The Cagliostro Chronicles II: Conflagration by Ralph L. Angelo Jr. Page B

where the Cagliostro was hidden. The ‘ Grazer limped badly through the sky, still invisible but streaming a burning trail of oxygen from the ruptured hull. Further it was re-entering the atmosphere without its shields and the interior was getting decidedly hot.
    “ Cagliostro , this is Stargrazer . I’m coming in hot and out of control. I have a hull breach and I’m losin’ oxygen fast. The ‘ Grazer is badly damaged. Repeat, I’m coming in hot Cagliostro , do you copy? Cagliostro , do you copy?”

     

Chapter 13
     
     
     
     
    “Mark, ” Shouted Lilly Wallflower, “the Stargrazer just went down!”
    “What? Where?” Mark jumped from his command chair and hurried to Lilly’s console.
    “Right here, about five miles from us .”
    “Ari-, I mean Miss- Lilly, Lilly was there any communication from him?”
    “No, but his comm may be down .”
    “Shuttles two and three get to the Stargrazer immediately. Medical staff on two and security team, heavily armed, on three. Get Eddie and bring him back here.”
    “I’m going , too,” Red’s voice announced over the comm.
    “I’m not going to argue. G o,” Mark agreed.
    “What about the ‘ Grazer ?” Red inquired as an afterthought.
    “If you can’t tow it back here , scuttle it completely. I don’t want the Agalum getting their hands on any part of it. Shuttle three is on its way to pick up you and your men, Red.”
    “Good, we’re done here. Come and get us.”
    Mark turned toward Lilly Wallflower. “Get Mr. Marek up here and on the security console.”
    She nodded. “Will do, Sir.”
    “In the meantime you scan for enemy vessels heading toward Eddie.”
    Lilly Wallflower nodded nervously and turned away.
     
    ***
     
    The two small shuttles streaked across the alien sky from opposite directions, both in camouflage mode, both undetectable. Less than a minute later they converged and landed in a smoking, ruined tract of forest. There were downed trees and fires burned across the area freely. The Stargrazer sat smoldering at the end of a half mile long tract of devastation.
    Red was out of Shuttle three at a run, followed by a dozen of his security men. Hot on his heels from Shuttle two was a medical team led by Dr. Troiano herself.
    “Good lord, the ‘ Grazer ’s been through one hell of a battle,” Red growled, “Eddie! We’re comin’ for ya bud, hang on!”
    He worked the hatch controls to the right of the doorway and the door slid open slowly. Inside everything was askew. Seats were broken off of their mounts to the ship’s hull, and control panels smoked.
    “Where’s Eddie?” Red barked.
    In reply a moan issued from under a console along the ship ’s front wall.
    “I’ve got it ,” Troiano shouted, getting ahead of Red with two of her medics.
    “ Ooohh,” the voice under the console moaned once again.
    Medics pulled away the debris and removed Eddie carefully from under the console once Troiano checked him to her satisfaction. The medics placed him on an anti-grav gurney, and headed toward the shuttle they had landed in.
    “Get him to the shuttle quickly. I want him under a med scanner as soon as possible.”
    “All right , Doctor,” one of the medical staff concurred, holding the anti-grav gurney with another medic. The two men walked the barely conscious Eddie to the shuttle with Troiano right behind them. “Red, we’re heading back to the Cag immediately.”
    “Go , Doc, don’t worry about us. Get Eddie stabilized.”
    Red turned to his people. “Get out the anti-grav lifts and get them attached to the hull. I don’t want to give up this ship. The Stargrazer has been great to us for the past two years.”
    The men began to work immediately, setting up the two anti-grav discs and attaching them to the ship’s hull.
    “They’re attached , Red,” a man named Barker informed him when the work was done.
    “Good let’s get the Stargrazer out of here, and let’s all get back to the Cag .”
    Moments later the shuttle