Author's Note – be sure to read 'A Blast from the Past' and 'Minds and Mysteries' before reading this, as I make assumptions about the timeline that follows those arcs.
The Lucifer Gambit
R'Raskar ran for his life.
Until a few minutes ago, he was certain that he would be able to pull this off. Now, he wasn't so sure. The guards were seconds behind him, and would be within firing range any moment. He flattened his shoulder-tendrils against his sides, and tried to run faster.
The guards opened fire!
Intense pain shot across his flank. Those weren't stun darts those guards were using, but plasma blasters! The smell of his singed fur pushing him to greater speeds, he rounded a corner - and wound up in an escape pod annex. He threw himself into the nearest, and hastily keyed the launch code. He flopped into the crash chair as the explosive bolts detonated, but the chair was not designed for leopard-sized felinoids – he was thrown back violently as the booster rockets ignited. Darkness fell over him.
The squad of guards made it into the annex in time to see the pod rise into the darkness. "What do we do now?" One of them asked.
The squad leader turned to his men. "It doesn't matter. I got a shot into it. It'll be dead soon. The alert's over - everyone back to your posts."
They turned and headed towards the lab section - located near the center of the massive alien installation.
Bill paused his attack to wipe the sweat from his brow.
His opponent was good. One of the best, he had been told, and now he understood why - she fought dirty. She leapt at him with a cry of rage.
Bill did a quick duck-and-roll to avoid her clutching hands. As he stopped moving, he had a flash. He dove for the wall. As he landed, he hit a key on the control panel in front of him, and jumped again.
Instead of landing a meter or so away, he continued in a straight line upwards. His adversary, unable to stop as quickly as she'd planned, slammed into the far wall with a muffled thump. Bill spun around in mid-air and, bending his knees as his feet touched the ceiling, sprang at her.
He struck her, knees-first, just below her ribcage. Her breath left her in a rush, and she drifted to the floor, unconscious.
Satisfied with his victory, he floated over to the panel again. He hit the same key, and weight returned. He stretched, cracked his knuckles, and walked over the the now-stirring form of his opponent. "You alright, Kei?"
She groaned and shook her head. "Oh, MAN! I feel like I've been hit by a meteor. And here I thought I'd be ready for anything you could throw at me!"
He chuckled and offered her a hand up. "Well, now we're even. That kick in the kidneys you treated me to the last time didn't help my disposition any."
They were stretching the kinks out when Yuri walked into the gym. "You two finished trying to kill each other for today?"
Bill grunted as he pushed his hands high above his head. "Yup. Kei buys dinner tonight."
"Yeah, yeah. You pulled a nasty on me, cutting the gravity like that."
"Come on, now." He countered. "You know perfectly well that you would have done the same thing eventually. I just beat you to the punch."
"Sez you! And I still don't have to like it. I HATE being faked out like that!"
Bill winked at her. "I know. That's why I did it in the first place." Yuri snickered at that remark, while Kei turned as red as her hair. "Just think of it as a learning experience."
"Learning experience, PHOOEY! This sparring session was your idea, not mine." She started into a series of deep-knee bends. "I'm perfectly capable of unarmed combat."
"Hey, you LOST, remember?" He gleefully shot back. "And, as I recall, I didn't have to twist your arm when I suggested it." Ignoring her low growl, he turned and headed for the door. "I'm going to take a long, hot shower." As he passed Yuri, he wrapped his arm around her waist and whispered in her ear. As Kei strained to hear, Yuri squealed and hit Bill in the ribs with her elbow. As the door closed behind him, Kei strode over to her partner. "So what was that all about, eh?"
Yuri was still giggling. "He wanted to know if I'd like to come and scrub his back for him!"
R'Raskar lay in the excape pod, dying.
He had lost quite a bit of blood from the wound in his side, and the shock of launch had not helped matters. The pod's computer was not equipped to handle such life-forms, and so it made its decision. It activated the proper circuits, and placed R'Raskar in a state of suspended animation. It then began transmitting its disaster beacon.
All it could do now was wait.
The laser welder Bill had in his hand produced little heat, yet it made a joint cleaner and neater than any device used before this. His attention focused on his work, he did not hear the door open. He looked up as Yuri placed her hand on his shoulder. "Oh, hi." He muttered. "Sorry, I didn't see you come in." He flipped a switch on the device, and the welding beam faded from view. He stood up, gave Yuri a quick kiss, and replaced the tool in its holder.
Kei stared in awe at the device on the table. It appeared to be a multi-barreled assault cannon, but it was like no cannon she had ever come across. The five barrels were too close together, and were fixed in position - not on a turntable like a standard gun. The oversized scope was attached by a length of cable to a helmet placed nearby. "What's this?" She whispered.
Bill smiled as he picked it up. "It's my latest project. I just finished it, and was about to head out to the range to test it. Wanna come?"
He got his answer in stereo. "Right behind you!" He snickered quietly.
As they left Bills' apartment-based workshop, the girls noticed that Mugi had attached himself to the antique audio system Bill owned. They saw his tail twitch to a beat they could barely hear through the headphones he had on. "What's Mugi up to?" Yuri asked.
Bill took a moment to look over at him. "Oh, he's been going through some of the old music discs I happened to have on the Seeker when I had my accident. He seems to have a rather, um, UNUSUAL taste in music."
"Really?" Kei snorted. "What's he listening to now?"
"Hmm. Let's find out." Setting his gear down, Bill walked over and pulled the plug from its socket. The room was suddenly filled with a horrendous, screeching wail. Kei and Yuri covered their ears in shock, while Bill listened intently - Mugi giving him a look that seemed to say 'What gives?'. Shortly, Bill replaced the plug, and the room was quiet again.
Kei recovered first. "Unusual is RIGHT! What WAS that?"
Bill thought for a second. "Oh, an obscure little group that called themselves the 'Cannibal Hamsters'. They never really amounted to anything, but they had quite a cult following for a while."
The girls stared at each other in wonder. People actually used to LISTEN to that sort of thing? On PURPOSE? Bill smiled at them. "But we digress. We were headed to the range, weren't we? Let's leave Mugi to his, uh, entertainment."
By the time they arrived at the range, Bill had given them an overview of his latest invention. "Basically, it's a multiple-round GyroJet launcher with independent target-seeking capability. The scope is connected via optical cable to the helmet, and relays targeting information to the wearer. But that isn't all it does. Sensors in the helmet track the eye movements of the wearer, and other sensors pick up the electromagnetic impulses of the brain - in effect, reading the wearers' thoughts. The user selects a target simply by looking at it, and the computer in the scope does the rest. It accepts a simple command set - 'TARGET', 'ARMOUR', and 'EXPLOSIVE'. The armour round can punch through a half-meter of hullmetal, and the explosive round can put a meter-diameter hole in the same hullmetal plate. There are a couple of problems, though.
The targets have to be in the general direction that the barrel is pointed in, and it has trouble with moving targets. The first problem I don't have a clue yet about fixing, but I have a notion about the second problem."
He placed the helmet on his head and plugged the cable into the scope. The girls could see the visor begin to glow from within, but that was the only indication that it worked at all. Bill walked over to the firing line. "Kei. I see ten targets in front of me. Pick five of them."
Not being in an imaginative mood, she picked every other target. Bill dropped to one knee and held the pose for a moment.
Smoke spat from the five muzzles as the rocket-propelled rounds shot towards their destinations. A split-second later, three of the permaplast silhouettes had fist-sized holes in their middles, while the last two vanished in balls of fire.
Kei and Yuri, watching the targets, were unaware of anything out of the ordinary until they heard Bill shout. He had been tossed into the air with a whoop of surprise. He landed at the base of a table a few meters away, and it toppled over onto him.
Yuri ran to his side. "BILL! Bill, are you okay? Say something!"
Bill looked up at the look of concern on her face, and began to laugh. He managed to regain control of himself long enough to say "Oops."
Kei leaned over and stuck her face in front of his. "Oops? OOPS?! Your new toy blasts you halfway across a room, and all you have to say is 'oops'? Aren't you upset and angry?"
Bill got up and started dusting himself off. "Nope. If anything, I should be disappointed with myself. I forgot to calibrate the anti-recoil mechanism in the stock. I'll go back to my workshop and have it corrected and working properly within a half an hour."
He didn't have time to work on it, though. When they arrived back at the apartment, Mugi had a surprise waiting for them.
"A summons from the Director? I wonder what he wants that's so urgent that he has to call us specially?"
Kei, Yuri and Mugi were already out the door. Yuri looked back at him and winked. "Well, we'll just have to go and see, won't we?" Bill set the weapon down on a table and, sighing softly to himself, headed for the door.
"... Picked it up on one of the navigational relay satellites. A United Galactica Space Force scout was sent out to investigate. It appears to be a lifepod of some kind, but they aren't sure." Goulet explained to them.
"They aren't sure? How could they not know? Lifepods have been standardized for forty years." Kei noted. "Those UG guys been drinking too much lately?"
Goulet rested his elbows on his desk and knit his fingers together. "This is not something they're prepared to deal with. It appears to be of alien origin."
Bill paused from staring out the window to regard Goulet. "Oh? I don't suppose they have holos of the thing, do they?"
"As a matter of fact, they beamed them here just a few minutes ago." Goulet tapped a key, and an image of the object sprang to life in front of them. It was roughly cubical, with tapered ends fore and aft. A grid had been superimposed on the image, and its dimensions were approximately two meters by two meters by three. It had a slight greenish tinge to it, and several incomprehensible symbols adorned its sides.
Bill was about to ask a question when a deep roar cut him off. He turned to look at the source of the disturbance.
Mugi appeared ready to kill. His ears and tendrils were folded flat against his body, his tail puffed out, claws extended. He growled from deep in his throat - a sound none of them had ever heard him make before. "Wh-what's with you, Mugi?" Kei nervously asked. Yuri couldn't find her voice. Her eyes were wide with fright, her hands covered her mouth.
Bill caught on first. "What in blazes? He recognizes it! It must represent something he hates fiercely. I wish I knew what that thing means to him." He stared at the image, and then at Mugi, who looked deep into his own memories.
He awoke to the sound of his companions' yowling. He opened his eyes, and looked into the bulbous eyes of the K-Taskan researcher. He was immobile, strapped to the table they had placed him on. He reached out with his mind to ease his fellow captives, and then tried once again to reach into the mind of his captor. As before, he was stopped by the mindshield of the alien. They never let them drop in the labs, the feelings of contempt for the creatures they used quite obvious. Of all the beings they used for their experiments, most were intelligent, and many came from thriving civilizations. But none were treated any better than THINGS - amusing toys to be played with and eventually destroyed, knowing that there were replacements nearby.
The researcher grasped a pad in its seven-fingered hand and pressed it to his forehead.
He roared as the universe exploded in a searing ball of pain.
An hour later, the pod sat at WWWA HeadQuarters.
Bill, the Pair, Goulet, and some of Goulet's assistants stood around the object. (Mugi not wanting to be near the thing - for obvious reasons.) Bill rapped on it shell cautiously. "It's made of some kind of alloy I've never seen before." He muttered slowly. "No way our lasers will cut through it." He started pacing around it, and came to a faint rectangular scratch in the metal. "Might be a door of some kind." He glanced around the outline, until he came to a set of oddly-shaped bulges arranged, again, in a rectangular fashion.
Yuri stood close behind him, her hand on his shoulder - staring at the same spot. "A keypad?" She ventured.
Bill raised an eyebrow. "On a lifepod? You'd think they'd make it simpler than that. Now, I don't know anything about their technology, but..." He pressed his palm against the raised areas.
Yuri jumped back as the pod began emitting a low hum. Bill watched as the scratch in the hull deepened, and did indeed become a door. It slid into its recess, and a slight mist escaped from the inside. Wary of what may be waiting for him inside, Bill slowly poked his head in the opening. As he did so, a shaggy rope fell at his feet. He followed it into the pod to find its owner. The sharp gasp from behind him told him that Yuri had seen its source, as well.
Its breath was laboured, and blood oozed from a gaping hole in its side, but it was obviously alive.
A near-identical twin to Mugi...
"He lost a great deal of blood, but other than that, he seems to be in good condition." The doctor explained to them. "The wound is something of a puzzle. It wasn't made by anything I'm familiar with. A most intriguing situation."
Goulet folded his arms over his chest. "Never mind that. Can he answer questions?" According to Mugi, he was the sole survivor of his race. To find another disturbed him. Where did he come from? Are there any more?
"Oh, yes. Of course. He has a monitor installed beside his table. His telepathic ability should handle our language. If he's as adept at manipulating electronics as Mugi is, he should be able to communicate quite readily."
"Fine. Let's find out just what is going on here." He opened the door and stepped into the room. The felinoid dozed on the examining table he lay on. As Goulet entered the room, he looked up. "We have some questions for you. Do you understand how to use the monitor to communicate with us?"
Imperceptibly, the spiny hairs he used for ears vibrated. The monitor lit up, and on it was displayed - :YES. I UNDERSTAND. WHO ARE YOU?:
"My name is Goulet. The man beside me is Doctor Bill Galet. The two young ladies behind us are Kei and Yuri. And you are...?"
:MY NAME IS R'RASKAR. WHY HAVE YOU CAPTURED ME?:
Captured? Bill stepped forward. "We intercepted your lifepod and brought you here. We mean no harm to you. We healed your wounds, and would like to know how you got them."
:ESCAPING FROM OTHERS LIKE YOU. BEINGS OF YOUR FORM HAVE CONTROL OF THE LABORATORY INSTALLATION I WAS IMPRISONED IN, AND FORCED ME TO HELP THEM BUILD A DEVICE.:
"What kind of device?" Yuri asked.
:THE DEVICE IS DESIGNED TO DISRUPT FUSION REACTIONS. THEY WISHED TO BUILD A DEVICE THAT CAN BREAK THROUGH A CONTAINMENT FIELD, AND DESTROY THE SURROUNDING AREA.:
"What a terrible idea!" Kei and Yuri whispered together.
"Did you ever hear who, specifically, wanted this device?" Goulet feared the answer.
:IT WAS FOR A BEING CALLED: He paused to sneeze. :L'C'FER:
"Lucifer." Goulet repeated, the colour draining from his face. "They have to be stopped. If they gain control of such a device, no planet will be safe."
:BUT THEY COULD NOT PERFECT THE DEVICE. THEY DO NOT POSSESS THE TECHNICAL KNOWLEDGE TO FINISH.:
"They might now." Goulet continued. "We found your pod a great distance from any star system. You must have been in space for years. That might be enough time for them to perfect it. Do you know the location of the installation you fled from?"
:YES. IT IS LOCATED FDSAJO;GH APODNBV;A
As Goulet read the garbage on the screen, R'Raskar let out a yowl. His eyes glazed over, and his head fell to the table. Goulet shouted for the doctor.
Bill had a scanner in his hand. He ran it over R'Raskar. "He's alive. All internal functions normal. His brainwave pattern has been altered, though. It looks as though his intelligence has been completely removed." He switched off the scanner. "What would be capable of that?"
Goulet knew. "Galcron Sigma." He muttered. "It's a chemical agent that paralyzes the thought centers of the brain. Deprives any intelligent creature of anything but the barest glimmer of sentience." Just then, the doctor came into the room. Goulet turned to him. "Do what you can for him. Kei, Yuri, Bill, we need to talk. In my office, in twenty minutes."
He turned and left.
Bill stared at the door, then at the vegetating form of R'Raskar. His eyes fell to the floor. "Shit."
Kei and Yuri walked to the Director's office alone. Bill had not met them at the elevator, as he said he would. "What do you suppose is bugging Bill?" Kei asked her partner.
Yuri scratched her chin with a finger. "I don't know, but it's been going on for a while now." She had noticed a small shift in his attitude weeks ago, but thought nothing of it. "Maybe he's just tired."
"Yeah, maybe. Maybe you're wearing him ragged." She ignored the dirty look Yuri gave her at that remark. "He's been working too hard – he should take a vacation maybe."
As they arrived at the door to Goulet's office, they could hear the sounds of a fight inside.
"I don't CARE whether or not you want to do it! We have no need for such a device, and I won't authorize you to work on it!"
"To Hell with you then!" Bill's voice. "If you want to stifle research, that's FINE with me! I'll find someone ELSE to finance it for me!"
"Don't threaten ME, Doctor! I've given you free reign for too long - You'll do as I say and LIKE it! Remember who you work for!"
The girls jumped away from the door as it slid open, Bill in the process of swinging his foot back. "Damn modern doors!" He cursed. "Can't even kick them anymore!" He turned and stomped away.
Kei and Yuri stared at his back for a moment, but then Goulet's voice made them jump. "Yuri! Kei! Get in here! NOW!" From the look on his face, they were in trouble for sure.
Yuri looked at Goulet, then the fuming Bill. "Kei, I'd better talk to Bill. I'll just be a few minutes, okay?"
She caught up with him by sprinting after him. "Bill. What's happened? Is something wrong?"
Bill increased his pace. "Nothing you can help with. I've had enough of this 'Worlds Welfare' crap. From now on, I'm working for myself. Earth never became part of the Galactica - I'm going back and start again."
Yuri's eyes went wide as he said this. "But, Bill, that means we'll never see each other again. What about us?"
He stopped. "Us? US? There is no 'US'! From now on, there's only 'Me'. If I continue to surround myself with people with childish attitudes, I'll never be able to do anything worthwhile."
"Ch-childish attitudes? You can't mean that! Bill, what's the matter with you? You've never acted like this before!" She tugged on his arm, trying to turn him around.
He shook off her hold on him. "Dammit! You don't understand, do you? This 'Betterment of the Human Condition' shit they've pumped into you has warped your thinking! Well, I'm not about to let them put a muzzle on ME! Now, BEAT IT! Before I do something you'll regret!" He started walking again, leaving Yuri to stare, fighting tears, at his receding back.
"He's a God-damned TRAITOR!"
Goulet had brought Kei and Yuri up to date on what had happened as they were at the door, and Kei wasted no time in voicing her opinion. "That dirty bastard! We rescue him, give him a job, treat him like a friend, and THIS is how he treats us?! Well, I say good riddance - we can do better without him!"
Yuri could not believe what she was hearing from her partner. "Kei, what's gotten into you? A few minutes ago, you were concerned about his health. Now you give him up for dead? Has everybody gone mad?"
Goulet glared at her. "The only one who's gone mad around here is the good Doctor." He spat out the word 'Doctor'. "He actually thought we could find a use for a Fusion Disruptor! When that kind of device has no place in ANY civilized society! The Central Computer has classified him as a Renegade, effective immediately."
"So, we go after him?" Kei asked. "I want a piece of him!"
"The Computer has expressly forbidden taking action against him." The girls gaped as he went on. "For whatever reason, it seems to think that Galet's arrest is not important. I hope it's right."
Just then, the intercom on Goulet's desk buzzed for attention. He answered it. "Director Goulet," came the voice from the speaker, "This is Security. Doctor Galet has attacked three guards in the hangar bay. He disabled several ships, and launched in the Star Seeker without authorization."
Kei, Yuri, and Goulet exchanged glances. "What now, sir?" Kei asked.
Goulet leaned back in his chair. "The orders stand. No action is to be taken against Doctor Galet, for any reason. In any case, I couldn't have you two involved, anyway." He looked at Yuri. "You have too much of a personal stake in this. Dismissed."
As they left, he swiveled to face the wall. As the door slid shut behind them, his frown dropped and he let out a heavy sigh. They'd better stay out of this. He silently pondered. Too much can go wrong, without THEM sticking their noses into it. "So, what do we do?" Yuri whispered as the door closed behind them.
"What do we do?! We do nothing! Damn it all!" Of everything that bothered Kei, inactivity rated high on her list. "Our hands have been tied!"
"Officially..." Yuri muttered. "Come ON!" She shouted, an idea growing in her mind. She grabbed Kei by the wrist and ran for the hangar bay.
"HEY! What are you doing?" Kei screamed, running flat-out to keep from being dragged off her feet. "Are you out of your mind?!"
Yuri turned around long enough to gasp. "If I know Bill as well as I think I know him, then he'll make one stop before he heads for Earth! And we'll be right behind him! I'm going to find out just WHAT is going on!"
She started running again. Kei shrugged and followed.
Planet Yocha.
Four small metal plaques shone in the midafternoon sun. Bill paused to silently place a small bundle of flowers before each one. As he laid the last one, he looked up. Above the plaques were engraved the words - 'IN LOVING MEMORY. THE GALET FAMILY.'
Tears began to flow from his eyes as he knelt in front of the first marker. The plaque read 'Galet, J. 2067-2140'. If I close my eyes, Bill felt. I'll wake up. Janie will be here, and all this will have been a bad dream. He imagined her, talking about Mike's latest revelation on his road to adulthood, laughing at his bad jokes. He could almost picture her crying as, so long ago, the authorities told her that her closest relative had disappeared, and would likely be dead. It's real. It happened.
He ran his fingers over the surface of the metal plate, feeling the indentations where the letters were carved. His breath was ragged as he did so. "Janie, I'm sorry." He whispered. "I wish I could change things, I really do. I wanted to do so much for you and Mikey. And Billy – you have no idea how much I wish I could have been there for Billy. You were the most important parts of my life, but I couldn't tell you even that. Forgive me, Janie, for what I'm doing." He stood up and spoke again, in a loud, carrying voice. "Those damn fools don't know what a good thing they had! I could have given them powers beyond their feeble imaginations, but they don't have the sense to see the opportunities! I should never have sided with them in the first place! Simpletons!"
"I quite agree, Doctor Galet."
The unexpected voice took him by surprise. He spun around. "How DARE you invade my privacy like this! I..." Then he got a good look at the mans' face. "YOU?! You're Michaels, aren't you? One of Goulet's lackeys? I told him I was through - so you wasted a trip, if you're here to try and persuade me to return."
Michaels stared at him with sunken eyes. "Quite true, Doctor. I DO work for the Director. But I also work for another group, one that is very interested in your talents." He looked Bill up and down. "Since the WWWA no longer influences you, how would you like to work for one of the largest organizations in the galaxy?"
Bill snorted in disgust. "You can't mean the Crushers, do you? They're as simple-minded as the rest of them! That's an empty offer, mister!"
Michaels chuckled and shook his head. "No, Doctor. Not the Crushers. I belong to Lucifer." Bill raised his eyebrows at the mention of the name. "We have been monitoring your activities for some time now, and have sought a means of obtaining your services. Your intellect is unmatched, even in this era. Join us, and you will have access to riches beyond your wildest dreams - whole planets for the taking!"
Bill gave him a sidelong glance. "And this reward is for...?"
The double agent slyly answered. "We are running into dead ends with one of our projects, and we require your aid. Normally," He added, "there is a screening and testing process for new recruits to undergo before they are accepted into the organization. However, if you do this for us, we will waive that requirement and install you as a full partner and ally."
Bill thought it over for a moment. "Sounds good to me. Let's go."
The Lovely Angel warped into orbit about the planet Yocha, two hours behind Bill in the Seeker. Bill had done a good job of sabotaging the launch bay - most of their delay had been caused by the need to clear debris and replace equipment. Kei had been angry before this, but THIS was more than she could take. "When I get my hands on him -" She noted, her hands locked in a death-grip on the control stick, "I'm gonna toss him in the airlock, and slowly let the air out! Then, when I think he's had enough, I'll open the door..."
Yuri gaped at her partner. "And let him beg for mercy? He wouldn't!"
"... And space him!" She completed. "After what he's done - assaulting co-workers, destroying property, threatening YOU -" She shot a finger at Yuri. "He deserves no less! I'm gonna take great pleasure in watching him die!"
"Now, Kei. You agreed to hear HIS side of the story before doing anything, right? This is all a mistake - it has to be! Bill would NEVER do things like this without cause."
"He has good cause!" Kei shot back. "It's greed, pure and simple! He wasn't satisfied with what we offered him, so he's going Black-Market! All his high-and-mighty talk was just a sham! He lied to all of us - especially to YOU! He really had you believing in what he told you, didn't he? Well, I..." She didn't get a chance to finish her thought, because the Collision Alarm chose that moment to signal them of trouble. Kei glanced at the scanner. A ship was headed directly for them, but
who...?
"It's BILL!" Yuri shrieked. "He's going to ram us!" She slammed the throttle forward, and the resulting thrust threw them backwards into their seats. The Star Seeker shot past them, silent and dark - its reactionless drive giving off no telltale exhaust flame.
Something inside Kei snapped. "THAT DOES IT! I'm through playing Cat-and-Mouse!" She snatched the controls, and the Angel shot after its new target. "This time, he's really gonna get it!" She grit her teeth and tried to wish the ship to greater speeds...
Bill noticed the speck on his scanner. Michaels stood behind him, looking skeptical. "It would appear that we are being pursued." Bill muttered.
"Well, who is it?" Michaels asked as Bill called up a magnified image on one of the control screens. The picture resolved almost instantly.
Bill's face fell when he recognized the ship. Oh, DAMN! Why THEM? Michaels' jaw dropped to the floor. "It's the Dirty Pair!" He wailed. "Destroy them! Destroy them NOW!"
Bill turned around to glare at his passenger. "With what?" He snapped. "This is a research and testing ship, not a warship! It isn't equipped with offensive weapons."
"Well, don't tell me about it! You've GOT to do something! They'll shoot us out of space if they get the chance!"
Bill grinned at him. "Not to worry. The WWWA taught me a few tricks, and I've got more than a few of my own. Watch." He began to enter new instructions into his computer, while Michaels shook nervously behind him. The girls watched the Seeker, which they had been steadily closing on, leap away from them with an incredible burst of speed.
Kei slammed her fist into the control console. "DAMN! He's getting away! We need more power to catch him!"
"Power we don't have." Yuri noted quietly. "We'd overload our engines, maybe even wreck the ship. Let him go, Kei. It isn't worth it."
"Like HELL I'll let him go!" She magnified the image of the retreating Seeker on the screen. "He ain't getting away that easy!" She hit the fire-control console as hard as she could. "DIE! You sonofabitch!"
The missiles streaked towards their intended victim. Their speed was unmatched by any ship in existence - not even the Seeker's much-touted Quantum Thrusters were a match for the barely-controlled fusion reaction that drove them. A moment later, the occupants of the other ship saw them, and curved off in an attempt to avoid their deadly pursuers. But the missiles had been programmed with a detailed description of their target - they followed it relentlessly as it twisted, rolled, and dove in its fruitless attempt to avoid them. They very quickly gained on the Seeker...
...Which dove behind an asteroid at the last second. The missiles split up, one going around the rock from one direction - the other from the opposite side. The flash of their detonation could just be seen from behind the kilometer-sized chunk of debris they had rounded. The Angel slid around it to assess the damage.
"I don't get it." Yuri muttered, her eyes glued to the scanner before her. "There's no wreckage here at all! Traces of fusion products, some vaporized rock, but no hullmetal traces, no oxygen traces, no organic remnants, nothing!" She looked up at Kei. "Looks like he got away after all."
Kei grunted in disgust and programmed a course for home.
Twenty billion kilometers away, well outside the range of the Angel's sensors, the Seeker drifted, tumbling slowly. Bill sat at the controls, his eyes shut tightly. Slowly he opened them, and let out a heavy sigh of relief. "That was close." He muttered as he proceeded to stabilize their spin.
Michaels shook his head to clear it. "Close is right! What did you do?"
"Just before the missiles blew, I jumped the ship. I think the blast distorted the warp field, giving us that wild ride. We're safe now." He swivelled his chair to face his compatriot. "WELL, now that that's over with, you might as well tell me where we're going, so I can input the coordinates into the computer."
"No, doctor. I won't give you the coordinates. I'll input them MYSELF. The location of our destination is a very closely guarded secret. If you please...?" Bill stood up and left the control room as Michaels began keying the information. He called Bill back in when he was finsihed. "Since you've been so - cooperative - I'll let you pilot the ship into the station."
"Thanks, I'm sure." Bill whispered sarcastically. He tapped a key, and the faint rush of air escaping could be heard in the room.
"What was that?" Michaels demanded.
"Just routine. The ship is programmed to dump our spent fuel before a Jump. Saves me the trouble of pumping it out later. Who's gonna know?"
"Well... I guess it doesn't matter."
"You've got nothing to say about it. It's a normal part of the ships' function - can't be overridden. Now, shall we?"
He tapped another key and the ship left the Yocha system.
Seconds after the ship jumped, a small cylinder that had been dumped with the lithium from the ships' waste tanks came to life. It scanned the area, oriented itself, and fired itself into the nearest large asteroid it detected. It began to count down from five million, at which time it would fulfill the remainder of its program. Dutifully, it marked off the seconds until the appointed time was reached. 5000000, 4999999, 4999998...
"You did WHAT?!"
The girls jumped at the fury in Goulet's voice. "You were told specifically to stay away from this matter, and you go ahead and get involved ANYWAY!? Of all the impulsive, irresponsible..." He took a deep breath and counted to twenty. "It doesn't matter. As of now, you have a new assignment. The planet Larosia is experiencing trouble with freighter attacks. You're to go and investigate immediately."
Yuri held her hands behind her back. Kei leaned forward onto his desk. "A PIRACY CASE? You're sending US after a cruddy gang of PIRATES? You've GOT to be kidding!"
Goulet looked her in the eye. "You're lucky I don't suspend you from duty for what you've done! That was a serious breach of regulations, very nearly deserving of dismissal for both of you! Now, GET TO WORK!" The note of finality in his voice caused her to scurry backwards, out the door. Yuri quickly followed.
In the hallway, Kei fumed. "This is all Bills' fault! He's going to pay for this - if it's the last thing I do, he's going to pay dearly!"
Yuri followed in silence. This is wrong. She couldn't help but think. I don't know why, but something's gone terribly wrong in the universe. I wonder if that alien pod has something to do with it.
She continued to ponder silently on the way back to their apartment.
...900000, 899999, 899998...
Bills' new lab was the largest he'd ever seen, and he said so.
Michaels snickered. "The K-Taskans didn't do anything small, Doctor. These labs are the best-equipped in the galaxy, even if we can't understand half of what some of these instruments do. I'm sure you'll find anything you require here."
"I'm curious, though. How did you - uh, WE - come to obtain this installation?"
"One of the Xenologists that discovered this artifact was in our employ. We enlisted a couple of the others, and disposed of the rest. Nobody outside our organization knows of its existence, here on this rather strategic planetoid. Not even the residents of the colony on the second planet knows we're here. We use it as our base of operations – our 'Home Soil' if you will."
"Poetic." Bill mused. "Elegant. A headquarters that doesn't exist. With the most advanced technology ever conceived. I like it. I like it a lot."
Another man entered the room just then. From the attitude Michaels assumed in his presence, Bill assumed he must be his superior. "Greetings, Doctor Galet." He said. "I've been hearing wondrous things about you - I'm glad you're finally with us."
"Thank you - uhm...?"
"My name is not important. The less you know, the less you are able to betray. I understand you've agreed to assist us with our Disruptor problems."
"Yes. I've been going over your data, and I think I've figured out your process. I'll need some time to get set up, but I should be able to correct the problem without much difficulty."
"Excellent. I look forward to our continued victories together."
Bill took his hand, and knew he was committed.
...350000.. 349999.. 349998.. The computer kept count with unerring accuracy.
The small fusion reactor had been set up well away from the installation. If the test that was about to take place proved successful, they would not risk the destruction of the most valuable secret they possessed.
Bill stood at the controls of the Fusion Disruptor, making final adjustments before the test. Michaels, and his nameless supervisor, stood behind him and watched as he manipulated the alien devices with an uncommon degree of skill. That adaptive training I was given sure paid off. He closed the panel and hit a key. The console glowed with life at his touch. "All set." He said triumphantly. "The problem has been completely solved, and I've increased its power to boot. You'll be able to use it on ANY fusion device in the system, no matter where it is, or where you are in the system."
"IF it works as promised." Michaels piped up. "You are aware of our severe punishments for failure, are you not?"
"Of course." Bill said, a scowl crossing his face for an instant. "I'm well aware of your disciplinary measures, but there will be no need for them. Watch." He tapped a key on the console, and the test reactor popped into view on a screen in front of them. "I set up this camera just to convince you that the device will indeed work." He keyed a set of instructions into the keyboard. "I'll use a low-power setting – not enough to obliterate the containment field, but just enough to give you an impressive display." He hit the final key.
For a second, nothing happened. Then, a small welt appeared in the shell of the device on the monitor. The welt grew, and then broke. A stream of blue-white flame, plasma from the heart of the reactor, spewed out of the breach, vaporizing the rock beneath it, and turning the rock molten for a significant distance beyond its wake. For three minutes, the jet of atomic death continued, then it faded and died - the fuel in the reactor spent.
Bill squared his shoulders with pride. Michaels jumped and whooped, ecstatic. Their other witness strode over and placed his hand on Bill's shoulder. "Well done, Doctor. A most worthwhile performance. I had no idea that even you could accomplish such a feat in so short a time. I salute you."
"Thank you, sir." Bill noted. "This was nothing. With the incredible technology of the K-Taskans at our disposal, I should be able to do things for you that will make this look like a simple parlour trick. If you'll excuse me now, sir, I'd like to do some more studies of some of the other alien artifacts. You never know what may prove profitable."
After Bill left, the commander turned to Michaels. "Watch him. I don't completely trust him yet. See that he makes no unauthorized use of the communications facility."
"Yes, sir. As you say."
...5.. 4.. 3.. 2.. 1.. 0!
The time had come for the computer to fulfill the remainder of its assigned task. It activated a tightbeam transmitter and dumped the contents of its memory into it.
It did not realize there was a ship in the path of the beam at the time...
The Lovely Angel exited warpspace over the city they called home. Bone-weary from the fighting with the pirates, and in trouble again for causing the destruction of several freighter ships in the process, the girls were ready for a peaceful, relaxing weekend. Kei was piloting, while Yuri played with the HyperChannel commlink system the ship used. Her mind wandering, she did not notice the signal they intercepted until the computer squawked about its unusual nature. Yuri glanced down to see the data stream past, but all she could make out were a set of warp coordinates and a name - Bill Galet.
She screamed in amazement, causing Kei to jerk. "Kei! These coordinates - they MUST be where Bill is! We can find out what this is all about!"
"Great!" Kei enthused. "Now I'll be able to get even with him for all the shit he put us through! He's in for it now!"
They broke orbit and warped...
Bill was dozing when the alarms went off. He leapt out of his cot and ran to the control room. "What the hell's going on?" He shouted.
Michaels looked up, sweat dripping from his brow. "It's the damned Dirty Pair! Somehow, they've found us! They've broken through our defences!"
Michaels' nameless superior suddenly stepped behind Bill, pressing a pistol to his back. "No doubt," He said. "They had someone on the inside feed then the coordinates for this station. I regret that your usefulness is at an end, Doctor." He started to squeeze the trigger.
A nearby explosion rocked the room. In his haste to retain his balance, the man behind Bill did not see his victim spin around and kick the gun away. Bill treated the man to another kick, in the stomach, before darting into the corridor.
Wheezing, he looked up at Michaels. "Kill him." He gasped.
Michaels bolted out the door in pursuit.
Bill poked his head out of the door to his lab. Seeing that the corridor was clear, he headed off in the direction of the hangar bay.
He rounded a corner, and came face to gun-barrel with a figure in an armored WWWA spacesuit. "Hold it, Bill!" The muffled voice called to him. "Don't make me shoot you. I want an explanation, and I want it now."
Suddenly, Bill realized the identity of the figure. "Dammit, Yuri! You weren't supposed to be involved!" He knocked the gun out of her hand and grabbed her wrist. He pulled her around and resumed his flight towards the hangar. "We have to get out of here before they figure out what's going on!" Yuri followed, trying to comprehend this second shift in his behaviour.
They ran, Yuri trailing behind, until they came to an intersection. Bill was first through it, and as he passed a bulkhead, the airtight door slid shut behind him. Simultaneously, the bulkhead in front of him closed, trapping him. The enclosure began to fill with a thick smoke...
Liquid fire ran through his skull. He could hear Yuri pounding on the bulkhead door, trying to get to him, but the agony in his head overrode everything else. He fell to his knees, screaming and clutching his temples. He blacked out..
Yuri watched, helpless, as Bill collapsed. A heartbeat later, the door opened. Bill was on the floor, seemingly unconscious. She knelt next to him, trying desperately to revive him.
"There's nothing you can do to help him." A new voice informed her. She turned around to see Michaels, gun in hand, walking towards her. "The gas was Galcron Sigma. I'm sure you're aware of its effects. By now, he couldn't even lift a finger to help you." He pointed the gun at her head. Staring at each other, they did not see Bill stir slightly, nor did they see the large red shadow approach from another corridor.
Mugi pounced on Michaels with a roar of fury. Being in this place, so similar to the one that he had been held in, turned his mind off – he wanted revenge on his captors and, if not them, then the ones who had sought to recreate their atrocities. He buried his face below the screaming mans' chin...
"Mugi, NO!" To Yuri's astonishment, Bill called out the order.
...Blood jetted from the ragged hole that used to be Michaels' throat. His need for revenge sated, Mugi loped over to where Yuri was helping Bill to his feet. Mugi gave Bill a sniff, and rubbed his side against him, satisfied that he was indeed a friend.
Yuri was still staring at Bill in disbelief. "How...?" She started to ask.
But Bill was already shoving her towards the hangar. "No time to explain. I've set the power plant to produce a surge that will destroy all the equipment in the complex! If we aren't out of here in five minutes, we won't get out at all! Tell Kei to warp out of the system, we'll be right behind her!"
The Commander hauled himself up onto the Disruptor console in time to see the Star Seeker blast out of the hangar bay. Furious, he began to activate the Disruptor unit, muttering. "You won't get away from me, Galet. For your betrayal, you die like a star." He locked the device at full power and activated it.
Suddenly, half of the devices in the room exploded. A monitor at his side blew millions of metal shards in his direction, shredding him. He did not see that the Seeker warped out at that very instant, and that the Disruptor had locked, not on Galet's ship, but on the sun.
Three hours later, Bill, Kei, Yuri, and Goulet were having drinks in Bill's apartment. Bill and Goulet were giving the confused Pair a complete explanation.
"We knew there was a spy for Lucifer in the WWWA somewhere." Goulet told them. "The idea was to trick him into thinking that Mr. Galet had gone bad, and thus draw him out into the open. The pod containing R'Raskar gave us the setting to use, and we just worked it from there. Bill and I were the only ones who knew about the plan, and the Central Computer has sanctioned it after the fact."
"I still don't understand," Yuri broke in. "Why you still have your brain in one piece, Bill. Michaels said the gas you were exposed to was..."
"Galcron Sigma." Bill completed. "It was. The boys in BioChem had come up with a bacterium that feeds on that particular chemical, and I volunteered to test it out for them. It neutralizes the effects of the gas, but it isn't something I'd want to be exposed to on a regular basis - quite a horrid experience, let me tell you."
"Well, now that that's settled." Kei said. "Would somebody tell me why we weren't told about all this? It IS our field, you know!"
Bill snickered and glanced at Mugi, who was again listening to Bill's music. "Quite simple, actually. The fewer people that knew about the plan, the less chance there was of Lucifer getting wind of it, and killing me before I got a chance to do anything. Besides," He added, taking hold of Yuri's hand. "No offence, but you two are TERRIBLE actors. This way, you made a very convincing show of it, even if you DID butt in and nearly spoil it."
"Well, all's well that ends well." Kei said wearily. "Now that all this is over, I'm looking forward to a good, relaxing..."
The phone buzzed for attention before Kei could finish. Touching a key on the table, Bill looked up at the screen as it lit. "Excuse me, doctor." The man on the screen politely asked. "But is the Director there?"
"I'm here, Millson." Goulet said to the screen. "What is it?"
"Sir," The man said nervously. "We just received an image from one of the long-range perimeter satellites from the New Brazil colony. We thought you had better see it."
"New Brazil?" Bill wondered. "Isn't that the name of the colony planet in the system we just left?"
"It is." Goulet informed him. He turned back to the screen and said, "Let's see the image."
"Yessir." The image on the screen changed to an unusual scene. The star depicted before them was in the process of expansion. Already it was a hundred times its normal diameter, and it appeared to be growing larger still.
Oh, NO! "The planet?" Bill asked, trying to keep from whimpering.
"Has already been engulfed by the star. We have been scanning for ships that may have survived, but have found none."
"Thank you." Goulet whispered emotionlessly as he broke the connection and the screen went dark. "Three billion people, all dead." He buried his head in his hands. "All because the Dir.. uh, Lovely Angels decided to get involved."
Yuri leaned over to Kei. "You were saying something about a relaxing vacation?"
Kei looked at Goulet, then turned to Yuri. "Make that a long one."
Bill added, "And I suggest that we leave right away."
-FIN-