Homestar Saga

Chapter 65: Starlost

"We have to get her back." Lissa Kiver donned her helmet. She sat at her console and pulled up flight controls.

"We can't," said the Captain.

Lissa's head snapped around. "Did you see what they're doing to her?"

"I saw." Mims scratched the back of his head. "But we still can't."

"The Recompense isn't operational, yet," Yvian cut in. "If we don't have stealth, the pirates-"

"Fuck the pirates," Lissa cut her off. "We'll kill anyone that gets in our way."

"The pirates aren't the problem," the human told her. "And neither is the Recompense. We've got another stealth cruiser if we need it." The hanger bay doors opened. Lissa maneuvered the Random Encounter out into the void. "Where are you taking us?"

"After them," Lissa snapped back. Then she paused, thinking. "Crunch."

"And that's the problem," said Mims. "We don't know who these people are. We don't know where they're keeping the hostage."

"We've got twelve hours to find out," Lissa declared.

"That's not enough time," said Mims. "Even if it was, the hostage will be killed the second we start sniffing around. They'll space her and disappear."

"So, what?" Lissa demanded. "We're just supposed to let her die?" The Encounter sped away from the shipyard, speeding towards the hidden entrance to their hollowed out asteroid. "It's not like we can give them what they want. The Xill haven't given us the planet, yet."

"Wouldn't help if we did," Mims told her. "They'll kill her as soon as they get what they want."

Lissa stared at him. Yvian could not discern her expression through the helmet. "You don't care at all, do you? You hate my mother."

"I do hate your mother," Mims admitted. "If it were up to me, I'd say goodbye and good riddance." Lissa took a sharp intake of breath, but before she could speak the Captain continued, "but it's not up to me. Your fights are my fights, remember? We'll do everything in our power to save the hostage."

"We know you love her," Yvian added. She put a hand on her sister's shoulder. "We won't let her die."

Lissa was quiet for a moment. She said, "She's not just 'the hostage,' you know. She has a name."

"Not right now she doesn't," said the Captain. "We need to be objective if we're going to do the hostage any good." He glanced meaningfully out the viewport. "If we get too emotional we might just blast off into the void without a plan."

Lissa brought the Random Encounter to a stop. "Okay." She took a breath. She took off her helmet. She breathed out. "Okay. So how are we going to get her back?"

"We can't," Mims said again. "Not by ourselves." He sat down at his console. "But I know someone who can."

Mims sent out a comm request. A voice answered. "I'm with my family right now, Mims. This had better be important."

"It is," Mims assured the voice. "I need a comm trace and a strike team."

"No."

"No?" The Captain's brow furrowed.

"You know the agreement, Mims. Venturetech will not assist you with your personal battles. We are a business. We are not your private army."

"I'm not breaking the agreement, Mondi," said Mims. "This is a special case."

"It's Mr. Starlost to you, human," Mondi said coldly. "And the answer is no."

Mondi Starlost? Yvian's eyes went wide. The CEO of Venturetech was something of a public figure. He was one of the richest most powerful men in the Confed. Even Yvian knew who he was, and she almost never watched the news. A second later she had to resist the urge to slap her own forehead. Of course Mims knew the CEO of Venturetech. He owned the company.