"There goes another one," sighed Juno as one more dot on the splintered and blackened on-screen galaxy map flickered and turned red.

Vela turned her back in disgust. "How much longer are they going to wait?" she demanded angrily, stomping back across the ravaged ship's bridge to her co- pilot's seat. Lupus barked his agreement.

"Beats me," Juno muttered, shaking his head. "At this rate Mizar's going to be knocking on their door before they've made a decision."

The twins were fast losing count of the number of urgent reports they'd made to the ruling Federation since the seeds of this whole affair were sown, first warning of the growing threat, then demanding that a stronger force be sent in to deal with Mizar as the scope of his intentions became clear, and finally pleading for backup as the hostilities expanded to include their own fleet. But still the Federation refused to commit. Just another petty tyrant, they kept saying. Don't worry about it. Stay out of his way, let him have a few of those minor stars just over the borders of his territory, and he'll be satisfied...

But of course that wasn't happening. Savage attacks on the JFG patrol ships had left the squadron crippled, with only a single ship - that of Juno, Vela and Lupus - escaping by the skin of its teeth. Less than a week ago, the entire Force was intact: now, it was space debris. And with their hyperdrive unit damaged beyond repair, there was no way for these three survivors to escape the field and report first-hand back to base. They were trapped in an warzone expanding by the day.

And during the systematic destruction of the JFG fleet, another long-standing treaty had been breached: Mizar had invaded Goldwood, homeworld of the peace- loving Tribals, and taken almost the entire colony into slavery. The prospect was a particularly sour one to Juno and his fellow fighters - the Tribals were valued allies, and it was a source of guilt and shame to Jet Force that they hadn't been there to help in their hour of need.

Vela rose suddenly from her seat, breaking Juno's reverie, and he knew what was coming next. "We have to do it," she announced. "We have to do it now." And even as she spoke, Juno realised that he'd also made his own, long overdue decision. He nodded, expression grim. Who were they trying to fool? Their other options had long since expired - this was the only path left open to them, one that would permanently make or break their chances of a return to Earth.

"I know," he agreed solemnly. "We're a sitting target, and we're not going to last another day if we-"

Juno found himself cut off in mid-sentence as without warning, the floor beneath them shuddered from the force of a furious blast down in the bowels of the ship - which also gave the emergency sirens a jolt into belated action.

"Hey! What now?" yelled Vela, wheeling to face the main monitor as it threw up an abrupt, horrifying image of chittering Drone raiders pouring from a Stealth Ship docked at the devastated cargo bay doors. The three of them stared in grim horror.

"Well, this more or less settles it," muttered Juno, setting his jaw. "You two get going, and I'll join you down on Goldwood when I've secured the ship."

"Not a chance!" spluttered Vela. "What if you -"

But Juno was already steering her out into the corridor and the ever-closer echoes of the Drones' scuttling footfalls. "Vela, there's no time!" he hissed. "If Mizar takes the ship, we're all trapped and the Tribals lose the only chance they have. Now take Lupus and get out of here! I'll be with you soon enough," he promised, placing his hands fondly on her shoulders before spinning on his heel and diving headlong into the mouth of danger, pistol cocked and glowing in the gloom.

So that's that, Vela thought to herself, watching him go. Well. I guess he's right, as usual.

She took a deep breath, nodded once, pulled her familiar JFG firearm from its holster then turned and sprinted alongside Lupus in the direction of the teleport bay - and the death-or-glory crusade that lay beyond.

The Characters
(also from the JFG handbook)

Juno

With aspirations to be part of a crack Jet Force team since the day that he and Vela's roaming space trader parents fell foul of murderous pirates, Juno has become a well-liked and respected fighter since his acceptance into the Gemini squadron. Thoughtful and deliberate, all he's ever really wanted to do is keep his part of the universe safe from harm: but times are grim, so it's just as well that he's proven himself one of Jet Force's most fearless men in the field.

Vela

Juno's twin sister, Vela naturally shares his passion and dedication to their cause but often relies on her temper to get her out of tricky situations. Having always been the feisty one, she's followed the Jet Force dream both through a fierce sense of justice and a determination to prove the equality of the fairer sex in the sceptical military world, which she's achieved with flying colours. Vela's currently on a mission to prove a point to Mizar...

Lupus

The idea of equipping each Jet Force squadron with a mascot to boost morale has evolved with time, now reaching the point where they all come cybernetically enhanced to hold their own as efficient fighting units should the need arise (including beta release thought transmitters to aid communication with their teammates). Tough, unshakable and totally loyal, Lupus is a long-time companion of Juno and Vela, and a vital member of the Jet Force Gemini crew.

Mizar

Tyrants come and tyrants go, rising from nowhere only to be overthrown by revolution or other tyrants-in-waiting: an endless cycle that has lulled the Federation into complacency. But the sinister Mizar and his seemingly endless Drone army have already broken the mould and proven themselves the biggest threat to intergalactic peace for centuries as far as the JFG survivors are concerned - and Federation greenlight or not, they're going to do something about it.

King Jeff

Leader of the Tribal race on Goldwood for some time now, and very popular with his subjects, living amongst them and serving as a day-to-day shaman and advisor as well as a King. Tribal rulers are traditionally chosen from those rare few born with unusual powers, and Jeff is no exception. Nevertheless, when it comes to fending off a full-scale Drone assault, even a fearless King on his home turf stands at a severe disadvantage...