Blake rushed out of his new room, taking time to get his personal laser. As he approached the lounge he was surprised to see not only Luke and Anthony, who he was just getting used to, but also two tall strangers. He stepped forward.
"What's is the meaning of this?" his embittered voice rang throughout the room.
"I- I..." Henri's voice stammered as he looked down the barrel of Blake's laser.
Luke Wyllam stepped forward, gave a reassuring smile, and began his pitch, "Listen, pal. We've only just got back from a very dangerous mission. We're tired and hungry and have no way back to earth. So we rely on your good graces to allow us safe passage home."
"What were you trying to do?" Blake persisted. He wasn't going anywhere with them until he received some sort of answer. He had been in the back room trying to get some much-needed rest when...
"What do you mean?" Luke negotiated.
"That blast nearly took out the wall!" Although there was no blast, just Henri's fall, he was in no condition to think rationally, "What were you trying to do -- wake me? Well, you certainly succeeded, if that was your goal!"
"Uh, uh, uh..." Henri stuttered for he had been the culprit of what he would later refer to as a "fiasco."
"I take it your buddy is responsible." Blake said to Wyllam.
Anthony intervened on the newcomers behalf, "Blake, look, they're on our side. They tell the truth. Both Lukes are related. We're from the past."
"I know. I know all about that." Blake stated, then put his laser back in his side holster.
Suddenly a blast from the outside could be heard.
"What was that?" Luke Owens asked as the alarms began sounding through out the ship. It was a good thing Blake was already awake for the noise would have awakened him.
They all ran to the cockpit. On the ship monitor a dark winged, silver crested, orange-topped ship appeared around the Zeros Cluster. The design was all to familiar to Blake.
"Meraccians!" he exclaimed.
"What?" asked Luke Owens. He immediately had visions of little green men attacking them.
That is almost what happened. An exchange of fire ensued.
"What do we do?" Anthony persisted.
Blake raised a hand for silence. "Do you have a Laser-Scope system?"
"A what?" Anthony's voice was incredulous.
"Here, let me attach this amplifier box to the weapons system."
Eventually the ship was destroyed. Blake argued it was only in self-defense.
"Now is the time for some answers." Wyllam decided suddenly when they had gone back to the lounge.
Blake raised his hand again, "All right, as the newcomers should know, earth was attacked four years ago by a race of cyborged aliens known as the Meraccians or Meracs for short. With the help of an unknown benefactor, they had completely annihilated Deranby, in the Choster Sector. They also took out Meremph, Lyson, and the Lyson moons."
"What happened to Lyson?" Anthony asked. Being from the past he didn't know all the facts.
"They completely destroyed it."
"Yeah, I remember. My cousin nearly got killed." This was from Henri who had started to join the conversation.
"Well, when they took Deranby, the Admiralty of the First Fleet ordered me to investigate. Well I got captured, rather easily, I admit. So I was taken to their hidden base on Deranby. I realized that no help was forthcoming. Then I met their benefactor, Cormos."
"I don't remember any Cormos behind the invasion!" Wyllam yelled from the drink bar.
"That's because they were very secretive about it. Anyhow, Deranby is mostly a desert, so Cormos tried to leave me to die. But I broke out of my prison and followed him out into the desert. After a elaborate battle I killed him, or thought I did."
Luke Wyllam finished the story, "The Admiralty disavowed any knowledge about Blake's mission and had sold secret plans for a doomsday weapon to Cormos in exchange for getting rid of Blake."
Blake continued, "See, I had met Cormos before at different times and I had always somehow managed to defeat him. But this time was different. Even in his 'death' I lost. The Conaway took that opportunity to show up and reported my actions to Admiral Hanson, the Senior Admiral. He and mostly everyone else were in on the deal. Only two Admirals, Gregor and myself, were innocent. Gregor, by the way, took charge of the board and they now have decent guys up there."
This sparked Henri's memory, "That's right! And when they handed Blake over to the Guardsmen he was found guilty of murder so they sentenced him to the prison planet."
Suddenly a blast from outside caught their attention.
"What was that?" Henri nervously inquired.
To which Luke Owens replied, "Another ship like that first one!"
"Meraccians!" the other Luke cried out, recognizing the design.
A message came in and was displayed on the screen. A silver-suited, hawk-nosed, soldier stared back.
Blake cried out, "A Guardsman!!"
"We are the Meraccians. We claim this system. You are trespassing! Only one way may you escape -- the surrender of Blake Randor."
"Noooooo..."
Copyright (c) 2000 by Jakim Friant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be produced in full or in part without written permission.