t8

Contre-Admiral
lfO JUt{E. 23O1 Jean-Paul Bertrand's staff announced
that the Eta Bootis Defense Fleet will
depart to engage the Kafer yessels currently attacking the Hochbaden system
(less the two Australian yessels t /srrangef an(J Kangaroo, which are still on
patrol near Arcturus)-l
F3 JUNE, 2301 - (excerpt trom the
communicalions fog ot H-rJ.A.,s- Easlrrange4: '".-What do you mean the fleet
went off to Hochbaden? Send a couriel off
ASAP to brang the Detense FIeet back- The
whole frigging Kafel fleet dropped into
Arturus to discharge their stutterwarp
drive- They'll be here in a tew daysl"l
[18 JUNE. 23Oi - In the Hochbaden
system, the French battleshap Tauyran4
with contre-Admilal Jean-Paul Bertrand
onboard, was completely destroyed in a
one-on-one engagement with a Katet
battleship- Thasleaves the Uklainian commander, Kontr-Admlral Se.gei Sergeayich
Borodin incharge of the combined Earth
Defense Force here an the outea
French Arm ot space.I
fahen from The Ham ao -Kafef
Uar btt/A ler Shane, pab- 23 12[21 JUI{E, 2301: 2lO7 hours
GMT - Tanstafll Starportl
Two men stood in the lighted
cloorwayto a prefab shelter,one of
manyon this sicteot the starport.Both
wore the typicalkhakidrill uniformof
the Britishcommonwealthof the 24th
century. Round garrison hats with
black visors, short sleeves,pressed
slacks,black,low top shoes polished
to within a centimeterof their 'lives'
completedthe perfectrecruitingposter image that all militaryforces wish
to proiect.One of the figureshad a lot
ol gold braicton his visor,anclwas the
one standingjust insidethe dooMay.
Off in the clistance.a transoortblimo.
a common sight on colony worlds,
was on final approach to the main
landingcirclefor LTAs(Lighter-ThanAirvehicles).
"Welcome aboarcl,Mister Greenwood,"Alexander'sandy'shanetold the young
"See
man who was standingin Shane'squarters.
you on l e Eushrangef tomorrow.' one final
shakeof the hands,then Greenwoodsnappedoff
a sharo salutein the line Britishtraclition.Shane
returnedit in the samefashion.
Shanewatched the retreatingback of LieutenantGreenwoocl
as the wind ruffledboth men's
pressedkhakis.The brown giant Tithonusfilled
the sky is if it were some god watching lhe
strangeworkingsof man on its moon, Aurore.
Appearingoff to the sideof Tithonuswas the red
shining clot of Arcturus,the star by which the
enemypassesto reachEtaEootis.
The starportlookedlikeany old airporton any
ot lhe hundreds of worlds that man now
inhabited;the tower lightsflashedtheirwarnings
to aircraftlandingand takingolf , and lightsshined
in offices throughout the administrationblock.
But this slarport was also the gfound base
location of the United Nations Soace Fleet
Headquarters and Aurore (Mission) Control.
Security teamson foot or in hovercraftpatrolled
the perimeter of the starport looking tor any
Kafersthat mightstillbe around.

"ln my first briefingwith Bertrancl,he played

A femininearmcurleclits way aroundhiswaist
anda headcameto reston his shoulders.
"Sandy, down what happened dirtside," Shane said,
grimacing.
clutycomesearlytomorrow."
"Allhe talkedaboutwashis tinalvictory
Shaneclosedthe door andturnedto faceBeth overtheirfleet.'
.That
jerkcouldn'lfind his own assholeevenif
Anderson.He staredinlo her face and encircled
someone helped.The Kafers stomped his ass
herin hisarms.
A smile soread across her face. "What's twicebeforehe f inallygot that'victory'of his."
wrong, commodore? Have I broken out in
"Why,Beth,darling.Do you talkthisway aboul
spots?"
me and othersof such high rankwith your other
bloodsucher
'Ha, ha. Have no fear of that, lass.I was just
friends?"Shaneasked,teasingly,turningonto his
side so that he could rest on an arm and lool(
thinkinghow we're lucky that we have this time
downinto herf ace.
togetherbeforegoingbackup."
Beth answeredwith a quick kiss, 'Of coufse
Beth disentangledherselftrom his arms to
back
ancl
let
him
admire
A
red
not,
Sandy.I've only told the femalestafl whata
sleo
the view.
ribbontyingbackher ravenblackhairalsoservect lousyloveryou canbe at times."
shane collapsedback into bed. 'oh - well!
to trameher lovelyface.Her browneyes shined
with the glow of passion.Barelycontainingher
That'sditferent.lt's nice to know what the entire
ampls body was a black satin and lace bustier squadronthinksof me."
with g-string and thigh-high, sheer stockings
Beth laughed. "what?! You thought I was
seriousabout that? You're more uptightthanI
hookedup by garters."By the smirkon yourface I
cantell you fike...eve/yth/h9,"
snesoftly stated.
thoughtyou were. How'bout I massageyour
Shanesmiled,tosseclhis hat off to a chairin
neck?Thatalwayshelpeclbefore."
'Oh, might as well. YeFterday- | was on of
the corner.andput hisarmaroundBeth."Shallwe
retire to the bedroom and finish practicing the greatestloversof all mankind.Tonight- the
lousiest.How the mightyhavetallen."

l
)

[22 JUNE, 2301 * Long range

sensor probes have teporled
the arrival of the long awaited
Katel invasion force. The Australaanships plus the three merchant ships hastily litted out
with weaponry have lett orbit lo
engage a lone Kater battleship
apparently making a reconnaissance of Aurore- This is one
reporter's wish of good luck and
good hunting to the newly totmed colonial Detense squadron-l
bf
]/ar
The Haman-Kafer
Alex.thane, pua- 23t2.

ENCOUNTER
AT HESPERUS

2300mfiction inspired by the

adventure book "Invasion"

'dockingmaneuvers,'
Commanden"
"Ayeaye,sir."
Later,the two lovers rested in each other's
arms and staredal the darkenedceiling.Finally,
thequietwasbrokenby Beth.
"Whatdo you thinkabout our new computer
operaton"sheasked.
sandy thoughtfor a moment before answering."Amazingthat he was ableto livethroughthe
tirst Kafer Invasion.lf ever someone suffered
througha walkabout,he clid.You shoulcthave
seenhis eyesas he told me abouthis cousin's
farm northeastof her. We were over at the
O-Club, tossing back a mug or two, when
Malcolmtold me abouthis cousin,dying after
theirgroupstagedan ambush.Betweentryingto
hum a chorusof waluing Matilda,his cousin
quoled: '/hope you wt//remain with me here tt///
am quite dead /l is a comlon to knov that
someone /s by.'lt was tolcl to John King by
Robert o'Hara Burke in 1861 0n their failed
exploration
of lhe outback."
"Hearingabout it from behind the door was
enough fof me. Now it looks liks we're in a
full-blownwarwiththem.'

[22 JUNE, 23Ol: 2lO7 houts

GMT - Eta Eootis | (Hesperus)l
FiveshipsgoingintoHarm'sWay.
The gas giant catalogedas Eta
Bootis| (namedHesperusby the first
humanexplorers)loomeclever larger
in the viewoorts of the five little
spaceships.Two of them looked like hunters.
Variousshadesof gray, white, and gold coated
theirhulls.The other threewere glaringwhiteand
each as massiveas a skyscraper.To an outside
viewer,the five shipswould appearto'blink' into
existencein one spot, then blink out, only to
reappearmillionsof kilometersaway;the ef{ectof
vesselsusingstutteMarp.
Theleadshiowasof lhe Klevdass.Purchased
trom the Russianssix years ago, it was a lean,
knife-likedesignninetymeterslongwith two thick
wingsrotatingarounclthe fuselagecontainingtho
maiorityof the livingquartersfor the crew.Along
the main hull were five twin-laser mounls and
three missile bays. Near the point of its
needle-fikeprow was it's name - H.M.A.S.
Eush/,anger,
and right next to it, the proud flagof
Australia.
Bringingup the rear was a slightly larger,
vehiclewith huge solarpanels,the
barrel-shapect
H.M.A.S.Kangaroo, a ship based upon an old
French design, mounting fifteen lasers,with a
landerto carrytwenty marinesinto combat.Thg
tntee Hudson class cargo carriers were hastily
modifiedto be warshipsby mountingfour lasers

I
)

l9
andwerecarryingtwo AmericanSIM-14missile
packseach;threehastilyconvertedlreightersway
overdueon their maintenanceschedules.with
civilian
crewstryingto act likemilitaryspacers.
Onboarcllhe Busnt/ange,the flagship of the
AuroreanColonial Defense Squadron,its crew
watchedtheirmonitorscloselytor the lone Kafer
scoutvesselthat was supposedto be near this
world.
In a small broom closet of a cabin, a lone
figurein shorts sat at his computerterminal.A
mu9 ot lukewarmtea rested near the person's
rightelbow,waitingto be emptied."Sandy"Shane
finishedreadinga reporton his computerscfeen
andsavedit underthe'Ship'sPapers"file.Then,
he calledup a data teadout of the squadron's
position.satisfieclwith his findings,he turnedhis
terminaloff and finishedclressingfor duty as his
mindreviewedthe currentsituation.
Thelittlefleel left the comfortableembraceof
Tithonus,a gas giant five times larger than
Jupiter.Theworlctof Aurorewas officiallylisteclin
lhestaratlasas EtaBootisllc (meaningthatit was
lhe thirdmoon orbitingthe second planetof the
EtaBoolisbinarysystem).Eta Boolis
A wasnamedMuohridand EtaBootis
B, Rubis The systems two stars
orbiledone anotherwith an annual
separation
ol 1.425AU (Astronomical
Units).The systemwas first visileclby
the French.ln the 2240s, France,
Ukraine,and a cartel of American
corporations
set up a colony on the
tidally locked world now namecl
Aurore.The colony grew in size and
population in the nexl fifty-eight
years.
Then,on April 4. 2298,the peace
wasshattered.
A largefleet invaded
the Eta Bootis system from the
general
directionof A.cturus,attackingthe humanfleetand destroying
it.
ByAril8, the alienshad begun lancling
on the planet.For three months, the
fightingwas severeat best,brutaland

l,

d6.^ar.td.l

1i

\rr^rcl

Th6

E.dh

fld^r

.r

Hochbaden,
the next world withinthe
7.7 light year range of stutterwarp
vesselsin the ctirectionof Earth,
eventuallydefeatectthe aliens ancl
sentthemretreating.
But the strandect
Kaferson the planet fought on for
anotheryear, waiting for reinforcements.Over
people,mostly civilians,died in that war.
300,000
Theeconomywas shattered.Citizensof Aurore
developeda blooctlustagainstthe Kafers.lf a
citizenof Aurorewas askeclhow to fight the war
againstthe Kafers,a typicalanswerwould be to
roundup the bloody lot and do awaywith them
on a scale that would have made the ancient.
infamous
Hitlergreenwithenvy.
CommodoreShanereflectedover the recent
past on the fringe of human space. For three
years we have stat/oned an ntemallona/ fleet n
th/ssystem. Eertrand d/dn't even tly to sed{ out
tlte a//ens,/Ust keep tnem away from the co/ony.
Adm/n/ Eorodn ttrs supposed to be a tacfi?a/
genlus.buthedldn'l wanl lo maleanywaves.
Shanemumbledto himselfunderhis breath,
"TheGermanKommodoreWilhelmLutkeis about
the most aggressiveot us all. And then the
American,
RearAclmiralDavidFarragutParkerbuthe'sa littletoo concernedwith seekingglory
ratherthan protectingAurore.' gut lhe lhreeolus
agree that the lrght lor Ela B@tls shou/d be
tnged at Arcturus. /Vorv8e/'t/and nad b go of
ind /eayeme to plolect tlre who/e system tuth an

ad hoc squadron. whal b/oody foo/s the lot ol

lhem aret
Shanesteppedoutof hisquartersanclentered
the small companionwaythat was painted in
greenand brownearthtones.Fromthereit was a
shortdislanceto the hub and the entryway into
the null-0ravitypart ol the clestroyer.Once
through,he grabbedonto the'firemanpole,"then
moved hand over hand to the TacticalAction
Center (known simply as TAC) of H.MA.S.
Busnrange/,.
AlexanderShane,a lean,fil gentleman in his late fifties with sveaks of silver
beginningto appearin his blondehair,floated
throughthe hatchwaywith the graceof a ballet
dancer in zero-g and pulled himself into the
commandchair.Shanewas fillingin as acting
caplainol lhe BushrangelwhileCaptainO'Conner
recoveredfrom wounds suffered at Arcturus.
Shane was dressed in the same off-white
coverallsthat some how harkenedback to the
AlphaCentauriWarin appearance;
rankclisplayed
on the collar tabs, Ship and Destroyerclivision
patchesplacedon chestandupperleftarmbelow
the Australianllag patch. Zippercd pockets

we are stillin their sensor shadow.The basta(cls

haven'tsmartenedup yet."
Malcomwas referringto one ot the few known
factsaboutthe enemythat humanson the colony
world labeledas 'Kafers.'These two meter-tall,
non-humanbipedswere real killingmachines.
The backs of their heads and torsos were
protectedby a tough,hornycarapace.Theirsmall
eyeswererecessedunderlargebrow ridges,and
their mouthsbore an impressivearrayof hooks,
needles, siphons, and mandibles that allowed
them to impale, tear, cut, shred, chew, suck,
handle,andpartiallydigesttheirlood. Theirhancts
wer equipped with three mutually opposing
thumbsandlackedthe strengthof a human'sgrip,
butweresurprisingly
dexterousfor a creaturewith
a reputationfor beingstupidand strong.since the
firstencounterseveralyearsago in thisvery same
system,humanshad wonderedwhy it took a few
secondsor even longer to resonctto an attack.
But, when a Kafer clid respond,it was as if the
creaturehad suddenlybeen transformedinto a
cunning,innovative,
and deadlyopponent.
Lt. Greenwoodknew about these creatures
from personalexperience.He was a
member of the famous 'Ramrod
Teams' operated by the city of
Tanstaafl.
Several
times,he hadfound
himselfin close combat with thess
creatures.None of those limes were
very pleasantwas what sandy was
tolcl.
Shane looked at the computergeneratedtacticalon the big screen.
The whole solar system was laid out
anctorbitalmechanicswere just happening to help the defenders of
Aurore.Tithonuswas on the opposite
side of the twin suns from Arcturus.
The Kafer fleet appeared to be
dischargingthe static buildupin their
stutteMarpctrivesnear Eta Bootis V,
Astraeus,a smallgas giant.
'This lone Kafer ship is either
scouting the way or has an anxious
^a^t.:^

"

Sh.^o

cl2lo.l

Mil^6m

nn.l

ded in agreement.
The Commoclore thumbed his
headset mike button on anct said,
"Briclge,Shane here. Sound Battle
Stations. Commander Foster. Plot
interceptcourseanclmakebest speecl
coveredalmostthe entiroutfit, usuallyempty.
to target." Then, turning lowards Lt. Linda
On Shane'srighl was the computeroperator, Fairchild,"Callup the other ships anc,havethem
Lt. MalcomGreenwood,an individualdiminutive go to BattlsStations.InformAuroreControlthat
in appearance,
but long on intelligence;
a man we arenow engagingthe loneKaferwarship.'
"Ayeaye,Commodore,'Lt.Fairchildreplied.
who had enduredthe rigorsof the KaferInvasion
the first time aroundwhile on leave.Along the
The target that the small human fleet was
cabin'swallswereoiher comouterconsolesand
heading for was a large, dirty, green-colorecl,
theiroperators.Lt.RichardLemmonsmannedthe
multi-spherical
as a
craftthat had been ictentified
Fire Controlcomputerwhile severalChiefPetty battleshipcode-namectA/pha.rhis inlormation
Officersoperatedthe Remole Controlconsoles was flashingin the lowerright-handcornerof the
thatguictedthe smartmissilesand sensordrones. big displayscreen.
EnsignJudy Mayeroperatedthe main sensors
"Time?"askedShane.
console.All were rugged indivictuals,
"2118hours,sir,"Lt.Greenwoodresponcled.
the tinest
'Lt. Fairchilct,tell the merchant captainsto
examplesot Australian
heritage.
"All right mates,where is the little buggen"
launchone missilepack each, and we will take
Shaneaskedwhilebuckling
himselfin.
careof the guidanceinstructions.'
"Ayeaye,sir,'the lieutenantrepliect.
Lemmonsanswered,"Dfonenumbettwo still
hasa positivetrackot the target.lt is closingin on
Mayer'svoice went up a note, "Droneis now
Hesperus.lt looks like the Kafersare going to
reporting that target is an 'lmprovecl Alpha'
slingshotarounclit to arriveat Tithonus.'
battleship.
lt is launchingsix missiles."
'Nothing about the rsl of the enemy fleet,
Shanelookectover to Greenwoocl.
"Havethe
Mayen"
merchantslaunchedthe sim-14syet?'
'We're getting two from lne Hasegawa and
"Not a peep, Captain.I guess they'rewaiting
on theirmate'sreoort.'
one lrom the Bangkok.Kangarooislelling us that
Malcomcut in, "As lar as I can cletermine.
sir. the DonsMayllas launchecltwo.'

20
'Tell Kangaroothat we will handle anti-missile
tire control while the rest of the squadron fires
their lasers at the battleship,' Shane ordered,
focusingbackon the tacticalplot screen.
Even with missiles equipped with stutteMarp,
time can clragby while waitingfor the incoming
strike.Yet it can flash by too quicklyto respond to
the situation.
PeEona/U thought Shane, / peler to hght by
Emote contro/. Wou/dn't t4zrntto fighl hand to
hand wrth a Kafec not aftel t+/ratMa/com bld me.
Aloud, 'Bridge, bring us about 275 mark 190."
Turningto look at Malcom Greenwood,he saict,
'Onca the freighters have unloacled all their
missiles,havethem fall benindKangalooanclus.'
'l have received reports that the three
treighters havs fired off the first pack of thre
missileseach,'Malcomrepliecl.
Lemmonsspokeup now.'l've usedthreeSlMs
to block ths incoming Kaler missiles onefor-one. The othershavs so far macleit oast the
counter-battery fir - clamn! Spoke too Soon,
theregoes anotherone of ours.'
Out in space,the ten meterlong silvertubesof
cleath clos8d in on their resoective
targets and explodsd. Invisiblelaser
beamspumped up to gigawattpower
via their own nuclear c,estruction,
cutting into human and alien vessels
alike. The Hasegat+a was like a
massivgblockof wooc,that some god
had takena power drillto.
AlexanderShanestareclat the clata
readoutscoming in over his compuler
screens.The alienbattleshiolost one
of its four rotating 'arms' that he
assumectprovided artificialgravityin
the same manneras such deviceson
humanvessels.And some hull plating
would eventuallyioin the small,thin
ring of clebrisorbitingthis planet.He
peeredover at Malcom.'well,mister,I
guesswe showed'em a g'clay,what?"
A smile appeareclon Malcom's
previouslygrimlace.'Aye, sir.Thatwe
dict. we've taken some minor hull
ctamage.Kangarooloo\ an engine hit,
power piant ouput reduced by thirty
percent."
'What aboutthe treighters?'Shane
askect.'Did they get all thearmissiles
off?"
"No, sir. Hasegatn didn't get hers off . Also,
Hasegatn took most of the incoming missiles.
She's heavily damaged in engineeringanct the
toMard hull is iust so much swiss cheesenow.
Mayer,on sensors,was tellingme that Hasegirwa
is losingatmosphericpressure.'Malcomdirected
his attention to communications."Lieutenant
Fairchilcl,raise the Hasegawa for an updated
damagersport."
'Will do. sir.'
Shanerubbeclhis eyes, then locusecton the
plot baord.'Tell those other two lreightersto fire
off the restol thosemissiles'
Again, Lt. Fairchilclworked her comm board,
carryingout herorders.
CommodoreShanecalledup the vicleoimage
ot lne Hasegatn on one ot the smallermonitors
at his console.lce crystalstrailedbehindthe huge
spacecraftfrom the engineering/crewquarters
like the smoke trail an airolaneleaves behind
when shot down. The briclgetower was nothing
but a blackenedstump of metal."Linda,"he said
quietly,'have the Dons Maypick up any survivors
oll the Hasegawa, ancl inform Aurore Control
abouther.'

Greovvoodinterrupted.'Commoclore,another she coulch't see his knees behind his console.

group of missiles inbound!' within seconds, They wers pumping like mact,as if shane was
lasers from the alien battleship impactect the
tryingto inflatea blimp all by himselfback home
Eushnngea iatring everybody.
on hisranch.
'Continue trackingtho bastardand havethose
The two warshiosclosed in on the woundecl
freightersfirs otf all remainingmissiles.Lasers! Kafer,with the freighterEangkokacluallykeeping
Fireott anothersalvoat himl' bafieclShane.
station off ot Kangar@s port side, whils her
The human flset plunged cleeperinto the
sister ship, lhe Dons /Vaj1 tecoveted both the
gravitywellot the gas giantafterthe enemy,who
livingand deadolt the Hasegzn+a.
'Lemmons,how many missileshas our friend
was attemptingto hide in the thin ice ring about
Hesperus,Vac,ing
laserfirealltheway.
outtherefiredoff so far?'Shaneasked.
'TAC, this is bridgs,' Fostercalled.'That last
Lookingup from his computer screen,Lieulaser barrage reduced us to quarter power and
tenant Lmmons answsred, "Fourteen in all,
numberthreelaserturrstis completelygone.'
whichmeanshs shouldhavssix left.'
'Damn, mutteredLemmons.'Damage Con'Mayer,what about our clrones.Ate they still
trol,Lemmons.How com statusof numberthree arouncl?"
'Only NumberOne now, sir. And it's damalaser has not been calleclup to TAC?' Whatever
ged.'
ths answerwas,
onlyths lieutenant
heardit.
'send it on into the rings.lwant thatKafr.'
Shanekeysclhis mike.'Vsrywell,Commander
'Yes,sir.'
Foster.Carryon.'
'Commodore,'Malcomcalleclout, 'the Kafsr
has hidden in tho ring. He's gone cleadon us.
We'renot dstectinganythingon our sensors.'
I23 JUNE, 23O1:. O142 GMT - Otf
Shanerubbedhis brow,then cailedup to the
Hesperus'sRingsl
It took the Aurorean Colonial
Defensesouaclronalmost four and a
halfhoursto find any new signsof the
Dafer battlaship, and lne Bangkol(
suffered greatly when three Kafer
missiles,programmedto act like like
mines, suddenly came to lifg anct
spearectthe huge ship on invisible
lancesof nuclearenergy.severalhits
in the power plant area causecl the
Eangkok to explode, killing all
onboarcl.The EMP pulseof the ship's
nuclearreactorexplodingblossomed,
thenquicklyfadecl.
Before anyone could even mourn
the loss, Mayer callgclout, 'l've got
'em! 357 mai/.O47.He's coming right
at us!' she exclaimed, her voice
raising in pitch in the heat of the
moment.
On the TAC displayscreen,theblip
thatwasthe Kaferwarshipwas moving
on an interceptcoursewith the human
souadron.Shaneswitchedone of his
video monitors to long range scan
and input the coordinates of the
enemy. on ths small screen, the
wounded giant climbed maiestically
briclge again. 'Foster, have Lt. commander out of the planeof the ring'sorbit. Shanenoticed
Zeiglerplot a searchpatternin the rings.Closeto
that the enemy battleshiphad sufferecla maior
within 10,000klicksol ths last reporteclpositionof
blowout in the forwardspherearea.
'All weaponsare to tire anclkeep on firing till
thatbattleshio.'
'Will do, Commodore,'Fosterrsplied.
thetubesmelt.Hit'em!' shaneordered.
Malcomstaredthoughtfullyat shane.'comLieutenantLemmons and the petty officers
moctors,that Kaferhas now had enoughtime to
underhis controldirectedtheirremainingmissiles
analyzeour attack.The bloke is getting smarter. at ths onrushingtarget.The lightsdimmed as the
Thislookslikea Vap.'
ship's laserswsnt into action. "Lemmons here.
"l know,Lieutenant.'lt
lookslikea traoto me as
Assign mount four as close in, anti-missile
well. But we just can't hang around out here battery.'
watingfor it to come back out anclplay.' shane
Greenwoort spoke up. "Commoctore,
directedhis attentionto EnsignMayer.In the red
Kangaloonas iust lost her starboard solar panel.
light of the TAC center, she appeareclto be
Her landerhas also been hit. She's jettisoningit
gettingpanicky.'Ensign,I want you to be really just in caseit mightexplocle."
alertnow.Can'thavethat bastardshowuo on our
"Acknowleclgecl.
What is the clamagereporton
rearallot a sudden,nowcanwe?"
Hasegatld?"
'They're
Judy turnedto tace him, sweatglisteningon
repairingthe thrustersto get the ship
her fair lace. "Don't you worry, sir. That Kafer back underway to Aurore. She may yet be
won't everhavethe chanceto closomethinglike salvagable."
At that moment,a KafermissileexOlocledand
thatwithme around."
'Now thats the spirit, Mayer. Don't let 'em
all of its pre-targetedbeams impacteclon the
Bushranger,blowing off one of its missile bays
intimidateyou andyou'lldo fine,'Shanesaidwith
a smlle,noticingthat his worclshactthe expected ancl the deepsystem scanner, ancl hitting the
eflectasshoappearedsomewhatcalmer.Luckily, forwardhull and one of the rotating limbs. The

2l
sensorfeedbackcausedthe consoleto blow up
jn Judy Mayer's lace. Lt. Fairchildcalled tor a
medicalteam to come to take careof the young
womanas commodore shane unbuckleclfrom
hischairand grabbeda fire extinguisher
to help
one of the petty officers put out the electrical
otaze.
Thicksmokesoon filledthe red lightedroom.
Coughing,
Shanestartedlo ordereveryoneto put
ontheiroxygenmasks,but theyhad alreacty
done
so.He settledbackinto his chairand took his own
advice.
"Bridge,Shanehere. Put our bow on to that
battleship
andkeepus likethat.Don'tlet'em get
ourprotileagain."
"Undersloocl,Commodore.We're having lo
stopthe gravitydrum now becauseof vibrations,"
Commander
Andersonreolied.
Shanecoulcltell somethingwas
wrong."Beth,is somethingwrongup
there?"
'Yessir.Commanders
Fosterand
Rhocles
areclead.They - they were
fightinga fife here on the bridge
whenthe forwardstarboardviewport
washit. Both of them were sucked
oul before the automatic viewoort
shieldslid into olace." After more
thantwo hundredyearsof livingand
working in space, most people
would still call a blow out being
'suckedout'. There was
a slight
pausebefore she continued."zeiglerandI areholdingon andthe ship
isstillanswering
the helm."
At /east Eetn ls st/// a//ue. Snane
"OkayCommander,
thought.
we wilt
grieveafter the batfle. Not now.
You'reFirst Otficer now. Tactical
oul."Then.avertinghis attentionto
Ll. Greenwood,-Malcom, Swiclch
sensorconlrolto your board.Status
ontheKafen"
"Looks like our missiles have
totalled
hisengines.
He s just coastingnow;stutteMarpemissionsread
zero. ThP commancl Focl looks
totally
destroyed."
"Commodore.message coming
in lrom Aurore,"Lt. Fairchildrepor,
ted. "Kontre-AdmiralEorodin and
the rest of the lleet have just
returnedto the system. They are
nowheadinglor Astraeusand the
remaining
Kafer vessels."
Two Mecl-Techs trailing a
casualtybasket popped open the
hatchand propelleclthemselvesover to the
slumpedfigure of Judy Mayer. caretuily,they
strapped
herinto the basketand left as quietlyas
theyentered.
shane looked at the time readout on the
bulkhead
wall.tt read:0156- 23JUNE2301. Then
helookedover at Greenwood."ls that battleshio
deadyeP"
Greenwoodnodded. "Yes sir. Still getting
somelifeform reaclings,
but all powergeneration
systems
arereadingat ?erolevels."
"Lt.Fairchild,
directthe Kangarootocloseand
sendovera boarclingpartyto capturethatthing."
Theywere lookingat the video screenswhen
themagnifiedview of their defeatedenemyblew
upintomillionsof pieces.
"Thenagain, Lieutenant,maybe not. stand
down trom Battle Stations and inlorm the
squadron
to turnbacktowardsAutore.I wanta full
damagereport put together for my inspection

withintwo hours.l'llbe in my cabin."

"Veryhappyto do so, sir.'

CANSHAREA BOTTLE
OFVODKAANDYOU
AT
CANRELATE
WHATHASHAPPENED
ETABOOTISI.

[23 JU[E. 23{)1: o2O1hours GMT - Eta

Eootis | (Hesperus)l
Feelinglike the rock of ages,shane returned
to hisoffice/cabin.
Thegravitydfumwasstopped,
awailingrepairs,so he tloateclthroughwhat the
'The
crew labeledas
Main Gate' and down the
companionwayto his quarters.sweat stains
underhis armsmatchedthoseof the other crew
membersthat he passedin the companionway.
Finally,he arrivedat his cabin.For a minuteor so
he just held onto the nearbyhanclhold,
then slict
the thinmetalpanelot a door open,enterect,
then
slidit backinto place.He allowedhimselfto calm
down, readying himself to write those clamn

Then,afterreadingthe firstletter,Shanecalledup
thesecondandbeganto read.

KIEV-class

Destroyer

LENGTH: 90 Mctors
FOTATIONALARC : 37.3Molers

TOCOMMODOREALEX
SHANE
D.F. PARKER:
FROMREARADMIRAL
AUSSIE
BASTARD.
SANDY
YOUOLDOUTBACK
HOGGING
ALLTHEGLORY
ASUSUAL.AT
LEASTTHISTIMEYOUSAVEDSOMEFORUS,
SEEYOUBACKONAURORE.

AlexanderShane smiled while reading the

messages.Two very differentindivictuals
saluting
him for a jJb well done.He laid down on his bunk
and stared at the ceiling.The question that all
warriors face raced through his
mind. one thal even the first caveman must have thought after killing
hisfellowman.
"why?" shane asked his computerterminal.
He didn'texpectany
aswersto be forthcoming lrcm il. /t s
a// we// and good, ne $ougn\ that
we fnd a need lo c/or+n around
amongsl ourse/ves to he/p ease lhe
bulden ol ouf deeds. And to gieve
oler our comlzrdes and jusl maybe,
dl)
a vo/thy opponent /l doesn7 mate
q@p
much sense - but it ts a comlorl.
And genen/U we are not /rearfless,
tl
it /s s/mp/y that we a/e a// uat/ms o/
ll
t{ar
t.T
The Commodore got up and
went backto ship'sbusiness.Letters
to write, reporls to fill out. And for
tonight at least, the citizens of
COMMUNICATIONS
Aurore could rest without fearing
ANTENNA
anotherinvasion.But he was interruptedby a knockat his door.
f.h+
Fro^r
Sd6
"Comein,"Shanesaid.
Top
Beth Anderson slid open the
HABITATMODULE
paneland lookedin. Shanecouldtell
Pmtilcs
evenfrom wherehe sat that shewas
l-fT-}--...-.lired. Har brown eyes wBre recl;
| |-__-]l|F-rt
ruptured blood vessels from the
briefexposureto vacuum.Sheclictn't
l-l------r
say anything,just enteredthe cabin
andcloseclthe door behindher.
lf--_lt I
J
Sandywavedher over to him and
pulledher into his lap."You can let
go now,Beth,'he whisperedinto her
ear,and they both helclone anothr
close.

tE3

t{-

Y/

(3) Missll. &ys

tun,slbr.,rop

letters every military commander sometimes

finds himselfhavingto write. A beep soundect
from his personalcomputer.Over the intercom,
Lt. Fairchilcl
spoke,"Sir,I havetwo messagesfor
you. One from AdmiralBorodin,the other from
Aclmiral
Parker.'
"Send 'em on down to my computer,Lieutenant."
'Alreadywaitingfor you, sir.Fairchilct
out."
Tappinga tew keys and enteringhis security
code, the dark greenscreencame to life, tilling
withamberwords.
TOCOMMODORE
ALEXANDER
SHANE,
AUSTRALIAN
NAVY.
CMDRACDS
FROMKONTR_ADMIRAL
S.S.BORODIN:
EXTEND
TOALLINYOURCOMMAND
MY
HEARTFELT
GRATITUDE
ANDPRIDE
INTHE
S U C C E SOSFY O U RM I S S I O N , I L O O K
FORWARDTO A MOREQUIETTIMEWHENWE

IFROM THE S|EGE OF ETA AoOTTS 23 JUilE. 23Ol - The Aurorean Colonaal
Detense Squadron engaged a Kafel
battleship, destroyang it at a cost ol one
ship destroyed and another badly damaged- saxty-seven are listed as killed an
action, twenty-three wounded- Five are
missing, presumed dead.
- Borodin's fleet has ar.iyed back in
the Eta Bootis system early this morning
to engaoe elements ot the Kafer tleet now
tagged 'Task Force X-Ray.' driyin0 them
away.l
by Alrx Shane,
nte Hsman-KatcLlfar
pab.2312- *