Screaming Metal (Part 023)

The morning exploded in thunder and the screeches of palm-sized, winged mammals as they took flight.

A plume of vaporized garbage rocketed into the air accompanied by hurtling shards of long-buried metal and materials.

Within the forest surrounding Priyanka's camp, startled ground animals hurtled and scampered to safety with a clamor that elevated the cacophony.

Priyanka was up and on her feet, intensely focused as a second blast ripped through the morning.

Standing next to the optical array, Suen cursed, her hands on her head in dismay as she stared down on the plains.

Deshel was messing with the array's controls and reported. "The device recorded no discernable movement or action up until 15 minutes ago."

Priyanka joined her two crew members. "That when they planted the devices?" The tell-tale signs of explosives were obvious.

Deshel nodded, "Apparently so."

Swelling up from beneath the warship, a second giant dust cloud belched forth from the pit engulfing the hull.

The view of the ship was quickly lost in the dirty haze created by the two explosions.

Priyanka started to ask who had been on watch but anything she had to say was lost in the sight of a third explosion.

Several minutes passed before the grime, parts and history settled once more.

Suen's disbelief was evident. "They're using explosives to extract the Metal?"

Said Deshel, "That crevasse is going to collapse in upon itself."

Several figures in exoframes exited the ship.

Priyanka grabbed a pair of binocs linked to the optical array.

She watched as the figures below stumbled around in the marked, jerky movements of persons unfamiliar with the frame.

The figures began digging, recklessly tearing away at the junk and tossing it aside. Yet in the half hour they labored, no significant gain was made.

Their effort was uncoordinated and random. It would have been comical to watch otherwise. Like children playing at the beach.

"Those guys are going to get themselves killed," Deshel remarked.

"Well, you'd better hope they don't," said Priyanka. "Last thing we need is the local authorities poking around."

"I'm surprised they haven't shown up already," Suen said.

The smaller woman leaned over the monitor and adjusted the zoom. "So are they going down?"

Priyanka watched as the figures continued to scramble around on uneasy legs, leaping from heap to heap.

They had already blasted away chucks of the rim, making an already dangerous surface, even more so.

Several figures looked down into the gash periodically and gave orders, but it appeared that no one was yet ready to descend into it.

The crew of the Ally Cat continued their vigil in silence. Another quarter hour passed and the exoframed men reboarded their ship.

Suen's face soured. "Well, what the? Are they finished? What was all that for?"

Deshel straightened in his chair. "Movement!"

All three crouched to avoid detection as the warship began to maneuver.

"They've spotted us. I'm ready," Suen sneered, the fight in her rekindled.

Priyanka remained calm, yet cautious, "Relax. I don’t think they have."

"Should we get back to the Alley Cat?" Deshel was already packing some of the smaller gear away.

"Not just yet." Our friends down there are just restless; frustrated, she thought. They weren't going anywhere yet.

But she remained silent instead of sharing that reasoning with her crew.

The trio watched as the warship awkwardly maneuvered around the crevasse like a giant bird trying to settle over a nest.

Priyanka's sigh was long and resigned. Just as she thought: the claimjumpers were settling in. Not quite yet ready to give up.

Had they thought it was going to be a quick job? Thought they knew was the Alley Cat was after, and had taken a chance?

What had the interlopers been expecting to find at the site? A treasure just awaiting them?

Anyone properly prepared should have been able to pull the Metal by now. But they hadn't even descended.

The only reason could be lack of said preparation. So why not give up, especially if they believed they were successful in chasing Priyanka off?

Whomever was running this operation was deeply invested, possibly moreso than she. The commissioning of a warship backed that assumption.

Moreover, it further suggested that someone understood that there was indeed something extraordinary buried in the junkyard.

This did not bode well.

Priyanka needed to understand whom she was dealing with and why. The question was how to go about it.