In Walked Trouble

In walked trouble, his hulking figure filling the doorway. From underneath a wide brimmed hat, that hung low over his face, peered a single red searching eye. It scanned the ship’s crew, darting from one face to another with an unnatural motion. Other than the low hum of the engines, silence reigned over the Command Deck where the crewmen stood frozen at their stations. Some were hunched over their control panels, visible beads of sweat rolling down their foreheads, their weapons drawn. Others kept their hands at the controls, ready for any order that their Captain may give. In the center of the room, his jaw set and eyes ablaze, stood the Captain. Now face to face with his enemy he gripped his blaster tightly with both hands.

They were behind enemy lines on a covert reconnaissance mission when the stranger’s vessel was first spotted. Thinking that it was a personnel carrier the Captain maintained their hiding place affixed to the side of a large asteroid. The Captain had relied on the massive heat sinks to mask their radiation signature, but it hadn’t been enough. The unknown pilot changed his course and began a direct intercept pattern and they were forced to flee. Dodging asteroids, calculating hyperspace jumps and putting his ship through a series of complicated maneuvers, the Captain lead his crew in an effort to lose their pursuer. Now at the end of the eight hour chase the stranger had boarded their ship and stood there, without a word, staring them down with that one shifting eye.

That red wandering eye finally came to rest on one individual. Lieutenant Starlin’s breath caught in his throat and he felt his face flush of all color. For what seemed like ages the two stood staring at each other. That’s when the Lieutenant noticed the parcel that the intruder held in his vise-like hand. Wrapped in brown paper was some irregularly shaped object. Before he could think too much about it, the intruder made a move towards the Lieutenant, extending the package in front of him. Every weapon in the room was discharged simultaneously. Quicker than lightning he hit the floor and rolled behind the engineering console. Sparks exploded just over his head as the energy beams of half a dozen weapons collided with the wall behind where he stood a moment before.

As the smoke cleared the intruder leapt from his hiding spot, abandoning all cover in an attempt to reach his mark. Hat falling from his head, he covered the distance to Starlin in a few long strides. The Lieutenant closed his eyes and tucked his arms around his head, anticipating the impact. With a shrill scream he accidently pressed the trigger of his blaster. The beam punched a hole clean through the assailant’s metal chest and he fell, with a heavy clang at Starlin’s feet.

Every member of the crew quickly huddled around the robot’s corpse. Burnt wires and melted servos were visible in the gaping hole. The scanner in the middle of his metallic head, once glowing red, was now dark. After the shock of the robot’s sudden demise wore off, the crew’s attention turned to the oddly shaped package that still lay clutched in his hand. One man gave it a soft kick, causing it to flop from his grasp and land where a white label could be read.

Every eye turned to Starlin, whose face turned a brighter red than his uniform.

“Why don’t you open it, Lieutenant?”

Grant jump at the sudden sound of the Captain’s voice in his ear. Without needing to look at his commanding officer’s face he knew that this was a command and not a question.

Grant stooped, shaking, and retrieved his delivery from next to the drone. Removing the paper wrapping the contents of the package and the reason for the failure of their mission was revealed to the entire crew.

The value sized package of tube socks was knocked out of his hands as the captain began shouting orders for the return to their homebase.

The packet of socks landed squarely on top of the drone’s serial number placard which read, “TR.0U8.1E”

Trouble always finds you.