Starship Armstrong - Season 1

Part 23 - Alas, Babylon (VI)

The smartgun received new orders, identifying an additional category of valid targets. It's sensors suddenly went wild, detecting a half dozen enemies within range. The smartgun swiveled to the right, just as the enemy smartgun beside it swiveled to the left. They opened fire on one another. The surviving smartgun swiveled around and acquired a new target. Within a few minutes every smartgun on the wall was completely inoperable.

The troopers began to run around like chickens with their heads cut off.

Mitzner climbed the wall first, being the far better athlete. She cut a new hole in the razor wire using a few precise blasts from her plasma pistol, then reached down to help McAfree scramble over. The two came over the side and ran for the cover of an alley. It would be obvious when the troopers came to inspect this section of the wall that someone had made it over.

"We're going to need new clothes if we want to blend in here," said Mitzner.

"Again?" asked McAfree.

"Yes. This is a completely different part of the city, where wealthier people live," said Mitzner.

"I think you're making up all these clothes rules," said McAfree "You just like clothes."

"You're right McAfree," said Mitzner "I decided to take off my Explorer Division uniform, the single most important thing to me in this universe, so I could wear someone else's unwashed threadbare dress. You've seen through my conspiracy."

"Alright, alright," said McAfree "I suppose we'll just steal some shall we?"

"Naturally," said Mitzner.

"I thought you were against robbery," said McAfree.

"It's only robbery," said Mitzner "If you threaten someone. What we're doing is foraging."

* * *

Dr. Kang came marching onto the bridge, Wagner in tow.

"The ship is being held in a tractor beam by a War Sun, McAfree is missing, and you didn't think to inform me?" he all but yelled at the Captain.

"It should have been you, Kang," said Gibson "I want you to know that. If McAfree dies down there, it's your fault and it should have been you."

"Commander," said Dr. Kang "The entire reason we have McAfrees and Wagners is so that they will die instead of me. I'm too valuable to the Huxley Foundation and frankly to all of humankind to risk my life needlessly. So in exchange for the invaluable insight and knowledge these kids get just by being in my presence they agree to take on certain responsibilities such as doing my grunt work and dying for me."

"Dr. Kang," said the Captain "You can be horrible later. If you're not here about your assistant I assume you have something I can use in regards to the War Sun."

"I'm here because I'm part of the command crew and supposed to be kept in the loop," said Dr. Kang "Also only Wagner is my assistant. McAfree is more of a protégé."

"Technically," said Wagner "McAfree is your assistant. I'm a member of the science department who works under you."

"Fine," said Dr. Kang "You're not even my assistant. You're just some vestigial appendage, an evolutionary dead-end who works in my department. You're my appendix. My point is I've put a lot of work into McAfree and if she ever grows the hell up she could become a valuable scientific asset to the Foundation. I hope you are making every effort to locate and retrieve her."

"I thought you said you weren't here about McAfree," said Captain Littlecrow, smiling.

"I'm not," insisted Dr. Kang "I'm here about an unrelated outrage. I only mention McAfree because you keep bringing her into the conversation. McAfree doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things. If necessary I can get a new McAfree. Mars Academy has thousands of them."

"If there's nothing else," said the Captain "You wanted to be informed, you've been informed now. I'll have someone call your department if anything develops. However, as you can imagine, I have more pressing concerns."

"This is why it behooves you to keep in me in the loop, Captain," said Dr. Kang "I'm the greatest mind humanity has ever produced and I've got a lab full of science. Tell me what you need done. Think of me as a magic genie."

"You're aware of the situation, Doctor," said the Captain "What do you propose?"

"I'm certain I could break the tractor beam," said Dr. Kang.

"Then the War Sun would destroy us," said Gibson.

"Very probable," agreed Dr. Kang.

"Aright," said the Captain "We'll call that Plan B."