"Okay, okay, hang on! I need to grab a couple of fresh vapes from the fabricator!" C.J. said as he rushed back toward the galley. "C.J., we need to be wheels up, like right now!" I shouted toward him as he ran down the hall. "Is everyone else ready? We will have the Pup, but I have a feeling things will get very kinetic once we hit the surface," I said, looking around to the rest of the crew. We were getting better, but most of us had no military background or training. Situational readiness wasn't exactly our strong point. Case in point: C.J. rushing back into the galley to get a few extra vapes so he wouldn't run out while we were down on the surface. Even though most of us had no combat experience before the drop, Jax and Matty were pros before and took to their current circumstances with a vigor that was a little unnerving. They had their packs ready, and weapons secured before the rest of us were even on the Pup. Elvis was also ready; of course, he only brought his axe. He wore a modified Bloodhound uniform; the sleeves were removed, and he had a sling for his axe fabricated so he could carry it on his back. His blonde hair was braided in tight lines, and the sides of his head were shaved. He also took some grease from one of the maintenance stations and smeared it across his face to look like claw marks. In all fairness, he looked pretty badass. Kaj sat down beside me, his large wings drawn in tightly to his back. "Captain, there is honor in bringing aid to your people," he slapped his hand on his chest, "I am pleased that I can help you with this mission." "Thanks, Kaj," I said, nodding at the large winged man. "I don't know what we're walking into, but I'm guessing it won't be easy." Truthfully, I didn't know for sure. There was a significant Lacertine presence on the surface of my home world. They were concentrated in North America, Europe, and Asia and had taken root in the military strongholds of pre-drop Earth. The largest concentration in North America was located on Fort Bragg, in the state of North Carolina. The lacertine loved repurposing existing military bases to house and support their occupation efforts. The location didn't really matter since the Lacetines had access to drop ships that could get them to any location on the planet within the span of a couple of hours. The importance of Fort Bragg is that it was the most extensive military base on Earth and allowed the Lacertine army to have housing and support facilities early in their occupation. At this point, however, their use of the drop ships was limited. After three years, they were falling into a state of disrepair due to interruptions in interstellar supply lines. The home fleet had ordered them to use the drop ships sparingly until they could receive parts to repair and refit them. Natasha had put together a pretty impressive reconnaissance report for us. 67% of the lacertine drop ships were grounded or limited in some capacity. All of the drop ships from outlying FOBs had been recalled to support the demands of the bases with larger populations. That was Bullshit; the commanding officers knew that if things went south, they would need a quick way off the planet. They didn't care about the grunts and were making that clear. What the lacertine force had plenty of was firepower. They used plasma rifles primarily and had an endless supply of rounds. How? You might ask did they have endless ammo? Well, to understand that I had to ask Tiff, so don't feel bad. "Tiff, I see on Natasha's recon report that it shows unlimited as the quantity of available ammo for the Lacertines. How is that possible?" I asked as she entered the Pup and sat down across from me. "You understand how plasma rifles work, right?" she asked with a raised eyebrow. "Let's assume I don't…" I said, shrugging slowly and holding my hands up, "I know we have plasma rifles, and I kind of understand how they work, but I never researched how the rounds are formed." "You realize that you lead all of us, right?" she said, shaking her head sarcastically. "Yes, Tiff, I understand. Gimme a break. I'm new to this whole Captain thing." I responded with a heavy sigh. "Or maybe you've been spending too much time playing games in the simulator?" she said, shrugging back at me. Okay, so a few weeks ago, Elvis showed C.J. and me that we could use the VCR for more than just combat training. He created a few custom programs for us so we could distract ourselves fromthe pressing issue of the interstellar war that was currently ravaging our galaxy. It seems childish, but you have to understand we lived in a tin can 24 hours a day, and everyone needed some time to decompress. Also, if you must know, he completely recreated the game Elden Ring for us, and since you use swords in that game, I could count that as training, so it was a win-win as far as I was concerned. Elvis loved the game as well; he begged C.J. and me to play every day. How could I turn him down? After all, it is essential for a captain to engage in team-building activities with his crew, right?

Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Tiff leaned forward and showed me a schematic of a plasma rifle on her tablet. "Plasma rifles use micro-fusion cells as their power supply. These cells tap into this cell," she said as she tapped a different part of the schematic, "essentially a miniature fusion reactor, to produce a plasma round that is ejected down a superconductor barrel." "Right," I said, "I knew that, but how is the round produced?" "The plasma rifle has intake vents running down the barrel; the air around the barrel is vented in, super-heated, and converted to plasma by the fusion cell. The plasma is then magnetically charged and propelled down the barrel toward the target. If there is a significant power source, then the Lacertines can continually recharge their weapons. Therefore, they have unlimited ammo," she said as she sat back and strapped into her chair. "Well, according to Natasha's reports, they have a healthy supply of bio generators. They have stationary generators at the large bases and smaller mobile units that can be transported and used at the various FOBs," I said. "That is correct. The large base generators are primarily used for power. The mobile units can be used to recharge weapons in the field. If you are thinking that the generators are the key to disarming them, then you are mistaken. There are thousands of mobile generators deployed across the planet. Finding and disabling them would take way too much time," she shook her head and frowned. "No, I don't think we have time for that, and we definitely don't have the resources, but it is good to know," I said. "Are the generators in good shape? If they are having trouble getting parts, then wouldn't the generators also start to fail?" "The generators are a simple design. They are made to operate for long periods of time without replacement parts. As long as they can cycle and update their production parameters, they will work for decades," she replied. "What do you mean cycle and update their production parameters?" I asked, perking up. "It's a process meant to increase the output. They are Bio-generators, so they utilize bio waste or local flora and fauna to produce power. The input is minimal, but the output is tremendous in combination with the solar fusion panels. However, the units need to be updated regularly to optimize production. Periodic software updates happen over the Lacertine military network. Before you ask, I am sure that it is highly encrypted and would be a nightmare to break their cyber defenses. They probably have a localized AI running all of their networks globally," she said. "Captain Andrew, would it make you happy if I could break those defenses?" Natasha asked in my earpiece. I turned toward Elvis, who was sitting near the loading door, threatening to leave C.J. behind," Hey, Elvis. Is it possible for Natasha to break into the Lacertine defense network?" "Natasha was created by Elvis, and Elvis is one of the most advanced AI in the universe. Her abilities are near limitless. Of course, she cannot hold an axe and feel the life fade from her enemy as they die beneath my boots…" he trailed off as he stared at his axe. "Well, I will take that as a yes then," I said, reflecting on how disturbing Elvis was sometimes. "Natasha, we will owe you big time if you can break into that network. How long do you think it will take?" "I will work as fast as I can, Captain Andrew. It will be exciting to make this AI my bitch!" she giggled excitedly. "Tiff, Natasha thinks she can break through their cyber security. If she can take those generators offline or even interrupt their update cycle, that could be a huge blow to the Lacertine force," I said. "Can she do that?" Tiff arched her eyebrow. "She assures me that she can. She seems to think that she can make that AI her bitch," I said with a chuckle. I entered the Pup to see Matty was in the pilot's chair. Elvis had ensured that the controls were simplified and user-friendly enough for him to attempt to pilot the Pup. Matty and Jax had been running some simulations for the last couple of weeks to prepare to start piloting the Pup since we would be using it a lot down on the surface. "Everyone strapped in and ready for orbital insertion?" Matty asked through our earpieces as he flipped switches and performed his safety checks. "All good back here; just get us there in one piece," I replied as the rear bay door hissed to a close. The Pup roared to life as it lifted off the deck of the docking bay; music started playing through the Pup's loudspeakers. The Boys are back in town. The Boys are back in town. Elvis was bellowing the words along with the song by Thin Lizzy as the Pup lifted off the deck, and we shot out toward the glowing blue planet I called home.

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