The Calida Lucia had spent the last fortnight putting her sister ship to the test in the form of grueling space trials. The Spirit of London had responded magnificently and seemed completely back to normal, so the two Imperial vessels moved onto battle drills, flying side by side into the outer solar system, taking the opportunity to probe and test Alf’s defense net for any signs of weakness. Johnny’s ship’s already powerful weapons had been upgraded so they would even be a match for the giant Andromedan Stardestroyers. He’d had to give up his five-a-side football pitch to make room for new machinery, but it seemed a small sacrifice considering. Reinforcements, in the shape of Captain Valdour’s fleet, were gathering around Melania and due to leave within the next week. Meanwhile, on Pluto Base, the little Tolimi had been busy. A huge cylinder now snaked across the surface of the dwarf planet. When he first saw it, Johnny assumed it was some sort of pipeline, but he quickly discovered it was the massive barrel of a nearly finished super gun, capable of accelerating projectiles to relativistic speeds and firing them at enemy ships.
