Lunarly: A Fire Sale Classic

Plight - Out of Sight, Out of Luck

Plight's

"Parental Guide: Out of Sight, Out of Luck"

       The landing went well.  X15 cleared out most of the anti-air defense, which allowed the Galileo to get close enough to drop a dozen of the Bergine Squad.  Hollow Leo stayed with the ship.  In his place, he sent his massive second in command, Terminal, armed with a full starship class pulse cannon.

       The ground team was more then enough to wipe out the rest of the resistance at the port.  Still, it took more than an hour to land, because Hollow Leo insisted that the surrounding area be completely checked before the Galileo lowered again.

       And the whole time, Gretchin was holding on to Plight's leg, crying about how they were all going to die.

       "We'll be fine, Gretchin."  Plight looked around at the other officers on the bridge of the Galileo, some were snickering.  Snickering at their commanding officer could be considered insubordination, but Plight let it slide.  Even Hollow Leo was hiding a smile, the skinny pale son of a lunar.

       "No, mom, they are shooting at us!"

       Mom.  There it was again.  Gretchin had been in the Raising Houses on Earth her whole life not even knowing she had a mother.  Now she had known Plight for a little over a week, and she was already calling her mom.  Plight wanted to be disgusted, but there was this other feeling, something terrifyingly sweet.  What Plight really needed was a drink, but she would have to wait until after the landing.  She wanted to be sober when she met with Captain Kentor Marx.  "We will be fine, go draw or something."

       "Mom!  I don't want to die before my thirteenth birthday!"

       "You are not going to die!  They aren't even shooting at us anymore.  You're hearing us killing them, so everything is okay.  And what birthday did you say?"

       "Thirteen."

       Plight could have sworn this girl was already thirteen.  Twelve, thirteen, anything before twenty was pretty much the same.  "And when is this birthday?"

       "It's in two weeks.  I've told you this like 2.78 trillion times!" said Gretchin, flicking a freckle about her face.  That was apparently the new thing kids were doing these days, roaming freckles.

       She was exaggerating, of course.  There had not been 2.78 trillion seconds since Plight had been stuck with this creature from her womb.  It had been about 777,215 seconds, and that was about 757,203 seconds too long.  "Right, right.  Two weeks, birthday, got it.  Maybe we will go to a dome fight or something."

       "I already told you I wanted to go to Lunarland."

       "Lunarland?  That's been closed for fifty or more years."

       "I know," said Gretchin, her smiling shaking up all of her freckles into a frenzy.  At least her teeth were white, Plight never understood that teeth staining thing.  "That's why I want to go.  Maybe bring a rocket launcher or a pulse dissolver, maybe even get the twins to come with their grenade launchers, and we could-"

       "The twins?" said Plight.  "I hope you are not talking about Life and Death.  You know how I feel about you hanging out with the Bergine Squad members."

       "Oh, now you are mothering me?" said Gretchin, tears swelling in her green eyes.  "You ignore me the whole time, but when I meet some friends, you say I can't hang out with them?"

       "Gretchin, they are trained killers."

       "So are you!"

       "And I wouldn't suggest you hang out with me either.  Now be a good girl and go back to your room and wait there until I come get you, okay?"