The Fringe Wars

1.20

Impossible Hope

"That's all there is to it," Reyne finished.

Every crew member of the Gryphon stared at him, slack-jawed.

"That's all," Sixx echoed.

"Yep."

"Let me get this straight," Throttle began. "We're hijacking a Myrad hauler and running straight through the space barrier to land onto Myr. From there, we get our hands on proof of Myr's involvement with the blight, proof that we'll then bring into the heart of Alluvia, where we'll get it to a Collective news reporter, who will then get Alluvia and the fringe all riled up against Myr."

Reyne nodded. "That pretty much sums it up."

"It's impossible," Doc said.

"Which part?" Reyne asked.

"All of it," she answered.

"For starters, we're not pirates," Sixx said. "We've never hijacked a ship together."

"That's why Critch and a few members of his crew will be joining us. They'll lead the hijacking expedition."

"So, we're officially joining ranks with pirates," Boden said.

"Torrents," Reyne corrected. "They're only pirates on their off-days."

Sixx smirked. "Okay. We hijack a Myrad ship. Then, we come up to the space barrier. If any of the Myrads on that ship happen to send out a distress signal during the hijacking, then their codes won't work. The EMP will fry everything in our ship, and we'll die a cold, suffocating death in space."

Reyne nodded. "We'll make sure they never get the chance to make a distress call."

Sixx continued. "Okay then. Myr is a big world. How are we going to know which province this particular Genics Corp building is in?"

"We're counting on our Founder pals for that information."

Doc frowned. "The Founders? They're an urban legend. They don't exist."

"They do exist, and Heid seems to think one of them on Myr is going to help us."

"We're aligning with the CUF now, too?" Boden asked, ire darkening his voice.

"Yes, although I suspect after this, Heid will be considered more torrent than CUF."

"How do you know Critch or Heid won't betray us?" Doc asked.

"Critch watched his family get slaughtered by Myrads and Alluvians on Terra before the Uprising. He may act like a pirate, but he'll always be a torrent in his heart. As for Heid, she's an idealist. They'll both work with us to see the Uprising happen." Reyne considered the two captains for a moment. "But don't forget for a minute that either one of them would set us up if our deaths fit into their plans. We need to cover our asses every step of the way."

Sixx laughed. "Sounds like one hell of a ménage à trois," he said before letting out a sigh. "Though, I can honestly say I never thought I'd get a chance to pull a heist on Myr."

Reyne smiled. "Sounds enticing, doesn't it?"

"Hell, yeah," Sixx replied. "But, I'd rather skip to the part about how we somehow make it onto Alluvia without dying."

"That's where Boden comes into play." Reyne watched the mechanic's head jerk at the mention of his name. "He's an Alluvian resident and has full rights to land at any time. That's the lowest risk part of the plan."

"Was an Alluvian," Boden corrected. "We're all dead, at least on legal records. My access rights would've been cancelled by now."

Reyne shook his head and eyed Boden. "Sorry, pal. You'd been let go from my crew and so you weren't on our last scalar run. That means you weren't on board when the Gryphon landed at Ice Port. Demes has already entered your credentials on Spate for the past month. It appears you've been staying at a brothel in Devil Town on a sweet soy binge. You've run out of money and have already filed for a new visa for landing rights to return home."