She nodded and dropped through the hole between the Stargrazer and the station. Instantly the artificial gravity in the Stargrazer took hold of her as the instant she stepped through the hole she was suddenly standing on what a second ago within the station would have been the ceiling, but aboard the ‘Grazer was actually its floor, which was attached to the floor of the station. In other words when she stepped into the ‘Grazer, everything as upside down.
Again the former captives heard the explosion of Red’s gun as Eddie continued to fire into the smoke filled miasma ahead of him. Energy blasts were being fired in answer now back upon the Stargrazer’s crew from within the smoke.
“All clear down here!” Dan shouted.
“Everyone’s aboard.” Eddie replied.
“Let’s move it!” Red shouted.
Dan came thundering down the hallway, his feet pounding upon the floor like heavy drums, as behind him from the opposite end of the hallway energy blasts began to smack his armored form and the walls of the hallway about him.
Eddie dropped through the hole into the Stargrazer followed by Red. Dan suddenly stopped behind them as blaster beams seared his armor all about him.
He stood there watching impassively as enemies moved closer and closer to him, now no longer hidden in the fog-like smoke. Within his helmet he grinned as he jammed both his hands into the wall on his right and tore the entire wall down for thirty feet in both directions, burying the enemy combatants. “That’s what ya get for killin’ our friends, and taking the rest captive.” He turned his head towards a camera he had seen earlier, mounted on the ceiling above him, and then growled menacingly, “Don’t mess with us.” Then he leaped up, and crushed the camera in one massive paw.
An instant later he dropped through the hole in the floor just before the Stargrazer’s belly hatch irised closed. People were jammed like sardines in the small ship, but he fought his way to the front, even as Eddie ramped the engines up to full power and the Stargrazer hurtled away from the station as the stations defenses came to life, firing blasts at the diminutive ship, coloring space like a lightning storm at night.
Dan moved into his seat, taking flight control from Eddie.
“Well that was certainly exciting.” A baldheaded man said, elbowing his way up to the front of the ship to stand behind Dan’s seat.
“Hang on tight Moratora.” Dan looked over his shoulder at the man.
“I am. As tightly as possible, Mr. Sledge.”
“Good, ‘cause we ain’t outta the woods yet.”
Even as Dan spoke, the small ship was rocked by explosions as energy blasts seared its shields.
“Red, what’s goin’ on?” Dan asked, plunging the ship hard astern. Behind them, the crew heard gasps and cries of surprise as the former captives were thrown about.
“What do you think is going on? They’re shooting at us!”
“I kinda figured that one out, genius.”
“Dan, get us to hyper-warp, man. We can’t out fight those things,” Eddie shouted.
“What things?” The beleaguered pilot replied.
Red punched a button on his control panel and the view screen split in half, showing both fore and aft views side by side. In the aft one, a huge war ship was speeding after them, and gaining rapidly.
Dan looked in surprise and then grimaced, “I thought they were all taken out by the Cag?”
“Well obviously not all of them,” Red answered sarcastically.
Dan shook his head angrily, “Everybody hang onto somethin’. This is gonna get rough.”
He touched a control and the ship leaped into hyper-warp, leaving their pursuers far behind.
“Full power to the engines, divert extra power to the rear shields. We took a beating already. We can’t take a chance on getting’ hit again.”
“Where to now?” the bald man named Moratora asked.
“We rendezvous with the Cag. That’s step number one. After that we have to get back to Earth, and warn everyone.”
“What are you talking about? You can’t warn anyone in time to save the planet? These people have hundreds maybe thousands of ships that can break the light barrier. Counting this one, Earth has two.” The auburn haired woman, Reynolds said, coming up to stand next to Moratora.
“It ain’t a matter a goin’ faster than light once we get back there; it’s gonna be a matter of ‘who’s got the bigger guns?’ So far from everything I’ve seen, that’s definitely us, lady”
“Dan’s right, Reynolds,” Red began, “Earth has hundreds of ships between the planet and Pluto. All armed to the teeth. From what I’ve seen, in my professional opinion since we’ve been out here, they haven’t got a chance against us.”
Reynolds snorted and threw her mane of auburn hair back as she laughed. “You jokers make me laugh. Do you really think these aliens can’t handle backwards ol’ us? We’re the new kids in town, and these guys will smack us down like nothing.”
“Really Reynolds? And why’d you think of something like that?”
“Because how else could it end? If this alien race has been keeping its eyes on Earth and our developments, then why shouldn’t they be ready for any weapon we’ve got? My God, they impersonated the General and put a plant right in the pentagon while doing so. We’re up against some serious bad guys. This is not going to be a joke or an easy mission.”
“No kiddin’ lady,” Dan rumbled, “Though it don’t much matter. This is somethin’ we have to do. If we don’t warn home in time, our families will be massacred by these aliens, as well as everyone else on the planet.”
“They’re an advanced race, or races, if they wanted to pluck us out of the stars they could do so with ease,” Reynolds replied hotly.
Red turned to her, with anger flashing across his face, “Lady, are you kidding me? We have won at every turn here.”
“Except the one where forty of us were slaughtered and the other sixty were captured while you fools were off playing space cowboys,” she retorted with equal ire.
“Do you think the boss or any of us aren’t going to feel that one for a long time, sister? You had better think again. Now go claim a spot away from me, before I throw cuffs on your wrists and a rag in your mouth. I’m still head of security on this ship. You don’t want to piss me off.”
Her eyes bulged from her face as she glared at him then she slowly turned and walked away, disappearing into the back of the crowded ship.
“What got into her?” Eddie asked.
“She’s afraid,” Red replied. “Very afraid. I’d say the vast majority of these people never expected what happened to them to happen in the first place. It was never even a consideration.”
Eddie nodded, “Yeah I get that. But hey, they were all warned before we took off. But besides that, I think we better keep an eye on Reynolds. Something ain’t right. I mean how’d she know all that stuff about the General? She wasn’t there and was already taken captive by the time we got back.”
“Good point Eddie.” Red replied, “She’s got my attention now.”
Eddie nodded, “It’s still terrible about our people though. But everyone did know the consequences and came along on their own. There’s just nothing we can do about it now.
“Maybe so Eddie, but how long are we gonna be able ta hide behind that one?” Dan asked quietly, “This is tearin’ the boss up, just like the rest of us.”
“Right now we have to look at the big picture, and that’s getting back to Earth and warning everyone.” Red interrupted.
“You’re right, Red. How far to the rendezvous coordinates?”
“Another hour at one hundred percent throttle in hyper-warp.”
“Not that bad.” Danny replied. “Any activity behind us?”
“Not yet, but you know they’ll be coming.”
“I know. Even if the Cag did manage to cripple a few of them, that automated firing pass Mark did had to leave a few ships able to break through the FTL barrier.”
“That’s what
I’m worried about, Dan.”
“Yeah, me too, Red.”
Eddie turned and looked back at the people standing behind him in the crowded ship before finally speaking, “Everyone all right back there? Anybody hurt?”
There were few murmurings but finally a young woman pushed her way to the front and began speaking, “There are several hurt back here, boys, but nothing serious. A few broken bones and some scrapes and bruises.” As she spoke she touched her own face, which sported a black and blue bruise on her cheek without thinking. She was a pretty young woman, with long black hair and a slender body. Her face was almost pixie-ish with rosy cheeks despite what she had been through. She stood a mere five feet tall.
Dan turned towards her and smiled gently, “Thanks Dr. Troiano. We’ll have you back in your medical bay in no time. You and your staff will be able to get to work helping these people as soon as possible.”
She returned his smile, with a hint of weariness in her eyes. “We’re already on it Dan. Things are cramped back here, but we’re doing what we can. Just get us to the ship as soon as you can, please. A lot of people are uncomfortable.”
Dan nodded, “Understood Doc.”
Eddie looked to his two friends, and then with a sigh asked the one thing none of them wanted to think about, “I wonder how Mark and Ariel are doing?”
Chapter Fifteen
“They have us surrounded!” Ariel shouted, as Mark heaved the Cagliostro to starboard.
“I know Ari, I can see,” he answered hotly.
The Cagliostro corkscrewed through space, avoiding energy beams from three war ships that each dwarfed it.
“This is not getting to be any more fun the longer we’re doing it,” Ariel again snorted.
“Ari! Enough!” Mark barked at her, as he heaved the ship to port feverishly. He was watching sensor readouts before him, and based on computer projections, trying to avoid enemy fire. At times he was successful. More times he wasn’t.
The great ships shields and energy levels were holding this time though, and not being drained.
Mark tapped a panel on his virtual control screen and began to talk, “General, how’re you doing down there?”
“So far so good, Johnson. Just get us to the rendezvous point.”
“That’s just what I’m trying to do General.” Mark hit the comm button again and closed the conversation.
If one were to watch the battle unfolding on the outside of the Cagliostro’s hull it would seem like a video game, as the great manta ray shaped ship spun and looped then returned fire with pin point accuracy, leaving jagged scars across their hulls.
“I don’t get this,” Ariel began, “How are we doing more damage to them than they are to us?”
“Don’t kid yourself Ari, any other ship from Earth would be very damaged right now. When I said our hull and shields were state of the art, I wasn’t kidding around. This is one tough ship. As far as us doing damage to them, we’re Earthmen, we know how to break things,” he replied with a half grin.
“No kidding, ace.”
Again the Cag rocked as several blasts raked its hull. Again the lighting dimmed and then immediately returned to full brightness.
“Hang on tight Ari, things are about to get rough.”
“About to?” She asked, wide-eyed.
The ship spun and dove below one of the war ships that was approaching them. These ships were akin to mile long blocks of granite. They had no real shape to them, no sleekness. Just weapons and nothing more. They were not made for fast maneuvers, only attacking. Mark dove the Cagliostro in close to the huge enemy ship’s hull, fairly skimming against it.
Once there, he trained all the Cags weapons directly ahead of them and fired, slashing a groove into the war ships length. As the Cag darted away, he let two missiles fly free, they turned about in space and arced directly back to the ship they had just attacked. The missiles exploded within the deep grooves the Cag’s solar cannons had just cut. An instant later the ship itself exploded into atoms. As it did, Mark hit hyper-warp and the Cagliostro disappeared in an eruption of light.
“Well I’m sure that did it, if nothing else before had.” Ariel commented.
“Did what?” Mark replied.
“Declared war on an alien civilization.”
“Sorry honey, they did that to us when they set up a hidden base on our world, kidnapped a very high ranking General and replaced him with a clone under their control, whoever ‘they’ are.”
She sighed, exasperated, “Mark, I’m not arguing that point with you, believe me. I know they attacked us first, and we had no choice but to respond. Hell they tortured and killed almost half of our crew—the crew of a peaceful, non-military vessel.”
“Exactly Ariel. Our only course was to respond in kind, in at least trying to meet them surreptitiously and finding out the most we could. We both saw how all that worked out with the aforementioned crew.”
“Well, you just blew up one of their ships, and damaged almost forty more. That should piss them off to no end,” she replied.
“No kidding. It should also let them know we are deadly serious and won’t be afraid to respond in kind to whatever they try to throw at us.”
“Again,” she answered, “whoever ‘they’ are.”
“Yes, that goes without saying. But I’m willing to bet they know who we are now.”
“You’re right, but that doesn’t mean it’s a good thing.”
“No, you’re right.” A small signal light blinked on his control panel as it began to beep at the same time.
“What’s that?” Ariel asks.
“The rendezvous coordinates. I’m slowing to full stop, but keeping shields raised.”
Ariel nodded in agreement as the ship dropped out of hyper-warp and slowed to a stop.
“Now we wait for the Stargrazer to catch up.” Mark stated flatly.
“Do you think they’re okay?” She asked, concern written all over her beautiful face.
“Yes, they have to be. Everything is riding on them being ‘okay’.”
As if in answer to his thoughts, the Stargrazer dropped out of hyper-warp practically on top of the Cagliostro.
“I’ve got Dan on the comm,” Ariel offered.
“Put him on.”
The view screen lit up with Dan Sledge’s face. “Man, am I happy to see you two. Permission to come aboard?” Behind Dan could be seen a great mass of people stuffed tightly together within the confines of the small ship.
“Gladly Mr. Sledge, welcome home. Make it fast though, I’ve no doubt that we’ll have company and soon. After what we just did, it’s not going to be a happy group coming to invite us over for tea and crumpets, that’s for certain.”
“Okay boss, tell me all about it when we get settled in.”
“Will do Danny, opening the landing bay doors now. As soon as you’re in, we’re out of here.”
As Mark was talking, the Stargrazer was already coming to a rest within the Cagliostro. The little sixty foot long ship gently touched down as the landing bay doors closed behind it.
Sledge exited the Stargrazer and found Abruzzi standing there next to the powered up and running fleet of shuttles. All three of them had their magno-disc engines running. “How’d this work out?” Dan asked, as he walked over several heavy, thick cables lying on the floor and linking the shuttles to the Cagliostro.
“It did the trick, son. It’s how Johnson overcame the lettuce-heads power siphoning beam.” As they were speaking, the Cagliostro suddenly powered up and leapt into hyper-warp. They could feel the transition within the landing bay.
“He ran the shuttles?”
“Yes he did, son, and it was a damned brilliant plan too. He said something about shield frequencies and power outputs backing up this ships with the shuttles. Some nonsensical gobbledy gook like that.”
“What he did, that was pretty ingenious, General.” Dan shook his head as he began to walk out of the landing bay. Behind him all sixty people we
re out and the ones who were unhurt or with minor injuries were hurrying back to their posts. The more severely injured were lying down in the landing bay, awaiting Dr.Trioano’s and her staff’s ministrations.
She shooed him out of the landing bay as Red and Eddie joined him in running down the corridor and entering a maglovator. “I hope they didn’t waste too much time there waiting fer us.” Sledge began.
“Even if they did, it had to happen.” Eddie replied
“Yeah that’s right, Dan. But we’re back now. Let’s get to the command deck and compare notes there.” Red answered.
“Sounds good to me.” They exited the maglovator on to the command deck, and a moment later the General did likewise behind them.
Everyone gathered, and began to speak.
“Well, we’re all up to date and on the same page at least.” Mark affirmed.
“Lotta good that’s gonna do us if we can’t get them back home to believe us.”
“That’s going to be up to the General, Danny.”
“Me?” Abruzzi reacted in shock.
“Yes sir, you. You have to convince them the man posing as you is an imposter, and that you are the real McCoy.”
“That’s going to be easier said than done.”
“It doesn’t matter, General. It has to be done, or everyone on our world is lost to us. I have no doubt those aliens are not too far behind us. I think we’re faster than they are, but that doesn’t mean anything if no one back home acknowledges this threat as real.”
“How far away are we from sub-space range?” Abruzzi asked.
“Ariel’s been broadcasting for the past hour, a recorded loop, when we get a reply, we’ll go live. But to be honest I’m figuring that it’ll be days before they receive our message.”
Abruzzi puffed out his chest, then exhaled before speaking, “Well, what kind of message did you leave them?”
“That we have information vital to Earth’s continued survival, and that I don’t want to give any more than that away until we’re face to face.”
“Well, it don’t matter,” Dan began, “We’re so far off it’ll take us three days at one hundred percent power just to arrive at the outer reaches of our galaxy.”
The Cagliostro Chronicles Page 11