Chapter 38: Stop Dreaming

Bruck was worried. "Robert, what should we do now? Call others for help?" 

"Bullshit!" Robert stamped with rage, "Do you want me to be laughed at by everyone? Besides, the coordinate data is inaccurate under the influence of the magnetic force. We'll starve to death by the time they will find us!"

"Then what should we do now?"

"Wait!" Robert ground his teeth. "Wait for the people who set us up! If they don't want us to die!"

"Robert, this person is terrifying."

At the same time, the Cheetah that had just left came back to the outside of the atmospheric layer of the planet.

The co-pilot was a young, handsome man. He looked at the pilot anxiously, "Lieutenant, will they fall for our trap?"

"Why don't we see for ourselves." The Lieutenant said in a soft, low voice, sounding completely harmless.

"Now?"

"No, Second Lieutenant." The Lieutenant said with a smile, "Let them enjoy the fresh air for a few days. We can go to our ship and have a rest."

"But, Officer, if the captain knows that we took revenge on the mercenaries, maybe he'll get mad."

"I didn't take revenge. Who said it was revenge? I set a trap on that planet, and they just jumped into it themselves. We will actually be their saviors."

"Okay..."

At noon two days later, Robert and Bruck were crouching in the cabin, each in one corner, staring at each other.

Drifting around in space was part of life for mercenaries. But being trapped on a dead planet without oxygen was the first experience for them. Even tough guys would be scared on this cold and dark night. What made it even scarier were the roars coming from underground. They didn't know whether it was the undercurrent or some unknown beasts. All they could do was hug each other.

Finally, they saw a beam of light coming from the sky, which was the Cheetah of the alliance they had once looked down upon. It was coming toward them in a stable flight, with two people sitting in the cabin.

"This is Lieutenant Robert from Team Three, Column Seven of the mercenaries." Robert picked up the communicator remorsefully. "Officer from the alliance, please help us to get out of this planet."

After a while, they heard a young man's serious voice from the communication channel, "Lieutenant Robert, this is Second Lieutenant Jeff Baker. What's going on? How did you get trapped there?"

"... silence." Robert blushed because he didn't know what to say as he stared at the Cheetah for a long time. Bruck beside him seemed pretty angry. Finally, after a moment, Robert sighed and shouted, "Okay, I lost. I'll return if I ever meet you in the future! I'll never take advantage of you again!"

****

There came a low laugh from the communication channel.

It was a woman's voice.

Sitting in the rear cabin of the alliance Cheetah, Robert watched the fighter flying quickly to the sky, leaving the planet that humiliated him. He couldn't help but watch the people in the pilot seat.

At first, he whispered to Bruck that it was so awesome to be a soldier of the alliance because you could bring a woman with you. But, when they stepped into the cabin, they found out that the woman was sitting in the pilot seat, meaning she was the boss of those soldiers.

It was a small woman whose pretty face could only be seen vaguely through the mask.

This fact obviously made him less humiliated. Although losing to a woman was shameful, losing to a pretty woman could be a good tale, and he could say he lost to a beauty. It was not detrimental for him to have some sexual affairs as a mercenary, even if the story was spread to others.

But this woman looked quiet and reserved and even gave them a missed smile when she saw them. If he hadn't seen her in person, he wouldn't have believed that she was the one who set up the trap for them...

Bruck only stared at the disused devices in the rear cabin and felt sorry for them.

In the mercenary, the soldiers could own their property. The fighter was their biggest property. But now, the plane could never leave that planet because of the magnetic force. 

So...they tore apart the alliance's workstation, and the alliance destroyed their plane! They had lost so much more than them!

"Hey! What's your name?" Robert stared at that slender waist, "At least let me know who I lost to!"

The woman said without turning around. "All you need to know is that you can't touch what belongs to the Phoenix."

"Oh?" Robert squinted, "What about things of other space fortresses?"

The woman seemed to smile. "Lieutenant, how can I control that much?"

Robert suddenly felt that this woman knew how to do things properly and was not foolishly loyal like other soldiers in the alliance. He said excitedly. "Okay, I promise I'll tell my men not to rob things of the Phoenix." He thought for a second and said. "Girl, you're good. Are you interested in joining the mercenary?"

The woman's arms, which were controlling the plane, seemingly shivered as she heard Robert's words. Jeff Baker, who was standing beside her, shouted, "Stop dreaming! The lieutenant is the most excellent soldier in the Phoenix. She will never join the mercenaries!"

Robert ignored the young boy, smiling, "Everyone knows that men in our mercenaries are handsome and strong. The biggest dream of every girl in Freedom City is to have a one-night stand with the mercenaries. Being our bride every night is absolutely better than being with these dorks!"

Jess was so angry that he wanted to curse at them but didn't know what to say. At this moment, the lieutenant suddenly turned around and smiled brightly at Robert and Bruck.

The woman's face looked warm and lovable through the mask, though she was not the most beautiful woman in the universe. Her eyes were particularly bright and pretty, like the twinkling stars in an ocean.

Both Robert and Bruck were immediately stunned by her.

Suddenly, the woman's finger lifted and pressed.....

"Ahhhh!" The screams of Robert and Bruck resounded through the cabin and out into space.