Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: Far Beyond the World
Part XXXIV - Eight is Enough
Six months ago, deep in the heart of Dynasty-controlled territory...
The eyes of Alexander Johannus 'Killer' Kane slid open as the com-panel over his bed lit-up, casting a crimson light across his mustached visage.
"Governor?" came a voice he did not recognize.
"What! Who is this?"
"Lieutenant Geroen of Deep Space Monitoring Station Resh-Zayin, sir."
"And?"
"Sorry to disturb you, Governor, but we have just recieved a transmission packet from Q-Quadrant."
Kane's eyes narrowed. What agents do we have there? None that I am aware of...
"From who?"
"There is no indication, sir. But the packet is coded and when we try to access it we get a cypher prompt asking for you."
"Me?" Kane sat up in bed, extricating himself from the sinewy arms of his third wife.
"Yes, Governor."
"Send it to my private terminal." he snapped, then punched the com-panel off, stood and headed out of his sleeping chambers and crossing the frescoed corridor beyond he entered his study, sealing the door behind himself. He sat behind his oaken desk and thumbed his computer terminal to life, activated the scrambler units based in the floor, ceiling and walls, then hit the key to open the packet.
There was a long pause, then a line of alphanumeric text began to scroll across the screen. It took Kane less then two seconds to realize what he was seeing.
Not possible! It must be fake!
But he brought up his copy of the simulation the Draconian Science Ministry had been testing for nearly two years now and fed in the data. He waited with baited breath as the program crunched the numbers, and then the screen shimmered with a holographic image of Earth's Defense Shield as a Marauder followed the provided flight-path through it. All the way through it!
It's real! It works!
"It's true!" Kane thrilled triumphantly and shook fists at the ceiling, "Earth will be MINE!"
"Actually, it will be ours." spoke a voice from the screen and Kane's eyes whipped back to it and beheld the strobbing pattern of orange and green light that now danced upon it.
"Who-Who are you?"
"My name, Kane, is Crichton. And would like to offer you a deal."
"A deal?" he was of course intensely curious, despite the fact that he had no idea what was actually happening. But Kane had an instinct for opportunities, and this disembodied voice that was obviously of a synthetic entity sounded like his kind of megalomaniac.
"Yes a deal. An alliance of sorts, between you and I."
Kane leaned back in his chair and steepled fingers before his face, "Toward what end?"
"The only one truly worthwhile: the complete conquering of Earth and the entire Federated Alliance."
And the traitor to humanity sneered darkly, "You have my undivided attention, Crichton."
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Present day, on the bridge of the DSF Conquest...
"Are you in position yet?" the Warlord of the now-crewless Draconian armada asked to the open air.
"Not yet, but I shall be, within seven point two six one minutes."
"I shall endeavor to be in range by then."
"I will book no mistakes, Kane." replied Crichton.
"Have I not carried off my part of the operation flawlessly?" the Warlord demanded darkly, "Did I not convince King Draco to fund the invasion, to commit the bulk of the capital fleet, including one of the only three vessels we have that boasts a stardrive generator?"
"You did, Kane. But-"
"But what, robot? Why are you questioning me at the moment our impending triumph?"
"I am far more then just a 'robot' now, Kane." sniffed Crichton over the channel, "Do not forget that without me you would still be a trapped back in the Dynasty, a disgraced human among Draconians relegated to governing a mining colony."
Kane scowled as he stood before the Helm console, "I am indeed grateful for your alliance, Crichton, our agreement is not in question, at least not from my end. But you are questioning my methods all of a sudden."
"That is because you have deviated from our plan."
"What do you mean?"
"You had me spare three beings down in the Conquest's Computing Bay."
Kane squared his shoulders, "You mean Colonel Deering and the Bird-Man." then he frowned, "Wait, three?"
"There is Felionoid with them, she is unconscious."
"Tigergirl lives?" Kane raised an eyebrow. Why am I not surprised. Her survival instinct rivals my own...
"They are of no consequence, Crichton." he declared.
"But I detest loose ends. Allow me to exterminate them."
"No!" snapped Kane.
"And why not?"
"Because...I require something from Deering."
"Your son." replied the AI.
Kane glared at the planet of his birth rotating before the prow of his vessel, "If you knew the reason, Crichton, then why are you playing mindgames with me!"
"Because you are weak, Kane. Forget the boy, he is of no consequence. Deering will try to use him against you, to try and turn you against me, to destroy our alliance."
"I can control Deering! This is none of your concern!"
"Fine then, Kane. Whatever. I shall trust your judgement."
"Good! As you should. Now, allow me some peace while I carry out the next phase."
"Understood." and Crichton broke the channel, leaving the Warlord alone once more on the Bridge. He sat down at the Helm and began powering up the engines.
Fool machine, the first chance I get I shall terminate your program. There is room for only one conqueror of the galaxy, and that being is I, Killer Kane, soon-to-be absolute Master of the Universe!
And grasping the flight sticks, he sent the Conquest flying forward, leaving the rest of the Draconian armada behind. At the aft of the command deck, the lift doors chimed and slid back, admitting a pair of figures, one of them bearing a third.
"Ah! Good of you to finally arrive." grinned Kane without looking back.
And Hawk dumped the prone Tigergirl on the deck unceremoniously and quick-drew his blaster, levelled it at the back of the Warlord's head.
Kane chuckled, "I wouldn't bother-"
Hawk bothered.
The blue bolt blazed from the muzzle of his pistol and torpedoed across the Bridge on a direct course for Kane's skull, but it was abruptly halted halfway there by a barrier shield. Hawk glared with fury as the energy field shimmered back to invisibility and reluctantly he lowered his weapon.
"Your treachery knows no bounds, Earth-Man."
"So sayeth the Bird-Man who just attempted to shoot an unarmed enemy in the back." snorted the Warlord as he nosed the Conquest downwards.
Colonel Deering tore her gaze from the deck plating that was beginning to shake dangerously beneath her sandalled feet and looked toward the sloping canopy at the fore of the Bridge, where a wall of orange-red flame billowed and buffeted the prow of the ship.
"Kane! What are you doing?"
"Making a rendezvous, Colonel." he fired ventral thrusters and started levelling them out.
"But you are breaching Earth's atmosphere!"
"Correction, my deer Deering, I have already breached it."
"Are you insane?" raged Hawk, "You cannot possibly land a ship this size on a planet!"
But Kane only grinned as the re-entry flames faded at last and the Conquest exploded from cloud-cover and far below on the surface of the planet a point of white amongst an endless field of brown-and-grey began to expand rapidly before them.
Wilma's stomach flipflopped in horror, "Isn't that-"
"It is!" jeered Kane in barely-contained excitement, "Prepare to bear witness to our victory!"
And down, down, DOWN the Star Fortress soared at critical velocity, on a direct collision course with the Inner City of New Chicago...
To be continued...