Chapter Four

Lieutenant Awesome shot out a hand, stopping Captain Best from orienting the ship away from their enemy. Awesome was not going to let the Marauder get away.

“Best, we will not run! Not from the Maltese Marauder!”

Best obeyed. He had not yet seen Awesome so enthusiastic about the mission and was not about to disrupt this new found interest.

The Marauder’s ship approached theirs – its malice and ominous nature almost pushing the SpaceCannon back.

Awesome aimed the gun and pulled the trigger. The three passengers clutched their arms around various instruments in the ship, looking fearfully through the front view screen. Flying towards them, the Marauder’s ship swerved and accelerated, and was within fifty meters of the Shield Generator.

“We need to fix the Inner Repulsion Boosters!” Special Agent Kool stated hastily.

“Is the Shield Generator still up and running?” questioned Best.

“Yes,” Sargent Stupendous cut in. “Only the Generator’s protection. If we don’t fix it in time and he destroys it—”

Awesome fired another shot. It just missed the central deck of the Marauder’s ship.

“He won’t be destroying anything.” Lt. Awesome corrected. “I’m going to destroy him first!”

Maltese Marauder let a low impact laser fire into the SpaceCannon’s left wing. The cockpit shook.

Awesome fired. “Get me closer, Best!”

The SpaceCannon sped over the Sector 9 Command Center, twisting now within metres of the Marauder’s ship. Swerving beneath them, the enemy curved up at the Shield Generator and let a blast laser strike it. A cloud of orange fire expanded from the target.

“The Generator’s still functioning!” Kool said, quickly calculating the damage done.

A laser left the SpaceCannon and collided with the Marauder’s rear end.

Subsequent ship handling let the enemy crash onto the landing platform of the Generator. Best slid the SpaceCannon across next to it, bashing into its side and moving it less than a metre. The Marauder’s automatic ejection had ignited, and his cockpit sprung from the wrecked ship. Its parachute activated, it drifted to the ground next to the Shield Generator.

A pang of pure hatred within Awesome caused him to slam his fist down on the exit button. He wrenched one of the ship’s long control rods from beside the door, frantic to get at his foe. It was longer than he was, but stronger than a metal girder. Stunned, the other four in the ship simply watched through the ship’s open door.

The Maltese Marauder made for his ship, as its blast laser was still functional. Crawling across the landing platform after struggling out of the ejected cockpit, the Marauder was intercepted by Lieutenant Awesome’s control rod. The Marauder instinctively yanked a long, curved blade from a sheath by his side and blocked the path of the rod.

Inside the ship, the Captain, with the aid of the other three, scrambled through the ship’s compartments for the weapons case. He found that there was only a single weapon in it: a small sword. Seizing it, Best leapt through the doorway – the landing of his feet on the platform sending dust into the air. He ran to Awesome’s aid.

Awesome ducked as the Marauder’s sword swung overhead. He lashed out with the rod, tripping the Marauder. Attempting to crush his opponent, Awesome used all of his force to bring the rod crashing down. The Marauder predicted this, and rolled out of the rod’s course, slashing at Awesome’s thigh as he moved.

Awesome landed heavily on the ground, pain searing through his leg. He looked up only to see a curved blade swinging down on him, its reflective surface glimmering. The Lieutenant took one last glance at his enemy, his final thought: “…Hate him more than ever.” He gasped as the light flashed before him.

Captain Best’s sword parried the Marauder’s – saving his friend, but leaving him open to attack. The Marauder quickly thrust his weapon, sinking it deep into Best’s shoulder. With the Marauder distracted, Awesome took the opportunity, kicking out with his uninjured leg. It struck the Marauder square in the chest, sending him over backwards and knocking the blade from his grasp. The sword slid from the platform as Awesome got to his feet. Struggling to remain standing, he could only watch with frustration as the Marauder fled.

A rocket screamed into the earth near Best and Awesome, preventing any sort of pursuit. A ship – three times bigger than the Marauder’s and ten times more evil – hovered above the platform. Another blast saw the Generator explode. The force knocked Awesome back to the ground – the rocket’s glare blinding him.

As this glare subsided, Cadet Chaos looked out through the SpaceCannon’s view screen. The large ship and the Marauder were nowhere to be seen.“That…,” he said, feeling the quiet return to the station. “… That was Colonel Catastrophe…”