by Adair Hart
Once inside the ship, Dr. Snowden parked the cart in the back.
Evaran walked over to Krikus and placed his UIC on Krikus’s arm. After a moment, it emitted a stable blue light.
“I thought the UIC only worked on technology,” said Dr. Snowden.
Evaran nodded. “You are correct. Krikus, however, has an information storage device in his arm. It would seem he wanted to keep it close.”
“I’ve heard of that. Pretty expensive, though, and uncommon. Can get messy if someone is looking for it,” said Jala.
Evaran accessed his ARI. “I am moving the information and will then put it into the ship’s system.”
“Giving him the Jerzan treatment!” said Dr. Snowden, laughing.
“I am.”
Jala drew her lips to the side. “What is a Jerzan treatment?”
Dr. Snowden circled a hand in front of him. “Evaran is going to send Krikus where law enforcement is and then broadcast his wrongdoings. He did it to a dirtbag we crossed paths with long ago.”
“That’s pretty clever, but I’m sure his ship is secured.”
Evaran pulled the UIC off Krikus, then walked to the front of the ship. He sat in Krikus’s pilot seat and put it on the ship’s console. “Not against this.”
After a few moments, the ship powered up.
Jala widened her eyes and looked around.
Evaran interacted with his ARI and then stood up, taking the UIC with him. He gestured for Dr. Snowden and Jala to exit the ship, then followed them out. After a few moments, the ramp retracted, and the side door closed. The ship hovered briefly before flying off.
“I also have a copy of his information and will look through it when back on the ship. I did a check on his weapon, and it appears he stole it from a mercenary a while back. I am guessing he figured he finally found a use for it from the bounty description. Let us head back,” said Evaran.
They walked back to the ship where V stood by the ramp.
“Armor has been secured. Andia, Emily, and Silva have retired to their rooms. Rakar is on the roof,” said V.
“Excellent. I am going to begin looking at Krikus’s armor, weapon, and data. I will be in the research lab,” said Evaran.
Jala smiled at Dr. Snowden. “I have six hours before I have to go. Maybe we could enjoy them together.”
Dr. Snowden half smiled and looked at the ground. A rising warmth spread throughout him. “I don’t know. I’m kinda tired from all this action.”
Jala drew the right side of her lips up. “I could help you relax.”
“Thanks, but I think I’ll be fine.”
Jala laughed. “Fine, fine. Was worth a shot.” She walked up to Dr. Snowden and whispered into his ear, “If you change your mind, you have my chip.” She nipped his ear, then walked away.
Dr. Snowden shook his head as he watched Jala walk off, then turned to walk back up the ramp.
On Seeros’s personal ship, Seeros eased back into the executive chair in his quarters. In front of him sat an impressive desk with an array of consoles and screens, alongside holographic projectors. His quarters were more of a communications center with the basic necessities of a bedroom than a place to relax.
He reflected on the past day. He had met with the Covendrin mercenaries and procured five of their best. Expensive, but well worth the cost. Typically only two or three in a group were available at a time, five was a windfall. They handle the flying of the ship and its maintenance. There was some history between him and the mercenaries. His first encounter with them long ago was when they were assigned to take him out by a rival corporation. He subdued those who came, and then the next group, and the next one after that. After negotiating with them, they agreed to give him immunity, and to turn the tables on those who had originally hired them.
He flipped on one of the holographic projectors. An image of his wife and three kids appeared. A lump formed in his throat as he gritted his teeth. He missed them. His life had been good, and he enjoyed his job. The day it was all taken from him would forever be etched in his mind. Evaran will pay.
A beeping sound rang out from the door. Seeros clicked off the holographic image. “Come in.”
A Covendrin mercenary walked in. He had on a black-and-gold light armor suit. Across his chest was a strap that ran diagonally from his shoulder to his hip. On the strap was an array of devices and gadgets. The signature red metallic armband glistened in the lightly lit room. The mercenary walked up to Seeros’s desk. “We have some developments.”
Seeros nodded. “Yuldaris, please sit down.”
Yuldaris sat down in a chair in front of the desk and nodded at Seeros.
Seeros stretched his neck to one side, then to the other. “So, what did you learn?”
Yuldaris tapped at his wrist, causing a screen to pop up. He interacted with it, and after a few moments, he flicked a finger across the screen toward Seeros’s desk, causing the display to appear on there. “As you can see, there was some chatter about Krikus Det on the Kreagan Lawnet system. His ship arrived at Kreagan Outpost 1.6.8. He was strapped to a chair of some type, and his ship logs contained a massive dump of his illegal activities.”
Seeros narrowed his eyes. “Krikus Det.” He rubbed his chin. “Name sounds familiar.”
Yuldaris flung another screen to Seeros’s desk. “High-grade bounty hunter, operating out of the Galvin Rim. He has a high capture rate. In this case, he had tried to abduct several people. Evaran, Dr. Albert Snowden, Emily Snowden, and Andia Kiggs. He failed, however, it would appear.”
Seeros chuckled and shook his head. “I would have expected that. Were there any unusual weapons or armor found on Krikus’s ship?”
Yuldaris shook his head. “None. Just equipment you would normally expect. I have worked with Krikus before. He’s a tough bastard. Capturing four people should have been easy.”
“For most targets, sure. For Evaran and crew, not even close. Who’s this Andia Kiggs?”
Yuldaris flung another screen to Seeros’s desk. “She is the prime ambassador of Fredoria. I sent an intercepted message from a Kreagan inspector to your desk. He seems to be traveling with them. There is also a Kreagan ranger in the group.”
Seeros studied his desk screen. “Interesting. What an unusual group. I’ve never heard of those three, but it seems they are looking for the lost Arkaron crystals to help Fredoria.” He glanced at the ceiling and eased back into his chair.
“Yeah, saw that. It makes no sense,” said Yuldaris, snorting.
Seeros smiled. “If they have an inspector, then he must have been assigned. Do we know who assigned him?”
“Senator Valia Tu Kraas.”
“Find out what you can on her, as well as this Andia Kiggs and the Kreagans.”
“Will do.”
Seeros bent forward with clasped hands and rested his chin on them. “Evaran is trying to fix something. Having Fredoria assemble the Arkaron with the lost Arkaron crystals would help Fredoria, but why is he doing that? It must be important if he is involved.”
“I don’t know,” said Yuldaris, easing back into his chair. “You run a powerful corporation. You could send a private army after them, but instead you want a small strike force.”
Seeros smirked. “The bigger the presence, the easier it is to be noticed. That invites distractions. The last thing we need is the Kreagans getting involved.” Seeros interacted with his desk screen and shot a screen over to Yuldaris. “Change course to these coordinates.”
Yuldaris looked at his screen and shot Seeros a quizzical look. “The ancient Kreagan home world? It’s quarantined. If you wanted to avoid the military, that’s one of the last places you want to be. They have several bases and outposts there. Why are we going there?”
Seeros smirked. “Because that is where the Arkaron base is, and where they will end up.”
Dr. Snowden woke up to the sound of his PSD chirping. He grabbed it and pressed the top button. He noticed it was nine in the morning, Earth time. Once
expanded, he noticed the communications icon was flashing, so he pressed it.
“Hey, sleepyhead! Some of us actually work around here,” said Emily.
Dr. Snowden squinted and exhaled through his nose. “All right, all right, Miss Sunshine, I’m getting up. Where are you?”
“In the conference room. I’m here with Rakar, V, and Evaran. We’re having breakfast.”
Dr. Snowden nodded. “Okay, I will be there in a few.”
The communication screen disappeared. He sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed his eyes. He saw the communication chip Jala had given him sitting on the table next to the bed. He grabbed it and flipped it around in his hands. It was flashing a soft blue light. He pressed it and jerked back as a hologram of Jala appeared.
“Hey! Taking off now. The chip will show up on my scanners anytime it is within a few light-years. I hope you plan on swinging by this area again sometime and maybe we can pick up where we left off.” She clicked and winked, and the hologram dissipated.
Dr. Snowden sighed. He was so used to being rejected that Jala’s interest in him was a shock to the system. He shook his head and smiled, then showered, got dressed, and headed to the conference room. Upon his arrival, he saw that Silva and Andia had arrived and taken their seats. He headed to the replicator area to get a cup of coffee and some breakfast.
Emily walked up behind him. “I heard Jala wanted to stay over last night.”
Dr. Snowden stood up straight. “She did, but she didn’t. I’m glad you’re interested, though.”
“Oh, c’mon, Uncle Albert. I was just teasing. You need your coffee,” said Emily as she turned to head back to the table.
Dr. Snowden grabbed his coffee and picked up his usual breakfast. He walked over to the table and took his seat next to Emily. He noticed Andia and Emily had shared a plate. He dug into his breakfast.
“Good, it looks like we are all here. I have something to discuss, so if anyone wants to get something more to drink or eat, now would be a good time,” said Evaran. He looked around the table and after a few moments continued when no one had gotten up. “The recent set of events has shown me how dangerous this is turning out to be. I believe I should proceed alone from here on out. I can take you all back to Kreagus while I complete the mission. Dr. Snowden and Emily, you could have some time on Kreagus, assuming the Fredorian embassy will have you. If not, I can take you back to Earth.”
Andia snorted. “I don’t think so. Fredoria is in this one hundred percent. We don’t back down at the first sign of trouble.”
Silva smirked and shook his head while gesturing in a dismissive manner at Andia. “Yes, yes, that’s why you’re known as stubborn and aggressive.” He faced Evaran. “I agree with your sentiment but offer a counterproposal. You can go outside the ship alone. We can stay on the ship but still stick around and come out if needed.”
Andia narrowed her eyes at Silva. “You call it stubborn and aggressive, we call it standing up for what we believe in. Either way, I don’t plan to sit inside a ship or go back to Kreagus unless Evaran forces me to. This is the first time I actually believe that we might find the Arkaron crystals.”
Evaran gestured at Dr. Snowden, who was mid bite. “Dr. Snowden?”
Dr. Snowden paused as everyone looked at him. He slowly finished his bite and took a sip of his coffee, then raised his finger while nodding at Andia. “I’m with Andia on this.” He faced Evaran. “We knew the risks the moment we stepped on the Torvatta. That overgrown lizard isn’t going to dampen my spirit.”
Emily giggled. “Same here. It was one setback, but we got through it as a team.”
Evaran turned to Rakar. “Your thoughts?”
Rakar eyed the table for a moment before speaking. “I admire the humans for sticking it out.” He made a sidelong glance at Silva. “That is not a weakness.” He looked at Andia and Emily. “This ranger stands with you.”
Evaran nodded. “Okay then, it is settled. I wanted to put it out there in case anyone had doubts. However, it appears everyone is committed.” He touched the table console. A hologram shot up in the middle of the table, showing a lone planet. “According to the information broker, this is where we are headed, a rogue planet. It will be a hostile environment, so I am guessing whoever this Max is, he is powerful enough to overcome the environment.”
“I heard Uncle Albert mention it, but what exactly is a rogue planet, and what type of environment are we talking about?” asked Emily.
Dr. Snowden eyed Emily. “You should have read those books I suggested to you. A rogue planet is a planet that was kicked out of its solar system and moves through interstellar space without a sun. It has been theorized that they are ice worlds with subsurface oceans, but that it may be possible that they could have retained their atmosphere, trapping heat. Either way, not a pleasant place.”
Silva narrowed his eyes. “You seem to be more knowledgeable than is generally suggested for your species. However, you are missing that these planets can also form on their own.”
Dr. Snowden half smiled. “I have read a few papers on that idea as well. A recent paper suggested that tiny gas clouds with planetary mass, called globulettes, are being shot out of the Rosette Nebula, which can form them. Even brown dwarfs, which are essentially failed stars, can form from that as well.”
Silva glanced at Rakar, then at Dr. Snowden. “Perhaps we need to reevaluate Earth’s technology level. The last report I read was that they had just discovered how to fly through the air. Our reports appear to be out of date if you have this level of knowledge.”
Evaran cleared his throat. “We are getting off track. We will need to stay on the ship for this one. Come, let us head to the command area.”
Dr. Snowden eyed Silva as he stood up and then exited the room. He watched as Andia walked up to him.
Andia put a hand on Dr. Snowden’s shoulder. “Impressive. You surprised a Kreagan. Not easily done.”
Dr. Snowden smirked. “He must think we’re primitive.”
“Definitely. I know all about it,” said Andia with a half smile.
They exited the room and walked over to the command area. Silva and Rakar sat on the left side, with Andia, Dr. Snowden, and Emily on the right side. A galactic map appeared on the right side of the main screen. The map then zoomed to the coordinates Evaran had given. A planet appeared with a green outline. A gold beam and portal Dr. Snowden had come to associate with traveling long distances appeared outside the Torvatta. It flew through the portal, and after a few moments, they appeared in blank space.
Dr. Snowden looked around. “I don’t see it.”
The main screen went semitransparent, allowing them to see out into space. A green highlight with a trailing line showed up on the screen along with some numbers.
“I have marked it in green so you can see it,” said V.
As they approached the planet, another highlight appeared. “Another object has been detected. Trajectory indicates interception. Estimated time of interception is two minutes.”
Evaran scrutinized his ARI and then tapped at the arm of his chair. “Interesting. It is spherical, and scans cannot penetrate whatever it is. Hold position.”
“Acknowledged.”
After a minute, the object on an interception path became more visible. The front screen showed an enhanced image of a yellow spherical orb with tendrils of light swarming on its surface.
Silva gasped. “It’s … it’s the great selector!”
Dr. Snowden narrowed his eyes. Maybe because he was jaded, but to him, it looked like just another alien species. Granted, it was in deep space, and it did have tendrils of light. He looked over at a wide-eyed Silva. This must be the greatest day in Silva’s life.
Silva looked at Evaran. “Is there any way we can get a better look other than through this window when it reaches us?”
Evaran nodded. “Yes. Let us head to the roof.”
They took the elevator to the roof, and after the doors opened, Silva rushed out to t
he light-blue guardrails on the edge of the roof. The rest followed him out.
Dr. Snowden strained to see the great selector approaching them. It appeared to him as a small yellow sun that got bigger every passing second. After a moment, the great selector appeared just outside the Torvatta’s shield.
Silva, Rakar, and Andia knelt and bowed their heads.
Dr. Snowden looked around with amusement. He did not believe in this great selector being a god, but its effect was apparent on Silva, Rakar, and Andia. Emily walked over and grabbed his right arm.
The great selector extended a strand of energy to the edge of the Torvatta’s shield. It then pointed at Evaran. Evaran nodded and pressed a button on his ARI, causing a small portion of the guardrail to disappear. A light-blue walkway extended out from the roof to the edge of the shield. Evaran walked to the edge of it and extended his hand outside the shielding. The great selector enveloped Evaran’s hand with a tendril for a minute, then retracted it. It paused for a moment, then flew off. Evaran turned around and walked back to the roof. The walkway dissipated, and the guardrail respawned.
“The great selector … it touched you!” said Silva, standing up with widened eyes.
Evaran nodded. “It did. It appears to know who I am, and Dr. Snowden and Emily as well. It was overjoyed to see humanoids in space.”
“It knows us?” asked Dr. Snowden.
“Yes. I am not sure how, though.”
Dr. Snowden crossed his arms. “Why is it so concerned about humanoids, exactly? It didn’t look anything close to resembling a humanoid form.”
Silva snapped his head toward Dr. Snowden. “You speak as if the great selector is just another alien species.” He snorted. “I forget sometimes how primitive your species is. The great selector is the reason you and I exist.”
Dr. Snowden’s face turned red. “Well, that’s your belief, not mine. On Earth, there was no big tentacled ball of light guiding our evolution that we know of. Do you even have evidence of it guiding your evolution or that the Arkaron actually does what it says and is not just being interpreted?”
