by G. P. Moss
“Harry, prepare to enter the atmosphere!”
Chapter Fourteen
Inner edge of Minstrels galaxy
As Beta 2 prepares for entry, an unfamiliar voice shatters the nervous, quiet, cockpit excitement.
It makes them jump.
Harry does a back flip.
"Alien spacecraft, please identify yourself!"
Ariel sits ramrod straight.
"I am not an alien. You are the alien."
"This is Captain Sandy Hoare of Beta 4, part of the French-Welsh Alliance. Please identify yourself; you are flying in our space-space."
Ariel is even more confused now.
"Beta 4 is part of StarTapped, not French-Welsh! Where is the rest of StarTapped?"
"I don't know. I left when that idiot Nicholls decided to hit the stupid speed button."
"So, effectively, you are a deserter, Hoare!"
"No, I made a tactical decision in the best interests of my crew and passengers. Identify yourself!"
"You are a military exploration StarTapped cruiser, flying under military rules; it is still desertion."
"No, it is not. I no longer had faith in the chain of command. Identify yourself before we come after you."
Ariel bristles at the man's arrogance.
"This is Captain Ariel Hope of Beta 2. If you fire, we will respond in a stylish and lavish fashion."
There is a brief, stunned silence. For a bit.
“Ah, the missing cruiser! Are you Ed Hope's kid?"
"I think you will find that Gobby Johnny is Edward Hope's only 'kid'; I am his daughter."
"You cannot be a Captain; you are an Academy space cadet."
"I was the last space cadet. Do you know why? Because you left me on Earth while you all ran away! I am Captain Ariel Hope; get used to it, Buster."
"So, you are not part of StarTapped, either?"
"We fly under our own flag, Captain."
"I will confer with Captain DuPont. Please Hold."
"Hurry up, we are preparing to enter the atmosphere of the middle planet."
"Ariel, may I call you Ariel?"
"May I call you Hoare?"
Sandy Hoare clucks his tongue.
"Captain DuPont would like a word, Ariel."
"Fine, Hoare. Put him through."
"Ah, welcome, petit princess."
Ariel groans. Not again.
"Less of the princess, DuPont. What do you want?"
"My sincere apologies, Captain. I reach out in the spirit of galactic diplomacy. You are most welcome to join the French-Welsh Alliance and live in peace here on Planet Frelsh. You will, of course, be under my capable command."
"That's a made up name."
"I know, I made it up. As it has been formally recognised, it is, as such, a proper noun."
"Whatever, Captain DuPont. Thank you for your kind offer but we will take our chances on our own planet."
"As you wish, Captain Hope. I pray there will not be scary monsters on your new home."
"We will deal with all eventualities and occurrences in a timely, stylish, and lavish fashion.”
"One more thing before you go, Captain. I take it we are allies?"
"Yes, Captain DuPont, that will be most agreeable."
"Good luck, Ariel. You can call me Francoise."
"Thank you, Francoise; you can call me Captain Ariel."
There was no loud click. Just stunned silence. Again.
*
Whistler Spacespace (Outer Milky Way)
"Mr Whistler, Sir?"
"What is it, Damien?"
"I'm not feeling it, Sir. The separation from Poppy. Normally, in such situations, I feel the split."
"What are you saying?"
"I believe Poppy may have survived. The Earth cruiser, too."
"So, that would mean..."
"Yes, Sir. I believe Poppy has deserted."
All 5 feet of Mr Whistler bristles in righteous anger and indignation.
Including his handlebar moustache, which is already as bristly as a bristly brush. His bald head shines like early morning dew. Apart from the long bits at the back.
"But where would she go, Damien? The Earth cruiser had no plan, otherwise it would not have bumped into us!"
Damien flushes, the nervous heat causing pools of sweat to swish in his boots.
It's uncomfortable.
And wet.
If he admits to past transgressions, he could be severely punished, assigned to kitchen cleaning duties for the rest of his life. If he says nothing, he will live his life in the knowledge that his ex has gotten one over on him. A massive one.
"Sir, Poppy and I became aware of a time warp, leading to an unknown galaxy. She could have gone there."
"And, why, oh why, young Damien, did I not hear of this time warp?"
"We, er, thought, Sir, that your spaceship would be too big to travel it, that it would break up with the pressure."
Mr Whistler roars in fury.
It’s always the little ones making the loudest noise.
"You mean, you thought you would be punished!"
"And that, Sir, yes."
"Prepare all fighters!"
"All 5, Sir?"
A chorus.
"Yes! What part of 'ALL' do you not understand?"
No one wanted to say 'ALL OF IT'. So, they didn't.
"Damien, can you lead us there?"
"Yes, Sir! I advise you don't go through the hole, Sir, not in your spaceship."
"I will stay on the edge, and claim the glory once you emerge with Poppy, bringing truthful and verifiable news of the Earth cruiser's destruction."
Damien clicked his heels together. Too hard. It hurt.
"Yes, Sir!"
The nasty brute was looking forward to this.
No wonder Poppy dumped him.
The 5 remaining Whistler fighters suffered damage during their last battle. No one seems to be mentioning this.
*
StarTapped Beta Command (Milky Way, not too far from unseen at present time warp)
Beta 10's Captain, Lady H, cuts slickly through the interconnecting StarTapped intercom.
"I detect a gravitational pull from somewhere."
Nicholls is impressed. She's his favourite pilot, at the moment.
"As in an atmosphere, Lady H?"
"No, Sir. I think it is a space hole. If it is a black hole, we need to be careful. If not, who knows, maybe a time warp?"
"Goodness me, Lady H! Okay everyone, proceed with caution. Any untoward pull, hit stupid speed and get out of there. Let us have a prearranged direction so we do not lose each other."
Beta 9's Captain, Jeremy West, shares his idea.
"How about, sideways, Sir?"
Lady H claps through the intercom.
"Way to go, Jeza. Way to go!"
Nicholls coughs.
"Yes, splendid idea. Stupid speed sideways if we feel a pull. Tally Ho, let us go!"
Aboard Beta 3, Gobby Johnny is reading a book on black holes. He's feeling nervous and uncharacteristically quiet. Definitely a desk job. In charge of everyone.
Chapter Fifteen
Beta 10 (Milky Way, heading to unidentified space hole)
"Important Captain Nicholls, do you read?"
"I am an avid reader. Come in, Lady H."
"Sir, we have as yet unidentified flying objects coming at very high speed. 1 large plus 5 small. It could be the Whistler lot; those numbers add up to resemble the make up of that motley crew, Sir! They do not appear to be heading directly for us; must be on some other mission."
"Thank you, Lady H. Okay, everyone, hold back and follow my drift to the left. We will hold at a safe distance and observe their intentions. Good observation work, Lady H!"
"Thank you, Sir. The new title has certainly sharpened my skills!"
Those 2 like each other, are both single but Lady H is much younger. Beta 9's Jeza is more her age.
Whatever.
Nicholls now sees the do
ts on his radar increasing in size.
"Here they come. Follow my lead. Lean to the left, out of the way."
Lady H is on form. Again.
"Sir, they look like they're heading for the hole!" she gasps.
Nicholls eyes the radar dots closely.
"All 5 small craft are through the hole. The larger ship looks like it is waiting nearby. It is not following the rest. I repeat 'it is NOT following the rest!'"
Beta 9's Jeremy West has an idea.
"Sir, if we can positively identify the large craft as the Whistler spaceship, we can take it out, while the escort fighters are in the hole."
Lady H claps in support.
"Bravo, Jeza!"
Nicholls is not so hasty.
"Steady on, people! We are not in any immediate danger; the thought of those 5 fighters chasing our tails forever more is a bit troubling."
Beta 8's pilot, Captain Maria Gonzalez, claps too, but for a different reason.
"Hear, hear, Important Captain! No point rushing in like a bug in a Chinese shop."
Lady H's tongue clucking is audible across Beta Command.
"I think you will find it is 'like a bull in a china shop', Maria, dear."
Nicholls decides.
And it’s nothing to do with bulls or China.
"We will wait, see what happens. I would rather keep away from that lot."
They wait, twiddle twaddling their thumbs.
*
Captain DuPont picks up an alarming signal from the direction of the time warp.
"Battle stations! Battle Stations! Unidentified flying objects just ejected from the time warp. These are not cruisers. I repeat, these are NOT cruisers!"
The 4 French-Welsh cruisers are already in the air.
"Are you coming with us, Captain Hoare?"
"No, Francoise, I thought I'd stay down here and watch."
"Captain, have all your civilian passengers disembarked?"
"Yes, Francoise. Why?"
"Good. Get yourself up here; we have a shared duty to respond to potential threats."
A pause.
"On my way, Francoise!"
Sandy Hoare sets off. Slowly.
"Captain Ariel, can you hear me?"
"Yes, Francoise. What's up?"
"Have you broken through the atmosphere yet?"
"Just about to. Why?"
"Well don't! 5 fighters have come out of the time warp; as an ally of the French-Welsh Alliance, I respectfully demand your assistance!"
"Demand?"
"I mean ask. Please. Pretty please."
Poppy gasps in alarm.
"It is Damien and the others. He must have realised I tricked them. They are here for me. I can go quietly, to save everyone else."
Ariel bristles.
"Nonsense! Do you want to surrender to them? You'll never survive."
"No, I was just thinking of everyone else."
"Poppy, you are one of us now. We shall fight together. Isn't that right, Stevie?"
Stevie nods. Knowing he is about to go into battle, he feels the tension. He doesn't dare speak in case he growls.
Fair enough.
Stevie addresses Harry. He almost silently tests his voice. It comes out as a whispered 'ugh'. He thinks that will do.
"All systems and weapons activated?"
Harry is in normal mode. It is shocking in its banality.
"Ready, willing, and fully capable of kicking butt."
Okay, almost normal mode.
"Francoise, we're on our way."
"Okay, see you soon. We are about to engage; fighters are not responding to our questions. I repeat..."
Ariel pushes through the space waves.
"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time. Be there in a tick."
Ariel is ready, steely determination locking her jaw as she waits for Harry to engage.
"Poppy, will you take the fighter, please? An extra set of weapons."
"I will go now. Please tell them not to fire upon me. I am your friend."
"Roger, that, Poppy."
Poppy looks around for Roger, does not have any luck then heads for her fighter.
Ariel gives Francoise the heads up.
"All cruisers. This is Captain Ariel Hope. Do not fire on fighter number 6; she is our ally."
Sandy Hoare has finally arrived.
"Okay. Which one is number 6?"
"It has number 6 painted on the sides."
*
An unfamiliar voice smashes through the intercom.
"Ah, so it is true! The Whistling traitor shall be destroyed, along with all her Earth loser friends! Whistlers, ATTACK! ATTACK!"
Straight away, Beta 2 is thrown violently sideways.
The ship is losing control.
"Stevie, what's happening?"
They look to Harry. The screen is blank.
"Take control, Ariel. Harry's systems have been hit!"
Ariel grabs the stick, rolls a couple of 360s before it settles into a scene from galactic hell.
Whistler fighters duck and turn as cruisers follow, attack and retreat, repeating the process as lasers criss cross and blast into each other’s defences.
2 fighters are battling it out to the side.
Damien and Poppy.
Once star crossed lovers, now in a deadly game of pursue and destroy. Each other.
Poppy rolls her fighter, blasting lasers until she smashes one through Damien's defences. He is hit, pieces of spacecraft falling off.
The Whistlers are losing; the 4 remaining fighters struggle to defend as the 5 cruisers are relentless in battle, turning the fighters’ intrusion into all out attack.
Pieces of fighter are now falling everywhere.
Damien is struggling to keep the fighter in one piece.
Sandy Hoare's voice pikes through the mayhem.
"Finish him off, Poppy!"
Poppy pulls back, allowing Damien's fighter to reach the outgoing time warp, swiftly followed by the remaining, limping 4.
The cruisers just caused massive damage to Whistler's entire fleet of 5.
Captain Hoare is indignant.
"You could have wiped him out. He would have done it to you!"
Poppy responds calmly.
"I am not like him. I caused massive damage to his ship. I will let him and the others limp home. It is enough."
Ariel's in shock, the enforced successful cruiser handling having given her the credibility her title demands.
"Thank you Poppy. Well done, everyone."
Captain DuPont bows from his cockpit.
"Vive la France-Wales!"
"Whatever," Ariel says, laughing.
How they laughed.
From nervous exhaustion, no doubt.
In stories told many light years from now, they are the flying legends of a generation.
The battle of Minstrels Gate goes down in the history of the best ever awesome space fights.
Chapter Sixteen
Milky Way (StarTapped Beta Command, edge of time warp)
Nicholls watches as intently as a concentrating man as the Whistler spaceship flips around in a sudden and dramatic display of mind changing as its 5 fighters emerge from the outgoing time warp, space-limping and bedraggled as they attempt to keep up with Mr Whistler.
It looks very like they have had enough battle for one day.
The fighters all have bits missing, adding to the already toxic issue of space debris.
"What the...?"
Lady H stares in disbelief from the rear of the formation.
"Something on the other side of that hole is very dangerous indeed, Sir! Are we still to attempt the trip?"
Nicholls feels the dampness grow under his uniform collar.
"Not on your nelly, Lady H! I will NOT risk StarTapped hardware in that monstrous thing, spitting out seasoned space fighters like that!"
Beta 9's Captain Jeremy West blasts through.
"Sir, I volunteer to try the hole, to see if it really
is a time warp!"
Nicholls bristles.
"Jeremy, it is not only YOU that is at risk here; you have civilians and other military personnel on board Beta 9. No, I will not allow it."
"Good effort though, Jeza!"
Jeremy responds in a sulky murmur.
"Thank you, Lady H."
*
Whistler spaceship and fighters (racing through the Milky Way, just before they hit stupid speed).
Mr Whistler looks shell shocked.
What should have been an easy search and destroy mission and 'so you think you're funny, do you?' message, has turned into a humiliating defeat.
Mr Whistler has just realised he is not such a formidable space tyrant after all.
Damien's nervous voice breaks the awful silence.
"Sir, we encountered unexpected resistance. There were 5 more Earth cruisers than we anticipated. All fully battle equipped, veteran skirmishers if you ask me."
Whistler rises to his full 5 feet. He is not a happy bunny.
He roars his indignant reply.
"I DID NOT ASK YOU! You saw this as a chance for revenge for Poppy dumping you and now look what you have done. Your rash decision has wrecked our entire fleet; we will never recover!"
Damien removes his hands from his ears.
"Sir, it was your idea, not mine."
"SHUT UP! Insubordinate little runt; who is in charge here?"
Silence.
"WELL?"
"You told me to shut up, Sir. I am 5 feet 4. You are in charge, Sir."
"Yes, and all 5 feet 4 of you can spend the rest of your days in the sparkling mineral mines of Whistler Mountain. Let that be a lesson to your maverick ways!"
Damien has had enough. There and then, he decides to risk Mr Whistler's wrath forever as he breaks formation.
Whistler sees him veer to the right.
"And where do you think you are going?"
"My life on Whistler is finished," he chokes through hot tears of despair.
"I will not chase you. You are NOT worth it!"
Number 2 fighter requests a vocal audience.
"Yes, Pedro? What?"
"I can go after the deserter, Sir. Damien the Deserter, I name him now. I shall destroy him fully."
"No, Pedro. Leave him for a minute, then when he thinks he is safe, go get him."
"Thank you, Mr Whistler, Sir. It will be a great honour!"
*
Damien has already gone.