A Type of Acid, Pt.1: Outta the Blue

When: Just after the bollocks busting atomic explosion of
the Frank Sidebottom's power units going boom.
Where: All over
Who: Davie,
and some others
 
Pt.1: Outta the Blue
 
<Snip>

A few Space Eagles peeled off from the formation and flew off to engage the enemy
to buy the remaining fighters a bit more time. Justin ordered a second fly-by
on the power units. Gomez locked on and steadied his grip. A few more shots
could bring them victory. With the units in sight and closing in fast, Gomez
unleashed electric death in a volley of laser at the two units.
The explosion was almighty – the units fizzled and exploded into space like a
firecracker, albeit a firecracker with all the power and intensity of an atom
bomb. Debris flew out and away from the smoking wreckage that was the underside
of the Frank Sidebottom. True they'd still have to deal with the enemy
fighters, of which there were still plenty, but at least the odds had been leveled.
But nevertheless, Justin and Gomez had pulled through in one piece.
"Well done Justin, sir!" said Gomez, with pride filling his voice
"we have just successfully, how you say, kicked Frank Sidebottom in the
bollocks!"
<End Snip>
 
            "Yeah!!"
Amber spouted as a cheer erupted from the Drive Room staff as the power
generators of the JMC Frank Sidebottom exploded with the power of a small
atomic explosion. Nice one…she
thought to herself, attempting to come up with a plan of what to do next. They
weren't out of the woods yet. "Captain!" shouted the tactical officer, "We've
hacked partway into the Sidebottom's mainframe, and it seems that the JMC
Headquarters has been moved to a secret location."
            Amber
chewed the inside of her lip. "Their also captained by another Castillo copy."
finished the officer. "Continue trying to hack deeper into their mainframe,"
said Amber, "Try to get as much info as you can. See if you can't find out just
where the HQ has been moved to. Tell our fighters to continue targeting enemy
craft and Star Bugs. We need to get that smegging anti wormhole field down!"
           
<Snip>
Brittany
took another sip of her tea and narrowed her eyes in thought
She needed more information before she made any overt moves, and for that she'd
need access to a live Castillo sample
Fortunately, there were plenty to choose from
<End Snip>
            Brittany set down her
cup, deep in thought. She stood and walked towards a wall mounted intercom.
"Captain?" she said calmly into the microphone, "Meet me in the conference
room."
 
            Davie stood, leaning
against a metal work bench in the flight deck, hunched over an open MediKit. He
coated the inside of his cheek with Novocain to numb the pain of the laceration
he caused with his teeth, after which he shoved a wad of gauze and cotton in
his mouth to cover the wound. "Davie
Jones, report to the Drive Room!" came an authorative voice over the ship wide
intercom. Davie
grabbed his helmet, and replaced his shotgun in it's thigh holster just below
his pistol. 
            His lift
stopped outside the Drive Room a few minuets later, and he stepped out to a
hectic scene of Drive Room staff running back and forth, directing guns,
concentrating fire, organizing formations, sending and receiving digital radio
messages. And at the head of it all, Amber stood, spouting orders, and doing a
fairly good job given the burden of command. She looked up and saw Davie, standing in the
entrance with in his exoskeleton, holding the helmet under one arm. "Ah, good! Davie, I have a job for
you."
            "I've just
had a conference with the Queen." she began, " So here it is: the Frank
Sidebottom is captained by another Castillo Clone, and the Queen wants her
captured so that we can figure out what the smeg she-er-they, are, and to do
that we need to capture a live clone, so that we can read her DNA structure.
Frankly I second the idea. We need you…to go and kidnap her."
            "Do I have
any back up?" asked Davie.
"Yes, I'm giving you command of a twelve man squad for this."
            Davie nodded. "She's
going to be heavily guarded, so expect anything from Space Corps Marines to
Scythers. Be as quick as you can. And remember we need her alive. Alfredo Gomez
has given us a schematic of the Sidebottom, so that should be of help."
            She handed
him a data pad with a copy of the schematics on it. "What if we need support
while we're in there?" asked Davie.
"If you need any help, we already have plenty of fighters out there. Should the
need arise, they can help you." Amber looked at her watch. "Your squad is
waiting for you, fully loaded on a pair of Star Bugs in the Flight Deck. Good
luck. See you when you get back."
            Davie nodded, turning to
the doorway. He and amber stepped out of the drive room towards the lift, and
another small explosion reverberated through the walls. When was the last time I actually got paid for being a mercenary?
he wondered idly as the lift sped for the flight deck. As he stepped out on the
landing gantry, he saw two groups of six men, all loaded to the teeth with
Bazookoids, fully automatic rifles, pistols, grenades, and all manner of
weaponry, standing in front of a pair cloaking equipped Star Bugs. At the head
of the second group, was Sergeant Wilson, the man that Davie had sprung from prison during the
recent uprising aboard the Dwarf.
            "Alright! Listen
up!" said Davie,
"We've been tasked with capturing Castillo from the JMC Frank Sidebottom, and
we have to do this quick and quiet. Now here's the radio names: Group one,
which I've been given command of, will be known as `Checkmate King 2' from this
point forward. Group two, led by Sgt. Wilson, will be known as `Checkmate King
3', and the Dwarf will be known as `Checkmate King'. Castillo is now…" Davie trailed off
thinking, "`Eva Braun'." he said with a small smile. "Any questions?" after a
moments silence, Davie
spoke up. "Alright then, move out!"
The twelve men shuffled into their
respective Star Bugs, and the pair of Bugs lifted off and sped out of the
Dwarf, jamming towards the Frank Sidebottom at top speed, which considering they
were Star Bugs, weren't the fastest things moving out there. Davie wished that they could have had a pair
of Space Corps Striker commando craft, but what they had would have to do. Davie replaced his
helmet, and loaded down his combat rigging with grenades and ammunition,
picking up one of the automatic rifles, and racking the bolt. Even with all of
their weapons, this wasn't going to be easy.
            After a few
minuets of invisible flight, the two Star Bugs pulled up along side two of the
closest air locks to the Sidebottom's Drive Room. "Checkmate King 3, dock and
hang back. You're our Ace in the Hole should something go wrong."
            "Roger, but
hurry up with Eva, our Bugs can only stay cloaked for the next twenty-five
minuets, tops before running out of power. Checkmate King 3 out."
            The Star
Bug, rocked gently as it docked against the closed air lock.