Callisto (Satellite) -- Fiction; Gangs -- Fiction; Science fiction; Young women -- Fiction
Naomi launched the first missile straight for their airlock. It struck
just before the emergency siege gate slid shut, blasting jagged holes
through the outer and inner locks. Air whooshed from the dome, hurling
men and debris into the vacuum. Seconds later the catastrophe seal was
oozing down to plug the hole, but by then our ship had plunged through.
"You've done it!" Naomi screamed joyously. "We're inside!"
"And their fleet is outside, and there's nothing the boys can do about
it."
I slowed our ship to practically zero ground speed. We hovered for a
moment near the ceiling of the great transparent dome, considering our
next target. Below us lay the ramshackle gangland, a maze of roofless
partitions clustered around a tiny lake. One quarter of the city was
virtually an open-air machine shop. Near the shattered airlock stood a
parade ground, overlooked by a tall, balconied tower with people on top
making frantic gestures.
"I'll bet that's headquarters."
"Down it goes," said Naomi excitedly.
I put our ship in a dive. She aimed quickly, triggered the missile.
_Boom!_ The tower collapsed. Tiny figures began to scurry about on the
parade ground.
"Let's get 'em!"
I skimmed the field and Naomi blazed away with the vibro gun. One after
another the boys dissolved in puffs of smoke. I veered around and we
strafed them again, killing hundreds.
I felt exhilarated, marvelously happy.
Naomi shrieked ecstatically.
In another minute there were no more boys alive who hadn't taken
shelter underground.
I glanced upward and laughed. The boys' fleet swarmed helplessly
outside the dome like bugs on a lampshade, watching their hangout
ripped to pieces.
"Get their arsenal!" cried Naomi.
"Revenge for Phyllis!"
We dived again, spraying the roofless barracks with destruction,
blasting huge craters in their machine shop, starting explosions of
ammunition that rocked our ship, threatening to blow off the dome in
one piece.
At last the fun ended. "Only one missile left," Naomi warned.
"Hang on, then," I said gaily, stabbing the rocket controls. "Callisto
girls are homeward bound!"
_Blam!_ went our torpedo, tearing a second hole in the mangled airlock.
And out that hole we went, accelerating like crazy, pursued into deep
space by the entire enemy fleet.
* * * * *
As long as we were chased, and missile fragments rattled against our
hull, we continued in high spirits. Even when the boys scored a hit
that forced us to don our space suits, we remained elated. But the
minute the Ios broke-off pursuit we renewed our antagonism.
"Say," said Naomi over her helmet phone, "this isn't the right course
for Callisto."
"No, dear, I'm landing on Ganymede first. I don't think it's safe to go
on until we get that fuel leak fixed."
"Why should we pay good money to a mechanic when our own girls can do
the job?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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