MVOTHT Ch 10



Lieutenant Melberg watched the Vacu Game. He knew that as strictly against regulations, but what could possibly happen? The Computronic watched the prisoners, the Prisoners had no possible way of escaping. Who could they run to even if they did make it out of their cells? There was nothing around the Station for light years and no ship that could be stolen. A GalCom technician had called in an hour ago to fix some of their Buoys a few light minutes out. He checked his instruments and saw the ship already leaving and going Trans Light. The Midway Basher finally scored and pulled even with the Saran Satans. Melberg was at the edge of his seat, Midfloater Gorgenson fired the ball, Henley the Rear Sphere guard managed to get his net around it before the opposite Defense Guard could. Henley just got traded from the Nolight Knights and everyone wondered if he was ready to play with the team, and ready he was! In one fluid move he loaded the ball gun, kicked himself of a Saran Devil and fired. Right across the up field between the force field hazards...his aim was true and ... Score! Melberg could no longer simply sit down. The Midway bashers now one score ahead. If they could simply keep it they would be still in the finals and of course meet the Terran Terrors again and this time they had Henley. He already saw himself going to the Endgame of this season. He completely overheard and overlooked the Computronic status control. the Station System was offline. Lieutenant Fredericks came into the Command Center, to see why Melberg was running a Computronic maintenance program. It was neither scheduled nor the backup was online. He saw Melberg watching the game and at first wanted to say something but he heard him scream and looked over his colleagues shoulder to witness another score of the Midway Bashers. The reporter and Melberg went nuts and Fredericks got caught in the moment and watched too. Twenty minutes later, the game was over with a solid win of the Midway Bashers. Melberg raised his Can Cooler in Team colors and said:" Next stop Finals! We're going to win you know! We're going to take the trophy this year!" "Well I wouldn't count the Terran Terrors out and then there are the Nolight Knights." "They don't stand a chance. Did you see Henley and Gorgenson play together, six scores in twenty minutes, that's new last quarter record." "Actually I came up to ask you about the Computronic. Why is it in deep maintenance? Aren't we supposed to wait for Compu Maintenance for that, and besides the back Up should run while you doing that!" Melberg got a strange feeling in his stomach as he deactivated the TransDim screen and checked on the Computronic." I haven't set it to Maintenance. I didn't even check it when I came on." Fredericks reached across and switched the Back Up Computronic on. The secondary system came up, checked the Station and prisoner status and stated with mechanical voice while red lights started blinking, Prisoner 41, 74 ,75 and 67 are not in the holding area." Lt. Commander Fleming, the Stations CO came running only wearing boxer shorts. " What in blazes name is going on?" Melberg said meekly." Sir we are missing four prisoners!" Fleming looked over the status board and said." I can't find Corporal Moons. I thought he is on duty for that section?" The Computronic responded." Corporal Moons is not aboard this station." Fleming gave Station alert and the entire construct was searched. Neither Moons no the four prisoners could be found. However four Space suits and a work drone were missing. A detail scan of the space around the base found a biomass of humanoid size and after they got a visual they had at least found Corporal Moon, floating bloated and frozen in deep space. It took them another three hours to figure out what exactly happened. With a feeling of impending doom did he make a TransDim Call to Sector Command and told the responding Officer." Fort Benning, Lt Commander Fleming reporting. We have a break out and escape! Three prisoners managed to capture a civilian space ship and are on the loose. Prisoners Evok Stalman, Nator Meateater, Calvin Five and Alvin Stone have escaped current whereabouts unknown. The Service ship they captured could make it to three bases. Midway, BeforeCenter and Overthehill as well as several Space Villages." The last name raised a special alarm at NELSON and the Omnitronic transferred the report directly to Fleet Command.