Kidnapping is Always an Option - 27. Chapter 27

Dear Jackoff the Second,

You wouldn't believe the hell we have all just been through. The mafia sent bounty hunters after me and ended up kidnapping Nix! They were only going to hand him over if we gave them the bear of the kid that I freed a while back. We were able to retrace my steps and find the boy (Liam) with the bear. The bear ended up having a flashdrive with a bunch of international bank accounts!

I just about lost my mind for a while with worry, and we ended up having a 6-some (or was it a 7-some?)[1] with Loxias and Sifta. Thanks to Mycha's brothers, we were able to use my ring to zero in on Nix's ring and rescue him. We broke into the bounty hunter ship and finally managed to find him!

But, apparently, Nix grew this huge attachment to three of the thieves. According to the Civek, it's like he had the three of them jumping through hoops the entire time[2]! Worse yet, Caspin invited them to stay with us until after the kits are born, which prompted Phen to whisper something about Cas building himself a little empire[3].

For some bizarre reason, Nix insists on grooming this Pedro guy once in a while (not that I could ever be jealous of a toy Chihuahua, of course...not in the slightest). I think that there's something going on between the raccoon and the ferret, too. I swear, though, if I hear another hormonal whimper about Nix needing his "puppy wuppy," I'll surely puke.

Worse yet, Nix now has it in his head that we have to make these things called "play dates" with our children and Pedro's kids whenever they're born! I mean that'd all fine and dandy while they're little, but what about when they're teens? I better keep a close eye on all of them.

The fretful and frazzled,

Rios

[1] Was that a 7-some? - coined by reader CrimsonPetals

[2] I knew my sweet kitty would have them jumping through hoops - coined by reader LadyDe

[3] Cas is building himself a little empire - coined by reader Tahn

::::::

Loxias took a moment to take in the sight of his mate curled protectively around the jaguar cub, both of them sound asleep. The little boy held the gray teddy bear, in turn. Lox leaned over to press a soft kiss to each of their heads before fully exiting the room. As he walked down the hallway, he came across Adrian, who was heading in the same direction. The expression on the human’s face was a mixture of frustration and fear.

“I take it that they need more men on the ground?” the Kaynen prompted.

“They’re my Seraglio, Lox,” Adrian responded. “I feel responsible for each and every one of them. Why can’t the Enforcers send in their own professionals for this?”

Loxias reached out to gently place a hand on the human’s shoulder. “Your mates are better qualified, as painful as it is to admit. If you clear your mind and quell your need to protect, you will realize the truth of it.”

The two of them ended up in the wide, open space of the living room, which had been temporarily converted into a war room. Instead of the plushy couches and love seats, two long, corner couches were set down together in the shape of an upside down ‘U.’ On the left-hand side sat ‘Biter’ the raccoon, who revealed his true name to be Jason, and ‘Sneaky’ the ferret, whose real name was Daniel. For their own discretion, they asked the crew to continue to call them by their code names instead of their actual names.

Falorios sat down next to the ferret with Nix on his lap and ‘Fierce’ the Chihuahua on the Civek’s lap in his Kaynen form. His real name was apparently Pedro, but he asked to be referred to by his code name, as well. Leaning gently against Nix’s back, sitting sideways and cross-legged, was Phenner. The rabbit took up the first corner. Next to him, on the other section of the couch, sat Mycha. The Murisian was leaning forward with his elbows draped along his knees and his hands clasped in front of him as his gaze remained focused on the table in front of them.

Caspin was next to the Murisian and was anxiously clutching at the end of Mycha’s tail instead of his own, which was a tiny relief for Adrian, as Mycha had no fur on his tail to rip out. The human sat down next to the captain and wrapped his arm around Cas’s shoulders. Loxias sat in the corner of the connecting couch beside Adrian, and the twins, Noel and Leon, were already seated at the other end of the couch.

Rolled out onto the table was a thin, electronic sheet that displayed blueprints and detailed scans in 3D. Just beyond the table was a large screen that displayed Kyle’s face. The crew and the Enforcers, through Kyle, had been planning the infiltration of the Maivit base on the third moon of Nainer over the last few days.

“It’s taken a while, but we finally managed to scan every segment of their base without being detected,” Kyle explained as he activated the diagram on the table. “The red dots you see are where their men seemed to be gathering the most during our scans.” As he spoke, the diagram moved to a different location and zoomed in on some of the equipment. “We found the room where they keep their data center and overall security. Our scans revealed the model of their servers. We’ve designed a micro drive that should allow us to take over their security.” A small segment of the zoomed-in server flashed red to show where the micro slots were.

A tense moment passed where Kyle took a deep breath as if he didn’t want to continue.

“But it appears that the data center is wedged right in between two of the rooms with the most activity,” Kyle explained. As he spoke, the diagram shifted upwards to show an overhead blueprint and paths highlighted in green. “The safest entrance is through their ventilation system, which is only twenty centimeters by fifteen centimeters.”

“So, you’re saying I’ll have to break in using my other form,” Mycha concluded, which drew forth a worried squeeze on his tail from Caspin’s hands. He reached over to gently rub the top of Caspin’s hands with his own in an apologetic manner.

“I can fit into that space, too!” Phenner declared. “I can go with him!”

“Bunbun, too?” Nix whimpered behind him, which prompted the rabbit to hug and comfort him from behind.

“What about us?” The twins cried out at the same time, both of them eager to spare their brother and the rabbit from harm.

“You’ll be needed on the outside,” Kyle pointed out. “After Mycha plugs in the micro drive, you should be able to hack into their side panels and open the doors to let them out of the data center. Otherwise, they’ll be stuck inside. They won’t be able to go back through the ventilation systems once they drop in.”

“So, they’ll be able to open any of the doors and gates?” Nix questioned as he anxiously brushed the Chihuahua on his lap with one hand and threaded his other hand through Phen’s fingers.

“Exactly,” the Enforcer responded. “This is where Caspin and Adrian come in. The two of you will be Leon and Noel’s shadows until they can get you into the room with the most activity. If they suspect that something is wrong, the first to evacuate will be their leaders. We have a tracking device ready, but we’ll need someone to physically tag the right ship with it, as they might have decoys.”

“I should be able to tag the ship myself, why involve Caspin at all?” Adrian questioned in a hiss.

“Out of your entire crew, Caspin is the most experienced in studying and documenting cultures. He’ll be able to recognize who their leaders are faster than anyone else,” Kyle countered.

Caspin took a deep breath and let go of Mycha’s tail in order to take hold of both of Adrian’s hands. “He’s right, Ade,” he agreed. “We all have to do our best if we’re going to take them all down once and for all.”

“But-” Adrian began to complain but was cut off by the Kaynen beside him.

“It’s Caspin’s Seraglio, as well,” Loxias stated as he backed the Vulpan up. “No one has the right to deny him the opportunity to help protect it. As I’ve always said, he’s bolder and stronger than he appears.”

A slight blush streaked across the captain’s nose and cheeks even as the grumpy Adrian began to sulk right next to him.

“Thank you, Lox,” the Vulpan replied softly.

“Speaking of Loxias, I have a suggestion,” Kyle stated as he drew the attention back to himself. “The Maivit Mafia only met face to face with Captain Terrin. They only know that her bounty hunter crew consists of a raccoon, a ferret, and a Kaynen…”

“You want me to take Fierce’s place,” Loxias concluded. When Kyle nodded, he nodded back. “I accept and will help them.”

“He certainly looks the part of ‘Fierce’ more than the real one, that’s for sure,” Daniel snickered.

“’ey!” Pedro complained after he hopped off Nix’s lap and shifted back into a human to speak. “Being fierce has nothing to do with how big or small you are. It’s the attitude, hurón.”

“Calm down, Fierce,” Jason implored. “You know he’s only joking.”

“Tension’s high for everybody right now,” Nix commented as he began to pet Rios’s wings in lieu of the Chihuahua. “If it were up to me, none of you’d go. But, a big part of me is so tired of worrying and always looking over our shoulders because of this damn mafia.”

The cat’s eye narrowed angrily.

“I want them to go down as badly as everyone else,” Nix continued as his voice developed a furious growl. “I want my kits to be safe. But you all had better not leave me alone to raise our rugrats without daddies. You’ll damn well come back to me alive, even if it kills you. You understand me?”

Furtive responses of agreement filled the air along with desperate nods, without comment on the Civek’s odd phrasing. They all knew what Nix meant. No one wanted to admit out loud that they had no control over being able to come back alive and well. The pregnant Civek was still in a delicate and highly emotional state. They didn’t want to upset him.

“I’ll come onboard in a few hours with the equipment I mentioned. So, until then, everyone,” Kyle concluded as the screen and the diagram shut off.

::::::

Kyle did indeed bring the micro drive inside a miniature backpack for Mycha to carry in his other form. The Enforcers had only one specially designed suit that could deflect plasma shots. The suit was intended for Caspin to wear, but he insisted on Phenner having it.

“Phen and Mycha are the ones that are going to be in the most immediate danger,” the Vulpan pointed out. “They’re breaking into their security system and will be right in between those two mafia-filled rooms!”

“The one that will be in the most danger will be you,” Adrian all but growled.

“That’s only if they suspect that something’s wrong!” Caspin argued back.

“Please, stop fighting,” Phenner pleaded as he folded the suit up into his own mini-backpack. “We have to work together now more than ever, yeah?”

“Phen’s right. We can’t start fighting amongst ourselves now, there’s too much at stake,” Mycha added.

Kyle moved forward to place the tracking device in Caspin’s hand. “Just press the buttons on the sides here, and it will latch onto any part of the ship,” he instructed.

“U-understood,” Caspin responded.

Then, the first phase of their plan was set into motion. Adrian, Caspin, Phenner, Mycha, and the twins hid away in the thieves’ ship while Jason, Daniel, and Loxias flew it out of one of the hangars of Caspin’s larger ship. They landed about a mile away from the base so the crew members wouldn’t be seen. The landscape of the moon had hills, shrubs, and craters that made for decent hiding places for them to slowly make their way closer to the base.

The raccoon, ferret, and Kaynen merely walked up to the front gate of the base. Loxias held Mrs. Bear in his large hand. As they neared the gate, Lox recalled what the twins said.

::

“It was Phenner that came up with the idea of having a decoy teddy in the first place,” Noel mused.

“We couldn’t very well continue holding Mr. Bear hostage! So, we got another similar looking bear. It had fancy lashes, so we realized it was a girl. But, I don’t think the mafia’s going to tell the difference,” Leon snorted. “We cleared out the data from the flash drive and forwarded it to the Enforcers. But, not before I took a screenshot of the accounts and used the image to make it appear as if the data is still there.”

“They shouldn’t be able to realize it’s a dud until they try to access one of the accounts. We figure they’ll need direct approval before they can snoop around into any of the accounts,” Noel deduced.

::

Though they had seen the 3D models and blueprints, the base looked a lot larger in person. Two soldiers stood on either side. They were both gray komodo dragons, but one had a greenish tint, and the other was a bit orange. They wore gray camouflage pants, gray shirts, and dog tags. They were nearly as intimidating as the plasma guns they held, but Daniel was amused to note that Loxias was still a head taller and wider than them.

As soon as Jason explained who they were and that they were sent by Captain Terrin, the three of them were waved inside and were then flanked by the two soldiers. Two more soldiers were already inside. They led the way to a lab. One of the soldiers swiped their ID card through the panel on the side of the lab, and the doors slid open for them.

One side of the lab housed computers and electronics. The other side held freezers and specimens. Loxias wondered if the money that they stole from foreign accounts was used to fund experiments. A lanky man wearing a lab coat approached them. He had spines rolling down the back of his head, and Lox realized that he was an iguana.

“You’ve brought it back! Thank the stars!” the iguana chimed as he snatched the teddy bear right out of the Kaynen’s hands. He began to tug at the head, struggling to rip it open. After a few futile moments, he sighed and handed it to the nearby soldier. “Would you be so kind as to rip this open for me?”

The soldier pulled the head off the teddy bear so savagely that Loxias was once again glad that Liam wasn’t anywhere near to have witnessed it.

“Now, where is that flashdrive…ah!” The iguana pulled out the flashdrive from the stuffing and then chucked the bear head over his shoulder carelessly. He quickly shoved the drive into a slot and opened its contents. Immediately, the image of the accounts appeared. “There they are!” he all but sang out loud. “Well done, you three. These gentlemen will escort you to another room where they will give you your reward.”

::::::

Leon used the special digital binoculars that Kyle had given him to keep an eye on the four soldiers that marched around the perimeter of the base. “Okay, from the time they turn the corner, we have about six minutes to sneak Phen and Mycha in through the vents. Adrian’s the tallest, so if I stand on your shoulders, I should be able to use my tools to open it,” he whispered.

“Alright,” Adrian agreed.

“And they’re turning the corner…now!” Leon instructed as the group rushed forward until they were just beneath one of the vents. Adrian knelt down on one knee, which Leon used in order to stand on his shoulders.

Leon braced his hands against the wall for balance as Adrian stood up to his full height. “Lazer pen!” He hissed down towards Noel who tossed the tool up to him. The Murisian then used the pen on the edge of the vent to cut the hinges and tug it off. He dropped the vent cover down for Noel to catch.

Phenner and Mycha immediately shifted into their animal forms and pulled on their backpacks. Phen’s mini backpack held the plasma suit, extra clothes for Mycha, and a communicator. Caspin then carefully threw Phen up to Leon, who placed him into the vent, and then did the same with Mycha, who had to force himself to keep from squealing out loud at being thrown.

Leon then leaped off Adrian’s shoulders, landing gracefully on the ground. “Alright, let’s go hide until they give the go-ahead!”

While Adrian, Leon, Noel, and Caspin dashed off to hide, Phenner and Mycha made their way down the vents. Mycha took the lead and whispered the directions quietly.

“Left here,” Mycha whispered to Phen. “And now a right…”

When they reached the end of the vent that led to the data center. Mycha used his small hands to take out all of the screws. He gasped when the cover dropped right off. He dove after it and shifted in the middle of his fall. Air escaped his lungs in an ‘oof’ as he landed. But, the cover was safely held in one hand while his backpack was held in the other. He set both aside and stood up, holding his hands open.

“Jump, Phen,” he whispered.

The rabbit trusted his mate to catch him, and Mycha didn’t disappoint. After he carefully set Phen down so he could shift back, he began to shiver. “It’s so cold in here,” he hissed. “You’d think they’d have better temperature control technology.”

The two of them quickly dressed, and Mycha shoved the micro flashdrive into one of the slots. Phenner pulled out the communicator from his backpack.

“Flashdrive’s in,” Phen whispered.

“We’ll let you out in a few,” came the whispered response from Leon.

:::

Leon and his group carefully made their way to a side entrance of the base and once again waited for the soldiers guarding the outside to pass the corner. The Murisian gave the signal, and the entire group rushed towards the side door. Leon quickly placed a special hacking device to the side panel which gave the right signal for entry. The device could only work with the help of the micro USB that Mycha had inserted into their main server. Leon peeked his head inside. When he saw no one, he quickly ushered everyone through a hallway.

Noel pulled out a portable device that displayed the map the Enforcers had previously scanned. He swiped along the image to the area they were currently at. "Looks like we have to go several meters down this hallway and then cut to the right and up without being detected."

Adrian and Caspin nodded their agreement, and the four of them carefully made their way towards the data center. On two occasions, they hid themselves from the sound of marching feet. The first time, they were near a set of bathrooms and ducked inside. The only person inside was in a stall at the very end. The twins had to stifle their laughter when they began to smell the guy's progress. Even the mafia had to shit.

The second time that they had to hide, they managed to find a supply room stuffed with file cabinets and shelves. The four of them were crouched beneath the door and held their breaths as they saw the imposing komodo dragon soldiers marching past from the sliver of the window on the door. Caspin held Adrian's hand so tightly that the human couldn't even feel his fingers. But, none of them made any noise.

They were about to step back out into the hallway when a commotion was heard. The hairs on their arms rose up as they heard and saw several more soldiers running past and yelling at one another.

"They should be in the 300 section, room C!"

"Tried to pull a fast one on us, huh?"

"Let's bring those damn bounty hunters to the sergeant chief!"

Adrian bit his lower lip hard enough to draw blood. They hadn't expected for the thieves and Loxias to have been found out so soon. He glanced over at his Vulpan partner and frowned at how pale Caspin's face became.

"Shit!" Leon cursed under his breath. "Alright guys, the priority for us hasn't changed. We have to get to Mycha and Phen and get them out before they get caught, too!"

The group waited a moment longer in case any other soldiers ran past, and then they made their way back out to the hallway.

:::

Jason, Daniel, and Loxias were shown to a conference room and told to wait for other members of the mafia to pay them for their trouble. Two soldiers guarded the door. Though they were told to sit down, the three of them remained standing near the door. Lox’s Kaynen ears concentrated on any sounds at the door. The sound of one of the soldier’s portable devices was the first sign that something wasn’t right. Loxias strained to hear.

“...incomplete data...bounty hunters…”

Loxias let out a low growl. “As soon as they open the door, I’m going to slam against the nearest soldier, and the two of you should run,” He hissed.

Sure enough, one of the soldiers swiped his card on the side of the door, ready to forcefully escort the thieves to another location. But, the massive Kaynen slammed right into him.

“Run!” He growled at the raccoon and the ferret.

Jason shoved Daniel in front of him. His partner was faster and surely had a better chance of escaping. Unfortunately, as the two of them bounded down the hallway, they ran right into another group of soldiers. As they turned tail to run back the way they came, a plasma shot hit Daniel at the ankle.

“DAN!” Jason roared as he ducked down and hefted the ferret over his shoulder. Pure adrenaline rushed through him as he ran away from the soldiers. When he turned the corner, Loxias joined them in their mad dash down the maze of hallways. The three of them had studied the map extensively, so they were just barely able to dodge the group chasing them.

The three of them were panting as they sat down in the corner of one of the hallways.

“Don’t worry,” Daniel hissed as Jason inspected his ankle. “Nothing a Medunit can’t handle.”

“We need to find one of the labs,” Jason suggested.

“A lab? Why?” Loxias questioned.

“I getcha,” Daniel stated as he followed along. “If we nab one of them scientist iguanas, it’d be the easiest way to steal a card key.”

“I’m going to need your help,” Jason told Loxias.

:::

Phenner wrapped his arms around Mycha as the two of them tried to keep warm in the freezing temperature of the data center. Both of them perked up when they heard the sound of the door sliding open.

“Took you long enough,” Mycha teased, having expected to see one of his brothers.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t one of Mycha’s brothers. The iguana who entered was shocked at the sight of the two strangers in the room.

Before the iguana ran off for help, Phen reached out to grab hold of his elbow. The two of them entered a tug of war for a moment.

“Let me go!” The iguana hollered.

Phenner frowned, but complied, causing the iguana to stumble back and bash his head against the wall, crumpling down unconscious.

The yell prompted several soldiers to pile out of the room to the right, and several more soldiers to pile out of the room to the left. The komodo dragon men were in various stages of dress, and only a few of them held plasma guns. Phenner and Mycha stood back to back and began to attack as the soldiers rushed towards them.

Having been trained by Mycha to seek out the men with weapons first, Phen drew their attention towards himself and knocked the weapons out of their hands with his kicks. Some shots were fired, but his plasma suit bounced them right back. Mycha quickly caught the guns as they came down and shot at his group of soldiers with precision. Behind him, Phenner handled the komodo dragons in hand-to-hand combat.

When Mycha cleared a path for them, he called for Phen to follow him. “Come on!”

The two of them rushed down one of the hallways, the soldiers in hot pursuit. A gecko nurse was startled as they moved past and dropped her clipboard. Phenner grabbed the clipboard as a reflex and used it to bash the side of one of the soldier’s heads as he caught up to them. Mycha and Phenner ended up ushered into the medical room.

The Murisian let out a hiss when the charge of the last plasma gun ran out. He saw a soldier reaching out to grab one of Phenner’s ears, and he chucked the plasma gun in a spin so that the barrel hit the komodo dragon right between the eyes. Phen took the opportunity to then kick the man back into another soldier, causing them both to fall down.

Two soldiers dashed towards Mycha as the mouse ran behind a rolling cot. For a moment, they chased him clockwise and counter-clockwise around the cot. They then simultaneously took hold of the edge of the cot and rolled it towards Mycha with the intention of bashing him into the lockers behind him.

For a moment, the Murisian was bent over at the stomach as the cot was shoved against him, but he barely managed to twist on top of it just as the edge hit the lockers. When he stood on top of the cot, he was finally at the right height to be able to punch each of the soldiers in the face, which he did not hesitate to do. He punched the first one right in the eye and ducked as the second one swung at him. He then punched the second soldier in the eye.

Meanwhile, Phenner ducked beneath the long komodo dragon legs, prompting some of the soldiers to punch one another accidentally as they missed the rabbit. He quickly lifted a small trash can and used it as a shield before throwing it right at the soldier for the startled man to catch. With his hands occupied, Phenner promptly kicked him right in the gonads.

The rabbit nimbly hopped onto the counter, and then even higher to settle himself on top of a shelf. He threw the contents on the top shelf down onto the soldiers. Three of them took hold of the shelf and began to shake it, trying to get Phenner to fall down. But, the shelf ended up toppling right on top of one of the soldiers in the process. Phen deftly kicked off the back of the falling shelf into a flip. He used the momentum to knock down another soldier with a double kick to the komodo dragon’s shoulders.

As the soldier fell backward, the back of his head bashed against the corner of the counter, knocking him out. The remaining soldier rushed towards Mycha, but Phen leaped high and kicked him right in the side of his face as he dashed past. The rabbit dusted his hands and caught his breath as he glanced at their collaborative work. He then reached out a hand towards his mate.

“Let’s go find the others!” Phenner urged.

Mycha placed his hand in Phen’s and tried not to swoon like a fanboy at the memories of his Serai’s impressive fighting techniques.

:::

By the time that Leon and his group reached the data center, they merely saw the door wide open, and an iguana with a lab coat passed out and slumped on the ground.

“You guys wait here,” Adrian instructed. “I’m going to see if I can find them,” He said as he rushed off before any of them could disagree.

The twins noticed that the doors of the rooms on either side of the data center were open and the rooms were empty.

“These look like military bunks!” Leon gasped.

“Over here too,” Noel added.

Caspin frowned. “Military bunks? There’s no way that mafia leaders would sleep in those kind of quarters.”

“Crap,” Leon huffed. “Then, where would the leaders be?”

“Let me see that map again,” Caspin requested after a moment. “Kyle said that the red dots were where the most activity was,” he explained as he scanned the map. “If this was really where the soldiers slept...then, that means that their leaders should be over here.”

The twins looked down at the map to where the Vulpan pointed.

“This room looks too small to be a lab, but is definitely too big to be a conference room. There are only two dots there. It must be a master bedroom,” the captain concluded.

“I think you may be onto something,” Noel agreed.

“What about Ade and the others?” Leon asked.

Caspin pulled out the tracking device Kyle gave him. “We can’t let those leaders get away.”

“Then, we’ll lead the way,” Leon affirmed.

The Murisian twins and Caspin rushed down another set of hallways as they made their way towards the room the Vulpan pointed out. Just as they approached the door, a few komodo dragons came out of it, flanked by soldiers.

Caspin instinctively tugged Leon behind him as shots were fired. Noel was hit on the shoulder and hip. The captain was hit on the thigh.

“Fuck!” Leon cursed as he knelt down between them, downright panicking.

“Take him back and get Adrian,” Caspin ordered.

“I can’t just leave you here!” Leon hissed.

“Your brother needs help the most!” Caspin countered.

Leon frowned as he saw just how pale his brother’s skin was. The Murisian seemed to have passed out due to the pain. “F-Fine! But, I’ll be right back with Adrian!”

Caspin grimaced as he attempted to grin in an encouraging manner. As soon as he saw them turn the corner, he used the wall to lift himself back up to a standing position. Gritting his teeth against the pain in his thigh, he ran as fast as his legs could carry him in the direction of the soldier-flanked mafia leaders.

Kyle was right all along. Why would four soldiers protect two komodo dragons if they weren’t the two most important men in the entire base? As he rushed after them, trying to make up for lost time, he was relieved that he didn’t run into any soldiers. When he reached a set of open doors, he realized why.

They were evacuating. Caspin ran through the doors and found himself at a hangar. Though there were three ships lined up, only one of them was lit up and ready for take-off. The Vulpan rushed towards it with every last bit of energy he had. He was within three feet of it when he heard the familiar sounds of the thrusters sparking up. He pressed the sides of the tracker and threw it desperately at the ship.

As soon as he saw that it lodged itself securely to the ship, he let out a sigh of relief. But then the thrusters were ignited and, as the ship took off, Caspin got sucked into the ionic wind and was slammed violently back against the solid wall. As his body fell to the ground, the communicator he had in his pocket slipped out.

“Excellent work, captain!” Kyle’s voice echoed into the hangar. “The tracker’s working perfectly. We got them!”

When the Murisian didn’t hear a response, he called out. “Caspin? You there?”

“Caspin?"