The Story

[ This story is based on the "A Battlecruiser Named Desire" series. ]
[ Check it out at: http://www.oocities.org/dosferatu_pjl/ABCND.html ]

"We've landed on Jupiter's surface, Commander."

Commander Hille Buffman deactivated the blast shield and looked out upon the barren Jupiter surface.

"Any sign of the Gramulon hoardes on TACOPS?" he asked.
"Not as yet, sir" said Tarri Dak.

Commander Buffman rose up from his command chair and walked over to the weapons locker.

"They're here. And they know we're here. Arm yourself." Buffmann tossed Dak a plasma rifle.

In the same strange instant, TACOPS lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Good God!" exclaimed Dak. "We've got multiple targets closing rapidly!"
Dak turned to face the Commander: "What are we going to do?!".

As the shuttle started to shake, Buffman rubbed his chin. The Gramulons had made an overpowering advance on Jupiter. They had wiped out the Desire, the Ironmaiden, and even his precious Masher. He and Dak had been lucky to escape alive. Forced to ditch their shuttle on Jupiter's surface, they were alone.

"We've got no choice," said Buffman. "It's fight or die."

As the valiant two stepped on to the rocky flats, the Gramulon hoardes approached.

"What the hell!" exclaimed Dak.

Out of the darkness, the horror of horrors emerged.

Dak turned to face the commander. "Those aren't Gramulons! What's going on?"

Commander Buffman knew exactly what they were. Before he had engaged the Gramulon fleet above Jupiter, he had received a top secret communiqé from GALCOM headquaters. The Gramulons had a new technology:

"They are Gramulon AI drones."

Buffman knew how deadly the Gramulon AI drones were. The intelligence reports stated that the Gramulons had developed an electronic equivalent of super-human intelligence. In an instant, the odds of survival went through the floor.

"Get ready," said Buffman.

The drones were upon them. Their AI routines made them extraordinarily cunning. As they circled their target, they remained cloaked until the very last second before they attacked.

Under the fury of their plasma rifles, Commander Buffman shouted to Dak, "We've got to try and make it to the Jupiter relay station. It's about 2 Kilometres from here."

Dak remained silent.

"Dak?"

Buffman blasted another drone and looked round to see what the hell was wrong with Tarri Dak.

Dak had been taken down by one of the drones. His limbs had been torn from his body and his blood spilled over the ground.

"Damn!" shouted Buffman.

The commander gritted his teeth and continued blasting. He had to make it to Jupiter station. He had to inform GALCOM that the Gramulons were heading for Earth.