Galaxy of Heroes

The propulsion boots were soon depleted and sputtered out. Gravity pulled Genie downward.

She cleared the mountain ridge, dropping like a stone toward the spaceport tarmac. She landed hard on her feet on the tarmac surface.

She strode over to the black Craaldan shuttle and tossed Grimes inside. She shoved Spade into the craft before entering and taking the pilot’s chair.

The shuttle lifted off from the tarmac and rocketed upwards into the clouds.

“Well, well,” Spade said, sliding into a seat next to Genie. “If it isn’t Cyborg Genie and her trusty sidekick, Sergeant Joe Grimes.”

“Give me the coordinates to your ship,” Genie said to Spade.

“My ship is broken down out on the Turquois Nebula,” Spade said. “It’s a ways out from here.”

Grimes sat down next to Spade. “We’re here for the money you owe me from the fusion coil load,” he said to him.

“What fusion coil load?” Spade asked.

“You know what I’m talking about, Spade,” Grimes said. “We’ve come to collect.”

“No can do, Grimes,” Spade said. “Not now, anyway. I need every g-note I’ve got to get my ship repaired.”

Genie yanked hard on the control stick, sending the shuttle into a tight turn and throwing Spade and Grimes from their seats.

Two Tetraillani-made flash missiles shot past the shuttle’s nose.

Genie pushed hard on the stick and the shuttle rocketed downward toward the ocean surface.

She pulled up, skimming the waves before rocketing upwards once again.

The flash missiles followed the shuttle down but couldn’t pull up in time. The missiles impacted on the water, exploding and shooting geysers high up from the ocean surface.

“Easy on the g-forces, Genie,” Spade said. “You’re going to give me an embolism.”

“A Paltros schooner is pursuing us,” she said. “They are shooting to kill.”

“Get us back to the cruiser, Genie,” Grimes said.

“Roger,” she said.

The shuttle rocketed upward out of the planet’s atmosphere.

Genie piloted the shuttle through the thousands of spacecraft that were parked in geosynchronous orbit over Gallos. She steered the shuttle to their scorched Craaldan cruiser, and then into its docking bay.

The shuttle skidded to a stop. Genie immediately pulled herself out of her seat and out the main hatch into the docking bay. She pushed across the bay and then climbed upwards through the central transport shaft.

Genie entered the cruiser’s cockpit and strapped herself into the pilot’s chair. She immediately gunned the cruiser’s big engines.

Grimes and Spade had to wait for the docking bay to pressurize before they emerged from the transport shaft into the cockpit. They strapped themselves into cockpit chairs next to Genie.

Grimes examined the console in front of him. “We’ll be in range of their flash missiles in ten seconds,” he said.

Genie fired both engines at full power.

The cruiser rocketed forward and began pulling away from the pursuing Paltran schooner.

The schooner fired off a volley of missiles. Red warning lights flashed on the cruiser’s control panel.

A heavy boom rocked the ship.

“We just lost the starboard engine!” Grimes said. “We might lose the port engine!”

A second boom rocked the cruiser.

“We lost the port engine!” Grimes said.

The Paltros schooner was still in pursuit.

Genie, Grimes and Spade watched the scanner intently.

“Our speed is good,” Spade said. “Those schooners aren’t built to keep pace with a Craaldan cruiser.”

“We have sufficient velocity to outrun them,” Genie said.

The schooner eventually broke off and turned back for Portogallos.

“Looks like Galazar’s goons are going home empty handed,” Spade said. He swiveled in his chair and looked at the cyborg in the pilot’s seat. “It’s good to see you, Genie,” he said. “We pulled off another great escape, just like old times.”

“Just like old times,” Grimes snapped. “Ain’t that the truth. We’ve just lost both our engines.”

“What’s our heading, Genie?” Spade asked.

Genie accessed the cruiser’s computer. She looked over at Grimes and Spade.

“We may be able to drift to Escalon Station,” she said. “It is the last human outpost bordering the unexplored sectors. We can procure supplies there, although data on Escalon Station is limited. The transmissions from Gallos Ground Control regarding the station have not been updated in two galaxial epochs.”

“Great,” Grimes said. “We’re going to drift through space forever, driving each other crazy until we get sucked into a neutron star, just like old times.”

“The last I heard, Escalon Station was abandoned when the Largos Star became unstable,” Spade said. “Everyone abandoned station when Largos threatened to supernova.”

“Turn us back, Genie,” Grimes said.

“We do not have power to turn back now,” Genie said.

“We’re taking a gamble on Escalon Station still being there,” Spade said. “If it’s not, we’re going to drift out of the galaxy into eternity.”

“It is not a gamble,” Genie said. “We have no choice but to drift to Largos, whether the station is there or not.”

“It could still be there,” Spade said.

“A thousand g-notes says it’s not,” Grimes said.

Spade looked over at Grimes squinting with his one eye.

“You’re on,” Spade said.

Grimes shook his head. “You haven’t changed any,” he said.

“Neither have you,” Spade said.

“What were you thinking trying to cheat that Paltran at the poker table, anyway?” Grimes asked. “You knew he was a high roller. He was surrounded by bodyguards.”

“Cheat him?” Spade said. “Galazar was cheating me. One of his flunkies was scanning my cards and transmitting my hand to an implant in Galazar’s forebrain. I was monitoring the transmissions with this kinetic sensor in my eye socket.”

Spade pulled up his eye patch, revealing a black metallic sensor where his eyeball used to be.

“Galazar smeared nanogel on his cards, same as me,” Spade said, “but I didn’t let on until there was enough cash on the table. So, I waited for him to play his hand before converting my hand to a royal flush. I was gambling on Galazar being a good sport. Turns out he’s a sore loser.”

Spade looked over at Genie. “You and Genie showing up wasn’t something I reckoned on either.”

“Lucky for you,” Grimes said.

“Genie, darling,” Spade said. “You are looking better than ever. Did you miss me?”

“No,” Genie said.

“Come on, sweetheart,” Spade said. “After all the times we had together? You must still have feelings for me. Admit it.”