The Night Warriors
A Battle Renewed
"So this whole mess is part of a plan that my sister, her best friend, Ashley, and you made up?" Rob asked Rachel. She had finished telling everyone what was going on.
"No," Rachel said, "it was not part of the plan to get you, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, Karl, or Kruger involved, and it was not part of the plan to lose communication with White Spirit Base."
May looked from Rachel to Herman; both were struggling for command of the mission. Herman was a colonel, naturally putting him in charge, but Rachel was the one with the most knowledge of what was going on and what to expect. At the moment, they were both glaring at each other. A sharp, killing look was in both sets of eyes, a look that May knew was common among soldiers who were experienced in battle.
"Would you kiss already so we can get going?" Ace said in an annoyed tone. Rachel and Herman turned their attention to Ace who was about ready to bolt back to the slaves' quarters. Alex stopped him.
May smiled. "They do make a cute couple, but that's not the reason they're staring at each other. Neither of them wants to follow orders from the other."
"How can you tell?" Rachel asked.
"We've had several people attempt to run away," Alex said. "They never make it because no one is willing to listen to an officer from a country other than their own."
"Fine, we'll work together, for your sake," Rachel said. "I'll go take care of Scar and Thorn, you go see how many soldiers they have here."
"I don't like the idea of you going after some dangerous people with no means of communication if you get injured," Herman said.
At that moment Starlet came streaming down the hall with two Travillian spies hanging off her neck. When Starlet stopped in front of Rachel, both men dropped to the ground. "A.C. and M.C.," Rachel said while standing over the men, "what are you doing here?"
"Probably the same thing you are doing," A.C. said.
Rachel smiled. "Okay Herman, you can go with Ace, May, and Alex while I take Starlet, A.C., and M.C. to go take care of Scar and Thorn."
"Be careful, you're injured," Herman said.
Rachel saluted. "Yes sir."
"This plan is suicide," O'Connell said as he watched Sammy and Danni pack for the trip.
Sammy laughed. "It's my experience that the insane plans normally work best."
"Yep," O'Connell sighed, "you're Kruger's daughter." Sammy and Danni laughed.
Ashley walked in, dressed in something similar to the uniform of an Imperial major; she was wearing the uniform of an Imperial spy. She was quietly cursing Freedmen and Kruger under her breath.
"Hey Ashley, what are you wearing?" O'Connell asked.
Ashley stopped muttering curses to answer O'Connell's question. "My uniform. I haven't been wearing it because I had to pretend I wasn't a soldier any more."
"Everybody ready to go?" Karl asked as he and the Guardian Force joined the group.
"Nope," Ashley said simply as she began going deeper into the hangar. She walked over to Rachel's Hel Cat and did something in the cockpit and then rejoined the group.
Van raised an eyebrow. "What did you need from Rachel's zoid?"
"This," Ashley said holding up a disc that looked much like Thomas's beek system. "This is something Thomas designed for Rachel awhile ago to assist on spy missions. We'll need it when we get closer to the base."
"How long is it going to take to get to the Cravane base?" Fiona asked.
"Five hours at the most," Danni said.
Thomas looked a little shocked. "It took Herman and Rachel nearly four days to get there."
"They took the long way around," Sammy said. "We'll be taking a very quick short cut."
"I hope you're right about it being a short cut," O'Connell sighed.
A Battle Renewed
"So this whole mess is part of a plan that my sister, her best friend, Ashley, and you made up?" Rob asked Rachel. She had finished telling everyone what was going on.
"No," Rachel said, "it was not part of the plan to get you, the Guardian Force, O'Connell, Karl, or Kruger involved, and it was not part of the plan to lose communication with White Spirit Base."
May looked from Rachel to Herman; both were struggling for command of the mission. Herman was a colonel, naturally putting him in charge, but Rachel was the one with the most knowledge of what was going on and what to expect. At the moment, they were both glaring at each other. A sharp, killing look was in both sets of eyes, a look that May knew was common among soldiers who were experienced in battle.
"Would you kiss already so we can get going?" Ace said in an annoyed tone. Rachel and Herman turned their attention to Ace who was about ready to bolt back to the slaves' quarters. Alex stopped him.
May smiled. "They do make a cute couple, but that's not the reason they're staring at each other. Neither of them wants to follow orders from the other."
"How can you tell?" Rachel asked.
"We've had several people attempt to run away," Alex said. "They never make it because no one is willing to listen to an officer from a country other than their own."
"Fine, we'll work together, for your sake," Rachel said. "I'll go take care of Scar and Thorn, you go see how many soldiers they have here."
"I don't like the idea of you going after some dangerous people with no means of communication if you get injured," Herman said.
At that moment Starlet came streaming down the hall with two Travillian spies hanging off her neck. When Starlet stopped in front of Rachel, both men dropped to the ground. "A.C. and M.C.," Rachel said while standing over the men, "what are you doing here?"
"Probably the same thing you are doing," A.C. said.
Rachel smiled. "Okay Herman, you can go with Ace, May, and Alex while I take Starlet, A.C., and M.C. to go take care of Scar and Thorn."
"Be careful, you're injured," Herman said.
Rachel saluted. "Yes sir."
"This plan is suicide," O'Connell said as he watched Sammy and Danni pack for the trip.
Sammy laughed. "It's my experience that the insane plans normally work best."
"Yep," O'Connell sighed, "you're Kruger's daughter." Sammy and Danni laughed.
Ashley walked in, dressed in something similar to the uniform of an Imperial major; she was wearing the uniform of an Imperial spy. She was quietly cursing Freedmen and Kruger under her breath.
"Hey Ashley, what are you wearing?" O'Connell asked.
Ashley stopped muttering curses to answer O'Connell's question. "My uniform. I haven't been wearing it because I had to pretend I wasn't a soldier any more."
"Everybody ready to go?" Karl asked as he and the Guardian Force joined the group.
"Nope," Ashley said simply as she began going deeper into the hangar. She walked over to Rachel's Hel Cat and did something in the cockpit and then rejoined the group.
Van raised an eyebrow. "What did you need from Rachel's zoid?"
"This," Ashley said holding up a disc that looked much like Thomas's beek system. "This is something Thomas designed for Rachel awhile ago to assist on spy missions. We'll need it when we get closer to the base."
"How long is it going to take to get to the Cravane base?" Fiona asked.
"Five hours at the most," Danni said.
Thomas looked a little shocked. "It took Herman and Rachel nearly four days to get there."
"They took the long way around," Sammy said. "We'll be taking a very quick short cut."
"I hope you're right about it being a short cut," O'Connell sighed.