Joe Camel

[Crash Calestorm 0]

A cigarette clung loosely to her lips and she inhaled and puffed out a drag. Filthy and unhealthy habit, she knew that.

 

Crash smoked on undercover missions, usually when the persona she’d adopted was conducive to doing so. Stress wise, she smoked when command responsibilities got the better of her. And when she got hit with a particularly bad bout of stress, she was no better then a chain smoker.

 

She hadn’t done this in years. But, her stress level was pretty damn high - Operation: Whiteout was starting on the final phase. Litasha was within reach. Kvar and TAral had gotten nabbed. Wesley and Shalin were AWOL.

 

She took another drag.

 

A blip sounded, indicating that the secure line she’d asked the comm officer to establish had gotten through.

 

Her lover, Captain Reed Mitros, appeared on the desktop tri-viewer. Like Calestorm and her crewmates, ‘Captain Mikos’ and his crew on the SS Hard Six had gone undercover and been deployed to the Outer Rim as a mercenary crew. They’d arrived at Nova AC prior to the SS Imperious.

 

“You’re smoking?” His tone was equal parts accusation, curiosity, and concern.

 

“Yeah…got some personnel issues.” Her voice came out slightly muffled around the cigarette.

 

“Personal or personnel?” Reed cracked a smile.

 

“Hush. Two of my senior crew got nabbed by the Black Kris. My Exec rabbited off after them without permission. Chief Helm Officer has gone AWOL as well.”

 

A pregnant pause. “…you should upgrade to cigars.”

 

Calestorm took another drag before she answered. “Hush. I need you to alter your plans a bit.”

 

Mitros nodded in the affirmative. “You got it. What’dya need?”

 

“I’m gonna give my crew the word to move on Nova AC. I want your teams to infiltrate as we agreed on, but I’d like to appropriate six of your best Infiltration people…”

 

“Of course I can. Three by three perimeter teams?”

 

“Yep. I want them to be on the lookout for Scooter and Shalin.”

 

“Not a problem. I’ll deploy ‘em now?”

 

“Thanks.”

 

Reed cracked a grin. “Bet you wish the Old Earth navy never outlawed ‘Kissing the Gunners Daughter’, eh?

 

She fixed flat eyes on Mitros and blew out another drag. “I know exactly where to find a cannon…”

 

His smile dropped. “Never mind. I’ll get right on it. Godspeed Lightwind, Mikos out.”

 

Mitros had always been a smart man. He was a good man. That was why she liked him; loved him, really.

 

Grounding out the cigarette in a makeshift ashtray, Calestorm keyed up the Imperious intercom in order to address her crew…

 

(To Be Continued)