Homestar Saga

Chapter 42: Mommy Issues

"You're clear, Mimsey-cake," The gravelly voice of Krog Militia Captain Stubs reverberated over the comms. He let out a thoughtful hmm. "Pretty ballsy, send assassins here. Freedom Republic gonna get fucked, they piss off Tallest."

"Yeah, the Commandant's got balls for days." Mims agreed. "If you see any more ships like mine, be careful. They've got a gun that shields don't stop."

"We kill 'em quick," Captain Stubs assured him. "Stubs out."

The fleet moved off, positioning itself closer to the Gate. Yvian assumed they would attempt to intercept any human style ships that arrived. Long range sensors showed several similar fleets moving to positions at the other Gates in the system. Yvian didn't know how effective they would be against the speed and MACdrivers of Gladiator class fighters, but the mere fact the Krog took the threat seriously made her feel a little better.

Krog Prime was a shadow of what it used to be. Of the thousands of stations that had taken root in the sector, only a handful remained. New stations were under construction, but they numbered in the dozens, and mostly seemed to be military installations. Movers and Station Haulers idled near the new stations, deploying materials and drones to aid the construction process. The entire system was riddled with scattered debris, of Krog and Klaath alike. Cargo haulers and tugs had managed to clear paths between the different stations, and were making steady progress sweeping the debris near the planet, but millions of ships and thousands of stations made for a lot of clutter.

Still, the damage was much less than it could have been. The Gates were intact, and the planet itself had been protected. The massive Militia Headquarters station had survived, and appeared to have taken over as a way station for shuttles moving to and from the planet. Just over a hundred fleets, ranging from twenty to three hundred ships, patrolled the sector, ready for trouble. The mass of weapons platforms and planetary defenses that orbited Krog Prime was now larger than before the attack. The Krog were rebuilding, and Yvian could hardly blame them if they chose to focus on their defenses before anything else.

Captain Mims set a course for the Militia Headquarters. "Lissa, how long before we can repressurize the ship?"

"Uh..." Lissa checked that status on her console. "About seven minutes."

"Good to go." The Captain stood. "Do it as soon the breaches are sealed. We've got about four hours before we reach the station, and I need to bake a cake."

"Hey, that's right," said Yvian. "We still haven't celebrated getting the humans to work with the Xill."

"Or getting our hands on a Lucendian ship," Lissa added.

"It's not for us," Mims told them.

"Then you're going to have to make two cakes," Yvian decided.

"You're not the boss of me."

"Three cakes," said Lissa. "I want chocolate and German chocolate."

"I'm not your personal chef." Mims folded his arms. Yvian pictured him glowering at them under his helmet.

"You made a deal," Lissa pointed out. "We get cake after every successful mission."

"I never agreed to that."

"It was implied," Yvian could hear Lissa's grin. "Besides, you love me too much to say no."

"No."

"Aww, don't be like that, Mimsey-cake," Yvian tutted. "We'll let you have a slice."

"Maybe even two slices," Lissa sweetened the deal. "Since you're Captain and all..."