Galaxias: Retaliation

Failed Mission

Max's POV

Our Alliance, as we've come to call ourselves, would be operating in secret and would mostly be low-key. We're drawing support from the nearby systems for our cover. The Alliance will be headed by a council comprising of former leaders, Generals, Commanders, and the Vice-Admiral himself. Currently we're standing in the shuttle bay, watching the ship getting repaired.

"So where are we headed?" Kirk asked me. I looked down at the datapad." We have to establish a proper trade connection with the Orabs of the Shinrum system. They are master forgers and are under the radar of Thanos. They've agreed to covertly supply the Alliance with weapons."

"Is the ship capable of warp yet?" He asked, spectically." I hope so."

"Max!" A deep voice called from behind. I turned to see the Vice-Admiral coming with two others. We shook hands." I understand that you're in need of qualified personnel. Any openings left?"

I smiled." More hands are always welcome, sir."

He motioned to the boy and the girl behind him." The boy's Christopher. He is a qualified weapons officer of the Nova Corps, freshly out of the Academy and ready to be assigned to a ship. His sister, Christine, is an exemplary science officer, formerly assigned to the Nova ship Wolf. Both are skilled combat officers. They will be of a great service to you."

Christopher was about my age, blond and tall. His green eyes were full of mischief and wonder, and his face bore a tiny bit of childish naivety, the looks of a person who'd never been to space before. His sister appeared younger, with dark auburn hair and a fair complexion. Unlike her brother, her eyes were much calmer.

I welcomed them aboard, and watched as the last of my crew entered the ship. I was about to enter when a voice pulled me back.

"You're going to need us too." Glen stood behind me, with two others I recognized easily. A smile broke into my face as I noted my friend and companion, and Kragil, the leader of the Scavengers, whom I hadn't seen after the Battle on Earth. (a/n read "Galaxias: Rise of the Fallen" to know who Kragil is.) The other person stood quietly, clad in a black robe and a red cape. His hair was clipped short, and a few grey hairs had appeared on his goatee.

He smiled." Good to see you, Max."
I shook his hand." You too, Doctor Strange."

****

We reached the Shinrum system without any major glitches, thankfully. Glen had resumed his position as the communications officer of the Enterprise. I waited till the planet of the Orabs loomed before us. Giving Spock temporary command of the ship, I made my way to the warp core to be beamed to the planet's surface. My team consisted of me, Uhura, Tania and Christopher. Donning our disguises, we stepped on to the platform as the technicians entered the coordinates.

Our surroundings changed, and we found ourselves in a busy marketplace. Keeping our pockets safe and weapons hidden, we made our way to a large grey warehouse in the distance. The inside of the building was dark, as the small lanterns did little to brighten up the dark corridor. At the far end, a lone humaniod guard stood, watching us inquisitively. He bowed in silence, opened a secret door and motioned for us to follow him.

We went down a long narrow staircase till we reached a large well-lit room full of people. One end was a bar, worth a bartender catering to the different alcoholic needs of the customers. Drunk people were all over the place-sprawling on the floor,singing loudly or crying bitterly. Alien strippers cajoled their customers to derive money from them. People still sober were busy gambling or playing card games. A band was performing in the corner.

Did we come to the wrong place?

"Holy shit! Who knew aliens could organize a club like this?"
"The Apocalypse Club has been here for more than a hundred years. When it was deemed illegal on the surface, we pushed it down, underground. Our sales have never been better. In fact, it has become easier for other....covert activities." A voice said quitely from behind.

I turned swiftly, unholstering my blaster. An Orab stood behind us with a strange smile on its face. His face and hands were covered in purple scales with blotches of black in between. His narrow orange eyes squinted at us, his white fangs showing in his smile. Dressed in a green and golden robe, he clasped his long bony fingers and bowed.

"Welcome, members of the Alliance. We've been waiting for you. My name is Kamal Shan, and I will be your host for today. Please follow me."

Tucking our blasters in, we followed the strange creature to a back room, where there were lesser people and noise. After sitting down, we shared some pleasantries before getting down to business.

"So it's fixed, then. You will supply us with a monthly contingent of weapons, and we will pay you in installments. You'll deliver to the nearby system of Daro, where we'll pick them up. And so- excuse me, am I making you wary?" I snapped my fingers irritably at Kamal, who couldn't stop staring at Tania dreamily. I didn't know why, but it was making me angry.

He snapped out of his daze and paid attention again, but I saw his eyes hungrily darting to Tania. Irritated, I smashed my fist on the table and stood up, startling everyone.

"Hey!" I shouted." Stop staring at her and listen to me!"

He cracked a smile." I'm indeed listening, sir. I just can't take my eyes off your pretty companion."

"Stop it!" I shouted, glaring daggers at him.

He looked at me." Why, you're right. It's better to see her not as a Rebel but as something else. A waitress perhaps? Or a stripper?"

By now I was seeing red. I grabbed the foul-mouthed alien by the collar and smashed him against the wall. Not satisfied, I aimed a couple of hard punches at his face till some of his men pulled me back." You bastard!" I screamed.

Kamal slowly stood up, wiping the blood of his face. He smirked at me." You're as feisty as we heard, Mr. Hunter."

I stopped struggling, shocked." How did you know my name?"

He laughed." Did you really think we're ignorant? We know nothing? We knew you'd be coming here even before you did. I know about your stop on Dronto and encounter with Norman. I know you saved the "Freedomers". I even heard some of your speech aboard the Iron Hands. Pretty pathetic, if you ask me."

"How do you know so much?" Christopher asked. He, Uhura and Tania each had blasters aimed at them. We were trapped.

"We have eyes and ears on you, Alliance". He sneered." We know your every move before you make it. The Master has offered us quite an amount for you all. His agent will be arriving shortly."

I'd kind of tuned myself out after hearing his sneer. We have eyes and ears on you. Not many people knew about us or our missions. I'd even not known we were going to come here till the Vice-Admiral gave me this mission. Yet this Orab says they kept regular tabs on us. This was the work of no outsider. I shuddered at the thought. A cold sweat of fear trickled down my spine as I accepted the very notion I'd been dreading. The truth I'd been trying to avoid.

There is a traitor among us.

Question of the chapter: Who do you think the traitor is?

So updating after quite a bit of time. Our summer vacation started a few days ago and now I'm knee-deep in studies. Who knew finding time to write could be so tumultuous?
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