Operation: Home Front - Out With a Bang Authors: Selene, DE / Merengue, VRDET / Will Keith, TRES About twenty minutes later, Selene strode wearily into the C&C. Commander Will Keith, who was sitting at the only table, glanced up as she entered. "A marked improvement, I must say." "Thanks," the Dobe replied plopping into the chair next to him. "I don't think I'll ever look at a can of Jolt[tm] the same way again." She leaned back and propped her feet on the table. "So, what's up?" "If you'll recall, earlier this afternoon we discussed bringing the officers together tomorrow for a briefing..." "Right." Will smiled sheepishly, "A little while ago, I realized that we haven't formulated our plan yet." Selene's jaw dropped. "In the Name of... " she swore under her breath. "I don't believe we did that." *Talk about dumb, Zaph. Can't you picture me walking into that meeting tomorrow with nothing to report?* *It gets worse...* *How can it?* */Will/ was the one who remembered. Not you.* "Arrgh. Well I'm glad at least one of us was thinking clearly. Where shall we start?" ............................... They had attached numerous wires and gadgets to Merengue's head. The "processing" was being carried out by spongin now: apparently the other man had been high brass of some sort. Ren had been sedated and unconscious(from the time of the original interview, that is) until now. They were relying on the mind-scanner to block out her ability to teleport, and she reflected ruefully that it probably would. At least she could still 'path. Nothing could stop that. She put her shields up and snuck her awareness out under them, casting about far and wide for someone who might be of help. Not too far off, and yet, not too near either, she could feel someone... Maybe it was more than one. Hard to tell. But they sounded like Jihaddi. Help, she said, not pleading, not loud, but definite. I've been captured. .................................... Over the last couple of hours, the two had been plotting furiously. They had just decided to use a modified version of one of Will's ideas, when Zaphyre felt something tickle the edge of her awareness. *Help,* a clear, soft voice seemed to echo in her mind. *I've been captured.* *Who are you? And where are you?* The 'voice' answered, *Private Merengue of VRDET.* Will looked up. "Selene? You there?" Selene held up a hand. .................................. The one she had contacted "looked" up sharply, detaching herself from the conversation. Who are you? the female asked. Her voice did not sound human but it was kind. And where are you? Briefly, but as lucidly as she could under the scanner, Ren outlined her situation. She caught the image of a thoughtful expression crossing a draconic face. It is a difficult problem indeed. We had not expected Rhyn to take prisoners. You are not able to teleport out yourself? No. Very well. We'll have to come in and get you. Where are you in the base? Ah... I don't know. It's either Medical or an interrogation chamber. Not much difference with them sometimes... do you know any reference points? No. The only place I know in the base with reference to the surface is the Generator. You sensed it?! Wait... Will, she's found it... Merengue felt the draconic presence withdraw a moment, then more personalities entered the 'path. The next to speak was a man's "voice," insofar as telepathy conveyed personal information. Private Merengue? Sir? Please indicate the position of the Generator. She thought of where she had sensed the Generator as she stood on the surface. Landmarks, please. With a little more difficulty, she pictured the plain as she had seen it from where she was. ...................... A location seemed to be highlighted in the middle of a generic plain. Laconically, Will prompted, *Landmarks, please.* A few more details appeared, and thinking it might help, Zaph overlaid it with a view from the air. Will added the reference points they knew - main entryway, cargo exit, the few locationsinside they had been - and rotated the two images until they coincided, giving the exact location of the Main Generator. Finishing, he continued. *This helps considerably. We could have suffered any number of casualties before finding the Generator. There cannot be but a few routes from this point-* he marked off a close-by junction - * to there.* He seemed to leave but was back only seconds later. *If you cannot escape on your own, it is probable we will locate and retrieve you...* Selene hoped Merengue didn't catch the rest of his message, although she sure did. *... or your body.* ............................ If you cannot escape on your own, it is probable we will locate and retrieve you. On Merengue's end at least, the mental echo of "-or your body" didn't quite get held back. My apologies - and my thanks for the information. Suddenly uncomfortable, he blinked out. Well, that was blunt. Zaphyre replied, It's his way. He shies because he feels keenly. My honor on it, Merengue-young, we will not leave without - Selene's military training checked the sentiment, so both knew she was speaking truthfully - making every effort to rescue all Jihaddi in the place. Thank you. I could do no less. Try to hold on. Then the other faded out. ............................... *Selene, I'm going to keep an eye on her.* *Are you sure that's wise?* *I feel honor-bound to do all that I can. * *All right then, be careful.* The human returned to herself, not surprised to find Will hard at work with his staff. "Adding her data to what we have?" "Hmmm...?" He glanced up, somewhat distracted. "Yes, well, trying to at least." "Can I see what we have planned out, so far?" He slid the papers toward her, then went back to work. Selene read through his notes, making a few clarifications as she waited for him to finish. Setting the papers aside, the Centurion started doodling on a spare sheet. A short time later, Will dropped his staff with a clatter and sat back down, disgusted. Selene glanced at him. "Didn't work?" "I'm even less of an artist than I am a... blast, I can't even think of something I'm not. What're you working on?" She passed the sheet to him. "I started to think about what Merengue had shown us and wanted to get what I could remember on paper. It- it isn't very good, but..." He brightened. "I don't think it's bad at all..." The rest of what he said was cut off by the dragon's sudden screech. *Selene! Will! We have to get her out of there, NOW!* *What? Zaph! Calm down and tell me exactly what you saw.* ............................... That must have been Zaphyre, thought Ren. Well, luck is still with me there. Slowly her surroundings swam back into focus. The scanner was off, and a confused-looking sponge was talking into a communit. "Uh-uh. Nope. Of course. Well, no, actually, nothing at all. Okay. See you!" A moment later Rhyn walked through the door, a scowl set on his face. He was positively fed up with these incompetent morons. Then the sponge turned around and he was wreathed in smiles. "Hi there! You say you had a problem with the thingy?" He nodded. "Yes, 'cause we hooked her up just like you said, and we turned it on, and just nothing came out. For three whole minutes." "Come on now," said Rhyn, the edge coming off of his cheerfulness. "Not nothing at all?" "Really, nothing at all. Look." He called up the data charts. Forgetting where he was, Rhyn's jaw dropped and he swore loudly and vehemently. He leapt to a wall mount, scrabbled around for a hypo, and jammed it into Ren's arm, still swearing. She smiled serenely and looked over at him. The world had begun to swim. "Death?" "No," he said, "That would be too easy. If you've done what I think you've done I will make you _suffer_, you conniving..." The end of the sentence was lost as Ren fell under. ................................. The dragon waited, calming herself, before continuing. *I followed her trail, as I told Selene that I was going to do. She was strapped in this hospital-like bed; they were pumping her full of narcotics so she couldn't move. Then, that bastard, Rhyn entered the room. Somehow, he realized she had contacted us...* An image of the Liaison jabbing a long needle into Merengue's arm filled their minds. *Then he activated some schneggin' security system,* Zaphyre continued angrily, *I had to get out fast or risk being discovered. I-We have to go get her, tonight. She's only a child...* While 'talking' with the dragon, the Centurion's face had paled. She grasped at Will's sleeve. "We have to go save her... I/She..." He pulled her into his arms. "Sh... Calm down. You know that it is not possible right now." She yanked herself back, wrapping her arms around her own body. "You just don't care! She could die and you wouldn't give a flying-" "You know that isn't true." He interrupted her, "Think. If we were to go in now, not only would we lose her, but we'd lose any chance of reaching the Generator. Think about it. Please." "I... you're right." She forced her body to relax. *Zaph, he /is/ right, the Generator /has/ to come first.* *Grr... I can't even 'feel' her presence anymore, he has her so doped up.* *Zaph!* The dragon quieted. "You're right, Will." She repeated, in a quiet, soft voice. "We can't afford to go in after her right now. It would be suicidal." She rose slowly to her feet and looked at him, eyes blazing. "But know this, Rhyn is mine. And when I am finished, he'll be sorry he ever laid eyes on that girl, much less a finger." With that promise, the Centurion turned and went silently into the night. ................................................. When Ren awoke it was to light and noise. Noise, noise, aching, endless... bad singing. Musically uninteresting. That schnecker hadn't... She opened her eyes. He had. She was locked in, and all each of the four walls was a television, and they were all on the same channel. And she knew there would be no commercial breaks. There was a soft click, and a hum. Ren snapped her head around to find its source, but didn't see anything. Then a softer noise began, behind the noise, in the back of her head. And it slowly grew louder, and louder... And slowly Ren's mind closed up like a morning glory when the sun sets. Her eyes did not see, her ears did not hear, and she thought no more. She lay on the floor with her arms around her head, looking for all the world as if she were sleeping peacefully. ..................................................... "Will?" The next morning, a battered, weary Selene poked her head into the C&C. Spotting the TRES officer hard at work at the table, she entered. "I just wanted to apologize for leaving so abruptly last night." "That's all right. We were pretty much done anyw..." his voice trailed off as he looked up from his papers. "What in the world happened to you?!" She glanced down subconsciously. "I couldn't sleep last night." He eyed the numerous bruises on both of her arms and her face. "Don't tell me you tried some kind of attack alone." "No, don't be ridiculous." Sighing, she carefully lowered her body into one of the chairs. "I was rather upset, if you'll recall, and so borrowed one of the guys' Harleys[tm]." She shrugged. "I needed to get away for awhile..." "So, why not go fly around?" Selene touched chair. *Ooow...* "With the mood Zaphyre was in? Not a good idea. Her more... primitive instincts were trying to take over as it was." He offered, "C'mere." She got back up and came over, to be pulled into his considerably less painful lap. "So, instead of flying..." "Instead, I took this Hog[tm] out for a spin.... and, well, ended up in a ditch." She finished in a hurry. "Now, I'm bumped, bruised, and a couple grand poorer." Will tried, unsucessfully, to hide his worry. "A ditch? Good Lord. Have you seen a medic? Do you do this kind of thing often? Is there..." She gave him a dirty look. "No, no, and whatever the third question is, I'm not a paper doll." "I am," he murmured, "frighteningly aware of that." Not sure how to respond, Selene did the next best thing; she changed the subject. Flipping through the papers on the table, she asked, "So have you done anything since last night?" "A little." Shifting her to one side, he plucked a sheet off the table. "I was just starting to create an assignment roster when you arrived." "Well, let's see what you've got..." For the next hour or so, Will and Selene expanded on their ideas from the night before. They began to make each team's assignments and decided who would accompany them on their trek into the Spoungin' base itself. Engrossed as they were in their work, neither one noticed when a tall, lanky man dressed in the uniform of an enlisted Dobermensch entered the room. "Permission to speak freely, sir?" The new arrival broke the silence. Both commanders looked up, startled. As soon as she realized who had spoken, Selene grinned. "Good, you got my message. Permission granted, of course." "What in the name of Grimace have you done to yourself in the last 24 hours?! You look like crap!" She started laughing. "Sorry, Brackard," she forced out between chuckles, "you just sounded so... mother hen-nish..." Struggling to regain control, she finally succeeded and continued. "I'm assuming you've heard about Calvin's Hog[tm]?" "Yeah - it's all over the base. Some idiot borrowed it last night and drove it... No." Selene nodded. "Who else?" Brackard shook his head. "You'll never learn, will you? Anyway... " He came suddenly to attention. "Captain Brackard reporting for duty, Sir!" The Centurion stifled another chuckle and added wryly, "At ease, Brackard..." *What's gotten into him?* she 'asked' the dragon. Zaphyre shrugged. *Who knows. Your new rank maybe? Chips would be having a blast if he was here though...* * Good thing he's not.* "... You know, I don't believe the two of you have met." Selene slipped off Will's lap before completing the introductions. "Brackard, meet Commander William J. Keith of TRES Corps' Kappa Squadron. Will is the other CO for this little shindig... " She turned to smile at the Commander, "... as well as a very good friend. Will, this is Captain Michael Brackard of the Empire. He's been with me from the start and is my chief advisor, assistant, and a wizard when it comes to dealing with the paper-pushers. After struggling through that mass of papers yesterday, I told him to get his butt down here on the double." "And here I am," a grinning Brackard finished, shaking Will's hand. "It's good to meet you, Sir." "It's nice to meet you, too." Releasing his hand, the TRES officer turned toward Selene, "You still have more paperwork to fill out?" "You're kidding, right? With those guys, there's /always/ more paperwork. But that's OK, Brackard will get through it like it was nothing. He's amazing to watch. Personally, I can't handle it." Just then, Warrior Charcharadon Jambavan entered the room. "Selene, we have a problem!" She whirled to face him. "What?" "That little twank from the bank refuses to five us any more vouchers until he gets the rest of his forms. In triplicate." Brackard grinned nastily. "Sirs? If you don't mind, let me handle this one." The Centurion nodded. "Thanks, Selene. Warrior? I'll have your vouchers for you in no time. If you'll just lead me to where this twank is located currently?" Jambavan and Brackard left the tent quickly, in a hurry to find this Mooney fellow. "Well, that was... interesting," Selene commented. "I wonder how Mooney will handle Brackard... somehow I think we're going to get our vouchers. heh. Now, where were we?" The commanders returned to their work, getting ready for the briefing later that afternoon. TBC in "Simply, Planning"