Bodkins the Great

by Bill Bowler

conclusion

Bodkins was alone on the deck of the observation tower, pacing back and forth. Across the square, in the courtyard behind the Science Academy, the tip of the quark flusor antenna was glowing. The coordinates of the Galushian ship were targeted and the remote control handset of the quark flusor was in Bodkins’ hands.

Bodkins searched the sky above, trying to catch some glimpse of the ship, some glint of silver in the sky but the spacecraft, visible at night as a glowing spot, could not be seen in daylight.

The five revolution deadline had passed and the time had come for the Galushians to make good their ultimatum. Baldemar hoped they were bluffing. What had they to gain by attacking this ball of sand and rock? Nothing. If only they would listen to reason. But they had ignored all efforts to make contact and now the time had come. Bodkins waited for them to make their next move. He didn’t have to wait long.

A burst of light appeared from the mountains north of Bodkinville. The sound of a tremendous explosion rumbled across the sky. Bodkins felt the observation tower shake and saw a mushroom cloud rise on the northern horizon. Then to the east, a second burst of light, closer this time, and the rumble of the second explosion quickly reached Bodkins’ ears.

In the square below, a crowd was gathering. People were panicking. Shouts and screams could be heard as they ran blindly to and fro, trampling each other under foot. Only the Bodmoid guards stood passively, awaiting Bodkins’ mental commands.

These Galushians are not the greatest aim, are they, thought Bodkins. Or are they just toying with us, cat and mouse?

A third blast struck the surface in the direction of the original crash site. A wave of intense heat and dust swept through the city and across the square. The observation tower creaked and began to lean precariously.

Bodkins slipped on the tilting floor. He slid across and banged up against the low wall. His elbow struck the railing, pushing his thumb against the red button on the quark flusor remote control. Bodkins heard the fire button click down.

He climbed to his knees and looked across the smoke filled square towards the flusor antenna. Waves of power were undulating up the needle. Its tip was glowing, throbbing red, deep red, then white. Suddenly, the tip exploded and a tremendous bolt of energy flew from the antenna up into the sky towards the target coordinates. A blazing red splotch spread across the sky like some giant amoeba. Bodkins’ clung to the rail of the observation deck. There was no more fire from the Galushian ship.

Bodkins looked across the square again towards the broken antenna. Something strange was happening there. It was as if he were looking at the antenna through a smudged lens. Objects were growing indistinct, wavering, and then they seemed to be dissolving. Bodkins heard an ominous low rumbling from the direction of the disappearing needle. He felt the air begin to burn his face.

Bodkins jumped to his feet and ran down the spiral steps, out of the tower. He raced past the guards to his private wing and up the concealed staircase to the small secret hangar on the roof of his quarters. The heat was becoming unbearable. He seemed to be in a thick haze. Everything around him was wavering. The world was becoming translucent, transparent, dissolving into thin air. A loud, incessant ringing filled his ears and black smoke hung in the air. The staircase behind him had vanished and the floor seemed to be giving way beneath him.

Baldemar swung open the hangar doors and leapt into the escape pod. He pulled the canopy shut, powered on, and launched. The pod shot straight up through the hangar roof, accelerated to maximum, and reached escape velocity in 20 seconds. Baldemar passed out, and came to in the blackness of space, 4,000 miles from the surface.

He looked through the clear canopy back towards where he had come. The was a huge hole in the planet, as if some god had taken a bite from an apple. The hole was smoking and waves seemed to be emanating out and rippling across the surface of the planet. The planet began to tremble and shake. It turned red, then black, and began to dissolve before Bodkins’ disbelieving eyes. A moment later, and a cloud of whispy smoke was all that remained.

“Heh,” thought Baldemar. “That’s not good.”

He pulled out a star chart to plot course to the nearest friendly system.

“Poor Dora,” he thought, as he climbed into the cryogenic mini-suit. The pod autoshifted to hyperdrive.

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