by Gary Weston
'Oooh! Mango.'
'I'll let you decide where you and your family live, old pal.'
Outside, all the ships landed again. They looked around them, doing quick headcounts, seeing who had made it back alive. Rocky, Max, the Dillows, Stella, Breeze, Dan Carter, Toby Solvo and a few rookies were counting their blessings. And of course, the incouragable Commander Dixon Cragg. incouragable, was not a word Misty used. But news travelled fast on Mars. His exploits and notable contribution in the fight had already created a buzz.
'How can I shout at a hero?'
'Just trying to help out.'
'You got a couple of kids out of harm's way. But you've done your bit. You stop right now, while you still can.'
'I'm going back up. I've a job to finish. This is payback time for millions of people all over the universe.'
Cragg had showered, had a feed and a beer. He was getting his third wind, and she knew it was a waste of breath telling him to stay.
'You really, shot down a ship?'
'Yeah. Sneaky little devils came out of nowhere, just me and Tony on our own, and this Varlindran ship, firing deadly laser bolts at us, so of course, I...'
Misty kissed him to shut him up. 'Tell me when you finish saving the universe.'
Cragg kissed her, saluted her, pulled himself up to his full height of five feet seven, put his helmet under his arm and marched off to face his destiny.
Chapter 75
Before take off, Lance Dillow gathered his troops around him. He looked at Cragg, the strange old man in a spacesuit, thought about saying something to him, then changed his mind.
'This is it. We have no idea where they'll turn up next or how many ships will come. But, I think we have shown them our resolve and we have dished out as good as we took. Like you, I have no idea what we are about to face but face it we will. I would just like to say how damned proud I am of every one of you and it has been my privilege to fight alongside you. Ok. Let's kick some ass.'
As they set off to their respective ships, Wendy Breeze caught hold of Stella Wayward's arm. 'I don't want to lose you out there.'
'Don't you go thinking things like that,' said Stella. 'We belong together. We both know that. It'll take more than a bunch of alien bullies to stop us. Time to go.'
Breeze hugged and kissed Stella. 'I love you.'
'And I love you. Come on. We've a job to do.'
With determined expressions, the eight remaining pilots took their ships to the skies.
'Breezy,' said Dillow. 'Last time they were a lot closer to Mars. I've a hunch the next time will be the same, getting closer. Take us in orbit, and we'll move further out from there.'
'Yes, Sir.'
Breeze put her thoughts of Stella out of her mind. She couldn't afford distractions at a time like this. She took The Eye into orbit, the others following in a “V” formation, searching for the blackness of death, looking for the enemy. After almost three hours of continuously orbiting, heading further away, they found what they were looking for. It was much closer to Mars this time.
'You know what to do, people.'
From just ten thousand miles, the eight ships circled the blackness. All they could do was to wait and be ready.
* * *
Amethyst Ramshorn so wanted her husband with her, safe in the heart of his family. She had seen the weary look in his eyes and he said little about the fighting. She knew his thoughts were of the young men and women who had not returned, as in so many wars throughout history. The finest and the best, taken, leaving behind their loved ones to hold their memories in their hearts forever.
Rocky held his wife and the twins close to him, putting on a brave face for the twins, telling them everything would be ok, and daddy would be home to kiss them and read them a bedtime story. Amethyst also put on a brave face, had watched her husband go, and played games with their children. They were what they were fighting for. There was someone else facing those same fears, and she was facing them alone.
'Why don't we go see Aunty Misty?'
Misty Cragg's eyes were red from crying, but she greeted her visitors with a smile.
'Come in, come in. So good to see you.'
'My Daddy's in space, fighting the baddies,' said Poppy.
'That's right. And so is your Uncle Craggy.'
'Uncle Craggy,' said Dusty. 'He'll tell us lots and lots of stories when he comes home.'
This made Misty and Amethyst chuckle. There was another knock on the door, and it was Joel and Shyne.
'Oh. I didn't realise you had company.'
'More the merrier, Joel,' said Misty.
Shyne and the twins were best friends, so they were soon huddling together, playing games, telling each other secrets.
'This is the hard part,' he said in a low voice. 'Trying to keep Shyne occupied all the time. I could cope if not...'
Amethyst hugged him. 'I feel the same way. Constantly trying to reassure them. And myself.'
Misty said, 'We have to believe they'll be ok. Believe they're coming home. I couldn't imagine a life without Craggy.'
Her chin wobbled with emotion and Joel held her.
Joel said, 'Craggy's a survivor.' He chuckled. 'He's our secret weapon.'
Chapter 76
They waited, out there in dark cold space, staring at something they couldn't understand, something they couldn't explain. They all had their own thoughts, their hidden fears. This was not where they wanted to be. It was where they had to be. They had lost half their numbers, still out there in space, their bodies encased in the tangled remains of their ships, permanent reminders of fallen heroes, drifting for eternity. In some ways it was fitting for them to become a part of the cosmos this way.
On each ship, they sat as silent sentinels, Guardians of Mars, waiting once again to fight for all that was precious to them, all that made any sense. Cragg was thinking of beer.
'I should have brought a few beers with me.'
Toby Solvo grinned. 'I wouldn't mind one about now.'
'We'll have a few when this is all over. You have any family, Tony?'
'A mother and a sister. Dad died in a mining accident, a few years ago.'
'No girlfriend?'
'Mellow. We've been together a few years now. You?'
'My wife, Misty. You got kids?'
'Soon.'
'Oh,' said Cragg. 'Expecting, is she?'
'Mellow can't have children. We're adopting. A little girl named Sapphire. Great kid. So full of life and energy. Her parents were killed in that volcano a few years ago. Sapphire kept getting passed over, because she has a leg missing. We fell for her hook, line and sinker.'
'Sounds like a great kid.'
Cragg couldn't stop the image found on the Varlindran's ships computer burning into his mind like a white hot poker, of an innocent race of people, slain with laser cannon, a child, a female he thought, running and screaming, and then the laser...Then he thought of the children of Mars, kids like Amethyst's twins, Carlotte's Astral, all the children that would gather round him, eager for one of his stories.
If he could shoot one more ship, stop just one more child being butchered, if it cost him his life, it would be so worth it. As he stared at the blackness, he concentrated on taking revenge for that child on a planet somewhere, far, far away. Then suddenly, they poured out of the blackness, dozens of them, perhaps a hundred. They were in no hurry, the Varlindrans feeling invincible. They casually got in formation, facing the eight ships, not even bothering to fire. The sight of so many huge ships, heavily armed, facing them, had frozen the humans. Apart from Lance “Armour” Dillow.
'Shoot the bastards.'
Eight shooters on eight ships fired their laser cannon. Nothing happened.
'Sir,' said Captain Flare. 'My cannon. It's dead.'
It was the same on all eight ships. Not one of the lasers would fire.
* * *
'Craggy!'
'I swear. It isn't me. The cannon's dead.'
They heard La
nce Dillow's voice. 'All our cannons are dead. Breezy. Will this thing still fly?'
'Engaging thrusters. No. Shit. No power.'
'This is no coincidence,' said Dillow. 'I don't know how, but they've drained our power.'
Cragg said, 'If I could get out of this tin can, I'd go over there and ask what they're playing at.'
Fawn Dillow said, 'This is no way to die. Going down fighting is one thing, waiting to be blown to hell is something else. Dad. At least the radio's working. Can we warn Mars?'
Facing an enemy they couldn't fight, it was a safe bet their time was running out fast.
'Commander Lance Dillow. I need to speak with Commanders Forbes or Potts.'
There was a brief pause, followed by, 'Forbes here.'
'Anton. A whole flotilla of Varlindran ships have just emerged from the blackness. Maybe, Jeez. Maybe a hundred of them. And we're stuck here, no power to move or shoot.'
There was a longer pause. Then, 'I've just checked. All our ground cannon are dead, too.'
Dillow sighed. 'We're completely at their mercy.'
'Perhaps,' said Anton, softly, 'Perhaps we should surrender.'
Dillow said, 'Even if that were an option, I doubt they'd let us.'
'I don't know what to say,' said Forbes.
Cragg said, 'Anton. All I can think is you get everyone inside one of the mines. Deep underground. When the attack comes, that might protect them.'
Another pause. 'You could be right, Craggy. I'll go see Commander Potts, and see what we can do.'
'Right,' said Cragg. 'But whatever you decide to do, do it fast.'
Chapter 77
'Eighty,' said Max Morgan. 'I count eighty ships.'
His shooter was an Indian girl. Aasa Singh was her name. She was young, mid twenties, and very beautiful. Her father was Shamini Singh, the mining supervisor. She had told Morgan her name meant hope. At that moment, hope was all they had.
'There'd be a lot less if my damn cannon would fire.'
She was petite, but she was feisty. Morgan had watched her in battle, her deep dark eyes fixed on the enemy, taking out more than her fair share. They were working well as a team, and no matter what wild manoeuvre he put the freighter through, she would be blasting the laser.
As she sat with her fingers over the cannon's trigger, she had no idea her father was leading thousands of men, women and children down into the safety of the deepest mine. Everybody had grabbed all the food and warm clothing they could and were being led by Dillow's security officers in an orderly fashion, to take refuge.
Near the entrance of the mine, Shamini Singh was talking to Commander Tagg Potts.
Singh was saying, 'I'll bring in our equipment once everyone's inside. That way, if we got caved in, we can dig our way out.'
'Good thinking, Shamini. We'll keep our cannon shooters ready, in case we get a chance to fight. I'll be topside with Commander Forbes. Your daughter. Aasa. She's out there.'
'My brave girl,' said Singh. 'She will kick their asses.'
Potts grinned. 'I know I wouldn't tangle with her. She's a credit to you. Look. Shamini. I have to go. If I don't see you again...'
He held out his hand and Singh shook it.
'Good luck, Tagg.'
'You too.'
Potts jumped on his buggy and hurried out of the mine. It was getting dark, now, and most of the lights had been turned off. There were fewer than four hundred people topside. Each cannon had four shooters all praying the power to them would be restored. The emergency services were waiting in hangers for when they'd be needed. The medical centre was open for business, and the communications centre was fully operational.
Potts stopped the buggy, its electric motor still humming. He looked up into the night sky, unsure of where the action was. He could see the glow from Phobos, their nearest moon. There was a gentle breeze, full of the scent of wild flowers and a rustling of the leaves of the trees defiantly trying to grow.
He was suddenly startled by a fluttering sound. It was a dove, free to roam and explore outside Base Three, but unsure of what to do with that new found freedom. It landed on the front of the buggy and stared at Potts, unafraid of people. It was almost pure white and it was beautiful.
'No good looking at me, pal. I got no ideas either. I'm just a man.' The dove looked at him, its head bobbing from side to side as Potts spoke his words. 'I have to go. Good luck. We'll all need it.'
He started the buggy and the dove took off, perhaps to find a mate. Potts didn't turn on the lights, but drove by the dim light from Phobos, to find Forbes and wait with him for whatever was about to happen.
Lance Dillow was a man of action, and being powerless in this situation was nothing but torture. The bare minimum of the ship's power was on, enough for the life-support, radio and lights. Everything else was dead. He had ordered no more communication between ships, so they weren't giving out information to the enemy.
Like Dillow and Carter, he stared at the screen, the Varlindren ships in precise formation, tormenting them, not in any particular hurry, perhaps planning how to take over Mars with the minimum of effort. He forced himself to keep calm, knowing the others would follow his lead. He had to lead by example, to fight if given the chance, and to die with dignity if he wasn't. He knew what his preferred option would be.
Dillow had always suspected he would die with his boots on, keeping the peace, stopping the bad guys. He wasn't unduly bothered by that. What he couldn't stomach was to be helpless at the hands of some little butchers who thought they could just take anything they wanted, and to hell with anyone getting in their way.
He clenched his fists in frustration, shaking them at the heavens. 'This isn't right, damn it. Give me the tools and I'll do the job.'
Then, from somewhere, a laser fired.
Chapter 78
Toby Solvo shouted, 'Craggy. Was that you?'
Cragg gasped, 'Hell, no. Where the hell did that come from?'
They had been so focused on the formation of the Varlindran ships, they hadn't seen what had arrived behind them. Not as numerous as the Varlindran driven ships, they were black and were three times the size, and had cannons galore. When they rose up above the eight human ships, their awesome power and might became evident. The eight freighters between the two armadas became insignificant. Cragg stood up and went to a locker off the bridge and got two beers, passing one to Toby.
Solvo looked at the eighty Varlindran ships in front of them, and at least twenty of the bigger ships above them. He took the beer.
'Cheers,' said Cragg. 'I don't suppose we can fire up and just go home?'
'Still dead. Well, Craggy. I haven't known you long, but you are ok for a wrinklie. Hey. Did you feel something?'
Cragg said, 'The ship. We're moving. Not you?'
Solvo held his hands up 'Haven't touched a thing. Look. All our ships are moving.'
It was if a gentle hand were moving them carefully to one side. Their ship stopped moving.
Solvo said, 'Maybe they're in a shooting contest, and we're the targets.'
Cragg said, 'shush. I'm breathing.'
The silence in the dormant ship was oppressive. Cragg sipped his beer, determined to finish it before he shed his mortal coil. What happened next, made him drop the beer on the floor.
The huge black ships were deceptively fast and the Varlindrans were equally quick off the mark. Green laser energy clashed with red, as one hundred and mighty leviathans flew at phenomenal speeds, their lasers creating an electrical storm of deadly energy that lit up thousands of miles of space around them. The two formidable adversaries were locked in mortal combat, intent on totally destroying each other.
Seven Varlindran ships were disintegrated within the first two minutes, and one of their enemy's ships was so damaged it spun out of control taking out another of its own in spectacular fashion. All the humans could do was to sit on the sidelines, hoping the winners wouldn't turn their attention to them. Out of the mayhem, ten Varlindran ships broke
from the pack and streaked away from the battle.
Lance Dillow had seen them. 'Those sons of bitches are heading for Mars,' he bellowed. 'Damn it. Let us free and we'll deal to them. LET US GO!'
Breeze said, 'They must have heard you. We have power back.'
She didn't wait for orders; she was already racing after the Varlindran ships. Three seconds later, seven other dormant freighters were pushing their thrusters to the maximum. Behind them, mighty vessels were hell bent on making every laser strike count. Ships on both sides were blown to smitherines, the action relentless, the death unthinkable.
'This is Lance Dillow calling Mars. It's gone crazy here, and you have un-friendly ships heading your way. Ten Varlindran ships and we're on their tails. My daughter is in a Varlindran ship with us, so don't go shooting her down.'
'Got that, Commander Dillow. Our Cannon are working now.'
At the blinding speeds they were hurtling through space, Mars was only twenty minutes away. The Varlindrans would reach the planet first and only the ground fixed laser cannons stood any chance of taking out the enemy.
Chapter 79
They came from the South Cap. Ten identical Varlindran warships. Each ship had nine crew. Their mission had been the eradication of the human race.
“We found the warlike but primitive humans to be mostly entertaining. The planet the humans called Mars had been part of the Varlindran Empire, before man had taken his first flight in an aeroplane. Mars itself was a joke. But at the heart of the dead planet, is a secret only we Varlindrans know. The ignorant humans still know nothing about it. Even the scum race the Graggons, forever our enemies, are unaware. It is imperative to annihilate these humans, infesting one of our planets. And now is that time. For if they discover the secret of this planet, they, not we will rule the galaxy.”
Mars had five ground mounted laser cannon, each had four shooters, ready to fight to the death and as one shooter died, another would willingly take their place. That made twenty humans, prepared to give their lives for the survivors of their race. The cannon were deployed around the most important parts of their infrastructure, situated to protect what gave them food, what gave them life. Those at the cannons knew they either died at their stations, or died later at the hands of the Varlindrans.