“The pleasure of watching you die would be all mine,” Chaotica chortled. “But I'm afraid I don't have time for such small details. Earth awaits me!”
Then he broke the connection, leaving the three valiant heroes in silence in their doomed ship.
“What are we going to do?” Kincaid wondered.
“First,” Proton answered, “we're going to get out of this cloud of Minions. Chaotica might be able to control them, but his Minions can't hold us!”
“How?” Kincaid asked, clearly surprised.
Proton smiled at his best friend. “Just do as I say, and watch,” he said, again grasping the control levers of his Patrol ship. “Constance, grab something and hold on tight.”
The blonde secretary nodded, grabbing a nearby railing while staring at the gray mass of Minions on the Imagizer.
“Are the engines still on full forward?” Proton asked.
“They are,” Kincaid replied.
“Good. On my command, throw them into full reverse.”
“That might blow everything up!” Kincaid cried, a worried look on his face.
“I know my ship,” Proton said reassuringly, his hands grasping the controls. “Just do it. Now!”
Kincaid flipped the switch, sending the ship's engines into full reverse—a mode rarely used in space.
Everything bumped and vibrated around them, as if a giant hand was trying to shake the ship apart. But Captain Proton could feel the ship move. The Minions' grip on them clearly wasn't as tight as Chaotica had thought.
Captain Proton waited until the backward movement of the ship slowed, then shouted, “Now full forward!”
Kincaid did as he was told, flipping the switch back to forward thrust.
Smoke drifted from two panels.
Sparks flew everywhere.
Constance screamed!
A drop of sweat formed on Captain Proton's forehead, but he ignored it, instead focusing on the feel of the ship as it rocked back, then forward in the mass of Minions. This time the ship moved a little farther, a little quicker.
He waited as the motion slowed.
Waited.
Waited. . . .
Then at just the right moment he shouted, “Now reverse again!”
Kincaid did as he was ordered, flipping the switch back.
It was as if the ship had run head-on into a giant moon. Everything shook.
Sparks flew.
Smoke filled the room.
But Captain Proton could tell his idea was working. He was treating the ship as if it were an automobile stuck in the snow. The Minions were strong enough to hold the ship from moving in one direction, but not both. He could rock his way back and forth and get out.
This time they were moving backward at a good speed. Almost free.
He waited again until the Minions outside slowed the ship nearly to a stop, then shouted, “Now, Kincaid! Full power forward! Give it all you've got!”
Buster flipped the switch again, throwing the ship into forward, then twisted the dial that increased the thrust to maximum redline power. The ship had nothing left to give.
Everything shook.
Sparks flew!
Smoke poured out of every opening!
Constance screamed!
“Don't worry, my dear!” Proton said, shouting to make himself heard over the roar of the engines and the shaking of the entire ship.
He grasped the controls firmly, shoving the pointed nose of the ship directly forward through the Minions like a needle through skin.
The ship bucked.
Kincaid was tossed away from his station and smashed into a panel.
“You all right?” Proton shouted over the intense noise.
“Fine!” Kincaid returned as he scrambled to his feet.
Captain Proton kept his steely gaze focused dead ahead. This was their only chance. The ship wouldn't hold together for another try at full power.
He could tell they were breaking loose.
They were gaining speed!
Suddenly the Imagizer showed clear space in front of them.
Captain Proton cut the ship low into the gravity well of a nearby moon, using it to slingshot them into the depths of space and away from the cloud of Minions.
“We're free!” Kincaid rejoiced.
Constance beamed.
But Captain Proton remained firm at the controls, his face stern, his look frozen straight ahead. “Earth is in great danger. We must stop Chaotica and his Blaster Ship!”
“But how?” Kincaid asked. “Not even the entire Patrol can stop a Blaster Ship.”
“Maybe the entire Patrol can't . . .” Proton replied, “but maybe one man can!” He stared ahead at the emptiness of space as he sped after Chaotica and his Blaster Ship.
“You have a plan!” Kincaid beamed.
“I have a plan,” Proton answered. “Full speed ahead!”
Soon the giant bulk of Chaotica's Blaster Ship filled the Imagizer. It was long and sleek-looking, sort of like a giant silver bullet, the biggest thing Proton had ever seen—a hundred times bigger than the ship they were on.
It had a sharp, needle-nose front and six large fins along the back half, which kept it stable. On each of the six fins, a massive jet shoved the Blaster Ship through the ether. Clearly, Chaotica was heading for Earth at full speed. Luckily, Captain Proton's ship was faster.
Giant weapons stuck out from the nose of the Blaster Ship— weapons that could destroy an entire planet at the flick of a single switch. The Blaster Ship couldn't be allowed to get anywhere near Earth!
“We're going to sneak up behind him,” Captain Proton observed.
“Brilliant!” Kincaid chortled. “Chaotica thinks the Minions have destroyed us, so he won't be looking for us.”
“Exactly! Take over the controls, Kincaid,” Proton ordered. “Fly us right between the huge jets.”
Kincaid suddenly broke into a massive sweat as he took the controls of the ship. “Between the jets? We'll be killed!”
Proton patted his trusted friend on the back. “There's enough room, and you're a good pilot,” Proton reassured him. “Just get us in there so I can jump to the service hatch.”
“You're going inside?” Kincaid shouted, glancing back at where Captain Proton was putting on his space gear.
“Yes,” Proton answered as he quickly finished donning his vacuum suit. “It's the only way to stop the ship.” He moved toward his ship's airlock. “Now fly us between those jets to that service hatch.”
Kincaid nodded. Carefully he inched the sleek, silver craft of Captain Proton between the fins of the giant ship. A few seconds later he bumped the nose of Proton's ship lightly against the service hatch of Dr. Chaotica's massive Blaster Ship and let out a huge sigh.
“Well done!” Proton exclaimed.
Around them the rockets of Chaotica's ship sent great plumes of fire into space, heating up the insides of Proton's ship like a toaster.
Captain Proton saluted his good friend Kincaid, then kissed Constance on the cheek.
“Good luck,” said his faithful secretary. “Please be careful.”
“Don't worry, my dear,” Proton said, donning his helmet. Then, to both of his companions, he added, “It's going to get hot in here while I'm gone. But stay and wait for me. I will return!”
“Understood,” Kincaid replied, saluting back. “No matter how hot it gets, we'll be here.”
Proton nodded, then quickly went through the hatch into space. It didn't take him long to get inside the dark regions of Dr.
Chaotica's Blaster Ship. The ship was simple in design, so he easily figured out how to get where he wanted to go. . . .
In the control room of the massive ship, Dr. Chaotica stood, staring through his Imagizer at the space ahead. There were only two other men in the room—one flying the ship, and one manning the weapons panel, ready to fire on any vessel that dared to try to stop them. But no ship would dare. The Blaster Ship was too large, too powerful.
&nb
sp; Captain Proton came in silently, his gun drawn. “Halt this ship in the name of the Incorporated Planets and the Interstellar Patrol!”
Chaotica spun around and glared at Proton. “You could not have escaped my Minions!”
“Then it must be my ghost you see before you!” Proton replied with a sly grin.
The man at the weapons panel started to draw his weapon. Proton fired his ray gun, hitting the man and sending him flying over the panel.
But the other man was quick. He got off a shot at Captain Proton, just barely missing and causing Proton to duck behind a wall.
Proton fired back.
The man fired again.
“Too late, Proton!” Chaotica shouted. He moved over to the weapons panel and punched a huge button. “I have just started a giant red star on its way to your home world, Earth. Nothing can stop it!”
On the Blaster Ship's Imagizer, Proton could see that Chaotica told the truth. A beam of red shot out from the ship, directly hitting a nearby giant red star and sending it plummeting toward Earth.
Proton quickly fired his gun at the pilot's control panel, blowing it into smoke and sparks. Because of all the lights that blinked on it, he could tell that panel was the most important one in the ship. Destroy it, and the ship would lose all power.
Around the rest of the control room, panels exploded like a string of firecrackers.
Buttons, levers, and panel covers flew everywhere.
Smoke filled the control room.
Chaotica stepped back, anger and fear showing on his face. Around them the ship started to shake as if it were in an earthquake—slowly at first, then quickly building. Proton knew no ship could withstand such shaking for long.
Chaotica took a large energy pistol out of his belt and fired at Proton, just missing but exploding the panel in front of him. “You don't know what you have done!” Chaotica shouted.
Proton did know, but he didn't tell Chaotica that.
The rumbling got stronger. Now it seemed as though a giant hand had grasped the Blaster Ship and was shaking it vigorously.
Captain Proton fired back at Chaotica, sending the evil doctor scrambling for cover. “Your new ship seems to be having a problem, Doctor!” Proton shouted through the smoke. “Just how much damage did I do?” he taunted.
“Kill him!” Chaotica shouted to two other men as they entered the control room.
Then, with a flourish of his black cape, Dr. Chaotica turned and disappeared into the smoke.
Both men opened fire on Captain Proton, but he dodged their blasts and quickly knocked them out. Then he sped away to look for Chaotica. Around him, the ship kept shaking. It didn't seem as if it could hold together much longer. By destroying that panel, he had set off a chain reaction that would blow up the entire ship, just as he had planned. But he had also hoped to capture Dr. Chaotica at the same time.
He quickly searched through the corridors surrounding the control room, but he saw no sign of where the evil doctor had gone. Time was running out—capturing him would have to wait for another day. Captain Proton headed at a run for the hatch that led to his ship.
The shaking was so intense that Proton banged against walls, slipped and fell a dozen times, and tumbled head over heels twice. But finally he was out the hatch and back in his own ship.
Although his suit protected him from the extreme temperature, Proton could see right away that the heat inside his ship was almost unbearable. Buster Kincaid and Constance were soaked in sweat, their clothes stuck to their bodies, looking more like they'd been standing in a rainstorm than manning a ship. But they were very glad to see him.
“I'll take over those controls,” Captain Proton ordered as he unfastened his helmet.
Kincaid stepped aside, and Proton quickly backed their ship out from between the hot jets of the Blaster Ship into the coolness of deep space.
“I didn't know if we were going to make it,” Kincaid exclaimed, panting.
“I knew you could do it,” Proton replied. “Watch!”
He pointed at the Imagizer as the huge Blaster Ship exploded with a massive rumble.
“Shock wave!” Proton shouted. “Hold on!”
The shock wave from the explosion tossed Proton's ship as if it were a child's toy on an ocean wave, then passed by.
“You've destroyed Chaotica's Blaster Ship!” Kincaid shouted. “Earth is saved!”
“I wish that were the case,” Proton warned. He quickly adjusted the Imagizer so it showed the giant red star plummeting toward Earth. “Chaotica put his evil plan in motion before I could stop it.”
“What are we going to do?” Kincaid wailed.
“We're going to save Earth,” Captain Proton said, his hands holding the controls of his ship tightly. “But it may cost us our lives.”
Kincaid nodded. “I'll gladly give my life to save our home planet!”
“Constance?” Proton asked, turning to his sweat-soaked secretary.
She grasped hold of a railing and nodded.
“Good,” Proton said forcefully, turning back to his controls. “I knew I could count on you two one final time.”
“But how can this small ship ever stop a giant red star?” Kincaid asked.
“This ship can't,” Proton answered. “But the Space Vortex of Doom can.”
Kincaid turned white.
Constance screamed at the very mention of the name.
Captain Proton kept his ship blasting through the ether. “We have one chance. The giant red star will pass the Space Vortex of Doom in exactly six minutes.”
“But by my calculations, the giant red star will miss the Space Vortex of Doom,” Kincaid said.
“I know that,” Proton replied. “So we must increase the reach of the Space Vortex of Doom. The Vortex is a giant whirlpool in space, correct?”
Kincaid nodded.
“So if we dive our ship into the Space Vortex of Doom,” Proton explained, “going in the same direction as the spin and accelerating, we might increase the spin and expand the reach of the Vortex.”
“So it grabs the giant red star as it passes!” Kincaid exclaimed. “Exactly!” Proton answered. “Now, man your station. I'll need you to fire all weapons straight ahead when I give the order! We'll try to give the Vortex even more energy to help it speed up!”
“Understood!” Kincaid confirmed, stepping smartly to his station.
Proton gripped the controls of his ship firmly as Kincaid's hand poised over the firing button.
On the Imagizer in front of them, the swirling black mass of the Space Vortex of Doom turned slowly, sucking down into its maw anything that strayed close. No ship, no beam of light, nothing had ever escaped the intense gravity of the Space Vortex of Doom.
Captain Proton hoped the giant red star would join that list of missing objects soon.
“We're going in!” Captain Proton shouted as the ship started to shake.
They crossed over the threshold of the Space Vortex of Doom, and the blackness of it surrounded them, swallowed them like they were in the middle of a dark night on a moonless planet.
“Full speed ahead!” Proton ordered.
Kincaid twisted the dial, giving the ship full power.
“We're moving with the spin!” Proton shouted over the roar and the shaking. “Fire all weapons straight ahead!”
“Firing!” Kincaid shouted. Around them, the swirling blackness of the Space Vortex of Doom seemed to speed up. But there was still no sign of the giant red star.
“Fire again!” Proton ordered. “We're almost out of time!”
Kincaid did as he was told, punching the button on his panel extra hard.
Now it was clear that the blackness in motion around them had sped up.
Would it be enough to grab the giant red star?
Could they save Earth?
Captain Proton held his breath, keeping his ship moving with the current.
Buster Kincaid held his breath.
Constance Goodheart held her breath.
Suddenly the blackness around them seemed to turn a faint pink.
Then red.
Then bright red as the giant red star flashed past them and down into the depths of the Space Vortex of Doom, swirling the blackness with streaks of red.
“It worked!” Kincaid shouted.
“Yes,” Proton replied. “We have saved Earth! Hold on!”
The tidal wave of Space Vortex matter smashed into them, sucking them down behind the giant red star.
No one had ever lived after coming that close to a giant red star.
No one had ever escaped from the Space Vortex of Doom.
Constance Goodheart screamed!
Captain Proton stood at the controls of his ship, fighting with all his strength to keep them from following the giant red star into the darkness below. Sweat covered his brow as the blackness swirled around them.
He was losing.
There was no escaping the Space Vortex of Doom.
Downward they spiraled.
Downward . . .
Downward . . .
Into the blackness.
Look for STAR TREK fiction from Pocket Books
Star Trek®: The Original Series
Enterprise: The First Adventure • Vonda N. McIntyre
Strangers From the Sky • Margaret Wander Bonanno
Final Frontier • Diane Carey
Spock’s World • Diane Duane
The Lost Years • J.M. Dillard
Prime Directive • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Probe • Margaret Wander Bonanno
Best Destiny • Diane Carey
Shadows on the Sun • Michael Jan Friedman
Sarek • A.C. Crispin
Federation • Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens
Vulcan’s Forge • Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz
Mission to Horatius • Mack Reynolds
Vulcan’s Heart • Josepha Sherman & Susan Shwartz
Novelizations
Star Trek: The Motion Picture • Gene Roddenberry
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home • Vonda N. McIntyre
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier • J.M. Dillard
The Amazing Stories Page 14