Jahní is standing by a view port overlooking the station, but she seems far away from here. "Jahní. Tell me a story, why don't you." She is silent not turning or responding. "Just what were those things that attacked your men?"
She looks down from the window then to me. "I'm sure you have a similar saying in your culture, that you get bad things when you do bad things." I nod still not fully clear what she's getting at. "This place was abandoned after the war due to the cost of repairing it, since we were still freshly from the war." She smiles sadly, as she turns back to contemplate the ancient structure once more leaning her head on the glass.
"How long was it empty?" She sighs fogging up the window with her breath.
"Not so long ago at team of scientists came here and established laboratories, to further many further studies on weapons developments. Many successful projects were lead here, and as a result many modern weaponry came to be." She turns to me again walking up to me putting her arms around my neck. "A great mistake was perpetrated at this place one hundred years ago, and the few who survived told the story of the horror that they made in this place."
I think I know which way this is going, though I decide to let Jahní finish what she started. "It was supposed to help us in future wars, but that was not the result. Instead they created monsters that were uncontrollable, and unbelievably violent." I stand there not sure of what to say. "My father shut it down. Unfortunately the creatures seem to have prospered beyond our imagination.
"So, what's the next step?" I have no opinion on this because it's beyond me, to judge this.
She pulls away putting her hand over her mouth as she habitually does and begins to tug on her lower lip, which makes me smile at her. She looks at me slightly raising her eyebrow. "What is so funny?"
"You." She smiles with a quizzical expression that just makes me laugh. "I love your little idiosyncrasies that define you."
She nods understanding. "You mean like when you unconsciously rub your chin when thinking ."
I rub my chin before I realize I'm doing it, so we all have a habit. "It's a distinct thing that we each have, and I'm not criticizing you."
She smiles. "I know." She looks back out to the station. "I must correct and erase the mistake my people made here. I can't live with this shame."
"Hold on now." I walk up hugging her from behind. "You don't have to do this alone. We are Allies and we can share, in your burdens."
We stay like that for a while contemplating the station. "It will be very dangerous and I don't want to put your people in harms way."
I chuckle at that. "We're already in harms way; look, we can hold the landing bay for you, while your men move in to neutralize those things."
She seems to be considering my proposal, which is good. "You hold the landing bay while we go in, that is a possibility!" She turns facing me. "Your shuttle is smaller than ours, so it would make sense to keep it as a gun ship."
Not exactly what I had in mind, but it's doable I suppose. In any case it's better than sitting here , with our arms crossed. "Alright, then it's a plan. We hold the the bay and keep them from overrunning it."
"However." I look at her, as she's about to drop the other shoe. "No ground forces from your crew."
"Wait Just second here. I never agreed to sit this out in the shuttle." She looks at me wide eyed. "I'm a combat veteran and I won't send troops in staying safely behind, while they bleed."
"You can't go in there!"
"Oh yes I can and I am." She steps back from me anger forming in her face.
"You will not go in there!" She is being forceful trying to assert her royal authority on me. "You are the mission commander and you cannot expose your self to danger this way!"
My my she's really upset. "I know, but me from the past; what would I have done?" She opens her mouth as if to say something; instead she closes it not saying a word. She looks down nodding her head slowly.
She turns back to the view port. "Very well, I understand your point. Though you will not leave the bay." She turns asI look at her eyes, and they tell me that there is no argument on this point. "I do not want to exert any royal authority upon you; least of all in front of the men."
I rub my chin smiling at the habit that I probably will take to my grave. "Done." Her smile is worth following the orders she give, as she comes closer to me putting her arms around my neck. I pull her close to me and I swear that if we can have, just a little bit of time... the door chime of her office sounds.
We both look at each other neither of us wanting to let go, but knowing we must. She steps back slowly with her finger tips lingering on my face... she then steps away regaining the regal composure of hers. "Come in." I put my hands behind my back.
A tall well built Majah-tu officer in his black uniform walks in; hesitating for a second, as the atmosphere in the room is still heavy with our desire for each other. "Forgive me my lady Princess, I did not know that you were with your pledged."
"It is fine Dolvan-ah tú, please come and speak freely." Jahní is still slightly flushed in the face, which is what this guy has noticed.
He clears his throat. "We have a full section ready to mobilize at your command."
She nods. "Excellent. The Captain and I will be joining you this time, so we will need the proper security attachment."
He bows deeply. "Yes my lady Princess, it will be as you command." He turns and leaves her office.
I turn to Jahní with a bit of curiosity at her decision to go. "You have to come as well I see." The corners of her mouth edge up ever so slightly at my inquiry.
She throws her arms around me again kissing me passionately, which I am more than happy to return. She pull back slightly to speak in between kissing me. "This gives us - at least thirty more minutes - before we go down there."
I know that I have a smile from ear to ear at her devious little plan. "Remind me why you chose me again because I feel very incapable, at such deep level of planning."
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Standing in the doorway to the cockpit of shuttle two; I watch as Jahní's shuttle enters the black hole of the entrance to this place. The pilot hits the flood lights lightning up the place, which is dank and dirty. The years have not been kind to this place at all. We touch down and everyone checks their suits and weapons, then I give the thumbs up for the ramp to open.
I have six Marines with me to be part of the landing bay security force; I look out at entrance as shuttle three is hovering about three hundred meters out, as our secondary back up gunship. The bay is large. Jahní brought a full section of troops plus her own security force, so there are three shuttles of hers plus mine with room to fly another one in here.
I make sure the safety of my plas rifle is off, as I move forward with my Marines to Jahní's shuttle. Jahní turns to me putting her hand on my helmet face shield; I smile at her, which she returns to me.
"So, what exactly are we, that is you and I, going to do?"
"We will hold this position open for our troops incase that they have to exit quickly." She seems to be worried at this situation.
"Hey, just take a breath here." I look around at the force she brought; one hundred heavily armed troops. She is not taking any chances this time and she means to hold this place. I turn and have my Marines set up a perimeter around shuttle two, and I see Jahní setting up a command post by her shuttle.
She begins the operation with the wave of her hand, and her men begin to move deeper into the station.
I watch as thirty of her men go. She turns to me and she is slightly biting her lower lip, making her look younger that what she truly is.
I feel a bit of tightness in my own gut, as this enemy is unknown to us as well, but we're here and we will dominate this situation and this enemy.