ALTERNATE TALES OF THE STAR FORCE
STAR BLAZERS---TREACHERY
Being the second 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: TIMES OF TROUBLES
I. A PREMATURE RETURN
Space Battleship Argo
Earth
Over the Tokyo Megalopolis
Friday, July 12, 2205
0607 Hours: Earth Time
The Argo was
cruising in for a landing over the Megalopolis; she was heading right for one
of the landing pads with full jets on. It was early in the morning, and most of
the crew couldn’t wait to get home, although they were unhappy with the
preemptory way that the search for the enemy forces had been called off.
“So why are we home already?” asked Domon.
“Easy,” said Commodore Wildstar. “The Earth Defense Council is a bunch of jackasses. They think we’re wasting money by searching out there, and the Arizona is out there already, so since we didn’t find anything past the beginning of this month, we can come home and be good and shut up.”
“The Argo does need a refit,” said Sandor. “She got pretty banged up out there; and we’re still running a jury-rigged ship.”
“Guys got any plans now that we got unexpected leave?” asked Eager.
“I spoke to my mother last night,” said Nova. “She says we’re long overdue for a visit, and my little brother and sister are crying to see me, so Derek and I are spending our leave in Colorado after we report in to the Commander this morning.”
“You’ve got a little brother and sister, ma’am?” asked Domon. “Is your sister seeing anyone?”
Nova giggled. “She’s a bit young for dating, Domon.”
“C’mon, sixteen isn’t that little.”
Nova rolled up her eyes. “My sister Aurora is just getting out of training pants, Domon. She’s two and a half.”
“Your mom ain’t that old, then,” said Eager.
“No, she was young when she had me. She’s forty-seven now, and my brother and sister are quite a handful,” said Nova with a smile. “The delivery wasn’t the easiest thing in the world.”
“You were in there with your mom?” said Eager.
“We were stuck at her place around Thanksgiving of 2202 in a blizzard, right after the war with Rikasha,” said Derek. “We couldn’t get help when her mother went into labor, so Nova midwifed her own brother and sister into the world. She’s pretty protective of those kids,” said Wildstar with some pride.
Later that morning, General Singleton inspected the Argo along with General Stone. Everything was in order, and the ship received a fine readiness report; which Wildstar thought was good, considering that the ship was going back into mothballs again temporarily.
Wildstar and Singleton shared breakfast together with Sandor aboard the Argo in the messhall even as the Star Force was being dismissed section by section and the ship was beginning to stand down inside her underground dock.
“I didn’t agree with the decision to recall you, Wildstar,” said the Commander. “This was one time when the Council outvoted me. And I know what you’re thinking, Commodore. I couldn’t get the decision reversed.”
“Are you at least studying the information we sent back, sir? It looks like the Comet Empire wants another go at it, and so might the R’Khells.”
“Part of their decision was news from the Gamilon Embassy. It appears that, according to the Empire, things are currently quiet out in space.”
“Tell that to the
Gamilon Ambassador,” huffed Wildstar. “He must not have gotten on a ship
recently and looked around our solar system. Any news from Desslok? He’s got to
know something, right?”
“The Ambassador said that Desslok is occupied signing a peace treaty with another world at the moment, Wildstar,” said Singleton. “Anyhow, he wants you and Nova to attend a ball there together on the twenty-seventh.”
“Sounds real exciting, sir,” said Wildstar. “I can make sure all my medals are polished while the Cometines ready their next move. Maybe if they attack during the ball, Nova can use one of her slippers and a clutch bag to help me fight the green guys off.”
“Wildstar, you’re getting silly,” said Sandor. “Sir, please understand that…”
The Commander took a deep breath. “Wildstar, I know you’re worried; but we do have Venture out there, and we’ve set things up so that you’ll receive a report during your leave if anything changes. When the Arizona returns in the fall, I think we can get you back out there again, probably by the holidays.”
“What am I going to be doing in the meantime?”
“I assume I’ll be in charge of the repairs, sir,” said Sandor.
“You will be in charge of the ship until I order you out again after the Arizona comes home. As for you, Wildstar, you will be teaching combat at the Space Fighters’ Training School until then. And I’m assigning Nova there, as well. I’m told they need a good Basic Exobiology professor and she volunteered for the job earlier when I talked with her. Anything else on your mind?”
Wildstar poked at his pancakes with his fork. “I’d better go back there and talk with Cookies, sir. These pancakes are terrible.”
“Well, that’s definitely your job, Commodore,” said Singleton with a slight grin.
“Yeah, sir. Tell me about it.”
II. TREACHERY OF THE WORST KIND
Planet Ashura
The Presidential Palace Guest Quarters
Friday, July 12, 2205
0704 Hours: Earth Time
The changing of the guard was taking place outside of Desslok and Astrena’s suite in the guest wing of President Varanda’s palace.
Gamilon women of the Emperor’s personal guard were assigned to guard Desslok. As three women left, three others in Gamilon personal guard force/concubines’ uniforms saluted and took their places near the door. To the guards who were going off-duty, nothing looked amiss; even the fact that one of the women was wearing a hood over part of her face didn’t look unusual to them. What could be seen of her face looked a normal, healthy blue color, and the woman looked just like Commander Inge Gernan, at any rate. Everyone knew that Gernan was well-regarded by Desslok, and had been ever since the events surrounding the taking and recapture of the Gamilon battle carrier Farushar during the Rikashan War. She had considered it an honor to serve a tour of duty as head of Desslok’s guardswomen.
But, at the moment, the real Gernan was lying unconscious in a room in another part of the palace; she had been beaten in hand-to-hand combat with several men and women who had finally knocked her out. Another woman had taken her place.
Now, that woman lowered her hood, and smiled. With the hood down, it was very clear that this was really Yvona Josiah in blue makeup and an eyepatch that matched the real Gernan’s eyepatch.
“Are you and Trisha set, Schaza?” whispered Yvona.
The Cometine officer, disgusted at being in blue Gamilon makeup, nodded at Yvona. “I hate this grease on my face.”
“We can rid ourselves of it after Desslok and Astrena are dead,” said Yvona. “Schaza, you take Desslok. I will deal with Astrena.”
“What will I do?” said Trisha.
“Kill the Heir,” said Yvona. “It should be easy to kill a three-year old child. After all, I believe that Dellar knows little of combat? Let us enter.”
The three women opened the heavy wooden doors and quietly stole into the outer room of the suite. It was dark, empty, and still quiet. Yvona led the way; she listened at another door for a moment, and then, she smiled after listening at the door.
“The bedroom,” she said. “They still sleep. Follow me.”
Yvona opened the door with her telekinesis. The cloned woman then looked around, and smiled at the sight of Desslok and Astrena sleeping in each other’s arms in a large bed. Their son, Dellar, slept nearby in a small alcove. Trisha, the third assassin, smiled as she saw that the boy slept with a small knife in his hand. It must be a toy, she thought. The blond little boy muttered something in his sleep as he kicked away the covers, revealing a well-toned body for a three-year old, clad in only a little black loincloth for sleep.
Schaza noticed Desslok sleeping in black pajamas. She almost drew her dagger, but Yvona stayed her hand with a gesture, and then she tiptoed around to Astrena. The long-haired beauty slept in a filmy white nightgown, and she looked very vulnerable.
This will be easy, thought Yvona. The Terran clone then used a trick that she had learned from Ekogaru, and she reached out with her powers, intending to dispatch Astrena with a slow telekinetic choke-hold that she could apply from across the room. She raised a hand as she began to choke Astrena in her sleep.
The sleeping woman stiffened, and then, she rapidly sat bolt upright, disturbing Desslok as she did so.
The Gamilon Leader stirred, and mumbled, “What?” in his sleep. Then, he sat up and took in the scene just as Astrena somehow struggled awake and raised her hand.
Yvona realized her mistake at once as soon as an invisible iron hand began to clench her about her throat. Damn her, thought Yvona, she’s reversed it!
“Astrena?” asked Desslok as his hand went for his weapon at his bed table.
“Assassins,” snapped Astrena.
Schaza screamed, throwing herself up onto the bed with a drawn dagger. “Desslok, drop it! NOW!”
Desslok used his combat instincts to quickly aim and fire after he slapped away Schaza’s dagger-hand. Schaza screamed with a hole through her.
Yvona turned to Trisha after she broke the choke-hold that Astrena had placed upon her. “Kill the heir,” she hissed in a garbled voice.
“Yes,” said Trisha. “Put that down, boy, this won’t hurt very…”
“What won’t hurt!?” cried Dellar as he stabbed upwards; with the dagger his father had given him, and taught him how to use in some basic moves.
Trisha was not expecting an attack from the little boy; she fell with a stab wound to her neck. A shot rang out a moment later as Desslok then stood over his son.
“Good move,” he said.
“Why’d you shoot, Father?” asked Dellar.
“To make certain she is dead.”
“But I did get her in the right place. Didn’t I?”
Desslok looked at the corpse. “You did, son. I am proud of you.”
“Check Mother!”
“Yes,” said Desslok as he turned just in time to see Yvona and Astrena staring each other down.
“You live,” hissed Astrena. “Spawn of the Dark Lord, you live! He did not die when the globe was destroyed in Earth’s past!”
“What do you refer to?” hissed Yvona.
“Never you mind,” said Astrena. “Desslok! Shoot her!”
“Gernan, have you turned traitor?” hissed Desslok. “I will kill you with…”
“Desslok! She’s not Gernan! She’s…”
Yvona then attacked Astrena with a psionic blast that left her befuddled. However, she was dropped to the deck by a blast from Desslok’s pistol that took a chuck of flesh from her arm. Blood went everywhere.
Desslok smiled viciously and prepared the coup-de-grace as Yvona waved her hand…
…and vanished.
“What?” said Desslok. “Astrena, what is going on here? Where did Gernan learn to do that?”
“Not Gernan,” said Astrena. “Can’t remember who’s she is…but not Gernan…Cometine or something…I…”
Desslok then went to the corpse of Schaza and wiped some of the makeup off. “Green…in makeup. So. The Cometines have infiltrated this world? Are you all right, Astrena?”
“Confused, but…”
“I’d better get dressed,” cried Dellar.
“Yes, you should,” said Desslok. “All of us should.” Desslok then grabbed a phone.
“Talan?” he said into the phone; it was connected directly to his flagship.
“Yes, Leader Desslok?”
“They let the Cometines in here, and assassins have just tried to kill myself, Astrena, and Dellar. They were disguised as my guard, the scum. Only one of them escaped. Get their President at once, and get me Gernan. Find out what is going on with my guard, and ready our weapons.”
“Sir?”
“After we leave here, we shall secure Ashura’s obedience by other means. They shall be dealt with like the traitors they are.”
“Of course.”
III. LEAVE TIME
Earth
Boulder, Colorado
Flagstaff Pool
Friday, July 12, 2205
1421 Hours: Earth Time
Flagstaff Pool was a public recreational facility on the western edge of town in the smallish city of Boulder in Colorado. Although some Boulder residents had their own swimming pools at home, this public pool was a popular meeting place for both young and old alike, especially on a hot summers’ day like this one.
“Ya know what’s fun about leaves, Sticks?” asked Cadet Jere Marrable as he lay on a chaise lounge in a dark blue swimsuit.
“What, besides hanging out with your Uncle Pat and drinking beer?”
“Looking at girls. Especially blondes.”
“Blondes,” said Cadet Deke Wakefield in a mournful tone of voice as he lay there in his white and red Space Fighters’ Training School swim trunks. “You know, Dawn had blonde bangs…”
“Why is it always Dawn this, Dawn that?” said Brew. “Deke, you have to look around a bit. Lots of cute blondes here who probably never heard of Dawn Westland or San Diego. C’mon, why don’t you ask some lady for a date?”
“Not interested. And when your Uncle Pat and his son Mike brought us here, they said nothing about blondes. Just water and ice cream. And shit, I could go in for a swim again. Too damn hot lying on this thing.”
“Deke, let me show you how easy it is to pick up a girl. See that lifeguard?”
“Yeah? The college girl with the Nova Wildstar-wannabe shag haircut, mirrored sunglasses and blue swimsuit?” Deke noticed her talking animatedly to a fairly well-muscled man in a Speedo with wet, dark hair and features somewhere between Asian and Caucasian who also wore sunglasses. “She’s got a boyfriend, Brew. You’re being silly.”
“That can’t be her boyfriend. He looks younger than she does. Shoot, I can tell by the way she’s sittin’ there that she don’t dig younger men. Watch me score, Deke.”
“Well, can’t hurt, not since we have to go back to the Rio Grande for the rest of summer training in a week,” said Wakefield. “All right. I’ll watch while you strike out.”
“I won’t strike out.”
Brew walked up to the edge of the lifeguard’s seat a moment later, trying to look cool. He grinned up at the lifeguard, who sat watching the pool with a whistle around her neck. The lifeguard smiled back, and said, “Yes? Do you need assistance?” in a crisp, low, authoritative alto voice.
“I was wondering if maybe you wouldn’t mind if I bought you a soda, Miss.”
“I’m not sure this is a good time for me to take a break. My relief isn’t here yet.”
“You mean you won’t even drink soda while you’re up there?”
“Nice thought, but it’d get in the way if I had to jump down off this thing to rescue someone.” She noticed two boys at the far end of the pool trying to dunk a girl who seemed to be struggling, and she blew her whistle once. “Hey! Stop the roughhousing! Can’t you two see that she’s smaller than you are?”
“Uncle Jere,” said a small African-American boy as he ran up.
“Uh, yes, Mike? Miss, this is my nephew, Mike.”
“Hi, Mike,” said the lifeguard in a cheery tone of voice. “You look worried.”
“Well, those guys have been picking on my friend Staci all day. I’ve tried to tell them to stop, but they ain’t listening to me. Mind giving me a hand?”
“I don’t like it when people pick on my little brother or sister, either,” said the lifeguard. Then, she looked right at Brew. “If you want to make yourself useful, make those two come over here. Like now.”
“Now?” said Brew.
“Now,” said the lifeguard.
“Will you do me a favor first?”
“What?”
“Have me over for dinner tonight?” said Brew with a big white smile.
“Ohh…I guess my parents won’t mind one more over,” said the lifeguard. “I have something to tell you, though. Okay. Get them to come over here, and…”
A moment later, the lifeguard caught a commotion and then, one of the offending boys was running over to her.
“What?” said the lifeguard.
“Miss, my friend won’t stop pickin’ on this girl…and…”
“You were involved too…I saw you. What?”
“She just went UNDER! She’s swallowing water!” he screamed, breaking out in tears.
“Shoot,” said the lifeguard. She took off her whistle and her sunglasses, threw them at Brew, and jumped right into the water from her chair.
It was then that Brew noticed the wedding band on the lifeguard’s hand. He immediately felt like an utter jackass for trying to ask her out!
Deke noticed the scene, too. He half-noticed the lifeguard swimming towards the commotion with strong, secure strokes. I’m closer, he thought. He jumped into the pool, and swam over to where the girl was sinking.
Deke had grown up around San Diego, and he was an expert surfer and swimmer. He had little problem doing a quick dive, finding the sinking body underwater, and reaching for it. He got her head above water to reduce the damage just as the lifeguard swam up.
“Thanks,” gasped the lifeguard. “Help me get hold of her…quick…”
Both Deke and the young woman worked together to get the girl ashore to the edge of the pool by a ladder. Then, as a crowd gathered, the lifeguard snapped, “Clear the way! We need to see if she’s breathing!”
“She’s not,” said Deke as he got out of the water first.
“Okay. We’ve got to clear her airway…get her head back…”
”Doing that,” said Deke.
“Not bad,” said the lifeguard. She quickly cleared water out of the airway with a few expert moves and then put her mouth around the little girl’s mouth and began to breathe for her. She began CPR, but Deke pushed her hands aide, since he knew what to do himself.
“Two…three…,” gasped the lifeguard as she took in some air herself. “Got a heartbeat?”
“Not yet…I…”
“Then just do what you were doing. Where’d you learn this?”
“From my mom, who was a nurse, and the Earth Defense Academy. Where’d you learn? College?”
“Yes, and serving as a lifeguard in high school as well as several years out in space,” said the lifeguard.
“Hey, she’s gonna have us over for dinner,” said Brew. “I…oops….something wrong here?”
“Make yourself useful and get a paramedic,” snapped the lifeguard as she raised her head. Then, she spotted a figure in the crowd. “Derek!”
“Nova, what?” said the young man.
Nova? Deke thought as he worked. She can’t be named after her, too old…
“Commodore, make yourself useful and get some damn paramedics! I have a drowning case here!” yelled Nova. “Sir.”
“Hey, her chest is heaving,” said Deke.
Nova then looked at the little girl as her eyelids fluttered open. “Oh, good, you’re gonna be all right…”
“Staci!” yelled a young woman in a bikini.
“Mommy!” gasped the little near-drowning victim that Nova and Deke had just saved.
“Shhh, stay there,” said the young lifeguard, whom, as Deke noticed, looked very good in the thin blue wet tank suit that seemed to be painted onto her lithe form. Brew noticed in passing that plenty was showing through the thin, wet material, but the lady looked unaware of her appearance at the moment. “You’re gonna have to see the doctor to make sure you’re all right.”
“What’s your name?”
“Nova Wildstar, I…”
Deke was thunderstruck as he then fully realized that he had just been sharing resuscitation duty with a Star Force veteran, and one of Earth’s greatest heroines. Ma’am, what the hell are you doing here? he thought to himself as the figure he knew from textbooks sat there on her haunches shaking her wet honey-blonde hair out of her eyes. Dawn always looked up to her, but she’s smaller than Dawn was by about three kilos in real life, he thought. Holy shit!
“Nova, I got the paramedics,” said the young man in the Speedo as he ran up, followed closely by a chubby older man with a mustache in a black swimsuit, and a dark-haired woman who had a boy and a girl by the hand. Both little children had on water wings, and they looked scared.
Deke shook his head, and then he recognized the young man’s eyes and immediately knew he was looking the famous Commodore Derek Wildstar right in the face. He saluted at once. “Sir,” he snapped.
“Nova, who’s this guy?” said Derek.
“Yes, who are you?” asked Nova. “Are those Academy swim trunks?”
“They are…ma’am,” said Deke with a shaking voice. “Cadet Deke Wakefield at your service. This guy here is Cadet Jere Marrable.”
“Oh, yeah, we were just reading about you two on the Argo,” said Wildstar absent-mindedly.
”Sir?” said Deke. “Us?”
“Oh yeah, you two are pretty-well known to us,” said Wildstar.
“See what can happen to you if you’re not careful in the water, David…Aurora?” said the dark-haired woman.
“Mom, this was an accident,” said Nova. “We’re having this guy to dinner tonight with Derek and the other cadet. They helped me out.”
“Dinner?” said Deke.
“That is, if you’re not doing anything,” said Derek Wildstar with an absent-minded smile. “Is that all right with you?” he said as he looked at the dark-haired woman with the children.
Teri Forrester then said, “Yes, Derek. We can certainly have them over, after we all change, of course…”
“Uhh…fine,” said Deke.
“And as for you,” said Nova as she looked at Brew.
“Ma’am…uh…I didn’t know who you were…or that you were married….”
“That’s okay. What was your first name again?”
“Jere, ma’am….Deke, I lived with my Uncle Pat in the Denver Megalopolis for a bit during the war…”
“Wait a minute…are you Toad?” asked Nova brightly.
“Say what?” asked Deke.
“Are you Toad?” asked Nova.
“Yeah, I am,” said Brew. “They call me Brew now…”
“Toad?” said Deke.
“They called him that in parochial school, because he was so little,” said Nova. “Funny that we meet again.”
“Why’s that?” asked Derek.
“Derek, I rescued this kid from a fight when I was about eleven and was a hallway prefect in parochial school…long story. Mom, make sure there’s room for him at dinner. And Toad, never mind what we talked about before.”
“Right,” said Brew, who didn’t have the heart to tell Nova Wildstar he had never liked the name “Toad” in school.
“So, what do you two have to catch up on?” said Deke.
“Oh, lots,” said Nova.
“And we’ve got some stories for you two cadets,” said Derek. “Stories that might save your lives someday.”
“Of course,” said Deke. “Sir,” he quickly added.
IV. A NEW WAR
Planet Ashura
The Presidential Palace
Friday, July 12, 2205
1505 Hours: Earth Time
“Leader Desslok,” said President Varanda once Astrena had told him the story of what had happened that morning. “Please accept our apologies.”
“Apologies?” said Desslok as Talan and his other generals stood nearby; the Ashuran military had been surrounded and ordered to stand down by the Gamilons, who had superior firepower, at least as far as the Capitol was concerned.
Talan then said, “You offer Leader Desslok apologies? From your government?”
Desslok added, “Your government was responsible for my family and myself being placed in danger. Your government allowed Cometime assassins to assail me in my bedroom. I cannot have peaceable relations now with such a treacherous government. The only thing I shall accept from you now is unconditional surrender.”
“And if we refuse?” asked Varanda.
Desslok calmly removed one of his white gloves and struck Varanda across the face with it. “Then you shall have what you evidently asked for.”
“War, and with a full occupation,” said Astrena. She then reached down and removed one of her sandals and shook the dust out of it. “I shake the dust of your world from my shoes. You are now enemies as far as Pellias and Gamilon are concerned.”
“For this outrage, your planet shall be crushed, and you shall be considered slaves rather than allies. I see now that you were negotiating in bad faith all along,” said Desslok. “Good day,” he snapped as he turned his back on the Ashurans and their Presidential Palace and turned towards his shuttle, which was surrounded by his faithful troops.
“How shall we
begin?” asked Talan in a low voice.
“Orbital bombardment. Begin with this city,” said Desslok. “If they want war, they shall…”
“Leader Desslok!” cried Talan. “Into the shuttle, quickly!”
“What is it?”
“Cometine Scorpion fighters, sir. The war has begun. And they are the ones who have started it.”
TO BE CONTINUED....
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