The Sitting Duck

Part 81

The four commanders saluted Arthur and his companions.

"So you were inspired by commander Data from Star Trek then?" commented Lee.

"No, I had forgotten about that, I named them after my first dalliance with trying to build a PC."

"Isn't that a funny name for a man, Mother?" noticed With.

"Not really," said Art, "the head of operations for the Avengers was a man called Mother."

"Oooooooooook," okayed Arthur," likes the Avengers not Star Trek. I know what I can get him for Christmas now."

"Now then my commanders, I want you to rendezvous with your space stations and fly them into their positions around Kentigillian, Varus, Thune and the planet Retha," said Art.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Docking ports adjoined the circular space station giving access to the public. Once docked they would walk to the large counters manned by 300 robots selling all forms of milk chocolate. Behind the counter area were storerooms and beyond that the command centre. Each docking port was guarded with four laser cannons. From eight protuberances top and bottom of the command centre were quantum torpedo tubes. The central command centre could be detached and turned into a fighting platform. Mother stood in the command centre with five other robots in charge of security and weapons.

"Can you hear me Mother?" cried Shillane with the voice of George Formby into the communications device from his ship.

"Loud and clear, can you hear me?"

"Of course I can, am I ready to dock?"

"I don't know, are you?"

"I am asking you."

"Oh sorry, of course. You may dock at port 364."

"Why that one?"

"I just thought of it off the top of my positronic brain."

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