CJ turned around and poked him in the back with her finger. “Just you wait, big guy. I’ll get you on your knees.”
Domik stiffened, but CJ had already whirled away to slide back into the seat at her station, where she donned her headset. T’arq lifted an eyebrow at Domik, who ignored him, turning back to his station.
“Ready?” he asked Krystal, who nodded jerkily.
The Xakul stronghold loomed in front of them, T’arq slowing the shuttle as they neared. They had approached out of the immediate sight of the hangar bay that Krystal and T’arq had seen the first time. Zac hadn’t wanted to take any chances with being seen, and T’arq was happy to oblige him.
“Almost at the first location,” T’arq said.
Working seamlessly, Domik loaded the explosive charges and, when the ship was in place, guided them remotely into place on the outside of the Xakul base.
“How do they work?” Krystal asked.
“Domik’s the weapons specialist.” CJ nodded toward the big Taurean, who turned at his name.
“The charge is on a timer. When we’re safely out of the way, we’ll detonate them. They stick to any surface with a dynamic bond. It’s pretty simple,” Domik said.
“That has to be the most you’ve said in one go since I’ve met you,” CJ called with a laugh.
T’arq looked up in time to see Domik roll his eyes, the human expression so unexpected that T’arq gaped.
“What?” Domik scowled.
“Nothing.”
They moved as quickly as they could, the pressing need to get done and get out of there settling a grim silence over the bridge. They had just placed the last charge and were moving away when an alarm sounded.
“What’s that?” Laila asked, pointing at the viewscreen where a sinister-looking dark shape was stalking across the outside of the enemy base.
“I don’t know,” Zac said, leaning forward and zooming in to enlarge the view.
A collective gasp was heard as they realized what they were looking at. A blocky shape with four legs moved across the rocky surface of the base as it approached the place where the charge had been laid. It was huge, easily the height of two Taureans. Its exterior was the same dark material that shone with a technicolor riot that flowed across what had to be a cabin to house a Xakul operator. The four legs moved in a strange dance, not forward and backwards, but as if the legs could move any way it desired. It stopped and a robotic arm extended.
“Is that…?” Krystal whispered.
“Some kind of robotic tank? Yeah, looks like it.” T’arq’s mouth pressed into a line as he moved their shuttle further away.
“What’s it doing?” Krystal asked.
“Getting blown up,” Domik replied, as the robotic arm on the Xakul tank pulled at the explosive charge. T’arq didn’t wait for an instruction, but flew the shuttle away from the Xakul base as quickly as he could.
“Shit,” CJ said. “There are more of those things, and they’ve found the charges.”
“How many of the charges?” Zac asked.
“All of them.”
Well, that wasn’t good. It was one thing to do missions like this when it was just him, when he didn’t care about anyone else. But now? He glanced at Krystal, his stomach twisting as he bit his lip.
“Are we far enough away, Domik?” Zac asked.
“We’re still in the blast radius, but…” he tapped on the screen, face scrunched up as he concentrated, “… we’ll take significant damage.”
“Too late,” T’arq muttered as the first of the blasts came, the shock wave making the shuttle shake.
“Everyone strap in! This is going to be rough.” T’arq called as debris rocketed past them, chunks of metal and rock striking the shuttle, each causing him to wince.
“Did all the charges go?” Krystal asked, her hands twisting together as she bit her lip.
