Thread:FleetCaptainT/@comment-27324808-20170606175526

Fifty-one

  The Avant Gardens team stopped at Nimbus Station to commandeer a faster transport, a Sentinel Starchief with a warp drive, that would get the twenty-one of them plus thirty more Nexus Forcers, a small army under Sergeant’s command also working as the ship’s crew, to Nexus Tower half an hour faster than on rockets.

  Five minutes into their estimated fifteen minute trip they encountered a fleet of spaceborne Maelstrom in the darneu above Forbidden Valley. The Starchief just soared over them and passed them with minimal damage, thanks to flying expertise of Luke Mercury, with Suave Able Cat and Ray Handerson copiloting the craft. Then they rounded a large asteroid only to crash into another one.

  “Oops.” Luke said, and he activated the ship’s reverse thrusters just as Maelstrom spaceships surrounded the 10-50. He banked the ship to aim its well armored dorsal side towards the nearest infected Nexus Koi class transport while Suave pressed a button alerting the crew to man the guns. They would have to fight their way out of this one.

  In the rear cargo bay, Intrepid shoved some the gear and consumable boxes that had toppled over into force field alcoves where they should have been, as the boxes were hastily loaded and had been left in the main section. He activated the force field so they wouldn’t slide out, then turned to face the other people in the room, Cheerful Power Rover, a monkey, and Krill Mathias. Rover was pushing boxes as well, the monkey was sealing the top on a box that had spilled open, and Krill wasn’t doing anything.

  “Hey Krill,” Intrepid waved.

  The vigilante looked up. “If you’re asking me to help you push these stupid boxes, the answer is no, I rather save my energy for hauling posterior when we’re boarded.” Then he lowered his head and dozed.

  Rover happened to push a box between them. “Don’t bother, Intrepid.” he muttered.

  “I was going to ask him about my jetpack.” Intrepid told the passing Buccaneer, and turned to Krill again. “Krill, you took a jetpack from me three years ago that I really liked. If you still have it, can I have it back?”

  Krill looked up again. “Do I even know you, kid?”

  “Three years ago.” Intrepid repeated.

  “Oh yeah.” Krill pushed off the wall and headed for the doorway to the secondary cargo bay, and he paused at the open door. “ I didn’t recognize you for a second. Teenagers grow fast. Anyway, the jetpack’s gone and I have no regrets. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll find a quieter place to hibernate.” He left and the door slid shut behind him. Before it shut, Intrepid noticed that there were many more boxes in need of sorting in the secondary cargo bay.

  “What’s he doing here anyway?” Intrepid asked Rover, who didn’t respond immediately. The Buccaneer extended an arm for the monkey to jump onto, and from there to his shoulder, before stuffing his hands in his pockets and turning to Intrepid.

  “He’s being paid, obviously.” Rover said discreetly. “We don’t know by who and God knows he won’t tell.”

  So we’re not the only ones looking for Cyclone. Intrepid thought.

  “You remember, it was the Darkitect trying to capture Cyclone the last time Krill was here.” Rover continued. “But now the Darkitect, or another version of him, has Cyclone, so this means there’s a third-party involved.”

  There was a crash from someplace else in the ship and suddenly the inertial dampeners were disabled, knocking Intrepid and Rover off their feet. As the ship shook, they also heard Krill exclaim some curses as he was most likely slammed by lots of boxes.

  The ship continued to shake as Intrepid and Rover danced out of the cargo bay into the ship’s cafeteria, where a few other team members were, and from there to the Starchief’s bridge.

  “Everything’s under control,” Luke greeted when they entered.

  “We’re still here?” Intrepid exclaimed. His heart sank when he saw through the windows that they were still in the darneu. Then he caught sight of the gray colored object in the rearview camera that seemed to be growing larger, not because they were backing towards it, rather they were going forwards as fast as possible; but because it was chasing them. “Oh.”

  “That’s no ship.” Rover said.

  “What is it?” Intrepid asked, looking into the screen. It was a space organism of sorts, with two pincers alongside an obvious mouth that was thankfully closed, but guns and engines and other machine parts protruded all over the rest of its body.

  A hatch slid open and Sergeant and Kate climbed in from a gunpod. “None of our weapons are having an effect.” Kate reported.

  Then the space monster opened its jaw and Suave shouted, “Sharp left!”

  Luke made a quick turn that sent everyone who wasn’t seated tumbling into the wall, as a laser shot past them.

  “What is it?!” Intrepid repeated after strapping himself to a seat.

  “It’s a Haedelra!” Sergeant Ghost Mustache shouted at him. “They’re incredibly rare and usually hang around the Venture Explorer, but there’s enough space wrecks in the darneu that it makes sense there’d be some here. It takes whatever it scavenges to use as armor for its body.”

  “We’re almost past the worst of the rocks,” Luke said, “then we can warp outta here.”

  “I admit you’re a better pilot than me.” Intrepid said.

  “Hey, Suave and I are flying too.” Ray retorted.

  “Yeah, but you got smashed by a random Stromling.” Intrepid reminded. Everyone on Avant Gardens had heard of the Rank 3 Space Marauder that had been smashed by the lowest of the Maelstrom’s minions.

  “Oh, the shame. That’s why I quit the military.” Ray grumbled. “At least I didn’t crash a rocket into the Paradox Lab like that guy.”

  “I heard of that guy too.” Intrepid said.

  The rocks became sparser and Luke easily guided the ship to dodge the Haedelra’s next laser attack. Then he aimed the Starchief towards Crux Prime, visually identifiable by Nexus Tower’s Imagination spire, and activated the warp drive. Thankfully the intertial dampeners had been re-enabled by then or they all would have smashed.

  “Whew.” Luke got up from his seat and stretched. “Intrepid or Mara can have my seat. I’ve had enough flying for a week.”

  Another harrowing journey complete, but if they thought the Maelstrom was bad here, which it was… Intrepid could only fear the Maelstrom Dimension was worse.

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