A/N: Well, I FINALLY managed an update. :-) Another one of the "Lost Episodes." Hope you enjoy!

I DO NOT own Saber Rider or Seijushi Bismarck. Please don't sue me.

Chapter 17: Captain Holiday

"What do you mean? The X2-Comet? That's the huge rock that comes checking in every 74 years, right?" Fireball asks as he takes a sip of coffee as he, April, and Colt sit talking in the lounge area of the Bismarck.

"Well, you've paid attention in school, haven't you? According to my father, the comet poses a serious threat to Yuma," April replies.

"A serious threat?" Colt asks. "Sounds bad."

"And your father heard it from this guy, Captain Holiday?" he asks, getting a nod from April in reply. "Is he even trustworthy?"

April shrugs, "I've no idea, but he once offered to meet my father in person, but then they lost contact and never got the chance."

Fireball sighs and takes another sip of his drink. "And now we're supposed to take this job. Meaning Commander Eagle is taking this information serious," he states.

"There's a good chance that the Outriders might be involved in this. It sounds like their kind of thing," Colt states as Saber enters the lounge carrying several papers.

"Find out anything, Saber?" Fireball asks, looking towards him when he hears the doors open.

Saber shakes his head and sets several documents down onto the table. "Nothing. There are no documents to be found anywhere about Captain Holiday," he replies obviously displeased. "A few sightings of a strange space ship that might possibly be him, but that's it. Commander Eagle has instructed us to attempt a rendezvous with the ship. He has sent a transmission, but so far, no reply."

"This smells fishy!" Colt pipes in.

Fireball nods in agreement. "Yeah, and it sounds like we're going to go do some fishing."

Saber nods. "That is correct," he replies as the others stand up and they head to the control room of the ship to take off.

"I've got something closing in at 30° starboard," April states as they fly through open space. "I'll put in on the sub-monitor," she says as she hits several buttons and a strange looking ship appears on the monitors. It resembles an old pirate ship, with a monster on it's hull and skull and crossbones on what is made out to look like a sail.

"I suppose that could be it," Fireball mutters with a mix of disbelief and apprehension.

"Damn! That is one ugly lookin' monster on the hull. Looks older than dirt if you ask me," Colt says after getting a look at the ship.

"Ahoy, this is Captain Holiday of the Hokkaido. Who is it that approaches my ship?"

"Commander Eagle sent us here to meet you. We are the crew of the Bismarck," Fireball replies.

"He sent me a bunch of brats?! You're late," the Captain replies gruffly before chuckling. "Well, since you've come all this way, I may as well meet with you. You may dock your ship," he replies and opens up a port for them to land.

"Now, who got up on the wrong side of the bunk," Colt grumbles as they enter the docking bay and land, and head down their ramp.

"Shinji, look there!" April states, pointing to the bottom of the ramp and grabbing onto Fireball;

Fireball looks down to see a small dome-shaped robot is waiting.

"Welcome. Captain Holiday is expecting you," the small robot says in a small high-pitched digital voice.

The four teammates gasp in surprise and having no other choice, they follow the robot.

"The Bismarck crew has arrived, Captain," the little droid states as they enter the lounge room of the ship.

The captain takes his time and finishes his glass of wine before turning around to face his guests. His face rough and a patch over one eye, he casts the crew a wary glance before muttering, "I expected some high ranking Cavalry Command officials. That would have been common courtesy, instead I get a group of kids."

"Who you callin' kids?!" Colt mutters angrily.

"Look Captain Holiday, we need information. What can you tell us about the X2-Comet?" Fireball asks, attempting to ignore his previous comment.

"Depends, have you got the greens on you?" he asks quietly.

"My father will send you your money as soon as we have verified your information. So please, start talking," April states matter-of-factly.

"Well then, sit," he says indicating the other seats at the table. "Let's discuss this over tea."

They nod slightly and all take an open chair.

"There you are. Bon appetite," a taller, more humanoid robot made of a metal resembling gold says as it delivers a tray with cups of tea and sets it onto the table.

"All right captain, we're listening," April says as she stirs her tea.

"That's good little children, " he mutters. "Now, what you need to know is that when the X2-Comet reaches Yuma, it will release a barrage of missiles to the likes that the Federation has never seen."

"What kind of missiles?" April asks.

"Missile launchers have been set up on the comet courtesy of the Outriders," the captain states, getting several gasps of shock in reply.

"You can't be serious," April asks.

"That's impossible. According to the government's scientists calculations, the comet will get only pass as close to Yuma as 23.1 million km. Missiles are useless at this distance," Saber states firmly.

The captain laughs. "You children aren't as smart as you think you are. Have you thought about the fact that it could all be done by remote? With what they have installed on that comet, they could change the trajectory of the comet to easily make it pass within a distance to do a lot of damage."

Fireball gasps in shock at his statement.

"Could they really pull off such a stunt, Saber?" Colt asks.

"Theoretically it might be possible, though it is hard to imagine it being done without our knowledge," Saber replies.

"I think we need to go and take a closer look at this comet," Fireball says.

"What?" the captain asks as he stands up. "Well, you're welcome to go down there and look if you want. All I want is my money for the information I've given you."

"Captain, you seem to know the way. You need to accompany us to the X2- Comet." Fireball states.

"Forget it! I'm not even thinking about planting my ship on that hunk of rock, boy."

"Then I suppose you'll never get your reward money, even if we find out you're speaking true," Saber says smugly.

The captain turns and glares at him, releasing a low growl while mentally debating his options. "Fine," he mutters barely audible.

"Defense shield activated," the little dome-shaped robot states as they start their decent towards the surface of the comet.

"Increase engine three by 50%," Captain Holiday replies.

"Aye, aye, Sir. Increasing performance of engine three by 50%," the droid states while hitting a succession of buttons.

"Reduce altitude by 2000. Start auxiliary engine," the Captain orders as the ship is hit by debris, causing it to shake. "Prepare to land," he says after they steady out.

"Aye, aye, Sir. Getting ready for landing," the little droid says as the landing gear is activated and the ship sets down. Several images of the surface appear, showing a mostly frozen terrain.

"Looks like we should have brought along some ice skates," Colt quips.

"The comet consists of 40% ice, 10% volatile content and the other 50% are solid matter like dust and rocks," Saber states.

"Sounds inviting, let's go!" Fireball says and the four turn to go and look around.

"Dumb kids," Captain Holiday mutters as he turns to see them heading out.

"Looks kind of nice, actually. Reminds me of the north pole and the south pole on Earth supposedly looked like," Colt says as he heads out in his Bronco Buster. "What do you think April?" he asks.

"Maybe. From my vantage point it looks like your everyday plain old comet. Know one, know them all," she replies. "Found anything, Saber?"

"Seems clean so far. No trace of outriders or any kind of missile launchers," he replies.

"Well, Colt and Saber did not find anything. How about you, Shinji?" April asks over the com-link.

"Nothing unusual here either. Do you think Holiday lied to us?" he replies.

"I hope so, cause if he told the truth we have a problem," April says,

"I'll keep on checking some more, just in case," Fireball says.

"Roger that," April replies.

Fireball continues his search when his scanners start beeping. "Now, what do we have there?" he mutters as he looks over his screens and turns back towards the pirate ship, stopping a bit away and getting out to get a better look. "Outriders!" he says as he sees them take off, heading away from the ship.

"What? A pirates' ship on the comet?" Gattler asks as he looks over to two of his subordinates.

"Yes, it just landed. We could see only two androids, though," one of the two soldiers replies.

Gattler nods slightly, "All right, we'll stick to the plan."

"Yes, Sir," the two say as they salute and head off to their duties.

Gattler turns back to his screens and smiles evilly. "Well, nothing can stop me now anyway," Gattler adds as his screens show several missiles preparing to launch.

"What?! How dare you accuse me of lying! Do you want me to do everything for you?!" the captain says as he smashes his wine glass on the table. The droids and Saber, April, and Colt standing across from him.

"I can't confirm or deny that what you told them was true," the humanoid droid states.

"It's your own fault, if you did not find anything! We will not let you blame us!" the smaller droid states.

"That's a good crew you have there. The way they listen to you," Colt says amused.

"Show these ungrateful children what we do with them, if they annoy us!" the captain barks.

"Are you suggesting we use violence?" the humanoid droid asks.

"But, that's impossible. That would go against the robot laws, Captain. We won't do it!" agrees the smaller droid.

The captain throws his bottle of wine towards the two droids, causing the humanoid to duck to avoid being hit. "You dare mutiny!" he yells as he stands up in anger.

"I heard your ship used to have a huge crew. But the men eventually quit because Captain Holiday is just a coward with a big mouth," Colt states.

"How dare you miserable urchin! You dare speak to me like that! I'll show you who the coward is," the captain says as heads towards Colt, seething with anger.

"Okay, okay, but don't hurt yourself grandpa," Colt says with a chuckle, ready to dodge the man.

The captain reaches him and takes a swing at him, Colt dodging him easily.

"Oops, you better practice some more, Captain Lollyday." Colt says in a mocking tone as Captain Holiday hits the floor.

"Captain Holiday, are you hurt?" the smaller droid asks as he approaches the man on the floor.

"Get away from me, you betrayer!" he yells in anger, hitting the little one and causing it to fly backwards across the room and crash against a wall.

"Are you all right?" April says rushing to the droid's side and helping it back upright before turning towards the downed captain. "How dare you treat him so awfully! These two faithful androids are all that is left to you, Captain!"

"Shut up!" he replies gruffly. "I need a drink! Where's my..." he starts as he stumbles and passes out.

"What's up, why is he lying on the floor?" Fireball asks as he enters the room.

Saber sighs and he and Fireball take the captain and put him in her bed, so that he can sleep off the effects of his drinking.

So you're saying that you saw Outriders?" Saber asks Fireball after they put the man to bed.

"Yes, they were watching this ship," he replies.

"So, he actually told us the truth?" April asks to no one in particular.

"Well, one thing is for certain, the outriders are up to something on this hunk of rock," Fireball states.

"I'm Captain Holiday and one day I'll be king of all space pirates!" the sleeping captain mumbles in his slumber.

"Okay boys, there's only two more hours until the comet reaches its closest point to Yuma, and we can't even destroy it with our missiles! Suggestions, anyone?" April asks.

"We may not be able to stop the comet during the next two hours, but we can try and do what we can to stop the Outriders."

"Only two hours?" Saber asks, hoping he's misheard.

"Oh, great," Colt mutters as he and the others head to the Bismarck to try and do something to stop the Outriders, taking off and leaving the pirate with his crew.

"I'd like to know, why they are working so hard," the humanoid robot says as it watches them take off.

"They must be good people," the smaller droid replies.

"Confirmed. They're the complete opposite of Captain Holiday."

"Seeing these people sacrificing so much for Yuma, I feel guilty for not doing anything."

"What kind of crap are you talking there! Did you two heaps of scrap forget that we are real life pirates! Get ready for take off!" Captain Holiday says harshly as he enters the control room.

"Come again, Sir? You want to leave already?" the humanoid droid asks.

"But Captain, what about the Star Sheriffs? Do you want to desert them?" the smaller bot asks.

"Now listen closely, you tin cans. What can they do in two hours anyway! So lets rather save our own hide!" he replies as he heads for the main controls.

"I'm convinced, if we help them, they might be successful," the larger robot states.

"Once upon a time, you deserved our respect, captain. You were brave and fearless. You stood up to all kinds of scoundrels and taught them a lesson!" the smaller one adds.

"Please, SIR, become the old Captain again! Let's fight side by side with the Star Sheriffs." The larger robot begs.

"Oh, shut up! You're only androids! You don't give the orders here!" the captain says as he finishes another bottle. "I can navigate this darn ship without your help!" he says as he smashes the empty bottle on the floor and revs up the engines.

"That's dangerous, sir," the little robot pleads. "The power is insufficient, please stop," he says as the captain turns the ship and lurches forward.

"Arrgghh!" the captain grunts as he struggles to control the ship as it strikes some rock and comes to a halt.

"Oh dear!" says the little robot as it falls over from the impact.

"I'm feeling queasy," the humanoid robot mutters as it tries to get back up from the floor.

"That was sabotage, you tin buckets!" he grumbles as he looks around to see what they hit. "Oh, but that's..!"

"I'm sure you ought to check this out!" the bigger bot says as they head down the ramp to the surface to get a closer look at what they've hit.

"Let me try!" says the smaller bot as it attempts to connect computer system. "Definitely, this is a missile launcher."

"A missile launcher?" the captain asks in disbelief.

"Exactly! The missiles can fly like satellites in space and they're remote controlled, so they can be navigated to hit their target anytime anywhere," the smaller robot says as it returns to where the other robot and the space pirate are standing.

"As soon as the comet reaches its closest distance to Yuma, they will start the missiles." the larger robot says.

"Yes, that is the most likely scenario," the smaller one agrees.

A shot is fired close to the trio causing them to look up.

"What?!" the captain says looking for the source of the shot, to see three Outriders just above them with guns aimed at them.

"Now that you have seen this, we cannot let you leave!" One of the Outriders state.

"Grrr!" the captain grumbles as he tries to think of someway out of the situation.

A blast from behind the Outriders kills them, blasting them in several directions, and Fireball appears in their place. He lands down alongside the trio and gets out of his Red Fury. "I see you found the remote controlled missiles. Good work captain!"

"It was nothing. When I get serious, those guys don't stand a chance."

"You are mistaken! Captain Holiday did not..." the taller robot starts to say.

"Keep your lid closed, tin can," he mutters to the robot before interjecting, "Anyway, we ought to destroy this thing immediately before it's too late."

"April, Colt, Saber, answer if you can hear me," he calls into his com-link, getting static in reply. He grabs his helmet, "Argghh! Damn, the connection is jammed!" He starts to turn back to his vehicle, "I'll go search for them."

"Maybe I'd better do that!" the captain states.

"What?" Fireball asks turning back towards the captain.

"Don't wet your pants, I'm not going to bail on you."

"Fine, I'll trust you."

"Excellent."

"No, wait! It's not that easy!" the taller droid protests.

"Please, you should not trust the Captain! Let us do this, pretty please!" the smaller one adds.

"Unbelievable!" the older man says.

"Oh come on, Captain Holiday has made his promise. Besides, I need you two to help me destroy this thing here," Fireball states to the two robots before turning to the pirate once more. "Captain Holiday, you can use my Red Fury Racer."

"Will do! Hahaha!" the captain says as he hops in and takes off in the Red Fury.

"How naive, to trust a guy like him. The captain is a mean shark!"

"I second that!" agrees the smaller robot.

"Captain Holiday will return. He promised!" Fireball states as the three turn to their task of stopping the launch.

"Oh dear!" the taller robot says as the three are hunched over a control panel.

"Can we still stop this thing?" Fireball asks.

"It's already been activated. It's impossible to stop it from being launched," the robot replies.

"There has to be something we can try!" Fireball says.

"If we destroy the controlling device, the missile will not be able to enter Yumas orbit!"

"Can you do that?" Fireball asks.

"I'm not sure, but I'll try anyways," the robot replies.

"We only got 40 Minutes left!" Fireball states. Hearing a noise, he turns towards it, "Captain Holiday?" he asks, getting a shot fired in his direction. He dodges it and fires back, taking refuge behind a panel. "I'll take care of these guys, you do some more sabotaging, and pronto please," he says to the robots as he tries to draw the fire away from them.

"Commander Gattler, the Star Sheriffs found the missile. We need backup!" the Outriders calls between exchanging fire with Fireball.

"Damn them!" Gattler rages over the link.

"Your orders?" the soldier asks after another exchange of gunfire.

"We only need 30 more minutes. Then we can finally force Yuma to surrender unconditionally. If you fail, this will have been your last mission!" Gattler replies.

"Yes, Sir!" the Outrider disconnects and begins firing again in earnest.

"What's taking you so long?" Fireball calls back to the robots.

"The Outriders are a little disconcerting! Please be patient a little while longer! This is not easy!"

Fireball goes to reply when a shadow is cast over him. "What the Hell?" he mutters as he looks up to see a large green renegade unit heading for him. "Damn!" he mutters as it grabs him and tries crush him and he screams in pain.

"Fireball!" the little robot calls.

Fireball screams in pain.

"The fun is over now, Star Sheriff!" the pilot of the renegade unit says just as it's hit from behind, causing it to drop Fireball.

Fireball falls, but manages to briefly grab a line that helps to break his fall a little before it snaps. He ends up riding down the shaft of a column and turning to see what hit the unit. "The Bismarck!" he says in relief.

"Captain Holiday!" the two robots cheer simultaneously.

"Why do you sound so surprised, you clunkers? Did you think I'd desert my crew so easily!?" the captain asks as he steps out of the Red Fury.

"Captain!" the smaller one interjects.

"I'm Captain Holiday, and I keep my promises by any means necessary," the captain replies.

"Captain Holiday, help us," the humanoid robot implores.

"Of course I will. Tell me what you need me to do," he says as they turn back to their work.

"Okay, I'll leave this to you," Fireball says to the trio and hops into the Red Fury and takes off for the battle. "April, let me in!"

"Okay." she replies as she opens up the ramp.

"Battle formation, let's do this!" Fireball calls as he hops into his saddle unit and hits the button to go to challenge phase, beginning the transformation.

They complete the transformation and Colt immediately grabs the blaster and fires at the enemy unit, landing a glancing blow.

"Aww, damn!" Fireball grumbles as it immediately fires back at them, knocking them down with a barrage of laser shots. They manage to get up and breakaway to try and gain some ground. They get ahead of it a bit abd then turn and wait for it.

"Look out, up there!" Colt calls and goes to ready the blaster. "My turn now," he quips.

"Don't lose your cool. Stay focused and aim," Saber says.

"Wow, he ain't bad!" Colt quips as the beast manages to avoid the worst of the shot.

"Oh, this blasted thing! I simply can't get around the last password," Captain Holiday grumbles as he sits at a screen in the bunker of the missile launch site.

"Captain, we're running out of time. Let us finish this!" the taller robot says.

"Don't worry about me. But you better head out now," he tells his two companions as he keeps typing.

"No, we will not leave you alone, Captain. We're staying." the small robot replies.

"Yes, we're in this together until the end," the other one affirms.

"Some kind of tin cans, you are! Stubborn as they come," he says with a chuckle. "Got it!" he says with a look of relief.

"Let's leave this place, Captain!" the larger robot says urgently as the timer winds down and the missiles launch. The trio turn and run for their ship.

One missile goes past them and hits a chunk of rock, while another causes the renegade to move quickly to evade. "This is our chance!" Saber calls as the unit is distracted by the missile launch."

"That it is, indeed!" Fireball agrees.

"Fire!" Colt calls as he blasts the enemy unit with everything, causing it to explode. Once they are sure they have finished their mission, they meet up with Captain Holiday and all return to Calvary Command to debrief.

After the meetings are done, the Captain is heading back to his ship when Fireball spots him and calls after him, "Hey, Captain Holiday. You leaving already?"

"Well, there are quite a few galaxies waiting for me out there!" the captain says with a slight smile and a nod as he turns to face the young man.

"You're a real pirate of the galaxies, but I feel that we'll meet again," Fireball says.

"I have one question that I want an answer for, Shinji."

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"Why did you let me go, even though you knew I wanted to flee?"

"Because I strongly believe nobody will desert another just to save their own ass, if they are able to do something."

"You believe if you trust somebody, they won't betray you?" he asks amused.

"I believe that there is nothing stronger than trust," Fireball replies truthfully.

"And I believe you're still a stupid kid," the captain replies and then starts laughing.

Fireball laughs with him.

"Captain Holiday," the humanoid robot says as he looks down the ramp.

"We're ready for take off." the smaller one adds as he joins the other.

"Well, thank you, for making me feel once again like the great Captain I used to be. Good bye!" he says and shakes hands in farewell with Shinji before turning and heading up the ramp and taking off, leaving the four team member to watch him disappear back into space.