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Ray and Jean played follow my leader with the Aldebran space cruiser for the next three hours. Then the Aldebran space dock called the Sword to say that another space cruiser was on the way to assist in the search, and that it was to ensure that the fugitives did not leave the nebula before the Warrior arrived. Ray Connors watched as the Sword left the nebula to position itself between the nebula and Earth. The Jeanette promptly left the nebula on the other side and made off at its best speed towards the next clump of trees to hide behind. The next clump happened to be a large asteroid field that stretched for two million miles in a solar system some four light years nearer to the spiral arm of Perseus. They made it with only seconds to spare for the long range sensors of the second space cruiser had already picked them up, and was bringing the first cruiser towards the system that the Jeanette was now hiding in, and they were closing in very quickly.
"Here they come, our two faithful hounds, we will jump into hyper-space as soon as they enter the asteroid field, we should make the next nebula before they have picked themselves up, why on Earth did they both drop out of hyper space at the same time and then approach the asteroid field together?" Ray Connors asked, although he knew the answer, because they had no imagination at all.
The two Aldebran starship captains both swore as they saw the Jeanette leap away from them, but they were learning fast, when they reached the next nebula that hid the Jeanette they did as Ray had suggested and slowly entered it at different locations, to slowly comb through it in search of the fugitives. Ray and Jean knew they were fooling nobody including themselves, for they had hardly made up any time or space in their flight across the heavens. Only a day had elapsed since they had left the Aldebran system and they were both exhausted now from a lack of sleep, and the stress caused by the situation that they were in had given Jean a headache.
We will position the old tub at the nebula`s zenith, here we can hope that our two starship captains simply stay down on the level that they entered and leave us alone." Ray said to a very tired and dispirited Jean Connors. For eight hours, the two space cruisers cruised through the nebula before they wearied of the game and decided to move out of it and fire their Phasers into it, but it was a large nebula and they were firing at a small target that was located above the firing range.
"How do they know that we never left the nebula during the past eight hours Ray?" Jean wondered.
"Because the new cruiser regularly switched over to the opposite side of the nebula at regular intervals to check if we had done so by using his long range sensors, as we didn`t appear on them he knew we were somewhere inside of the nebula still. He doesn`t seem as silly as the first one, for a start he still has sensors that work." Unfortunately so did the first cruiser, which had finally repaired its long distance sensors.
"They will soon figure out where we are Jean, it is about time to run again. There is a planetary system about half a light year away, we can hide in the ice ring that circles that large gas giant on the farther edge of the system." Ray was checking the movements of the two space cruisers on a monitor that was linked up to his long-range sensor.
"If we time it right we may just make it." Ray said more in hope than anything else.
Timing it right was not quite as easy as Ray had hoped, for the two cruisers were now approaching their position. Luck though finally came in on their side when one of the Phaser bolts the two cruisers were firing hit something that exploded with a large fireworks display, the explosion ignited gases across a large area of that part of the nebula and scrambled every sensor on all three ships.
"I think that it is time to leave Jean." The Jeanette leapt into hyperspace and dashed away, for a moment their escape was not noticed, but as the sensors slowly cleared so they too became clear, and their two pursuers were once more chasing after them. It was obvious to all that eventually the two Aldebran space cruisers would get within Phaser range, and when they did, it would be all over for Ray and Jean Connors. Ray Connors took the Jeanette deep within the rings of the gas giant; He was forced to keep almost all of his attention focused on the large lumps of ice and rock that made it up. Ray Connors did manage a quick look down at the planet`s surface, and he knew that as a first choice its cloudy surface was not ideal, as hurricane winds stormed across its surface. However, as a place of last resort the radiation coming from the interior of the planet would help to mask their position, it could also kill them if they were not careful. Altogether, they had evaded capture for almost forty-eight hours they could not see how they would survive for much longer. Even if Tyler Burrows appeared now, how could he triumph against the pair of Aldebran space cruisers, Ray Connors thought of surrender, but the thought of Quasar`s mercy soon drove the thought from his mind, and anyway he now needed all his attention on flying the Jeanette through the ice rocks. Then he noticed a shadow of another craft on the planet below, one of the two space cruisers had found him and was spiralling down towards them. A bolt of energy blasted down from the space cruiser, only the moments warning saved the Jeanette as Rays twisted away from the powerful energy bolt. There was now only one choice and Ray took it, he took the Jeanette in a fast arcing dive down to the giant planet`s atmosphere and through into its frozen clouds. Once below the clouds Ray twisted the craft sharply left, as another energy bolt flashed by them, if he had not altered course they would have been blasted into a frozen but quick death. Jean had been mapping the planet`s surface as Ray had been busy evading the large frozen rocks and ice burgs in the rings, and now she sent this information over to the computer screen set into the console in front of Ray Connors. This enabled him to miss the thousand miles per hour storms that rampaged over the planet`s surface, but unfortunately, the Jeanette was not made to cope with the battering it had to take from the slightly less powerful swirling atmospheric winds that it could not miss. They would soon have to leave the protection of the planet`s atmosphere or risk breaking up.
"We need to know where the two space cruisers are Jean, so that we can leave this planet just about now." Ray said to his worried wife.
"Ray if you want to leave these clouds then this very moment would be best, because they are both shooting at a long cloud that looks remarkably like us round the other side of this gas giant."
"Ok Jean then let`s get the hell out of here before we get shaken apart."
The Jeanette edged out of the cloud deck and accelerated away, and Ray entered the next set of co-ordinates for a planetary system four light years away from their present position, he hoped that they would make it that far before the two space cruisers caught up with them. He then took the Jeanette into hyperspace only to come out of hyper- space immediately, because the frozen atmosphere and the powerful winds of the gas giant had badly damaged their engine.
"Ray the cruisers are coming, we really need to get out of here now." Jean called across desperately.
"Our hyper-space drive is finished Jean, without a lot of work on it, which I guess we don`t have the time to do right now, I will take us down to that ice moon and try and lose them underneath its frozen surface, assuming that the top layer of ice is not too thick for us to penetrate."
The Jeanette swung violently round towards the small moon, and Ray took the ship down hard, firing his small Phaser weapon, as the planet`s surface approached at a frightening speed. When it seemed they must smash into it the Phaser melted the ice surface sufficiently to allow their small freighter to plunge through its icy surface layer, but the jolt of entering into the frozen liquid world tore their hyperspace engine off its mounting and set off every alarm aboard the Jeanette.
"I will see to the problems back there Ray, you just concentrate on flying the Jeanette." Jean could not keep the tears from flowing, for it was obvious to both of them that their ship was all but finished now. It had been Jeans home now for twenty-three years, and although the Jeanette was only a rusty old space tramp, Jean felt a great deal of affection for her. Going back through to the engine room Je
an found that a mass of pipes were spewing forth water, and it amazed her that Ray kept the ship flying for so long, and that she managed to shut the pipes off, even if she was now wading knee deep in drinking and waste water.
"Ray be careful about dropping the Jeanette`s nose, you will get a flood up front there, which will blow every electrical circuit we have, if you want to change altitude you will have to do it very gently. Ray, are we flying or cruising now?" Jean asked as she tried to lighten the gloom of the atmosphere that had settled within the ship.
"Well as we are not a space cruiser then we must be flying Darling." Ray answered amazed that such a woman could have ever been interested in him.
"Where are our faithful hounds now Ray?" Jean enquired hoping that if she kept her mind occupied that it might not linger on the swiftly approaching death.
"Somewhere above the surface of this ice moon, every so often I feel the vibrations of their Phaser fire, but I would rather feel their vibrations than see them passing all around us." Ray called back.
"Ray, just in case you ever doubted it, I love you." Jean said and smiled as she thought of some of the good times that they had enjoyed.
"I doubt your sanity darling but I love you too." Ray replied, amazed at his wife`s strength of will.
"Ray we are starting to take more liquid in back here, and it is beginning to get very cold, you must have gone down too far, and the pressure is forcing it in. I am putting on my space suit, for I guess this new stuff must be from the freezing methane sea out there." Jean called out loudly, a sure sign that she was very worried.
"I will try to nose her up gently, here goes, let me know what effect I get." Ray called back.
"Ray, the liquid is backing up a little towards the rear of the ship, so you must be doing something right for a change. I don`t know what damage the freezing liquid methane is causing though, but it cannot be good because it is now starting to boil in the warmth of our air." Jean advised her husband.
"I knew that if we waited long enough I would figure out a way to do something right Darling. I will have to put my suit on too Jean, so get yourself up here and take over while I put it on." Ray ordered.
"Ray you could have figured out how to do the right thing a little sooner." Jean said from right beside him. She carried his space suit in her hands, and took over the helm while Ray put on his space suit.
"No pleasing some women. Jean we are near to our entry hole in the ice would you rather stay down here or would you rather your chance on the surface. We could try to hide her behind one of the taller ridges up there?"
"You take her out Ray; you`re a better pilot then me. Take her up for she doesn`t deserve to drown, and I really don`t fancy a long drawn out death on the bottom of this ocean, waiting for our oxygen to run out."
Ray and Jean quickly exchanged places, and then he began to raise the nose of the craft up gently as he took the ship round in long slow circles until they broke through the surface of the now refreezing methane sea`s icy surface. Ray Connors added a little bit more power and they left the sea behind them, the normal space engines were now wheezing and coughing, so he took the ship behind the nearest of the ridges and turned them off. The ship touched down upon the frozen sea with a bone jarring crash and slid along the ice to come to a rest with her nose buried into a large mound of methane ice.
"Were done for darling, I guess we will never meet the famous Tyler Burrows now, he cannot be even halfway here yet."
Jean looked through the crackling view screen.
"The two Aldebran ships are coming this way, I guess they will find us soon, how do you want to handle it Ray?" Although as far as Jean could see, they were now out of answers.
"Jean, as soon as we know that they have found us I will fire our little Phaser at the lead ship, we should just have enough power for the one shot." Ray said as a last ditch plan entered his mind.
"Do you think you can get them both with the one shot Ray?" Jean asked jokingly.
"Sure, why not, I have always been pretty good with a pop gun?" Ray replied.
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