Chapter 3: Contemplation
"Wow, I never expected it to be that easy!" Tart exclaimed as they veered away from Fuzen, having just dropped off the 'prisoners'.
"Heh. Those stupid workers never suspected a thing." Kish added.
"I told you, its chaotic. No one keeps track of when certain prisoners are being delivered, or even who they are." Pie concluded. The older alien inhaled deeply, one hand on his chin as he contemplated their next move.
Analyze the situation. Objective? We need to be able to blend in with the war fleet to get to Earth undetected. Definitely not possible in this old tin can. Solution? Commandeer a fighter pod, preferably a small one, one that can easily go unnoticed. Problems? Has to be done quickly, before they contact the main ship. If we fail and are caught, then we will be lucky if we're sent to Fuzen. Most likely we will be killed.
Pie turned his gaze upon his two comrades, who had, over their many adventures and misadventures, become his friends. Was Earth really worth their lives?
Although he would never tell anyone, his friends meant a great deal to him. Pie had always been a serious, industrious individual, never having cared or worried about friendships. In his opinion, they were no more then distractions, weaknesses. Yet this made for a lonely life, and a joyless childhood.
A tiny smile grew upon his face, imperceptible to any who were not looking for it, as he watched the other two, who were arguing in a good-natured sort of way. What a group of misfits the three of them were, he speculated. Why ever had they, of all people, been chosen for the Earth mission? Kish, a previous delinquent harboring a colossal disregard for rules, clearly served as the brawn of the operation. But Tart? Tart was just a street urchin, an orphan, with a rare talent for nurturing plants. Pie knew Tart was much more complicated then he seemed on his happy go lucky surface, but then, so were they all.
And what of himself? He, as a scientist, had been chosen as the brains of the outfit, to give the mission a miniscule gleam of hope for success, and he had been no doubt chosen from the scientists, because he was the one that had no friends, that would not be missed. Because, Pie realized, although he supposed he had always known, the mission was never expected to succeed. They probably weren't even expected to return.
Earth was always destined for the large-scale attack that was coming, whether they had returned or not. He had seen the already made and prepared battleships at the docks. It would not have been more then a week they departed anyway. He and his friends were just a recon group; a group that was to be sacrificed and no one cared about.
Perhaps that was why Tart had been sent, and Kish as well, to be gotten rid of. One less delinquent, and one less mouth for society to attempt to feed with its limited resources. There was barely enough food to go around for those who worked and paid…
Different as the three aliens had once been from each other, they had banded together in a common goal, a common mission, and had gone from co-workers to close friends. They eventually realized that they had never been so different from each other after all. They had all been alone.
Pie rubbed his fingers against the side of his forehead as he thought, an old habit of his. Would it not be better to just go to Fuzen willingly, rather then chance being killed? No, Pie knew, he would rather be killed then live out his days on the Dread Moon, waiting for death to claim him and end his suffering. As he himself had said earlier, it was Earth or Fuzen. Personally, Pie preferred Earth. He would just have to plan carefully, so carefully…and for once, he would need to set aside his tendency to lean to the pessimistic side, and try to be an optimist.
"So. Got a plan Pie?" Kish broke in, disrupting the elder alien's thoughts.
"We're ready for action!" Tart exclaimed, leaning forward excitedly, his tiny hands clenched into fists. He was so much more powerful then he looked…
"I think I do, actually…" Pie answered, and began to explain his plan of action.