by Jake Bible
“We don’t run and hooey, those big bastards are gonna chew us up and spit us out!” Jelly exclaimed. “I ain’t alive like all you fine flesh and boners, but my body still don’t like being chewed on or spit out. I say we run for the hills.”
“Realistically, we’re already being detected,” Hoops said. “Anyone looking this direction can see that those monsters aren’t flying towards the gun probes, but towards something else. It won’t take Hoonnaann long before they realize their scanners have a blind spot right where we are. They don’t always have to see us, they just have to realize they can’t see us.”
“Damned if we do, damned if we don’t,” Queshor said.
“Not quite, sir,” Begossian said. “The gun probes don’t seem to notice the monsters at all. I don’t know if that is because they are programmed to ignore the things that fly around this system or if they actually cannot detect them.”
“Seems unlikely that it is the latter,” Queshor said. “They are hard to miss.”
“But they aren’t like other beings, sir,” Begossian said. “We’ve all heard that about the Klatu System. My instincts say that the gun probes don’t even see them. We can use that to our advantage.”
“How?” Queshor asked.
“We let the monsters get between us and the gun probes, come out of stealth, and have the probes do the dirty work for us while we run like hell to the base,” Begossian said. “We lose the advantage of surprise. But we keep the big things occupied and our ship in one piece.”
“Just to be torn apart by the base’s cannons and missiles,” Jelly said. “Does not compute, yo.”
“Any better ideas?” Begossian asked. Jelly only shrugged. “That’s what I thought.”
“Hoops, how fast can we go and still maintain our stealth status? Can we at least get most of the way to the base before the monsters engage?” Queshor asked.
“Yes, sir,” Hoops replied. “We can cover two thirds of the distance before they catch us.”
“Then do it,” Queshor said.
“Nope, nope, nope, I am changing my vote,” Jelly said. “Scanners show the things increasing their speed.”
Queshor looked at the images of the nightmares in the view screen.
“I don’t see any change,” Queshor said.
“Oh, well, then I must be wrong,” Jelly said. “Ignore my vastly superior brain matrix and trust only your eyes, sir. My bad.”
Queshor sighed.
“Is that a sigh of maybe you’ll consider that I’m right?” Jelly asked.
“Hoops?” Queshor asked.
“Jelly is right,” Hoops said reluctantly. “They are picking up speed. They’ll close on us in minutes.”
“Begossian, we go with your plan,” Queshor said. “Brogan? Take us out of stealth on Begossian’s mark.”
“I’d rather Jelly call the mark,” Begossian said. “I’m going to concentrate on the weapons in case the gun probes don’t send these nightmares to Hell. Not to mention the fact we’re probably going to be getting some company from the Hoonnaann base the second we reveal ourselves.”
“Fine,” Queshor agreed. “Jelly, you make the call.”
“Aye aye, sir,” Jelly said and gave a short salute. “Sergeant Jelly is on the job.”
“Dear Eight Million Gods,” Queshor muttered.
The bridge was silent as the teammates waited for their moments. Hoops switched the view screen to include the gun probes as well as the flying nightmares. All eyes were on the intersection of the two. Barely anyone breathed, except for the Groshnels, but that was only to keep their forms.
“Now!” Jelly called out and Brogan didn’t miss a beat.
The SIS dropped out of stealth mode and the gun probes immediately spun about, all guns glowing and ready, their target obvious.
“Aft shields at full!” Queshor shouted. “Hoops, punch it and get us the fo away from here! We are coming into the base hot! This is no longer a covert op, but a full-frontal drop into enemy territory!”
“I love it when the lieutenant talks dirty!” Jelly shouted then pumped a fist in the air. “Woot woot!”
The view screen split and became a view of what was behind and what was ahead. Queshor gripped the back of Brogan’s seat with two of his five tentacles, his body as rigid as a Groshnel’s could get. He looked from one view to the other, back and forth, over and over, as the gun probes began firing and the SIS raced towards the Hoonnaann base.
“Three of the things are turning on the gun probes!” Jelly announced. “Oh, fo! They are getting eaten, man! Like chomped and swallowed by those foing nightmares! Holy crud!”
“Hoops, put everything you have into our thrusters,” Queshor ordered. “I don’t care what defensive measures we are flying into at that base, get us away from these things STAT!”
“Yes, sir,” Hoops replied and pushed the throttle to full. She gripped the flight controls with all her strength as the SIS began to tremble from the exertion despite the dampeners.
“Sir, how are we going to transition from the SIS to the base?” Brogan asked. “They know we’re coming now.”
“Yeah, they do,” Jelly said. “The coms have lit up with base chatter. Those Syndicate boobs aren’t even bothering scrambling their signals. I’ve heard five distinctly different conversations already where they’re placing bets on how far we’ll get before we get eaten like the probes.”
“Just for reference, how far will we actually get?” Begossian asked.
“We’ll get to the base,” Jelly said. “If the base doesn’t get us first.”
“Bringing us back to my question, Lieutenant,” Brogan said to Queshor. “The transition?”
“We’ll have to space it,” Queshor said. “We suit up and jump. It will be close, but we’re a Drop Team. We can handle it.”
“We’ll lose the SIS,” Jelly said and all trace of humor or sarcasm was gone from his voice. It was android cold and serious. “You sure, sir?”
“I’m sure,” Queshor said. “We’ll obtain a new ship from the base once we have the Keer boy in custody.”
“What about Sha Morgoal and Sergeant Guspo?” Brogan asked.
“If we can get to Sergeant Guspo then we will,” Queshor said. “But she’s a professional and knows that the op comes first. Sha Morgoal’s retrieval is secondary, at best. Barring a rescue, he is to be eliminated with extreme prejudice.”
“Sheezus,” Begossian said. “I didn’t know we were handling wet works on this op. That’s usually something Fleet Intelligence tackles.”
“We eliminate who we are ordered to eliminate,” Queshor said.
“Sha Morgoal must know something that the Fleet doesn’t want others to know,” Jelly said. “Intriguing.”
“Nothing is intriguing about any of this,” Queshor said. “This has turned from a covert snatch and grab into a straight on break and burn. We get in, we get the kid, we try for Guspo, we kill Sha Morgoal if he can’t be rescued, then we get the fo out and back to Fleet Headquarters.”
“You make it sound so easy, sir,” Jelly said. “No wonder you’re in charge.”
“Hoops, what are we looking at?” Queshor asked.
“I have us set for a run past the base,” Hoops said as she stood up. “It’s all auto. We should get suited up and ready for deployment. Whether the nightmares catch us or the base tries to blow us out of space, we won’t be staying on this ship for much longer.”
“Hear that, people?” Queshor bellowed. “Suit up and get ready for drop!”
No one hesitated. They secured their consoles then stood up and hurried from the bridge. Queshor was last to leave, giving a final glance at the two views on the screen. He used his middle tentacle to flip off the nightmares and the Hoonnaann base, which was growing larger by the second. Then he was off the bridge and right behind his Team.
Thirty-One
“Grue? What’s the verdict?” Wanders asked as the image of his brother came up once again on the staticky holo projection.
“Can you give us a hand or not?”
“That was longer than five minutes,” Grue said.
“We aren’t exactly working with reliable tech, bro,” Wanders replied. “We’re lucky we were able to call back at all.”
“Which is why we need an answer right now,” Cookie snarled quietly.
“Can it,” Hole ordered and Cookie rolled his eyes, but shut up.
“We can help,” Grue said. “My boss is willing to come lend a hand on one condition.”
“Brother, I cannot speak for the Fleet. You know that,” Wanders said. “We can agree all day long, but we are not in a position to grant wishes.”
“Not a wish, just a promise,” Grue said. “From your Team to mine. Blood to blood, brother. Fleet doesn’t have to be involved at all.”
“We can do that,” Hole said.
“Whoa, hold on,” Geist said. “We haven’t heard what he wants yet.”
“No choice, Geist,” Hole replied. “And he is saying blood to blood, I don’t think Grue here is going to screw over his own brother.”
“No, I’m not,” Grue said. “All my boss asks is that if we ever get in a jam then Drop Team Zero comes and bails our asses out. No long-term commitment, just one favor for another. Then we are even and everything goes back to how it was. The Fleet on one side, the Edgers on the fringe.”
Wanders laughed. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say so many words in a row in my life,” he replied.
“Never had much of a reason to,” Grue said. “Is it a deal?”
“It’s a deal,” Hole said, leaning over Wanders’ shoulder so he was in Grue’s view. “Tell your boss that Master Sergeant Hole of Drop Team Zero says so.”
Grue’s eyes widened. “Hole? You’re the AI android, right?”
“I am,” Hole answered.
“Fo, then I guess you mean it,” Grue said. “Ain’t no AI android going to run a bluff. You all have regulators and governors to keep you from lying.”
“Yes, you are correct,” Hole said. “How soon can you be here?”
“We have your coordinates and we’ll be to you shortly,” Grue said.
“How soon do you depart from your location?” Hole asked. “We need to know an exact time since ours is very limited.”
Grue was smiling so wide that Hole took a step back. She looked down at Wanders.
“Did I say something?” Hole asked. “What did I say?”
“You’re already on your way, aren’t you?” Wanders asked.
“We left as soon as you hung up last time,” Grue said. “My boss has a grudge with the Collari Syndicate. They foed her on a few deals back in the day when we were just pirates and not separatists. She’d like to even the score.”
“So our promise is just the cherry on top,” Wanders stated. “I should have known.”
“Can you blame us, bro?” Grue asked. “We’d be braindead gumps to pass up an opportunity to have a Drop Team as our ace in the hole if things get dicey down the road.”
“Deal is still good,” Hole said. “ETA?”
“We’re using the off-grid portals all the way,” Grue said. “You can thank the SMC for us even talking right now. We picked up some nice com tech from them a while back. Favors are the new currency. Better than chits.”
“Everything is better than chits,” Cookie said. “Chits are boring.”
“I wouldn’t go that far,” Geist said.
“Whatever,” Cookie replied.
“ETA?” Hole snapped then sighed. “Sorry. It’s been a rough few days.”
“You’re pretty emotional for an AI,” Grue said and shrugged his four shoulders. “No matter. We’ll be to you in about thirty minutes.”
“What?” Wanders exclaimed. He wasn’t the only one. “How can you manage that?”
“Like I said, we’re using off-grid portals the whole way,” Grue said. “My boss knows routes that the Fleet, or even the Skrang Alliance, hasn’t even come close to discovering. Plus, the Gratuity is a fast ship. Very fast.”
“No crud,” Wanders said. “We’ll be ready. Use the starboard docking port. Our atmosphere is off, so we’ll be coming over suited up.”
“No need for a docking port,” Grue said. The smile widened and it looked like a rocky canyon across his stone face. “We’ll be close enough to contact you on personal coms. Shoot me your suit channels and we’ll let you know when we have arrived. Just get everyone in a central location, including whatever gear you need.”
“Central location?” Hole asked. Then she smiled almost as wide as Grue. The smile made her teammates less than comfortable. It was like watching a B’flo’do suddenly sprout wings and fire off glitter cannons. “You have a moltrans unit, don’t you?”
“You’ll see,” Grue said. He looked off holo and nodded. “Gotta go. We’ll be in touch.”
The projection cut out and Hole took a step back from the coms console. She looked about at the rest of Zero and shook her head.
“We’ve now stepped into territory well outside Fleet regulations,” Hole said. “If anyone is uncomfortable with how we are proceeding, I need to know now.”
“A little late for that order,” Cookie said, “don’t you think?”
“Motherboard has given me command of Zero while she recuperates,” Hole said. “Her cybernetics aren’t repairing like they should. She is going to need a lot of help from Fleet techs. We can’t get her that help if we’re stuck in this foing crud can, hiding from the Syndicate, hiding from the nightmares that roam this system, hiding from every damn thing that comes our way.”
She took a deep breath, which everyone knew was for show, but it still made a psychological impact.
“We are Fleet, yes,” Hole said. “But in the end, like Wanders told his brother, we are family. We have to know we have each other’s backs at all times, even if it goes against Fleet regulations.”
“And basic sanity,” Cookie said, but he had a sly feline grin on his face. “But fo sanity. It is highly overrated. I just have one request, though.”
“What is that?” Hole asked.
“When we get in that base,” Cookie said, flicking his claws from the tips of his fingers, “we get to go in without any restraint. If it isn’t Zero, then it’s dead.”
“Anyone have a problem with Cookie’s request?” Hole asked.
“Fo no!” Wanders shouted, clapping his four stone hands together. “Bashing skulls and breaking bones is what I need to get me out of the mite funk I’ve been in!”
“I’m all for it,” Geist said, but with slightly less gusto. He extended the spikes from his knuckles and held them up. “I can cut and kill as well as Cookie, any day.”
“That a challenge?” Cookie asked.
“A week’s pay,” Geist said.
“Damn!” Wanders said. “Now we are talking!”
“You’re on,” Cookie said. “It’s just chits.”
“It’s just chits,” Geist echoed and nodded.
“Then we are set,” Hole said. “Wanders? You’ll help me get the lieutenant’s med chamber ready. We’re done with the Eight-Three-Eight. I’m ordering that we abandon ship as soon as the Edgers get here. We’ll miss her, but she has served her purpose. Once we’re with the Edgers, we are shipless and it’s all about the Team.”
“Roger that,” Wanders said as he grabbed up his suit’s helmet.
“Cookie and Geist? You two will be on supplies,” Hole said. “Salvage what we can and we’ll bring it with us to the Edger ship. I doubt they’ll mind the extra provisions. As for weapons, get our kits ready and prep for speed. Keep us light.”
“No rifles?” Wanders asked. “Because I really like my rifle.”
“Bring it to the ship, yes, but not on the op,” Hole said. “Sidearms and hand to hand is how we’ll get through this. If we need something heavier then we’ll improvise and take it from the Syndicate when we get there. I want us stripped down and so fast they won’t know what hit them when we pop up in that base.”
“The Edgers have a moltrans, I intend to use it to our advantage,” Hole said. “We’re going to be transported right into the base and then out. All we have to worry about is getting Mug, getting the Keer kid, and getting Sha Morgoal.”
“If the Edgers keep their word,” Cookie said. “What if they bail at the first sign of trouble?”
“They won’t,” Wanders said.
“But what if they do?” Cookie insisted.
“They won’t,” Wanders snapped.
“You bet your life on that?” Cookie asked. “You bet all of our lives on that?”
“I don’t have to,” Wanders said. “I’m betting my brother’s life on it because if the Edgers double cross us, my mom will skin the rock off of him and leave him bleeding in an empty airlock.”
“Sheezus, Gwreqs don’t fo around,” Geist said.
“No, we don’t,” Wanders replied.
“I don’t either,” Hole said. “You have your assignments and know your jobs. Let’s get to it.”
An alarm rang out and before anyone could move, all eyes turned to the scanners.
“What do we have?” Hole asked. “It must be big and it must be close if our crud system is picking it up.”
Geist stared at the limited information the scanners were giving him. “Fo me, it’s another Drop Team,” he said. “I’m trying to find their code so we can see which one.”
Cookie crossed the bridge and leaned over Geist.
“That’s Three,” Cookie said.
“How can you tell?” Geist asked. “They aren’t giving out a transponder code.”
“Look at the ship,” Cookie said. “You ever seen anything so plain vanilla? That’s the SIS. I did a couple tours with Lieutenant Queshor before being bumped up to Zero. I’d know that boring incursion ship anywhere.”
“This is good,” Hole said. “We now have backup.”
“Not so good, actually,” Geist said and pointed at the readings. “They have some company on their tail.”
