Scenes From Space

Chapter Thirty-Two: A Few Scenes

"Seems like the best course is to have Guinevere fall back to being a sniper for a few missions," Graham said after hearing the story. When we had first connected the call, Graham had given the outfit a curious and a little hungry once over, now his holo looked vaguely concerned.

"Yeah, we're all on the same page then," Ben sighed. Seemed like he'd come around from 'Guinevere you're the best undercover we have' page from earlier.

"I also can't be Penny anymore," I said.

Graham sighed. "We'll start a new ID for you."

"Thanks, Graham," I said with a smile. "Am I dismissed? I'd love to sleep before we get back to base."

Graham nodded and dismissed both Ben and I. The projection faded out. Ben's arms uncrossed and fell down to his sides. I yawned and turned to leave the bridge and head to my room.

"Guinevere," Ben said to call me back. I turned to face him. "I'm sorry that I put you in that position but you know that no one else on our crew is as adaptable and quick-thinking as you are. Do you think Danyl or Boo could've lied to the bartender?"

"I didn't lie to the bartender," I said. "That was the whole point."

Ben shot me a look that could only mean, 'Come on, now.' "I'm just saying that you have this innate ability to read people and say or do the right thing. We're going to miss having that in the field these next few missions."

I didn't really know what to do with compliment/disappointment so I just nodded.

"Get some rest," Ben instructed. I turned and went to my room to get out of the uncomfortable silver bands and take a nap.

Once back on base, the first thing the crew did was go to the mess hall. We managed a quick meal before Graham came along and drug us to a meeting room. The Commander proceeded to fill us in on how Zoulxan would not be extending their contact with the Collective after the deputy director of moon affairs had received counsel from a truth-seeker. So, apparently what I said had worked. He then announced that Kuzzon and his team were headed back out to handle the issue of slaves and the RAFO crew was going to head back out the rim planets as originally planned. The truly excellent news for me, and not so much for the rest of the team, was that the recent developments with Kuzzon meant that we couldn't play capture the human on these next couple of missions.

After the meeting, we all split up. I went to the gun range to make sure my rifle, blaster, and stun gun skills were all up to par for the upcoming missions. The gun range is where Graham found after a few fifth-cycles of practice.

"I gotta say, you're just as hot holding a gun as you are when we're sparring," Graham had greeted. I had snorted in response before looking around at the empty range.

"What time is it?" I asked.

"Time for most good agents to be in bed," Graham with a flirty smile.

I flirted back, "And what time is it for the bad agents?"

"Time for bad agents to go to bed with someone," Graham responded. I smiled really big. Put the gun I'd been working away and followed him to his room. Once the door slid shut, and was locked on Graham's command, I was scooped up with his metal arm and my back hit the now locked door. I wrapped my legs around Graham's waist, my arms around his neck, and locked my lips onto his. Night devolved from there in a blur of lips, gasps, skin and the calling out of each other's names.

Missions were somehow much less involved from a sniper's roost, yet containing more hypervigilance. There was constant motion: monitoring positions, calling warnings, zooming in and out of the action, and firing shots as needed.

On Possdux, the plan was to herd a slaver through the streets until he was in a position for me to fire a knock-out blast and for Grey to pick him up. Of course, that plan went to hell once Kuzzon and company showed up, leaving Grey occupied with fighting, and leaving a furry, purple alien knocked unconscious on the start. Grey was trapped in the side alley with two of Kuzzon's underlings. Ben was two streets fighting with Kuzzon. Boo and Poku with the other two of Kuzzon's team two streets to the right. I had one more knock-out blast, one smoke pellet, and a cartridge of regular bullets. I zoomed in on Ben's fight just in time to watch Kuzzon pin Ben to the bricks, forearm on his neck. I lined up the shot, inhaled, and stroked the trigger back. Kuzzon collapsed. Ben rolled his brother's body off of him.

"Grey is busy," I said into a direct line to Ben.

"10-4," Ben responded and took off towards the prone body of the slaver. I opened all channels back up and warned Boo and Poku in the rebel tongue to prepare for cover before the smoke pellet was fired down to their fight. I pulled back to see how Grey was faring. I switched over to regular bullets and fired a warning shot at the tailed alien's feet. She jumped and looked around for where the shot could've come from. But it gave Grey enough time to punch the alien out and run. I made another run over the scene to make sure everyone was clear before packing my gun away and heading for the extraction point that Danyl was waiting at.

Graham and I spent some time curled up and watching an English television show from Baltuu called Intergalactic Bounty Hunters. The show was not good. It was funny because it was clearly produced by an alien that didn't know anything about humans. In one scene the main character, Alex Jones Gunman, literally just took off his arm and threw it at an escaped criminal. Then, the arm grew back.

On Dimarto Five, seeing as we barely got away taking the slaver captive on the last mission, we decided it would just be best to kill this one. It's not like Gwoopen was a good dude. We had been staking out his private residence. Normally, we would've sent me in to be seduced and open up the balcony door or try to convince the slaver that I was an exhibitionist and get him into an alley or something. But I was stuck away from action. Also, Kuzzon was staying with Gwoopen and had elevated the security protocols on the residence. I was on top of an apartment building caddy-corner watching as two naked, human slaves served Gwoopen and Kuzzon dinner through the new bullet proof of Gwoopen's floor to ceiling windows.

"Anything interesting?" Ben's voice asked through the com.

"Not really, just gratuitous nudity and food," I responded. Ben snorted in response. "I honestly have zero ideas on how to get Gwoopen out of private residence." I watched as Kuzzon received a message on his com and I zoomed in with my tech eye, took a picture and started translating.

"Kuzzon has a meeting tomorrow at midday, at Café Undiar," I said to Ben after I finished translating.

"What do you think about hiring a sex worker to pay Gwoopen a visit during Kuzzon's lunch meeting?" Ben asked.

"Seems cruel that girl or guy will have no idea what they're getting into," I responded. "Can we insight a plumbing or electrical failure and have a repairman come in? Like maybe Poku can put on my tech-mask."

"Maybe, come back to the hotel for further planning," Ben instructed.

The next day I was back in position and Poku was inside the apartment with his face programmed to look like someone else's.

"Sir, may I please examine the balcony? Perhaps the outdoor box is shorting," Poku said to Gwoopen. His voice was clear over the com.

"All points of entry are to remain closed," the slaver responded.

"I will be prompt, Sir," Poku said back and the Gwoopen nodded. The balcony door opened and Gwoopen closed it behind Poku. That had not been enough time.

Poku tapped on the glass. "May I please have my toolkit, Sir?" That was brilliant. I lined up the shot, waiting for the door to slide open. I would only need an inch or so. I watched the shadows move behind the glass. I pulled the trigger. The bullet embedded itself in Gwoopen's head. He slumped down to the floor. Poku bent down and took the slaver's pulse.

"Kill confirmed," he said into the coms before going to release the girls, wipe the security tapes, and head for extraction. I dismantled my gun, and readorned my disguise of a hat and sweater to keep my face off the city cameras. I took the long way back to the ship to avoid the café Kuzzon was dining at.