Bab 29: Night Prey
The flight to the Orc sector was not easy. Star took the Claw out of superlight three times and entered new coordinates. The cloak was always active and the cat trusted its equipment. Lee Long experienced a feeling of envy. He asked his girlfriend, "What class is your hyperdrive?" Her scout had a class 7 engine on it! Lee acknowledged that she was cool. Even more so, he appreciated the magnitude of the Ferin tribe's thoughtfulness. He put on his colony saboteur costume. The cat looked at him with pleasure,
"You made a great purchase. I am familiar with the quality of this model. Our scientists helped humans develop the armor. But you're acting like a silly bald monkey! Take off that suit. I trust our dexterity and skill. Have you forgotten about the tracking sensors? Orcs aren't stupid."
The cat went to the hold and brought out a roll of cloth. Lee took the roll and realized it was a model of armor unknown to him.
"Shade's scout is equipped with such a suit. Karbos. Are you familiar with this type of enemy?"
"Karbos. A master knife fighter. Dexterous and fast. Low strength. Mutant. Has wings and is capable of flying short distances. Not a pleasant enemy," the boy said.
"Put the suit on. There's nothing unusual about it. All standard armor is the same."
Lee changed and did a set of exercises. He liked the suit.
"It's not a gift, it's a mission outfit," Star clarified.
"I see. I'll keep the equipment safe," the boy agreed.
"Don't worry about keeping things safe. Take care of your tail," laughed the cat.
"I'm working on it," the boy smiled.
Two days of flying in a small room had tired him out. Lee stopped his constant development of the Healing skill before the flight ended. He asked not to be disturbed and took up meditation. On the planet Ondokor, he would need a full supply of mana. And most of it would be spent healing himself.
Lee had been observing the hospital patients and knew the approximate health threat of M-Crystal radiation. Fifty health points have a 16-year-old young man. Without a healer's help, a miner would die in twenty-four hours. Lee Long did research when he could get accurate data on the colonists. He expected to collect a large party of crystals. A duelist had 300 health points and could regenerate 500 health points per day. One cut M-crystal took away 48 health points per day. The boy decided he could cut 16 crystals! This will bring him a million and a half credits! Crystals are accepted by every company in the world. It is a legal commodity with a stable price of 1000 credits per 10 centimeters of the length of a crystal. He will hide the main part of the loot in his inventory. It is impossible to arouse his girlfriend's suspicion. Lee Long was grateful to her for the opportunity to make good money.
He had his doubts. He could not reveal all his skills to her. Her ties to the tribe were very strong. He could not trust her completely. He could not give her his support! The Shield and Speeding are good support. Especially the Shield. Black Star had few attribute points and the 10% boost in dexterity did not affect. But the shield could help the cat. Lee thought about it and decided to stealthily support her. Protection from magic attacks and dangerous weapons wouldn't hurt.
***
Black Star did not calculate the time of arrival on the orc planet. They arrived at dusk. The cloaked claw entered the atmospheric region and flew toward the planet's surface. Star controlled the flight and they raced low over the sands of Ondokor. Lee Long viewed the scenery and was disgusted to see the monotony and lack of richness of life. The desert had no tall vegetation and only sand hills rose above the flat surface of the sand. Sometimes they flew over the ruins of orc cities. Only low, abandoned ruins remained of the old cities. Orcs used the materials of the ruins to build new buildings for the surviving townspeople. A strange race. What prevented them from taking their dirty manufacturing into orbit? The threat of attack by their neighbors? The planet was securely protected by a chain of space stations. Lee didn't understand the Orcs' way of thinking.
The scout made the flight of a couple of dozen minutes and landed at the foot of the high mountains.
"We're in position," the cat said. "Are you ready to hunt?"
"Let's do it," the boy nodded. He was fully prepared for possible trouble. The balance skill allowed him to set all attributes to maximum. The duelist knew for a fact that orcs did not indulge in life-extending procedures. Aristocrats can afford this service to galactic civilization. But aristocrats don't waste their time working in filthy industries. The encounter with the common guard did not bother the duelist.
The friends looked at the map on the screen. Claw had taken up a position in the middle of the subversion front. All the races had a wealth of experience in cold warfare. The operation should follow the standard sabotage plan. Stealthy infiltration of the facility. Setting explosives. Stealthy exit from the danger zone. Ten facilities to work. Blowing up all the facilities was the final part of the operation. Simultaneously detonate the explosion in ten mines and escape from the scene of sabotage. A saboteur's usual operation.
Lee thought the night was a good thing. It's handy for extra camouflage. There are no slaves in the mines. The night is great. It was as if the cat had read his mind,
"It's a good time to attack. Don't we need any extra casualties? We didn't have an assignment to blow up slaves. Let's get down to business."
Lee nodded his head silently.
The galaxy was an amazing place. The advances in technology were producing amazing results. The boy learned that he would not take an active part in the process of the mission. He had the role of accompanying guard and loader! Nine sets of explosives took up little space in his backpack. A mine capable of inflicting tremendous damage was the size of a small box. One of the explosives Star took with her.
They left the ship and ran to the m-crystal mining complex.
Very soon Lee was surprised to find that the orcs did not pay much attention to the protection of such objects. Two nimble shadows glided through the darkness of the night. Above the planet, Ondokor shone two discs of moons. But the light was dim and allowed the saboteurs to feel safe. They traversed a low wall and walked toward the entrance to the mine. They were surrounded by low barracks buildings. There were no guards on the compound!
Star told him about the facility. The orcs had erected low walls to protect the slaves and guards from attack by wolves and bears. The ragi posed no danger at night. These huge birds did not hunt at night. The orcs were not worried about slaves escaping. The slave chips in their bodies were a reliable chain. A master capable of getting rid of the chip had no chance of surviving in the wilderness.
Not even the entrance to the mine was guarded! Lee shook his head and hurried after his girlfriend. They didn't use lighting devices. The support of the suits' night vision equipment was enough for them. The entrance to the mine was small, only about the height of an adult and a few steps wide.
The saboteurs cautiously entered the cave and walked down an underground corridor. The walls of the corridor were artificially fortified. If there were sensors installed in this corridor for surveillance they did not matter. Darkness and silence surrounded the saboteurs.
A glimmer of pale orange light appeared ahead. Lee saw a large cave at the bottom of which m-crystals were growing. There were many of them and they covered almost the entire surface of the cave.
Lee was the kind of student at school who always confused stalactite and stalagmite. An m-crystal is a kind of stalagmite. A valuable resource for galactic purposes. Its value lies not only in its material properties but also in the constant regeneration of the resource. It grows from the bottom of caves and other underground cavities. M-crystals had their characteristics. The crystal grows at a rate of about 10 centimeters a month. It stops its active growth when it reaches a height of one meter. A mature crystal gives off a faint light at the base. The color of the light does not matter. The powder of all m-crystals has the same quality. There is no particular breed of m-crystal that gives the special and best result when melting metal.
Crystal does not change toughness with age. Crystal has low toughness. Any crystal can be cut with a sharp knife. It is when the integrity is broken that a stream of dangerous energy bursts out of the base of the m-crystal. All electronics fail. Only living sentient beings can cut off crystals and receive a dose of radiation.
The friends stopped. Black Star threatened the boy with his fist. He nodded and began to undress. The radiation from the base of the crystal would disable the suit's hardware. He doesn't want trouble. He wants money!
The boy was left in just his boxers. With the knife in his hands, he went to the right wall of the cave. The cat shadowed to the left side.
Lee Long approached the group of m-crystals. Good harvest! He approached a crystal that reached one meter in height. Lee compared the height of the crystals to his height. He crouched at the base of the crystal and began to cut his prey. The system responded to the danger,
[Warning. You have been exposed to hazardous radiation. Loss of life 2 health points in 1 hour. Duration of action 50 hours.]
The boy blinked and removed the information from his view, he was ready for this message. Now he had to hurry! Cutting 16 crystals would take a few minutes. His partner would get her job done quicker.
Lee would have to make excuses for the delay! He cut the crystal and put it in his inventory. Where's a decent new source of credit? There it is! Third... seventh... eleventh... sixteenth! He took the last crystal in his hand and ran to the center of the cave. The cat sat by his suit. It stood up and silently threatened him. Lee quickly stashed the loot in his backpack and put on his suit. The hood over his head and immediately his girlfriend's angry whisper sounded in his ear,
"What took you so long?"
"I was picking the biggest one," the boy excused himself.
Star snorted and ran for the exit of the cave. A long night of tedious and stressful work lay ahead.
PERTIMBANGAN PENCIPTA 
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