Investigation_Age Of Expansion_A Kurtherian Gambit Series

by Sarah Noffke

  “That’s not good for them,” Bailey stated. “Although I wouldn’t mind that evil corporation falling into the ocean—once we rescue the children, of course.”

  Hatch agreed with a nod. “The chances of that are pretty high, because the mineral is highly unstable and explosive. However, it’s also valuable and exactly what I’ve been looking for. I think it could be the second fuel source for the GAD-C.”

  “That’s great!” Lewis exclaimed.

  The sour look on Hatch’s face drained the sudden excitement. “It would be great, but I’m missing an important element in order to produce K-factor on my own.”

  Bailey lowered her chin, and took a guess. “Kantarium.”

  Hatch nodded. “Right in one. I need the mineral in order to fully understand its composition. I think the dumb scientists at Starboards have missed an opportunity to improve their process. If I had the mineral, I’m sure I could substantially cut down the length of time it takes to manufacture it, but with only working project notes, I’m at a loss. It is too unstable for me to try and reproduce it using their protocol, which I don’t trust.”

  “So we need to find a sample of K-factor.” Lewis combed his hand over his chin, thinking.

  “Yes, that is an important next step,” Hatch agreed. “However, thanks to the lieutenant, we have the codes for the databases. Great work.”

  Bailey smiled proudly. “It wasn’t that hard; thanks to the bubble cube wall, our job was a lot easier. That’s incredible technology.”

  Lewis agreed with a nod, giving her a sideways look. “Yeah, when were you going to tell me you had that awesome bit of trickery?”

  “It was a surprise,” she said simply.

  “I was definitely surprised,” he admitted, chuckling. He wasn’t mad about the secret; he knew that Hatch liked to covertly share his tech with the combat pilot. “I thought we were doomed there for a minute. If it hadn’t been for the cube and DJ’s quick moves, we might have been.”

  “So you’re ready for us to go to the location of the first database, even though the GAD-C isn’t ready?” Bailey asked Hatch.

  “My hopes are that you can take the database while we locate a sample of K-factor,” he told her, but he didn’t sound confident. “I don’t like the idea of waiting, especially since Starboards and Monstre both know that we’re on their trail. If they find out you took the codes, they could change them.”

  Lewis and Bailey nodded, exchanging looks. That made sense. But they were both ready for the next phase, even if it was the most dangerous thing they’d done so far.

  “And it’s even more important that we make progress, since the monster has disappeared,” Hatch said in a hush, turning back for his workstation.

  “Say what?” Lewis asked.

  “Oh, didn’t I tell you?” Hatch asked, a reluctance in his tone. His attention was on his computer. “We backed off the monster, and it somehow disappeared. We are tracking the direction it went, but it’s obscured by a strange black cloud on the fringe of the Precious galaxy.”

  “How do we know that cloud isn’t the monster itself?” Bailey asked.

  Hatch shook his head. “This cloud is huge. Way too big to be the monster. Anyway, if it still has the tracker, we might have hope. I’ll work with DJ to find it, but in the meantime, we need to make progress. Otherwise, I fear that, without the monster in our sights, we are in a dangerous position.”

  Bailey turned to Lewis, her eyes bright. “Ready to go and find the first database?”

  “Hell yes!” He looked at Hatch, winking at him. “I’m going to make you even prouder this time.”

  Hardly paying attention, Hatch muttered, “Whatever, kid.”

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Loading Bay, Ricky Bobby, Cacama System

  Liesel’s legs were the only part of her that was visible as she worked underneath the Dragonfly.

  “Bastian, will you hand me the hybrid crossover valve for the coolant?” the chief mechanic asked, extending a hand out from underneath the ship.

  The ferret popped up on his hindlegs, his eyes bright, like he was eager for the task.

  “Are you sure you should be working under the ship in your condition?” Vitos asked, kneeling next to Liesel and looking up at his ship. It was all that he had from home, and yet it was enough.

  The mechanic wheeled out from under the Dragonfly and looked up at him. “What do you mean?”

  Vitos tilted his head to the side, a blatant look on his face that said ‘quit the show’.

  “Oh, you know?” Liesel looked down at her midsection. “Did Ricky Bobby tell you?”

  “I did not,” the AI chimed overhead. “Jack has asked me not to share the information until after the first trimester…possibly the second.”

  Liesel took the valve from Sebastian and laughed. “I think he’s hoping we can wait until the baby is actually here to spill the news to Hatch.”

  “The Londil will be upset about you procreating?” Vitos asked.

  He still didn’t understand how things operated on this ship. Humans were strange, and the Londil was an enigma. Vitos thought he acted grumpier than he was, but there was an obvious, deep-seated problem that Hatch was overcompensating for. Something to do with matters of the heart.

  Liesel patted the ferret’s head, and smiled. “I have a feeling that he’ll worry about where my priorities will be. We are beyond short-handed at the moment, and in the midst of a huge mission.” A curious look crossed her face. “How did you know I was pregnant?”

  He chuckled. “It’s sort of obvious to me, but my senses are acutely attuned for such things. I have an incredible sense of smell, and Tuetians are especially good at detecting changes to physical makeup. It’s how we are able to find game and fresh bodies of water. For instance, we wouldn’t hunt a pregnant female, because that would be a poor long-term decision. We might feast for a day, but it takes out several potential prey.”

  Liesel laughed. “I’m glad I’m not on your food chain. Have you considered a plant-based diet?”

  Vitos’s light expression dropped. “I don’t think that would work for me. Tuetians need protein.”

  “Tofu is a wonderful source…” Liesel stopped and looked down at the ferret, who was tugging on her pants. “Yes, you’re right. I should stop pushing my lifestyle on others.” She gave Vitos a thoughtful expression. “My apologies. I completely understand your dietary choices and support them, even if they don’t work for me.”

  He didn’t know what to say. Tuetians weren’t allowed to have such a divide in choices; as such, he’d never known this level of tolerance.

  Liesel looked back at the Dragonfly. “This ship is really incredible. I should have it up and ready to fly soon. Then what will you do? Will you return to Tueti?’

  Vitos’s chin dropped, and he regarded the deck with uncertainty. “I would prefer not to. I know that it is my home, and that I should want to return. And that I have no reason to want to stay here. I mean, there’s nothing for me here, and Tueti is my home, but…”

  Liesel popped up to a standing position. The ferret, which would have been dinner for Vitos in other circumstances, climbed up her pant leg and continued on, finally settling on her shoulder. “Vitos Rigar, we don’t choose our homes; they call to us, like a song. It seems to me that you’re not completely like your own. That was the case for me once, and that’s when I decided I could choose my own family.” She looked around, a haunted expression on her smooth face. There was suddenly a quiet pain in her eyes. “This ship is my home. It wasn’t at first, but over time, I found my family here. Now I hope to bring them all back.”

  “I want to help with that,” Vitos said, quickly, without thinking. “I’m sorry… I don’t even know those who used to be here, but helping Ghost Squadron feels like a worthy mission. I’ve never done anything I could be really proud of. I’ve never lived anywhere that I could be myself. This kind of feels like it could be that. A fresh start.”

  “I hear you
like to paint,” Liesel said after a moment, a sneaky look on her face. “What if I told you that I’ve set up a full art studio on one of the lower decks?”

  Vitos’s mouth dropped. His body lifted a few inches off the floor, his wings beating without his permission. “I’m not sure what to say. Are you telling me that as an offer?”

  She nodded. “Of course. The art studio is open to whoever wants to use it. You’re welcome to go down there anytime and express yourself.”

  Vitos still didn’t know what to say. He’d never been allowed to paint freely. It was something he’d hidden and was made to feel ashamed of.

  “Vitos,” Ricky Bobby called overhead, “Jack would like to see you in his office right away.”

  Every muscle in his body tensed. Was this the moment his hopes would be snatched away, and he was thrown off the ship? Was this the end?

  Jack Renfro’s Office, Ricky Bobby, Cacama System

  Lewis stared at the image of the rotating planet on the screen. It was mostly white, being that it was covered in snow and ice. Vitos entered Jack’s office, looking a bit sheepish.

  “Oh, good. There you are,” Jack said, clapping his hands and waving Vitos into the office. “I had something I wanted to discuss with you.”

  The Tuetian looked like he was close to being spooked, his wings fluttering at his back. Bailey gave Lewis a curious look, having noticed the alien’s tense demeanor.

  “Discuss?” Vitos asked. “Did you hear that the Dragonfly is almost repaired? Is that what this is about?”

  Jack shook his head. “That’s great news, though, and might come in handy in the future. I bet we could use it to fool Monstre Corp—throw them off so they don’t think it’s us investigating them.”

  “So you don’t want me to take it for a one-way trip to Tueti?” Vitos asked.

  Jack’s head tucked back on his neck in a sudden gesture of confusion. “A one-way trip to Tueti? No, that wasn’t a part of my plan. Did you want to return to your planet? I was under the impression that—”

  “No, I definitely don’t want to… I just thought…” Vitos trailed off, staring down at the oriental rug underfoot.

  “I’m not in the business of making anyone on this ship do anything against their will,” Jack stated confidently. “If you want to stay, we will find a job for you. If you want to return to Tueti, we will wish you well. All that we ask is that you not endanger us or our mission by giving information to those who could use it against us.”

  Rapidly, Vitos shook his head. “No, I’d never do anything to harm Ricky Bobby or its crews. You have my full loyalty. If it’s all right with you, I’d like to stay…at least for a little while.”

  Jack smiled warmly. “Stay as long as you like. As far as I’m concerned, you’re a part of the team now. We have a way of acquiring unique talent in the most accidental methods.”

  Lewis thought of DJ and how she’d pretty much insisted that they take her with them when they were at Starboards Corp the first time. It was because of her that they knew the crew was in the Precious galaxy. Actually, without hers or Vitos’s help, they wouldn’t be as far along as they were.

  Jack pointed to the rotating planet on the screen behind his desk. “Vitos, do you recognize this planet?”

  The alien chirped. “Of course. That’s Pochli, the planet whose entire population disappeared.”

  “Yes, and it’s the location for the closest database,” Jack stated. “Ricky Bobby has been doing a lot of research on the planet, but I was hoping that you could tell us the real logistics. Have you been there?”

  Vitos shook his head. “I haven’t but I was prepped for the mission in case the first team that went to investigate needed back up. There are intense winds on Pochli that make flying into the atmosphere difficult, and ice storms made it difficult for our team to land.”

  “Why would anyone choose to live on Pochli?” Bailey asked. “It doesn’t sound like a safe place.”

  “The Pochlians lived on the southern hemisphere, which is habitable on the surface six months out of the year. They mostly lived underground,” Vitos explained. “That’s why we weren’t initially concerned about them. However, communication over their coffee bean supply was nonexistent, so an investigation was launched. That’s when we found out about what I know now is Monstre Corp.”

  “What do you know about the northern hemisphere of Pochli?” Jack asked.

  “It’s a dangerous place, riddled with lots of tectonic movement and aftershocks,” Vitos stated. “The natives all moved south a decade ago, when the north was deemed uninhabitable.”

  Jack nodded. “Well, in true Monstre Corp fashion, it appears that they’ve put a location there.”

  “How is that possible?” Vitos asked.

  “Monstre Corp, much like Starboards, doesn’t play by the same rules as the rest of us.” Jack tapped his fingertips on the surface of the desk, an amused expression on his face. “It almost seems that the more impossible a location is, the harder they seek it out.”

  “Yes, a floating building, and a facility built into the side of an asteroid,” Lewis recalled. “If they weren’t so secretive, they’d get a lot of attention for their ingenuity.”

  “I second that,” Jack agreed. “Unfortunately, their imagination is our concern. Like you said, Vitos, most dwellings in the south are underground. However, Ricky Bobby has been scanning the planet, and he found a large, relatively new facility in the north.”

  “How is that possible?” Vitos asked.

  Jack shook his head. “We’re not sure. From the aerial footage, it looks like a regular building, but I’m guessing that appearances are deceiving.”

  “Can you discern the security?” Bailey asked.

  “It’s minimal,” he answered. “A shuttle carrying approximately a dozen individuals flew in a few days ago, and dropped off its passengers. They’re probably on a two-week rotation, by the looks of it.”

  “We can handle that,” Bailey stated confidently.

  “I’m not concerned about the personnel at this facility, although I think you shouldn’t underestimate them,” Jack warned. “My concern is the servers themselves. Human and alien consciousness are stored in these databases, so it won’t be as easy as using a proximity drive to download them. I’ve spoken to Hatch, and it’s possible that Pip can assist with transferring some of the data—sorry, consciousnesses. However, I think that a better plan would be to secure the location and take the servers themselves. We can’t risk harming the consciousnesses with a transfer.”

  “Moving servers?” Bailey asked. “That’s pretty hefty business for the two of us.”

  Jack agreed with a nod. “That’s where Vitos comes in.” He turned his attention back to the alien. “We need as much help as possible with this mission; unfortunately, we are severely understaffed for a mission of this size.”

  “I can go!” the Tuetian exclaimed at once.

  Jack smiled. “I’m glad to have your willingness. We really could use your help. I have no idea how many servers there are, or how many of those are storing consciousnesses. We’re walking into this blind. But the good news is that after investigating this first facility, we’ll know more about what we’re up against.”

  “And maybe we’ll discover where to find the K-factor,” Lewis said hopefully.

  “Yes. First step is to get the servers, and the second is to find a way to reprint our people.” Jack shook his head, shivering slightly. “That doesn’t sound right at all, and yet that’s what we’ve come to.”

  Lewis agreed. If they were going to beat Monstre Corp, they had to get used to the unexpected. Additionally, they had to be even more imaginative than Solomon Vance.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Q-Ship, En Route to Pochli, Cacama System

  Ice crystals had formed around the edge of the bow’s viewing window. Bailey leaned forward, squinting through the thick winds that barreled over the Q-Ship, bringing with them snow and ice. She’d flown through ast
eroid belts and various other conditions in space, but this was testing her on a new level.

  A clattering echoed overhead.

  “What was that?” she asked, looking at the radar.

  “The beginning of a really gnarly hailstorm,” Pip informed her. “Looks like there’s baseball-sized hail headed your way.”

  “What about the shields?” she asked.

  “They are intact; however, a few dozen hits, and they’ll be down. There has to be some factor here that is weakening the shields, and with this hail storm they will take quite a beating,” Pip stated.

  Lewis leaned forward, peering through the viewing window. “It looks like a sheet of ice is heading our way.”

  “Yes, unlike the asteroids, these babies are close-knit and don’t fall in a predictable formation,” Pip said.

  “What’s your advice for getting through this storm?” Bailey asked, holding the controls steady as the hail increased in size, battering the ship.

  “Step on it!” Pip exclaimed. “The only way to make it through this storm is to outrun it. If you get stuck in the backend, you’re screwed.”

  “Thanks for sugarcoating it.” Bailey checked the route. They weren’t far from this facility, but the clattering was increasing moment by moment.

  “I’ve located a cave large enough to store the Q-Ship,” Pip reported.

  “What about us, though?” Bailey asked.

  “Did you bring an umbrella?” he questioned.

  Lewis looked at Bailey, hiding a smile. “Oh, shucks. I left mine at the house, dear. You?”

  She nodded. “Looks like we’re doing the ole ‘run-like-hell’ method again.”

  “Don’t get hit in the head by one of those hail balls, or your hair is going to be a mess,” Pip said lightly.