Page 24 of Subchief Flander

“I would greatly appreciate that. Meanwhile, it is time for us to work out our first mission so that we will get the most result from it.”

“Agreed. I believe that the first thing we should do is knock out the leaders of the world's largest gang. That is the gang that I was involved with, and they go by the name of Blues. No one knows why, but they think it may have had something to do with the original leader. If this is not satisfactory, please tell me what information you prefer.’ JC observed.

Hel knew they had gotten to the point where Flander would take over as he was the squad leader and highest-ranking warrior present. She also knew that Ranni and Kasey were watching from the other side of what appeared to be a wall, but it wasn't. There was no way a project like this would go forward without the big boss ensuring he was well aware of everything happening. It would be crazy not to. She watched Flander’s expression, and he seemed to find what was being said agreeable. He had an earbud to tell him what the big boss was thinking.

“Where do you believe that this gang's leadership congregates?” Flander questioned.

The table was covered with a picture of the map of the planet’s surface laid out flat. JC stepped up to a certain area, put his hand on it, and tapped. “Right here is where their base is. Leadership rarely leaves. That means ten percent of that gang will be here anytime we attack. Most of them will be leaders. If gang number two realizes that part of the Blues have been destroyed, they will immediately attack them, hoping to take out the gang and claim lower-level members. That gang is called Ortegas, and according to most people, that name came from the planet from which the leadership came. This battle should take a large toll on both of these gangs and may even have members defecting in the hopes of becoming refugees.”

It was hard to deny that that sounded like a good plan. A single surgical strike would start a gang war, but what would the other gangs do once this war started?

“What about the others?” Flander asked.

“There are about a dozen gangs and the top two count for a quarter of the people on the planet. I believe the other gangs will stand back and watch, hoping that numbers are reduced enoughthat one of the others can take in survivors. If not, and they were stupid enough to get involved, they would lose large numbers, too. I see no way this can turn out badly, only not as good as we hope for.”

“I have to admit that it sounds like a good plan. Limiting the casualties to confirmed gang members is what we were looking for. We will have to confirm that those present are gang members and determine the best way to take out many of them.” Flander explained.

Now, they would move to the next step: to send down listening devices, which were drones the size of insects. They would look like insects, too. Listening to those in that area, their specialists would determine if the information was accurate. A plan would be set up but not carried out until they confirmed JC’s information. Her squad would be the only ones to know the whole plan from beginning to end. Among the others, this information would be compartmentalized. That way, they would know where the information had come from if the word leaked out. Since they were leading the plan, if they were suspected of leaking information, the odds were good they would all be killed. Majuri justice was harsh and swift when it came to their soldiers leaking information or making mistakes. You learned, or you died.

Even stupidly sharing information could get you killed. Soldiers were taught young to keep secure information to themselves and tell no one, not even their mates. JC would probably never get the whole story about this mission and how it had been carried out. The first thing they needed to do was go to the planet's surface near the area that he had selected and release the tiny drones. No one could tell the difference between them and the local insects. The only way they might be caught is if someone whacked them and then realized therewas a difference between them and something living. Hel wasn't sure that had ever happened because people just didn't look that closely at small things. They didn't realize the danger that something so small could have.

This plan would be initiated in the morning. The rest of the day, they would get off to do whatever they wanted to. A squad was rarely given time off or in the middle of a mission. She would spend time with her mate, and he was the only one on the squad who would not get time off today because he would be working with the big boss and setting things up for tomorrow. Hel went to the apartment she would probably always think of as his and decided to be a slacker for the rest of the day. Everyone should get some time to slack off and relax. This would be her time, and she would pig out on food she ordered from the cafeteria, play games, and look for a good book.

Hel did all those things, and at some point, she drifted off to sleep only to be woken by a gentle hand and a soft kiss.

“What have you been doing?” Flander asked, and she could hear the smile in his voice.

“I think what I was doing was obvious. I ensured that from the time I got done with work, I did nothing of any value to anyone but me.”

“I can see that, and I hope you enjoyed it. A day such as that is good occasionally.”

“My thoughts exactly," Hel agreed.

Her mate seemed more interested in getting her turned on than talking, and she was turned on now, so why not? People always said that sex was what anchored the mate relationship. This was a good time to check it out.

It was morning. Hel knew it would be a busy day. They were implementing the plans that Ranni and Flander had made. They met with the rest of the squad in the cafeteria to eat breakfast to fuel their day. Once that was done, they all headed to the ship where whatever they needed to carry out this next part of the plan would be loaded and ready to go. All Flander had told them was they would go to the surface to pick up a group of refugees. Hel wasn't stupid. She knew the listening devices would be released while the refugees were loaded.

That was exactly what happened. They stopped in an area with limited refugees, so loading was not an issue. However, Hel could hear the buzz of the insects as they flew past her and out the door. There was nothing to say, and Hel would not pay attention to it. At least this part of the plan had gone smoothly as far as she could see. Knowing that it wouldn't be long before they knew the next step. They might not be informed or end up in the middle of it. It was possible that since they would be using a weapon for the next step only, a couple warriors would take that step. She felt that all hell would break loose on the planet below when that step was taken.

They went to the planet to drop the refugees, which took less time than usual. At that point, instead of doing what they usually did, they headed back to the ship. She figured it was because Flander wanted to check on the incoming information. A special team handled that part, but those who supervised the mission could check in and find out what information was sent. Hel fully expected to get off the rest of the day. They began to process the refugees the same way they usually did. Because the numbers were low, she finished well before lunch. Hel let Flander know, and the squad met her at the shuttle.

It was lunch time when they arrived on the ship. Once lunch was done, Flander dismissed the rest of the squad for theday, but his work was not done. She was sure that Ranni and him would work on the mission in whatever capacity they could. It was odd to have time that she didn't know what to do with. Usually, they worked a lot, and the little time left was spent eating or sleeping. Wasting another half day seemed like more than she should have done. Hel went to find Kasey and see what she was doing. Her sister was rarely hard to find because she worked on robotics in the technology lab.

Kasey’s passions encompassed several sciences, but robotics were the priority because of the work the robots would do on the planet below.

Chapter 9

Fight or Flight

Flander selected the weapon that would be used to take out the headquarters for the Blues. This bomb would take out the building and everyone in it with minimal damage outside that area. The building was not in good shape and would have required rebuilding anyway. As far as they could tell, several volatile materials were inside, which they considered innocent. Their mission was on, and it would be completed tomorrow. The rest of his squad would go to the base and work for the day. He and Ranni intended to complete the mission because launching the weapon didn't take many people.

His boss would fly over the target, and he would press the button, and at that point, it would all be over. The location was already programed into the guidance system. All the mini drones had returned and would be dispersed again after the weapon discharged and the dust settled. They needed to know if the Ortegas attacked the remaining Blues. If they did, the Blues would have two choices, fight or flight. There were a few ships on the surface, and leaving was possible for those who could access and fly a ship. That would only be a handful of people.

Flander woke with his mate and his arms, and that made him feel so good. They'd made love all night long, and he should be tired. Instead, he was ready to go. This mission was not the kind that he liked because he would kill hundreds of people, and they wouldn't see it coming. Some said that was better that way, but he had always believed in looking someone in the eyes when he killed them. That way, he knew that they were truly his enemy, and they had a chance to run away. He didn't want to kill women or children, especially not the innocent. Today, hewouldn't be sure who he killed, and it wouldn't matter if all went as planned.

After breakfast with his squad, he gave them their marching orders, and they would head to the base. Once they left, he met Ranni in their meeting room. They would go over the mission again before they left. It didn't take long–just long enough for his squad to be off the ship so they wouldn't know what was going on. They entered the bay and headed to a small, streamlined ship made for no more than four people. Today, it would just be two, and Ranni would be flying.

“It's good to take one of these out occasionally. They changed so much from year to year since these are always the most updated.” Ranni observed.

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