THE RETURN OF RAVISIUS TEXTOR

Jun 14th 2011, 14:52 by E O Hatterpol | 1087 AU FROM SUN

CAPTAIN Makemake was hot on my tail, sparks flying from a silvery glint on the hand he was using to zipline down the harpoon cable.


As if Colonel Condor's "CM-B 'Condor Multi-Boom' Array" nuclear bombs weren't enough.  Or the killer whale Starship Dryheave's ferocious side-mounted gatling guns spitting bullets indiscriminately in all directions.  Or myriad harpoon guns from other pirate ships panging through space at either me or the Starship Flybrary with their deadly sharp points.  Or slow-moving asteroid tanks unloading their entire arsenal of depth charges at once.  Or the fact that the Flybrary was trying to run away from me.


It was all I could do to hold on to the Canon as I flew down the harpoon cable and into the giant hole I had put in the blue whale's side.


I tumbled through the opening and the Canon went flying.  The pain of impact on my Meteor Knee-shattered ribs was almost enough to steal away my consciousness, but I pushed through, clinging to life with every last scrap of will I had left in me.


Makemake was inside the Flybrary by the time I had reached the Canon.  I didn't hesitate this time.


"Going to hide in the bookstacks again, E O?" he taunted, limping after me with his disintegrated kneecap.  He was surprisingly fast for having withstood so much.


"We aren't playing Hide and Seek anymore," I called back.  "Besides, you forget to count to 100 first."


"I'll count to 3,000, because that's how many of you I'll kill before the day is done!" Makemake raged.  I could hear him slipping on his own blood.


I ran and ran but kept slowing down; with my injured chest, I just couldn't get enough oxygen.  Makemake hobbled after me, closing the gap.  I was still too far away to cinch my master plan.


I turned the corner and flew down the corridor as fast as I could, but Makemake came even closer.  Left after the third bookstack, down two, then dash to the right; but the bloody asteroid dogged me still.


Finally, I saw what I was looking for: a mountain of old books that looked like it hadn't been touched in ten thousand years.  It was one mountain in an entire range of mountains that stretched as far back into the Flybrary as the eye could see in the half-gloom, all piled high with old books.


I pushed one last time, putting on a burst of speed, but it was too late: Makemake had lunged with the last of his energy, too, and caught me by the ankle.  As I fell to the ground - to shatter my ribs more completely, no doubt - I chucked the Canon as hard as I could towards the mountain of books.


"Dig in, my friend!"