Craggy 2: Another Last Flight for Craggy (20 page)

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. 

T
oby 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.

T
hey 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.

Bob Graham was still on duty on radar and he had the attackers in his sights.

'Ten enemy ships coming in due south, repeat. Ten enemy, coming from the south.'

Now five cannon were swivelled around aiming south, waiting for the tell-tail blue exhaust of the ships and their beams of death. And there the enemy were, on the horizon. They had to hold their fire until the last possible seconds, because the lasers would guide them to an easy target, lit up and exposed. Here they come.

D
illow said, 'Get north of the Bases.'

Breeze said, 'Sir? North?'

'Breezy. We can't catch them in time and we can't fight them over the Bases, because of the damage we'd cause, but we can hit what the ground cannons miss as they pass over the Bases. Might give us an edge.'

'We need a bloody big edge, Sir.'

'Just drive the bus, Breezy. There. Go around Mons. That will shield us.'

Breeze led the formation around Mons, flying low, using the huge crater lip to shield them as they rounded the biggest mountain in the solar system. Already the lasers were firing, streaking blue from the ground cannon, red from the Verlindran ships as they blasted a swathe of devastation through the Bases. Those in freighters couldn't hear the screams of the people in and around the Bases as the lasers sliced through them.

Eleven ground shooters were either dead or dying. One, a man, was dragging his body along the concrete by his fingernails, leaving his legs behind, to get to the laser, ready to fight to his last breath. He pulled himself up, his mind gone with pain, eyes almost blinded by the flash, and with his bloody stumps to help swing the cannon around, he saw the blurry sight of the enemy's red lasers, and as his blood dripped from him, he pulled the trigger, just for one second, but it was enough. The ship came down.

N
one of the ground shooters survived. But between them, they'd brought down four Varlindran ships. Crashing down just north of the Bases. The surviving six ships were already turning for another strike, but from the east came eight ships flown by very angry humans.

Captain Flare was the first to strike oil. The pinpoint accuracy of her shooting bore a neat hole right through the ship, and it crashed harmlessly into the lush green of Mars. Max Morgan clipped one, seconds before his own freighter was dealt a lethal blow.

'Going down, Aasa.'

'We ain't down yet. Spin us around.'

'Too late.'

'Hit the gas and spin us round, damn it.'

Morgan hit the gas. 'Damn woman.' At that low speed, spinning the ship was impossible, but around it went, four seconds before the rear end smashed into the ground, but in that four seconds, Aasa blew up another ship.

'Now you can crash.'

They braced for impact, hoping things wouldn't explode, and with a nerve grating grinding noise, the old freighter died, reduced to scrap.

Lance Dillow said, 'Morgan? You still alive?'

'Yes, Sir. Aasa and I are uninjured.'

'Good work, you two. Stay put.'

Three Varlindran ships, one damaged, flew toward the Bases, intent on destroying anyone and anything in their paths, thinking they had eliminated the ground fire, blasted at will, to be unexpectedly hammered by a single laser cannon.

Andrew Foreman was dying anyway. 'Might as well go out with a bang, Foreman you old devil. A quick end to the pain, hey?'

Andrew Foreman, had the pleasure of destroying two ships, before the laser hit him. A fit young man may have survived, but an older man like Foreman, with a body riddled with cancer, had nothing more to give. He slid down against the laser. 'That felt good.' He closed his eyes and let his life slip away. But before he gasped his last breath, something soft and furry stroked his face. He opened his eyes and stared into the face of Mango.

'Oooh, Andy,' he cooed, softly.

'Mango. Andy loves Mango. Years ago, your grandfather saved me. Here on Mars. Take you family, Mango. Go hide in the trees. Keep them safe. Go Mango.'

'Go Mango. Oooh. Love Andy.'

Mango scurried way into the shadows of the night, and Andrew Foreman died.

S
tella and Fawn used their extra speed and agility, chasing the last Varlindran ship. They flew over the wreckage of the Bases, where in the tangled remains, people twitched with the spasms of death, their lives ebbing away. Vulnerable with a pack of freighters after it, the lone vessel headed for the blackness.

'No you don't,' said Dillow. You're mine.'

They were two matching ships, and it came down to the pilot. Stella Wayward had a bucketful of guts and a hatred of the enemy on her side.

'You get one shot at this, Dillow.'

'UP! NOW!'

Stella took the ship high; Dillow let rip with the cannon. The fleeing ship took a direct hit in the thrusters and it became a ball of flames with debris scattering in every direction. The fire was out instantly in the vacuum of space. 

Dillow said, 'Have a nice day and tell all your friends, they can have the same.'

Her father's voice boomed over the radio. 'Nice shooting. But we got some new friends who might need a hand.'

Seven, now. They left their smouldering home, scared to think of the dying and dead, unable to do anything but go back into the fight. On they flew, out of the atmosphere, into deep space, once again, heading for the blackness.

It was a fairly even contest, fewer larger, more heavily armed ships, against many smaller Varlindran ships.

One large black ship was taking a pounding, its engines dead, just one cannon still firing. Five Varlindran ships were buzzing around it, taking potshots at their enemy.

Lance Dillow said, 'That one, Breezy. Help that one. Flare!'

Flare growled, 'Time to get serious.'

The Eye circled the embattled ship, Flare using her natural ability as a shooter to blast away the snapping Varlindran ships. Three caught by surprise were destroyed within two minutes, but more ships headed their way.

Rocky Ramshorn flew away from the battle, turned quickly around to attack from the rear. He did a barrel-roll to avoid the laser fire aimed at him, and the return fire wiped out another ship. They stayed with the big ship as the Varlindran ships took flight, to concentrate their fire power on another damaged enemy ship.

'Mine,' said Fawn Dillow.

Stella chased the tail-ender and hit it mid thrusters, stopping it dead, a second blast blowing it to pieces. 

Then, as one, all the Varlindran ships raced away to the blackness, the large ships in pursuit. Twenty Varlindran ships had disappeared into the blackness, when the black ships opened fire together, but not at the ships, but directly at the blackness.

'What the hell are they doing?' Lance Dillow said.

Breeze said, 'I don't understand. Look. Something is happening to the blackness.'

The combined power of the huge ships was having an effect on the blackness. It began to glow and its outer edge crackled with a thousand lightning storms.

There were still thirteen Varlindran ships outside the darkness and they began attacking the black ships as the darkness was being destroyed.

'Our friends need back up,' said Lance Dillow.

It was a scrappy battle, with the stragglers being caught between two enemies. The Varlindrans were finding out what it was like to be hammered.

'Come on, Craggy,' said Toby Solvo. 'Hit something.'

'How about this, then.' One volley of laser fire split a varlindran ship in half and continued into the heart of another. 'Two for the price of one.'

'Now that was impressive.'

The barrage of fire on the blackness continued, then the blackness shrunk and died. The remainder of the Varlindran ships were mopped up and the battle was over.

'That was fun,' said Cragg. 'Now what do we do?'

Solvo said, 'look. Survivors are leaving the dead ships.'

Small vessels were leaving dead black ships, and entering ports in the undamaged ships.

They sat in silence for a moment, then Cragg felt movement of the ship.

'They're pulling us towards them.'

'Shoot them,' said Solvo.

Cragg said, 'I don't think so. In case you hadn't noticed, we are on the same side.'

'That ship. It's opening up.'

'Keep calm. They just want to say hi.'

'How can you possibly know that?'

'Because,' said Cragg, 'You and I would be dead by now if I were wrong.'

The top of the big ship, from the thrusters upwards, opened like an enormous clam. Slowly, the much smaller freighter was drawn inside, then the ship closed around them, swallowing them whole.

'Where are you going?'

Cragg adjusted his suit airflow. 'Outside to stretch my old legs. Coming?'

The airlock opened and Cragg and Solvo stepped down the ramp to the floor of the ship. Before they got another five paces, a series of small red laser lights hit them, causing Solvo to flinch.

'Relax,' said Cragg. 'They're just checking us for fleas.'

A small black ball appeared and floated over to them, stopping just one foot away from Cragg. 'Smile at the camera.' Cragg gave a wave of his hand and the probe backed away a couple of feet. Then, from a small opening, a three dimensional image appeared.

The creature was small, surprisingly so, considering the size of their ships. Perhaps three and a half feet long, nose to tail. It also stood on four legs, had a head that seemed far too large for its body, and, a human would probably describe the creature as being a lizard. Its skin was a rough looking hide, reddish orange in colour, its belly a greenish yellow. Its “hands” were an odd mix of something akin to human hands and long reptilian claws. Cragg thought they would be reasonably dexterous but you wouldn't want to be picking your nose with them. Red eyes moved independently, one staring at Solvo, the other at Cragg. The creature went closer to them.