explosion yet gripped the ship.
The end had arrived.
But before it could claim them, help from the Waa also arrived.
Gee watched the vid screen in wonder as a greenish spear of light shot from the surface of the planet and encircled the ship. The light quickly became a tangible force that captured the limping vessel and began pulling it with remarkable speed toward the planet.
The monitor in front of Gee flashed with a single phrase, and he stared at it in wonder. Instead of the Minith language he had come to expect from the ship, the phrase was flashing in Earth Standard language.
"Landing Sequence Initiated."
* * *
The sudden quiet filling the command carrier was interrupted by an announcement from Gee.
"Looks like the Waa have the ship in some type of retraction beam, Grant. They are pulling us to the planet."
The engineer's voice was filled with apparent wonder and surprise. Grant's emotion was utter disbelief.
"Deus ex machina."
"What?"
"It's an old saying from thousands of years ago, Gee. Whenever a story's heroes—that would be us—get saved in the nick of time through some type of implausible mechanism, it was called a deus ex machina ."
Gee's silence let Grant know he had lost the engineer with his rambling. He decided to try again.
"Basically, it means we should be dead, but our asses just got saved by a miracle."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"For us, it is. But I don't think the Minith will appreciate it."
Grant cut the connection and changed channels to alert his forces to be prepared for landing. Once that task was completed, he drew a deep breath and released it slowly, willing his body and mind to relax.
For the first time since entering his carrier, Grant took stock of the faces seated around him.
Son of a bitch.
"Conway, what the hell is your squad doing in my carrier?"
"It's good to see you too, General," the sergeant replied with a tight smile. She tapped a weak two-finger salute against her brow. "I thought someone should be watching your back once we hit the ground. I nominated my team."
Despite his initial irritation, he knew she was a good soldier and led a smart team—he could count on them when the shit hit the fan.
He quietly returned her salute and nodded to the other soldiers.
"Everyone check your weapons."
CHAPTER 7
The rapid capture and rushed descent toward Waa saved the ship from the attacking Minith fighters, but Gee wondered if was for naught. The velocity with which they passed into and through the planet's atmosphere was such that they would strike the surface like an inbound meteor.
His concern was misguided. At what seemed like the last possible moment, the ship decelerated and softly touched down. Without the benefit of the external vid feeds or the ship's control panel, Gee would never have detected either the rapid descent or the almost-immediate slowing of the ship. He felt no change at all, and realized he should have had a little more faith in the Waa.
"We're down," he alerted all the forces at the same time as he activated the bay doors.
He waited for just a moment to ensure they still operated before finally evacuating the command center. He didn't know how much time he had, so he ran as fast as his chubby legs could take him to the bay and his assigned carrier. His rifle was already there, waiting for his arrival.
* * *
The lead jet carriers wasted no time. As soon as the bay doors provided enough clearance, they were out of the mothership and climbing. As planned, they peeled right, left, and right in a weaving pattern as soon as they exited. The pilots' and co-pilots' eyes anxiously scanned the skies and the terrain below for targets.
It did not take long. The skies were filled with Minith carriers headed directly toward them. The ground, though occupied by some enemy forces, appeared relatively open.
The end had arrived.
But before it could claim them, help from the Waa also arrived.
Gee watched the vid screen in wonder as a greenish spear of light shot from the surface of the planet and encircled the ship. The light quickly became a tangible force that captured the limping vessel and began pulling it with remarkable speed toward the planet.
The monitor in front of Gee flashed with a single phrase, and he stared at it in wonder. Instead of the Minith language he had come to expect from the ship, the phrase was flashing in Earth Standard language.
"Landing Sequence Initiated."
* * *
The sudden quiet filling the command carrier was interrupted by an announcement from Gee.
"Looks like the Waa have the ship in some type of retraction beam, Grant. They are pulling us to the planet."
The engineer's voice was filled with apparent wonder and surprise. Grant's emotion was utter disbelief.
"Deus ex machina."
"What?"
"It's an old saying from thousands of years ago, Gee. Whenever a story's heroes—that would be us—get saved in the nick of time through some type of implausible mechanism, it was called a deus ex machina ."
Gee's silence let Grant know he had lost the engineer with his rambling. He decided to try again.
"Basically, it means we should be dead, but our asses just got saved by a miracle."
"That's a good thing, right?"
"For us, it is. But I don't think the Minith will appreciate it."
Grant cut the connection and changed channels to alert his forces to be prepared for landing. Once that task was completed, he drew a deep breath and released it slowly, willing his body and mind to relax.
For the first time since entering his carrier, Grant took stock of the faces seated around him.
Son of a bitch.
"Conway, what the hell is your squad doing in my carrier?"
"It's good to see you too, General," the sergeant replied with a tight smile. She tapped a weak two-finger salute against her brow. "I thought someone should be watching your back once we hit the ground. I nominated my team."
Despite his initial irritation, he knew she was a good soldier and led a smart team—he could count on them when the shit hit the fan.
He quietly returned her salute and nodded to the other soldiers.
"Everyone check your weapons."
CHAPTER 7
The rapid capture and rushed descent toward Waa saved the ship from the attacking Minith fighters, but Gee wondered if was for naught. The velocity with which they passed into and through the planet's atmosphere was such that they would strike the surface like an inbound meteor.
His concern was misguided. At what seemed like the last possible moment, the ship decelerated and softly touched down. Without the benefit of the external vid feeds or the ship's control panel, Gee would never have detected either the rapid descent or the almost-immediate slowing of the ship. He felt no change at all, and realized he should have had a little more faith in the Waa.
"We're down," he alerted all the forces at the same time as he activated the bay doors.
He waited for just a moment to ensure they still operated before finally evacuating the command center. He didn't know how much time he had, so he ran as fast as his chubby legs could take him to the bay and his assigned carrier. His rifle was already there, waiting for his arrival.
* * *
The lead jet carriers wasted no time. As soon as the bay doors provided enough clearance, they were out of the mothership and climbing. As planned, they peeled right, left, and right in a weaving pattern as soon as they exited. The pilots' and co-pilots' eyes anxiously scanned the skies and the terrain below for targets.
It did not take long. The skies were filled with Minith carriers headed directly toward them. The ground, though occupied by some enemy forces, appeared relatively open.
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