“Exactly what I was thinking,” Arkei replied, grinning at the screen.
While it was too dark to confirm a door at the end, the crew knew this was their best chance.
“Is there a place you can put this thing down?” Regan asked.
“I can get close, but security won’t like a ship lingering in dark areas,” Calico replied.
“Do what you can.”
Bob stood up and looked at the rocky alleyway on the screen. He folded his arms and nodded his head.
“Castle gates,” Bob stated with a smirk. Squit replied with some noises and Bob turned to face Regan. “Squit’s good at opening gates.”
Regan nodded. “If there’s a service door down there, then it will surely be locked and reinforced with all kinds of codes and key locks. Squit, you might be our best chance.”
Squit’s tentacles reached out and then wrapped around herself, like she was giving herself a hug. She smiled too, an expression that Regan was beginning to recognize through her barely visible face.
Calico set the ship down.
“Captain, I would like to join you, but I feel like we are in a tight spot here, so I should stay behind the controls,” Calico said.
“That’s exactly where you should be,” Regan said. “I’ll go in with Squit. Arkei and Straya can give us cover if needed.”
The two ladies were already standing. Arkei lifted her bionic arm into the air as if to say, ‘We are with you.’
Squit pulled Bob close and smothered his face with what appeared to be a long kiss, but because the tentacles were covering most of his body, it was hard to tell what exactly was happening. But the squishy liquid-like sounds gave them more than enough information.
Then she quickly joined Regan and the others as they descended the ship.
The alley was narrow, obviously not rock, but made of a metal material. They reached the end to find a door. It was solid, with a screen to the left, but no lights or obvious buttons. This door was only for people who knew what they were doing. People who were supposed to be here.
And like everywhere else Regan had been recently, he was not supposed to be here.
Squit put a tentacle on the screen and began moving it around. She flattened it to cover the entire screen, and used the others to touch various parts of the door, up, around, and all over the sides.
Nothing was happening. No movement or change of any kind. Whatever type of door this was, it was not one for hacking.
Regan supposed the only way to get through this door would be to break it down. But how?
Squit continued to try. She made all kinds of frustrated squeaks and squishes. She wasn’t used to this type of situation.
Eventually she dropped her tentacles and looked at Regan with a somber face. Even though it was dark where they stood, he knew her face was one of disappointment.
“You tried,” Regan said.
Then Regan felt an air flow of some type. A heat from above him. It was very subtle, but he knew movement occurred.
He looked at the door and all around it. He supposed if it was an air-tight door then there must be some type of air release or pressure system that went along with it.
Arkei felt it too, as she grabbed Regan’s arm.
“I think there’s a ventilation system affiliated with this door,” she said. She pulled out a device, a small manual scanner she brought from the ship, and scanned the door and the surrounding mechanics.
Right above the door was a small vent. Too small for any of them to fit through. And the way it was welded, similar to the door itself, there was no breaking it or hacking into its system.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” Straya said.
“How can we get in there?” Regan asked.
“I’m not sure we can,” Arkei said.
“Even if we could,” Straya chimed in. “That vent is connected to this door, which means it’s run by the asteroid’s fusion power. There’s nothing else strong enough that could keep this rock running.”
“And if it’s exhaling byproduct of the fusion reactor, then whatever is pouring out of there is some strong stuff,” Arkei added.
“Dangerous stuff,” Straya said.
Squit made some sounds and the other three just agreed. She was likely on the same page.
“But it’s an opening, so there must be a way to break through,” Regan started. “I know that sounds crazy, but certainly there would be other vents like this one. Larger vents. We must have suits aboard that ship that could withstand that type of force?”
Straya and Arkei looked at Regan like they had many times before, like these were basic space facts that he should know. He wasn’t a big fan of these glares, but he loved how fierce the ladies looked when they gave him them.
“Regan,” Straya said. “We are talking about a force of radiation that could cripple any suit we have.”
“The only reason we are okay right here underneath the vent is because it would only be activated by exhaust when the door opens, and it’s not going to open for us,” Arkei continued.
“Additionally, whoever is going through this door is likely being brought in by a machine or vehicle built to withstand the force,” Straya added. “That vent is a deterrent as much as an efficient mechanism.”
“Excuse me,” Posha’s voice interrupted through their two-way communication system. “As you know, with my biology I can withstand all the dangerous complexities of such a task. And more importantly, I would like to. I think it sounds rather fun.”
“Bold move for a Class A,” Arkei stated.
“Posha,” Regan said. “How fast can you get down here?”
“Captain,” Bob said, sounding excited. “We could shoot him to you!”
There was silence for a few moments until Regan asked for clarification.
Bob, you really have lost it, buddy.
“If Calico can line up the airlock just right, we can shoot Posha from it!” Bob shouted. He seemed very excited at the prospect of shooting a lizard at them.
Bob added, “It’s a popular tactical maneuver in War Games 3.”
Wait, he’s played War Games?
It is the most popular shooter on Earth.
But Regan didn’t have time to question that right now. “Bob, you might be onto something there. Calico, is it possible for you to line up the airlock to shoot Posha right at the vent?”
“If I do that,” Calico began, “the three of you will have to hurry back to the ship. It might not go unnoticed.”
“Agreed,” Regan said as they started running back. “But I can’t think of a quicker plan. Bob! I can’t believe you played War Games… Wait, did you say ‘3’?”
“War Games 3!” Bob replied. “The best in the series!”
“Bob, everyone knows War Games 2 is the more balanced entry.”
“Not so, Captain, once you understand the meta—”
“Never mind, Bob!” Regan snapped. “Calico, let’s make this happen.”
“So after he gets inside, what’s the next move?” Calico asked.
“Well, we need a place to dock the ship. So why don’t we have him get into the asteroid’s system and open the bay doors for us?”
“I suppose that would work.”
The ship lingered nearby, the airlock lined up with the alley they stood in.
“Okay, I just secured Posha in the airlock,” Reverie’s voice came through. “I added a bit of confidence to his resolve.”
“No time for a countdown, Captain,” Calico said. “I have this sucker lined up.”
It was only moments later that Posha was ejected from the airlock and went flying past Regan, Arkei, Straya, and Squit. And like that he disappeared into the air duct. He squeezed right through in the blink of an eye.
However long they would have to wait for him to make his move once inside was another story.
“Posha, we’ll return to the ship and Arkei will navigate you through the asteroid so you can get to the supply hangar,” Regan said. “
Once inside, open it for us and that’s it. You got it?”
“I am quite certain this is a simple task that I will have no trouble carrying out,” Posha said proudly.
“Let’s hope this works,” Arkei said.
“It’ll work,” Regan said, as they headed back to the ship.
On the bridge, Calico maintained her casual circling of the asteroid, moving in and out of the merging traffic. They had noticed that additional ships were arriving. Some of them patrol ships.
“Can we tune in to a frequency to see if they’re looking for us?” Regan asked.
“I’m already on it,” Straya said, motioning at the code running across the screen in front of her. “Nothing so far. They believe an over-flux of power caused the blackout. But they aren’t ruling out foul play just yet.”
Arkei had the schematics on the screen and was navigating Posha toward the hangar. He was close, but Regan couldn’t understand for the life of him how someone could move so slowly.
Then Posha’s voice started to get fuzzy. He was breaking up.
“Posha? Posha, are you there?” Arkei asked.
The bridge stayed silent waiting for his reply, which finally came through, but it wasn’t in a way that was to their liking.
“I read… it seems that perhaps… and a big wave of… I don’t think… problem… but you can never…”
Arkei spoke the rest of the directions to Posha slowly and clearly. She repeated them several times to account for any possible interference. Then Posha’s communication link went completely dead.
Arkei looked at everyone else.
“While Posha can withstand that much force and radiation,” she started, “his communication link cannot. We may have just lost contact with our inside guy.”
“Let’s get to the hangar doors and idle,” Regan ordered instantly. “As soon as that thing opens, we charge in, whether or not it was his doing.”
“That’s risky, Captain,” Calico said.
“It’s our only chance. Not to mention, we have a crew member in there, and we don’t leave our crew members for dead.”
As Calico began navigating the ship for the hangars, Straya jumped up.
“They’re now looking for a ship that matches our description,” she said. “They have made no threats or orders about us directly, but they’re now leaning more toward the fact that it may have been a battle between ships and the damage was intentional.”
Shit. Get those doors open, Posha.
They idled near the hangar doors for a short while, but it felt longer than that. While waiting, Regan grew increasingly nervous about security and patrols. They were a hot target now for too many reasons to count, and they were barging in on a mob boss. None of this was a good place to be.
Patrols started approaching them. There were no lights or alarms, but they were clearly starting to circle the area.
Regan knew they didn’t have much time.
And then it happened.
The hangar doors began to open. They didn’t move as fast as Regan was hoping, but they began to open nonetheless.
Just as soon as they were nearly open all the way, they stopped, and then began to close. “Someone is on to it,” Calico said.
“The asteroid’s security is trying to close the doors after an unauthorized opening, no doubt,” Straya said.
“So Posha did it,” Arkei said.
There was no time to waste. They had to race the door.
“Get inside now,” Regan ordered. Everyone realized the door opening didn’t look wide enough, but a second of hesitation would ensure that’d be the case.
Calico fired the ship toward the hangar doors, not wasting a millisecond. The doors seemed to close faster than they opened, but that could have been all in Regan’s mind. He thought for sure they would lose a piece of the ship, something on the top or bottom, when entering the closing space.
But they didn’t. They made it through.
Calico quickly found a less populated corner of the hangar area. A spot where fewer patrols and security would be, based on proximity to the hangar entrance. She wanted to avoid baggage handlers and security alike. They couldn’t be seen by anyone.
But the bottom line was that they had made it inside. The hangar doors closed behind them. Certainly there would be a security detail to come and inspect the situation, but Regan and his crew would be long into their mission by that point.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
The ship had made it inside safely, and now it was time to find Salvato. But Regan knew the entire crew couldn’t leave the ship. He had to leave several people behind in case something went wrong.
Having someone reporting back the schematics of the place would help them tremendously too. Since Arkei had already been going through them, Regan decided she should run point on the ship while he led the trek into the casino.
Calico would come with him, as she was most familiar with Salvato and his tactics. Straya was in for her combat skills, and that would be enough. A small team could be sneaky, fight well, and not fold under pressure.
Just then, Squit started making noises. Her tentacles were covering a section of the control console. Her noises weren’t panicked, but they were hurried. Bob didn’t translate but ran over to a control console opposite the room and pressed a button. A red light flashed then Squit dashed from the room.
Regan shot Bob a look. “What’s going on?”
“Squit was listening into the asteroid’s security to see if anything was reported about the door opening, and discovered someone reported a skinny lizard lurking about,” Bob said. “Squit went to collect him.”
It seemed like a flash that Squit was back with Posha in her tentacles. Her speed would never cease to amaze Regan.
Posha looked exhausted. While they knew he could handle radiation, it certainly took a toll on him. His ear was smoking from where the communication link had burned out.
Straya ran over to him with a small tool and gently removed the item from his ear, dropping it into a containment bucket.
“Thank you, Squit,” Posha said. “That was a rush. I am so glad you all got in safely.”
Squit set Posha down into his chair and the entire crew thanked him for his bravery. He waved them off in a single slow motion of the wrist.
“Squit, I need you to stay on the bridge and keep listening in,” Regan said. “You can also be helpful in hacking into rooms where Salvato might be staying.”
Squit made a noise and looked at Bob.
“She already knows where he is,” Bob said. “He is in the Grand Suite.” Bob paused while Squit muttered more, then said, “She was multitasking.” Bob winked at her when he said this.
Incredible.
“Okay, I’m going in with Calico and Straya,” Regan said. “Arkei, you navigate us through. Squit, you open any doors or prevent any hurdles along the way. Reverie, do you have any available healing power?”
Reverie nodded.
“Would you please take care of our brave friend Posha?” he asked.
“It would be my honor,” Reverie said. “But you will need to charge me back up later.”
“I look forward to that.” Regan smirked. “Bob, help Squit with whatever she needs.”
Bob nodded. “You got it.”
Regan looked at Calico and Straya. They were awaiting his orders.
“Ladies, let’s go to the armory and grab some concealable weapons, then we’ll go find and lay this mobster to waste.”
Before leaving, he held out his hand to Arkei, who had been in charge of keeping the data cube locked and safe. She handed it to him.
“All this for a little cube,” Regan said.
“The information stored within is powerful, don’t forget,” Calico said.
The comment stuck with Regan. He put it inside his pocket. He even wrestled with the notion of not handing it over to the mobster, but he wanted out of this. He turned to face Calico and Straya.
“Let’s roll,” he said.
Regan, Straya, and Calico snuck through a series of machines and vents. None of it was toxic to them, as the system was the internal air conditioning and heating. It was actually quite pleasant, since the air had to be perfect for the high rollers in this place.
They all maintained their formal attire, as they would get to a point when they had to cross the main gambling floor. It was the only way to get to the elevator that serviced the Grand Suite. Regan was nervous about this and wondered if their faces were already on some list from trying to get in earlier.
If security had such a list, then this would be a short trip.
Arkei directed them from the ship as Squit adjusted several items for them along the way, such as slowing down fans for them to pass through, or temporarily closing off security monitors in the vents.
Even though they were in the inner workings of the casino, there were still levels of security. This place was a fortress.
“You know,” Straya started in a whispered tone. “I recognize a lot of this machinery. It’s high-end, but overall, it’s basic stuff, actually. We could shut down the entire asteroid from in here.”
“And flush everyone out?” Calico asked.
“Exactly,” Straya said. “Might save us the trouble of crossing the gambling floor. We could heat the place up and smoke out Salvato down to us.”
Regan liked the idea, but he also liked the idea of seeing Salvato’s face when the elevator doors opened. Being able to catch a powerful mob boss off guard was something Regan preferred. This was who he was now, so he’d keep playing the game this way.
“Let’s leave it alone,” Regan said. “Let’s walk up to that elevator, ride up to see that smug mobster, and relish in the surprise on his face.”
“Damn, Regan,” Straya said. “You do like it close and personal.”
“Besides,” Regan added. “We don’t want to give security additional reasons to look for intruders. We’ve gotten away with enough already.”
Before them was the vent they would be walking through. It led to a hallway which led to the gambling floor entrance. From here on, they would be visible to everyone in the room, from gamblers to security, to the cameras placed on ceilings and doorways.
Galactic Bandits Compilation Page 27