Planet Predators by Saxon Andrew Page B

Isadore allowed him to take several steps away before she asked her question and waited for him to come back and look at her board.
    Arvolo smiled, “You’re responsible for firing the beams as well as launching fusion missiles. The manual control of the beams is located between the missile and beam firing mechanism. It should be below the beam so you can switch to manual without raising your hand. I would want to be able to palm that button to manual and still have my hand on the missile controls.”
    “What about the reactor switching?”
    “They got that right. They should be at the top of the board for fast access. It’s those other items that I’d want to change. The slave to the pilot’s board is exactly where you’d want it in the center in the event the pilot was taken out of action.”
    Isadore was amazed; he had only glanced at her board and he knew it. “Why did you say it took you three seconds to memorize your board?”
    Arvolo shrugged, “Saying it only took a second would have sounded like bragging. I’m a very modest individual.”
    Isadore started laughing and couldn’t stop. He looked at her and said, “What?” which only made her laugh harder. Arvolo shook his head and left the room to the sound of loud laughter. Isadore managed to get her laughter under control and contacted Dr. Levin and requested an audience to request changes to her board. She thought about the Crazy Cuban and burst out laughing again.
    Arvolo walked to his living quarters and came back out to smoke one of the cigars he had purchased during a recent visit to Tampa. Imagine a cigar company that had been in business a hundred and fifteen years. What was amazing was that Edwards still had some ancient Cuban Cigars that had been preserved for eighty years. They cost him most of his month’s pay but were worth the pleasure they brought him. He lit one up and started throwing peanuts to the squirrels that had come running when they saw him. They had become quite friendly and one would even climb up his back and take a nut from his hand. He had named that one Kenny because it had no patience. If he didn’t give it a nut quickly it would chitter at high volume until he did.
    He missed Kenny. The back and forth and banter were what used to make his day. Now it was too quiet onboard his ship. He thought about Isadore and wondered if she was going to be a good partner. She was attractive, in a way. He thought it funny that she had tested him to see if he could remember her control board. He wasn’t going to tell her that he had seen the weapons control board when he went to Dr. Morrison’s lab.
    He took a puff and leaned back on the bench. Kenny started fussing and Arvolo threw a nut. The grey squirrel ran after it and climbed the tree to store it. He looked up at the sky and saw the evening beginning to grow dark. He sat there and enjoyed his cigar until the stars were shining brightly overhead. He needed to get back out to them. He was feeling the urge to visit Cuba though he had never gone back after he left. There were just too many memories of the executions of the family he loved. He hoped they understood.
    * * *
    Captain Aman Forester watched as hundreds of ships arrived at the Alliance Capital and entered normal space. He was in Sierra Space hiding next to another star and wondered what was going on. He counted more than four hundred ships arrive and watched as they continued to appear. Suddenly the numbers escalated and more than a thousand came in and entered the Capital’s planetary system.
    “Fleet, I have more than eighteen hundred Alliance Ships jumping in to the Capital and more are arriving. That number is now more than twenty five hundred and they’re continuing to arrive.”
    “Keep us informed of the numbers, Captain. We’ll notify you of what to do next.”
    “Yes Sir. The number is now over four thousand and still growing.”
    * * *
    “Admiral Connor, are you ready for departure?”
    “Yes, we are