Without dampening Charles's enthusiasm, Amir simply nodded in agreement. They discussed the details for a moment longer before activating the Traveler. Amir engaged the headlights and guided the ship down toward the fissure below.
Following Charles's guidance, the Traveler descended for a long time before finally reaching a flat shelf of ice and touching down.
"I'm going!" Charles removed his jacket, checked the blaster pistol at his waistband, adjusted his hat, and stepped out of the airlock.
Amir stood at the entrance, watching him leave while scanning the surroundings.
The Traveler's dimmed running lights could only illuminate the deep blue ice layers immediately around them. Beyond the reach of the artificial light, the world was pitch black, broken only by the occasional faint blue flicker—the glow emitted by a native bioluminescent plant.
"It's so cold." Amir rubbed his hands together and pressed a switch on his wrist guard. A small spider droid immediately detached, jumped to the ground, and skittered after Charles.
Instead of retreating inside immediately, Amir pulled a cable out of the ship's maintenance hatch. He extended it a considerable distance and secured the receiver to the ice wall. It was a temporary measure; the cable would retract automatically once the ship took off.
To avoid signal interference deep underground, Amir had designed a hardwired system to receive signals away from the ship's hull. The data would then be transmitted through the cable directly to Amir's cockpit console.
After finishing these preparations, Amir reboarded the Traveler, sat in the pilot's seat, and waited for the feed.
He put on a headset and began listening to the audio transmitted by the spider droid. He had modified the droid a few days earlier to include this feature, adding about ten extra grams of weight.
But it was all worth it.
The spider droid had caught up with Charles, though it kept its distance to remain unheard. They were sneaking in, after all; silence was crucial.
After a while, the sound of Charles's movement stopped, but other footsteps could be heard in the distance.
Amir didn't react. This was part of the plan they had discussed. If anyone came from outside to deliver new raw materials, Charles would eliminate them and steal their disguise to blend in as internal personnel.
The pirates inside were extremely careless. They were deep underground in complete darkness, and aside from the distant dragon slugs, there were no natural predators to worry about. Moreover, most of the pirate gang's higher-ups were addicted to spice and were likely still hazy from hallucinations.
Replacing one of their men would be difficult to detect.
Thud!
A muffled groan accompanied the sound of a heavy object hitting the ground. Amir knew that Charles had made his move.
The radar screen showed a small dot that had stopped moving—that was the locator Amir had given Charles.
Charles donned the white fur coat and hat worn by the pirate sentry, grabbed the handle of the repulsor crate, and pushed it toward the camp.
Soon, the small dot on the radar breached the camp's perimeter.
"Hey, Mark!" A voice called from the distance.
Charles remained silent.
"Is this the last batch?"
"Yes!" Charles replied briefly.
There was no suspicion. In this freezing underground space, no one wanted to waste breath on small talk. As long as the answers were brief, voice discrepancies would be ignored.
Charles skillfully pushed the raw materials deeper inside. He had claimed he was stationed at this camp before and knew the layout far better than the pirates who had just arrived.
The spider droid followed him automatically, sticking to the shadows.
"Oh, come on, Urawa!" Another voice yelled, instructing Charles to set down the materials.
Charles didn't respond. He ignored the command, and his footsteps slowly came to a halt further in.
At that moment, Amir's scanner mapped the framework of the base carved out of the ice layer.
Charles was in a large chamber containing several square platforms—likely the processing and extraction devices.
Without saying another word, Charles continued walking. The spider droid trailed him, its audio receptors constantly picking up the hum of machinery.
He passed through several ice huts, but he didn't linger. It was as if he couldn't find what he was looking for, which made him anxious and caused him to speed up.
Finally, he stopped in front of the largest room. He stood still for nearly twenty seconds, listening, before quietly stepping inside.
Amir sat up straight, his hand hovering over the throttle, ready to launch at any moment.
Charles had told him that the refined spice was most likely stored in the primary extraction room. If it wasn't there, the chances of finding it in the general warehouse were slim. The only other option was the leader's quarters.
The pirate leader was a heavy addict; he wouldn't be able to resist keeping such high-quality spice close to him. Furthermore, the leader didn't trust his subordinates to guard the camp alone, so he always stayed on-site to watch them.
Amir sensed that Charles knew too much about this specific group. Charles had explained that he hadn't just escaped a random attack; he had been captured, forced into labor, and then managed to flee.
Amir hadn't pressed the matter. He was only there to help and gather intelligence on the region; there was no need to pry into a thief's personal vendettas.
"Ah, ha! Who's there?" A rough voice came through the spider droid's feed, tinged with a drugged satisfaction.
"Nothing, boss. The last batch of raw materials has arrived. Extraction will be complete shortly, and we can prepare to depart," Charles said, keeping his voice hushed and subservient.
"Hahaha! Good boys! This time, William won't let you down. Ah, ha!"
"Yes! You won't!"
"Shh! My good Captain," Charles interrupted, dropping the act as he realized he had been exposed or simply tired of the charade. "You'd better be quiet, or I'll shoot."
"Have you forgotten your failure? Taking something from me won't be easy, Charles, you traitor. You'll pay the price!" William whispered. Though his tone was angry, he dared not speak too loudly. If the men outside heard him being held at gunpoint, the situation would spiral out of control.
The spider droid transmitted the sound of Charles picking up a heavy object.
"It wasn't easy, but at least it worked."
"Do you really think you can leave this planet with just that ship you stole? I destroyed its hyperdrive!" William sneered.
"Don't worry about that. I'll have a new ship soon—a very good one."
Hearing this, Amir smiled coldly in the cockpit.
Two sharp blaster shots rang out.
"Goodbye, William."
In an instant, the camp descended into chaos.
A few seconds later, intense gunfire erupted from the interior.
Amir didn't hesitate. He slammed the throttle forward, activating the Traveler. The ship roared toward the camp, its blinding floodlights turning the pitch-black fissure as bright as day.
As he swooped over the camp, he spotted three parked spacecraft. They were combat craft, but they lacked hyperdrives—short-range fighters.
To prevent pursuit, Amir slightly raised the Traveler's nose and adjusted the targeting computer of the heavy laser cannons. Two beams of red energy lanced out, detonating two of the pirate fighters instantly.
Debris rained down as Amir swung the ship around, landed directly at the exit, and popped the hatch.
To Amir's relief, Charles broke through the blockade. The young man, beard scruffy and eyes wild, raised his right hand and activated a personal shield projector. The energy barrier deflected the blaster bolts whizzing toward him.
"That's how it's done!"
"Take off, Amir!" Charles shouted as he charged through the hatch.
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