Star Rovers

The Scavenger Hunt of Space

by HarveyKent

Part 1

Rick Purvis set his space-cruiser on autopilot and settled back in the comfortable pilot’s chair. He enjoyed watching the display of stars and comets hurtling past. Far out ahead and to starboard, he saw one of the extremely rare creatures dubbed the “Moby Dicks of Space” due to their similarity to Terran whales. He smiled, thinking what his friend Homer Glint would give for a glimpse of that uncommon sight.

His on-board communicator buzzed, waking him from his thoughts. He stabbed the button to open communications, and the image of Homer Glint’s face clicked into view on the screen.

“Homer, old buddy!” Rick said warmly. “I was just thinking of you. There’s a Moby Dick of Space, not forty parsecs off my starboard!”

“I assume that made you think of me because of my interest in rare animals, and not because I need to go on a diet,” Homer joked, a twinkle in his eye. “I’m calling to ask if you’ve heard about the big scavenger hunt!”

Rick’s eyebrow shot up with interest. “Scavenger hunt? No, I hadn’t heard. Tell me more!”

“It’s being thrown by Julian Pierce, the Terran multi-trillionaire,” Homer explained. “He’s compiled a list of items, scattered throughout charted space. The person or team who brings the greatest number of items to him by the specified date wins the prize: one quintillion credits to the charity of the winner’s choice, plus a solid iridium trophy encrusted with precious gems from the nine planets.”

“Interesting!” Rick cried enthusiastically. “Sounds right up our alley! Have you notified Karel?”

“I tried to reach her, but she was away from her communicator. I left a message; she should be contacting us shortly.”

Part 2

“Right here, boys,” Karel Sorenson’s musical voice chimed in, as her lovely face appeared on another monitor screen. “I got your message, Homer. I was at Brown’s Fine Weapons Shop, picking up some new blaster-pistols. Sounds like fun!”

“OK, I’m hyperfaxing you both the list of items,” Homer said. On their respective screens, Rick and Karel watched him manipulating controls on his console. Seconds later, flashing lights indicated that Rick and Karel had received his transmission. Both switched on the dataviewer.

“Hmm, it says this Blue Stone of Baradhi, whatever that is, is located in a ruined temple on the planet Melcor-78,” Karel said. “I’m pretty close to there now.”

“And the list calls for the egg of a Mbula bird,” Rick added. “They’re fairly common on Jaebrum; I can be there in a tic.”

“We also need a flaming seashell,” Homer pointed out. “The mollusks of the Purple Ocean of Paav have shells of a substance that bursts into flame on contact with air. They never leave their ocean, but the ocean floor is covered with their shells.”

“OK, let’s all go after our targets, and rendezvous at Pierce’s winter chalet on Bonn,” Rick suggested. “We can drop off our booty, let him know we’re in the running, and then go grab some more.”

“Excellent idea!” Karel chimed in. “OK, boys; last one to Bonn buys dinner!”

“You’re on, Karel!” Homer said, before clicking off his communicator. His two fellow Star Rovers followed suit, and each took off in pursuit of their prize.

Part 3

Homer Glint’s spaceship glided through the atmosphere of Paav. Like Earth, the planet was more than three-quarters covered in ocean; unlike Earth, the ocean was a rich purple color.

He set his ship down on the coast of a small island and watched as bright yellow fish with long, streaming fins leapt out of the water and back in again. He wished he had the time for some fishing. Paav had no indigenous life forms any higher-evolved than small quadruped mammals, but some of the animal life was fascinating.

Homer climbed into his underwater gear, which included pressurized suit and oxy-helmet. He would have to go fairly deep; the mollusks of Paav never went very near the shore. His suit was equipped with a jet-belt; Homer had tried it underwater before, and it was just as capable of propelling him through water as through air. He packed a glassium box into his equipment sack, for carrying the shell back to the surface, and dove into the purple water. The faceplate of his oxy-helmet translated the lower spectrums into visible light for Homer, giving him perfect underwater eyesight. He watched the ocean floor drop away beneath him as he glided into deeper and deeper water, propelled by his jet-belt. He saw beautiful orange plants and tiny bronze-colored fish darting in and out among them. The panorama was so enthralling, he nearly did not notice the hands grasping at his ankles.

Part 4

Homer gasped as he felt the tug at his ankle. He turned in the water, to see one of the hideous reptilian creatures native to Paav. A xenoceanographer had christened these grasping creatures “grindylows”, based on an ancient Earth legend. They were deadly to humans, as they grasped their prey in their vise-fingered grip and hauled them to the bottom, keeping them there until they died and then feeding on them.

Fortunately, they were easy to escape. Homer touched his belt-control, and a brilliant burst of light flared forth from his pressurized suit. The grindylow released him, its long-fingered hands flying to its eyes. It swam off quickly, frightened by the light.

Homer turned to continue his search for the shell, when he saw something even more incredible than the grindylow. A dolphin! That was impossible; the species was indiginous to Earth, and had not been “seeded” in Paav’s oceans. But there it was, plain as day! It was waving its tail-fin at Homer, as if beckoning for him to follow it.

He adjusted his jet control, and headed for the dolphin. The dolphin nodded its head and swam off deeper into the purple ocean, Homer Glint in its wake, still not believing he was following a dolphin in the ocean of Paav.

Part 5

Homer Glint followed the dolphin with a growing curiosity. Deeper and deeper into the ocean of Paav he swam. He wondered if this were not a trick of the grindylows somehow, but dismissed that notion; the creatures were not intelligent enough for such a ruse.

He soon saw the shadow of the ocean floor looming up beneath him. The dark purple waters allowed little light this deep; Homer switched his faceplate to the lower spectrums. He gasped audibly; a shadow that he had taken for a rock formation was a spaceship! The ship looked familiar somehow, as if Homer had seen it on the news or something. Then he made out the name on the bulkhead; Solar King. Good Lord!

The Star Rover followed the dolphin to the crashed ship. It was wrecked; it had obviously come down hard. The dolphin paused, twitching its tail for Homer to follow, and swam in through the ruined hatch. Homer followed. The ship was only partially filled with water; the internal life-support systems were still functioning, and the magno-shields were keeping out most of the water. Homer made his way toward the cockpit, heart hammering in his chest. If there were a dead body in the pilot’s seat, he didn’t want to be the one who found it.

“Thank God!” a voice called out. “You did it, Cryll!”

Homer’s heart leapt with joy. Space Ranger wasn’t dead! “Space Ranger? Is that you?” he called, making his way down the corridor to the cockpit.

“Yes! Yes, I’m in here!” the basso voice of the interplanetary hero called. “I’m trapped; my legs are pinned! Thank God Cryll found you!”

Homer looked behind him, and watched the dolphin morph into a small, comical-looking pink-skinned creature. Of course! Cryll, Space Ranger’s shape-shifting comrade!

“Space Ranger sent me to get help,” Cryll said. “I didn’t know if I’d be able to find any; Paav is supposed to be deserted! I sure got lucky when I saw you!”

Homer smiled as he reached the cockpit door. He tried it, and found it stuck.

“I’m afraid there’s a lot of debris blocking the door,” Space Ranger’s voice came from behind the door. “It’ll take some doing to get open!”

“How far are you from the door?” Homer called. “I have a QNT charge I can blow the door with!”

“I think I’m far enough away, and there’s enough rubble to shield me,” Ranger’s voice called. “Go ahead and try it! But wait — can I know your name first?”

“Homer,” he called, as he opened his belt-pack for the QNT charge. “Homer Glint.”

“Homer Glint?” Space Ranger’s voice called. “The famous hunter and sportsman, one of the adventurers they call the Star Rovers?”

“The media have called us that,” Homer acknowledged. “I’m honored that you’ve heard of us!”

“The honor is all mine,” Space Ranger called. “Especially if you get me out of here!”

Homer chuckled. “I’ll do my best,” he promised.

Part 6

Homer Glint attached the quadnitrotoulouene charge to the cockpit door, and set the timer.

“Get ready, Space Ranger,” Homer called. “It’s going to blow in ten seconds!”

“Roger!” Space Ranger called, and Homer bolted down the corridor. He heard the explosion, waited a few seconds, then charged back. The blast had forced the door and the rubble behind it forward a few feet, enough for Homer to work his way through. He saw Space Ranger lying on the cockpit floor, a massive piece of twisted metal lying across his legs.

“Hi,” he said. “Pleased to meet you, Homer.”

“Likewise,” Homer said. “Are you hurt? Are your legs injured?”

“No, my pressure-suit protected them,” Space Ranger said. “They’re just trapped. This stuff isn’t all that heavy; with both of us working on it, I think we can get it off.”

The two men proceeded to do just that. “How’d you come to crash-land here, anyway?” Homer asked as they pushed and pulled the debris.

“I was acting as escort to a group of prisoners being transferred from Earth to Takron-Galtos,” Space Ranger explained. “The prison ship was attacked en route by partners of one of the prisoners, trying to break him out. Between us, the prison ship and I defeated them, but my ship sustained massive damage. I tried to head for the nearest inhabited planet for repairs, but the damage was worse than I thought. The ship flamed out over Paav; I was forced to crash-land. Thank God you happened along!”

“I’m on a scavenger hunt,” Homer explained. “I came here to get one of the flaming shells.”

“Oh, I see!” Space Ranger said, as they finally moved the debris completely off him and Homer helped him to his feet. “Well, you came looking for a shell, and found me! Thanks again, Homer, I really appreciate it.”

“My pleasure,” Homer said. “Do you need a lift to a spaceport somewhere? Your ship is unsalvageable, I’m afraid.”

“Cryll and I could use a lift, sure,” Space Ranger said. “Any planet with a spaceport is fine.”

“OK. I have one stop to make, and then I’ll be glad to give you a ride.” Homer beamed as he and Space Ranger walked down the corridor of the ruined ship. What a story he’d have for Rick and Karel!

Part 7

Karel Sorenson’s spacecraft zoomed into the upper atmosphere of planet Melcor-78. This was going to be cinchy; all she had to do now was find the ruined temple and the Blue Stone of Baradhi. Karel hadn’t known there were any such temples on Melcor-78. Come to that, she hadn’t known anyone had ever explored this planet. It had only been charted as being the 78th planet found by the special tachyon telescope developed by Melcor Industries in the early 21st century, but spectrographic analysis had shown no profitable resources or any sign of life. The temple must have been overlooked, for that would have been of vast interest to xenoanthropologists.

Her craft skimmed the landscape of the dead planet, zooming over the dark green sands and reddish-brown rocks. She turned on her planetary sonar-scanner, searching for the temple. Finally her scanner indicated something that had to be it. It couldn’t be a large rock or boulder, for the sonar-scan indicated it was hollow. It must be a building! Karel set the ship to home in on that.

Suddenly, she saw a bright flash of light outside her viewscreen window. She looked up and saw a man, flying with a primitive rocket-pack. He was dressed in red and white, and had a maniacal look on his face. He stared at Karel’s ship, hesitating for a moment; then he drew a raygun from a holster at his belt, and fired.

Part 8

Karel was so startled by the sudden appearance of the man, and by his likeness, that she had no time to dodge the blast of his gun. She arced her craft as best she could, but the sizzling energy-beam still tore a wide gash through her keel. The fusion unit that powered the ship was housed there, and the bolt knocked it hopelessly out of commission. Karel watched the jetpacked man vanish in another burst of light as she piloted her ship to a rough landing on the emerald sands.

As Karel surveyed the damage to her ship, she mused on her bizarre attacker. Who could he possibly be? Karel, a student of history and heroic legends, thought him a perfect doppleganger for Adam Strange, the legendary Earthborn hero of 20th-Century Rann! But how could that be? Karel finally gave up on her ship; it was repairable, but not with the tools and materials she had with her. The communications link was still working. Karel placed a call to the Intersteller Multi-Species Transport Authority and ordered a cab, before she took off on foot for the temple. She meant to have the Blue Stone in her possession when the cab arrived!

Part 9a

Karel trudged across the sand in the direction of the temple. Fortunately, her forced landing wasn’t far from it. Soon, as she topped a small dune, she saw the temple in the distance. Its architecture defied description; it was bizarre, similar to no style Karel had seen on Earth or any other planet. It was the only building to be seen; Karel wondered why it had survived when everything else on this dead planet, any evidence of any prior civilization, was gone.

As she stepped into the shadow of the building, she froze in her tracks. Three silvery diamond-shaped things the size of footballs zoomed out of the window of the temple, headed straight for her. Karel, expert markswoman, wasn’t startled long. She drew her ray-pistol and squeezed off three perfect shots, spearing each projectile dead-center. Far from removing the threat, however, this act doubled it; each projectile split into two perfect duplicates of itself, albeit half its size, and kept on coming for her. They began firing silver needles of light from their nose-cones; Karel leapt and dodged them, and watched them shatter the rocks at her feet.

Part 9b

Karel froze, holding very still. She could not have named the instinct that told her to do that, when logic said to flee. But as she held still, the diamond-shaped things hovered in air. As long as she did not move, they did not move. Karel moved her left hand slowly, hesitatingly, testing them. The silver things quivered slightly, but did not move to attack. Slowly, taking many minutes, Karel’s hand reached her belt buckle. She gingerly unfastened it from her belt, and slowly cocked her hand back. With one quick motion, she flung the belt buckle as far as she could. Karel let out a long-held breath and promised to kiss Rick for teaching her to throw the discus, as the silver things darted off like hawks after the belt buckle. Karel quickly spun the barrel of her ray-pistol, setting it to wide spray, and fired at the retreating silver guardians of the temple. Thin needles of light struck them again and again, splitting them into smaller and smaller versions of themselves, until finally there were none left.

She wiped her forehead with the back of her hand, and proceeded into the temple. It was small and sparsely-furnished. In a niche in the back wall sat a small blue sphere, roughly the size of a baseball. That had to be it! Karel looked at it appraisingly; it didn’t seem like much for all this fuss to guard it. She dropped the stone into her belt-pouch, and walked out of the temple.

When Karel reached her disabled ship, she saw a bright yellow space cab parked next to it. The cabby, a handsome young man in the standard green uniform of the space cabbies, leaned against the hood, reading the Sports section of Milky Way Today.

“Hello,” Karel called. “Thanks for getting here so quickly!”

The cabby put down his paper abruptly, and hurried to open the door for his fare. “All part of the service, ma’am!” as Karel got into the cab, the cabby looked at her closely. “Say… aren’t you Karel Sorenson, the intergalactic beauty queen?”

Karel laughed shortly. “Afraid so. Could you take me to Julian Pierce’s private asteroid, please? I have a stop to make there, before I call Amalgamated Astrovehicle Association to fix my ship.”

“You got it, Ms. Sorenson,” the space cabby said enthusiastically. “I can’t wait to tell the other cabbies I had Karel Sorenson in old #7433!”

Karel settled back against the seat and smiled. And wait until she told Rick and Homer that her ship was shot down by Adam Strange!

Neither Karel nor the cabby noticed, as they flew out of Melcor-78′s atmosphere, the small temple crumbling into the sand around it.

Part 10

Rick Purvis landed his spacecraft at the foot of a mountain on the surface of the planet Jaebrum. By Earth standards, it was a small mountain; but it was steep and smooth, and the climbing would not be easy. Rick smiled, looking forward to this test of his athletic abilities! The Mbula bird nested in the craggy peaks of these mountains, and to get its egg he would have to scale the mountain. Strapping magno-pitons to his legs and hefting a coil of titanium-link rope over his shoulder, Rick started up the mountain.

Halfway up, Rick heard a noise. He stopped, hugging the mountainside to hold his position. The Mbula bird was not the only Jaebrumite lifeform that frequented these mountains! There was also the creature that Terran xenozoologists had christened the Ursuleo, for its resemblance to a meld of two Terran creatures, the bear and the mountain lion. If Rick met one of those up here, it would take some fancy maneuvering to escape with his life!

Part 11

Rick held his position on the side of the mountain, waiting. He heard the low, rumbling growl of the Ursuleo. If he were going to out-maneuver it, he would have to wait for it to give away its position first. The growl echoed among the mountain so, he could not tell from the sound. Gingerly, his fingers opened the flap of the ray-pistol in his holster.

Suddenly, the huge shaggy creature sprung from a cave hidden in the mountain face. Rick started in surprise, sending his ray-pistol tumbling down the mountainside. The Ursuleo bounded toward him, its sharp thick claws biting toe-holds into the smooth rock. Rick executed an acrobatic flip, sending himself high into the air. The Ursuleo charged right through the space where he had been, and braked itself several yards away. Rick came down feet-first, his magno-pitons catching hold on the mountainside. Luckily the mountains of Jaebrum were rich in iron ore!

But luck was not with the lone Star Rover that day. A chunk of the mountain, loosened by the bite of the Ursuleo’s claws, gave way under Rick’s foot. He lost his footing, and held to the mountain by one leg. As he struggled to regain his balance, the Ursuleo charged again.

Part 12

Rick tensed, waiting for the Ursuleo to strike. Suddenly, a golden beam of light lanced down from above. It struck the mountainside directly in front of the Ursuleo, sending up a shower of sparks. The creature turned and bolted, terrified by the incandescent display.

Rick righted himself and looked up. He saw a white-haired man in climbing gear smiling down at him, holding a smoking ray-pistol.

“Hi there,” the man called down. “You looking for a Mbula egg, too?”

“Sure am,” Rick called up. “Thanks for the save. My name’s Rick Purvis, by the way.”

The old man did a double-take. “The famous athlete? One of the three they call the Star Rovers?”

“That’s me,” Rick said, climbing to where the old man stood. “Can I know who saved my butt?”

“The name’s Hawkins. Star Hawkins,” the old man said, extending a hand for Rick to shake.

“Star Hawkins — I’ve heard of you!” Rick said. “You were one of the pioneers of robot rights, fifty years ago!”

“That’s me,” Hawkins smiled, shaking Rick’s hand. “Used to be a fairly good ‘private eye’, too. I’m retired now. I entered this scavenger hunt on a lark. Guess you did, too.”

“Looks like you beat me to the eggs, though,” Rick said. “I can’t complain about it, under the circumstances!”

Hawkins laughed. “There’s a good nest up there; ought to be enough eggs for both of us!”

Part 13

“Sure you don’t mind stopping off at Julian Pierce’s asteroid before I drop you at a space station?” Homer Glint asked his passenger.

“Mind?” Space Ranger asked. “If not for you, I’d still be trapped in my ship under a ton of purple water! Besides, I’d like to meet the illustrious Mr. Pierce.”

“Hey, there’s Rick’s ship!” Homer said, pointing to his viewscreen. “Let me see if I can establish contact. Rick!”

The handsome young athlete’s face flickered into view on the commscreen. “Hi, Homer! Say, you’ve got a passenger! Is that–?”

“Space Ranger, none other,” Homer beamed. “He got into a little scrape on Paav; I helped him out of it.”

“Good deal!” Rick said. “It’ll be an honor to meet you, Space Ranger!”

“You can call me Ranger,” the hero chuckled.

“I’m bringing a guest along, too,” Rick said. “Remember Star Hawkins, the private eye and robots’ rights activist? He’s right behind me in his ship. He’s on the hunt, too. He saved my bacon on Jaebrum, and we each got an egg.”

“Bad pun, Rick,” Karel Sorenson’s musical voice chimed in. The two male Star Rovers saw her lovely face on their commscreens.

“Karel! I didn’t see your ship’s energy-trail,” Rick said.

“And you may not, for awhile,” Karel said. “My ship got damaged on Melcor-78; you’ll never believe how! I’m in a space cab right behind you boys. Luckily they have a full comm-console in the back!”

“Oh, hey, I see you!” Homer said. “Looks like we’ll all get to Pierce’s asteroid together!”

“Looks like,” Rick agreed.

And on that asteroid, in the silence of a palatial home, an old man patiently waited…

Part 14

After the four spacecraft landed on the small asteroid, the occupants exchanged greetings. A couple of autographs were signed. The ships were parked in front of a large home, built on the lines of a castle of medieval Earth.

The Star Rovers, Space Ranger, and Star Hawkins and his robot aide Ilda entered the home. The space cabby stayed with his cab; they also serve who only stand and wait, with the meter running, he had joked. Rick and Star each had a Mbula egg; Homer, the flaming seashell in the glassium box; and Karel, the blue stone in her bag.

At the front door of the castle-like home, Rick pressed a button on a vidicom device. The screen flickered into full color, showing the wizened face of a man who looked many years older than Star Hawkins (who was nearing eighty).

“Mr. Pierce?” Rick asked. “We’re contestants in your scavenger hunt. We’ve come to drop off some items.”

“Do come in,” the old man’s wheezy voice said. The door slid into the wall, allowing them entrance.

“How old would you say he is?” Homer asked.

“Well, he can obviously afford rejuv treatments, like I got,” Star Hawkins said. “But they only do so much. I’d put him at a hundred if he’s a day.”

Part 15

The star-hopping adventurers walked down a long hallway in the palatial home. Karel joked as they walked.

“Why do I feel like Dorothy, going to see the Wizard of Oz?” she asked.

“Who?” Space Ranger asked, genuinely confused.

“An old movie; 2D, in fact,” Rick commented. “Karel’s a real history buff.”

“I’ll say she is,” Homer chimed in. “You know, her real name is Mary Smith. ‘Karel Sorenson’ is a stage name she chose when she entered beauty contests, based on an obscure 21st Century adventurer.”

“20th,” Karel corrected. “Late 20th. Hey, that looks like a parlor.”

The Star Rovers, Space Ranger, Cryll, Star Hawkins, and Ilda entered a room furnished like an early-20th Century parlor. Karel marveled at the detail therein.

An old man sat in a large chair in the center of the room. The old man from the vidscreen.

“What do you have for me?” he asked, in his wheezy voice.

“I’ve got the flaming seashell,” Homer said, holding out the glassium box.

“And I’ve got the Blue Stone,” Karel said, opening her bag. A faint blue glow pulsed from within the bag.

“The stone!” the old man shouted, suddenly no longer weak and wheezy. Springing like a cobra, he leapt forward and snatched the bag from Karel.

“Hey!” Karel shouted. “What’s going on?”

But the only answer she had was the sight of the old man enveloped by the blue glow. It grew from the stone, enveloping him like a thing alive. As the adventurers watched, the glow took on a definite shape… a humanoid shape.

“At last!” a voice boomed in a sound that was not a voice. It was a roll of thunder, a howl of gale force wind, the explosion of a sun going nova.

Part 16

The space adventurers watched as the blue nimbus became a fully detailed humanoid shape. It covered Julian Pierce’s body completely, like a suit. When the nimbus moved an arm, Pierce moved an arm; it moved him like a marionette. Pierce’s eyes were open and glazed, his mouth slack; the blue nimbus’ face changed expression as it revelled in having form.

“My thanks for restoring me to complete form,” it said in the rolling-thunder voice. “After so long, so very long, I am whole again!”

“Who are you?” Space Ranger demanded. “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Who am I?” the blue glow asked. “It has been so long, even I do not remember my real name. I called myself Libra when I battled the League of Justice… Lord, it was over a hundred and fifty years ago!”

Karel gasped. She had read of that battle! Could this truly be he?

“The battle ended with my consciousness being dissipated, spread out all over the universe. It took me a century and half again to pull my thoughts back together. Even then, I had no form, no solidity. All I could do was possess a human body, one weak and frail enough that I could overwhelm him. Julian Pierce was such a one. But I still craved power! And I knew how to get it! In the moments before my dissipation, I learned all the secrets of the universe; I learned of the vanished civilization on the planet they called Orgo, and which Earthmen now call Melcor-78. I learned of the artifact of great power that they left behind! I conceived of the scavenger hunt, to get that object of power to me! And now that it has, the universe shall be mine!”

Part 17

The space adventurers were awed by Libra’s words for a moment. The Space Ranger was first to act, drawing his gun and firing. The others quickly followed his lead, but all their energy-blasts struck the blue aura without noticable effect.

Libra laughed, a laugh that boomed like an exploding nova. “Little fleas, you think to sting Libra! Away with you all!”

The glowing blue being waved its arm dismissively; puppetlike, Pierce’s arm waved also. A wave of pure force struck the starhoppers, bowling them over like tenpins.

“I no longer need this house; a god does not skulk indoors! Let it be gone!” Libra boomed. A blast of azure energy erupted upward from his shoulders, and the entire top of the house disintegrated in its wake like dust. The blue energy-form of Libra grew, towering above the ruined house like a colossus. Pierce’s body, still its normal size, hung suspended in the center of the glowing blue giant, limbs still moving in time with Libra’s.

“This could turn out to be a tough one,” Space Ranger muttered under his breath.

Part 18

The Star Rovers, Space Ranger, and Star Hawkins stared up at the glowing blue giant that was Libra. He was now a hundred feet tall, and everything in sight was bathed in the blue glow of his energy-form.

“Any ideas, anybody?” Star Hawkins asked.

“I’ve got one,” Karel said. “We’ll need to distract his attention, though!”

“And how do you propose we do that?” Space Ranger asked.

“Hey — I think it’s being done for us!” Rick said, pointing into the sky. “Look!”

They looked. Something was flying straight at Libra’s giant glowing head. It was the space cab! The space adventurers watched, impressed, as the cab went through dazzling aerobatic maneuvers, “buzzing” Libra’s head and darting away. Enraged, Libra forgot that he could destroy the space cab with a thought, and grabbed at it with his massive blue hands. Pierce’s body moved in morbid pantomime of the actions.

Part 19

“Is that enough of a distraction, Karel?” Rick asked.

“No,” Karel said, thoughtfully. “He’s distracted, all right, but he’s still concentrating enough on maintaining his aura-field! I need more!”

“You’ve got it, Miss Karel,” Cryll said. In a twinkling he turned into a Vegan reptidor, a lizardlike flying creature, and took off for Libra’s head.

Space Ranger quickly followed his longtime friend, activating his flight-belt. Star Hawkin’s robot companion, Ilda II, launched herself into the sky with her foot-jets. Rick, Homer, and Star launched an attack from the ground, scattering across the grounds and firing their laser-pistols from three different angles.

Libra growled with rage, confronted by the mass attacks from the puny creatures. He returned the attack with blasts of energy that his foes narrowly evaded. As his rage mounted, his bright blue aura grew lighter, more transparent. Finally, it was little more than an azure shimmer.

“Now!” Karel cried. Steadying her pistol across her left wrist, she took aim and fired.

Part 20

Libra was so distracted, spreading his power in so many directions at once, Karel’s laser cut right through his aura. True to the mark, the beam sped right to Karel’s intended target: the Blue Stone of Baradhi, still clutched in Julian Pierce’s lifeless hand.

“No!” Libra screamed in a voice like a dying star, as the stone shattered. The tiny explosion was mirrored by a larger one as Libra’s energy form splintered into a million tiny lances of blue light, traveling in all directions at once.

“Let’s hope it’s at least another 150 years before he pulls himself together again,” Karel said grimly.

When it was all over, the space adventurers gathered at their vehicles.

“That was some really fancy flying,” Rick Purvis said to the space cabby. “Where did you learn that?”

The Space Cabby smiled and doffed his cap. Rick saw the VAW badge pinned inside, and returned the smile.

The friends, new and old, said their goodbyes and went their separate ways. Soon only the Star Rovers, and Space Ranger and Cryll, were left on the planet.

“I never did tell you how my ship got damaged,” Karel said. “You’ll never believe this; Adam Strange appeared out of nowhere, gunned me down, and vanished again!”

“Oh, right, Karel,” Rick chided. “Was the Justice League with him?”

“No, really!” Karel insisted. “I was flying along, looking for the temple, when suddenly…”