Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Far Beyond the World
Part X - Just Deserts
Just outside of the starship Searcher's Engineering Bay...
Captain Rogers was flat on his back on the cold grilled deck, his blood drizzling forth from the knife that had just been rammed down into his left shoulder by the Draconian pilot who was straddling him, grinning down at his soon-to-be high profile kill.
"Buck Rogers, Earth's greatest hero!" sneered Lieutenant Bonengel at his captive as he shook his fists at the ceiling in triumph, "Done away with by my sure hand! They will shout my praises all across the Draconian Dynasty and beyond! They will erect a statue for me in the Hall of Conquerors! Women shall prostrate at my feet and beg to be bound to me! The Princess herself shall-"
"Don't pose for that statue quite yet, pal." growled Rogers and reaching up with his right hand he YANKED the knife free of his shoulder in a spray of blood then STABBED it into Bonengel's stomach, twisted, and yanked it free!
The bearded intruder jerked and his eyes went wide behind their goggles, he slapped hands to his perforated gut and coughed once, then pitched over backwards.
"They can build better starfighters, but they can't make you guys smarter, that's for sure." Buck pushed the corpse off of him and struggled to his feet, gripping his gushing shoulder wound, as a pair of Searcher Security Guards came racing around the corner, faces bruised but eyes rock-solid.
They snapped up their pulsars but Buck waved them off, "No need, he's deader then Elvis."
"Somebody else is dead?" asked the Guard on the left.
"Nevermind, way, way before your time, kid." and stepping over Bonengel's body Buck headed back down the passageway, "My starfighter is anchored to the hull on Deck 9, I had to cut through the fuselage to get in. Have somebody seal up the breach and return my ship to the Hanger Bay."
"Understood, Captain!" said the Guard as he and his partner gathered up the fallen Draconian, "I'll advise the Damage Control teams."
"Thanks." and Buck turned the corner.
Luckily repairs in Engineering were fully under way as the lift doors parted for Buck as he reached them, he stepped through and punched the button for Medical. A minute later he was entering the sickbay and medical personnel were swarming around him, helping him to lie down and getting fast to work on sealing up his wound.
Colonel Deering rushed in a moment later, a bandage wrapped around the torn-back leg of her uniform, "Buck!"
"Hey, Wilma." he grinned, "I got the guy."
"So I heard, thank the stars. But he nearly got you!"
"Eh, it's just a scratch."
"Are you sure?"
"I'll be up and disco'ing in less then five minutes, according to the Doc."
The brunette exhaled in relief and gripped his wrist as the last of the medical staff left the final nurse behind who was apply a spray bandage to the sealed shoulder wound. "That was very close." Wilma said softly.
"Ain't they all..." grinned Buck, "Hey, any word from Hawk?"
She shook her head, "Nothing yet. What do you think could be keeping him?"
"Trouble." Rogers scowled, "Plain and simple, 'cause there's no way a lone Marauder is any match for our resident Big Bird. He's the best pilot I know."
"Even better then you?" the side of Wilma's mouth quirked up in a teasing crook.
"Yeah, he is. That one time we duked it out he shoulda won." and Buck frowned at the memory of the unfortunate events of the time he had first met the Bird-Man. I'd give anything to relive that dark day and try to do it different...
The death of Hawk's mate Koori would haunt Buck to his dying day, and maybe even beyond, if the feather-headed warrior's theory about transcending death held any credence.
Buck forced himself back to the present and as the Nurse finished magging on his sling he flexed the arm within it and sat up, swung his feet off of the medcot and stood.
"Wait-" the Nurse reached for him but he stopped her with a glare.
"I can't lie around here while Earth's fate may hang in the balance."
Wilma chewed her lip and offered no resistance of her own, and followed him out of the Medical Bay and down the corridor to the lift. She wanted Rogers up and active as well, despite her concern for his health.
Nothing keeps him down, not for long, frowned Wilma. If only there were more men like him among the humans of my era. We may have shed our more barbaric tendencies over the last five hundred years, but at what cost? The Draconians are far more warlike then any human culture that ever strode the Earth throughout all of history. Not the Romans, not the Egyptians, not even the Mongols can compare with the Dynasty's savagery. Where would be without Buck Rogers and his training and American-honed instincts?
We wouldn't be anywhere, that's what. The Draconians would have crushed us under their boot-heel three times over. And what did we do? We took Buck away, thinking that that the treaty we'd signed with those underhanded Dracs had finally brought piece to our corner of the Galaxy. We dragged him away for nearly two years, and while we were gone...what happened?
"Time to find out." said Buck, reading her expression like a book, as the lift doors slid shut and they shot upwards.
Wilma smiled wanly, "You know me all too well."
"Yeah. I think I do." and to her shock Buck moved in close and slid his good arm around her narrow waist, pulled her close to him, pressing her taut breasts flat to his broad barrel chest.
Instantly, Wilma was overwhelmed by his musky sense and inhaled deeply as he stared deeply into his eyes.
"Like it?"
"L-Like what?"
"My cologne. It's as close to High Karate as Dr. Goodfellow could make it."
"It--It's...I..." she was all flustered, "...what are you doing?"
"What I should have done a heckuva long time ago." he said in a low voice, and then he kissed her, soft, firmly and with deep passion.
Wilma resisted, but only for a moment, then she bent into him and wrapped her arms tightly about his neck and returned the kiss eagerly, and for a long, wonderful moment the universe fell away from them, they were one, and all their troubles faded from existence.
Then Buck broke from her and stepped back, leaving her gasping.
"Oh...oh, Buck, I--I...I don't know-"
"Forget about it, Wilma." he smiled softly.
"Don't think I can forget about it, actually." she returned the grin, "And I don't think I want to."
"Once we save the world, we'll talk, 'kay?"
She nodded, "Okay." and then the lift halted and the doors split apart. They turned and stepped out onto the Bridge, then froze in surprise.
"Greetings, Earth-Man." said a familiar figure.
"HAWK!" Buck's grin threatened to split his head in two and he charged forward and gripped the Bird-Man's hand in a solid grip, shook with him heartily, "You're back!"
"Indeed."
"You take that Marauder out?"
"Yes. The son of Kane will trouble us no longer."
Buck's gaze narrowed, "What did you just say? Did...did you say the son of Kane?"
"I-"
"Gentlemen!" said an authoritative voice and Buck was forced to tear his gaze from Hawk and looked across the deck to where Searcher's Commanding Officer Efram Asimov was standing beside the ruins of his Command platform.
"Admiral!" nodded Rogers, "Good to see you up and around, sir."
"You as well, Captain. Good work keeping my ship in one piece, son."
"Ah, it was nothing, Admiral."
"All modesty aside, you, Wilma and Hawk saved our lives, Rogers. But now we face an even greater challenge."
Buck frowned, "What now?"
Hawk's visage turned grim, "Unfortunately, I come bearing sad news." and he held up a data crystal.
"What did you find out?" demanded Rogers.
The Bird-Man crossed the deck and gave the information device to Lieutenant Parson who was currently manning the Helm console, and the dark-skinned crewman inserted it into a waiting port.
"I got as close to your--our homeworld as I could without being detected, and recorded this with my Scanners."
The Master Screen crackled to life and the insignia of Hawk's Avian-Class appeared, then faded to show the spherical planet of Rogers birth. He fought not to grin at the sight of it after such a long time.
I missed ya, baby...
He squared his shoulders and scowled, "Okay, show me."
And the Officer expanded the image and a mass of vessels burst into view in high orbit above the planet. They were Draconian Star Fortresses, and there were scores of them, they hung above Earth, each strategically placed two above a continent. Buck's quick eyes did a count, "Fourteen?"
"Fifteen, actually." replied Hawk, "And more then two hundred Marauders on constant patrol."
"Incredible!" breathed Wilma in horror, "They've done it! The Draconians have taken Earth."
"I hope they've been enjoying themselves," scowled Buck as he took a threatening step toward the display, "because starting today we're taking it BACK!"
To be continued...