by Sarah Noffke
“I can totally get it,” Pip continued. “She’s smart, really pretty, has a spunk that you find interesting, and she’s—”
“Pip!” Hatch yelled, startling Knox.
Ignoring him, Pip said, “She’s not my type, if you must know. I prefer my ladies a little taller. Oh, and I love brunettes. Who says they aren’t as much fun as blondes? But you obviously have a thing for the pixie types, which I can respect.”
“That’s quite enough!” Hatch’s head felt like it was about to explode. He had half a mind to downgrade Pip’s programming, turn him into an EI.
“Oh, don’t get so excited,” Pip chortled. “I’m not implying anything is going on between you two. I mean, the anatomical conundrum that a human and Londil pairing poses is beyond my capacity to sort out. I’m only strongly suggesting that you have a little crush, which is completely normal for a Londil of your age when going through a mid-life crisis.”
Hatch flung a wrench across the lab, throwing most of his tentacles above his head. It wasn’t that he was attracted to Liesel. He didn’t actually know what got to him about her.
“I DO NOT like Liesel!” Hatch yelled, turning to leave the lab and escape the taunting.
Hatch’s eyes widened. His mouth fell open. His eight hearts palpitated.
Standing squarely in the entrance to his lab was Liesel Magner, a look of utter heartbreak on her face.
“Uhhh…L-L-Liesel!” Hatch stammered.
“Wow, this is a little uncomfortable,” Pip said in a squeaky voice. “I think I hear Julianna calling me. Gotta go!”
The chief engineer drew herself up, lifting her chin. She reached down and picked up the wrench that Hatch had thrown across the room. “If you didn’t like me before, then you’re going to fully hate me now.”
“Liesel, it’s not like that,” Hatch said in rush. “Pip was provoking me.”
She shook her head, a pleasant smile now on her face. “It’s fine. I heard you clearly; although I’m sad about it, I know I can’t make anyone like me.”
“Pip was making it sound like Hatch had a crush on you,” Knox cut in.
Hatch closed his eyes for a beat, wishing he could disappear. He shook his head, looking at Knox. “Gunner, stay out of this.”
“I was trying to help,” Knox explained, looking between Hatch and Liesel. “It’s all a big misunderstanding.”
“Hey, Gunner, you know how I rehired you this morning?” Hatch asked.
“Y-y-yeah,” Knox stuttered.
“Well, you’re fired…again. Clear out.” Hatch pointed at the exit.
Knox didn’t argue. Hopefully he knew that tomorrow he’d be rehired; Hatch needed space today.
Dropping his tool on the workstation, Knox headed for the exit. Liesel gave him a sympathetic look as he passed.
Hatch knew he was being cruel, but he couldn’t stop himself. Maybe it was the midlife crisis comment. Hatch wasn’t getting enhancements to his tentacles, or dyeing his skin like most Londils did when growing older…
The baby blue Mustang 390GT he’d been working on caught his eye; the muscle cars were taking over his lab lately. Maybe he was “going through something,” but it was definitely none of Pip’s or anyone else’s business.
“You really like your apprentice,” Liesel observed when they were alone.
“I like you, too…professionally,” Hatch said, adding the last part a beat later.
“And I hold only the highest level of respect for you,” Liesel said. “But Knox means a lot to you. He represents a part of yourself.”
“He’s a kid I’m teaching.” Hatch shook his head, waddling back to his main workstation.
“He’s the next generation of mechanics,” Liesel pressed.
“What does that have to do with anything?” I don’t have time for this. He’d only completed one pair of the Saverus goggles, and finishing another one would take time, especially because he kept firing Knox.
“Evolution is a healthy part of us and the organization that we’re a part of,” Liesel said.
“And?”
“And it can also challenge us,” Liesel continued.
“I’m not feeling challenged enough,” Hatch declared. “Maybe that’s the problem.”
“Maybe,” Liesel said, her voice doubtful. “I think it’s more likely that you’re afraid of what will happen to you as Ghost Squadron continues to evolve. Will there always be a place for Doctor A’Din Hatcherik? That place is surely going to change; it already has. Now you have a chief engineer you have to answer to. I don’t think you dislike me so much as I make you nervous because of what I represent.”
Hatch’s face pinched with confused outrage. “I don’t have to answer to you.”
Liesel wasn’t deterred, only continuing to smile at him. “I would think that, on this ship, we all answer to each other. That’s how a team works.”
“This is ridiculous. And what do you mean by what you represent?” Hatch asked, his breath hot.
“I represent the change. Before I was hired, you had full control over all the projects on the ship. And control is something I think you crave,” Liesel said casually.
Hatch’s cheeks were burning hot with anger. He shook off the ridiculous notion. “Why are you here?”
Liesel released a clever smile. “Why am I here? What are any of us doing here? It’s the grandest question.”
“Oh, stop with your hippie bullshit!”
“Fine.” Liesel pulled a pad from the holder on her waist, handing it to Hatch. “I’m specifically here because the captain and commander want you to take over on this project, since I need to focus on ship repairs.”
Hatch took the pad, a sound of frustration falling from his mouth. “You’re not serious? I’m supposed to take over building the weapon?”
Liesel shrugged weakly. “I prefer to call it the ‘leveling laser’ rather than ‘weapon’.”
“It’s a weapon,” Hatch argued.
“A bulldozer isn’t considered a weapon, but it does something similar.”
“I don’t like that you play this semantic bullshit with me.”
Liesel dared to smile sweetly. “I completely understand that me assigning you this project makes things tense. I know how you feel about the leveling laser.”
She is either the dumbest person in the galaxy, or she has a death wish. “You’re not assigning me anything!” Hatch roared.
“No, you’re right. This order came from the captain and commander, like I mentioned.”
“Fine, I’ll do it—but only because we were nearly demolished by an alien race.” He glanced at the plans before handing back the pad.
“Do you need me to send these blueprints over to you?” Liesel asked.
“No, I just memorized them.”
The chief engineer tilted her head to the side, a calm look of respect on her face. “Okay. Thank you, Dr. A’Din Hatcherik.”
“Whatever,” Hatch grumbled, putting his back to her.
“Oh, and, Hatch?”
“What?” he barked, opening the hood for the Mustang. He’d get started on the leveling laser soon; first, he needed to calm his nerves.
“Just so you know,” Liesel began, “there’s no replacing you. Not now. Not ever.”
Chapter Eighteen
Brig, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
“He’s going to be okay,” Eddie said, watching Julianna pace back and forth in the corridor outside the brig.
Julianna spun around, her hands on her hips. “Who is?”
Eddie’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling. “Are you really going to play this off like you’re not concerned?”
“I’m not following,” Julianna said.
“Jules, you’re obviously worried about Harley coming out of the Pod-doc. Will you stop acting so heartless?”
Julianna pulled her gun from her holster. “This isn’t an act. I honestly wasn’t thinking about Harley just now.” She pointed her gun at the door. “My mind was firmly focused on quell
ing my anger so I don’t do something I’ll regret. Now why don’t you open that door?”
Eddie gave her a discriminating glare, not at all buying her tough-girl act. Jules was tough. The toughest he knew. But she was also human and had feelings. The fact that she was so angry she was resisting the urge to murder a prisoner meant that the attack that nearly killed Harley was burning her up inside.
Eddie placed the goggles onto his face, tightening the band around his head until they were secure. “You sure you don’t want the goggles? It does help to break the illusion.”
Julianna shook her head. “I don’t need them. I know what that thing is and can no longer be fooled.”
Eddie had never seen Julianna so pissed.
Since he was the one who had taken the coordinates from the Saverus, he figured he’d be the most irate. But Eddie had made the call that he thought was right. There was no going back and changing things. It wasn’t that Eddie didn’t regret things; it was that he already had one major regret in his life, and everything else paled in comparison.
Yes, the ship got beat up. But no one had died. Even Harley would be okay. In exchange, they’d found the location of the Saverus fleet and learned valuable information about their technology. In his mind, the fuck-up hadn’t been completely terrible. There were other decisions that Eddie had made in his life with zero silver lining. Those were worth regretting.
Eddie gave Julianna one last look before opening the door to the brig.
The prisoner was in the form of Julianna when they charged into the holding area outside its cell.
Julianna held her pistol steadily at her doppelganger. “Change,” she ordered.
The imposter blinked innocently. “Why would you want me to change? I’m you. I’m perfect, don’t you think?”
With a precision to impress, Julianna fired her gun, and the bullet grazed the shoulder of her mirror image. The Saverus’s hand flew to her shoulder, and her version of Julianna’s face was streaked with horror.
“You didn’t think I’d shoot at myself, did you?” Julianna asked. “Now change, or you’ll feel the next bullet more.”
The image of Julianna dissolved into the giant snake, its green eyes blinking impassively. A smear of blood marked its right side where the bullet had grazed.
“You set us up!” Eddie yelled from Julianna’s side.
The Saverus dipped its chin, not replying.
Julianna lowered her gun. “You have given us zero factual information, and what little you did tell us nearly got us blown up. There is not much keeping us from throwing you out the airlock.”
“Then do it!” the Saverus said with a hiss.
Eddie shook his head, eyes narrowed. “That would show you more kindness than your own race has, including your partner. He used you as a shield and left you behind to be caught.”
“Verdok is a vile Saverus. His treatment of me was no surprise,” the snake spat, unaffected.
“But your race knows that we have you. We informed them,” Julianna said. “And not only have they not tried to rescue you, but when offered your return in exchange for a ceasefire, they declined. They shot at our ship with the intention to destroy. It would appear that they have no concern for your life.”
Julianna gave Eddie a sideways look. “Tell me, partner, what would you do if I was captured by the enemy?”
Eddie stepped up closer to the bars, his eyes sharp and centered on the Saverus. “Nothing and no one would stop me from finding you, Jules. I would tear this universe apart to save you.”
Julianna smiled inwardly. “And what would Ghost Squadron do if one of ours was on an enemy ship that had jumped within range?”
Eddie laughed hoarsely. “That’s easy. We’d negotiate for their release. What we wouldn’t do is fire at said ship, knowing that we were potentially killing one of our own.”
“So you can see how savage that makes your race appear to us,” Julianna concluded plainly.
“Our council is very selfish,” the snake said. “You wouldn’t understand. We are taught selflessness for the good of our kind, and our council takes advantage of that.”
“That’s an excuse. You’re in denial about what’s happened here.” Julianna stepped even with Eddie, leaning close to the bars. “They have betrayed you. Plain and simple.”
“Now you’re remaining loyal to a race who would rather see you dead than protect you,” Eddie stated.
“It’s not like that—”
“Enough!” Julianna stated. “You have one day to decide where your loyalty lies. We’ve shown you more kindness than your own race, but that will not last. Either you start being of use to us, or we’re tossing you out the airlock. No one is going to miss you.”
Knox Gunnerson’s Private Quarters, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
Consciousness was slow to return to Knox. He felt trapped, but the waking world was a blink away. All he wanted to do was open his eyes. Then his future could begin…one without regret and uncertainty. One where he fixed his problems instead of made them worse.
I have the answers!
The dream was so clear. It was a memory. His memory. It had all come back. Finally, he knew where to look.
If he could only wake from this seemingly unending movie reel of his life, he could tell Julianna and Eddie. They’d be so happy. He’d lost the Tangle Thief—well, hidden it—but now he knew exactly where to find it.
It had to still be there; he was the only one who knew where it was located. There was no way that anyone else could find it.
Unless they excavated the junkyard… Unless they know exactly where to search and what they are looking for.
His heart beat in his throat. The Saverus were likely to be on his trail. He knew that. Knew it so much, he was afraid he might be too late.
He needed to wake up. If he could jolt himself out of this dream, the beginning of the end could commence.
In his bed, he felt himself toss. The sweat beaded on his forehead, drenching his pillow. His dry mouth continued to plague him.
Still he stayed locked in dreams.
Wake up! he yelled at his consciousness.
Knox reached for the covers, pulling them to his chest as he shivered. He was so cold. So alone. So tired of fighting.
Why can’t I get out of this dream?
In his mind, he screamed so loud that it hurt his ears. So loud that he wanted to escape from himself. So loud that he did wake.
Finally!
Bolting upright in his bed, Knox sat heaving on ragged breath. His covers were tied tightly around his abdomen, and his mattress was soaked. His head was throbbing.
But he didn’t care.
He knew exactly where the Tangle Thief was.
Chapter Nineteen
Landing Bay, Ricky Bobby, Tangki System
“A junkyard?” Eddie asked Knox, scratching his head.
“Specifically, a spaceship junkyard on Planet L2SCQ-6,” Knox replied.
“From my experience, junkyards tend to be a mess of piled high trash,” Julianna cut in. “Do you know exactly where you put the Tangle Thief?”
Knox nodded and then corrected himself, shaking his head. “I know where I hid it, but things could have shifted over the last ten years.”
“Or someone could have taken it already,” Eddie added.
“As long as it wasn’t the Saverus, then we’re fine. Whoever took it wouldn’t necessarily know how to operate it,” Julianna said.
Hatch waddled over, carrying a small, metal case. “Remember that Knox operated the Tangle Thief at age ten. Using the Tangle Thief isn’t rocket science.”
“Knox is also Cheng’s son,” Eddie reasoned. “I would assume that his prior experience with technology helped. “
Hatch puffed out his cheeks. “I’m only saying that it’s possible that someone could operate the device.”
“But they haven’t,” Cheng said at Knox’s side, his arm protectively wrapping around his son’s shoulders at the look of defeat
that sprang to his face.
“I hid it really well, I promise,” Knox said.
“How do we know that the Tangle Thief hasn’t been used over the last ten years?” Julianna asked Cheng.
“Simple,” Hatch chirped, handing her the case and waddling away.
Eddie stared down at her, a ghost of a smile on his face. “Well, that explains everything. Hatch can really beat you over the head with an answer, huh?”
Julianna looked again to Cheng, who would be more willing to offer information.
He cleared his throat before saying, “Knox used the Tangle Thief soon after I did, which is why the tear that was created went unnoticed. However, if someone starts using the Tangle Thief again, there’s going to be reports. The tears that it creates have the potential to create a vacuum effect.”
“Do you mean they will start to pull things from this universe through the tear?” Julianna asked.
Cheng nodded, dropping his arm from around Knox’s shoulders and using his hands as he explained. “Yes. Objects, people, and elements of the environment could be pulled through the tear. A great deal of radiation will also pour through from the other side, which will kill and destroy anything in the near vicinity.”
Eddie whistled through his teeth. “That would stir up some attention.”
“So we can safely say that, since there haven’t been any reports like this, the Tangle Thief probably hasn’t been used,” Julianna guessed.
“See? Simple, like I said,” Hatch yelled from his workstation.
“The details to help us apes understand the context would have assisted your point,” Eddie called back.
Julianna stared at the case Hatch had thrust into her hands, before returning her gaze to Cheng. Knox, besides his black hair, obviously took after his mother in appearance. He was even taller than his father, especially when not slouching like he was now.
Hopefully once we locate and retrieve the Tangle Thief, that constant defeated demeanor will leave him.
“What’s on the other side of the tear?” she asked.
Cheng scratched his chin. “It’s only speculation,” he said.