Here's Ch 144-Pt 1-K&K
DISCLAIMER: OK Commander Donnelly , it's all yours! First, thank you to Mr. T. for the use of the Angels. Thanks to everyone else who is letting us use their creations. How was that, Yuri? Great! Oh yes it was, Kei! Well, we left you up in the air so let's get to Chapter 144 without further preamble:-
Chapter 144
'Trace Saves the Day' or 'New Comrades'
"Jamie, onegai lend me your vidcell." said Trace Edwards. Jamie handed it to him and the 'Kaguran' tapped in a few keystrokes.
"Who are you calling, Tracey?" asked Nat.
"My boss over at the tower, Honey. He'll alert our patrols to look for them. Better have Gene start warming up the ship. That sled's only got enough lifesupport stuff to last until 1930 hours and that's about an hour and a half from now. We have got to get to them and soon. Nat, I sure as hell hope they're wearing hardsuits. Otherwise--" he shrugged his shoulders and broke off abruptly when Jamie's vidcell activated. "Dastun here. Oro can I do for ya?" The visage on an older dark-haired Kaguran officer with a superb handlebar mustache had materialized on the cellscreen.
"Sorry Boss but it's me- Trace er Lt. Edwards, sir. I er need your help on an urgent matter- of life or death, sir." said Trace and he explained the situation in concise terms. Then he outlined his proposal. The older guy nodded several times.
"Sounds like a good plan, Trace. I'll scramble the patrols to watch out for 'em while you and your pals get on their trail. They can't have gotten too far in a sled so they should show up on your scans soon. You're not on the 'Angel' or one of her shuttles, are you? Nai? Oro? The 'Gammeran Prince'? OK, I'll be sure to tell Johnny Raven that. Yeah, he's still on Mars. Good luck, Trace. I'm praying for them as hard as I can. Dastun out." said Dan Dastun who was both Commander of 'Saruman City Spaceport Tower' and commanding officer of 'KASP', the 'Kaguran Air and Space Patrol'.
"Arigatou, sir. We really appreciate it. I owe you one, sir. Edwards out." replied Trace, blanking the vidcell and handing it back to Jamie. "Everyone else here? (Nat nodded) Then let's get going. Dan's gonna alert the 'KASP' patrols and he's getting hold of Johnny Raven too. He's still over on Mars it seems so he'll look for them too. As soon as we're up, start scanning for them. Let's move!" said Trace Edwards.
They all raced onto the ship and Gene quickly lifted off without a countdown. He rocketed swiftly to the West and climbed rapidly into the ionosphere above 'Kagura'.
"Saavie! Get up here and man the scanners stat! Cy! Robin! I need as much warp as you got- now! Keisie! Try to reach 'em on the relay comm and tell those bakas to get the Hell back here! Then just pray we get to those idiots in time!" yelled Gene Starwind.
"Cag! Cag! I can't b-breathe and I'm f-f-freezing! Oro the Fxxx are we gonna do?" wailed Flay Allster and she began to cry and go into hysterics.
WHACK! "Snap outta it, Allster! Buck up, girl! Get into those hardsuits and helmets! Hurry up, Rally! You too, Caggie! Don't fall asleep! OK, I've got Caggie into a suit. Rally, get Flaysie into a hardsuit and a helmet. You too. Now hit that red panel on the right side of your helmets. It'll give you some 'Koriaq-7' to breathe for awile. It's an alternative oxygen chemical. Hopefully the guys or someone will find us- before it's too shimatta late! I'm gonna head back to 'Kagura' now. Why did I ever let you three loonies into taking you on a joyride to Mars! I must've really been wasted, man!" yelled Faye Valentine, who had just smacked an hysterical Flaysie across the jaw- hard! Then she'd shaken her, Caggie and Rally violently to keep them awake and conscious until help came.
Now with the four of them in their hardsuits and helmets and feeling a bit warmer and having minimal life support systems available to them, Faye had yawed and pitched until the 'Everest' (the name of Don Poporo's skysled which they had er borrowed for the trip) was rocketing back towards 'Kagura' and safety. Her wristchromo was reading 1800 hours and they had enough fuel to last them another hour- maybe! Life support would hold for another half hour beyond that- perhaps!
Faye opened up the thrusters all the way and jettisoned their spare ammo clips to lighten the 'Everest' as much as possible. She tramped hard on the gas and her speed slowly inched up to subwarp nine (ten subwarps equals one full warp) but at least one more subwarp was still needed to give them a fighting chance of getting home in time!
"Oro other junk does Mr. Popo have back there?" yelled Faye through her comlink.
"More hardsuits and helmets, a replicator, food and water, some blankets and some blasters, ma'am." replied Cagalli Athna.
"Jettison the lot of it and hurry it the Fxxx up! I'm losing bloody altitude fast!" trilled the feisty cowgirl.
"Not the food and the reppy thingy too!" sobbed Flaysie.
"Everything and now! Dump it all!" trilled Faye angrily.
"Yes, ma'am. You got it." replied Caggie while she and Rally were busily tossing everything into the refuse chute. Then they hit the jettison bar and launched it all into space.
The effect was instantaneous! Faye hit Warp 1.8 and the 'Everest' climbed to 150,000 meters!
"Faye! I just got something on the scanner!" yelled an exuberant Rally Vincent. It was 1900 hours.
At that exact instant Lance Ingram picked them up on the 'Angel's' scans too. Five minutes after that Dan Dastun received word from his patrol leader, Lt. Jim Moriarty (direct descendant of the infamous 19th Century Terran villain himself it seems!) that his scans had also located the 'Everest'. Dan wasted no time in calling the good news in to Trace Edwards.
Jamie's vidcell chirped and he answered it. "Yeah? Oh, hiya Danny. Uh huh, he's here. Just a sec, man." said Jamie Wilson.
"Yo, Trace! It's for you. It's Danny Boy! Catch!" yelled the Terran, lobbing the vidcell to Trace.
"Yes, sir? They did? Great! Coordinates? OK, I got 'em. We're on our way. You can send the patrols home, sir and thank them for me. Arigatou, sir. Drinks are on me in the morning, sir. Edwards out." cried Trace.
"Do itashimashite er you're very welcome, kid. Kami be praised! Dastun out." replied Dan.
Trace dropped the vidcell and raced for the nav console to key in the new coordinates of the sightings. "They're down to only fifteen minutes of life support, Gene. Better kick it up a notch if we wanna get to them in time." advised Trace.
Gene nodded and hit Warp 9.7, the ship climbing to 150,000 meters. He yawed starboard until Trace yelled "Stop turning, Gene! We're right on their course track. Everybody watch for 'em." yelled Edwards.
"I see them!" cried Goat.
"Holy sweet mother of Christ! It's the damned 'Angel' right behind them, man!" yelled Jamie.
" 'Angel' calling 'Gammeran Prince'. Gene, can you get a tractor beam on 'em? I don't think we'll be in range soon enough to grab 'em! Over." trilled the Boss Lady.
"Saavie! Get a tractor on them now!" yelled Gene.
"OK, Gene. I've got them but we can't possibly yank them back here in time to save them!" screeched the Vulcan. Gene stared straight ahead until-
"Boss Lady! Open your airlock portals. I'm gonna try and throw the 'Everest' into your bays. Do you read me? Over." said Gene into his relay comlink.
The portals opened. "Roger that, boyo. Good thinking, tomo Gene. Make it so. Over." replied the redhead.
"Take over the comm, Jimbo. Saavik can't handle this one alone." said Gene and Jimbo took the throttle. He nodded to Gene who was already racing to Saavie's side.
"Hold her steady, Saav. I'll try and maneuver them over to the airlocks." he said, pulling on the steeri bar for the tractor beams. And aboard the ill fated 'Everest'--
"Hey! We're moving towards that big old ship, Faye! Faye? Wake up, Faye!" yelled Rally through her comlink. It was exactly 1927 hours and there was only three minues of life support left, their fuel having finally exhausted itself at 1905 hours! Faye had told them to take shallow breaths to stretch their supply of 'Koriaq 7' to the fullest.
"We're in some kind of tractor beam and that's the shimatta 'Angel', kids! We're saved! Yay! Three cheers for the 3WA and Boss Kei!" yelled Faye just as the 'Everest' slammed into the 'Angel's' docking bay. Faye had to hold onto Flaysie until both the outer and inner airlock portals had sealed behind them.
The Boss and lance came trotting over to see if the girls were OK.
"We'll sort out your punishments later. Lance, open those outer and inner airlocks. Yo Gene! Land the 'Prince' in here next to the 'Hammerhead'. The kids and the cowgirl are fine. Kei out." she trilled.
A few minutes later the 'Prince' was docked safely aboard the 'Angel' and they were all headed back to 'Kagura' to pick up their stuff from the hotel before finally heading for 'Shimougou' and home!
A tricorder readout had confirmed that all four miscreants were A-OK. Of course they were all confined to quarters until further notice!
"We've er still got another stop to make Boss. We er gotta give Dash back his ship." said Spike and Kei nodded. Saavie looked puzzled and perplexed.
"Where's Blondie, Kei? We thought she was with you." demanded the Vulcan engineer.
"Dunno Saavie but I sure as Hell hope that she's with Yuri's fleet. We're still outta their comm relay range. A few more weeks and we'll catch up to 'em. Don't worry. I'm sure she's doing just fine- wherever she is." said the redhead, clapping her on the shoulder. Saavie nodded and returned to the engine room. Meanwhile back in 'Furool City'--
Cont in Ch 144-Part 2