Retribution: Part One

At the moment, the cards were being thrown about the table willy-nilly, the players growing excited as the stakes rose and their movements grew erratic and wild. An orange Kougra leaned back in his metal chair, flicking one ear lazily, a soft smile on his muzzle. The other players watched him intently, the racket of the Kreludor base dying away around them as each pet scrutinized the Kougra, trying to detect a hint of nervousness.

"You know what I love about flying?" he finally said, holding his cards up before him, a soft creasing in his black and orange space suit appearing about the joints of his arm, "It's so free. Ever noticed that - when we scramble and launch everything just seems to fade away. You see the stars above your head and the earth falling away and it's just you - alone in all that vastness, you and your machine and your wingmates like an honor guard."

He lay three cards down and the blue Wocky opposite him broke into a vicious grin, the tip of her furry tail trembling.

"You are SO cheating Danner," she proclaimed and the sleek grin fell from the Kougra's face.

"I haven't even declared what cards I'm laying down!"

"Yeah, but you're still cheating," the Wocky shot back, leaning across the table and flipping them over to reveal an ace, a two, and a jack. "See?"

The table collapsed into hoots of laughter and someone shoved the immense stack at the orange Kougra who was still gazing at the Wocky in astonishment.

"It was easy," she replied with a grin as Danner reluctantly added the cards to his hand, nearly tripling the size, "You only get eloquent when you're trying to cheat. The rest of the time it's 'hey ya'll wassup?' or a grunt or two."

He sputtered for a moment in helpless indignation while his fellow pilots merely laughed and continued on with the game. Reluctantly he sorted through his cards, arranging them into stacks and noting with some glee that at least now he had all four of the six's. This was their official pastime, playing cheat at any free moment until it was time for launch or reporting in for their next mission against Dr. Sloth. Danner had always been fascinated with flight and had taken up a position flying shuttles for the Space Station. He was eventually shoved onto simple freight missions after his tendency for crazy flying created too many complaints on the passenger shuttles. When this current war broke out, Sloth, Kreludor, everything, he quickly enlisted as a fighter pilot alongside his good friend and long-time rival - Nina the blue Wocky.

"So anyone have any speculation about our next mission?" a white Uni finally asked, laying down three cards and quickly naming them as three's.

"Hopefully something easy," Danner replied, "like our last one. Nothing like attacking barely guarded conveys - Sloth sure was stupid with that one. And you're cheating."

The Uni laughed and shoved the pile over in his direction.

"Pick 'em up ace. Apparently your card playing ain't near as hot as your flying."

"See, you gotta learn to read people," Nina admonished, waving her gloved finger in his direction. "Like with flying - you read your opponent and figure out what they're gonna do next. Try and apply that here."

He nodded absently and the turn passed to the pet at his right. The Kougra leaned his elbows on the table, carefully watching the Buzz's face. Nothing. Two cards were pulled from the pile and laid down onto the table. Danner licked his lips and hesitated, trying to decide whether or not to call cheat. Then his eyes flicked to Nina and he saw a twitch at the very tip of her tail. She was going to call it.

"Cheat," she finally declared.

"Pick 'em up!" the Buzz whooped in response and Nina slammed her hand down on the table with a growl of frustration.

"I knew it!" Danner howled. "I knew you were going to call cheat! Thought I'd let someone else take the hit for once."

"Thank you," Nina sniffed in mock indignation. "Thank you very much, slimeball. I'll get you back for that."

"Hoohah! And just who has the most cards here, may I ask? ME!"

"I'm still getting you back."

The game continued on and the cards kept changing hands. It seemed like no one would win until Danner managed to put down all four of a kind twice in a row. That was when the banter stopped and everyone grew very quiet, eyeing the pile of Neopoints that had been stacked up at the start of the game for the winner.

"I think it's just you and me Rya," Danner finally said, noting how many cards the white Uni held compared to his.

"Going down, fuzzball," he replied with a grin.

"I most certainly-"

A shrill alarm stopped his retort. It pierced their ears, snapping every eye wide open and sending them leaping from their chairs in unison, slamming their hands face down upon the table.

"All pilots, scramble," a tin-sounding voice came over the intercom, temporarily interrupting the whine of the siren, "all pilots, scramble."

"That's us!" Rya cried, snatching up his helmet from where it lay on a peg rack, jamming it over his horn and ears.

"Danner! Catch!"

The Kougra caught his own helmet and broke into a sprint, Nina falling at his side and passing him his blaster as he forced the slick black helmet with comm. piece over his ears. He strapped it on, staggering a little at the movement, while Nina outpaced him, already outfitted in her gear.

Their ships were docked in a row, sleek machines of silver metal and blue paint. Cylindrical body swooping out towards the engines in the rear, graceful wings off either side with blasters mounted just underneath. An emblem of a fire-breathing Gallion was painted on his. Nina had done it, along with every other call-sign among the squadron. The prep crew was already there and Danner brushed past the Kacheek that was in charge of his ship, shooting him a quick salute before leaping upon the wing and then hauling himself into the open cockpit, settling amongst the tangle of controls in the leather seat.

"This is Gallion 1, report in."

Danner didn't reply to his captain immediately, just settled himself in the seat and quickly strapped himself in with the harnesses around his waist and over his shoulders. He flicked a couple switches and the ship hummed to life around him, the panels leaping into bright electronic glow that cast patterns upon his face.

"Gallion 3, ready for takeoff," a female voice replied over their common communication channel.

Nina. Always so fast at everything.

The Kougra switched for the cockpit to close it and it leveled down around him, seamlessly merging with the metal of the ship.

"Gallion 8, ready for takeoff," he said into the mouthpiece on his helmet.

One by one, right after the other, each member of the squad checked in. Ten in all, wingmates, depending on each other to stay alive in this mess of a war.

"Bay doors opening. Good luck, Gallions."

The operator of the docking bay signaled the alarm that the doors were opening and the prep crew ran to vacate the area. Danner took a deep breath as the hanger slowly parted, revealing the rocky terrain of Kreludor beyond and the stars. Overhead hung Neopia itself, low and heavy in the sky, reminding them that they were just spinning out here in nothing, a precious balance in the heavens. To his right, the first of the squad broke through the bay and into open space. Then the next fired their engine, and so on until it was his turn for take off. He gripped the controls and shoved the throttle up, the engine roaring in response as the ship took flight, bursting from the bay into open space.

"Form up!"

Danner obeyed, dipping his wing and sending the horizon on a sharp diagonal, gliding to his position within the formation. To his left was Rya, his wingmate. Nina was on the other side of their leader.

"So what's the big shebang about?" someone asked lazily, their voice carrying a faint overtone of metal.

"Just got the orders in," their leader replied, "some of Sloth's fighters were spotted heading in this general direction at 1633 hours. We have their projected course and are to run interception. So let's be sharp everyone - we'll be seeing some action."

Danner took a deep breath and looked over his at-hand displays. To his left, the ship's status. Everything green. Just before him, the cockpit upon which his crosshair and locking system would be displayed as soon as he brought the ship into combat mode. For now, he was content to keep his vision clear while he still could. He hadn't been lying when he had elaborated about the joys of flight earlier.

The comm. at his ear crackled from an incoming private message. His control panel registered it as Gallion 3 - Nina.

"You see the stars above your head," she said and he smiled, "and the earth falling away and it's just you… and your wingmates. Take care Danner, alright? Don't do anything stupid."

"Right. You watch my back and I'll watch yours," he replied, "and we'll both get home safe and sound to finish up that game."

She didn't reply and he fixed his attention back on the sky, taking a deep breath and letting it out again, trying to steady his nerves for what was to come. For on the radar were a collection of blips - countless little green dots. They were going in. He reluctantly switched on the controls for combat and a green crosshair appeared on his screen, another green box centered around it.

"Get ready Gallions. Terrain following until we reach the target. We'll pop up from below 'em."

He pushed the nose of his ship down until they skimmed mere meters from the surface of Kreludor, following the dips and bumps of the terrain like insects. And the green dots grew ever closer. One more hill and they'd be right on them. Even now he could see the flash of blasters, the sickening red glow of fire. This was it. And he firmly gripped the controls, his thumb resting on the trigger for his own blasters. Time to fly.

To be continued...