Chapter 13

DNA pads were dispersed amongst Team Hook. Fruyt held the small circular slice of fabric to Menderash's shoulder, allowing me to clutch it with a steady talon. I concentrated, focused on the anonymous Kelbrid civilian. The genome was acquired, and Fruyt took back the pad to drop it in a trash bag. He moved onto the next in line.

Our Kelbrid morphs would no longer be identical twins. Everybody had a unique, random Kelbrid running through their veins. In a Kelbrid support station, it was the best chance to cause hesitation amongst the enemy. Hesitation could save lives. Not that Arkv expected to lose any.

Then we boarded the stealth transporter. It was a deep, nightmarish black. So black that every fine detail seemed to fall within it like victims of a black hole. When we entered the glorious, gleaming hangar, it was like staring at a tear in reality, with the vague shape of a long, jagged ship. Large angles stuck out from all sides, and Arkv explained that it was to deflect radar beams such that they would not bounce back to their source.

"Musta stole that idea from us," Santorelli spoke exclusively to us, adjusting a large cuboidal bag hoisted over his shoulder. I didn't understand the reference, and from what I saw, only Jake knew. Must have been a military thing.

A hatch opened in the side of the stealth ship. The glow emanating was a radioactive green, and it illustrated a smoky haze around the opening. The expanded Team Hook began to board.

Arkv stood beside the entrance, counting heads as they strode into the spooky innards. We were last in line, and he offered some words before we took the steps up. "The O-Neoos have a deep affinity to green. They also create the perfect stealth ship. Virtually undetectable, even to the most advanced radars. Don't expect to be comfortable."

He smiled, and it was probably meant to be a comforting one, but it gave us no pleasure. One by one, we marched inside.

Whoever the O-Neoos were, they clearly didn't care much for eyesight. Not even my hawk eyes could pierce the haze of green. We had to follow the sounds of footsteps ahead of us, the Humans with arms outstretched to determine the walls.

The ship was only small, so the trek to the squadron compartment was generously short. The haze was thinner, too, so we could identify the bland, black space and the bodies of the assorted aliens around us. There was a communication line to the pilot, and the compartment door leading to the entrance corridor was slammed shut. The pilot, hidden in the dark, shrouded bridge at the bow, got the all-clear.

All vessels affiliated with Enrich had been upgraded with the technology to teleport across vast chasms of Space, and this one was no different. The ship rumbled and rose, and we were frequently updated on progress as the pilot guided us away and into the empty darkness of Space.

Then, suddenly, we were there. No long travel, no time to rest. No time to anticipate.

"In the vicinity of Support Station 310!" the pilot called from the bridge ahead.

"Morph!" Arkv followed. "Set firearms and prepare for landing!"

The entire room began to change. If one person's sounds were disturbing, try a whole claustrophobic room of about twenty aliens of all shapes and sizes. There were squeaks and squelches, groans and gurgles. Weird alien organs shuffling audibly to form the efficient Kelbrid systems. It was utterly nightmarish, and I was suddenly thankful for the thick green haze that blocked most of it from sight. By the time it was over, the compartment was a hive of armed-and-ready Kelbrid civilians.

Team leaders strung colored bands over their right shoulders. Arkv wore an orange one, while Fruyt, as the medic, wore light blue. Arkv made himself clear to us and tapped his shoulder strap twice with a sharp Kelbrid finger.

I took my paralysis gun from the big square bag that Santorelli had been carrying. The pistol-like weapon was awkward, but I'd received some limited training. I brought up an ammo case from the seat behind me and placed those small cubes into the looped metal that stretched from the barrel and behind to the weapon's rear. The ammo snapped in, one into the barrel and the others to the back, ready to replace the first when called upon. I checked the barrel, the safety catch, and the crosshairs hidden in a tiny scope on top. It was ready for action. I flexed purple fingers around it and gripped it firmly.

The pilot announced, "Successful infiltration of the station radar field. Undetected. Landing anterior of the hangar storage facility."

The ship shuddered, vibrating as it neared the solid surface of the Kelbrid station. The high-pitched humming to which we had habituated began to drop down as the near-silent engines came to a halt. Motion stopped completely, quiet as a swooping owl.

"II Het!" Arkv ordered.

The Brou'gn, with lime green, squat little limbs, brought forward the bulky II Het – a milky-gray rounded pad that fit neatly into its right hand – and placed it flat to the compartment wall closest to the station outside.

It huffed twice, like a stubborn teenager. Such a signal was a positive sign, judging from the object's retraction from the wall and Arkv's ensuing order, boomed in a gruff Kelbrid voice: "Begin Phase 1!"

Packed and with full lungs, the squad made its way back through the green haze to the exit hatch on the ship's side and split into each party. Our Holding Party, with Arkv at the rear, marched through in second behind the Survey Party. The hatch had been opened, with a tunnel forming a fabric seal between the shuttle and the structure outside. Brou'gn used the II Het once more for another check against the storage's dull-grey outer surface and seemed satisfied that nobody was within range. He and another member utilized other tools as they got to work on creating a hole in the side, a passage in, while a third activated the sound shield around us. It was an operation much the same as the last time. Only, last time, we didn't expect a competent, organized force on the other side.

The massive, sharp tool was cutting handily through the station's shell, forging a hole large enough even for Et, the gigantic seaweed monster, to duck through. The surface soon gave way, and we placed it gently to the side. The Survey Party, with extreme caution, slowly edged into the dark storage area. There was very little light present to illuminate the area, but it was a relieving sign that it was likely uninhabited. The surveyors disappeared inside, sweeping their various handheld detecting devices into the unknown.

It took them less than a minute. ((All clear,)) we heard from their team leader.

((Secure the entrance,)) Arkv reminded. With gentle steps and rapidly adjusting eyes, we crawled through the gap.

((Whoa, whoa…)) Santorelli alerted from the front. ((There's about a meter drop here.))

Arkv noted and added, ((Careful on descent. First two down head straight for the entrance as a pair. Everybody else scatter to the sides. All focus to remain on the entrance.))

((Gotcha,)) Marco replied. He cautiously dropped down into the storage room ahead of me so that all I saw of him was the faintest outline in the dark. He joined with Santorelli, and together they headed forward to seek out the doorway. One of the Survey Party started to lead them.

Next down, I moved further to the right, aiming to take my place along the wall of the oval-shaped room with clear sight of the entrance. I nestled down beside a collection of obscure crates and allowed my eyes to adjust fully. Everything was tinged with green from the glow of our ship. Both parties were in place, with the rest waiting in the ship for the next phase to begin.

Arkv had positioned himself a few meters from me. I could just about see the reflection from his orange shoulder strap.

((Storage secured, sir,)) a report came.

((Anything of concern?)) Arkv asked.

((Nothing.))

He nodded. ((Activate signal scrambler. Initiate Phase 2.))