by Andrew Mack
One small cargo ship with AuFa markings touched down on an outside pad. Steam and sand dusted up as the bottom loading doors opened. A ground AuFa officer walked up to the doors with four armed AuFa security soldiers in tow. Octavious, in a dirty AuFa uniform, was walking down the ramp towards the soldiers. He was wearing tinted goggles and a mining ventilator mask covering the bottom of his face. Confused and curious, the greeting officer looked at Octavious and said, “ We got your codes, but we do not have a manifest for this ship? What is this?”
Octavious turned, looked back at the officer on the forklift, and whistled. Seconds later, a beeping forklift carrying a vast crate wheeled out and down the ramp. “Huge discovery over in the mines in sector Ten. This is the first of two. The second ship is right behind us.”
The greeting officer on the ground was still confused. “We have no knowledge of this. Why wasn’t it called in?”
Octavious, with soot all over his face, very confidently said, “Captain Hansall notified you about an hour ago. I have orders, these two crates have to be on that 18:00 C-24 ship.”
The other officer was now in a pickle. “That C-24 just got its last cargo put on. It’s about to take off. We cannot add this to it. “
The soldier driving the forklift stopped and looked at Octavious. He asked, “Lieutenant, where am I taking this?”
Octavious asked the greeting officer, “Who are you?”
The greeting officer answered, “Sergeant Grant.”
Taking one step closer, Octavious, still with the ventilator mask on the bottom of his face, looked directly in his eyes. He said, “Look here, Sargent Grant. It’s not my problem who did or didn’t communicate with you. What is my problem is this cargo needs to get on that ship, or Captain Hansell will be crawling up my ass asking why. Unless you want me directly pointing at you when he does, my problem is now your problem. Are we clear?”
The sergeant kept staring at him, not saying anything. After a few seconds, he noticed that both men were unarmed. He took one step back to acquiesce the decision. Octavious looked at the soldier driving the forklift and jumped on. Standing, with one foot on the base, and one hand gripping the crossbar, he pointed to the vast C-24 Cargo Transport. Octavious yelled, “Take us to that transport over there.”
The forklift found another gear and darted off towards the transport ship. They were clear from the other soldiers, who were now turning back to walk inside the hangar. Octavious said to the soldier, driving the forklift “Four minutes.”
Meanwhile, a small second transport ship flew very low, a mere fifteen meters off the desert sand and rock below. The transport ship had a crew of four plus a handcuffed man tied to a bench near the exit doors. The handcuffed man was naked except for a pair of underwear. The rest of the ship had two female pilots in the front of the craft, with two male soldiers in the back. Only this transport ship was converted with two open side doors and two colossal rocket guns on each side. Both the male soldiers were operating each weapon. Over the radio, a male voice came on “Transport ship this is AuFa Garrison 14, please identify.”
Cortes, the female pilot, said, “Garrison 14, this is transport T-3472. Second added cargo from Captain Hansell. First cargo ship should already be there.”
There was a long pause. The second female pilot, Kaya Killian, got up. She tapped Cortes on the shoulder and began walking to the back of the ship. A voice came over on the radio. “T-3472. We have no orders from Captain Hansell and no manifest for you. First cargo ship is here. Please advise to land on pad nine for a full inspection.”
Cortes said, “Copy Garrison 14. Captain Hansall called it in about an hour ago. He said this cargo needs to be on that C-24, or someone’s nuts are getting fed to the snakes out in the desert.”
The voice continued. “Copy that T-3472. We’ve been advised. Verifying with Captain Hansall now.”
Kaya Killian walked by both of the male soldiers operating the guns on the ship. She yelled, “Ready?”
They both nodded. Kaya put her tinted goggles on and put her hand up to her earpiece “Cortes, we are a go.”
Cortes hit a switch to change the audio to internal only. “Standing by. Thirty seconds.”
The forklift was now heading up the massive ramp of the C-24. Four AuFa soldiers were helping with the final load. The rest had already walked away from the ship. One of the soldiers on board the vessel said, “We got a full payload! Where are we supposed to put that?”
The forklift spun and stopped in a 90 degree turn at the top of the ship. It no longer was on the ramp but in the cargo bay as Octavious jumped off. The soldier driving the forklift began putting the cargo crate down. When it got to the floor, Octavious looked at the soldier who spoke and said, “Gentlemen, we need to find room on this ship somewhere. It’s got something special inside. “
Octavious and the forklift driver began opening the crate. One of the Aufa soldiers asked, “Yeah, what’s that?”
Octavious Killian removed his ventilator mask and took off his goggles. He said, “Catastrophe.”
He then reached into the crate and grabbed his ring. It was a reddish silvery ring, with a black wooden handle and a glowing orange stone. He pulled it out, and it immediately transformed into a maroon, narrow, diamond-shape saber, with small flames. He then slit the heads off the two officers nearest him. The forklift driver grabbed a short rifle from the crate and shot it right into the heart of the third AuFa soldier. The fourth AuFa soldier raced over to his rifle, laying on top of a crate off to the side. Killian jumped across two containers almost seamlessly and much faster. As the AuFa soldier was about to grab the rifle, Octavious transformed his diamond-shaped saber into a longer, narrower one. He immediately lunged the tip straight into the stomach of the fourth soldier and drove it directly through his body. Taking it out, he looked at the forklift driver and said, “And Kaya says I’ve gotten slow.”
The forklift driver smiled. Two more of Octavious Killian’s soldiers came out of the crate. Each was holding their rings with a small red saber blade. Octavious said, “Get to the pilots. Sixty seconds.”
The second inbound ship with Kaya and Cortes continued to fly extremely low. In her right hand, Kaya held the black handle of her reddish ring with the orange stone in the middle. Strapped around her shoulder was a rifle, with a barrel over a meter long and a scope on top. Her left hand still was clutched to a crossbar on the ship. As the ship came upon the Facility, it slowed slightly down. Cortes, the pilot, veered it straight up and got the ship almost vertical, seventy degrees, before leveling it out five meters above the forty meters high Tower Cannon. Kaya Killian jumped out the open side doors of the transport. Holding the bottom of her cloak, as she began to descend, the cloak’s material expanded, turning it into a gliding parachute. Letting go near the Tower Cannon, she landed on both feet on the walkway.
Cortes flew the transport ship back down, flying it strategically slightly above the landing pads.
Everyone on the base who had just witnessed the transport ship do that maneuver was speechless. It took them a few seconds to realize what was going on. Octavious Killian and the forklift driver were back on the forklift, driving it down the big cargo ship ramp and onto the base surface. They turned the forklift and began driving it to the two fighters parked near the outside hanger.
Kaya was greeted by a soldier running towards her. Still trying to get the gun out of his holster, Kaya transformed her ring into the same diamond-shaped fire saber her brother had. Rolling forward and bouncing up, Kaya cut the leg off the soldier with one swing and then kicked him off the ledge. The Tower Cannon was 6 meters by 6 meters at the top. The other soldier that operated the Cannon came down off the chair. He got off one shot on Kaya, but it missed as she backflipped and sliced his head off with one motion. Two more soldiers had made their way up the stairs. Kaya began running towards them. One shot at Kaya, hitting her armor that covered her
shoulder. As they made their way to the top of the stairs, Kaya drop-kicked the first one, causing him to go into the second, tumbling them both down the stairs. When she got up, she whipped her rifle around and shot both of them as they were trying to get up from the base of the stairs. Turning around, Kaya dropped her rifle and climbed on top of the cannon, pointing it at the other forty-meter high Cannon Tower on the other side of the Facility.
The gun on the Tower Cannon was loud and devastating. In five quick shots, she blew up the other cannon tower. Kaya pointed the cannon at the stairs the soldiers had tried to come up in. In two short blasts, she rendered them useless. She then began firing on the four other cargo ships sitting on the landing pads. Any AuFa soldiers on the facility who were confused before, now knew precisely what was going on. The second transport ship Cortes was piloting, was still flying slowly, ten meters off the ground. The two side gunners were providing a stable stream of recovery fire, lighting up the Control Tower, and shooting at soldiers on the ground.
Two AuFa soldiers in the cockpit of the vast C-24 Cargo Transport pulled the throttle back on the engines. Two of Octavious’ Valmay soldiers came up behind them, slitting their throats with their fire daggers. They dragged their bodies out of the cockpit. After, they jumped back into the cockpit themselves. Hitting a button, they closed the main ramp door, and slowly took off.
Octavious Killian and the forklift driver were still on the ground, navigating toward the two F-81 Fighters. It was all chaos now on the landing pads. Everyone was looking at the second Tower Cannon on fire, or the second transport Cortes was flying, with its two side guns hammering away. Kaya jumped out of the chair of the Cannon and picked up her rifle. She positioned her body against the railing. Looking through the scope on the rifle, she followed her brother on the forklift. A couple of AuFa soldiers, now identifying Octavious, began firing at the forklift. One by one, Kaya picked them off, from some seventy to eighty meters away. The rifle was far more accurate than the Tower Cannon, albeit not quite as lethal in damage.
The second transport ship did a U-turn and began heading back toward the first Cannon Tower that Kaya was still on. The two gunners continued to shoot down below, with less accuracy because of the smoke. A few of the AuFa ground soldiers managed to hit Cortes’ gunship transport, but it did minimal damage.
The forklift arrived at the two F-81 Sirator fighters. Two pilots had managed to run from the hangar and were climbing up the ladders when the forklift stopped. Octavious shot one of them, and Kaya, from eighty meters away, killed the other. Octavious and the other Valmay soldier jumped off the forklift and began climbing the ladders to get into the Fighters. Other AuFa soldiers were shooting at them from the other side of the bay, but Kaya kept picking them off. Both Octavious and the soldier jumped into the cockpits of the F-81’s. The fighters roared to life and quickly ascended from the landing pads.
The fighters flew side by side, flanking the vast C-24 Cargo ship that was now airborne as well. Smoke still billowing from everywhere, as the facility was now entirely on fire. As the second transport Cortes was piloting made its way back to the first Tower Cannon, Kaya slung the rifle back over her shoulder. She waited until the transport ship was right next to the tower and jumped, landing on top of it. She sprinted to the back of the ship, and cartwheeling, grabbed some handles, and flipped all the way around. She landed in the open cargo bay ramp at the end of the ship. Walking toward the two male gunners, she grabbed her earpiece and yelled, “Cortes, let’s go.”
Kaya walked over to the handcuffed man only in his underwear, tied to the bench and gagged. She cut his ties with her saber and dragged him up by the arm. She proceeded to kick him out the cargo doors, “Captain Hansell, it’s been a pleasure.”
Captain Hansell fell fifteen meters to his death. All five ships flew away at a low altitude. The facility was entirely on fire.
Belinea 1.10
Earth, The Moon
Odgins Military Academy
Cadets Trujillo and Tunsall were finishing packing their bags in their common room. Trujillo, not looking at Tunsall, said, “We can still back out of this if you want.”
Tunsall let the question linger for a second before replying, “I think we should do it.”
Trujillo said, “You think I should do it, or should we do it?”
Tunsall zipped his bag and picked it up. After a second, he said, “We…”
Trujillo nodded and zipped his bag. He said softly, “You got real options after graduating.”
Tunsall just stared at him and said, “And you do not?”
Trujillo continued, “I am nobody. A kid whose family was wiped out by the pandemic, and happy to have three squares a day and a bed to sleep on. That’s not why you are here.”
Tunsall responded quietly. “You do not gain perspective seeing only one view.”
Trujillo looked at him and said, “You know I want to do this. I just hope this perspective does not change your path.”
Tunsall continued. “My path has not already been chosen. Besides, I cannot let you go by yourself. What happens when they ask you to actually fly something?”
Trujillo gave Tunsall a smirk. Both of them walked out of their room and down the corridor towards the elevator. They boarded it and took it to the top floor. When they got off, they took a left towards the cargo bay. At a desk before the bay doors, Sergeant Sabrina Evans was waiting for them. She said to them, “You are late.”
Trujillo responded, “Master Sergeant, our shuttle is supposed to leave at eleven hundred hours.”
Sergeant Evans replied, “Precisely. Thirty minutes early is on time from now on, gentlemen. You have to start thinking like DAG officers if you wish to become one.”
Tunsall responded, “Master Sergeant, this is just an assignment. I have no intention of joining the Delegate Ambassador Guard after.”
She answered, “That said, this is not homework in one of your classes, gentlemen. It is not an assignment to take lightly.”
Evans reached from behind the desk and gave the cadets two sticks, one each. She said, “Here are your orders. When you get to Space Port Earth, show them to the Dock Master along with your credentials. Then report to Gate Fourteen. Any questions?”
Both said, “No, ma’am.”
Evans then gave both of them a side pistol. She said, “And take these. Commander Willits wanted each of you issued an additional sidearm along with your taser.”
Trujillo and Tunsall looked at each other for a brief second before Trujillo asked, “Permission to speak ma’am?”
Evans nodded. Trujillo asked, “Is this standard for this type of mission?”
Evans answered, “For a DAG officer, yes. For your role, no.”
Trujillo continued, “So, you know what our assignment is, Master Sergeant?”
Sergeant Evans nodded and said, “Yes, I do, but it is up to Commanders Willts and Jones to explain your mission, not me.”
Tunsall added, “You know Commanders Willits and Jones, ma’am?”
Evans answered, “I have worked with them before.”
Trujillo asked, “Do you think we are doing the right thing? Volunteering for this assignment?”
Evans shook her head and said, “That is not for me to say. You have been picked for a reason. Now, get going, and do not let me down.”
Trujillo saluted before being followed by Tunsall. Trujillo responded, “Yes, ma’am.”
Evans saluted back and said, “Good look, gentlemen.”
Trujillo and Tunsall walked out and put their outside suits on. Once their suits were on, they walked out another set of doors to the landing area. They continued over to the shuttle on the last landing pad and boarded it. Tunsall looked at Trujillo and said, “That wasn’t exactly the most glowing recommendation for Willits and Jones.”
Trujillo quickly added, “I thought the same thing. What the hel
l did we get ourselves into?”
Belinea 1.11
Space Port Earth, Dock 14, 12:50 Hours
The C-62T transport ship was docked. Two dock workers were finishing the last bit of cargo provisions necessary for the long trip. Commanders Willits and Jones were there instructing a couple more dock workers on proper procedures. The two cadets, Trujillo and Tunsall, came walking down the extension ramp of the dock, each with a standard issued traveling bag in their hand. They stopped in front of Willits and Jones, saluting. Trujillo said, “Cadets Trujillo and Tunsall reporting for duty, sir.”
Willits slightly saluted back, before yelling at a dock worker and addressing the cadets. “And make sure it all gets in there, quickly. We are not going to be late. At ease, gentlemen.”
Tunsall kept looking at the transport ship. “Commander, that is a C-62T.”
Willits was not exactly in the best mood. “Imagine how nervous I would be if you didn’t know that, Tunsall. Glad to know Odgins is teaching you something.”
Trujillo and Tunsall glanced at each other. Trujillo had an ever so slight roll of the eyes.
Ambassador Bird and Alexis Devanoe came walking down the platform soon after. They were flanked by two Delegate & Ambassador Guards, both carrying rifles. Two dock workers followed in the rear with the luggage. As they approached, one of the guards gave a quick salute to Willits and Jones before speaking.
The first DAG soldier said, “Commander Willits. Delivery confirmed of Ambassador Bird and Miss Devanoe. Although we had a delivery time of 16:00 hours, sir.”