Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Space opera ... men's adventure?

   This week's Flash Fiction Challenge involves smashing two unrelated genres together.  Using the recommended random number generator, I got the numbers 1 and 5: Men's Adventure and Space Opera.  Being completely unfamiliar with either genre, I had to do a little homework on them before I could squeeze this out of my noggin.  As just about anyone venturing for the first time into a middle-Eastern buffet would say, "I hope this comes out OK."

 
Fantastic Journey Into Flumboskat

   Chet Johnson was a specimen of a man.  He was the most decorated Navy Seal in U.S. history.  
   He had just finished an important, top-secret mission, and he was getting ready to enjoy a much-deserved vacation in the Hawaiian Islands.
   Staring at his reflection in the mirror, Chet checked out his chiseled jaw from every angle, and plucked out a rogue hair peeking out of his left nostril.
   Suddenly, the doorbell rang.  A mailman waited at the door with a certified letter.
   "Looks like my vacation's gonna have to wait," Chet sighed as he read the letter.  It gave specific instructions on when and where to go for his next assignment. 
   15:15 Hours, Tuesday, June 12, at an abandoned bus station
   Chet arrived, early as usual in his perfectly-pressed uniform.  He scanned the area, looking for any sign of life.  For a second, he wondered if this was some sort of practical joke.
   Right at 15:32 hours, a uniformed man suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
   Chet snapped into a salute.  "Officer Chet Johnson, reporting for duty, sir!"
   "I'm Chief Officer Conner.  I'm from the future, and I'm recruiting you for a rescue mission.  In my time, we are on the verge of a major war with planet Flumboskat.  That planet's entire economy is based on the  largest interplanetary trafficking operation we have ever encountered.  Women are being abducted from every planet and forced into prostitution.
   "We have an officer who is being held hostage there -- Officer Vanessa Luskin is the niece of Earth's planetary president, so this mission is of top priority."
   Chief Officer Connor retrieved a small remote from his pocket and pressed a button, disabling a cloaking device.  A sleek, blue-and-silver chrome ship appeared, and he opened the door with his remote.  They entered, and strapped themselves in.
   After weeks of preparation, it was time to set out.  Armed with the finest military weaponry, Chet and his team of highly-trained soldiers flew under the cloak of night to Flumboskat.
   Intel had determined the exact holding spot where Luskin was kept.  Chet knew the weak spots of the compound, and his night-vision goggles showed the guards' posts.  One by one, they dropped like flies as Chet and his team fired their stealth guns.
   Once inside, a giant flengowchi monster kept watch over the main door.  The hulking creature resembled an enormous warthog.  It roared at the intruders, trying to gore them with its tusks.
   The soldiers ran to every corner of the compound, as the flengowchi went on a killing spree, stomping, biting, and goring the men to death.  Chet made a dash for the door, when the flengowchi began charging straight for him.
   "Over here, motherfucker!"  Rick, one of the best soldiers on Chet's team, threw rocks at the monster to distract him.  Chet ran inside as he heard Rick's blood-piercing screams.   He shuddered as he realized no one else from his team was left.
   Fueled by adrenaline, Chet went through the compound with expert speed, killing the rebel soldiers left and right, until the entire building was secure.  He found the control room, and opened all the doors that imprisoned the women there.  He called Chief Officer Connor.
   "We're in the clear, except for one beast of a motherfucker outside!  The flengowchi killed every last one of my men.  We're going to need reinforcements to help get out of here!"
   Chet looked through the crowd of brutalized women as they flowed toward the front of the compound. Some were human, some were from other planets, but they all had a worn, emaciated look about them.  Suddenly, he found her.
   Vanessa Luskin was chained to the wall.  Tears streamed down her face when she saw him.
   "Please, get me out of here!"
   He used his laser gun on low heat to carefully melt the shackles off of her, then cradled her in his arms.  She buried her face in his neck and cried as he lifted her and carried her to the door.
   Outside, the rescue shuttle had arrived, and some soldiers trying to kill the monster only served as a distraction while the others ushered the women to the spaceship.
   "We're going to have to risk this to get to safety," Chet said to Vanessa.  "Can you walk?"
   Vanessa showed Chet where the rebels had crushed the bones of her ankles.
   "I'm so sorry," Chet whispered as Vanessa cried into his neck.  He peered outside to see the flengowchi destroying every soldier who tried to face it.
   "We can't wait any longer.  We have to go," Chet shouted.  He dashed off with Vanessa draped over his shoulders.  The monster charged toward him.
   It swung its massive paw at him, knocking him and Vanessa to the ground.  He and Luskin crawled backward as the flengowchi loomed over them, trying to decide which one to eat first.
   It went for the meatiest one first.  Lunging at Chet, the monster took him in its mouth.  Chet kicked the roof of its mouth, and it screamed, then snapped as it released Chet.  A laser went straight into its left eye, blinding it.  Chet looked behind him to see Vanessa firing away at the monster.  He then looked down to see a bloody stump where his right foot once was.  A darkness took over, and he passed out.
   15:33 Hours, Tuesday, June 12, at an abandoned bus station
   Chet and Vanessa suddenly appeared at the same station in 2013.  They had both received awards and accolades for their service, and were honorably discharged for the wounds they received while in service.  The government determined the safest place for Vanessa was back in Chet's time, to which neither of them objected.  The two had been inseparable during their recovery, learning together how to walk again using prosthetic limbs.
   The government demonstrated its gratitude for Chet and Vanessa's bravery in service with a substantial retirement fund, enough for the two to enjoy a comfortable life for the rest of their days.
 




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