Brock’s eyes widened as he wobbled his head from side to side in a silly gesture of excitement. At the same time his mouth was chewed up in pretend anxiety — probably covering his actual mixture of anxiety and excitement.
Pieter’s relief was palpable. He slumped in his chair as if he’d just escaped being abducted by little gray aliens.
Joel allowed a second or two for the muttering and excitement to subside, and then continued. “Learn your back story and make sure you collect your ID cards and make them look like they’ve been used. Carry them around with you. Get used to answering to your cover ID name. I and others will be testing you.”
Maya was still grinning, her fists clenched in thrill under the table so that she didn’t undo the somewhat professional air she had been cultivating of late. Paige noticed though, but said nothing. Her expression was a little more serious.
Joel was still talking. “If one of you gets caught, the strategy is to remain undiscovered for as long as possible, unless you need to prevent real harm from coming to your team mate. Once the ship docks, we will be there to meet you, and as long as we have the intel we need, we will have Federation arrests made.”
He scanned around the room. “This means we need to keep the ruse going for the duration of the journey. Which is several weeks.” His face was deadly serious. “This could be the most difficult task you’ve ever undertaken.”
“For those not undercover, your role is support any which way you can. Paige and Pieter, you will be responsible for monitoring all communications and feeding them intel or back story prompts as they need. You’ll also be looking at any clues they gather and running checks to build up our picture of this organization, to make sure we get what we need. Once we have it, you need to alert me so that we can make necessary arrangements with the Federation to come and step in when we dock.”
Paige nodded, and Pieter even sat up a little to acknowledge his role.
Joel glanced around the room, engaging with each team member. “Molly and I will be reviewing everything as it comes through, making necessary adjustments.”
“Crash,” he said, turning to their pilot, “we need you to work on any contingency plans in case one or all of the operatives are discovered. We need a way of pulling them out, without endangering the rest of the team, or the kidnapped scientists.”
Crash lowered his head for a moment, and then raised his hand to get Joel’s attention.
“Yes, Crash,” Joel acknowledged, lifting his eyes from his holo and his next item.
Crash shuffled his butt cheeks forward in the chair. “Joel, if one or more of our team is discovered, is it under our remit to extract the hostages too?”
Joel glanced at Molly before answering. “We should run through a list of the scenarios. It depends on how much they know about us. Innocent life is, as always, at the top of our priority list to preserve.”
Molly nodded her head silently, her eyes on the desk in front of her. Crash sat back, satisfied he was going to receive more input before he needed to hatch his hair-brained master plans of transportation badassery.
Joel began to wrap the meeting up. “We have twelve days before the ship leaves. Those undercover need to arrive there a day before departure for vaccinations and medical evals. There’s also a bunch of admin that needs to be done before a trip like this, so read the packs the company sent to your server addresses that Oz has marked. Any questions, let me know.”
He glanced around. “All good?”
Everyone nodded.
“Okay folks. Let’s move out,” he announced, dismissing the team in his usual manner.
Gaitune-67, Common area
“Who did you get?” Brock asked Maya.
Maya was studying the back story to her new identity on her holo. “I’m called Marissa d’Senigle,” she announced proudly. “How about you?”
Brock tilted his head, trying to read the name on the ID card. “I’m Mr. Tallus Copernican,” he said slowly, mouthing out the sounds.
Maya smiled congenially. “Well, I’m very pleased to meet you, Tallus,” she said, bowing with a flourish of her hand.
Paige watched from the sofa. “Honestly. You make it sound like it’s just a game!” she snapped.
Maya spun round. “No, we’re not. We’re just having some fun,” she explained.
Paige huffed, and went back to her holo. “It says here that you studied economics before dropping out. I mean, what if someone asks you about the economic situation in the inner system?”
Maya sat down next to her friend and linked her arm, resting her hand on the top of Paige’s forearm. “Well then, I’ll tell them there was a reason I dropped out,” she said gently, but smartly. She paused, then spoke with a little more gratitude. “I understand you’re worried. But it’s all going to be okay. I promise.”
Paige looked up at Maya, the anger melting from her eyes. “I hope so,” she agreed, not entirely convinced.
“Besides,” Maya continued, “this is not much different from what I would do nearly every day when I was working on a case. And then I didn’t have any back up. Just an editor who would come and bail me out if I got arrested or something.”
Paige looked horrified. “You know, I never know when you’re joking or serious when you say shit like that.”
Maya grinned, and winked, moving the conversation back to Brock. “So... Tallus,” she said emphasizing the use of his new name. “Where you from?”
Sean wandered into the common area, looking perplexed. Brock turned as he approached, his city of origin as Tallus forgotten. “You okay?” he asked the uncharacteristically emotional Sean.
Sean scratched his head. “Yeah. Looks like I’ve been placed on the highest risk role.”
Brock frowned. “Thought you’d be pleased about that?”
Sean nodded slightly, flipping his ID over. “Yeah. I would normally. But this looks like …” His voice cracked a little. “It looks like it’s a desk job.”
He practically gulped as soon as the words left his throat. He looked up bewildered, only half seeing Paige and Maya in front of him.
Maya giggled. “Dude, it looks like you’ve just been handed a pile of turds. What’s the problem?” She watched him, unable to contain her mirth at his expression.
Sean looked tired and stressed. “A desk job,” he repeated, this time more emphatically.
Paige started chuckling. And then Brock joined in. Sean glanced over at him, horrified.
Brock patted him on the back. “Welcome to the world of 9-to-5!” he chuckled. “It’s okay. We’re here for you. You will get through this,” he said in his best therapist’s voice, pretending to counsel him through the traumatic realization of what was to come.
Sean shuffled over to the arm chair and allowed his knees to collapse him onto it. His eyes scanned and rescanned the ID card. “How could they do this to me?” he muttered in disbelief under his breath.
He became vaguely aware that Maya had leaned forward and was doubled over laughing her head off. Paige put her hand on her back, as if trying to soothe her bouts of hysteria.
Brock sat on the mocha table in front of Sean. “Bump me your back story,” he suggested, holding out his holo. Sean pulled up the document, and then bumped holos with Brock.
Brock got up and ambled over to the arm chair on the other side of the holoviewing area, reading as he went.
He sat down. “Says here your name is Rex. Sounds kinda badass to me,” he said encouragingly. “In fact, Rex sounds kinda tough. You might get a chance to show this posse who da boss is... desk jockeys or no.”
Paige rolled her eyes. “You make him sound like such a meathead!” she exclaimed.
Sean looked up, his eyes still half glazed and wider than they normally would be. “But I AM a meathead. If I’d wanted a desk job, I’d be somewhere like the Meredith Reynolds, or the ArchAngel, organizing battles and maintaining the Empress’s forces.” His eyes lost focus aga
in and his attention dropped back to his holoscreen.
Brock cocked his head empathetically. “Well, it sounds like you’re the best person to do this. If they said this was high risk, it’s likely you’re the only one who has enough operational experience to deal with whatever is going down in that area of the ship. Plus, if any of us get found out, we need you in a position to come rescue our asses!”
Sean bobbed his head, warming to the idea.
Maya pulled herself together after her fit of laughter and managed to feign some sympathy. “Yeah. And I suspect that there will still be an opportunity for you to do meathead stuff. The ship must have a gym. And other meathead operatives for the heavy lifting and stuff. I’m sure you’ll find your groove.”
Sean glanced over and nodded appreciatively. “Maybe I’ll tell them my nick name is ‘Meathead’... just so they don’t get the wrong idea.”
Paige shook her head, sniggering to herself. “I think we might be missing the point of going under cover!” she said gently.
Sean didn’t hear her, his spirits lifting a little. “Yeah. I’m going to call myself Meathead for this one,” he declared a little more decisively. He stood up, pulling himself to his full height. “I think I’m gonna enjoy this gig,” he said. Then he turned and walked out, with his usual Sean-cyborg-Royale swagger.
Maya started giggling again. “Meathead!” she said, shaking her head.
Brock started vibrating with silent laughter too. “Wait till he realizes that his role is the Head of Administrative Services, as a representative for an external auditing company!”
“Oh shit,” Paige snickered. “Let’s not break that to him just yet. Let him get used to the desk job thing for a day or two.”
Brock put on his I’m-not-taking-the-blame-for-anything-that-happens look. “Well, it’s right here in black and white on his briefing doc.”
“I wonder how long it’s going to take Meathead to read it,” Paige chuckled.
Chapter 5
Gaitune-67, Base Ops Room
The call connected on the console holo and two smiling faces came into view.
Molly sat up a little on her invisible chair, shifting enough to encourage Neechie to jump down from her lap. “Greetings, gentlefolk,” she called out, as if her voice needed to travel further because she knew they were connecting from a long way away.
“Greetings, Molly,” Arlene called back, warmly. Giles made some greeting like “Hi, how are you,” but his voice was a little fainter on account of him being a little further from the holo.
Molly felt happiness lift inside of her as she looked on the two old friends over the connection. “I’m good. How are you both?”
Arlene responded for the two of them. “We’re doing okay,” she told her. “Giles obviously is grumpy about the tedious workload, but we’re doing well. Making progress,” she summarized.
Giles protested. “We’re working through the moons one at a time. And there are eleven of them! Arlene’s calculations sucked ass.”
Arlene grinned and tilted her head at him. “See?”
Molly smiled. “So you’re in the Orn system?” she asked.
Arlene pulled her console chair a little closer, pushing Giles out a little. “Yes. I must say, the moons are rocky and deserted for the most part. But when you look out at the system, in almost any direction, it isn’t half beautiful.”
Giles interjected. “It is, but what is more fascinating is how eleven of these moons ended up in such an intricate orbit so close together. And so similar in size. There’s no physical way it could have occurred naturally. It just doesn’t make sense. Unless …”
Arlene frowned. “Unless you buy into the conspiracy theory!”
Giles huffed. “It’s not a conspiracy theory. It’s just physics. Occam's razor, etc., etc.”
Arlene shook her head at him and smiled back at Molly. “See what I have to put up with?” she joked playfully.
Giles pretended to be offended and folded his arms. “Well, I shall just be quiet then, shall I?”
Oh my ancestors, they’re like an old married couple.
You noticed that?
It’s hard not to!
It’s humorous.
It’s sweet. As long as they don’t end up killing each other.
That is a consideration.
“So,” Arlene said, changing the subject. “You had information for us?”
Molly shifted in her seat a little. “Well. Kinda. It’s like …” she took a deep breath before continuing again. “I had a realm shift, and I saw some things. I had no one else who might know what it meant, so I thought I’d reach out to you. In case you can help.”
Arlene was listening intently. Giles had sat back a little but was still paying close attention, too.
Arlene leaned on the console in front of her, and had her hand by her chin. She waved it a little. “Go on,” she said, encouraging Molly to share.
Molly took another deep breath. “Well. I’d just finished a call and Neechie was hanging around, which is why I knew at first that it was a realm jump. So the usual started happening. Feeling ungrounded and so on. And then I saw an image, as clearly as I see you in the hologram before me. It was a series of planets in a weird array, all in this cluttered orbit.”
Arlene started poking at her console, her attention no longer on Molly. Then a second holoscreen appeared, with the exact same image Molly had been describing.
“Something like this?” she asked.
Molly’s mouth dropped open. “How did you do that? Was Oz able to pull an image?”
Arlene chuckled lightly. “No, no, no. This is where we are. This is the Orn system we were just telling you about.”
Molly’s mouth dropped open. “But that’s exactly what it looked like.”
Arlene bobbed her head. “Well, good,” she confirmed, matter-of-factly, unmoved by the fact that Molly’s visions actually meant something.
“So what does this mean?” Molly asked.
Arlene looked back at the camera. “Well, for one, it suggests that your realm jumping is getting more precise and useful. I wouldn’t be surprised if Neechie was helping you access aspects of your higher self that knows everything from past, present and future.”
Molly allowed the new paradigms to float into her consciousness, cognizant that Oz could always give her a replay later.
Arlene continued. “As for what the scene means specifically, what else can you tell us?”
Molly closed her eyes, trying to recall the incident again. There was a pause on the line while she summoned the sequence in her mind’s eye.
“I saw some kind of doorway. In stone. Like an entrance to a tomb. Or a temple.”
She imagined herself there, recalling the details. “There was a smell of how the air goes when it’s hot outside, but cold inside the stone walls. And there were markings. Like the Zhyn characters. But not. Maybe a different language. Or older. And they were worn away a bit, making it hard to make them out for sure.”
She moved her head as if looking up and around, her eyes still closed, her mind lost in her memory. “The constellations were strange, but that would make sense if it were in the Orn system, an area of space I’m not familiar with.”
Arlene whispered to Giles. “So it’s a tomb, above the ground.”
Giles nodded, his eyes not leaving the holo of Molly.
Molly could hear Arlene’s voice again. “Anything else in the sky?” Arlene asked.
Molly shook her head again. “No, just a beam of light falling on it. Lighting up the glyphs.”
Arlene’s voice seemed a little more excited. “Can you see where the light is coming from?”
Molly shook her head. “No. But then I was somewhere else.” She paused a moment, as if reliving the experience. “I turned, and looked down, and I was in a bedroom… looking at a drawer next to a bed. A bedside cabinet.”
“Whose bedroom is it?” Arlene coax
ed her into revealing more information.
Molly shook her head, a strand of her blonde hair dropping in front of her face. “I’m not sure. I feel like it’s a girl. But a little girl who is quite... precocious. She feels as if she’s beyond her years, or something. She’s... strange.”
Arlene’s voice reached out to her. “What else can you see in the bedroom?”
Molly’s brow creased up, as if she were trying to see closer. “There were red curtains over by the window. And outside... a building like the Capital Building in Spire. The room was sparse. Like a religious dorm or something. There were some Estarian beads on the wall.”
She paused, her head looking downwards now. “But on the bedside table, there are tablets. That aren’t being taken.”
Arlene’s voice penetrated her consciousness. “How do you know they’re not being taken?” she asked.
Molly answered simply. “I just know.”
Molly was silent. Giles and Arlene waited, watching. Wondering if there was any more information to come.
Molly suddenly opened her eyes. “That’s it,” she told them. “That’s all I saw.”
Arlene had been taking notes on her holo. She flicked up and down the screen, making sure she had everything she needed.
Molly watched the holo screen waiting for Arlene’s opinion. “So, what do you think?” Molly pressed, a twinge of anxiety in the corners of her eyes.
Arlene pursed her lips, and then closed her holo. “I think,” she told her, “that you’ve been seeing things that may help us narrow our search down.”
Molly’s face brightened. “Well, that’s great then!” she said. Her face dropped a moment later. “But why?” she asked.
Arlene took a deep breath, and then glanced over at Giles, who was cleaning his fake glasses.
Realizing he was now being invited into the conversation, he sat up a little and pulled the chair forward. “I believe that as you’re becoming more proficient in your realm jumping, you’re able to access more and more intelligence out of time.”
Molly frowned. “Out of time?” she asked.
Giles nodded, placing his glasses back on his face. “Yeah. So as humans... or any organics I know of... we experience time in sequence. Like frames of a movie.”
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