"Well let's follow them until we're all out of the cloud and then see how those three or four stand up against us three," said Ann.

So began a long game of invisible tag, which lasted for over an hour. When the space bandits finally left the cloud in order to avoid the risk of striking any tall objects, they suddenly noticed the near presence of Wildstar, and re-cloaked their vehicle.

"It's still a stalemate, Butler One," said Ann, "We're still just chasing them. I think you had better find another gadget that I can use to board that starcruiser. It's a good thing that I have had the practice to improve my head for heights. Now I will have to cope with phenomenal speeds as well."

Butler One located a magnetic clamp which was attached to a cosmic spear gun. This was effectively a spear with a small magnet on the end of it. He also found a set of radar imaging goggles, that would enable Ann to see the starcruiser.

"I'll keep in contact with you while we're doing this, Butler One," said Ann.

Ann stepped onto the lowered cylinder and reversed the power of the anti-gravity triangles. She could stay steady until she released it. She would have to snare the spacecraft, rather than attempting to fly as fast as the starcruiser itself. Ann was raised to the roof of Wildstar, as the cylinder rose to its usual position. She felt the incredible rush of wind as Wildstar kept pace with the fleeing starcruiser.

"Alright, get in really close, Butler One," said Ann, "I've changed into my exolimbs. I can easily feel something that I'm used to wearing. I've still got my special outfit on over the exolimbs as usual. I would hate to have stayed in my Freedom Fields skivvy and skirt for this little exercise."

Ann reached out with the cosmic speargun and gripped the gun with her right hand. Then she gripped her right arm just above the elbow with her left hand. The exolimbs would steady her grip.

The wind rushed past.

Ann steadied her balance.

The starcruiser suddenly changed its angle of flight and went into a steep climb.

"Blast!" thought Ann, except that it was only a thought. She did not think the word 'blast.' Perhaps she thought the words "Sizzling Samurai swords!"

Ann dropped to her knees and pressed the power current button on the gun, which powered the electromagnet. The gun held her steady with its magnetic attraction to Wildstar's roof. When the spaceships had steadied their flight again, Ann released the magnet's power button and rose to her feet. She may not have a better chance.

She fired the cosmic speargun, and the magnet hit the upper rear part of the starcruiser. Had the backward thrusters been on the rear, instead of on the protruding wings, she would have had to alter her aim, but now she had her chance.

She pressed the rewind button, and was pulled towards the starcruiser. Without her exolimbs, she would most likely have damaged her arms. Fortunately she reached the starcruiser, climbed onto the roof and managed to smash through a portion of the hull. It was then a simple matter of battling the space bandits to a standstill with her exolimbs and then forcing them to land the starcruiser.

"And I really thought Butler One would have to be doing this earlier on in the cloud. Still it was his idea to play chasings and then have me make the jump."

*          *          *          *

"Well you certainly did a good job of catching the space bandits," was Butler One's translation of the Space Force's Saturnian dialect.

Further comments were exchanged, with the final result that Arella and Ann and Wendell accepted an offer to join the Space Force team with voluntary involvement status, rather than twenty-four hour alert each day. They were considered to be a part of the team, but did not wish to become completely devoted to an organization, which had its headquarters on another planet.

"Well well Ann," said Arella, "Who would have thought that my dream powers would qualify me for a Saturn team of planet protectors."

"Oh, you should be a member," said Ann, "You were born with your powers. I'm just an orphan girl who got lucky and found a gadget arsenal with a computer robot, so that I could hold my own against several opponents."

"You know, Ann, I think that we are really going to make a great little trio of our own, as well as being honorary members of Space Force."

"I'll bet you did not dream this one, Arella," said Ann.

"Well I'm glad. If it had been the other way around, I don't think I would feel too good waking up and finding out that all this just wasn't true."

"Maybe you will in the morning," said Ann.

"Morning, indeed? It's mid-afternoon," said Arella.

"We're just leaving London. That makes it about three in the morning over here," said Ann, pleased to have beaten Butler One to the punch.

1996…

“Did Arella ever dream about me in advance of you meeting me?” asked Martin.

“It would have been over 40 years in advance, and she never saw anything like that far ahead. Her visions were more of things that would happen within a year of seeing them,” said Ann.

“So you and Wendell had another team member … apart from the robot,” said Martin, “What did you guys do next?”