Echo-1 The Whale

43: Back to the Magus

"Oh, you'll be going with us of course. But before we depart on our mission of charity, Hands, why not try to disable all the ship's defenses and open the secondary hatch. Clear the way for us." He stepped over behind me. "Maybe that thing works both ways?"

I took the wand out of my boot and concentrated. I opened the side entrance hatch to the Magus. Then I shut down all the repair droids. Then I focused on the lab and the nursery and on any guard units in the area. Then I turned my attention to the three Vedma fighters watching us from a distance and shut them down as well.

"We're all clear, I also shut down the three remaining fighters and all the repair robots. Look."

I pointed to the repair crews who were all standing still.

"It does work both ways! Want to talk about freeing the Banga now?" Mox was pleased.

Mildabbar didn't like it at all. He clicked and spat gooey slime on the floor. Mox whipped out his stun gun and shot him. He flinched and changed color a couple of times.

"Professor, I'm not going to tolerate that kind of behavior on my ship." He spun his stun gun around his clawed finger and slid it back in its holster.

X jumped out of her seat. "Let's go space cowboy."

Nidi stepped forward. "Before we board, could you patch me through to the fighters."

Blunt shrugged his shoulders. The screen changed to a triple display, there was a single wolf's head in each section. "They can hear and see you."

Nidi and Trag walked to the center of the room. She spoke in the growling wolf language. The wolves on the monitor growled back angrily. Trag then spoke in a deep ferocious tone. The fighter pilots spoke back. They all growled at the same time. It sounded like a pack of wild dogs going crazy. It went on for some time then they stopped.

Nidi looked at us. "They don't trust me completely but say they won't attack for now. They're powering back up their ships."

With a gesture to the Sentinel, Mox instructed him to pack the Professor away. The Sentinel stuffed him back into his chest compartment. I got up and we took the elevator down. Styx retook the co-pilot station and Blunt moved the Brick into position.

In the cargo bay, Mox attached the two acid blasters to the backs of the two rust robo-armor suits. He tossed a rust-blade rifle to Trag.

"I'm guessing you can handle this."

The wolf caught it and nodded in agreement.

Nidi re-assured us, "he is with us, to his death."

I hoped he wouldn't need to go that far. She was getting a serious exposure to her people and she was taken by the sense of honor her species carried with them. I was too. X slid herself near Mox rubbing herself against his side, then she climbed up his body and jumped off his shoulders landing perfectly in her Diamond-a-gogo. Nidi stepped into the sidecar.

Mox turned to Trag and spoke in Varan. "Can you keep up?"

Nidi growled to him. X closed herself inside her gogo and Trag positioned himself on top. Mox and I climbed into the rust suits and we all got into the airlock. This time we were three rusty robots and a diamond cycle covered in werewolves. I worried about Nidi. Nothing could touch the rest of us, as long as we stayed in our vehicles. Hopefully, the Sentinel would look out for her as well as Mox.

The outer hatch open.

"Scan for invisible Vedma."

We all waited.