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Krystal and Chase: Deep Darkness

Part one: Takedown

Hiigan looked down at Sauria, his eyes looking over the blue and green planet below.  The human was going over what he had learned from the Sev`fel commander that had recently been captured and interrogated.  He glanced down at his hands before turning to face the dove who was standing by with two foxes.  The three of them had been called in for a special briefing.
The red fox's eyes were looking right at him as Hiigan turned to them.  His golden eyes weren't nearly as cold as the human's, but Hiigan knew what Chase was thinking.  Chase had almost been turned over to Sev`fel hands by bounty hunters.  Now, Chase wanted to know why as well as take a few of them down.
The vixen beside him, however, was another story.  Her emerald eyes held a determination as well, but not for the same reason.  Chase wanted answers, but his partner, Krystal, wanted nothing more than to figure out what the enemy was planning by attacking yet another corporation mining colony.  But her main desire was to stop them before the entire colony was wiped out in a bloody slaughter.
Hiigan nodded and pulled up a display of the colony that was under attack, "I am glad you three could join me.  As you know, we are currently setting up defenses to protect a colony that had hit one of the biggest mother loads of xalphidium crystals we have seen in years.  We were able to gather from the prisoner that they plan to strike at Colony 028, AKA Deep Darkness, in order to claim the mine as their own and take the xalphidium for their own uses, which at this time are still unknown."
"So we're going back to playing defense while the Sev`fel rip through another colony?" Chase asked, "Sorry to say Hiigan, but I'm tired of playing defense.  I say we go up against them head on and stop them before we lose any more colonies.  Show them who they're messing with!"
Hiigan shook his head, "No, at least not yet, Ronin-1.  For you three, I have a special assignment that must be completed."
Hiigan moved the display up to show a large carrier.  Chase recognized it easily from its boomerang shaped design.  According to the display, above the colony was a Sev`fel warship.
Hiigan looked at them as he explained, "This is your target.  This warship has been in orbit for two days now and we believe this is where the attack will be coordinated from.  We also believe that it is relaying information to the Sev`fel home world, or at least to a superior command structure.  This is where you three, plus the AI Jennifer, come into play.  We need to know why they require this much xalphidium and what they plan to do with it.  This carrier could be our best and only shot at getting this information before they can strike."
Chase nodded, "So what?  They're not just going to let a corporation vessel get within range to board them.  We'd get blown out of the skies before we even got in range.  Plus they might start their attack before we even get there!"
Krystal nodded in agreement with her partner, staying quiet as she listened to Hiigan and Chase.  While the vixen agreed in defending a colony or even warning it for an evacuation, she knew that a full scale evacuation or an dramatic increase in troops would get the Sev`fel's attention.  And if they drew Sev`fel attention there were only two things that would happen, a retreat by Sev`fel forces before they could get the information the corporation needed, or an early attack, slaughtering everyone in the colony until they surrendered into enslavement.  Either way, the outcome was not something they could allow to happen.
Hiigan looked at Chase, "You assume I do not realize that Ronin-1?"
"Oh I know you know, but I'm just saying it so we're all clear on this." Chase replied.
The dove, which had been standing quietly to the side of the room by the door, finally spoke up, "This is why we will not be attacking the carrier directly.  Instead, we will trick them."
"Trick them?" Krystal asked, clearly confused, "But, how can we fool their sensors into thinking we are one of them?"
Hiigan looked and the dove, nodding for her to continue.
"Simple." She continued, "We hijack on of their transports from one of the located staging outposts we have located near the colony."
Chase shook his head, eyes wide in shock for a second.  Even Krystal had to gasp at the proposal of stealing a Sev`fel craft.
Chase took a second to respond, "Ok two things…first, 'we'?  We all know it's just going to be Krystal and me up there with Jen.  And two, how the hell do we hijack a Sev`fel transport from their outpost without being noticed and shot down?"
Hiigan glanced at Chase, "My associate, Sophia, will be joining you on this mission with a second AI specially designed for this mission and any future mission where boarding a Sev`fel vessel will be required."
The dove nodded and offered her hand to Chase, "It will be a pleasure to fight along side you and Ronin-2."
Chase nodded and shook her hand, Krystal following suite.  Chase did not question her skill, knowing it had to be good if Hiigan was putting her with them on this critical mission.
"Ms. Sofia is a skilled pistoleer, much like you are Ronin." Hiigan stated, "Her close range skills with be invaluable for this mission.  But the most important part is that you are in and out quickly.  We do not have much time before the Sev`fel attack colony 028."
"We'll get suited up and move out ASAP." Chase nodded, "Don't worry, we'll find out what they're really after here."
"I expect you to." Hiigan said, "Dismissed."
*           *          *
Hours later, Chase glanced down at the planet below, wondering if the colonists knew what was going to happen.  So far, the plan was pretty straightforward.  Using an attack on the outpost as a distraction, Chase, Krystal, and Sofia were to hijack one of the troop carriers the Sev`fel used to carry robotic units to the colonies.  But they were under orders not to kill any of the Sev`fel themselves once they were aboard the carrier.  Hiigan had ordered them to send targeting information to another carrier in orbit as well, slowly closing in on the Sev`fel carrier.  The fox could only guess as to why Hiigan ordered that.  But for now, Chase loaded in the standard ammunition for his Stinger 9mm handguns, feeling glad to still have the armor piercing rounds at his side to take down the Sev`fel bots.
The fox glanced to his partner, the vixen strapping down her armor.  Krystal adjusted the chest plating; glad it was light and designed to her specific body build, fitting her form perfectly so it was lightweight and easy to move in.  She looked up, seeing Chase looking her over.  Krystal blushed lightly and turned away, giving him a playful glance over her shoulder.
"Not polite to stare Chase." Krystal giggled playfully as she picked up her rifle from the weapons locker.
Chase chuckled, "Next time, get into armor before we leave and I won't be tempted to."
Krystal looked back over her shoulder with a smile, clipping her recon HUD behind her ear, the device extending around to cover her left eye to display her vital signs and shield level.  As she did, the vixen reached down and picked up a second ammo pouch, strapping it around her hip.  This pouch contained the ammunition for the second part of the mission, stun rounds similar to the rounds she had used during the rescue operation to retrieve Chase.  While they would not kill anyone, they had a strong enough charge to overload and destroy the circuitry of any Sev`fel robotic unit and knock an organic life form out for hours at a time.
"You know that option could be troublesome, Ronin." A voice said through Chase's communication channels, "It would waste valuable time.  It is much more efficient to 'armor up' as you say, during transport."
Chase nodded, "Yeah, I know Jen, I was just teasing my partner."
The AI giggled as a wolf's head appeared on Chase's HUD, "I know Ronin.  Just trying to make conversation."
Krystal nodded and smiled, tossing a pouch to Chase.  The fox caught it and strapped it to his side as he glanced to the dove nearby, which had been sitting quietly next to Krystal.  Unlike Chase and Krystal's armors, Sofia was dressed in a pure black armor, golden lines around each joint, an armor design both Chase and Krystal recognized as special operations armor.  Her recon HUD was already active as she ran a quick check on her armor's systems.  Chase grabbed a Stinger from the weapons locker and handed it to Sofia.
The dove looked up and took it, "Thank you."
Chase nodded, "You've been pretty quiet.  Something on your mind?"
Sofia shook her head, "Nothing important to the mission at hand, Ronin."
Chase nodded and sat back down, loading both his handguns, but Krystal looked at Sofia questioningly.  The vixen's senses were telling her that there was something more to Sofia being on the mission with her and Chase.  What it was, she couldn't tell, but she felt that it had to do something with her and Chase.
As Krystal sat back down, the AI within Chase's armor was running system checks of her own when she detected something she had never encountered, a second AI!  Curiously, it was not attacking the armors systems, simply monitoring minor, useless functions of the armor's interface with her own systems.
"Ronin, I have detected another AI attempting interface with your armor's systems." Jennifer stated, "Shall I run a blockade and attempt back hack?"
Before Chase could reply, Sofia spoke up, "The AI is a new one made specifically for this mission Jennifer.  It is attempting to access communications with your systems in order to allow for faster communications."
"Ah, I shall allow it then." Jennifer replied.
"Wait a second, I don't know if I comfortable with another AI interfacing with my armor systems." Chase stated.
"You will not even realize it is there." Sofia reassured him, "Unlike Jennifer, this is not the type of AI that interfaces outside of its required uses."
Chase nodded, "Fine, but the second it starts to interfere with any of your or my critical systems, I want you to purge it from the armor Jennifer."
"I shall keep that in mind." Jennifer replied, vanishing from his HUD.
Chase sighed and glanced down, the ground under them rushing by at a high speed as the drop ship and three others like it followed close by, each one carrying a team with the objective of taking out the Sev`fel communications with their carrier to give the Ronin team a window to get aboard the carrier.  But Chase hoped that would be enough to keep the Sev`fel off guard enough to fail to notice a shuttle docking with them.
"Outpost in range, prepare for drop off." One of the pilots called back.
Chase nodded and grabbed his second Stinger handgun, holstering it on his hip as the fox held onto the rail overhead.  As he glanced out, the fox watched as one of the other drop ships accelerated, its main guns, two 105mm cannons activating as it took the lead.  Chase knew what was going to happen.
Once the second the drop ship got within visual range of the outpost, it would open fire on their communications building.  The 105mm exploding shells would rip through the tower with easy, destroying everything in their path while their strong shields kept the crafts safe from return fire.  Alerting the base, the drops ships would make hot drops, four other teams moving to distract the enemy while Chase, Krystal, and Sofia would steal a transport.  Once they were away, the teams would call in an orbital barrage from a carrier in orbit, hopefully crippling the Sev`fel's attempt to attack the colony.  In theory, the plan was solid enough for the ground teams, but as for the Ronins, the plan was very freeform.
Chase cocked his pistols as the pilot called out the distance to the outpost.  He was already going over the plan in his head.  If things went off without a hitch, the mission might not take long at all, plus they would walk away with the information they were after.
"So the plan is straight forward." Sofia said, "Attack, steal a shuttle, infiltrate the carrier, and get the information we require before leaving."
"Hardly any of our missions are straight forward." Chase replied, "Be ready to improvise."
Krystal nodded and closed her eyes, trying to relax before hitting the ground.  The vixen had been through many hot drops in the past, but never to hijack an enemy transport in the middle of a fight with the intent to board their carrier.  Krystal wasn't sure how well this mission would go off since the Sev`fel were bound to find out quickly that the transport they were stealing was not manned by one of their own.
Suddenly, one of the pilots shouted back to them, "Hold on, here we go!"
*           *          *
The base had been quiet.  With no orders to attack, the robots were on guard patrol, hovering near the main entrance and covering the airfield in case of an unidentified craft trying to land.  The only Sev`fel in the base were comparing blade sizes and the damage to each other from previous battles.  A few sparred as some others manned the communication tower, waiting for the commander to send their robots in to force the colony to either surrender or perish.
Suddenly, a siren went off!  Blaring horns sounded as three, black drop ships appeared on the horizon, speeding towards the outpost.  Without warning, the drop ships opened fire!  Shells exploded on impact, cutting through the supports of the communication tower as the first ship shot over head, the other two circling back to open fire on the airfield as the tower collapsed in on itself.  Robots were blown apart by the 105mm shells on impact as building walls were destroyed, some of them falling in on themselves from the damage they were taking.  The robots opened fire, trying to shoot down the drop ships, but soon finding themselves under heavy fire as the drop ships strafed the outpost again, blowing a hole in one of the outer walls!
But one of the drop ships broke off, the drop ship landing just outside the destroyed wall as the hatch opened at the back, lowering a ramp as it's gun turrets swiveled back to face the opening.  The guns blazed, opening fire through the hole with a barrage of fifty caliber rounds.  Before it was able to touch the ground, Chase had already leapt out, followed by Krystal and Sofia.  Once they were clear, the drop ship lifted back up, roaring into the distance to turn back to run another attack as the three took cover around the hole.  As soon as they had, the surviving Reapers closest to them opened fire!
"Get some fire on them!" Chase ordered, opening fire from behind the cover.
Sofia took cover beside Chase as Krystal opened fire carefully, her first shots taking down a Reaper, another swiftly taking its place.  Krystal pulled back as a barrage of energy shot through the hole, the sounds of the steel on the other side being pummeled echoing out from it as Chase returned fire when he could, his pistols letting loose a blazing muzzle flash with each shot as his bullets penetrated the robot's bodies, punching holes through them with ease.
"This isn't working!" Chase said as he put his back to the wall again, energy flashing through the hole as the Reapers moved closer, "There's too many!"
Sofia nodded and touched her mike near her ear, "We need another strike on our location.  Authorization code Alpha-six."
"Roger that, command accepted." A voice replied, "Commencing strafing run now, watch your heads."
Within twenty seconds, a drop ship shot over the outpost, 105mm exploding shells raining down from its main guns.  The bots did not stand a chance as the shells ripped through their forces, the impact blowing Reapers away as the shrapnel took out those closest to the hit unit.
"Move before they can regroup!" Chase called, running in, Krystal close to his side.
Sofia took out a few of the remaining units; her twin pistols punching holes through them with armor piercing rounds.  The dove was good, Chase had to give her that.
As they moved towards the airfield, more of the robots tried to attack them.  But each time a robot tried to open fire, one of them took it out, a burst of gunfire ripping through the Reaper's lightly armored body.  Most of the robots had already gone to fight the distraction teams, leaving very few for Chase, Krystal, and Sofia to deal with while they moved towards the airfield.  Luckily for them, the threat level from the distraction teams was much higher than a small group of three.
The remains of destroyed Reapers were strewn everywhere from the strafing fire of the drop ship's main guns, small craters everywhere from the force of the detonating rounds.  The destruction was worse near the main buildings, the communications tower completely destroyed and having collapsed into itself.  Many other building were smoking remains, the debris everywhere from the powerful 105mm shells.  Even Chase was awed by the sheer destruction around them.
"We need to secure a transport." Jennifer said from inside Chase's armor as the reached the airfield, snapping them back to the mission at hand, "I recommend hijacking an operable craft that is small enough for a quick exit if necessary."
"No kidding." Chase replied, "I hate to say to, but we need to do this fast.  Spread out and find a transport that's not damaged.  We hit the airfield hard coming in.  Wasn't part of the plan…but here we are."
Krystal nodded, "Keep in radio contact."
With that, the three split up to find a craft.
*           *          *
Krystal moved quietly and slowly, checking around each craft before she checked to see if it was operable.  Luckily, most of the robots seemed to have been eliminated or were off fighting the other teams.  Her ears picked up the sounds of gunfire in the distance, though not too far from her position.  The other teams were distracting the robots and the majority of the Sev`fel forces on the other side of the base with different objective, to capture and control of the outpost.  With the majority attacking them, the Ronins and Sofia could work almost without detection for now.
As she rounded another destroyed vessel, Krystal switched her rifle to semi-automatic, taking quiet aim as two scorpion like units, now nick-named 'crawlers', examined the wreckage for still usable parts.  The vixen's finger eased onto the trigger, not wanting to draw attention yet.  She knew the shots would be heard, but the bots weren't moving away from her path.  She could have gone back the way she came, but Krystal knew that if she did it was a good chance she would be noticed anyway.  With that in mind, Krystal squeezed the trigger…
*           *          *
A bit away, Chase was trying to hack a door on an intact transport he had found.  But instead of opening, the door shocked him!  The fox let loose a quiet yip of pain and a curse as he shook his hand.
"Careful Ronin." Jennifer said, "I am in here too, after all."
"I know." Chase replied, unholstering his pistols, "Let's try blowing it open."
"I do not recommend that action." Jennifer said quickly, "If you damage the circuits it is possible the door will fail midflight, resulting in a lock out or worse, a sudden and fatal depressurization of the craft.  Plus, it may not open if you shoot the locking mechanism now."
Chase growled and replaced his handguns, hoping the others were having more luck than he was.
Suddenly, twin gunshots rang out!  They were louder than that of a pistol, so Chase knew it was Krystal who had fired.  Quickly, Chase opened a channel between them.
"You ok Ronin-2?" Chase asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Krystal replied, "Just took out two crawlers."
Chase smiled to himself, "Alright, just be careful.  The bots and Sev`fel are already attacking our friends.  We don't want to draw any more attention than necessary right now."
"Roger." Krystal replied before going silent.
Chase smiled and checked another transport.  Luckily, this one was also seemingly in perfect working order.  But the hatch to get in was, once again, locked down tight.  Chase growled and looked for a panel to open it, finally finding a small box near the side of the hatch.  But instead of immediately trying to open the hatch by himself, Chase called Sofia, telling the dove to come to him to help him get the door open.
Soon, the dove walked up, looking over the craft as she nodded, "So, where's the panel?"
Chase nodded to the small device by the hatch, "Right there.  You can crack it right?"
"I can try." Sofia replied, popping the panel open.
As she worked, Chase called Krystal to his position as well.  Before long, Krystal walked over, crouching down as she saw that Chase and Sofia were working on getting a transport's hatch open.  Sofia worked while Chase kept an eyes out for any Sev`fel units.  Krystal took up a position facing the other way, her eyes scanning for any robotic units that strayed too close.
Finally, Sofia pushed the panel back into place, her fist slamming down on it as the hatch opened!  Signaling for them to get in, the dove walked in first, her pistols raised in case anything was active inside.  But as she approached the cockpit, the dove holstered the weapons as Chase sealed the hatch, Krystal looking around for a second.
"My guess is this is a small transport, probably for minor supplies or insertion teams." Sofia said, "With any luck, they won't notice us leave until we're already out of range."
Chase nodded as Sofia took a small chip from her armor, slipping it into a terminal beside the pilot seats.  Within moments, the AI took over, running system diagnostics as Sofia took a seat, taking the controls in hand as Chase and Krystal strapped down.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Krystal said, "This was too easy."
"Don't knock easy." Chase replied, "I like easy.  Easy means we have a much higher chance of survival."
Sofia looked back at the two, "I agree with Ronin-2.  This was too easy.  At the very least there should still have been guards near the airfield after we shot the robots."
"I guess the distraction teams are taking their full attention." Krystal commented, "Hope they're all alright."
Chase patted her shoulder, "Those guys are the best of the best.  They'll be fine, trust me."
Krystal looked up at Chase and nodded, knowing he was right.  The vixen placed her hand on his, a silent gesture of affection as Chase smiled to her before looking to the cockpit.
"We all set to go?" Chase asked.
Sofia looked back at him and nodded, "Yeah, I just need to figure out how to fly this transport.  These controls are very different from the ones I'm used to with corporate transports."
Jennifer popped up on Chase's HUD with a smug look on her face, "So this new AI cannot interface with the terminal controls?"
"Can you?" Chase asked.
Jennifer nodded, "Indeed I can Ronin.  I am an adaptive AI designed to interface with the systems of many races and computer designs.  I do have Sev`fel interface protocols I can use."
Chase relayed what Jennifer had said to Sofia, but the dove shook her head.
"We can't risk losing her to the Sev`fel systems." Sofia explained, "If she gets hacked, they'll get everything she knows about you and your partner, as well as all the missions she has been with you two on."
Chase nodded, her explanation making sense to him.
As the fox strapped himself down, Sofia was finally able to hack the controls of the transport, letting her AI take over as the engines roared to life.  With a slow rise, the transport lifted off the ground; it's landing gear retracting into the body of the transport as it rose up.  Sofia kept an eye on the radar to be sure they were alone in the skies as the transport rotated slowly before lurching forward, speeding up as it gained height.
"So far so good." Sofia thought, "No one is shooting at us."
With that, the dove kept an eye on the controls and readouts.
Krystal, meanwhile, was keeping quiet, letting Sofia work as she thought about the mission.  It had been a while since Krystal had last done a mission to attack an enemy warship with the intent to gather intelligence.  But there was one fear she had for her partner.  Chase had already been captured once and almost turned over to Sev`fel hands.  Krystal would not allow that to happen again.
But as the transport shot skyward, starting to break atmosphere, the vixen had a question about the operation.
"So…how exactly are we going to get aboard the Sev`fel carrier?" Krystal asked, "I mean, it's not like they are expecting a transport from their outpost."
Chase nodded, "Good question.  How will we get in there?"
Sofia shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine Ronin.  My guess is we do a quick, long range hack on their docking controls to override them."
Krystal shook her head, "No, they'd notice that.  We need to do something subtle, not big or noticeable."
Chase stood up after the transport was free of the gravitational pull of the planet.  As he did, the fox checked his weapons, loading in the stun rounds to replace his high velocity, armor piercing rounds.  Chase glanced out the cockpit window, seeing a looming, boomerang shaped vessel in the distance.  The fox glared at it for a minute, then sat back down silently.  They all knew what was aboard it and what it would take to get to the one piece of information they needed.  But the fox wanted something else as well; the reason they had hired bounty hunters to go after a corporation mercenary in the first place.
Sofia guided the transport towards the Sev`fel carrier, keeping an eye on the readout before her.  But as they approached, the team watched as the carrier grew in size the closer they got, Sofia guiding it towards the docking bay.  But as they did, a voice suddenly came from the transport's communications channel.
"Incoming transmission from corporation carrier, call tag Dagger.  Authorization code Alpha-six-niner-delta-bravo-mike-eight-delta." The robotic voice stated in a monotone voice that reminded Krystal of R.O.B. from the Great Fox, "Shall I put it through?"
Sofia nodded, "Accept authorization and open on an encrypted channel.  We don't want the Sev`fel to expect anything."
The AI worked for a second before a new voice came over the team's communication channels in their armors, "Ronins and Epsilon, we have a problem."
"A problem Captain?" Chase asked, clearly not liking the thought of any problems.
"Yes Ronin," Captain Raye replied, "we have detected a major activity spike planet side.  We have also lost contact with several of the security teams in the colony at the same time."
"What are you saying Captain?" Krystal asked, worry entering her voice as the vixen prayed that it was not what she was thinking.
There was a silence for a few seconds, then the captain replied, "I am saying that I believe the Sev`fel have started their attack on Colony 028 'Deep Darkness'."
Krystal looked at Chase, seeing the fox looking down at his guns.  She knew what was going through his mind, the same thoughts going through hers.
Chase looked up, "Get confirmation of an attack and then contact us again.  We need to know if they are attacking or not.  No need to do anything yet if it's a communications issue and not an attack."
"Will do Ronin, I'll keep you posted." Captain Raye replied.
As the captain cut the communication, Krystal looked at chase, knowing he was worried now.  Even though the fox did not seem worried, she knew that, inside, Chase was tearing himself apart over what to do if it was an attack.  Continue the mission, or, if needed, return to defend the colony?
Suddenly, Sofia looked back at them with a startled look, "Ronins, we have a problem.  The Sev`fel carrier is launching drop ships.  They look like they could be carrying about twenty robots each."
"Destination?" Chase asked.
"Unclear, but I would hazard and guess and say the colony." Sofia stated, "And don't think about engaging them in this heap, transports have no weapons, not even a simple pulse cannon."
Chase simply sat quietly for a moment before nodding, "Ok, we're changing plans.   Sofia, join up with their ranks for now, as if we're just another one of them."
The dove nodded and piloted the craft into the ranks of the Sev`fel drop ships.  So far, the enemy did not seem to recognize a difference in their ranks.  Krystal watched out the cockpit window as the other drop ships stayed in formation, seeming not to question the inclusion of a new craft.
"Either these guys are gullible or they know they're as powerless as we are right now." Sofia remarked as they followed the rest of the Sev`fel drop ships, "They don't even seem to realize we're not one of them."
Chase nodded, "Let's keep it that way as long as we can."
Krystal nodded in agreement, hoping that they were wrong about the destination of this Sev`fel strike force.

Description
Krystal and Chase: Deep Darkness

Part one: Takedown

Hiigan looked down at Sauria, his eyes looking over the blue and green planet below.  The human was going over what he had learned from the Sev`fel commander that had recently been captured and interrogated.  He glanced down at his hands before turning to face the dove who was standing by with two foxes.  The three of them had been called in for a special briefing.
The red fox's eyes were looking right at him as Hiigan turned to them.  His golden eyes weren't nearly as cold as the human's, but Hiigan knew what Chase was thinking.  Chase had almost been turned over to Sev`fel hands by bounty hunters.  Now, Chase wanted to know why as well as take a few of them down.
The vixen beside him, however, was another story.  Her emerald eyes held a determination as well, but not for the same reason.  Chase wanted answers, but his partner, Krystal, wanted nothing more than to figure out what the enemy was planning by attacking yet another corporation mining colony.  But her main desire was to stop them before the entire colony was wiped out in a bloody slaughter.
Hiigan nodded and pulled up a display of the colony that was under attack, "I am glad you three could join me.  As you know, we are currently setting up defenses to protect a colony that had hit one of the biggest mother loads of xalphidium crystals we have seen in years.  We were able to gather from the prisoner that they plan to strike at Colony 028, AKA Deep Darkness, in order to claim the mine as their own and take the xalphidium for their own uses, which at this time are still unknown."
"So we're going back to playing defense while the Sev`fel rip through another colony?" Chase asked, "Sorry to say Hiigan, but I'm tired of playing defense.  I say we go up against them head on and stop them before we lose any more colonies.  Show them who they're messing with!"
Hiigan shook his head, "No, at least not yet, Ronin-1.  For you three, I have a special assignment that must be completed."
Hiigan moved the display up to show a large carrier.  Chase recognized it easily from its boomerang shaped design.  According to the display, above the colony was a Sev`fel warship.
Hiigan looked at them as he explained, "This is your target.  This warship has been in orbit for two days now and we believe this is where the attack will be coordinated from.  We also believe that it is relaying information to the Sev`fel home world, or at least to a superior command structure.  This is where you three, plus the AI Jennifer, come into play.  We need to know why they require this much xalphidium and what they plan to do with it.  This carrier could be our best and only shot at getting this information before they can strike."
Chase nodded, "So what?  They're not just going to let a corporation vessel get within range to board them.  We'd get blown out of the skies before we even got in range.  Plus they might start their attack before we even get there!"
Krystal nodded in agreement with her partner, staying quiet as she listened to Hiigan and Chase.  While the vixen agreed in defending a colony or even warning it for an evacuation, she knew that a full scale evacuation or an dramatic increase in troops would get the Sev`fel's attention.  And if they drew Sev`fel attention there were only two things that would happen, a retreat by Sev`fel forces before they could get the information the corporation needed, or an early attack, slaughtering everyone in the colony until they surrendered into enslavement.  Either way, the outcome was not something they could allow to happen.
Hiigan looked at Chase, "You assume I do not realize that Ronin-1?"
"Oh I know you know, but I'm just saying it so we're all clear on this." Chase replied.
The dove, which had been standing quietly to the side of the room by the door, finally spoke up, "This is why we will not be attacking the carrier directly.  Instead, we will trick them."
"Trick them?" Krystal asked, clearly confused, "But, how can we fool their sensors into thinking we are one of them?"
Hiigan looked and the dove, nodding for her to continue.
"Simple." She continued, "We hijack on of their transports from one of the located staging outposts we have located near the colony."
Chase shook his head, eyes wide in shock for a second.  Even Krystal had to gasp at the proposal of stealing a Sev`fel craft.
Chase took a second to respond, "Ok two things…first, 'we'?  We all know it's just going to be Krystal and me up there with Jen.  And two, how the hell do we hijack a Sev`fel transport from their outpost without being noticed and shot down?"
Hiigan glanced at Chase, "My associate, Sophia, will be joining you on this mission with a second AI specially designed for this mission and any future mission where boarding a Sev`fel vessel will be required."
The dove nodded and offered her hand to Chase, "It will be a pleasure to fight along side you and Ronin-2."
Chase nodded and shook her hand, Krystal following suite.  Chase did not question her skill, knowing it had to be good if Hiigan was putting her with them on this critical mission.
"Ms. Sofia is a skilled pistoleer, much like you are Ronin." Hiigan stated, "Her close range skills with be invaluable for this mission.  But the most important part is that you are in and out quickly.  We do not have much time before the Sev`fel attack colony 028."
"We'll get suited up and move out ASAP." Chase nodded, "Don't worry, we'll find out what they're really after here."
"I expect you to." Hiigan said, "Dismissed."
*           *          *
Hours later, Chase glanced down at the planet below, wondering if the colonists knew what was going to happen.  So far, the plan was pretty straightforward.  Using an attack on the outpost as a distraction, Chase, Krystal, and Sofia were to hijack one of the troop carriers the Sev`fel used to carry robotic units to the colonies.  But they were under orders not to kill any of the Sev`fel themselves once they were aboard the carrier.  Hiigan had ordered them to send targeting information to another carrier in orbit as well, slowly closing in on the Sev`fel carrier.  The fox could only guess as to why Hiigan ordered that.  But for now, Chase loaded in the standard ammunition for his Stinger 9mm handguns, feeling glad to still have the armor piercing rounds at his side to take down the Sev`fel bots.
The fox glanced to his partner, the vixen strapping down her armor.  Krystal adjusted the chest plating; glad it was light and designed to her specific body build, fitting her form perfectly so it was lightweight and easy to move in.  She looked up, seeing Chase looking her over.  Krystal blushed lightly and turned away, giving him a playful glance over her shoulder.
"Not polite to stare Chase." Krystal giggled playfully as she picked up her rifle from the weapons locker.
Chase chuckled, "Next time, get into armor before we leave and I won't be tempted to."
Krystal looked back over her shoulder with a smile, clipping her recon HUD behind her ear, the device extending around to cover her left eye to display her vital signs and shield level.  As she did, the vixen reached down and picked up a second ammo pouch, strapping it around her hip.  This pouch contained the ammunition for the second part of the mission, stun rounds similar to the rounds she had used during the rescue operation to retrieve Chase.  While they would not kill anyone, they had a strong enough charge to overload and destroy the circuitry of any Sev`fel robotic unit and knock an organic life form out for hours at a time.
"You know that option could be troublesome, Ronin." A voice said through Chase's communication channels, "It would waste valuable time.  It is much more efficient to 'armor up' as you say, during transport."
Chase nodded, "Yeah, I know Jen, I was just teasing my partner."
The AI giggled as a wolf's head appeared on Chase's HUD, "I know Ronin.  Just trying to make conversation."
Krystal nodded and smiled, tossing a pouch to Chase.  The fox caught it and strapped it to his side as he glanced to the dove nearby, which had been sitting quietly next to Krystal.  Unlike Chase and Krystal's armors, Sofia was dressed in a pure black armor, golden lines around each joint, an armor design both Chase and Krystal recognized as special operations armor.  Her recon HUD was already active as she ran a quick check on her armor's systems.  Chase grabbed a Stinger from the weapons locker and handed it to Sofia.
The dove looked up and took it, "Thank you."
Chase nodded, "You've been pretty quiet.  Something on your mind?"
Sofia shook her head, "Nothing important to the mission at hand, Ronin."
Chase nodded and sat back down, loading both his handguns, but Krystal looked at Sofia questioningly.  The vixen's senses were telling her that there was something more to Sofia being on the mission with her and Chase.  What it was, she couldn't tell, but she felt that it had to do something with her and Chase.
As Krystal sat back down, the AI within Chase's armor was running system checks of her own when she detected something she had never encountered, a second AI!  Curiously, it was not attacking the armors systems, simply monitoring minor, useless functions of the armor's interface with her own systems.
"Ronin, I have detected another AI attempting interface with your armor's systems." Jennifer stated, "Shall I run a blockade and attempt back hack?"
Before Chase could reply, Sofia spoke up, "The AI is a new one made specifically for this mission Jennifer.  It is attempting to access communications with your systems in order to allow for faster communications."
"Ah, I shall allow it then." Jennifer replied.
"Wait a second, I don't know if I comfortable with another AI interfacing with my armor systems." Chase stated.
"You will not even realize it is there." Sofia reassured him, "Unlike Jennifer, this is not the type of AI that interfaces outside of its required uses."
Chase nodded, "Fine, but the second it starts to interfere with any of your or my critical systems, I want you to purge it from the armor Jennifer."
"I shall keep that in mind." Jennifer replied, vanishing from his HUD.
Chase sighed and glanced down, the ground under them rushing by at a high speed as the drop ship and three others like it followed close by, each one carrying a team with the objective of taking out the Sev`fel communications with their carrier to give the Ronin team a window to get aboard the carrier.  But Chase hoped that would be enough to keep the Sev`fel off guard enough to fail to notice a shuttle docking with them.
"Outpost in range, prepare for drop off." One of the pilots called back.
Chase nodded and grabbed his second Stinger handgun, holstering it on his hip as the fox held onto the rail overhead.  As he glanced out, the fox watched as one of the other drop ships accelerated, its main guns, two 105mm cannons activating as it took the lead.  Chase knew what was going to happen.
Once the second the drop ship got within visual range of the outpost, it would open fire on their communications building.  The 105mm exploding shells would rip through the tower with easy, destroying everything in their path while their strong shields kept the crafts safe from return fire.  Alerting the base, the drops ships would make hot drops, four other teams moving to distract the enemy while Chase, Krystal, and Sofia would steal a transport.  Once they were away, the teams would call in an orbital barrage from a carrier in orbit, hopefully crippling the Sev`fel's attempt to attack the colony.  In theory, the plan was solid enough for the ground teams, but as for the Ronins, the plan was very freeform.
Chase cocked his pistols as the pilot called out the distance to the outpost.  He was already going over the plan in his head.  If things went off without a hitch, the mission might not take long at all, plus they would walk away with the information they were after.
"So the plan is straight forward." Sofia said, "Attack, steal a shuttle, infiltrate the carrier, and get the information we require before leaving."
"Hardly any of our missions are straight forward." Chase replied, "Be ready to improvise."
Krystal nodded and closed her eyes, trying to relax before hitting the ground.  The vixen had been through many hot drops in the past, but never to hijack an enemy transport in the middle of a fight with the intent to board their carrier.  Krystal wasn't sure how well this mission would go off since the Sev`fel were bound to find out quickly that the transport they were stealing was not manned by one of their own.
Suddenly, one of the pilots shouted back to them, "Hold on, here we go!"
*           *          *
The base had been quiet.  With no orders to attack, the robots were on guard patrol, hovering near the main entrance and covering the airfield in case of an unidentified craft trying to land.  The only Sev`fel in the base were comparing blade sizes and the damage to each other from previous battles.  A few sparred as some others manned the communication tower, waiting for the commander to send their robots in to force the colony to either surrender or perish.
Suddenly, a siren went off!  Blaring horns sounded as three, black drop ships appeared on the horizon, speeding towards the outpost.  Without warning, the drop ships opened fire!  Shells exploded on impact, cutting through the supports of the communication tower as the first ship shot over head, the other two circling back to open fire on the airfield as the tower collapsed in on itself.  Robots were blown apart by the 105mm shells on impact as building walls were destroyed, some of them falling in on themselves from the damage they were taking.  The robots opened fire, trying to shoot down the drop ships, but soon finding themselves under heavy fire as the drop ships strafed the outpost again, blowing a hole in one of the outer walls!
But one of the drop ships broke off, the drop ship landing just outside the destroyed wall as the hatch opened at the back, lowering a ramp as it's gun turrets swiveled back to face the opening.  The guns blazed, opening fire through the hole with a barrage of fifty caliber rounds.  Before it was able to touch the ground, Chase had already leapt out, followed by Krystal and Sofia.  Once they were clear, the drop ship lifted back up, roaring into the distance to turn back to run another attack as the three took cover around the hole.  As soon as they had, the surviving Reapers closest to them opened fire!
"Get some fire on them!" Chase ordered, opening fire from behind the cover.
Sofia took cover beside Chase as Krystal opened fire carefully, her first shots taking down a Reaper, another swiftly taking its place.  Krystal pulled back as a barrage of energy shot through the hole, the sounds of the steel on the other side being pummeled echoing out from it as Chase returned fire when he could, his pistols letting loose a blazing muzzle flash with each shot as his bullets penetrated the robot's bodies, punching holes through them with ease.
"This isn't working!" Chase said as he put his back to the wall again, energy flashing through the hole as the Reapers moved closer, "There's too many!"
Sofia nodded and touched her mike near her ear, "We need another strike on our location.  Authorization code Alpha-six."
"Roger that, command accepted." A voice replied, "Commencing strafing run now, watch your heads."
Within twenty seconds, a drop ship shot over the outpost, 105mm exploding shells raining down from its main guns.  The bots did not stand a chance as the shells ripped through their forces, the impact blowing Reapers away as the shrapnel took out those closest to the hit unit.
"Move before they can regroup!" Chase called, running in, Krystal close to his side.
Sofia took out a few of the remaining units; her twin pistols punching holes through them with armor piercing rounds.  The dove was good, Chase had to give her that.
As they moved towards the airfield, more of the robots tried to attack them.  But each time a robot tried to open fire, one of them took it out, a burst of gunfire ripping through the Reaper's lightly armored body.  Most of the robots had already gone to fight the distraction teams, leaving very few for Chase, Krystal, and Sofia to deal with while they moved towards the airfield.  Luckily for them, the threat level from the distraction teams was much higher than a small group of three.
The remains of destroyed Reapers were strewn everywhere from the strafing fire of the drop ship's main guns, small craters everywhere from the force of the detonating rounds.  The destruction was worse near the main buildings, the communications tower completely destroyed and having collapsed into itself.  Many other building were smoking remains, the debris everywhere from the powerful 105mm shells.  Even Chase was awed by the sheer destruction around them.
"We need to secure a transport." Jennifer said from inside Chase's armor as the reached the airfield, snapping them back to the mission at hand, "I recommend hijacking an operable craft that is small enough for a quick exit if necessary."
"No kidding." Chase replied, "I hate to say to, but we need to do this fast.  Spread out and find a transport that's not damaged.  We hit the airfield hard coming in.  Wasn't part of the plan…but here we are."
Krystal nodded, "Keep in radio contact."
With that, the three split up to find a craft.
*           *          *
Krystal moved quietly and slowly, checking around each craft before she checked to see if it was operable.  Luckily, most of the robots seemed to have been eliminated or were off fighting the other teams.  Her ears picked up the sounds of gunfire in the distance, though not too far from her position.  The other teams were distracting the robots and the majority of the Sev`fel forces on the other side of the base with different objective, to capture and control of the outpost.  With the majority attacking them, the Ronins and Sofia could work almost without detection for now.
As she rounded another destroyed vessel, Krystal switched her rifle to semi-automatic, taking quiet aim as two scorpion like units, now nick-named 'crawlers', examined the wreckage for still usable parts.  The vixen's finger eased onto the trigger, not wanting to draw attention yet.  She knew the shots would be heard, but the bots weren't moving away from her path.  She could have gone back the way she came, but Krystal knew that if she did it was a good chance she would be noticed anyway.  With that in mind, Krystal squeezed the trigger…
*           *          *
A bit away, Chase was trying to hack a door on an intact transport he had found.  But instead of opening, the door shocked him!  The fox let loose a quiet yip of pain and a curse as he shook his hand.
"Careful Ronin." Jennifer said, "I am in here too, after all."
"I know." Chase replied, unholstering his pistols, "Let's try blowing it open."
"I do not recommend that action." Jennifer said quickly, "If you damage the circuits it is possible the door will fail midflight, resulting in a lock out or worse, a sudden and fatal depressurization of the craft.  Plus, it may not open if you shoot the locking mechanism now."
Chase growled and replaced his handguns, hoping the others were having more luck than he was.
Suddenly, twin gunshots rang out!  They were louder than that of a pistol, so Chase knew it was Krystal who had fired.  Quickly, Chase opened a channel between them.
"You ok Ronin-2?" Chase asked.
"Yeah, I'm alright." Krystal replied, "Just took out two crawlers."
Chase smiled to himself, "Alright, just be careful.  The bots and Sev`fel are already attacking our friends.  We don't want to draw any more attention than necessary right now."
"Roger." Krystal replied before going silent.
Chase smiled and checked another transport.  Luckily, this one was also seemingly in perfect working order.  But the hatch to get in was, once again, locked down tight.  Chase growled and looked for a panel to open it, finally finding a small box near the side of the hatch.  But instead of immediately trying to open the hatch by himself, Chase called Sofia, telling the dove to come to him to help him get the door open.
Soon, the dove walked up, looking over the craft as she nodded, "So, where's the panel?"
Chase nodded to the small device by the hatch, "Right there.  You can crack it right?"
"I can try." Sofia replied, popping the panel open.
As she worked, Chase called Krystal to his position as well.  Before long, Krystal walked over, crouching down as she saw that Chase and Sofia were working on getting a transport's hatch open.  Sofia worked while Chase kept an eyes out for any Sev`fel units.  Krystal took up a position facing the other way, her eyes scanning for any robotic units that strayed too close.
Finally, Sofia pushed the panel back into place, her fist slamming down on it as the hatch opened!  Signaling for them to get in, the dove walked in first, her pistols raised in case anything was active inside.  But as she approached the cockpit, the dove holstered the weapons as Chase sealed the hatch, Krystal looking around for a second.
"My guess is this is a small transport, probably for minor supplies or insertion teams." Sofia said, "With any luck, they won't notice us leave until we're already out of range."
Chase nodded as Sofia took a small chip from her armor, slipping it into a terminal beside the pilot seats.  Within moments, the AI took over, running system diagnostics as Sofia took a seat, taking the controls in hand as Chase and Krystal strapped down.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Krystal said, "This was too easy."
"Don't knock easy." Chase replied, "I like easy.  Easy means we have a much higher chance of survival."
Sofia looked back at the two, "I agree with Ronin-2.  This was too easy.  At the very least there should still have been guards near the airfield after we shot the robots."
"I guess the distraction teams are taking their full attention." Krystal commented, "Hope they're all alright."
Chase patted her shoulder, "Those guys are the best of the best.  They'll be fine, trust me."
Krystal looked up at Chase and nodded, knowing he was right.  The vixen placed her hand on his, a silent gesture of affection as Chase smiled to her before looking to the cockpit.
"We all set to go?" Chase asked.
Sofia looked back at him and nodded, "Yeah, I just need to figure out how to fly this transport.  These controls are very different from the ones I'm used to with corporate transports."
Jennifer popped up on Chase's HUD with a smug look on her face, "So this new AI cannot interface with the terminal controls?"
"Can you?" Chase asked.
Jennifer nodded, "Indeed I can Ronin.  I am an adaptive AI designed to interface with the systems of many races and computer designs.  I do have Sev`fel interface protocols I can use."
Chase relayed what Jennifer had said to Sofia, but the dove shook her head.
"We can't risk losing her to the Sev`fel systems." Sofia explained, "If she gets hacked, they'll get everything she knows about you and your partner, as well as all the missions she has been with you two on."
Chase nodded, her explanation making sense to him.
As the fox strapped himself down, Sofia was finally able to hack the controls of the transport, letting her AI take over as the engines roared to life.  With a slow rise, the transport lifted off the ground; it's landing gear retracting into the body of the transport as it rose up.  Sofia kept an eye on the radar to be sure they were alone in the skies as the transport rotated slowly before lurching forward, speeding up as it gained height.
"So far so good." Sofia thought, "No one is shooting at us."
With that, the dove kept an eye on the controls and readouts.
Krystal, meanwhile, was keeping quiet, letting Sofia work as she thought about the mission.  It had been a while since Krystal had last done a mission to attack an enemy warship with the intent to gather intelligence.  But there was one fear she had for her partner.  Chase had already been captured once and almost turned over to Sev`fel hands.  Krystal would not allow that to happen again.
But as the transport shot skyward, starting to break atmosphere, the vixen had a question about the operation.
"So…how exactly are we going to get aboard the Sev`fel carrier?" Krystal asked, "I mean, it's not like they are expecting a transport from their outpost."
Chase nodded, "Good question.  How will we get in there?"
Sofia shrugged, "Your guess is as good as mine Ronin.  My guess is we do a quick, long range hack on their docking controls to override them."
Krystal shook her head, "No, they'd notice that.  We need to do something subtle, not big or noticeable."
Chase stood up after the transport was free of the gravitational pull of the planet.  As he did, the fox checked his weapons, loading in the stun rounds to replace his high velocity, armor piercing rounds.  Chase glanced out the cockpit window, seeing a looming, boomerang shaped vessel in the distance.  The fox glared at it for a minute, then sat back down silently.  They all knew what was aboard it and what it would take to get to the one piece of information they needed.  But the fox wanted something else as well; the reason they had hired bounty hunters to go after a corporation mercenary in the first place.
Sofia guided the transport towards the Sev`fel carrier, keeping an eye on the readout before her.  But as they approached, the team watched as the carrier grew in size the closer they got, Sofia guiding it towards the docking bay.  But as they did, a voice suddenly came from the transport's communications channel.
"Incoming transmission from corporation carrier, call tag Dagger.  Authorization code Alpha-six-niner-delta-bravo-mike-eight-delta." The robotic voice stated in a monotone voice that reminded Krystal of R.O.B. from the Great Fox, "Shall I put it through?"
Sofia nodded, "Accept authorization and open on an encrypted channel.  We don't want the Sev`fel to expect anything."
The AI worked for a second before a new voice came over the team's communication channels in their armors, "Ronins and Epsilon, we have a problem."
"A problem Captain?" Chase asked, clearly not liking the thought of any problems.
"Yes Ronin," Captain Raye replied, "we have detected a major activity spike planet side.  We have also lost contact with several of the security teams in the colony at the same time."
"What are you saying Captain?" Krystal asked, worry entering her voice as the vixen prayed that it was not what she was thinking.
There was a silence for a few seconds, then the captain replied, "I am saying that I believe the Sev`fel have started their attack on Colony 028 'Deep Darkness'."
Krystal looked at Chase, seeing the fox looking down at his guns.  She knew what was going through his mind, the same thoughts going through hers.
Chase looked up, "Get confirmation of an attack and then contact us again.  We need to know if they are attacking or not.  No need to do anything yet if it's a communications issue and not an attack."
"Will do Ronin, I'll keep you posted." Captain Raye replied.
As the captain cut the communication, Krystal looked at chase, knowing he was worried now.  Even though the fox did not seem worried, she knew that, inside, Chase was tearing himself apart over what to do if it was an attack.  Continue the mission, or, if needed, return to defend the colony?
Suddenly, Sofia looked back at them with a startled look, "Ronins, we have a problem.  The Sev`fel carrier is launching drop ships.  They look like they could be carrying about twenty robots each."
"Destination?" Chase asked.
"Unclear, but I would hazard and guess and say the colony." Sofia stated, "And don't think about engaging them in this heap, transports have no weapons, not even a simple pulse cannon."
Chase simply sat quietly for a moment before nodding, "Ok, we're changing plans.   Sofia, join up with their ranks for now, as if we're just another one of them."
The dove nodded and piloted the craft into the ranks of the Sev`fel drop ships.  So far, the enemy did not seem to recognize a difference in their ranks.  Krystal watched out the cockpit window as the other drop ships stayed in formation, seeming not to question the inclusion of a new craft.
"Either these guys are gullible or they know they're as powerless as we are right now." Sofia remarked as they followed the rest of the Sev`fel drop ships, "They don't even seem to realize we're not one of them."
Chase nodded, "Let's keep it that way as long as we can."
Krystal nodded in agreement, hoping that they were wrong about the destination of this Sev`fel strike force.