“Not right this moment, Captain. But soon, yes.”
“Sooo I presume you’re going to need a ship, too?”
“That assessment is correct, Captain.”
“Hmm. Ohhhkay. Well, I guess I shouldn’t ask, as much as I want to. You’ve earned that much, and probably a lot more.” Cass looked to the Girlboss, then over the other shoulder to where the SS Bray was parked some distance away. “You can take the Bray, I guess. Not my Girlboss.”
“I would never dream of taking your ship, Captain,” Spiner said, with a quick glance at Hawke. “But my needs require something a bit less ponderous than the Bray. However, while in the Overseer’s Lair, I was made aware of a single-person pod-ship still in storage. It should be sufficient for where I’m going.”
“Where are you going?” Harry asked, even if the captain wouldn’t.
“I’m afraid I cannot exactly say, Harry.”
“But ... we’re friends!”
Spiner regarded him with those blank eyes and did something uncharacteristic. He smiled. “Yes. Yes, you are correct.”
That threw Harry for a loop. “That’s not you again, is it, Node?”
Spiner maintained his uncanny smile. “It’s still me, Harry. Node, talented as he is, will not be able to compromise my systems again.”
The captain squinted at Spiner as Harry sidled up a little closer to the android’s side, also gazing up at him.
“We could really use your abilities on this mission, Spiner,” Cass said at last. “You’re sure whatever you have to attend to couldn’t wait just a little longer?”
Spiner shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Captain. I found what I was hoping to find in the Overseer’s Lair, and now I must continue the journey.”
Cass threw up her hands. “What journey? Spiner, you’ve been acting a little strange ever since Node took over your body. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re sure he’s not still in there, somewhere, even just a little bit?”
Spiner’s improbable smile actually widened, transforming into an unmistakably appreciative, genuine smile. “I’m sure, Captain. Your concern is noted, but as I assured Harry, I am fully functioning and operating fully under my own power. In fact, I have never been better. I’m sorry, but this is something I must do.” Spiner looked over each of his fellow crew members in turn, and when his eyes fell on Harry, he reached down to pat Harry between the ears. “You have a good crew, Captain. You will manage without me.”
Kitt and Redbeard traded puzzled glances.
Captain Cass gave a long, heavy sigh. “All right, then. If you say you really have to go … then you should go. But we’ll miss you, Spiner. You’ve been a loyal friend and have certainly done your part to get us out of plenty of jams.”
Harry was suddenly overwhelmed with sadness. He didn’t want Spiner to leave! He butted his head against Spiner’s leg so that the android looked down to him again. “You’ll come back, though, right?” he asked, almost pleading.
Spiner scratched Harry’s head. “I should like to. It will depend on what I find at the end of this journey.”
That sounded a little ominous, and Harry swallowed hard. “It’s not because of Node that you’re leaving, is it?” The Bray’s AI had never been particularly nice to Spiner, a fact Harry had often lamented. But if it were Node who had driven the android away, Harry was going to have to give the AI a very stern talking to.
“No,” Spiner said, and Harry breathed a sigh of relief. “No, it’s not that. In fact, please tell Node that I forgive him.”
“I will,” Harry promised, feeling strangely lighter despite their imminent parting of ways. “I’m glad we can all be friends.”
The captain had crossed her arms, her lips hardened into a thin line. Maybe Spiner had forgiven Node, but it looked like the captain was still pretty sore about the incident.
“Me too,” Spiner said, ignoring the captain’s look.
The Federation officer—no, former Federation officer—known as Hawke cleared his throat. “Can we be friends now, too? I, uh … I can’t feel my hands. And I’d kill for some water. And a shower. I haven’t showered since yesterday! I’m starting to smell like that red-haired brute of yours. Can’t we just settle this over a nice pot of tea? I wouldn’t mind if one of you would be so kind as to untie me…”
“Me too!” McGee blurted. “And could I have one of those steaks? Please? I’m starving!”
Bieber gave a disgusted snort.
Redbeard sent them a warning look and Kitt hissed.
Zuckberg leveled a growl at them, teeth bared. “After what you did to my butt?” he asked, his hanging tongue no longer resembling a grin.
The captain simply shook her head. “I don’t think so. We most definitely cannot be friends.” Then she paused, a sudden speculative look passing across her features.
“Bamb—er, I mean, Cass … I am truly crushed,” Hawke said as his shoulders seemed to deflate.
“Save it,” she replied absently, and her own shoulders seemed to expand. She had that commanding expression back on her face, the kind that told Harry she knew exactly what to do next.
Harry was so curious about what she might be thinking that he found himself stepping toward her, ears fully upright.
She looked sideways at their prisoners, a sly smile curving her lips, her dark eyes lighting up. “In fact, not only are we definitely not your friends, we are still your captives.”
Hawke frowned and blinked. “You are?”
Harry tilted his head, also confused. “We are?”
Cass grinned. “We are.”
29
Harry
The captain’s plan was a good one, or so Harry and the rest of the crew thought. Harry was thrilled that he’d soon be able to suit up in that laser gun harness again. He hoped he’d get to test them out this time. During his rescue of Redbeard and the captain, Hawke and McGee had surrendered so quickly he hadn’t gotten to try out the mind-control guns.
Such a bummer.
Hopefully this mission would be different.
In the meantime, before they took off to rendezvous with Tone E, Harry couldn’t wait to show Node what Bieber had constructed for him. That excitement helped keep his mind from lingering on his sadness around Spiner’s absence.
They’d all said their goodbyes to the android before boarding the SS Bray, and Harry had stayed behind to watch Spiner walk off alone toward the Overlord’s compound. It had hurt to see him go. Redbeard and Kitt seemed convinced he’d eventually return though, so Harry tried to believe it, too.
A lump had formed in his throat and Harry shook himself of the melancholy thoughts. Spiner would be fine. He’d find what he needed to find and return to his friends, Harry was sure of it. He didn’t need to worry about that … he needed to focus on the mission ahead.
The mission where he’d get to suit up like a real badass pirate again!
The mission that Node might actually get to go on, without being a sneaky cheat who took advantage of his friends.
Harry galloped into the hold and then pulled up short, his hooves sliding on the smooth metal floor. He paused to wait for Bieber and the wobbly little bot to catch up, and looked around. The cargo hold looked so much different without all the animals on board. It was so … big. And quiet. And … clean.
“Node!” he yelled. “Node, where are you? We have something to show you!”
Kitt was across the way, fiddling with something inside a bulkhead panel, and she looked up at Harry’s shouting, then shook her head and went back to working. She hadn’t been happy about having to be aboard the Bray again. All of Captain Cass’s crew had been looking forward to reclaiming the Girlboss.
Except … the sleek corvette just wasn’t big enough to hold all of them.
Harry would have liked to have ridden on the shiny, smooth ship, too. But then again … the SS Bray was really starting to feel like home. And, how would Node be able to come along on the next mission, if they didn’t take this ship?
<
br /> “Node!” he called again. “Come on, where are you?”
The red eye finally blinked to life on the nearest wall. “What is it now?” Node asked dully. He sounded bored, dejected. As if being left behind while the rest of the crew had their adventures really did hurt.
Harry hoped this present would cheer him up. “There you are! We have a surprise for you! I think you’re really going to like it.”
The red eye widened a little. “A … surprise? For me? Why? What is it?”
Harry looked back toward the boarding ramp impatiently.
Bieber was grunting and groaning, leaning forward on the bot, but the treads wouldn’t turn any quicker. He finally topped the ramp and entered the hold, then paused to lean against the little robot and catch his breath.
Harry turned back to Node’s eye. “A body,” he blurted. “We got you a body so you can leave the ship!”
Node’s red eye grew huge and round. “You did? A body! Really? Where is it?! Did you deactivate that useless android and save his mobile unit for me?”
Harry’s smile wavered at that last part and he stomped one of his prosthetic front hooves. “No, Node! How many times have I told you, you have to be nice to Spiner! If you’re not nice you’re not getting this body.” Not that Node would get a chance to practice being nice to Spiner any time soon now … Harry stuffed the thought aside.
Node’s eye returned to normal size, then morphed into an animated, sweet-looking human with wings, looking very innocent. “Okay, okay. Fine. Where is this body, then?”
“Right here,” Bieber grunted, pushing the cylindrical robot up next to Harry.
The flying human was replaced by the eye again, and the eye blinked. Then squinted. “Uh. That?”
“Yes!” Harry shouted, giving a little jump with glee. “Isn’t it great?”
Node was silent for a long moment. Then he stated, flatly, “It looks like a trash can.”
The words were like a wet blanket over Harry’s happiness, and he stopped hopping around to give Node the same level look he’d given Redbeard when the big pirate had been deathly afraid of a harmless baby snake. “Node,” he said again, sternly. “Bieber worked really hard on this.”
“He should have saved himself the trouble,” Node muttered.
From across the hold, Kitt snickered.
“I had limited resources!” Bieber protested. “This bot here is durable and sturdy!” He thunked a fist down on top of its dome. “It’s a damn fine specimen for being made out of old junk!”
“Sure,” Kitt shouted, “whatever you say.”
Bieber turned to face her and put his hands on his nonexistent hips, defiant. “You think you could have done better?”
Kitt shrugged, shutting the bulkhead panel. “Maybe. But I never would have wasted my time building something for that ungrateful computer in the first place.” She shook her head and moved for the hold’s exit.
Node’s red eye followed her out, narrowing.
“There’s nothing wrong with this bot!” Bieber insisted, turning back to Node and Harry. “It may not look like much, but it’s entirely functional! It will provide a great deal of mobility and range. Isn’t that what you wanted, Node?”
Node’s eye narrowed further after the hold’s door shut behind Kitt, then rolled around to focus on Bieber. “Yes,” he said. The sound of a mechanical sigh echoed through the speakers. “All right. I’ll try it. Why not?”
“Yay!” said Harry. “You’ll love it, I just know it!”
“Uh huh,” Node said dryly.
Bieber nodded, but then hesitated. “Although...” The engineer removed his spectacles and wiped them on his shirt sleeve before settling them back onto his nose. “We will need the captain’s authorization before you can take it into the field, of course.”
Node sighed again. “Of course it comes with strings. I should have known. What do I need to do to get the captain’s blessing?”
“Apologize to Spiner,” Harry said. “For possessing him.” Which might be a difficult condition to fulfill, come to think of it, unless Node hurried. “Uh, he’s going off on his own mission for awhile, but he’s not leaving until tomorrow morning and he still has his personal communicator. You can apologize before he leaves. And then apologize to the captain, for possessing one of her crew without her knowledge.”
The red eye rolled around in its invisible socket, and Node muttered a string of incomprehensible words.
“Node?” Maybe Harry shouldn’t have assumed this was going to go the way he’d hoped.
The eye blinked and Node let out another exasperated sigh. “Fine,” he said at last. “I’ll do it.”
30
McGee
Ex-Corporal Colin McGee was severely regretting ever agreeing to go along on Eilhard the Blowhard’s stupid mission. It’d been pretty miserable from the start, and it was definitely only getting worse as time went on. First there’d been having to deal with the diva himself for the duration of the trip, then being ambushed by walking, talking animals, then several uncomfortable hours of being tied up without food or water.
Pirates certainly did not have the manners of the Federation. No prisoner aboard a Federation ship would have ever gone without three proper meals a day. Heck, no prisoner would go without dessert, even … not unless they were being supremely uncooperative.
And he’d been nothing but cooperative since the pirates had captured him. Or at least, he’d tried to be cooperative. They didn’t seem to believe his claims that he didn’t want to be a part of the Federation anymore. That he’d already left the Federation, and of his own accord (unlike the former Rear Admiral).
And now … now he’d been forced to act a part in this crazy plan of theirs to infiltrate the very heart of Federation space.
Which meant his very careful plan to fake his own death would be exposed as a lie. The Federation would discover he was still very much alive, might even request that he return to duty. And if he refused, he’d be labeled a deserter and hunted the rest of his life.
He could kiss his dreams of living out a quiet, civilian life goodbye.
Now his future was looking very much like his past: unbearably boring routine, day after day, stuffed into an uncomfortably stiff uniform. Unless, of course, he wanted to stay on the run and risk lifetime imprisonment or execution.
McGee grumbled and slumped further down in the XO’s chair on the bridge of the cargo hauler. It was a clunky, utilitarian ship … the opposite of the lush (if cramped) comfort provided by the corvette he and the Blowhard had taken to the backwater planet of Cern.
Well, at least they’d untied him for this mission. And let him have some food before they took off, though it’d been regular ship rations and not one of those fresh steaks he’d been salivating over. Damn them.
Even still, McGee was all too aware of the pirate crew arranged behind the command chairs. Seated on the floor, they all appeared to be manacled, but it was just an illusion. In reality, the manacles were not locked. Any of them could easily free themselves at any time.
And Captain Bambi—er, Cass! It’s Cass now, you idiot! No need to get shot today, too—and her giant, red-bearded second-in-command had pistols tucked into the backs of their belts. Just in case, they’d said.
Just in case McGee or Hawke got the bright idea to give away the ruse, or tried to actually turn the pirates over to the Vice Admiral.
If either of those things happened, Captain Cass had made it very clear, neither Hawke nor McGee would live to see any reward the Federation might be offering.
McGee was convinced of her sincerity.
Hawke had seemed particularly upset by this notion … though McGee got the impression it was Cass’s hostility toward him that truly offended him, rather than the actual threat to his person.
McGee rolled his eyes.
Even Zuckberg had abandoned him, siding with the pirates, and still growling any time McGee tried to approach him. McGee grumbled some more. After everything he�
��d done for that dog … if Zuckberg would just take a second to have another sniff, he’d know the tracker hadn’t been his idea! And then he could tell the others McGee had no love for the Federation, either. Cross his heart and hope to die.
No, scratch that. I don’t want to hope to die. This mission is crazy enough as it is.
A chime sounded from the navigation computer as McGee’s stomach lurched, signaling the return once again to normal space. He scanned the readouts on his chair’s small screen, then sighed. “We’ve now entered Federation space,” he said, purposefully dropping the sir he otherwise would have added to the end of that statement. He was tired of the charade altogether. “And there is a toll for use of this shipping lane. We have two minutes to issue payment or a Federation patrol will be dispatched to our location.”
Hawke waved a hand dismissively. “Just pay it.”
“Which account should I use?” Sir. Ugh. How long will it take me to stop wanting to say that? Like he ever deserved it in the first place.
Hawke shifted in his chair, then looked over his shoulder to the pirates.
McGee twisted to follow the man’s questioning gaze.
None of the pirates seemed amused. Captain Cass leveled a withering glare at Hawke. “Pay it yourself. It’s your precious Federation.”
“Aye,” the big pirate seconded. “Arrrr, touch our coffers and I’ll rip ye in half, I will.”
Hawke’s brows lifted at the colorful threat, his lips forming a hard line. He turned back to face the viewscreen and gave McGee a nod. He tapped at his own chair’s screen. “Here, I’m sending you an authorization code. You can pay from my account.”
“Got it.” McGee keyed in the details. “Uhh, declined.”
“What?” Hawke reddened visibly. “Wait, try my other code.”
Resisting the urge to snicker, McGee entered the second round of details. “That one worked.”
“Splendid,” Hawke said, but with none of his usual enthusiasm.
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