Stranded on a Tiny Planet

Dangerous Mission

Cresh was leaning back in his pilot chair reading a digital novel and chewing on a toothpick. Behind him, Gurt was already asleep in his bunk, hissing rhythmically. Hiding out from the law was usually a boring state to be in unless they were consumed with repairs or trying to prevent themselves from being killed. This planet was pretty boring but their sensors were trained heavily into space just in case the law came their way.

Suddenly the annoying sound of the proximity alarm startled both mercenaries alert.

Cresh put down his tablet and touched the screen in front of him to pull up the proximity alarm readouts, "Hello? What have we here?"

The infrared cameras and lights of the ship activated, seeking the intruder that tripped the alarm. However, the scanners were dark.

Gurt growled in the back, "What's that? I thought you said this planet was uninhabited?"

Cresh frowned, shrugged, and then deactivated the search protocols, "Hm. Don't see anything on the sensors. Probably just saw some indigenous lizards running around out there."

The Gret'nal flicked his tongue, "Those weren't half bad."

Cresh grimaced not thinking the idea of eating raw lizards was a particularly appetizing idea, "Isn't that a bit like cannibalism for you?"

Gurt hissed slightly but grumbled, "Meat is meat."

"Oh, I don't judge Gurt." Cresh replied leaning back in his chair again to resume his pastime. "Murder for hire, assassinations, kidnapping, extortion, armed robbery...what's adding cannibalism to that list?"

The silence resumed for a bit until again the proximity alarm was triggered again. Cresh checked the cameras but saw nothing and went back to reading. Then it went off for a third time. Cresh gave a very annoyed look, dropping his tablet from his face. Something was out there tripping their proximity alarm and he had a feeling it wasn't going to stop unless he scared off whatever it was.

"Gurt, would you be a dear and find out what is tripping our proximity alarm?" Cresh asked in a sardonic tone.

"Do it yourself." The Gret'nal grumbled.

The white-skinned alien sighed flipping his Mohawk, "Fine. Fine. I'll go check. But you might miss out on some tasty midnight lizard snacks."

Gurt's head leaned back a bit and his lip curled in a snarl but he pushed himself up and stomped over to the ramp gate. He slapped the button and it lowered the ramp with a flash of lights and a hiss of hydraulics.

...

It took about three tries for the saboteur/distraction team to get the mercenaries to come out. Per Merco's instruction they would find the sensor lenses at various points outside the ship, fly in front of them very close, and trigger them. Then when the alarm went off inside they hid behind the sensor against the metal plating so it wouldn't detect them. They were small enough the sensors couldn't detect them unless they popped right in front of them.

Underneath the ship the weapon retrieval team, led by Traynar, had concealed themselves behind the massive landing pads that supported the vessel. Anxiously, they waited for the ramp to lower. Finally, the ship shuddered and a loud groan of mechanical parts signaled the door's opening. With a quaking bang the huge platform settled on the ground, creating a huge metal wall above them. A light poured forth onto the ground and was bisected by a thick dark shadow. Seconds after impact they heard the heavy, metallic booms of impossibly big footsteps descending the ramp. The sand seemed to jump when the titanic mercenary's foot hit the ground, grinding in a slow turn before walking around the ramp toward the front of the ship.