Conclusion to Chapter 41

The two time lords and jamie wore old fashioned golfers' kit (shirt, tie, vest, suitcoat, plus fours or knee breeches, Argyle socks, spiked shoes and tam o' shanter caps). Leila was stunning in a white sweater, pink windbreaker with matching slacks, Izod foot socks, spiked shoes and a red/black headband. She carried her blaster tucked inside her rear waistband underneath her sweater. Jamie wore the same kit as the two Doctors except that he wore his kilt rather than plus fours and he carried his weapon in his sporrin (pouch). Kome quietly handed Yuri the spiked golf shoes that she had brought for her.

Kei fired up the engines and blasted out of the airlock which closed behind them. Keeping to the forest's dense cover, she rocketed East at 4,500 rills at SubWarp 5 (1,500 mph) until they reached the 'North Star Southern Cross Golf Country Club' at St Amon's in Senna province. Finding a discreet clearing near the 14th fairway, Kei landed the 'Raphael' and cloaked it. The chromo now read 0650 (6:50 AM) hours- only ten minutes to tee time!

END OF CHAPTER 41

DISCLAIMER: OK Misao, it's all yours! First, thank you to Mr. T. for the use of the Angels. Thanks to everyone else who is letting us use their creations. How was that, Yuri? Great! Oh yes it was, Kei! Well, we left you up in the air so let's get to Chapter 42 without further preamble-

Chapter 42

'Angels vs Eagles (and Birdies Too!)' or 'How NOT To Play Golf' '

Leaving the others to mill about at the first tee, the participants in the match piled into four of the skysleds and quickly reached the clubhouse/pro shop. Checking in was speedily accomplished (Doctor 2 was quite well known here) and everyone in the group received a vidpad scorecard, course map and yardage holovid. The course they would be using was the 'Gold' course, a 7,200 meters/Par 72 which meant that it contained 4 Par 5's, 4 Par 3's and ten Par 4's. There were three sets of tee markers: Blue for ladies, White for experts and Red for average players. By mutual agreement, the red tees were chosen to be used by all of them. There were water hazards (one stroke penalty if your ball goes in one and you cannot play it out) on holes 1, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14 and 18. There were sand bunkers (traps)(you may not 'ground' your club in them preparatory to a shot. You practice your swings outside of the hazard) on all the holes except 2, 7, 16 and 17. The 2 hole was a very short par 3 of only 96 meters while 7 was a long uphill par 4 with a huge tree bisecting the fairway. 16 was reminiscent of the fabled Terran 'blue monster' 18th hole at 'Doral' in Florida with water on the entire left side up to the green which was quite narrow. It was another par 4 as was 17 which was a copy of the famed 17th 'road hole' at 'St Andrews' in Scotland on Terra. The 'road hole' is an uphill par 4 with a road circling the rear of the green. In normal play any shot on a road could be 'dropped' without penalty nearby no nearer the pin (hole), however, such was not the case here as the road was 'in play' and only at the cost of a stroke could you 'drop' off of it. The holes on the greens had five feet tall (rather than six or seven feet tall) flagsticks in them due to the constantly severe winds of 40 to 55 kph which were always present. This was NOT an easy course!

AN- Rather than trying to explain an 'Alternate Shot/Best Ball Nassau' match to you I will instead explain our version as used here. All eight players hit shots off the tee (there are two teams of four players each. Team 1 is Doctor 2, Doctor 4, Jamie and Leila. Team 2 is Kei, Yuri, Kome and Marlene.). Of the two person subteam (The subteams are Doctor 2/Jamie; Doctor 4/Leila; Yuri/Kome; Kei/Marlene) playing the player whose ball goes farthest and/or is in the best position for the next shot will have his/her ball used for that hole. After teeing off, anyone on that 4 person team (except for the one who hit the last shot) may hit next. The honour on the tee off is constant throughout the match. In match play the best score 'wins' the hole and that team is so many shots up with so many more to play. Match begins 'all square'. Play continues until one team has won more holes than there are holes left to play. The teeing order is Doctor 4; Leila; Doctor 2; Jamie; Leila; Yuri; Kome; Marlene; Kei. A par is even score with 2 strokes on the green and one stroke for par 3, two for par 4 and three for par five. A birdie is one stroke less than par, an eagle is two less and a double eagle (albatross) is three less than par. A bogey is one stroke more than par, a double bogey is two more, etc. A player is allowed 14 clubs in his/her bag. For our match, everyone has the same clubs in their bags. They are Woods: Driver, 3 (baffle) wood, 4 (spoon) wood and 5 (cleek) wood. Irons: 3, 4, 5 (mashie), 6, 7, 8, (spade mashie), 9 (niblick) irons and pitching wedge and sand wedge (sand iron) as well as a putter. A par 3 has no fairway, only par 4s and 5s do. Your tee shot is supposed to reach the green in one for a par 3, in two for a par 4 and in three for a par 5 always leaving an average of two putts on the green to finish the hole.

Without further ado, here we go:

The first hole was a 390 meter dogleg (curve) right par 4. Leila drove her ball 290 meters down the right side, cutting the dogleg and leaving a 100 meter second shot from a great angle for her partner (Doctor 4) to attack the pin which was back left and guarded by a bunker.

Doctor 4's tee shot hit heavy rough 190 meters off the tee. Jamie caught a fairway bunker 210 meters out. Doctor 2 went 160 meters and came to rest under a tree. (AN- That means Leila's and jamie's balls will be 'best balls' and played instead of Doctor 2's and Doctor 4's balls)

Yuri's tee shot sailed 150 meters into a lake. Kome's went 165 meters to the dead center of the fairway and was played next. Mar caught a left bunker 275 meters out and Kei's ball carried 310 meters to a spot just 80 meters shy of the green! It was 'hole high' (in direct line of the pin) and was used next also.

Doctor 4 tried a punch shot with a 7 iron which airmailed the green, leaving a third shot of 30 meters. Marlene used a sand iron to 'cozy' Kei's ball onto the green and roll it to within 16 feet of the pin (hole). Leila cut a spade mashie (8 iron) stiff to within 3 feet of the cup. (AN- 'cup', 'pin' and 'hole' are used interchangably although they mean the same thing- the place where you put the ball on the green!) Kei's putt broke severely right before it straightened out and dropped in for a birdie 3. Doctor 4's 3 footer for par was of course conceded. Kei/Mar/Kome/Yuri's team won the first hole 1 up.

The next four holes (2 to 5) were finished 'all square' leaving Kei's team still 1 up with 13 holes to play. By this time, one thing was very apparent. The longest drivers for each team were Jamie and Kei. The best short game (shots inside 100 meters of the green) players were Doctor 2 and Marlene. Doctor 4, Leila, Yuri and Kome were just along for the ride so to speak although most of them were good putters.

Everyone was enjoying the crisp, clear weather and sunny day to the fullest. (Artificially controlled/created weather but what the Hell!) The 'Unholy Four' were (of course) enthralled to not have to worry about: 'who's going to show up next?'; 'what's Ed up to now?'; who's in sick bay?' and a myriad of other daily problems they'd had to contend with since this mission had begun!

After some long but uninspiring tee shots (off the 6th tee), the two best were still a bit of a challenge. Jamie's shot had gone into the fairway but he'd carried it a tad too far and had a 'tight lie' for his next shot which had to clear a lake 150 meters wide to reach a green which sloped back towards the players and the water! The total distance to the pin was 210 meters. The two time lords and Leila had a brief discussion over who would tackle this shot (Jamie was ineligible since he had hit last). Doctor was a good short game player but he lacked the length to clear the water hazard. Doctor 4 had the length but lacked the skill to 'spin' (cause the ball to back up once it strikes the green) the ball and stop it before it rolled off the green and into the drink. The only choice left was Leila.

Selecting a 'cleek' she gripped down almost to the flex (tape wrapped around the bottom of the club shaft) and took a 'closed' (both feet aligned square to target) stance. Whipping the club back to shoulder height with the head of the club pointed skywards, she drove down with a good deal of force at the ground beneath her ball and carved a huge 'divot' (chunk of turf) as she struck the ball and ground driving through it. She cut off her follow through abruptly, hurling ball and divot low and fast. All aizu watched in awe as the ball easily cleared the lake and struck the flagstick causing the ball to drop softly down on the green and roll back only a few feet with little 'spin'. She was within 20 feet of the pin. Leila smiled and slid the wood back into her bag. (AN- All players are using gloves on one hand except for Leila and Kei who play barehanded.

Kei's shot had gone farther than Jamie's but had not found the fairway. Instead her ball was lying at the bottom of a deep bunker! Yuri's, Kome's and Mar's shots had all found water hence Kei's ball had to be played. This shot also had the lake to clear but from a different angle which brought the whole lake into play by 175 meters (to clear) instead of 150. Total distance to pin was 180 meters. No question as to who would play this shot. The only one with the skills necessary here was (who else?) Marlene!

Coolly, she selected a 3-iron! Kei urgently whispered to her partner. "A 3-iron from 180 outta a trap! Are you baka! You need a wood like a spoon or a cleek!" Marlene answered quietly. An iron gets the shot up quickly, Kei. A fairway wood won't clear the lip of the bunker. Trust me, Kei. I know oro I'm doing." Kei stepped back to watch with Yuri and Kome. "I can't look! Tell me when it's over!" whimpered Yuri, shutting her aizu tight. (AN- In bunkers or traps, you are not allowed to 'ground' your club meaning you cannot make sand contact until you execute the shot! You practice your swing before you go into the trap.) Mar stepped down into the bunker and opened the blade of her club (laid the club sideways above the sand so its face pointed up) to its fullest extent. Whipping it backwards until the shaft was parallel to her shoulders and back, Mar drove as hard as she could just below the middle of the ball, twisting the club at the very last second to 'square' (close the face so it is aligned with the target) which sent the ball flying high and long. It easily cleared the water and struck the back of the green. The slope and spin combined to pull the ball back towards the pin fast with a lot of spin. When it stopped, the ball was a mere 5 feet away from the pin on a gentle upslope ideal for putting.

The teams' best putters were Doctor 4 and Kome. Doctor 4 was the first to putt. He 'read' (determine the way the ball will roll based on the curvature of the green, the grass, etc.) the green perfectly, however, he incorrectly judged the speed of the green and his 'lag' stopped 10 feet short of the pin! That left either the other time lord, Jamie or Leila with a tough par putt. Doctor 2 missed their par putt by a foot. Kome was advised not to 'read' too much 'break' (the way the ball will roll) into her putt but rather to concentrate on the speed of the green. Needless to say, she holed out for a 'birdie' 3. The one footer was conceded and Kei's team won the hole- 2- up with 12 holes to go.

The next two holes (7 and 8) were completed 'all square' with 'birdies' by both teams. The overall score still left Kei's team up by 2 holes with 10 to play when they reached the ninth tee. "It looks like a bitch!" whispered Kei to her teammates. "Only 129 meters, Kei, but the first 115 are across water to a tight 'island green' (a green only approachable by a narrow spit of land from the teeing area) which slopes right to left. Don't play to the pin. That's a 'sucker' pin (when the hole looks easy to reach and tempts a player to hit right at the flag). Play to the center right of the pin. Anything on the green is an easy 3 so we'll settle for par on this one, OK?" asked Marlene. Kei nodded apprehensively. "Oro club, Mar?" she asked. Mar grinned. "With your length- this one." She handed Kei the pitching wedge (used from 120 meters and in towards the green). Yuri, Jamie and Leila had already found the water with their tee shots so Kome and the two time lords had headed for the 'drop area' (on water holes, a spot to hit third shots from to the green; usually easier than the teeing ground) to hit their thirds.

After the 6th hole, only two players from each team teed off on each hole. Jamie and Leila/Kei and Yuri were the designated hitters so to speak. (AN- There is a one stroke penalty assessed on each shot into a water hazard.) Komey and Doctor 2 both hit the green this time but left super long 'bogey' (one over par) putts for 4. Doctor 4 had again found the drink so he and Leila were out for this hole. Kei teed up and took a 'closed' stance. Swiftly, she brought the club back to shoulder height. Pausing a second, she drove down easily, striking the ball and sweeping it skywards towards the 'fat' (safe area away from pin and hazards) of the green. It struck softly on the right side of the green and slid quietly to the left before gently stopping 15 feet from the pin! Advantage to Kei's team- two putts for par and another hole! Jamies's and Kei's balls were to be used. Leila went first, stroking her putt too hard and shooting the ball 20 feet past the cup. Mar stroked Kei's ball gently and tried to 'lag' it to the 'magic circle' (3 feet from the cup). Instead her putt was true and the ball dropped in for a 'birdie' 2. 3- up with the 'back nine' (holes 10 to 18 which are usually tougher than the 'front nine' were.) to go for Kei's team. The 20 footer had again come up 6 feet short so the 'double bogey' 5 was conceded.

"Welcome to the 'back nine'." said Doctor 2. "If they get another hole up on us, this contest could end on 15 so buckle down and try harder!" warned Doctor 4. "Leila, Jamie- think long and straight here. Water right and bunkers left so stay out of them." whispered Doctor 2 urgently. The other team had chosen Kei and Kome to hit these tee shots (Marlene tended to 'hook' (hit ball to the left) off long tees so Kome got the nod this time.) Kome chose driver and promptly bunkered 157 meters out. Leila and jamie had each hit solid shots to the fairway- Leila had gone 200 while Jamie had crushed his ball to the 325 meter mark! Mar grabbed Kei's arm and bent close to her ear to whisper. "You tend to 'slice' (hit the ball too far right; 'hooking' is too far left) With water right that's bad news. Either let me try a 'hook' or use a 'baffle' instead of a driver. You make the call, Captain." Kei pondered before saying "I know I can't outdrive Jamie and I don't want to hit the water so go ahead and 'hook' it." Marlene nodded. Meanwhile, Kome was trying to coach Yuri about bunker shots but Yuri still looked as confused as hell. Mar struck her driver forcefully and her ball 'hooked' dead left! Suddenly, a fortunate gust of wind caught it and brought it back into the fairway- 335 meters out! The team would use this ball not Kome's (lucky for Yuri!) for this hole. Mar had outdriven the Scot by 10 meters! Kome thumped Mar's back as did Kei. The other team looked sick and Yuri fainted. "Get up, you baka moron!" yelled Kei gruffly, nudging Yuri with her foot. "You have to carry two sand pits and a stream, Kei!" teased Yuri, sitting up. "Big deal, baka! You're IN a bunker!" pointed out Kei. "But we're using Mar's ball not Kome's so I don't have to ply it!" replied Yuri.

Doctor 2 hit next, dropping his ball within 30 feet of the pin. Kei surveyed her 90 meter problem. Two bunkers and a stream guarded the green but the green sloped away from her! This would be Mar's dilemna if she'd played the tee shot. Oh well, no use crying about it! Great! A sand iron (100 meter club) would be more than enough club to clear all three hazards but Kei wanted to play a 'parachute drop' (the ball goes high and comes down gently with little spin or roll to it.) shot and kill the ball's spin. So the selected a 'niblick' (9-iron) and 'opened' her stance (The same as a 'closed' stance except that the trailing foot determines the direction of the shot.). Bring the club back only as far as her right waist, she drove down easily, catching the ball cleanly which caused the ball to sail over all three hazards and drop straight down with no roll or spin. The ball was a mere 7 feet away from the pin! Doctor 4's 'birdie' putt cme up five feet short. Mar was facing a 7 footer for 'birdie' 3 and a 4- up for her team with 8 holes to play. But it was scarcely a simple little putt! It was a 'triple breaker' breaking right, left and finally right again with a huge break. She aimed four feet left of the cup and putted firmly. (AN- There are two basic putting styles- a 'lag' and a 'charge'. A 'lag' runs slower but stops easier than a 'charge' putt. 'Charges' run much faster and are usually used by players who 'read' greens and judge green speeds well since the only way to stop the ball is to strike the cup! Mar and Kei were usually 'chargers' while Jamie, Yuri and Kome were usually 'laggers'. The two Doctors had no preferences and used whatever style they felt necessary.)

Mar's putt broke severely right, coasted left and finally went back to the right, straightening out for the last two feet. Her speed was perfect and her ball banged firmly into the back of the cup, dropping into the hole for a 'birdie' 3 and a 4- up advantage for Kei's team. The other teams' par putt was conceded and play resumed. The 11th was a par 3 which yielded 'birdies' to both sides. The 12th was a long, difficult dogleg left par 4. Both teams 'bogeyed' this hole but Kei's gang was still 4- up with six to go.

The 13th was a superlong par 5. Jamie's side 'birdied' but Kei's side 'eagled' for a 3 which raised their score to 5- up with five to play. "If they take 14 , it's over, guys, isn't it?" asked Leila. Her other three teammates glumly nodded in agreement. "We'll be finished by lunchtime, Mar." laughed Kei. After several muffed shots from both sides, somehow both tteams had reached the green and were facing par putts. Doctor 4 and Kei were the putters. His ball was 40 feet away while she was 20 feet off the mark. Doctor 4's putt was five feet short. Kei read a left break, took a breath, held and released it before stroking her putt firmly, allowing the putter to slide past the ball on her followthrough (where the club and player finish the stroke). The ball took off quickly and went for 19 feet 11 and a half inches and stopped! The other team breathed a sigh of relief. Still a chance to keep the match alive! Kei strolled over to tap her ball in forbogey but she had hardly gone three paces (steps) when the ball vanished, having dropped in for the only par of the two groups. 6- up and 4 to play. The match was over! (AN- The match ends here because one team has won more holes than there are holes remaining to play and even if Jamie's team were to win the 15th, 16th, 17th and 18th holes, they would still trail Kei's gang by two holes!) So here the match ended 6 and 4 in Kei/Mar/Kome/Yuri's favor.

As it was almost high noon, the Saiyaans (Goku and Vegeeta) were looking around for the nearest source of food! Vegeeta was the first to spot the snack bar/luncheonette. "May I help you, sir?" inquired the counterman politely. (AN- He'll wish he hadn't asked that!) "Yeah! I'll have 50 cheeseburgers, 50 large fries, 50 chocolate milkshakes, 25 apple pies (Bulma wanted her hubby to watch his sweets intake!), 40 giant root beers an 20 choclate ice cream cones, please!" The poor guy thought he was dealing with an escaped lunatic! After all, wasn't 'Athena 12' a penal colony for madmen? And it was only six and a half parsecs away from 'Kagura'! Vegeeta didn't notice the poor guy's strange looks as he turned to Goku who had just caught up with him. "You want something too, Kakkaroth (Goku's real Saiyaan name which he hated so naturally Vegeeta used it all the time! Everyone else just called him Goku though.) "Yeah! The same thing he's having, tomo mine! Please!" replied Goku at which point the counterman fainted! The Prince of Saiyaans (Vegeeta) looked down at the guy in disgust. "You'd think he's never seen customers before! Humans are pathetic, Kakkaroth!" said Vegeeta. The guy was coming to now since Bulma was applying 'amyl nitrite' (smelling salts) in liberal quantities to the poor soul. "Don't mind them, sir." she said sweetly. "They're pigs! You should see them at home! The grouchy one's my husband." Bulma asked for their bills and paid them. She pointed to the picnic tables outside the luncheonette. "Now go over there and eat quietly like good little Saiyaans!" she said. The rest of the group had soon eaten and drunk their fill and it was time to start thinking about the return trip to the 'Angel'.

Kei trilled to Zoe. "Konnichi wa, Zoe. Anything to report? Over." trilled Kei. "Nope. All quiet here, Kei. Having fun? Over." trilled Zoe. "Yeah, it's cool. I was thinking of staying here until 1600 (4 PM) hours before we head back, OK? Over." trilled Kei. "Sure. See you back here around 1700 (5 PM) hours. Zoe out." trilled the stand in navigator.

Kei looked around for something else to do to kill time and spotted a football field just like they'd had on old Terra (according to the time lords anyway!)! "Now that would be great fun, man!" she cried, stowing away her clubs and spikes in the 'Raphael's' hold. Kei slipped on her sneakers and went off in search of baka suckers! I mean, players!

END OF CHAPTER 42. Chapter 43 'Killers vs Bruisers' (How Not to Play Football!) or 'Is 'Kagura' Burning?' to follow soon. Please r/r. See ya soon-KK