20th June
‘Don’t these things ever need refuelling?’ I said to Helen as Starcruiser One passed from the shadow of the Earth into sunshine over the Pacific.
‘It has some kind of atomic propulsion system,’ she replied. ‘It’ll keep going for a few years.’
Through a new window in the ceiling of the craft, I could see the stars. Although we had flown into day, a height of seventy kilometres meant that there was little remaining atmosphere to block our view of space.
I felt the starcruiser gently decelerate. The Earth below us continued to move, but the sky above became stationary. The constellation of Orion shone clearly overhead.
‘Contact the Resolution please, Wendy,’ said Helen.
‘Hello, Helen.’ Vladimir’s voice sounded in the cockpit.
‘We’re in position,’ said Helen.
‘OK,’ said Vladimir,’ ‘ask Wendy to conduct test one.’
‘Wendy,’ said Helen, ‘please conduct test one.’
‘Yes, Commander,’ Wendy replied.
We sat in silence for five minutes until Wendy spoke again: ‘The simulation was ineffective,’ Wendy said. ‘It would not be possible for this starcruiser to direct missiles from their silos to coordinates within Orion.’
‘Shit,’ said Vladimir. ‘That means that we can’t use a starcruiser as a launch base for the missiles. Ask Wendy to continue with test two.’
‘Take us to the agreed position over the south of England please, Wendy,’ said Helen.
I felt the craft gradually accelerate.
‘We will be over the south of England in forty minutes,’ Wendy said.
‘Mr. Morrison.’ Wendy addressed me when the sense of acceleration had ceased and I guessed that we were at cruising speed.
‘Yes, Wendy,’ I replied.
‘Commander Hargreaves is in complete command of this starcruiser,’ Wendy added.
‘Yes,’ I said quizzically, ‘why are you telling me that?’
‘I am instructed to inform you,’ Wendy continued, ‘that if you have not assisted Commander Hargreaves to a satisfactory orgasm before we arrive over southern England, you will be ejected from this craft.’
I looked towards Helen, who had just unrolled a foam mattress and laid it upon the floor of the starcruiser.
~*~*~*~*~
‘We are in a geostationary orbit over southern England, and it is two o’clock in the morning local time,’ Wendy announced, forty minutes later. ‘Did you experience a satisfactory orgasm, Commander?’
‘It was OK,’ said Helen with a slight frown on her face. ‘I want a much more intense experience on the way back to the Resolution or Mr. Morrison can leave the craft over the Atlantic!’ Helen briefly paused to tuck her top into her trousers and tidy her hair. ‘Conduct test two please, Wendy.’
‘Yes, Commander,’ Wendy responded.
Two minutes passed.
‘I have results from test two,’ Wendy announced.
‘Contact the Resolution please, Wendy,’ said Helen.
‘Hello, it’s Vladimir.’ A voice came from the Resolution.
‘Wendy has results from test two,’ said Helen. ‘Wendy, please report your results.’
‘We are approximately at the position from which this craft launched the CMW at the home of Mr. Sam Collins,’ said Wendy. ‘Comparing the required weapon trajectory data to that stored from the actual strike, the targeting would have had to have been controlled from onboard this craft.’
‘That means that the attack was instigated by the pilot and not by either a pre-programmed attack plan or remote instructions,’ Vladimir surmised.
‘That is correct,’ Wendy replied.
‘Who was the pilot?’ Helen asked.
‘Flight lieutenant Carl Rodriguez,’ said Wendy.
‘We’ll get onto that,’ said Vladimir, signing off.
‘OK, Wendy, let’s try test three,’ said Helen.
‘I didn’t know there was a third test,’ I said, feeling just slightly apprehensive.
‘It’s just something that crossed my mind when I first flew in Starcruiser Two,’ Helen replied. ‘The charged beams that this craft uses as weapons are like lasers, so they are equally effective over long distances – even the seventy kilometres between here and the ground.’
‘So, what have you got in mind?’ I asked.
‘Wendy,’ said Helen, ‘target the fields near Avebury that we identified on the map yesterday.’
‘Crop circles,’ I guessed, smiling. ‘Have you programmed Wendy with a design?’
‘Not exactly,’ Helen replied. ‘Wendy, check for aircraft, vehicles, people or anything else in the beam paths please. If all is clear, execute the pattern.’
I saw four blue beams, glowing like florescent strings and leading from the starcruiser into the darkness below.
‘Pattern complete,’ Wendy shortly confirmed.
‘What have you drawn?’ I asked.
‘Wendy, please image the pattern in infra-red and display the picture in the cockpit.’
A holographic screen appeared in front of us on which an image appeared.
The lights of Avebury could be seen, illuminating roads and houses – and providing a sense of scale.
Enormous letters were visible, written across seven nearby fields:
I read the poem:
WE THOUGHT WE SHOULD REVEAL OURSELVES, AT LAST
REGRETTING MYSTIC CROP MARKS OF THE PAST
NOW WE THINK ABOUT IT SLIGHTLY MORE
WE SHOULD HAVE WROTE IN ENGLISH LONG BEFORE
FROM FAR AWAY IN DEEPEST SPACE WE HAIL
BUT SOMETIMES EVEN OUR GREAT SPACESHIPS FAIL
AT ROSWELL AND MORE SITES WE MADE SOME HASHS
RESULTING IN SOME UN-FOR-TU-NATE CRASHES
YOU TOOK OUR CRAFT – TECHNOLOGY TO LEARN
ALL THAT WE NOW WANT IS THEIR RETURN
WE HOPE THEY WILL COME BACK TO US FROM YOU
ABDUCTIONS WILL GO ON UNTIL THEY DO!
I laughed. ‘Brilliant,’ I said, ‘I didn’t know you were a poet.’ I paused to reflect that this prank was going to produce considerable media interest. ‘I guess, given current circumstances, you can get away with more or less what you like.’
‘I think so,’ laughed Helen mischievously. ‘We may as well have some fun if we’re on our way to Armageddon. I couldn’t resist this idea when we agreed to make the test flight, tonight – of all nights.’
‘What’s special about tonight?’ I asked.
‘It’s the mid-summer solstice.’
Helen became somewhat serious once more. I sensed there was more scheming ahead.
‘OK, Wendy,’ she continued, ‘let’s move on to test four, but increase the required number to two.’
‘Test four?’ I questioned, distracted from the crop message.
‘That is another test for you, Mr. Morrison,’ Wendy explained. ‘It will take ninety minutes to return to the Resolution. Commander Hargreaves will require two extremely enjoyable orgasms within that period if you wish to remain on board for the entire journey.’
Helen lay down on the mattress. ‘Come on,’ she said sternly, ‘you’ve got no time to lose.’