Outsiding

Chapter XII �" Outsiding

 

„2-2.. This is Alpha nine.. Err.. We are walking in.. Open the Gate.. Standby for LTG initiation.. Copy on the twenty.. Mimsy Harvest complete.. Let's get this show on the road..“

The radio transmission was going berserk on a high frequency sounding all over the Staz command center.

 

„Sir.. Is this going to hurt..“

 

„Mims.. You're a 70 foot giant.. I think you'll be fine..

Admiral Cranston replied to the robot AI calming it down.

 

„MIMSY CONTROL! Upon descent, proceed to land on Dock 17! Standby for orbital transition! Get into position, we're ready for ya..!“

The Staz operational control gave the order to engage into Lunar Transitioning maneuvers.

 

„Copy control.. Mims..“

 

„Yessir..“

The Harvester kneeled down into position, the Mimsy crew strapped themselves in holding tight onto the handles in front of them, most of them scared and nervous. Some of them in fear of throwing up.

 

The harvester's backside armor dislodged and a pair of huge steel wing shaped stabilizers lodged into position. Beneath the wings, was a huge plasmatic force generator. The harvester thrusted itself off the ground jumping 40 feet into the sky. The generator stuttered and engaged in thrusting massive plasmatic force launching the robot towards the sky reaching massive altitude in a matter of seconds.

 

Upon reaching orbit, the industrial glass froze and visibility decreased with half the crew throwing up in paper bags. Anxiety coarsing throught the inside. The whole harvester stopped frozen, being unable to move.

 

„Sir.. It.. Feels cold..“

The robot said trying to control its joints.

 

„Core control, prepare to disengage oxygen injectors, release the heat from the exhaust, I can't do anything from here.. He froze again..“

Cranston said annoyed and laid back into his seat. Trying to drink from his cup and realizing it spilt all over his pants, or was that piss.

 

„Im sorry sir..“

Mimsy said with his default sad voice.

 

„Not your fault bud.. It's the slackers that built ya..“

Cranston replied with annoyance tapping his fingers across the control board.

 

„Solid Copy sir.. Disengaging..“

The core crew replied, whilst the harvester exterior started burning up in flames, it broke the frost off its joints and turned in a 180 degree manner, with it's head pointing down to Earth.

 

„Yo buccaners.. What's the matter!? You never sail before!? Get your s**t together! The worst part's underway!!“

Cranston yelled to the crew sitting in position, the Harvester was preparing to launch itself back to Earth into an Atlas docking Staz docking station. It started descending while everyone felt lightheaded and weightless as the mechanical giant entered the Earth's atmosphere.

 

They were approaching Atlas soil with a very high speed, everything becoming twice its size by the second.

 

„MIMSY CONTROL! You're straggling off course! Course correct for 20 degrees East!“

Control transmission was heard inside the hull of the harvester, with half the crew gasping and holding on tightly.

 

„What the.. What!?“

Ted Cranston said and started typing nervously across the control panel. The panel went off in a generic female voice.

 

„FLIGHT TRAJECTORY LOCKED! COURSE CHANGE IMPOSSIBLE!“

 

„Mimsy! Move yourself more Eastern!!“

Cranston yelled at the quickly descending machine.

 

„Sir..I.. Can't.. We're going too fast..“

Mimsy said continuing to fall and gain speed upon descent.

 

„MIMSY!! I REPEAT!! YOU'RE OFF COURSE!! CORRECT IMMEDIEATLY!! YOU'RE GONNA CRASH INTO KRONN DISTRICT!!         I REPEAT!! DIVERT COURSE TRAJECTORY IMMEDIEATLY OR WE WILL BE FORCED TO SHOOT YOU DOWN!!!“

The operator yelled anxiously into the transmitter.

 

„Yes!! I UNDERSTAND!! CONTROL! WE CAN'T DIVERT NOW!! WE HAVE WAY TOO MUCH VELOCITY!! IF WE ATTEMPT TO DIVERT, WE'RE GOING TO GET SHATTERED!!“

Cranston nervously shouted back holding on to the handles.

 

„So be it.. Im sorry Mimsy.. I have no choice.. Your deaths will result in thousands of other's saved..“

Pollock said coldly and gave the order for Atlas' prime defenses to aim at the harvester, locked onto 60 seconds.

 

„POLLOCK!! YOU F*****G..! YOU LISTEN TO ME!! WE CAN SAVE THIS CRAFT!! DISENGAGE THAT S**T IMMEDIEATLY!! IM TELLING YOU WE CAN SAVE IT!!!“

Cranston started shouting maniacally at the transmitter while the crew was panicking in despair.

The docking bay went off with loud running footsteps, a harvester dislodged himself from containment and forced the huge metal gate open, he pushed the plasma cannon to the side and it fired into the sky to the East. He jumped on the control center and thrusted himself towards Mimsy, he reached it grabbing himself around Mimsy and holding tight pushing them both more to the East.

 

„Cousin..!“

Mimsy yelled with a loud tone.

 

„CALLSIGN MURDOCH!! YOU ARE UNAUTHORIZED TO LEAVE ATLAS GROUND! RETURN TO DOCKING BAY IMMEDIEATLY!“

Pollock shouted raging at the Staz Harvester.

„Captain Cranston.. You're going to be fine I diverted the cannon.. Let's drop together.. Cousin“

Murdoch said loudly over the Atlas Harvester docking grounds, it was an open field where the Harvesters would land into a positioned space to ease the fall from such a height. Murdoch adjusted Mimsy so that they wouldn't miss the target location and started falling together.

 

Meanwhile...

 

„Where the f**k is that place anyway.. You know Hash.. I've never seen a Harvester actually land.. F*****g politics, they should make it a tourist attraction..“

Brooks said whilst following Kruger and Winter to the StazDrop docks.

 

„Brooks.. Shut up will ya.. Stand here with Jason till I bribe the operator..“

Winter said and pulled out his wallet going to the operating officer, they wanted to authorize a Harvester to aid them in their expedition.

 

„Well.. Ol' Frost didn't change one bit.. Eh Hash?“

Brooks said with respect.

 

„Hash's gone..“

„Where is he?“

Brooks asked bluntly.

 

„Kruger ate him.. Look Brooks.. We agreed to take you.. But inside the walls of Atlas, don't refer to people as they're callsigns.. Kinda disrespectful, we got names you know..“

Kruger told him assaultingly.

 

„Im sorry..“

Brooks replied with slight nervousness, Brooks was a good soldier, and an amazing Marksman. The best in Atlas, he used to serve in the Aven International Lunar Marines with Kruger and Winter. They decided to take him to the expedition.

 

„Don't apologize you seagull.. I know you got respect for me and Winter.. And I have respect for your skills aswell.. You're a good kid.. And a beautiful sniper.. But it's not like we're f*****g prophets.. We've done some bad s**t back in our day.. Not the best human examples..“

Kruger replied calmly and coldly, he pulled out a pack of red Marlboro and lit one while going through the Harvester database.

 

„Callsign�"MIMSY, occupation- Whale Harvesting. Reffered to as the most inneficient of the entire Staz Harvester divison.. To sum it up.. A pile of junk.. Why does Winter want him so bad.. Says he isn't even docked yet.. F*****g protocol..“

Kruger said closing his terminal and seeing Winter waving and gesturing towards them to come here.

 

„Guess we better go..“

Brooks said and they went towards a big industrial gate opening to a wide open area with several dozens of holes in the ground, Harvester landing points. A large frequency sound went off in the whole docking area.

 

„Warning! This is Admiral Ioan Pollock, there has been some difficulty in the LTG transitioning of one of the Staz's, callsign MIMSY. Another Harvester has escaped bay in order to assist him, all individuals are asked to leave the Docking Bay at once! Pollock out!“

Pollock sounded the transmission and went out of the bay.

 

„Sir! There are people still out there!“

One of the operator shouted and displayed a video transmission of the three standing outside, and General Winter flashing them the finger.

 

The two giants slammed into the ground onto their feet, extreme wind started blowing into them while none of them even twitched, the smoke cleared out.

 

„Murdoch.. Mimsy.. You boys are coming with us..“

Winter said while Captain Cranston and the Mimsy crew were walking out of the Harvester, most of them started throwing up from body shock and anxiety. Cranston approached.

 

„Hey buddy..“

Cranston said with a tear in his eye and tightly hugged Kruger.

 

„You were inside..? You know full f*****g well you don't have to.. Damn.. Ted you never change..“

Kruger replied with a mutual laughter.

 

„Gotta fly.. You know me.. Brother..“

Cranston said and left getting grabbed by Winter.

 

„Hold up.. Cranston.. You're a pilot right? Camton also pilots.. So we need another one.. You up for an expedition.. Old wardog reunion..“!

 

„You  f*****g know!!“

Cranston said enthusiastically and nodded.

 

„Right then.. Let's blow this shithole..!“

Winter said with Kruger winking to Murdoch, and following Winter to prep for the follow up expedition. On the way out, he shoved his hand in Pollock's face and pushed him away. They entered an area where the rest of the team was already set to go.

 

„Yo Frost.. We goin!?“

Kahn asked with enthusiasm.

 

„You bet your a*s we are.. Pack your s**t.. Get yourselves in gear.. Meet on Prime in an hour.. See ya then..“

Winter said and went out to the terrace and sat, with Kruger next to him.

 

„How's yer kid..?“

 

„In the hospital.. She got that disease everyone's squabbling about.. She also had this delusion.. That she saw me.. Or whatever.. I just hope they sort it out.. Soon.. They better..“

Kruger replied uneasy of the situation, he dropped a map of operations on the table.

 

„Got any doubts Mr. Admiral..“

Winter asked him calmly lighting a fat cigar.

 

„F**k brother.. We ain't exactly twenty anymore.. But we got some fight left in us..“

Kruger said pulling into his lungs.

 

„You f****n' know..!“

Winter replied bluntly and loudly.

 

„Only thing is.. Just hope there's no f*****g surprises left..“

Kruger said uncomfortably.

 

„What do you mean..?“

Winter asked spitting across.

 

„It's just that.. This f*****g world is so large.. And so unexplored.. Well... We gotta get ready for anything  that'd get thrown at us..   Let's just hope we're ready...“