Pax Galactica - A Space Opera

Chapter 40 - Sprelled

Decker found the old safe house just as the Kinship was preparing the for move. Ophelia met him outside when he landed, still wearing her makeshift helmet. She wasn't happy to see he was alone.

"Where's Ranger Aranarth?" she asked.

Decker looked at her darkly behind his helmet.

"She killed him," he said.

"What?" demanded Ophelia.

"With some kind of Inxon weapon I can't even describe. She blew his suit to pieces like his shield wasn't even there and then reduced him to... molecular dust or something. I don't know for sure what happened. He shot her with an ion pistol a half dozen times and nothing happened."

"She's already using Inxon technology?" asked Ophelia, eyes wide.

"Oh yeah," said Decker. "Her Suit is different too. And she can seemingly breathe the air on this planet. I have no idea what she's capable of now."

"What are we going to do?" asked Ophelia. "What are we going to do?"

She's asking me, thought Decker, we really are sprelled.

"We need to make our way back to the Cat's Pajamas," said Decker. "Get off the planet and warn A.R.C. of what's going on. Are you authorized to fly it? Will it recognize you?"

"It should," said Ophelia, thoughtfully. "I don't know if Helios changed anything. I don't know how far in advance she planned all this."

"According to her pretty far, actually," said Decker. "We should leave as soon as we can. How long until your Suit is ready?"

"A few hours."

"We'll have to wait here then. The ship won't let me fly it and you're in no condition to travel that far in this desert without your Suit."

"I made it here didn't I?"

"Yeah a third of the distance with a group of well supplied, experienced desert dwellers. What if we get there and the ship won't let us in?"

"My Suit should be back by then," insisted Ophelia.

"'Should' isn't good enough," said Decker. "If you miscalculated, or just if your Suit decides to be extra thorough after the beating it took, you could die out there."

"I have a deathward."

"Yeah but where would that leave me? Alone against Ranger Helios."

"She's not a ranger anymore," said Ophelia, gravely.

"I guess not," Decker agreed.

"QX," said Ophelia. "I suppose we should play it safe. I'll let you know as soon as my Suit is ready. We really have no time to spare."

"Let's go down to the safe house where we're less exposed."

* * *

The Kinship left for another safe house, and Decker and Ophelia were left alone to wait for her Suit to finish repairing. It was excruciating. 

Ophelia sat on the ground with her legs awkwardly folded, staring off blankly into space. Decker tried not to look like he was watching her.

Every second they waited felt like an hours. They had to get to the ship before Helios got to them. After what happened to Aranarth Decker was certain they had no chance against her in a fight.

<There's something approaching. It looks like a Suit.>

<It looks like a Suit or it is a Suit?> thought Decker.