Chapter No.8

If any man doubt that, let him put me to my purgation. I have trod a measure; I have flattered a lady; I have been politic with my friend, smooth with mine enemy; I have undone three tailors; I have had four quarrels, and like to have fought one.

- William Shakespeare  -- As You Like It -

The image of the alien sun stood out in the main screen as a bright light in a field of many lesser lights. Even at a million kilometers out, it still was the brightest thing around.

Nobody cared. The crew was anxious about a possible engagement with an unknown enemy and the inevitable casualties.

"This star is a G3 V main sequence dwarf with a 1.2 luminosity compared to Sol," Karl said. "There should be planets because the spectra of the star indicates a good metal content."

"There are at least four inner planets," George said. "I can see five outer gas giants."

"The second planet is in the habitable zone," Lucia said.

"The second planet has an average bolometric temperature of 280 K," Masai said.

"Take us to the second planet, Delphi. Inform the X-4001."

"Yes, Angie."

"There are a dozen Cyborg ships on intercept," Ninja reported.

"Open COM to the X-4001, Delphi."

"Yes, Angie."

"This is Brian. What's up, Admiral?"

"We have a dozen Cyborg ships on intercept," Angie said. "Launch two fighters. We'll do the same. Prepare for engagement."

"Yes, Admiral."

Angie turned to Marty. "You and Ninja and Andy and Tiana."

"Yes, Admiral."

Marty and Ninja were the first fighter out of X-5001's main hangar, and they wasted no time in accelerating away to meet the Cyborg ships. The X-502 and two more fighters from the X-4001 soon caught up and the battle began. Plasma pulses from the enemy crashed into all four fighters, and they split up to attack at flanking vectors. The weapons on the new class-500 fighters were powerful enough to cause damage on first contact. After the initial exchange, the Cyborg ships broke away, but the X-5001 and X-4001 soon joined the battle to pound the enemy ships with horrendous weapons fire.

"I have an enemy ship approaching on the left," Ninja said. "It has fired a missile."

Marty pulled into a tight turn to avoid the missile. "Fire a torpedo at him, Ninja."

"Yes, Martin."

The torpedo flew away at supersonic speed and soon began to track the enemy craft. Ninja fired a series of plasma pulses into the enemy missile, exploding it.

"Nice shooting, Ninja."

Marty didn't waste time worrying about the enemy craft that had fired the missile. He turned rapidly to attack another enemy. He caught sight of one of Brian's fighters taking a serious hit, damaging it. This called for a bold move. He flew into a protecting position to fight off any enemy trying to finish the damaged fighter. In the process, Ninja destroyed four enemy craft, mostly because they were dumb enough to come in too close.

The X-5001 and X-4001 finished off the rest of the enemy ships. Marty helped pull the damaged fighter back to the X-4001 before he flew back to the X-5001.

When he and Ninja returned to the command deck, they saw that Angie was already busy organizing an attack on the planet.

"We're going to have to keep the mother ships out from the planet," she told Marty. "They have too many weapons aimed into space. You guys will have to take those weapon systems out before we can get into orbit."

"Yes, Admiral. Just give us a chance to get prepared and we'll go back out."

Marty and Ninja returned to the main hangar and had the Delphi on the X-501 go through a status check. In the meantime, he and his Mehen buddy gathered up a landing crew. Ninja picked the two Mehen females and ten Drak females. Andy and Tiana took the two new guys and Moto, along with ten Drak females.

After they launched their fighter, Marty and Ninja flew near the planet and immediately came under fire. The enemy firing positions were quickly determined, plotted and Ninja fired powerful antimatter plasma bombs directly at them. With the planetary defense taken out, the landings began. Fighting Landers from the X-4001 went in with Andy and Tiana providing ground support. Marty and Ninja landed their fighter and prepared to join the main battle.

They came upon a firefight that rivaled anything that they had seen before. The marines were taking terrific fire from enemy positions, but they were also delivering deadly fire of their own. One thing that the Cyborgs could not defend against was artillery. Exploding shells from mortars and missile launchers blew them up despite their metal armored bodies.

Marty and Ninja led their little army into the battle but held up 300 meters from the camp perimeter. What made attacking a Cyborg camp more difficult was the fact that they had ringed their camps with solid metal walls, and these thick metal walls were hard to penetrate. Ninja assembled a powerful laser weapon and fired it into the wall, melting a hole. This proved to be the best way to breech the walls, and it was not long before the marines and Ninja's Drak females were attacking the enemy.

The battle broke up into individual firefights between pockets of enemy and the marines. The end result was casualties. The marines lost five and had thirteen wounded. Ninja's Drak army lost one and had five wounded.

"We can't take these losses every time we engage the enemy," Marty said. "We just don't have the numbers."

"War always comes with casualties, Commander," a young marine commander said. "Hopefully, we can find this species home world and end this war."

"I hope so," Marty said. "I'm getting too old for this shit." He turned to Ninja. "We had better get busy and hunt for any survivors."

"Yes, Martin." Ninja turned to Moto and the Drak females. "Come with us and help search for survivors."

Marty and Ninja found a metal building that resembled a Quonset hut. Inside were 105 humans, all dressed in orange plastic jump suits. Marty thought it looked like the lockup at LA County jail.

"Come out of here," Marty said. "We have to get you off this planet before more enemy ships arrive."

"Who are you?" a man asked.

"I'm Martin Sinclair from Iowa," Marty said, removing his helmet. "What's going on here?"

"We believe that these metal bastards are killing people, but we're not sure," a woman said. "They take a few off to those buildings over there every day." She pointed at a group of metal structures. "We never see them again."

"Get these people ready for transport, Moto," Marty said. "Ninja and I will check out those buildings, just in case there are more people in them."

Moto saluted.

"Go with her," Marty yelled at the people. "They won't hurt you."

After the people were led off, Marty and Ninja went over to the first building. Ninja fired a blaster at the door to open it. Inside, the two warriors found strange looking metal machines and equipment.

"What the hell is this stuff for?" Marty said.

"I believe that these machines are for torture and execution," Ninja said.

Marty went over to a metal chair. "How about this one?"

Ninja examined the bottom and back of the chair. "See these tiny holes. They are attached to neural stimulators that are controlled by the box next to this chair."

"Yes," Marty said, looking over the alien control box on top of a pedestal next to the chair. "They strap the victim in this chair and the control simulates sharp hot needles."

"Look at this thing," Marty said, pointing at a molded metal case that had a crude anatomical shape. "It reminds me of a medieval iron maiden."

Ninja stopped at a railing that looked down at a conical pit. "This must be used to kill people."

Marty looked down at the point of the cone and saw a blade. "This looks like a monster-sized blender. I don't want to know how it works."

"These Cyborg creatures are not honorable," Ninja said. "They torture their victims before they execute them."

"I agree. They have no redeeming value."

"Let's get the hell out of here," Marty said.

A sound interrupted their departure. Both Marty and Ninja drew their hand weapons.

"Who is there?" Marty yelled. "Come out."

Nobody came out, so Marty and Ninja moved carefully around some machines and found two female Dragons suspended above the floor in manacles.

"Let's get them down," Marty said.

Ninja operated a control that lowered the manacles that secured the four wrists of each of the two females. He released the mechanisms that held the manacles in place, freeing them.

"We're not going to hurt you," Marty told them. "We will take you to our ship where you will find two of your kind."

"Are you going to torture us?" one of the females asked.

"No. We don't do things like that. Come with us and we will take care of you."

Back up on the command deck, a grim Angie greeted Marty and Ninja. "Is everyone back up from the planet?"

"I believe so, but you had better check with Brian," Marty said.

"Brian reports that all of his people are back up, Angie."

"Prepare to leave orbit, Delphi. Please arm a torpedo in aft tube one. When we are at a safe distance from the planet, please fire the torpedo so that it detonates over the Cyborg camp."

"Yes, Angie."

The explosion created a firestorm over several hundred kilometers, incinerating everything in its path.

"I understand that you found two more female Dragons," Angie said."

"Yes. We turned them over to Onuki and Ferris. I'm sure that Yin and Yang will orient them and they will join us."

"Excellent," Angie said, smiling. "They make good crew members."

"We'll probably find more of them before this is over."

Angie seemed satisfied with that possibility.

***

"We have entered normal space, Angie."

"Reduce our speed to 3000 kps, Delphi."

"Yes, Angie."

"I'm going to have Yin or Yang milk me," Angie said.

"Yes, Admiral."

Most of the women joined her. When they were off the command deck, the human males relaxed.

"Are you being punished by your women?" Noesa asked Marty.

"It's not quite the same as in your case," Marty said. "We are being punished for not obeying orders. We deserve it."

"What do you think that she'll do to us?" Karl asked.

"I have no idea. She's driven by demons that are known only to her. All I can tell you is that it will not be pleasant."

"I guess that we have no other choice but to grin and bear it."

"Literally," Marty added.

They laughed.

After an hour, the women began to filter back. Angie took her command station seat and looked at Marty. "You guys can take a break if you wish. We women can handle the ship."

"Thank you, Admiral."

Marty led the men off of the command deck. When the elevator door closed, the men looked at Marty.

"Why is she allowing us to take a break?" Andy asked.

"She's capricious. What else can I say?"

"We should go to the main swimming pool," Karl said. "We don't have to worry about anyone else trying to use it."

"Sure," Marty said. "We may as well take advantage of the Admiral's generosity."

On the command deck, the two new Dragon female crewmembers were introduced.

"This is Wu and Xiang," Lia said. "They are joining us."

"Welcome," Angie said. "You will train with Yin and Yang. They know the operation of this ship."

"We are grateful for your generous treatment of us," Wu said. "We were scheduled to be tortured and killed by the machine creatures, but your attack saved us."

"We are happy that we saved you," Angie said. "We are out here to defeat the Cyborgs with the help of your people."

Yin and Yang led the two new Dragon females off the deck.

"Evidently, the Cyborgs are torturing and killing Dragons as well as humans," Uma said.

"I think you're right," Angie said. "It looks like these Cyborgs have been attempting to kill every intelligent species in this galaxy."

"That is despicable," Uma said. "We must not allow them to come to our galaxy."

"Believe me," Angie said. "That is my main goal."

Nobody could disagree with that goal.

In the main swimming pool, the men were enjoying a romp in the water. Each of them tried to outdo the others in a dive. Marty mounted the board and was about to make his backward flip dive while the rest of the men waited in a line for their turn. Their fun was interrupted by the appearance of their Admiral.

"Good evening, gentlemen," she said, moving up to the edge of the pool.

"Good evening, Admiral," Marty said.

"I wanted to inform you men that I've decided to not punish you. I will punish Commander Sinclair in your place, unless you wish to relieve him of that burden."

"What do you mean?" George asked.

"I think that you, Karl and Jean-Michel know what I mean." She smiled, turned and left.

"Wow," Andy said.

"I say, that was quite sporting of her," Tyler said.

"Why did she single out you three?" Marty asked George.

"You never heard?"

"Heard what?"

"Karl, Jean-Michel and I snuck off Space Port and made the mistake of getting arrested in a bar fight."

Marty's eyes widened. "Oh, wow! That's a serious infraction. She's never punished you for that?"

"No, but she's holding it over our heads."

Marty sighed. "God, I hate to think what she would do to me if I did something as stupid as that."

None of the other men could answer his question.

When Marty got back to the common area between his and Angie's quarters, he found the Admiral waiting on him.

"I have a question," he said to her. "Why haven't you punished George, Karl and Jean-Michel?"

"Oh, you heard about that. Actually, I disobeyed a direct order by not punishing them. Why, what do you think that I should do to them?"

"How about making them do all those crazy things you made me do the other evening?"

"I could, but I doubt that they would survive it."

"Yeah, you're right. I needed a good deal of time to recover."

"Oh, come on. It wasn't that bad."

"My muscles are still sore," Marty said. "I had trouble getting out of bed."

"I'm sorry. I didn't intend to injure you."

"I'll live," he said, smiling.

She smiled. "I'll think up some different ideas the next time."

"I don't want to know," he said, giving her a mock frown.

She laughed.