Angelika Queen Of Mars

Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen Science Fiction In Real Life

Everybody quickly rushed outside to have a look. The sky was heavily overcast so nothing could be seen, however they could all hear the craft coming in. Mokora tried to guess what it was by the engine signature, but her father calmly stated.

"It's a scout ship probably a Pulsar." A few moments later they could hear the door open and a ramp come down then voices. Dori squealed, and rushed out on the snow crying,

"Angelika! Is that you?" Jeff and Gerry just stood on the porch shaking their heads at what was taking place around them, Jake wasn't kidding; this wasn't anything like they figured.

When the crew appeared out of the dark Dori and Angelika were laughing and chattering away, Jake smiled and went to greet her.

"I heard you got promoted," he said, "What brings you back here?"

First on the agenda was a round of introductions with both Jeff and Gerry chuckling,

"Hey you're that chick who lives on Mars." Angelika shot them a glare,

"Yes, and don't you forget it, who are these two?"

"Friends of mine," replied Jake, "We're working with Branak on a marine training program. Shrugging, she then exchanged salutes with Robarik and Mokora.

"Commander, we are certainly glad you showed up in our greatest need," said Robarik.

"Well we got just the tail end of a message concerning Falthians here on Kagor; we're in the "neighborhood," so I thought I'd better check." Jake and Robarik proceeded to fill her in on the problem with their ship.

"Well I can run you back to Hyach 3, but you'll have to wait for someone to pick you up there, we're on a six dorn mission to map and explore this galaxy. Jake, it sounds like you and Dori had other plans anyway, so I'll leave you here but I'll let them know back on Hyach 3 so your friends on Falth are alerted." Then looking at Branak, she asked,

"So what are your plans Branak?"

"At first I thought of staying here, but now it looks like there's not much I can do right now, Jake and his men are going to work on a training program. I think the best plan is to return with the Draaka's get hold of my friends, and go from there."

Jake then invited the new arrivals to have seats at the table while he put on a pot of fresh coffee. Dori sat down next to Angelika and began to explain to her about the note she wrote to the motel owners. Jake wasn't so sure telling Angelika all this was such a good idea, if for no other reason than she had other priorities now and probably didn't care.

"Well where is this place?" asked Angelika, Jake showed her on a road atlas and tried to give the impression that it was a long way from here.

Angelika chuckled, then said,

"That was sweet of you two, say, we're not in that big of a hurry," then glaring at Jeff and Gerry again she added,

"After all I AM Queen of Mars. Come on everybody, let's run up there, I'll make a personal appearance and really shake them up." Captain Yarod was thinking like Jake and tried to dissuade her.

"Now don't start getting "stuffy" on me captain, I've been wanting to try out one of those land speeders, after all we took a training class on how to operate them this looks like a perfect opportunity to try them out." She then looked at Jeff and Gerry again and said,

"You two come as well, I'll show you how the "Queen of Mars," has fun." After everyone finished their coffee, commander Armun led everybody out to the spacecraft.

As they walked she said to Jake,

"Back on Grocyra, we had vehicles similar to these land speeders but definitely much harder to operate. The man in charge of the royal garage taught me how to drive one, until I wrecked it then he lost his job and I practically had to get down and lick my father's boots to re-hire him, those were the days though.

"So you're not really a queen anymore?" asked Gerry. Angelika sighed,

"What can I say, I made a career change…But who knows? Things may change again, but for now, I'm commander Armun to you earthling." This little "dig," stuck him as being "snippy" and she was beginning to irritate him.

"I'm sorry commander," he replied, "Jeff and I don't mean any disrespect, speaking for myself I think you're one tough lady, you certainly have everybody in NASA's shorts in a knot, you can't imagine all the sniping and bickering going on between that agency and congress who holds the purse strings. NASA is telling anyone that will listen,

"We could have had a manned flight to Mars five years ago had congress given us a decent budget." Congress blames it all on the president, then the press keeps asking just who you really are. They've always disliked anything to do with space all that money that could be better spent on feeding the rats and poor folk here at home." Angelika suddenly stopped and looked right into Gerry's face.

"How do you know so much about all of this?" He got right in her face as well and calmly replied,

"Because my uncle works for NASA at the Marshall space flight center in Huntsville Alabama commander, if you'd like to speak to someone who is one bitter man and lost a family because of it he's your guy." This took Angelika by complete surprise, Robarik as well.

"I'm sorry to hear that," she softly replied, "Perhaps for his sake and no doubt many like him I should stop needling this NASA."

"Oh no, don't do that commander," quickly replied Gerry, "I saw him just a couple of weeks ago, you can't know how happy that box of rocks you left on Devil's Tower made those guys, he and his buddies all feel that those broadcasts you made really did a lot of good, keep it up." Jeff then asked,

"Say, with all this chattering did we pass your ship?" Angelika and her crew just laughed ans she replied,

"Not at all earthling, watch your head, here we are." The ship was still in cloaked mode but only when they faced the open door did it become apparent that there was a ship sitting on the ground.

Entering the alien craft simply stunned both Jeff and Gerry, Jeff eased close to Jake and said,

"Thanks for thinking of us sir, you were right, this IS, something that comes maybe once in a lifetime, maybe several lifetimes."

Captain Yarod directed everyone to the jump seats that rose up from the floor, and how to buckle in, Robarik made it a point to sit next to Gerry.

"Did I hear you say that your uncle actually works for this NASA?"

"That's right," replied Gerry, "Eight more years and he retires, why, are you familiar with NASA?" Robarik smiled and replied,

"This is the agency charged with conducting your space program?" Gerry nodded,

"Yeah, they're the ones."

"Hmm," replied Robarik, "So what I told you and your friend earlier was wasted."

""Not at all sir," replied Gerry, "look, there's a million things swirling around in my head right now, mainly this business with Jake and that Branak fellow over there. As far as this tear-assing around in alien space ships goes I can't really get a handle on what's going on, then to think that for the past day or so I've been talking with actual by-god aliens just makes me want to duct tape my head. I don't know what to do, what to think anymore. My poor uncle and everyone he works with keeps beating their heads against a brick wall just trying to get a crappy space shuttle up in orbit, yet here am I flying in a damn UFO. By the way, were you the guys doing all of these over flights in the fifties and sixties?" Robarik needed more information on what the "fifties, and sixties were as well as what the term "UFO," stood for. When Gerry explained, he shook his head,

"It certainly wasn't us." Then when Gerry made reference to a "flying saucer," Robarik had him draw a sketch.

"Falth has certainly never had a craft looking anything like that, same goes for the Amulins as well." He then called commander Armun over and showed her the sketch Gerry had drawn.

"Nope," replied Angelika shaking her head,

"Even in our earliest days of spaceflight Grocyra never had anything as strange looking as that, where are the engine pods, or the thrusters?" All Gerry could do was throw up his hands,

"Well somebody was flying around in them. There are too many accounts not to have something even partially true, hell! One was supposed to have actually crashed in New Mexico back in the late forties." Robarik patted Gerry on his shoulder,

"I'm sorry Mr. Landecker; I don't know what to tell you. Believe me, if someone had flown in anything even remotely resembling anything like that we'd know about it."

By now, they were getting close to Judith Montana, so commander Armun called on Jake and Robarik to show captain Yarod where the potential landing site as well as Judith were. Between Robarik and captain Yarod the ship came down right near the center of that little canyon, the snow must have been fairly deep because the ship seemed to sink more than usual; however the landing gear could handle it. Before anyone went anywhere captain Yarod ran a full scan on the surrounding area finding no human presence.

"Let's break out the two land speeders," ordered commander Armun, "Jake, Dori, and you,"

"Gerald Landecker."

"Yes you, you're with me." Mokora offered to drive the second vehicle, so Jeff Dornan, and Branak rode in it. Angelika gave Mokora some rough instructions as to following or staying up with her. The land speeders looked roughly like 1960

Thunderbirds without wheels or a hood. The doors opened like bat-wings, so all a person had to do was to merely step out. There weren't any windows in these things either, once the doors closed, the whole front where the windshield should be suddenly changed to what you would see were you right there. Lights on the roof as well as on the front lit everything right up, you felt like you were sitting right out in the open.

"Now this is something different?" Said commander Armun this scanner puts you right in the middle of everything, I like this. She made sure Mokora could hear her as we headed out.

Inside, you heard nothing but little beeps, clicks, and warning devices, various colored flashing lights reflecting off Angelika and I. We took off across the snow covered meadow, Mokora's voice coming over the comm,

"Hey watch it you're really kicking up this snow back her, let me come up on your right."

"All right," replied Angelika, I'll back it off a little for you." She then said to me,

"Just touch anywhere in the screen you want us to go or need a better look, it will bring things up nice and close.'

Touching the scanner screen where I was pretty sure the river was I said,

"The river's just over here, we can drop down over it, stay with the river for just a moment, then swing off to the left, you'll have to pull up over the trees and keep in mind commander, some of them get pretty tall. Once we're over them off to the left here, is the main highway. Swing north and follow it right into Judith." So that's how we worked out navigation, we'd both watch the screen, I'd touch where I was sure we needed to go, the screen would enlarge it and sure enough, the river, or road, or whatever else we were looking for would suddenly appear, right in front of us. It was hard to get an exact idea of how fast we were traveling, I asked the commander, but she told me something that didn't make sense. Dropping down just above the river everything just started rushing up at once, I had to pay very close attention to what was coming up and call out to the commander as to where we needed to turn. Right after we shot up over the trees and then suddenly back down right on top of the highway I heard Gerry gasp.

"Are we having fun back there yet?" I asked. Dori just laughed, however Gerry replied,

"Just like that goddamned space mountain at Disney World."

"Be real careful here," I cautioned Angelika, "There could be vehicles on this road, and you won't see their taillights in time."

Suddenly, we lurched up and over what must have been a pick-up truck, coming back down on the snow covered road we continued north towards Judith. I pointed to where the little store was and pulled in a close-up so the commander could see where to turn. Alerting Mokora, if her intentions, we suddenly slowed our speed so that we slid right in beside the pumps in front of the store. Mokora pulled up on the left side of us chattering with Angelika all the way. Looking at the scanner screen I was glad there was very little traffic out on the road as we certainly didn't need an audience.

"I certainly hope they have decent coffee here," muttered Angelika, "Second officer Draaka, do you want any coffee?"

"Not right now commander."

"Suit yourself."

Gerry decided to stay in the speeder so it was just commander Armun, Dori, and I that went in. As I went in, I announced,

The queen of Mars liked your coffee so much she's back for more." The girl at the counter had a confused look on her face then spotted Dori. Thinking she was the queen of Mars the girl squealed,

"Ohmygod! You were with all those people that came in here a couple weeks ago!"

"She's not Angelika!" I quickly replied, "She is!" Realizing her mistake, the girl blushed and looked sheepish.

"What's your name young lady?" I asked.

"Beth Everett."

"Well Beth," I replied, "Do you have a camera handy?"

"Umm yeah, it's in my purse, I had it at my little cousins birthday today, yeah, here it is."

I then had her stand next to Angelika who was starting to get irritated.

"What are we doing here?" she asked.

"I'm going to have Dori take your picture standing with Beth here. Now Beth, just relax and realize your standing next to someone who's actually been on Mars, and no, she's not a Martian." Quickly showing Dori how to snap the photo, I suggested she take a couple more.

"Now Beth," I said, "get one of them blown up and framed and you can hang it right behind the register there. Now everyone who comes in will see you posing with Angelika." I quickly fixed six medium coffees with cream and tossed a ten dollar bill on the counter.

"Keep the change Beth," I said. Taking the camera, I added, "I'm going to set this camera down on that far pump out there Beth just so you don't try and get photo's of the queen's "touring" cars out here. Well everyone, we are dropping time, take your coffee and let's get out here."

"Just a moment Jake," said Angelika as she wrote something down on the back of a flyer and gave it to Beth.

"Basically this says "Good luck Beth, glad we could return…Angelika, The queen of Mars.

As the others were getting back in the speeder, I set the camera down on the gas pump, and jumped back into the speeder.

Just as I was looking up at the screen, I spotted a state police car slowing down up the street.

"I think we've been spotted, commander, let's get out of here." It took a moment for her to secure her coffee as these speeders didn't have cup holders, by now Beth had come out to retrieve her camera, the cop was now moving faster towards us with his lights flashing.

"What's going on?" called Mokora, "What is this vehicle with all the flashing lights?"

"It's a man you don't want to meet," I called back. "Just follow the commanders lead Mokora, as we make an orderly retreat back the way we came."

Angelika seemed rather nonchalant about the whole thing as she sipped on her coffee.

"You know, this really is good, thank you Jake and Dori, I'm rather glad we came here, we'll have to do this again sometime, although I'm afraid that might not be for several dorns." Since the roads were all snow covered the cop had to watch his speed as well as the white-out we were causing with the land-speeders.

On the way back south I told Angelika,

"I don't know when you'll be back this way commander, but I know of highways out in Nevada and Utah where we could "haul" like bats outta hell, and it's an area where people are always expecting to see UFO's anyway." Before jumping off the highway we overflew two cars. I've always wondered what the drivers thought, one moment lights are bearing down on them from the rear the next moment the vehicle is in front of them. Back out across the snowy meadows we honed in on the tracking beacon the Kor'Math was sending out. It didn't take long for the speeders to be secured, and the ship taking off back up into the night sky.