by Sid Kar
“Dive, dive,” Bakus yelled, “scan for asteroid belts and comets.”
“General, the chemical is eating through our hull!” Korkus shouted.
But Bakus had tuned him out and was looking at his gravitron scanner. The pursuing Mercurian spaceship was invisible as the planet’s gravity was blocking its signature and same was true of their signature on the enemy’s scanner. It was now or never.
“There are a dozen comets bottom-right of our present bearing reachable within 30 seconds,” Tagg said.
“Yes, I see them, dive into them,” Bakus said, “we will use comets to shield our escape.”
“General!” Korkus jumped up, “General! The chemical has eaten through our shield and the entire hull. We have a giant hole 50 – 70 meters diameter in our battleship.”
“What? Impossible!” Bakus said. Joules ran over to Korkus’ section, checked the damage report on that terminal then held his head with both hands and nodded at Bakus.
“General, we have 100 rockets appear on our scanner from nowhere, impact in T minus 1 minute, what the hell?” Xanus exclaimed.
“Launch all remaining counter rockets,” Bakus ordered, “the Mercurian ship must have let loose a volley just as we got off their scanners.”
“They must have been masked by the planet’s gravity,” Xanus said, “We only had 150 counter-rockets remaining and I have launched them all. Impact in T minus 45 seconds.”
“No choice, with a hole that size even one rocket could blast us to pieces,” Bakus said, “Tell me the hole is being repaired.”
“It is widening, general,” Korkus exclaimed in disbelief, “our repair robots are melting the moment they come in contact with that chemical.”
“Pour the damn neutralizing agents,” Bakus shouted.
“Interior pumps are automatically spraying, but it is vaporizing on contact,” Joules said shaking his head, “our computer has no entry for this chemical in its database. It can’t even analyze it.”
“63 enemy rockets destroyed,” Xanus said, “Impact in T minus 20 seconds.”
“I am switching all power to the laser cannons around that hole,” Bakus said and punched in the codes on his terminal. Then he sat back in his seat in anticipation and a mortal silence took hold in the command room.
“All rockets are targeting the singular location of our hole!” Xanus said incredulously then added, “Impact in 10 seconds.”
“Cunning bastards,” Joules spit on the floor.
The laser cannons fixed near the hole on Avenger’s hull opened up and shot down 21 of the incoming rockets. It was not enough. The remaining 16 rockets flew right through the hole.
“Impact,” Xanus blurted. That was the last word everyone in the command room would hear.
The simultaneous explosion of the sixteen rockets instantly vaporized half of the battleship and blasted the other half into tiny bits flying in all directions in space.
Megaship Maverick did not come around the planet in time to see the destruction it had wrought transpire in its view. But the shower of tiny hot, searing particles that lit up its electronic scanners gave all the proof of enemy’s destruction and that its strategy and its superweapon had worked.
Chapter 2: Mission
Capitan Agnosis Wornus’s jaw dropped when he saw the laser cannons guarding the entrance to Starship Conquistador’s giant bay, all turned and aimed towards his spacefighter. Then a loud laughter echoed over his radio speaker.
“Don’t worry Capitan, they are programmed to automatically scan for and lock onto alien spacecraft,” Colonel Kartar Ryft said, “But I have informed the bay defense officer that you are our companion.”
“For a moment there…” Agnosis let his words trail off as he concentrated on landing his spacefighter inside Conquistador’s bay. The operations and directions were different but it was actually easier to land here given the huge size of the landing platform. Agnosis turned off his engine and climbed out of his spacefighter and stood around watching the Starfirian pilots and crew. Ten minutes later, Colonel Kartar joined him.
“Join us for a round of drinks Cap. Agnosis,” Kartar said, “I don’t know what type of liquids you Nestorians biology can tolerate but our bars are equipped to create drinks savored by tens of thousands of different species across the galaxy.”
“I definitely would like to try some Starfirian liquor,” Agnosis laughed then stopped when his sight fell upon a small group of officers and soldiers standing at the entrance of the door connecting the bay to the interior of the spaceship. It was Commodore Raptor accompanied by Col. Tollvyk, Col. Maktar and a couple of Strike Soldiers armed with laser long guns.
Agnosis nudged Kartar to look in that direction, “I don’t know how your Commodore will take to my presence here. Maybe I should return right away.”
“Don’t worry, I had sent the details of the battle and what you did ahead to the Starship,” Kartar said.
Agnosis and Kartar walked towards Commodore Raptor. Agnosis was hesitant and walked a few paces behind Kartar who promptly saluted Raptor, Agnosis followed suit.
“Commodore,” Kartar said, “We have Capitan Agnosis to thank for the swift destruction of enemy’s battleship. I had asked him to accompany me so that we could talk space battle tactics.”
“You sure do have a wish to swing at entire battleships all by yourself, Cap. Agnosis,” Commodore Raptor said, “and to your credit you have succeeded both times.”
“Then you approve, Commodore?” Agnosis asked.
“I do, and I am not here because I am angry at you,” Raptor said, “but I am here to deliver bad news.” Raptor paused for a few moments as Agnosis leaned forward. “Your Battleship Avenger was completely destroyed by a giant Mercurian spaceship that appeared out of nowhere. Your spaceship’s computer managed to transmit to us some data just an instant before the mortal hit.”
Agnosis’ stomach dropped and his knees wanted to give up too. He could not believe what he was hearing. Many of his friends and most of the best officers of Nestorian army; all gone. This rendered their earlier victory and his role in it completely meaningless and left a bitter taste in his mouth replacing all the earlier thoughts of joy. He realized that everyone was staring at him. He wanted to cry but did not want to appear weak and undisciplined in front of Starfirians.
“Commodore, what are you going to do? You have to turn around and hit them back hard,” Agnosis pleaded, “please don’t let them get away with it.”
“I won’t,” Raptor said firmly, “But not now. Our own Sixth Frontier Fleet has finally mobilized half its strength and is on its way to Nestor. They will whack these new and any previously remaining Mercurians. This Starship needs repairs and restocking and will be heading back to our own space. But we will get you to your planet.”
Agnosis did not say anything. He was itching for revenge, but he also wanted it to be delivered by his own people, by other Nestorian battleships.
“Commodore, I will accompany Agnosis to the guest quarters,” Kartar said.
“No,” Raptor replied and waved over a couple of Starship Guards, “they will drop him off. I need you for a special mission.”
The two guards walked over to Agnosis and led him away. Meanwhile, Raptor and company turned around and walked out and Kartar followed them. There was a large hovercraft waiting outside with space for at least a dozen individuals. One strike soldier jumped in on the pilot’s side and the other one sat furthest back. Raptor, Tollvyk, Kartar and Maktar sat down in the middle seats.
The hovercraft lifted up in the air to a height of twenty feet and then took off. This bay was at the very rear of the ship while the command room was at the front and they had some time on their hands.
“What is this mission, Commodore?” Kartar asked, “and are we really returning to our space to resupply?”
“I hate to send my commander of spacefighters away,” Raptor said, “But this is going to be a very sensitive mission and I can only trust my senior officers wit
h it. You will be going with Col. Tollvyk, Cap. Alvina and a small contingent of Strike Soldiers to confirm some facts about the earlier ambush on this Starship by possibly our own spaceships. We are going directly to the meeting room for that briefing. And after the mission I am flying this Starship straight to our home planet and formally filing court martial charges against our Commander Carvyk Botlar.”
Kartar was stunned to hear this. He wanted to say something but the words hung in his throat and he tried to digest what he had just learned.
“What about the Nestorians?” Kartar finally asked after a couple of minutes.
“They don’t need us and we have fulfilled our primary orders,” Raptor said, “But this matter is far more important to our country than the defense of a small protectorate like Nestor.”
“Can I take Capitan Agnosis along with…” Kartar started to speak when he was suddenly interrupted by Tollvyk.
“Hey everyone, look over there, up in that darkness,” Tollvyk yelled and pointed his finger at the ceiling of this level.
The ceiling was fifty feet high from the ground and thirty feet from their hovercraft and was dimly lit. In a dark corner ahead of them a pair of red lights stared down at them.
“Stardjacker!” Col. Maktar yelled and the next moment drew his laser pistol along with Raptor, Tollvyk and Kartar. The Strike Soldier sitting behind them aimed his laser long gun at the Stardjacker while the soldier flying the hovercraft accelerated hard. The strike soldier opened fire with his laser gun but the Stardjacker had already taken a dive towards their hovercraft.
He landed smack in the middle of the senior officers. All four of them jumped back to the edge of the hovercraft while aiming their pistols at him. This time he was dressed in his full armor: striated rose red metallic armor from neck to toe, black metal boots and a red and black helmet covering the full head and face that was carved and decorated in the shape of a horse face with red glowing zoom lenses in front of the eyes.
“Hold Stardjacker,” Raptor said then yelled loudly, “Just hold for a moment.”
“Commodore surrender this starship to my authority or I will have to seize control,” Stardjacker spoke through the helmet’s microphone.
“Are you fuckin’ mad?” Tollvyk shouted, “You will be lucky if you don’t face firing squad after court martial…”
“Wait Toll,” Raptor said then turned to the armored soldier, “You are mutinying.”
“No Commodore, I am just following orders of Commander Carvyk, it is you who are mutinying,” Stardjacker replied calmly.
“I see,” Raptor said, “I am taking this starship to House of War. Stand down and you can explain to them.”
“I can’t do that Commodore, I am under strict orders not to trust you and to take control of the spaceship by force if needed,” Stardjacker said.
Everyone looked at each other tensely.
“Then I am going to have to put you dow…” Raptor began speaking.
Stardjacker hurled himself into the air and threw his arms and legs in four different directions: he kicked Raptor and Maktar’s pistols simultaneously while punching Tollvyk’s and Kartar’s pistols out of their hands. Two of the guns fell overboard. Next moment he launched himself at Raptor with the quickness of a leopard and slammed him on the floor of the hovercraft. Raptor punched hard at Stardjackers helmet.
Tollvyk and Maktar jumped forward and started laying kicks on the back of the Stardjacker who turned around and kicked both of them in the stomach. Kartar was searching for his fallen pistol. The Stardjacker rushed at him and kicked him in the face sending a spurt of blood out of his mouth as he fell back in a seat.
The strike soldier in the rear of the hovercraft now had a clear shot and opened fire at the Stardjacker’s chest with his laser gun. The lasers bounced off of the metallic armor as Stardjacker charged straight ahead, grabbed the laser gun from the soldier and broke it into two. The soldier punched him hard in the gut and then on the face. Tollvyk came running and jumped on Stardjacker’s back and tried to pull off his helmet. Maktar started kicking his legs. Kartar joined in punching the Stardjacker in the stomach.
Stardjacker cursed and screamed and then flung his hands sideways landing a punch each on the face of the soldier and Kartar. He threw Tollvyk over his head and slammed him through a seat breaking it to pieces. He then jumped and spun in air and kicked Maktar across the face slamming him into Hovercraft’s side.
The soldier flying the hovercraft had now put it on auto-pilot and sent out an alarm to every squad of Strike Soldiers and Starship Guards in the vicinity. The alarm had also started blaring out of the hovercraft in an ear splitting cacophony.
Raptor ran at the Stardjacker, jumped and turned simultaneously and delivered a spinning wheel kick to his face knocking him off balance. The pilot soldier then speared him finally bringing him down to the floor. The six of them started stomping on him with their boots. His armor was strong but the force of the blows still carried through to some extent. In a desperate move, Stardjacker started punching and kicking their legs and battled back to his feet.
It was a brawl of punches and kicks for the next few moments and Stardjacker, a top martial arts champion was holding his own against the rest of them. But unlike the starship guards who were earlier manhandled by the Stardjacker, these strike soldiers and army officers were also intensely trained and elite martial arts fighters themselves. Slowly they started to overwhelm the Stardjacker when he suddenly ducked and rushed out of the encirclement.
Stardjacker was distracted for a moment when he looked ahead through his zoom lenses and saw hovercrafts full of soldiers approaching them from the far end of the corridor. That moment Tollvyk jumped on a seat and then again jumped and kicked the Stardjacker in the chest with both of his boots, sending him over the hovercraft’s edge and slamming him down on the spaceship floor.
“Stop the hovercraft,” Raptor yelled.
The soldier piloting the craft rushed to the front and took it off auto-pilot but by then the Stardjacker had regained his balance and taken off running in full speed zig-zagging through the side corridors.
“Are you hurt sirs?” a voice from the arriving hovercraft asked them. Five crafts carrying ten starship guards each had reached them.
“Forget that and hunt him down,” Raptor said to them.
“Com. Raptor, I think you better let my Strike Soldiers undertake the hunt, he is too dangerous for…” Maktar let his words trail off knowing the starship guards were in the hearing distance. Col. Maktar Wyft was the Second-In-Command for Strike Soldiers and with Col. Jarvyk, their Commander back on Nestor, was now in charge of their operations abroad the starship.
“Right, I just lost my mind,” Raptor said then turned to the guards, “Nevermind. Follow us to our destination for now.”
“I told you I would beat that boy’s bastard ass if he showed up,” Tollvyk lit up a cigar and relaxed down on a seat.
“Toll… we did do a little bit of fighting ourselves too,” Raptor laughed and rest of them chuckled.
Raptor, Tollvyk, Maktar and Kartar walked into a small conference room where Vice-Commodore Barryett, Capitan Alvina and four strike soldiers were already in attendance. The soldiers and guards accompanying them stood outside the door for protection.
“Sound proof the room,” Raptor said and one of the strike soldiers opened a panel near the door and yanked a couple of switches. “Room sound proof, sir,” he replied and walked over to his companions standing at the back wall.
“Are you alright, sir?” Barryett asked.
“Yes, fine,” Raptor replied.
“Commodore Raptor, you are bleeding,” Alvina walked over to him and gently caressed away the blood from his nose and his mouth. Alvina’s soft touch filled Raptor’s heart with desire and he wondered if he was not being a fool sending her away on a dangerous mission. Alvina realized that the room was watching her touching Commodore’s face with her fingers and pulled back her hands.
“We
should get medical officers, for all of you,” she said.
“No time for that,” Raptor said.
“We should fetch medicals for Stardjacker,” Tollvyk said, “I told you Alvina, I would whoop that boy and I did.”
“You are a tough guy, Col. Toll,” Alvina grinned at him.
“That’s why he will go on the mission with you,” Raptor laughed, “let’s get to our mission. Time is short.” Raptor walked to the front of the room and stood behind a table and VC Barryett stood on his side.
“Attention,” Raptor said, “For Col. Kartar’s benefit, I will summarize the mission objective again. We have mechanical evidence proving that our starship was ambushed by rogue spaceships of our own fleet. We are going to present it to the Starfleet Command. But to bolster our case I am sending Alvina to Commodore Segwyk, her fiancé…”
“Former fiancé…if he was involved,” Alvina chirped.
Raptor’s heart fluttered at hearing this. If Alvina broke off her engagement then he would try to court her on her return. But for now he had to display no outward signs of such feelings.
“Be quiet, Capitan,” Raptor snapped, “Alvina will try to get information out of Com. Segwyk, ideally his confession of his involvement or knowledge of the ambush. However, she may be taken a prisoner abroad Starship Masterpiece. Then it will be the imperative of Col. Tollvyk and the four strike soldiers to rescue her. Toll is just the type of man I want to command a rescue operation and his senior rank as a command room officer means that most will show him deference.”
“Col. Kartar,” Raptor turned to him, “You may have a hairy escape and be chased by their starfighters. That is why I want you to pilot the spaceship. Who better to evade them than a man who taught many of those pilots. Toll will pretend to be your co-pilot.”
“I hope I don’t have to actually fly,” Tollvyk chuckled.
“Don’t worry Col.” Kartar said, “I know many of those boys who fly starfighters stationed abroad Masterpiece. If we can take our fastest ship…” he looked at Raptor.
