-[  ]-

Francois was rather enjoying his place in the bridge, he usually far preferred seeing to the ship’s health, and tending its complex engines, and let the flying be done by the amateurs, but now he was involved, he beamed widely and near continuously. The drones had been cunningly hidden behind three Oort cloud objects, that he had christened the Three-Bees, also known as Brenda, Betsy, and Bertha.

The crew put up with his mildly insane fancies, and could not comprehend why François thought the names so funny, but the plan was good, not only were the drones hidden from the craft, even when they fired, but also they were now given massive armour. Even tactics woman Mosa had given them the thumbs up, as far as a Galen could manage anyway.

‘Drones have all arrived, and deployed, Brenda is now fully armed’ there was a barely suppressed laugh from François as Mosa read out the status of their little plan. ‘As nothing needs to be sorted out we can start heading out, Genevieve no hurry we have twelve hours or so, though I think we could all do to catch a little sleep before it arrives’

‘Proceeding at ten-c will be there in about ten minutes, from there we can check the line up, and make any last minute alterations’ replied Genevieve, and then whispered to Mosa ‘Do you understand what is so funny?’

‘Not a clue, is it a human thing?’

‘I am human, and I don’t understand it, maybe you have to be a François.’