by Scott Baron
“You assume correctly, Maarl.”
“It is indeed a pleasure to meet you,” he said with a slight bow. “But it is a great risk for you to come to our facility. The likelihood of you being seen––”
“Is not that great at all. My ship is nearby, and she has provided me an accurate assessment of the location and its inhabitants.”
“Your ship is a female?”
“An artificial intelligence, yes.”
“Yet she does not fear the Ra’az virus?”
“She has learned to purge the virus. It is of no threat to her.”
At this, Maarl’s eyes widened with surprise.
“Craaxit was correct in his assessment. You shall indeed be a worthy ally.”
“Daze, he can’t know we were here.”
I know.
“Maarl, I know this is an unusual request, but please do not tell Craaxit of this discussion. I fear he will feel I have betrayed his trust by seeking you out myself.”
“But you needn’t fear. Craaxit is an honorable––”
“I know he is,” she interrupted. “But on this discussion, I believe he should not be distracted from the goal he has already set his sights on.”
“And are your goals now different?” Maarl asked, a look of curious concern in his eyes.
“No, that is not what I mean at all,” Daisy quickly countered. “But the attack on San Francisco is imminent, and many lives will be lost on the road to success.”
“I admire your confidence, Daisy, but success is never guaranteed.”
“Just take my word on this. Though their help would be much appreciated, even with your contacts laying low, we will be successful. That I am willing to promise you. But what I need to discuss with you now, is what comes after.”
“After, we help you retake your world, as promised. Then, fortune willing, we shall free our world as well.”
“What if I told you the Ra’az have a weakness we can exploit that will ensure the fleet never returns?”
Fierce curiosity flared in the old alien’s eyes.
“I would say I am most interested to hear what you have to say, indeed.”
“The thing is, the invaders never expect to be invaded.”
“I do not follow.”
“When we defeat the Ra’az, there will be many ships left on Earth. Ships that your men can use to infiltrate the Ra’az fleet from behind. Once there, your people will spread from ship to ship, taking over key positions.”
“But even if we could achieve this, we are unarmed.”
“Not after our victory on Earth. All of the weapons stores will be at your disposal, and if you secrete them with you into the body of the fleet––”
“They will never see us coming,” he replied with growing interest. “But even with the ships, we do not possess warp capability. Certainly, we could use the cryo stasis pods the Ra’az force our people into when they shuttle us off to a new world to work, but it could take decades, if not longer, to catch up with the fleet.”
“I am working on that,” Daisy replied.
“Even if you could obtain warp technology for our ships, a jump to the fleet would be risky, you know,” he said.
“Yet the perfect way to end them,” she replied.
“Ending their fleet would slow their spread, but the Ra’az are only born on their homeworld. What you see here are the cryo-frozen soldiers sent to bring home plunder. If they are defeated, they will only send more.”
“And that is the next part of our plan,” Daisy replied. “After we save your home, of course.”
“Hmm. The Ra’az and their loyalists are overconfident,” Maarl considered. “Some might say lazy, even.”
“Yes. And as you know, no one pays attention to the workers.”
“Meaning our people would have unfettered access,” Maarl mused, a smile spreading across his lips.
“Just like in the communications hubs here on Earth. Like in the warp facility in San Francisco.”
A small gaggle of Chithiid wandered out of the barracks into the night air.
“You should go, Daisy.”
“I’m already gone,” she replied. “But I will contact you after our victory. If we can uncover the data in the warp facility, I know we can eventually make a warp capable of taking your ships to the fleet, your home, even the Ra’azes' planet, all in the blink of an eye.”
“I wish you luck, Daisy. I only wish I could offer more help.”
“Do what you are doing. Be safe, spread the word, and we will speak again soon.”
Daisy turned and disappeared into the night. Shortly afterward, a silent black shape darted past into the night sky.
Maarl meandered back to his people, his mind racing with thoughts of newfound potential and how to achieve their mutually-desired goals.
Come first light, he was going to have a talk with his friends in San Francisco. Things had changed, and it was time to press them to do more. A better opportunity would likely never present itself.
Chapter Twenty-Three
The enormous great white sharks lazily circling the San Francisco Bay instinctively scattered for friendlier waters when something far larger and far more dangerous entered their territory.
While not specifically designed for subaquatic travel, Freya––with a few on-the-fly modifications from her nanites––had adapted quite nicely, and even took pleasure in the sensation of gliding through water.
The night before––prior to the pending assault on the communications hubs and San Francisco warp research facility––Freya had perfectly executed the plan she and Daisy had devised.
It all stemmed from the conversation Freya and her crew had upon Daisy’s departure from the Chithiid barracks in Los Angeles. She had improvised a bit when she spoke with Maarl, the conversation she had with him months prior in her timeline guiding the process. In the end, she wondered if he had given her the idea in her past, or if she had given it to him in his.
Whatever the case, there was just one way to make it work. They needed more warp tech.
“Oh hell no,” Sarah said. “It’s nuts to try and break in there right before the attack. You know how heavily guarded that place is. And even with insider help, there’s only that one door the Chithiid insiders managed to clear for us, and just for a few minutes at that.”
“We need to be able to recreate this warp orb,” Daisy replied. “Only one place has the tech to do that. Without it, there’s no way we can catch up to the Ra’az fleet and insert Maarl’s Trojan Horse ships.”
“Have you considered discussing the warp technology aboard Freya with Sid and the others once our timelines sync up? We didn’t know what the orb was until she accidentally jumped.”
“Of course,” Daisy replied. “But one, we don’t know if that will lead to a functional warp drive. And two, we absolutely cannot let anyone know about the time travel effect. That secret must be kept at all costs.”
“So you want to break in and see what you can find? That’s not much of a plan, Daze. It’s needle-in-a-haystack thinking. You know our guys scavenged every square inch of the place after the attack, and once the Ra’az had finished with it, there wasn’t much left of any value or use.”
Daisy thought about those unusual circumstances a moment before an inspiration sprang upon her like a jack-in-the-box, bearing unexpected hope and potential.
“Holy shit, Sarah. You just hit the nail on the head.”
“So you agree there’s no reason to take this risk?”
“No. You said there wasn’t much there. But think about it. We didn’t actually know what was in that facility just before the attack, and the fires afterward made it difficult to discern how much the Ra’az had destroyed.”
“Oookay. And your point is?”
“What if we were the reason there wasn’t any research there?” Daisy said, excitement building in her voice as the pieces clicked into place. “What if we gathered it up before the attack? What if the reason it was
gone was because we had already stolen it?”
“Fuck me, that’s actually a good one, Daze,” Sarah mused. “Total head-trip, but damn, that’s a helluva idea.”
“I thought so,” she replied. “And you know, after the fight, when our guys went through the building? They mapped it all out, including full schematics of every floor and every door. Hey, Freya, you’ve got all of that on file, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to recall that they didn’t have any security on their rooftop cargo drop-off area.”
“That’s right. They don’t seem to have thought it needed guarding, or even surveillance, since it’s multiple floors up,” Freya noted.
“Precisely! And they don’t operate at night. Plus, with the details you have on hand, I bet you could scramble any feeds that might see your approach for long enough to get in and out clean, am I right?”
“Of course, Daisy. But I would have to be careful of ambient light from the ground giving me away.”
“It’s nighttime now, Freya. Can you do it or not?”
“I can’t say for one hundred percent certain, but I’m pretty sure I can. Yeah.”
The gears in Daisy’s head were spinning as she planned on the fly. Like the ship models she had figured out, the pieces started slipping into place without her even thinking about it.
“Okay, then. Here’s the plan.”
The next day found Freya lazing beneath the surf of the San Francisco Bay, while Daisy and Sarah lurked inside the Ra’az facility.
Late the night before, Freya had indeed reached the rooftop without being observed, dropping Daisy and Sarah off, then quickly heading for the water to observe and wait. The sisters, safely off-scan, bypassed the door’s locking pad and quietly snuck into the building.
“Sun comes up in an hour. We have about six hours before the assault begins,” Daisy said, looking at her chrono. “You ready to go, Sis?”
“As ready as I can be.”
“Me too.”
“Okay, then. Fast and silent is the order of the day. We hit the research labs first and take what we can find. Then, if there’s time, we’ll swing back and make sure the hangar doors aren’t functional.”
“Shouldn’t we just grab the stuff and bail, Daze?”
“Normally, I’d say yes, but for all we know, it was us who disabled the doors. Seems to be a lot of that sort of thing going around.”
“Valid argument,” Sarah agreed. “So, we gonna sit here yapping, or are we gonna get a move-on?”
“I opt for option two,” Daisy said with a wry smile, then headed quietly down the hallway.
The research facility was fairly straightforward in layout. The Ra’az were not exactly inspired in their designs, and the shape of the facility gave plenty of time for an audio or visual warning to reach the team before they might encounter a Ra’az or loyalist.
A group of Ra’az scientists were particularly busy that night, forcing them to lie quietly in hiding for quite some time. By the time they reached their target area, it wound up taking them nearly five hours of quiet hiding and sneaking before they arrived.
“Look at all of this, Daisy. It looks like we hit the jackpot. This is what we’re looking for, right?” Sarah asked.
“That’s an orb design blueprint,” Sarah confirmed. “It might be an older variant, by the look of it, but even having that would be huge in helping our people recreate them.”
“Grab it, Sis. I’m going to have a quick peek in here,” Daisy said, heading for the door leading to the adjacent room.
“Um, Daze. What the fuck?”
Holy shit, Sarah, was all she managed to reply.
Lying before them were three faintly glowing orbs, each resting in an indentation in the metal table. The other divots were empty, the former resting place of the other warp orbs.
“There’s three of them, Daze.”
I see ’em.
“Well, grab ’em, and let’s get out of here!”
Hell yeah, I will.
Daisy reached for the orbs, quickly tucking the nearest one into her pack. She was reaching for the second one when a strange wave of indescribable nausea hit her, nearly knocking her to the ground.
Sarah came rushing into the room, eyes wild with panic.
“What the hell just happened?”
“Oh, shit,” Daisy muttered. “Of course.”
“Of course, what?”
“Oh, of course,” Sarah echoed.
“For fuck’s sake, of course what?” Sarah groaned. “What the hell was that?”
“It’s the orb, Sarah. Don’t touch it.”
“Why not? We should take all of them and get out of here.”
“No. We can’t.”
“Why the hell not? And what was that?”
Daisy stared at the orb she had nearly touched like it was radioactive death in a ball. In some ways, she supposed, it might as well have been.
“Paradox, Sis,” she finally said, swallowing hard. “That’s the orb I found––I will find––when we assault this place in about fifteen minutes.”
“Oh. Shit,” Sarah said quietly.
Daisy quickly grabbed the third orb and tucked it in her bag with the other, careful to not so much as touch the second one where it rested on the table.
“Okay. We’ve got all we can, and our timetable is off. Skip the hangar and make for the door.”
“But they’re going to be coming in that way.”
“Yeah. And we’re going to hide in an adjacent room and then sneak out right after they pass.”
“You sure about that?”
“I was there the first time,” Daisy reminded her. “I know which rooms we skip over.”
“Well, then,” Sarah said with an amused grin. “Hide-and-seek. Okay, Daisy, lead the way.”
Like clockwork, Daisy and her team of rebels breached the building and raced to stop the warp ships from taking off. And just as she knew they would, every last one of them skipped right over the small room where she and Sarah were lying in wait.
“Okay, we’re clear,” Daisy said, sliding the door open.
She slammed it shut immediately when the unmistakable footsteps of a large Ra’az could be heard approaching.
“I thought you said this was clear,” Sarah hissed, pressing herself flat against the wall, pulse rifle aimed at the closed door.
“Clear of my team. I don’t have precognition, Sarah, and I never saw this part before. My team was long gone into the building by now,” she quietly replied.
“Listen to the stride. It’s in a hurry,” Sarah observed.
You’re right, Daisy realized. It’s not going to stop.
“Not likely.”
The heavy footfalls quickly passed their hiding place, fading down the corridor. Twenty seconds later, it was quiet. They waited an additional minute, just to be sure, then cautiously stepped out into the corridor.
“Okay, it’s clear,” Daisy whispered. “C’mon, let’s get the hell out of here before the shit hits the fan.”
“Don’t need to tell me twice,” Sarah grunted as they ran for the door.
“Freya, we’ll be coming to you in a few minutes. Everything clear out there?”
From her nearby spot just beneath the waves, Freya double-checked her scanners.
“All clear, Daisy. And it looks like there’s a commotion near the hangar doors.”
“That’d be Vince,” she said, a flush of warmth flooding her belly.
“Not now, Daze. Focus.”
I know. It’s just been a long time since I’ve seen him, is all.
“Yeah, Vince is pinning down the Chithiid loyalists trying to unblock the doors. If you stay clear of that area, you should have a clear shot out through the disabled surveillance system’s observation area.”
“Already on our way,” Daisy replied, the two women running, matching pace stride for stride.
Inside the facility, her past self would be engaged i
n a desperate fight with a Ra’az in just a minute or two. After that, she would be pinned down in the hangar as the warp ships powered up.
A darkness welled up and shadowed her feeling of success. Craaxit was about to die. Again. She knew his sacrifice had been invaluable, buying her enough time to catch up to and stop the escaping warp ships, but his loss still stung just the same.
It was at that time the other Chithiid in the base stepped up, and even those without the telltale red armbands worn by the rebels leapt into the fray.
“Oh, of course,” Daisy mumbled as they ran toward the waterfront.
“What is it?” Sarah said, a little winded.
“I just realized why the other workers risked helping us back then,” she replied. “It was Maarl.”
“The one in LA?”
“Yeah. He reached out to them after we spoke, only it wasn’t that me that had talked him into it, it was this one,” she said, a bit amazed.
“Trippy, Sis.”
You said it.
“Out loud, Daze. You know I can only hear one side of those conversations in your head. The neuro isn’t wired to pick up your part.”
“Sorry. You’ve been secretly in my head for so long, it’s become habit to not use my outside voice most of the time.”
“Yeah. Don’t want people to think she’s a crazy lady talking to herself,” Sarah added.
They slowed their run as they reached the cold waters of the bay.
“Okay, we’re here,” Daisy said over their comms. “Head up to the surface. We’ll swim out to you if the shore is too shallow for you.”
“No need, I’ll just do a low hover. Your feet may get wet, though,” Freya replied.
Two minutes later they were clear of the bay, soaring high into the sky to watch the rest of the assault and pursuit from space.
“Now, don’t you go running into yourself, kiddo,” Daisy joked. “We know how invisible you can be in dark space.”
“Ha-ha, as if I don’t know where I’ll be,” Freya joked back. “Heads up. The warp ships are heading through the exosphere.”
They watched as Daisy and her obnoxiously chipper salvaged AI ship ran a fast pursuit.
