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  He slammed the throttle and blazed full speed into attack range. The enemy fighter, that seemed to be holding its own for the moment, picked up Josh’s approach and tried swerving off in a neutral direction.

  Dazzler fired a shot that was a tad premature and missed.

  Josh lined up his own target lock and squeezed off a beam that obliterated the final craft.

  “Well done. Back to the transport,” Dazzler transmitted.

  Josh twirled and swooped over to his wing. “That was fast,” he said, unable to resist a smirk.

  “Aye, it was,” said Dazzler. “We make a strong team.”

  “Battle spread formation,” Scope transmitted, once the titans were in proximity.

  Josh flew to the cargo ship’s left flank and Dazzler to its right.

  “Stay alert,” said Scope. “This is going to be a long flight home. The Mercens could be scrambling fighters on Void Zone patrol to intercept. We’re going to try and cross the zone from miles below.”

  “Roger that,” Josh and Dazzler replied.

  I do not want to face a shadow fighter in anything other than a striker! thought Josh.

  Much to his dismay, their envoy made it back to the M.N. Rampage without further incident.

  Chapter 5

  When Josh stepped down from his titan on the south flight deck, a two-man emergency crew had already strapped Smokey onto a gurney and were rushing him off to the medical department.

  Josh met up with Dazzler en route to the transport ship and exchanged a firm shake. “I swear, the gods have blessed you with that ability to consistently strike down enemy craft from long range.” He shook his head. “That’s some crazy shit.”

  Dazzler grinned. “Thank you. I’ll see you around,” he said, saluting toward Scope and Bor, then heading for the entrance.

  Josh smirked, turning and walking over to where the two officers were standing. “Will that be all from me, sir?” he asked both.

  “Yes. The mission went extremely well,” said Scope, in his usual bland tone.

  Bor nodded with a light grin.

  Josh was flabbergasted, and knew his puzzled expression couldn’t hide the fact. “But we lost Rolly, sir.”

  “Rolly knew the risks,” said Bor.

  “We all knew the risks,” said Scope. “We achieved our secondary objective, as well as our primary,” he said, holding up a four-by-six-inch black box, which Josh knew to be holding some sort of highly secretive intel. “We all admire Rolly—but his life may save many. Had it been Bor, I would have left him too.”

  “As I would have left Scope,” said Bor.

  “Feeling down about it is a natural emotion, but doesn’t suit men in our line of work. You’ll learn this more and more: the more missions you run, and the more acquaintances you lose,” said Scope.

  Cold son of a bitch, thought Josh. But his words do carry a strong point.

  “Recovering Smokey was just a bonus,” said Scope. “Commander Clint has a strong history with the pilot. And who knows, he might have known of the information we stole for some time, only deciding to risk extracting it for an extra prize.”

  “Clint’s quite clever,” said Bor.

  “Either way, I see a bright future for you, Josh. Maybe even as a full-time black ops agent. But you can’t form too many personal attachments if you want to make it to the highest ranks,” said Scope.

  Josh looked the captain in his eyes, then nodded, still feeling sorry for Rolly deep down. “Will we be at all-out war by tomorrow, sir? Will the Mercens try hitting us back some other way?” he asked.

  Scope glanced at Bor and said, “There were no strikers used and Creston will deny involvement.”

  “But they’ve got Rolly for proof,” Josh responded.

  “And they had Smokey,” Bor replied.

  Scope elaborated by saying, “If Rolly wasn’t killed, the Mercens will be happy to have a new prisoner to interrogate. They’d probably gotten just about all the major info they could’ve from Smokey, and were keeping him around to answer any other odd curiosities they’d encounter in the future—a strategy much like what you’ve seen Commander Clint employ.” He stared at Josh with a telling eye.

  Josh felt a chill run down his spine, but made sure not to show it. “Why were they keeping him on that moon instead of just taking him to Mercen?”

  Bor chuckled and said, “Live food’s not allowed on their planet.”

  Scope kept a straight face watching for Josh’s reaction.

  Josh tried hiding his surprise, but could feel his emotions being uncovered by the captain’s stare. “I understand, sir,” he responded.

  “You should get back to your unit. We’ve got to debrief with Clint,” said Scope.

  “Yes, sir,” said Josh. He saluted to the officers before turning to leave.

  When he’d exited the hangar, Josh glanced at his watch. An hour of sleep’s better than nothing, he thought. Thank God for those four hours earlier.

  ***

  Later that morning, Josh awoke two hours past the normal wake-up time. He looked at the clock on the wall, then peered around the room for a moment. Rolly… They got him, he thought, lowering his head. That’s why there’s no wake-up call.

  He got up, slipped on some sweats, and went out to the lounge. All pilots from the 3rd squadron, minus Ace and Ven, were present. Everyone was sitting or standing around the room, but in a wide circle, which made it appear they’d been having a group conversation.

  The team’s eyes turned to Josh.

  “They found Smokey! He’s on this ship right now, in the medical unit,” said Maya.

  Josh widened his eyes, trying his best to look surprised. “They did?!”

  “Yes,” said Hoss, who was standing right by her. “But he’s in pretty bad shape.”

  “People are saying they ate some of his body,” said Kyle.

  Nate’s face was grim when he nodded. Reena was shaking her head.

  “Word is he won’t be returning to our squadron,” said Nate. “He’ll probably become a reservist at best, if he makes it through.”

  He’ll make it through, thought Josh.

  “He took a laser blast to chest when they were extracting him,” said Reena.

  Tor downed a shot of whiskey and sat his glass on the kitchen counter. He was one of the few guys Josh had ever met who drank alcohol to get the day going. It was always just a single shot, so Josh thought it kind of made sense.

  “How come we’re not out flying?” Josh asked, playing along, but also hoping for miracle news. He noticed right away the seriousness in his squad’s eyes.

  “Rolly was the one who led the extraction mission. A statement relayed via the emergency monitor indicated he was unable to make it out,” said Nate.

  “They say he took down more Mercens than anyone, and sacrificed himself to make sure the team got out alive,” said Hoss.

  Tor and Reena were nodding.

  I’d say that’s a slight exaggeration, thought Josh. Bor definitely didn’t start that rumor. The inner joke was only a slight reprieve from how he truly felt. “That’s horrible,” he replied, waiting a moment to let the gloom really set in. “What will happen now?”

  Kyle shrugged.

  “Ace was called into an officers’ meeting and should be returning any minute now to let us know what’s going on,” said Nate.

  Josh glanced at Jill, who was quiet as could be, and asked, “Where’s Ven?”

  “Said he was sick, and needed to lie down for a bit so it would pass,” Reena replied.

  “That or he just doesn’t give a shit,” muttered Maya, loud enough so only Josh and Hoss could hear.

  “Have there been any incidents or acts of aggression from Mercen?” Josh asked.

  Kyle shook his head, saying, “The emergency update stated no attempts of retaliation are expected.”

  “Wonder how they figure that,” said Reena.

  “I would’ve thought for sure those bastards would hit back right away,” s
aid Hoss.

  Nate was scratching his head.

  The front door opened. Ace entered and walked straight over to the circle.

  “So, what’s the news?” asked Nate.

  “Things are to carry out as usual, as if Rolly were here,” said Ace. “I’ll be leading all of the standard drills until further notice from upstairs.”

  Josh thought the group seemed pleased with the decision, though he wondered how long it would be until a new unit officer would be assigned to the 3rd squadron.

  “With the Creston cruiser’s departure from the southern Void Zone, the 2nd squadron will be taking over patrols in that area. We will be covering the north. Reservists will take over at night. First group out will be myself, Kyle, Tor, Jill, and Maya. The rest of you will be relieving us in seven hours. Until then, Nate will lead a gym session. After that you’re free to do whatever till time for launch. Those in my group, we’ll be meeting up at the north flight deck in twenty minutes. Good?”

  “Gotcha,” said Josh, along with a chorus of “yes” and “yeahs” from the others.

  Their circle started to break. Josh walked over to where Tor was leaning against the counter, and gave him a friendly bump while passing by to find something to eat.

  “You think you’re hot shit, man,” said a grinning Tor, with the thickest of Latin accents.

  “I know I’m hot shit, Tor,” Josh responded, opening a cabinet with a smirk that was all too sure.

  By the time Josh had finished eating with Tor, the first group from the 3rd squadron had departed. Not long after that, Nate led the second group to the gymnasium.

  When the workout session was finished, Josh went to the simulation room accompanied by Reena and Hoss. They practiced and chatted it up there for close to two hours before heading back to the unit.

  Upon entering the lounge, all three walked straight over to where Nate and Ven were playing an intense game of Foosball.

  Ven spun a knob hard and said, “Had enough yet, pretty boy? We have an audience now. Everyone gets to see me stick it to you.”

  “Okay, jackass, keep talking,” Nate replied.

  “Babe…” said Reena, placing her hands at Nate’s waist.

  “Not now, hun,” Nate responded, twisting both wrists to try and block the ball.

  Hoss was grinning wide. “I got the winner,” he said, rolling up his sleeves.

  Josh thought Ven looked like a crazed lunatic the way he was overreacting to each twist, with saliva damn near dripping from his lip. He stared at the rookie’s face for a second or two longer and then noticed the circular, malachite pendant around the rookie’s neck.

  Humph, what are the chances? he thought. Same one I got in my room. The guy’s got good taste after all. Josh watched a foosball bounce off a figure then ricochet into the hole Nate was guarding.

  “Nice one!” said Hoss.

  That was pretty sexy, thought Josh, until a rush of uncertainty sunk in. Wait a sec…

  Josh pulled back quietly from the others and strode to his room. After marching over to his desk, he slid open a drawer were he normally kept his necklace and saw that it was missing. That son of a bitch, he thought, shifting a few things around to see if the jewelry might be under something. It wasn’t.

  Josh slammed the drawer, leaned up and hustled over to his closet. He searched all throughout it, even checking a few clothes pockets, but his necklace wasn’t there. There’s nowhere else I would leave it, he thought, scanning the room just to be sure.

  He stomped over to the bathroom and searched in there too. He took it! He actually took it. He must think because I’m semi-new too that he can get away with it. My ass…

  Josh stormed out of the room and back out to the lounge. He strode right up to where Ven was standing at the Foosball table and said, “Hey, man. Did you take that necklace from my room?”

  Ven stared into Josh’s eyes for a second or two and glanced down at the pendant before looking back up. “Nah, mate. This one’s mine.”

  Josh tightened his eyes and asked, “Where did you get that?”

  “Back on Creston. You’ve never seen a duplicate before? Don’t you think it’s kind of rude to go accusing someone just because you misplaced your own item, mate?”

  Hoss, Reena, and even Nate looked surprised by the sudden dispute.

  “I put all my shit in the same places. It’s extremely rare that I ever lose something,” Josh replied.

  “Well, this one ain’t yours,” said Ven.

  Josh flexed his cheeks while glaring at the recruit.

  “Maybe it really is his,” said Reena.

  “I doubt that,” Josh replied.

  Hoss looked back and forth between both men’s faces as if unsure what to think.

  Ven moved a hand to the pendant and turned it over. “Look, mate, it’s got my name on it.”

  Josh inspected the jewelry and saw sure enough that Ven’s name was engraved on the bottom. He felt a huge sense of disbelief slapping him across the face—until he saw the scratch he’d put on it when training at Space League.

  Josh scrunched his lips and shoved Ven in the chest with both hands. “I put that scratch on the pendant back on Creston you lying sack of shit.”

  Ven immediately shoved Josh back.

  Hoss stepped in between them both, holding out a hand to each. “Cool it!” He looked at Josh. “Maybe he scratched his too,” said the big man, in what was more of a plea.

  “Same spot, same way? Not a chance, Hoss,” Josh replied.

  Reena was looking at Ven as if she didn’t trust him.

  “Not worth it, man,” said Nate. “Can you please just look for it some more? I don’t want to see anyone get thrown off this ship for something like this. If it’s not there, I’ll even buy you another one, okay?”

  Josh gazed at Nate, feeling thankful for his words, but also knowing there was no way he could be wrong about the pendant. That piece of shit took it, and there’s no way of proving that. Josh swallowed what felt like the worst case of heartburn and said, “Sure, Nate, I’ll go check again. Just for you.”

  Josh turned for his room and heard Ven say, in the pleasantest of tones, “Well, mates, shall we get back to our game?”

  He’s lucky that damn necklace didn’t cost much, thought Josh. Not like I’d want to wear it after he’s carved his filthy name into it. Maya’s not going to believe this. I need to see about getting a lock on my door with this dirtbag around.

  Just as he’d expected, Josh failed to find his missing pendant after doing a lengthy search. When their five-man group went to the cafeteria for lunch, he tried his best not to show anger when sitting across the table from Ven. Hoss and Reena did a good job of keeping him focused on other things.

  Later, when it was time for the second 3rd squadron group to head out into space, Josh found himself standing at the north flight deck with Ven, waiting for the other three pilots to show up.

  Josh had been silent, until Ven peered at him and said, “You still mad about losing your necklace, mate? I told you I didn’t take it.”

  “It’s whatever. I’m not worried about it anymore,” Josh replied.

  Ven pulled his lips to one side, appearing to be somewhat amused. “So, you haven’t been out here long either, eh?”

  “You already know the answer to that question.”

  “Can’t say it’s what I expected. I thought I was being placed in some elite squadron, come to find out I’m in with a few good pilots—but the rest are shit.”

  Josh raised a brow. “Your flying’s not even respectable enough to be saying that.”

  “Respectable enough to fly a few circles around you out there I suppose.”

  What the fuck is this nonsense, thought Josh. He knows he can’t outperform me. He has trouble going against everyone else in the squadron. “Anytime you want a reality check, just let me know, bud.”

  “You need to stop believing all that bullshit about you being a natural, and focus on plugging some of those wea
knesses I see every time you’re practicing.”

  Okay, I get it now. He wants to duel me so he can switch out of safe-mode and shoot me with real lasers. Got to be it. That or he’s completely out of his mind. Josh smirked without saying another word.

  Hoss, Nate, and Reena joined Josh and Ven.

  Hoss smiled. “Surprised you two aren’t fist-fighting, being alone down here after what happened earlier.”

  “Guess it’s like Nate said: a guy like him’s simply not worth it,” said Josh.

  Ven just stared with a crooked grin.

  The pilots got into their strikers and blasted off from the hangar.

  Once they were all flying in a fingertip formation with Nate at the lead, Josh transmitted, “Hey, Nate, think we have time for a quick round of practice? I’d like to show this rookie a thing or two about how to really fly a striker—instead of the sorry excuse for piloting he normally exhibits.”

  “Josh…” Reena transmitted.

  Hoss chuckled over the channel.

  “You calling me out, mate?” Ven responded.

  “That’s exactly what I’m doing.”

  “Wouldn’t mind beating you up a bit in front of these vets,” Ven transmitted.

  “To see this play out, sure, we got time,” said Nate.

  “All of this macho-ness,” said Reena.

  “Five-second break,” Josh transmitted.

  “Two,” Ven responded.

  “You got it,” said Josh.

  Nate slowed to a stop and so did the others.

  Josh and Ven glided out side by side in front of the group and to a halt.

  “Switch to safe mode,” Nate transmitted.

  Josh flipped his switch. So did Ven.

  “Set… Go!” said Nate.

  Josh took off at mid-speed, with Ven doing the same.

  “Break!” Nate transmitted.

  The two pilots split off in opposite directions.

  A couple of seconds later: “Fight’s up!” Nate transmitted.

  Josh soared straight up as Ven hooked into a 180. Then he fell back into an inverted dive, like a hawk swooping down on its prey. Dare you.

  Ven didn’t challenge Josh’s advance. Instead he slammed his throttle as far it would go and shot past the point where their angles intersected. Once clear, he swerved into a U-ey and tried rising at Josh’s rear.