A Dance Of Crowns & Thrones | Book I

Chapter 28 | "I'll Rip Them Out!"

Toni stood next to Matthew, the two of them flanked by holographic images of four other commanders from the academy. They were gathered just outside the docking runways, and with a tablet in hand, they had been marking off locations; and updating their systems with the current count of survivors.

"Seven hundred and fifty, we need to move," Matthew calculated, "Austin, hundred into the Caravegor, Will, two fifty for tonight at the Asteria Grace."

"Understood, Sir," both Austin and Will acknowledged as they moved to carry out their orders. Meanwhile, Matthew continued to bark out commands, his attention still focused on the tablet as he calculated where to place the remaining survivors.

Mal, your task is to transport the three hundred survivors to the Evelin Mark II. Connie, you'll be responsible for moving the remaining two hundred to the Ace VIII," Matthew directed his two subordinates.

"Understood, Sir," they replied in unison.

"Tomorrow, once they've been cleared, they'll be transferred to Ragnarök IV and sent to the Outrigger. Toni will link you all to their media ports and identification onboarding systems. If you have any further questions or concerns, contact him immediately."

The holographic images disappeared as Matthew turned to Toni, who was already looking at him.

"We're four minutes out; Mya informed me that the medical teams are ready to receive the survivors we have here," Toni said.

"Did Diaz provide you with updates on her sites and the survivors she's found?" 

"Her reports were updated forty-three minutes ago. Diaz's teams have transferred two thousand survivors to the Outrigger," Toni reported, emphasizing the recent time frame. "The base confirmed they'll track any potential attacks with their upgraded weapons system eighteen months ago, it means we're good on that front."

"Oh, that bullshit upgrade that cost the foundation two million, do I fucken remember that."  Matthew scoffed as he shook his head in annoyance and refocused his attention on the task at hand. "Sawyer?" he called out, and the bald man appeared before him, acknowledging Toni before making contact with his commander.

"Are we good to go?"

"All heads are accounted for, and the survivors are secured," Sawyer reported. "Extraction teams will handle any remaining bodies and wreckage. Jasmine has prepared the ship, and we're on standby for your command."

"Close the docks," Matthew ordered. "We're ready to leave."

Sawyer vanished, and Matthew and Toni entered the ship as the docking procedures began.

"The kid's improved," Toni remarked, a smirk playing on his lips. Matthew smiled, reminiscing about the time when they first met the seventeen-year-old.

"From the runt we found five years ago, yeah," he chuckled. "I don't have to worry about him crashing the landers anymore."

Toni howled with laughter as they felt the engines come to life. He turned to his best friend and asked, "Speaking of worrying, did you hear Mya and Richie arguing just before?"

Matthew's annoyance peaked at the mention of their argument. He was sure the whole site heard them.

He ran his hand through his hair as the ship lifted into the air, and they began their journey back to Allegiant.

"Whose oversight had them booked with us?"

"DMs from our scheduling. Richie comes with us, and we needed the evac team for the survivors. Considering everything on the moon, I think the red flags were ignored."