Re: One Hell of a flying lesson.

Who: The "Cliche team", Jack
Where: Outside New Earth
When: Just after Jack opens fire
<Snip)
> "Sorry, Pete, it's my first time flying one of these things," Jack
> staggered, the ship jerking him hard left as he avoided fire.
>
> "Well, the good thing is that you've got the ship's attention and
> we can gun it for New Earth, assuming that whoever or whatever is
> aboard that ship didn't call for reinforcements," Marwood began
> turning the ship towards its destination. "I don't want to stay with
> these mor-er, delay the mission any further."
>
<Endsnip>
"Well then, get going. If I can't do any serious damage I can always
do what the rest of security do in dangerous situations." Jack said.
"What would that be?" Asked Nikola.
"Run away." Chorused everone else.
A salvo of rockets streamed past the starbug with the team in and
headed for the space eagle. They watched as Jack muttered something
like 'mirror, signal, manouver under his breath and heaved on the
joystick and then saw the ship flick sideways and was rocked by the
missiles exploding close by.
"Go Jay!" Shouted Pete, and the 'bug peeled away and resumed it's
course Earthwards.
"Damn this being noble lark," Jack thought, "always gets people into
trouble." Then he moved in closer to the warship and turned to the
mechanoid. "Teflon, could you take control and keep us circling?"
"Certainly Sir, but you wont learn anything if I do all the work now
will you." The mech replied and received a glare that could melt metal.
"I have only just learned to fly this thing, and badly at that. If
you don't want to visit Silicon Heaven just yet then fly the damned
ship!"
Teflon took over the flight systems and the green fighter wheeled
around the nose of the larger one expertly avoiding some more
missiles. Lasers raked it's hull and tore off sheets of JMC Green
painted metal, but the hull stayed intact. Jack perused the weapons
console like one looks at a menu, so much choice. He hit some glowing
buttons and all manner of objects left launch tubes, some of them
actually hitting the hulking craft and denting the metal. Others
sailed past and almost hit the fleeing starbug.
"Putting warning shots across it's bow?" Enquired the mechanoid.
"Nope, just missing." Was Phantom's humourless reply.
Suddenly he brightened as he came across a small joystick
with "LASER" written under it. After activating it, he waggled the
stick and watched as a targeting crosshair moved across the forward
screen. The large bulbous engines came into view as they drew close to
the rear of the ship and Jack hammered the fire button and weaved the
glowing cross back and forth over them. The laser lanced out and
scythed through them again an again. One by one, small explosions
marked the end of each engine.
"Bingo!" Exclaimed Jack. "Swing us round the front will you?"
His copilot did so and the eagle powered underneath the disabled
warship and slid round in front.
"You have lost. Cease fire at once." Jack broadcast to them.
---
"He going to be alright?" Said Nikola.
"Yeah, he's got a streak of luck in him a mile long." Said Marwood,
who stood and went to check on the antidote. The 'bug continued on
it's mercy voyage.
---
The eagle drifted in front of the larger ship awaiting a reponse.
Neither occupant was prepared for the attack that came, Jack thought
he'd won. A gatling gun on the front whirred into life and put
hundreds of slugs through the space eagle's own engines and they shut
down rather less spectacularly than the French ones but left them just
as stranded.
Jack emitted a defeated sigh of, "bugger," and slammed his fist into
the buttons. Rockets and lasers fired, most bouncing ineffectually of
the armoured hull, but one, by sheer luck, tore off the chunk of
machinary that controlled the French ship's weapons that had foolishly
been attached to the outside.
"Bonjour ami. Désolé à ce sujet." A thick accent came over the
crackling radio.
He didn't understand French, so hooked up the computer to the radio
and turned on the translator. 'Babelfish v5.1' scrolled across the
screen and a painfully British voice said.
"Hello friends. Sorry about that."
"Why attack us?" He asked them.
"We were a welcome party."
"Hmm. Some welcome.
"We apologise, a new crewman pressed the wrong button and the entire
ship malfunctioned."
"Well we're both stuck here until someone rescues us." Phantom
sighed.
And so many very long games of chess, noughts and crosses and other
mind numbing games were played to alleviate the boredom
<Tag whoever wants to rescue us!>