Free HAB 12 (Scrapyard Ship) by Mark Wayne McGinnis

to his cause who will help us with a ship. He’s already given me the information, a way to signal them and give them our coordinates on Halimar. After that, they’ll rendezvous with us at the portal.”
    Billy nodded, taking it all in.
    Jason continued, “We’ll use multiple teams. Here’s how they break down: Admiral Reynolds maintains overall Alliance command here at the outpost. We’ll leave him the majority of our SEAL forces. If we fail, it will be up to him and what’s left of our Craing fleet to hold off this approaching Emperor’s Guard … somehow. Next, I’ll be in command of the HAB 12 team. Billy, we’ll need the best of the best—an assault team of no more than twenty. Remember what we’ll be going up against in there … we’ll need a team that will get us there in less than seven days, then get us back out again. Orion and Ricket, you’ll be in charge of equipping our team with the necessary battle suits and any technology that gives us an advantage. Put your heads together; take a look at the terrain and environmental conditions—and don’t forget about the Serapin-Terplins. Again, while our team is making its way through HAB12, The Lilly will be en route through deep space to the Craing settlement. Admiral, we’ll need to transfer Glenn and the two other overloads to The Lilly . Apparently they prefer communal living, so XO, set something up in the upper hold. Let them set up their tents there. Just no open fires. The trip shouldn’t take us more than a few days. From what I understand, they have no defenses, few weapons. A quick and easy trip! A milk run! We’ll keep a few SEALs on board, but a minimal crew.
    “Nan, I’m guessing you and Mollie will want to stay onboard The Lilly. It’s probably still your safest bet. But it’s up to you. We’ll be leaving orbit first thing tomorrow morning. That’s it, people. We have a lot of work to do before then, so let’s get cracking.”

Chapter 7
     
     
    The team was nearly assembled when Jason made his way into the Zoo. His meeting with Gunny Orion ran longer than expected—one he’d originally scheduled for the previous afternoon.
    The assault team assembled in front of the ten-foot-wide portal to HAB 12. Everyone, including Jason, was outfitted with a new custom-designed camouflaged combat suit. Orion and Ricket had been busy most of the previous evening on sub-Deck 4B at the large, building-sized phase-synthesizer unit. They’d designed the new suits with a combination of solid and flex armor made from composite materials derived from various alternate planes of existence.
    “Who are we missing?” Jason asked, as he approached the group. Everyone came to attention, including Billy, a soggy unlit cigar protruding from his lips.
    “A few more stragglers,” Billy humorously replied.
    “As you were,” Jason said. Billy went back to inspecting his team of four SEALs. Petty Officer Rizzo nodded towards Jason and smiled.
    “Good to see you’re on the team, Rizzo. If anyone knows how to fight Serapins, you do.”
    “Yes, sir—looking forward to it.”
    Team members were looking out through the portal window. The baron desert landscape looked uninviting, harsh. A small wind cyclone of dust and small rocks twirled across the sand. Seeing Lieutenant Morgan on the team was no surprise. Not one of Jason’s favorite people, but a competent SEAL just the same. It was the person standing next to him who was a surprise. Dira was laughing at something Morgan had said and responded by punching his shoulder. But then, it made sense she’d be on the team. They’d need a medic. Ricket, wearing his own small customized combat suit, had his back to everyone and was busy typing something into a keypad at the wall—no doubt in the process of trying to jail-break its security protocols. From what Jason understood, habitats had a range of security levels from one to ten. Some, like HAB 4, where Raja the elephant lived, were security level one.