Lily grimaced as she looked out the front of her ship and into the large HPA Cruiser patrolling the area. A small cluster of asteroids concealed their location from them, but they could go no further. The behemoth vessel now stood in their way blocking their destination, the planet Caldera.

“Well ain’t this a bitch,” said Astor next to her, quite accurately summing up Lily’s feelings.

Roin’s former crewman had revealed the fiery planet as his base of operations. A mostly deserted rock except for the Slimrith tribes that roamed its volcanic surface. Practically no vegetation grew on it, it had no body of water; just lava and hard rock. On top of that, half the surface was uninhabitable by the toxic fumes released from the earth vents.

“I suppose it’s a clever hiding spot,” said Lily dryly. “The only planet in the system with no population or transport. Even the HPA didn’t bother to try and conquer it. It is a useless, hot as balls dump.”

“My best guess is that their ship would be hiding in one of the many cave systems,” commented Leon, as he scanned the planet’s surface from his console.

He typed rapidly on the keyboard with his big fuzzy fingers and pulled a holographic projection of the planet to the center of the bridge. The display was enhanced in the northern hemisphere, where the lava was less pronounced and showed large rivers coursing through the rock continent. Some tiny and barely visible, but some certainly big enough for a whole ship to pass.

“I’m confident they’re here,” said Leon, touching one of the largest veins on the map, which began pulsing as if tracking a signal.

“Since we can’t get closer, I couldn’t get a stronger signal, but it’s still the only electronic signature on the entire planet. We could wait for another cycle for the planet to turn and check the other side, but I’d wager my tail that that’s our target.”

Lily considered her options. She knew they couldn’t fight an entire HPA cruiser, even with a big vessel like the Uju Kanu it was folly. The scanners on their ship would pick them no matter from what angle they approached the planet. And they couldn’t exactly call for help from anyone...unless.

“Leon, do we still have the old commutations code that came with the Uju Kanu?”

“I suppose, but why would you want some old HPA codes for...oh.”

“Oh, indeed, my furry friend,” said Lily, with a devilish smile.

———————

Arkady grimaced as he stared into the fiery surface of Caldera below them. A molten wasteland with nothing to see. And yet here he was, guarding it on the off chance his prey would come to collect her prize from the Marauders.

He didn’t care for them, even if the higher-ups saw fit to give them work. At least Roin and most of his crew were human, unlike the other Four Rulers. Even he thought it was distasteful to be at war with half the aliens in the system while secretly working with some of them.

“Sir, we’re getting a transmission,” reported one of his men on the communication side. “The codes are a bit old but still valid. They want to speak to you.”

Arkady nodded and the main console immediately projected a digital hologram of the caller. A mere soldier, which was odd.

“Yes?” He inquired acidly.

“Hello, um, good evening, sir. I was told to contact you about a ‘Captain Lily’.”

“Captain?” Repeated Arkady with distaste. “Lily Baek is no longer Captain of anything, soldier.”

“Pardon me for saying so, but it sounds like she hurt you, sir.”

“...as a matter of fact, she did. She punched me.”

“What?! No way!”

“Yes! That woman had the nerve to strike a fellow officer! And all because she loved some stupid aliens.”

What a...well, I won’t say it, but you know which word I mean, sir.”

Arkaday laughed.

“You’re all right, soldier. Deliver your message.”

“Well sir, we just got a report from a couple of our men stationed at Montalban that they spotted her ship there earlier today.”

“Montalban huh, what’s she after...very well, thank you for the information. I may name you in my report once we succeed in taking her. What’s your number again?”

But before Arkady could get an answer, the tiny hologram dissipated as the soldier logged off. Pity, he thought, he would have actually shared some tiny piece of his success with the fellow.

“What was that about, Captain?” asked MX, approaching from behind with loud metal footsteps.

“We caught a lucky break, Soldier um, well, I didn't get his number, but he reported to have seen Captain Lily’s ship in Montalban. I’m ordering we head there immediately,” said Arkady.

MX merely looked at him, confused at first, but even through those little green dots that made his digital eyes, Arkady could somehow sense his growing annoyance.

“So, if I understand you correctly,” he began. “This soldier you failed to identify, told you he had orders from someone he didn’t name, to tell you our target was located two planets away?”

“I wouldn’t...put it that way,” replied Arkady, gulping.

XM did what Arkady could only describe as the robotic equivalent of a facepalm, seemingly computing what he just heard before answering. “You are an imbecile. I would normally not be so direct, but I feel like I’ve been placed in charge of an idiot child.

“I beg your pardon!” said Arkady, outraged

“However, in this case, that may prove useful,” continued MX, completely ignoring Arkady’s outrage. “They clearly believed that you believed their laughable attempt at diverting us.”

Arkaday could barely contain his fury. To be denigrated like this by a damn tin can who by all rights should be scrap!

“Yes, we shall let them pass, and close the way out behind them,” said MX, his digital glowing happily again.

———

Lily waited until the cruiser was out of sight entirely before they entered the planet’s atmosphere. The cooling system inside the ship kept them all nice and frosty, but Valdera really was the first to put that to the rest. The temperatures outside could range from anywhere close to. If space hell was real, this could arguably be it.

Lava flowed like open veins on the barren soil, leading to big pools of liquid fire like small red oceans. It would be pretty, in its own way, if it wasn’t also so deadly. Even if one didn’t mind the sizzling heat, the air was toxic and would kill you after a few minutes. And yet, this was where Roin had decided to operate.

“This feels ominous,” said Astor, breaking the tension.

“My feline intuition would agree,” said Leon.

“That’s not a thing,” countered Acro.

“Of course it is,” said Leon. “That’s why they say cats have nine lives. Because we can sense things, especially danger. It makes us live longer.”

“If that’s true, why do you all keep getting run over by vehicles all the time?” they added with a chuckle.

“Ok, you know what-!” said Leon, angrily as his claws came out.

“Guys! Come on, knock it off!” said Astor loudly, coming between them. “How the hell is it that I'm always the rational one on this ship? You realize I’m the only one with a reputation here?”

“Reputation for what? Being a whiny little-” started Acro.

“Oh shut it! All of you,” shouted Lily. A command.

They all obeyed & fell silent, but Lily could tell they were just tense. She took a breather herself and looked at them with a kinder expression.

“Listen, my friends, I know we’re flying blind here. Probably heading into the wolf’s lair outnumbered and outgunned. Very likely to die.”

“Yes, captain, this is very moralizing,” said Astor.

“Let me finish,” she interjected. “True, there may be more of them, but look at us! We got a genius that could pop some claws the size of my fingers!”

“I abhor violence, but this is true,” said Leon.

“And you, Astor! You’re like half a machine!” She continued passionately.

“I mean, it’s only one limb, so more like a fifth machine? Not sure how that gives me any significant tactical advantage-” continued Astor, but Lily would not be deterred.

“And you Acro, you eat brains!”

“Damn right! And I’m not leaving here without consuming at least one!”

“Exactly, my point being, we’re darn cool ourselves,” she said, looking at them like a proud parent.

Astor smiled at her, and all three of them laughed. Suddenly their mission didnt seem so scary. This was not a crew Lily would ever take for granted, and she had to remember her own part in it as their Captain. She sat back down as Leon approached her.

“Part of leading a pack is sometimes making sure they’re all up for the hunt,” whispered Leon to her. “Leadership can be difficult, but it helps if the crew likes who they’re following, and we all like you, Captain. When in doubt, bear that in mind.”

“Aww you big teddy bear you,” she said, reaching out to pet the big tiger in the back, which was something he enjoyed immensely. Rather like a pet kitten, but smarter than anyone she knew.

“I am not a bear, but I’ll take the affection. You’re a fine female to lead us. Long strong legs, the gaze of a predator, no claws, true, but the sword kind of makes up for it.”

“Ok, maybe stop comparing me to what I can only assume is a very lovely lioness person.”

“She was. We dated in Zoobian college. Magnificent,” he added with a soft purr.

A soft beeping echoed through the bridge, signaling they were nearing their destination. Leon pulled up the map, and it marked the entrance to a large crevice in the barren rock. It was barely big enough for a medium-size ship to go through. The Uju Kanu would be a tight fit, but this wasn’t Lily’s first time squeezing something big into a tight hole.

She laughed and made a mental note to add that to her novella if they made it out alive.