Heroic Dramatics Chapter Eight
Title: Heroic Dramatics
Author:
butterflyslinky
Pairing(s): Eventual Linkara/Spoonette; Spoony/80s Chick; one-sided Linksano/Spoonette
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 17,778
Warning(s): Violence, off-screen character death
Summary: Having been rejected as an actress and with nothing left to lose, Spoonette takes her brother’s place in the US Space Corps to fight off the coming threat of Lord Vyce. Now, she has to deal with army drills, her high school stalker with the ability to hack the Pentagon, and a captain who is both way hot and way annoying. Bogus.
Author’s Note: Inspired by this prompt, though I don’t really know if it qualifies as a fill for it. Special thanks to pompoko and
ladydiskette for beta-ing, and of course
trulyamindlost,
robynred, and
lizynob for their lovely bonus content
“Earth orbit reached,” Nimue said. “Pentagon requests immediate meeting with top officers.”
Spoonette sighed. She had barely adjusted to her new position and now she had to act on it. Of course, not much had really changed since Linkara was still running the ship, but she had quickly learned her new responsibilities.
That didn’t mean she was ready to face the Secretary of Defense, though.
Still, she couldn’t refuse, so she accepted the formal captain’s uniform and followed Linkara to the transporter room and prepared to beam down.
He smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Schlumper was very thorough and I don’t think anyone was concerned about you enough to check on it.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m more concerned about the fact that I don’t have proper officer training.”
“Neither did Captain America,” Linkara pointed out. “It doesn’t matter when everyone who does have the training is dead or missing in action.”
They beamed down and were almost immediately in a long hallway. Several military people passed by, looking very busy and important. Linkara led her down the hall to a door, through which was a large room where several important looking men were seated, waiting.
“Admiral,” one of the men said as soon as the door closed. Spoonette recognized him from the TV as the Secretary of Defense, though she couldn’t remember what his name was. “We have received your reports.”
“I would hope so,” Linkara said.
“According to them, Vyce still lives and is still coming,” the Secretary continued. “And your entire corps now has how many soldiers still living?”
“Fifteen, sir,” Linkara answered.
“And how many are in fighting condition?”
Linkara took a deep breath. “Six,” he muttered. “Nine if we include anyone who can still stand up and hold a gun.”
“And you expect to stop Vyce with nine standing soldiers?”
“We managed to slow him down with just two,” Linkara mumbled.
“Yes…” The Secretary raised his eyebrows. “That was the next thing we wanted to ask about.” His eyes moved to Spoonette. “Based on your reports, Captain Antwiler behaved in an extremely reckless manner and acted without the knowledge or approval of her superiors, endangering both herself and her commanding officer and jeopardizing the entire mission.” He glared at Spoonette, who refused to look away.
“With all due respect, sir,” she said. “My actions were my own decision and I did not have time to contact Admiral Lovhaug before I was forced to act. And it worked.” She knew she sounded impetuous, but she somehow couldn’t bring herself to care.
“Nevertheless, it was a very foolish plan and you are very fortunate that Admiral Lovhaug hasn’t had you court marshaled!”
“I’m very grateful, I’m sure,” Spoonette said. “But considering that battle is finished and my plan worked, I think that we should be worrying about the important things, like the fact that Vyce is still coming and we need to prepare for it. Or would you rather waste time discharging the person who has a vague idea of what we’re actually facing? Sir,” she added as the shocked looks she received from the rest of the room.
“Do you normally allow your soldiers to speak to their superiors in that way?” the Defense Secretary asked Linkara.
“I do when they have a point,” Linkara answered. “As Captain Antwiler’s immediate superior, I have chosen not to pursue the matter, which means that the only issue at hand is that of Lord Vyce and the coming invasion.”
The Defense Secretary opened his mouth to say something, but then a door behind him opened and another man came in. “Thank you, Mr. Secretary,” the President said as the entire room stood up and snapped to attention. The President waved them down and looked to Linkara. “Admiral. Glad to see you back safely.”
“Thank you, sir,” Linkara said.
“And you, Captain,” the President said. “I must commend your bravery, and thank you for slowing Lord Vyce down.”
Spoonette blushed. “Thank you, sir.”
“And given your courage and quick-thinking,” the President continued. “I was hoping you would be able to make a plan for when the enemy arrives.”
“I…I’ll do my best, sir,” she said.
The President nodded. “What do you require?”
Spoonette took a breath. “I need a map of Washington DC,” she began. “With the details for all the buildings, uploaded to Comicron-One’s computer. I’ll need a full list of our assets, including all active military and National Guard members in the area who can be called in, a few days to consult with my crew…” She shifted a bit. “And somebody find me a decent sports bra!”
The men continued to look shocked, but the President nodded. “Mr. Secretary, get Captain Antwiler what she needs and send it all up to Comicron-One immediately!”
The Defense Secretary stared before nodding. “Yes, sir!”
*
Spoonette rolled out the maps and asset lists, looking over them studiously before raising her head and grinning sheepishly. “Okay, so maybe I don’t actually know how to plan a battle.”
Linksano laughed. “And that’s why I’m here,” he said. “As your advisor and doctor and confidant.”
Something in his voice seemed sad and Spoonette looked up in concern before standing back up. “First things first,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And this isn’t the time to discuss it.”
“This is the perfect time to discuss it,” she said. “I don’t know what to actually do and I know you won’t be focusing on it before you get whatever it is off your chest.”
He took a breath and shook his head. “It’s just…” He hesitated. “You’re in love with Admiral Lovhaug, aren’t you?”
She was shocked. “What? Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Trust me, Spoonette. I know what it looks like, even if you don’t realize it…and the way you look at him…the way you talk to him…hell, it was him you asked for when you woke up.”
Spoonette wanted to argue. Wanted to say that it was silly, that of course she wasn’t in love with Linkara, he was her commanding officer and annoying and stubborn and bossy and wonderful…
Okay, she couldn’t deny it. She’d been attracted to him for months, and his trust in her, his compassion for her, made her realize that of course it was deeper. Maybe not love, per se, but definitely interest.
But then there was Linksano. “Oscar…” she began.
He waved his hand. “You don’t have to explain it to me,” he said. “It’s not even relevant right now. I just wanted you to know…it’s okay.”
She was quiet for a moment. “But what about you?” she asked. “I mean…okay, we were never signed and sealed, but…”
“Eleanor Abigail Antwiler,” Linksano said fondly. “I have loved you for so many years without the barest chance of you loving me back.” She started to say something, but he cut her off. “And now, years later, when we’ve worked and lived together, when I’ve come to really know you…I’ve come to realize that I never really loved you…at least, not in the way I thought I did.”
“You sure know how to flatter a girl,” Spoonette snarked.
“Don’t take it the wrong way,” Linksano said. “I was in love with the idea of you six years ago. Now I really know you and…and I’m happy to be your friend.”
She smiled softly. “My very best friend,” she said. “But…just one thing.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you dare tell Linkara my middle name.”
Linksano laughed. “He already knows it,” he said. “It’s in your records.”
“Damn.” Spoonette looked back at her maps. “Well, now that we’ve settled that, how do we stop Vyce?”
“That’s a bit trickier,” Linksano said. “Given our current assets, it’s nearly impossible, considering we don’t know where he’ll actually strike and we’ve received very little support from other nations with warp capabilities.”
“If he chooses to strike outside the US, that would be helpful,” Spoonette said. “At least, it would give us time and weaken his forces a bit.”
“True, but unlikely. If he was paying any attention at all, he’ll know that it was the US Space Corps he was fighting…and an American soldier who nearly beat him. He’s not likely to forget that.”
“Right…and he probably knows to attack DC to shut down any order.”
“Exactly.” Linksano picked up a sheath of papers and flicked through them. “Obviously, we can’t match him in space without immediate assistance from Russia, which is unlikely, so we’re going to have to bring the battle down to Earth.”
“Or at least into the skies where the Air Force can hit them.”
“Exactly. Of course, we can’t be sure how large his forces will be. You destroyed most of his army, but…”
“We’ll just have to hope we can take him.” Spoonette hesitated. “Unless we’ve got the capabilities to send a nuclear missile into space?”
Linksano shook his head. “Too dangerous. The fallout would end up crushing cities.”
“But gravity…”
“If they get close enough to hit, that’s close enough for gravity…and radiation. And his ship is made of metal designed to survive atmospheric burning, so we’d have to hit with enough nukes to reduce them to dust-and that number is not available in the time we have.”
“Right…so how do we get them to come down?”
“Make them chase us?”
“That’s a suicide mission.”
“So was jumping off a ship and hijacking a flying machine you didn’t know how to drive in the vain hope that you would find a weakness in his ship.”
“Right.” Spoonette thought for a moment. “I need to speak with Linkara.”
“What’s your plan, then?”
“I need to have Comicron-One. And…and I may not bring her back safely.”
Linksano stared at her for a long time. “You mean you won’t come back safely.” It wasn’t a question.
“I need you and Linkara to get everyone else off,” she said. “I’m going to make Vyce believe I’m the only one left…and once he destroys me, he can go down and take Earth. He seems arrogant enough to take the bait. If I can blow him up, fine, if not, use the rest of the military. From there, you can create an anti-aircraft blockade and if that doesn’t work, laser fire. One blast won’t hurt him, but if you have everyone work together, you might be able to take him down. Have Nimue analyze the data and formulate a plan for the ground operations.”
Linksano didn’t look away from her. “I’ll send the Admiral up,” he finally said. “And I’m staying with you.”
“You can’t,” she said.
“You need an engineer,” he said. “And my ass is going to be on the line anyway…might as well be remembered as a hero.”
“No one can prove you helped me,” she said.
“That’s not why,” he mumbled. “I mean…yeah, hacking the Pentagon wasn’t smart, but prosecuting me for it would take too much time and effort. No, I was involved in something else in LA…hence the reason I joined the Space Corps. Hard to arrest someone on the outskirts of Sector Seven.”
She hesitated. “Fine,” she said. “But you have to follow orders.”
He saluted. “Aye, Captain.”
*
Linkara was not happy about the plan. “So you’re saying that the two smartest people left in the entire Space Corps are going on a mission to get themselves blown up?”
“Not necessarily,” Spoonette said. “There is a slight chance we could destroy him before he gets here, depending on how much fire power he brings.”
“If that’s the case, why can’t we just have Nimue autopilot the ship and call Vyce out?” Linkara asked.
“Because Vyce would want to kill the person who beat him,” Linksano said. “He won’t rest until he knows she’s dead…which means we can’t just record a video message, because he’s likely to board to get at her.”
“I’m staying, then,” Linkara said.
“No,” Spoonette said firmly. “I need a good commander on the ground. Someone who can fight…someone who can rebuild the corps when we’re done.”
Linkara’s face was expressionless. “I don’t want you to go,” he said. “Is there any other way?”
“Several,” Spoonette admitted. “But this is the best way. If all goes well, only two of us have to die. And what’s two against billions?”
“I’d prefer it to be zero.” His eyes bored into hers. “Especially if it means losing my captain.”
Linksano coughed. “I need to go recalibrate the forward lance,” he mumbled and then hurried off.
Spoonette watched him go before she turned back to Linkara. “I’m sorry, Admiral,” she said. “But it’s the best I can do. I’ve had Nimue analyze the numbers for the rest of the military and she’s devised the best possible placements for them. That information has been sent to the Pentagon and the troops will be mobilized as soon as I give the signal.”
“Spoonette…”
“Don’t try to argue, Linkara. I also had Nimue analyze our assets and she agreed that this is the best plan we have.”
“Will you at least try to live?”
She smiled sadly. “Of course I’ll try,” she said. She reached into her pocket and took out an envelope. “But…if I don’t…will you take this to my brother?”
Linkara took the envelope. “Of course I will,” he promised. He stared at her for a long moment. “Spoonette, I…”
“Don’t, Linkara,” she said. “There’s no point.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before she turned and walked away.
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Author:
butterflyslinky
Pairing(s): Eventual Linkara/Spoonette; Spoony/80s Chick; one-sided Linksano/Spoonette
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 17,778
Warning(s): Violence, off-screen character death
Summary: Having been rejected as an actress and with nothing left to lose, Spoonette takes her brother’s place in the US Space Corps to fight off the coming threat of Lord Vyce. Now, she has to deal with army drills, her high school stalker with the ability to hack the Pentagon, and a captain who is both way hot and way annoying. Bogus.
Author’s Note: Inspired by this prompt, though I don’t really know if it qualifies as a fill for it. Special thanks to pompoko and
ladydiskette for beta-ing, and of course
trulyamindlost,
robynred, and
lizynob for their lovely bonus content
“Earth orbit reached,” Nimue said. “Pentagon requests immediate meeting with top officers.”
Spoonette sighed. She had barely adjusted to her new position and now she had to act on it. Of course, not much had really changed since Linkara was still running the ship, but she had quickly learned her new responsibilities.
That didn’t mean she was ready to face the Secretary of Defense, though.
Still, she couldn’t refuse, so she accepted the formal captain’s uniform and followed Linkara to the transporter room and prepared to beam down.
He smiled at her. “Don’t worry,” he said. “Schlumper was very thorough and I don’t think anyone was concerned about you enough to check on it.”
“I know,” she said. “I’m more concerned about the fact that I don’t have proper officer training.”
“Neither did Captain America,” Linkara pointed out. “It doesn’t matter when everyone who does have the training is dead or missing in action.”
They beamed down and were almost immediately in a long hallway. Several military people passed by, looking very busy and important. Linkara led her down the hall to a door, through which was a large room where several important looking men were seated, waiting.
“Admiral,” one of the men said as soon as the door closed. Spoonette recognized him from the TV as the Secretary of Defense, though she couldn’t remember what his name was. “We have received your reports.”
“I would hope so,” Linkara said.
“According to them, Vyce still lives and is still coming,” the Secretary continued. “And your entire corps now has how many soldiers still living?”
“Fifteen, sir,” Linkara answered.
“And how many are in fighting condition?”
Linkara took a deep breath. “Six,” he muttered. “Nine if we include anyone who can still stand up and hold a gun.”
“And you expect to stop Vyce with nine standing soldiers?”
“We managed to slow him down with just two,” Linkara mumbled.
“Yes…” The Secretary raised his eyebrows. “That was the next thing we wanted to ask about.” His eyes moved to Spoonette. “Based on your reports, Captain Antwiler behaved in an extremely reckless manner and acted without the knowledge or approval of her superiors, endangering both herself and her commanding officer and jeopardizing the entire mission.” He glared at Spoonette, who refused to look away.
“With all due respect, sir,” she said. “My actions were my own decision and I did not have time to contact Admiral Lovhaug before I was forced to act. And it worked.” She knew she sounded impetuous, but she somehow couldn’t bring herself to care.
“Nevertheless, it was a very foolish plan and you are very fortunate that Admiral Lovhaug hasn’t had you court marshaled!”
“I’m very grateful, I’m sure,” Spoonette said. “But considering that battle is finished and my plan worked, I think that we should be worrying about the important things, like the fact that Vyce is still coming and we need to prepare for it. Or would you rather waste time discharging the person who has a vague idea of what we’re actually facing? Sir,” she added as the shocked looks she received from the rest of the room.
“Do you normally allow your soldiers to speak to their superiors in that way?” the Defense Secretary asked Linkara.
“I do when they have a point,” Linkara answered. “As Captain Antwiler’s immediate superior, I have chosen not to pursue the matter, which means that the only issue at hand is that of Lord Vyce and the coming invasion.”
The Defense Secretary opened his mouth to say something, but then a door behind him opened and another man came in. “Thank you, Mr. Secretary,” the President said as the entire room stood up and snapped to attention. The President waved them down and looked to Linkara. “Admiral. Glad to see you back safely.”
“Thank you, sir,” Linkara said.
“And you, Captain,” the President said. “I must commend your bravery, and thank you for slowing Lord Vyce down.”
Spoonette blushed. “Thank you, sir.”
“And given your courage and quick-thinking,” the President continued. “I was hoping you would be able to make a plan for when the enemy arrives.”
“I…I’ll do my best, sir,” she said.
The President nodded. “What do you require?”
Spoonette took a breath. “I need a map of Washington DC,” she began. “With the details for all the buildings, uploaded to Comicron-One’s computer. I’ll need a full list of our assets, including all active military and National Guard members in the area who can be called in, a few days to consult with my crew…” She shifted a bit. “And somebody find me a decent sports bra!”
The men continued to look shocked, but the President nodded. “Mr. Secretary, get Captain Antwiler what she needs and send it all up to Comicron-One immediately!”
The Defense Secretary stared before nodding. “Yes, sir!”
*
Spoonette rolled out the maps and asset lists, looking over them studiously before raising her head and grinning sheepishly. “Okay, so maybe I don’t actually know how to plan a battle.”
Linksano laughed. “And that’s why I’m here,” he said. “As your advisor and doctor and confidant.”
Something in his voice seemed sad and Spoonette looked up in concern before standing back up. “First things first,” she said. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “And this isn’t the time to discuss it.”
“This is the perfect time to discuss it,” she said. “I don’t know what to actually do and I know you won’t be focusing on it before you get whatever it is off your chest.”
He took a breath and shook his head. “It’s just…” He hesitated. “You’re in love with Admiral Lovhaug, aren’t you?”
She was shocked. “What? Whatever gave you that idea?”
“Trust me, Spoonette. I know what it looks like, even if you don’t realize it…and the way you look at him…the way you talk to him…hell, it was him you asked for when you woke up.”
Spoonette wanted to argue. Wanted to say that it was silly, that of course she wasn’t in love with Linkara, he was her commanding officer and annoying and stubborn and bossy and wonderful…
Okay, she couldn’t deny it. She’d been attracted to him for months, and his trust in her, his compassion for her, made her realize that of course it was deeper. Maybe not love, per se, but definitely interest.
But then there was Linksano. “Oscar…” she began.
He waved his hand. “You don’t have to explain it to me,” he said. “It’s not even relevant right now. I just wanted you to know…it’s okay.”
She was quiet for a moment. “But what about you?” she asked. “I mean…okay, we were never signed and sealed, but…”
“Eleanor Abigail Antwiler,” Linksano said fondly. “I have loved you for so many years without the barest chance of you loving me back.” She started to say something, but he cut her off. “And now, years later, when we’ve worked and lived together, when I’ve come to really know you…I’ve come to realize that I never really loved you…at least, not in the way I thought I did.”
“You sure know how to flatter a girl,” Spoonette snarked.
“Don’t take it the wrong way,” Linksano said. “I was in love with the idea of you six years ago. Now I really know you and…and I’m happy to be your friend.”
She smiled softly. “My very best friend,” she said. “But…just one thing.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t you dare tell Linkara my middle name.”
Linksano laughed. “He already knows it,” he said. “It’s in your records.”
“Damn.” Spoonette looked back at her maps. “Well, now that we’ve settled that, how do we stop Vyce?”
“That’s a bit trickier,” Linksano said. “Given our current assets, it’s nearly impossible, considering we don’t know where he’ll actually strike and we’ve received very little support from other nations with warp capabilities.”
“If he chooses to strike outside the US, that would be helpful,” Spoonette said. “At least, it would give us time and weaken his forces a bit.”
“True, but unlikely. If he was paying any attention at all, he’ll know that it was the US Space Corps he was fighting…and an American soldier who nearly beat him. He’s not likely to forget that.”
“Right…and he probably knows to attack DC to shut down any order.”
“Exactly.” Linksano picked up a sheath of papers and flicked through them. “Obviously, we can’t match him in space without immediate assistance from Russia, which is unlikely, so we’re going to have to bring the battle down to Earth.”
“Or at least into the skies where the Air Force can hit them.”
“Exactly. Of course, we can’t be sure how large his forces will be. You destroyed most of his army, but…”
“We’ll just have to hope we can take him.” Spoonette hesitated. “Unless we’ve got the capabilities to send a nuclear missile into space?”
Linksano shook his head. “Too dangerous. The fallout would end up crushing cities.”
“But gravity…”
“If they get close enough to hit, that’s close enough for gravity…and radiation. And his ship is made of metal designed to survive atmospheric burning, so we’d have to hit with enough nukes to reduce them to dust-and that number is not available in the time we have.”
“Right…so how do we get them to come down?”
“Make them chase us?”
“That’s a suicide mission.”
“So was jumping off a ship and hijacking a flying machine you didn’t know how to drive in the vain hope that you would find a weakness in his ship.”
“Right.” Spoonette thought for a moment. “I need to speak with Linkara.”
“What’s your plan, then?”
“I need to have Comicron-One. And…and I may not bring her back safely.”
Linksano stared at her for a long time. “You mean you won’t come back safely.” It wasn’t a question.
“I need you and Linkara to get everyone else off,” she said. “I’m going to make Vyce believe I’m the only one left…and once he destroys me, he can go down and take Earth. He seems arrogant enough to take the bait. If I can blow him up, fine, if not, use the rest of the military. From there, you can create an anti-aircraft blockade and if that doesn’t work, laser fire. One blast won’t hurt him, but if you have everyone work together, you might be able to take him down. Have Nimue analyze the data and formulate a plan for the ground operations.”
Linksano didn’t look away from her. “I’ll send the Admiral up,” he finally said. “And I’m staying with you.”
“You can’t,” she said.
“You need an engineer,” he said. “And my ass is going to be on the line anyway…might as well be remembered as a hero.”
“No one can prove you helped me,” she said.
“That’s not why,” he mumbled. “I mean…yeah, hacking the Pentagon wasn’t smart, but prosecuting me for it would take too much time and effort. No, I was involved in something else in LA…hence the reason I joined the Space Corps. Hard to arrest someone on the outskirts of Sector Seven.”
She hesitated. “Fine,” she said. “But you have to follow orders.”
He saluted. “Aye, Captain.”
*
Linkara was not happy about the plan. “So you’re saying that the two smartest people left in the entire Space Corps are going on a mission to get themselves blown up?”
“Not necessarily,” Spoonette said. “There is a slight chance we could destroy him before he gets here, depending on how much fire power he brings.”
“If that’s the case, why can’t we just have Nimue autopilot the ship and call Vyce out?” Linkara asked.
“Because Vyce would want to kill the person who beat him,” Linksano said. “He won’t rest until he knows she’s dead…which means we can’t just record a video message, because he’s likely to board to get at her.”
“I’m staying, then,” Linkara said.
“No,” Spoonette said firmly. “I need a good commander on the ground. Someone who can fight…someone who can rebuild the corps when we’re done.”
Linkara’s face was expressionless. “I don’t want you to go,” he said. “Is there any other way?”
“Several,” Spoonette admitted. “But this is the best way. If all goes well, only two of us have to die. And what’s two against billions?”
“I’d prefer it to be zero.” His eyes bored into hers. “Especially if it means losing my captain.”
Linksano coughed. “I need to go recalibrate the forward lance,” he mumbled and then hurried off.
Spoonette watched him go before she turned back to Linkara. “I’m sorry, Admiral,” she said. “But it’s the best I can do. I’ve had Nimue analyze the numbers for the rest of the military and she’s devised the best possible placements for them. That information has been sent to the Pentagon and the troops will be mobilized as soon as I give the signal.”
“Spoonette…”
“Don’t try to argue, Linkara. I also had Nimue analyze our assets and she agreed that this is the best plan we have.”
“Will you at least try to live?”
She smiled sadly. “Of course I’ll try,” she said. She reached into her pocket and took out an envelope. “But…if I don’t…will you take this to my brother?”
Linkara took the envelope. “Of course I will,” he promised. He stared at her for a long moment. “Spoonette, I…”
“Don’t, Linkara,” she said. “There’s no point.” She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before she turned and walked away.
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