|
“Now, Jessica…” said Santa
soothingly, as he drew her in to a big hug, “I think I've dealt
with these scoundrels before. I gave them a good thrashing then
and I don't see why things will be any different this time. Don't
you fret, I'll be back to make my deliveries on time, you'll see.”
He kissed her on the forehead.
Santa waited on the outer rim of the
Giardinian system, a small star system only a few light years from
the Alpherian system. Ringlo fidgeted nervously in the co-pilot's
chair next to him. Most of the galactic sleighs had arrived already.
Santa looked out from his viewscreen. Hundreds of galactic sleighs,
all refitted to his specifications, hovered nearby. But would they
be enough? Holly and mistletoe! They would be, he swore.
As the last sleigh came in, Santa
addressed his men over the com system. “Listen up, boys. Our
scouts tell us the Enemy has set up a defensive ring of craft around
both planets. The magic shields we added to the sleighs will let
us avoid detection until we are in the star system itself. From
there it has to be a blitz, boys. We've got to keep them backpedaling
and not give them any room to recover. The main enemy force is on
Alpheria-2. They've established their base there in New Brooklyn,
Alpheria-2's greatest city. Two-thirds of our force will concentrate
on Alpheria-2. You and your group commanders know your assignments,
so let's get to it.” He paused a moment. “One more thing.
They've begun setting up slave labor camps on both planets.”
There were shouts of outrage over the com system. “I guess
there's no need to tell you boys that we cannot, must not fail.
Let the liberation of Alpheria begin!” There followed a great,
unified shout from all the Santas.
|
|
The people
of New Brooklyn stood about silently, herded together like animals
by their captors. Most were still in shock: their world had been swiftly
conquered and their lives, as they had known them, were over.
A woman, with eyes wide, looked up,
and elbowed a nearby comrade. “Look up there!” she hissed.
In the sky above them, strange lights danced about the heavens. As
more took notice, they began to ‘ooh’ and ‘ah,’
hope growing in their hearts again, for it was obvious that a great
battle was taking place over their heads.
“Be quiet, curs, lest we make an
example of one of you!” growled one of their captors, a tall,
angular creature shaped in a mockery of humanoid form, with long,
pointed ears and gray skin craggy as a granite wall. He and his brethren,
too, looked up at the sky, but there was fear in their hearts at what
they saw.
The orbital conflict went well for the
Santas. Catching the enemy off guard, the small fleet of sleighs hammered
at the opposing forces, never letting up. Though the Santas were outnumbered,
their magical ability to be in many places at once more than equaled
the odds. Magical Hearth-fire and Winter-chill shot from the sleighs,
breaking the dark magic defenses of the enemy and destroying their
crafts, for the Santa magic was God-given and more powerful than the
magic of Evil. But the battle would not be ended so quickly. The enemy's
leader, an ancient and dreadful creature, prepared a terrible counter-spell.
A sickly green flame shot from the surface of the planet and blanketed
the upper atmosphere where the battle took place. The sleighs lost
their propulsion systems and began to spiral down to the planet's
surface, but the spell was unable to destroy them due to their magical
shields. |
