Free Web NovelChapter 532: Chapter 532 A Couple Complications
"Ugh. Douveilian Voles are truly appalling." Havanna said, a look of disgust on her face as she glanced at the creatures in the cages Avery had just brought out.
Kasandra did not voice her own opinion, but it was clear from her expression that she was of the same mind as Havanna.
Of course, you would be hard pressed to find anyone that did not feel at least a bit repulsed by them.
Douveilian Voles were considered one of the worst and most prolific vermin in the galaxy.
They bred like crazy, were robust enough to survive in almost any environment, and caused all sorts of problems wherever they went.
With jagged teeth capable of cutting through even tough metal alloys and a flexible body that could squirm into small openings, it was easy for them to become a nightmare for stations or ships when they ended up some place they really should not be.
Along with the damage they were capable of causing to structures, they were also prolific carriers of diseases.
A good ten to twelve percent of contagious outbreaks in the Dramid Alliance were attributed to the little bastards.
Their appearance also was not winning them any goodwill, as they were some of the ugliest f*cking creatures Avery had ever laid eyes on.
With flabby skin that was uneven across their entire body that had glands all over it that produced a horrid smell, and their patchy fur that ranged from a sickly gray to an equally unappealing green, Douveilian Voles did not possess a single quality that the average person might consider cute.
Still, when it came to creating a distraction and some chaos that was not likely to be traced back to them, the grotesque little beasts were perfect.
With only a couple of minutes left before the people approaching reached them, Avery hastily moved the cages so that they were facing away from him and the others.
He then pulled out a spray containing the pheromones of one of the vole’s natural predators. This way he could direct which direction they ran off in.
The last thing Avery wanted was for them to turn around and charge his team once they were released.
"I’m going to open the cages and the sedatives keeping them unconscious will wear off in just a few seconds. Brace yourselves just in case."
At the press of a button on his terminal, the cages all opened at once.
Before the voles began to stir, Avery sprayed the pheromones of their predator to hopefully encourage them to run forward instead of turning around.
To Avery and Havanna, the spray did not have any scent, but Kasandra’s and Jervasio’s more honed sense of smell picked up what was quite the foul odor.
The Douveilian Voles soon started to wake up and rustled within their open cages.
It was not long before they started releasing high pitched barks that served as a warning that a predator was nearby.
As Avery had intended, the eight revolting beasts jumped out of their cages and began scurrying in the opposite direction down the corridor.
"Okay, let’s go. We need to slip by while they’re distracted." Avery said after throwing the case now containing the empty cages over his back.
Not long after they started moving again, they heard shouts of distress from ahead.
The firing of laser weaponry followed soon after, and it was clear that the voles were severing their role well.
In their panic at the voles’ sudden appearance, the guards that had been coming to investigate a minor anomaly that had been detected in the station never noticed as Avery’s infiltration team used some nearby side passages to slip by them.
They were too busy dealing with the frightened and angry voles that were running around like wild. With a few even attacking the station guards.
’Yeah, it would have been hard to get by unnoticed without a distraction. But it’d be hard to stay alert when dealing with those things.’ Avery thought, his lips turned up in a big grin as he stifled a laugh at the guard’s plight.
The rest of the return trip to their stealth pod went without incident.
The four of them retraced their steps back to the airlock that would allow them access to the drone maintenance corridors and floated their way back to their waiting vehicle.
"I’m glad to be done with that. Let’s get back to the ship so I can take a soak and open a bottle. All of this stress isn’t good for me." Havanna said as she slumped against her chair in the pod.
"Don’t start relaxing yet. We’re not done until we get back."
At Kasandra’s chiding, Havanna sat back up and looked alert. There was not really anything for her to do at the moment, but if something did happen, she would be able to respond more quickly if she was alert.
Once the four of them were strapped in and their gear secured, Jervasio released their connection to the station and began directing their pod back towards the Intrepid.
"Looks like we’re just barely on time. Ezra just sent me a warning message. All of the cargo has been loaded, and they can only stay docked for a few more minutes at most. We need to get back quickly, or this is going to become a lot more difficult." Avery said.
Their pod already had very limited maneuverability and propulsion capabilities. Reaching a nearby stationary object was one thing, but trying to catch up with a moving target would be impossible for them.
However, as they were flying along the path back to the Intrepid, another ship suddenly pulled up to the station in their way.
To avoid colliding with it, Jervasio was forced to abruptly change their direction and send them hurtling away in a spin in the opposite direction.
For several moments the pod was basically out of control and had turned into the equivalent of a very rough theme park ride.
Needless to say, this did not prove kind to anyone. Havanna especially was having a difficult time and had to slam a hand over her mouth to prevent herself from losing her last meal.
Eventually, Jervasio was able to stabilize the pod, but they were already far off course.
"Damn it! Where did that ship even come from? It didn’t look like a cargo ship." Kasandra said, a flash of frustration on her face as she glared in the direction of the craft.
"I don’t know. It might be some administrator, or maybe even someone from the Odium Syndicate coming to inspect the station. There are too many potential options to choose from to be certain. The real problem is that we’re running out of time. Jervasio, will we be able to make it back to the Intrepid before they need to depart?" freēwebnovel.com
Avery waited for a response, but he could already feel it in his gut that they would not be able to make it.
A couple seconds later, Jervasio shook his head, giving confirmation to Avery’s bad feeling.
"We could have Ezra make up some excuse to give us more time." Havanna suggested.
"No, we don’t want to get on the people running the station’s bad side or garner any unwanted suspicion. There are other cargo vessels waiting to dock and receive goods. If the Intrepid sticks around, it will start causing problems. We can’t afford the attention."
Though he did not want to, Avery sent a message to Ezra telling him to leave without them. They would be going with retrieval plan B.
"Jervasio, aim us away from the station on the path that has the least obstruction. We need to put as much distance between us and anything else as possible."
If they could not join up with the Intrepid now, their priority was to get as far away from the distribution center and the ships surrounding it as possible.
"There goes my bath and bottle of wine." Havanna said with a sigh.
Really, there was not much else that they could do at the moment without giving themselves away. The next several hours were bound to be miserable ones as they slowly floated through space until they were far enough away to be picked up undetected.
The cramped space inside the pod certainly did not offer much in the way of comfort, and the only thing to eat were some bland emergency rations. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
This mission was not one that was supposed to have lasted so long.
Luckily there were not any other complications as they shot towards the barren edge of the system.
After almost an entire day of traveling, the station they had infiltrated appeared as just a dot of light on the pod’s outside display.
They were not going particularly fast, but over time their momentum had built up as the expelled gases prolled them onward.
"It seems that our ride is here."
Avery had been keeping a close watch on his terminal, and a new message had just arrived informing him to be prepared for retrieval.
From the display showing the view of the outer cameras, there did not appear to be anything around them, but that was expected.
Once the Intrepid had put enough distance between itself and any potential witnesses, Victoria’s stealth corvette had launched from its hangar and traveled back to pick up Avery, Kasandra, Havanna, and Jervasio.
It was not long before what looked like a sudden hole in space opened up. Revealing the Interior of the corvette’s cargo bay.
Seamlessly the stealth pod was pulled inside and the doors closed behind them. Though there had been some complications, Avery and his team had been secured.
