This is the first draft. These are only the bones of my creation:
James waited, the dust of the desert stuck to his mask and gun. It was hard to see Kat's face, the sand had covered his mask long ago never to be disturbed again. The sun was coming out from behind a natural pillar of stone.
"So much smaller than back home, hey James?"
"Ya, Broc", said James
What little the sun did illuminate was all the same: sand, rocks, and those who had fallen to the savagery of war. The gun felt warm in his hand, it seemed ready, like him, to send blue blood flying.
"Kat was just a kid." he said softly under his breath
"Dang boy, your just a kid!", said Broc
Silence permeated the scene as what was left of spuadron45i-Intergalactic force-27/mother-earth waited for further orders. James glanced at the base on the hill about a quarter mile away, but stopped himself from staring. It required every ounce of energy to keep himself planted behind the sand dune.
"How dare you take Kat", James thought to himself,"I promised to show him how to play RAIN!"
RAIN was James favorite card game and now it was his least. His life seemed meaningless, unnecessary to the universe, all that seemed to matter was revenge, revenge for Kat! James wrestled with his thoughts: "I could make it to the base..that rock looks big enough..then that one...and once the spotlight moves to the west I could make it over to.....okay, 1,2,3...g..A bright light came screaming from the sky. A space pod, their own, was flying strait toward them!
"Get Down!" yelled Broc.
The wreckage landed directly behind the communications officer. Once it was exposed to the pure oxygen atmosphere the craft burst into flames. The pilot bounded from the cockpit.
"Help me, Oh God, arggh, mommaagh!"
flames engulfed his body. All watched in horror as he rushed toward one of the corps members enveloping him in flames too. Both the men's screams were silenced by several shots from the captain's disruptor gun. All eyes were on the charred bodies laying lifeless in the sand. There was a short moment of silence once again.
"Let's get em!!", screamed Broc.
The whole battalion turned toward the enemy base and charged screaming curses as they went. James, his weapon blazing, jumped over the bodies of yesterday, bounded over the rocks, and ran strait toward the scum responsible for his pain. The base erupted with light and sound, his friends began to fall around him. He saw the grappling cannons on the upper most wall, fire. He dashed to one of the boulders as metallic nets flew through the air wrapping themselves around his comrades.
"Go!", said Broc, as he saw James coming to his aid. "Kill them, kill them all!!"
James turned on Broc and ran,but stopped as he saw a wave of Thmorth soldiers burst from the stronghold gates.
"Hold your ground!" shouted the Captain.
James positioned himself behind a rock and watched as the horde cut down those bound helpless by the nets. One of the Thmorth broke away from the group, and headed in James' direction. James took aim and fired at its foot. He relished the agony in its three demon like eyes, arms flailing it fell to the ground. He ran up toward the creature and watched its expression as he slowly strangled it to death. Suddenly, the ground shook, it rose and fell, James Calhorn fell with it.
"All Rise!" ordered the chief of staff as he paced the barracks' floor.
James awoke from his memories which had seemed so long ago. It was his first encounter with the crap that inhabit this God forsaken universe he found himself in.
"Today's the day man!", said Ardie as they walked toward the training lab. "Two hours in the training lab then were off this good for nothing planet and back on the road to adventure!"
Ardie was James' only true friend. He had been with him the whole nine yards in the Thmorth campaign. In fact without Ardie they may never have won, because he was the one who had broken the enemies communication codes. As far as James was concerned Ardie knew everything. He knew the hairs in your head and how fast your heart was beating just by looking at you. He could take apart and put together any weapon the embassy ever had, yet he was never much for shooting them. He was tall and thin, messy hair, everything you would expect to find in the appearance of a mad scientist you could find in Ardie. But the most interesting thing in James' mind, was the fact he and Ardie had lived on the same street but never knew each other till the war.
"Wow! look over there!" Ardie pointed at a group of people who had just entered the training lab.
"Did you see them, James?!"
"Ya, what 'bout em?", James sighed.
"What about them?!" Ardie looked James in the face. James rolled his eyes in a "here we go again" fashion.
"Those were the three! Trisha Dagmar, Sam King, and Arthur Cobalt. The ones who single handily infiltrated the last standing Thmorth stronghold. And if I remember correctly you were there too", Ardie gave a slight grin.
" While they were making there way to fame and glory for dipsticks like you, I was digging myself out of a mine hole!", James' face showed no regret for what he had said.
"Anyway", said Ardie, "I'm looking forward to working under there supervision."
"Your with them!"
"Superior knowledge requires superior protection.", He said in a haughty tone.
New recruits stood side by side with war torn veterans. With Rocket packs strapped on their backs, they began to practice group safety maneuvers. winding in and out, keeping in constant consideration those who could be caught in the stream of fire, all seemed to be going well until a scrawny greenhorn knocked James off his flight path. A siren went off and all landed firmly on the metallic floor.
"You sir!" Captain King pointed a gnarly finger at James."Do you think this exercise is a joke?"
"No sir"
"Then why the heck are you acting like it is?!",James glanced sideways at the greenhorn.
"Look me in the eyes!", shouted King,
James looked into Kings eyes. They were no different than his own, what made him so special? Sure he was taller and stronger but no different than Broc and certainly not as smart. Half a year ago he stood next to him in the same hell hole equally as frightened and angry. They were both privates when it all started. If it had only been the other way around, why did he have to be the one stuck underground fighting for his own life instead of killing others?
"Dismissed!" Shouted King.
For the next hour and a half James, Ardie and the rest of the team reviewed escape pod maneuvers, first aid, scenario analysis,oxygen mask maintenance, and parachute techniques. They finished with the required medical screenings and headed toward the mother ship.
"I hate those medical tests, no privacy whatsoever." complained James.
"The medical test is probably the most important thing we've done all day", chortled Ardie
"I don't see what my balls have to do with the success of this mission."
Ardie continued on as if he hadn't heard, "What if the pilot was somehow able to skip out on his test, If he died of a heart attack mid trip we'd all be screwed."
"Ya, but checking for heart problems has nothing to do with his sack"
"I believe the correct term is scrotum."
"Excuse me sirs" A young woman standing behind them on the platform interrupted, " Your holding up the line."
James and Ardie stepped inside the ship too embarrassed to say sorry.
James dropped his duffel bag down the community chute and headed toward the briefing room. After fifteen minutes of taking elevators and walking through winding metal corridors they found the entrance to the second largest room in the ship. Ardie, who was claustrophobic, was more than happy to open the two doors and find a seat. Spacecraft in the year 3425 were always luxurious: holographic screens, clean white and blue surfaces, and beautiful windows. But, military ships were all the same: Dull green, belts and buckles, and the only window was in the cockpit. James sat down on the metal bench just as the head of embassy walked in, his leather boots pounded on the floor as he walked to the front of the room. All was quiet.
"Gentlemen" he said as he swung his arm upward to pull down a screen emblazoned with a celestial map. "This" he pointed to a galaxy in the right hand corner of the map,"Is Komar", The screen zoomed in, "As you can see It is an irregular galaxy, which the embassy has been most anxious to explore." he paused and looked around the room,"Unfortunately, the many attempts to send satellites into its depths, have failed. as soon as everything seems to be going fine we lose contact. But what little we have gathered from our attempts has been astounding. Komar has more potential to support life than any other galaxy known to mankind. We have pinpointed where the disturbances are occurring and we assume they are technologically oriented." Murmurs swept around the room as the speaker took a glass of water from the pedestal and drank it slowly.
"That's why were all here.", Came a voice from the far side of the room. " We are being sent to the outermost corner of the galaxy, to a solar system consisting of a star and five planets, Gamma, Roger, Alpha, Victor, and Echo." The head of embassy left the room and was replaced by a young, black woman, strong and lean. "I am Sergeant Dagmar and am looking forward to completing this mission with seamless accuracy." Her piercing eyes swept across the room and landed on James. "You sir, why did you join the force?." James thought hard, and honestly could not think of a decent lie to cover up his real reason: Parliament's drunken assembly could barley keep their children fed, let alone an entire country's. Joining the military seemed the only sure way of getting a decent meal and a roof over your head.
"While Johnny sits gaping over there, Ill ask you.", She pointed to Ardie who stood up and began reciting the military pledge.
"To serve, protect, provide...", A siren screamed over head making everyone jump. The floor began to shake and after a minute of shouting over the commotion Ardie thought it better to sit down and wait until after the ship had left the atmosphere.
"Never mind", said Sergeant Dagmar as Ardie went to stand up again. "Captain King, was unable to attend this briefing due to technical difficulties in the arsenal so he assigned me to this position. We will be landing on planet Gamma in approximately 48 hours, to do so we will take the 24 space pods and land on the base that has been prepared for us. The atmosphere of the planet is mainly composed of carbon monoxide. All personnel are to stay within the Base's fence. The oxygen generator within the control room has a limited radius. Masks are to be worn when outside this perimeter. Once all is in position, we will attempt to further explore the planets one by one.You will receive further details once we reach Gamma. You are dismissed!"
The whole assembly rose and swept out the doors. James grabbed hold of Ardie's shoulder and pulled him aside. once everyone had left, the two of them pulled down the screen and went over the information again.
"I don't get it", mumbled Ardie. "There really is nothing else to know, the embassy's as clueless as we are!"
"Or," said James " This is an isolated presentation."
"No, It's connected directly with the server. they don't even know if the base there sending us to is completed or not!" James was silent "All the people who were sent to build it are no longer in the database"
There was a loud bang at the front of the room. They both turned to find a custodial manager standing alone with a key-card in his hand.
"This room is off limits except for special events!" Said the manager.
"We were just leaving", said James.
Once the doors closed behind them, they parted ways. Ardie left for the VIP quarters to bunk with Capt. King and his crew and James took the elevator to the barracks. James opened the double doors and found himself next to a group of men playing Spades. He walked up and down the massive rows of bunks but could not find his own. The small LCD nameplates read Cadlock,Cain,Calhawk, and
"Lieutenant Calhorn?", said a towering, broad shouldered man.
James was not sure if he should answer. There was a long silence, James heart was pounding.
"Is That your name or not?"
James was not sure if he should answer. There was a long silence, James heart was pounding.
"Is That your name or not?"
"Yeah, Its my name, why?", said James
"You have been asked to sleep in the VIP quarters, come with me, your stuffs already been set up." Relief swept over James as he followed this man toward the other side of the ship.
"So, where are you from?", said the man
"I'm from Nova" said James
"I'm from Vulton, always preferred mountain over pasture lands. Got me a nice spot too, not that its worth anything now...Dang economy. Oh, by the way, the names Arthur but you can call me Fooz..I know...weird...But that's what my friends call me."
"So did you move to Nova yourself?", said Fooz.
"No", Said James " My family was one of the first to settle there, I'm a native."
"Ah..I see... when I was six my folks moved just before the sun died, and I'm glad they did it when they did, otherwise, I'd probably be dead. we didn't have much money..And prices skyrocketed once people got wind of the news. lots of folks couldn't afford to leave Earth..Nasty business-money is. Lost lots of good people to it." Fooz shook his head. "Any way, here we are!"
They stood in front of two glass sliding doors. Through the glass James could see carpeted floors and white washed walls with blue accents. As the doors slid open they walked into the hallway. Numbered doors ran along both sides of the walls. They walked forward until they reached room 14. James could hear laughter from behind the door. Fooz pulled out a key-card and unlocked It. Inside sat Captain King, Sgt. Dagmar and Ardie around a glass table set for four. As soon as James walked in Dagmar eyed him curiously.
"Sit" Said King happily, red glass in hand. Fooz sat down in the chair. James walked over to his bed, which was much nicer than the metal bunk and sat down. He listened to Ardie tell his new found friends all his stupid jokes and stories and watched Sgt. Dagmar give him odd glances every so often, her eyes pierced like a knife.
Soon it was time for bed. James was the first to fall asleep. All was quiet in the room. The digital clock above the door counted down the hours till morning. It's green light shining on the floor was interrupted by flashing red. King sprung form his bed and ran toward the door. Ardie woke up next and was taken aback by the bright lights and sounds. King nearly broke down the door on his way back into the room.
"Ardie! do you know how to fly this thing?!"
"You have been asked to sleep in the VIP quarters, come with me, your stuffs already been set up." Relief swept over James as he followed this man toward the other side of the ship.
"So, where are you from?", said the man
"I'm from Nova" said James
"I'm from Vulton, always preferred mountain over pasture lands. Got me a nice spot too, not that its worth anything now...Dang economy. Oh, by the way, the names Arthur but you can call me Fooz..I know...weird...But that's what my friends call me."
"So did you move to Nova yourself?", said Fooz.
"No", Said James " My family was one of the first to settle there, I'm a native."
"Ah..I see... when I was six my folks moved just before the sun died, and I'm glad they did it when they did, otherwise, I'd probably be dead. we didn't have much money..And prices skyrocketed once people got wind of the news. lots of folks couldn't afford to leave Earth..Nasty business-money is. Lost lots of good people to it." Fooz shook his head. "Any way, here we are!"
They stood in front of two glass sliding doors. Through the glass James could see carpeted floors and white washed walls with blue accents. As the doors slid open they walked into the hallway. Numbered doors ran along both sides of the walls. They walked forward until they reached room 14. James could hear laughter from behind the door. Fooz pulled out a key-card and unlocked It. Inside sat Captain King, Sgt. Dagmar and Ardie around a glass table set for four. As soon as James walked in Dagmar eyed him curiously.
"Sit" Said King happily, red glass in hand. Fooz sat down in the chair. James walked over to his bed, which was much nicer than the metal bunk and sat down. He listened to Ardie tell his new found friends all his stupid jokes and stories and watched Sgt. Dagmar give him odd glances every so often, her eyes pierced like a knife.
Soon it was time for bed. James was the first to fall asleep. All was quiet in the room. The digital clock above the door counted down the hours till morning. It's green light shining on the floor was interrupted by flashing red. King sprung form his bed and ran toward the door. Ardie woke up next and was taken aback by the bright lights and sounds. King nearly broke down the door on his way back into the room.
"Ardie! do you know how to fly this thing?!"
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ardie glanced at James.
“Ardie!”, Screamed King
Ardie puled off the covers and got out of bed. Forgetting he was on the top bunk, he landed flat on the floor. King was already turning the corner when he pulled himself through the door. The bright flashes of light and panicked personnel running to their stations, made it hard for Ardie to keep up.
“Wait Up!”, he hollered. But King ignored him.
“Out of my way!”, growled King as he pushed a cadet into the wall. Ardie saw King take the emergency chute. He had to wait for it to come back through. Once it did, he stepped in and pressed the button. His body was thrown against the wall and his hair was forced over his eyes as the chute blasted away. Suddenly Ardie was standing next to King in the cockpit.
“Is this the man?” said a gruff voice from one of the two seats in the middle of the room.
“Yes sir.”, huffed King.
King stepped back into the chute and disappeared.
Ardie looked around the room. Two pilot seats stood in the middle on a dais, around it were several control panels, And above it all was a massive convex window that served as the roof.
“Get over here, we're about to be pulled off course!”, shouted the man. Ardie bounded over to the co-pilot seat and sat down. He began pulling, pushing, and twisting the various levers and buttons surrounding him.
“Co-pilot died ten minutes ago, no one knows why?”, said the pilot. Ardie began to sweat. He was doing his best to remember and perform all the controls and flight techniques he had researched.
“Shouldn't we close the hyper-drive flaps?”, Asked an out of breath Ardie.
“No, that'd just slow us down, keep doing what your doing”, Said the pilot. Ardie found it more than difficult to keep a mountain sized mother-ship, traveling several times the speed of light, on course. It was going to be a long night.
Several hours passed and Ardie was finally getting the hang of flying. Every so often, he could find time to look out the window as an entire galaxy would pass them by in seconds. The view was breath taking, as colors and shapes filled the window.
“Quite a sight, ain't it?”, said the pilot.
“Yes, sir!”, said Ardie.
“Worth all the training in the world... Ever since I was a kid always wanted to be out here.”
“It's amazing all this came from one explosion..I mean.... its almost impossible.”, said Ardie. The pilot gave a grunt as he pulled out a log book.
“I've struggled with that thought for years son, guess there's no answer.”, he said.
“:There's always an answer.”, said Ardie under his breath as he relaxed a lever and tightened a vice on his left.”
“Watch your grid.. readings are a little off.”, said the pilot. Ardie made the proper adjustments as they speed-ed toward Komar.
The clock on the wall read thirteen hours till arrival at Gamma. James had just finished a game of RAIN with Fooz, who had beaten him every round.
“Do you want to play again?”, Asked Fooz.
“ No thanks,” He said as he leaned back in his chair. “ It sure is nice staying up here for a change?”
“I s'pose so”, Said Fooz, not as happily as James had expected. “Its not like I earned this.”
James almost agreed with him but kept his mouth shut.
“I was just in the right place at the right time. King and Sgt. Dagmar were the real heroes.”, said Fooz. James huffed. The door opened and in walked Trisha Dagmar. “Lieutenant Calhorn,”, she said. “Your friend has been upstairs for the past ten hours, your services here are no longer needed, you may return to the barracks.” James began repacking his duffel bag.
“What services Trish? Com on, just let him stay, whats the big deal?”, protested Fooz.
“Its fine”, said James as he stepped out the door. A strong hand griped his collar and pulled him back inside.
“Stay.”, said Trisha.
“Thanks Tr..”, James stopped himself.
“My friends call me Trish, you can call me Sgt. Dagmar.”, She said as she left the room. Fooz gave a chuckle and motioned for James to set his belongings back on the bed.
There would be no sleep for King when the ship reached Komar. If the embassy thought the disturbances were technologically oriented the least he could expect was a fleet of space pods waiting for them.
“Thirty minutes till we reach Komar!” shouted someone from the other side of the arsenal.
“You heard him men! Get ready!”, Shouted King.
The arsenal buzzed with excitement. Men began loading the cannons with six-round cylinders. Once the hatches were locked, a soldier climbed into the seat connected with the cannon and put on an Infrared head set.
“Connections are good.”,Said one of the men sitting in the control seats.
“Hold your positions!”, shouted King as he took the chute leading back to the cockpit.
Ardie heard a swoosh come from the rear of the room.
The Pilot turned his seat toward the sound. Ardie stayed focused on staying the course.
“Twenty-seven minuets till we reach Komar, anything I should know about sir?”, said the voice.
“Nothing that you don't already know..just be prepared for anything.”, said the Pilot.
Ardie looked out into the void and thought he saw a small burst of yellow and red. After several minutes it became larger.
“Sir I believe I found it!”, said Ardie. The Pilot turned in his chair and looked toward where he was pointing.
“Captain, tell the arsenal we will be arriving at Komar much sooner then expected.”, A swoosh was heard again as the galaxy came closer.
“Close the hyper-drive flaps, turn on the reverse thrusters!”, commanded the captain.
Ardie did as he was told. The ship slowly moved into the cloud surrounding the galaxy. What seemed like glowing fog enveloped the window.
“Hold her steady.”, said the pilot.
“Should we stop?”, asked Ardie.
“No, just move her through slowly.”
Back at the arsenal King stood still, heart pounding, ready for anything that might come.
“Sir, I cant see anything!”, said a soldier as he handed King his Infrared goggles. King placed them over his eyes. Red lights filled his view.
“Its just space fog son, You'll see fine once we get through it.”, he said in a confident voice hoping to hide his uneasiness.
Ardie watched as the bright lights began to diminish. He could see clear black space in the distance.
“We'll be out of this mess soon.”, said the pilot just as a cadet stood up from her station.
“Sir”, she said, “Something has collided with the right side of the ship. It looks like a meteor! Minimal damage was caused.” there was a moment of silence that seemed to intensify the news.
“Lets see how well you can really fly.”, the pilot said to Ardie. The mist had faded away and the ship was surrounded. Rocks the size of sky scrapers flew in every direction. One had nearly collided with the cockpit window but the two pilots had pulled the ship down. One of the cadets reported a collision with the ship's bottom.
“ Out of the frying pan and into the fire!” murmured the Pilot as he reached for the intercom. King listened as the speakers projected the pilots voice into the arsenal.
“We seem to be caught in an asteroid belt, firepower should.....” King reached for one of the Infrared goggles. Green and blue shapes danced before his eyes.
“Fire away!”, King ordered over the intercoms announcement. The arsenal erupted with sound. Cannons moving left and right, up and down. Soldiers unloaded and reloaded cylinders. A blast of light came from the left side of the room. Bodies were thrown to and fro. One of the cannons had backfired. King rushed to the scene with fire extinguisher in hand. He screamed orders to those standing around.
“Get this man to the medical wing...Take his place..Get back to work...put out that fire!”
Ardie winced as he felt an asteroid scrape the ships surface. His seat shook violently back and forth. He wove the ship in and out , up and down. Beams of light, from the laser cannons, could be seen as some of the asteroids broke in two or moved backwards. Ardie could see an opening through the cluster. He looked over at the captain.
“Do it.”, he nodded. The thrusters were engaged. They were almost through the gap, almost there.
“Faster!”, shouted the pilot. Ardie pushed the lever further still. Debris from an exploding rock hit the front of the ship sending it backwards.
The cockpit window split down the middle. Chunks from the ship floated in front of it. Lifeless bodies were thrown into space by the force of the impact.
“Sir we lost our feed! Our radar must have been hit!”, said one of the arsenal's troops. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the Captain.
“Don't just stand there!”, screamed King, “Keep firing, don't stop don't st..” The roof caved in and all were sucked out into the void.
A cadet stood up to inform the Pilot that the left arsenal had been destroyed, but it was unnecessary. Disembodied limbs smeared themselves across the glass, shards of metal collided with ammunition and gear, blank stares could be seen on the faces of the dead as they wandered into oblivion.
“Quite a sight.”, Ardie thought to himself as he remembered his previous conversation with the pilot. A small troop of soldiers floated into view protected from the atmosphere by emergency suits. King was among them.
“Send in a rescue team!”, the pilot ordered into the microphone. Thirty seconds later men, strapped to jet packs, brought the arsenals' members back to safety.
Completely unaware as to what had just happened, James and Fooz had set the table for five anticipating Breakfast. Just then King opened the door and stood transfixed on the scene. His eyes darted angerly at Fooz.
“Is something wrong?”, Fooz asked.
“Shut up.”, said King as he made his way to the bed. Fooz and James stared at each other in confusion. Fooz shrugged and acted as if nothing had happened. James followed suit.
“Oh.”, said Fooz, “Ardie won't be eating with us tonight, hes flying.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot”, James began to take up the extra dishes. He thought he heard a sob come from the bed behind him. The door burst open again. In walked Trisha Dagmar.
“Captain it wasn't your fault! You couldn't have changed anything. I'm sure you did your very best.”, she said.
“Trisha leave me alone”, said the captain as he swung his legs off the bed and onto the floor as he sat, head in hands.
“What in the world is going on?!”, jumped in Fooz.
“Over sixty wonderful men and women just died under my watch!”, groaned the captain.
“Don't be so hard on yourself, without your help we might all have been dead. They wouldn't have pulled us through without your help!”, said Trisha as she dropped to one knee.
“What in the world happened?!”, Fooz repeated. “Were we attacked?!” Trisha rose to her feet.
“No, we passed through an asteroid belt the embassy conveniently forgot to warn us about.”, she explained.
“ How come we didn't feel anything?”, asked James. Sgt. Dagmar glared at him making him wish he had never spoken.
“This ship is too big for you to feel every little thing that goes on in it.”, she said.
“How come we weren't warned?”, asked Fooz. Trisha put her hands in her hair. It looked as if she was going to scream.
“Because we had enough people already running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We didn't need a fat one to join in on the fun!”, she marched out of the room. King got up, said he needed a drink and followed.
“I'm not fat.”, said Fooz. James laughed.
“I think I'm gonna eat in the cafeteria where people don't take life so seriously. You want t' join?”
“Sure,” said Fooz. They left the room together.
Ardie and the crew had reset the ships hyper-drive function and were, according to the charts, ten minutes away from Gamma.
“You look a little shook up?”, said the Pilot. Ardie gave a reaffirming chuckle. “Well all in all, you did well kid. Your good under pressure, I like that...Don't see that much anymore.” “We'll be out of this mess soon.”, said the pilot just as a cadet stood up from her station.
“Sir”, she said, “Something has collided with the right side of the ship. It looks like a meteor! Minimal damage was caused.” there was a moment of silence that seemed to intensify the news.
“Lets see how well you can really fly.”, the pilot said to Ardie. The mist had faded away and the ship was surrounded. Rocks the size of sky scrapers flew in every direction. One had nearly collided with the cockpit window but the two pilots had pulled the ship down. One of the cadets reported a collision with the ship's bottom.
“ Out of the frying pan and into the fire!” murmured the Pilot as he reached for the intercom. King listened as the speakers projected the pilots voice into the arsenal.
“We seem to be caught in an asteroid belt, firepower should.....” King reached for one of the Infrared goggles. Green and blue shapes danced before his eyes.
“Fire away!”, King ordered over the intercoms announcement. The arsenal erupted with sound. Cannons moving left and right, up and down. Soldiers unloaded and reloaded cylinders. A blast of light came from the left side of the room. Bodies were thrown to and fro. One of the cannons had backfired. King rushed to the scene with fire extinguisher in hand. He screamed orders to those standing around.
“Get this man to the medical wing...Take his place..Get back to work...put out that fire!”
Ardie winced as he felt an asteroid scrape the ships surface. His seat shook violently back and forth. He wove the ship in and out , up and down. Beams of light, from the laser cannons, could be seen as some of the asteroids broke in two or moved backwards. Ardie could see an opening through the cluster. He looked over at the captain.
“Do it.”, he nodded. The thrusters were engaged. They were almost through the gap, almost there.
“Faster!”, shouted the pilot. Ardie pushed the lever further still. Debris from an exploding rock hit the front of the ship sending it backwards.
The cockpit window split down the middle. Chunks from the ship floated in front of it. Lifeless bodies were thrown into space by the force of the impact.
“Sir we lost our feed! Our radar must have been hit!”, said one of the arsenal's troops. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at the Captain.
“Don't just stand there!”, screamed King, “Keep firing, don't stop don't st..” The roof caved in and all were sucked out into the void.
A cadet stood up to inform the Pilot that the left arsenal had been destroyed, but it was unnecessary. Disembodied limbs smeared themselves across the glass, shards of metal collided with ammunition and gear, blank stares could be seen on the faces of the dead as they wandered into oblivion.
“Quite a sight.”, Ardie thought to himself as he remembered his previous conversation with the pilot. A small troop of soldiers floated into view protected from the atmosphere by emergency suits. King was among them.
“Send in a rescue team!”, the pilot ordered into the microphone. Thirty seconds later men, strapped to jet packs, brought the arsenals' members back to safety.
Completely unaware as to what had just happened, James and Fooz had set the table for five anticipating Breakfast. Just then King opened the door and stood transfixed on the scene. His eyes darted angerly at Fooz.
“Is something wrong?”, Fooz asked.
“Shut up.”, said King as he made his way to the bed. Fooz and James stared at each other in confusion. Fooz shrugged and acted as if nothing had happened. James followed suit.
“Oh.”, said Fooz, “Ardie won't be eating with us tonight, hes flying.”
“Oh yeah, I forgot”, James began to take up the extra dishes. He thought he heard a sob come from the bed behind him. The door burst open again. In walked Trisha Dagmar.
“Captain it wasn't your fault! You couldn't have changed anything. I'm sure you did your very best.”, she said.
“Trisha leave me alone”, said the captain as he swung his legs off the bed and onto the floor as he sat, head in hands.
“What in the world is going on?!”, jumped in Fooz.
“Over sixty wonderful men and women just died under my watch!”, groaned the captain.
“Don't be so hard on yourself, without your help we might all have been dead. They wouldn't have pulled us through without your help!”, said Trisha as she dropped to one knee.
“What in the world happened?!”, Fooz repeated. “Were we attacked?!” Trisha rose to her feet.
“No, we passed through an asteroid belt the embassy conveniently forgot to warn us about.”, she explained.
“ How come we didn't feel anything?”, asked James. Sgt. Dagmar glared at him making him wish he had never spoken.
“This ship is too big for you to feel every little thing that goes on in it.”, she said.
“How come we weren't warned?”, asked Fooz. Trisha put her hands in her hair. It looked as if she was going to scream.
“Because we had enough people already running around like chickens with their heads cut off. We didn't need a fat one to join in on the fun!”, she marched out of the room. King got up, said he needed a drink and followed.
“I'm not fat.”, said Fooz. James laughed.
“I think I'm gonna eat in the cafeteria where people don't take life so seriously. You want t' join?”
“Sure,” said Fooz. They left the room together.
Ardie and the crew had reset the ships hyper-drive function and were, according to the charts, ten minutes away from Gamma.
“Thank you sir.”, said Ardie.
“Call me O'Brien.”, said O'Brien.
“We should be approaching our destination in thirty seconds.”, came a woman's voice from one of the control panels.
“Thanks, Sheryl”, said O'Brein, “These dang charts are never right. Pull us out Ardie.” Ardie pulled out of hyper-drive. There before them hung Gamma, covered in green.
“Hook up the SPS and find that base!”, Ordered O'Brien.
“Found it!” announced one of the cadets.
“Good, make sure every space pod is wired to those coordinates”
“Will do sir.”
“Ardie,”,said the pilot “You'll need to stay here with me for a few days until they send us a new co-pilot”, Ardie tried to interrupt but O'Brien continued, “King has already told me your vital role in this mission due to all that research crap, so everything has been arranged. You will be sent to the base once the pilot arrives, so cool off!”
Two hours later all military personnel loaded onto the space pods. King, Dagmar, Fooz, James and several others boarded pod number twenty-seven. With Dagmar at the wheel they took off. As they left the mother-ship James made a backward glance. He seemed so small compared to the ship he had spent the last 48 hours in. He saw where the asteroids had left their marks and was surprised to find repairmen already at work.
“That's going to be one heck of a mess to cut through.” said a man at the rear of the craft. It was obvious Gamma consisted mainly of jungle-like terrain. James could see rivers here and there but no oceans. Just green with occasional cloud cover. It seemed like ages before it was apparent they were getting closer to Gamma.
“Here we go.”, Said Dagmar as she turned into the atmosphere. The space pod shook rapidly as they fell toward the ground. Flames appeared on the nose of the craft. James thought it was going to fall apart, but Sgt. Dagmar held tightly to the stick. Then, without a second thought she pulled. The craft ceased its vibrations and swept upward making James' insides lurch. Dagmar, turned on the thrusters and took off across Gammas uncharted sky.
“There it is”, pointed the captain as the first pod landed on the bases runway
“Not too bad.”, Fooz said to himself as he looked toward the base. James could easily see that to the North and East was a watchtower, to the South-west was a supply room, to the north-east a hangar, a landing strip to the south-east, and a head-quarters and barracks in the center. The craft landed beautifully due to Trisha's skillful hand.
“Welcome to your new home boys.”, said the captain.
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Trisha sat on her bed, swinging her pink sandals back and forth. Around her lay boxes and suitcases full of her favorite toys, books and clothing. Today was going to be a big day. Daddy said they were going to fly in a big rocket ship to another planet, just like all her friends had done a few months ago! She had been so lonely ever since Annie and Maddy had left. And that boy across the street wasn't making things any better.
"You know what little girl?", Danny would say with a big smile, " Were all going to die! Mr. sunshine is going to eat you up!" It always made her cry when he said that.
Why were people so mean?
A knock came from the door.
Why were people so mean?
A knock came from the door.
"It's almost time to go, come eat your breakfast.", said her mother. Trisha went down stairs as her parents packed the rest of her things into the truck. An hour later, Daddy strapped her into her seat and drove the truck to the space-port. On the way they passed neighborhoods drenched in modern technology and those deprived of the simplest humanitarian articles. One moment, Trisha could see a lonely figure through a window several feet above her head, the next a lonely child wrapped around his dead dog in the crowded alley. The world was not a place of love and hope. At least not this world. Soon they were out of the city and on there way across the sandy divide toward the rocket that would take them away forever. As Trisha and her parents walked through the doors into the big building, Mama began to pull Trisha across the hall making her break into a run.
"Oh God, what will we do!", screamed a woman in one of the waiting lines. Every one seemed frightened. Trisha began to cry softly. Daddy picked her up and carried her toward the loading docks.
"Don't cry", said Daddy,"There is nothing to be worried about." Trisha didn't believe him. When they reached the loading station. Mama gave the man their tickets, but the man said they were no good.
"How can that be? we purchased them last week.", Said Mama.
"Well", said the man,"A couple came through here just a second ago and purchased the last section for a very handsome price." Daddy became angry and started to yell at the stranger who would not let them on. Tears started running down Mama's face, Trisha began to cry again.
"How can that be? we purchased them last week.", Said Mama.
"Well", said the man,"A couple came through here just a second ago and purchased the last section for a very handsome price." Daddy became angry and started to yell at the stranger who would not let them on. Tears started running down Mama's face, Trisha began to cry again.
"I'm sorry, the ship is full, the Calhorns took section 5678-G.", said the man as he checked his clipboard.
" But those were our ticket numbers!", shouted Daddy.
"Well they made the better offer.", Said the man.
Daddy began using words Trisha was not allowed to say.
"Your scaring me Daddy!", she said with a sob.
"Take her back to the car.", said Daddy to Mama. Mama let out a sob and led Trisha back to the Truck. Thirty minutes later Daddy came back too. He started the car and drove away. Mama wept softly as Daddy continued to curse the Calhorns.
"They didn't even give us a refund! And who do the Calhorns think they are!", Daddy shouted.
"Who are the Calhorns", Said Trisha.
"Selfish people who don't give a D..", Mama put a hand on Daddy's shoulder.
"Bad people baby, just some bad people.", said her father.
Trisha was glad they didn't get on the space ship after all, it seemed scary. The following weeks passed by quickly. Everyday it seemed someone was leaving for Vulton or Nova. People all over town wouldn't stop talking about the space ships. Two months after Trisha and her parents visited the space-port, scary pictures were posted everywhere. They all showed the Earth exploding, dying or blowing up. Daddy got an extra job and every time Mama would look at Trisha, she would start to cry. One day the schools closed down, at first Trisha was very happy, but she didn't like staying home alone while her parents worked. She never went outside to play any more either. Daddy said it was too dangerous. He said a lot of people are being very mean and hurting others, he said it would be best to stay away from anyone she didn't know. But she couldn't help it if strangers came to her. On the second Tuesday in August, Trisha was sitting in the living room drawing a pink flower on a piece of paper. She made sure it protected Mama and Daddy from the mean sunshine that was trying to eat them. She thought about drawing Danny being sucked into the its mouth, but no one deserves to die like that. After she finished, she heard a car pull up outside. Angry voices surrounded the front door. It shook. Dust flew from it's hinges. Trisha ran upstairs to her room, locked her door and crawled under her bed. Whoever it was had broken through the door and was in the kitchen. After a while Trisha crawled out from under her bed, reached for the phone on her side table and dialed 911. Someone was coming up the stairs. the phone continued to ring. Trisha was too scared to cry. She heard a long beep come from the phone. She said in the calmest voice she could muster,
"They didn't even give us a refund! And who do the Calhorns think they are!", Daddy shouted.
"Who are the Calhorns", Said Trisha.
"Selfish people who don't give a D..", Mama put a hand on Daddy's shoulder.
"Bad people baby, just some bad people.", said her father.
Trisha was glad they didn't get on the space ship after all, it seemed scary. The following weeks passed by quickly. Everyday it seemed someone was leaving for Vulton or Nova. People all over town wouldn't stop talking about the space ships. Two months after Trisha and her parents visited the space-port, scary pictures were posted everywhere. They all showed the Earth exploding, dying or blowing up. Daddy got an extra job and every time Mama would look at Trisha, she would start to cry. One day the schools closed down, at first Trisha was very happy, but she didn't like staying home alone while her parents worked. She never went outside to play any more either. Daddy said it was too dangerous. He said a lot of people are being very mean and hurting others, he said it would be best to stay away from anyone she didn't know. But she couldn't help it if strangers came to her. On the second Tuesday in August, Trisha was sitting in the living room drawing a pink flower on a piece of paper. She made sure it protected Mama and Daddy from the mean sunshine that was trying to eat them. She thought about drawing Danny being sucked into the its mouth, but no one deserves to die like that. After she finished, she heard a car pull up outside. Angry voices surrounded the front door. It shook. Dust flew from it's hinges. Trisha ran upstairs to her room, locked her door and crawled under her bed. Whoever it was had broken through the door and was in the kitchen. After a while Trisha crawled out from under her bed, reached for the phone on her side table and dialed 911. Someone was coming up the stairs. the phone continued to ring. Trisha was too scared to cry. She heard a long beep come from the phone. She said in the calmest voice she could muster,
" Someone is in my house, I'm in my roo..." A series of loud beeps issued from the phone's speaker, she let out a sob..then there was silence."Were sorry but no one is available at this time.", said a mechanical voice on the other line.
" Hey look what I found!" came a voice from the other side of the door. Trisha dropped the phone and darted back under the bed. It seemed like eternity before the intruders drove away. Trisha had no desire to leave her sanctuary. She curled up and slowly fell asleep.
"Trisha! Thank God your okay!", Two strong hands pulled her out from her hiding place, they were Daddy's. Mama was there too. Cradled in her fathers embrace Trisha said, "I called 911 but no one was there."
"I know baby, no one cares any more. But it's okay, soon your going to be safe and sound."
"What do you mean Daddy?"
"Well, soon we are going to send you to Fultron where you'll be happy. Remember when you learned about the colonizations at school?
"Yes Daddy, but..", She was cut off.
"You can play outside, and learn all you need to at school!"
" Y'all are coming too, right?", Trisha asked. There was an unnatural pause.
" Of course baby.", said Daddy, "Of course." Mama began to cry again.
"We will be taking our trip to the spaceship in two weeks. Then you can say goodbye to this horrible place.", said Daddy. Mama got up and left the room crying even louder.
"Why is Mama so sad all the time?", Trisha asked her father.
"She's just very sad you haven't been living a happy life", explained Daddy.
" But I am happy!", she said.
"Your the happiest person I've ever met", Her Daddy had tears in his eyes too. She gave him a hug and all seemed okay, for awhile.
Two weeks later she was back in the Truck. This time the packing seemed to go much faster. They walked together onto the platform. Daddy told a man where the luggage was. The man nodded and walked off.
"Give me a hug sweetheart!", said Mama. Trisha ran into her mothers arms. Trisha had never been hugged like this before, It almost hurt. Suddenly Her father pulled her away.
"OH GOD NO!", Cried Mama.
"Say goodbye to your mother sweetheart.", said Daddy.
"What?!", Shrieked Trisha.
Daddy handed her over to the man standing in the ship. her screaming and kicking did nothing to stop him. The portal closed. She was on the inside and her parents were on the outside, never to be seen again.
Sgt. Dagmar awoke from her dream shaking.
"Your too soft", she said to herself. She looked around the barracks. Beds spread out in uneven lines, up and down the canvas shelter. To her left and right slept complete strangers. But directly in front of her lay her enemy. James Calhorn lay quietly in his bed. He was probably unaware of what had happened so long ago, but still a brat who should have died. She had seen him moping around the base all week, barely helping to set up beds or move supplies. When Ardie came back from the mother ship he was so glad to see James. Who would want to be friends with James!? That lazy good for nothing free-loader!
"Give him a chance Trish.", Said Fooz two beds away. He had obviously seen her staring. Trisha got out of bed and left the barracks. When she walked through the flaps of the tent she was met with a beautiful sunrise. A florescent purple, rose above the green Trees. The jungle was silent as if it was watching too. Others walked out of the barracks.
"Well would you look at that!", one said.
"Wow, Its already over." , said another.
"Days are much shorter here,", Said Trisha, "Tell everyone briefing for tomorrows mission will be in thirty minutes." Trisha headed toward the HQ building to set up the projector. She opened the door to the briefing room and walked in. The room was filled with rows of metal chairs, which sat on a metal floor as cold and hapless as her life. This was her life: discipline, strength, courage. No love or hope. There was nothing worth fighting for but survival and camaraderie. She often questioned the value of those things. There was obviously a reason for her miserable existence, otherwise she would have died happily alongside her family. But she didn't care anymore, she only found peace of mind through constant chores and tasks. The sound of a gathering crowd seeped through the main door, It was time to forget her troubles and focus on the task that would occupy her mind and numb the pain of pointlessness.
"Trisha! Thank God your okay!", Two strong hands pulled her out from her hiding place, they were Daddy's. Mama was there too. Cradled in her fathers embrace Trisha said, "I called 911 but no one was there."
"I know baby, no one cares any more. But it's okay, soon your going to be safe and sound."
"What do you mean Daddy?"
"Well, soon we are going to send you to Fultron where you'll be happy. Remember when you learned about the colonizations at school?
"Yes Daddy, but..", She was cut off.
"You can play outside, and learn all you need to at school!"
" Y'all are coming too, right?", Trisha asked. There was an unnatural pause.
" Of course baby.", said Daddy, "Of course." Mama began to cry again.
"We will be taking our trip to the spaceship in two weeks. Then you can say goodbye to this horrible place.", said Daddy. Mama got up and left the room crying even louder.
"Why is Mama so sad all the time?", Trisha asked her father.
"She's just very sad you haven't been living a happy life", explained Daddy.
" But I am happy!", she said.
"Your the happiest person I've ever met", Her Daddy had tears in his eyes too. She gave him a hug and all seemed okay, for awhile.
Two weeks later she was back in the Truck. This time the packing seemed to go much faster. They walked together onto the platform. Daddy told a man where the luggage was. The man nodded and walked off.
"Give me a hug sweetheart!", said Mama. Trisha ran into her mothers arms. Trisha had never been hugged like this before, It almost hurt. Suddenly Her father pulled her away.
"OH GOD NO!", Cried Mama.
"Say goodbye to your mother sweetheart.", said Daddy.
"What?!", Shrieked Trisha.
Daddy handed her over to the man standing in the ship. her screaming and kicking did nothing to stop him. The portal closed. She was on the inside and her parents were on the outside, never to be seen again.
Sgt. Dagmar awoke from her dream shaking.
"Your too soft", she said to herself. She looked around the barracks. Beds spread out in uneven lines, up and down the canvas shelter. To her left and right slept complete strangers. But directly in front of her lay her enemy. James Calhorn lay quietly in his bed. He was probably unaware of what had happened so long ago, but still a brat who should have died. She had seen him moping around the base all week, barely helping to set up beds or move supplies. When Ardie came back from the mother ship he was so glad to see James. Who would want to be friends with James!? That lazy good for nothing free-loader!
"Give him a chance Trish.", Said Fooz two beds away. He had obviously seen her staring. Trisha got out of bed and left the barracks. When she walked through the flaps of the tent she was met with a beautiful sunrise. A florescent purple, rose above the green Trees. The jungle was silent as if it was watching too. Others walked out of the barracks.
"Well would you look at that!", one said.
"Wow, Its already over." , said another.
"Days are much shorter here,", Said Trisha, "Tell everyone briefing for tomorrows mission will be in thirty minutes." Trisha headed toward the HQ building to set up the projector. She opened the door to the briefing room and walked in. The room was filled with rows of metal chairs, which sat on a metal floor as cold and hapless as her life. This was her life: discipline, strength, courage. No love or hope. There was nothing worth fighting for but survival and camaraderie. She often questioned the value of those things. There was obviously a reason for her miserable existence, otherwise she would have died happily alongside her family. But she didn't care anymore, she only found peace of mind through constant chores and tasks. The sound of a gathering crowd seeped through the main door, It was time to forget her troubles and focus on the task that would occupy her mind and numb the pain of pointlessness.
