Dynamic Patrol: Gel Squad! Episode II

Chapter 51: Planet

Maxion and Kipp joined a little late. Everyone took their stations: Kai at the helm, Cal tactical, Kipp engineering, and Cam at the auxiliary station—the next best thing to a Captain's chair. The rest of them stood behind the rear of the cockpit as the flight crew did their work. "Okay, let's just do a little checklist. Route all power to atmospheric thrusters, and prepare to engage landing sequence." D1 chimed over speakers, "The warp core and impulse drive have been taken offline, landing struts enabled. I have laid in a declining trajectory." Kai looked back at Cam, "At your discretion, Captain." Kai smiled, Cam gave the signal, and Kai started the descent.

The ship faced a small amount of turbulence, which was expected. But the observers braced themselves on what could be found, "Well, so far so good. Smooth feeling." Kai commented. "You're welcome," Kipp said, as the chief engineer. He and his staff were responsible for how the ship would handle during its construction, so it felt nice to be commented on the craftsmanship of the vessel as it performed its first landing. The ship's landing gear was deployed as Kai located a flat patch of land to park. One more jolt, and she was down. Based on initial system scans, this planet had one sun but three moons and was relatively smaller than Omeocoon; instead of beaches, it was relatively peaceful and filled with forests and lakes. "We should avoid the creatures on this planet," Cam said. Everyone acknowledged that. But they were all biting at the bits to get off the ship.

For many, it would be their first time on an alien planet. They could hardly wait for the airlock to depressurize and the boarding ramp to lower. D1 would have to stay with the ship because she was a part of it now for the time being, but Kipp designed a clever way for them to stay in contact with each other through synthesized handheld communicators, which were also uplinked with D1's computer core for constant A.I assistance. Gauge did not require one because he had his wrist device— a simple modification by Kipp made it compatible with their systems. Cam was the leader of the 'mission,' so he stepped off first, and then when he gave word, everyone followed. The planet was bursting with beauty. It was very different from Omeocoon and even Gauge's Earth. Their scans were accurate. It was habitable and clean. But it also failed to mention several other factors: purple clouds lined the sky, and the air was tinged with a sweet, almost intoxicating scent. The forests were lush, filled with towering trees that seemed to touch the sky, their leaves a vibrant mix of greens and blues, creating a canopy that cast the ground in a serene twilight. The lakes sparkled under the light of the three moons; their waters were clear and teeming with unknown forms of life, creatures that chirped, croaked, and even made twigs snap and leaves rustle as they existed in the forest. It was a landscape that begged to be explored.

"This is a lovely planet," Cal observed, his tail moving excitedly as he took serval images with his scanning device for later. Building a future portfolio for his classes. "Food!" Gauge shouted as he observed the trees. He prepared to lift off, "Wait, I wanna go up!" Maxion shouted, putting his arms in the air as Gauge flew by. Gauge grabbed hold of Maxion just like he'd done for Polly, and they both moved at lightning speed toward the trees lined with pink square-shaped things that one might compare to an apple or a peach. Gauge floated up and gathered a handful, with Maxion riding on his back. "Wait a second, we haven't tested the fruit to see if they're poisonous," Cam called up to Gauge and Maxion; he wasn't sure if he was being heard because they still lingered in the trees like rodents. "Well... let them have their fun," Kai said, approaching Cam and tightly holding his mate's hand. They watched the duo mess around a little. 

Kipp and Cal chose to linger a little closer to a river, collecting water samples for later testing back aboard the ship. "What's up, buddy?" Cal asked, lowering his camera to observe Kipp as he collected the water. "Well, according to initial scans... I think this 'water' can be converted into a fuel source. It's very impressive— it's like it's charged with a methane hybrid. This is what D1 picked up when she scanned the surface for fuel. It's interesting. I've never seen anything like it." Kipp reached for his tablet device and took a few notes. Likes of equations and images that didn't make sense to Cal. "So... why don't you like my father?" Kipp asked as he punched in several numbers. "Russell? He's fine. Granted, he can be a little clingy sometimes... but I like him."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it," Kipp said unexpectedly harshly. "Maxion. My other dad." Cal scoffed, "Maxion isn't your father." Cal corrected Kipp with an eyebrow raise. Kipp slapped the side of his tablet, and the screen quickly retracted into the metallic tube. "They've bonded. They're a couple. My family includes Maxion. He's my dad, don't ever say otherwise."

"Okay, if that's how you feel." Cal continued. He shrugged as Kipp eyed him with a glare he wasn't used to. Cal sighed, realizing that Kipp was adamant about discussing this matter. He paused for a moment, considering his words carefully before responding. "Look, Kipp, I know Maxion means a lot to you, and I respect that."

Kipp's expression refused to soften. Apprehension flashed in his eyes. He leaned in, waiting for Cal to continue. Cal took a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. "Maxion may care for you deeply, and you may see him as a father figure, but I don't like him. Because he—" Cal stopped. Kipp once again waited for Cal to continue, and he did. "You remember when I told you I was serving in the military..? Well, so was Maxion. Guess what? Did you know that we were serving at the same time? If you could even call his sliver of service... time."

"But you served in opposite branches. He was with ground patrols. How could you possibly know that he was... discharged." Cal wrinkled his nose, "Dishonorably. And the grapevine is a very real thing, Kipp. Especially when you do something as horrendous as he did." Kipp was with Maxion; he'd merged with him, and in that entire time, there wasn't once a mention of a scandal or anything like that... at least not that Kipp could remember— the whole experience was relatively confusing, and they never finished the encounter. "Tell me, Cal," Kipp demanded. Cal sighed again, squirming in discomfort, knowing Kipp wouldn't leave him alone unless revealed. "He took leave without absence."

"So? He quit. Big whoop!"

"But before that, he stole a drone worth 20 million onits." Cal continued, narrowing his eyes. Okay. That was a little more serious. "Wait..? What kind of drone?" Cal glared at Kipp, "The type doesn't matter. He's a thief. And he betrayed his oath. And he's a hypocrite; he doesn't like to be called a pirate. But that's exactly what he is!" Cal kicked the ground in a fury; Kipp felt a sort of inner turmoil at that... he didn't catch any sign that Maxion had taken anything from the military, much less a weapon. What did he even do with it? Where was it now? "Cal... I believe in second chances. And I think you should give him a chance. Let go." Kipp approached Cal and hugged his waist.

 "You know he wants to talk to you. That's the only reason why I brought it up... I was kind of warming you up. I think he wants to merge with you." Cal's eyes widened slightly. He looked at Kipp as if he'd lost his mind. Kipp continued. "That's the only way to understand someone fully. And you might not like it, but I think you'll change your mind." Cal squared his shoulders as he watched Maxion lower with Gauge, their arms full of alien apples; Gauge was the only one devouring them, of course, failing to wait to get back aboard the ship. "I don't think so." Cal replied, "Do it for me?" Kipp shrugged. And to that, Cal sighed, failing to resist Kipp's push. "For you."