Method A replies ominously, ‘About 100 ‘cyborg ships in space’! She asks again, ‘Energy shield’?
As she speaks, Sista Pees’s brings their long and narrow cargo ship through Mars’s magnetosphere. As the holomap updates with 275 new blue dots. All Jerseyan up-cargo ships, though many battle-scarred after skirmishes along the way - with 25 lost. It seems that with the Space Army focused on destroying the energy source, there has yet to be a full-scale engagement between the two sides.
Before Iris and LeSouris can answer her last question, another transmission comes in, projected on the holomap is Pretoria, Houston and Dr VonHelmann. And, to VanWest’s personal delight, Captain Kun-lee.
‘Make great to see you’, Pretoria greets with a big smile.
As does the NEA’s top pilot Houston, ‘Hi there, boys and girls’!
Iris is excited to see them all, ‘My dear friends, so happy that you have come’. She then asks her father, ‘Papa, what took you so long’?
‘My love, so glad you are safe. We came as quickly as possible, doing our best to avoid a head-on confrontation with the Space Army’.
500 more blue dots appear on the holomap, entering through Mars’s magnetosphere. Many of the patrolships and battleships hold their own scars, these from the fight to save Queen Elizabeth. The EaRA’s numbers having grown substantially after Method A and the Jerseyans joined the alliance. With the clone ships, the EaRA has:
- 250 NEA-Utopian Battleships lead by Houston - Pretoria
- 300 Up-armoured Cargo ships lead by Method A
- 250 Free Enforcer Patrolships lead by Captain Kun-lee
- SCC-40 piloted by Lt. Colonel Wang - Dr VonHelmann
- 5 Transporter spaceships piloted by BV73 clones
- MLS-10 piloted by BV73 clone
- SCC-001 piloted by BV73 clone - VanWest, Iris, LeSouris
Dr VonHelmann rallies all gathered, ‘Praise be! Today is a day of reckoning, a watershed in time. We are gathered here for this New Beginning. Victory is within our grasp! Let us trust and go take thee’!
‘Good to see you, old man. Utopia is here. This green light’! LeSouris proclaims.
Dr VonHelmann returns a nervous smile, ‘Indeed’.
The BV73 clones chatter amongst themselves again about killing Dr VonHelmann – many wanting to direct him into the green energy thinking it will recognise him. VanWest closes his eyes to reason with them once again, telling them Dr King is a bad man, worse. Explaining as clearly as possible, they need to be pragmatic and put any feelings of revenge to one side.
Captain Kun-lee addresses next, ‘VanWest, we the Free Enforcers join you. We come to avenge those lost, Colonel Mathieu and Captain Dell among them’.
VanWest hadn’t received news of their deaths but isn’t surprised, saluting and then replying, ‘Their deaths will be honoured’!
Captain Kun-lee pauses for a moment, addressing VanWest specifically, ‘I did not act in the Colosseum. Here on Mars, I act decisively. As part of this New Beginning, part of the EaRA’.
‘Captain, glad to have you. Your piloting skills are second to none. Thank you for respecting the Code of Honour. You have paid it back and more. I count you as my friend’.
Captain Kun-lee smiles, ‘Friend, yes’! A term not common in the year 3000 among Enforcers, this word symbolic of their ‘New Beginning’.
Pretoria replies heartily, ‘We make all friends’. Putting his own ill-feelings aside, in particular, that of VanWest’s time as an Enforcer, where he oversaw the NEA rebel leader’s death in ColaBeers and the subsequent slaughter of many innocent citizens.
A mass of red dots sweeps towards the blue dots on the holomap. 450 spaceships of the Space Army mount their attack. The remainder targeting the energy shield around Cydonia.
Seeing this, Iris interrupts them and says, ‘Proceed with haste through the green light. It protects’.
But Dr VonHelmann objects, ‘We have the numbers, let us fight here’. A confirmation to VanWest that he fears the energy shield; no longer in possession of Our Stone: the amber stone pendant or the emerald ring, he must know he will be targeted by it. However, in doing this, he risks the EaRA’s motley fleet of ships; much less advanced, the protection of the shield could have given them the edge.
‘Papa, is that wise’?
Dr VonHelmann ignores her, ‘Let us make our stand’! Pretoria and Kun-lee follow his lead and nod in agreement.
The EaRA’s fleet organises into an arrow formation of three rows, the largest ships with the most powerful offensive weapons at its core, and those ships with the best defences, be it reinforced armour or forcefields, at the front. The SCC-40 and Dr VonHelmann staying well protected in its centre.
They must battle 550 Universal spaceships, red dots.
- MLS-20 - Four-star General Vladimir
- MLS-5 - Lt. Colonel Indium
- 40 MLS class - operated by various higher-ranked Space Soldiers
- 508 Standard class spaceships - operated by lower-ranked Space Soldiers
LeSouris shares his most up-to-date intel with the EaRA as Iris warns, ‘Beware of their MLS class ships, they pack the firepower of 5 SCCs’.
Houston acknowledges, ‘Yep, we fight one over Queen Elizabeth. They sure are tough’.
As expected, Lt. Colonel Indium leads the frontal attack with the MLS class spaceships, the Jerseyans more defensive ships taking the brunt. Unable to manoeuvre out of the way, 25 are destroyed in quick succession and a further 10 rendered inactive. Houston and Kun-lee react by moving their ships out of the defensive arrow to counter, doubling up on each MLS ship, in so doing allowing the damaged ships to escape through the stratosphere and into the green energy. Dr VonHelmann still keeping his distance.
Watching the General’s 99 spaceships attacking the energy shield, the BV73 clones spot an opportunity, like a game of chess they see that the king is exposed - the Four-star General. They do not hesitate as they race through the green energy to intercept, outnumbering his ship at seven to one. Their adroit flying skills and quick reactions help them elude and dodge a series of powerful blasts. Arrogantly, the Four-star General does not request support, his spaceship virtually indestructible he sees no need.
The clones sense that this highly prized scalp could destabilise the remainder of the Space Army and give the EaRA a much-needed morale boost; another henchman of Dr King’s dead, his powerbase further eroded. The BV73 on the SCC-001 looks at LeSouris, having seen that he has hacked the Universal Council’s Wiki. Having worked hard to find any weakness in the MLS class, he has decrypted a file tagged Advances in Cold Fusion.
‘The engines are nuclear powered, cold fusion’! LeSouris announces his ‘eureka’ moment.
For VanWest, it immediately triggers the memory of the Aramco Power Station in Queen Elizabeth, its nuclear reactors and wet cooling chambers. ‘So, the MLS must have coolers onboard like any other, correct’?
LeSouris nods with a big smile, he understands nuclear propulsion engine technology well enough to spot a potential weakness; the MLS class ships vent hydrogen gas to cool down periodically, in so doing disrupting their shields. A plan starts formulating in his mind, if the Four-star General brings his reactors to full power for a long enough duration without venting then the hydrogen levels will pass 4%. When the MLS does vent - at this point, it would be highly flammable and significantly weaken its rear shield.
‘My friends, I have dastardly plan’! LeSouris explains with a sly smile, ‘We cause this MLS to fire nonstop, say four minutes till hydrogen level at 4%, then bam! When it vents, we slap General’s ship on backside’!
The BV73 clones assimilate his words, understanding enough - the MLS-20 ship needs to fire at them nonstop for a whole 4 minutes. But LeSouris’s plan brings great risk; it's equivalent to dodging 8 or more quick-fire rounds, in fact, it is a kamikaze mission. The SCC-001’s BV73 clone zooms in on the holomap, bringing up the MLS-20 in 4D form to run a simulation, the result is positive. The game of chess c
ontinues, the clones working as knights to draw out the king - Four-star General.
The clones immediately enact LeSouris’s plan, VanWest updating his Moggle X, counting down from 00:04:00. The BV73 ships divert their power to their thrusters to draw fire as they fly by the MLS-20.
It takes the bait! Firing furiously out, with so many shots in quick succession it waits to vent - the hydrogen level rising in the cooling chambers of its reactors.
LeSouris looks at VanWest and Iris and says, ‘Today we see what fate brings us’.
‘It better work’! Iris replies.
The SCC-001 swerves violently as it joins the fray. With the power of the stabilisers and life support diverted, the trio must hang on with little oxygen; less of an issue for the cybernetic clones. It’s a risky move, but the EaRA will lose if they do not try, already struggling against the onslaught by Lt. Colonel Indium and 450 spaceships. The energy shield also struggles, ceding ground to the 99 standard class spaceships that attack.
VanWest closes his eyes as a disturbing vision shoots through his mind. That of a BV73 piloted transporter exploding while the Four-star General laughs at its demise - ‘Such primitive ships’. The rest of the clones will have seen this too, some knowing they will die today. But they do not waver. This bad man must go.
Boom-boom! The BV73 clones do not slow, managing to outsmart the MLS-20’s first few volleys with a combination of defensive sequences as the timer runs to 00:02:00. But the transporters cannot outrun the latest salvo, firing at full tilt the MLS-20 catches its target this time. Kaboom!
Over the next minute, two other transporters are picked off, VanWest feeling each death cutting through him like a dagger. Of the BV73s clones, only 4 remain in this battle. With so many killed, there will be no second chance if this risky plan does not work. Having been so focused on all that has happened, it suddenly dawns on VanWest that one BV73, the eleventh clone, and Van der Westhuizen A103 are unaccounted for. The scene though is too tense to ask the others.
The timer hits 00:00:30 with the Four-star General having figured out their manoeuvres, another transporter ship is blasted out of the sky before the countdown hits 00:00:00. The remaining two BV73s, piloting the SCC-001 and MLS-10 respectively, have only this moment to strike as the MLS-20 stops firing to vent.
Aiming for the MLS-20’s rear shield, the BV73 clones switch all power from their thrusters to the weapon systems. Kaboom! A massive explosion follows, the flammable hydrogen interfering with the MLS’s shield, it is blown to smithereens. The leader of the Space Army is dead! LeSouris’s smart hack and risky idea having brought them victory.
But they are not out of danger, the blast radius is so large that a fragment hits the SCC-001’s thrusters and cuts its power. Unable to propel itself, they all brace themselves for a crash landing as it begins gliding down, the holomap shows them coasting towards the MC-6 region known as Utopia Planitia. Unfazed, Iris hurries to send a communication broadcast to all in the EaR to confirm that the Space Army’s head is dead. This is their biggest scalp.
The Universal spaceships fall back to regroup. Command falls to the lower-ranked cyborg Lt. Colonel Indium, with Major Chromes now second-in-command. Both perturbed to find out that their advanced spaceships are not indestructible. Fearing the SSC-001’s crash, LeSouris sends all instructions on how to target the MLS class.
Fortunately, the green energy slows the SCC-001’s descent and carries them gently to the ground, landing with a small thump onto the ground. Albeit a great triumph, VanWest feels so much sadness at all who died.
He looks up to find Dr VonHelmann’s face on the SCC-001’s holomap, he is celebrating, ‘Praise be to Utopia! The Space Army demoralised, their MLS spaceships flawed, victory is within our grasp’!
* * * * *
Defeating the mighty Space Army has never been more achievable. With the battle recommencing, the tactic of targeting the MLS’s weakness is paying off, the red dots on the holomap falling rapidly to 403, lower than those in blue at 497. The green energy too has risen, passing through Mars’s stratosphere it traps many of the Universal spaceships between it and the EaRA’s fleet.
The blue dots:
- 158 NEA-Utopian Battleships - lead by Houston - Pretoria
- 155 Up-armoured Cargo Ships - lead by Sista Pee - Method A
- 182 Free Enforcer Patrolships lead by Captain Kun-lee
- SCC-40 piloted by Lt. Colonel Wang - Dr VonHelmann
- MLS-10 piloted by BV73 clone - VanWest
- SCC-001 partially active (not flying) - BV73 clone, Iris and LeSouris
And the red dots:
- MLS-5 - Lt. Colonel Indium
- MLS-25 - Major Chromes
- 18 MLS class - operated by various high ranking Space Soldiers
- 383 Standard class spaceships - operated by lower-ranked Space Soldiers
The MLS-10 lands beside the SCC-001, coming to collect VanWest to resume their search for Dr King. VanWest can feel his presence, and that he readies to attack again. He fears another deadly strike is imminent, much like with the destruction of the cannon that killed so many of his clones. But before leaving the SCC-001, he notices on the holomap that Captain Kun-lee’s patrolship is locked in a deadly duel with Major Chromes on the edge of the green energy shield.
A communication comes through, ‘One-on-one with Major Chromes, requesting support, copy that’?
‘We make come’, Pretoria and Houston fly to his rescue. VanWest is impressed to see rebel and Enforcer working together so well.
LeSouris connects with Kun-lee and Houston, going through the instructions he sent earlier, ‘Make MLS fire nonstop 4 minutes. Then hit cooler vent, near the engine and thrusters - very combustible this radioactive hydrogen gas residue. Praise be’!
Method A joins the attack keen to revenge Method Bee, ‘Gonna blast space scum out of sky for my cousin’.
Albeit the weapons of her cargo ship are less powerful, Sista Pee readies to fire on her signal. It seems the Space Army is yet to realise their vulnerability as Major Chromes attacks, firing full pelt he soon causes his propulsion engines to max out and vent the hydrogen. Captain Kun-lee skilfully managing to avoid getting hit.
‘Fire’! Jerseyan, Free Enforcer and NEA-Utopian fire all weapons.
‘Yeeha’! Houston shouts.
Boom! The shots hit their target and turn the MLS spaceship into an inferno, killing Major Chromes. Another major casualty for the Space Army.
‘Woohoo! That space roach is toast’! Captain Kun-lee celebrates. Thanking the others for coming to his aid, ‘I give honour’.
‘You’re welcome’, Houston replies.
Method A congratulates as well, ‘Aye, big moment… My cousin’s killer blown up’!
Their victory is short-lived. Another MLS spaceship emerges and fires, it’s Lt. Colonel Indium, the eradicator of Ellsworth and killer of Enforcers Colonel Mathieu and Captain Dell. Hitting Sista Pee’s cargo ship, whose defences are already weakened, the shot tears through the command deck. Method A throws herself to the floor, but Sista Pee isn’t so lucky, the flames incinerating her.
‘Sista’! Method A screams.
Before the ship explodes, Captain Kun-lee manages to put a transportation lock on, beaming her over in the nick of time. Lt. Colonel missing out on another scalp. Houston is quick to react, drawing the Lt. Colonel’s attention away as she dodges a series of shots. He too has yet to fully realise the fatal flaw in the MLS’s design and falls into the same pattern of maxing out the reactors. Even as he diverts all power to the rear shields, Captain Kun-lee reacts quicker, firing at the vent - kaboom!
VanWest does wonder how such advanced spaceships could have been built with this fundamental flaw. Another oversight by the Head of Science, Dr Schuurman - the other being his inability to control the BV73 clones. This critical weakness has cost the Space Army their leadership; Major Chromes, Lt. Colonel Indium and Four-star General Vladimir all dead.
Victory is within touching distance
as the remaining spaceships are now in full retreat. With them gone, the green energy now covers the entire stratosphere, causing an uneasy Dr VonHelmann to edge upwards and further from the safety of the main part of the fleet. VanWest notices that his hands are shaking.
Instructing all, ‘The fight is not over, we must continue to watch for Doctor King. Victory will only be ours once he is dead’.
Chapter 20 Groene Utopie
As VanWest leaves his damaged ship to join the BV73 clone on the MLS-10, Iris stops him outside to give him a kiss and a hug. With the green energy revitalising Utopia Planitia, the air here is so sweet and warm. The melting ice caps filling the basin with water. This place aptly named, it translates as the plains of paradise. A newer and greener world is materialising all around them.
Iris leans down and picks up a handful of mud, picturing this place as their new home, she offers a poem, ‘My love, let us bless this moment’.
‘My sweet, Emily Dickinson again’? VanWest replies with a smile.
To make a prairie,
it takes a clover and one bee.
One clover, and a bee.
And revelry.
The revelry alone will do,
if bees are few.
VanWest kisses her once more, ‘This will be our Groene Utopie’!
Iris takes off her emerald ring and hands it to VanWest, ‘My father asked for this, I’m not sure why but it is important’!
VanWest knows why but says nothing - the BV73 clone transports them inside. The MLS-10’s command deck is much more spacious, its controls and holomap sleeker and more intuitive. With a BV73 at its helm, its deadliness is amplified even further. The patrolships and battleships chase down the remainder of the Space Army, with only 300 spaceships, they continue to retreat.
As VanWest looks at the holomap, he sees the same vision as before, Dr King laughing as a flash of intense red-light shoots down.
The Present Page 18
