Chapter 49
The End of an Ace

Ace first tried a glancing pass at the golden figure in his sights, she easily avoided it. The third pass ended the same. But on the fourth, he lifted early and almost fried her and the satellite both. Though she remained unharmed, she had been thrown clear of her anchor and shield. Also to her dismay her jet pack was dangerously low on fuel. At some point It had been punctured.

Through playing and with a clear shot, he was going to make it count. First he flipped a switch that engaged the satellite, and every
television on Cat World was at his disposal. Then he signaled to the planet below. "All's clear here. You are go for transmission. Ace out."

Floating in her space suit she heard all this via her com link. Knowing this was the end, she started working on a plan. Even floating in space as long as she could think, she wasn't helpless.

Finally ready he depressed an illuminated button that unraveled his net and steered towards his intended victim. Slowly he made his way towards her.

Back on the surface Spanners and Lister, still in his Cloister garb, had
joined Kryten in the ships mid section. All were enjoying a nice hot cup of tea, and a plate of triangular cut cucumber sandwiches when the transmission of the Flintstones quickly altered. The audio was a mix of a garbled crowd, and feedback could be sensed more than heard.

The universal: "We interrupt the following programming to bring you this live transmission." Fading in and out the image eventually decided on a crowded amphitheater over flowing with Tabby followers. Many wearing the traditional blue hat colors. The ground team knew this was their cue.
Airborne within minutes, the cloaked Starbug made its way to the broadcasts' origin. While running in stealth mode Holly and Kryten managed
to unload Spanners and Lister atop a rather high and inaccessible
tower located behind the amphitheater, overshadowing it.

"OK mate, this is your big moment," said Spanners. "Don't be nervous."

"Sure that's easy for you to say. You don't have to go out there and
convince a world you're their god." Lister spoke tensely as he adjusted the miniature microphone hidden within his ceremonial garb. This would allow the hovering Starbug to amplify it a couple of dozen decibels.
Aboard the cloaked bug Holly started his light show. This was in the form of a small but effective display of fireworks and colored spotlights, just to get every bodies' attention, you understand.

Some miles above Ace dodged Ace's net again. Each time using up precious fuel. A red light illuminated on her jet pack's small console, at this rate it would only be a matter of time.

Ace was turning his ship around for another pass when Ace realized it was now or never. Unfortunately it meant testing an untested theory. Simply put, could her hard light body survive the cold vacuums of space, without a space suit? She had calculated this earlier, but there was too little information for the computers to go on for accurate results.

Her resolve was made when it became a no choice option situation. She was out of fuel. Holding the breath that she didn't need, she unsealed her helmet.

When the Black hearted Ace was again in position he noted his prey's
lack of mobility. He could clearly see the gold of her space suit, but the details were blurred by the reflection of the satellite's glare. He hit his thrusters up a notch or two.

Checking with his ship's security camera he confirmed his catch.
Although the weightlessness of space made it almost unnoticeable to the
ships maneuverability. With his alternative version safely caught in his ships snare, Ace again docked with his satellite.

Noting that an access housing had been removed from his device he thought it prudent to check it out personally. "Never know what a woman's up to. "

He also wanted to gloat over his caught adversary, who now must be hopelessly entangled in his net of constriction, who had answered none of his recent taunts. "Poor form old sport," he thought and unlatched his
ship's canopy.

Ace was on Ace the moment his feet cleared his cockpit. Wearing nothing but her flight suit, white turtle neck, sunglasses, and jet pack she managed to hit the black hearted fiend a dozen times before he could react in his clumsy space suit. When she was convinced she had him in an unbreakable hold she pressed her mouth to his helmet and hoped the vibrations of her voice could be audible from within.

"Games over now lad, time to give someone else a turn," she said and maneuvered Ace into the very netting that was meant for her. It's constricting tentacles coiled tightly around her abandoned space suit.
Shortly after she was in the cockpit of Ace's ship and was heading
back to Red Dwarf.