“What about the ceiling vent in the primary lab?” Simone asked.
“I don’t know. They wouldn’t expect anyone to use that to escape because it goes straight up, but there may be surveillance cameras on the roof.”
Or the ice that passed as a roof. “Would they have cameras on the icy wall outside the officers’ escape route?” she asked.
Janwar shook his head. “If they did, anyone who monitored the security feeds would know something was there. And I doubt the officers would want the lower ranks to see them sneaking away during an emergency. Krigara, once you’re inside, can you tap into their security feeds and keep them from seeing the roof?”
He nodded. “All I need is terminal access. Once I override their protocols, I can put the rooftop footage on a loop. T can help me if I run into any trouble with it.”
Janwar highlighted a corridor. “There should be a terminal in the officers’ wing.”
“Several, I would think,” Elchan added.
Janwar pointed to the map. “Krigara, I want you, Soval, Elchan, and T-2 to enter the base through the officers’ escape tunnel. Elchan, if your camouflage is working, stand guard wherever you have the best line of sight and warn the others of anyone heading their way. If it isn’t, position yourself at the nearest corner and kill anyone who comes around it—quick and clean—before they can sound the alarm. Soval, position yourself in the middle of the corridor and do the same with anyone who steps out of those officers’ quarters. Keep it quiet, and toss the bodies in the escape tunnel.”
Leaning over, Janwar tapped Elchan’s console, then touched a spot on the map. A red dot appeared on the mountain’s icy side, far above the base. “Simone and I will standby here until you can loop the rooftop security feed. If you can loop the hallway feeds near the labs, do it. As soon as you give us the all-clear, Simone and I will enter through the primary lab’s rooftop hatch and begin our search. While we do, I want T and Krigara to find out everything they can about the research the Gathendiens are conducting on this base, both viral and weapons. Once that’s done, all of you should retreat to the escape tunnel and standby in case Simone and I need you.”
He straightened. “Srok’a, I want you to monitor everything from up here. If Kova runs into trouble on the Gathendien ship and the drones I sent after him aren’t enough, send T-3 and T-9 in with whatever else he needs to get his ass and whomever he finds out of there safely. If we run into trouble planet-side, have T attack the front of the base with K-6s. We’ll be in the back, so drawing the bulk of their forces to the front should help us out of whatever situation we land ourselves in.”
Simone waited for T to chime it and remind them that he was an extraordinary drone operator, but he seemed to understand the gravity of the situation and remained silent.
Janwar glanced around. “Everyone good with that?”
While the others nodded, Simone raised an index finger to get their attention. “I have a question.”
All turned curious looks her way.
“Once T and Krigara have ferreted out all the information they can,” she said, “and we’ve hightailed it back to the Tangata, any chance we could nuke the place from orbit?”
Janwar blinked. “My translator defines nuke as a weapon of mass destruction used on Earth that leaves up to twenty kells of land uninhabitable for many years after being deployed. By nuke, I assume you mean bomb?”
“Yes.” She met all their gazes and shrugged. “I’m a you-reap-what-you-sow kind of girl and believe in an-eye-for-an-eye justice. The Gathendiens tried to commit genocide on Lasara. When they failed, and the Lasarans and the rest of the Aldebarian Alliance kicked their asses, that should’ve been the time the Gathendiens rethought their actions and resolved to change their ways. But they didn’t. They’re still trying to commit genocide on Earth and now want to do it on Purvel as well. For all we know, they may still have designs on Lasara. And those are just the civilizations and planets that we know of. As far as I’m concerned, anyone that full of greed and avarice with so little regard for life deserves the fate they wish to deal to others.”
“Genocide,” Janwar said.
Again, she shrugged. “Or in this case, a massive ass-kicking. If this is one of their primary research and development bases, taking it out would be a substantial blow.”
Janwar looked at the others. “I’m good with that.”
The rest voiced their agreement.
When he turned back to her, Janwar smiled. “But we’ll use weapons that won’t render the area uninhabitable. Someone may want to tweak the atmosphere later and terraform the moon.”
She grinned. “Terraforming is so cool. They can only do that in entertainment vids on Earth.”
He curled an arm around her shoulders. “Well, the Sectas and Lasarans have perfected the process. Once we’re done here, I’ll show you accelerated footage of the last moon the Lasarans terraformed.”
Rising onto her toes, she kissed his chin. “It’s a date.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Tension thrummed through Janwar as he helped Simone don the white armored suit he and T had generated for her. He would rather she wear exo-armor like his. But with her exceptional speed and strength, he wasn’t sure whether the armor would aid her or slow her down.
It certainly aided him and his men, enabling them to run faster, jump higher, and lift weight they ordinarily couldn’t. It also protected them from extreme temperatures, toxic gases, and bioweapons and could take direct hits from blasters without suffering any damage beyond discoloration… unless it took too many hits. All armor had its limits.
“This is much better than the Lasaran suit,” Simone declared happily as she pushed her hand through a sleeve. Once she did the same with the other, Janwar tugged the front halves together over her breasts and applied pressure to the front collar. The two seams instantly adhered to each other as though with magnets, sealing the front of the suit from her neck down to her hips.
When she tugged on the tight gloves, he showed her how to seal them to the wrist cuffs of the suit. “Now, my daggers,” she said.
Janwar grabbed a belt that sported multiple sheathed blades and helped her fasten it around her hips. Then he stepped back to inspect her.
Simone did a few experimental knee lifts and jumped up and down several times. Then she swiveled from side to side at the waist before nodding. “This will do. There’s almost no movement restriction, and even the shoes fit perfectly.”
He glanced down at the boots that encased her tiny feet. “Both the suit and the boots will keep you warm in freezing temperatures.”
She smiled. “Even if they didn’t, I’d be okay. I can regulate my body temperature.”
He stared at her, surprised that there were still things he didn’t know about her considering their tendency to snuggle after sex and talk long into the night. “Truly?”
She nodded.
“That’s a useful talent.”
“All Immortal Guardians can do it,” she said with a shrug. Then her expression sobered. “Which reminds me…”
Trepidation joined the tension that gripped him when she nibbled her lower lip. “What?”