“I think I have genuine control of the ship. But I’m not the equivalent of a Vovokan hacker. Let’s face it, there have to be advanced methods they use to hijack systems, and how can I really be aware of those?”
Telisa’s face showed a pained look.
I just can’t give her the answers she wants.
“I’m sorry, Telisa, but this is an alien ship, and they’re so advanced—”
“I get it. That’s okay. I prefer you honest, even if it makes me want to shoot myself.”
“Then let me say a human ship might not be much better. Shiny has studied human computer systems and I’m sure he knows how to compromise those, too. Given his vast computing power, amazing tech, and a Trilisk AI to listen to his prayers, it’s probably child’s play to him.”
Telisa did not say anything.
She has to be thinking about getting Magnus back!
“I think we could trade the Celaran ship for Magnus,” Cilreth said. “It’s got to be a juicy find. Who knows what that ship is capable of?”
Telisa nodded. “Maybe. We don’t even have access to it at the moment. We’ll give Shiny everything else—the clothes and the tools and the robots. We can even take one of the houses apart for its components before we leave.”
“So what now? We just go back to Earth?”
Telisa did not answer immediately. After long seconds she shook her head.
“We got rid of that damn watchdog of his. I don’t want to go back yet just to have another one put back into the cargo hold. I want to talk to real Celarans. If we can make friends with them, they could help us so much.”
“We have no idea what they’re like,” Cilreth said. “They might be ornery.”
“Well at least we know they don’t bite,” Telisa smiled.
Cilreth raised an eyebrow.
“I’m going to risk it,” Telisa continued. “We keep the ship as our ace in the hole. Find the Celarans without our watchdog and make a deal with them. Maybe they can help us with our Shiny problem.”
“Last time we—”
“‘Maybe’ I said. Aliens are by definition different from each other. The Celarans won’t be Trilisks and they won’t be Vovokans. They might be friendly. We’re due to find some friendly aliens, don’t you think?”
“Maybe the nice ones don’t make it. They get steamrolled by the aggressive dominant races,” Cilreth said.
“I want to find out.”
“Where are we going to find these Celarans?”
“The next planet on the route,” Telisa said. “These are all supposed to be Celaran sites. And supposedly we know the homeworld, too.”
“Okay, I’m in. Gotta convince the others, though.”
Telisa smiled sadly. “Where else do they have to go?”
Parker Interstellar Travels 6: The Celaran Ruins Page 19