A story for ten-year-olds ENJOY!

                                            THE DARK EMPIRE

   The Dark Empire battle fleet was a very impressive sight to those who were allied with the Empire. For the poor unfortunates in the way of the conquering storm troops, the appearance of the fleet meant death or slavery.

    Admiral Zark commanded the Mother ship, the gigantic star-burst carrier “Medusa”, escorted by ten heavy cruisers and fifty small attack ships. Troop carriers were kept aboard “Medusa” until used for invasion. Each troopship carried four hover tanks and one hundred robotised warriors in heavy armour

     Zark  looked at his assembled officers and flicked out his forked tongue, scenting for any  trace of fear; there was none. He swiveled one eye to the holo - map while continuing to watch his officers with the other two. A small solar system was shown on the map, with nine planets orbiting a sun. One planet was totally different to the rest, it was blue. Zark noticed the stir of excitement and zoomed in on the planet. WATER! This small planet was covered in it, apart from a few land masses.

    "Our plan of attack is finalised." Zark hissed,"We will send in a battalion of shock troops and hover tanks to establish a defended security area. When all resistance is crushed,  they will send a messenger to the main fleet which will be hidden  behind the moon. Then we will conquer this planet.I have sent a scout ship to find the best landing site for the attack."

     Jack Davidson was off school (again) and intent on catching the big old catfish which was a legend among the twelve-year-olds in his class. He was supposed to have 'flu, but had climbed out of his bedroom window and headed for the fishing pond.  He whistled loudly as he sauntered along the path, on a sunny July day in 1945. Even though a war was raging in europe, Jack had never felt threatened  in his home in New Mexico in the U.S.A.

     Just as he reached the fishing pond he was drawn into the black, gleaming scout ship, which was about the size of his school bus. He blinked to get his eyes used to the gloom inside the ship, and became aware of the shadowy figures at the controls.

     "Earth-child" hissed a figure, "answer and live , refuse and die!" Jack nodded, terrified.

      "We are looking for a flat piece of land, about one mile square, with no people close by'

Do you know of such an area?" Jack's mind raced, he had to give these creatures something that they would believe useful. His father was a scientist working on some secret project at an old artillery range to the west - that might do!

    "There is a place about 200 miles west of here which would be suitable." Jack answered

The officer consulted his map."Yes, good! Now Go!"

      Jack was dumped in a heap beside the pond , his fishing pole  snapped in half,  the scout ship silently sped  away west. Jack smiled as he remembered his father telling him that a test of a new explosive was underway and no one could go near the area he had just sent the scout ship to.

    The troop transports had landed in neat rows, their cloaking devices ensuring  invisibility, and the tanks and troops were being offloaded. Everything was normal, apart from the presence of a metal frame which held a steel sphere, suspended from a cable.  The Empire officers had no idea of the purpose of this object.

A battered tannoy system broke into life."Final countdown   Ten -Nine - Eight -

                   The first Atomic Bomb was about to be tested, results were :

The Dark Empire shock troops were all vaporised

Admiral Zark, receiving no message, waited for five days then headed back to his own solar system.

Jack's father bought him a new fishing pole and he caught the catfish!

For the rest of his life, Jack would often examine the alien "calculator" he had pinched while on the scout ship. He would never know that it was a high technology anti - gravity device which could have changed history..................but didn't.