Foolproof Plan
Henry was getting lonely in the back of the ship on its way to Earth. He had been reading the intel file all alone in the bay.
So, he decided to sit in the cockpit with the pilot.
"What brings you upfront, Agent?" the pilot asked Henry.
"I was bored to death back there. What's your name, mate?" Henry answered, smiling at his pilot.
"The name's Jackson. It's rare for one of you, special agents, to talk with the rank and file. Don't you have homework to do back there for your mission?"
"I did. I'm done, actually. Am I disturbing you? I can go back if you want," Henry told the man.
The pilot stared at him from the side, not knowing what was wrong with this guy.
"Nah, it's fine, mate. I'm just not used to an agent talking to me. Y'all are a cold bunch, usually. If you want to talk, have at it. We still have a few hours before us, and I wouldn't mind the company," Jackson finally answered, smiling.
And so, both men started talking about all and nothing on their way through space. After 4 hours of whizzing through countless stars, they finally returned to Earth's solar system.
They had travelled through FTL all the way there since portal use gave out a large amount of dark matter and was easily read through space scanners. Travelling through FTL was much safer in this aspect, but it was a lot longer.
Once the ship reached range to see Earth, the pilot switched on active camouflage.
"I'll drop you a few miles from the village, Agent Calvert. Any closer would put the ship at risk," Jackson told Henry, slowly bringing the ship into Earth's orbit.
"All good. I know my way around these parts, anyway. Will you be the one to get me in a week?"
"Yes, Agent. I've been assigned for the mission's travel back and forth," the pilot responded.
"Call me Henry, man. We're not robots, and I get the feeling we'll be working together in the future," Henry said joyfully.
"Although I don't think that is true, I hope it does come to happen. You're a lot more enjoyable company than any other special agent I've carried before. In that case, call me Felix," the pilot replied to Henry with a slim smile.
"In that case, Felix, I'll make sure it happens. Until then, wish me luck and don't forget me a week from now!" Henry said, slapping his shoulder and walking to the back of the ship towards the warp pad.
"Break a leg, Henry!" Felix hollered at him, raising his fist to the sky.
Warping to the surface, Henry took his two kukris and a long-barreled laser sniper with him. Also, with him, he brought a backpack loaded with explosives and grenades.
He had jumped into a light exo-suit tailored to his person. This exo-suit was typically made to boost his physical capacities, making him capable of running faster, jumping further and higher, and hitting harder.
This type of suit was standard gear for a special agent.
Once on the ground, he looked up, knowing the ship he came in was leaving orbit right now. He sighed and started walking towards the town.
It had been a while since he set foot in Legacy Cave, and he hoped no one would recognize him. He walked towards the Inn on the main street and took a room.
The man at the counter looked at him weirdly.
"Have we ever met?" the man asked.
"I don't believe we have, sir; this is my first time on Earth," Henry replied.
He couldn't tell the truth about his origins or that he had been here six months ago. At the same time, the fact that he was wearing a typical military uniform would surely fool the locals into thinking he came from Tera Nova.
That would significantly cover his tracks from them.
Henry walked up to his room to drop off his stuff. He then returned to the counter downstairs to ask the man for information.
He asked the clerk where to find documents and maps about the region. Of course, he already grossly knew the layout around the village and where to find such information.
But to keep his cover as a newcomer from Tera Nova, he had to act like he knew nothing about the place. The clerk instructed him where he'd find the library, telling him all he wanted would be available there.
Henry thanked the man and left.
He reached the library in a short time and asked the librarian the location of the maps. The librarian looked at him with a sense of déjà vu and pointed to the far end of the left corner.
Henry thanked him and walked over to find a specific map. What he was looking for was not a map of the village's surroundings, but a map of the general region.
He wanted to map it out in his head precisely before accomplishing his mission.
The Tamarains had established camp fifty kilometres out of the village, and this time, they had come with more than four squads. They came to Earth with an entire division of men.
They had ten squadrons ready for deployment without counting the logistics soldiers. Henry would have to play this one smartly if he even wanted to make it out alive.
He planned to take out the squadrons one by one before the week had passed. Of course, he had a contingency plan, in case things didn't go his way, but he hoped he wouldn't have to use it, as it was so overly risky.
He first wanted to scout the camp and find the patrol routes to secure it. Then, he would start planting traps around the route to chip away at the troops.
Once the officers decided to rein everyone inside the camp to defend, he was going to use the long-range laser sniper and take the remaining ones out, one by one.
It was a foolproof plan.