Armageddon 2419 A.D. · Chapter
VI: The "Wyoming Massacre" explained
Anthony Rogers and Wilma Deering execute a daring plan to board a Han ship that has landed to investigate the wreck of the GK-984.
What happens
Anthony Rogers and Wilma Deering execute a daring plan to board a Han ship that has landed to investigate the wreck of the GK-984. After incapacitating the crew member left on board, Rogers signals his men on the hillsides to destroy the repellor rays of the Han squadron. The Han ships crash to earth, and the Wyoming forces achieve a decisive victory. The chapter concludes with the interception of a Han intelligence broadcast reporting the destruction of the squadron and the Han military's decision to adopt a defensive policy.
Themes in this chapter
Technological Progress and Warfare
The use of inertron belts, repellor rays, and disintegrator rays highlights the role of advanced technology in the battle, as well as the Han's reliance on scientific investigation over immediate retaliation.
The Hero's Journey and Adaptation
Rogers demonstrates quick thinking and adaptability in boarding the Han ship and devising a plan to destroy the squadron, marking a key step in his transformation into a leader.
Characters to notice
- Unknown
The narrator and protagonist, who leads the boarding of the Han ship and orchestrates the destruction of the Han squadron.
- Wilma Deering
Wilma leaps into the Han ship alongside the narrator, is knocked unconscious during the entry, and later revives after the battle.
- The Hans
The Han crew members who land to inspect the wreck; they are killed by the narrator's explosive rockets. The Han squadron is destroyed, and their intelligence office broadcasts a warning about the incident.
- Boss Hart
Referred to as 'the Big Boss' and 'Boss'; he commands the Wyoming forces, orders the attack on the repellor rays, and later instructs the group to tune into the Han broadcast.
Key passages
“They're coming out of the ship. I spoke quietly, with my hand over my mouth, for fear they might hear me.”
The narrator whispers a warning that the Han crew is emerging from their ship, covering his mouth to avoid detection.
Sets the tense atmosphere of the ambush.
“We must have won, dearest, did we? We most certainly did, I reassured her. All but one crashed and that one is drifting down toward the south; we've captured this one we're in intact.”
Wilma asks if they have won, and the narrator confirms their victory, noting that all but one Han ship have crashed and they have captured the ship they boarded.
Highlights the successful outcome of the battle and the personal bond between the characters.