Stingray (comic story)

Stingray was the only title given for a two-page Stingray comic printed in TV Century 21 in 1965. It was the tenth instalment of a multi-series crossover "Space War" story arc in the pages of TV21, which focused on a war between 2060s humanity and the inhabitants of the planet Astra, first mentioned in The Rescue.

Following in directly from COMIC: Assassins Escape!, a Fireball XL5 story printed earlier in the same issue, Stingray saw Troy Tempest and the titular ship prevent the escape of the assassins responsible for the 610th Kaplan's murder.

Summary
After Steve Zodiac's call for help reaches the Marineville control tower, Commander Shore gives Troy Tempest his mission briefing. Within ten minutes, the Stingray is on the hunt for the assassins, who are, Troy has been warned, "the dregs of the universe".

However, the enemy submarine pick up the radio communications of the Stingray, and its crew (two human criminals and one Astran, their leader) decide to hide behind a ridge that renders sonar detection impossible, and to attempt to strike Stingray first.

Their ploy fails because Troy notices schools of fish avoiding the hiding place of the assassins' submarine. They successfully sink the submarine; the three assassins abandon ship and swim up to the surface, where, as Troy informs Unity City, the vessel Cranborne will soon pick them up to take them into custody and bring them back to Space City.

Characters

 * Troy Tempest
 * Phones Sheridan
 * Sam Shore
 * Atlanta Shore
 * Astran
 * Barger
 * Barger's accomplice

Worldbuilding

 * Phones notes that it has been decided not to let Marina come along because the mission promises to be particularly rough.
 * A spotter aircraft helps the Stingray catch up to the assassins.

Story notes

 * This story leads into the next TV Century 21 issue's instalment of Fireball XL5, Zodiac Flies Out....

Continuity

 * Steve Zodiac had ended up calling for the help of the Stingray, (COMIC: Assassins Escape!) a request reported in the 19 June 2065 issue of TV 21. (PROSE: Zodiac Sends For Stingray!)