Tale of the Princess

XXXIII

"Everyone at their stations," Shyra yelled, heading to the pilot's cabin to meet up with Hira. This was a crucial step to their plan, and it would be hell if they messed up.

"Aye, captain," her crew responded from their respective positions. Shyra nodded to herself and leaned over Hira's pilot seat, reading the coordinates and the beeping blue spot on their radar.

"So this is a trading ship that's returning to Rahuketu, right?" she asked, pointing to the blue spot that was rapidly heading towards them. Hira nodded and punched a few more buttons.

"Yeah. If all goes well, we'll board the ship at the right moment and use them to enter their planet without raising suspicions," Hira said, her eyes trained on the trading ship.

Shyra exhaled and rubbed her palms together. They'd planned out detailed backstories and covers for each member of the crew, and Shyra ran them over one last time as the trading ship appeared in their field of vision.

"I'm sending the distress call again," Hira said, pushing a red button and wincing when the loud beeping swept through the ship. "When all this is over, you need to install a better SOS system in all your ships."

The unexpectedness of the comment, especially in their situation, made Shyra giggle. Whatever happened from now, she was glad to have these people fighting by her side.

A different beeping soon filled the room, and Hira intercepted the communication invite from the trading ship. "This is Alpha 412," a male voice said in a crisp tone. "We received your call for help just now. Is there anything you need assistance in?"

"Thank you for responding," Hira replied, taking the lead and reciting her words to the script. "Our ship has broken down due to an engine failure, and I'm afraid we're running out of fuel as well. All the repair ships will take too long to reach here, and we don't have anybody on board skilled enough to handle this."

Shyra smiled to herself as she heard Hira beautifully weave their lie. The engine failure had been Naor's idea, and he had methodically ruined the engine in an irreparable way. While Shyra had initially been against the idea, and had suggested portraying themselves as a trading ship as well, Arina had pointed out that it was impossible to fake the documents at this stage, and too easy to catch their lie.

There was a taunt silence while Alpha 412 talked among themselves and discussed the situation. Shyra bit her nails and glanced at the others, who were dressed according to the role they were playing and sported similar tensed expressions.

"Peacock," Alpha 412 said, turning her attention back to the intercom. "Please explain your situation and destination to us."

"Okay," Hira replied, leaning over the controls. "So me and my cousins were taking a vacation together after a long time. We'd decided to do a tour of our Pranali and visit all the capitals of the planets. Rahuketu is next on our list, but as I said, our engine broke down and we're stranded. If you could give us a lift until Rahuketu, we'll find a mechanic and get him to repair our ship."

"How many members are aboard your ship?"

"There are five of us."

"Understood," the man replied. "Please give us a few nimishas to discuss the situation."

The line disconnected, and the crew of the Peacock were left waiting with their heart in their hands. The discussions took so long that Shyra almost reopened the communication channel, but the telltale static cracked through the air soon enough.

"Alright. One of our crew members will be coming on board to help you board our ship and verify other matters. Please remain put."

From her vantage point, Shyra and Hira watched a seal from the top of the ship crack open, and a man in a white suit emerged from it in slow motion. A white cord attached him to the ship, and made a thin line behind him as he made his way through the dark expanse toward their ship.

"Alright, he's coming on board now. Everyone, remember your roles and stick to them like a chidiya," Shyra instructed, getting nods and thumbs up in response. A knock sounded on their upper door, and Hira performed the necessary checks before exhaling and flicking a switch.

The door opened with a soft hiss, and the Alpha 412 member emerged through the opening and climbed down the stairs attached to its wall. Everyone played their parts to perfection and regarded him with relief in their eyes.

"Thank you so much for helping us," Shyra said, offering him a bright smile. He removed his helmet and nodded, glancing around the room and taking in the crew. His eyes landed on Naor first, who had oil stains from tinkering in the kitchen. Then moved to Arina and Ahsan, who were huddled on the sofa and clasping each other's hands.

Then Shyra watched as his gaze moved to her and Hira in the pilot's seat. He seemed to realize that Hira was the one speaking to Alpha 412, and made towards her.

"Maam, were you the one who contacted us?"

"Yeah, that was me," Hira replied, smoothing her dhoti jerkily. She played the part of a nervous young adult perfectly, and even gave him a tentative smile. It appeared to ease his nerves, and he nodded and clapped his hands once.

"Alright everyone. Please wear your suits and follow me. I'll transport all of you one by one. It'll be perfectly safe, so don't worry about a thing."

It took longer than Shyra liked to wear the suits, but the transportation happened quickly enough, and before long the crew of the Peacock were seated around a sofa. Someone had given them steaming mugs of tea, and they sipped at it and took turns to answer questions.

The captain of the ship was warm and welcoming, and Shyra was glad for the change. It made the journey much quicker, and they soon made the announcements to touch down on Rahuketu.

Thankfully the landing went perfectly, and they unlocked their safety belts and stood up with a stretch. Shyra's nerves buzzed with anticipation whenever she thought about the heist they were going to pull off, and from the looks on the others' faces, they felt the same.

"Thank you so much, Captain," Shyra said, offering him a warm smile and pulling out a few coins from her purse. "Please take this money in exchange for helping us out."

"Ah, you didn't have to do this," he said with a straight face as his hand reached out and pocketed the coins. A typical businessman, Shyra thought with a smirk as they were escorted down the ship by the crew.

They completed the required formalities at the foreigners registration office, and the captain accompanied them to the gates of the port.

"This is where we part, my good people," the captain said, calling for a bus that would take them to the heart of the city. "I hope you are able to fix your ship and enjoy the rest of your trip."

"Yeah, I hope so too," Shyra said with a smile.