C.A. Salt - Episode 12

in #anarchy4 years ago

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Will Zippo and Ara be rescued from the statist thugs that kidnapped them?

Blaze: How many?

Seak: From all the information I’m able to gather off The Mesh, it appears there are two vessels escorting the sailboat, and another four en route to rendezvous within the next hour. Half of the vessels are surface, and the other half sub. There are also eight airborne drones closing in on their position.

Blaze: So I’m waltzing into a small battlefield, basically.

Seak (mildly perplexed): I do not understand what dancing has got to do with the situation.

Blaze: Figure of speech, Seak. Give me some good news.

Seak: The good news is that two ships from the SeAgora are within range and can intercept their route in an hour. There are also four vessels preparing to launch from the Atacama Community, but due to their depth and logistics of launching, they may arrive….

Blaze: Late to the party.

Seak: Again, I do not see what a party has to do with this situation.

Blaze: Send me the real-time data link from The Mesh so I can map this out. What are their tech capabilities like?

Seak: Inferior.

Blaze: That doesn’t mean they can’t hurt me.

Seak: They are all bulletproof and EMP resistant. Two of the ships carry phase-changing hyper torpedoes. Two of the others carry rotating gamma guns.

Blaze: Give me a weakness, Seak. Something I can exploit. How did Ara and Zippo get into this mess in the first place?

Seak: It appears to have been a ruse. They were lured onto the vessel.

Blaze: And their ships didn’t take any defensive action?

Seak: Their ships did not sense any harmful intentions from their situation.

Blaze: And nobody can take control of one of their ships and do the rescue remotely?

Seak: They have been programmed to not allow outside control, even by an A.I. from The Mesh.

Blaze: Well, isn’t that convenient. So who else is going on this rescue mission with me?

Seak: Calypso.

Blaze: I know her.

Seak: And Funny Fish.

Blaze: Funny Fish?

Seak: That’s what he goes by.

Blaze: So who’s gonna get there first?

Seak: It appears that at the current pace, you will. I’ve sent you the quantum encrypted contact information for Funny Fish. You can speak with….

Blaze: Yeah, I’ll call him and Calypso. Just one last thing. Send me all the data you have on those extortion-funded cult ships I’m about to encounter. I’ll find a weakness and coordinate with Calypso and Funny Fish, if that’s a real guy.

Seak: Why would I…

Blaze: That was sarcasm, dude. Anyway, I’m out. Send me updates as needed.

Blaze ends call and has his ship’s A.I. arrange a 3-way call with Calypso and Funny Fish.

Blaze: Calypso, nice to see you again. The last time I saw you….

Calypso: Not the time to bring that up, Blaze.

Blaze (sly grin): Fair enough. Funny Fish, nice to meet you.

Funny Fish: Likewise. Good to see you again, Calypso. Looks like we’re going into this thing outnumbered.

Blaze: We’re outnumbered, but not outgunned. I think we can get through them and to Ara and Zippo if we go in with guns blazing.

Calypso: We could probably do that, but what would the consequences be?

Funny Fish: Possible loss of life.

Calypso: Yeah, and if that’s not bad enough, and I’m thinking long term here….if we lay waste to some of their machines, they could spin it on us in the corporate media, say that we were the aggressors.

Blaze: Most people on land don’t even know we exist.

Calypso: Exactly, and we don’t want those statist thugs to have the opportunity to make us look bad in their mind-control media.

Funny Fish: So what’s your plan?

Calypso: We need to go in stealthy. I don’t know how, but we need a distraction.

Blaze: Welll...(glances at holo-map of their approach to the statist pirate ships) You’d better hurry, cuz we don’t have much time.

20 minutes later, at the command base in the Andes Mountains, Colonel Waif and his extortion-funded order-following crew continue to monitor the situation.

Colonel Waif: Still no ships in pursuit of the sailing vessel?

Female Order-follower: Not that we can see, sir.

Lieutenant Torcer: Sir, may I remind you that, based on historical encounters, we may not know they’re there until they pass within 500 meters line-of-sight of one of our ships.

Colonel Waif: Don’t insult me Torcer. Of course I remember that.

Torcer: Yes, sir.

Colonel Waif: Torcer, make sure that we have our interrogation facilities on land on high alert once they make landfall. I want the enemy combatants transferred there immediately.

Torcer: Yes, sir.

Female Order-follower (shocked): Sir, I’m picking up multiple bogeys.

Waif: Are you sure?

Female Order-follower: Yes, sir.

Waif: Put it on screen.

Two blinking red ships appear on a holo-map hovering above Waif and his crew.

Waif: They’re closing in fast from the north. Send two of our nearest vessels to cut them off, but leave the escort in tact.

Torcer: Yes, sir.

Female Order-follower: Sir! Two unidentified deep subs have just emerged on our scanners to the northwest of the escort!

Waif: I’ll be damned. How is this happening? Divert two of our subs to meet them head on. It looks like they’re itching for a fight!

Torcer: Yes, sir. Subs diverted.

Another moment passes, then…..

Female Order-follower: Another six vessels have just appeared! Three from the south, and three southwest! All four surface cruisers. We don’t have enough ships in range to meet them, sir.

Waif: Yes, I know, I know. Send as many drones as you can, full speed from our nearest land bases. I don’t care what the drones' capabilities are. Right now I just need numbers! And send a sub from the escort south as well.

Torcer: That will only leave the cruiser to….

Waif: I know that will only leave the cruiser to guard the sailing vessel! Just do it!

Torcer: Yes, sir.

Waif: Maybe I should just have those two killed out there. See what their reaction is then.

Palpable silence.

Moments later, on board the sailing vessel, Zippo and Ara are both still knocked out. Haze is pacing back and forth.

Haze: Sending half our escort away! What are they thinking?

Dark Suit: Are you questioning your superiors?

Haze: When they make a dangerous situation more dangerous, yeah, I question that.

Dark Suit: Noted. And will be reported.

Haze: Oh, spare me. We don’t even work in the same agency. And what about them? I’m starting to wonder if they have the right idea. They’ve sure got the likes of you outwitted, that’s for sure.

Macy: Careful, Haze.

Dark Suit: Do I sense dissention in the ranks?

Macy: Now’s not the time for this!

Thick-neck: What’s that, on the horizon? You see that?

Haze: Well, ready or not, here they come. You packin there, suit?

Dark Suit gives sour nod.

Macy (watching cruiser in front of them, as it accelerates away): Looks like our escort is going to meet them.

Silmultaneously, on Calypso’s ship….

Calypso : Ok boys, keep that cruiser occupied. I’m going under.

Calypso’s ship transforms into a sub and goes underwater, then makes its way to the sailboat and parks underneath it. She sends out two rescue bots that both have a fix on Ara and Zippo. She sends a service bot to drill a hole in the bottom of the sailboat. Within minutes, the sailboat starts sinking.

Dark Suit (panicky, waving gun around): What’s happening?

Haze (bitter): We’re sinking, genius. (looks over side of boat, aims gun at water surface) Someone down there went to work.

Macy: Can you see it?

Haze; Nope. (cocks pistol)

Macy: You’re gonna shoot anyway?!

Haze: What do we have to lose?!

Macy: Those autopiloted ships are gonna have a field day with us if we shoot first! Let them come to us.

Haze: We’re sinking! What part of sinking do you not understand!?

Haze fires multiple rounds into the water.

Calypso: Whoops, somebody’s trigger happy.

Zippo and Ara’s ships surround the sinking sailboat and aim multiple weapons at all the order-followers. They put their hands up, except for Haze, who defiantly raises two pistols at Ara’s ship.

Dark Suit: Are you nuts?!

Haze: Nope. I just wanna go down swinging, that’s all.

Macy sweeps his legs out from under him, then disarms him.

Macy: Fuck that! If we sink, at least we can be rescued.

Zippo and Ara’s ships send out their own rescue bots, and soon retrieve their sleeping bodies from the sinking ship. The rescue bot takes them to their ships, where they are awakened. After refreshing themselves and clearing their heads, they have a holo-conference call with their rescuers.

Zippo: So it looked like they were getting surrounded from all angles? And all of the ships were ghosts? That’s brilliant. How did you do it?

Calypso: We didn’t.

Ara: What do you mean?

Calypso: K did.

Episode 13 coming soon!

Thanks for your time and attention!

Just say "NO" to slavery!

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