Galaxy of Heroes

A long journey through the void ended when Genie eased the scorched and scarred cruiser into a geosynchronous orbit above the planet Gallos.

From this angle, the green and blue planet below was partially aglow in the sunlight.

Genie and Grimes had worked hard to repair the worst of the damage the cruiser had sustained. They had repaired the cruiser’s hull and it was no longer in danger of rupturing, although the engines were still not quite fully functional.

Genie had placed the cruiser in orbit inside a vast flotilla of spaceships that drifted near the planet’s oblong, cratered moon. Every type of human spacecraft was parked here—small vehicles that could only carry a few people, and huge Megalan cargo ships, and even old, ramshackle warships from the Heliac System.

Shuttles intermittently shot out from the parked spaceships. The small vessels streaked downward toward the narrow sliver of atmosphere that glowed a soft red as the sun was eclipsed behind the planet’s silhouette.

Genie looked over at Joe sitting next to her in the Craaldan cockpit. He was strapped into the oversized Craaldan chair, gazing out at the planet beneath them.

“I never thought we humans would find another planet like this,” he said.

Genie unhooked herself and floated upward from the pilot’s chair. She pushed herself over to him and floated above him.

“Too bad it’s right on the Craaldan perimeter,” he said.

Genie’s programming directed her actions. Her nervous system was being flooded with a chemical desire. She pulled herself down and wrapped her legs around him.

She kissed him on the neck.

Joe’s hands held her waist. His eyes explored the perfect symmetry of her form. She really was of exceptional design.

He pushed her away in the zero gravity and unstrapped himself from his chair.

“I’m going to head down to the surface to get parts and supplies,” he said.

“I’ll come with you,” she said.

“No,” he said. “You stay here. Someone needs to keep an eye on the cruiser. There’s still a lot of repair work to do. And you work faster without me around, anyway.”

She watched him float up from his chair.

Grimes pushed himself across the cockpit and then disappeared down the transport shaft.

Genie connected to the cruiser’s central computer and monitored his movements as he pulled himself down the shaft.

She watched him enter the cruiser’s hygiene station.

Joe stripped out of the slapdash Craaldan clothing that he was wearing. He didn’t bother to fold and store the clothing, but let the rumpled garments float disregarded through the room.

He pulled himself into one of the hygiene booths and began showering.

He sang as he showered.

She attempted to analyze his words, but with the water and steam and Joe’s odd singing voice, the words were difficult to discern.

I’m going to party all night long? I want to party, party, party?

Her voice recognition systems could only approximate.

Joe finished showering. He pulled himself out of the booth and proceeded to shave the stubble from his face in front of a mirror.

He rummaged through a uniform closet and then proceeded to dress himself in Craaldan officer attire. He modified the large Craaldan uniform with a handheld multi-tool and formed it to fit his human stature.

He examined himself in the mirror for a moment, and then proceeded to spend a considerable length of time adjusting his hair, until his short blonde mop was spiked just right.

He looked in the mirror into his own pale blue eyes and smiled and winked.

Finally, he leaned over and pressed an intercom button.

“Genie, are you there?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“I’ll be down on the surface getting the supplies we need to repair the engines. I might be awhile.”

“We need a fusion coil,” she said, “three million kilograms of liquid hydrogen and at least sixty blocks of compressed carbon. We could also use as many silicon wafers, laser drives, armonium ingots, plutonium—”

“Yeah. Got it. I better get going. You hold down the cruiser, OK?”

“Roger.”

“Will you be all right up here alone?” he asked.

“I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll give you a call on the com when I’m on my way back.”

“Yes, Joe.”

“Don’t wait up for me, OK?”

“OK.”

She watched through the ship’s computer as he entered the docking bay. He pulled himself across the bay and climbed into the cruiser’s only shuttle. It was a sleek, angry looking vessel, but only lightly armed. The shuttle was made for transporting personnel from ship to ship within a fleet, and for the occasional non-combat planetary drop.

The air emptied from the sealed docking bay. The large outer door slowly opened to the blackness of space.

Below, the green and blue colors of Gallos glowed in a crescent reflection of solar light.

The shuttle disengaged from the cruiser’s deck and then jetted out into space. Grimes circled the small craft around and passed in front of the cockpit.

Genie could see him sitting at the controls of the shuttle. He gave her a thumbs up and waved goodbye before rocketing downward toward the Gallos atmosphere.

Genie watched as the shuttle disappeared into the distance. She pulled herself across the cockpit and downward through the central transport shaft. The outer door was still open when she entered the bay, which had not refilled with air.

She opened a uniform closet and slipped into a Craaldan flight suit that she had previously altered to fit her form.

The suit would help conceal her from the rapacious eyes of human males. She put on a cap and pulled the brim low over her eyes.

She located a pair of propulsion boots and a meta-rifle. Several zodiac vectors were lined up along the far wall of the docking bay. Genie packed her gear into one of the small vectors and pulled herself into the one-person vehicle. She buckled herself in.

Genie disengaged the zodiac vector from the docking bay and rocketed out into space, away from the cruiser’s charred hull and down toward the Gallos atmosphere.