Space-Girl Michelle began speaking over the telescreen as Buck arrived. “I see you have all assembled, you are designated Purple flight. The Gopher King has attacked Haremar, the Rabbit homeworld, with a force of have never witnessed before. You are to reinforce the 10th Space Marine Expeditionary unit here near the city of Swyt, they are pinned down and need support. The entire division is deployed west of there, and we have no naval support to spare.
Go in and kick some gopher, but be careful, we are stretched thin.” said Space-Girl Michelle. The group did the Space-Girl salute and ran to the hangar, already in their space armor.
David was by the ship and said, “I maxed out your cells, you’ll need every drop juice I can fit.”
“Thanks, Diggie.” Therese said, taking the helm. Ed sat next to her, Vivo, Ben and Buck took up the back. Ed activated the cloaking shield before they went past the holographic ceiling, and Therese was proud her teacher had paid attention to the Space-Girl Michelle videos.
“After we leave atmosphere, I’ll activate the infinite speed drive. When we hit the other atmosphere, I’ll open the side hatches, and Ben and Buck I want you to use the door cannons. Vivo, I want you using the tail cannon to suppress any ground-to-air fire that follows us. We are already weapons hot.” said Therese, pushing the atmospheric velocity to its limit.
The planet shook below the cloaked ship as Therese throttled, straight onto space and then infinite speed as the T-Space projectors fired. The ship shook as Therese decelerated from infinite speed, she was flying like it was stolen. As she decelerated to regular space, Therese banked evasively left and around, dodging a hail of fire. The sky was lit in energy beams and echoed in thunder as those beams sliced the atmosphere. Debris and blood flew in explosions as the beams struck their marks and destabilized the bodies of matter.
“Vivo hit those gopher fighters, I’m going to bank right.” said Therese, as she flew around. Two Gopher ships followed behind, and Vivo chopped them to pieces with the tail cannon. Vivo used the cannon with the rail accelerator which accelerated the already fast armor piercing projectiles to extreme velocities, and those projectiles shredded their targets.
“I’m not picking up any others, but it is a mess up here, shields holding, we should be clear for a quick drop, I added the 10th as a waypoint in the nav display.” said Ed.
“We look clear back here.” reported Vivo as he checked the displays and visually scanned his fields of fire.
Therese took her ship into a steep drive into Haremar. From above the grasslands looked peaceful and familiar, but Therese knew below they were covered in pain and blood. Therese continued evasive maneuvers to avoid ground fire, and Ed attempted to suppress enemy electronics.
“Purple team, this is the 10th Actual.” A voice crackled over the radio.
“This is Purple One, I read you loud and clear.” said Therese.
“Don’t let the green grass fool you, it’s a mess down here. Our lines are hurting, but we’d as soon as cut off our own tattoos as let them break ranks, do you think you could rake our east side, they are concentrating there.” Spoke the besieged leader of the 10th Space Marine Expeditionary unit. Therese knew he spoke the truth, Space Marines would burn their colors and their own celebrated skin ink before they let either fall into enemy hands, which was one of many reasons they were the most dedicated warriors in the galaxy.
“Brace for doors open.” said Therese.
“I’m ready.” replied Buck.
“I’m in.” said Ben.
Ed punched the control releases and the side doors of Therese’s ship flew back, and both Ben and Buck’s seats slid out, and the side cannons of the ship became their weapons stations. Buck instantly roared to life, blasting energy beams into Gophers and watching them pop. This was Ben’s first time firing anything this powerful, but he was no less dedicated.
Vivo cleaned up anything left behind from Ed firing the forward cannons. A path of debris, blood and scattered cyborg gopher parts lay behind the arc of the ship. Therese didn’t like killing, but the Gophers were soulless and killed small children for sport, and she liked small children.
“Thanks, Purple Team, that gave us some breathing room.” transmitted the leader of the 10th. The 10th rallied and drove back the gophers from their lines with the brief but powerful support of Therese’s ship.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
“Purple Team, this is Space-Girl Michelle, I need you to waypoint 701, the Gophers are concentrating there and our lines are fading.” transmitted Michelle.
“Go get’em Space-Girl, I think we’ll be fine for now. 10th Actual out.” transmitted the Space Marine. The Marines would miss the awesome firepower of the space-girl ship, but they knew their brothers elsewhere needed it more.
Therese fired the ship around, energy bolts fired both at and away from Purple Team, everyone was firing as fast as they could at their enemies. A lucky heavy bolt from a Gopher Super Tank hit Therese’s ship on the nose, sending it spiraling out of control. Sparks showered the inside of the ship, and the controls barely responded. Therese was glad for her armor as flames shot out of the control panel.
“Brace for impact, we’re going down.” Therese told her crew as she steered the ship the best she could, not even having time to be afraid. Luckily, Haremar was famous for its grass and soft earth, and Therese was able to safely but abruptly land the ship. It plowed into the dirt violently but skidded to a gentle halt.
“We need to go, they’ll be closing on us.” said Therese, making sure her crew was safely clear and then jumping from the ship herself.
A Gopher Super Soldier, twenty feet tall jumped out of the earth and grabbed Therese as easily as she might have caught a ball. It squeezed her in its hand and crushed her. Despite the armor, Therese screamed in pain as she felt her bones crack. Several more Super Soldier Gophers rose from the ground and came towards the wreck. Their handheld weapons failed to penetrate the armored plates on the Super Soldier Gophers and others were arriving to surround Therese’s friends as they fired into the less armored Gopher soldiers.
“Run, that is an order.” said Therese as loud as she could. She fought against the Gopher Super Soldier but it was too strong. Therese cried in pain as she was unable to escape.
Therese’s team pulled their weapons out and started firing into gophers, but as fast as they could destroy them, new gophers replaced them. They could not get a shot into the gopher holding Therese. They were losing and they were losing fast.
“Run, Damn-it, that’s an order.” Therese transmitted as the air was squeezed out of her.
“Guy’s, she’s right, They’ll come back for you Therese and rescue you.” transmitted Buck. The team was pushed back, and continued to lose ground. Bolt of energy exploded into both sides. A near hit burned Mr. Shank with a surge of energy, tossing him in the air.
“Run, you have no other choice, don’t make me die for nothing.” said Buck as he continued to fire. Ben and Ed nodded to Buck, knowing if they did stay, they were all dead, only Space-Girls were considered worthy to the Gopher King to be taken as slave prisoners. Ed and Ben ran, firing, but running back to the 10th. Buck fired, taking apart Gopher after Gopher until his weapon ran empty, and he was struggling to make his way to another when the last energy beams killed him. Buck died only worrying about Therese.
Back on Earth, Erin’s ring buzzed in cycles of three indicating a distress call. Erin’s heart sunk as she felt the pulses, and she turned to Kara and said “Close down the shop as fast as you can.” and then walked into her office and shut the door.
“I’m here.” said Erin, answering the call.
“Erin, this is Michelle. Buck’s dead and the Gopher King has Therese, I’m launching a mission now, but it is unsure if Haremar will fall or not. This is ten times as bad as the Vax and Gopher invasion almost eighteen years ago, and you know how costly that was.” said Michelle over the ring. Erin fell into her chair, things were worse than she could have ever imagined.
“Wait for me, I’m coming. Erin out.” said Erin ending the conversation. The lights flickered for an entire city block.
Erin initiated another ring call, “Erin to David.” she transmitted. There was rare fear in her voice. Her speech cracked over the transmission, as she feared for Therese and grieved for Buck.
“This is Digs.” replied their facility crew chief.
“Please ready my ship, and place my old MK-48, my RIOT, the two-seater, in the back. Then I think there is another ship a green one, get that on standby, please.” Erin transmitted.
“Rodger over, give me twenty, Digs out.” David ended the transmission.
Erin took a deep breath, and put her face into her forearms on her desk and sobbed, she knew she needed to fight, but she needed to grieve first, and David told her she had twenty minutes to spare. Kara entered the office, holding Ana, and Peter followed, having closed the Kookie Mart when Kara warned him something was wrong. Kara passed Ana to Peter and hugged Erin.
“Buck’s dead, and Therese was captured, I’m going after her.” Erin said between sobs. Both Peter and Kara began crying too, Peter held Ana and took a seat. The thought of Therese being captured tore his heart out of his chest.
“Peter, you need to stay here and watch your daughter, I’ve got this, but you have to stay here, history can’t repeat itself. Kara, I want you to go get Therese’s parents and fly them to Haremar, they can get you a safe route in, but stay away from the front until I end this.” said Erin.
“Ok, but how do I explain this to her parents?” asked Kara, still crying at the loss of Buck and her best friend being captured.
“They’ll understand, they’re androids, created on Haremar, by the rabbit people. Therese’s entire family died, saving the planet and the galaxy, her real parents were a Space-Girl and Space-Boy.” Erin explained as fast as she could.
“You know, that’s like the first thing that has made sense all year, no one has parents that perfect.” said Kara.
“Right?” Erin agreed, looking up with the tears flowing, and her own breathing choking from her grief.
“Can you can save her?” asked Peter, he was scared and couldn’t imagine life without Therese. Peter went pale and cried rare tears.
“If need be, I will kill every last one of them.” said Erin, standing up and activating her space armor for the first time in years. Black plates, and mesh surrounded her.
“You’re the Shadow Bird!” said Kara, looking at Erin in her armor. For the first time Kara was in disbelief. The Shadow Bird, at least according to the TV show, was the Space-Girls deadliest warrior ever.
“Peter, I expect you to be busy praying. Kara go get Therese’s parents, I’ll see you all soon.” said Erin, entering the elevator and descending to the tunnel level.