Operation: Pacifica, Do you want to play?
by Fleet Commander Samhain, Doberman Empire


 Samhain concluded the briefing and headed off to recheck all his
  personal gear for the trip.  He didn't have much time, but then too, he
  didn't really expect to need it.  Most of the gear he needed he'd already
  packed away and stowed carefully in a single, large, pack in Elektra's
  trunk.


 "Pop the trunk Elektra.  Time to get ready to go."


 "NO.... WAY..." she responded in a tone cold enough to ice over the
  surface of Mercury.  "I am *NOT* going!"


 "Geez, chill out, wench!  I didn't mean *you* are getting ready to
  go, I meant that *I* am getting ready to go.  Now pop the damn trunk
  already!"


 Elektra did as requested but continued her bitchfest anyway.
  "That's good, because you *still* haven't finished with that water mod you
  told me you were going to do.  And until then, I have no intention of
  getting on board some tin can that's barely able to keep itself afloat."


 Samhain couldn't help but laugh at that one.  "Oh, it isn't that
  bad, Elektra.  Those ships can take a helluva lot and still stay afloat," he
  explained.  "It's actually rather calming; maybe you'll decide you enjoy it
  when you finally get that mod.  But really, I'm hoping it won't matter much
  on this one anyway," he concluded as he finished checking the gear in his
  pack and slung it over his shoulder.


 "Fine, but I just have this feeling you'll never get around to it,
  and, oh, hey!  CP left his Flagon in here, too!  Better take it to him..."


 "OK, thanks.  I'll see ya when we get back, he answered as he
  grabbed the giant dragon-claw flagon from inside the car, then turned to
  search for his friend.



...




 Samhain wandered through the rows of barracks that had only a few
  hours earlier housed quite a few TRES personnel.  A scant few of them were
  left grabbing the last of their gear as the headed out for the waiting
  fleet, most of them headed in the opposite direction of Samhain and chatting
  amongst themselves.  He couldn't help but overhear one of them as he walked.




 "....huge computing system.  Doom, Quake, whatever you want..."


 "*HOW* many?!?!?" asked the second incredulously.


 "Well, several hundred anyway..."


 So... the TRES guys were bringing some toys along and hadn't
  bothered to inform him.  "Ahh well," he grinned to himself, "It won't matter
  in the long run..."


 When he found CyberPyro, he could barely keep from laughing.


 "What's with you?" asked the Grand Admiral.  "You look like a cat
  that just swallowed a canary...  no make that several canaries."


 "Oh... nothing... just... planning..." Samhain commented
  nebulously.


 "I don't trust you."


 "You shouldn't..." teased the Fleet Commander as he turned and
  walked away.



...


 Samhain made his way on board the _Des Moines_ barely in the nick
  of time.  His stop in the electronics shop had taken him longer than he'd
  hoped.  He saluted the boarding officer smartly, then hustled and stowed his
  gear in his quarters before making his way back topside.


 At 1500 on the dot, the fleet started moving out of the bay.
  Sunlight sparkled off the tops of the waves breaking off the bows of the
  ships.  A few others were on the decks of the other ships as well, watching
  the city skyline fade into the distance.  In particular, he noticed the
  unmistakable figure of Cyberpyro on the deck of the _Iowa_, tossing a can to
  the sea.  Moments later he and another figure were dueling around the deck
  guns, flashes of light reflected from the sun marking their locations as
  they fought.  Samhain stood at the deck rail and watched until they tired
  and disappeared from view, then decided it was time to have some fun with
  the TRES personnel...



...




 Samhain sat down in his quarters and warmed up the terminal, then
  started hooking up the various electronic devices he'd acquired earlier.  He
  hooked the vis-link to his temples and picked up the electro-cannon then
  stood in the center of the room and waited... ...at long last his hacking
  routine made it into the TRES network and he dropped into a massive DOOM
  deathmatch.  He moved around the room, seeing himself in the labyrinth of
  corridors and carrying the most formidable firepower available--the result
  of hours of his own code-hacking--a clusterfuck gun.  The cluseterfuck gun
  launched hundreds of ball bearings, filling the firing arc with flying
  death.  Better yet, it never needed reloading! [Hey, it *is* a computer
  game, right?]  The carnage had begun!



...




 A few hours and several thousand kills later, Samhain stood as the
  near-undisputed ruler of the maze.  Only one mystery person had managed to
  give him a run for his money... obviously someone else with hacked gear.
  Suddenly, a figure dropped in behind him and blasted him into goo.
  Profanity flowed profusely as he picked himself up, only to have it happen
  again.


 Just then his commlink buzzed.  He answered it to hear a familiar
  voice on the other end.


 "Heya Sam!  *smoooochle!* Got ya again!"


 "'Pyro you bastard!" laughed Samhain.


 "Had enough?"


 "No.. heh, here's a thought.  You and me.  No hacked toys.  Against
  anyone and everyone else on the network."


 "Hehehe... let's do it!"


 For the rest of their off-duty time, the Deadly Duo proceeded to
  rule the maze, covering each other's backs and blasting whoever was in the
  way.



...
"Do you want to Play?"
Copyright 1996
David R. Hibbs