by Don Cook
She turned a small lever on her fighter’s underside, causing the fighter’s port side hatch to slide upward while a small ladder simultaneously deployed from the port side of the ship’s dorsal fin, before she quickly climbed up the ladder into the ship’s cockpit.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
Khraa quickly climbed into her cockpit’s seat, strapped herself in, and pulled a lever that closed the hatch.
Khraa radioed to her surviving pilots, “Attention all fighters, this is Expedition Captain Khraa-Veh. Most of our friends and loved ones are dead, including Commodore Elheem, which leaves me in command. All remaining frontliners are to rendezvous with second-line Blue Squadron. All second-liners report status now!”
All six fighters’ ready-status lights were green.
Khraa said, “All second-line fighters take off — now!”
KANNATIKAN RUBIAAR IV EXPEDITION ALPH AIR BASE
On Khraa’s command, all six space-fighters vertically dashed skyward, assumed horizontal flight and joined their remaining comrades in battle.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
“Attention all fighters,” Khraa radioed, “this is Captain Veh. Now that we have regrouped, here’s an upper-talk. Yes, we’ve all lost most of our friends and loved ones — even my sweet love-lord Isokk is gone — and our surviving personnel and materiel have been reduced to skeleton-force levels.
“But victory doesn’t always go to the swiftest nor the numerically largest. We’re not robots like Mephistula’s pilots, which means we’re mentally more flexible and we’ve got some pretty good tactics of our own, so let’s give Mephistula and robo-company fully fatal payback! Assume scatter-attack formation!”
When all her fighters assumed formation, Khraa ordered, “ATTACK! ATTACK!!”
SKIES OVER RUBIAAR IV
The remaining Kannatikan Expedition fighters began to fly in bat-like erratic scatter-attack formation as Mephistula’s fighters sped towards them. Picking them off using a very eclectic strategy to confound any aggressor force, Khraa’s fighters randomly attacked and destroyed a third of the enemy fighters, with Khraa in Blue 1 methodically vaporizing 12 enemy ships in short order. Other fighters in the remnant Expedition defense forces also annihilated multitudes of enemy fighters.
In one vertical pass, second-line fighter Blue 4 daringly fired several rounds of laser-fire up at Mephistula’s flying hordes and blasted several enemy fighters as it if was child’s play.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 4”
“Ha, ha, ha!” boyishly shouted Yesh. “The battle belongs to the god!”
The long blond haired-and-bearded Yesh cockily continued to fire Blue 4’s ray-guns and destroyed dozens more of Mephistula’s forces during his fighter’s perpendicular spaceward climb before he ceased fire and quickly prepared a small air-to-space miniaturized thermonuclear missile to launch at Mephistula’s mothership.
He cackled with vengeful joy and said gutsily, “Okay, Mephistula! No going home to mothership now! Ha, ha, HA!” He sighed with satisfaction before he said, with his finger on the launch button, “Missile launch in five, four, three, two, one — fire!”
HIGH-APOAPSIS ORBIT AROUND PLANET RUBIAAR IV
Blue 4’s small yet deadly missile dashed from Blue 4’s underbelly, dashed up into space and homed straight in on the vulnerable belly sensory dish on the underside of Mephistula’s giant starship. The missile successfully evaded the ship’s weapons and even destroyed some of them with its built-in automatic sensor-guided defense ray-guns.
The missile successfully penetrated the invading starship’s Inner Zone of Defenselessness, leaving the way clear for the missile to do its deed of destruction.
Upon impact with the sensory dish, Mephistula’s mothership became a supernova-like fireball, tumbled planetward and burned up completely in the atmosphere.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
“Nice shooting, little brother!” Khraa joyfully radioed Yesh, as she witnessed the blazing fireball.
“Well, sis,” Yesh shouted with gutsy joy over the radio, “after what Mephistula and robofiends did to my bro-in-law, nieces, nephew, and research-pals, it ought to be! Am rejoining group now!”
SKIES OVER RUBIAAR IV
The remaining Kannatikan Expedition fighters continued to battle with Mephistula’s forces, gaining the upper hand in the thick of combat using the enemy-disorienting scatter-strike tactic. Meanwhile, Blue 4 dove back down as it rapid-fired its ray-guns and blasted more of Mephistula’s dwindling forces into plasma-fireballs.
MEPHISTULA’S FIGHTER COCKPIT
“Okay, fancy flier,” Mephistula snarled cursedly, “you asked for it!”
Mephistula pressed her afterburner accelerator and pursued Blue 4.
SKIES OVER RUBIAAR IV
Mephistula’s combat-fighter pursued Blue 4 like a famished tiger chasing its quarry just as Blue 4 dove below the thick of combat. Once Mephistula was within range of Blue 4, she fired her ship’s lasers and struck Blue 4’s aft section, sending the small fighter spiraling downward in a mad trail of fire and smoke.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 4”
“ARRGH!” shouted Yesh in pain as his ship entered a paralyzing high g-force dive. “BLUE 4 TO BLUE 1! BLUE 4 TO BLUE 1! I’VE BEEN HIT! I’VE BEEN HIT!”
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
“Blue 1 here!” Khraa said, as Blue 4 spiraled downward. “I read you, Yesh!”
“I’ve been hit, sis!” Yesh radioed. “Gravities… too great… reach with hands…”
“You’re at the right eject-altitude, little bro! Activate eject sequence with verbal commands before gravities get too much for you to talk!”
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 4”
“Okay!” Yesh radioed Khraa under intense g-force strain. “Use EMP shields! Gonna fry roboshrills! Computer, initiate eject sequence. Upon ejection, take ship to 300 longspans altitude for EMP self-destruct. Wish me the god’s best!”
“The god speed, little brother” Khraa radioed softly while transmitting a coded signal that raised the EMP shields on the other Expedition fighters via remote control.
“Eject-sequence and EMP-blast sequence initiated” Blue 4’s feminine-voiced computer spoke calmly. “Standby for ejection in five, four, three, two, one.”
SKIES OVER RUBIAAR IV
Yesh ejected safely while Blue 4 auto-dispersed scores of tiny electronically-disorienting chaffing-bots to protect him on his way down. Yesh’s paraglider deployed properly from the flight-pack on his back.
Yesh glided himself expertly away from the Shrion fighters, and sought a safe touchdown site.
Meanwhile, Blue 4 dashed upward to 300 longspans (345 Earth standard-miles.)
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 4”
The computer coldly spoke, “EMP self-destruct in five, four, three, two, one.”
SKIES OVER RUBIAAR IV
Yesh was happy as he saw Blue 4 explode into an EMP-burst fireball high above the planet, causing Mephistula’s entire compliment of fighters (other than Mephistula’s own fighter) to tumble out of the sky. As they struck the planet’s surface, they either crashed and burned onto the land, or splashed into the planet’s seas and lakes.
“Now, about that place to land…” Yesh said confidently to himself.
Yesh found a barren clearing and steered his paraglider towards it. However, the force of the blast from the fireball that was Blue 4, exacerbated by the force from the explosions of the destroyed Shrion fighters, caused his paraglider to veer away from the clearing and straight towards a wild grove of thorny trees, each the size of a tall oak!
“Oh, khrung!” Yesh said cursedly, before he glided straight into a thorny tree and ended up hanging from it cruciform-style, mortally wounded, screaming in pain and quickly bleeding to death. Yet, even in death, Yesh was happy as his EMP blast knocked out and destroyed all the enemy ships — except one.
>
“Sis…” Yesh groaned as he was dying, “get Mephistula… for me... Get her… for all of us…! Chase her… to the ends… of the stars… please...”
Yesh breathed his last, as Mephistula’s ship streaked spaceward.
MEPHISTULA’S FIGHTER COCKPIT
“I am defeated!” Mephistula snarled amid the cockpit’s klaxons, smoke and fire. “Must escape! Computer! Extinguish fires! Clear cabin of smoke!”
Fans whirled loudly as they cleared the cockpit of smoke, while streams of electrical flame-extinguishing gases doused the fires.
Mephistula said with a groan of desperation, “Set course… Shrion… Throne-World!”
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
“Love-lord... My babies... Yesh... All of you…!” Khraa sobbed in quiet wrathful anger, “I promise… I vow to avenge your deaths if it’s the last thing I do!”
“Blue 2 to Blue 1,” Har radioed, “Blue 2 to Blue 1, do you read?”
“Go ahead, Blue 2” a still-sullen Khraa said as she collected herself.
“All enemy fighters destroyed except for Mephistula’s. Request regroup for search and rescue mission.”
Suddenly, Khraa noticed that Mephistula’s ship, forcing out massive amounts of smoke that filled the enemy fighter’s cockpit, began to dart spaceward. Khraa was now out for blood, and decided to go after Mephistula!
“Blue 1 to Blue 2,” Khraa radioed, “regroup remaining fighters and command search and rescue missions. Mephistula’s gluties are mine!”
“But Captain —!” Har said, worried for Khraa.
“YOU HAVE YOUR ORDERS, BLUE 2! OBEY THEM!” Khraa shouted Patton-brazenly. “BLUE 1 OUT!”
Khraa took Blue 1 into a high-speed steep starward angle-of-attack in mad-hot pursuit of the space-bound Mephistula. Once Blue 1 left the planet’s atmosphere, she looked at Rubiaar IV on her viewscreen and saw that most of its land surface was in flames, and wept briefly for her slain loved ones and fallen colleagues.
“Oh, my dear Deo!” Khraa said, in sad, bitter shock. She continued somberly, “Computer. Planetary eco-status check.”
“Initial Rubiaar IV eco-status check,” spoke Blue 1’s computer, which, like Blue 4’s, had the same coldly calm feminine voice. “Two-thirds of planet’s land surface is in flames and rendered mostly non-arable. 86-over-100 of human-made structures and devices constructed by extinct indigenous peoples and imported to Rubiaar IV by Expedition destroyed. Land-based life at all levels dwindling rapidly due to space-strikes by Mephistula’s swarm of fighters. Aqua-sphere and all indigenous aquatic life are unaffected at present, but pollution from combat-contaminated runoff waters from future rainfalls will endanger aquatic biosphere of planet.
“Total return of life-supportive capabilities to land surface is still possible,” Blue 1’s computer continued to report, “but would take twenty standard-years through human-instigated eco-rehabilitation. Rubiaar IV’s total self-eco-rehabilitation by natural processes alone would take one hundred thousand standard-years.”
Khraa quickly noticed on her viewscreen through the corner of her eye that Mephistula’s star-travel-capable spacecraft was about to go into stardrive. She instantly ceased weeping and became space-fighting mad again.
“So, that’s your warp-jumpy little game, eh?” Khraa said quietly, before she shouted like a mad general, “Computer! Grapple-beam-latch onto target vessel!”
“Grapple-beam-latched onto target vessel,” Blue 1’s computer spoke.
MEPHISTULA’S FIGHTER COCKPIT
“Unable to effect starflight to Shrion Throne-World” the fighter’s computer spoke as smoke from electrical fires still floated thickly through the cockpit. “Grapple-beams from enemy fighter have severely affected —”
“JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS DAMN STAR-SYSTEM!” Mephistula snarled, as she saw that Khraa grapple-beamed Blue 1 onto her fighter and threw off her ship’s computer. She then raised a clenched fist as she yelled and snarled into the smoky air, “CAPTAIN VEH, YOU ARE THE SHE-DOG OF SHE-DOGS!”
The computer in Mephistula’s fighter spoke, “Engaging stardrive, now.”
DEEP SPACE NEAR RUBIAAR IV
Mephistula’s small warship and Blue 1, linked together by the latter’s grapple-beams, quickly became enveloped within a red ball of light that stretched into a thin red light-straw bound out of the Rubiaar star system, and then —
* * *
* Reprinted by kind mutual consent of Dr. Lady Philps ven-Byao and the Kansbraskaho League of Charter-Schools, Idamaheka (state capital-system), Kansbraskaho State, United Star-systems of Amkeria.
Chapter 2
ALIEN PLANET EARTH
When one visits the Earth, the visitor will be greeted by its oversized moon Luna and scores of artificial satellites, including multitudes of derelict orbiters that are nothing more than space-waste [i.e., space junk]. Sadly, space-waste is problematic, not to mention a defecation of nature in space. And while many scientists and non-scientists on Earth are all-too aware of this, very little (if anything) can effectively be done by Earthlings to correct this orbital eco-problem of their own making.
One thing is certain regardless: Before I arrived, Earth and its Moon were indeed in their serene eternal cosmic dance. Then suddenly, without warning, beyond Luna…
Dr. Khraa-Veh ven-Bonhoeffer
Captain, AMKEXPRA
Khraa-Veh’s Guide to All Things Earthling *
BEYOND LUNAR ORBIT 500,000 MILES FROM EARTH
17 OCTOBER (EARTH-TIME)
A blinding ball of red light flashed briefly, and rudely, disturbed the serenity of the Earth-Moon System!
From that flash emerged both the sub-light Blue 1 spacecraft and Mephistula’s fighter, as both vessels spiraled out of control through the blackness of space!
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
“COMPUTER!” shouted Khraa over the various alarms and other noises that blared within the cockpit. “DISTANCE FROM OUTER EDGE OF ALIEN PLANET’S ATMOSPHERE!”
“Ship now at outer edge of thermosphere of alien planet and descending rapidly” spoke Blue 1’s computer in calm, start contrast to Khraa’s voice of calm alarm. “Distance from entry level-fire mark is 313.1749 longspans.”
For a split-millisecond, Khraa was relieved that her ship, although spiraling down to the Earth below dangerously fast, was still roughly 360 standard Earth-miles from the atmospheric entry fire altitude level. But still, she knew she had to act fast.
“DEPLOY AND REINFORCE MAGLEV-SAILS FOR MAG-BRAKING, NOW!” Khraa shouted.
425 MILES ABOVE EARTH’S SURFACE
Blue 1, spiraling downward madly, deployed its seemingly fragile yet unusually strong maglev-panels and utilized both the sails’ repulsors and Earth’s own gravity to slow its speedy descent gradually so as not to jeopardize Khraa’s fragile life. It eventually entered and maintained a low orbit of 300 miles above Earth’s surface.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
Once her ship was in a stable orbit, the life support system in Khraa’s fully-pressurized and sealed spacesuit automatically added CO2 to her breathing gases to prevent hyperventilation. Once she was out of danger of hyperventilating, her suit gradually lowered the CO2 levels to zero.
“Okay…” Khraa said, still partially winded. “Status of detection by indigenous techno-devices on world below.”
“Stealth-suite auto-activated upon detection of advanced crude technology from planet’s civilizations.”
“Thanks.”
Khraa caught her breath fully, as she saw on her video monitor that Earth’s International Space Station orbited just below her position. She was amusingly delighted at the orbital sight, with fond memories of her rural childhood’s harvesting seasons coming into her mind.
“How quaint” Khraa mused. “Looks like the front or side harvest blade-fan of a harvest-wheeler. It’s sort of cute, actually.”
“Yes, it does resemble a harvest blade-fan on a wheeled harve
st-combiner somewhat” spoke Blue 1, as the two compared the ISS to the blades on reels found on combine harvesters both on Earth and back in Khraa’s part of the Universe, wherever that was. “But in truth, it is a crude yet functional non-gravity crewed space station.”
“Looks like. It just brought back memories of my country girl days. But enough with my reveries for now. Computer, give me some more altitude, beyond this planet’s exosphere.”
“Desired altitude?”
“5,500 longspans, please.”
“I must inform you, Captain, that the specified altitude will take the ship into this planet’s radiation belt. Shall I activate anti-radiation shield-energizers?”
“Affirmative, computer.”
“Anti-radiation shield-energizers now activated” Blue 1’s computer spoke. “Taking ship to 5,500 longspans above planet.”
Blue 1’s meteor shower/collision alert blared. Khraa looked at her viewscreen and saw that Mephistula’s squid-like fighter was diving at her at a very high speed.
“Computer!” shouted Khraa. “Evasive action! Highest safe angle of attack! Fast!”
“Yes, Captain.”
SPACE ABOVE EARTH’S SURFACE
Blue 1 made a mad dash upward and barely avoided colliding with Mephistula’s ship, which was trying to ram Blue 1 from above.
From her fighter, Mephistula generated a thin, dark charcoal gray tornado-like spacetime vortex that began over North America’s Tornado Alley, then funneled downward into the geographic center of the United States, almost 20 miles north of Belle Fourche, South Dakota. Mephistula’s spacecraft dove down into the eye of the tornado-vortex and then vanished back into time. The tornado-like vortex itself rapidly shrank to a wafer-thin dark gray thread-like slanted vertical strand of cloud, and then disappeared completely.
COCKPIT OF FIGHTER-SPACECRAFT “BLUE 1”
“That dirty little slime-demonette!” Khraa said angrily. “She’s gone back in time!”
She paused and then recalled the Scientific Law of Predestined Time Travel, which allowed for time travel only if a specific journey across time was actually part of spacetime’s astrophysical fabric.