We initially expected the exfil mission to take 11 days. This included travel time, prep time at the station, and the EVAC of Tiff’s body. We were currently six days into the journey and had jumped two more times since the first day.

  CJ and I had somewhat acclimated to the jumps, but it was still no picnic. Elvis had us both take a shot in the med bay that would make the jumps easier, and he assured us that, over time, we would continue to acclimate. Three jumps in, we still got nauseous, but it was definitely more manageable.

  We spent the last four days switching between the VCR and the armory. Elvis programmed several combat scenarios for me to become more comfortable in and out of my armor and I made use of every second I could get to train. I felt like I had a better idea of how to use my armor and weapons now, but there was no virtual scenario that would prepare me for live-fire combat situations.

  CJ and Elvis had been working non-stop on creating a controller station for the Havok Hound drop suit. CJ could physically pilot the armor, but since he was unenhanced by the system, it was safer to just let him pilot the drop suit remotely until he had time to completely master all of its functions.

  I asked Tiff if the AI-dampening field surrounding the containment facility would affect CJ’s ability to pilot the suit, and she was confident it would not. The Bloodhound would use a quantum connection, similar to the system she used to relay information to her secondary body. There would be a transmission node on the Bloodhound inside CJ’s controller hardware, and the drop suit would be outfitted with the receiver node. Tiff said it was like the way two-way radios work, and the containment facility wouldn’t be actively scanning that type of transmission.

  The details of Quantum communication were still a little too complex for me to fully grasp. Basically, there was no chance of losing a signal. On top of that, Quantum entanglement allowed for the suit and controller station to be in sync with no time lag based on distance or structural factors like wall thickness. The basic explanation is that once two quantum particles interact, they become entangled. Once entangled, they act as though they are in a single quantum state. Whatever one does, the other does regardless of distance or external factors.

  Now, there was a lot of other tech mumbo jumbo that I didn’t understand and honestly never would, but for now, I was confident that CJ could pilot the suit and assist in the extract. I did have a concern about the suit's level, though.

  “So, Tiff, if we’re facing Level 10 mechs, how will the suit stand up to them?” I asked, toweling the sweat from my face as we walked back onto the bridge from a training session.

  “The suits are bonded to the ship’s captain. They won’t match your level, though; they will usually be one level lower than the commanding officer; this ensures that the commanding officer can overcome any chance of mutiny.”

  I stopped and shot a look at Tiff, “Should I be worried about mutiny?!”

  “Not at this time. I cannot mutiny as our fates are intertwined. CJ is your best friend, and Elvis is bound to you since you were awarded the Bloodhound as part of your class. I believe you have nothing to worry about, for now,” Tiff replied without a hint of sarcasm.

  “For now? Like is this something I need to worry about in the future? I think we should spend a little more time talking about the mutiny thing!” I said, with just a hint of panic.

  “No, I believe we have suitably covered that subject… for now,” Tiff said with a slight grin.

  “Again, with that, “For now,” shit!” I said, using air quotes. “I gotta say, not a big fan of your choice of words, Tiff.”

  “Let’s get back to the task at hand, Captain,” Tiff said. “The drop suits will level as you level, gaining health and increasing damage output,” she said as we walked onto the bridge, and she sat down at her station. “The real concern is ammo conservation. The suits are capable of hand-to-hand combat, and we will need to ensure that CJ’s suit has some melee capability, but kinetic and plasma rounds will need to be conserved,” she said while reviewing some data on her station display. “CJ will have a fair amount of ammo at the ready, but he won’t be able to create ammunition from thin air like you can. Just be aware that when he is out, he is out, there won’t be any way to get more until you return to the Bloodhound.”

  I walked over to CJ’s station while Tiff spoke, “Hear that, buddy? Make sure you keep an eye on those ammo reserves. I don’t need my backup running out of bullets and shooting blanks,” I joked as I nudged his shoulder.

  “I’ve never shot a blank in my life!” CJ said with a chuckle. “Don’t worry, Elvis has been putting me through the wringer. We won’t be ready for live fire combat at the grinding station, but I will definitely be ready to support at the Exfil site.”

  Elvis chimed in over the bridge PA, “Captain, ETA to grind station 1 hour. I suggest you prepare yourself for glorious combat. Time to kill!”

  “Got it, Elvis. I’ll go to the armory and prepare for transport,” I replied as I got up and walked to the elevator.

  Elvis had already informed me that he couldn’t land on the grind station. initial intel stated that the station was the size of a small asteroid, approximately 3 miles wide and 5 miles long, but the terrain wasn’t suitable for landing. Elvis would pilot me over in The Bloodhounds drop ship, which CJ had conveniently named the PUP.

  “Elvis, prep the Pup, and I’ll be in the cargo bay in 20 minutes,” I said.

  I wanted to go to the armory and pick up a few grenades I had seen the day before. I felt confident that my suit would handle things, but hey, who turns down a chance to use a few grenades in battle?

  half an hour later I was sitting in the cockpit of the Pup. The small drop ship was almost the size of a CH-47 Chinook military helicopter, coming in at around 40 feet long. Again, I don’t remember learning about Chinook helicopters, but apparently, at some point, I read an article or saw some schematics that I could now easily remember. The nose sloped down at an angle, and there were no windows; there was just a full holographic display splashed across the front bulkhead replicating a windshield. The rear of the ship had a tailpiece similar to any pre-drop earth aircraft. This made sense if the drop ship would be used for orbital entry. There were also wings folded back on either side of the ship that, upon entering an atmosphere, would lock into place and split in two, like what you might see on a dragonfly. Streamlined maneuverable thrusters were positioned on the middle exterior of each side to allow the pilot to maneuver the ship as well as allow for vertical takeoff and landings.

  Again, I was no pilot, but Elvis had stated that the ship could handle itself both in open space and within the atmosphere of most planets that we might encounter. It wouldn’t be much use if we tried to enter the deep atmosphere of a large gas giant planet or a planet that had liquid hydrogen as an atmosphere, but Elvis and Tiff both agreed that those planets wouldn’t be suitable environments for dungeons to operate anyway, so I didn’t dwell on it.

  The Bloodhound had taken up orbit about 100 miles above the grind station, and now it was time for Elvis to do his thing and bring me to the surface in the Pup.

  Tiff spoke in my head, “Okay, I did an initial scan of the grind station. It looks like barren, mountainous terrain surrounding one open valley. Have Elvis set you down on one of the rock shelves overlooking the valley so you can try to figure out how to assess best and create a plan of approach for the mobs.”

  “Mobs?” I questioned Tiff's use of the word.

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  “Just another term for generic enemies. I thought you were a gamer?” Tiff joked.

  “Fair enough, mobs it is. Also, never question a gamer’s knowledge. Those are fighting words,” I joked in response, mostly to help calm my nerves.

  “Oh, I’ve seen you fight. I accept the challenge willingly, Captain,” Tiff replied.

  “Any idea what the mobs are or what levels to expect?” I asked, getting back on task.

  “I can’t tell from orbit; you will just have to try to evaluate the situation before engaging. I can tell you that you should only see mobs in a two-level zone, and there generally aren’t bosses. Do expect a ton of them, though.”

  It only took about ten minutes to make the trip down. My first experience in the PUP was surreal. The Bloodhound was big and mostly empty. It often felt more like i was on a cruise ship than anything else. The Pup was a different story; I felt the thrust, and I experienced the G-force as the ship banked and maneuvered on its entry course. I felt like I was in a spaceship for the first time. Elvis had scanned the topography and selected what he deemed to be safe LZ.

  “Brace for impact, Captain,” Elvis said as the ship’s reverse thrusters engaged to soften the landing. My stomach flipped, and I felt the ship shudder as it slowly descended to the asteroid’s surface. We landed with a thud, but overall, it was pretty much what I expected.

  “Elvis, activate the external cameras so I can see if there is anything close,” I said, unbuckling my safety harness and inspecting the ship’s cockpit display. I walked to the front of the ship to look at the display and couldn’t believe what I saw. In the valley below were hundreds of giant spider-like insectoids.

  “Of course, it’s fucking spiders!” I said, throwing my hands up in frustration.

  I hate spiders. Let me repeat that: I HATE SPIDERS. I have always had a fear of them; something about them crawling around, being able to get inside your clothes, and biting you made my skin crawl.

  “What are these things called?” I asked out loud, wondering what the species of alien would be.

  “Oh, these are just giant spiders,” Tiff said. “There is another name for them, but the translation is just spider. They are pretty gross. Well...Good luck!” she said.

  “Oh…damn…I am sad that I wasn’t able to join you on this mission. I do wish I could fight the swarm of giant nightmare spiders with you. Damn,” CJ said in a sarcastic monotone.

  “Elvis, feel free to have your way with CJ,” I said in response.

  “Can’t we find a different grind station?” I pleaded.

  “Captain need to man up!” Elvis said over the ship’s speakers. “How can Captain lead other men if he is scared of little spiders?”

  “Yeah, Andy, quit being a little bitch boy,” CJ said as he laughed over the com’s channel.

  “Oh sure, that’s easy for you to say, CJ. You’re sitting 100 miles above this nightmare! There are hundreds of dog-sized spiders out there just waiting to poison and eat me!” I shouted in exasperation.

  “These spiders don’t have venom; they, in fact, are very similar to the Camel spiders you might find in the Middle Eastern region of Earth, just a little bigger,” Tiff said.

  “A little bigger?! A LITTLE BIGGER?!” I shouted.

  “Deep breaths, deep breaths. You’ve got this,” I whispered to myself. “Hey Elvis, how will I breathe without my armor?” I asked, trying to focus on something other than the nightmare outside my ship.

  “Atmosphere is suitable for humans,” Elvis replied, “may be cold though.”

  “Well, I have complained about the heat on Earth for three years, so I guess I’ll have to be okay with it,” I said as I walked toward the back door of the Pup. After the back door opened and the ramp of the Pup let down, I walked down onto the surface. I was, in fact, on an asteroid. I could see grey and black stone peaks around me surrounding a grey stone valley. It was flat ground, dotted by small dirt mounds in all directions.

  “Guess it’s time to get started,” I said.

  There was about a 300-yard slant down to the valley from where I currently stood beside the Pup. I activated my armor and mentally changed my sidearm to its rifle configuration. Shouldering the rifle, I knelt and raised the barrel. My HUD immediately showed targeting data on several of the spiders that were skittering around down in the valley. “Crack, crack, crack”, it was like shooting fish in a barrel. The spiders were all Levels six and seven, but one shot to center mass made them explode in a pile of smoking green goo.

  “Hell yeah! This is easy!” I said, maybe a little too confident.

  “Look out!” Tiff shouted as one of the lab-sized spiders rushed me from behind.

  “What the hell?!” I shouted as I stood and spun around, letting my rifle drop and equipping my daggers. The spider was on me before I knew what was happening. It rushed at me faster than expected, its ten legs furiously pushing it toward me. When it got 10 feet from me, it leaped, attaching itself to the front of my body, its creepy legs wrapping around my torso.

  “Oh shit!” I screamed. “I told you! I told you! You can’t trust spiders. It’s gonna eat my face! Oh God, it’s gonna lay eggs inside me! I don’t wanna be a spider’s baby mama!” I screamed as I struggled to keep the giant spider from biting my head off. The spider was stupidly strong as it gripped my body, the pinchers on its head furiously trying to clamp down on my head and neck.

  I reflexively raised my arms as it jumped on me, and I tried to dislodge it from my body by using my arms to create a wedge. As I fought the spider, I saw dots start to enter my mini map.

  “Tiff? What do I do?!” I screamed, panicking, while the spider’s pincers created an aggressive scratching and tapping sound on the exterior of my helmet as it continued to try and behead me.

  “You’ve got to calm down and deal with the one on you right now. You still have 3 minutes on your armor. Kill this one and then retreat to the high ground before your armor expires,” she said, keeping a calm, even tone to try and diffuse my panic.

  The spider stabbed one of its spindly arms into the unarmored area under my left arm. I screamed and noticed my health bar dipped drastically. “What the hell? It stabbed me with something, and my health is dropping!” I shouted.

  “It’s most likely toxic. You will need to administer a stim to stop the poison and heal the wound,” Tiff replied.

  “Activate health stim!” I shouted.

  The specific verbal command is required for health stim administration. Please try again. The message popped up on my interface.

  “You have got to be fucking kidding me with this elementary school bullshit!” I shouted, still struggling to keep the spider from stabbing me again. “I refuse to say that, Randi, you son of a bitch!”

  Another message scrolled across my interface: Warning! Health is at 30% and dropping. Please administer health stim at your earliest convenience.

  I roared in frustration, Randi was trolling me, he was actually fucking trolling me. “Fine! Make me feel good, Daddy!” I heard the hiss of the stim as it administered the solution to my body. I glanced at my health gauge and noticed it rising again. I grabbed the front leg of the spider that was still puncturing me and ripped it out of me and then off the spider, causing green goo to splash out all over me. The spider began thrashing wildly as it released its grip on me and fell to the ground. When it landed, I lunged at it and grabbed its giant pinchers. I wrapped my legs around the spider’s back as we rolled on the ground, each of us fighting to gain the advantage.

  “How does it feel, you icky bitch!?” I screamed as I twisted the pinchers and ripped the spider’s head off. I immediately jumped up as the rest of the spiders began swarming me. There were at least twenty-five in my general vicinity and more scattered throughout the valley.

  “Where the hell are they all coming from?!” I asked, grabbing my rifle and mentally switching it back to its pistol form. I began firing as I ran, easily taking them out as they rushed me. I was retreating toward the ship, trying to find a defensible position, but as I looked down the slope, I saw them coming out of the mounds in the ground; there were at least a couple of hundred of the terror-inducing insects.

  I noticed the spiders were being funneled onto the path sloping up to the ship due to the sheer rock slopes on either side, and I had an idea. “Open the bay door, Elvis,” I shouted as I disengaged my armor and grabbed two of the grenades attached to my waist. I activated the grenades by twisting the tops and pressing the “arm” button; when I did, a stripe of light pulsed in the middle of the grenade. The light pulsed faster as the seconds ticked by, and I got closer to the Pup. I turned and threw them at the hoard of approaching spiders that were now within a few hundred yards of my location. My first thought was surprise; I threw those grenades at least 150 yards, I knew I was stronger now, but damn, that was unexpected. To my surprise, when the grenades went off, they were almost completely silent. They made a noise like a bottle rocket going off, and then a round explosion of pulsing white light lit up the blast area of both grenades. The blast radius was about the size of a football field.

  “Holy shit! I’m glad for that increased strength; otherwise, I would have been cooked by my own grenade!” I said, running back into the Pup. “Close the doors!” I screamed, “Elvis, can we get the hell out of here?!”

  “Captain must complete the grind to receive experience,” Elvis replied.

  “What does that mean? I don’t just get experience for the individual kills?” I asked, my frustration growing.

  Tiff spoke up, “We didn’t cover this, but grind stations must be fully cleared to gain experience. You need to look at your HUD. There should be some sort of counter telling you how many enemies remain.”

  I inspected my HUD and, sure enough, in the right-hand bottom corner, there was a counter that read:

  Spiders defeated - 182/200

  “Okay, I found it. According to the counter, it looks like I have 18 spiders left,” I said. I’ll let my armor recharge; then I’ll go back out and take care of them.” I sat down in the cockpit chair and took a deep breath. “That was insane,” I said, looking at my shaking hands. “Hey guys, let’s make sure we do a little more recon before the next grind station. I’m not really excited at the idea of going up against more giant space spiders.”