The Yellow Rover had penetrated the exosphere of the unknown planet. The interior lights of the mission control had enhanced to compensate for the extra darkness that still surrounded the ship.
The atmospheric pressure rattled the mission control as Delly held steady on the reins—having disengaged the autopilot. She increased the throttle. The lower exosphere was almost as dark as its upper portion. They were still ahead of the system’s star for whatever constituted as day on this alien world.
Delly looked back to see Kalayjian sitting in the captain’s perch behind her.
“He’s been gone a long time, Sam.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
He clapped his hands, motioning for her to focus on the task at hand. She shook her head. He was so flippant that it sickened her. Roko still hadn’t checked in. It was difficult not to fear the worst. Still, this was no time for hurt feelings. She had to land the Yellow Rover first. Then she would have to worry about how they would deal with Ono.
⧖
Ono draped Roko’s shotgun over her shoulder. She grabbed his right arm and dragged his empty shell to the exit. The door slid open as she continued dragging the body back into the corridor. The cabin simulator awaited them.
“Roko. Roko, can you hear me? Roko!”
She stopped and glanced down at the body. Roko’s telecommunicator was still active.
“Roko. Answer me soldier. That’s an order.”
She crouched and propped the body to a seated position. She reached for his left wrist and tapped the communication.
“Is this Sam?”
She grinned.
“Tess.” Kalayjian responded, followed by a brief pause. “I don’t know what’s gotten into you, but I’m putting you down. Do you hear me? I’m putting you down, Tess.”
She exhaled and shook her head. This had become quite the enjoyable experience. Her consciousness needed to be satiated. The AccuHomi demanded it.
“I don’t know, Sammy.” She chuckled. “I think I’ve heard that one before.”
She released Roko’s limp wrist and stood up. She turned her attention back to the cabin simulator and approached it. She waved her hand over the control panel and disappeared from the corridor.
⧖
Kalayjian shook his head back and forth. His exchanged with Ono could only mean one thing. Roko was dead too. And now she was coming for him and Moore. He climbed down from the captain’s perch.
“What are we gonna do? This isn’t exactly an ideal spot for a battle.” Moore remarked.
“Just see if you can find somewhere safe for us to land. I’ll handle Tess.”
He pulled his sidearm off of his hip and moved back to the command post. He looked around. He was a bit frantic. There wasn’t a shred of doubt in his mind that she was going to do anything she could to get through that door. He leaned against the bulkhead facing the door. He was ready to shoot to kill.
⧖
Ono passed the simulation chairs on her way to the control panel. She waved her hand over it, but nothing happened. She double-tapped it. A security measure had been activated to keep her from entering.
She summoned Sarker’s consciousness once more. She made two attempts to decode the lock, however, neither one proved successful. She sighed.
Fine. No problem.
She removed the shotgun from her shoulder and took a step backwards. She cocked the weapon and pointed it at the control panel. She blasted it, destroying the mechanism. A few seconds later, the entrance to the mission control slid open.
She stepped forward to see that the command post was between her and Kalayjian.
“Traitor.”
He fired several fusion shots from his sidearm as she ducked back into the cabin simulator.
“Well, well, well. If it isn’t my faves. I’ve been waiting for this.”
Ono cocked the shotgun again. She noticed that Moore was piloting the ship. Her back to the action.
“Delly, get down!”
She entered the mission control and fired a single shot in Moore’s direction. The fusion shell exploded the pilot seat headrest. Kalayjian began shooting at her as she moved sideways to avoid his attack. She cocked the shotgun and aimed for him. He jumped out of the way as the bulkhead was hit instead.
Suddenly, the Yellow Rover plunged lower. Ono fell into the command post and lost her grip on the shotgun. Before she was able to get her bearings, Kalayjian tackled her to the floor and began punching her with both of his gloved fists.
Blood began spewing from her nose and lips as he was pummeling her face. Although his mauling was relentless, she still wasn’t feeling any actual pain. His punches might as well have been considered love taps.
She waited for Moore to level off the Yellow Rover. As things stood, the more they dove, the worst the atmospheric pressure would hinder her movements—especially without her helmet. She looked up at Kalayjian and smirked.
“Seriously, is that all you got? Cause Roko hit a lot harder than this.”
Kalayjian paused as her eyes met his. He reared his right hand back to punch her again, however, his hesitance was all she needed. She reached for his collar and yanked him down to the floor. His helmet bounced off of it and stunned him. She kicked him off and sprang back to her feet. She stomped on one of his hands as he screamed.
“Hold that thought. I’ll be back.”
Ono turned her attention to Moore. Getting control of the Yellow Rover would put an end to all of this madness.