Eagle X, Mission 21: CTRL

Part 7: Liam

Liam, Nubia, and Hitman sat on a flight of stairs overlooking the Strike Shuttle. Around them were the smooth curves and soft colors of a raiel freighter vessel. A gentle hum emitted from every surface of the vehicle, filling the cargo hold with a soothing song. Blockade and Scott made minor repairs to the shuttle down below while members of the Song Brothers' crew worked on a pair of small three passenger skiffs on the other side of the wide hold. The three couldn't feel the freighter hurdling through darkspace. Mariners of old Earth would have called the sensation smooth sailing.

Nubia dismantled her kinetic pistol and handed the pieces to Hitman to be placed on a small tray. He cleaned and carefully reconstructed the weapon. Liam inspected the clip of kinetic rounds for his Embrine 400b rifle. Forty medium yield rounds. He had a clip of low and two clips of high yield hooked onto his belt. A handful of clips and two boxes of medium rounds were packed away with his rations and four pairs of clean socks.

It was more than they needed, but he believed in being prepared.

This was their most ambitious operation, their first official mission as Eagle X. In Liam's quarters back on the micro-station, hidden under his mattress in a blackbox case were detailed recordings of every operation he and Scott had ever run. Some of it would paint them as pirates, others as mercenaries. To Liam, they were patriots fighting a secret war. He knew they might one day fall in battle and he wanted to make sure the truth was out there.

This would be their 21st op. Mission 21.

"How do you suppose they manage to rig this entire place to sing like this, Spider?" Hitman asked.

Liam looked up from his weapon.

"Honestly, I've never given it much thought." Liam slapped the clip back into the rifle. "How do the VaPu teleport through space? I've never needed to know."

"I'm just thinking, it'd be great for the cockpit of the strike shuttle."

Liam laughed. Cyrus, or Hitman as his former unit used to call him, thought of the strike shuttle as his own personal transport. He was always on the hunt for more creature comforts to customize the cockpit.

"However they do it, I'm sure it's expensive."

"Yeah, you're probably right." Hitman finished cleaning Nubia's second pistol. "It would be magnificent though."

Nubia nodded.

"That it would," she agreed. "That it would."

The tune abruptly changed, becoming more persistent, with a faster rhythm. The shift in mood could be felt under the skin. Liam scanned the hangar. Workers hurriedly cleared away boxes and crates. They were making space. Scott looked up from the strike shuttle, locking eyes with Liam.

Spider: Look alive, team. Something is up.

Raven: You three need to get down here.

Spider: Agreed. Move quickly.

Nubia and Hitman gathered their things with practiced efficiency and were ready to go in moments. Liam led the way down. At the bottom of the steps they had to wait as two large containment cubes were rushed down a track embedded in the floor. Liam watched with curiosity. Containment cubes were used to house living specimens, the kind of specimens you poke and prod. Behind the cubes were Pornim and a strange little alien.

"Oh, that thing is adorable," Nubia said pointing at the blue-furred creature.

The alien stood four feet tall with four arms and a face not dissimilar to an Earthbound squirrel. There were three fingers on each of his hands and a pair of antennae jutting out from his forehead. Blue fur covered most of his body in a soft blanket. Next to Pornim, the creature looked like a children's plush toy. The strange little creature and the raiel joined Liam and the team at the base of the steps.