
Then, as the bus began to move, Wakefield noticed a young woman with long blonde hair in a Cadet uniform running alongside the bus, waving at it.
It was Sasha. Deke couldn’t open the bus window (it was sealed), but he waved back, to the amusement of some members of the Sun Tigers. Some of them yelled, “Dekesticks has a GIRLFRIEND!” as Deke blew a kiss at her before she walked Commodore Wildstar back to an aircar, alone. Then, he noticed Nova going up the gangplank, in silence, with her head buried dejectedly in her hands.
Conroy drew his attention away from the scene as he snapped, “Tigahs! Make sure your gear bags are complete and make sure you have your flight plans in order…I will review them with you later tomorrow after we complete our first patrol! Got that?”
They all nodded back as the bus pulled away from the Arizona, leaving Sasha and the Wildstars behind. The last that Wakefield saw of the ship was a view of her sitting there with her gangplank going up as her navigation lights came up and as dock crew people on the dock were preparing to cast off.
A few minutes later, Deke and Brew were in flight in their Cosmo Tigers, flying as Charlie Flight behind an experienced Flight Leader named Lt. Dalton Hollingsfield. Hollingsfield was also one of the two Section leaders for their strike fighter squadron, which landed safely in the Arizona’s starboard upper flight bay a few minutes later. By then, they were high above Earth, and Deke and Brew lost themselves in routine as they got their gear off their planes after locking into their landing bay berths. Soon, they checked over their planes with the flight crew, pointed out a few small things that the flight crew people could adjust, and then they went to the Ready Room to secure for their first space warp out of the Moon Orbit.
The warp was right on schedule at 0100 on the 19th; one day had passed into another as they had worked without their being aware of it until now. After Deke and Brew felt the nausea and disorientation of coming in and out of warp, they went through the same thing all over again. Their time in warp space seemed a little longer this time, until they emerged from warp near Pluto.
“Warp completed,” said Captain Mark Venture’s voice over the shipboard PA. “This is your Captain speaking. Now that we have emerged from warp, I am asking all crew members to gather together on the main observation deck at 0130 Hours for a meeting and briefing regarding our mission. Our mission begins tonight. I will see you soon.”
IV. THE MISSION BEGINS
The Vicinity of Pluto
Space Battleship Arizona
Monday, May 18, 2206
0130 Hours: Earth Time
It was not the first time that Deke Wakefield had met Captain Mark Venture, but it was the first time he had served under the tall New Yorker, so he wasn’t quite sure what to expect as the tall, dark-skinned officer with wavy hair and a dark blue Captain’s peacoat ascended the podium before the assembled crew on the Arizona’s main observation deck (which was below the foredeck and ahead of the main guns) and began to speak.
“Gentlemen and ladies. Commodore Wildstar and I selected all of you for this mission because we felt you could best adapt to what will be an open-ended patrol with no clear objective except for one; we, the Second Star Force, and the First Star Force, aboard the Argo, are to detect, find, and engage forces of the Comet Empire or the R’Khell Union before they can make it to Earth. Also, we are to assemble information as to the presence of the Cometines’ main enemy fleet, and to the presence of the New Comet itself.”
A buzz filled the room as Venture continued. “What I am telling you, Wildstar is also telling his crew aboard the Argo. This information is to remain strictly classified, and you are not to reveal this to any family members that you write to, nor are you to discuss this with anyone else in the Defense Forces, save with members of the First Star Force and members of the Commander’s Staff. This is the information we have learned, from interrogation of Cometine prisoners we have captured, from analysis of wrecked material from Cometine vessels, and from intelligence gleaned from the Gamilons and Rikashans.”
Venture paused as Deke took a deep breath. Then, he said, “What we have learned is that there is a second Great White Comet, heading slowly towards Earth. Our ultimate mission is to stop it.”
The room filled with a lot of conversation before Venture clapped his hands in front of his microphone. “According to our estimates, the New Comet is somwhere between a year to a year and a half away from Earth. We think that it is currently consolidating Prince Zordar’s former conquests between the Andromeda Galaxy and the Great Magellenic Cloud. Our mission is to defend Earth by cutting off these attacks upon our shipping and our Defense Forces that seem to be intended to slowly break down our defenses while the rest of the EDF engages in a new building and recruitment program. Evenetually, we are to eliminate these threats to Earth…so that we can give Earth some breathing space. Is that understood?”
“YESSIR!” cried out the crew of the Arizona as one.
“Very good,” said Venture. “Our mission begins at once.”
At that, the meeting ended.
At 0210 Hours, the action began.
On the Arizona’s first bridge, as Pluto loomed ahead in the bridge windows, Lt. Miyazaki, the ship’s Communications Officer, said, “Captain Venture! I’ve picked up a distress signal!”
“Where is it from?” said Venture.
“Twenty-two megameters ahead of us, I think. This is the transmission; switching to audio….”
A moment later, a signal came across the bridge speakers. “Hello, this is the space frigate Wainwright! Any ship in our range, please respond! Again, any ship in our range…”
Venture made a hand motion to Miyazaki; a moment later, he was able to respond. “This is Captain Mark Venture of the space battleship Arizona. Over!”
“Captain Venture! This is Commander Walsh! Pluto’s not responding…I think we’re being jammed. We were escorting the freighter Valiant Hope with three other frigates; that is, the Smith, the Cavell, and the Pearson. We’ve lost contact with the freighter and the Pearson, and the other vessels are reporting torpedo hits and jamming, and we have taken two hits. Can you lend assistance?”
“We have fighters; where did you last detect torpedoes from?”
“RPX-212; two megameters ahead of us…we can’t see the ships!”
“Sounds like space submarines,” said Paul Rosstowski from his post. “Readying space mines, sir.”
“We’ll investigate, Wainwright,” said Venture as he brought up the red alert klaxons. “All hands to combat stations!” yelled Venture into the PA. “Repeat, all hands, to…”
“…COMBAT STATIONS!” Wakefield heard a moment later in his cabin as the klaxons snapped him awake.
“BREW!” he yelled.
“Ah know!” yelled Marrable as he got up and threw on his uniform over his skivvies. Deke had his uniform thrown at him a moment later, and he got dressed in a heartbeat.
“We weren’t on alert tonight!” said Brew.
“So?”” said Wakefield. “Sounds like we’re needed…”
When they were ready, both of them ran towards their planes.
A few minutes later, Deke and Brew received word that they were going to take off next, following the fighter squadrons led by Conroy and by Thomas “Buzz” Rutherford. Buzz, in particular, was glad to be back in action again with a Star Force unit; after a very long covalesence after having been injured in 2201 around the beginning of the Rikasha Incident by the Cometines, Buzz was out for revenge.
Deke and Brew got the “launch” signal a moment later from their squadron leader, a young hard-bitten woman named Michelle Ambrose. Soon, Deke and Brew were following their flight leader, Hollingsfield, off towards an area of space that looked empty.
“Why are we here, sir?” said Wakefield.
“A hunch I’ve got,” said Hollingsfield. “Stay by me and keep your eyes open, people. You both copy?”
“Copy,” said Deke. Deke asked his Radar Survey Officer and aft gunner if they copied; both of them did.
“Copy,” said Brew.
A moments’ worth of time passed; Deke swivelled his head around, watching his twelve, his three, his six (the Arizona was right at their six at this point; she was just a small dot that was getting hard to see) when, all of a sudden, not far from Pluto’s moon (which they were approaching) an orange light appeared from nowhere…it was the bow of a Cometine space submarine. Two trails of fire blasted right past them off towards the Arizona; they were torpedoes.
When the enemy sub fired again, Deke was ready. He shot at the approaching torpedoes with his forward and wing guns, and then switched to missiles just as his RSO (a young woman known as Ensign Deanna Stern) said, “Skipper, that space sub isn’t moving; I think he thinks he can ignore us and get the Arizona.”
“Why’s that?” said Deke.
A moment later, the sub fired a good number of missiles at them. All three of the planes dodged the submarine; as Deke dodged, he noticed that, off in the distance, three more planes from their squadron were attacking two other subs, while off in the distance, still other Tigers were fighting with smaller, faster-moving ships. “Looks like there’s more than a few subs,” said Wakefield to Stern.
“Looks like you’re right,” said Stern as she looked at her scope. “Long range radar is picking up another one off in the distance behind this one!”
“Okay, we’ll pick these guys off one at a time,” said Wakefield. “Or maybe not…they look a bit big, and…”
“Wakefield!” barked Hollingsfield. “Throttle back! You, Marrable, and I will coordinate our efforts and hit the bow of that sub! Ready?”
“Roger that,” said Deke, who throttled back. On hurried advice from Stern, Deke locked two of his missiles on target.
A moment later, all three planes evaded some enemy laser fire and streaked in towards the Cometine sub. Firing missiles and then laser cannon into the large sensor at its bow, they soon had the sub burning. As they flew away, it exploded.
“YEAH!” yelled Wakefield. “First hit of the game.”
“Wakefield!” said Hollinsgfield. “Watch your six!”
Deke looked back and then he saw it; a Cometine Paranoia fighter was streaking in towards him from the rear. “CRAP!” he muttered. “Corporal?”
Corporal Hayes, the ship’s tail-gunner said, “Sir, hold off on manuevering for a minute…I think I can get him.” Hayes fired, and then, a moment later, a ball of flame appeared where an enemy fighter had been.
“Well, that’s not bad,” said Deke.
“Not bad?” said Stern. “There’s four more of them off our tail to starboard!”
“Well, that could be a problem,” said Deke laconically as he threw the Tiger around in a sharp snap-spin. “Let’s see what we can do if we’re facing those guys…”
“You still there?” barked Hollingsfield in his headset.
“Yessir,” said Deke.
“Keep your eyes peeled; Marrable got into another hairball someplace with those guys; I have no idea what happened to him. And there’s more coming!”
“Crap,” said Deke in a low voice. He hated the thought of possibly saying goodbye to his best friend in their first battle together after graduation. He prayed that, somwhere in this mess, Brew was all right…
TO BE CONTINUED…
To Return to the Introduction to The New Comet, click here