It's A Deadly Job, But Somebody's Gotta Do It

"Look Scrapheap!" I snapped, slamming my fist against the console. "We haven't even started this mission, and I'm already sick of your incessant droning. If you don't keep your speakers quiet, I'm gonna rip out your circuits!"

"That's enough, Jon!" Fear said sternly. "You two are gonna have to get along. You don't have much time to waste. Our sources inside the Trellix weapons platform orbiting Braklarva III say the bomb will be completed within the next two days. We need you to nova in and destroy the platform."

"You want me to destroy the entire platform?" I asked, astonished. "Won't it be heavily armed and armored?"

"It is a weapons platform," Tempest reminded me.

Fear nodded. "It'll be heavily guarded. But you'll have the element of surprise on your side. Our tests show that the Fish can nova to within five hundred meters of another body without being detected. You'll be able to hit the base before they power up their weapons grid."

"Five hundred meters!" I repeated. "What about frag?"

Commander Fear shook his head. "Ship's too small to generate any significant gravitational fields. You should be able to nova within fifty meters of another object without worrying about frag."

"Should be able to?" I asked.

"Should be able to?" Tempest asked at the same time.

"High Command assured me that the engineers? calculations are very precise. But just in case, they didn't want to risk destroying the Fish before her maiden voyage."

I scratched my chin. "What if I nova in the Dragon and it ends up creating a gravitational field?"

"Then the FEDs loses a lot of money and I lose a good pilot."

"Great!" I muttered.

"The coordinates for the weapons platform are in the databank," Commander Fear said, climbing down the ladder. "Jon, you'd better get going. We're not sure how long we have before the Trellix complete their bomb. I don't know about you, but someday I'd like to go back to Earth, if only for a visit.

"Oh, and Jon," he added as he started toward the hangar door. "High Command would appreciate it if you brought the trix back with you."

"Bring back the trix?" I repeated, not quite sure I had heard him right.

"Our reports indicate that the Trellix are using nearly twenty tons in their bomb. It would be a tragedy to destroy a payload that large."

"Bring back the trix!" I said again, this time half an octave higher.

Fear nodded. "If you can."

I rolled my eyes. "Commander, let me ask you one question. Where is everyone? The station's almost empty."

"They're at the celebration," he answered, surprised by the question. "The Terrestrial Engineers are harvesting the test crop from Ureil's first hydroponics bay. Assuming there are no problems, they're going to bring up a load of fresh fruits and vegetables, rice and potatoes. The crew's waiting in the docking bay.

"Don't worry, Jon," Commander Fear assured me before leaving the hangar, "I stocked the Fish with an extra supply of food cubes for you." The doors hissed closed behind him.

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(6) In fact, the Confederation of Sentient, Corporeal, Intelligent Entities and Crude Earthlings did still exist. They went underground on Genosha Prime prior to the attack and had been trying to establish a new headquarters ever since. Every now and then they sent out a few decrees via the IntergalacticNet, but no one paid any attention to them. The universe had a conscience; nobody wanted to listen to it.

(7)