"...so I grabbed the huge gold hunk and held it up, and the Scimitarian charged me," Payton said to Thomas "Coyote" Schwirian, another cop. "I spun him around and slammed him into the wall, and he tried to do the same to me. Unfortunately, there wasn't a wall there--there was a window, which we fell through. I was able to twist my body and grab onto the windowsill, and the Scimitarian grabbed onto the castle wall a few feet under me. He didn't have much to hang onto though, and he lost his grip and splattered on the ground."
The two were sitting in the cantina adjacent to I.P.F. main headquarters. The quartet of Payton, Robbins, Stewart, and Milligan had been in the area when a call was issued from HQ, calling all available units to home base. The head of the I.P.F., Commander Eric Miller, was supposed to brief everyone on the mission, but he had not arrived yet.
"So Captain Schwirian," Payton continued, "tell me what your crew's been up to."
"Well," the captain said, "we tracked down a criminal who was on the galaxy's ten most wanted list--"
"Get out! Really?"
"Yeah. You know who Eric the Red is, don't you?"
"You mean you guys--"
"Yeah. We apprehended him."
"But that guy evaded capture for six years!"
"Yeah, he was tough to bring down. But I heard you guys beat a top tenner too."
"The Bourian Garloch. He was actually easier to take down than the Scimitarian."
"What are you talking about?" Robbins, who suddenly came up behind him, asked. "Weren't you there? Did we not chase this guy halfway across the galaxy?"
"Yeah, well--"
"Don't give me that 'yeah, well' garbage. The guy was impossible."
"Hey, Robbins," Schwirian said.
"How's it going, Coyote?"
"Not bad. You want to go cruising after we finish this secret mission?"
"Well--"
"It's time," Stewart interrupted from across the room. "He's here."
Twenty officers were assembled in the main conference hall in I.P.F. headquarters. Commander Miller stepped up to the podium at the front of the room to address them.
"Ladies and gentlemen," he said, "we have a crisis on our hands. It seems the Dark Army's forces are on the move again."
"How does that concern us?" someone asked.
"They are headed straight for this planet."
"But the only thing here is...HQ."
"Precisely. They are planning to attack and destroy us. I have sent a message to the military leaders, but since no civilization is being threatened, they will not help us."
"That is an outrage!"
"We can't do anything about it."
"But we can do something about the Dark Army. Am I correct, Commander?"
"Indeed. We have a small reserve of fighter jets here, complete with force fields and all the extras. We shall intercept and engage them, and if necessary, destroy them all."
"How big of a force are we talking?"
"Approximately fifty fighters and a space fortress."
"Fighters aren't going to do much good against a fortress. We need a heavy cruiser or a destroyer to face up against that kind of power."
"We don't have access to those ships. Besides, since Class C-8 fortresses don't have shields, all it could take is one shot."
"But it's a gigantic crap shoot."
"I can't help that. But anyway, the Dark Army's fighters do have shields, so each of your ships have been equipped with a small supply of energy charges."
"How small?"
"Fifteen. When the charges hit the shield, they will absorb its energy and short it out for a brief period. You have a seven second window in which to destroy the fighter before the shield regains full strength."
"Does the Dark Army have energy charges as well?"
"Yes. However, theirs are straight charges, whereas ours are homing charges. One last thing--form squadrons of four with your normal groups. Stay in missing wing formation until I tell you to break. Then we'll blow them back to where they came from!"
Fifteen minutes later, the fighters were airborne and approaching the advancing forces of the Dark Army.
"Squad leaders, check in," the commander said.
"Eagle's a go," Stewart said.
"Coyote's geared up," Schwirian said.
"Wolf is set."
"Dragon is flying."
"Hawk is prepped."
"All right. Let's go!"
The fortress was flanked by the enemy fighters and approached at a rapid pace.
"Break off and attack," Miller said. "Coyote squad, go after the fortress, and the rest of you get the fighters."
The Coyote squad lined up and strafed the fortress. The blasts hit and caused some minor explosions on the surface, but no major damage.
"It's no good, Commander," Schwirian said. "Our cannons are doing about as much damage as a water pistol."
"I saw some good hits from here," the commander said. "Pass one more time and see if you can bring that thing down."
"Aye, sir."
Schwirian's squad circled around and came back at the fortress. "Aim at the cannons," he told them. "Leave the others one less thing to worry about."
A blast from one of the fortress' cannons rocked the ship of one of the Coyote squad and struck his left wing.
"It broke through his shield," Schwirian gasped as he saw the ship spiral towards the fortress and impact on the surface. "Foster," he called, "did you get out?"
"He couldn't have, Captain," another Coyote member said. "That blast rocked him hard enough to knock him unconscious."
"There's no way we can damage this thing from out here, Commander. We're pulling out."
Meanwhile, the other four squads and the commander were battling the fighters. Robbins got caught in a crossfire of charges, and one attached itself to her shield.
"My shield's down!" she screamed.
"Eject, Lieutenant!" the commander shouted.
"Commander--"
"Eject! That's an order!"
Robbins' fighter was struck by three plasma bursts simultaneously, and the craft blew apart soundlessly.
"Eagle 2! ROBBINS!"
"I'm still with you, Commander. I got out just in time."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, but my tank's a little low, and I'm a sitting duck out here--one stray blast and I'm history. I won't be able to survive much longer."
"I'll pick her up, Commander," Stewart said. "Then we're going to blow that fortress away--from the inside out."
"I'm going with you, Captain," Milligan said. "Cover us, Commander."
"Where are you, Robbins?"
"I'm over here, Charlie. Can you--" Then there was static.
"Robbins!"
"I'm okay. I just had a near-miss plasma beam cause some interference. Now as I was saying, can you see me?"
"Yeah. I'm coming in."
Stewart steered his fighter over toward Robbins and extended a robotic arm from the underside of the craft. She grasped it as he went by, and the end of the arm grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into the small cargo bay.
"I'm glad I'm not claustrophobic," she mumbled as she looked around the coffin-sized compartment.
"Don't worry," Stewart said. "You'll be fine."
The two ships docked at a port on the underside of the huge fortress, and the three occupants of the craft stepped into a hallway.
"So what's the plan, fearless leader?" Robbins asked.
"We need to start a chain reaction," Stewart said. "But I don't know how."
"I do," Milligan said. "If we place a small explosive in one of the cannon generators, that will cause an explosion that will blow out the main cannon generator, and will set off a series of explosions that will ultimately reach the reactor core. And when that happens, the whole ship's history."
"Do you have an explosive?"
"Right here."
"Another question," Robbins said. "How are we going to make it through the fortress? There's bound to be hundreds of guards and robots roaming the halls."
"Yeah," Stewart said. "And how come they haven't attacked us yet?"
"This is an airlock," Milligan explained. "Because of safety measures, this docking bay has two doors--one at either end. If both doors were open simultaneously, all of the air in the fortress would rush out and everyone aboard would suffocate. Therefore, there is a lock that will not allow one door to open if the other one is. And, if you recall, we opened the outer door the moment we docked, and haven't closed it yet."
"So when we close the outer door, they'll flood into here."
"Maybe so. But there's bound to be a lot of them--they probably rushed towards here the instant the alarm was sounded."
"Then we'll have to even the odds."
"How?"
"Kill the lights and turn your infrared scopes on. That will keep most of the guards in the dark--pardon the pun--as to our whereabouts. Unfortunately, the robots probably have infrared scopes too, so target them first."
"Do you think the guards have scopes?" Robbins asked.
"Unlikely. The Dark Army's technology isn't as advanced as ours."
"I'm not taking any chances, Charlie." She cocked her cannon.
"Did you find anything?" Stewart asked of Milligan, who had torn open a section of wall and was searching through it.
"Yeah," Milligan said. "I found one of the main power cables for the lighting system. Unfortunately, I can't tell if it gives power just to this section or to the whole ship."
"So?"
"So if it's just to this section, once we leave it we're screwed."
"Cut it. Maybe we'll get lucky."
"I've got the door," Robbins said.
Robbins and Milligan acted simultaneously, and as soon as the chamber was sealed the inner door slid open. The cops' cannons fired before the guards could get off a shot. They tumbled backwards, and the three cops sprinted past them.
Stewart's communicator crackled and a voice said, "Captain Stewart!"
"Who is this?"
"This is Coyote. I'm in the fortress, and the lights just went out--did you have anything to do with that?"
"Yeah. Where are you?"
"I'm near the middle of the lowest floor of the ship. There was a docking bay about fifty meters from where you landed."
"We're coming toward you, I think," Stewart said.
The three came to a junction and looked back down the other path. "There he is," Robbins said.
Schwirian ran up to meet the other three. "So I take it you have a plan," he said.
"Yeah," Milligan said. "We're going to place this bomb in a cannon generator and start a string of explosions."
"I know the layout of these fortresses. Follow me."
With Schwirian in the lead, the four ran towards the cannon generator while blasting away at the robots and disoriented guards. They turned a corner, and suddenly the lights went on.
"Terrific," Schwirian said. "Not only do they know we're here, they'll also know exactly where we are."
"Which way?" Stewart asked, motioning to a branch in the corridor.
"I can't remember," Schwirian said. "I think it's to the left."
"I'll check the right side," Robbins said. "I'll tell you if I find anything."
A few seconds after she split off, a door opened in the left-hand corridor. A tall, pale-skinned man flanked by seven guards exited and stood in front of the other three cops.
"You will go no further," he said menacingly.
"General Lockhart, I presume," Schwirian said. "Let us through."
"No." The general turned to one of the guards. "Are you certain this is everyone?"
"Yes, sir. There are only three fighters docked at the ports."
Robbins heard the commotion and came back to the intersection where she had branched off. She peered around the corner and saw her three comrades facing the general and the guards. There's no way I can take them unless I can disorient them, she thought, and reached for an energy flare. If I send this out, it will create a blinding flash--the great part is that Coyote, Charlie and Dan won't be affected because they still have their scopes on--at least, I hope they do.
She activated the flare, then tossed it towards the crowd. As the guards and Lockhart became blinded, Robbins leapt into action and knocked three of the guards out of the way. The other three cops finally realized what was going on, took out the guards, and sprinted down the hallway after her.
"Okay, I'm pretty sure this is the right way," Schwirian said when they caught up with her. "The cannon generator should be behind this door."
He opened the door and blasted the maintenance people who were inspecting the generator. He then handed a cutting torch to Milligan and said, "You'll have to attach it to the inside, just underneath that control panel."
As Milligan began cutting through the generator's skin, Stewart heard the commander say over the communicator, "Eagle 1! Come in!"
"Stewart here."
"We've destroyed all of the enemy fighters," the commander said. "Do you want us to attack the fortress?"
"Get back to base, sir. We've got everything under control, and I don't want to risk you guys against this thing."
"Say no more. We're going back."
"Before you leave--how many have we lost?"
"Six ships, including Robbins', and four officers."
"Okay, thanks. Stewart out."
Milligan carefully adhered the explosive to the interior of the cannon generator.
"This explosive has a ten-second delay," he said. "When I hit the detonator switch, the countdown will initiate. I'll wait until we're out of the fortress before activating it. After it counts down to zero, it will take another ten seconds before the explosive chain reaction reaches the core."
"So it's actually more like a twenty-second countdown."
"Yeah. All right, let's get out of here."
The four started down the hall and ran into Lockhart again. "I'm not taking any chances this time," he said, pulling a small charge gun out and firing at the cops. They got out of the way, and Schwirian grabbed Lockhart and put a sleeper hold on him. Then he dropped the unconscious general and continued down the passage with the other three.
Farther down they came to the junction where they had met. "Looks like this is your stop, Coyote," Stewart said.
"Yeah. See you guys back at the base," Schwirian called as he raced down the corridor towards his fighter.
Farther down the hallway the other three ran into some guards. They made short work of the threat, but the remote control for the explosive was knocked out of Milligan's hand. He gasped as the device hit the floor and activated.
"Guys," he said quickly, "we have exactly twenty seconds to get out of here."
Stewart relayed the information to Schwirian, and the cops took off. The three ran as fast as they could towards their ship, knocking guards out of the way and ignoring the plasma bursts hitting them. They leapt into their ships as the eruptions started, detached, and gunned the engines. Three seconds later, the fortress blew apart in a mighty explosion that sent a shockwave through the fighters.
"Did he make it?" Robbins asked when the fighters regained their equilibrium.
"Coyote," Stewart called through the communicator. There was no answer.
"Coyote!" he repeated. Still no response was made.
"Oh God," Robbins breathed, "he's..."
"We have suffered the loss of five fine officers today," the commander said, addressing the survivors in the conference room. "But we not only mourn our loss, but also celebrate our victory over the enemy forces. Rest assured, those who we have lost will never be forgotten."