The Glass Weaver | A Novel #Wattys2018 #Wattys2019

Chapter 16

It had been a few days since the discussion about Perlaes and more information was coming in than before. Had Arolos heard our cries in the heavens and decided she should help us? There was no such thing as luck as the gods and goddesses had everything planned out from the beginning to the end of time. Did that mean they knew this was happening and that they were not worried about the outcome because they knew it?

"Nevada, today would be the perfect day to attack. Over the transmissions, it seems like they have taken damage due to the recent storm and there are fewer troops there as well." Lacey spoke from around the corner.

"This could be our chance. You should start suiting up. Who else should go with you?" I replied.

"I don't know. I want to say you, but Corrig is also a good choice."

"Corrig should go in. I'll see what I can do with gravity to hide you guys even more. Parker will stay here and be our exit vehicle. The recent upgrades should help it tolerate the seawater, correct?"

"If that is what Parker said, then I believe him. Are you sure you can handle creating a distraction?" Lacey asked, peeking her head into the main cabin. She was wearing the refurbished diving suit which left no spot uncovered. Well, besides her head. There was a helmet for that, which we had to fabricate along with the air tanks.

"Of course. Maybe I'll get lucky and it will be the perfect distraction." I replied, motioning her out.

Exiting the ship, I saw Corrig down by the ocean with Parker. One look at him and he came over. Once he reached hearing distance, I spoke, "Today is the day, Corrig. You and Lacey will infiltrate the base through a broken hull. I will be causing a distraction somewhere near the front. Parker will man the ship which should survive the ocean salts."

"Are you sure about this, Nevada?" Corrig asked.

"This is the perfect opportunity to take down one of their bases. Of course I am sure about this." I replied.

"Alright. When are we heading out?"

"As soon as possible. Whenever you guys are ready, I suppose."

"I will get dressed now. You should probably get Parker on the ship before he gets mesmerized by another piece of trash that the Ender and his people threw away." Corrig spoke as he headed toward the ship.

Sighing, I made my way down the small coastline, I motioned Parker to me. Repeating what I had said to Corrig, he nodded and ran toward the ship. I'm glad he didn't seem concerned about me being a distraction for them. Taking one last look at the skyline, I knew that, like with everything, there was a chance that we wouldn't make it back. But if the gods had anything to do with it, they will let me survive this and save the planet later on down the line.

Stepping onto the ship, I took the captain's helm. Parker sat in the seat next to me and with a nod from the two of them, we took off. Parker eased the ship into the ocean, listening for anything seizing or falling off. When he was done checking, we were already 10 feet into the ocean. 

I took control of the helm and plugged in the coordinates to Perlaes. It was only 10 nautical miles away from the small island we were hiding on. There was a thick sense of dread and anxiety that you could practically cut it with a knife. I knew that this had to go well. If it didn't, people would continue to die and we would be hung above the deadly sea.

"Nevada, can you be honest about this?" Corrig asked, breaking the tension.

"Sure, what's up?" I replied, keeping my eyes on the ocean in front of me.

"How do you think this will go?"

"I think that with the opportunity before us, it will go well. They will not be expecting this. Even the transmissions we have received confirmation that because of the damage they had to remove people, mainly troops. It means we can get weapons, supplies, and a library of information stored on their drives." I replied honestly. I truly did feel great about how this was going to go.

"Okay. I wanted to make sure you really felt good about this." Corrig replied, settling back into his seat.

Parker sighed, "I want to believe so as well. With the information we have, there is always going to be information we are missing. We just don't have the people to collect everything. Once we free our people...I believe that we can start truly making a difference. We need to end The Ender's reign of terror over our people, even if it kills us."

I nodded, "I agree. We must lay down our lives even if it means saving the planet. We need to give it our all because no one else will do it to save our people. Not even our families wanted to come back, but here we are, a band of misfits, working to save the world."

In the murky yet clear water, I saw lights of a large building come into view. I knew immediately that we made it to Perlaes. Our mission was about to begin. 

Happy New Year everyone!