Author's note

This my first attempt at writing fan fiction. I discovered it in 2020 and I would like to thank all those brilliant writers out there who have kept me so thoroughly entertained through the lockdowns of the pandemic. Stay safe everyone!

Disclaimer: I do not own these characters, I am just borrowing them for entertainment.

A Devil of a Mission

Rushing along the corridor to get to the Eagle launch pad, Pilot Bill Fraser and Communications Officer Alibe nearly ran headlong into Tony Verdeschi, Alpha's Head of Security, closely followed by Maya, the Science Officer. Both of them had been summoned to Command Centre – there was an emergency involving the Commander.

2306 days after leaving Earth orbit:

Commander John Koenig and Blake Maine, a member of the Medical Rescue Team, had been out in Eagle one on a reconnaissance mission to a nearby planet and its satellite moon which Alpha's sensors had indicated were capable of supporting life. After picking up evidence of life forms and seeing signs of habitation on the surface of the mother planet, they landed in a clearing and left the Eagle.

The two men walked a short distance and to their horror, found the ground littered with dead bodies. They relayed the grisly images to the staff in Command Center then observed another humanoid inhabitant materialising in some sort of windowed transporter booth nearby. They were further shocked to see this man collapse and die straight after stepping out into the air. The pair and the Command Center team could only watch, unable to do anything to help. Dr Ed Spencer suspected that a deadly pathogen was present which had hit the man's central nervous system but initial observations suggested the Alphans were immune. He instructed them to return to Eagle one immediately and to leave the planet. They opted to make for the planet's satellite moon as the sensors had shown that this also had an atmosphere capable of supporting human life.

During their descent to the surface, the Eagle suddenly started to suffer a number of technical malfunctions and they lost both control of the craft and contact with Alpha.

Back in Command Center, Bill Fraser immediately took the decision to set out on a rescue mission in Eagle four. Alibe jumped up out of her seat and volunteered to go with him, she'd been plotting their course when contact was lost and felt she could be more help re-establishing contact closer to the scene.

Tony and Maya were called urgently to Command Center.

Eagle one crash landed, ploughing through the trees and came to rest, damaged beyond repair. Fortunately the two Alphans only suffered minor cuts and bruises and were able to stagger away from the wreck.

What they didn't yet know on Alpha and what John and Blake were about to find out was that this moon, called Entra, was being used as a penal colony by the inhabitants of the mother planet, Ellna. They had stumbled upon what appeared to be some sort of barbaric hunt, a party of Amazonian women clad in red jumpsuits, wielding whips, chasing a man who was trying to reach a metallic structure. The man was captured and fell to the ground.

Blake instinctively moved towards the man to help but unwittingly collided with an unseen barrier. He didn't stand a chance…he was killed on contact, his body vapourised, leaving only his clothes. John stared, rooted to the ground in shock. He was immediately stunned by the female hunters and taken prisoner.

Whilst unconscious, John Koenig's mind was probed by the Entrans who were now aware that he knew everyone on Ellna was dead. The penal colony's tyrannical leader, Elizia, Mistress of Entra, knew she would have to keep John prisoner because freeing him meant he could expose the truth and the subsequent rebellion would spell the end of her sadistic dictatorship.

In addition, Elizia had decided she found John rather appealing and planned to keep him for her own amusement….at least until she became bored with him.

.

On Alpha, Dr Helena Russell had been woken by the news that Eagle one was in trouble and there were fears for the Commander and Blake's safety. She'd dressed quickly and hurried to the Command Center. So far there was very little information, Bill and Alibe were en route for Eagle one's last position but it would be several hours before they arrived. Helena was disappointed that they hadn't called her to go along but she'd recently come off duty after performing lengthy complex surgery and had been asleep. She would only have delayed their departure.

She told herself to stay calm, she had been in this situation so many times before. She felt that as Alpha's CMO there was an expectation she should remain professional even when she really felt like screaming. John's command style was very "hands on" and he aimed to lead from the front but it so often meant he had thrown himself into harm's way. She couldn't fault his dedication to his command and Alpha as a whole but her natural instinct as his lover was to protect him and keep him safe. Sometimes he didn't make loving him easy…

The waiting seemed interminable. Helena lost count of the number of cups of Alphan synthetic coffee she drank and kept pestering Maya and Sandra for information but there was unlikely to be any news until Eagle four was in range. She thought about going back to Medical Center to try to keep busy but she knew it would be impossible to concentrate on anything.

Tony was pacing backwards and forwards. "I'm turning into John Koenig," he thought to himself realising he had adopted the habit the Commander displayed when he found himself in a situation beyond his control.

Eagle four had finally reached Eagle one's last position and had located the wreckage when they were contacted by Elizia. She denied them permission to land and told them abruptly that their colleagues had been killed in the crash.

Bill relayed this information to Sandra Benes on communications, who looked up at her colleagues aghast. They had all heard the message. Helena refused to accept news of the death without proof.

"Please speak to her again Bill, threaten them – do what you have to do! You've got to go down there to – to bring them home!"

With that, Bill firmly told Elizia that they would come down, with or without her permission and after some negotiation, they were allowed to land.

Bill and Alibe nervously left the Eagle and were met by Elizia and her people, politely declining the offer of hospitality. They inspected the crashed Eagle and their hopes were briefly raised; the command module was not totalled and John and Blake had obviously survived the crash. However once outside they were shown the Alphans' scorched clothing; they had apparently been killed by walking into a boundary fence. There was nothing left to be returned to Alpha. Their spirits dashed, they lifted off from Entra and once outside the planetoid's defence screens, they were able to contact their base.

The atmosphere in Command Center was tense. People stood or sat around, just waiting. Nobody spoke, "What ifs" playing over and over in their minds. Then the news they had been dreading came through: the Commander and Blake Maine were dead.

There was a collective moan of horror in the room and Helena pressed her hands to her face. "John….no," she murmured, stumbling back against a desk. Maya and Sandra went to her side. Maya's eyes, brimming with tears, met Tony's. She didn't want to believe the Commander was dead either. She owed him her life, he was the one who had dragged her, protesting, from her own planet as it self-destructed, giving her a new home and a new life with the Alphans. She had come to care so much for these people, it hurt her to see them in so much pain.

Tony would now have to take over as Commander of Moonbase Alpha and he wondered if he could ever measure up to John Koenig. He'd not only lost his Commander, he'd lost a friend. Tony had been in his current role as Head of Security and effectively Alpha's second in command for a relatively short time, promoted to the position after the death of Paul Morrow. He had great respect for John, they'd been through a lot together since he'd accepted this post and of course he had John to thank for bringing Maya to Alpha. He adored Maya, he was in love with her…he just wouldn't admit it to himself.

He was certainly going to have to step up. It might mean he'd have to do something about the fun-loving, beer-making, Italian stallion image which had followed him about over the years but a guy had to have an interest after all!

No, he knew he was up to the job regardless of the image. He had a good team on Alpha, he had Maya by his side and John had put his faith in him. Tony had no intention of letting him down.

Alan Carter also felt a deep sense of loss. He and John Koenig had both trained as astronauts and although Alan had never actually worked with him prior to Breakaway he knew of him but had never had the chance to become personally acquainted. John had been involved in several high profile space missions, including the ill-fated Ultra Probe when John's place on that mission had gone to his friend, Tony Cellini. John was posted back to Alpha on a second tour of duty as Commander to oversee the launch of the Meta Probe and Alan had fully expected him to be just another political animal, in effect, Commissioner Simmonds's puppet. He found out he was wrong, John Koenig was his own man. He and John had also developed a deep friendship over the years, born of the experiences they'd shared, the trials they'd faced together.

He was concerned for Helena. He wondered how the hell was she going to cope? She'd lost her husband, Lee, some years before and had since found happiness with John. Their deep love for each other was plain for all to see. To go through it a second time…..Jeez.

We'll look after her for you, John, he thought.

Tony inclined his head at Maya to indicate she and Sandra should take Helena to her quarters and they led her gently away. Once in the privacy of her room, she wandered about touching trinkets on display as though not really seeing them. She looked at a photo of Lee and then another of John which she picked up and clutched to her chest.

"Helena, can we get Dr Spencer to give you something to help you rest?" asked Sandra, worried for the woman she now considered a friend.

"What?" replied Helena. "No, no, nothing. It'll just knock me out and I'll have to deal with it all again when I come round."

"Would you like us to stay and sit with you?" Asked Maya.

"And what will that do? It won't bring him back, will it!" said Helena, rather too sharply. Maya's face crumpled. Helena realised she had just wanted to lash out in her pain and suddenly hated herself for the response. "Oh I am so sorry Maya….that was inexcusable. Please forgive me."

Sandra took a deep breath. "If it is any comfort to you Helena, we all thought a lot of the Commander. We will all feel his loss deeply."

Helena nodded. "Thank you….both of you. And please don't feel you have to stay. I think I would like a little time on my own, if that's ok."

The other two women looked at each other, unconvinced and back to Helena. "If you're sure…" said Maya.

"I am. Please don't think me ungrateful. I'm just not sure I'm much company right at this moment and I really need to be alone."

Sandra and Maya got up and after assurances they would be back if Helena needed them, both hugged her and quietly left the room.

Helena stood for a moment then slumped to the floor beside her bed, pressing her face against the cover. She remembered the last time she and John had lain there together in the darkness, limbs entwined, warm and relaxed in the afterglow of their lovemaking. She remembered too the ridiculous squabble the next morning when she tripped over the boots he'd left in the way. Then they'd laughed at themselves for behaving like an old married couple and kissed before going their separate ways for the day…..

….then the tears came. Big, wet, heaving sobs. Messy howls of despair, soaking the bedcover, no longer having to try to retain her dignity, she allowed herself to give vent to her grief….John…..JOHN!

There had been two great loves in her life. She'd lost both of them. When Lee went missing in space, presumed dead, her work was her saviour. As it would be again. She would devote herself to caring for the people of Alpha in the hope of cancelling out the hurt.

Tony gritted his teeth and went to visit Blake Maine's partner, Samira, in her quarters. She was a hydroponics specialist, an attractive young woman of Middle Eastern descent. She had a friend looking after her and Tony was nothing short of amazed at her poise and dignity.

"Hell," he thought. "She's holding up better than me."

He explained what they knew and offered his condolences. He promised they would hold a memorial service for Blake as soon as possible. Samira offered him coffee but he declined, worried he might embarrass himself if he stayed any longer.

He also had to make an announcement to the rest of the base and headed back to Command Center. Maya sat opposite him, out of view, she gripped his hand as he spoke.

"Attention all sections Alpha. This is Head of Security, Tony Verdeschi. It is with great sadness that I have to announce the death of Commander John Koenig and Medical Rescue Technician Blake Maine whilst on a reconnaissance mission. In accordance with the agreed protocols, I have assumed command of the base but I will be convening with all section heads at a time to be arranged in the next few days to discuss the way forward.

"I know that you all respected Commander Koenig who has shown such incredible dedication to duty since we left Earth orbit. I intend to hold a memorial service for him and Blake in the near future but in the meantime, the best way we can honour Commander Koenig's memory is to continue to show the same steadfastness and devotion to duty that I know he would have expected of us all.

"That is all, thank you."

Tony ended the announcement and dropped his head into his hands, covering his eyes. Alan Carter reached down and squeezed his shoulder as he left the room.

Helena listened to Tony's announcement in her quarters, sitting in a chair, fists clenched, digging her nails hard into the palms of her hands to prevent herself crying out in her misery.

…..

As was to be expected, the mood on Alpha was sombre. News of the death of the man who had led these people so far since Breakaway had deal a devastating blow to morale. The chatter had gone from corridors which now simply echoed to the sound of footsteps, the usual cheerful banter missing from the cafeteria.

Not everyone was a fan of John Koenig's leadership style, some, a very small minority, thought him abrasive and dictatorial and there had been some low key mutterings about replacing him with an elected council so that no one person had overall control of Alpha. This had never come to fruition though, most people were just grateful they were not the one who had to shoulder the burden and loneliness of command.

They knew Koenig was fallible and sometimes made mistakes but they also knew he was only human. He was fair and had the best interests of his people at heart. He was trusted and respected and Alpha would not be the same without him.

….

John Koenig had watched Bill and Alibe take their leave of Elizia and her guards with a sinking sensation. He had tried to get their attention but was too high up and behind a sealed window so it was impossible. He was still looking out as Eagle four lifted off and flew away into the distance. Despondent, he turned away from the view.

John was now dressed in a grey jumpsuit as his own clothes had been taken away to fool Bill and Alibe that he was dead. He actually thought the outfit was quite fetching and idly wondered what Helena would think of it….Helena. He thought about how she was coping. Was he ever going to see her again? He didn't want to imagine a future without her, never to kiss her again, never to make love to her again. It was laughable to think of himself as a plaything for a ruthless tyrant, he'd sooner be dead!

He knew his only chance was to formulate a plan quickly but at that moment he was summoned to Elizia's chambers….

Through some very quick thinking and by playing along with Elizia's intentions, he used the element of surprise to outwit her and her guards and made his escape, managing to find his way back to the wreck of Eagle one. He clambered on board and tried to contact Alpha but was disheartened not to receive a response. He found that he could not use the spacecraft's laser cannons either, something had rendered them useless. Before leaving, he picked up a small distress homing transmitter and a fire extinguisher to use as a weapon against his pursuers.

Jumping out of the Eagle through a hatch in the command module, he did his utmost to evade capture and to activate the transmitter but he didn't succeed. A guard spotted the device and scathingly told him there was no point in trying to contact his people, the signal would not penetrate the Entran defence shields. That was a moment of realisation – it meant his only chance was to get back to Ellna where he could transmit a signal without it being blocked. He secreted the device in his clothing and voluntarily headed back to the main complex where he knew he would find the transbeamer, the gateway back to Ellna.

Previously, when John was being held in a cell, he had told the other prisoners of the situation on Ellna. They had been reluctant to believe him, thinking he was a spy planted by Elizia. However now the rumour was spreading and there were increasing rumbles of discontent amongst the inmates. In her chambers, Elizia's guards challenged her about the rumours as some of them were about to finish their tour of duty and looking forward to returning home. Elizia vehemently denied there was death on Ellna.

John had positioned himself in the transbeamer booth. Elizia threatened to destroy it with him inside but he pointed out that action would prevent anyone going home. Instead, he suggested that if she was so sure that everything on Ellna was fine, she could follow him and bring him back.

With that, he operated the controls and seconds later, he re-materialised on Ellna and stepped out of the booth amid the dead returnees. He immediately activated the homing transmitter and with a sigh of relief, started to walk away from the area. The relief was short lived as Elizia arrived in the booth.

"At least I'll take you with me!" she declared and tried to shoot him, he jumped out of the way to avoid being struck, then stared as Elizia suddenly stopped firing, her face contorted with pain. She fell to the ground, already succumbing to the deadly pathogen.

Within seconds, she too was dead.

Bill and Alibe were sitting in forlorn silence in the command module of Eagle four as they made their way back to Alpha. Alibe wiped her eyes with her hand, Bill didn't trust himself to speak so just focussed on the business of piloting the spacecraft. What he really wanted to do was to get back to his wife Annette and hold her close for a very long time.

A sudden high pitched beeping sliced through the silence like a knife.

Alibe looked at her instrument panel. "That's the Eagle One homing signal! Bill, it's coming from the mother planet!" she exclaimed, eyes wide.

"That's impossible," replied Bill.

"Well let's find out!"

"Hold tight then – I'm turning round!" The Eagle's engines roared as Bill increased the speed.

"Eagle four to Alpha, come in Alpha," called Alibe, unable to suppress the excitement in her voice.

"Go ahead, Eagle four," Sandra's voice came over the speaker.

"Sandra, Tony, are you all there? Listen to this! We're picking up an Eagle one homing signal from the mother planet! Eagle one was on Entra and not capable of going anywhere. We don't know what this means but we're gonna find out!"

"Understood Eagle four…..and Alibe….as soon as you have any information….."

"You'll be the first to know!"

…..

Mouths were agape in Command Center.

"Well, what do you reckon?" said Tony. "Could John and Blake have got back to that planet? And more importantly, do we tell Helena?"

Maya sucked in her breath with a grimace. "Is that wise? We don't want to raise her hopes. It could mean anything."

"Raise whose hopes?" said a shaky voice behind them from the doorway. "What's going on?"

They all turned round to see Helena, wan and red eyed but resolute.

"Helena, what are you doing here?" asked Maya. "Surely you should be resting."

"I'm sorry Maya….all of you – I thought I might feel better if I was with you," she managed to raise a sad smile. "Now are you going to tell me or not?"

"Bill and Alibe are picking up an Eagle one homing signal from the planet," said Sandra. "They are going back, ETA one hour, seventeen minutes."

Tony cautioned against too much optimism. "But we don't know what it means. Yet."

Helena sat down at her medical console. "Then I guess all we can do is wait," she said.

One hour and seventeen minutes later, Bill and Alibe were touching down on Ellna as near as possible to the source of the signal. They leapt from their seats and opened the hatch, peering out into the trees. At first, there was nothing to see but then a tall, dark haired figure emerged, walking towards them.

"Commander!" shrieked Alibe delightedly.

As John Koenig approached, they saw he was alone. They hurried out to greet him and looking around but seeing no one else, Bill asked "Blake…?"

John shook his head. "No, just me. I'm sorry he's dead. I saw it happen, there was nothing I could do…"

"Oh no, that's just too bad," said Alibe sadly. "But how did you get here?"

"It's a long story," said John. He sighed. "I'll fill you in but right now, all want is to get back to Alpha, it's been a devil of a mission."

"Of course," replied Bill. "Come on, let's get you home."

The three Alphans boarded the Eagle. John settled himself in the passenger section, happy to leave the flying to Bill. As they lifted off, Alibe, hardly able to contain her excitement, contacted Alpha with the news.

There was much sadness for the loss of Blake but whoops and high fives that the Commander was safe. Helena's head was in a spin, to go from utter despair to overwhelming joy in such a short space of time was almost more than she could bear. But - John was alive and on his way back.

Her console screen beeped. "Yes?"

It was Alibe. She was smiling. "Doctor Russell? I have someone who wants to speak to you." With that she patched the connection through to the passenger section. The thought flashed through Helena's mind that she must look terrible and she instinctively went to rake her hand through her blonde hair. Her movement halted the moment she saw the face of the man she loved. The man she had thought was dead and lost to her. Command Center faded out of her awareness. Suddenly it was just the two of them.

"Hi beautiful….." he said softly. Even on the screen he could see the strain she'd been under.

"Hi stranger," she replied, thinking, please don't let me cry. "I missed you."

"I missed you too. I'm sorry about Blake…"

"Yes. It's terrible. He was a good man….John, what happened? Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'll tell you the full story when I get back but so far I don't seem to be suffering any ill effects."

"We'll be checking you out thoroughly, don't worry. You'll have every screening I can think of!"

"Well, I look forward to that….but most of all I am looking forward to being with you."

"And with you too….." her finger traced the line of his jaw on the screen. "I'll be waiting."

They smiled and ended the contact. Helena was quiet, staring at the Alpha logo on the screen.

Maya, smiling as she watched her friend, remarked to Tony: "I think it's time you made another announcement to the base."

On board Eagle four, John finished his cup of awful Alphan coffee. Strangely, it tasted better than he remembered. Then he reclined his seat as much as he was able. Exhausted, he yawned, his head fell to one side and he slept for the rest of the journey.

…..

Some hours later, Bill executed a smooth touchdown on pad two. John hauled himself to his feet in the passenger section and stretched his tight muscles, feeling desperately in need of a hot shower. He moved through to the command module where Bill and Alibe were completing shutdown procedures.

"Ok you two?" he asked.

"Fine, Commander, thank you," replied Bill. "We're just getting finished up here but you get on your way. We'll follow along shortly." They both guessed the Commander would be in need of a little privacy after disembarking.

"No problem. Well, thank you. I sure am glad to be back." Raising a hand in salute, John turned and left the Eagle, hurrying through the docking tube, anxious to be reunited with Helena who he knew would be impatient for his return.

The doors slid open with a hiss and there she was, hands clasped together, her face serious. As she turned to face him she broke into a smile and gasped as she took in the sight of him, his tall lean frame clad in the charcoal grey jumpsuit, gold embellishment on the shoulders, long black boots on his feet.

He reached out for her as he approached. "Helena…"

"John…" it was almost a sob. "Why do you keep doing this to me?"

Then she was in his arms, trembling as she clung to him. He buried his face in her hair and breathed in her perfume.

"I'm sorry baby…what else can I say?"

She raised her face to meet his eyes. "John, darling, you don't need to do this to yourself all the time. We have so many good, well trained people on Alpha. People who would be only too happy to get off this rock occasionally. We need you here doing what you are best at, being our Commander and I need you here….because I love you. So you could say – you'll promise me that next time you'll think before throwing yourself into danger…..please?"

He silently berated himself for putting her through this so often. What was the matter with him? It had taken being hurled into outer space for him to find the woman of his dreams and yet he was so willing to risk losing everything he now had. As if their very existence was not precarious enough without him constantly taking these crazy risks.

"Helena…. I love you too. And yes, you're right, I promise I will start to delegate more."

He bent his head to claim her lips in a long hungry kiss. When eventually they parted, she stood back a little way from him, holding his hands in hers.

"Something wrong?" he asked.

"No, not now," she replied. "What's with the jumpsuit?"

"They took my clothes to fool Bill and Alibe that I had been killed. Why, do you like it?"

"Actually, yes. Yes I do! Why don't you keep it?"

"Keep it? You mean you want me to wear this?"

"Well….it was just an idea," she shrugged, a suggestive smile lighting up her face.

They turned to walk down the corridor to the travel tube. He draped one arm around her shoulders to keep her close.

"Ok. I'll do a deal with you then," he grinned. "I'll wear this for you the very next time you decide to dab on a little of Taybor's perfume…."

The travel tube doors opened and they boarded, heading for his quarters.

Earth's moon sailed on serenely through the vastness of space.

On Moonbase Alpha, two of its inhabitants preceded to lose themselves together in their own private universe.

THE END

February 2021