Slingers (The Slingers Trilogy, Book 1)

Chapter 12

"What do you mean the GDF are the ones who are behind all of this?" Edvard asked his sister, still bewildered by her discovery. "They're the one's who've been funding this project! Of course they'd want to go after the Dorado Pieces as well. I mean, unlimited power? What's not to grow power-hungry over?" "But why get the Obsidian Dragons to do the excavation?" "Think about it. The GDF wouldn't want to be seen digging after old legends. It would ruin their reputation as dictators. So buying out the Dragons for a job secretly would be the best course of action. They'd be the kind of people you'd find out here, this deep in the system." Edvard sighed. "Well, this is all very enlightening, but how exactly do we get out of here? The system is going to be crawling with ships in a few minutes, and I don't think the Renegade's disappearing act is going to fool them a second time." Elicia bit her lip and furrowed her brow. "I don't know, but-" "Hey! What are you two doing down here?" The twins wheeled around and saw Hendro walking down the hall with a few guards at his side. Elicia clenched her fist. Hendro looked at the both of them confused. "Where's your partner?" He asked Elicia. She breathed a silent sigh. He didn't recognize Edvard thanks to the disguise. "He...had to use the washroom?" Hendro's eyes narrowed. "Search the compound. You're coming with me." Elicia stole a glance at Edvard, and motioned to her computer still hidden on the counter. Edvard nodded lightly, and just as Hendro was about to grab Elicia, Edvard dove for the console and hit a few keys. It was still hacked into the mainframe, and could control anything in the base, including the vents. The pipe next to Hendro and the guards burst from too much pressure, spraying steam in their faces. Edvard and Elicia knocked out the guards and stole their rifles, pointing them at Hendro's face. He raised his hands slowly. Elicia smirked. "Now, about that deal..."

Dante was careful to keep the Renegade out of sight of the surrounding GDF ships, but it wasn't an easy task to say the least. They were everywhere, completely invading the planet's orbit. At least half the fleet had to be here. Dante gritted his teeth. He should have gone down there himself. He would have been able to get the Piece out much quicker, and with less casualties. He shouldn't have trusted that kid with helping him. But why did he do it then? He shook the thoughts out of his mind. He had to concentrate. He looked out the side of the cabin and saw several of the GDF ships engaging smaller, more maneuverable craft. The Resistance. As much as Dante didn't like the idea, they could be used as a distractions for a quick getaway. But the collateral damage...Dante gripped the ship's controls tightly. What was wrong with him? He had been trained not to worry about these kinds of things. But it was as if the whole mess on Rykkak...and being with the rest of these Slingers...changed him. Out of the corner of his eye, something winked in the light of the planet's sun. Dante looked and saw something peculiar. A singular GDF fighter was heading down to the planet's surface. It wasn't with any other ships and not an escort, so what was it doing? Whatever it was, it was heading straight to where the mines were. Dante had a bad feeling in his gut. Against his better judgment, he turned the ship and started to follow the small fighter at a distance.

Farther and farther they ran up the tunnel, the artificial oxygen burning their lungs. Nolun carried one of the Pieces in his pack, while Bunker carried the second one. This was their plan in case they ever got separated or captured. At least they would still have one. They finally reached the lift, which was still stopped dead, and they could hear gunfire above them as the Resistance fought against the GDF. Nolun leapt onto the platform and tried to catch his breath. He saw Andress looking over at him. "Ok...we got the piece, Treasure Boy. What's the plan now?" Nolun looked around. "I'm working on it." His eyes landed on the wire for the counterweight to the lift. "Bunker! Shoot those wires!" Andress and Bunker stared at him like he was crazy. Nolun looked back at the both of them. "Just...trust me." Andress nodded after a bit, and then Nolun and her braced themselves behind some crates. Bunker breathed out and emptied his heavy gun's clip into the wire, breaking it. The entire platform shuddered, and the group heard a metallic screeching from above as the weight began to drop down, and the lift began to rise, increasing in speed rapidly. They rushed past several floors, and Andress looked up towards the speedily approaching ceiling. "We're gonna hit!" She yelled. Nolun looked up as well. "Jump when I tell you!" The three gathered at the edge of the lift, and a few seconds before they hit the ceiling, Nolun shouted. "NOW!" He grabbed Andress's hand and leapt off, Bunker close behind, narrowly avoiding a crushing death. The three saw the massive lift hit the ceiling with a massive thud, then drop down into the depths of the shaft, tumbling and hitting the side before hitting the bottom with a distant crash. The three breathed heavily and laid back. Nolun started to laugh, quietly at first, then grew into a more hardy chuckle. Andress looked at him, then started to join in, as did Bunker. After a bit, they all stopped and sighed. Nolun and Andress realized they were both still holding hands, and quickly let go, clearing their throats. "Right." Nolun said as he got up. "Let's get out of here." Andress helped Bunker up and nodded. "Agreed." She keyed her comlink. "Dante, you there?" She only got static back. "Dante, do you copy?" Nolun looked confused. "You think it could be interference from the cave?" Andress shook her head. "No. My comms can still function even in caves. We're being jammed." Suddenly, they heard a ship's thrusters, and saw a GDF fighter touch down in front of them. But it wasn't grey and black chrome like the regular fighters. It was instead a matte red and black, with an extra set of V-wings, mirrored horizontally to the other ones. The cockpit slid open, and a man stepped out. He was clad in a lightly armoured cloak, with a sword sheath placed horizontally across his lower back. He was wearing a mask that covered his face only. It had a red angular visor, and a facemask similar to that of GDF troopers. The figure also had blonde spiky hair, that was shaved at the back. Andress could see in the reflection of the cockpit as he approached them that shaved part had a barcode which read: 

0000-0000