Interloper-360°: Expanded Version

Angel Stardust 11: Into the Gates!

We all stand in Titan's favorite area: the recreational room. He stands behind the counter at the bar pouring drinks for all of us including himself. I grab my tiny glass and slam it quick. My hands shake and my heart and head pound. I've been in several fights, but an ambush by the Angel Vanguard isn't just another scrap. That advanced armor rests in my mind and teases me to think we're up against actual superhumans.

Cheq rests a hand on my shoulder. "By my count, Nev now has the most Angel kills out of all of us. Good job, buddy."

"Compared to the air, they're a lot easier to fight on the ground, and that was not easy in the slightest."

Titan leans in, his eyes piercing and his voice deep. "We saw you talking to your P.V.D. Were you in contact with that guy standing at the hatch door?"

I stop myself from another helping of the strong stuff. "Yeah. He says he knows us. He was spying by using the Angel battle jet. By the look of him, he's probably sitting pretty at the top of the rankings. I'm not sure how high though."

"High enough to order a retreat on his own?"

"It looked that way. A few button presses and the whole armada changed its mind, headed back into space. He wants the CN-Gateway we jacked."

Cheq places the small ring on the counter. My eyes read over the dark green metal, it's such a small thing, and this small thing is capable of conquering an entire galaxy so long as the other side doesn't know how it works.

"Well he's not going to get it," Titan says while grabbing it for himself. The automatic intercom plays a jingle throughout the ship to let us know that someone is trying to reach us through our transmissions.

Titan goes to answer it and I follow. He lets the monitor swing down and accepts the call. The older man I handed the report to is the one in the camera view of our screen. It looks like he's back in the office that I broke into.

General Barret (Personal): "Lux-Roulette? This is General Barrett of the Paxes Defense Force. You had a scout deliver me a report on the Angel Vanguard."

Titan seems shocked, his eyes dart from me to the screen.

Titan (Personal): "Yes, general. I assume you've read the report, I can answer any questions you might have."

I step into view of our camera, Barrett recognizes me.

General Barret (Personal): "I have, and while I'm curious as to how you've come to obtain any of this information, the Paxes Defense Force would like to thank you for this unique opportunity."

Titan scratches his chin, further falling into cluelessness.

Titan (Personal): "Opportunity?"

General Barret (Personal): "I've put in a request for a surprise assault with an armada of massive proportions. We'll bring in every elite soldier into one single rally point, and we expect you and your team to be present."

Titan (Personal): "You want us to come? I didn't think you'd be so open to a team-up with a mercenary group."

General Barret (Personal): "Confidential business be damned. The consequence of defeat is too dire to care about protocol. So what say you, Mr. Titan? 19:00 at the coordinates I'm willing to transmit. You open the portal, my armada flies in, you come with us to help stomp these Angels out of our galaxy."

Titan leans back in his chair, his hand goes to his head as he stares open-mouthed at the screen. I wonder if he's thinking about asking to be hired. This is usually the moment and circumstances where he talks about a deal after hearing how needed he is.