Yip, the Usaginator is at it again, so if you are in need of a giddy little thrill today, have a read. I’ve put in a full last 6 chapters summary for those new to the story, it’s a great way to jump in hot if you don’t know what’s going on.

Part 1 [link]
Part 2 [link]
Part 3 [link]
Part 4 [link]
Part 5 [link]
Part 6 [link]
Part 7 [link]
Part 8 [link]
Part 9 [link]
Part 10 [link]



Recap of the journey so far.


While transporting freshly made biscuits for Darion, Sarina was accosted by an alien on the way to his house. This scuffle led to Sarina loosing her cool when her special homemade treats were lost and destroyed. Instead of changing into Sailor Moon, she outright punched the alien to a brutal death, at first using her baking tray, then her gloved fists and finally bare knuckled. Sarina victorious by herself, and perversely thrilled by the encounter left her in a state of euphoria and conflicting reason. She found a strange gemstone and to her astonishment, one of her secret love biscuits had been rescued, resting safely on a rock. Sarina collected both and ran home to change out of her blood soaked outfit.

Upon returning to Darion’s house with the choclately delight, he accepted the biscuit and then threw it up in disgust from its repulsive taste. Coinciding with the death of his dog this time last year from gagging on biscuits, Darion asked Sarina to leave. It was noted that her ill-timed insensitivity was somehow connected to her fate. Sarina left in tears and went for counsel to a close friend at Burger Hut.

Queen Beryl, now employed at the restaurant chain and a magnificent friend to Sarina told her to take her spaceship and head to a secret location that only she knew of. Upon flying away and resting in hypersleep for 2 days, Sarina lands upon a mysterious world where a collection of giant war-like aliens have a camp gathering.

Causing hysteria at seeing Beryl’s ship, the single most deadliest craft in the universe the once friendly aliens fled in panic. A huge colossus appeared, unafraid and greeted Sarina as Sailor Moon, knowing her secret identity. Long conversations rifled through the two’s history, Vorgorath was his name and he was once a close confidant and pseudo-affectionado of Sarina’s natural birth mother, Serenity.

She finds out that Serenity was not initially a gentle spirit, instead she was an alien slaughtering war princess, laden with crystal talents that could cause mind control on her victims. These talents spawned from her archaeology of arcane crystal technology and this also gave rise to Vorograth being awakened. This is unusual because he is entirely made of rock, and seemingly indestructible. Vorgorath and Serenity are likeminded and he wishes to one day see the rest of the universe and experience it’s many civilizations, she on the other hand makes leaps and bounds in technological discoveries relating to the ancient science of Crystal control. Secretly part of her research is spirited away by criminal elements.

On the small, friendly community planet, Vorgorath through exhaustive mining secretly deposits large volumes of cash into Serenity’s account so she may continue to study as she wishes. He travels the worlds enjoying the wandering life. Eventually, years later he seeks to contact Serenity once more. Through a tricky method to find her, he arrives on a faraway world. Upon discovering her, Serenity is crying and her clothes shredded. Serenity is disturbed and affected by an attempted rape but the assailant was splattered over the walls from her use of the Crystal’s power. Vorgorath tries to question Serenity further as she is in an unfathomable level of panic.

The two return to Vorgorath’s awakening planet and Serenity is welcomed into the now prosperous mining community as family. This heals her spirit and she hints to Vorgorath the true things that make her worry from what she discovered via the crystals, and her solution to fix the unbalanced growing evil in the universe. It is here Vorgorath experiences Serenity’s unique abilities in mind control and transference.

From this point on the pair form a vigilante group hell bent on righting wrongs and destroying evil, via any method, especially unlawfully. This gains huge amounts of money by seizing and liquidating taken assets of the criminals. It eventually becomes known that most of the vigilante group begin to fear Serenity’s power and her tactics upon themselves.

Sarina is amazed at the history and is shown her connection with Serenity’s true personality. The following day, a fight is arranged and Sarina is again victorious. A connection to the first alien she fought is established here, also why the biscuit given to Darion was half poisoned. This battle troubles the local aliens having witnessed a side of her personality that was way over the top even for Serenity. It is noted that Sarina has a wild bloodlusting nature hidden below her polite demeanour.

Later, Vorgorath speaks with Sarina about her moon wand, and amazingly it activates it’s true form sending a massive plasma saw straight through his shoulder wounding him terribly. While he recovers he sends Sarina on a mission with some of his team, to her delight, she tries on Serenity’s old armour which almost fits her exactly. Receiving a strange note Vorgorath races off. Sarina is sent to see Syntia, Serenity’s old pal and engineer, where she will be fitted out with a weapon to enhance her abilities. Syntia almost believing Serenity had returned from the grave lovingly embraces the daughter and emotions resurface. Syntia having no suitable weapons for humans offers another experimental one, the GNC (Genetic Neural Coder), this is used to accelerate learning characteristics in combat. During the start up something goes wrong, the GNC is activated of it’s own accord and prevented from deactivation. Sarina goes into shock and adrenal rage, Syntia is assaulted and knocked out cold.

Syntia wakes up with a sore head and realizes that Sarina is off planet, she examines the GNC files and programs and finds them to be modified. As she is doing this a hacker erases all entries to the GNC. Syntia powers down all her systems and calls Darkthorn, Vorgorath’s aid, for assistance and he despatches ‘The Bloodhounds’ to find Sarina. Shortly after Syntia’s fortress is lanced by ship cannon and she is knocked out cold by a mystery assailant.

Vorgorath arrives at the bank where he deposited enormous sums of cash for Serenity thousands of years ago, only to find the recent activity on her account is a mistake by a bank employee. We find later that this was a setup, and a young female brandishing a weapon was observing the whole dialogue. Oddly, her escape is right through the crowd holding a hostage and weapon, unseen but in clear view of automatic alarm systems, staff and patrons.

Meanwhile Sarina is running amok on a faraway world, suffering extreme hormonal peaks and ebbs from the GNC, she engages in physical combat with 3 assailants in a lost alleyway. Butchering them mercilessly and protecting a frightened child Sarina unable to stop herself destroys them utterly in wanton violence. With the threat over, the child flees and Sarina collects money and credit cards of the criminals.

She is later found eating candies by a local named ‘Barky’, an alien teenager who is thrilled to meet his first offworlder. He is apprehensive at first due to Sarina being covered head to foot in a liquid that appears to resemble blood. After the initial shock, his enthusiasm takes hold and Barky ushers Sarina to the local shopping mall, she delightedly buys articles of clothing and food stuffs on this exotic but familiar styled planet.

During her excursion, news reports occur of an entire world being vaporised by nuclear detonation, erasing the entire civilization. Shortly after Sarina is spotted by the child whom she rescued and scared to death at the same time. Barky and Sarina run from the authorities and she heads back into Queen Beryl’s ship to escape.

Meanwhile a seized camera being scrubbed for DNA at the largest law enforcement agency in the galaxy shows the first hand terrorist attack on the nuclear devastated world. The officials have ponies when they find that the collected DNA relates to something remarkable.

Sarina now off world heads back into space where she finds her ships interior has been ravaged and equipment lays strewn over the cabin.

Yep, that’s pretty much what you’ve missed so far.


(----- Opening Scene -----)


Within the Law Forces central analysis building, the investigation team was now being headed by the Chief of Interstellar Police, a large, gruff, rolly-poly man who had a hard edge to his looks and personality.

He systematically ventured around the office listening to the collected summaries of the destruction of the planet Patil Nui Mauda, grumbling audibly and relaying stern, disapproving looks. Each team member felt that this was the last place he wanted to be, they presumed he would prefer sailing his yacht off the coast of the Esata Province. This however was not the case, it had been a very long time since he was active in the force, and this assignment was something of a godsend to and old roughneck detective like him. Many years he had wasted ushering papers and playing politics to freakish aliens, this role brought him rushing back to the coalface. Where data, evidence and cold trails made him hunger for their sustenance. The Chief felt like a new man in a comfortable old suit. He was though, not prepared to let any one else know of his enthusiasm.

“Chief, we’ve got some more issues relating to Nui Mauda.”, said an official examining a terminal screen.

The chief nodded to the subordinate.

“16 auto-freighters, parked in stationary orbit around the planet, they can’t land as there’s no signal or base left.”, said the official. “I suppose we can dock them on the nearest local system and lock them down so no one loots them. The owners should showup eventually to collect or send them home.”

The old chief twinged in delight, a wry half-smile sprang to his lip, this is exactly where he wanted to be, “No, I have another idea.” He sauntered about the office causing his audience to wonder at his verbal delay. “Bring them all here.”

“Eh? … The freighters? Here? … To the building?”, said one.

“That camera, the one that filmed the first atomic blast from it’s surface. It’s operator had to leave the planet somehow. Those auto-freighters record everything. Every scrap of flight activity. Where they are, what they’re carrying, they’re route and who’s around. Some might even have photologs of our assailant if they used the regular transport laneways. I want all of them commandeered, bring them to the hanger bay labs here immediately. We’ll run their flight data and look for any irregular ship serial numbers. Make it top priority.”, said the chief.

The team members were impressed, this simple analysis could perchance provide a runaway breakthrough.

‘I’ll get you.’, thought the chief. His knuckles covered his mouth hiding a smile, ‘you’re mine you little nuke prick.’



(----- Change of scene, back in Queen Beryl’s space ship -----)



Sarina was aghast.

It was if a tornado had ripped through the entire cabin. No panel was left straight or attached. Wires hung from wall cabinets and smashed items lay about the floor. In the middle of the room, a large broken couch, shredded and in pieces was covering the command monitor. Sarina in wonderment removed the items and helpfully provided passage for the small repair droids to do their fixing work.

It was here she noticed blood on the monitor screen. Small patches of red circles were splayed across it. She raised her knuckles to the patterns and saw the match. Instantly, visions returned of the past.

Sarina recalled the insanity which had riddled her with pain and a savage anger, wreaking vengeance on anything that happened to be in her vicinity. She remembered the red antique couch and where it had come from. “Oh sh*t! Syntia! I think I knocked her out. Oh crap, I’d better go apologize.”

Sarina clears away the mess and wipes the blood off the monitor, only succeeding to make more smudges from the alien’s blood covering her hands. Instead she opts for a piece of couch fluff which does a better job.

The computer monitor was live, but strangely, it’s colours and headings were different, empty of feature and content. Luckily, the most important line that Sarina wanted was available, ‘Insert Target Destination.’

Sarina typed in the coordinates for Syntia’s residence.

‘Unknown Location.’, responded the monitor.

“Eh?”, Sarina tried another entry, ‘A1’.

‘Unknown Location.’

Sarina tried again with several headings, the City of Lynanti where she had just been, Home, Earth, Factory, Base, Police, Help, Headquarters, Beryl, Milkyway and many other generic terms like star, sun as well as several reasonable guesses.

It was hopeless, nothing seemed to work. She got up and checked the forward windows, she then went to the sleeping chamber and gazed outwards from the bubble dome above. Sarina sighed, the last planet she had been to could be any one of the 10 trillion bright objects gleaming in the pitch sky.

Returning to the console she tried again. This time she remembered what had been typed in earlier, a long description of a hospital on a safe planet faraway from everyone, that her brought her to Lynanti.

No lengthy description worked, instead it took longer for the system to process.

“Wait a minute, this ship was made for Beryl, so maybe it’s got something of hers at it’s heart.”, eagerly Sarina and typed in something Queen Beryl often referred to.

‘Doom Tree.’

The computer took moments to respond.

‘Unknown Location.’

“Oh f*ck off! Stupid computer!”. Sarina observed the small repair droids milling about the cabin busily welding, strapping and cleaning the muck. She decided to go over and push some of them along, hoping to hurry up the process, she only succeeded in slowing them down, some outright stopped working.

“Oh don’t do that. Come on you little bugger. Fix it so we can all go home.”

Sarina slumped into the main chair and removed an uncomfortable piece of wood propped against her bottom. She tossed it to the centre of the room and rapidly several droids buzzed to collect it. “Now you’ll move won’t you, you little trolls.”

In a moment of inspiration, Sarina thinks that exhausting all the words she could recall that may have a connection with Queen Beryl would be a good idea, she starts with, ‘Serenity’

‘Location Received, Do you wish to travel immediately? Y/N’

“What? … Yes! Gesus!”, Sarina pressed the Y key.

‘Time to reach destination, 3 hours.’

A wash of relief flooded over her, the ship was able to move from it’s spot in dead space. But curiously to Sarina, she wondered at why her mother’s name was the only one that seemed to possess a destination.

The ship powered up and headed for the new entry.




(----- Change of scene, above Syntia’s fortress, the engineering lair -----)

Darkthorn’s ship circled the large lading pad which is the roof of Syntia’s domain, oddly however, a large gaping hole was cleanly cut into it wafting out faint traces of white smoke.

“New addition I guess.”, says Darkthorn observing.

The ship lands and Darkthorn exits, he manually activates the lifts to enter the building. Travelling beside him are two creatures, their bodies sprawled out along hover beds which float in a haphazard motion.

They each enter the main foyer, “She’s really let this place go to hell.”, said Darkthorn. He observes the gaping lance hole, “And that’s probably one of her many failed experiments.”

“Her shuttles are gone, and I know she hates you two prodding away. Suppose she’s gone for a break. Anyway, Gemima, Tomas, what do you think?”

The twisted remnants of once humanoid creatures smell and sniff the air, crystals and packs of crystal powder float in glass containers about them. Their warped and weak bodies have elongated limbs and loose flesh, their unhealthy bald skin appearance also comprises of long blue holes in random positions. If ever they once resembled humans, that was now a very distant memory.

They paw away like lepers on their hover beds to move along, guiding malformed wrists over a small digital scanners. Slowly they glide, sniffing and searching. Time and empathy float into their awareness. Gemima speaks, “The spice must flow, the spice controls-“

“-Enough of that crap, we all know the movie. Now where is she?”, interrupts Darkthorn.

“Broken.”, says Tomas.

“In two.”, says Gemima.

“Yeah, I know she’s flipped, but where is she?”, repeats Darkthorn.

“Know not. The eyes of terror, rage, murder, are one, and the other is the same, but different.”, says Tomas.

“Which one do you seek?”, says Gemima.

“Will you quit being such fags! You are not fit to be called oracles! I don’t know, pick the first one.”, says Darkthorn.

“We cannot.”, say both twins in unison..

‘That’s odd.’, thinks Darkthorn rubbing his chin, ‘I’ve never heard them speak together before...’

“Ok…”, he continues, “Sarina was here and she went bananas. Syntia gave her something which fried her brain, look for something aggressive.”

“Same”, say both.

Darkthorn notes that the twins aren’t playing, and he expects if he choses any word, they will both end up giving the identical, nonsense answers. ‘Something is affecting the pair’s brain, merging them on a single road… Is something mind controlling them?’ He looks at his beacons, ‘Nothing. And the twins are immune anyway.’.

“Come on you twits, we are going to have to do this the old fashioned way.”

He leads them downstairs beyond the gargantuan doors to the smoke damaged, dimly lit lab of Syntia’s.

“Urgh, this brings back bad memories.”, says Darkthorn.

“Ok, start sniffing each other’s butts or whatever it is you do.”, continues Darkthorn. “She was in this lab last, and the mental problems occurred during.”

Gemima raises a palm, it begins to shake and she recoils in horror. Tremors ripple through her fleshy body and her eyes spring open. Darkthorn notices Tomas doing exactly the same thing, exactly like a mirror.

They each start mumbling and chanting together.

Their voices change and become deeper, Darkthorn listens.

“Crystal horror!”, speak the pair.

They each repeat it in unison and continuously chant the same line, “The crystal horror! The crystal horror!”

Darkthorn tries to interrupt with a coughing noise but it has no effect on the twins attention.

“Oka-a-a-y, this is starting to creep me out right about here.”, says Darkthorn.

Stretching their awful bodies and sorrowful eyes upwards, the beings in abject terror start spinning and looking around the room as though something was approaching from above.

Erratically pawing their limbs over the motion scanners they bump into walls and dislodge nearby furniture.

Darkthorn suspects this is the way they express terror. He’s never seen it before.

“It’s awakened! The Crystal Horror has awakened! The Demon!”, say the twins.

Darkthorn shivered, he figured that the twins’ pseudo-psionic awareness was forcing them together, like two frightened children huddling in a corner... If he was going to spend any more time down here he wanted to at least see what happened to Sarina first hand.

“The Demon Is Here!”, speak the twins in a haunting voice.

Gemima started grasping her gemstones and shaking at her pack. Tomas was doing the same.

Darkthorn unnerved spoke harshly, “Always the theatrics with you two isn’t it. I’m revoking your movie privileges for 3 months if you pull this kind of sh*t on me again.” Something was twanging at the back of his neck, it was a gut feeling, something was very wrong with this picture.

He unclips his revolver and keeps his hand hovering over it.

“Ah hell, what am I doing?! The twins almost got to me! Gesus!”, dismissed Darkthorn.

He went to the security feed camera tv, he watched the footage and saw Sarina do as Syntia said and then escaped. He pointed to the screen, “See, she’s just a girl. Nothing to worry about.”

The twins stopped spinning and chanting, and each observed the monitor.

At this point Darkthorn saw them both do something he had never seen the reserved couple do before.

With limp arms they lifted up their crystal packs over their heads and dropped them, smashing each onto the floor, crystal powder and delicate gemstones shattered everywhere.

They then pawed their way along the corridor and headed back to the elevators.

“Well that’s pretty messed up right about there. Something’s really got them spooked.”

Returning back to the monitor, “Now where in space would you go to ... Sarina?”


(----- Back in the examining centre of the law enforcement building -----)

“Captain, the auto-freighters have arrived, but they’ve got code locks on their data, we can’t sequence any of it unless we crack it all first.”, says an official.

“How long?”, says the chief.

“Most likely about 6 hours at best.”, says the official.

“Hop to it. Even if I get a serial tag of 40,000 ships I still want it.”, says the chief.

“Yes sir!”

In the hanger bays of the giant building the data boxes and flight recorders were removed by technicians and then transported to the mid and upper levels of the tower. The 16 unmanned bulk carriers sat silently in the belly of the building, deprived of their systems to move or be recalled home.

Inside 5 of the liners, hidden deep within the cargo bays, thousands of tiny diodes on small, queer shaped boxes began to flash an eerie red signal.


(Change of Scene, back on Queen Beryl’s star ship)


Sarina was much cleaner than before. The broken space shower provided only the faintest trickle of water. She disappointingly remembered trying to strangle the showerhead to a metallic death during her rampage, but in the end, yanking the pipes as hard as she could from the recycling outlets gave her just as much satisfaction. Working away as only females know how, between a box of tissues and her sense of self-preening she was now mostly free of the Lynanti alien’s blood.

Back at the foredeck wrapped in a towel she was just in time to see her ship passing through a patchy white and dark cloud soaked sky. There were long gaps but neither the upper sky nor earth could be seen. Off in the distance a small grey spec grew as Beryl’s craft flew nearer.

Her ship slowed and Sarina watched the distant object approach. It was blue and grey, of aged metal and had many large, rectangular containers fused to it’s long central structure. If anything could be regarded as a cargo ship without a bottom hull, this would be it, albeit with a collection of booster arrays at it’s rear.

Beryl’s ship glided to a strategic distance behind. “Ok… Now what?…”, wondered Sarina staring at the lone ship. She went to the monitor and read.

‘Docking layer active on forward ship. Would you like to dock? Y/N’

Sarina pressed, ‘Y’

‘Docking sequence engaged.’, said the terminal.

Queen Beryl’s ship drifted over to the silent craft and then hovered above a landing platform on the uppermost deck. The gang plank lowered and the underbelly door opened up. The spacecraft were buffeted and Sarina could hear the howl of cold winds traversing railings and the doorway below.

Collecting a blanket from the bedchamber and using it to wrap herself in, Sarina then ventured carefully down the walkway and stepped onto the solitary ship beneath. The blustery winds whooshed her sideways and she struggled to the forward railing. She grappled the straight wires and led herself down into the control cabin.

She knocked on the side door, “Hello?… “

“Anybody home?…”

“…”

Looking through the portal glass Sarina saw a room that held computer terminals, panels of buttons, levers, readout displays and long switches.

The winds whipped her hair.

She tried the door.

‘Click’, *rrrreeeeee*

She pushed her weight against the door to close it. *Clongk*

“Hello?”

Lights blipped on the main console and several signals flashed, she paid no attention to the words being a cacophony of descriptions and messages.

A large forward window gave a perfect view of the tumultuous skies outside. Sarina stared for moments and then heard a soft click noise to her left. Seconds later the chilly room began to fill with warm air.

Venturing to the rear of the cabin, overhead lights lit up as she approached, a long corridor began to appear from the darkness.

“Hello?”

A short few steps, an open doorway to the right, inside was a long bed and several bunks. To the left was a washroom and toilets.

“Hello?”

Sarina walked further along looking in each doorway and calling out. A kitchen, a laundry, a game room and a sizeable engineering workroom. Everything was well kept but strangely unused. She was running out of corridor, and several stairs were leading below, she assumed to the lower decks.

*B-Bleep! B-Bleep! B-Bleep!*, resonated a loud alarm from the forward area. Sarina decided to skip back to the cabin entry just in case someone mistook her for a prowler.

*B-BLEEP! B-BLEEP! B-BLEEP!*, the alarm was certainly worth noticing. Sarina looked to the largest of the available computer screens.

‘Alert! Alert! Alert! Moving Static Field detected.’

Sarina didn’t know what to do, or if she should do anything. More alarms and lights flicked on, swamping the command console.

Something was about to happen.

A powerful shudder shook the heavens and rumbled the freighter’s long bulk, it was immediately followed by a tremendously loud, ripping, washing noise that thundered and screeched throughout the skies. It was like no sound she had ever heard before, the clouds nearby bulged and separated flaring in light.

Two large warships braked in the atmosphere slowing in unbelievable g-force.

Within seconds huge tower mounts along their sides glowed in a sinister light.

( ------ )

“Fire all weapons!”, yelled the commander of the first craft, his voice relayed to the twin ship beneath.

( ------ )

Sarina saw massive beams of light arc across the sky, she felt the magnetic distortion making her hairs stand on end as she plummeted to the floor.

The terrifying shrilling noise deafened her as the huge beams tore into Queen Beryl’s craft.

The beams struck the ship’s hull front on.

But…

This was no ordinary spacecraft.

It’s automatic defences, fortunately up as of 3 hours earlier deflected the beams with such force they bent off into outer space while the others were driven down and sideways into the planet’s air, narrowly avoiding the craft she was on.

Sarina could see another barrage of weapons preparing as more turrets glowed red hot.

( ------ )

“Dam! Shoot the freighter! Blow it’s engine apart! The blast impact should cripple Beryl. Ion cannons are useless, bring us around for lance weapons.” Yelled the commander.

( ------ )

“F*CK! F*CK! F*CK!”, screamed Sarina.

An array of lights and alarms beckoned her attention, but overall, the largest one simply said, ‘ Press Me Now!’

Both hands slapped onto the touchscreen at once.

Within split seconds the freighter energized an ‘anti-pirate’ ion shield and then it’s engines whirred up dragging the heavy old space liner slowly forward, it was blindly heading for two the warships in front.

Antiquated and subsequently not updated, the ships’ command code simply followed one golden rule, ‘go home if attacked’, as well as this, it did not possess the programming update to avoid non-radar-visible military craft, in fact it thought them to be big fluffy clouds.

Beams tore into the freighter and the ion energy surged into dampening units within the craft. Unfortunately the new ion canons were greatly advanced, far more powerful than most models on the market today and the old dampening units shunted the load into the engine, thereby crippling the freighter and it’s ability to manoeuvre, let alone fly.

The freighter banged a tremendous sound through the hull as it’s own magnetic chamber began to collapse. They spun up higher and faster, whirring like a billion synchronized angry bees.

Sarina felt the lurch of the ship and the horrible sensation of gravity catching up with her again.

She bolted to the deck to see if Beryl’s ship was coming along, sadly, it hovered in space, it’s gangplank withdrawn sitting like a frozen target. It slipped further and further away.

Sarina looked to the oncoming warships which slowly inched their way upward, turning towards Beryl’s vessel.

( ------ )

Inside Queen Beryl’s ship, an activated program, forced into self repair clicked a new screen pop on the main monitor, it wrote, ‘Weapon systems on line, engaging.’


( ------ )

‘Wrrrrrt! Wrrrrrt! Wrrrrrt!’

Collision warnings howled on both warships.

“Shit! Get the hell out of that freighters path! Why the hell is this taking so long to move!?”, said the commander.

“Sir, we emptied so much power into the canons, we barely have enough back charge to nav!”

“Shit!”, said the commander.

( ------ )

‘Engines destabilising! ‘ Over heat! Over heat! Over heat!’, said the screen.
Sarina didn’t know what to do or how to pilot an interstellar rust bucket. But fortunately it wasn’t plummeting to the ground like a stone, it was gliding closer and closer to the warships which were trying to manoeuvrer away.

Then,

It was terrifying.

It was the most awful, chilling sound she had heard in her life.

Blazing across the sky, like many lightbeam porcupine quills, intense rays darted over the warships and wriggled along their lengths. Burn holes and blasts ripped through each until the quills all focused around the engines of the ships.

Explosions were barely contained in the more modern-day safer vessels, and both ships were severed in two. Their great bulks rupturing and dismantling as false gravity failed. The two halves separated further and panels opened by the quills fell away.

Many alien troops tumbled from the stricken warships as pockets of residual gravity ceased, this is the point where Queen Beryl’s ship went into it’s second phase of attack. The quills fired again, each pinpointing on the falling people and vaporizing them in an instant.

“Holy shit! It’s attacking the –almost- dead people!”, said Sarina.

She knew if she could find a parachute, Queen Beryl’s ship probably didn’t have enough brains to discern her from the rest. Sarina had to hold on, Beryl’s ship was in a defensive state and not to be provoked, questioned or even sneezed at. It was in something equivalent to a car alarm mode, except this alarm beat would-be attackers to death, or perhaps unlucky passersby.

The hulking warships broke apart, their pieces dropping through the clouds. Sarina’s freighter made it past the middle where they had once been and she watched Queen Beryl’s ship sit like a horrible white viper, striking mercilessly at anything that took it’s interest.

The old freighter was picking up speed, ‘Imminent Crash! Bail Out!’

The ships engines droned with a low deep din that began to increase in pitch and volume. It was an ominous, reverberating sound that told of impending catastrophic failure.

“Oh hell!”, said Sarina.

“No parachutes!... Wait!”

“The bunks!”, she sprinted to the first room and wrenched off the captain’s king size bed sheets. They were big, but she knew her hands couldn’t hold them and expect to live in freefall.

Into the corridor, she shot through the engineering room door and skidded, halting at a long toolbox. Smashing it’s lid open against the back wall, Sarina’s fingers flung metal tools aside.

She rummaged hurriedly. Equipment was pushed out clanking and sliding across the floor, others she kept in a pile at her knees.

*Wooclonnnnng* *Shudder* Shudder * Shudder* Metal striking metal sounded deep within the bowels of the ship.

The room began to tilt.

Within her pile of metal objects, Sarina’s fingers wildly unscrewed 4 g-clamps and then wrapped wedges and the corners of 2 sheets within their maw. Screwing each as tight as possible on the folded material, her knuckles strained as she tested each in a death grip pull.

She was up, clutching the assembly and sprinting back to the control deck.

Through the forward windows clouds were disappearing giving way to distant mountains and earth, everything was coming nearer. The ship began to list more, coffee mugs, chairs and clipboards began to slide across benches. Seconds to go.

She kicked open the cabin door and ran to the upper deck.

Sarina went to the rear of the landing pad and saw the huge booster arrays billowing out heavy dark smoke. She ran to the right side of the ship which was the lower listing side, she stepped onto the rail wire and shinnied up an end light pole.

Wrapping her arms around the guide she stepped into the dangling g-clamps and pushed them on tight.

A glance at the distance.

The mountains were coming nearer.

Sarina’s fingers clasped onto the last loose clamps and she moved the folded sheet ready under her arm, she swallowed hard, her heart was pumping like a steam train. She looked forward again and saw the mountains, there were trees and high cliffs, the ship wasn’t going to clear them. It was now or never.

She hobbled over as far as she could go, the winds rushed at her threatening to pull her off to the side.

“I hope the ground is soft.”

Holding the pole at extreme stretch Sarina got herself ready.

One more look, seconds to impact.

The faraway ground was rushing beneath.

She held her breath,

She closed her eyes,

‘Jeronimooooo-o-o-o-o-o-o.o.o.o..o..o…o…o!’




( ------ )

“Commander, there’s a beacon transmission entering the tower.”

“So?”, said the chief.

“It’s not ours, and no ships are broadcasting it.”

“What do you mean? A vehicle then?”, said the chief.

“No, I cant’ tell where it’s coming from. There’s no carrier station signal or relay code. It’s a random, but it’s clear, like it’s in the building.”

“Oh, don’t worry about it, it’s probably the auto freighters wanting mommy or an oil bath.”, said the chief.

“Yeah, I suppose your right.”

“What’s it saying?”, said the chief.

“This.”

The chief examines a screen.

“Holy jumping jehorseophat!”, wailed the chief. “Clear the f*cking building!” He lunges for a supporting column and shatters a glass panel with a fist. He grabs the intercom and switches it live.

“Attention, this is not a drill, evacuate the building immediately!!!” The chief pulls a lever and alarms sound. Arrays of red lights switch on building-wide while all other lighting disappears. “Clear the f*cking building now!!!”

Huge, low emergency beacons resonated through the complex and people start clambering for the slide rails on the outside of the building. Shaped like a massive glass pyramid, staff skid their way down to the ground on a most exhilarating ride.

The crotchety old chief clips his rail line into the exit bar and pushes his subordinate along. “Hurry up!”

As they exit, the subordinate asks, “What did it mean ?”

The chief says, “The message, ‘Trojan Horse, Hee Hee.’ , you don’t know what that is?”

“No sir.”

“It means the jerk sent us a gift wrapped bomb, and he’s having a chuckle about it.”, said the chief.

The two climb out the window in a seldom used escape route. Each of them and thousands of others slide down the building exterior. As they travel the subordinate officer wonders why they don’t have fire drills more often, as it was a tremendously exciting ride.

At the bottom, people run to shelters and bunkers, the chief and his subordinate rush to a wheeled car and zip off to a nearby auxiliary command centre.

Upon arriving they patch into their main terminals.

“Quick, get as much code and uncode as you can rescue. Harris, cut over to the freighters, I want to see what’s going on in there.”, said the chief.

“Yes boss.”

Relayed camera images showed spindly-legged robots, just like spiders crawling their way along climbing up columns and along passageways. Each one seemed to systematically find a structural entity and latch itself on. Many poured from the freighters and gingerly traversed along. Surprisingly, the robots were well mannered avoiding each other and negotiating difficult objects with ease.

“God, look at them all!”

“Didn’t anyone clear the cargo!?”, said the chief.

“No boss, you said you wanted the ships here immediately.”

“Dam! F*ck! Dam!”, said the chief. “That little pissant has got us by the balls.”

“Sir! I’ve got the ship!”

“Yes, what’s it’s license?”, said the chief.

“It’s unlisted.”

“Erghhh.”, said another.

“No, that means it’s either military, pirate, money or official marking.”, said the chief. “Does it have a size class?”

“Yes boss, small, one-man craft, humanoid size.”

“Right, run through the database. I want every fuel stop accessed for blacktrans in the last 4 days. One man’ers accompanied by a, freighter, or freighters let say, especially a D-Class.”, said the chief.

“Why a D-Class?”

“It’s only one that can lift that much uranium undetected.”, said the chief.

“Good going boss.”

“How about the camera? Any movement there?”, said the chief.

“Nothing boss, you can find them on Ubey for a dime a dozen. They are far too popular.”

“Sir! One of the freighters captured a photo of the craft!”

“What!?”, They all hurry around. “Download it quick!”, said the chief.

“I’m trying.”

“What? I’ve never seen a ship like that. It looks like a fossil. It’s so tiny!”

(See it's pic here [link] )

“Quick zoom in on the pilot capsule! Hurry!”, said the chief.

( ------ )

Just at that moment, all the slender robotic spiders stopped moving, their tiny little red diodes stopped flashing.

Everything went silent.

3 seconds later.

ShhhhKABOOOOOOM!

( ------ )

Glass, panels, metal, papers, computers, rubble and concrete blocks lobbed into the air as the entire building was levelled.

The commons and bunker building shuddered and dust fell from the roof.

The investigative team paid no attention to it.

“I’ve got it!”

“Wait, I mean, I’ve got some of it… Just a top fragment I’m afraid.”

They all stare at the image.

“Is that… blonde hair?”

The chief leans back and pushes a hand over the front of his face. He slumps into a nearby chair.

“Goddam, I need a smoke.”, said the chief.

“Listen up! I want every Re-breeder house, colony, doghouse, hen-house, rat-house and space toilet of theirs scanned for either of these two DNA sequences with a 5% band tolerance. Manually! On site! Every agent!”, said the chief.

“You think it’s them boss? Again?”

“Those jackasses still think they can make a messiah. I’ll give them their messiah. My fucking foot up their retarded arse will be their messiah!”, said the chief.


( ------ )

“Vee, we’ve got a small problem.”, said Darkthorn via his long line communicator.

“What’s is it?”, said Vorgorath.

“Sarina’s gone, the twins have flipped out and Syntia’s gone on holiday. Plus her house has a new chimney the size of a rail tube and there’s wrecked debris everywhere. If I knew better, I’d say someone’s just had the craziest party in town.”, said Darkthorn.

“Is there anything I can do?”, said Vorgorath.

“Well, where in the universe do you think Sarina might have gone? With a killing psychosis and the deadliest ship in the universe?”, said Darkthorn.

“….”

“Yeah, makes me wonder too. Is there anyone she hates with a passion?”, said Darkthorn.

( ------ )

Rae knocked on the door. Her long elegant black cocktail dress shimmered in the light.

“Hey, Sar-, Oh, Rae it’s you.”, said a Darion opening the door.

“Hi Darion, mind if I come in?”, said Rae presenting a tall gift bag to him.

“Sure, er, what’s this for?”, said Darion withdrawing a long bottle of alcohol.

“It’s for us, I mean you. As a celebration. Yeah, that’s what it’s for.”, said Rae.

“But why?”, said Darion.

“Oh, that, arh well, let’s say it’s a celebration for me, I can’t tell you just yet, I will later, ok.”, said Rae.

“I don’t really think-“, said Darion

“Hey, relax, it’s high time you let someone else deal with your miserable state don’t you? Is it better to mope around this apartment alone, or with someone genuine who really wants to help you feel better?”

“I suppose, but.”

“Hey, here, just sit down, let me pour you a drink. It’s your night off, Sarina won’t need your help tonight.”


( ------ )

Sarina shot through the air, gliding like a flying squirrel. The double layered, king size sheets above her and 4 g-clamps holding them in place were shaking and vibrating under the intense air flow. But, it was working, miraculously, it was working.

The clamps held tight against the wedges, and the strong sheets weren’t going anywhere.

Sarina could see the poor ship speed up, listing heavily to one side and make it’s final descent into the mountain side. Crushing itself and exploding it drove itself into the earth. It boomed as it’s engines ruptured and sent a cloud of fire into the air.

Streams of burning components flared out and spot fires started on the hills.

Sarina looked down and saw trees, rivers and lakes in a jungle.

The ground was rushing toward her.

Trees loomed closer.

*Bash!*

*Crack!*

*Squeal!*

*Blackness*

( ------ )

“Run that by me again.”, said Mina

“I sent Sarina, with my ship, to a faraway planet to discover her family origins.”, said Queen Beryl.

“And there is blood and smashed equipment all over the interior?”, said Mina.

“Yes, even the toilet seat was ripped off and thrown into a mirror.”, said Queen Beryl.

“Is she there now?”, asked Ami.

“I’ll check.”, said Queen Beryl. Scanning the ship via her telementary card she offers a description to the girls. “It’s changed, some things have been repaired but there is a bag of gear there now, and my chair it’s covered in something red.”

“I think it’s high time we brought her home, don’t you?”, said Mina

“Yes,, yes you are right.. let me post the cords…. Wait a minute, the galactic database is offline and it’s locked itself down. Hang on a tick, I’ll just fix this… There… Done… She’s coming home…It should take about 2-3 days depending.”, said Queen Beryl.

“There, all better. Thanks Beryl.”, said Mina.

“No worries. I’m sorry girls, I thought Sarina would be ok by herself.”, said Beryl.

“I wouldn’t even trust Sarina to be in a room alone with a paper bag..”, said Mina.

“Yes, she might eat it.”, said Ami.

( ------ )

Sarina remembers sliding and being lifted, cradled and placed onto something. Driving and then placed onto something soft. Exhausted she let go.

*Blackness*

Eyes blink open, Sarina struggles. Her sheets are wrapped about her. She is laying on her side. There is a pillow at her head.

“Hunh?”, said Sarina

“Oh hello there”, said an old voice.

“Muh?” , said Sarina

“Not much of a talker are you?”

*Groan*

Sarina struggled to lift herself up, the sheets gave away and allowed her to prop herself up on her arm. Her aching head felt sore to touch. The world around her wasn’t stable enough yet.

“That was some pretty fancy flying Squirrel Girl.”

“Hhhllff… Amm, I dead?”, said Sarina in a husky voice.

“Not today sweetie.”

“Who? …”, she was too exhausted to finish her question.

“Well, I’m captain of the Serenity, or –was- the captain of the UCS Serenity. She’s now been crushed to a pile of slag thanks to you.”

“Oh?,…. I’m sorry.”, said Sarina.

“Ah, it’s no worry, I’ve been stranded her for years, that stupid craft didn’t have enough intellect to come and rescue me after I broke down on my space scooter while visiting here. I’ve been cursing and swearing at that great lump for eons. I’m glad to see it go but part of me wanted to see the old girl again. If only to kick it’s command console. No matter, it just goes to show you shouldn’t drink, commute and drive into trees... So what brings you to this forsaken patch of the universe anyhow?”

“I don’t know, I’ve been lost. I typed in my mothers name and it bought me here.”, said Sarina.

“I think it bought you here for a reason then hey?”

“Not really.”, said Sarina, “I just wanted to go home.”

“Oh?”, said the man, “Oh, I thought you were here because you were on the trail of your long departed mother, Queen Serenity, Empress of the Moon Kingdom and past War Ruler of the Known Cosmos.”

“Eh? What?”, “Who are you old man?”, said Sarina.

“I’m the last person to see you mother alive. That’s who I am.”

“What?!"

-------

*Blackness*

Syntia groggily awoke, she was kneeling down in darkness, her arms tied and elevated on a post behind her. Her feet and legs were roped up too. Saliva dripped from her mouth. She felt sore, exhausted and messy. Her helmet had been removed.

She could see a figure walking away from her, a tall humanoid dressed in robes. It turned and stood beside something wide hidden in the shadows.

A deep voice spoke to her, it was coming from directly in front. She couldn’t understand the alien language.

‘Translate.’ Thought Syntia, within split moments a neural computer buzzed into action and the aliens words were repeated in English.

“Syntia, you will answer our questions or be put to death immediately…. You are the weaponsmith to the AOS group, the ‘Corpora Prisida’, otherwise known as 'The Unholy Avenger', you have created it and beheld it’s owner.”

“Fine, I’ve got nothing to hide and I did not create the Corpora Prisida. That is a stupid myth.”, said Syntia.

“But it has passed into your possession, as well as it’s owner. Sarina Campbell”, said the entity.

“You mean the moon wand!? And little Sarina? So? She wouldn’t leave it laying around for anyone to take. It belongs to her, and I have full confide-“, said Syntia, her attention diverted.

The robed figure is approached by two handlers each supporting a long metallic hover-box. The figure opens it up and withdraws a small pink and golden wand, it looked like a children’s’ toy.

“Oh shi-.-.-zzz!”, said Syntia. ‘Shit! She’s just like her fruitcake - ditz of a mother! I should have known!’

“I see you recognize it. .. That is all. Destroy her.”, said the entity to the two.

The robed figure whispers to the being.

“Halt! ”, said the creature. It laughed heartily, “ Prime suggestion. See to it.”

The robed being walked over to Syntia and pushed a small cylindrical object onto her forehead.

*Fzzftt*

Syntia slumped over.

*Blackness*



DUN, DUN, DAAAAHHHHHHH