ARE YOU WEARING A SPACESUIT?

 

Are you wearing a spacesuit?

Good that makes two of us

Because I'm an astronaut and

My mission is to explore Uranus

KEEPING ABREAST

If a fraction of the effort that went into

Research of women’s breasts and their bras

Had instead gone into exploration

Of space, the galaxy and the stars

We would today be operating

Burger joints on the moon and mars 

MUSIC IN SPACE

 

Round the world they go

In nineteen sixty-five

Orbiting the earth

So high up in the sky

 

Dashing round the world

Above the earth they race

Jingle Bells the song, was

The first one played in space

 

O Jingle bells, jingle bells

Jingle all the way.

Oh! What fun it is to ride

In a spaceship far away hey

 

Sung to the tune of Jingle Bells

The Tornado Sojourns (3) – Chapter 05 – Unwelcome Attention

On Thursday night there were two additions to the staff behind the bar assisting Wisma, one was the redheaded Captain of the Tornado, Merionwen Strong, who was a forthright, volatile and feisty personality who liked a scrap, and the second was the Shape Shifting navigator Malena Endia, who had abandoned her favoured form, tall, slim, brunette hair, olive skin and hazel eyes, to take the appearance of Zydia.

Also, in the bar that night seated in the bar were the Skeet Brothers playing cards and in one corner were the two Gouveian’s, the mountainous Parse Sacrod and the Diminutive Asti Alegionaris, while out the back, out of sight of the customers were the Vann Telepath, Shiyne and Bagg who were seated in the kitchen.

 

Just before closing time, two men walked in to the Visitor’s Rest and made their way to the bar, they were both in their early thirties, well-groomed and reasonably well dressed.

“You’re cutting it a bit fine” Merionwen said, “what can I get you?”

“I’ll serve these gentlemen” Wisma interrupted and gave a discrete nod to Merri

“Ok” she said “I’ll go and collect the glasses”

Malena/Zydia was stood in the doorway and retreated unnoticed to the kitchen.

Merri knew that once in the kitchen Malena would alert the others so she opened the hatch and started picking up empties from the tables and as she passed the Skeets she said

“Two men at the bar”

“I’m going to call it a night” Lyris said and drained his glass

“Me too” concurred Zerrad and they put their jackets on and walked towards the door

“Good night” Lyris called

“Thank you, good night” Wisma replied

Once outside they crossed the street and hid in the shadows where they had a good view of the Bar.

A few minutes later Asti and Parse also made their exit but unlike the skeets they secreted themselves in the toilets.

The last few customers said their goodnights and the taller of the two men took out a communicator.

“All clear” he said and put it away.

 

From their position in the shadows the Skeets saw two men get out of a parked vehicle just outside the bar and quickly go in and the Skeets left their hiding place and quickly crossed the road to follow them.

 

With her ear pressed against the door Asti heard the main door open and close.

“What’s happening?” Parse whispered

“Another two have arrived” she replied

 

Shiyne and Bagg were still in the back room listening intently to what was happening.

“I hope you’ve come to your senses?” the tall man said as the door opened and two big rough looking thugs entered the bar carrying heavy clubs.

“Otherwise I’ll set them loose again”

 

Asti slowly opened the door and when she saw it was all clear she and Parse left the toilet.

Once in the vestibule Asti quietly slid back the bolts on the door and let in the Skeets.

Once the four of them were ready Parse spoke into his communicator

“In position”

 

“I told you last time, I don’t need protection” Wisma said calmly

“I’m very disappointed in you Mrs Berita, very disappointed indeed” the taller man said

This was Bagg’s queue and he stepped through the door to the bar and said

“She has made it perfectly clear that she doesn’t need your protection”

“Keep out of this old man” said the shorter man. “It’s not God’s protection that she needs”

“She already has all the protection she needs” Bagg continued

“Right you two” the tall one said to the two thugs “smash the place up and then smash up the God botherer”

 

Shiyne closed her eyes and sent her telepathic message “go now” and all hell broke loose as the four crewmates charged through the door and took the two roughs completely by surprise flattening one before he knew what was happening and Asti quickly got him restrained.

The second one back peddled and managed to swing his bat in Lyris Skeet’s direction but got no real force into it and he easily avoided it, ducking under the swing and hitting his assailant hard in the midriff, knocking him to the floor but even on the floor it took him and Zerrad to subdue him.

 

Meanwhile the shorter man at the bar decided he wanted a piece of Bagg and scrambled up over the bar.

Bagg adjusted his feet and was about to knock him back the way he came with his staff when Wisma hit him first with a Brandy Bottle and he slid backwards onto the floor where Parse found him and tied him up.

The taller man decided that discretion was the better part of valour and seeing his way to the front door barred decided to make a run for the back and he reached the end of the bar just as Malena and Shiyne emerged from the back room.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Malena said

“I’ve got this” Merri shouted and confronted the taller man who threw a punch which she deftly avoided and struck him across the side of his knee with her boot and he let out a scream of agony and collapsed to the floor.

“Nice work Captain” Asti said

Bagg gave the bar a cursory glance and noted they had dealt with all four men with minimal damage and no injuries to the good guys, so he said

“Ok Shiyne”

She nodded her bald cerise head and closed her eyes as she spoke to Terrel Vorton who was nearby in the Stroller, he was a Sciberran Healer and was held in reserve in case anything went wrong.

 

Terrel pulled up outside the bar and the crew loaded the four criminals aboard where Shiyne set about wiping their memories of that week’s events, then they drove them to a quiet alleyway, untied their restraints and dumped the bodies.

The next step was to flag down a Prefect on patrol in Gipki and as soon as they had his attention, Shiyne, the Vann telepath, invaded the his mind and when she had control of him she had him climb aboard, then they spent another twenty minutes seeking out another one and she repeated the process.

With two prefects aboard they returned to the alleyway, and once they were disembarked Shiyne quietly said to the first one.

“You caught these four men breaking into the grain store you should shackle them and arrest them”

Without showing any emotion he turned and walked along the alleyway and restrained the first man, while Shiyne repeated the script to the second prefect, who them followed the first and began restraining the men.

 

After all the excitement of the battle with the gang of thugs had died down Bagg and Wisma decided it was time for another picnic, so they returned to the scene of their first date, “Lake Tranquil”.

It seemed very fitting as it was their beginning and they had plans to make for their future.

In particular whether he should give up his nomadic existence to spend more time with her, especially in light of recent events, or should she give up the bar altogether to travel with him, in the end they settled on the third option, which was to do a little of both, he would spend extended periods in Gipki.

She in turn would train Zydia up to run the Bar on her own while she travelled with him on the Tornado.

So, they sat in the late summer sunshine on the plaid picnic blanket up on a grassy bank, overlooking the lake, and chinked their champagne glasses together.

“Is that a plan then?” Bagg asked

“Yes that’s a plan,” she replied

  

ARE YOU WEARING SPACE PANTS?

 

Are you wearing space pants?

Well, your virtue may be imperilled

Because wearing those pants

Your arse is out of this world

IF YOU WANT TO HAVE A SPACE PARTY

If you want to have a Space party

You should get NASA to “planet”

But even if they agree, their party,

Won’t have any atmosphere I bet

LOST IN A SPACE

I just got lost in thought

               I’m sorry but that’s my story

Now you might well scoff

               As it was unfamiliar territory 

ACROSS THE VOID

From a highly sophisticated civilization

Far in advance of our own

They crossed the great void of space

To make patterns in the fields we’ve sown

If that is their idea of fun

They must be the dullest aliens ever known

LOVE AMONGST THE STARS

When you give your heart to another

You bathe in the warmth of the sun

You walk tall upon the earth

Tall enough to touch the stars

You make love beneath the moon

And Venus guides your path

As you navigate the Milky Way

But when you are cast aside

You crash back down to earth

And inhabit planet Solitude

IS IT THE ANGER OF PETULANT GODS?

 

Is it the anger of petulant Gods?

In their Olympian Penthouse

Exploding their volcanic wrath

Down a molten hillside

Or an angry planet

From deep within

Trying to cleanse the earth

Of its unworthy guardians

The Tornado Sojourns (3) – Chapter 04 – Protection

 

So with Merri piloting and Lyris in the co-pilot seat she used the Tornado’s four vertical take-off jumper engines, which were engaged, and the Tempest class freighter landed softly in the space dock.

It wasn’t a huge ship as freighters go but pound for pound the Tempests had the highest freight to fuel ratio yield of their class.

The front section comprised of a sizable pressurized hold for large freight accessed via a front loading ramp, above which was the flight deck, living and sleeping quarters, mess facilities and bath rooms, at the rear was the main propulsion and amidships were the universal pod bays, which allowed for a mixed cargo option, which allowed for quick inspection and loading, although sometimes pods were sealed which meant it was either very valuable or very illegal, either way Merri didn’t mind and transporting sealed cargo paid much much better.

But this time there was no dodgy cargo so they lowered the three pods ready for unloading.

The Tornado always flew with at least one pod but then that was because it was where they stowed their gear and where the hidden compartments could be found, or not, which was where they hid the contraband, or even fugitives when necessary. 

 

It was eight months after Bagg and landlady of the Visitors Rest, Wisma Berita, had been an item, and was more than a month since the Tornado had last touched down on Eikon Minor, so Bagg was eager to see her. 

 

It was the rainy season and it was falling in torrents, so because of the weather it was a quiet night in the “Rest” even for a Tuesday, week nights were normally quieter as the Legionnaire’s from the nearby Garrison were only allowed off base on the weekends, but that night it was quieter than usual and the time hung heavy for Wisma as she knew the Tornado was due, well overdue to be precise, and as they approached closing time there was only Wisma and barmaid Zydia plus a handful of regulars.

 

Due to the bad weather it took longer than usual to get clearance to land and get unloaded so Bagg was late leaving the landing field, very late in fact, everyone was ready to turn in but he persuaded Parse to drive him to the bar so he could see Wisma.

As they drove slowly through the filthy weather and were about three hundred yards from the “Rest” when something in the road caught their attention, a man was running blindly in their direction, which given the rain was not particularly noteworthy, but this individual didn’t look like he was running to get out of the rain, and as he got nearer they realized that they knew the rain soaked man, it was one of the regular customers from the “Rest”, Rowyn.

Parse brought the Stroller to a halt and jumped down and Bagg followed.

It was more of a step down for Parse as the Gouveian was huge in stature, stand 6 foot 8 high and he was broad and powerfully built, his hair was short, curly and the colour of burnished steel, ivory skin and mercury coloured eyes, and the altogether striking figure soon had the wet man’s complete attention.

“Hey Rowyn, what’s wrong?” Parse asked

“There’s trouble at the bar, bad trouble, they’re smashing the place up” he spurted out.

“Alright, leave it to us” the big Gouveian said

They got back in the Stroller and Parse started the engine while Bagg contacted the Tornado and the Skeet brothers said they would be right behind them.

 

The Stroller pulled up sharp outside the bar and the two men decamped and ran in and the scene that confronted them was one of devastation, tables and chairs had been turned over and there was broken glass everywhere.

Bagg had eyes only for Wisma and found her in the back-consoling Zydia.

Parse mean while perused the damage and a few minutes later the Skeets came through the door weapons in hand and after surveying the scene Lyris said

“Holy war”

“Nothing holy about this mess” Parse said just as Bagg reappeared

“Everyone ok?” he asked, and Bagg gave a reassuring nod and said

“Zydia’s a bit shaken up but Wisma’s fine”

Bagg looked around

“I’ll call the Prefects” Parse said,  

“Wisma doesn’t want to report it” Bagg replied

“Why?”

“Firstly there isn’t much point, they’ve long gone anyway and the girls said they didn’t go anywhere a customer couldn’t go, so there’s no evidence to be had” Bagg said “but mainly she doesn’t want any record of an incident that could cause the Legion to make the bar “off limits””

Parse nodded his understanding, and knew they would have to take matters into their own hands, then he said

“Have you got a recorder on you Lyris?”

“Yes” he replied

“Ok get images of everything and you and Zerrad can speak to everyone that was in the bar, and old Rowyn, he’s the one that alerted us” Parse said and they both nodded

 

When they had finished Zerrad took Zydia home and when he returned he found Wisma, Bagg and his brother Lyris had made significant inroads in clearing the mess, so Zerrad slipped off his coat and joined them, and when everything was shipshape they all sat down and had coffee.

“So, what happened?” Parse asked, “What set them off?”

“Four men against two women and a handful of old soaks, not very brave were they?” Bagg mused

“They wanted protection money” Wisma said “and I said no”

The four of them were visibly shocked, and the Parse asked

“They demanded money? Out of the blue?”

“Not really, two of them came in last week, but I thought they were just chancing their arms because I was a woman” she said.

“So, I thought no more about it”

“Why didn’t you say something?” Bagg asked

“I really didn’t think they were going to do anything, if I had I would have told you, I’m not a fool” she replied and Bagg held her hand

“Attempting to get protection money from a bar frequented by Legionnaires is very bold” Lyris said

“Or very stupid” Zerrad pointed out

“Unlikely to be locals” Bagg said

“They must be “off worlder’s” trying their luck”

“That seems most likely” Parse agreed

“They smashed up the place, so I would know they were serious, they’ve given me two days” Wisma said

“They’ll be in for the money after closing on Thursday night”

“Well we’d better make them welcome then” Parse said

“Indeed, we will” the Skeets added

“What are you going to do?” Wisma asked

“Well first of all we need to get to the Tornado and speak to Merionwen, because if anyone can come up with a fool proof plan she can” Bagg said

“I don’t want anyone getting hurt on my account” Wisma said

“No one will get hurt” he reassured her “Merri is good at this stuff”

 

SATURN VI

Saturn VI

Iced water Titan

Largest Moon of Saturn

Dense Orange sphere

A planet like moon

Iced water Titan

WHEN I FIRST SAW THE BLUE PLANET

When I first saw the Blue Planet

Being advertised on widely on TV

I have to confess that nature wasn’t

The first thought that came to me 

MARS WALK

 After many years of trying

And years of deep space flying

After journeying across the stars

We finally land a man on Mars

 

He begins his walk at sunrise

And then he finds to his surprise

After exploring near and far

An Irish pub and a burger bar

The Tornado Sojourns (3) – Chapter 03 – Picnic

 

It was a bright summer morning as the Tornado’s APMTV, (All Purpose Multi Terrain Vehicle) turned off the main road onto a quiet lane lined with age-old trees that formed a canopy above them.

It was like driving through a tunnel, the foliage was so thick, and the leaves defused the sunlight and dappled the road surface with spots of golden light.

The APMTV was nicknamed the “Stroller” which was an ironic name because when Shiyne or Merri were behind the wheel it did anything but stroll, but on that morning the former was under strict instructions to drive sensibly, at least while Wisma Berita was aboard.

All of the crew were aboard, with the exception of Pulsat and Vanzyl, who were already engrossed in the repair to one of the Plasma Turbine Pyroclast Engines, the damage to which was what had facilitated their extended stay on Eikon Minor, as they going on to the Baringita plains, about an hour beyond the lake, to test drive their recently acquired Hover Dirt Craft, which was a two seater, tandem recreation vehicle.

Apart from being a mad driver Shiyne was a Vann Telepath and was stunningly beautiful despite being completely bald, with cerise coloured skin and purple eyes, but she didn’t need her telepathic gift to detect the strong feelings between Bagg and Wisma.

Nor did she need Wisma to verbalize her direction as she could read her very clearly, but Wisma didn’t know that.

“The turning is just ahead” Wisma said “there’s the sign”

Wisma was navigating as she knew the area very well as visiting the lake had been a large part of her childhood.

High above sunbeams burst through the canopy and illuminated the sign which read “Lake Tranquil”, so Shiyne turned left into a small, deserted pot-holed clearing, which obviously served as a vehicle park.

“We have arrived” Wisma said and smiled at Bagg who returned her smile with interest.

The moment the Stroller came to a halt Bagg climbed down and then took Wisma’s hand as he helped her down, and after Parse had handed him the picnic basket, he said goodbye and closed the door, then paused to look at his companion with pride, before taking her hand again and heading along the path that lead away from the clearing.

After five minutes they emerged from the wood and Bagg caught his first look at the lake, and he was instantly struck by its beauty.

He couldn’t believe he had never been there before in all the times the Tornado had been visiting Gipki.

It was not of course the first time that Wisma had viewed it, but it was however the first time she had seen it while holding the hand of a man she loved.

“The best picnic spots are on the other side” she said and he nodded and they walked towards the head of the Lake where it was fed by a stream.

Breathing fresh air, feeling the sun on his face and the breeze off the water were all the things he missed when he was aboard ship.

When they reached the stream there was a stone bridge that crossed it, Bagg paused briefly before crossing and turned to look across the lake and was again struck by the beauty of the natural scene, it was very pleasing to the eye, then he turned and looked at Wisma and thought that she too was pleasing to the eye and then still holding her hand they continued across the bridge.

 

It appeared that they had the lake to themselves so Bagg allowed Wisma to guide him and choose a suitable spot where he then laid out a plaid picnic blanket

“Milady may now be seated”

“Why thank you sir” she said and sat down gracefully

Bagg opened the basket and produced a bottle of wine, which he took down to the water’s edge, and after tying a piece of string to the neck he lowered it into the water and tied the string to a low branch, before joining Wisma on the blanket.

 

After about ninety minutes of amiable conversation, while taking in the lakeside scenery Bagg said

“I think that wine will be ready to drink”

“Oh good, I’m parched” she said and began unpacking the basket while Bagg got the wine.

 

They spent all day by the lake and couldn’t believe the time when Shiyne contacted Bagg on the comms to say they were already waiting for them in the clearing.

“My goodness” she said “Where did the time go?”

“I don’t know” he said “But losing all that time was very pleasant”

“Yes it was” she agreed and then they quickly packed everything away and walked back the way they came, holding hands again.

 

When they got back aboard the Stroller they found the crew in a boisterous mood, covered in dirt, dust and even a bit of blood and doubtless beneath the grime there was also to be some considerable bruising, and were all eager to regale them with tales of their exploits on the Hover Dirt Craft, which was apparently also dirty battered and bruised.

 

Bagg and Wisma thought their first date, which was how the crew described it, was a great success, so they made plans for a second and a third.

Whenever the Tornado was on Eikon Minor the two of them were virtually inseparable and both of them were amazed by that and the fact that she had found love again and he for the first time.

Over the months, that love deepened, possibly because of the periods of time they were apart, but they tried not to analyze it, but they did have discussions on the matter of how the relationship might develope.

In particular whether he should give up his nomadic existence to spend more time with her or should she give up the bar to travel with him, although for the time being they concluded they should just maintain the status quo.

 

ACROSS THE VOID OF SPACE

 

Across the void of space

The alien race from Danubiah

Came only to destroy us

The human race they call Terravian’s

These Huge Terrifying creatures

Slimy with dripping talons

And the sole reason they came

With only vile and evil intent

The reason we had to fight them

In the mud and the blood and the fear

Because our emissary of peace

Our ambassador of understanding

Voyager one had entered

The Transdanubian space way

CERES

 

The frozen Dwarf planet Ceres,

The largest asteroid among the stars

Between the belted giant Jupiter

And the red planet of war Mars

The Tornado Sojourns (3) – Chapter 02 – The Visitors Rest

 

Visitors were a Christian sect who took to the stars with the first migrants to visit new worlds, spreading the word while seeking enlightenment, and they had established Visitor enclaves in every corner of the known universe, they even thrived in Mehreen space and they were the least spiritual beings to ever draw breath.

The difference between Visitors and the established Christian Church on earth was its spontaneity, they didn’t wait until Sunday to worship, they did it wherever and whenever it was desired, and it didn’t need to happen in a church, Visitors worshipped everywhere.

Visitor Parham felt blessed, and thanked God for placing him on Alwi at the moment of Merionwen Strong’s great need, and for facilitating his enrolment on the crew of the Tornado.

Which had given him new purpose in life at the time he was floundering, he felt needed on the freighter, admittedly more for his cooking than his ministering, but it felt good for him to be part of something.

Bagg, as he liked to be known, left his home world, Mars, as a young man and set off into the stars to spread the word, and he had never returned, and was still travelling thirty years later, and he had a lot to be thankful for, being part of the Tornado family for one and being reacquainted with his brother Trebreh and his family for another.

 

When you were a Visitor, meeting family was one of the rarest of occasions, when there were two Visitors in one family they were almost impossible.

Apart from his brother Trebreh, who he hadn’t seen for twelve years, and his wife Xandra there was her brother Ale, who was his boyhood friend and a host of nephews and nieces whom he had not met before, in the agrarian settlement of Montrose on Eirkos, where he and the crew were regular visitors.

But after being reunited with his family he found himself, for the first time in his life, regretting not having a wife and children of his own, thought his regret was short lived as he had enough blessings in his life to count, he did though occasionally feel lonely, especially on a ship full of couples, rare though those times were, but he always found cooking a batch of scones helped.

 

On the Tornado crew’s first visit to Eikon Minor they went into town of Gipki, they all went off in different directions, with different needs to fill and as he often did, Bagg headed for the market place and went in search of the herbs, spices, dried and desiccated fruits that he needed to replenish his cupboards.

He loved markets, even if he didn’t need many provisions he would never give up an opportunity to stroll around among the abundance of food stuffs on offer and allow him to indulge his passion for the exotic foods, and his vocation in one fell swoop and when he had completed his task he headed for the rendezvous point, which was a bar and restaurant.

He grew a couple more inches when he saw that the hostelry was named The Visitors Rest, and it quickly became a regular spot for him and the crew.

But the Visitors Rest didn’t take on its true significance for him until the day he met the new owner Wisma Berita, because that was the day he fell in love for the first time.

 

Wisma Berita was a mature woman a year or two younger than him and the first time he saw her he was smitten, she was certainly not in the first flush of youth, and she was a widow who had bought the pub from her brother in law, the previous owner, who had retired after a health scare.

Wisma was no stranger to hospitality, she had been doing it since she was a girl and that was where she had met her husband, and they had run a place together until he died and then she had run a bar on her own as well since, though not anywhere near the size of the Rest.

She could quite easily have lived a comfortable life with her inheritance, but chose to work instead, and she chose Gipki because that was where she had been born and raised.

 

Bagg was beyond fifty in years with long white hair and a short trimmed beard, tall and disproportionately thin, but cut an impressive figure in his full length pale blue robe, tied at the waist with a royal blue cord and this was beneath a full length dark blue leather jerkin, and he carried a simple roughhewn staff which was undecorated but for a carved cruciform relief a few inches from the top.

Wisma was still a very attractive woman, 5ft 6 inches tall with nice legs and a trim figure, and kaleidoscopic hair, which could appear, red, blonde, brown, blue, or black depending upon which angle you were seeing it from.

They hit it off immediately, maybe it was because they shared a similar sense of humour, the same faith and a love of cooking, but in truth their mutual attraction was due to more than them having a lot in common.

When they were on Eikon Minor he found himself spending more and more time in the “Rest” and Wisma spent the time he wasn’t in there wishing that he was, and it went on that way for several months until one day when he was in the bar for lunch, after neglecting to walk the market again.

NEIL ARMSTRONG'S MOON-LANDING ANAGRAM - ONE SMALL STEP

 

A thin man ran

Makes a large stride

Left planet

Pins flag on moon

On to Mars

PLUTO

Unknown to Gustav Holst

Pluto, the Dwarf planet

Inhabits the Kuiper belt

And is no longer the ninth planet

Of our solar system

Not even the biggest Dwarf

But Second to Eris 

UFO’s

 

UFO’s are real unless

My guess is missed

It’s the Royal Air Force

That doesn't really exist

MARS

 

Gustav Holst’s bringer of war

The red planet

A place of high mountains

And deep canyons

Red dust deserts

And frozen Polar Regions

VENUS

 

Gustav Holst’s bringer of peace

Second planet from the Sun,

Earth's “sister planet”

To the ancients

The Morning Star

Or the Evening Star

Shrouded by opaque

Highly reflective

Clouds of sulphuric acid

The Tornado Sojourns (3) – Chapter 01 – Cruising the Cluster

 

The Tempest Class Freighter was powered by 4 Plasma Turbine Pyroclast Engines, which allowed for a very quick turn of speed once airborne, and four vertical take-off jumper engines, whose purpose is self-explanatory, they could also be used independently to provide auxiliary power on board while they were on the surface for periods when the solar converters were inadequate.

It wasn’t a huge ship as freighters go, but pound for pound the Tempests had the highest freight to fuel ratio yield of their class.

The front section comprised of a sizable pressurized hold for large freight accessed via a front loading ramp, above which was the flight deck, living and sleeping quarters, mess facilities and bath rooms, at the rear was the main propulsion and amidships were the universal pod bays, which allowed for a mixed cargo option, which allowed for quick inspection and loading, although sometimes pods were sealed which meant it was either very valuable or very illegal, either way Merri didn’t mind and transporting sealed cargo paid much much better.

The Tornado always flew with at least one pod but then that was because it was where they stowed their gear and where the hidden compartments could be found, or not, which was where they hid the contraband, or even fugitives when necessary, but not so much in recent years. 

 

It had been almost three years since the Tornado, reached the Eikon Cluster with a full complement aboard, funds in the coffers and three pods of Thermalium mineral ore for delivery to Eikon Major, and two years since they finally shook off their Ghambran pursuers once and for all, thanks to the Gouveian Crown Jewels, Commander Emad Salmin of the Legion Aeronautica, and some cunning in planting the stolen jewels aboard the Ghambran’s Scorpion Cruiser.

 

They should have felt guilty after effectively framing the Ghambran’s for a crime they knew full well they didn’t commit, but they didn’t.

They may indeed have been innocent of the criminal, subversive and treasonable acts that landed them in court, but they were not innocent, they had committed many and varied crimes and had always gotten away with them because they were under the banner of Prefector Collis’s protection.

But the charges that they faced, they had to face alone, because Maxil Weltz and Vint Reganus were disowned by Prefector Collis, who chose to distance himself from his former employees fearing he might otherwise find himself in the dock for treason.

In reward for finding the Crown Jewels, Commander Salmin was made Supreme Commander for the whole of the Eikon Cluster and those aboard the Tornado, and their friends and allies felt the weight of his gratitude.

As a result of their action to preserve the life they loved in the Cluster they actually Malena Endia and Shiyne had their lovers, Zerrad Skeet and Terrell Vorton with them, Zerrad’s brother Lyris had been tamed by the member of the Gouveian Royal family among their number, Asti Alegionaris.

While engineers Pulsat Rad and Vanzyl, who were magicians with all things mechanical had also found love, a love for the children of Montrose, who loved them in equal measure.

Even Visitor Parham, who tended their spiritual needs, while his alter ego Bagg fortified them with his culinary prowess, had also found love in the form of his family on Montrose.

So, everything for the Tempest Class Freighter Tornado was set fare, and Captain Merionwen Strong knew that apart from a good crew, good food and a liberal quantity of love, that on the Tornado’s Sojourns around the Eikon Cluster they were bound to have more adventure, and she was not wrong.

 

Merionwen Strong was 32 years old and was best described as statuesque, she was tall, straight backed, proud and was blessed with an abundance of red hair that trailed behind her like a mane and penetrating green eyes to stare you down with, and overall, she cut a striking figure and along with her appearance went her forthright, volatile and feisty personality.

She was owner and Captain of the Tornado, and her love interest was Parse Sacrod, whom she called Beefy, a former Legionnaire of the Royal Guard of Gouveia who she met after Princess Asti Alegionaris was abducted at the space port by the Ghambran’s.

He was huge in stature, standing 6 feet 8 high and he was broad and powerfully built, his hair was short, curly and the colour of burnished steel, and with the characteristic ivory skin of the Gouveian race, and with his mercury-coloured eyes he was as arresting a figure as Merri and they had become inseparable, and always spent the long watches on the flight deck together.

 

Technically the ship belonged to the Garangon mining company, but as they went out of business when they inadvertently destroyed the moon, they were mining, Merionwen’s father Ben kept the Tornado in lieu of payment and it passed to her on his death.

Apart from Merri the only other survivors from her father’s crew were her co-pilot and navigator, Malena Endia and Shiyne, the latter being that rare commodity in any crew, someone who could and would perform any task required of them without question, but her real strength was in the role of negotiator and as an eternal optimist.

The rest of the crew arrived in dribs and drabs mainly as a result of being stranded on the stranded on the surface of Alwi, the fourth moon of the seventh planet Aragon, in the Cammaratian System.

The first to arrive was Visitor Parham, a Christian minister who it turned out set a chain of events in motion, firstly he brought with him two first rate engineers, Pulsat and Vanzyl, who were magicians with all things mechanical and the next day they lifted off and went for a spin among the stars.

It was during that test flight that they had to go to the rescue of the Skeet brothers whose ship, the Phoenix, was attacked by Skav Raiders, and the attack was so severe that they had to eject in a life pod which nearly cost them their lives anyway, but they were saved in the nick of time, and when they recovered from their injuries they joined the crew, and it was the Skeets injuries that brought Sciberran Healer Terrell Vorton aboard the Tornado where two significant things happened, firstly he saved Zerrad Skeet’s life, which was crucial in reconciling the unresolved love between him and Malena, and secondly it brought him into the close orbit of Shiyne where they also fell for each other.

When the Tornado left Alwi bound for Delta 500 they had a passenger aboard and that was Princess Asti Alegionaris, youngest granddaughter of the Regent of Gouveia, who was subsequently abducted and rescued, which introduced Parse to the captain.

Visitor Parham’s role aboard was to tend to their spiritual needs, but his alter ego Bagg, fortified them with his culinary prowess.

 

Once they arrived in the Eikon Cluster, so called due to the high number of M class planets and moons in the Eikon solar system, they quickly found an abundance of work with Golbolt Interstellar, based on the moon Somar.

The main reason for that was that the Operations Manager was Oshwin Lemik and he fought against the Legion in the Shaxon War with the Skeet brothers, they as pilots and Oshwin as Logistics Commander.

From the moment they were reacquainted, the Tornado got as much work as they wanted and regularly ran between Eikon Major and Minor, Eirkos and its moons, Soman, Rekar and Marikya, and neighbouring planet’s, Achrem and Zenden as well as Zenden’s moon, Linden, plus a host of other smaller moons and asteroids.

In the time they had been in the Eikon Cluster they had familiarized themselves with the planets and moons they visited and had cultivated great friendships along the way, so whatever part of the system they were in they always knew where to go where they would be welcomed, and they could relax and enjoy their down time.

Although Merri would have been just as happy to stay aboard with Parse and enjoy a bit of “alone” time. 

Similarly, the diminutive Princess Asti with her short platinum hair, ivory skin and silver eyes, would have preferred to keep her six-foot-tall, broad and muscular, black haired, dark eyed boyfriend, Lyris Skeet, all to herself.

Shiyne and Terrell just wanted to be wherever the other was, such was the depth of their love, though they were an odd couple.

They were both the same height but that was the only thing they had in common, he was older than her by 6 years and was stoutly built, while she was slim, his skin was of chalk white and hers was cerise, his eyes were violet, Shiyne’s were purple and Terrell’s hair was midnight blue and she was bald, the other difference was that he was very quiet, and she would often chatter incessantly.

 

Physically Zerrad and his brother were very similar and only blonde hair and grey eyes differed from his older dark-haired brother, and his lover Malena was a tall slim brunette, with olive skin and hazel eyes, at least that was how she appeared, her true form was more mercurial, but Zerrad loved her in any form.

Pulsat Rad, Vanzyl and Bagg had no significant others, but the latter would have indulged his love of baking in the Galley while the other two would have happily played with their engines.

 

So for differing reasons they would all have been equally happy staying aboard, but Merri insisted they should all spend time away from the ship, which was why they had so many places, recreational bolt holes, but their favourite would always be the agrarian settlement of Montrose on Eirkos where Bagg’s brother and his family lived, but there was one other location that held particular significance for him, and that was the Gipki on Eikon Minor where there was a small Legion Aeronautica Garrison, and a hostelry called the Visitors rest, and more particularly its proprietor Wisma Berita.

NEPTUNE

 

Gustav Holst’s Mystic

Farthest planet from the Sun

Beautiful ice giant

Whose brilliant blue

Appearance belies

The deadly atmosphere

Of frozen methane

URANUS

 

Gustav Holst’s magician

Beautiful ice giant

Whose clouds of methane

Present a featureless disk

Of blue-green colour

The Tornado Sojourns (2) – Chapter 22 – The Strike

 

When they had landed on Linden the Commander addressed the five members of the Scorpions crew, who were all restrained.

“You will now be taken outside where you will wait under guard while your vessel is thoroughly searched”

“And when you find nothing, I will have you lick my boots as an apology before I have you thrown out of your precious Legion Aeronautica” Maxil shouted

 

Prior to the arrival on a rocky plain on Linden of the Scorpion and its Legion escorts, Lyris landed the Spider Hawk on top of a cliff overlooking the plain from where Merri, Lyris, Malena, Shiyne and Parse watched the scene unfold below them through binoculars. 

They would have liked to have been there in person to witness the capture of the Ghambran’s, but they knew that as enjoyable as it might undoubtedly have been to witness at close hand the humbling of Maxil and Vint, it would not have been the wisest course of action because if it were known that they had been responsible for the Ghambran’s arrest and the subsequent shame inflicted on Prefector Collis and Ghambra as a whole, they would merely have disposed of one set of pursuers only to have them replaced by an infinite number of new ones, so they preserved their anonymity and watched from a safe distance via a lens, although they couldn’t get a clear look at the Ghambran’s from their vantage point as the Scorpion was between the watchers and the prisoners.

They did however record the images that they got, to show the rest of the crew when they returned to the Tornado.

 

They continued to watch as a procession of Legion personnel streamed inside the Scorpion while Commander Salmin paced up and down and after more than half an hour they were getting a little impatient.

“What on earth is taking so long?” Merri asked

“How well did you hide it Malena?”

“Not that well” Malena replied

“Perhaps we should just call the Commander and tell him where you hid it” Lyris said

“You could give him a long-range hint Shiyne” Merri suggested

“I can try” she replied, “But he’s a bit far away and he’s an intelligent man so it won’t be easy”

But she closed her eyes and tried to seek out the Commander with her mind but only moments later Merri interrupted her

“Somethings happening”

So, they all resumed their spying positions.

The Commander, who had never desisted in his pacing, had been brought to a halt by the presence of Lt Nulak who first saluted and then handed him the leather bundle.

The Commander looked at it and then asked the Lt a question, who nodded a response followed by another salute.

The commander was visibly relieved to have the prize in his hand and slapped his thigh when he thought no one was looking.

A few moments later Maxil Weltz and the other Ghambran’s appeared and were directed to where the Commander was standing.

They couldn’t hear what was said but they could get the gist.

The Commander was obviously confronting them with the evidence found aboard the Scorpion and his captives acted angrily to that evidence and it was clear that Weltz and Reganus were using some very uncomplimentary language and the former was raging and his eyes were bulging, and his face changed colour.

“I think he must have a little Vann DNA in him” Lyris said “his complexion has definitely taken on a shade of cerise”

“Oh dear, he’s going to have a heart attack if he carries on” Merri added

“I think he’s safe, after all you need a heart first” Malena said

The five of them continued watching and were enjoying the view as the angry Ghambran’s were marched aboard the Legion Command ship.

 

After watching the Legion fleet and the Scorpion leave the surface of Linden Merri said

“Come on let’s go home”

And everyone knew what she meant because that was precisely what each and every one of them thought the Tornado was, home.

And when the Spider Hawk docked with the Tornado and they climbed down through the hatch the greeting they received from the rest of the crew was more one of relief than triumph.

But they all went to the mess room and shared one of Bagg’s excellent meals in what felt to them all like a family occasion rather than a celebration.

They saved the celebration meal for when they returned to Montrose although they did have a drink or two with Oshwin Lemik on Soman.

 

They should have felt guilty after effectively framing the Ghambran’s for a crime they knew full well they didn’t commit but they didn’t.

They may indeed have been innocent of the criminal, subversive and treasonable acts that landed them in court, but they were not innocent, they had committed many and varied crimes and had always gotten away with them because they were under the banner of Prefector Collis’s protection.

But the charges that they faced, they had to face alone because Maxil Weltz and Vint Reganus were disowned by Prefector Collis, who chose to distance himself from his former employees fearing he might otherwise find himself in the dock for treason.

Because of the sensitive nature of the crime the trials were held “in camera” so no one on Gouveia knew how close the house of Alegionaris came to disaster.

 

In reward for finding the Crown Jewels Commander Salmin was made Supreme Commander for the whole of the Eikon Cluster and those aboard the Tornado, and their friends and allies felt the weight of his gratitude.

So as a result of their action to preserve the life they loved in the Cluster they actually enhanced it greatly.

And apart from no longer being pursued by hostiles, and with perpetually full cargo pods, the full complement aboard also enjoyed an abundance of love, Merri had her hunky Legionnaire Parse by her side, her best friends, Malena and Shiyne had their lovers, Zerrad and Terrell with them, Zerrad’s brother Lyris had been tamed by the member of the Gouveian Royal family among their number, Asti.

While engineers Pulsat and Vanzyl, who were magicians with all things mechanical had also found love, a love for the children of Montrose, who loved them in equal measure.

Even Visitor Parham, who tended their spiritual needs while his alter ego Bagg fortified them with his culinary prowess, had also found love in the form of his family on Montrose.

So, everything for the Tempest Class Freighter Tornado was set fare, and Captain Merionwen Strong knew that apart from a good crew, good food and a liberal quantity of love that on the Tornado’s Sojourns around the Eikon Cluster they were bound to have more adventure.

SATURN

 

Gustav Holst’s

The bringer of old age

In a state of perpetual storm

Saturn the mighty gas giant

With Iconic rings of dust and ice

An image comforting and reliant