The Space Between Us (WAYHAUGHT)

Chapter 5

A second jump complete, they had one more to make before the ship would be in range. Legion merely wanted to investigate the activities of the target planet, rather than send a full force. As spies, Haught's ship needed to stay out of sight. Sitting ducks if they were not hidden on entry. The crew were ready for the third jump. Rosita would fly them in. She was a seasoned pilot, able to handle a cloaked entry. Waverly sat towards the back. Watching. Listening.

Rosita positioned the ship. "Cloaking. Jump in three, two, one. Activated."

The ship went through the third jump. Waverly wanted to throw up, knowing if she did it would only bring ridicule. She swallowed hard, keeping everything down. Cloaking allowed the ship to disappear from the monitors of anyone tracking them, including Legion. No more communication until their mission was complete.

They circled the planet for several hours. Scanning for activity. Monitoring the distress signal. It was coming from the north. There was movement. Lots of movement. A multitude of ships arriving and departing at regular intervals. Something was going on down there. They were too far out to assess properly. They needed to get closer. Haught decided to send two scout craft.

Doc pointed to the screen. "Haught, there. We could land. What do you think?"

"Agree. I'll take Chetri."

Doc messaged Waverly. "Earp, you up for a fight?"

This was it. Waverly had been called to battle. She changed into her combat suit, grabbing her sword. No Andherei went into a real fight without one. She pulled it from its sheath, admiring how the blue metal shimmered as light hit its surface. This was her moment. She made her way to the docking area. Haught watched as she passed, catching sight of the sword attached to her belt.

Doc was already on board, firing up the thrusters. "This could get rough."

Waverly nodded. She knew she was ready.

The crafts landed in a valley. A long wide corridor stretched out before them, its sides dotted with abandoned mines. They gathered helmets and oxygen tanks for the march. Weapons slung across bodies, they emerged into daylight. A clear sky gave them ample light to navigate a path. Chetri picked up activity in the next valley. They stopped, assessing the best way to approach. The right side of their valley would be high enough to give them a vantage point, low enough to climb quickly.

They looked out over the settlement below. It was established. Heavily fortified. Busy. Haught spotted the Union mark on multiple containers. Stolen cargo being moved underground. A storage facility, no doubt, no small operation. Whoever was co-ordinating, they were stockpiling enough weapons to do a lot of damage. They were preparing for something big.

Haught turned to Doc. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking war, then yes. Not good. Not good."

The wind was picking up. Sand was beginning to swirl making it difficult to see. It was too dangerous for them to venture any nearer. They had seen enough. They needed to return to their crafts. Donning helmets and switching on their oxygen tanks, they pushed off, tethering themselves in pairs so as not to get lost in the storm. Doc and Chetri were some distance ahead. They managed to get to their craft before the worst of the storm hit. Nicole and Waverly were slower, their attempts to walk into the wind less effective.

Doc needed to launch to get ahead of the storm. He messaged Haught to tell her he was ready to leave. She messaged back. They were close. She ordered him to go. They would follow. She saw the blue light of the thrusters as Doc's craft left the surface of the planet. She tugged on the tether rope to tell Waverly to move faster.