ALTERNATE
TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR
BLAZERS---IT NEVER RAINS IN
A
Postscript to THE NEW COMET--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz
This Story is being completed
with the Cooperation and Assistance of Derek A.C. Wakefield (as usual)---Freddo
PART
FIVE: TESTING
I. A LAST MORNING
Earth
The Wildstar Residence
Saturday, April 2, 2208
0630 Hours Local Time
![20060121[1]](neverrains5pg_files/image001.jpg)
It
was going to be a very hot day on
With
the temperature close to 85 degrees Fahrenheit, Nova was splashing in the
shallow end of their swimming pool with little Alex, who giggled as his mother
played with him in the water.
Nova
wore a sky-blue bikini, while little Alex wore nothing but inflatable yellow
water wings on his arms as his mother bounced him up out of the water and then
dangled him over the water.
“You’re
getting big,” she said as she tickled his tummy and his legs dangled over the
water.
“Big,”
Alex gurgled right back as his toes skimmed the
surface of the water.
“That’s
right…big!” Nova said. She touched his stomach and said, “Tummy. That’s your
tummy. This is your tushie,” she said, patting his wet, bare bottom.
His
father walked up, wearing only a pair of grey slacks, scratching at his
waistband in the morning heat, and watched as Nova tickled their son.
“Thigh….knee….” she said. Running her hand over his tummy, she made him giggle when
she said “Belly button,” and he giggled more when she said, “wee-wee,” touching
him with a finger as she checked for diaper rash. He smiled as Nova ran down
his leg and went. “Foot! Toes!” as she tickled his
feet and made him giggle his head off as she swam over to the access ladder
with the almost seven-month old baby boy in her arms. Nova went up the ladder
while Derek said, “Ariel’s still asleep.”
“Who’s
watching her?” Nova said as she pushed some of her wet locks out of her eyes
while Derek took his son from her.
“Sasha
was, but I put her in the playpen in the poolhouse so she could have breakfast
with Deke. Dawn’s still out like a light in Hardy’s room.”
“I
heard them going at it last night,” Nova said with a cracked grin. “Not a bad
thing, but…they were noisy…”
“You
too?” Derek
said. Nova nodded as Derek took the water wings off of Alex’s arms.
“Do
you think they’re ready to watch our kids?” said Derek as he also checked
Alex’s crotch and bottom for diaper rash. “You sure keep him clean,” Derek said
with admiration.
“Well,
you help a lot,” Nova replied. She
took him back and he began to grab for one of his mother’s breasts as he
whimpered. “Awww…thirsty?” Nova said as Derek cuddled
up to her and undid the bow that held on her bikini top. Nova smiled as her top
slid off while she offered Alex a breast, which he gladly accepted as Nova
rubbed his back and bottom. Derek, still hugging his young wife, looked around,
and then began to rub her bottom and lower back. Then, with a sly grin, Derek
pulled her bikini bottoms down.
“Derek!” Nova said, giving her husband a
playful slap as he laughed; but the damage was done as her bottoms slipped down
around her polished toenails on the grass. “Now why did you do that, Tinwit?”
“His
bottom is cute, but yours is cuter,” Derek said as he kissed Nova and picked up
her wet swimwear. Then, with a squeal, Derek picked up Nova and his son and
carried all of them into the poolhouse.
A
while later, after all three of them (Derek, Nova and Alex) took a shower, Nova
dried off Alex and diapered him and laid him in the playpen in the poolhouse
with his sleeping sister as Derek followed her around, tickling her, poking at
her, and making her giggle. In the warm privacy of the poolhouse, she made no
effort to get dressed, noticing the time was about 0718.
Finally,
she and Derek gave up all pretense that they were
playing, and she ended up in his lap on a chaise lounge in the warm poolhouse,
smiling and gasping in another sort of play as he began to make tender love to
her.
A long
period of heaven followed.
But
then…a sound came that interrupted their happiness and revelry, namely….a
high-pitched cry.
Nova
and Derek stopped, rolled off each other, and Nova said, “Ariel!” She ran over to the playpen and picked up the screaming
diaper-clad baby girl as she cooed at her and comforted her. Derek grinned as
the little girl went right for a breast and latched on.
A few
minutes later, while Nova was throwing on a kimono, someone banged at the door
of the poolhouse.
“Now, who
is it?” yelled Derek. He opened the door and found Dawn standing there, crying
her eyes out, wearing one of Nova’s old maternity
t-shirts and underpants.
“What’s
going on?” Derek asked.
“He hates me!” yelled Dawn.
“Who
hates you?” Derek said.
“Jeff hates me!” screamed Dawn. “I’m fat! I’m
ugly! These babies in me kick and hurt my innards all the time! I want to be dead!” She turned to Nova and asked,
“What are you doing?”
“I was
feeding my daughter; thank Heavens, I’m done now,” Nova said.
“So?” Dawn
retorted.
“The
kids. You
can still watch them, but you are coming with us on the Argo…to help us watch them as they come with us on the Argo and stay with us or in Sickbay,”
Derek said. “The cruise is just one week, and we’ll be home soon. Do you have
uniforms with you?”
“No..” said Dawn.
“I’ll
get you fitted with some when we get aboard ship,” Nova said. “You have nice
legs. You’ll look very cute in a skirt. How are your ankles?”
“Hurt,”
mumbled Dawn. “Can barely wear any shoes. I’m disgusting!”
“I’ll
get you fitted with a nice pair of new sandals, then,” Nova said reassuringly.
“They’ll be comfortable, and Jeff will love them.”
Someone
knocked at the door, and Derek said, “Come in!” as Nova drew Ariel closer to
herself. It was Jeff. “Dawn! What’ja doin’ in here?”
“HIDING! BECAUSE YOU SAID I WAS FAT!” roared
Dawn.
“Ah
just said you were getting’ bigguh,” Hardy said. “Which is a
fact of Nature right now. I couldn’t say I loved it because you just
belted me and ran off.”
“You
should be belted for getting me like
this,” said Dawn. “And soon, I’ll be doing that with these miscreants in my
tummy. One’s a boy, the other’s a girl…”
Nova
then said, “Dawn, since you’re due at the end of the month…”
“Don’t
remind me!” Dawn yelled.
“Dawn,
it’s a fact of life,” said
“Yeah,
like a 25-watt light bulb!” screamed Dawn. “And Sasha’s not helping! That floozie!”
“I
thought we agreed long ago you would stop calling her that,” Nova said. “What’s
she saying?”
“I’m
cute but I need to grow up! Grow up?!?
I never wanted to be pregnant to
begin with!”
“Now,
Dawn,” said Hardy.
“Don’t
‘now Dawn’ me!” screamed Dawn. “And
don’t touch me, either!” she yelled. Then, a moment later, as he tried to
caress her cheek to comfort her, she glared at him and slapped him across the
face. Then, she ran off, crying her eyes out.
Hardy
rolled up his visible eye and said, “Ah’m sorry. So sorry!”
“Not your fault!” Derek said as he patted and
caressed a suddenly screaming Alex. “Go follow her and calm her down and then
help her get into some decent clothes. That’s an order!”
“Yessuh,” Hardy
said with a salute.
II. ARRIVAL
Earth
The
Space Battleship Argo
Saturday, April 2, 2208
0930 Hours Local Time
“Nice to be back,” said Kitano as he and Domon
shook hands on the Argo’s bridge.
“She
looks like she’s never suffered any damage at all,” said Homer as he looked
around the
Paul
Rosstowski, who had returned to the First Star Force as the Artillery Officer,
sat at his post beside Homer and he said, “They’ve increased the range of the
main guns to twelve megameters. I didn’t think that was possible. How’s Wendy?”
“She’s
OK,” said Homer. “She chose to stay in
The
doors whizzed open, and a slightly harried-looking Nova appeared on the bridge,
trim in her gold uniform. Eager turned to her and said, “Hey, you’re lookin’
good! What’s wrong?”
“Ask
me later after I just haven’t broken up an argument between Dawn and Sasha.
Again,” Nova sighed as she slid into her chair. “Thank heavens Alex and Ariel
are sleeping.”
From
her post at Engineering, Diane Henson raised her eyebrows and said, “They’re
with us?”
Nova
nodded. “They’ll be in Sickbay most of the time. We decided our babysitters needed babysitters. So, we
got them to bring the kids with us. This is just a week’s cruise. And with the
armistice, there are no enemies around that we know of.”
From
Analysis, IQ-9 said, “And what about the enemies we don’t know of?”
“If we
knew of them, well, then they would not be enemies we didn’t know about,” Nova
said. “That is a tautology, IQ.”
“Many
things are tautologies, but I am not one,”
said IQ-9. “I have been studying and upgrading my sensors. I am more of a genius robot than ever!”
“Yeah,
right, Tinwit,” chuckled Sandor from his post. Some lights flashed at his post
on a screen, and he said, “Engineering, we’re one hour away from our first
all-up power test. Launch should be on time at 1100.”
Some time
passed. The engines had been started and then run back down. Other reports
came, and other stations were readied. Finally, it was 1045 Hours.
“It’s
almost time,” Sandor said as he checked a readout. “Right on schedule.”
Diane
nodded, and then Sandor heard a clunk up in the overhead. A moment later, he
was on his feet, snapping, “Captain on
the bridge!” as he saluted.
The others snapped to as Commodore
Wildstar descended from the Captain’s Quarters on his lift, resplendent in his
black peacoat and cap in the glare from the morning light that came through the
bridge windows. He returned his officers’ salutes, and then snapped, “Bridge
crew, report! By
the numbers!”
“Yessir,”
said Sandor. “As First Officer, I am pleased to report that launch preparations
are ninety-seven percent complete. All main systems are ready for power-up, and
the ship is at ninety-eight percent known readiness. The computer systems have
just passed their boot tests, and they are ready to go. Diagnostic systems are
up. The new wiring redundancy trunk measures are up and running perfectly.
Captain, the Argo has not been in
this sort of good condition since the war started.”
“Check
and recheck and get us at one hundred percent,” said Derek. “Second
Officer!”
Nova
cleared her throat and came to attention. “The cosmo-radar
and sensors are up and running, sir. Main computer core is ready for
programming for warp test. Course?”
“Program
a course for the Jupiter orbit. The ship needs a more extensive test than
usual. If I read the reports correctly, warping us to the Jupiter Area from the
Moon Orbit should be a simple matter. And if anyone’s watching, let’s keep them
guessing a bit about what the Argo
can do now.”
“Yessir,”
Nova said.
“Engineering!”
barked Derek.
Henson
turned her head and said, “Sir!”
“Report
on engine status.”
“Yessir. Both port and starboard boosters are
on line and balancing well. Wave motion engine and supercharger are ready to
have starting procedure initiated.”
“Artillery,”
said Wildstar.
Rosstowski
stood up and saluted as he said, “Captain, all three main turrets are manned
and ready for firing in trials today. Auxilary
turrets ready.”
“Domon,
combat systems status?”
“Systems
all ready and nominal, sir,” said Domon.
“Navigation?”
Kitano
said, “Sir, Astro-compass up and running, ready for other commands.”
“Tactical
radar?”
Eager
said, “Scannin’ and ready, sir!”
“Analysis?”
“Nominal
and ready.”
“Communications?”
said Wildstar.
“Sir,
the Black Tigers are on standby and ready to launch, Hardy reports.
Headquarters has given us launch clearance. Sir?”
“Mrs.
Wildstar, are all hands on board?” said Derek.
Nova
checked several Living Group readouts. “All section chiefs report all hands are
present and on board, except for the Black Tigers, sir.”
Sandor
turned his head. “Captain, all systems check out at one hundred percent.”
“Time?”
said Derek.
“1047,”
replied Sandor.
“Haul
in the gangway, ready for takeoff!” snapped Derek.
“Gangway
in,” said Sandor as Henson worked at her post, bringing the engines up on line.
Commodore Wildstar sat back and listened to his crew going through the checkout
list as the reassuring thrum of the auxilary engines
built up in the bowels of the ship under the sound of the takeoff warning
klaxon. Finally, Wildstar said, “Mister Kitano, raise the anchors. Ahead, slow
speed!”
“Weighing
anchor,” said Kitano as the Argo’s
huge anchors came up at 1051, nine minutes ahead of time. “Ahead, slow speed.”
The
auxiliary engines ignited underwater as the Argo
crept away from the dock at the edge of the Megalopolis, sailing out
confidently into Tokyo Bay as every civilian and military vessel in the harbor
stopped and began blowing their whistles. The mighty space battleship gained
speed, and she was soon on the open sea, majestically sailing along on the
surface, braving the waves as if they were nothing.
“Energy
buildup in wave motion engine commencing,” said Henson. “Energy
level, eighty percent.”
“Minutes
to full power?” said Kitano.
“Two
minutes, estimated,” said Henson.
“Radar
reports negative,” Nova said. “Captain, preparing
calculations for warp to Jupiter Area. Calculations will be finalized
when we clear the Moon Orbit.”
“Wave
motion energy level, ninety percent,” said Henson. “Engine
room crew, ready for flywheel and energy point contact.”
Orion
yelled at some men and women in the Engine Room. “Ready for
contact at your command, Bridge.”
“Approaching
takeoff point; speed sixty statute knots and increasing,” said Kitano.
“Energy
level, ninety-five percent!” said Henson. “Start the flywheel!”
The
flywheels began to rotate in the engine room as the energy built up. Thirty
seconds later, Henson said over the PA, “Energy Level, one
hundred percent!”
“Energy
point contact!” said Orion.
The
engine ignited. Then, Wildstar ordered, “Argo,
ascend!”
“Argo, beginning ascent!” said Kitano.
The Argo blasted up out of the ocean with a
spectacular roar and spray of water. Kitano said, “Helm answering well!
Ascending angle, thirty degrees; main wings, open!”
The
ship’s wings opened as she roared up into the skies, ascending quickly towards
the morning cloud cover.
It
didn’t take long until the sky around the ship began to darken as she gained
altitude.
Two
minutes passed; three minutes passed. Four minutes later, the Argo’s wings closed as she settled into
orbit to await the imminent arrival of Hardy, Deke Wakefield, and the rest of
the Black Tigers.
The
refitted ship was finally back in space again.
So
far, the trials were going smoothly. As Commodore Wildstar observed the ship’s
routine around him, he smiled to himself, hoping that they would be able to
reach the Minerva Belt by the end of the afternoon to drop off at the prison
asteroid their unwanted “guest”, the disgraced Bryan Hartcliffe, who was still
locked in the brig.
That’ll be a great test of our warp
systems, Derek
thought. I just hope this warping won’t
affect our kids too badly…why didn’t Nova and I arrange to have them go off
with her parents? Poor Nova…she’s going to have a rough time…being an officer
and a mother at the same time. Poor me…I’m going to have a rough time being a
father and an officer at the same time. We’ll check them around lunch….
Wildstar
put those thoughts out of his mind as the Argo
cruised on….
TO BE CONTINUED….