Part 12

The Prospect completed the first of it's two jumps and stopped in open space to let the reactor recover before making the second. Fox had gone down to the crew lounge to pass the time and sat silently at the table in the center of the room with his head in his hands, the weight of recent events wearing on his mind. Suddenly a voice broke the silence and he looked up. It was Needra.

"My lady requests you meet with her." She said in a raspy voice. "Come this way please."

Fox nodded and got up from the table, he followed the strange creature through the ship's darkened corridors to the tram. They stepped inside and Needra pushed one of the buttons, starting the tram. As it traveled along the track Fox looked at Needra, who stared at him with unblinking eyes and a friendly smile. He smiled back and tried to start a conversation.

"So, what do you think of all this?"

"I am honored." She responded, placing her hand on his head and running her fingers through his fur. "You are not like the others. You are kind."

"Others?" Fox was surprised.

"Yes. I have seen you before, but they were not like you."

"What do you mean?"

"I cannot find the words." Needra looked at the floor. "I have not been beyond for very long. So much is new here."

"Maybe we could show you around when we are done with the mission."

"I would like that." She responded with a smile, then started to frown. "My Lady does not permit me to venture beyond her sight for long."

"Do you miss your home?" Fox decided to change the subject.

"Every day of service brings my family honor, I do not long for home." The tram stopped and Needra stepped out followed by Fox. She led him to the hangar that housed their Airwings where Dinan and two of her assistants were waiting. Fox didn't recognize the other humans, they were not in the group that came aboard the ship with Dinan. He looked around the hangar and spotted a small ship unlike any he had seen before, tucked away behind the Airwings. Dinan's voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Mr. McCloud." She greeted him with a cold, expressionless face. "So glad you could join us. I have something for you." She pointed to a cluster of crates sitting nearby.

"What are you doing to my ship?" Fox asked.

"Giving you something to help with the mission." Dinan said. "Your ships use a gravity diffuser for propulsion that should not be affected by the dust in the planet's atmosphere, the turbine based engines of your mission ships would be disabled in minutes. In this instance, your Airwing is more suitable for the mission."

"That still doesn't answer my question. What are you doing to my ship?"

"Easy Mr. McCloud." Dinan gestured to one of her assistants to open the nearest crate. "This is the Javelin Shield Penetrator, one of the most advanced weapon systems Interstellar Iridium has ever developed. It consists of a launch vehicle and a number of smaller missiles housed inside. This particular model is designed for fighters and other small combat vessels and houses six missiles." Fox looked at the weapon inside the crate, barely visible under the packing material.

"What does it do?" He asked.

"Shortly after launch, the launch vehicle will separate and release it's missiles, which will then target the nearest hostile craft. The system is designed in such a way that the missiles communicate with one another in flight and will not pick the same target. The tip of each missile is loaded with a concentrated electromagnetic pulse that bores a temporary hole in enemy shields, allowing the warhead to pass through and penetrate the hull. It is nearly 100% effective at destroying fighter sized ships."

"You're going to put those on the Airwings?"

"Yes, your ships will have two launch vehicles each, taking the place of your Cornerian smartbombs. They should reduce the number of drones you will have to actively engage."

"Thank you, I guess." Fox looked at one of the weapons, already mounted to Fara's ship.

"The launch vehicle is dumbfire." Dinan continued. "Simply face the incoming targets and fire the weapon. It's onboard targeting system will do the rest. These are very expensive tools, Mr. McCloud. Please put them to good use."

"You're fitting them to all the Airwings?"

"Yes. I want the entire squadron to benefit from them."

"One of us is staying behind to help manage the mission." Fox told her. "I don't know who yet."

"That's good to know." Dinan smiled as she spoke. "Anything to help the mission go smoothly. We have quite a bit of money invested in that operation, success is priority." She walked out of the hangar bay followed by the two humans, leaving Needra and Fox standing in the hangar. Fox walked over to Fara's Airwing and examined the missiles attached to it's underside. He looked at his reflection in the missile's highly polished and seamless exterior. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Needra walking up behind him, her clawed feet clicking on the floor of the hangar. He turned around and put his hand on his weapon as she approached.

"My lady has given you a gift." She said with a glowing smile. "Are they not grand?"

"I don't know what to think about them." Fox said shaking his head. "She should have asked me before she tampered with the ships."

"I am sure she did not wish to anger you." Needra held out her hand to Fox.

"It's fine." He said, taking her hand. "I'm sure they will help us. So tell me, where did you see another Cornerian like me?"

Needra thought a moment then walked over to the crates and picked up a data pad. She began typing on the device, then turned it toward Fox. He looked at the images and jumped back, it was Star Wolf. Each member of Star Wolf was listed with a picture of their ship and pilot along with an unreadable block of human text. He remembered the device Jack had given him when they first met, took it out and started to translate. The three members of Star Wolf had been in contact with the people from Interstellar Iridium and were being paid for services rendered. The information on the data pad did not say who contacted them or what they were being paid to do, only that their performance was adequate.

"I know these pilots." Fox said, handing the data pad back to Needra. "They are not good people."

"They were not kind to me." Needra said. "I did not like them. Please, do not tell my lady I said such a thing, she would be disappointed in me."

"I won't, do you know what they were hired to do or where they are now?"

"No, I can tell you they will not be here until later." Needra looked at the floor as she spoke. "I do not know when. I wish they were not coming."

"Do you know anything about the mission we've been given." Fox asked. Needra thought a moment then responded.

"No." There was a rumble as the ship engaged the jump drive again. A small box attached to Needra's belt began to glow and vibrate. She put the data pad down and looked down at it.

"My lady is calling." she told Fox. "Please excuse me." She hurried out of the hangar and into the tram, not giving Fox a chance to get onboard before the doors closed. Fox looked back into the hangar and the data pad on the floor then over to the small ship behind the Ariwings. The ship was of the same design as the Interstellar Iridium ship they met near Io station, only very compact with room for half a dozen people or so. There was no obvious way to get on board, the ship's gleaming exterior was completely seamless, no windows, no doors, no hatches anywhere. He decided to leave the ship alone and turned his attention to the still active datapad on the floor nearby. He picked up the device and walked out of the hangar. Fox boarded the tram and began the trip back to the crew quarters. He decided to call the bridge to tell Jack about the weapons and the ship docked in the Airwing hangar, Jack didn't respond. He tried again, no response. As Fox stepped off the tram he remembered Jack said there was a couch in the lounge, he decided to look there. As he approached the door to the lounge he could hear voices from inside, someone was yelling, it was Fara.

"I still don't understand why you can't do this yourself." Fara yelled. "You're supposed to be some kind of specially trained soldier, and you can't even fly a basic combat mission?" Fox couldn't hear who she was yelling at, he guessed it was Jack, Fara continued.

"Motion sickness? That's the worst excuse I've ever heard, your people don't have something that can correct it?" There was a break as Jack responded. "I see, well, this is the only mission I'm doing. After this is over, I'm going back to Corneria and you can bet I'm going to tell CDF command everything about you and your operation." Fox decided to open the door. Fara was standing in front of Jack who was seated at the table in the center of the room, calmly listening to her. Fox stepped into the lounge and set the data pad on the table, Jack reached over and pulled it toward him never taking his eyes off Fara, who was still yelling.

"...we are more than capable of policing our system, we don't need the Human Systems Federation to step in and help. This whole operation violates so many of our basic operating procedures the very mention of it would get you incarcerated."

"That would make you an accessory." Jack replied. Fara grunted and stomped out of the lounge, not bothering to look at Fox who was standing just inside the doorway.

"What was that about?" Fox asked.

"She's worried about legitimacy of our mission, that's all." Jack said. "I don't blame her, anytime Interstellar Iridium is involved there's half of the story not being told. Where'd you get that data pad?"

"Needra left it in the hangar. She took me down there to talk with Diana about the mission. They have a small ship docked with the Airwings, and there were two other humans in the hangar with her. They were not part of the group that boarded at Io station."

"They must have docked up when we stopped to let the reactor recover, they're up to something." Jack looked at the data pad. "What else did you learn?" Suddenly, Jack grabbed the data pad off the table and hid it behind his back as the door to the lounge opened and Sandra Dinan stepped into the room. Jack quickly changed the conversation.

"Like I said, it's a basic mission, the big problem will be seeing through all the dust and debris in the atmosphere." Fox picked up on Jack's words and continued.

"The Airwing has some basic infrared and thermal imaging sensors, we should be fine."

"I heard someone yelling, one of the pilots giving you trouble?" Dinan asked.

"No, just some last minute concerns." Jack said calmly.

"I see. My people have been going over the modifications to this ship, I'm impressed." Dinan said as she sat down at the table. "I didn't think the Argus class mining ships had this kind of flexibility. You've got a mini carrier here with limitless potential."

"Glad you like it." Jack said with a smile. "She's just home to me."

"I want it." Dinan whispered as she leaned over the table. "You can name you price."

"She's not for sale."

"Be reasonable Jack, everything's for sale. I'll tell you what, I have a considerable amount of pull in the corporation. Give me a price and I'll sweeten the deal with full month on the homeworld. What do you say? I bet you've never even seen it."

"Only in pictures." Jack hesitated. "Still not for sale." The smile quickly dropped Sandra Dinan's face, she turned and looked over at Fox.

"We're here, time to go." Sandra said. "Get to your ships and be ready to launch in fifteen minutes. Jack, I'll have one of our people drop you at the tram station about 100km from the compound, all you have to do is ride in and retake control of the compound, the miners inside are expendable. That tramway is listed as out of service, so they won't expect you to come in from that direction."

"The squadron of ships flying overhead won't give me away?" Jack asked.

"This is the best I can come up with given the equipment and personnel we have available. Now get down there and take care those miners." Sandra motioned for Fox to follow and walked out of the lounge, giving Jack a chance to hide the data pad inside the sofa, he then made his way to the Airwing hangar with the others and prepared to board the Interstellar Iridium shuttle. As the hangar doors opened the group looked down at the planet below. From above, the orange colored planet appeared featureless except for a few swirls of pale clouds that slowly circled the poles, the surface was completely obscured.

"There it is." Jack said. "Dust."

"TF305." Sandra told him. "We don't name planets in the corporation." Jack looked over at Sandra and back to the group. Fox, Fara, and Falco had already boarded their ships and were preparing to make their way toward the planet's surface. Katt had volunteered to stay behind and keep an eye on the Interstellar Iridium people, she stood by Falco as he closed the canopy of his ship and launched out of the hangar with the others, followed by the shuttle carrying Jack.

Jack's shuttle set down near a monorail tram station situated alongside a massive canyon network that nearly circled the planet's equator. He stepped outside wearing the same body armor he had when he and Krystal met and a full face helmet that hissed slightly when he exhaled. Despite the planet's desert like terrain the temperature on the surface was nearly freezing and he shivered a bit as he looked around, the dust blocked a good portion of the sunlight and tinted everything a dull orange color. He stumbled through the thick dust and howling winds toward the tram, once inside he waited for Fox and the others to get into position.