by Sarah Noffke
Vitos shrugged. “I mean, I don’t, but I’m not going to say it’s impossible. Though we prefer smaller prey; usually something small enough to be caught while in flight.”
“You catch your food while flying?” Bailey asked.
Vitos’s chin dropped. “Well, I don’t, but the hunters do. I flunked out of that group fairly fast. I think they only kept me in patrols because, with the current threat, we needed extra guards.”
“And you can fly the Dragonfly,” Lewis added, licking his fork.
“We call them F535s,” Vitos stated.
“Yeah, I like ‘Dragonfly’ better,” Bailey said.
“So, can you tell us more about this threat and, specifically, the asteroid belt?” Lewis asked.
“I can try.” Vitos picked up a piece of Canadian bacon with his hands, but caught a punishing look from Dejoure, and dropped it back on his plate. Tentatively, he grabbed the fork, struggling to hold the utensil.
“I can’t believe DJ is giving our new arrival etiquette lessons,” Bailey said to Lewis from the corner of her mouth.
He smiled back.
“I don’t mind,” Vitos said in a rush. “I want to learn how you all operate—it’s so different from the Tuetians. You show emotions and all act different.”
“Versus?” Bailey said, allowing the question to hang in the air.
“The Tuetians are not encouraged to have distinct personalities,” Vitos explained. “We are taught conformity. We’re very utilitarian, which I’ve always found boring.”
“Yeah? You don’t like their ways? What are you into?” Lewis asked.
“You’re going to laugh,” he said, shame on his smooth face.
“No, we won’t,” Dejoure encouraged.
Vitos pushed his plate away, his chin down. “I’ve always wanted to be a painter. Art isn’t something we’re taught, so I don’t know where I even got the urge. I guess I read about it from other alien cultures. I used to make paint from dried flowers and make pictures of the landscapes. That’s why I was sent to the infantry to work under General Fisk; artistic expression is considered wasteful.”
“That’s ridiculous,” Dejoure said, sitting down at the table and pulling her own plate toward her.
“I know… I should have been spending my time working in the coffee cherry fields, like I was told to,” he said shamefully. “Instead, I wasted morning light. But that really is when the rays of the sun look their best.”
“Coffee?” Lewis asked, his curiosity piqued.
“Yes, that’s our largest export,” Vitos explained. “There are several planets who harvest the fruit to create Precious Galaxy Coffee.”
Lewis hadn’t had a good cup of coffee since leaving Ronin. Suddenly, he had the urge to explore these other planets.
“Anyway, I brought much trouble on myself, toiling away painting instead of working,” Vitos said, a sadness in his voice.
“Nooooo,” Dejoure lamented. “It’s ridiculous that you were told not to follow your passion. I think Liesel Diesel taught painting classes to the crew of this ship; maybe she can help you.”
Vitos shook his head nervously. “I really shouldn’t. I need to be of assistance to the detective and the lieutenant. That was my promise.” He gestured to Bailey and Lewis
“So does that mean you want to stay onboard Ricky Bobby?” Bailey asked.
Vitos nodded at once, adamantly. “Yes! If you’ll have me. I can fly the F535…I mean, the Dragonfly. And I’ll tell you what I know about what’s happened in the Cacama system since the arrival of the black mass.”
Lewis leaned back, folding his hands behind his head. “Okay, go ahead.”
“Well, we weren’t allowed to investigate Pochli,” he began. “That’s when the representative from the asteroid belt was sent and there was a battle.So I can’t tell you what’s on that planet, but I can tell you that the corporation on the asteroid belt didn’t want us going there.”
Bailey shot her partner a pointed look. “Sounds like they’re hiding something.”
Lewis agreed, glancing down at his watch. “Well, they uploaded the entire population of the planet, so they don’t have any witnesses to worry about. They are definitely hiding something.”
“But you say they came from the asteroid belt?” Bailey asked.
“Yes, that’s where we first noticed activity,” Vitos explained. “On my patrols, it seemed they were mining, but I never got a good look. We were forced to keep a distance, due to our agreement.”
“Mining, eh?” Lewis asked.
Bailey gave him a curious expression. “You think they have a store of D-factor on the asteroids?”
“There’s only way to find out,” he sang.
“Wait, you’re thinking of going to the asteroid belt?” Vitos asked, worry in his voice. “You can’t do that. That’s where the black mass was and then these guards took over. They are fierce.”
Lewis smiled at Bailey. “We’ve met the black mass head-on.” He proudly threw his thumb in her direction and said, “No one is fiercer than this one.”
Dejoure shadowed his movements and words, like they had rehearsed it.
Everyone at the table looked at her in bewilderment.
She dropped her hands in her lap, her eyes wide. “What?”
“How did you know I was going to say that?” Lewis asked, studying the girl.
Her cheeks grew red. “It was in a dream.”
Vitos leaned forward, his long arms going wide. “What? She can see the future? Can all human children do that?”
Bailey laughed. “No, DJ is an anomaly.”
Dejoure slid her napkin across the table in Vitos’s direction. “Here you go.”
He gave her a puzzled expression. “What’s that for?” he asked, throwing out his arms.
Lewis didn’t need that question answered because he saw the trajectory of the waving limbs, but it all happened too fast to stop.
Vitos’s left arm knocked into the pitcher of juice that was sitting on the side table, knocking it to the ground. The commotion caught everyone’s attention, but when the pitcher settled on the floor, they were all looking at Dejoure, awestruck.
“You saw that in your dream last night, too?” Lewis asked.
She nodded, her eyes on the puddle of juice on the floor.
“You should probably start logging your dreams in the morning,” he suggested.
“But it’s usually something insignificant, like a pitcher falling over,” Dejoure argued.
“Usually,” Bailey parroted. “But you never know when you’ll see something that we can stop or intervene or benefit from. If we can see the future, then we need to be able to use it.” She looked to Lewis for confirmation.
He nodded, patting Dejoure lightly on the shoulder. “She’s right. What you have is a gift and if we have a rearview mirror of the future, we shouldn’t let it go to waste.”
Chapter Sixteen
Q-Ship, Asteroid Belt, Cacama System
Floating in the middle of a cluster of smaller asteroids was a giant rock, which at a distance, appeared like all the rest. However, one side of this particular rock was completely covered by a space station that glowed brightly, indicating the life within. There were even larger asteroids rotating in the belt, that were covered in mining equipment.
Monstre Corp had definitely been busy here.
“What did you call him?” Vitos asked, leaning forward in his seat, a nice chirping quality to his voice. Bailey and Lewis had agreed that he should come along, since he had experience cruising around this asteroid belt on rounds.
“Who?” Lewis asked, looking back at the alien.
“This.” He pointed. “He’s a harley named ‘Dog’?”
Lewis laughed. “No, he’s a dog named ‘Harley’.”
“Don’t you have animals on Tueti?” Bailey asked, expertly maneuvering the cloaked Q-Ship around the asteroids.
“We do, but they are small and considered food,” Vitos said, eyeing Har
ley. “Is that why you have him?”
Harley barked, his protest obvious in his tone.
“No, he’s like a part of the family,” Bailey told the alien. “I’m guessing y’all don’t have pets?”
“We keep schools of fish and other aquatic life in aquariums, but those are to feed our young,” Vitos said.
Bailey shot Lewis a sideways look. “Not a warm and fuzzy species, are they?”
“The Tuetians regard emotion as a waste of energy,” Vitos said, agreeing with a nod.
“But you’re not like that, are you?” Lewis inquired.
“I’ve tried to do what is expected of me, but I’m a lousy member of my society,” he admitted, hanging his head. “I’ve gotten punished many a time for singing, and you already heard about the painting.”
“You can sing?” Bailey asked, immediately curious.
“Oh yes,” Vitos said proudly. “I have what I think is a beautiful singing voice. All Tuetians do, but we’re told it is strictly for attracting a mate, and should never be done in public.”
“The old ‘only sing behind closed doors’ mentality,” Lewis said with a cold laugh.
“I’d like to hear you sing sometime,” Bailey said, quickly adding, “for platonic reasons.”
Lewis turned to her with a sideways smile. “I’m surprised. I took you as the interspecies-dating type.”
She rolled her eyes at him, slowing the ship. “Just you wait. I’m going to find you a female Londil to hook up with.”
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but the docking stations are on the third level,” Vitos informed them, pointing at the space station built into the asteroid.
“But we can’t stay docked there, even with the ship cloaked,” Bailey reasoned, angling the ship into the narrow docking area. “Pip, are you ready to take over, once we’re onboard the station?”
“Huh, what?” the AI said overhead.
“What are you doing?” she asked. “You sound distracted.”
“I’m playing Second Life, or, as I like to call it, ‘My First Life’,” Pip replied.
“Is that a video game?” Lewis asked.
“Yes. My avatar kind of looks like you, with the stubble and the great hair,” Pip told him. “However, I have better cheekbones.”
The detective rubbed his hand over his cheek, offense written on his face. “What’s wrong with my cheekbones?”
“Nothing, nothing,” the AI sang. “They are perfect, for people who like understated features.”
“I’m going to assume you’re trying to get under my skin, and not respond to that,” he decided.
“Oh, and my avatar has a six-pack,” Pip added.
“I have abs,” Lewis argued.
“Oh, I know. I watch you. I watch all of you,” Pip said, a teasing quality to his voice.
Bailey looked at Lewis with an odd expression, but he waved her off. “He’s confined to Hatch’s lab, the Q-Ships, and the comms. There’s no way he’s watching us all the time.”
“Whatever you have to tell yourself,” Pip said.
“Anyway, if you’re done being a creep—”
“I’m not,” he interrupted Bailey. “It’s a lifelong practice.”
“As I was saying,” she continued. “Are you ready to take over the controls? You’ll need to find somewhere safe, where you can still pick us up quickly.”
“Oh, you want me to come back and get you?” Pip asked.
Bailey looked back at Vitos. “Do you think you can fly this ship? I trust you more than our AI at this point.”
Pip laughed. “I’ll come back for you. Don’t worry your pretty little head.”
Bailey grimaced, a line forming between her blue eyes. “Call me pretty again, and when you get a body, you’ll get a brand new black eye.”
“Me-ow!” Pip exclaimed. “Watch out, Harley. There’s an angry cat onboard.”
“We’ll be docking soon,” she continued urgently. “Do you have a connection to the traffic control?”
“Yes,” he chirped. “This space station is called ‘Sutra 9’, and I’ve put in a dozen requests for docking by a set of ships that don’t exist.”
“That’s supposed to draw attention away from our momentary docking?” Bailey asked.
“Yes, it’s like I’ve prank called them,” Pip explained. “They’re going to be busy trying to figure out what’s going on; by the time they realize it’s a hoax, the Q-Ship will already be off again.”
“That was a smart idea,” Lewis commended.
“I’m full of them,” the AI said smugly. “Now, get ready to bolt. The diversion won’t last long.”
Bailey eased the ship into the docking station, waiting for the seals to match. When they were in place, she locked their position to the connector at the hatch. “Okay, we’re all set.”
Lewis stood, giving Vitos, and then Harley, a wide smile. “Well, you two have fun. We’ll be back soon… hopefully.”
“Wait, you’re leaving the dog with me?” Vitos asked.
“Yes, try not to eat him,” he joked. This produced a disgruntled bark from Harley. “I’m only kidding,” he told the dog. “Besides, you can defend yourself.”
“Harley likes to come along on these short trips,” Bailey explained to the Tuetian. “You should keep him company. He can help you learn about humans, as dogs are considered man’s best friend.”
Vitos looked at the dog, seemingly examining him for some special trait. “How is he your best friend?”
“It’s an evolutionary thing,” she said dismissively. “Goes back to the wolf. I’ll explain later, when we have more time.” She opened the hatch, staring out to the connecting corridor that led into Sutra 9. “Sit tight. We’ll be right back.”
Sutra 9, Asteroid Belt, Cacama System
“Did you have to say those words?” Lewis asked Bailey, as they both tried to activate their cloaking belts.
“We’ll be right back? Is that what you mean?” She was struggling to get the belt to work, as was he.
“You realize you’ve jinxed us.”
“Oh, okay,” Bailey said in a hush. “Mr. Just-the-Facts detective is suddenly superstitious?”
“It appears that the detective’s superstition might be warranted in this instance,” Pip said over the comms. “I’m reading high levels of doromantinium.”
“That is what they are mining here,” Bailey concluded.
“Which, like with the ship, interrupts the belts’ cloaking abilities,” Lewis guessed.
“Bingo,” Pip sang.
“So now we’ve got to sneak around this space station completely visible,” Bailey summed up, looking like she was trying to wrap her mind around this change in plans.
“And to make things even more fun, the cloaks on the Q-Ship stopped working when I left Sutra 9,” the AI added.
“Is a high level of etheric energy causing the problem?” Lewis asked.
“Yep,” Pip said. “It’s like rubbing sandpaper against sandpaper; the frequencies cancel each other out.”
“Not to mention they make an awful sound,” Bailey joked, pulling her gun out of her holster. “Looks like we’re going to have to tiptoe a bit more carefully.”
“Which means I shouldn’t announce our arrival, like I did on Tueti?” Lewis pretended to ask.
“Yeah, don’t get us caught again, Harlowe.”
He scoffed. “Of course not. I didn’t bring my handy secret weapon.”
“Pip, can you give us any indication as to where the database could be located?” Bailey asked. “This station is quite large.”
“I’m sensing a bigger power source on the upper levels,” he reported. “It could be where they house the database.”
“Great,” Bailey said, about to step off the ship.
“Or it could be where the monster is hanging out,” Pip proposed mischievously.
Bailey gave Lewis a look over her shoulder before continuing forward. “Okay, we’ll be right back.”
Chapter
Seventeen
Sutra 9, Asteroid Belt, Cacama System
Lewis was unsurprised to find that the hallway outside the connector was a stark white tunnel. The white walls and ceiling were almost indistinguishable from the white tiled floor.
Looks like Monstre Corp and Starboards used the same decorator.
Pip had masked the airlock cycle on the station side of the connector to prevent security from being alerted to the intrusion.
Bailey halted, listening, her gun at the ready.
“The stairs will be on the eastern side of the station,” Lewis whispered to her.
She looked around, confused. “How do you know that? Did you find some clue?”
He tapped the small map fixed to the wall next to the door they’d come through. “Yes, an ancient artifact used by our ancestors.”
She glanced at the map. “Oh, very funny.”
“Okay, your job is to keep us safe, while I look for the clues that will get us there faster.”
“Well, then we’d better move it, because someone’s approaching from that second hallway.” She pulled Lewis down the first connecting corridor, which was lined with windowless doors.
“If we keep cutting back and to the right, we should get to the stairs,” Lewis told her as he tried to keep up. She moved like a fish in water.
“Problem is that we’re sitting ducks in the damn hallways,” she grumbled, hurrying.
He knew what she meant. They were both dressed in black, standing out sharply in their all-white surroundings. He wondered if the workers here dressed in all white, like those at Starboards Corp.
Solomon Vance must have a thing against color.
Bailey picked up speed, leaving the detective behind. He considered running, but feared his shoes would make too much noise on the tile.
Glancing behind her to check his progress, the lieutenant gave him an incredulous look. “What are you doing back there?”
“How do you do that?” he asked, breathing hard.
“Do what?” she asked.
“Move so quickly. It isn’t right.”
She whipped around to look ahead. When she turned back, there was a worried look on her face. “Someone is coming.”