Echo-1 The Whale

23: Preparations

I couldn't help thinking about that opening scene in Apocalypse Now, how everyone gets everything they want and all he ever wanted was a mission. Was this all I ever really wanted? Would I want another? 

I parked my gogo outside the pressurized entrance. There was a standard four-person vehicle parked outside, with two guards, I assumed keeping an eye on the car. I gave them a nod and they both returned it. It was odd to get respect from such brutish soldiers. I went through the hatch out onto the beach. The skylight was open and the soft Varan sunlight filtered in. 

Sunshine was on the beach in a fluorescent pink bikini. She was laying in the sand with a small pile of clothes next to her and a clear plastic box containing the rusty whale sized neural transmitter. 

I walked up to her. "Hi, I'm Ferris Bueller." 

She squinted up at me and laughed. "That was one of my favorite movies when I was a kid. We don't really tan well, but I love laying in the sun. Charlie asked that I deliver this to you personally and insisted I bring a couple of goons with me. I made them wait with the car." 

I picked up the transmitter. On close examination, I noticed that Charlie had rebuilt it. He kept the outer shell and the send/receive node made of the rusty metal. The rest of the interior was made of traditional materials. He also coated the entire device in a clear coating of plastic. 

The sound of a whale surfacing and spouting grabbed our attention. It was Jonas. 

"Well, I got to get to work, enjoy the beach." 

"Sure thing, brother." Sunshine leaned her head back down and closed her eyes. 

The sun did feel good. I kicked off my boots and jacket and went in. I swam out to Jonas. We talked via transmitter while I worked. 

"I think it would be best if you remove my normal transmitter completely and replace it with this new one. Charlie assures me it will function perfectly and in the event that the Vedma kill all of you and come after the Banga, I should be able to maintain a certain degree of control over the ship. Charlie's working on a plan to shield a section of the main computer with sheets of the rusty metal Mox had on his ship. It would be a kind of computer safe room and could override navigational and engine control for the ship as well as life support for the passengers. It's minimal but at least we wouldn't lose everything." 

"That's a great idea. They took out a ship half the size of the Banga with no problem. I think it is safe to assume they could do the same to us." 

"On this mission, your priority is to get the whale and bring him back alive. I want you to stay focused on this goal.  As soon as you get the whale off the ship you head back here. Don't wait for anyone. It's going to be a small team with all the usual players. You, X, Death, Werner and Forklift, Mox and his crew. Don't take your droids. I'd send a bunch of troopers with you, but every indication says they wouldn't do very much good. We have no idea what is going to happen onboard. Mox will head up the mission, so follow his lead. You can trust him, I've known him my whole life. He seems to think this will go off without a hitch but I'm not entirely sure. And watch out for those giant wolves." 

I powered on the new unit and attached it to Jonas. I swam out a bit and looked at his eye. 

"Don't worry, Vronsky is piloting the ship, not that we are going anywhere right now. It's safe to remove my transmitter." 

Jonas knew what I was thinking without me saying it. I swam back to his side, removed his current unit, replaced it with the new rust coated transmitter, and connected it. 

"Testing. Are you receiving my signal?" 

"Loud and clear. I have complete access to all ships functions. I'm retaking navigational control. Sensor array transmission connected and functioning properly. All safety parameters met. It looks like these transmitters work. As soon as you have yours implanted contact me."