Last Flight For Craggy

by Gary Weston

  'You want me to shoot them down?' Rocky gasped.

  'I need you to take out their thrusters.'

  'But...'

  Stella yelled, 'Craggy. The screens gone blank again.'

  'Rocky!' shouted Cragg.

  'Jeez. Firing now.'

  There was a blast from the alien ship's twin thrusters and a burst of speed, but the laser canon put a direct shot right between the thrusters. The ship blasted away, then far in the distance, they could see a flash of an explosion.

  'Dillow?' Cragg bellowed. He got no reply.

  'Craggy. Please don't tell me I've...'

  'Not on my watch, Rocky. We need to get to them.'

  Reaching the alien ship didn't take long, because it was dead in the heavens.

  'Dillow?'

  'You call that a plan, Craggy?'

  Cragg burst out laughing with relief. 'It slowed you girls down, didn't it?'

  Breeze asked, 'are you two okay?'

  'A bit of a headache,' said Dillow, 'but I'll live.'

  'Nice shooting, cowboy,' said Cragg.

  'That was scary,' said Rocky.

  Cragg said, 'You'll get over it. Now any volunteers for a spot of space walking? We gotta get some lines on that bird, and I'm getting too bloody old for that crap.'

  'On my way,' said Morgan.

  'I'll meet you there,' said Rocky.

  It took an hour to fix a whole swag of line to the dead ship. The young pilots returned to their own ships.

  'Okay,' said Cragg. 'A nice one quarter power ride home. Let me know when we get there. I'm off for a sleep.'

  As they closed in on Mars, Dillow put a call out to Commander Potts. 'We've a bit of a problem,' said Dillow. 'We have no power on the alien ship.'

  'Right. I'm just glad you are all alive. What's the issue with the ship?'

  'Rocky shot it.'

  'He what?'

  'It was Craggy's idea.'

  'Why am I not surprised? Why did you shoot it?'

  'Because,' said Rocky, 'It was a millisecond from shooting off into space, lost forever. It was the only way to stop them.'

  Potts sighed. 'Right. We would really like to strip that ship down and learn from it.'

  Dillow said, 'Can you hear me, Commander Potts?'

  'Only just.'

  'Okay. We can transfer over to one of the other ships, but that doesn't get this ship landed.'

  'I can only suggest we put it in orbit and figure out how to bring it home later.'

  'We'll do that. Commander. My father. Has he...?'

  'Sorry, Fawn. No word from him. You know the pathways have been destroyed?'

  'When this ship took off?'

  'Yes. That terraforma was opened by Max Morgan, as he was requested. It set off some kind of chain of events. The pathways ending and that ship taking off.'

  There was a subdued silence, and Potts imagined Dillow struggling with her emotions. He offered hope.

  'Just because we haven't heard from him, doesn't mean he's come to any harm.'

  'Maybe not. But with the pathways gone, how could we get him home?'

  'I...I've no answer for you, Fawn. Just don't give up hope. I haven't.'

  'Thank you, Commander. I'll talk it over with Craggy about putting this ship in a safe orbit.'

  'Okay. See you soon. Good luck.'

  Chapter 144

  Lance Dillow felt comfortable in the borrowed clothes, some of which actually fitted. Andrew Foreman suggested he address the community to update them of developments on Mars. They congregated in the courtyard to accommodate everyone. With his bruised leg making it uncomfortable to stand for too long, he sat on a rustic porch bench. Mango the GenMop sat by his side, having taken to the big guy.

  After the meeting had been formerly opened by Foreman, he left the proceedings to Dillow.

  'Hi, everyone. First I'd like to say a huge thank you for welcoming me into your world. I'd also like to say how blown away I am at what you've achieved here. With all the fighting that's been going on here, you probably don't know what has been happening on Mars. It was always the attention to make Mars the next home for mankind. To that aim, everyone on Moon has been relocated. Everyone contributes in whatever way they can and we have a very happy and stable growing world.'

  'Room for any more?' said a man.

  It was to the point and reflected what the others were thinking.

  'I don't see why not,' said Dillow. 'You and what you could bring with you would be most welcome. Of that I'm certain. But...'

  'There's always a but,' said a woman.

  'Well, the situation is this. I ended up here purely accidentally, through the tunnels made by our alien friend, Korlyn, who, you may or may not be aware of, was murdered by his own kind.'

  There was a collective groan of sadness, for the brave and popular alien scientist.

  'I was called in to determine cause of death in my role as space security commander. The autopsy revealed Korlyn had met a very unpleasant and painful end. That says a lot about his own kind, I think. Korlyn advised us to destroy the pathways and this was to block out one way his kind could make their way to Mars. I was in what we called the blackness, from which the tunnels emanated. I became disorientated, accidentally choosing the tunnel that brought me here. I have no idea what happened to destroy the tunnel. I'm sorry about that.'

  Andrew Foreman said, 'It wasn't your fault, Lance.'

  'Thanks. But it of course means that way to Mars is no longer available to us.'

  'What about ships?' David Foreman asked. 'Surely that's possible?'

  Foreman senior took that one. 'David. We have no way of knowing what the situation is on Mars. For all we know, the aliens have already returned. Radioing Mars could be the worst thing we could do.'

  'You don't know that for sure,' said a man.

  'True,' admitted Foreman. 'But can we risk it?'

  'Dad,' said David. 'This isn't something just for a few to decide.'

  'That's one of the reasons we are having this meeting,' said Foreman. 'So we all know the situation, the risks, and to decide what to do. I suggest you carry on with your work, but also discuss amongst yourselves what you want us to do. Any questions?'

  There were none and the meeting broke up.

  Chapter 145

  Cragg yawned and stretched. 'Are we there yet?'

  'Just about,' said Max Morgan. 'The commanders want us to put the ship into orbit until we figure a way to get it on the ground.'

  Cragg nodded. 'I agree with that. We need to get Fawn and Stella over here. Stella? You there?'

  'Where else would I be?'

  'Right. Get suited up to come over here. We need you two to undo the lines so we can put it in orbit. You have both space walked?'

  'I'm strictly a girl who keeps both feet on the ground,' said Stella.

  'Twice,' said Dillow. 'I'll take care of you, Stella. How much further to go before we put the ship into orbit?'

  Morgan said, 'We just need to go below the moons and set the ship free.'

  Cragg said, 'We need to leave a little momentum with the ship so it keeps moving. We can attach small thrusters later to keep it in orbit. This could be tricky. We need to slow right down and cut the lines so it keeps going.'

  'This should do it,' said Morgan.

  'One tenth power,' said Cragg. 'Okay, you two. Fawn. You take charge and look after Stella. Check the safety lines and come out when you're both ready.'

  'We still have a little internal power. I'm trying the airlock now. I think this is the sensor to open it. Nothings happening.'

  'Let me have a go,' said Stella. 'Come on, damn it. The inner door is opening. Shit. It's stuck.'

  'Try a little brute strength,' said Dillow. 'Try the sensor as I pull.'

  'Okay.'

  'Give, you piece of shit. Come on.'

  'Together. Ready, pull.'

  'That's enough. We can get through that gap. We're in the airlock, Craggy.'

  'Dillow. The outer hatch won
't open if the inner one isn't shut. It may be an alien ship, but that's a basic concept. Can you shut the inner door?'

  'We'll try. Not a lot to get a hold of,' said Dillow, the frustration sounding in her voice. 'Come on, damn it.'

  'It's moving. Again,' said Stella. 'Push. Again. Yes. We did it.'

  Cragg said, 'Any safety line in there?'

  'Yes. Just the one,' said Dillow.

  'One,' said Cragg. 'Not something they'd normally use, by the sound of it. Okay. Dillow. Wrap some of it around Stella and then tie the end around your belt.'

  'Got that. We are going to try the outer hatch door.'

  'Kick the damn thing down if you have to, just get out of there and over to the lines.'

  The outer airlock hatch had the same problems as the inner door, but with much effort and swearing, it opened just enough. Dillow and Stella floated out into space. Morgan and Ramshorn had cut the engines, so as not to fry the two women. Dillow and Stella pulled themselves towards the front of the ship and the web of lines holding the ships together. Between them they undid the lines. They were down to the last two.

  'Leave those, undone but looped to the ship,' said Cragg. 'We need a couple to put the ship into orbit. Come over to this ship and let the lines go from out the airlock when we tell you.'

  'Got that,' said Dillow. 'Oh, my God.'

  'Now what?' Cragg dared to ask.

  'Taken a look at Mars, lately? Not as red as it used to be.'

  'We see it,' said Cragg, excitedly. 'The northern cap. That is a very nice sight.'

  Stella said, 'It's like...fifty shades of green.'

  'Just crude algae to start with,' said Cragg. 'And is that what I think it is, or am I dreaming?'

  'That's flowing water,' said Rocky. 'Anybody wanna go swimming?'

  'Time to go down,' said Cragg. 'Will you two quit daydreaming and get in the damn airlock?'

  With Stella and Dillow in the air lock, Morgan blipped the thrusters, just enough to put some momentum in the dead alien vessel. Dillow let the lines go and the ship was in its own orbit around Mars, the not quite Red Planet, between the two tiny moons and home. The thrusters fired up at one tenth power and another adventure was over. Or so they thought.

  Chapter 146

  Potts and Forbes were just inside Base Three, obviously waiting for Cragg and his young team. They were also grinning from ear to ear.

  'Okay,' said Forbes. 'Now you lot have had a bit of rest...'

  'Are you kidding me?' snapped Cragg.

  Forbes ignored Cragg's outburst. 'Fawn. We have a job for you. Fancy a trip to Earth?'

  'Earth?'

  'Big blue planet, a few million miles away. Seems your father decided on a vacation there, but he needs a ride back. I just thought...'

  He was silenced by the spontaneous kiss from Fawn Dillow.

  'He's alive?'

  'Your dad and a few hundred others. Big Bird is being prepared with every spare suit we got, plus supplies. You have one hour to freshen up and grab a bite to eat. Ramshorn. Morgan. You two are riding shotgun.'

  'What about me?' asked Cragg. 'Can I help?'

  'Sure,' said Potts. 'Give them your spare suit to take with them. We need as many as we can get.'

  A woman approaching them told Cragg how things were going to be. Misty said, 'Dixon Cragg. Go get that suit off. You have just flown your last flight. From now on, you leave that game to the kids.'

  'You heard the lady,' said Fawn Dillow. She kissed his whiskery cheek. 'Thanks for everything, Craggy. Go and enjoy a well earned retirement.'

  Chapter 147

  One (Mars) year later.

  The planet was well under development. The population was growing at a challenging rate and it seemed at least half the women of childbearing age were in various states of pregnancy. The whole of Base Three had been turned into an ecosystem, with more plants and creatures than could be counted. Only two people lived in Base Three permanently, Andrew and David Foreman. All others were welcome to visit in small numbers. Cragg and Misty were on the observation platform. Outside, they could see the young trees and foliage that were trading oxygen for carbon dioxide.

  Rivers and streams were filling the canyons and craters were becoming vast lakes. The temperatures were still too low for much else to survive out there, but that day would not be too far off, with the increasing atmosphere starting to hold the heat at last. One day soon, birds and butterflies would be calling it home.

  'Another year and we can breath without helmets out there,' said Misty.

  'They said that six months ago,' said Craggy as he wiped bird poop off his shoulder. 'Still not sure about so many birds in here.'

  From an overhanging branch, something hairy landed next to him.

  'Oooh, Craggy.'

  'Hi, Mango. Do you ever stop eating?'

  'Banana.'

  Misty said, 'I heard Molly is pregnant again. Going to be a daddy again, hey Mango?'

  'Oooh! Daddy Mango. Bye.'

  Mango took off into the trees to be with his growing family.

  'We have to go,' said Misty. 'Max and Carlotte are bringing Astral over for us to baby sit.'

  'Great,' said Craggy. 'Baby vomit on my shoulder as well as bird poop.'

  'You love it, you old goat.'

  As they walked along the old path that now divided the wild jungle on either side, they paused at the monument. Cragg could never pass it without reading the marsillium plaque.

  “This monument is dedicated to Korlyn Num Serdinda. A true hero who made all this possible.”

  'Thank you, Korlyn. May your god bless you.'

  They made their way home to baby sit again. Life on Mars was good.

  The End.