The Interplanetary Police Force spaceship raced after the ship containing the criminal who had just stolen the largest single chunk of gold in the galaxy. The pilot of the police craft, Charles Stewart, pushed the throttle forward and steadied the ship. The gunner, Mark Milligan, fired a few plasma blasts at the other ship which were skillfully avoided.
"GET HIM!" the copilot, Alicia Robbins, screamed.
"Relax, Robbins," Stewart said. "I'm on him."
"Captain Stewart!" a voice shouted from the intercom.
"What's up, Payton?" Stewart asked.
"My instruments show that the perp is engaging hyperdrive."
"I can see that from here. What's wrong with that?"
"You didn't let me finish. My instruments also show that there is a black hole dead ahead, and our own hyperdrive is malfunctioning."
"Great Scott! A trap! Robbins, turn us around and push to max subhyper thrust!"
"No, Captain!" Payton urged. "We wouldn't have the time to build enough speed to break free! We'd be pulled right in!"
"Well, what can we do?"
"There's a little trick called slingshotting which is generally used to turn around when near a planet. You approach on a tangent at orbital velocity and coast around the object--in this case the black hole--until you've reached the point where you want to break free and speed up to escape velocity."
"Well, let's do it!"
"May I issue the orders due to familiarity with the technique?"
"Certainly."
"All right, boys (and girl). On my mark, turn to bearing 268. Mark."
The craft turned gently to the right but began to feel the gravitational effects of the black hole.
"Full thrust," Payton said. The ship shook briefly and its speed increased. The hole's gravity became stronger and unseen turbulence rocked the ship. The two entities drew closer to each other.
"Dan!" Robbins shouted. "We're being pulled in!"
"I see that," Payton said frantically. "Um, turn right a few degrees."
"How many?"
"Just pick--five! Now!"
Robbins made the necessary adjustments then asked Payton, "What's the deal?"
"It was my fault. I didn't compensate for the additional gravity. Plus, we hadn't reached orbital velocity." He checked his instruments then said, more calmly, "On my mark, turn left five degrees and ease the throttle back to 79%. Mark."
"It's okay," Robbins said, adjusting the ship's course. "At least we're all still here."
"Yeah." Payton sighed, then said, "We missed the breakoff point, so we'll have to circle around the hole again. Don't worry, though--we're in a perfect orbit."
The ship arced widely around the gigantic hole. A few minutes later, Payton said, "We're approaching the breakoff point. Prepare to increase speed. 100%, on my mark. Mark."
Robbins pushed the throttle forward, and the ship broke free of orbit and sailed off in the correct direction.
"A computer virus," Payton said. "Apparently the perp transmitted it while we were chasing him. It was designed only to knock out our hyperdrive. At worst, he figured, it would keep us busy. At best, it would have gotten us out of the way permanently."
"I just talked to a local contact," Robbins said as they entered the next star system. "He said that a ship matching the description of the one we were chasing was sighted entering the system, and that none have left."
"So he's here somewhere," Stewart said. "We just have to find him."
"He's on the planet Alphegus, according to Walters," Robbins said. "That was the craft's last known landing point."
The police craft approached the planet Alphegus.
"This planet is sparsely populated," Stewart said, pulling the craft into a wide orbit. "We should be able to find his ship using our long-range scanners."
Several hours later, the long search came to a close when the ship was sighted by the scanner. The police craft plunged into the atmosphere after the elusive criminal.
Eventually the craft swooped down to an altitude of 1000 meters.
"Look at that, Charlie," Robbins said. "That castle is huge!"
"It's his," Stewart replied.
"Whose?"
"The criminal's. The scanner's telling me that his ship is parked right next to it."
The police craft coasted closer to the stronghold. Suddenly, a powerful plasma burst came from a cannon hidden in the castle wall, and Stewart barely had time to avoid it.
"Eyes on the road, Stewart!" Robbins shouted.
"He knows we're here," Stewart gasped. "We've got to land."
"Sir!" the intercom shouted at him. "Hard right!"
"But why, Milligan?"
"Just do it!"
Stewart wrenched the stick to the right, then heard the sound of a plasma burst being fired followed by an explosion.
"Missile, sir," Milligan explained. "It was headed this way. I needed a clear shot."
The ship whizzed by the fortress. "We'd better land far enough away from it to--" Stewart was cut off by a plasma burst striking a vulnerable sector and rocking the ship.
"Main left engine damaged," Payton screamed. "and not functioning! Other systems failing--Captain, land this thing now!"
"That's what I'm trying--" He was cut off again by another burst hitting the ship.
"More systems failing!" Payton sounded panicked. "Another blast and we lose it all--Captain--"
Robbins, who had been just sitting there petrified, got an angry look in her face, grabbed the stick, and shoved it forward. The ship lurched downward.
"Robbins, what are you doing?" Stewart asked frantically.
"Trust me," she half-grunted, half-hissed through clenched teeth.
The ship continued its downward thrust. Robbins gripped the handle tighter and slowly pulled back on the stick. The ship evened out and struck the ground, bounced twice, then skidded to a stop.
"What the hell was that?" Milligan gasped.
"When I came to my senses," Robbins said, "I noticed two things. One was that the landing gear was malfunctioning--" she motioned toward the warning light as proof-- "and that we were still high enough to be hit again. So I basically, er, acted on instinct."
"Any landing you can walk away from--" Payton didn't finish.
Stewart sighed, then said to the intercom, "Payton, Milligan, suit up and meet me in the cockpit." Then he said to Robbins, "Get your armor on too. We're going into the fortress."
The quartet exited the crippled spacecraft and stepped onto rocky, barren terrain. They saw a small group of Alphegans emerging from behind a large rock. They approached the police officers cautiously.
"I.P.F." Stewart said, flashing his badge. "Don't be afraid."
"Yeah, I know," one of the Alphegans said. "I could tell by the markings on the ship. Are you guys OK? What happened?"
"The guy who lives in that castle shot us down. Yeah, we're okay."
"So tell me," Payton said to the Alphegan. "How is it that a human, and a common thief, lives in a castle like that around here?"
The Alphegan got a strange look in his face and said, "He's not a human. And he certainly isn't a common thief."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, for starters, he's a Scimitarian. He came to this planet about ten standard years ago and took over this part of Alphegus. He's been ruling this district with an iron fist since then--and no one has been able to leave since."
"What's a Scimitarian?" Milligan asked.
"A four-armed, tentacled titan of a being," said Payton. "They have the ability to shape-shift, and are hideously ugly by Earth standards in their true-form. They're mostly benign, though--why is one here, being so belligerent?"
"One bad apple," the Alphegan said. "That's my only explanation."
"All right," Stewart said. "So now we know why he's here. How heavily guarded is the citadel?"
"We don't know. All we do know is that there are guards at every door--no one's ever attempted to venture inside."
"Looks like we'll be the first," Robbins said.
"Yeah," said Stewart. "So let's get cracking."
The quartet approached the castle.
"Look at that," Milligan said. "The Alphegan wasn't kidding. There are two robot sentries at every door."
"Make sure your cannons are fully charged," Stewart said. "We wouldn't want them to run out of power--not here."
They came upon the guards.
"Halt!" one of them said. "You are entering a restricted area!"
"Halt this!" Payton said, firing his cannon at the robot. The machine was knocked back and dropped to the ground. Milligan rushed the other one, and through his armor's enhanced strength was able to rip the head off it.
"They don't make them like they used to," Stewart said, eyeing the destroyed mechanicals.
They continued inside, down a long corridor, and came to a junction.
"Let's split up," Stewart said. "Robbins, you and Milligan go down that corridor. Payton, come with me."
Robbins and Milligan went down the left corridor as Stewart and Payton went down the right. Soon Stewart and Payton came upon another intersection.
"That way leads outside," Payton said, pointing to the right. "See the guards?"
"Yeah," Stewart said. "Wait--hold up," he said, grabbing Payton's shoulder. "Look there. It's a security camera--"
Payton blasted the camera and said, "Come on, Captain," before Stewart could finish. They hurried down the corridor.
Robbins and Milligan, having just disposed of three more sentries, continued down the passageway. Milligan stopped before a panel that was set in a little farther than the others.
"What are you doing, Mark?" Robbins asked him.
"Look, Alicia," he said, pointing at a keypad next to the panel. "This is an express elevator. We can take this to the top level."
"What makes you think he's there?"
"Aren't they always? Besides, there are no lower floors, as far as we can tell. He would naturally be at the maximum possible distance from the entrance to the castle."
"All right. Can you crack the code for the elevator?"
"This can," he said, holding up a small electronic device. "It can crack any keypad-style code." He activated the device and stuck it on the keypad. It made a few beeps, a couple of clicks, and beeped one last time. The panel slid open.
"Impressive," Robbins said. Then she spoke into a communicator. "Charlie, come in, do you read?"
"Loud and clear," came the reply.
"Where are you?"
"Look down the hallway."
She looked in the direction that she and Milligan had been headed, and saw Stewart and Payton turning the corner. "I guess that these corridors double back on each other," Stewart said, "but we couldn't find any stairs."
"We found an elevator."
"You did?"
"Come and see."
The two men finally reached the spot where Robbins and Milligan were, and saw the elevator. "Looks like we go in here," Stewart said.
"Looks like it."
The four entered the elevator. The door closed behind them, and the lift began an upward surge.
When the elevator door slid open, the four found themselves facing a trio of guard robots. After disposing of them quickly, they continued into the chamber.
They entered a throne room. At the far end sat the Scimitarian, in his human form and flanked by six robots. Between him and the officers stood about fifteen more mechanicals.
"Greetings, friends," he said. "I guess you found me. Well, I've known you were here from the moment you destroyed the guards outside--and I let you come up here for the pleasure of destroying you myself. But first, how about a little workout? Destroy the interlopers!"
Of one mind, the robots attacked the police officers. Outmanned but not outgunned, the officers ultimately reduced the small army to scrap. Then, they turned to face the Scimitarian.
"I've got a surprise for you," the criminal said. "I'm not really a human." With that, he shape-shifted into the form of a massive beast and assumed a height of six meters.
"That's no surprise," Stewart said. "We already learned that from an Alphegan."
Without a word of response, the great beast swung a massive arm and knocked Stewart into a far wall, knocking him unconscious.
"Charlie--" Robbins began to go towards Stewart, but Payton stopped her.
"He should be okay," he said. "The armor took most of the impact."
Meanwhile, the Scimitarian had grabbed a plasma cannon of his own and fired it at Payton and Robbins. They saw the burst and leapt out of the way.
Man, Payton thought. That cannon's at least five times as powerful as ours! I'd better be careful--his thoughts were interrupted by a burst grazing him and throwing him off balance, and he fell to the floor. He checked the power gauge on his armor, and saw that it had plummeted to 53%. 53%? he thought. That's impossible! It barely touched me!
Milligan and Robbins had been attacking the Scimitarian, keeping him busy while Payton regained his equilibrium. Payton rejoined the battle in time to see Milligan take a direct hit from the thief's cannon. The armor deactivated and fell apart, and Milligan was thrown to the floor and hit his head on the hard surface.
Payton and Robbins charged the Scimitarian, who grabbed each with one arm and threw them over his shoulder, and they landed beyond the throne. They crouched behind it as the criminal advanced on them.
"Now what?" Robbins whispered.
"I've got an idea," Payton said under his breath. "Scimitarians have a gland at the base of the neck, near the back, which secretes an enzyme which allows them to shape-shift. Without this enzyme they can't hold any form but their true-form. And the gland always swells up during use. I'm going to try to puncture it. Can you keep him busy?"
"Sure," she breathed.
The Scimitarian stood in front of the throne and pointed his cannon at the pair. They charged him before he could fire and knocked him back a few feet. Payton leapt onto the Scimitarian and tried to punch him in the eye, but the thief tossed him aside. He advanced on Robbins and fired at her. She dodged, but was still clipped in the shoulder and was knocked into the back wall. She shook her head and gasped as she saw the criminal point his cannon at her.
Suddenly Payton leapt on the Scimitarian's back and plunged a knife into the swollen gland. The alien screamed and dropped the cannon as a greenish liquid gushed from the knife wound, and reverted to his true-form. He threw Payton off him and growled deep in his throat.
"I am not defenseless in my true-form," he said, wrapping a tentacle around Payton's leg and lifting, tripping him. Robbins scrambled up, grabbed the fallen cannon, and blasted the Scimitarian point-blank in the chest. He flew across the room and landed next to the fallen Stewart. He groaned and rose to his feet.
"You forget, human, that a Scimitarian's chest is covered with natural armor which is stronger than titanium," he said with some effort.
"You can't have much energy left," she shot back, pointing the cannon at him. "I wouldn't do anything foolish if I were you."
He presented a transmitter and pointed it at Robbins. The cannon was instantly reduced to nothing. "You see," he said with a laugh, "I have complete control of my weapons even if they aren't in my hands."
"I still have my cannon."
"You don't have much power, either."
She checked her power gauge and saw that he spoke the truth--she only had 24% left. "Yeah, but you'll run out before me," she said.
"Hey ugly!"
The pair turned in the direction of the voice, and saw Payton standing there with the stolen chunk of gold cradled in his arms. "This belong to anyone?" he said nonchalantly.
The Scimitarian charged Payton. Payton threw the gold aside and grabbed the alien as he approached. Payton spun him around and slammed him into the wall behind him.
"Give up," Payton demanded.
"Never." The thief spun Payton around and slammed Payton into the wall--only there wasn't a wall there. Instead, the Scimitarian and Payton ended up toppling out an open window. Payton twisted and grabbed onto the sill, and the criminal did the same at the wall several feet below.
"Take my hand," Payton grunted. "I'll pull you up."
"Forget it," the thief said. "You're too important to risk your life over me." With that, he lost his grip and plummeted to the ground below, landing in a twisted heap.
"He's dead," Payton said to Robbins as she pulled him back into the room.
Stewart and Milligan suddenly appeared behind them. "Dead?" Stewart asked.
"Yeah."
Stewart gave a sigh, but whether of relief or sorrow Robbins didn't know. She didn't really care any more--she just wanted to go home.