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  “Break off,” Kyle transmitted.

  Fuck you. “You break off,” Josh responded.

  Kyle’s striker soared up and over Josh’s, but this time in more of a spiral.

  Josh counter spiraled immediately, until in no time they were spiraling over and under each other like entwining rope. Christ, this kid’s going to get me killed.

  “Split off, guys! You’re way too close. That’s too dangerous!” Ace transmitted.

  Swoosh! Swoosh! Josh and Kyle kept locked in their tight corkscrewing while careening through space.

  “Don’t you clip me, Kyle!”

  “Don’t you clip me,” Kyle responded.

  Screw it! Josh dove at a steep decline.

  Kyle had been waiting for it and zipped after him.

  A beam flared past Josh’s cockpit, before he thrust his stick and jabbed his striker left.

  Another ray from Kyle’s ship came within inches of Josh’s wing.

  He’s itching for it, thought Josh.

  They swerved at near max speed with stars blurred all around.

  Josh shoved his throttle as far as it could go. Thoosh! He dove farther, Kyle sticking tight on the hunt. This won’t be nearly as effective as a danger flip, but I’m going for it! thought Josh. He yanked back on his stick and shot upward.

  The maneuver gained distance from Kyle having to react.

  After climbing for a short stretch, Josh cut the thrusters and turned into a high-speed glide, which rotated his ship gradually until facing Kyle’s.

  Thoot! Beams flashed by Josh’s striker.

  Thoot! Thoot! Josh returned fire. His beams forced Kyle to twirl hard left to evade.

  Josh slammed the throttle and blazed in the direction the young vet had made off. Taking him, right now. Josh was wrestling feverishly with his controller to line up a target lock.

  Kyle began whirling like a mad man in all different directions.

  Damnit, kid’s a genius, thought Josh. He fired a shot just for fate’s sake that missed.

  Kyle accelerated his striker, then raced into a tight curl and fired a blast.

  Josh slashed into an inverted rise before dropping back down, twisting upright. He thrust his thumb against the trigger as a flicker of light glistened from Kyle’s cannons.

  Josh widened his eyes when the alarm went off in his cockpit signaling he’d been hit. A strong, almost hollowing rush of adrenaline flushed through his stomach, until seeing the ‘X’ that appeared on the dot representing Kyle’s striker on his targeting screen.

  “It’s a tie,” Ace transmitted.

  Josh exhaled a deep sigh of relief. I’ll take that.

  “Strong performance by both of you. I’d say the enemy has a lot to worry about,” said Ace.

  “It was a good fight. A tie is fair, but if we’re being completely honest, I should have had you when you went for that rotating drift. You got lucky there,” transmitted Kyle.

  Josh tilted his head from side to side, shrugging. He’s probably right. I maybe shouldn’t have gone for that against a pilot like Kyle. “I’ll give you that, Kyle. End result is all that matters though.”

  “Yep,” Kyle responded.

  “Okay, bring it in,” said Ace, transmitting to the entire squadron.

  Once all ten strikers were together, Josh and the others followed Ace’s lead to the Void Zone, where the crew split back into the same five-man teams to patrol the north and south.

  Chapter 4

  The 3rd squadron had arrived back from patrols, which was followed by a gym work out. Josh was sitting on the side of his bed talking to Maya and Tor, whom were also seated.

  “So, how’d your practice rounds go, Tor?” asked Josh.

  “Not good. I lost to Hoss and to Maya.”

  Maya grinned. “Payback for all those wins you had against me in training.”

  Josh cracked his lips excitedly. “The vets in this squadron are hard to beat, but I’m sure you’ll start scoring against them eventually.”

  “I’ve managed less than a handful myself,” said Maya. “Josh, on the other hand has beaten most of them.”

  “Finally evened things up with Ace today,” said Josh.

  “Did you?” she asked.

  Josh nodded. “Drew with Kyle. It was a close one. He almost had me. How’d that other rookie do?”

  “I defeated him; so did Nate. But if I didn’t know better, I’d say he tried to kill me after I won,” said Maya.

  “What do you mean?” Josh asked.

  “He clipped her ship when they were flying back toward the rest of us,” said Tor.

  Josh’s jaw dropped.

  “He said he lost control when he sneezed, but I don’t know. He frowned at me just seconds before that and his wing came within inches of my cockpit.”

  “Was it a hard bump or just a nick?”

  “He rammed the shit out of my striker, Josh. There’s significant body damage, which is being worked on right now.”

  Josh shook his head. “What are we going to do about this guy?”

  “Not much we can do unless he does something ‘clearly’ malicious,” Maya replied.

  “He keeps his aggressions in a grey area,” said Tor, with a heavy Latin accent that was hardly believable. Josh and Maya had never commented on it, but remembered when a few training mates did so at Space League.

  There was a moment of silence before Tor said, “You guys want to go for a drink?”

  “Yeah, I do,” said Josh, glancing at Maya.

  “I’m in,” she replied. “Nate and Reena are already at the north wing bar. I’m sure Hoss will want to go too.”

  The pilots stopped by Hoss’ room and then left for the bar. On the way there—Josh’s eyes lit up upon seeing Captain Scope and Dazzler coming down a long hall. Dazzler knows Scope? he thought, exchanging glances with them in what felt like slow motion when the two men passed by, even staring for a short moment after. Does Dazzler know about the Mercen captives below and all of the black ops missions?

  It was hard for Josh to shake the feeling that something secret was happening, but after his first drink he’d forgotten about the matter. The crew from the 3rd squadron joked and laughed for a couple of hours while adhering to a two-drink limit.

  Upon arriving back to the third unit, everyone headed for their rooms to retire for the night. Josh walked into his and was surprised to see Officer Rolly sitting on a chair facing the door.

  Rolly held up a finger to his lips and motioned Josh over. Only then did Josh notice the folder on the small desk. “Read these and go straight to bed. Do not show or tell anyone about this information.”

  Josh was puzzled. “Sir, may I ask what’s enclosed?”

  “Flight instructions, for both Notle and Mercen craft. They’re very basic and don’t detail how to use most of the ships’ functions, but enough for you to learn quickly how to fly them.”

  Again, Josh was stunned. His eyes sharpened toward his officer’s. “Sir, may I ask what this is about?”

  “You’ll receive full details later. As for now, make sure to get four hours of sleep and be at Commander Clint’s quarters by 12a.m. Is that clear?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Officer Rolly stood and strode to the door, where he looked back. “Remember, this is top secret.”

  Once Rolly was out of the room, Josh flipped open the folder and read over the material inside. This is definitely a black ops mission, he thought, turning over another page. What in the blazes is Clint up to now?

  It took him about twenty minutes of poring through the data until he felt comfortable with what he’d learned. Basic is right, he thought. The Notle craft don’t seem too bad, but the Mercen ship might be a pain.

  Josh spent an extra five minutes going over the Mercen flight instructions and then turned out the lights.

  He awoke four hours later, got dressed quietly, and headed up to Commander Clint’s chamber. When Josh arrived at the door the setting reminded him of his prior mission to
take out the Mercen transporter. Everything was dark, except for a thin crack of dim light at the bottom of the door.

  Josh knocked softly.

  Officer Rolly opened the door and motioned toward a roundtable that had been set up in the center of the room. Josh’s eyes brightened just as before upon seeing Commander Clint, Captain Scope, Dazzler, and one other man seated at the table. The newest fellow caught his attention the most, as he was wearing black and gray fatigues, with a laser-mitigating vest.

  Josh followed Rolly and sat at the only available seat, which was next to the officer. He exchanged looks with Dazzler, Scope, and then Commander Clint.

  Commander Clint took strong puffs from his cigar. “We’re on the clock, so I’m going to make this brief. You five will be running an operation of great importance—one that cannot fail.” He scanned the table, making eye contact with each individual. “I’d like you to meet Bor, for those who don’t already know him,” said the Commander, pointing to the man wearing the fatigues. “He’s often referred to as ‘the ultimate marine’ and I can assure you is every bit deserving of that title. When you are on the ground, Bor will be calling the shots. When in the air it will be Scope. The mission will be codenamed ‘Fall Cloud.’ Your objective is to penetrate a Mercen secret facility on the Neton moon, which is a short ways in on the Mercen side of the Void Zone—”

  Oh, shit, thought Josh, while Commander Clint continued.

  “—and steal information vital to Creston security, as well as recover a lost package. Each of you will play a key role in the operation’s success.” Clint made a hand gesture toward Bor.

  Bor lifted a case onto the table and opened it.

  “These will be your primary weapons,” said Clint.

  Josh inspected the thin and rather small laser pistols.

  “D-72s,” said Bor, in a deep voice to match his thick beard. “Minimal sound per fire, but your aim needs to be precise. Vital shots only. Aim for the head or center chest.”

  Commander Clint nodded at Scope, who then raised a map onto the table and rolled it out.

  “This is the facility,” said the reclusive captain, pointing to it. “We’ll be starting here, making our way down this slope and across this field. Our intel suggests guards will be posted here and here. The two dots along this side represent our objectives, one being on the primary floor, the other down stairs.”

  Josh and Dazzler looked over the plans. Everyone else seemed to be familiar with them.

  “There’s a landing pad right here. It normally hosts a variety of different spacecraft, of which there’s usually two to three fighters. Once we have what we came for, we’ll be stealing whatever’s available to make our escape. You two will be running protection,” said Rolly to Josh and Dazzler.

  “All other information will be given as you go,” said Commander Clint. “If you have any questions, these officers will answer them.” He glanced at the officers. “Time is ticking… Get to it.”

  “Yes, sir. Fall in, pilots,” said Rolly, getting up to leave.

  Josh and Dazzler trailed him out the door and down to the south flight deck. They walked to the end of the platform, where a small transport ship was docked. Officer Rolly tapped a few buttons at the ship’s rear for a cargo door to open. The three men boarded the craft.

  “I thought Bor and Scope would be flying with us,” said Dazzler.

  “They’ll be here shortly,” Rolly replied.

  “Sir, how are we going to make it into Mercen territory on this thing without being shot down?” asked Josh, knowing he’d feel far safer in a striker with greater control over his fate.

  Rolly marched to the front of the transport and punched a button. The door to the cockpit slid open.

  Josh was shocked to see a green human-figured alien, with a green pumpkin head and black, oval, lid-less eyes behind the controls.

  “A Notle,” said Dazzler.

  The alien looked at the pilots with a wee grin.

  “That’s right,” said Rolly, stepping back out from the cockpit and letting the door close. “And this is a Notle transport. Neton moon is almost entirely inhabited by Notles. They’ve declared themselves neutral to Creston, but our intelligence learned some time ago they truly favor Mercen, which explains why they’ve allowed those serpents to maintain a secret facility on their moon.”

  “But we can trust this Notle?” said Dazzler.

  Officer Rolly nodded. “With ninety-nine percent certainty,” he replied.

  Well that’s a relief, thought Josh. “So, we’re just going to land at the facility, and fight our way in stealthily?”

  “No. We’ll be parachuting a couple of miles out. Camo chutes, camo gear. We shouldn’t be detected,” Rolly replied.

  “What is it we’re after?” asked Dazzler.

  “The objectives are classified,” Rolly responded.

  Josh heard movement from outside the ship and then saw Bor and Scope make their way up the cargo ramp with an equipment box on wheels. Once on board, Bor slammed a fist against a lever to close the cargo door.

  “Strap in,” said Scope in a monotone.

  Rolly, Josh, and Dazzler sat in three seats on one side, Bor and Scope settled in directly across from them.

  “Put these on,” said Bor, tossing everyone a laser-mitigating vest. He then handed everyone a D-72 laser pistol, as well as a standard blaster. “No regular shots unless we’ve been detected.”

  Josh saw that Bor now had grenades, knives, and a rifle strapped on. This son of a bitch is ready to make history tonight. After managing a short smirk, Josh caught another object thrown his way.

  “Night goggles,” said Bor.

  “Take off,” Scope said into a small transmitter.

  Josh felt the ship powering up, then heard the engine roar as they blasted out from the hangar. Showtime, he thought, wondering if he’d live to see the Rampage again.

  A short ways into the trip, Rolly handed Josh and Dazzler folders with the same flight instructions they’d been given the night before. “Go over these again. Our escape needs to be seamless.”

  Josh did as told. A stretch of time went by where all was relatively quiet. He could tell everyone was focusing on the mission. There was then ruffling, when Bor pulled a stick of jerky from a small bag and offered some to the group. Josh was the only one to accept, shoving half the piece into his mouth and grinding it slowly.

  Time seemed to be moving at a snail’s pace. Makes sense since this bucket of junk’s not nearly as fast as a striker.

  Eventually, their ship crossed through the Void Zone and into Mercen territory. Once they had entered Neton’s atmosphere, a beeping went off in the cargo bay. “We’re almost at our drop-off point,” said Scope, plugging a small device into a panel.

  “Put these on,” said Bor. He handed everyone a parachute.

  Man, I haven’t wore one of these since training, thought Josh. Never did like jumping out of craft. He slid the pack over his shoulders and strapped it around his upper body. Everybody else did the same.

  “This is it,” said Scope, as the transporter came to a hover.

  Bor punched open the cargo door and said, “We’ve got no time to waste. Form up on me as soon as you’ve touched down.” All nodded before Bor turned and jumped. Scope was right behind him.

  “Let’s go, let’s go,” said Rolly, motioning on the other pilots.

  Josh glanced at Dazzler and then jumped out simultaneously with the second squadron hotshot. Wind blew against his body as he extended his limbs into a free fall. All of these planets are so beautiful, he thought, eyeing the black and green surface under the dark-purple sky. He waited until the proper moment to trigger his chute.

  Josh glided down in close proximity to the others and landed near the base of a hillside, where he slipped on some slick moss covering the entire range and slid butt first down the moist slope.

  Son of a bitch, he thought, eyeing Bor, who’d crouched into a side stance and was sliding down like a pro
. Scope seemed to be on top of things too. But Josh found solace in seeing Dazzler and Rolly had also slipped up. He stood not far from where the officers had stopped and began cutting off his chute. After that Josh rushed over to Bor and Scope. Rolly and Dazzler were quick to join them.

  “Goggles,” said Bor, sliding his down.

  Josh and the others did too.

  “Move out,” Bor barked, leading the way.

  Their group trekked through a span of scattered woods until reaching a field that extended a little over a mile to the Mercen facility. Josh inspected the still mossy ground, which now had blades of grass-like plants that were almost as tall as his knees. He noticed Bor had crouched a bit and did so too.

  About halfway in, the field changed into what was more of a marsh. From what Josh could tell, they were headed for the side of a nearly forty-yard-wide strip leading up to the Mercen base. It wasn’t long until he noticed the long pond in front of them.

  Bor stopped and held a hand back toward the group. He scanned the entire frontal area, then said, “We don’t know what’s in that water or how deep it is. We go around.”

  No complaints here, thought Josh, staring at the murky water.

  Their group moved left for the far perimeter. Just as they reached it—something shot out from the blades nearby and lunged at Bor. Josh thought it to resemble a huge crocodile. He jerked back, drawing his D-72.

  “Uh!” Bor grunted, dodging the creature’s strong jaws and hopping onto its back, not far from its head. The marine wrapped both arms around the creature’s neck, as it shook wildly and tried snapping rearward as far as its head would turn.

  Bor slid a hand to his thigh and drew a jagged survival knife. He thrust it down into the creature’s head right between its eyes, then pushed harder while twisting. The croc-monster gave one more violent shake before letting out a rolling grunt and collapsing dead.

  “Holy hell!” said Rolly.

  Scope shook his head slowly, and said, “Those instincts of yours, Bor.”

  Bor drew his blade from the creature and wiped it off with a cloth. “There’s bound to be more of those. Be veeery careful.” He turned and continued on at greater alert.

  Josh’s heart had sunk in his chest from the creature’s initial burst, but was now pounding just as hard at the thought of another croc-monster lurking in the marsh. I’d rather get blown up than eaten alive by one of those things.