Easy Street Actual out.
“Karla?”
“Yes?”
“You could do me a favour if you would.”
“Just name it and I am yours to command.”
'Oh, we don't even need to go there!”
“I know,” Karla replied with a throaty chuckle....”I was just kidding.....what is it that you wish?”
“If you would, could you please block any messages from my “better half” and, if you could check with the other girls.....mebbe they could block messages for their guys also....maybe?”
“I think so...consider it done....anything else?”
“No, not for now at least.”
Easy One's eyes lingered over the great expanse of the Silent Sea, reflecting the gibbous moon, as his ship accelerated in an ever steeper curve to apogee.
The Silent Sea was forshorn of anything human, but still.....when one looked on it... from a distance.... it still held a strange fascination.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Easy Street One, this is Easy Street Prime.”
“This is Easy Street One.”
“Easy Street One, please confirm that you and your boats are aware that this is a hard mission, not a practice mission.”
“Easy Street Prime, I confirm that this is a hard mission and not a practice mission.”
“Easy Street One, please confirm your ETA apogee and number of boats.”
“Easy Street Prime, apogee for Easy Street boats One to Six in four decimal 7 mikes.”
“Easy Street One, I confirm that calculation. Please be advised that I am re-deploying Easy Street One to another mission hard and am designating Easy Street Two as Easy Street Mission Leader. Time Activation is post apogee plus decimal five mikes.
“Easy Street Prime understood Easy Street One to be re-deployed and Easy Street Two designated Leader.”
“Easy Street One I've copied to Easy Street Two, tell your crew that you are going in hard and hot. Your new designation is Easy Street Actual.”
“Confirmed Easy Street Prime, confirm copy to Easy Street Two and new designation Easy Street Actual.”
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Easy Actual loosened his faceplate and pulled a wipe to clean his face.
'You'd think that after all these centuries that they could get the a/c right in these suits!'
“Ok gang, here is the skinny. At decimal five mikes after apogee we are being re-deployed hard and hot. We are now designated Easy Street Actual. XO you will, of course, take over if necessary. I have no clue about what is going on, but we just have …... about three decimal five mikes to make adjustments.”
Gunny's raspy voice crackled even the crackle in Easy Actual's earpiece.
“Ummmmmm ok Tanner, just what “adjustments” are we gonna make considerin' we have no idea what is going on?”
“Ya know Gunny you really can be an ass when you want to be!”
“I know! ….. That's what makes me so loveable!”
“Did the rest of you copy what I just said?”
One by one the rest of the crew leaders acknowledged as Easy Actual continued to wipe his face.
Easy Actual snapped his faceplate and settled into his sling.
* * * * * * * *
At apogee minus decimal five;.... the time honored, computer generated, crackle of ancient radios awoke Easy Actual from his contemplation of the gibbous moon that was reflecting on the Silent Sea so many kilometers below him.
“CCCCCRRRRKKKKKK!!”
Easy Actual's HUD indicated that the incoming message was from Easy Prime.
“Easy Actual, do you copy?”
“Easy Actual here.”
“Easy Actual, please turn off any relays you may have to crew people if you would.”
“Easy Prime, I have no relays to crew members.”
“Good.... so.....Tanner, how have you been? We haven't tipped a few for quite a long time.”
“I know, but, when you walk in rarefied atmospheres and I am merely a boat jocky, what else can I expect of you, you old war horse!”
“We need to visit sometime....really....”
“I know, I know....”
Easy Actual looked to his left as the Silent Sea flipped from downside to upside and at the same time his HUD indicated ( a(1-e ( minus / ∞) ). His stomach always flipped when that happened. Fortunately the usually impeccable dinner by Tony stayed set.
'Funny how the moon can be reflected all the way up here.......'
The constant states of the crews read normal on the HUD also....'funny..... funny....how come it is that we do this …...they do this..... '.
“Soooo Tanner this really is just a really, really, HARD mission.”
“How so?”
“Well, your original deployment, which you did not know at launch..... was to go in and strafe HOT some kind of …..”animals” that are just killing people right and left down in the City, I mean, I do NOT know what is going on down there. Really. The cams are showing some kind of “beasts”....I mean.... I'm sweating here Tanner. Of course the rest of your boats are now getting this info, but really, I have no clue....I'm sweating this...”
“Ok.”
“People are streaming away from the scene, there are, apparently, from camera reports, hundreds of people dead, maybe …...thousands.....you know the boulevards, at any one time there are tens of thousands of people walking on them..... I just don't know.'
“Ok.”
“Anyway, that is not your problem now. Your problem is ….one man. An educator.”
“Oh jeeze..... “
“I know, the implications are enormous. Educators have to be protected at ALL COSTS.... that means if your whole crew dies saving this person then that is a GOOD THING. …............”
“Ok.”
“The person, as far as I know, a man; is for some reason moving TOWARD the chaos caused by whatever is down there. He is moving WAY TOO FAST to be on foot. The best sat imagery and camera imagery has him riding a bot.
/ How he persuaded a bot to take him into chaos I don't know /
But he is on the move, and …..you have to extract him before he gets hurt or YOU....and I....will have to explain how we let an educator die or, at the least, be injured.”
“Ok.”
“What is her name?”
“Karla.”
“Ok, I'm going to send Karla the dynamic co-ordinates for where he is. They are the best guesstimate from sat imaging and camera imaging and the bot GPS. Your boat will have to drop HALO into the City and navigate the street. Let Karla do that for you and then let your Boats Chief take it from there.
YOU. my dear friend ......get your crew ready for............chaos.....that is the only way to describe it. …..ummmmm aaannnd.... I gotta say, that of all our boat crews you, and you alone, have a crew that might be able to think on their own, respond to the situation en sito and pull this piece of drek off.... I trust you.....and your crew...”
Where chaos looms, the Few emerge. The Space Forces move toward the sounds chaos, towards the sounds of tyranny, towards the sounds of injustice and despair—with the courage and resolve to silence them.
“Extract him …......”
“Ok ….if we get out of this....you DO owe me a drink!.....and....this is Easy Street Actual out.”
thankeee
wooddon'tknowifitisallthatgoodsmoke