Galactic High

Jack felt much more at ease making the return trip to their entry point than when they left. Though part of that may have been the sense of reassurance he felt knowing that this area was less patrolled, he did also recognise that his nerves naturally calmed themselves over time. The anticipation was no longer a problem now that they were actually doing this. He wasn’t complacent by any means, but he felt much more confident that he and his friends could do this. Everyone had their part to play, and he wasn’t about to chicken out.

Passing the set of crates they had climbed down on, they gave an acknowledging wave to Alora on the wall, who they could just about see behind the ramparts as the Eladrie did the same with them, before they continued moving, sticking to the wall where they could.

“Alright, the building is just ahead of you,” Alora confirmed. “Just on the other side of those crates, are you okay getting through or do you need to go around?”

“I think we’ve got a gap,” Jack confirmed, pointing to the edge of the wall where the curve allowed for them to squeeze through in single file, with the human leading.

It’s a bit of a tight fit, Chiyo grumbled as she gratefully took Jack’s hand, helping her shuffle out on the other side.

“That’s what he said!” Sephy mischievously chucked back. “Anyway, we’re here. Totally looks like a maintenance shed. Still better check it out though.”

“At least it’s not exposed.” Jack shrugged. “Doesn’t look like it has a lock either from what I can see.”

“I’ll check it out,” Nika whispered, sneaking up to softly lean against the door, before slowly turning the handle and carefully pushing with her shoulder, making sure the door didn’t creak. Almost immediately she was hit with an oily stench as she confirmed that this was indeed just a storage room for maintenance and cleaning supplies. Looking around, the Kizun saw several lockers and shelving units that contained various spare extension cords, cables and various crappy-looking tools for basic repairs, but noted a set of stepladders and scaffolding components leaning against one of the walls that might come in handy. Thinking for a moment, she quickly grabbed a good handful of spare batteries from one of the boxes and a pair of welding goggles in good nick, pulling them around her neck like a necklace so they wouldn’t get in the way.

“Ladders and stuff if we need them,” she whispered to the others when she returned. “We’ll be coming back this way once we have system access, so we can take them if we know we’re gonna need them.”

Very well, we’d better move to the next building, Chiyo prompted them. Alora said there was possibly activity there.

“In that case we’ll need to see how bad it is and sneak past somehow.” Sephy shrugged. “Alora doesn’t have an angle, so it’ll be preferable to know what’s there without exposing ourselves.”

“Guys, you’ve got a patrol making the rounds,” Alora suddenly spoke up over comms. “Can you hide?”

“Back to the gap,” Jack told them. “We can wait there until they pass.”

They quickly scrambled back to where they came, not making any noise as they could just faintly hear voices approaching. Alora had given them plenty of time to hide, so the two guards were none the wiser as they passed by.

“Poor sods in the breakroom look exhausted,” one of them noted to the other. “We’re all being worked to the fucking bone, it’s only a matter of time before Fotonato marches up and threatens them to get back to work, that asshole sure loves to be energetic whenever she’s not busy jerking off in her office.”

“Well, it is crunch time,” the other one pointed out. “We’ve gotta get everything sorted here before Corvin Enterprises decides to show up.”

“There’s no way I’m sticking around for that.” The first one shuddered. “I’ll do what I can to provide for my folks, but I’ve heard too many stories.”

“Well there is a reason why we’re working with Myrodin for now.” The second one shrugged as they passed by the group. “Besides, look on the bright side, maybe you and I can get promoted to the Ronin Initiative once things have settled. It’s much better than this shit at least….”

Alright, we’re clear, Chiyo told them as the voices faded away. They have no idea.

“They do raise a good point though,” Nika told them. “We shouldn’t stick around too long, and if this place gets attacked, be prepared to drop everything and run.”

“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen,” Jack whispered back as he helped the others out of their hiding spot. “Alora, are we good to keep going?”

“All good,” she confirmed from her overwatch position. “Had another worker going into the next building while you were hiding, so I’d keep your distance. There’s a good shady spot about a third of the way between the wall and the main building that’d be a good place to cross without being seen. I’ll guide you there.”

“Sounds good. We’ll try to get eyes on that building, maybe there’s a window we can look through,” Nika acknowledged before turning to the others. “Let’s go, stay close.”

“Watch out for the cameras,” Sephy warned as she peeked around a stack of containers to see two on a swivel, high up on a pole. “Alora couldn’t have seen them from her position.”

Can you loop the feed from here? Chiyo asked.

“Too risky to directly interface from here.” The Skritta shook her head. “I’d need to be closer to wherever the current camera nexus is to give myself remote access and make sure I don’t trip any alarms.”

“Can we just time our movements to avoid being seen?” Jack asked. “There are two cameras, what range of vision would they have?”

“That’s actually something I can figure out, gimmie a sec,” Sephy whispered, closing her eyes for a moment before quickly opening them. “Okay, they each have about a third of a circle, which gives us a gap of one-sixth to work with on either side.”

“With the cameras that high up, we just need to move to the pole and time it so we won’t be seen,” Jack reasoned, and gave a sigh of relief when the Skritta nodded.

Perhaps there is a better route we can take? Chiyo asked. If we open one of the containers, we may be able to just walk through.

“That’s a good point,” Nika reasoned. “Though the containers only open from the outside without using tools, and that kind of damage is easily spotted.”

“Then we find a container on this side that we can go through and leave it unlocked,” Jack reasoned. “Then once we go around the other side, we unlock a crate on the other end to make ourselves a shortcut that we can use for the return trip. There aren’t any avenues near here to easily get to the crates with a forklift, so if we need to we can use less-conventional means to get through any containers in between. That gives us a path to the other side, since that damage won’t be spotted until they move the crates.”

That’s a really smart plan! Chiyo nodded at Jack with an almost proud-looking smile.

“Alright, let’s find a good crate to unlock, but don’t take too long,” Nika cautioned. “The less time we spend out in the open like this, the better.”

“I’ll keep a lookout,” Sephy volunteered, and pointed towards the corner of the row of containers they just passed with the magenta coloured emblem of Myrodin Magitechnology. “That one over there is probably a good one, it’s in the shadows and it’s not gonna be moved any time soon!”

“Alright, Jack, could you help me with this?” Nika asked as they both snuck up to the container, while Chiyo doubled back to help keep a lookout.

“You should be clear from what I can see,” Alora whispered over the comm. “I can’t see any incoming patrols, but if I wasn’t able to spot the cameras…”

“It’s all good, you’ve just got a stack in the way. We’ve got this,” Nika whispered back as she and Jack slowly and carefully released the bolts on the red container and peered inside, happy to see that it wasn’t full. And that they could squeeze past. “Alora, if you see where we are, could you try and find us a container on the other side we can use to get through?”

“Already done, there’s a blue one on the other side,” the Eladrie whispered back. “I’ll use my laser pointer to show you once you get there.”

“Thanks!” Nika whispered as she, Jack and Chiyo reconvened with Sephy.

“Alright, nothing around, and I have a pattern,” the Skritta told them. “But it does mean we’re gonna have to sprint to the cameras as quietly as we can, then do the same again and quickly turn to the right before they catch us. Only got a window of a few seconds for each sprint.”

I’ll do my best, Chiyo told them.

“You’ve got this, Chiyo.” Nika grinned. “Sephy, give us a countdown.”

“Alright. 3…2…1…now!”

Keeping as silent as they could, all four of them dashed to the pole with the cameras. It wasn’t a long distance, but all of them nervously waited a moment before Sephy confirmed they were in the clear.

“Now we head over there and quickly turn,” the Skritta warned, pointing to another path out and curved around to the other side of the stacks. “3…2…1…go!”

They dashed again, Jack and Nika in the lead with the Kizun using her tail to make a tight turn, Sephy close behind, while Chiyo was caught by a quick-thinking Jack as she used her power to accelerate quickly around the corner.

Sorry Jack, I didn’t mean to hurt you! Chiyo told the boy, who just grinned and shrugged, unbothered about the slight bruise. Fuck doing that again!

“Well done, I think you’re in the clear,” Alora whispered over comms. “There’s a blue container slightly ahead of you, do you see where I’m pointing?”

“We see it Alora, thanks!” Sephy noted, indicating the small dot of purple light that shone ahead, which quickly turned itself off with the confirmation.

“Alright, let’s get this open and see if we fit,” Jack muttered under his breath as he and Nika made their way to the blue container and undid the bolts, checking the inside that was mostly stuffed with boxes of electronics, but still allowed enough of a gap to squeeze through. “How are we going to get through to the other containers?”

“We’ve got cutting tools to get us started, and Chiyo has something that can help,” Nika told him. “It can take a little while and it’s obvious to anyone that looks, so we can’t do it on the outside, but by the time they find it we’ll be long gone. While it’s usually best to not leave any trace of our presence, that isn’t always feasible. Besides, if they're pulling out of this place they’re not gonna care too much, and that’s if they even get everything out before they have to cut and run.”

“Alright, I guess we can deal with the shortcut on the way back unless things go to shit,” Jack acknowledged, before looking ahead, back towards the wall. “I think that’s our electrical box over there.”

“I’ll take a look,” Sephy nodded as she and Chiyo led the way, with Jack and Nika following closely.

I detect life signs nearby, Chiyo informed them. Only three, I think it’s the building with the lights on.

“Then once we get close we’ll need to work out how to best sneak past.” Nika nodded. “Sephy, got anything for us?”

“Yup!” The Skritta grinned as she closed the electrical panel. “They labelled this stuff well enough that I’ve been able to tune my HUD to their unique electrical signature by cross referencing the voltage to-”

Sephy, Chiyo deadpanned, prompting the Skritta to explain the technobabble.

“I can highlight where the wires are now and can better work out where the important places are, even if the wires can’t be physically seen due to stuff in the way.” Sephy rolled her eyes.

Better. The Ilithii smirked.

“We should be able to hug the wall again and make our way over,” Jack whispered to the others.

“Yep, there looks like a way round right up to the building,” Alora reported on the comm. “Careful not to expose yourself. So far so good.”

“Understood,” Jack acknowledged as he led the way, crouching low and pressing forward, keeping alert for any signs of movement. “I think it’s up ahead, I see some light.”

Be careful! Chiyo warned. Life signs are close by!

“I see it,” Jack whispered back. “Looks like we’re coming up to the building, there’s a window up ahead but it looks kinda dirty, I doubt they’d be able to see us from there.”

“Do you reckon we can sneak past?” Nika asked him.

“Dunno,” Jack whispered back. “It backs up to the wall so we can’t go around, but we could try sneaking around the front if the people inside don’t see us. I can take a look through the window and see what’s up with them?”

“No, leave that to me!” Sephy spoke up, moving towards the front. “I have active camouflage - if I can watch you taking a shower without you noticing, I can get a closer look here!”

“Wait what-” Jack asked, before he saw the playful look on the Skritta’s face, indicating that she was only joking about the peeping.

Probably.

Do it, but still be careful, Chiyo warned. If not we can double back, grab a few of the ladders and climb onto the building provided we stay low and quiet.

“Not a problem.” Sephy snorted in amusement as she activated her camouflage, her purple form shimmering to reflect the dark wall behind her.

Sneaking up to the building, Sephy peered through the grimy window of the shack, which she quickly identified as a dismal staff break room of some kind that spoke of minimal corporate investment for the weary workers within. While it was lit, it was only by a few flickering fluorescent tubes overhead that wouldn’t have felt out of place in a horror film, which only made the single-room building feel even more tired and worn out.

A couple of mismatched tables stood in the centre, scratched and stained from long use, with several hard plastic chairs scattered around the floor, some missing legs. The rest of the room was bare, save for a worn-out kitchenette against the far wall, complete with a battered, broken microwave and a dirty-looking drinks machine that left a permanent puddle on the ground resembling muddy water rather than a refreshing brew. Sephy didn’t want to know what the insides of the loudly-humming fridge looked like…

A handful of employees sat around the gloomy breakroom, acting the very picture of exhaustion. Two reptilian Xarak leaned against a table in muted conversation, looking like they were barely holding on, while another insectoid being sat in a corner fast asleep, their head resting on folded arms. Though their uniforms were different, they all showed signs of smudges and scuffs from a long day at work. Hearing a noise in the distance and peeking around the side of the building, the Skritta moved back as she saw a group approaching, what looked like a tripedal, slender, pale-green-skinned manager with a large nose and a lot of cyberware flanked by two security guards. Not wanting to risk detection from unknown cyberware, Sephy returned to the group and convinced them to give this new group space.

“And just what do you three think you’re doing here?” a shrill voice bellowed, slamming the door open. “Did I give you permission to take a break? Nobody rests until your work is done! Was I not clear?”

“Sorry, Fotonato,” a tired voice groaned with the shuffling of feet. “We’ve been working for hours and we’re exhausted. I can barely move any more!”

“I don’t want to hear excuses!” Fotonato screeched. “You are here to do a job, not laze about all day and collect a payment you have not earned! I should have your wages docked for time theft! Get out there right now, and if you’re lucky I’ll forget about your misconduct and you can keep your jobs!”

The sounds of groans and moans could be heard from within the hut as the guards went in and pulled the workers to their feet.

“Oh?” Fotonato spoke up again, anger evident in their voice. “Don’t forget that your performance evaluations are coming up. If your flesh is weak and you are found lacking, then perhaps cybernetic replacements are in order. As your area manager, I am all too willing to activate that clause in your employment contract if you do not perform to an acceptable standard…”

“That won’t be necessary, Fotonato, we were just about to return to our stations,” another voice added.

“Ensure that you do!” the manager growled, clenching her mechanical fist and causing a mechanical blade to spring out. “If you don’t…”

The three employees hurriedly turned the lights off as they rushed out of the break room, followed closely by the guards and the furious manager in tow. The group remained still for several moments before finally releasing the breaths that they had been holding.

“Wow, what a cunt,” Nika finally spoke up. “Now I really want to ruin her night.”

I’d heard that Shaskasaki likes to force cyber on their employees if they can, though they publicly deny it, Chiyo added.

“Well regardless, it seems like our immediate problem solved itself.” Jack smirked, indicating the lack of lights in the building.

“You’re right, let’s move up.” Sephy nodded as she kept low and snuck around the building, confirming no security cameras and gesturing for them to follow her. “Keep hugging the wall, the next building won’t be far and I can see a lot of electrical activity, hopefully something we can actually use!”

Crouching down and slowly moving around the faded beige building, the group easily passed the entrance and made it to the other side, though Jack briefly stopped and turned around, having spotted something out of the corner of his eye, and quickly getting an idea.

“Jack, what are you doing?” Nika asked. “There won’t be anything of value in there!”

“I know, give me a sec. Trust me,” Jack whispered back as he nipped back, opened the door for a moment and quickly grabbed something before returning. Returning to hug the wall and getting behind another container, the girls all looked curiously at what Jack had taken.

High visibility jackets? Chiyo asked, confused.

“I know what you’re thinking.” Jack grinned. “But these might come in handy if we have to walk around where there’s lots of people and we can’t sneak around. We can hide in plain sight! I used to watch this rooftopping Youtuber who snuck into water parks and climbed tall buildings overnight, and sometimes he’d use a hi-viz to either not get noticed or even bluff his way past the workers.”

“Hmm, I don’t know. We’re too young to be workers and apart from that bitch manager all the workers we’ve seen so far are male, the broaches of disguise might help a little but people will know it’s an illusion if they look hard enough,” Nika replied with scepticism.

“At a distance it could work if it looks like we’re working, some of these guys have their hoods up for warmth too,” Sephy pointed out.

And if we’re challenged up close it might give them enough doubt to not immediately call for help if we tell them we’re temporary hires, Chiyo reasoned. It’s a good call, though it’s risky.

“It’s an option if we need it.” Nika nodded, now convinced. “Especially if the fabricators are in a hot spot and we can’t sneak them out undetected. Take one each, and I take it you grabbed one for Alora too, Jack?”

Jack nodded with a smirk as he handed them out.

“Good. Let’s get a move on,” the Kizun continued, leading them further around the wall. “Don’t forget we only have this opening because things might go to shit at any moment. Doing good so far, let’s keep it up and do this clean.”

“Building up ahead, and it’s drawing power,” Sephy whispered as they squeezed past another shipping container. “Finally! It better have something I can use…”

“Guys, cargo drones incoming,” Alora warned over comms. ”Stay down!”

The night, which until now has been a quiet tapestry of the distant shouts of workers and the occasional growl of machinery, was suddenly drowned out by a low rumble, which soon rose to a roaring cacophony. Looking up, Jack could see the hazy pale glow of pulse engines above them, intertwined with a rhythmic flickering series of LED lights indicating their obvious operational status. Hovering for a brief moment in a line, they slowly moved forward in a uniform fashion towards the entrance of the warehouse complex, and as they moved away from them, Jack could see them begin to shoot out cables, before just as quickly jerking them back, magnetically yanking several cargo containers up with them.

The drones didn’t linger at all, swiftly departing as quickly as they had arrived. Within the space of a few minutes, all cargo drones were loaded up, and with an unseen signal the convoy hovered up and away.

“Holy crap,” Jack whispered, releasing the breath he hadn’t realised he’d been holding. “That’s how we’re getting out?”

I doubt Tagrilla has cargo drones that big, Chiyo cautioned. But yes. We may need to disguise our escape. It wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for third-party services to be contracted to speed things along.

“I’d need to look at the inventory report and see if that’s the case.” Sephy nodded. “But if not, I’ll need to try and make it look like it is, at least enough to not get us blasted out of the sky. It might give us an opportunity to sneak some other loot out of here…”

“Let’s not get too greedy,” Nika warned. “We need to focus on our objective. Chiyo, is there anyone in the building ahead?”

No, The Ilithii confirmed. Any cameras?

“None that I can see,” Jack confirmed as he moved up to the solid, reinforced door that bore the words ‘Authorised Personnel Only’, but groaned slightly as he saw the keypad attached to it.

“Hmm, I should be able to get through that.” Sephy grinned. “Especially when workers have grubby fingers and make it obvious which buttons they’ve been pressing! I just need to work out the code order, one sec…and done!”

“Nice!” Jack grinned as he helped the Skritta with the heavy door, pushing it open just enough to let them all slip through, where they were all immediately hit by an unnatural warmth. Rows of humming electrical equipment created a consistent background noise, while Sephy made a contemplative noise under her breath as she tried to work out what they were working with. A small collection of server units lined the walls, each meticulously labelled with the codes for different sections of the complex, while several battery units were hooked up in the corner to serve as a backup power system.

“Let’s hope we get what we need,” Nika finally spoke up as Sephy slipped into cyberspace to connect with what was there.

With luck, Sephy can snake her way into the local network and we won’t need to go to the security buildings, Chiyo reasoned with cautious optimism.

“Dammit, sorry Chiyo,” Sephy finally sighed as she just as quickly woke back up into ‘meatspace’. “It’s not looking great. I can’t access the camera system from here, I’m gonna need to get to a security terminal for a proximity slice and give myself full security access.”

Can’t you fly a drone there? Chiyo asked, but Sephy emphatically shook her head.

“No way, they’ll pick it up. We need to get an IFF for that, which we’ll need anyway for our escape.”

“I take it that means we’ll need to get closer to the front of the complex to one of the security buildings?” Jack asked, and the others nodded. “How long would it take? Could you do it from the top of the wall?”

“A minute, maybe two,” Sephy sighed. “And no, I need to be pretty close to it.”

“Did you get that, Alora?” Jack asked into the comm.

“I’ve heard. Security stations are at the front, but the good news is that you’re already halfway there. You’ll be more and more exposed the closer you get, there’s workers all over the place stacking the containers from the main building.”

“Then we disguise ourselves as workers with the hi-viz jackets,” Jack reasoned. “Carry some crap somewhere close to where Sephy needs to be and stall long enough for her to do her thing. If we try and stealth it and get spotted then they’ll raise the alarm, but if we hide in plain sight among a bunch of workers that’s less likely to happen.”

“I’ll need to slip into cyberspace to be able to pull this off,” Sephy warned. “As long as you can keep that hidden from prying eyes it’s doable.”

Perhaps a distraction to occupy their attention? Chiyo reasoned. Not something that will raise the alarm, mind. I’ll think of something when we get there.

“Alright, but you and Sephy will need to help carry something, at least until we get into position.” Nika nodded with a determined grin. “Alora, how are we looking, what kind of stuff are the workers up to?”

“Nothing that indicates trouble on the way,” the Eladrie reported. “The workers are mainly packing up a fresh set of cargo containers for transport, maybe you guys can get a pallet of something from the inside and go to the container closest to the security building? There’s also a truck that recently came by to drop off some new stuff which is being unpacked, probably with stuff too valuable to leave behind from local retailers.”

“Why are they packing up fresh containers?” Jack asked. “Couldn’t the cargo drones just start going through the stacks we just came from?”

If I had to guess, there’s probably a lot of loose and fragile stuff in the main building that needs to be packed securely, Chiyo reasoned. It’s likely they’re prioritising the most important stock for retrieval first as a way of cutting their losses if Corvin Enterprises or Commander Cocaine show up.

“Expecting a MegaCorp like Shaskasaki to be logically carrying out instructions through several layers of bureaucracy and managerial layers is way too unrealistic,” Sephy snorted in amusement. “Some pencil pusher hundreds of miles away but somehow still responsible for their operation probably wants it done in a specific way.”

“I guess it makes sense when you put it like that,” Jack reasoned, having remembered the grumblings his father had vocalised about his ‘stupid twat’ superior when he was much younger.

“Alright, let’s get our disguises as good as we can get,” Nika told them. “Alora, we still want to avoid contact as much as we can, but if you can guide us to a pallet of stuff we can get this over and done with.”

“Copy that,” Alora whispered on the comm. “Looks like there’s a new truck coming in, so you should have a good shot once it comes in. I think I can just about see some pallets on the right side of the main building, just inside so you don’t need to hang around.”

“Alright, thanks Alora,” Nika acknowledged as they all checked one another to make sure their disguises were up to snuff.

“Okay, I see a bunch of workers heading towards the truck that’s just pulled in, you’d better go now!” Alora warned.

How are you holding up, Jack? Chiyo asked him as he and Nika stayed in front, following Alora’s subtle guidance with her laser pointer. I know you’re not as used to this as we are, but you seem to have adapted well! So far so good?

“I’m good,” Jack whispered back with a grin, hoping his nervousness wasn’t showing too much to the perceptive Ilithii. “We’ve got this, though I’m looking forward to it being over - we’ve had the hot tub for a week and haven’t had the chance to use it yet!”

“Gotta get the water situation sorted first,” Nika chuckled under her breath. “But I agree!”

“There’s a pallet up ahead,” Sephy whispered as they rounded the corner of container stacks to see the large central building in front of them. They wasted no time, subtly confirming that the coast was clear and walking straight across the asphalt to the nearest open entrance. “In and out, we don’t want to hang around.”

The expanse of the warehouse was staggering, like the beating heart of the whole district’s operation. Rows of overhead lights flooded the space in a bright, uniform white light, though the sheer height of the warehouse did still give the area an almost cavernous feel. Along the many, many aisles were towering metal shelves that stretched from floor to ceiling, and as Jack took a casual glance he could see long, alphanumeric codes along the stacks of pallets and goods, giving no immediate context for what they actually were.

Boxed electronics, good enough, Chiyo pointed at one of the closest pallets, tied up with plastic cables. Now how do we move this?

“We need an…um….thing….” Sephy spoke up, looking around. “I don’t know what you call it, something to put it on.”

“You mean like a pump truck?” Nika asked, surprising the others at knowing what the name of the tool was. “What?” The Kizun shrugged, pointing to one of the wheeled devices propped up against one of the shelves which Jack quickly went for. “Grew up on a ranch, remember? I had to do this shit from time to time when traders came by.”

Do you know how it works then? Chiyo asked, as Jack wheeled the device over, and slid the four forks of the device through special holes on the end of the pallet.

“You’re meant to do something that lifts the forks up, right?” Jack asked.

“Yep, push that button there and pump the handle up and down.” Nika nodded, as Jack did so, lifting the heavy pallet off the ground. “See, nothing to it!”

“It’s not too hard to move, but we might be able to sell it better if we pretend it’s heavy and needs 4 people to move,” Jack told them, and everyone nodded in agreement.

“Alright Alora, we’re coming out again,” Sephy whispered into the comm as they quietly and carefully pulled the pallet out of the warehouse building and down the sloped asphalt. They could see a few workers flitting about, but most of them were focused on the truck parked far to the left of them. Even at this distance they could hear the screeching of Fotonato barking orders to her workers.

“Okay, there’s some guards on duty, but there’s a green container ahead that should be close enough to the security station for Sephy to start her slice,” Alora told them. “Some workers walking around, but they hopefully won’t pay any attention to you.”

“I see the container you mean, Alora,” Jack whispered back as, internally, he cringed at the noises the pump truck was making as it clattered along the floor. “Let’s do this.”

The moment we get those container doors open, Sephy, get in there and do your thing, we’re counting on you!

“I know, Chiyo. You don’t need to tell me.” Sephy rolled her eyes under her hood. “I’ll do as much as I can in the meantime, try to give me some warning if you need to bring me out so I don’t get dumpshock!”

“Will do,” Jack whispered as they approached the container, before both he and Nika quickly undid the bolts and quickly opened the doors, allowing them to obscure their presence from wandering gazes.

“Oh good, I’m in range and there’s room.” Sephy grinned as she scooted past the two of them to sit on a box. “Shame they don’t build these for comfort!”

“Just close your eyes and think of the hot tub!” Nika grinned.

“Slicing now!” Sephy nodded before her body went limp.

Alright, let’s look busy, Chiyo ‘muttered’. Lifesigns all around us.

Jack slipped a knife out of his pocket and began to cut at a few of the plastic bindings, taking a few of the boxes out one by one and handing them to Nika, who slowly stacked them in gaps between the larger crates.

“Guys, watch out!” Alora suddenly called over comms, but it was too late.

“Hey! Who’s back there? What are you doing there?” someone yelled, and immediately Jack, Nika and Chiyo snapped around in attention. “Fotonato wants whoever’s free at the truck!”

“Crap...” Nika whispered to her two conscious friends, thumbing the gun at her hip. “Get ready…”

“Fotonato just told us to prep this one,” Jack spoke up, putting on a gruffer tone to try and bluff the security guard. “Wants us to hurry up and stuff it to the brim, you know how they’re like…” He crossed his fingers as they waited in silence.

“Hah, yeah I hear you bro.” The guard chucked, though Jack could tell they were getting closer. “Don’t worry though, we haven’t received word of Corvin Enterprises making a move yet, and there’s talk of a new line of Ronin being deployed, so hopefully we should be fine.”

“That’s good,” Jack grunted in response, willing the guy to go away. “Still don’t wanna piss off the boss though.”

“Too right!” The guard chucked again as they walked up to the open hatch, revealing a squat brown-skinned biped with a bulbous nose and bald head. “Wait, what the f-”

Chiyo wasted no time as she used her telekinetic power to yank the guard forward before Jack brutally clotheslined him, pinning him to the ground to stop him from yelling out while Nika slapped a stimpatch on their thick neck, which quickly knocked them out.

“Well it was bound to happen eventually,” Nika joked, before looking serious. “That was good Jack. Well done.”

“Will he be alright?” Jack asked, knowing that the man had done nothing wrong. “What do we do now?”

We can stuff him in here, not that we have much choice, Chiyo told him. Since stimpatches are normally used by medical practitioners he’ll be safe enough until he wakes up, by which point we’ll be long gone from here, or he’ll be discovered by Shaskasaki workers wherever this is headed.

“Guys, are you okay?” Alora asked over the comm in a panic. “I’m sorry I didn’t spot him before he heard you!”

“It’s all good…” Nika began, before a loud crackling noise suddenly spat out, as all at once, the group realised that someone was trying to call the guard!

“Hey, Zharch? What’s going on? You jerking off again or something?”

Without thinking, Jack lunged for the device. “All good,” he replied, trying his best to mimic the voice of the guard. “I must have accidentally poked the button with my boner! I’m going on patrol for a while!”

All they got as a reply was raucous laughter on the other end before they hung up.

Nice save! Chiyo exclaimed, as Sephy groaned awake.

“Holy shit, what did I miss?” the Skritta asked, confused as she spotted the limp guard. “I’ve got my backdoor to their security network and I’ve piggybacked into their main system.”

“Then we head back to Alora, ASAP,” Nika ordered. “Right after we clear this up. Jack and Sephy, hide our sleeping friend while Chiyo and I speed this up.”