Chapter 13

“We held our fire but the moment their lasers opened up, we retaliated with 50 caliber gun fire. Single shots, the engines of the F-733 fighter were calibrated to overcome the recoil but could only do it at a slow rate of fire. But it only takes one round to get the job done in space.” He actually grinned over the edge of his wineglass as he took a sip.

“What kind of enemy ships were you fighting?” asked the young Marine captain.

Alan shrugged and shook his head. “The kind that were shooting at me. I don’t know what was in the first wave, I never saw one whole. The second wave we saw, however. They were all Eastern Bloc fighters. I killed a Flounder, then they opened up with the station artillery, 5 petawatt lasers.” The table gasped. Lasers that powerful were called “Planet Busters” for a reason. But Alan continued. “I was rammed by a Frogtail that exploded and shoved me under the station. When I ejected I actually ejected into the station, which is how I survived and was captured.”

Now when he sipped his wine, his hand was shaking. “They held me and tortured me for two weeks. They killed my men in front of me ... they...” he couldn’t bring himself to say any more except one thing. “The only thing that saved me was my wife. Focusing on her, planning to return to her kept me alive. Then she did the rest ... Colonel Vermillion and her Marine Corps squadron of B-171 bombers swooped in. My captors saw her coming and focused on her which allowed me to escape in a rescue pod. Pandora finished the job by blowing the living shit out of that station.” He brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it to the applause of the marines, which annoyed Pandora.

“So you had a joyful reunion?” asked the young captain.

“No,” said Pandora. “It was very difficult, we both had to work very hard to overcome the changes caused by three years of separation and his captivity.” She smiled sweetly at the captain. “Eventually we found that the testicle they left him with works fine.”

She could tell that her words ‘the testicle they left him with’ shocked the captain, who looked like he was going to cry. “War is a dirty business,” said Alan. “If you’re not in to win, you’re just a parasite on the government dole.”

The General cleared his throat. “We should concentrate on the fact that Captain Scarlett did the impossible, he moved a moon! He didn’t just move it, he stole it, chopped it up and landed it on Mars. With that moon he is providing water to the people of Mars, the colonies survive. What’s next Captain? Are you going to bring water to Luna?”

“That’s next on the list,” said Alan softly. “When my executive assistant gets out of the hospital I have more things to try.”

“And we thought you were here to stop the Scrapper,” said a Marine Major Hawkins.

“Oh? Has the scrapper been around picking out of your garbage cans?” asked Eris sweetly. Pandora gripped Alan’s hand tightly. A marine had access to highly classified information and spewed it out over dinner.

“No, the arrogant fellow shot apart a container ship earlier today. The Eustice Fitzsimmons.”

“Oh? I must have missed it when your Hangar Landing NCO tried to kill me.” Alan glared at the major with his one good eye, silently daring him to open his mouth.

“That is all under investigation,” said General Quest. “It’s best left to the JAG corps.”