Chapter Three

Rocketing through the black abyss, the SpaceCannon catapulted towards Sector 9. Scrawling over the control panel, Captain Best drove his new ship out of overdrive, and swung back the brakes lever.

Lieutenant Awesome, occupying the seat to Best’s right, tensed up – a stress headache impairing him. The Lieutenant couldn’t have thought of a worse place to be, although there was no other way home for him than a ride with his old schoolmate. Awesome frowned.

“You could help!” The Captain shouted, a speck forming in the ship’s line of flight. “We’re almost there! Can you man the main gun?”

Frantically, Best slid the controls of the SpaceCannon’s primary blast laser across the cockpit on their rotating hinges. Awesome hesitated, gazed for a moment at the two hand joysticks of the power-rich weapon, and the little red trigger button on the right’s tip. For a fleeting moment, Awesome felt desire; desire to wield that power, to blow things up. And in that fleeting moment, Awesome reached forward his weapon-familiar hands and clutched the laser controls.

Best didn’t have time to thank him. He had never been on a mission before, and was not ready to stuff up this opportunity.

A hologram flickered into existence on Best’s holophone, revealing a robed GAMMA leader. Best hadn’t time to look at him. “Best. Don’t go blowing up the place! There’s two GAMMA agents down there! The station’s in lockdown and they’re stuck. Get them out before the Colonel’s ship arrives; they know how to re-boot the shield generator.”

With no time for formalities, Captain Best only nodded, and gave his boss a rushed glance.
Gliding down to the station’s center, Best crashed the SpaceCannon into the landing platform, swerved it around on its wheels.

“There’s a clear shot!” the Captain exclaimed. “Awesome, shoot the damn door!”

Pulling back on the weapon controls, Lieutenant Awesome let fire a massive blast laser, incinerating the entrance to the Shield generator’s manning station immediately.

Two female agents dashed out from the ruined doorway, heading straight for Best’s ship. Noticing their movement, Best let the door swing down and the two quickly climbed in.

“Are you the GAMMA agent, Best?” The first asked. She was clad in a white scientist cloak,
and was the taller of the two.

“That’s me.” The Captain replied. “You are the one’s that can re-activate the inner repulsion boosters, yes? And protect the shield generator from the Colonel?”

“Yes, that’s us. Sargent Stupendous and Special Agent Kool. Fly us over to the shield generator. And quickly!”

Captain Best didn’t delay for a moment. Raising the ship from the ground, he slipped it over to the large, dish-shaped construction and let his door swing open again. The two agents jumped out, and ran up to the dish in a hurry.

The Lieutenant reclined in his chair, letting go of his controls.

“Don’t slack off!” Captain Best yelled, passing an angry look at his old friend.

“I’m not even meant to be here!” Awesome snapped. And then with a mirthless smirk, added:
“Besides, Captain Slave, you’re not my commander. I’ll do whatever I want!”

A figure re-entered the ship. Best turned his head towards the noise and saw that it wasn’t either of the two girls.

“Chaos here, Captain.”

“Ah, the foolish Cadet!” Best smiled, finally having someone to be superior over. “What do you want? Haven’t you caused enough damage already?”

“Sorry, Captain. I just wanted a way off this joint, for when the Colonel’s ship arrives.”

“Well you’re not getting one!” Best chuckled. “We’re going to have the generator functioning properly any second. The ship’s too far away, now.”

Cadet Chaos ignored this reply, his stare notably fixed through the front windscreen of the SpaceCannon. “…Look.”

Both Best and Awesome swung around to see a large spaceship closing in on them. It was much larger than the SpaceCannon. More concerning to Best and Awesome, it had much more artillery too, most of which were being aimed at their ship.

“Quick!” Captain Best ordered. “Get those agents back into the ship! There’s no time for them to finish!”

The Cadet jumped out of the Ship’s entrance and sprang over to the two females. Within seconds, all three were inside the Captain’s starship. The door crashed closed and Best took to the air, moving out of the other spaceship’s direct line of fire .

“That’s not the Colonel’s ship!” Chaos added, “It’s the Maltese Marauder’s!”

Awesome suddenly sprang back to his seat, snatching the laser controls. With his teeth bared and a fire in his eyes he snarled, “Best, turn this ship around.”

Best – somewhat startled at the sudden call to action of his ally – pulled back on the controls. Awesome spat, “I’ve got a score to settle with this Marauder…”