by REM
After a moment’s thought, Josh closed the locker and headed off to visit Tor. Upon rounding the corner of a long hall, he made his way to the space duct and pressed a button to call it to the floor. It took more than a few seconds of him hearing it coming. Then a blue light flashed. The door to the space duct opened.
Josh was surprised to see who was standing inside. Commander Clint… The old commander was staring at him as if he’d anticipated Josh to be right where he was.
“Come in,” said Clint.
Josh stepped into the capsule.
The doors closed but the pod did not move.
“Your squadron is going to be informed of an upcoming mission. I want you to be the first to volunteer,” said Clint. His eyes were locked on Josh’s.
Josh stared for a second. “Of course, sir. May I ask what this is about, and why I’m required?”
“Those details will be revealed to you shortly.”
Josh lowered his eyes respectfully before raising them back up with a soft gaze. “Yes, sir.”
Commander Clint gave a faint smile. “You did a fine job in assisting with the take-down of the terra-cannon. You’ve seen a lot of pivotal action in such a short time of being out here in deep space. I see you moving quickly up the ranks on this ship—so long as you don’t get killed.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Commander Clint pressed a button. The capsule shot up to the next floor and stopped. The doors opened. Clint extended a hand toward the opening.
Josh walked out and glanced back.
“Creston is strong because of pilots like you,” said Clint. The capsule doors closed.
Josh could hear it being sucked up into the tube. He knew what floor I was going to… And had to know I was heading for the space duct. Wouldn’t be surprised if the green substance from my locker is in his possession, thought Josh.
***
After visiting Tor, Josh made his way back to the third unit with Nate and Maya. Ace, Hoss, Jill, and Kyle were talking in the lounge when they walked in. Ace turned toward them. “Another meeting in the lecture room. Rolly wants us there by eight o’ clock,” he said.
“What’s going on?” asked Nate.
“He hasn’t told us yet,” Ace replied.
“But it can’t be good,” said Kyle.
“Never is,” said Hoss. “How’s Reena?”
“She’s doing well. Her ribs are bruised badly. She should be back with us by the end of the week. But she won’t be flying for a couple of weeks after that,” said Nate.
Jill’s lips sunk sorrowfully.
“And Tor?” asked Hoss.
“The pipe that was stuck in him didn’t hit anything major. He’s all stitched up and should be back here and flying within the same time frames as Reena,” said Josh.
Maya nodded.
“That’s good to hear,” said Jill.
“Okay. Hoss and I are headed to the south wing for a bit. Lecture room, forty-five minutes. Don’t be late,” said Ace.
“Got it,” Josh replied, the rest of his crewmates acknowledging too.
Most of his free time was spent talking to Kyle and Jill. When seven fifty-five rolled around, Josh was off to the lecture room with his peers.
He plunked into the first seat of the last of three rows of three chairs. Maya and Hoss sat to his right. Nate took a seat in front of Josh with Kyle and Jill. Ace sat in his customary chair off to the side.
Rolly had dimmed the lights in all parts of the room except for where he was standing up front. “Let’s get right to it,” he said, clicking a remote. An image of a planet projected onto the front board.
Looks somewhat familiar, thought Josh.
He heard Kyle mutter, “Nystavia.”
“That’s right. Nystavia,” said Rolly. “We have a strong suspicion the Mercens may have a hidden base on this planet—as well as others in the Cosmolis. But as of now this one is our primary focus.” He clicked to another slide. A split screen appeared. One side displayed what Josh thought to resemble a city of castles, connected by their courtyards. The other side showed huts and villages in fields.
“As you can see, this small planet is split into two main regions; an advanced region, and a primitive region. We have reason to believe the Mercen base could be on either side. The advanced region’s almost entirely made up of wealthy beings, and has become a well-known destination for gambling of all kinds. The primitive region doesn’t get much tourism, but is home to a variety of species. These commoners are said to be in the midst of civil unrest between the east and western parts of the area. And the planet’s host species on the advanced half could care less about what happens in the primitive region.”
Rolly changed the slide to a picture of a humanoid. The alien reminded Josh of a tall, gray, Frankenstein’s-monster-looking creature.
“This is a Grusk. They are Nystavia’s native species. No military vehicles of any kind are allowed on the planet. There’s also no laser guns, projectile weapons, or anything along these lines permitted. Even knives are considered illegal. The only weapons allowed are stun sticks, which are used only by Grusk peacekeepers.”
Ace had a hand up. Rolly pointed to him and said, “Yes, Ace?”
“Sir, where in the world would the Mercens be able to conceal a base in either of the regions you’ve showed us?”
“That’s a good question,” said Rolly. “I was just getting to that.” He switched the slide and brought up split screens once more. “At the northeasternmost part of the advanced region is an expanse of empty space lots. This would be the most likely area on this half of the planet. On the primitive side, the eastern region has a mountain range capable of playing host to a Mercen base. Both areas will have to be inspected.”
“Are the Grusks going to allow us to fly to their planet and inspect the landscapes freely?” asked Hoss.
“No. Two pilots from our squadron will be posing as wealthy tourists with strict interests in gambling. Jill has been pre-selected for the mission. But I need one other volunteer. Anyone?” said Rolly, looking in Josh’s direction, but not directly at him.
Nate raised his hand.
Josh remembered Clint’s instructions to volunteer and thrust his arm into the air before Maya could raise hers halfway.
Maya jerked her neck, looking at Josh as if confused. She smiled. “Guess you really want to go,” she said, in a low voice.
Hoss sniggered.
Shit! I let Nate beat me. What the hell is Clint going to say about this? thought Josh.
Rolly eyed Nate. Then Josh. “Josh raised his hand first. He’ll be joining Jill for this mission. Which is probably better for you anyway, Nate, considering they’ll be posing as a married couple.”
Maya opened her mouth and looked at Josh with amusement. Jill glanced back at him, grinning, as did Kyle and Hoss.
“Sir, why isn’t our intel team handling a mission of this type?” asked Nate.
“They’re stretched too thin currently. And with the Creston cruiser covering the southern Void Zone, we have pilots to spare. Aside from the unrest on the primitive side of Nystavia, the mission shouldn’t involve much danger—unless Josh and Jill were to stumble upon a Mercen base in the wrong way.”
Josh raised a hand, even though it was clear he no longer needed to.
“Yes, Josh,” said Rolly.
“How long will this mission last?”
“As long as it takes to complete, though we estimate two to three days. We’re going to try and get you as close to the suspected base locations as we can. You and Jill will receive all the need-to-know information prior to your departure.” Rolly looked around. “Is there any other questions?”
No one replied. A few of the pilots shook their heads.
“All right. Josh and Jill, you’ll be coming with me. You both will attend an hour-long combat refresher course; the same stuff you learned at Space League. Maya, I want you to attend this class too. After that Josh and Jill will need to be present for a dev
ice walkthrough. Maya will head back to the unit to retire with the rest of you. Everyone else is free to go.” Rolly clicked off the projector and looked down at some papers.
All but Josh, Maya, and Jill got up from their seats to leave. Josh watched Hoss give Maya a peck on her cheek before turning for the door. It was the first time he’d seen them display that type of affection.
Once the other pilots were gone, “Let’s go,” Rolly ordered.
Josh and company followed the officer into the space duct and out into the east wing of the M.N. Rampage. Rolly led them down a few halls before stopping at an opened doorway and extending a hand toward the room.
Josh peered inside at the thick white mats covering the floors, as well as the multiple punching bags and fighting apparatus. An athletically built fellow wearing a gi was standing with a red-headed individual who was about Josh’s age and height.
Rolly motioned his hand toward the man with the crew cut. “This is Instructor Lev. He’ll be leading your session. The other fellow is Rick, a somewhat new pilot from the 1st squadron. I’ll be back here when the course ends.” Rolly turned and left.
Josh and Jill walked inside.
“Welcome,” said Instructor Lev. “Dressing rooms are right over there. You’ve got two minutes to get changed into sweats. Then form a line.”
The first half of the combat session was spent going over different kicks, strikes, and attack-defense combinations. “Yah!” Josh shouted, thrusting a tight fist forward and following it up with a low kick. Maya, Jill and Rick were repeating the instructor’s demonstrations too.
During the second part of the class, the pilots were fitted with pads from head to toe. Instructor Lev paired them up to duel, one group at a time. Maya and Jill went first.
“Hee-yah! Yah!” Maya rushed at Jill, punching with both hands.
The thrust drove Jill back, but she counter stepped forward with double punches of her own. “Hai-yah! Hah!”
Maya retreated some, then slipped an arm under Jill’s while twisting her into a hip toss.
Jill’s back slammed against the mat, but she slid quickly to behind Maya’s ankles and wrapped both arms around Maya’s knees. She squeezed tight, forcing Maya to fall forward. Then she tried crawling up her back for a rear-naked choke. But Maya turned over so they were face to face with Jill on top.
Both grunted, grasping at each other’s upper body. They then broke their holds and wrestled some more.
“Stop!” said Lev.
The women ceased their actions and rose to their feet.
“That wasn’t bad. Guess you’re not just a sweet girl,” said Maya.
Jill smiled. “I am, but there’s a bit more to me than that.”
“Probably didn’t even need Josh’s or my help with Ven that one day.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” said Jill.
Instructor Lev had them go at it again. The second tussle ended with Maya placing Jill into a head lock, after they’d wrestled around on the mat.
“You got me good that time,” said Jill, rubbing at the back of her neck. “Since I lost, I’ll treat you to a drink sometime. Just you and me,” she said, with a smiling wink.
Josh smirked, knowing damn well what Jill’s intentions were.
Maya shrugged as if the offer was just a casual occurrence. “Sure.”
“Take a seat,” said Instructor Lev to the ladies. “Guys up.”
Josh stood feeling good about being able to spar—but he had to wonder about what was going on in Rick’s head at seeing the red-headed pilot bouncing on the tips of his toes and moving his shoulders and neck like a prized fighter. Oh God. This guy’s going to try really hard. Josh extended a fist for a tap.
Rick touched gloves and then brought his hands up to his chin, looking ready to go a few rounds.
“Fight!” said Lev.
Rick threw a straight punch at Josh’s head, then lunged forward, throwing a hammer-fisted strike with the opposite hand. Josh batted at the blows while stepping away and circling to his left. He spun into a back-knuckled punch. Rick ducked it and rose up, slamming his fist into the pads protecting Josh’s ribs. Josh swung a fist down immediately in counter. The blow rocked Rick into tumbling on his stomach. Wasting no time, Josh dove onto Rick’s back and slipped his hands around his neck into a rear naked choke. It took all of three seconds for Rick to tap out.
Josh released his hold and got up, looking at the cracked grins on Maya and Jill’s faces. It made him feel great about his performance. Well, I can still fight, he thought, feeling confident as ever.
“One more,” said Instructor Lev.
Rick’s face was as red as his hair when nodding in reply.
Josh readied himself.
Instructor Lev raised a hand between both pilots and then dropped his arm, saying, “Fight!”
There was no bouncing from Rick this time. Instead, he was extremely cautious and moved around as if feeling out what Josh was going to try and do.
Josh kicked at Rick’s shin just for good measure, but kept wary and unwilling to commit. After some shoulder feinting, he threw another low kick at Rick’s legs.
Rick faked as if he were going to punch at Josh’s face, but lowered his shoulder and drove into Josh’s mid-section. Josh wrapped his arms around Rick’s upper body, putting all of his weight onto Rick and forcing him to the floor. Rick wrestled wildly as if his adrenaline had just set in. Josh straightened his legs in order to maintain his hold. Then, at just the right moment, he swung his leg around the top of Rick’s shoulders until he’d caught Rick’s neck in between his legs. He squeezed with all of his might.
“Stop!” said Lev, seeing that Rick was unable to tap.
Josh released his hold and rose to his feet. When Rick was standing, Josh extended a hand for a shake, which the redhead accepted.
“You’re good,” said Rick.
Josh glanced back at the smiling gals and said, “Bring me Hoss.”
Jill’s smile brightened.
“He’ll beat your ass,” said Maya.
Instructor Lev had the pilots form a line. He then went over some of their strengths and weaknesses, making sure to provide key pointers for improvement. Once that was over, “Class is dismissed,” he said.
Josh and the others headed for the locker rooms to get changed into their normal uniforms. Josh was the first to finish and waited a couple of minutes for the ladies to join him. When they exited the dojo, Officer Rolly was waiting for them in the hall.
Wow, he wasn’t joking about being here when our class was finished, thought Josh.
“Maya, you can retire. Josh, Jill, follow me,” said Rolly.
Josh and Jill fell in behind Rolly. Maya departed in the opposite direction.
Officer Rolly led the way down multiple halls and a flight of stairs before stopping at another small room. Josh peeked inside. Looks like a mini weapons room, he thought.
Rolly stepped into the quarters. The pilots did too. “These are them,” said Rolly, to a husky, middle-aged, bearded man with glasses, then turned toward the pilots. “When you’re finished here, return straight to the unit. You’ll need all the sleep you can get since both you will be shipping out early tomorrow morning.
The news didn’t even faze Josh. So, what else is new, he thought. “Yes, sir.”
“Yes, sir,” said Jill.
“Good luck on the mission. I’m sure you two will do fine,” said Rolly. After that he left.
“Over here,” said the gentleman inside the armory, motioning a hand high in the air.
The pilots walked over to the fellow. Josh was peering around at all of the devices and gadgets along the way.
“My name’s Bob. I’m going to give you a run down on some of the tech you’ll be using for the Nystavia operation.”
“I’m Josh,” said Josh, nodding.
“Jill,” said Jill.
Bob adjusted his glasses and reached for a box that was already on the aluminum counter he was standing in front o
f. Josh and Jill watched from the other side. “What we got here are covert transmitting devices.” Bob took off the lid and displayed four half-inch ear plugs, plus four micro thumb transmitters. “We’ll be matching these to your skin color. They’re very hard to detect. Try to keep them concealed anyway. This is for your thumb, this one’s for your ear,” he said, touching each.
“May I?” said Josh.
“Go right ahead,” said Bob.
Josh picked up an earpiece and tucked it into his ear. After that he slid one of the thin transmitters over his thumb. Neat, he thought.
While he and Jill were checking out the devices, Bob reached down to grab something from under the counter. When his arm came back up, there was a pair of boots in his hand. He sat them onto the counter. Josh thought they looked to be steel-toed, and also noticed the soles were a tad thicker than normal.
“These right here are your main search devices. When turned on, these boots can detect Mercen genetics, laser properties, as well as changes in solid ground up to fifty feet below the surface.”
Sweet, thought Josh, looking them over carefully.
“I can’t believe these boots can do all of that,” said Jill. Her head was tilted.
Bob reached down and grabbed a second pair that were smaller, more feminine-looking, but still bigger than normal. “These are the ones you’ll be wearing,” said Bob. He moved a finger over a casual-looking metal round near the top loophole. “Pressing this three times will activate the boots. If something is detected, the shoes will vibrate and this button will change color. Green means they’ve detected Mercen genetics. Red, laser properties. And brown is for changes in solid ground.”
“Amazing,” said Josh.
“Yes. These are high-end tech. Only six pairs have been made so far. So let’s hope one of them fits you,” said Bob.
“What happens if none of them fit?” asked Jill. “Would we be taken off of the Nystavia mission?”
“Nope, you’d get the largest pair closest to your size, and we’d stuff the insides.”
The pilots continued inspecting the boots.
“All right, last thing I’m going to show you tonight is this,” said Bob, holding up a comb. “Along this ridge is a small switch. Press it, and schlikt… a thin knife comes out. This will be the only weapon you’ll be armed with. In the event that something were to go down, you might want to look for a better option, in my opinion. The best weapon you could probably get your hands on would be a stun stick, which most of the Grusk peacekeepers carry.”