Thundercats (with many elements of Star Blazers/Space Battleship Yamato)

The Future is the Past

A Crossover Tale by Frederick P. Kopetz

Chapter Four: A Raging Mess…

Author's Note: I know, I know, people have been begging me for an update for years. I took a huge turn into left field, took and failed the Pennsylvania Bar Exam twice (trying again next year) bought a house with my wife Gail/Fluffy1957, found my attention diverted to two original novels in the works and several more Star Blazers stories that connect with this universe. I also found I have cancer and had to take early retirement from my job at the Department of Veterans Affairs. Did I also say that I was on the Congregational Council of my church and that I have also advanced as an officer in my Masonic Lodge and should be the Master in two years? I've been too busy.

But, now, back to what's going on with the 'Cats and the Star Force. Hope I can pick up the thread of this story again. Time went by too fast. – Freddo

Back on the Argo, Admiral Wildstar said, "As I said, we have quite a distance to go."

"Where are we now?" said Lion-O.

"Over North America," said Sasha. "Not much going on there…except…DAMNIT!" she yelled. "INCOMING!"

"Incoming what?" said a confused Lion-O.

"Incoming fire from below, range, 1500 kilometers below us…it's coming fast!"

"Kitano, evasive!" yelled Derek.

"Don't have to tell me twice," he said as the Argo turned, fast.

Still, an energy bolt sideswiped the space battleship at the port side, burning its way down the hull with a hiss.

"Lower flight bay damaged!" said Sandor. "Liquid oxygen tank number two damaged!"

"What the hell hit us?" said Wildstar.

"You're not going to believe this," said Sasha. "Someone built a good copy of the old Gamilon Reflex Gun near the Mississippi River; looks like it's near the site of Alton, Illinois!"

"I don't detect any satellites," said Sandor. "The power level is only 50% of the old Reflex Gun, but it's bad enough."

"What in the name of Twenty Cats is a Reflex Gun?" demanded Lion-O as he ran aft to Derek's bridge station.

"The Reflex Gun was a device used by the Gamilons when they fought us long ago," Wildstar answered. Then, a comm signal went off at his post. "Sickbay, yes?"

"What the hell are you doing up there?" screamed a high-pitched voice.

"Who's that?" Lion-O said.

"Doctor Sane, our chief surgeon; you met him once already. Nova's assisting him down there!"

"I'm trying to operate on one guy from the lower flight deck; Nova's double-teaming me and she's got one of those Rahlken guys under her knife! You trying to kill us?" yelled Sane.

"No, Doc, we aren't. We've encountered a Reflex Gun in North America."

"Where?" screamed Sane.

"Alton, Illinois," yelled Derek.

"Oh, that place," said Nova on the speakers, a bit less distinctly. "I'd come up and help, but I'm re-sectioning blood vessels near this Rahlken' s heart…real mess," Nova said.

"Are the others all right?" yelled Lion-O.

"None of the others are here yet, so I think they're okay, Derek," Nova said. "Excuse me, Dawn and I have to clamp a bleeder here. Talk later."

"Don't get us killed," yelled Doctor Sane as another bolt of energy roared in…from a second location.

"Incoming, from the site of Rock Island!" yelled Sasha. "Brace for impact!"

The Argo took a major hit, and the lights flickered.

"Damnit!" yelled Derek. "Lion-O, sit over there!" said Derek as he indicated a seat next to Dash, who had temporarily come aboard from the North Carolina; he and Paul Rosstowski had swapped ships. "That's Analysis; don't touch anything…you don't know a thing about our equipment!"

Them another signal came in as the Argo took another hit from the Reflex Gun near Alton. "Yes?" he said.

"Panthro here; my Thunder Tank's almost repaired, Admiral!"

"We might need it later, Panthro, thanks," said Derek as the Argo took another hit.

"We can't take any more of this, Captain!" said Sandor.

After the Argo's latest hit, Lion-O observed that Dash's chest had hit his panel.

"Are you all right?" he said.

"I am…but my glasses aren't," he said as he held up his broken spectacles. "Captain, request permission to be relieved!"

"Go to Sickbay to have Sane or Nova check you out, Dash," said Derek as he cursed, threw off his peacoat, and ran over to his post. "I've got this."

Sasha screamed "ANOTHER one!" as another Reflex Gun hit almost hit them point-blank.

"I'm gonna put a stop to this," said Wildstar. He looked back at Engineering to Diane Sandor, Steve's wife, who was manning the post. "Mrs. Sandor, stop all engines."

"Stopping all engines," she said.

The Argo seemed to go dead.

"So, what now?" said Lion-O, who was shocked as Wildstar opened up a small access hatch and threw him something that looked like welder's goggles.

"Put this on over your eyes, or you'll be blinded by the flash," barked Derek as he put on a similar set of goggles. "Diane, transfer all power to the wave motion gun!"

"Beginning transfer," she said as an ominous humming sound began to vibrate through the ship.

Down below, Wilykit asked, "Cheetara, do you know what that weird noise is? Cheetara?"

"Just got a mental message from Nova…we have to get away from these windows!" she yelled. "Everyone, follow me! We have to get to a room in the interior of the ship, or we'll be blinded."

"Blinded by what?" asked Wilykat.

"This ship's prime weapon…the wave motion gun!" cried Cheetara. "At full power, it can destroy planets. Nova tells me Derek is dialing the power down a bit to get the base nearest us! COME ON!" she cried.

In the meantime, up on the Argo's bridge, Sasha said that the Reflex Gun closest to them was powering up again.

"Two minutes to firing," said Wildstar. "Open all safety locks!"

They heard a banging noise deep in the bowels of the ship.

"Energy level, eighty-five percent!" said Diane.

"One minute to firing…target scope open-electric cross-gauge level thirty-five!" Derek said as a large target display opened before him. "Kitano! Three degrees to starboard!"

"Roger that," he said as he worked some controls and the Argo turned slightly.

"Wildstar, that'll put us dead-on in that weapon's sights!" said Steven Sandor.

"Risk I have to take," said Derek. "Diane, power level?"

"One hundred and five percent…almost there," she said as outside, a blue glow began to build up at the firing gate of the wave motion gun in the Argo's bow.

"I estimate they can fire the Reflex Gun in fifteen seconds!" Sasha cried.

"I'm detecting it's connected to the other Reflex Gun by a massive energy conduit," Steven Sandor said as he worked with his goggles on.

"Ten seconds to firing…prepare for the recoil shock!" said Derek. "10…9…8…7…6…"

As Wildstar counted down, Lion-O had a very bad feeling about this particular bit of technology. What sort of uses can they put this thing to? Lion-O thought as he gritted his teeth.

"3…2…1" said Derek. "FIRE!" he snapped as he hit the trigger on the control of the wave motion gun, which looked like a pistol mounted below the target scope.

The Reflex Gun fired at that moment.

But the wave motion gun's powerful energy surge blasted the Reflex beam to nothing, and roared down towards the enemy base.

It hit, and there was a massive explosion as all of Third Earth shook in a massive earthquake.

The blast roared upwards, and then it went dark as a gleaming mushroom cloud went up, with lightning coming out of the cloud on top.

"Enemy base destroyed, and a massive surge is going through that conduit," Steven Sandor said. "Chances are that we destroyed that other station or damaged it."

"Sir, signal coming in from below," said Ensign Nagai, the young man who had spelled Homer Glitchman after he had transferred to the North Carolina. "It seems to be from the world's ugliest woman!"

"The world's ugliest woman?" said Eager. "She has to be pretty damn ugly to be that ugly," he said.

"Put him on the video panel," said Wildstar as Ensign Hallant, the blond Pellian male assigned to Gunnery, got up and said, "Request permission to be relieved, Captain. I got a concussion, I think, when my head slammed against the console."

"Go to Sickbay," sighed Wildstar. "Lion-O, I may have to teach you something."

"Teach me what?" said Lion-O.

"How to operate our cannons, unless I can get a relief from one of the turrets."

Then, the doors whizzed open, and Nova came in, not the most appealing sight in a rumpled white lab coat, slightly bloody green scrubs and her sandals, but certainly welcome.

"How's your patient?" Derek asked.

"He'll be okay…Dawn's got him," Nova said.

"Okay, good. Check out Mister Hallant here, and then take his station at Artillery."

"Right," Nova said as she got a small penlight out from a pocket of her lab coat. "Hallant, relax. I have to check your eyes, then head down to see Doctor Sane with this note," she said as she checked his eyes and scribbled some hasty notes on a blank prescription pad. "Take that to Doctor Sane; but wait your turn in Triage."

"Aye, ma'am," he said as he saluted and left as Nova was sitting down at his board. "What's our situation?" Nova said as she turned to Lion-O.

"Uh…your husband just fired that crazy weapon of his, and…"

Then, he looked up at the screen and gritted his teeth.

"Son of Claudus!" hissed the ugly woman who looked down at him and the others from the screen. "What are you doing with tech like that? You just greased Alluro at the southern firing station, you freak! Who are your weird long-haired friends? Humans? They messed up my station, too! I DON'T LIKE THAT!"

"Listen, Chilla!" snapped Lion-O as he stood up. "My father and I thought we got rid of you and the Lunataks years ago!"

"Well, you didn't," said Chilla. "And, guess what? I can repair this other post and blow your toy boat out of the sky in a few hours, you idiot! Are you in command of that wreck?"

"I am!" snapped Wildstar as he stood up and pointed angrily at Chilla. "And if you want to live for a long time, I'd recommend that you not take us lightly!"

"Ohhh?" sneered Chilla. "We'll see about that!"

TO BE CONTINUED…