INVASION OF THE SPUNG
Radu, Harlan and Commander Goddard
ran. Behind them, firing shot after shot, was Warlord Shank. Radu could hear
his lizard feet slapping the ground and even the sound of his blaster charging
up for another shot. His own thoughts were dominated by his intense fear for
the lizard-like race.
The rounded a corner and Radu felt
his breathing catch up to him as his heart pounded in his chest. All
Andromedans had excellent endurance and it clearly puzzled him that he was
breathing so hard. Behind them, Shank fired another shot.
The ceiling made a strange
clinking noise and Radu looked up. Rows of spikes were falling towards him and
his two companions. As they fell, Radu thought that his young life was about to
come to an end. The spikes drew nearer . . .
**********
Radu awoke with a start, sitting
up straight in bed. It took him only a moment to realize that the spikes of his
dream were just that - a dream. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked around
the room.
On either side of the large room
were row upon row of bunk beds, each with their own drawn curtain to give
privacy to the cadet inside. Radu noticed that his own curtain was open and
tried to think back to whether or not he had closed it. Above him, cadet Paul
turned in his sleep and muttered something about his family. Radu took a final
breath to steady himself and rose out of bed.
It had been almost three weeks
since a UPP space ship had found the Christa. They had returned to the
Starcademy via a nearby wormhole and were just beginning to settle into their
old routines. About a week ago, they had bid a fond farewell to Suzee, who had
discovered a way to bring Catalina back using the Starcademy's research and
development lab - a class the Andromedan was still failing. Commander Goddard
had been reassigned as a teacher for another two years as punishment for
'allowing' the space cases to sneak on the Christa three years before. In light
of her excellent work with maintaining the student's work, Ms Davenport had
been given a teaching assignment as well, although it was far below her former
status as vice principal.
Radu drank some water and looked
at himself in the mirror. He had friends now, but the vast majority of the
Starcademy still regarded him as foreign. They had drawn straws to see who
would share a bunk with him and as he watched them do it, he wished that Bova
or Harlan were in his bunkroom.
Radu quietly returned to his bunk
and drew the curtain. He looked over at his clocked and saw that in only two
hours he would have to rise once more and report to breakfast - the one time
all the space cases were together. At that thought, he smiled and fell asleep.
**********
"Radu! Over here!"
Catalina's voice rang out over the crowd.
"She doesn't have to
yell," Radu thought to himself as he made his way over. "I could have
picked up her whisper through this crowd."
Radu slid into a seat next to
Rosie and across from Harlan. Catalina sat next to Harlan and Bova next to
Rosie. Radu carefully tuned out the rest of the noise to a dull roar so he
could fully concentrated on their conversation without hearing the catcall from
the other students.
Catalina smiled at him and began
her usual long narration about how rotten the food was. Radu watched her speak
and thought about how lucky Harlan was to have her for a girlfriend. After
living on Yensid for so long, Catalina had adapted their hairstyle instead of
the short, circular style she had worn before. Her hair was down to her
shoulders and streaked with colours almost like Suzee's had been. She had
gotten taller and much thinner and more muscular than before, but was still the
same Catalina inside.
"No, Suzee, I will not tell
that to him!" Catalina said, suddenly braking off her narration.
"What did she say?"
Harlan asked.
Catalina's face grew sadder.
"Suzee said that the people two tables back are making fun of Radu by
putting halves of circular bread on their ears."
Radu listened without turning and
soon heard the group Suzee had mentioned.
"Oh, help me! I'm an
Andromedan who can't take care of myself! I need the Spung to look after me!
Oh, help!" one sneered.
Radu felt his blood boil. Harlan
reached over the table to put a hand on his. Radu closed his eyes for a moment
and counted to ten. Once he was his usual calm self again.
"Ignore them," Catalina
told him. "They're morons."
"Don't worry about it,
Radu," Rosie comforted. "They just need to get to know you."
The bell rang at that point to
indicated it was time for their first class. The space cases split up and Radu
found himself walking in front of the group that had been teasing him. They
continued as they headed to their classes. Radu tried to follow Catalina's
advice, but it was difficult when you had such acute hearing. Radu was thankful
when they headed down a different corridor than him.
**********
"Attack the team that has the
ball and the UPP will surely fall," Elmira said in a trance like state.
Warlord Shank hissed in
appreciation.
"For this to pass as I have
told, there is one thing you must hold. The race that once was your slave must
once again come to your aid," she finished.
Elmira blinked and looked at her
father in hatred. Warlord Shank did not say a single word to her, but rose and
left the room. When he was gone, Elmira walked over to the audio recorder she
had deliberately placed there and listened to the whole telling. Her mouth
dropped when she heard the prophecy.
"Radu . . . " she
whispered.
**********
Radu and his friends sat in the
biosphere. Rosie was feeding squirrels leftovers from lunch while Catalina and
Suzee helped Radu with his homework. Harlan was practicing his karate moves and
Bova was asleep under a tree.
Harlan stopped to catch his breath
and sat down next to Cat.
"I wonder where Thelma and
the Christa are now?" he mused.
"Probably off seeking another
crew," Radu answered.
"Maybe Thelma found out how
to get back to wherever the Christa came from," Rosie suggested.
"Or they were blown out of
space the moment we left," Bova added with a yawn.
The group was silent after Bova's casually
gloomy remark. The thought of Thelma and the Christa being space dust was too
real to be funny. Radu set to work on another problem when a courier came up.
"Radu 386 of Andromeda?"
he asked.
Radu nodded. The man gave him a
compupad and left. Radu pushed a few buttons to decrypt the message and read.
"386?" Catalina asked.
"Y - yeah," Radu said
distractedly. "I was the 386th egg hatched of the cycle and named after an
Andromedan who had died in the war."
Radu turned his attention back to
the message. After a few more minutes, he lifted his head and the pad slipped
out of his limp fingers to the ground. Harlan picked it up and read the
message.
"'Radu 386 is hereby ordered
by the government of Free Andromeda to return and serve in the Andromedan Army
against the Spung.'" Harlan said out loud.
"You've been
conscripted?" Catalina exclaimed.
Radu could only nod.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Harlan asked.
"Yeah . . . I'm fine,"
Radu said in a broken voice. "I just never thought they'd want me back
again."
"What do you mean?"
Rosie asked, leaving the squirrels.
"Well . . . the reason I was
chosen to come to the Starcademy was because I was an individual and had ideas.
Andromedans are very set in their ways and don't like it when a member of the
race has ideas that are different from the groups," Radu explained.
"Attention, attention all
students report to the viewing chambers for a special announcement from Admiral
Cody," a voice said over the loudspeaker.
"We'd better go,"
Catalina said, rising slowly.
Radu took the compupad from Harlan
and effortlessly squeezed it into a ball.
**********
"The Spung Empire has
declared war on the UPP by attacking Andromeda," Admiral Cody announced.
"As upcoming Stardogs, the older students have been drafted into the army.
It will take all the manpower we've got to stop this war, even with the
Andromedans on our side. Please report to your bunk rooms for assignments. That
is all."
As the students were preparing to
leave, one of the principal's aides tapped Radu on the shoulder and motioned
for the Andromedan to follow him. Radu waved good bye to his friends and left.
Principal Ravenshire was an
elderly woman with green hair that rose into two mounds on either side of her
head. She was seated behind a large desk that made her seem very tiny. Radu was
lead in and left standing in front of the principal.
"Radu 386, your planet has no
doubt informed you that you are needed?" she asked.
Radu felt himself blush. "Y -
Yes, ma'am."
"Good. I have arranged for a
transport to take you to Andromeda immediately. Please gather anything you'll
need and go to docking port E," Ravenshire ordered.
Radu nodded and turned to leave.
"One other thing,"
Ravenshire called.
Radu turned back to face her.
"Good luck and come back
safely."
**********
Radu walked quickly to his bunk.
He knew exactly what he needed and that bag had been packed since he got here.
He walked into the room and saw that the curtain to his bed had been closed and
on it was painted in large letters:
FIGHT YOUR OWN WAR, ANDROMEDAN!
Radu was taken aback and was
almost afraid to open the curtain. He did and jumped back when he saw a doll
dressed like a Spung lying on his bed with a blaster pointed at him.
Around Radu, the other students
began to laugh. They laughed loud and hard until Radu's head was spinning as he
tried to filter it out. He grabbed his bag and tried to get out of the room.
Several students blocked the way. Radu's head was throbbing now as he picked up
one of the blocking students, lifted him a few centimeters off the ground and
moved him out of the way. He ran down the hall, leaving the hateful students
behind him.
**********
"There he goes!" Rosie
said, pointing out the window to a transport lifting off.
"I can't believe he didn't
come and say goodbye to us," Harlan stormed.
"The principal probably
didn't give him enough time," Catalina told him. "What was your
assignment?"
Harlan held up the compupad.
"Army."
"Me, too," Catalina
said.
"I'm in research and
development," Bova said. "But, I still have to be where the fighting
is."
"I was put in the medical
regiment," Rosie told them. "And I think my dad will be there,
too!"
"That's great, Rosie!
Hopefully we won't see you at all," Bova said.
Rosie's cheerful face clouded
over.
"Not that we don't want to
see you," Bova amended. "It's just that in order to see you, we'll
have to get hurt."
Rosie cheered up. She was about to
say something when the loudspeaker came on.
"Attention, attention, all
students report to their assigned areas."
Rosie gave Bova a big hug goodbye
and left the room. Bova stared after her.
"For the first time in my
life," he said, "I feel good!"
Harlan and Cat laughed as they
followed him out of the room and down to the transport to take them to the
barracks.
**********
Harlan sat across from Catalina.
After weeks of intense training, they were heading to Andromeda to fight the
Spung. The regiment of which Harlan, Catalina, and Bova were part of was lead
by Commander Goddard and called StarDog one. The transport landed with a thud.
"Okay, team," Goddard
said. "This isn't a training exercise or a holo-game back home. This is
real. Remember everything you've been taught and never doubt your instincts.
We're right at the front between the Spung and the Andromedans so watch
out!"
The door opened and the team slid
quietly out into the darkness of the Andromedan night. Goddard lead them
through mud and water to behind a thick duraplast wall that would protect them
from advancing fire. They were told to sleep and rest for the battle the next
day.
**********
The Spung attack came just after
sunrise. Harlan and Bova were at the top of the wall, shooting the lizard
creatures with blaster and antennae. Bova had brought with him a battery pack
that was capable of keeping him charged for weeks. He knew that if that failed,
all he would have to do was get hit by an electrical blast and he would be
fine.
Catalina was lying on her stomach
at the base of the wall with her blaster pointed at the advancing Spung. To her
right was an Andromedan encampment and she noticed out of the corner of her eye
they worked in rigid formation without pausing to think whether or not the
formation would work. A large group of Spung came charging at the wall and
Catalina took a deep breath. She screamed, knocking all the Spung back and
messing up the inner workings of their blasters. She took them out, one by one
with militant ease. A cry made her look up and she saw one of the soldiers from
Starcademy fall. Goddard pointed to her and she moved up to take the dead man's
place. The fight continued.
The Spung finally retreated to
regroup and Harlan sank down to rest. Catalina handed him her water canteen and
he drank thirstily. Bova remained on top of the wall as a look out.
"Hey, guys!" he said
tapping Harlan on the head.
"What is it?" Harlan
demanded.
"I think I see Radu!"
Harlan and Cat returned to their
former positions as the Spung attacked the Andromedan outpost to their right.
Bova was pointing to an Andromedan who had broken out of the formation and was
shooting a Spung who had gotten information about their defenses. The Spung
fell and the Andromedan got back into formation.
"That's Radu all right,"
Harlan laughed.
The Spung continued to attack and
Radu battled them fiercely. He was faced on two sides and, as he killed on
Spung, the other Spung shot him. He fell to the ground.
"Grozit!" Catalina
exclaimed.
"Wait! The Spung is picking
Radu up," Harlan said.
The Spung that had shot Radu
picked him up and brought him to the Killcruiser that had landed nearby. The
space cases looked around the field and saw that other Andromedans were being
carried off by the Spung as well.
"I wonder what they're up
to," Goddard thought out loud.
**********
Catalina, Harlan and Bova were
relieved of duty for a few days after weeks of fighting. Of the thirty people
in their regiment, there were only about twenty left. Commander Goddard saw
each of the losses as his fault and became withdrawn. It was evident, however,
that the three space cases in his company were clearly his favourites.
The Saturnian, Earther, and
Uranusian walked down the streets of Andromeda's capital city. They were
impressed by the cleanliness of the streets and buildings as well as the lack
of pollution. Everywhere they went, they were greeted warmly because of their
StarDog cadet uniforms.
"It kinda makes you feel
guilty for treating Andromedans so bad, doesn't it Harlan?" Catalina
whispered.
"Be quiet, Rainbow
Head," Harlan laughed. The nickname that had once been used as an insult had
become a term on endearment.
"What's going on over
there?" Bova wondered, pointing to a crowd.
The three soldiers rushed over to
see. A crowd of Andromedans and a few cadets were watching the Andromedan
police struggle with an elusive captive. Harlan tapped a cadet on the shoulder
and she turned.
It was a Neptunian. The girl was
fairly tall and thin with aquamarine skin, green eyes and dark blue hair. The
Neptunians had developed gills after Earth had flooded the planet with the
excess water after the polar ice caps had begun to melt. The colonists of
Neptune had been literally forced to sink or swim - and most swam.
"Yes?" she asked in a
liquid voice.
"What's going on?"
Harlan asked, indicating the struggle with a tilt of his head.
"The police are arresting a
Spung spy," the Neptunian said.
"Why would any Andromedan
want to spy for the Spung?" Catalina asked.
A Mercurian who was standing near
them turned to join into the conversation. He was as tall as Harlan, with
Rosie's pink skin, bald head and blue eyes.
"He's been brain
washed," the Mercurian informed them. "The Spung somehow developed a
method for erasing someone's brain and they're capturing Andromedans to use as
super soldiers."
"That's ridiculous," the
Neptunian snapped. "There isn't a race in this galaxy that has that kind
of technology."
Catalina's eyes crew wide at the
mention of brain washing. She remembered too clearly her encounter with the
Luff and their mind wiping technology.
"Did the Spung wipe out the
Luff?" she whispered to Harlan.
"If they did, someone should
inform the Andromedan authorities," Harlan replied.
"I'm hungry," Bova
complained. "Does anyone want to check out the Andromedan cuisine?"
"Bova, we just ate," Cat
stated.
"That was over an hour
ago," Bova insisted.
"I'm kind of hungry,"
the Neptunian girl said. "I'll go with you guys."
"Me too," the Mercurian
added.
"Great, let's go," Bova
lead the way back down the street.
**********
It turned out that Clito, the
Neptunian and Mattar, the Mercurian were in the same company as the space
cases. They all reported for duty early the next morning where Catalina and
Harlan took Goddard aside.
"We received reports of
Andromedans turning against each other this morning," Goddard agreed.
"It seems they shoot them with tranquilizers or light electrocution before
bringing them to their ship where they're mind wiped."
"We have to warn them!"
Harlan exclaimed.
"The Andromedan government
knows, but nothing can be done. No one knows how to reverse a mind wipe. Our
orders are to kill any threatening Andromedans," Goddard said sadly.
Both Harlan and Catalina were
subdued. They returned to their posts with heavy hearts. They had seen Radu be
captured and they now knew that they may soon be forced to kill him.
"Why so glum?" Matt
asked.
Harlan related the entire meeting
with Commander Goddard.
"Bummer," Bova
commented.
"Is that all you can
say?" Catalina exploded. "Radu may be killed. Remember the times on
the Christa? We can't just sit here and let that happen!"
"What can we do?" Clito
asked.
"I'll tell you what we can
do," Harlan said with a twinkle in his eye.
**********
The sun had already set over
Andromeda's war torn landscape. On both sides, soldiers were getting ready for
well deserved sleep. Sentinels were placed to watch the other side, food was
served, and lights turned out. In this darkness, five shadows crept out of
their encampment.
Three smaller shapes followed the
two larger ones. One of the leading shapes was glowing and features could be
faintly seen. The figure was immediately recognizable as Mercurian.
"We're near the ship," a
smaller figure said. "Turn out that light or we'll get shot."
The light was extinguished. The
shapes continued up the open ramp and into the slumbering ship.
**********
Inside the Spung Killcruiser,
Harlan pushed 'his' team into a dark corridor as two armed guards marched by.
He put a finger to his mouth to indicate silence and tip toed back into the
hall. They had obtained a map from Goddard's tent before heading out. The
Andromedan government had given a basic floor plan of the invading ship to all
leaders of the army in case of capture. It had been retrieved from the first
Spung war when the Andromedans had been forced to fight against the UPP. Harlan
now pulled it out of his pocket. Matt shone a dim light so it could be read.
"All right," Harlan
whispered. "According to this, prisoners are kept one level down and three
doors in. There should be a ventilation system running just down this corridor
that we can crawl through to get down. After that, it's just a matter of
finding Radu and getting out."
"You make it sound so
simple," Catalina whispered sarcastically.
"Let's go," Clito pushed
the two bickering friends down the hall as Matt blew out his light.
In no time, they were in the
ventilation pipes, crawling down to the detention centre.
**********
Elmira sat in her room, brushing
her hair. She heard a muffled thunk from inside one of the tubes that ran
through the ceiling of her room. Curious as always, she stood on a chair and
peered through the vent. She saw a leg pass just out of view with a hand
following it. As the hand moved, she recognized Catalina's face who stared
back.
"Elmira!" she mouthed.
"What are you doing?"
Elmira asked quietly.
"Is everything all right,
Sirrola?" the guard from outside the door asked.
"Quite," Elmira
answered.
"Rescuing the Andromedan
prisoners," Cat replied.
"You will be killed!"
Elmira protested. "Go back!"
"They have Radu and he's
going to be mind wiped."
Elmira was taken aback. She shook
her head in frustration and waved for Catalina to continue.
"I'll do what I can,"
Elmira promised.
"Sirrola?" the guard
asked again.
Elmira got down off the chair and
tapped her brush against her table every time the intruders above her made a
sound. The guard came in, saw that nothing was amiss, and closed the door
again.
"Good luck," Elmira
whispered.
**********
Harlan stuck his head out of the
tube. He was hanging upside down from the ceiling with Bova and Matt holding
onto his feet as he checked for guards. Not seeing any, he withdrew his head
and stuck his feet down. He dropped to the ground soundlessly and helped the
others descend. They all made it without alerting any guards.
"How do we find him?"
Bova asked.
They had retreated to the safety
of an alcove in the wall. Three guards passed, spoke briefly to each other and
continued on their way.
"Wait here," Clito said.
"I shall find your friend."
Before anyone could ask how, Clito
melted into a pool of liquid and slithered out into the hall. The others
watched with astonishment in their eyes. A few minutes later, the puddle
reappeared and formed into Clito.
"The Andromedan you are
looking for is in cell block 399B, only a few doors down. He is scheduled for a
mind wipe in about three minutes," she reported.
"What can we do?" Cat
asked.
"Probably nothing," Bova
answered.
Just then, five Spung guards
walked down the hall. The intruders heard a door open and a prisoner walk out.
As the guards returned with the captive, they saw the pale and depressed face
of Radu. His friends watched him being brought to another room and the door
slamming firmly shut behind them.
"Clito, can you do that
puddle thing again and go back to Elmira's room? Tell her Radu is in danger and
we need a distraction now," Catalina said.
Clito nodded and Harlan hoisted
her back into the tube. In an instant she was gone.
"When we get our distraction,
Bova can zap the lock to open it and we'll rush in. Bova, Matt and I will take
the guards while Harlan and Clito will get Radu out of there. We'll meet in the
tubes or not at all. Agreed?" Cat ordered.
The others nodded. Soon, Elmira
came flying down the halls with a few guards trailing behind her. She opened
the door to the mind wiping room and stepped inside. Clito appeared beside
Harlan and everyone waited for their moment.
Elmira successfully got two of the
five guards to go with her. As she passed by the invader's hiding spot, she
winked. When Elmira and her guards were out of view, they put Catalina's plan
in action.
The door was already open, so Bova
saved some charge. Inside were three Spung guards and one Luff scientist who
was operating the machine. Radu was strapped down to a table with wires going
in and out of his head. He was unconscious.
Catalina screamed and one of the
guards fell, deafened by her pitch. She picked up his blaster and shot him.
Bova electrocuted another as it shot him with its blaster. The charge from the
shot only made the Uranusian stronger. Matt, who disliked using his powers for
violence, gave the last guard the hotfoot before melting both his feet into the
metal floor.
Harlan attacked the Luff
scientists, leaving him senseless on the floor while Clito fiddled with the
dials. She seemed frustrated until she suddenly looked to her right, seemed to
see something, and pushed the correct buttons. The mind wipe was halted in
mid-wipe. Bova, Catalina, and Matt then destroyed the device.
By now, the racket they had made
alerted the guards in the area to their presence. They closed and bolted the
door, but knew that it would not hold for long.
"We need to get out of
here," Matt yelled.
Harlan had unstrapped Radu and was
trying to wake him up. The Andromedan cracked open one eye and stared groggily
at his saviour.
"Hey, Radu, snap out of
it!" Harlan said.
"Harlan?" Radu asked in
a slurred voice.
"We need your muscles,
buddy," Harlan helped Radu to his feet.
He brought his sleepy Andromedan
friend to the wall that lead to the outside of the ship.
"Just bash through the wall
and we're all free," Harlan said.
"Free?" Radu repeated.
Radu shook his head to clear a few
cobwebs before putting both his fists together for one giant punch. He managed
a fist sized hole through the ship to the planet outside. A few more punches
and both the wall and the Andromedan were finished.
Matt and Harlan carried Radu to
safety as the others shot at the Spung who were chasing them. Once the six
soldiers made it to their own lines, the sentries saw the approaching Spung and
sounded the alarm. Soon, the entire UPP army was facing two dozen Spung who had
been chasing the six intruders.
**********
Inside their tent, Radu was put on
Harlan's bed to rest and recover. The others congratulated each other on a job
well done. As they were preparing to sleep, Catalina remembered something of
that night's experience.
"Clito," she called.
"How did you know which buttons to push?"
"It was strange," the
Neptunian answered. "I was thinking to myself that I had no idea what to
do and this girl with brown hair streaked with colours appeared beside me and
told me what to push."
"Suzee?" Harlan said.
"You saw Suzee?"
"Where were you four years
ago?" Catalina asked, rolling her eyes.
**********
Catalina opened her eyes and
yawned. In the near distance, someone was blowing a trumpet to wake the
soldiers. She sat up and ran her fingers through her hair, wondering why she
was still tired after a good nights sleep. The sight of Harlan on the floor in
a sleeping bag reminded her of the previous night's exploits. Cat smiled
happily when she thought of all her friends safe and sound. She stood and tip
toed over to Harlan's bunk.
"He's gone!" she
exclaimed, waking the other members of the tent.
"Who's gone?" Harlan
mumbled sleepily.
"Radu!"
"Who's Radu?" Clito
asked.
"The Andromedan we
saved," Matt reminded her.
"Oh yeah."
Cat frantically put on her boots
and was about to leave the tent when Commander Goddard came in. Cat backed up
to let him in and sat on her bunk, her eyes never leaving his stern face.
"Uh, good morning,
Commander," Harlan said. "Sleep well?"
"You five are in big
trouble," Goddard said in a menacing voice. "Not only did you disobey
orders to stay in camp, you threatened the safety of yourselves and
others."
"But, we got Radu back,"
Catalina argued.
"And we totaled the mind
sucking machine, for all the good that will do," Bova added.
Goddard looked down on all of them
and smiled. "Yes, you did save Radu and destroy the mind wiping machine.
For that, you have all been invited to the governor's house where she will
extend her own personal thank you on behalf of her people."
The five soldiers smiled at gave a
yell of joy. Even Goddard let his strict leader persona fade and smiled with
them.
"Where is Radu, anyway?"
Cat asked.
"After I heard you all sneak
back in here and the night sentries were firing on the Spung chasing you, I
came in to see if you had succeeded. You were all asleep and didn't seem
injured, but Radu was moaning in his sleep. I brought him to the medical
facilities. Rosie is taking care of him," Goddard replied.
Cat smiled and breathed a sigh of
relief.
"Get cleaned up and dressed
in your parade uniforms. We mustn't keep the governor of Andromeda
waiting," Goddard said.
"Can we see him?" Harlan
asked as the Commander was leaving.
Goddard nodded and Harlan, too,
exhaled the breath he had not realized he was holding.
**********
The Andromedan governor gave them
each a golden medal proclaiming their status as heroes. The breakfast she
served them was the finest in Andromedan cuisine. Unfortunately, the meal was
too heavy for the delicate stomachs of her guests and alternate meals were
provided. After the dinner, Clito and Bova were taken by scientists eager to
find out how the mind wiping machine worked. While they were off answering
questions, Harlan, Matt, and Catalina were taken to the medical facility where
Radu was being kept.
Rosie's father, Gunter greeted
them outside the small building where the injured soldiers were housed. He lead
them through various stages of disinfection in order to keep the hospital as
clean as possible. They were given plain white robes to wear instead of their
uniforms. Rosie met them on the other side.
"Harlan! Cat! Nice to see you
guys!" she exclaimed, rushing up to embrace them both.
"Rosie, this is Mattar,"
Cat introduced.
"Hi," Matt said shyly.
"Hello," Rosie replied,
equally abashed.
Gunter cleared his throat and
Rosie turned back to her former crewmates. She gestured for them to follow her
and they began their walk into the hospital.
They passed row upon row of beds,
each containing a different victim of the second Spung war. Most were
Andromedan, taken care by Andromedan doctors, but others were human, Saturnian,
Neptunian and even Martian. Rosie hurried them by, but each of the newly proclaimed
heroes had time to see the damage this war had caused. Limbs had been removed,
heads were bandaged, and skin fried off. Harlan shuddered as he remembered how
close some of those blaster shots had been.
They stopped in front of a bed
that had been curtained off. Rosie brought them in close so she would not have
to speak loudly and spoke in an uncharacteristically serious voice.
"He's been partially mind
wiped, so he may not recognize you. He does know me, but barely remembers his
life on the Christa. Don't speak too loudly because his hearing seems more
sensitive than before," Rosie cautioned.
She drew back the curtain and
allowed her friends to step inside.
Radu lay on his bed, wearing a
white patient's gown. His head was bandaged and interveinous tubes were
protruding from his arm. His eyes were closed and he seemed more pale than
usual. Rosie went to his left side and touched his arm gently. Harlan,
Catalina, and Matt went to his right.
"Radu, you have
visitors," she whispered.
Radu turned his head slightly and
gave a soft moan as if the act of waking up was too difficult for him. He
turned his head toward Rosie's voice and opened his eyes.
"Rosie," he said with a
smile on his face.
Rosie pointed to the other side of
the bed where the others waited quietly. Radu turned and furrowed his brow as
he tried to remember who these people were.
"Hi Radu," Harlan said
quietly. "How are you feeling?"
"H . . . Harlan?" Radu
asked. Harlan nodded.
"Hey Radu," Cat smiled.
Radu just smiled back at her.
Rosie went around to the right side of the bed.
"Do you remember
Catalina?" Rosie asked.
Radu stared at her, hoping to get
a hint of his past.
"I remember a loud scream, on
a ship somewhere far away and a girl who almost looks like you talking to her
imaginary friend," he said.
"She's not imaginary, she's
invisible. There's a difference," Cat choked out the words as her eyes
filled with tears. "And she says get well soon."
"Where's Thelma?" Radu
asked suddenly. "Thelma! Thelma, where are you?"
Rosie ushered the others back into
the hall and drew the curtain as Radu continued to call for Thelma. They heard
her whisper something to her patient before the calls died down and Rosie came
out.
"I'm sorry," she
apologized. "He gets confused sometimes."
"He doesn't remember
me," Cat stammered.
"He remembers you, Rainbow
Head," Harlan assured her. "He just remembers you before you changed,
before Suzee came."
"Does anyone want something
to drink?" Rosie asked. "Radu is sleeping now and I don't want to wake
him."
"No thanks, Rosie,"
Harlan said, speaking for the group. "I think we'd better head back to the
action."
"We'll visit you again,"
Cat promised.
"As long as you don't come in
on a stretcher," Rosie smiled.
She lead them back to the door
they had used before and an Andromedan nurse lead them back outside. As they
made their way back to the front, they saw Rosie standing in the window, waving
good bye.
**********
The fighting continued for another
three weeks without end. Many on both sides fell and the number in Goddard's
company fell from twenty to fifteen. Catalina, Harlan, Bova, Clito, and Matt
were almost constantly on patrol or sentry duty as the numbers fell. They
worked to the point of exhaustion when the brain ceases to think and the body
acts solely on instinct. The nights were short and the days long. Finally,
reinforcements arrived.
It was a month after visiting Radu
and Rosie in the hospital when the infamous five were granted two days of rest.
They chose to remain in camp, sleeping most of the time. Catalina and Clito
each had a long, well deserved shower while Harlan and Matt occupied their time
getting to know one another. Bova was often seen sitting alone, writing letters
to an unknown pen pal.
"Has anyone else noticed that
the Spung fight a lot harder now?" Harlan asked as the group lounged
around their tent.
"Yeah, its almost as if they
know they're going to lose," Matt agreed.
"On the bright side, at least
we don't have to shoot anymore Andromedans," Catalina commented.
"And the Spung don't seem to
be getting any new reinforcements either," Clito added.
"How do we know that? For all
we can tell there may be five more Killcruiser orbiting the planet, just
waiting for Warlord Shank to ask them to join the party," Bova remarked.
"No need to be so
pessimistic," Clito told him.
"Yes there is," Bova
said. "I'm Uranusian."
There was a call from the main
courtyard of the camp for any mail. Bova hopped to his feet and grabbed a
letter he had been writing. He shoved it into an envelope and scribbled a name
on it.
"Who are you writing
to?" Catalina asked.
"The rations officer,"
Bova replied. "I'm trying to see how many letters it will take before we
get seven meals."
"If you don't want to tell
us, you could just say so," Matt said.
"Knowing Bova," Harlan
laughed, "he's telling the truth!"
**********
Elmira threw a handful of sparkly
dust into the air, making one of her fathers warriors sneeze. She seated
herself on a large velvet cushion and fell into a trance, eyes closed. Her head
rolled around loosely on her neck, as if someone was screwing it on. Suddenly,
her eyes snapped open and she stared absently at Warlord Shank.
"What I say may seem untrue,
but victory lies down another avenue. There is but one, a leader grand that can
give you the world with the wave of her hand. Control this one, and in time the
rest of her race with follow your sign," Elmira said.
Warlord Shank waited for more, but
his daughter had already come out of the trance.
"Did the answer please you,
my lord?" she asked politely.
"Warlord Shank does not
answer the simple questions of females," Shank said. He gestured to his
warriors. "Come."
Elmira shook her head to clear out
the last remnants of fog before walking to her window. The view outside was one
of utter destruction. She sighed and prayed that her friends had gotten Radu
out safely.
**********
Catalina crawled on her stomach
through the mud of the battlefield. She held in her hands a blaster and in her
throat her sonic scream. A few meters to her right she could see Harlan and
Clito in her liquid form. To her left was Matt. Her ear piece crackled to life
as Bova tried to contact her.
"The target is five meters
ahead," Bova informed them from the safety of the camp. "Keep
moving."
The four of them, along with three
other cadets, were on a mission to destroy a laser cannon the Spung had set up
to use against the Andromedan city. As the leader of the group, it was up to
Catalina to make sure the group made it in - and out - alive. She signaled for
Harlan and Clito to move to the right of the laser while she and Matt took the
left. The remaining recruits were to draw the attention of the Spung guards by
firing on their barracks. Catalina held up her hand to signal action. The three
recruits held their weapons ready and Harlan looked prepared to sprint to the
laser. Cat dropped her hand and the firing began.
Under the fire of their own
people, Harlan and Clito made it to the right of the laser and were lost from
view. Matt and Catalina pressed themselves against their side of the laser and
took a moment to catch their breath.
"Look for a small disc that
would be near the firing mechanism," Bova told her.
Catalina did as she was told and
found the disc that held the firing information. She smashed it into pieces on
a nearby rock and put the pieces into her pouch.
Harlan was furiously pulling out
wires when a shot ricochet off the laser near his arm. He looked up and saw a
Spung warrior staring down at him. Harlan fired his blaster, killing the Spung
at point blank range before retreating in a hurry. Clito followed him, still in
liquid form.
Cat and Matt finished their part
of the job and were retreating as well when Cat felt an unusual pain in her
right leg. She fell and tried to rise, but found that her lower body would not
listen to her commands. Matt crawled back to her and lifted her over his
shoulder. He ran with her on his back to the camp, shooting the enemy with
balls of fire from his hands.
Matt rested Catalina against a
wall in the camp. He shouted for a medic but got Harlan and Clito instead.
Catalina was pale and covered in sweat. She felt her head begin to swim and she
struggled to hold onto consciousness until Commander Goddard was beside her.
With a shaky hand, she reached into her pouch and pressed the broken disc into
Goddard's hand.
"Mission accomplished,"
she said before fading completely.
**********
Catalina awoke in a hospital bed
wearing a gown similar to the one she had seen Radu wear months before. She
vaguely wondered if it was the same hospital, but the thought passed almost as
soon as it had occurred. An Andromedan nurse came by, took her temperature, and
wrote a few notes on a clipboard at the end of her bed.
"Can you move?" the
nurse asked in broken English.
"I can move my left leg, but
not my right," Catalina answered.
The nurse nodded. "I will get
you a chair so you can move around. You have been in bed for too long."
Before Cat could reply or even say
thank you, the nurse was gone. Catalina settled down in her bed to wait.
**********
A week after she had arrived,
Catalina had found that she could manage in her wheelchair very well. There
were a few things that she had problems with, such as the step that lead from
the hospital to the garden in the back. She usually had to call for a nurse to
help her up or down the step. It became a minor annoyance.
In the entire time she had been
there, she had not seen Rosie or Radu. She was sure it was the same hospital
because she recognized some of the features from her visit before. She often
thought about where Rosie could have gone as she sat in the garden. After
Rosie, her thoughts strayed to Harlan who was still fighting.
The bell that signaled a meal rang
and Catalina snapped out of her reverie. She turned and wheeled back to the
hospital. Catalina gave a soft grunt of frustration as the front wheels hit the
step and was about to call for a nurse when she felt herself being lifted onto
the step. When she was down, she turned to thank her benefactor. Her surprised
look must have scared him, because he suddenly became nervous and lowered his
gaze to his feet.
"You . . . uh, looked like
you needed help," he stammered.
"I did," Catalina said,
recovering her voice. "Thank you."
"M - my name's . . .
Radu," the Andromedan said.
"I'm Catalina," she
replied. "Do you want to walk with me to lunch?"
Radu's eyes brightened and he
smiled. He took a hold of the handlebars behind Catalina's chair and pushed her
to the lunch room.
**********
Days faded into weeks and
Catalina's injury did not change. She spent her time with Radu, who seemed to
have no other friends in the hospital besides her. She was careful not to
mention anything about his past in case it would have a negative effect on
whatever treatment he was receiving. She had seen Rosie a few times, but the
Mercurian was usually too busy to do anything by wave as her friend passed.
"Catalina," Radu asked
one day as they continued their month long game of Ferna Hernan Three-Level
Spitz, "why are you here?"
"I was shot in the back by
Spung and . . . " Cat began.
"No," Radu clarified,
"why are you in this war? You're not Andromedan and you haven't had any
Andromedan visitors here. I can't see how you're involved."
Catalina played with one of the
game pieces as she thought about her answer.
"What do you remember of your
past?" she asked quietly.
"Less every day," Radu
admitted. "I remember passing faces, emotions, and sounds more than
events."
"What kind of faces?"
"I can see Rosie, but she
seems younger and was wearing a regulator helmet. I feel happy when I think of
her then."
"Who else?"
"A guy, an Earther, with dark
hair and skin. I have mixed emotions about him; sometimes scared, other times
content. He . . . he seems angry at me. I don't know why."
"Anyone else?"
"A girl, who looks kind of
like you, only with short hair that's coloured like a rainbow in circles. I get
a feeling of tolerance from her, but also acceptance and maybe even friendship.
Whenever her face enters my mind, I hear a piercing sonic scream," Radu
said.
"Do you think about her a
lot?" Cat asked.
"More than the others,"
Radu admitted. "Why are you asking me all these questions?"
Catalina opened her mouth to
answer when Rosie came running down the hall towards them.
"The Spung are
attacking!" she exclaimed. "Pass the word that anyone fit enough must
fight."
She continued past them, toward
the main entrance to the hospital. Catalina and Radu exchanged a glance and
followed her to help.
**********
The battle was well underway when
they arrived. Radu was a formidable opponent, using his strength and endurance
to literally throw the Spung away from the hospital. Those few who survived the
toss quickly ran off. Catalina stayed back, searching in vain for a way she
could be useful. Her good leg hurt and the other remained numb.
Rosie was guarding the doors to
the inside with an intense wall of heat. Her skin was red and glowing with the
heat of a super nova. Catalina was sure to stay away to keep her chair from
melting. The Spung who tried to approach her were burned or reduced to ash.
Cat surveyed the scene and saw
Radu in trouble with five Spung warriors. Despite his Andromedan endurance, he
was tiring due to his injury.
"Radu!" she yelled.
"Cover your ears!"
Without knowing why, the
Andromedan did as he was told and Catalina let out a powerful sonic scream. The
Spung hissed in pain and either fell writhing on the ground or fled. When
Catalina stopped, the threat had gone. Radu looked at her in horror.
"You!" he stammered.
"You . . . you're the girl from my memories!"
Before Catalina could explain
herself, Radu ran past her and into the hospital.
**********
Harlan walked around his new
campsite. Goddard's team had been broken up and taken as reinforcements for
other groups along the front. Harlan and Matt had been sent to an Andromedan
outpost as far away from the battles as they could get. Clito had been taken to
espionage headquarters after the Andromedan's heard about her liquidation
ability and Bova had gone to study as an apprentice scientist. Goddard had been
honorably discharged and sent back to Starcademy.
Harlan sighed. His new
home-away-from-home was in a lush green forest setting. The camp was made
around a very small lake and, from the top of one of the walls, he could just
make out the tall buildings of the Andromedan capital city. He wondered how
Catalina was doing at the hospital. As an afterthought, he wondered if Radu had
regained any memories.
"Hey Harlan," Matt
called from the water's edge.
Harlan walked over to join his friend.
"Are you as bored as me?" he asked.
"Probably," Matt
replied. "Check this out,"
Matt put one finger into the lake
and watched the water boil. Before the whole lake began to bubble, he withdrew
his finger.
"Exciting," Harlan said,
his voice void of emotion.
"At least we're not getting
shot at," Matt said, trying to be optimistic.
Harlan sighed, wondering if this
was better.
**********
"You just scared him, that's
all," Rosie said reassuringly.
Catalina drummed her fingers on
the table. She had not touched her meal and Radu was no where to be found. Ever
since she had used her sonic scream to get rid of the Spung, he had avoided
her.
"Will he ever remember,
Rosie?" Cat asked.
"I don't know," Rosie
admitted. "Sometimes he seems to be making progress. Other times he can't
remember his own name."
"If only we hadn't destroyed
that machine," Catalina sighed. "Maybe we could have reversed the
process."
Cat sat straight up, her mind
repeating what she had just said.
"Cat?" Rosie asked.
"I have a great idea,"
Catalina said. "Rosie, can you get me some paper? I need to write a
letter."
**********
"What? Has she gone
insane?" Harlan cried at the sheet of paper in front of him.
"What is it?" Matt
asked, coming over for a look.
"It's Catalina," Harlan
said. "I think the hospital forgot about her leg and operated on her
brain. She's asking me to give this message to Elmira."
"The Spung?" Matt
repeated. "You're kidding."
Harlan handed over the paper,
which Matt read.
Harlan -
Radu is still sick and getting worse. He found out I was
someone from his past and won't speak to me anymore. The only way I can think
of restoring his memories completely involves Elmira. Please, bring her to the
hospital. Radu is depending on you, and so am I.
- Catalina
"So, how are we going to get
Elmira?" Matt asked, returning the letter.
"What do you mean?"
Harlan told him.
"Look," Matt said.
"This Radu fellow must be pretty important to you guys if you were willing
to risk your lives to rescue him from the Spung. There has to be something we
can do to save him again."
"You're right," Harlan
said, shoving the letter in his pocket, "but I'm going alone."
"No, you're not," Matt
objected. "We're friends and we're in this together."
"I can't ask you to
come," Harlan told him. "I'm going to have to escape this camp, head
back to the front, infiltrate the enemy base and capture the Spung princess. I
could get court marshaled for this."
"Fine, don't ask," Matt
said. "I'm still going."
"You can't!" Harlan
insisted for a final time. "You just can't. If you're really the friend
you say you are, you'll respect that."
Harlan turned on his heel and
headed back to his tent. Mattar watched him go without a word.
**********
As the night fell, Harlan stepped
into the darkness. Matt had said good bye to him at dinner and had stayed in
his tent. As Harlan scaled the wall, he felt a bulge in his pocket. Once in the
safety of the forest, he took the device from his pocket and read the note that
was attached.
"Best of luck, Matt," it
read.
Harlan smiled and turned the
device around in his hand. It was spherical, black, small and fit easily into
his palm. On the top, it had a red button with another message attached to it.
"Push this button when you're
about to enter the ship. It's a portable cloaking device that can hide you from
inferred, scanners, targeting equipment and even from sight. I'll be waiting
for you at the hospital in two days. Signed, Matt."
Harlan whispered a thank you to
his Mercurian friend and slipped the cloaking device into his pocket. He
checked his map and sprinted away from the camp, toward the Spung Killcruiser.
**********
Rosie made her rounds. The
patients she treated all claimed she was the best doctor there - with her
soothing touch and excellent bedside manner. Rosie remembered back to a time
when one of her teachers had told her the same thing. Those happy times seemed
like a lifetime ago.
She pushed back the curtain that
gave Radu some privacy and saw the Andromedan sitting on his bed, reading a compupad.
A brief sense of sadness and failure swept over Rosie as she realized for the
hundredth time that all her work and effort had not saved her friend. She
smiled and went over to where Radu sat.
"Hi, Radu," she said
cheerfully.
"Hi, Rosie," Radu mumbled,
his eyes still on the compupad.
"What are you reading?"
Rosie asked.
"Something Catalina gave me a
while ago that I didn't start until now."
"What is it?"
"She said it was a ship's
log, from an alien vessel she was on. Before I - I saw her as the girl from my
memories."
Rosie didn't reply. She remembered
the day Suzee had downloaded all the Christa's logs since their unexpected
encounter with the white circle. It was when Radu had informed them that the
Starcademy was on his scanner. Suzee had said that Catalina would want to
remember all the adventures that had happened, and left the compupad as a
present when she returned to her own dimension.
"Rosie," Radu
interrupted. "You were on this ship too, right?"
Rosie nodded.
"A - And someone called -
" Radu checked the compupad for the correct name "Harlan Band."
"Yes," Rosie agreed.
"And I - I was there,
too?"
"Yes, you were there
too," Rosie told him. "We spent three years on the Christa. It was
supposed to take us over seven years to return home, but we were found by a UPP
vessel near the opening of a wormhole that we had not discovered."
"So, Catalina and I . . .
"
"Were good friends on the
Christa, and even when we returned back to Starcademy. Our experiences with the
Christa made us inseparable friends."
Radu put down the compupad and
stared at his bed. Rosie watched him for a while.
"So many things I've
forgotten," Radu whispered.
"Not forgotten," Rosie
corrected. "They were stolen from you, but I bet there's someone you can
talk to who will help you remember."
Radu looked up at Rosie and
smiled. He got up off the bed and hurried out to the garden. Catalina was
sitting in her wheelchair near a stone bench, apparently talking to herself.
"I don't know what to do,
Suzee," Catalina was saying, her cheeks stained with tears. "I didn't
want to hurt him, but I had to!"
"You're talking to Suzee,
right?" Radu said, coming up behind her. "Your imaginary - I mean,
invisible friend."