Page 13 of Subchief Flander

They were headed in on a side of the planet they had never been to. This was an area that had a limited population. No facility was in sight when they landed, so Flander assumed it was underground. Hel went directly to a spot where he saw a metal hatch. It was heavy, with a sunk handle and a keypad for the entry code. Hel knew precisely what she was doing and could even pull up what looked like a heavy hatch. She must have been to these places enough to know precisely how to get in all of them.

This one required going down a ladder. They headed down the ladder one person at a time until they reached the bottom. That was when the robots came along. He was surprised, but the largest robot just dropped into the hole. The Android climbed down cautiously, acting like a human not used to ladders. Thissmall place looked like it had once been outfitted with enough food to last for several months. The occupants had probably waited until all the food was gone before exiting, thinking it would be safe now, not because the gangs had moved in.

He wondered what had happened to those people, but he pushed it out of his mind because he had to concentrate on what was happening. This was a mission, and it needed to be a successful one. Hel had immediately shown Tomsin where the surveillance could be viewed. That was smart. He sat down at the panel and watched. Now, she and the Android went to where the plans and a couple more war toys were. They looked like drones, and that was something he was familiar with. While it took no time to gather the tub of plans and the three drones, the problem was it would all have to be carried up because they were underground, and there was no way to flash from there.

Hel ordered the large robot to exit first, and he jumped up. She then had the Android lift one of the drones, and his arm disconnected and extended upward so that the robot could take it. That was how all three drones were removed, and then the tub was removed last. Flander had to admit that watching the Android remove the items inside was cool. It had made it much easier for all of them, and now, with the robots standing guard, the rest of them went up the ladder. This area was remote enough that no one was around, which made him glad.

Everyone hurried to get on the ship because if you waited long enough in one spot, there would be no telling what might turn up. They were loaded and headed on their way with no issues. Flander knew he wasn't the only one relieved they'd had no trouble. It was a shame they also had no refugees. He glanced at his mate, who was working on the Android, and checked out his arms to be sure everything was as it had been before. She seemed satisfied with it, and she sat down.

They quickly made it to the ship, and everyone headed to their rooms to clean up. The squad met for lunch, but they were all assigned separately. Flander would catch up on his paperwork while Hel would assist Kasey. The other males were spread around the ship with various duties. Ranni said it was to give others time off because everyone worked daily. That was because the emperor tried to make things complicated for the boss. A few refugees could be put to work in domestic positions, such as cooking and cleaning.

The emperor said they couldn’t find enough people willing to work in this part of space. Lander didn't believe him, but if pay was no problem, he was sure they could find some refugees willing to work in those areas. That would relieve the problems in certain areas. Given time, some of them might be trusted enough to work in more critical areas. Ranni had a good record, and the number of injured or dead on his crew had decreased significantly. The last chief in charge of this area had a horrible death and injury rate.

The robots should improve things because they would be led in battle. It couldn't completely erase the risk to warriors, but it would help. Flander was sure the emperor was lying about it like he lied about everything. Ranni was lucky that the days when emperors killed anyone they wanted, including their sons, were long in the past. But that didn't stop the emperor from trying to put his son in as much danger as he could. Being the first son in that family wasn't a good thing. The boss was lucky that he was tough because two of his brothers had already died, and Flander was sure it was because of the situation the emperor had put them in. Why did the idiot think that if he killed all his sons, he would rule forever? Who could say?

Flander went to his office, where he started his paperwork and began to go through it. Ranni had a secretary who did agood deal of his paperwork, but he wouldn't get one of those until he made subchief. Even then, it wouldn't be the wonderful secretary that the boss had; it would be somebody new who needed to be trained.

Chapter 5

Life For Hel

Hel had been called in to help Kasey with her work. She would assist with the drones to see if they were still working. It was too much fun to call work, especially when one of her squad mates would be working in the trash chute or water treatment. Yuck! It was hard to deny she was glad it wasn't her. She could get over it if she felt a little bit guilty about that. She would see the guys at supper. If she kept avoiding that, they would start asking questions. They would bother her until she answered with something. If they didn't believe her, they would just keep pestering her until they came up with what they thought was the truth.

“Let’s try this one out first.” Kasey pointed to one of the drones.

They all looked exactly alike, so once one was tested, they would move it to the other side of the room. It was odd that the same remote worked on all three. She had to put a number on the drone and put it into the remote so it would work. Hel used the remote to start the drone. Once the drone began, she had it lift off and move around the room. Next, she had it fly upside down and then roll around.

"Looks like it is working just fine. We'll wait until it's outside to test the weapons. Let's do the other two," Kasey directed.

“Sounds good.”

Hel tested the other two, and they also worked fine. She'd thought they would because they had been stored in a dry placewhere no one had bothered them. It hadn't made sense that she would be called in here—not yet anyway.

“How are things going with Flander?”

"Flander? Same as usual," Hel observed.

“I thought there was something between the two of you.”

“Why did you think that?”

“He always paid special attention to you. I suspected you were his mate. It’s such a surprise that I misinterpreted that. Flander has always been very protective of you. I'm sure you've noticed because everyone else has. I thought as soon as you turned eighteen, your relationship would change. Maybe I was wrong. It could also be that he's trying to give you a little time since you are so young.” Kasey explained.

“Nothing has changed, and I don't believe it ever will. You have taken on an overly romantic view since you mated.

“Perhaps, but I'm still not sure it isn't true.”

“Maybe you'll have more luck matchmaking, Lane," Hel declared.

“Don't be silly; that never works with boys. They usually move forward quickly as long as the girl is age appropriate.”

“So, you're saying that I have messed this up? Why Are you sure that we would make a good match?”

“It's always seemed obvious to us. I could see how he felt in his eyes and that it hurt him when you flirted like you didn't mean it," Kasey admitted.

“I never saw any sign of that.”

“You're young, and you weren't looking for it. You thought he was hot and wanted to have a little fun. I'm not sure what's changed, and maybe he's not sure either.”

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