Chapter Eight The First 10,000
#8 of Seas of the South II
CHAPTER EIGHT
THE FIRST 10,000
In Genesee, Idaho, base Floyd was just waking up. The crews were activating the communication channels and the armored patrols. Floyd was a ground force base, built exactly as Darin's hangar except it housed a portion of the AUD's armored land vehicles.
The patrol crews walked over to the tanks and started their engines. This patrol was to be a combat patrol, where only the M1-A2 Abrams were to be used. A normal patrol usually consists of two M1-A2 Abrams, two Bradley armored fighting vehicles, and three Linebackers.
The morning patrol sat in their tanks as they waited for the briefing over the communications link. The commanders of each tank had a flat panel screen in a compartment. For the briefing, they opened this compartment and turned on the screen. It flickered on and displayed Darin in an olive drab army uniform standing in front of a map of the base's location and the surrounding area.
"I hope everyone is ready for a fight today, because it's coming our way this time," Darin began. "Your mission is to maintain the secrecy of the base. You are to meet any incoming enemy strike force at a minimum of six miles away from the base. Do not allow any enemy forces to come within five miles of the base."
Darin was using a CGI display on the map behind him to show the ranges for engagement. It also showed where the enemy was not to set foot. The map disappeared and a white background appeared. Then some text came into focus and Darin continued the briefing.
"You will be the first of five waves of defense. Let me remind you that the Vlatorrans will give you no quarter. A perfect example of this is what happened at Trail Head. Now that we have established the nature of the enemy, go and stop them from causing more harm."
The screen went dark and the tank commanders closed the briefing compartment. The base doors opened and the tanks rolled out into the rising sun to meet Vlatorran strike force head on.
Meanwhile, three miles southeast of Colton Washington, Kreg's strike force approaching 125 Road. The strike force had camped sixty-four miles northeast of Riley in Canyon City Oregon. There presence made those living within the city, uneasy.
The strike force was moving on a mission to invade the city of Juliaetta Idaho. However, base Floyd was in the Vlatorran's path. To add to the situation, the base's morning combat patrol had arrived at their position seven miles from the base, where they set up defenses and waited for the Vlatorrans to come.
At 7:15 AM, a scouting party of five Linebackers from base Shamrock, located in Uniontown Washington, spotted the incoming Vlatorran strike force. They quickly radioed Floyd and reported their sightings.
"That's right, I said about forty tanks, a mix of Russian and German main battle tanks," said a young radio operator of one of the Linebackers.
"Thank you Eagle one. We already have a patrol of seven Abrams out and we're preparing to send more to reinforce their positions," the manager of Floyd said.
In the hangar at base Floyd, another wave was preparing to head for the front line. The wave consisted of the other four waves that were to be sent out later in the day. However, since the enemy was coming much quicker than expected, it was decided to send them out in one combined wave. This massive wave consisted of the two parts. The land part consisted of ten M1-A2 Abrams, nine Bradley armored fighting vehicles, fourteen Linebackers, and ten of the newly arrived M60.
The M60 was a much older tank than the Abrams, but they served their purpose well. The M60 measured thirty-one feet long with the main gun pointing forward, ten feet eight inches tall, twelve feet, and weighed fifty-seven tons with a ground clearance of one and a half feet. The M60 had room for a crew of four. The M60 had an air-cooled diesel engine that cranked out 795 hp and could climb at a 60% gradient. The M60 could go from zero to twenty in fifteen seconds with a top speed of 30 mph and a cruise range of 312 miles. The M60 was heavily armed. The tank's main gun was a 105 mm M68E1 rifled cannon. The tank was also armed with a 7.62 mm M240 machine gun, a M85 .50 caliber machine gun, and a M239 smoke grenade launcher.
The air part of the wave consisted of five A-10 Warthogs, five Apache attack helicopters, and four AH-1Z Super Cobras. The two parts traveled toward the front line to assist the AUD forces that were already there.
Meanwhile, back at Boss, Darin was in the base's war room monitoring the coastal defense when a message came through. Darin took the message from the fax machine and read it. The message said, "Floyd morning patrol sighted enemy strike force. Engagement likely. Sending air and ground reinforcements to front line." Darin was very much worried of another slaughter on land and sent a message to base Floyd, telling them to have their forces dig in and prepare for battle.
The message Darin sent, arrived at base Floyd a little after 8:01 AM. The operator of the base radioed the patrol to tell them to prepare themselves for a fight. The patrol followed their orders and arranged their tanks in defensive positions. The incoming second wave finally arrived some time after and took their positions. The air support climbed high into the air to stay out of sight of the enemy. Everyone was anxious as they sat there in silence, until it was broken when someone spoke on the radio.
"Commander, what is our battle-cry?"
The patrol commander thought about it until an Irish song came into his head and he began singing it.
I am a modern hario: my name is Paddy Kearney;
Not so long ago, I landed from the bogs of sweet Killarney;
I used to cry out: SOAP FAT! Bekase that was my trade, sir,
Till I 'listed for a Soger-boy wid Corcoran's brigade, sir.
For to fight for Uncle Sam
He'll lay us on glory O!
He'll lay us on glory O!
To save the Stripes and Stars.
Ora, once in regimentals, my mind it did bewildher,
I bid good-bye to Biddy dear, and all the darling childher;
Whoo! Says I, the Irish Volunteers the devil a one afraid is,
Bekase we've got the soger bould, McClellan, for to lade us.
For to fight for Uncle Sam
He'll lay us on glory O!
He'll lay us on glory O!
To save the Stripes and Stars.
We soon got into battle: we made a charge of bay'nets:
The Rebel blaggards soon gave way: they fell thick as paynuts.
Och home! The slaughter that we made, bedad, it was delighting!
For, the Irish lads in action are the divil's boys for fighting.
They'll fight for Uncle Sam
He'll lay us on glory O!
He'll lay us on glory O!
To save the Stripes and Stars.
Och, sure we never will give in, in any sort of manner,
Until the South comes back again, beneath the Starry-Banner;
And if John Bull should interfere, he'd suffer for it truly;
For, soon the Irish Volunteers would give him Ballyhooly.
Oh they'll fight for Uncle Sam
He'll lay us on glory O!
He'll lay us on glory O!
To save the Stripes and Stars.
And now before I end my song, this free advice I'll tender;
We soon will use the Rebels up, and make them all surrender,
And, once again, the Stars and Stripes will to the breeze be swellin',
If Uncle Abe will give us back our darling boy McClellan
Oh! we'll follow Little Mac,
He'll lay us on glory O!
He'll lay us on glory O!
To save the Stripes and Stars.
When he had finished the singing, the first few Vlatorran tanks approached. The Abrams made first contact with the incoming enemy, blasting away at the armor and knocking out a few. Then the air support swooped in, turning the tanks into scrap metal. However, the AUD's window for first shots soon closed and the Vlatorrans began their reply. An Apache flying low level and on a strafing run soon got the business end of a tank main gun. The round struck the chopper in the engine, causing it to plummet from the sky and slam into the ground in an explosion. While the AUD patrol watched in shock, a round from one of the advancing tanks struck a Bradley and blew it apart.
Meanwhile, up above the squad of A-10 Warthogs were circling the battle below, waiting to swoop in and help. They watched as the Apache go down and the Bradley torn open before they began to swoop in and strafe the Vlatorran tanks. The rounds ripped through the armor, killing all inside. Then everything changed when out of the sky, the Vlatorrans unleashed their hidden surprise, a Russian Ka50 Black Shark attack chopper.
The Black Shark had two rotor blades, each rotor turning in the opposite direction. Two Vlatorran pilots operated the Black Shark. The pilots were trained in tactics so deadly to their opponents; they can only be described as the makings of a massacre.
They flew in and blasted at the patrol's line, killing five and taking out ten Abrams. The patrol reinforcements arrived shortly after. A platoon of 10,000 men, carrying M-16s, marched into the battle. The soldiers raised their weapons and fired a thunderous blast at the approaching Vlatorran infantry of 12,000 strong. The Vlatorrans replied with a barrage of their own. They aimed their blasters at the AUD platoon and cut down a third of their numbers with one shot. The AUD soldiers were shocked by the power of the Vlatorran weapons. However, instead of running away, they stepped up their fire on the Vlatorrans ten folds. The platoon of only 3,333 men now emptied their clips of rounds into the Vlatorran lines, taking out a few more. The Vlatorran infantry then parted to allow the TIE Crawlers to charge the AUD line. They charged forward, blasting at everything that stood in their way. The Abrams opened fire on the crawlers, knocking out a few. The Vlatorrans continued to close in on the patrol, putting pressure on their opponents and forcing them to slowly pull back.
Suddenly, the Vlatorrans charged the patrol. The AUD patrol panicked and fled. The TIE Crawlers cut off the patrols escape route while the infantry surrounded them. The patrol dropped their weapons and surrendered. Kreg then climbed out of his crawler and walked over to the patrol, now on the ground with their hands on their heads. He looked at the men with an expression of hate. One of the men in the patrol looked up at Kreg and asked, "What do you want with us?"
"I want to know where Darin is." Kreg replied.
"We won't tell you anything," another AUD soldier said.
"You will tell me where he is or you all will be sent back to our planet as slaves!"
"Try Michigan you dope," another soldier said.
"Thank you. However, you all are still going to be my slaves," said Kreg.
Vlatorran soldiers grabbed the AUD patrol and threw them into transports that had arrived. The transports then took off and traveled back to the Vlatorran home planet. Kreg then led his troops toward Michigan to lay siege to the state and draw Darin out of hiding.
Meanwhile, Darin was sitting in a dark room called the UAV control center. The room was about the size of a one-room apartment with computer stations along the walls. The room was dark since only one UAV station was active. Darin was staring at a screen that displayed what the Predator was seeing. He watched the patrol surrender to the Vlatorrans then be loaded onto the transports and sent away. With a small joystick, Darin flew the Predator closer to see Kreg climbing into his TIE Crawler and drives off, followed by the infantry on troop transports and other TIE Crawlers. Darin tracked their course, trying to figure out where they were headed. Darin's hands flew over the keys on a targeting computer as he punched in the Predator's location and the direction it was flying in. The computer calculated the direction and speed of the Predator and displayed the destination to be Michigan. Darin froze for a moment. They were coming for him.
Darin left a note in the UAV room before he left with a gloomy feeling. He walked across the flight deck and over to the garage where he climbed into his armored truck. He started the engine and drove out into the afternoon sun where he would end this war once and for all.
Meanwhile, Kreg and his army were approaching the Ohio, Michigan boarder. Kreg was bent on finding Darin's hangar and dragging Darin out himself. Kreg followed I-75 north toward Detroit, forcing traffic to pull off to the side of the freeway as they ran passed them. They traveled on I-75 until they came to the city of Livonia where they exited and went down Farmington Road where they encountered Darin in his armored truck. Kreg was beside himself to find his prey out in the open almost willingly.
Darin finally found Kreg's platoon. He then put faze two of his plan into action. He took off toward Hines Park with Kreg in pursuit. Darin led Kreg to the intersection of Hines and Levan Road where he pulled over and got out. Kreg followed with his blaster drawn.
"End of the line Darin!"
"What do you want with me?" Darin asked.
"I want you to become my slave." Kreg replied.
"Is that so? Well my answer is no! Not until you beat me in a one on one fight. No weapons." Darin said.
"This should be good," said Kreg.
He shed his blaster and rifle and walked over to Darin, smirking to himself as the opportunity of beating Darin to death was before him. Darin watched as Kreg walked closer then stops three feet from him and lean forward.
"Name your challenge," Kreg said with an intimidating voice.
"Martial arts. First one to submit loses." Darin replied. "Starting now!"
Darin made his first move, landing a punch to Kreg's stomach. Kreg doubled back to catch his breath before he punched back. Darin saw his shot coming and did an outside to middle block, then followed by a quick and hard jab with his right and connected with Kreg's head. Kreg recoiled from the hit and quickly recovered to land his first strike to Darin's back. Kreg shifted his weight to his right leg and swung his left to connect with Darin's back, throwing him to the ground.
"Had enough?" Kreg asked.
"Not until next fall," said Darin.
Using his legs, Darin trapped Kreg's and toppled him to the ground with a thud. Darin stood up and approached Kreg.
"Have a nice trip?" Darin asked.
Kreg looked at him with hate in his eyes. He lashed at Darin with his tail, knocking him to the ground. Kreg stood up and went to stomp on Darin's face, when his target rolled away. Kreg's foot slammed into the ground, causing a cloud of dust to be blown into Darin's face. Darin got up off the ground just in time to catch Kreg's kick. He rolled out of the way and charged at him. Kreg saw this coming and stood ready. He was growing tired of this childish game and decided to end it here.
As Darin wound up for a punch, Kreg snatched him and threw Darin over his shoulder and carried him off. Kreg ordered his troops to prepare to head home, for they now had their prize.
Meanwhile, Sethi-Arh was looking for Darin everywhere. He had searched for him all over the base and was coming to the UAV control center. He opened the door to find one screen on. He went over to the station and found a note written in Darin's messy handwriting. Sethi-Arh took a moment to translate the note before his eyes widened with shock. The note said:
_ Dear friends and loved ones, if you are reading this note it means that I have gone to end this war at the source. I regret that my mission entitles the possibility that I will not return. Do not fear for my life as I assure you that no harm will come to me. I have planed this out for several days and now the time has come for me to do what I should have done years ago._
P.S. If you want to rescue me, see Robert.
Sethi-Arh's heart almost stopped; Darin had gone off to meet Kreg in person. Sethi-Arh left the control center and searched for Robert. He called out his name with a loud tone that echoed through out the hangar.
Robert was in the mess hall stuffing his face when he heard his name being called. He put down the chicken leg and walked over to the door. He pushed it open some and called back.
"I'm here Sethi-Arh, in the mess hall!"
Sethi-Arh heard Robert, turned around, and jogged over to the mess hall. Robert greeted him and showed him to the table where they sat down. Robert spoke first.
"What can I do you for?"
"We have a problem." Sethi-Arh said.
"What kind of problem?" Robert asked.
"This,"
Sethi-Arh showed Robert the note. Robert went to take another bite out of the chicken leg while he read the note. When Robert read the first line, he dropped the leg on to the tray. He looked at Sethi-Arh with a confused look.
"What dose this mean?" Robert asked.
"It means that Darin has gone off to meet Kreg in person. No doubt to challenge him to some fort of..."
Sethi-Arh stopped in mid sentence. Outside the mess hall, cheers of joy could be heard. Sethi-Arh stood up and went out into the hangar to see what the reason for such a racket was. A fighter pilot walked up to Sethi-Arh, who had a look of wonder on his face.
"The Vlatorrans are gone!" the pilot said.
"That's great except that Darin has now gone missing," Sethi-Arh said.
The pilot's face went from joy to worry in a blink of an eye.
"How could this have happened?"
"Darin went to meet Kreg to end the war and for whatever reason, Kreg has been satisfied," said Sethi-Arh.
"What do we do now?" the pilot asked.
"I'm going to check the security cameras to see if Darin drove to meet Kreg." Sethi-Arh replied.
Sethi-Arh went to the control tower and went up to the security center on floor above the flight control center. He opened the door and was greeted by a cool rush of air. The security center was air conditioned since it housed the computers that controlled the base's security cameras and the security system itself.
Sethi-Arh walked over to a station that monitored the garage security cameras. He grabbed the mouse and clicked on the folder with the security footage of the garage where Darin kept his armored trucks. He then clicked on another folder titled 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM. Sethi-Arh watched the recorded video from the beginning. In the upper right-hand corner, the time was shown along with the date. Sethi-Arh watched for a few minutes then clicked on a spot on the seek bar and jumped to 9:30 AM. The security showed Darin climbing into his armored truck and driving off.
Sethi-Arh then closed out of the folders and left the room. He then walked down to the control center and went over to a station that tracked every vehicle that Darin owned. Sethi-Arh typed Darin's truck number and the system pinpointed the current location of the truck. Sethi-Arh then printed out a map of the location and then went to the garage where he climbed into his Aston Martin V12 Vanquish and drove off to the truck's location.
He pulled up behind Darin's truck. He got out of his car and looked around. The first thing he noticed was that Drain was nowhere to be found. Sethi-Arh looked inside the truck to see if Kreg had killed Darin only to find that there was no blood and no body.
Sethi-Arh for some reason, looked down at the ground behind him and saw indications of a struggle. He bent down to get a closer look and noticed a set of three toed footprints. He concluded them to belong to Kreg.
While Sethi-Arh was investigating the scene, a car pulled over and a young blond girl stepped out. She was about 5' 6" tall. She wore a tight shirt and some very short shorts. She walked over to Sethi-Arh and asked what he was doing.
"What are you doing cutey?"
Sethi-Arh stood up and turned to face her. He watched her eyes as they looked him over, taking in the sight that stood before her.
"I'm looking for a friend of mine, Darin McClellan." Sethi-Arh replied.
"I know Darin, he goes to my school," the girl said.
"That's good to know. Have you seen him?" Sethi-Arh asked.
"Yes I did. He was fighting with some buff looking lizard. I pulled over to the side of the road to watch and caught the end. The lizard picked Darin up and carried him to a strange looking thing that lifted into the air and zoomed off."
"Thank you dear, you have helped me a lot. How can I repay you?" Sethi-Arh asked.
"Give me your phone number and we'll call it even," the girl replied.
Sethi-Arh gave the girl his cell phone number and thanked her again. He got back into his car and peeled out. He sped back to the hangar and parked his car. He ran out of the garage and back to the mess hall to find Robert finishing his meal.
"DARIN HAS BEEN KIDNAPPED!"
Robert spat out the food in his mouth.
"Son of a..."
He stood up and ran out of the mess hall.
"Come on!" he said.
Sethi-Arh followed Robert to the control center and over to the tracking station. Robert's fingers flew across the keys as he typed in the number for Darin's tracking watch. The screen displayed an image of a Star Destroyer with a little red dot on the command deck.
"Looks like he is on that destroyer heading for..."
Robert selected a trajectory finder. The program brought up a window of a planet on it. The name of the planet was unknown and had no information on it.
"...for the unknown."
"What's the plan Robert?" Sethi-Arh asked.
"Well we can track the destroyer and send a rescue team to that planet to find him." Robert replied.
"Robert, not to say that our idea isn't good, but do you think it would be better to track the watch and not the destroyer. You know how clever Darin can be. He could escape from Kreg and find an escape pod." Sethi-Arh interjected.
"I see your point. All right then, we'll track the watch instead. Now as for the rescue team, I will need some time to assemble one with the skills necessary for the job," said Robert.
"You can count me as a member. No one runs off with my child and gets away with it," said Sethi-Arh.
"It would be an honor to have you on the team." Robert said.
Robert walked over to the PA system and activated it. He called attention to all the fighter crews to meet in the briefing room for a very important mission. The crews piled into the briefing room. They chatted with one another until Robert and Sethi-Arh came in. The room then went quiet. The crews watched as they walked to the front of the room and turn to face them. Robert stood in the center at the front while Sethi-Arh stood to his right.
Sethi-Arh was standing at what is known in the military as parade rest. His legs were shoulder's width apart. His left hand was against where the spine meets the pelvis. His right hand placed inside the left and his right thumb grasping that of the left. He stood straight as an arrow, his breathing relaxed and slow. His eyes were frozen facing forward and his face expressionless.
Robert addressed the men on the nature of the mission and what they could expect once in the operation zone. He also told them that they all would be going through a training course to prepare them for the mission. Robert then turned the floor over to Sethi-Arh to talk to the men about the mindset of the enemy.
"I now turn attention to Sethi-Arh who will tell us the mindset of the enemy," said Robert.
Sethi-Arh looked at Robert and nodded.
"Thank you Robert. Men, your mission will put you up against an enemy that has been inside the workings of this organization and knows the procedure for a rescue mission; there for we are going to approach this in a different manner," Sethi-Arh began. "Right now, Kreg is expecting us to come in with six guns blazing to rescue Darin. However, our plan is to execute the mission in silence. In a few moments, every one of you will be training to use non-lethal weapons and how to use them effectively. Are there any questions?"
No one said a word.
"Good. That concludes this briefing. You are all to report to the launch bay for weapons training. Dismissed." Sethi-Arh said.
The room began to empty out. Robert and Sethi-Arh walked out together. Robert was looking at Sethi-Arh when he noticed a flame of hate in his eyes. Robert had never seen him so upset before and decided to stay out of his way until Darin had returned.
Meanwhile, onboard the Star Destroyer, Kreg kept Darin under tight guard. Some of his best guards were always a step away from him at all times, never leaving sight of him for a minute. Kreg also placed a bracelet on Darin right arm. The bracelet was a tracking device and was a way to immobilize him if he should get out of hand.
Earlier in the voyage, Kreg had put Darin in his quarters where his mind would be put at ease. Kreg had come across a charming young female dragon in his life. He was looking for a path to earth when he met her at a trading post. When he had asked her if she would be interested in joining him in a trip to earth, she agreed. As time went on, Kreg discovered that she had a talent for relaxing others. She often treated Kreg for stress and other influences that strained him. Now her new patient was lying on the bed curled in a ball.
Darin laid on one of the beds in the cabin, curled in a ball of his left side in the middle of the bed. The cabin was dark and quiet. Darin thought about Shora while he laid there. He cried as he thought that he would never see her again.
Darin stopped when he heard a sound close by. He looked into the darkness to see what had made it but could not see anything. Then the darkness began to retreat as a light was turned on. Darin could now see more of the cabin. He sat up to see a house lamp on, the dim light creating a relaxing mood. Darin then turned his head as he looked around the cabin and saw a dragon standing before him.
The dragon was about 7' 8" tall and was in great physical shape. The dragon was female and wore a white top with grey pants. Her skin was black in color and had black hair.
The dragon approached Darin slowly and sat down on the bed next to him. She reached out a placed a hand on the now trembling boy and spoke with a soft voice.
"Do not fear my child, I mean you no harm."
"Who are you?" Darin asked.
"I am Ebony Wind," the dragon replied.
Ebony placed a hand on Darin's right shoulder and squeezed it gently. Darin groaned at the sensation it brought. Ebony continued her attentions as she loosened him up before she then pulled him up and laid him in her lap. She stroked his back and hummed a lullaby. Ebony continued this until she noticed that Darin had fallen asleep. She laid him on the queen size bed and drew the covers over him. She sat next to him watching him sleep, his chest rising as he breathed. She smiled and lay down beside him. With a wave of her hand, the lights went out and the room descended into darkness.
Meanwhile, in the hangar, Robert and his newly trained rescue team boarded a transport ship. The team of fifty-four men, sat in their seats as the transport began to move. It floated to the take off bay and waited for the doors to open.
There was a sound of electrical engines starting up. The two set of doors began to part and revile the end of the take off tunnel. The transport's navigator pushed the throttle forward. The ship slowly moves toward the exit, gradually picking up speed. By it reached the end, the transport was moving at 200 mph. Once the transport was out of the hangar, it pitched up toward the sky and blasted off into space. The team was pushed into their seats as the transport shot through the atmosphere.
The Transport finally slowed down enough for the team to get out of their seats and walk around. The transport they were on originally belonged to the Rebel Alliance. Until some time ago, the Empire was defeated and the spoils of that conflict were up for sale. The Rebel Alliance gathered all the military hardware that belonged to the Empire and kept them stored at their many bases. Sometime later, an ambassador was paying earth a visit and came across Darin's hangar. The ambassador was impressed and decided to deposit some of the spoils there. After some dealing and bargaining, the deposit was approved. Darin made agreed to store a part of the spoils, however, he would store only those that he wanted to store.
As time went on, Darin received more of the spoils and had employed a staff of 300 to help in the up keep as part of the deal. It was during this time that the first Vlatorran invasion occurred. Darin was swift to employ the use of the spoils to help in the defense. It was also during this time of conflict that the AUD was established.
After the conflict had subsided, plans for more AUD bases to be built were drawn out. The post Vlatorran war plans called for 500,000 bases to be built. The plan also called for a clever distribution of bases. This distribution called for a total of four bases to be built near major cities, two for every city with a population below 50,000, and one base for every town and village with a population below 800.
Once the bases were built, the Rebel Alliance began to deliver surplus capital ships, both Imperial and Rebel, as well as other ships. These included the Rebel Mon Cal cruiser and the Imperial Victory Star Destroyer.
However, Darin was not the only one receiving the spoils of the Empire, Rebel conflict. The Vlatorran Republic was also buying up the goods, especially the combat ships. The Vlatorrans bought the Imperial Eclipse Star Destroyer and the Executor Star Destroyer.
The transport made a course to dock with the Rebel Mon Cal cruiser to be briefed on the day's mission.
The transport flew into one of the ship's hangars and landed. The team departed from the transport and escorted to the briefing room where they took their seats.
The briefing room was in a circular design. A large round holographic table sat in the middle of the room. The team sat down on white benches and looked around the room when a man entered and addressed the team.
"Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am admiral Lacebark, commander of the 22nd Capital ship division. You will be briefed on the Vlatorran home planet, Harris."
The lights dimmed and a holographic image of the planet came up.
"Harris is almost exactly like earth in the way the land masses are arranged. However, the planet is heavily defended. At any given time, three Star Destroyers guard the planet. Slipping in that line to land undetected is nonexistent. However, there is a five-minute window where the changing of the guard takes place. You will have to be fast in order to land on the planet's surface undetected before the second shift can arrive and the window is closed for another hour. Are there any questions so far?"
Robert raised his hand.
"Yes, what vehicle will we be using to get to the planet surface?"
"I'm very glad you asked that. You will be using the standard escape pods. There will be two to each pod. Any other questions?"
Robert again raised his hand.
"When will this mission take place?"
"Your mission is scheduled for tomorrow. If there are no further questions, the crew will show you to your quarters."
Members of the ship's crew directed the team their living quarters. While, on the command deck, the admiral took his seat and ordered the crew to set a course for Harris. The cruiser left earth's orbit and then jumped to light speed.
Meanwhile, Kreg was walking back to his quarters for some much needed rest. He took the lift down three decks to the estate chamber. When Kreg walked in, he was surprised to find the room in total darkness. Kreg turned the lights up slightly and saw Ebony sleeping next to Darin on their bed. Kreg would have thrown Darin against the wall and killed him if he had snuck aboard just to get to his mate. However, Kreg decided to leave him there. After all, since Darin was to be his new slave, at least he should get to know the master better.