The Adventures of Captain Sparke

The Adventures of Captain Sparke - Episode 2: Reverse Thrust

Inspired by classic science fiction and the space opera serials of the 30's, 40's and 50's may we present to you The Adventures of Captain Sparke in serialized pulp form.

The gigantic space freighter Lancaster C42 is under attack, Space Pirates have set about ravaging its hull with laser fire. Trapped in the dead zone of space, far from home, with no hope of rescue, Captain Molokov has set the ship to glide as she attempts to defend the vital supplies destined for Mars whilst evacuating the crew. But rescue may arrive sooner than expected, as not so far away space pilot Captain Sparke has received the distress call and is pulsing through the starry night to the aid of the Lancaster.

But will he be in time?

The Spitfire Class Star Fighter "Argonaut" throttled through the starry vacuum, specs of light blurring to mere lines. A thin blue streak; the craft was designed for a crew of four, short and elegant, sweeping from three fins and two after burners at the rear into a streamlined glass dome. The lone pilot was laid at an acute angle, strapped in and immersed in the ships controls.

Captain Sparke controlled his craft with perfect precision, making minute adjustments to the flaps and fins as the craft pulsed on. The power system hummed manically, the type so old it was now illegal, an ion jump drive reactor, immensely unstable but highly efficient, resulting in speeds of up to 25 Light Cycles.

"Aux, give me more power." Called Sparke, slaloming his craft through a scattering of debris floating ahead.

"Let me do the calculations Sparky" replied the silky-smooth Queen's English voice of the AI unit in the ship. "Power System efficiency up by 10%, however that does put us near the red."

"As long as we're not in the red dude, we're cool" Replied Sparke, concentrating intensely, it was a job for 4 skilled crew members and here he was, the lone ranger. Wearing a red bomber jacket over a vacuum fitted black flight suit, Sparke was fully immersed in his craft's controls, his helmet reminiscent of those of the old fighter pilots with a Gold visor set just below his nose. He checked the radar display, using the various options on the visor. "Any reports on the shipping forecast?"

"Not as of yet, I believe we were the first to receive the message."

"First response, right..."

"Another call has just arrived on the same frequency." Interrupted the AI.

"Get it on speakers Aux."

The surround sound speaker system in cockpit crackled into life mid-way through a mayday message from, Sparke assumed, the source of the flare distress signal.

"...attack, I repeat under attack, carrying Mars bound supplies. We are in urgent need of assistance. Please respond. Mayday, Mayday."

The message continued to loop. A Lancaster under attack. The voice was female, calm or as calm as you would be with your ship was being blasted out of space. It couldn't be Junkers, the half mad junkie scavengers who ripped ships apart mid-flight for their valuable metal, Junkers jammed all transmissions. As for the Klong, it had been a long time since he'd heard of any Klong daring to enter the main Mars-Earth route. Pirates. It had to be. Sparke took a moment's thought as he mentally egged the craft on.

"Shall I assume we have reached the same conclusion Sparky?" Pondered Aux, his waveform pulsating green against a black background on a small screen by Captain Sparke's head.

"Pirates?" Replied Sparke.

"That was my hypothesis, yes."

"Right, okay dude, let's have the shields to max, weapons armed. Get the rescue broadcast transmitting." Instructed Captain Sparke, his hands darting across the control panel setting the craft to attack. He pushed the throttle on feeling the injection of pace, the various weapons arming and protruding from the ships sleek body. The stars flew past even faster, surely, he wouldn't take longer than 10 minutes?