ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE

STAR BLAZERS---PELLIAS

Being the fifth part of THE RIKASHA INCIDENT--- BY: Frederick P. Kopetz

ACT SEVEN--CHAOS

I. DOGFIGHT

The Center of the City of Perlana

Thursday, January 14, 2202

1430 Hours, space-time.

"Where's those positions we're going to hit, sir?' asked one of Conroy's wingmen as his planes sped over the city of Perlana.

"I'm sending Hartmann's squadron after them," replied Conroy. "We're looking for enemy bogies."

"Bogies at three o'clock!" snapped a pilot from one of the elements towards the rear of Conroy's squadron.

"Break off and get them!" snapped Conroy. "We've got some coming right at us!" added Conroy as he noticed six planes approaching his element at high speed.

"Roger that," snapped the other pilot, who was known as Sorenson. "Siegel, Horiyama, follow my lead."

Sorenson's two wingmen followed his orders as the Cosmo Tigers wheeled about hard to avoid a spread of missiles from the black Rikashan planes.

"Zirven!," snapped a harsh voice over the Rikashan wing leader's helmet.

"Yes, Commandant Razov?"

"You have to get all of those planes. I want that Earth battleship's fighter cover brought down. Then, when they least suspect it, I want that ship wrecked. I don't want any of those Earthers or Aliscea left alive to escape us. I want to administer this planet."

"Yessir. I'll order the fifth and twelfth wings in to hit that ship. I will deal with this opposition myself."

Zirven gave his orders, and, a moment later, Rikashan planes were speeding up from the runway of the captured Pellian fighter base the enemy was using towards the south of Perlana.

"You creeps!" yelled Angelique Hartcliffe as she staggered away from the wreckage of her Cosmo Tiger, which had crashed near a series of rocks around the captured Pellian fighter base south of Perlana.

Angie took the time to pump a few shots from her Astro-Automatic towards the planes, which took no notice of her as they took off and set their sights upon the Argo after they regrouped over the city.

Zirven's planes blasted up towards the Argo, firing missiles in a vicious spread as they roared in.

From her post on the bridge, Holly Parsons cried, "Captain! We're under attack! Enemy planes!"

"Damn, right as we were about to begin our landing," said Wildstar. "Dash! Hit them with our port pulse lasers!"

"Pulse lasers, OPEN FIRE!" snapped Dash.

Zirven's planes scattered while the Argo's anti-spacecraft batteries began firing. A few planes fell, but some regrouped for a second attack upon the smoking space battleship.

"You're not gonna get very far doing that," snapped Conroy as he streaked in with his Cosmo Tiger. "Okay, let's get them!"

Conroy and his wingmen immediately engaged the Rikashan planes in a nasty dogfight that surged all around the Argo as dusk began to fall in the beleaguered Pellian capital.

Two planes were shot down on each side, but Conroy, with a wicked smile on his face, led the Rikashan planes around past the starboard side of the ship, using himself and his own element as bait.

"I like this," said Zirven. "They know they are beaten and outnumbered. They will ram into their own ship and give themselves an honorable death."

"Are you sure?" asked Rigald, one of his wingmen.

"What they're doing makes no sense. They're caught between our guns and the hull of their own ship."

"NOW!" snapped Conroy. "Pull up!"

Conroy and his wingmen stood on their tails and roared up, followed by the other Cosmo Tigers in Conroy's squadron.

Zirven's men ran into the trap before they could all pull up. The Argo's starboard pulse lasers all fired at once, taking out nine of the enemy planes. Zirven and four survivors pulled up in pursuit of Conroy. Conroy and his nine squadron mates immediately wheeled about and hit them with everything they had.

Zirven and his men went down in defeat.

II. PRELUDE TO A LANDING

Space Battleship Argo

Thursday, January 14, 2202

1526 Hours, space-time.

"Sandor, that Rikashan fighter attack delayed our landing. We were hoping to land while we still had daylight," said Captain Wildstar as he stood with his officers and a large part of the Black Tigers and the Combat Group around him in a circle at the center of the deck screen in the Argo's operations room. "How's the damage to the ship?"

"Minor," said Sandor. "The armor belt deflected most of the enemy attack. The only damage was to the lowest pulse laser deck on the port side. One of the lower gunhouses was pierced, and another one was frozen in the attack. They're making repairs now. Luckily, none of the landing bays were hit."

"Good. That means we won't be slowed down that much. Dash, how did Hartmann and Hardy do with their bombing raids while Conroy was occupied with the enemy fighter/bombers?"

"They hit the southern airfield and all of the missile batteries we could spot," replied Dash. "The southern airfield is pretty well wiped out; the only signs of life we could detect after the attack are in the hills around it, and they're scattered. At any rate, the Rikashans can never use that airfield again; Hartmann's squadron wrecked the main runway and all of their planes and attack corvettes, and they also report that they wiped out most of their missile batteries and left the others inoperable."

"Good for Hartmann," said Wildstar. "Is there anything they didn't get?"

"They think they left their captured headquarters building intact, but Hartmann thinks they hit the communications towers so they can't call into space for reinforcements for at least several hours," said Dash.

"Sir," added Rosstowski. "They shouldn't be able to hit our landing craft with heavy weapons now, and Hardy's squadron also hit three heavy troop concentrations. Any resistance we meet should be from the ground, and they'll be scattered all over the city."

"Hemsford, you think that you and Starkey can pull this off now?" asked Wildstar, referring to Ensign Paul Hemsford, Leader of the Argo's Marine Group, of Squad One, and to Ensign Alan Starkey, Hemsford's exec and the leader of Squad Two. Sergeant Vic Wallchinsky, Hemsford's second-in-command of Squad One, and Sergeant Henri Leclerc, Starkey's second-in-command of Squad Two, were also present at this briefing.

"Sir, it'll be tough, but not as tough as it'd be if they could shoot down our landing craft," said Hemsford. "I've already taken the precaution of prepping our Marine torpedo planes with starshells to illuminate our landing zone."

"Captain, we're ready to go in there and wreak some havoc," added Starkey with a smile.

"Good. We should be able to slip into the tunnels under the Government Center to Aliscea now," said Wildstar. "That's our primary mission. Finding what became of the Gamilons is secondary, along with...finding the personnel we lost on the ground down there. One way or the other, though, I'd like to find them. The Star Force never leaves its own behind as long as there's a chance they might be alive."

"Hemsford, you and your men will lead the first wave near that large empty area of courts around the northern end of the city. Your mission will be to surprise the last large concentration of Rikashan troops we know of between there and the edge of the big airfield that the Pellians are still fighting the Rikashans for. From our intelligence, there's a chance we might be able to find entrances to the tunnel complex around there. I'll land near you with a hand-picked group of ten pilots, Marines, and members of the Combat Group and see if we can find an entrance around the edge of the courts."

Hemsford glared at Wildstar for a moment, but then he remembered his mission and nodded. "Yessir. We'll do as you ask."

"Rosstowski, your job will be to take ten more pilots, Marines, and Combat Group members and search the hills around that southern airfield for surviving personnel and for an entrance to the tunnels that Astrena said was in the vicinity of those hills."

"What does the entrance look like?" asked Rosstowski. "Any intelligence on that, sir?"

"I think Astrena said it looked like a cave entrance," said Homer.

"So all I've got to do to find a way in is find a cave entrance...the right one," said Rosstowski.

Wildstar nodded. "Okay, now...I'll need volunteers for my group and for Rosstowski's group."

Bryan Hartcliffe's hand immediately went up. "Captain, Sir...I'm volunteerin' to go in there with Rosstowski."

"Permission granted," said Wildstar. "Now, I'll need ten of you to go in there with me, and then nine more to go in with Rosstowski. Remember, all of you are volunteers."

"Why'd you choose to go down into a cave with me again?" asked Rosstowski. "I thought you didn't like underground places, Hartcliffe. Remember how you reacted to that mine entrance back in the 20^th century?"

"I want to take any chance I can in findin' Angie alive again, as well as help you find that Aliscea."

"Why do you want to be around me when I find Aliscea?"

"Because I want to see your reaction, Rosstowski. I hear you two are already quite an item," said Hartcliffe with a leering wink.

"Oh, would you knock it off?" asked Rosstowski. "Anyway, I've got some volunteers. Now shut up so I can brief these guys."

"Right," smiled Hartcliffe.

III. LANDFALL:PERLANA

Space Battleship Argo

Thursday, January 14, 2202

1612 Hours, space-time. 

As the landing shuttles were being readied, the Argo's Marine Group waited for the drop signal in their wardroom; all of them were fully armed and in full battle dress, all of them were ready to begin fighting shortly.

"When the hell do we drop?" asked one of them.

"They say we're gonna hit the beach at sixteen-thirty now," said another one. "And in the dark, mind you. What BS!"

"Why did they keep on delaying this operation, Sarge?" demanded a lance corporal who was standing near Wallchinsky.

"That's easy to figure out, Blake," said Wallchinsky. "The Tigers had to shut down their fighter base and their missiles. No good going out in landing boats and getting shot down soon as we leave the ship, right?"

At sixteen-fifteen a klaxon went off. "Attention, Squads One and Two, this is Hemsford," came a voice over the wardroom speaker. "Wallchinsky... you have the guys in Squad One take their places in Landing Boat Number One. Starkey, you have your guys in two head to their places in Landing Boat Number Two. Boat Three's being used for Wildstar's party, and Rosstowski's party is going down in two Jet Recon Boats. An element of Marine Group Torpedo Boats will precede you in order to soften up the landing zone, and give us some light. Then we will land and hit the Rikashans' base camp at Taravon Square and keep them busy so our special teams can slip into the city north and south of town. I'll be leading you guys in personally. We are to take out all of the Rikashans ASAP and help any free Pellians or Gamilons we meet along the way. Ready?"

"YEEAAAHHH!" roared the Marines in their wardroom. In the distance, the sound of the torpedo planes' launch resounded through the Argo.

Hemsford himself came into the wardroom a short time later. "Wallchinsky, I'm going with you guys in Boat One," he said.

"Yessir. Sir, I hope this won't be a mess like the attempt to rescue the Westhampton Beach."

"Then, we didn't know what we were facing. Now we do, Vic," said Hemsford. "I just hope that Wildstar won't try to take all the damn credit for himself when his guys meet up with Aliscea and Astrena. After all, who's gonna be doing the killing and dying, as we were trained to do?'

"The Marines, sir," said Wallchinsky.

"Damn right. Well, looks like it's time. All right, you guys, saddle up and lock and load. The smoking lamp is OUT!"

A wintry dusk came early to the city of Perlana as the dying planet revolved into a long night

A short time later, two Landing Boats flew out of the Argo's lower landing bay hatch towards the surface. A few scattered Rikashan troopers fired rocket-propelled grenades up at the landing craft as they came in over the burning city, but a few shots from the landing boats' forward guns took care of the threat in short order.

With a loud sonic boom, the Marines' torpedo planes made a final pass over the city, firing a load of phosphorescent starshells that abruptly lit up the area around Taravon Square like daylight as the landing boats roared in supported by their belly thrusters.

They landed in clouds of dust, and immediately, the forward doors opened and the Argo's Marine Group ran out onto the cobble- stoned square like army ants. They took cover near an ancient colonnade as a few shots came from over a large hill of debris to the east of their landing site.

A few shots from the Marines' "Popper Guns", actually rocket propelled grenades of their own, silenced the enemy fire for the moment.

"Starkey, where's your guys?" asked Hemsford over his helmet radio.

"Half a klick to the south...we only had one guy hit. How'd you do?"

"No one wounded, and we shut up the rats' nest a klick to the east. That's where those orange SOB's are pinned up, I'll bet. I see some entrances off there in the distance," said Hemsford as he flicked down the auto night-vision faceplate on his helmet. "Wonder if those go under the hill?"

"I'll take my guys up on top, how's about you burrow under?" asked Starkey.

"Roger."

"This is Wildstar," came another voice over Hemsford's headset. "How are you doing?"

"I'm down with Squad One at RP-325b by TM221," replied the Marine commander. "We found a hill of masonry and just took out what we think is the long-distance artillery they have, and we're trying to penetrate the Orange Zone Astrena spoke of at two points. The Twos are going over the hill, and we're trying an underground entrance we found half a klick or so ahead of our current position. You may wanna try landing by our boats and going down there later on. No visible friendlies or unfriendlies yet, although we do hear explosions and see numerous fires in the city proper to the south. Rescue operations in there are gonna be a real pain, by the looks of it."

"You're checking the Gamilon frequencies, just in case?"

"Affirmative. I've got Kern doing that. He hasn't picked up anything yet."

"You go in and check out that underground entrance."

"Roger, sir," said Hemsford. "Just what I was thinking. Hemsford out."

"Into my parlor, said the spider to the fly," muttered Hemsford with a grin. "Guys, we're gonna have to watch ourselves down there. Wallchinsky, you keep your fire-team up here on the deck. I'm going in. Kern, monitor those frequencies, you're walking point."

"Roger-dodger sir," smiled Lance Corporal Kern sarcastically. "Good thing my insurance is done paid up."

"Shut up and go in there, comedian," said Hemsford.

"Yessir."

Hemsford glanced a little at the runes carved above the doorway as they went in. Not knowing what they meant, he thought, For all I know, those letters say "This way to the Lennox Avenue Subway train stop." Just like back in the 'hood, when I was a little kid before the Gamilons blew up Harlem, my friends. Couldn't make out a single damn MTA sign back in those days, neither.

In a while, Hemsford and his Marines found that the underground passageway led to a place where there were two stairways. One went up, the other went down.

"Which way do we go?" asked Kern.

"Kern, you take seven guys and go up. I'll go down and see what we can find. You don't go up too far, and I won't go down too far. If you find fresh air in your location, which indicates it might lead back up to the surface, let us know and we'll go that way; vice-versa for me."

"Right."

"Guys, let's go," said Hemsford.

The two teams split up and went.

Kern led his group up into another courtyard that was between a number of old buildings. Nearby stood a series of hills that marked the southern border of the airfield.

"Wonder what this place is?" muttered Kern.

He found out a moment later when green laser fire poured out of the windows.

"AMBUSH!" he yelled. "Get down, and return fire!"

A fierce firefight soon began. Kern's Marines got quite a few of the howling armored Rikashan troops, but one of them killed one of Kern's Marines with a scream.

In the meantime, inside the building, a Pellian boy and a Pellian young man hit a red button and ran. A moment later, the fourth floor of the building exploded, taking a few of the Rikashan troopers with them. The blue/grey-clad Pellians took off into the building's lobby, nodding at a white-clad figure who was carrying a laser rifle. Kern noticed in passing that the Pellians looked exactly like Caucasian Earth people.

The figure in white ran out into the edge of the lobby, and helped the Space Marines by firing two bursts across the court into a first-floor window, killing a pair of Rikashan snipers. Kern noticed that the figure looked like a young woman with blond hair. Before Kern could thank her, though, she disappeared back into the building.

"We're clear, thanks to those locals," said Kern. "Let's check those buildings out and see if there's any more of those enemy troopers around."

"What's going on?" asked Hemsford over Kern's headset.

"We've hit the surface; a courtyard up between some buildings near the airbase. We were pinned down for a bit, but some Pellians helped us out."

"We'll meet you guys up there. What's the way out?"

"Passage between two of the buildings with a black metal gate over it."

"Sounds good. Be careful. I think you're past their perimeter now."

"Will do."

In the meantime, Wildstar's party was approaching their landing zone in another one of the Argo's landing boats. Wildstar himself was flying the landing boat in, with Laurel Hartmann beside him as his co-pilot.

"It looks like a mess down there, Wildstar," said Hartmann as they circled the courts near the northern end of the city.

"Yeah, we barely need the landing lights; everything's on fire," said Wildstar. "Real encouraging. Hope we can find a spot where the ground won't cave in on us."

"Over there, by that hill, see?" cried Laurel.

"RP-314 by the directional finder," said Wildstar as he looked at a blip on the large display between his control station and Hartmann's. "That'll do it."

He picked up a hand mike. "Venture, we're landing my party at RP-314; let Hemsford and Rosstowski know."

"Roger," came back Venture's voice over his helmet headset. "Good luck."

"Yeah...if we make it back..." growled Derek.

"Why so gloomy, Wildstar?" asked Venture.

"Because this whole mission seems close to being shot to hell. See ya later, Venture," said Wildstar as he hung up.

"Wildstar, what's wrong?" asked Hartmann.

Wildstar sighed. "Nothing's going right, Laurel. Our chances of getting back to Earth with any information by be slight...I mean...if those tunnels fall down on top of us...well, we'll all be going to Heaven...those of us who've believed, anyway."

Laurel nodded. "I know whatcha mean. There's something else, isn't there?"

"Laurel...I'll say this once. I'm not in a good mood! Sorry to snap at you, but you're reminding me a little too much of a certain blond Lieutenant right now for comfort. If she's alive...she should be the one psychoanalyzing me like this...her...or Sandor, or Doc Sane. Nothing personal, but this is a little out of your league, Hartmann!"

"Yessir. Sorry," said Laurel. "I know you loved Nova to pieces...just...trying to help."

"Sorry, Hartmann," sighed Derek. "Maybe I shouldn't have let her come on this voyage."

"I know her. You would've had to tie her up in a closet back in that big new house of yours to keep her on Earth."

"Yeah," said Derek. "Well...we'd better land this boat. We've got a job to do," he snapped.

Hartmann smiled weakly and then, a moment later, she snapped on the landing lights (which were barely needed thanks to the light from the fires nearby) and the landing boat came down.

As the ship hissed to a stop, Wildstar and Hartmann undid their harnesses. Derek said, "Game time," with a weak grin. Hartmann gave him a thumbs-up, and they both left the cockpit.

"Okay guys, listen up," said Derek. "We're splitting into two squads. Dave and Rory," said Wildstar, meaning Dave Packwood and Rory Pfeiffer, two old Black Tiger veterans from the Iscandar mission who had been among the first of the volunteers, "you guys will come with me and Hartmann, along with Corporal Collins and Tech Sergeant Anselm," said Wildstar, referring to one of the Marines and one of the Combat Group people who had volunteered. "We'll make up Squad One."

"Right," said Packwood, who raised a thin eyebrow. "Hey, Wildstar, this is sorta like that little fracas back on Pluto, isn't it?"

"Yeah, it is, Dave," said Derek. Packwood had been one of the four men, including Wildstar, Sandor, and Conroy, who had went in to invade the Gamilons' huge Reflex Gun complex on Pluto back in 2199 and had gotten out alive. Even though Packwood, then a pilot, had been officially a Combat Group member when not flying as a Tiger on the first mission, Wildstar had always known he could count on Dave in a tight spot like this, especially since Dave's luck had also held out later on when they had invaded Desslok's flagship in 2201 after having rammed it. Dave had also given them a hand with covering fire in their invasion of the Comet Empire city before they had gotten separated in the vast complex that was Gatlantis.

"Just like old times," chuckled Packwood as he wiped his gloved hand on his black, white and gold Black Tiger uniform shirt. "I guess Cory's in charge of the other squad?"

"Yep, Hammond's got the other squad," said Derek, meaning Cory Hammond, another old Black Tiger veteran. "Hammond, you take Jablonksi, Sakamoto, Collins, and Park," said Wildstar, meaning "Jock" Jablonski, Shigeru Sakamoto (both Tigers who had been a little bit of trouble on this cruise), Harrison Collins and Sun Rhee Park, who were both Combat Group members who had volunteered.

"What choice do we have?" blurted out Sakamoto. "Ya didn't pick us, sir."

"Sakamoto, shut up!" snapped Wildstar. "You guys will cover our rear; I'll walk point myself. Now let's move it. LET'S GO!" snapped Wildstar. He thumbed a button near the bulkhead of the landing craft, and the ramp went down with a loud hiss. Wildstar immediately felt the cold; he grabbed up a short peacoat and put it on against the cold. “Any one of you that have coats, get them on,” he said. “It is very cold out there…”

A few moments later, Wildstar was the first one out into the city. Quite a few of the pilots accompanying him now had flight jackets on. "Venture, Hemsford, Rosstowski, we've just hit ground in the city at RP-314. Hemsford, Rosstowski, hope to see you guys in a while. Venture, it's sixteen-thirty five," said Derek on a private channel between him and the first bridge of the Argo a second later. "The clock is running now. How much time does Sandor say we have?"

"Sandor says you guys have seven hours before the seismic activity becomes too dangerous for anyone to be on the planet," responded Venture. "He thinks the planet will blow half an hour after that, at exactly 0000 Hours on the fifteenth, Space time, Megalopolis standard."

"Very well. You know your orders. If we're not back on the ship by twenty-three thirty five, you get the hell out of here with the rest of the Star Force."

"But Wildstar, we need Aliscea."

"Yes, but you also need to save close to three hundred others. If I'm not back on that ship by 2335, the Argo is your command, Venture. Make sure our plaques look good on Heroes' Hill in that event. Wildstar out."

"What's with him?" snapped Venture. "Sandor, he sounds too damn depressed."

"I think he's trying to reconcile himself to the inevitable...we don't have much of a chance of finding Aliscea as the hours tick by, and we hit more resistance while that planet slowly comes apart."

"Why are the Rikashans holding on to a dying planet that's not even their own?" said Venture. "It's not like it was on Gamilon where Desslok was trying to defend his own world and his people to the last gasp. I can kind of understand that. But this?"

"Hmm...they must have orders from another authority...someone they fear much more than even Nature in this case," said Sandor.

"But who could they fear...that much?" asked Venture.

IV. A DARK MIND OBSERVES

The Grand Technomugar Fortress

Lord Ekogaru's Meditation Chamber

Time: (Terran Space time)

Thursday, January 14, 2202

1640 Hours, space-time. 

As a weird sighing and moaning noise like that of a huge, evil living being resounded around him in his meditation chamber, Lord Ekogaru watched the surprised look on Mark Venture's face on the bridge of the Argo on the vast screen of his chamber with a sneering laugh.

"Who is it they fear, mortal? It is I you fool...Ekogaru the Great, Author and Destroyer of worlds! Aliscea...Astrena...you can't keep this game going for much longer, can you? No, you can' t. Submit to me or die, I must say. I will give you one final moment of grace."

"I must refuse!" cried a young girl's voice in the chamber.

"Aliscea, how did you do that? Would you like to come to me in person so we can reason things out? Innocent Star Force members and not-so-innocent Gamilons," sneered Ekogaru as quick flashes of the faces of Derek Wildstar, Paul Rosstowski, and Leader Desslok rolled across his screen "are busy risking their miserable mortal lives for you, thinking they can get you off that world. Little do they know what I have lined up for them, even should they succeed in their miserable task."

"Why don't you leave us alone?" cried Aliscea's voice as an astral projection of her burst into the Dark Lord's presence. "I hate you...you...you...DEMON!"

"I'm not a demon," purred Ekogaru. "I just happen to have a very few of them as friends, that's all," he said with a nasty smile as his eyes went venomous green. "Don't you want to come here and meet with your father, Aliscea De Gralnacz? He's well overdue. I wonder where that idiot is?"

"Mother and I renounced that name long ago, when Father turned traitor to serve you!" cried Aliscea.

"I think this conversation has gone on long enough, you insolent teenager," said Ekogaru. "I have much to do...such as having a nice chat with a few demons?"

"You don't know the Power you trifle with," said Aliscea. "I tell you that you consort with the dark Realm at your own soul's peril, Ekogaru. I wouldn't want even my own worst enemy, which means you, you madman, to fall into the fate that awaits the demons and their friends. Change your path...now."

"You don't need to lecture me," growled Ekogaru. "Mental link cut, and that's enough of YOU, little girl! Now, underling, what was that message?" asked Ekogaru as the image of a trembling high-ranking Technomugar officer knelt before him on the screen, wiping away the image of Aliscea from before the thoughts of that dark mind.

"My Lord, the Sukalnach has just come out of warp and entered Landing Bay Number 972. She is damaged, and Protector Shardovan Gralnacz begs to have a private audience with you aboard his ship He has tidings to bring to you."

"Tell Gralnacz I will meet with him, but he must come unto my Presence in my Chambers!"

"But he prefers..."

"Damn his preferences! Tell him he will meet with me...NOW! I will grant him entrance unto my Chambers!" roared the Dark Lord.

"Yes, M'Lord...I live to serve only you," groveled the High Admiral.

"Good. And tell the Rikashan Prophetess Marda she can expect to hear from me later on, as well. I wonder what became of that idiot Cha'rif and that Terran boy he was torturing."

"You...you know much, M'Lord."

"I know EVERYTHING," purred Ekogaru. "Leave my presence, now!" Ekogaru clapped his hands and the image of High Admiral Tolver disappeared.

"well, Admiral, what did He say?" demanded Gralnacz as Tolver came back onto the bridge of his Fortress with a salute a few minutes later.

"He said, sir...that you will meet with Him in His Chambers. He refuses to condescend to your wishes, sir. He is in His Meditations."

"Oh, all right," snarled Gralnacz as he ran a hand over his bald head down to the wild fringe of hair he had left. "If He wants to be a complete jackass about this...I'll go and grovel very nicely," said the Techomugar cyborg, once a Pellian, with a warped grin as he set down his goblet of wine.

"That will have to be reported, Lordship," snapped Tolver. "It verges upon Blasphemy!" cried the Technomugar Admiral with a shocked look on his face.

"Don't you know, Tolver, even gods can make mistakes? If only He had given me two more Fortresses and a few more psionics, I'd be bringing back the ashes of the Argo and two Wanted Time Lord Adversaries as prisoners."

"T...Time LORDS?" asked Tolver. "Who?"

"The drunk and the manipulator. Namely, Melvin...and the Doctor."

"Lordship, if the Time Lords have taken an interest in this...we should leave that planet alone...especially if.."

"You're afraid of the Doctor? I'm not. It was my slow touch that began to exhaust him to the point where he had to regenerate the first time, you know, when we met centuries before he buried the Hand of Omega for the first time. I caused him to begin to age and shrivel like a prune. Now, he's a shadow of what he once was. Don't you know Time Lords lose power as they regenerate? But enough of this. I shall go and see Ekogaru."

"He awaits you, sir. And, sir, I offer prayers for your soul."

"He won't kill me. He'll kill the Terrans," hissed Gralnacz. "I think He's working on it NOW."

V. SOME UNEXPECTED MEETINGS

The Edge of the City of Perlana

Thursday, January 14, 2202

1622 Hours, space-time.

Derek Wildstar and his party slipped through the courts, having been through a few firefights with Rikashans lurking in nearby buildings. Once, they had been saved by a sniper who had quickly pumped a few blue-tinged laser shots through a window across a court, hitting a Rikashan. Before Derek could thank the sniper, he saw only a flash of blond hair in the window and then the sniper had disappeared like lightning.

"They look so much like us," mused Wildstar.

"Who?" asked Hartmann.

"The Pellians. That must've been a Pellian sniper helping us...and..."

"Wildstar, come look at this!" yelled Packwood.

Wildstar and his party ran up (with Wildstar holding his weapon out in front of him) as Packwood turned over a brown-armored corpse with his toe. "So, Packwood, you found a Rikashan."

"This isn't Rikashan armor, sir. And since when are Rikashans blue?"

"A Gamilon!" whispered Derek. "So some of them did make it down here. Hmmm...he' hasn't been dead for long, rigor hasn't set in, yet," he said as he picked up his arm. "Wonder if there's any more of them around?" murmured Derek, as he took a step back to look around.

A soft click went off, and the huge flagstone he was standing on suddenly tilted down like a trapdoor, dropping the startled Captain into darkness. As he fell into the dark hole, his yelp was heard over the radio, followed with a soft plop and the startled yell of some woman.

"WILDSTAR!" yelled Hartmann as she and Packwood gathered around the hole.

"I'm...I'm all right," he said as he looked around in the darkness. Fell on top of something...broke my fall."

"Um...hmm," snapped a tart voice. "Since when did you decide to start referring to your wife as something, Derek?"

A startled Derek twisted his head around to discover that he had not only fallen right on top of someone, he had fallen right down on top of Nova, who looked both very much alive and just a little peeved!

"Nova!" he cried as he lost his reserve and embraced her, very, very hard as tears ran from his eyes. "What are you doing here?"

"Trying to find Aliscea, just like the rest of you guys! We met a while ago, and I have some vague idea of where she is."

"Thank God you're all right!" cried Derek as he crawled off of her and clasped hands. Then, they both pulled a little closer and exchanged a long, deep, searching hug, whispering affectionate, sweet things at each other before Laurel yelled, "Good job, Nova! Now he won't be so depressed! He's been a real pain in the ass the last two hours!"

"Huh?" said Nova.

"I...I thought you died in that plane crash," stammered Derek. "And what are you doing out of uniform; in white?"

"The Pellians rescued me after the crash, nursed me, and dressed me in this Pellian uniform because my uniform was pretty well singed in the fire I was caught in. Thank God you made it through that firefight all right!”

“Yeah, I’m glad you made it, too,” said Derek.

“Me too,” sobbed Nova, as they embraced again. At that, Laurel rolled up her eyes. Fluff, she thought with a silly grin.

Nova then added, “Anyhow, that's how I met Aliscea, who just popped in for a moment.”

“You met Aliscea?”

“Yes, I did, Derek! She said we can find her somewhere beneath this complex. It's a temple of some kind. In the meantime, I was helping the Pellians and Hemsford by playing sniper a little while I looked for you, guessing you'd get here sooner or later. Permission to join the party, Derek"

"Granted, of course," snapped Captain Wildstar. "What happened to IQ-9? Isn't he on your tail as usual? We could use one of those extenda-arms of his right about now."

"He...was ruined in the crash," sniffed Nova. "I think he's done for. Guess everyone has their time...even robots. He died defending me."

"If Sandor can find what's left of him...that might change," said Wildstar.

"We can jump down, Nova," yelled Packwood.

"You don't need to do that. I picked up some rope in that last building I was in...thought we might need it," said Nova as she got up, picking up a coil of rope that had fallen off of one shoulder of her now somewhat dirty white Pellian uniform. She had been carrying it over her shoulder while playing sniper, but it had fallen off when Derek fell on top of her. "Laurel, you catch it," said Lieutenant Wildstar as she undid one end and began to twirl it around.

"Good for you, Nova. We could use some grrrl power about now," grinned Laurel.

"Stow it, Hartmann! I'm a woman, not a girl," snapped Nova with a grin as she threw the rope up out of the hole formed by the flagstone the Rikashans had recently booby-trapped.

Soon, thanks to Nova and Derek's help, the other nine members of the party were down in the tunnel, and Nova and Derek both decided to burden Sakamoto with the rope (because he "was acting like a jackass again" as Derek whispered to Mrs. Wildstar.) Now, with both Derek and Nova walking point (guided by a flashlight the resourceful Nova had also somehow gotten her paws on), the party continued down into the tunnel complex under the city as their search for Aliscea continued.

A while later, Derek's party found that the passages all seemed to lead to a huge courtyard of some kind that was roofless. There, to their surprise, Wildstar and company met...

"HEMSFORD!" cried Wildstar. "How did you end up here?"

"Love to ask you guys the same thing," he said. "Both my squads are here. "We lost about five guys..."

"We lost only one..." said Derek.

"All the tunnels seemed to eventually lead here," said Hemsford.

"We noticed the same thing," said Derek. "Could this be Aliscea's doing?"

"No...it is MINE!" said a cold voice before them in the darkness.

About thirty Terrans were blinded as a set of bright lights shined in their faces. When Derek's vision cleared, he found that he and his now nearly combined landing party of about thirty happened to be staring right into the face of at least five times as many Rikashans.

The cold voice's owner stood on a huge metal and stone structure that looked like some kind of horn-decorated temple altar of sacrifice and said. "Gentlemen, and a very few ladies, whom we will be capturing ALIVE, I will tell you. That is since you Terran girls are said to give good sport, and we warrant you'll look lovely suitably undressed as part of my harem...after we kill your men. At any rate, I am Commandant Razov, head of the Rikashan occupation force, and now true ruler of Pellias. We set this nice little trap for you morons, knowing you'd blunder right into it. Men, drop your weapons, and surrender. We might let you live...as slaves...if you're cooperative, that is."

"Razov, I am Captain Derek Wildstar, Captain of the Earth Federation Space Battleship Argo and Commander of the Star Force!" retorted Derek in equally proud tones. "We may be outnumbered by five to one, but so what? Everyone here is a dead shot, even our women! I'd advise you to surrender, or we'll kill you along with as many of your men as we can take out before we die as free men and women, if such is our fate!"

"You're an idiot," laughed Razov. "Rikashans are superior to Terrans any day."

"Then I take it you never heard of the Forty-Nine Ronin? Or the Alamo? Or the battle of Pluto or of our defeat of the Comet Empire?"

"Enough out of you," snarled Razov. "Execution party, ready to fire. Hit all the men, wound the women!"

Both sides tensed to fire, but, suddenly, from above the courtyard, many strong lights abruptly went on. "I would be pleased to see you try it," said a cold but strangely melodious voice from above. "Troops, at the ready. Execute all of the Rikashans. Be careful to spare the Earthlings."

"Who...who's that?" yelled Razov. He and his men began to mutter among themselves as they looked up, blinded by the lights. However, Derek and his men and women saw a huge company of troops assembled around three sides of the courtyard on a huge colonnade, facing the Rikashans. Derek noticed some of them even had triple-gunned armored tanks of some kind in their company that looked vaguely familiar. On top of one of the tanks, which seemed to be on top of a tall building whose roof was at ground level about thirty meters above them, stood a commanding figure with a high-finned helmet and face mask attached with a hose who looked like nothing but a threatening seven-foot tall dark silhouette of doom in the bright lights. For a moment, Wildstar wondered who could be dressed like that, until he heard a mocking laugh under the mask, and recognition suddenly came to him and all of the other members of the Star Force.

"Hmhmhmhmhmhmhmhm," laughed the tall commander. "You have shot some of my men like assassins in the dark, Razov, but you failed to reckon upon me and my elite guard! I have worked with Astrena to bait a trap for you and assure the rescue of my allies, Rikashan. Before you die, permit me to let you know who it was that killed you." The figure raised his hand, and a light suddenly shone upon him, revealing a black helmet, black mask, dark grey uniform, and red and black cape fluttering in the cold wind. He slowly opened his helmet and mask, while keeping his weapon trained straight on Razov. "I am Desslok, Leader of the Gamilons! Prepare to die, you barbarian murderer of children."

At that, Desslok fired a single shot with vicious aim straight into Razov's heart as the Rikashan arrogantly stood upon an altar that was sacred to the Pellians. That was the signal for the rest of the hundreds of Gamilons to open fire upon the Rikashans in the pit. The Gamilons fired viciously but with careful aim, since not a single shot came anywhere near a member of the Star Force. The worst danger to Derek and his party was from a few bits of flying stone that skipped around as a few shots hit the floor of the vast courtyard, which stood before the huge altar and the very tall ancient-looking building upon which Desslok was standing. Derek realized that there was something vaguely familiar about the look of this complex, but he couldn't place it...and didn't have much time to think, as he suddenly dropped to one knee, aimed his weapon, and signalled with a hand gesture for his party to follow suit. Then, they let loose with a barrage of shots that helped the Gamilons slaughter the Rikashans that their first barrage hadn't killed. Each member of Derek's party killed at least two Rikashans to every one of them. All of them would later be decorated for this day.

Finally, as smoke hung over the complex, Desslok appeared through the front doorway of the main sanctuary of the Pellian Temple. He was walking alongside a young, but very tall woman who wore a long blue gown and walked like a princess even through she was barefoot, carrying a pair of sandals in one hand. Otherwise, she looked so familiar that some members of the Star Force cried, "Starsha!" when she appeared.

Even Derek was fooled for a moment. Ignoring Nova's urgent elbow into his ribs, he blurted out, "Queen Starsha...did you come here with Desslok to help the Pellians?"

"No, I am not Starsha, even though I think she might be delighted at the resemblance," said the young woman whose authoritative, but somehow tired voice all of them suddenly recognized. "We meet at last, Captain Derek Wildstar. I thus welcome you to Pellias, as well as your party, even though your stay here shall be short. I am Princess Astrena, Protector and Steward of Pellias in the name of her now-dead Queen, my elder kinswoman. Desslok and I together planned your rescue and have also planned the rescue of the bulk of the survivors of Pellias into the last two remaining warships of our fleet, which will be escorted to a place of refuge by the Gamilon Fleet. A few will come with the Argo since we shall soon again be forced, I foresee, to take a long journey into space, some steps of which I know are familiar to you. I will accompany Desslok on that journey on his flagship, since in his long, hopeless defense of the spirit of his world, and his quest for a new home, I find a kindred spirit." Then, to Derek's surprise, he saw Desslok and Astrena exchange what could only be a loving glance.

Desslok, aware he was being watched, murmured something to Astrena inaudible even to Talan, who stood near him, and then said, "After her people find sanctuary, Astrena has made a decision to let her Stewardship pass on to another. This is so she may remain with me, for reasons best known only to ourselves. All I can say is that as Starsha has made her decision, so have I made mine. We shall, I pray, again be allies, but not be what we were before, even though I honor her memory always."

"At any rate, we await another, to whom the leadership, if not the formal stewardship of my people, shall soon pass," said Astrena. "She and I shall speak to you who are gathered here at length in this place about the threat that brought us together before we depart this place. All I can tell you is that the arrival of Pellias here was no accident of Nature. Nay...it was deliberate, caused by a powerful, ancient, and malicious intelligence who guides our common enemies known as the Rikashans and the Technomugar."

"Well, who's gonna tell us this story?" yelled Sakamoto as a tremor ran through the ground under their feet as he stood kicking something invisible to the rest of them. "No disrespect, lady, but I don't think this planet has long left!"

Then, Nova's stomach convulsed as she noticed that Sakamoto was kicking one of their dying enemies in the face.

"In your moronic insolence, Terran, you are more correct than you know," snapped Astrena. "She who shall tell you this tale is my daughter, who aids me in the preservation at this moment of even thy otherwise unworthy life, you who I just noticed kicking a surviving enemy as he lay dying! War may be necessary at times, but I deplore un-needed atrocities! Grant that Rikashan his warriors' death in peace, damn you!" roared Astrena as the planet shook under their feet and an uncanny golden fire glowed in her eyes. As Sakamoto cowered on the ground under that angry glance, Astrena, in that hour, bore more of a resemblance to a tall, angry avenging Angel of Death than a human being.

"Offend me again and I shall slay thee before thy turn, pilot!" roared Astrena in a low, echoing voice. "And doubt not that I have the ability and the right to do so! Did you not hear my words? You have virtually insulted she who stands in the place of a Queen, and she who is soon to be an Empress! Now, permit me to say," said Astrena as she mastered herself and the supernatural golden fire in her eyes died down and she again dwindled to mere human stature, "that Aliscea shall be among you soon. For now, we wait. She completes a rite, a ritual of our people that shall permit her to remain at the side of the Terran Paul Rosstowski, whom she loves. When such is finished, she shall address you on our mutual threat before we leave. Only she can make it true unto you, and only after she completes this rite of our people."

"Lady Astrena, what is this rite?" asked Derek Wildstar in what he hoped was an appropriately respectful tone after he glared daggers at Sakamoto, who knelt trembling on the ground as a puddle of wetness grew around him on the stone of the courtyard.

"The secret ritual of our people known as Shalinskar. When they emerge from their seclusion, which shall be soon, since she knows the danger to us, she and Paul shall be wife and husband according to the laws of our people. For now, we must wait. I bid you rest, and share some of your rations. We shall wait, but not for long."

At a signal from both Wildstar and Desslok, the Terrans and the portion of the Gamilon party assembled in the courtyard sat down. The former enemies tentatively shared their rations with each other as they sat...and waited...to hear the precise reason why they had fought, together and separately, through so much in this strange week...a week that had seemed like a century to both races.

 

TO BE CONTINUED WITH ACT EIGHT--"The Song of Shalinskar"

 

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