Authors Note:

Hey, guys! Sorry about the huge delay between chapters. We've been having foundation work done on my house, and my GOD is it hard trying to write when guys are using JACKHAMMERS IN YOUR LIVING ROOM! Seriously, though, I do apoligize for the delay, and thanks again for all the support you all have given me! I really love you guys, you're the freaking best, and I hope you enjoy Chapter 24!

~DoctorPortal

Chapter 24: Infiltrate, Part I

"Okay," Nara said, "what's the plan?"

Nova responded without looking away from the controls.

"Well," he said, "I'm not completely sure. I've got an idea of what we're supposed to do, but I haven't quite determined the execution of it yet."

Nara sighed and rolled her eyes. "Okay, what's the idea, then?"

Nova cast her a withering glance, then faced back to the swirling blue tunnel ahead of them.

"The idea is fairly simple," Nova said. "This is a stealth operation. We divide into two teams: Intel Team and Demo Team. Intel Team's job is to sneak into their information center and download as much as you can without getting spotted. Meanwhile, Demo Team will be placing high-explosive charges around strategic structural points around the compound. That way, if all goes as planned, we'll go in, get the data, and light the place up on the way out."

"And how exactly do we do all that?" Rei asked.

"Hold on, wait for it," Nova said, his face twisting in thought. Suddenly, his face lit up and he bolt upright.

"Alright. I have a plan, but it may be slightly risky…."

"Land?!" D'razz asked. His face shared the same blank, bewildered expression with the others. "What do you mean, land the Stormbreaker?"

"Well, just that, actually," Nova said. "None of the ships down in the hangar bay will work. The Epsilon has a chromium-plated hull, which would be seen a hundred miles away with the kind of surveillance they've got. And Rei's little Imperial Fighter would work, except for the fact that it only seats two people. Plus, the Stormbreaker has the whole ultra high-tech Xentium-crystal cloaking-device-thingamajig, which means we should be able to land a short ways away without incident. But like I said before, it wouldn't be without its risks."

"Such as?" Nara inquired.

"Well," Nova began, "first there's reliability. The cloak is made up of some highly-experimental stuff, all of which is prone to malfunction. We could end up flying down there, and have splotches of the hull visible, whilst other parts wouldn't be. And that'd be even more suspicious than the whole ship going uncloaked. Then, there's the fact that other than on the day it was built, the landing gear on this bucket have never had any proper testing. I built the thing with landing gear really just for use in an emergency, since I'd never planned on making a habit out of trying to land something this big. And then-"

Nara cut him off. "Okay, look. I dunno about you guys, this sounds way too dangerous to me."

"But Nara," Rei added, "Nova's right. This is our best option. As strange as this may sound, this way has a much higher chance of succeeding than any of the other options. I suggest we make some final preparations, and go through with it."

Nara sighed, and gave in. "Okay, let's do it," she said.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen," Nova said, "The seatbelt sign has been turned on, so please make your way back to your seats and get strapped in. We are now approaching Dantooine, where the weather is 67° with a light breeze, and the local time is 11:30." Nova began flipping various overhead switches and the cabin lights dimmed, to where the lights from the consoles were the only things illuminating the bridge. Nara and the others strapped back in, and Nova reached out and pulled back slowly on the large throttle handle to his left. The swirling blue hyperspace tunnel emptied out back into long, white streaks, which in turn reformed back into individual stars. The planet of Dantooine zoomed into view, until it was an all-consuming presence in the view out the ship's forward viewports.

"Here we go," Nova said, softly. He pitched forward slightly on the large control yoke in front of him, and the ship began to enter the atmosphere.

Flames licked at the nose of the ship as it dove into Dantooine's upper atmosphere. The Stormbreaker was plunging towards the planet's surface at an alarming rate.

"Think you might wanna slow down some?!" Nara cried as she and the rest of the team were pressed back into their seats as the g-forces put on them increased with each second.

The surface of Dantooine closed in, and just as it seemed that impact was at hand, Nova thrust the throttle on his left all the way forward and pulled back as hard as he could on the control yoke. The ship groaned as the repulsorlift engines ignited and went to maximum power all within the space of two seconds, and the ship leveled out, its downward speed dropping dramatically until it came to rest only about 20 meters from the ground. Nova pressed a button on his console, and loud whirring sounds emanated from the ship's underbelly, followed by a loud clunk. Nova gently lowered the ship until the ship's weight came slowly to rest on the large, curved landing struts than had extended from its underside.

"And that," Nova said, turning to face the group, "Is what I like to call a High-Altitude-Low-Elevation-Ignition Drop, or 'HALEY' Drop, for short. What'd you guys think?"

His question was met with heavy, nervous breathing, and a few annoyed glances from the crew. Finally Nara spoke up.

"God dammit, Nova…," she breathed.