“What are you ramblin’ about now, Foot Shooter?” asked Captain Trelis, perplexed.
Kat slowly turned to stare at Ryan as well. “What?”
“Oh, don’t tell me neither of you have never heard that saying before?”
“Not in my life have I heard such a dumb sayin’,” said Captain Trelis, shaking his head. “On that note, Sec OPS AI, I clear Ryan Hunt for planetary walkabout.”
“Voice identification confirmed, and order acknowledged, Captain Trelis.”
“Thank you, Captain,” said Kat.
“Leave! You both are makin’ my head hurt…and watch your backs. I’m already hearin’ about Woland operatives actively working on the planet. My forces have the situation under control for now, but if something does happen, I’m guessing my men will hightail it off this planet as they have in the past.”
Ryan and Kat exchanged glances of concern.
“Appreciate the heads-up,” said Ryan, and then they headed back into the spaceport.
The place seemed busier now than a few moments ago. Some of the people leaving were not even going back for spilled cargo. The mayhem continued, and people rushed by them as they reached the entrance to the town. Kat grabbed Ryan by the shoulder to stop him.
“What’s wrong?”
Kat peered around the town. “There’s a weight of anxiety in the air. We go straight to Eyeball’s place, get the information, and leave. No running off or getting sidetracked. Agreed?”
Ryan looked around at the swarm of people heading into the spaceport. “Agreed. I won’t go running off. On the other hand, what are the odds of something bad happening to us again?”
“Oh, great! Now we’re doomed,” said Kat, heading into town.
“Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have said that,” mumbled Ryan, following her.
Chapter 5
Change of Plans
The Tempus exited the wormhole near the Dima Space Hub. The hub was built by an unknown race around part of a planet that was ejected into interstellar space when it collided with its moon.
The construction must have been a massive undertaking since the lore states the enormous rock was still moving during the hub’s creation. Its final placement on the Woland border was only achieved when giant propulsion systems were added to stop the giant rock and move it into position.
The Tempus headed to one of the triangular spikes that jutted out of the large space hub and docked in an open spot toward the tip of the spike.
Dima was bustling with activity and was surrounded by a fair number of Woland battleships. The station was in non-controlled space, but with it being on the Woland border, it was assumed it would eventually fall into Woland hands.
Nora and Commander Tucket were on the command deck observing the station and monitoring the incoming data on multiple virtual screens.
“Our operative has reported that he believes he has identified the Woland civilian transport that Seymour will be transferred to,” said Commander Gordon.
“What makes the operative come to this conclusion?” asked Nora.
“It’s listed as filled with farming goods, but its cargo hold is empty. Plus, there is a heavily armed contingent of Woland military forces nearby.”
“Yup, I would bet that’s the one,” said Commander Tucket. “We’ll go with the intercept option. Nora and I will get down there with a few of your ship’s crew. Start a commotion and get Seymour during the transfer. Most likely, he’ll be hidden in some cargo. We can also use the onboard ship repair AIs to grab the cargo and run. I’ll need you ready to make an emergency wormhole jump before the Woland can react.”
“Risky, but I see no other way,” said Commander Gordon.
Commander Tucket looked over to Nora. “You ready?”
“Yes.”
“Good, we’ll meet up with the crew in the docking bay and head out.”
“Good luck,” said Commander Gordon.
Commander Tucket nodded and headed for the command deck door with Nora behind him.
“Sir, we have an urgent message from one of the deep space scanning ships,” said Tilli.
Commander Tucket and Nora both stopped and went back over to the virtual console.
“Patch it through to my comm,” said Commander Gordon. He made a perplexed look as he communicated over his implanted comm chip with the scanning ship.
They waited for what felt like an eternity, but he eventually glanced up.
“I know that look. There’s a problem,” said Commander Tucket, leaning on the console and dropping his head.
“The scanning ship is only detecting one incoming ship. The other one must have made an emergency drop out of its wormhole and changed course along the journey.”
“Damn!” said Commander Tucket. “OK, we can’t assume that this one is empty. We need to complete—”
He stopped talking when Commander Gordon raised his index finger as another message was relayed to his embedded comm. He pinched his lips and threw a hand up in the air.
“He does that when he gets frustrated,” Commander Tucket whispered to Nora.
Nora leaned back. “His face gets red as well.”
“I know that look too,” said Commander Tucket. “What happened now?”
“The other ship dropped out of the wormhole short of Dima and then headed in another direction.”
Commander Tucket slapped the console and turned around with his hands on his hips.
“See, Nora, jinxes.”
Nora rolled her eyes at Commander Tucket and turned to Commander Gordon. “What is the ship’s new destination?”
“On its current course, it’s headed to empty space. No planetary systems.”
“We have no choice but to follow them for now,” said Nora. “At least we will be close enough to act once we have additional data.”
“Already doing so,” said Commander Gordon.
Everyone could feel the ship moving and heading away from Dima. Commander Gordon had already given an order via his neural comm linked to the ship’s system. A minute later, they all felt the tug as the ship entered a wormhole.
The team on the Tempus occupied their time reading and reviewing notes as they waited for additional intel to arrive. It had been a few hours, and the ship they were following was still on a trajectory through empty space.
“Sir, incoming communication from OTKE Corporate Headquarters,” said Tilli.
“Send it to my command table virtual screen,” said Commander Gordon.
Commander Tucket and Nora moved to join Commander Gordon at the screen. The image of CEO Klein appeared.
“CEO Klein, how may I assist?” asked Commander Gordon.
“My contacts have come through with additional details.”
“Great news,” said Commander Tucket. “How bad is it?”
“They are moving Commander Seymour to a Karyot Corporation weapons facility that is aligned with the Woland and located in the Lucciola system.”
Commander Tucket placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. “Great, just great. That means the ship we’re following is a decoy, and if the facility you’re talking about is the one I’m thinking of, it’s one of the most secure facilities in the galaxy. Fighter squadrons, long-range relay sensors, and defense shields placed around the system. We’ll never be able to get a ship close enough. We would need a fleet of ships to take it out.”
“Plus, it is a dead planet, and since Karyot do not need oxygen to survive, their facility will also lack oxygen,” said Nora.
“Yes, there are some challenges,” said CEO Klein. “We could take it with a fleet, but that would pull the corporation and potentially the Earth Consortium into a war with another race, and we want to avoid that at all costs. Lucky for us, there is another way to get in without the collateral damage. It
is the Karyot holy season, when the giant Tardigrades that live in that system migrate. It is considered a religious wonder to them. So much so, the Karyot authorize tour guided cruise ships to bring sightseers into the system to witness the event.”
“Then we are going as sightseers?” asked Nora.
“In a way, you are. To get you both onto one of those tours, you will need to board the Honeymoon and Lovers Retreat cruise ship currently docked at Ekahau Solar Hub.”
Commander Tucket grinned. “I get where you’re going with this. Pure stealth mission. What about equipment?”
“That is already being taken care of. A contact of mine will be on the ship and will meet up with you. I would rather not give up his name in mixed company, but you will know him by the name of divine origin.”
Commander Tucket pursed his lips as he started thinking through scenarios. “OK. I’m in. Commander Seymour doesn’t deserve this fate.”
Nora looked at Commander Tucket and could feel that odd warm feeling again. “If I am processing this correctly, to get to our objective, Commander Tucket and I are now…husband and wife?”
“That is correct. Do you have any issues with this?” asked CEO Klein.
“No, sir. I am programmed for different personalities and infiltration techniques.”
“Then it is settled. The Tempus will get you to the Ekahau Space Station where you will board the cruise ship, infiltrate the facility, and rescue Commander Seymour. Commander Gordon will keep the Tempus a safe distance away and will assist in the extraction. Be careful, this could still be a trap. Good luck, and congratulations on your nuptials.”
The virtual screen closed.
“That Solar Hub is not far from here. It will be a quick jump. The cruise ship will be a slower ride to the destination since it’s supposed to be relaxing,” said Commander Gordon. “I will get the course adjusted while you two discuss your plans.”
Nora watched Commander Gordon move away and turned to Commander Tucket. “Why are you smiling like that?” she asked.
“Now that we are a couple, you can start calling me by my first name: Gideon. No need to be all formal now.”
“We are only a couple for the mission, and I would prefer to stay formal.”
“You know better than me if you want to succeed in undercover work, you need to get comfortable with saying things.”
“Fine. Gideon,” Nora said in a harsh tone. “I am hoping you will not take this arrangement literally and expect other wifely duties from me.”
Commander Tucket looked at Nora and cracked a smile. He then walked around her as he rubbed his chin.
“What are you doing?”
“After further deliberation. I’m not sure you’re my type.”
Nora’s eyes went red. “Is it because I am an AI?”
“Calm down. It has nothing to do with that. We haven’t gone out to see if we actually like each other. So, don’t get yourself worked up. If we live, perhaps we’ll go to dinner. I do like fiery tall blondes,” Gideon said with a wink, then headed toward the door to leave the command deck.
“Gideon, where are you going?” asked Nora.
He turned around and smiled. “You called me Gideon. See how easy that was? Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to get some clothing made for our cruise, and if I were you, I would probably do the same. I’ll also make sure my hands are smooth since we’ll be holding each other’s a lot.” Gideon left the command deck, but stuck his head back in. “Told ya you’d make a pretty bride. Honeymoon, here we come.”
The door slid shut before Nora could say anything. She looked around the command deck, and everyone quickly looked at something else.
The Tempus looked like a gnat compared to the Ekahau Space Station. Located in what is known as neutral space, Ekahau was built by ten different races over many centuries after the Nilorian War. Its original name was almost impossible to pronounce, so the Earth humans changed it to Ekahau after the Mayan god of travelers and merchants, and it caught on.
The Solar Hub’s board of governors was comprised of multiple races. Over time, each race kept adding to the station based on their people’s needs, and it had grown into the largest structure ever built. It was used as a waypoint for many exploration and science vessels, as well as a variety of intergalactic cruise liners that people pay large sums of credits to travel on to see the wonders and oddities of the universe. It has even been said that some people sell everything they own to permanently live on a cruise liner to the end of their days.
It was early morning when the virtual screen lit up to show the giant space station. Commander Gordon was seated in his command chair floating in an arc around the bridge on some unseen track, while Commander Tucket leaned against a console watching the mix of two AIs and three humans managing ship operations.
“Well, ain’t that an amazing sight?” said Commander Tucket. “People always said it was the grandest of stations, but it looks much more than that.”
“I thought you would’ve seen this in your travels,” said Commander Gordon.
“Nope. They don’t allow military ships to dock at the station, and I’m not one for vacations.”
“Probably why you’re still single.”
Commander Tucket cracked a smile. “Look who’s talking, ship commander. You know you can leave the ship once it lands.”
Commander Gordon grinned. “Guess we love our jobs too much.”
“Yeah, I just hope we’re not missing out on something. Do you think we’ll have any issues landing there?”
“We shouldn’t. I registered the Tempus as a long-range corporate exploration vessel.”
“At least this part of the plan is going smoothly,” said Commander Tucket, raising his eyebrows and nodding.
“But your face tells me you have some concerns.”
“Yeah, you could say that. Nora is my concern. I’m aware of her combat skills, but her social skills could jeopardize our cover.”
“Nora is a unique individual. I guarantee she’ll surprise you,” said Commander Gordon.
“I hope you’re ri—”
Commander Tucket turned when he heard the door to the command deck slide open. Nora walked in dressed for summer vacation from centuries past. Her blond hair was tied in a high ponytail, sunglasses on her head, white short shorts, and a pink top that showed off her stomach.
“Good morning, Commanders. I am ready for our mission.”
Commander Tucket rubbed his face and exhaled. “Nora, you need to stop referring to me as Commander on this mission. It’s Gideon. Remember the discussion we had yesterday? To make this even easier, let’s all use my name going forward.”
“Yes, I recall our discussion, and I understand what needs to be done. After pondering it, I have ascertained that we have not entered the mission parameters yet, so there is no need to call you by your first name.”
“She does have a point, Gideon,” said Commander Gordon.
Gideon glanced at Commander Gordon and shook his head. “And Nora, why are you dressed like that?”
“The cruise is set up to look like a faraway remote tropical paradise from many worlds. I am dressed for the theme. The wardrobe may be tens of thousands of centuries old, but it fits the purpose. Perhaps you should stop complaining and focus on your role as my husband. So far, you are doing a horrible job at it.”
Gideon could feel Commander Gordon grinning ear to ear behind him as he walked up to Nora.
“Well, as you said, we are not in the mission parameters yet. I will see you by the docking bay door in fifteen minutes.”
Nora watched Gideon leave and then focused her attention on Commander
Gordon.
“Is he always this high strung, or does he not trust me because I am not real?”
Commander Gordon tilted his head. “What do you mean
, not real?”
“I am an AI, not human.”
“Nora, I have seen you do some incredible things. You’re quite real. I think you need to give yourself more credit than that.”
“If you will excuse me, Commander, I need to prepare some remaining items.”
Commander Gordon nodded, and Nora left the command bridge.
“Well, this is going to be an interesting mission. Helm, initiate docking sequence with Ekahau, we have some passengers to drop off.”
Gideon peered at Nora from the corner of his eyes as they waited by the docking bay door of the Tempus. He was noticeably quiet as he tried to visualize all the possible scenarios for this mission. On the other hand, Nora kept her eyes forward with not a hint of emotion on her face. She wasn’t even blinking.
Even though he had heard incredible things about Nora, he still worried that she was a liability to the mission. Then again, he found her quite pleasing to the eyes, but she was an AI, and in his line of work, AIs were one dimensional. They could react fast to a situation, but when emotions were in play, they hesitated.
“You have not made eye contact with me the entire time we have stood here,” said Nora.
“I will when the mission starts. Right now, I’m thinking through everything to make sure we didn’t miss something.”
“Three minutes until docking,” the Tempus AI blared over the ship’s comm system.
Gideon looked around as he stretched his neck and wiggled his fingers. He was in vacation attire, something he was not used to wearing.
“Is it because I am an AI?” asked Nora.
“Please…let’s not go down that path again.”
Nora turned to Gideon. “Then be honest.”
Gideon turned and made eye contact. “Fine. You want honesty…you’re right. I do have a concern that you’re an AI. I’ve never known one to put up a good act when having to convey emotions. You still talk without using contractions, and some scanners can detect AIs…There are a lot of things that could go wrong.”
She turned away to process what he said. In the past, she would have lashed out at him for the insult, but maybe he was right. She turned back to look at him. “Gideon, I—”
Second Life of Mr. Hunt: Book 3: Failover Page 5