The Big Damn Fight

“Is that another alien?”
“Doesn’t look like the rest.”
“I’m shooting it.”
“Can you, um, maybe wait?”
“It’s wearing a flight uniform.”
“Ah, right. One of the weirdos.”
Also Willhelm gave a cheery wave with his ooze dripping axe. “Hello then. How have your own battles fared?”
Peppi’s mouth broadened even further into a smile. “Ain’t been rightly divin’ inter the fray-like. Some fine folks in the huddle yonder bid me beat some o’ these ale-bein’s for em, so I set off ter do jus’ that. Been bothered mightily by some o’ the merr-ded louts you trounced just there. As such, yer own royal highness hopped on over ter give yeh such thanks and gratitudes as ye’ve earned.”
“Pardon - are you drunk?”
“Impossible! They said we were all out!”
The princess’s smile receded. “Drunk? If m’regal parlance sounds like drunken-talk to yeh then yeh kin jus’ clean yer own overdry ears right out.”
“I am sorry. I meant no offense.”
“Well an’ good then. Offenders oft to lose their offendin’ tongues and tidbits when insultin’ royalty, y’mind.”

Peppi’s temporary retainers finally managed to agree that the actual security troops weren’t going to shoot them and came slinking up.
“So, uh, yeah, thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Chult beamed at them.
“Aren’t you going to ask them the password?”
“Nope.”
“These ‘uns been following yer’s truthfully from atop the tippity tall bit yonder, where they’d been hidin’ out with the pewmagiggers yeh all keen to kill wit’.”
“See? Safe as can be.”
“Right. So you think you can fix the power?”
“I mean, it’s not broken. It’s just that when we were isolating the data complex, we probably just accidentally tripped the –”
Clancy elbowed the technician in the side, then explained, “What he means is yes. Yes, we can fix it. Because that’s what we skilled professionals can do.”
“Well hop to it then.”

“Ah, these li’l legged land-lingerers are sorely lackin’ in just that. Seems all you native-lookin’ dwellers are missin’ the jump to get you from here to thither.”
Also Willhelm set to cleaning his weapons, wiping the alien blood from their blades with a cloth that somehow proved to be almost a match for the mess. “You know if you were drunk, of course, it would be perfectly all right. I have known many competent warriors who saw fit to fortify their courage with –“
“We just finished clarifyin’ that yer only princess ain’t had a merr-drop o’ booze in her! Yeh’d be better not even thinkin’ that of it if’n yeh know her language is right natural.”
“Of course. Regardless, I suppose that introductions are due. I am Also Willhelm.”
“Also what?”
“Also Willhelm.”
“Princess Royale Peppi, alongside all titles comin’ with such royal descendin’.” She, at least, either had no confusion regarding the blond's name or simply didn't care to clarify.
“I’m Sergeant Chult. This is Tomato.”
“Tam-ah-to-ah”
“Bless you.”
“And I’m – “
“Power’s back!” One of the technicians poked his head out from the Civilian Power Control room. The lights overhead flickered briefly, then brightened to the stark white light that they had produced before being limited to emergency power. “Seems it really was just flipping a switch.”

Chult sighed contentedly, stood up even straighter, and began to pace in front of the group. “We’ve won a great battle today, soldiers. I want you all to remember this day. No matter how dark things get, no matter who dies,” he paused to pat the private’s shoulder. “You should all be proud of the work you’ve done to secure this station. You see, little things matter, people. Civilian power may not seem like the biggest deal, but the lights in your home, the alarm by your bed – these things are all important. These things are the comforts that make us human. You could even say that by rescuing this building, you’ve rescued Draconis-II itself.”
Everyone clapped politely.
“Thank you, thank you. Now, how about we –“


A series of massive crashes echoed through the station. The hallway floor shuddered, and after the third metal-shaking impact, the lights dimmed once again to their dull, orange state.
It didn’t take long for a report to come from the control room. “Seems we’ve been hit. And hard. Whatever that was, it damaged the power distribution directly.” Now that there was action involved, it was Clancy delivering the report.
Chult gritted his teeth, then turned in place until he was facing the excited technician. “And… can you fix it?”
“Not from in here. We’d need to suit up and go outside, and that’d be suicide with whatever it was that shot the station still out there. Nah, if we’re going to get up and running, the flyboys will need to fight those things off first.”
Chult made a fist, and a single tear trickled down his face. “I hate these aliens. I hate them so much.”