by Jake Bible
"I doubt even my processing capabilities could compile the full list of reasons," Hessa said.
"You two are…strange," Meshara said.
"You don't know the half of it," a voice said.
Meshara started and pulled her knife from the sheath on her thigh.
Leaning against the wall behind them was Reck, Roak's "sister". Almost every centimeter of her skin was covered in scars that made Roak's skin look almost unblemished. She studied Meshara up and down then shrugged.
"Tala sent the B Team," Reck stated, pushing away from the wall. She smirked at the knife in Meshara's hand. "What's the little kitty going to do with that?"
"Reck, don't," Roak said. "We do not have time for you and your issues with Cerviles."
"Reck has issues with Cerviles?" Hessa asked. "I did not know this."
"Just the nobility," Reck said. "Too many unpleasant run-ins with your kind."
"She's Trelalla," Roak said.
Reck lifted an eyebrow. "Really? Tala sent Trelalla to watch over us? That's not good, Roak."
"It'll be fine," Roak said. "We have bigger things to deal with than Trelalla and the Cerviles. And they have bigger things to deal with than clan grudges or honor. Hessa? Have you filled everyone in?"
"I have not, Roak," Hessa replied. "I figured you should do that since you are the leader of the team."
"Not an Eight Million Gods damn team," Roak growled.
"He barely tolerates us as his crew," Reck said. "Not that I work for him or acknowledge his position as leader of anything other than the mess that is his life."
"It appears you are part of that mess," Meshara said. "So, perhaps he has more influence and control over you than you're willing to admit."
"What's bigger than a Cervile grudge?" Reck asked. "I'd like to know before I kill this little one."
"Little one?" Meshara hissed. "We'll see how little-"
"Get on the Eight Million Gods damn lift!" Roak shouted.
Reck rolled her eyes and stepped on. Meshara bared her sharp teeth and hesitated.
"Your queen sent you here for a reason," Roak said. "I don't think that reason is standing in a corridor. Get on the lift."
Meshara stepped on and kept her distance from Reck. Reck leaned against the lift wall and grinned.
"The two of you do that with your face," Meshara said, pointing at Reck then Roak. "It is disconcerting."
"Scary as all the Hells, is how I'd put it," Hessa said. "But you get used to it."
"Do you?" Meshara asked.
"No," Hessa admitted. "But we all pretend we do."
"Your AI says she is scared and that she pretends," Meshara said to Roak as the lift raced to the bridge deck. "Where did she pick up these affectations? Special programming or learned mimicry?"
The lift came to a screeching halt. Meshara was thrown off her feet and upward. She slammed into the ceiling then came crashing down. Roak and Reck stayed stable, both having prepared for the incident by activating the mag-locks in the soles of their boots.
"You didn't warn her about Hessa?" Reck asked.
"I did and so did Hessa," Roak said. "Some beings just have to learn the hard way."
"Before we proceed, Meshara," Hessa said, "I believe you and I should talk. I am not Roak's AI and I do not have affectations. All of my actions, reactions, and interactions are genuine. I feel, I react, I live. Anything less than full acknowledgement of this will not be tolerated."
Meshara painfully pushed herself up off the lift's floor. She checked herself for injuries then stared hard at Roak.
"Are you going to allow an AI to speak to a living being that way?" Meshara asked. "One comm call to my people and your AI will be put on a deactivate list. The GF is very particular on which AIs are allowed to exist and which are wiped clean."
"Wow," Reck said and laughed. "I know Cerviles can be stubborn, but this one really doesn't want to learn her lesson."
"I am Meshara Trelalla of the Cervile Royal Guard," Meshara said, her fur standing on end as her rage built. "I will not stand for this disrespect."
The lift rushed down then up for a split second. Just enough to send Meshara sprawling once more.
"I can make sure you never stand on this ship again, Ms. Meshara Trelalla of the Cervile Royal Guard," Hessa said.
"She doesn't ever get tired, she sees all, and has complete control of the ship," Reck said. "You learn to respect her or you get very uncomfortable."
"Reck and I have come to an understanding," Hessa said. "I hope the same will happen between the two of us, Meshara."
"Roak? You are not worried about the power this AI wields over actual beings?" Meshara snarled.
"That ship left the spaceport a long while back," Roak said. "Hessa and I have a partnership that isn't easy to quantify."
"He takes stupid risks and I save him from those risks," Hessa said. "There. Easy to quantify."
"She's got you there," Reck said.
The lift began moving again and arrived quickly at their desired deck.
"Med bay? What for?" Meshara asked.
"Got to switch out your implants," Reck said and led Meshara to an open med pod. "Hop in the box, kitty kitty."
"Reck…" Roak warned.
"I am not changing any of my implants," Meshara said.
"Yeah, you are," Roak said. "Father can compromise standard implants."
"Were you not listening?" Meshara responded. "I do not have standard implants. I am of the Cervile-"
"Royal Guard," Reck finished for her. "We get it. Doesn't matter."
"The implants you have can and will be used against you and us by Father," Hessa stated. "I will remove those and replace them with implants of my own design that cannot be hacked."
"At least you're being warned ahead of time," Roak said. "I was told of mine after the fact."
"That is why we cannot detect your comm implant?" Meshara asked. "Because it is designed by your AI?"
"Eight Million Gods," Roak muttered. "Not my AI. But, yes, the implant in me cannot be detected."
Meshara hesitated then straightened her back and crossed to the med pod. She studied it and climbed inside. The lid closed and Roak and Reck waited for the procedure to be over.
In less than fifteen minutes Hessa finished her work and Meshara was climbing back out of the med pod.
"Great," Roak said. "Time to meet the others."
He led them to the lift.
"Feel any different?" Reck asked Meshara.
"Not at all," she answered. "No. That is not true. I feel…lighter."
"My tech seamlessly integrates with your system. That lightness is the burden released from inferior tech," Hessa said.
"And you're always getting on Roak about his ego," Reck said. "He's rubbing off on you, Hessa. Not in a good way."
The lift stopped and the doors opened. Roak ignored the jab and led them to the bridge where Nimm was seated at the navigation console.
A Lipian, the former prostitute slave race, Nimm fought her genetic programming and became a formidable soldier for the GF. When that career ended after having most of her limbs blown off and swapped for synthetics, Roak helped her become commander of Ligston Station. Unfortunately for Nimm, she was caught up in the mess that had become Roak's life, lost her command, was tortured severely, and had to have her synth limbs replaced.
Roak still wasn't one hundred percent sure Nimm wasn't holding her own grudge that may flare up later. He nodded to her and plopped into the pilot's seat as Reck took weapons, leaving Meshara to eye the co-pilot's seat.
"Nope. That's mine," a yellow blur said. The unoccupied seat was no longer unoccupied. "Hi. I'm Yellow Eyes."
Vat grown, Yellow Eyes was as thin as a broom handle and about as tall. Six spindly arms protruded from his torso and six spindly legs protruded from the being's pelvis. Torso and pelvis were approximations. Everything was guesses when it came to the being.
Except for his skin. That was a bright yellow that was almost blindi
ng at times.
"I don't know what you are," Meshara said after staring at Yellow Eyes for a couple of seconds.
"That makes two of us, sister," Yellow Eyes said and waved his hand-nubs about. "Total mystery to me too. But isn't self-discovery simply a part of the life experience? I like to think that one day I will not only find out what I am, but I will find out who I am."
He pressed his nubs together and bowed his head.
"Amen," he finished.
"Lay off the evangelical holos," Roak grumbled. "We talked about this."
"Hey, man, after nearly dying and having to stay in that med pod for weeks and weeks and weeks, a being starts to think about the grand scheme of existence," Yellow Eyes said. "Why are we here? Who created us?"
"That's easy for you," Reck said. "The WAG Corp made you then tossed you out with the trash."
"But who created the WAG Corp?" Yellow Eyes mused. "And who created the beings that created the WAG Corp? And who created-?"
"No," Roak stated flatly. "Just no."
"Is this all?" Meshara asked. "Do you have shock troop recruits? Ex-Marines? Mercenaries? Are they below in the cargo hold? Eating in the mess?"
No one answered. Meshara's vertical pupils narrowed to almost imperceptible lines.
"Do not tell me this is all of you!" Meshara exclaimed.
"I thought Tala knew everything about me," Roak said. "Guess not."
"This is everyone on this ship, yes," Nimm said, her commander voice in full force. "But we do have additional resources to pull from when needed."
"We got a Drop Team!" Yellow Eyes said and pumped a nub-fist into the air. "Go us!"
"We do not have a Drop Team," Nimm corrected. "But we do have access to the top of the FIS and can request assistance as needed."
"Yeah, but Gerber said not to need it," Reck said.
"So we don't have a Drop Team?" Yellow Eyes asked. "Man, you all bum me out sometimes."
"This will not do," Meshara muttered. She swiped across her wrist and brought up her holo comm interface. "I must report to my queen immediately."
"I wouldn't do that," Roak said.
"She must be made aware that you are not the help we thought you would be." Meshara shook her head as she stared at the rag tag crew. "You are a disaster in the making."
"Could have told you that," Reck said.
"In the making?" Nimm asked.
"Don't you know it, girl," Yellow Eyes said and snapped his nubs together.
"Disaster is a bit harsh," Hessa said.
"Go ahead and make the call," Roak said. He crossed his arms over his chest. "We'll wait."
Meshara dialed in the comm signature and waited. In seconds the image of Queen Tala appeared over her wrist.
"A report so soon?" Tala asked. "You could not have found our planet already."
"My Queen, I must report that Roak and his team-"
"Not an Eight Million Gods damn team," Roak interrupted.
"-are not even close to adequate," Meshara continued. "There are only four of them-"
"Five, thank you," Hessa said.
"-and I would not trust them to look after Cervile young, let alone help us find our planet."
Yellow Eyes raised an arm. "I'm sorry, but am I missing something here?"
"No, they are," Roak said and pointed at Meshara. "Their planet disappeared."
"Oh, well that clears it all up," Yellow Eyes said.
"Meshara, have you commed me to complain or to report progress?" Tala snapped. "Explain yourself."
"I got this," Roak said and stood up. He pushed his way into view of the comm call. "Meshara is used to a more structured approach to getting things done. She's adjusting."
"See to it that she does, Roak, or Meshara need not bother returning to the Cervile," Tala said before ending the comm call.
"Went better than I expected," Roak said and returned to his seat.
Meshara growled low in her throat then sat down in the open seat at the systems console. Reck and Nimm watched her then turned their attention to Roak.
"Is the Cervile home planet really missing?" Nimm asked.
"Yep," Roak replied.
"You didn't get that from the previous conversation?" Yellow Eyes asked. He let out a long whistle. "Way to pay attention, beings."
"Hessa?" Roak called.
"A quick rundown," Hessa said. "Father took the Cervile planet. He also attacked Roak on Xippee. The two ex-Marines were killed, but not before they told us that their former ship is impounded on Chafa. We will be heading that way momentarily to retrieve the ship's log so we can find the location of the planet where the peculiar AIs are hiding."
"Why would he take a planet?" Reck asked. "And where would he take it?"
"Both are good questions," Nimm said. "But the better question is how. That kind of technology is light years ahead of even the new tech the GF installed in this ship."
"Eh-hem," Reck said. "The tech I installed. No way I'd let some GF goons touch this ship. They'd have installed enough tracking devices to stretch halfway across the galaxy if placed end to end."
"Why would you do that?" Yellow Eyes asked.
"Do what?" Reck replied.
"Place tracking devices end to end across the galaxy," Yellow Eyes said.
Meshara's eyes were wide with confusion and alarm.
"Hessa?" Roak asked. "Are we there yet?"
"We arrived in the SoCal System several minutes ago," Hessa said.
"We already transported?" Meshara asked. "But I did not feel the transition at all."
"That's what happens when you have a competent being install the tech instead of GF goons," Reck said.
"She doesn't like GF goons," Yellow Eyes said. He punched his nubs together. "Eight Million Gods damn GF goons."
Roak spun about and faced the view screen. He toggled the controls and a smog-covered planet filled the screen.
"Chafa," Roak said. "Impound planet. Hessa? Take us down."
"Stealth mode is activated and we are making our approach," Hessa said.
"Why don't we just blip down to the surface?" Yellow Eyes asked.
"Too much interference from the pollution to get an accurate read on the surface," Hessa said. "We could end up halfway buried in the ground."
"Don't want that to happen," Yellow Eyes said and relaxed into his seat. "Hessa, take us down."
Hessa sighed.
"Welcome to my life," Roak said over his shoulder to Meshara. "You're going to want to strap in. It's never a smooth landing on Chafa."
5.
True to Roak's words, the landing was not smooth at all.
Due to the fact the ship was in stealth mode, Hessa needed to put them down somewhere that wasn't wide open. Invisible to visual and scanner detection was an advantage of the ship's stealth tech. But being invisible didn't mean the ship could ignore physics and reality. An open landing would have produced dust and kickback from the ground, alerting anyone watching to the fact that a ship had landed.
Plus, the last time Roak had been on the planet, the owner of the impound lot had informed him that there was tech on the planet that could detect stealth ships.
So Hessa landed the ship directly on top of a precarious stack of scrapped ships.
"Oh, this should be just fine," Yellow Eyes said as everyone stood in the opening to the ship's cargo bay, rebreathers firmly affixed to their mouths to filter out the planet's dense pollution.
Yellow Eyes was gone in the blink of an eye then back. "Found a route down. Follow me."
"Hessa?" Roak said.
Roak, Reck, and Meshara were moltransed to the ground.
"Or you can cheat," Yellow Eyes said. "Little cheaters…"
"Nimm?" Roak called over the comm. "What do you have for us?"
"The ship's signature is about fifteen clicks to the east," Nimm said.
"Have your AI moltrans us there," Meshara said.
"Too much pollution," Hessa said, her voice ice cold. "To the ground is easy, b
ut any significant distance is too risky."
"She's going to leave you here if you keep up that 'your AI' crap," Reck said.
"What? No, I'd never do that," Hessa said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Everyone shut up and follow me," Roak said.
He pulled his Flott and started walking. He didn't wait for the others.
There were several impound lots on the planet, all owned by different beings, but Roak, and most of the galaxy, knew that Chafa was truly controlled by the syndicates. Of course, the exact syndicate changed depending on how the galactic underworld winds blew.
Roak knew to keep his eyes open and Flott at the ready.
Not that he was worried he couldn't take out whatever or whomever came at him. The last time he had been on Chafa he'd killed several beings. None of them were even close to average when it came to brains or fighting ability. But that was then and Roak had had to assume that whichever syndicate was in charge of Chafa at the moment they had upped their security game.
Or at least upped their numbers. There was something to be said about just throwing a ton of meat and muscle at a problem.
"Signatures?" Roak asked.
"None that I can detect," Hessa said.
"None at all?"
"No."
"On the entire planet?"
"That is what I mean by none, Roak."
"That's not good."
"I concur. Either the planet has been abandoned or the beings on the planet are able to mask their signatures from me which would mean…"
"We're looking at a well-funded operation, not the slapdash crap that we encountered last time."
"Exactly. Be watchful."
"Always am."
"Be more watchful."
"I got this, Hessa."
"We got this," Reck said. "I think you forgot we're here with you."
Roak glanced over his shoulder. For a split second, even though he'd never admit it, he did forget he wasn't alone. For that split second, despite Hessa in his ear, he felt like his old self, like the lone Roak of days past.
The feeling was fleeting, however, since just beyond his crew were about two dozen heavily armed beings sprinting towards them.
"Yellow Eyes," Roak said. "Do your thing."
Everyone stopped and looked back. Yellow Eyes was gone in a barely visible yellow blur.