Flight of the Javelin: The Complete Series: A Space Opera Box Set

by Rachel Aukes

  “He went to the cafeteria on level four and will be returning shortly with meals for him and Macy.”

  “Oh. Then we’d better hurry,” Eddy said.

  “I’ve already sent Tigger to retrieve the syringe,” Rusty said.

  The curtain moved, and Eddy saw two small boots below the edge of the fabric. He pulled the curtain to the side to reveal the nine-year-old.

  “Rusty asked me to come,” Macy said.

  “Yeah. Since Rusty and I are leaving you—”

  She pouted. “You’re leaving me?”

  He gave her a soft expression. “Just for a while. We have a very important mission. Anyway, since Rusty won’t be here to help manage your nanites, we need to give you newly upgraded nanites. Rusty will explain what’s all happening. Ah, and there’s Tigger now.”

  She stared ahead as though listening, and Eddy had no doubt that Rusty and Macy were carrying on a conversation within her head.

  The metallic bot floated into the workshop. In its pincers, it held a substantial syringe, similar to the probe they’d used initially to test Macy and learn of her nanite infestation.

  “That’s an awfully big needle,” she said.

  “That’s nothing. Look at what we’re going to slide into the base of your skull.” Eddy held up a gray disk about the size of a coin.

  Macy sucked in a breath, mouth open wide. “Is it going to hurt?”

  “I’ll instruct the nanites to turn off your pain receptors during the insertion.” Rusty spoke aloud.

  The tension in her shoulders relaxed.

  Eddy set the disk down, took the syringe from Tigger, and grabbed Macy’s arm. “Are you both ready?” he asked.

  She nodded.

  He stuck the needle into her shoulder and pressed the plunger down until the entire silvery contents had been injected into Macy. He pulled out the syringe and set it on his workbench. He lifted the disk. “Now, this is a very impressive piece of technology. It’s one of a kind. Rusty copied all the logic from the naive Bayes router along with a good number of his protocols onto this disk. The router had to be destroyed to access its logic, so you’re wearing technology that’s worth a whole lot more than you.”

  She watched him. Her eyes were less fearful than he’d expected. If he’d been on the receiving end of that kind of tech, he would’ve been worried beyond belief that everything would work. As it stood, he was worried beyond belief. If it didn’t work, Macy would probably die, which meant that Punch would kill Eddy, and he really didn’t want to die.

  Eddy continued, “Once this fancy little disk is in place, Rusty will instruct the nanites to build connectors from that disk to your brain. If all goes as planned, your thoughts will go into the disk, which will translate them into instructions the nanites can understand. Basically, you won’t have a computer in your head anymore. Well, I guess you’ll literally have a computer in your head now. But Rusty won’t be feeding you any commands. On the plus side, people won’t think you’re crazy, because you won’t be hearing voices in your head anymore.”

  “I don’t mind Rusty’s voice,” she said.

  He shrugged. “Well, Rusty can’t stay with you all the time. He’s got other things to do, too, you know.”

  She pouted. “I know.”

  “Okay.” Eddy looked around his workshop and pointed to the chair. “Take a seat.”

  She did as instructed.

  “I’ll take it from here, Eddy,” Rusty said.

  “Be my guest.” Eddy took a step back. Tigger approached, and he handed the disk to the bot.

  “Macy, lower your head. Tigger will make a small cut and place the command chip just below your skin. I promise you, it won’t hurt a bit.”

  She lowered her head. Tigger zoomed. With the disk in its pincers, a small laser torch emerged from its orb-like body. The bot brought the torch down to her skin. A line of gold light shot out from the torch. Her skin sizzled and parted.

  Eddy cringed. “Gross.”

  The bot pulled the laser back and slid the disk through the incision. He could see the skin bulge as the disk was slid into position at the base of the girl’s skull.

  Tigger released the disk and floated back to hover a few feet away from Eddy and Macy. Eddy continued to stare at the incision. Since Rusty had used a laser, there was no blood, but the wound still looked deeper than Eddy would’ve expected.

  “Eddy, if you would place a bandage over the incision, please,” Rusty said.

  Eddy jumped and turned back to his workbench. He pulled out the first aid kit, grabbed a bandage, and placed it on the back of Macy’s neck. “There.”

  Macy raised her head. Her fingers reached for the back of her neck.

  “I have instructed the nanites to repair the incision while minimizing the pain receptors until the area is fully healed. You shouldn’t even have a scar,” Rusty said.

  “It’s done?” she asked.

  “The upgrade is complete, but the transition will take up to a week. You may find the conversion jarring at times.”

  She shrugged. “I don’t feel any different.”

  “You shouldn’t feel much different. In fact, you should feel more like you did before the Swarm invaded your mind,” Rusty said.

  “Macy…”

  Eddy twisted around when he heard Punch calling out for his daughter somewhere on the ship. “He’s back.” He turned back to Macy. “You need to get back to your room before he sees you here.”

  “Why wouldn’t I want to see Macy here?”

  Eddy swallowed and turned stiffly on his heel to see Punch enter. Eddy stammered, “No reason. Macy was just helping me out with a project.”

  Punch’s gaze narrowed upon Eddy. “Is that right.” He scanned the area, focusing a full second on his daughter before continuing. He took a step closer to Eddy, reached around the engineer, and grabbed the open first aid kit. “Why’s this out?”

  “I-I was just showing Macy how to use the most common first aid supplies,” Eddy said.

  Punch scowled and bent down to be at eye level with Macy. “Are you hurt, pumpkin?”

  “No. Rusty made it so it didn’t hurt,” she said.

  He cocked his head. “What exactly was Rusty making not hurt?”

  She smiled. “My upgrade.”

  His features went pale.

  He spun, grabbed Eddy by the shirt, and slammed him against the workbench.

  “Ow! You’re hurting me,” Eddy exclaimed.

  “What did you do to my daughter?” Punch gritted out.

  Rusty spoke. “I upgraded Macy’s nanites and embedded a command chip so that she may direct the nanites on her own, without any intervention from me.”

  Punch cocked his head. “So you’re not in her head anymore.”

  “As soon as her body finishes the transition, she will have the ability to command the nanites on her own,” Rusty said.

  Punch’s grip lessened enough for Eddy to push the other man away.

  Eddy smoothed his shirt. “We did exactly what you asked for.”

  Punch’s scowl hadn’t disappeared. “Then why didn’t you talk to me before doing it?”

  “Because you have a tendency to do…this.” Eddy gestured to the air around Punch.

  Punch ignored him and reached for his daughter. “You’re okay? Really?”

  “Of course she’ll be okay,” Eddy said. “Rusty’s smarter than all of us. He doesn’t make mistakes.”

  “I’m okay.” She grimaced. “But I don’t feel so good.”

  “Where’s it hurt?” Punch asked.

  Macy fell forward, and Punch grabbed her.

  Eddy frowned. “At least Rusty doesn’t make many mistakes.”

  “What’s wrong with her?” Punch cried out.

  “Her body is adjusting to the new nanites. She needs rest to give her body time to recover. I can place her in sleep mode—”

  “No, you will not,” Punch ordered as he lifted Macy into his arms. “If you’re serious about getting
out of her head, you’ll let her get used to her own body again.” He glared at Eddy. “And you, stay away from Macy.”

  Punch carried Macy out of the cargo hold and down the hallway.

  Eddy blew out a breath. “I told you he’d turn all caveman on us.”

  “I find human emotions complicated.”

  “You and me both,” Eddy said.

  “We helped Macy, yet Punch was still upset. He lets emotions override his logic.”

  Eddy nodded. “Yep. That’s why I stay back here, so I don’t have to deal with all the crazies.”

  He grabbed the box of tools. “I’d better get these over to the Gauntlet. I think I’ll be ready to bring you over there after this run.”

  “Now that Macy’s health has been addressed, I’m ready,” Rusty said.

  Eddy carried the box to the airlock and paused. He looked up at the placard above the doorway: Fortes fortuna adiuvat, which was Latin for “fortune favors the bold.” He knew now that the Javelin had never had a human crew before the Black Sheep came on board. He set down the box of tools and put his hands on his hips. “Hey, Rusty.”

  “What is it, Eddy?”

  “You were the one to put that sign up there, weren’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why?”

  “I found the message inspiring.”

  Eddy slowly nodded his head. Then he bent down and pulled out a screwdriver. He reached up and pried the placard from the wall. He placed it on top of his tools, and he picked up the box.

  “What are you doing, Eddy?” Rusty asked.

  “It’s your motto. You deserve to have it on whatever ship you’re flying,” Eddy said.

  “Thank you.”

  Eddy shrugged. “It’s what friends do.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Punch stood outside Chief Roux’s door for a full half minute before knocking.

  The door slid open, and Punch stepped through the doorway to see Chief talking with two specialists. The trio were leaned over his desk, reviewing something on-screen.

  “Take a break. We’ll start up again at the top of the hour,” Chief said to the pair.

  When the door behind the specialists closed, Chief looked up from his screen at Punch. “Keep it quick, Marshal Durand. I have a lot to do.”

  Punch took several steps closer to stand before Chief. “I will, Chief. As you know, when the Swarm attacked, I was on vacation. Actually, I guess I still am on vacation.”

  “No, you aren’t. All vacations were revoked as soon as I activated the Defender Protocol.”

  Punch continued, “Okay, so I’m on duty. But, well, to make a long story short, I wasn’t alone on vacation, and with us leaving on the op in less than two days, I can’t get Macy to Hiraeth in time. So I’m asking you for a temporary pass to allow a noncombatant to stay in my bunk on Free Station until this all blows over.”

  “Permission granted. Take her to the security center, and they’ll get her hooked up with an access fob. Make sure they have her on their list of everyone who’s remaining on Free Station during the next week.”

  Punch smiled. “Thank you, Chief.” He turned to leave.

  “Durand.”

  Punch paused. “Yes?”

  “She can stay on Free Station—” he raised a finger “—only until this blows over. Then, you need to find her a home. Free Station is no place for a kid to grow up in.”

  Punch’s back straightened. “I didn’t say she was a kid.”

  Chief rolled his eyes. “I know that your daughter has been staying on the Javelin. Get her set up in your quarters, and you’d better have someone lined up to look after her while you’re out with the fleet.”

  “Specialist Margo Denton is looking forward to taking Macy under her wing,” Punch said.

  “Good choice. Margo will take good care of your daughter. She has four kids and is up to nine grandkids, if I remember correctly.”

  “She does.”

  Chief turned back to his screen and spoke without looking up. “I’ll see you at the briefing at ten.”

  “Thank you, Chief.” Punch turned to leave.

  “One more thing, Durand.”

  Punch sighed, then turned around.

  Chief’s features had hardened. “I heard that the Swarm had hacked into the High Spirit’s systems to gain intel on Atlas and the GP.”

  Punch swallowed, then nodded tightly. Had Finn lied for him? If so, Punch would have to stop spreading the rumors about Finn’s sexual preference for goats.

  “I’m having my specialists look into how to better secure our systems against software attacks. But there’s one thing that doesn’t add up,” Chief said.

  “And what’s that?”

  “Why you were out there, near the asteroid belt, with your daughter while on vacation in the first place,” Chief said.

  Punch shrugged. “I was showing her the rocks. She wants to be a geologist when she grows up. I figured, what better vacation for a future geologist than to bring her to the biggest variety of rocks in the system?”

  “Hm.” Chief didn’t sound convinced. After a lengthy pause, he waved Punch toward the door. “I promise you, we’ll talk more about this later.”

  “Sounds good,” Punch said and hustled out of Chief’s office.

  While he was relieved that Chief didn’t have the facts, he knew that the GP director was smart. Now that Macy was safe, the last thing Punch wanted to do was leave her alone again. He made a mental note to revise his emergency escape plan to include Macy. Speaking of whom…

  He hurried down to the High Spirit, which looked worse now than right after being crippled by the Swarm. The repair crews had the hull removed, revealing all the cabling and support braces. Holes went straight through the ship from where it’d been hit by powerful photon blasts. Since the repair crew had been reassigned to prepping the fleet for Operation First Strike, Punch figured it’d be a painfully long time before he could sit on her bridge again.

  He tried not to think about that and instead grabbed the chime suit that he’d placed next to the airlock. He suited up as quickly as possible and activated his magnetized boots. He stepped through the series of airlocks until he boarded the High Spirit, depressurized from its hull breaches.

  She was a wreck.

  A photon blast had blown through the back of the captain’s seat. If he’d been on board at the time of the attack, he would’ve been a goner. The computer panel was missing, and he wondered if the computer was still salvageable. He’d spent hundreds of hours and thousands of credits upgrading that system.

  He took heavy, magnetized steps through the bridge and to the only cabin on the ship. The door was still closed, and everything looked surprisingly intact through the small window. With the ship’s power gone, he had to crank open the door manually. He stepped inside and went straight for the locker. From there, he grabbed two bags. One was already filled; the other was empty. In the empty bag, he stuffed the more important items of his belongings: chips containing credit balances, several data disks, and a blaster with no serial number.

  When the bag was full, he closed the locker, grabbed both bags, and left the ship, only to walk down to the next bay and enter the Javelin.

  The ship was quiet, and it seemed no one was on board, but Punch suspected that the sniveling engineer was lurking around the cargo hold, like usual. Punch steered clear of the community areas—the bridge, galley, and hold—and went straight to his cabin, where he found Macy watching a show on a tablet.

  He smiled. “Hey, pumpkin.”

  She looked up. “Hi, Punch.”

  He set down the bags, started taking off his space suit, and nodded to the tablet. “What are you watching?”

  “The Adventures of Ryorab the Ultra-Rabbit. He’s a vampire bunny from Mars. But he’s a good bunny. He’s like a superhero who uses his powers to help others. In this episode, he snuck on board a ship to Enca-Encel—”

  “Enceladus?” he asked as he clicked the space su
it into its charging station.

  She blew out a breath. “Yeah. I can never get that word right. Anyway, Ryorab’s hiding on the ship where there’s this mad scientist who created some kind of monster. That’s as far as I’ve watched. But Ryorab will win. He always wins.”

  He smiled. “It sounds like the galaxy is safe with Ryorab around.”

  She nodded. “Yeah.”

  He sat down on the bed. “How about you pause the show, and I’ll show you where I live?”

  Her eyes brightened. “I can leave the ship?”

  He nodded. “You can leave the ship, and I’m going to get you a special wristlet that you can wear so that you can see all of Free Station.”

  “I can?”

  “You can. Let’s go do that all now.”

  She sat up and swung her legs off the bed. She moved slowly, like she was ninety instead of nine, and he had an urge to beat up Eddy and plug an exposed wire into Rusty’s sensitive parts. Instead, he tried to keep his features calm.

  “You want me to carry you?” he asked.

  Her features morphed into shock. “No. Don’t embarrass me. I’m a big girl.”

  He grinned. “Of course you are.”

  He left one of the bags in his cabin, and he walked Macy off the Javelin and onto Free Station.

  Her gaze scanned the large docking level in awe. “Wow. I’ve never been on a space station before.”

  He didn’t point out that she’d been essentially on a space station the moment Free Station’s docking clamps locked onto the Javelin. “I’ll show you all around. First, I need to bring you by Security to get you that wristlet, so you’ll be a bona fide resident of Free Station.”

  “Does that mean I’ll live here with you?”

  He looked down to meet her gaze. “For now. Then we’ll figure out a better home for you.”

  Her gaze cast downward, and her fallen expression made his heart break.

  “You know what I bet you’d like to see?” When she didn’t answer, he continued, “How about we check out the cafeteria here? It’s huge, and they have chocolate chip cookies.”

  Her face lit up. “Cookies?”

  “Oh, yeah. And you can eat as many as you want.”

  She practically skipped forward. “I’m going to eat ten, no, twenty. I’m going to eat twenty cookies.”