The Second Book of the Alienbutt Saga. The Rise of Mr Fluffy. Part 71.

General Jee walked into the small cell. On the wall opposite slumped the dead body of the prisoner, his bloody corpse held in place by electronic manacles.
He turned to his chief torturer. “Did you get the information needed before you let the priest die?”
“Yes General, we have all the codes we need to send a message to Snoodgrass as well as a list of his contacts. Would you like them to be picked up?”
“Not until the battle starts, I want nothing to endanger the trap we will spring. Have the message sent that the full Federation fleet will attack the Bounty Hunter space station in three weeks’ time.” General Jee turned to an officer standing in the doorway. “Have the fleet mobilised. We're going to end this war with one final battle. Send messages to the reserves to prepare. All droid ships are to be made ready to move on my order.”
The officer saluted and left as Jee walked up to the dead man. “Snoodgrass may know of our build-up here and our current numbers, but when a million extra droid ships jump into the battle, the Ick and their allies will be swept away and into the pages of history.”

Snoodgrass sat at the table in a stupor, not a big drinker. Wickede had been ensuring his glass had never been empty as they sat drinking and making toasts with Blackarachnia and Hydroponic, who had announced he would leave in the morning. Nifty already lay on the couch in the corner asleep. Blackarachnia had placed a blanket over her and would not let his eyes stray from her sleeping form for more than a few moments. Suddenly Snoodgrass's ever-present electronic notebook began to beep. Drunkenly he picked it up and pressed the screen. As he read, his posture became more erect and the drunken look disappeared from his eyes.
“The Federation will attack the Bounty Hunter station within three weeks, seeking to split our forces. Then while they hold back the Fo'c'sle forces in Ashia Minor they will swing around and send their full force against us. They have been reinforced with five hundred thousand droid fighter units and carriers. With their battle cruisers and other fleet we're looking at odds of thirty to one on capital ships, even without the fighters added in.”
He looked around at the others who seemed to have sobered up too, apart from Hydroponic who grinned and lifted his glass.
“Here's to not having the most foolish mission anymore. I feel so much better for not being the daftest in the room.”
Wickede grinned and lifted his glass also. “I'll meet you in the afterlife and see if you still think the same after your first meeting with the Ji.”
He stood up and pressed a button on the table. “Mr Rochester, order all fleet to battle stations. We leave in one hour.” He turned to Snoodgrass. “Begin the evacuation. I want all our people out of here within the next thirty six hours.”
Nifty sat up and yawned. “Alienbutt better hurry up and get back here soon then. I hope that fat-arsed fool doesn't turn up too late for this one.”

to be continued.
All images are mine.