Robin sat in the captain’s seat and looked through the huge window of the bridge. Outside, the bright light of Mereus was slowly dimming as the Relentless Stride gained speed, leaving the planet behind.
They had managed to refuel the ship at some backwater spaceport and there was a good chance that the staff didn’t even realize that the ground vehicle they saw actually was a spaceship. If they were lucky it would buy them some time before the UAS was back on their trail.
In the end however, it didn’t really matter since Robin and his crew were already on their way out of the system and with the natural stealth of the Keeper ship, the UAS wouldn’t find them even if they knew what they were searching for.
After refueling they had made two quick stops just out of sight of bigger settlements to give Alena the chance to restock their supplies.
Then they left. Not only Seavis, but the Mereus Cluster. Finally they were on the way to the Eltaran.
“Now that I know what I’m doing, this baby is a blast to fly!” Happy chattered while keeping an eye on the displays in front of her, “The power generated by the VTOL when taking off is off the scale and despite its size, the ship handles really well. Then there is their FTL technology, damn! It must be magic!”
“It’s not magic.” Proto repeated for the umpteenth time and Robin noticed with satisfaction that even the AI had a hard time coping with the over-enthusiastic mood of the short woman. “It’s like the Ion-Propulsion used by the UAS, just bigger, more efficient and based on ?ther. No magic involved!”
“Proto, how well can the Relentless Stride defend itself?” Ang’Tue asked, “Robin said something about the empty missile rag. But there should be more than that, right?”
“Are you looking for another fight already? We just left the system. We left the UAS behind us and are free and unbound travelers of the universe. Can’t you simply enjoy the moment?” The AI complained.
“Well, you were the one who told us the horror stories about your evil twin…” Niu interjected.
“It’s not my evil… ah damn, forget it! You humanoids have a serious problem with processing and prioritizing data. I always thought that Robin is just a defective specimen but it seems it is some kind of genetic problem with your race.”
“Hey!” Robin scolded, “Stop being an asshole and give them an overview of our weaponry.”
“This ship isn’t a battleship. It’s a mixed bag of science and exploration, but still able to defend itself and has a few tricks up its sleeve. Shielding against energy and ballistic fire is better than anything you could get from the UAS. And since it is passive shielding due to the outer armor, we don’t have to divert energy to keep it running. That is a big win and normally not possible as the passive shield would also block all our systems for scanning, targeting and communication if they wouldn’t run on ?ther.” The AI explained, “Additionally, there is a missile rag that would pack quite the punch if loaded but as you said, it’s empty. Robin apparently forgot to ask the Keeper to rearm it.”
“Sorry that I had other things on my mind when I was suddenly being grabbed by strange aliens out of the blue. Also, do you really think they would have helped with that?” Robin grumbled after getting reminded of this little slip up.
“Anyway, what still works is the PDS, the Point Defense System. It’s an automated laser that attacks incoming missiles.” Proto continued, “For direct attacks we have fitted two laser repeaters and, as a last resort option, a heavy energy cannon. I couldn’t find any ?ther-based weapons, but as long as you’re not planning to enter a battlefield, this should be more than enough to protect ourselves from pirates and other individuals living on the wrong side of the law.”
“Uh, sweet. We could have used something like the PDS when we got attacked by the Cetro, you remember? When we were leaving for Terulos. They fired missiles and torpedoes at us as if they got them in a two-for-one sale.” Niu chuckled.
“Proto, do tell, why is the cannon only a last resort option? Are there restrictions?” Alena asked.
“Something like that. I have run some simulations and came to the conclusion that we only have one shot every few minutes. Our generator won’t be able to sustain any more load than that. Also, and that is important, using that gun will generate massive heat which will give this otherwise invisible ship a remarkable heat-signature.”
“So we use that thing once and anyone will be able to track and target us? Great.”
“Let’s hope we don’t need it. But in case of emergency, we also have means to fix the ship now. We found one repair drone that can be used for outside hull damage and Alena bought some spare parts for the internal machinery. I don’t want to be stranded on a remote planet like the original owners of this ship.” Robin added.
“I think we can work with that.” Ang’Tue said.
“Great, with that off the table, who wants to unwrap a few presents?” Niu asked and stood up from her seat, stretching after sitting for so long. “We still have plenty of boxes in the storage room that we haven’t opened yet. With Proto here, we should be able to read a few of the descriptions. Maybe we’ll get lucky!”
***
Days turned to weeks and weeks to months as time flew by. Faster than light the Relentless Stride took its crew through the endless space of the universe. They passed not only planets but whole star systems as they came closer and closer to their next destination - the small system Limolius.
While still under the jurisdiction of the UAS, the lack of valuable resources and its remote location made it a forgotten place on the big star maps. Bloom I and Bloom II, the two planets both had capitals controlled by the UAS, but even those cities were nothing more than slightly bigger settlements, mostly consisting of slums and full of outlaws that had bribed the few UAS officials to always look the other way.
Proto used the long journey to share all his knowledge about Limolius with the crew and brought them up to date.
Niu and Alena used most of their time to train and keep themselves fit, supported by Ang’Tue. The old man himself wasn’t a big fighter, but had good words of advice from the time when he trained the younger generation of Eltaran many years ago.
Krezolgok, the Zulbano who became their latest member, stayed in his room, only occasionally meeting the others when he came to the community area to grab something to eat. He wasn’t really open to anyone or participated in their conversations, but at least his gaze wasn’t as dull as it had been when they picked him up.
Alena was the one who visited him the most and tried to guide him back on a path that led out of the mental prison that his people had created.
Robin on his part finally managed to find some time to talk with Niu and learn more about the dispute with her family. He could hardly imagine how she must feel after getting confronted with that side of her family and could only promise her his support, if she ever needed it. Niu told him that she was working on a plan to drag down the whole Alaris corporation and when the time came, he would get his role.
Apart from that, Robin gave himself a strict training plan for his G-Anomaly. Every day he worked on his senses, trying to get better feedback from his passive sense and filter out specific energy patterns.
He also looked into the outburst he had when they fought TechnoBlood. Though it was as if he hit a wall, making no progress at all. He had even asked Ang’Tue to help him with meditation. Robin hoped he could find bits and pieces of his strange shift in personality that he remembered from the moment of his eruption.
But even though he learned much about his mutation and his skill to utilize it was raised by leaps and bounds, he had no idea what had happened to him back then.
He also tried to learn more about the Starborn from Proto, but the AI ??again put him off until they were finished with the Eltaran. However, Proto reminded him once more about the mail he got from Mr. Eston.
Robin opened it with little enthusiasm and was surprised to find an apology from the man he had bailed on when they agreed to meet on Rucasur.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Mr. Tulward,
I hope this message finds you well. While I’m certainly not happy about how you stood me up for our appointment on Rucasur, I have to agree with your cautiousness considering how things turned out after the incident on Fulan Point. I can only apologize for the forceful behavior of my colleagues.
I have done some digging myself and even met your friend Slice, nice guy that Moahit. Adding what he told me to your newly revealed connection with the Keeper, I do understand your will for independence and autonomy.
As far as I understand, you teamed up with the Drel-AI and are now either still in the hands of the Keeper or on some kind of mission for them.
My research on you confirmed my early assumptions that you do not work against mankind’s interests and as such I would like to ask you to keep at least one channel open for further communication.
There is much unrest in the universe right now and I think you have more insights into that than many others, willingly or not. Please reach out to me if you can share any knowledge that could help us and the UAS to prepare for what is coming. There are good people here who do their best every day to help protect those that are in need of protection.
On a last note, Mrs. Bolster together with the core of her faction, like Commander Ramones, are under disciplinary investigation for their actions. Though, I’m not sure how much that will restrain them. They have no small support from within the UAS.
Safe Flight,
Thomas M. Eston.”
Robin was stunned by this message. Stunned and a little miffed.
“He dug into my life? Even made Slice talk? Burn in Plasma!”
It’s not that he couldn’t understand the man’s motives and it seemed like he liked what he found or else this message would sound very different. Still, Robin had enough from the political scheming for now. Though, he wasn’t completely against sharing critical knowledge if possible. But now wasn’t the time for that, maybe later.
“It’s good to know that we still have allies in the UAS.”
***
The crew used the long journey not only to socialize, but also to get some much needed rest and relaxation after weeks and months of constant danger.
When the Relentless Stride finally dropped out of superluminal travel and natural light returned, Robin and the others gathered on the bridge. Even Krez was there, not wanting to miss their entry to the new system.
Bright, refreshing light flooded the huge room through the wide window and everyone took a deep breath. Two planets could be seen in the distance far away and while Robin couldn’t make out any details, he was sure those were Bloom I and II. One of which would be the hiding place of the Eltaran.
“Welcome to Limolius!” Robin said with a big grin, “Let’s get started, we have a date with Ang’Tue’s people! Alena, give us an update, please.”
Alena, who was sitting at the navigation station, checked her displays and quickly gave a report. “We successfully reached the Limolius system. Ahead of us you can see Bloom I to the left, it has one moon. The other planet, a bit farther away and to the right, is Bloom II also with one moon. The sun is stable and our scanners do not show any anomalies or signs of natural or unnatural interference.”
“Thanks. Ang’Tue?” Robin asked and looked over to the copilot’s seat.
“Communication reestablished.” The old man said, “We have a connection to the UAS network that we keep on hold. Unfortunately the ship also reconnected to the Keeper’s net, but at least it stopped uploading data.”
He continued to shuffle through his menu, “Found the frequency that the Eltaran are using. We’re hailing them. Give me a moment.”
Robin nodded. They had disconnected all their Interfaces from the UAS network and also blocked any communication from the ship. While it also cut them off from getting any information over the Net, it was necessary to keep them hidden. Proto was already working on a way to let them use the connection without risking revealing their location, but that would take more time.
The AI had used the long journey to the Limolius system to focus on the other connection, the one to the Keeper network. They had no idea how it worked and never got any messages but Relentless Stride had regularly sent data packages. Just before they arrived in the new system, Proto had finally managed to mute their ship. They didn’t know if this would really hide them from the Keeper, but they all agreed that they couldn’t let the walker keep sending updates into the unknown.
“Proto, how is the ship?” Robin asked, as they waited for Ang’Tue. He already had most information on his newly enhanced Interface, however he wanted to get the others in the loop too.
“No hull damage detected. Energy levels normal. ?ther flow stable. Fuel at 57%. Communication online. Shields online. PDS online. Weapons offline. FTL module in cooling phase, 6 hours left.”
“Thanks.” Robin said and addressed the crew, “We will wait here for one hour. Ang’Tue and Alena can use the time to get as much information about the system as possible. We need to make sure that we haven’t missed anything before moving on. Ang’Tue, do you know where we have to go?”
The man shook his head without looking away from his displays. “No, I didn’t get an answer yet. The Eltaran have a few hidden places among the universe and each has different procedures in place to ensure their safety. The Limolius colony is on one of those planets, but we will meet at another place first. It’s like a waystation for security checks which’s location changes every now and then. We should get its coordinates as soon as they answer my ping and establish communication.” He explained, “After we went through their checkup, you’ll be put to sleep and the Eltaran will then transport everyone to the colony.”
“You want to knock all of us out?” Alena asked with a raised eyebrow, “I’m not a fan of that!”
Krezolgok, who remained silent till now, also grunted in disapproval.
“What will happen with the Relentless Stride?” Niu asked, “I don’t want to leave it behind!”
“No worries, not gonna happen.” Robin nodded, “If it was any other ship we could talk about it, but we can’t just leave a Keeper ship in their hands for safe-keeping. I know they can’t even use or interact with it because of the ?ther lock, but I’m not willing to take any risks whatsoever.”
“I’ve already discussed it with Robin.” Ang’Tue confirmed, “Normally we would park our ship in the Eltaran’s hangar at the waystation and get it back after our visit. But I also don’t see that happening. We decided to keep the existence of the ship hidden, even from my people. After getting the coordinates for the meeting, we’ll land nearby and travel the rest on foot. Proto takes control of the Relentless Stride and takes it into orbit, away from prying eyes.”
“Works for me.” Niu said and then tilted her head, “Is this the colony you’ve lived in, before heading out to search for the ruins?”
“No, I grew up in another hidden Eltaran city, but I’ve been here a few times.” Ang’Tue said and a soft smile came to his face, “You know, Gaya’Beo lives here, my granddaughter. It’s been too long since I last–”
Suddenly he stopped and his third eye, that he usually kept hidden, opened wide.
“What is it?” Robin asked when the old man moved even faster though the menus on his screen.
“I caught a ping.” Ang’Tue slowly said, tweaking digital sliders on the communication panel, “Not from the Eltaran.”
“The sensors are still blank.” Alena said, “But they only have scanned about 40% yet.”
“Maybe it’s just a passing ship. The system may be pretty empty but it’s not abandoned like Goya.” Niu suggested.
“Maybe…” Ang’Tue muttered, “It was too short to–! There it was again. Alena, concentrate the scanning on quadrants S51-53.”
“Adjusting sensors.” she confirmed.
“Proto, anything?” Robin asked the AI.
“Nothing, but Ang’Tue gets closer. If he keeps correcting the frequency, I should be able to read the next ping.”
A few moments later, the Eltaran gave a low shout. “Now! Did you get it?”
“Yep. It looks like an automated data package. It’s encrypted though.” Proto said.
“Can you decrypt it or something?” Niu asked excitedly.
“Can I decrypt it?” Proto scoffed, “Little human, I am the most advanced entity in this universe. Implying that I can’t–”
“So? What is the data about?” Robin interrupted the rant.
“I’m working on it.” Proto said, “I’ve multiple computations running, I could do this in my sleep! Just a second.”
“Aha…” Robin mumbled.
Silence fell over the room as everyone waited.
After some time, Robin began to drum his fingers on his armrest and Niu quietly hummed to herself.
“Any moment now!” Proto said eagerly.
Another minute ticked by. In the back, Krez began to stretch with a big yawn and Alena picked her fingers.
“Awkward…” Niu whispered.
“Robin, how about we use the ship’s computer to… support our digital friend?” Ang’Tue finally asked.
“Ey! I am the ship’s computer!” Proto complained.
“Well, maybe we can find another one.” Ang’Tue carefully suggested, “It’s not a shame to ask for help.”
“Fuck you!” The AI cursed, “I have it, okay? Just took me a moment longer than expected.”
“You’re doing great, no one ever doubted you.” Robin chuckled, “So, what is the data about?”
“Humans…” Proto muttered, “Whatever. It’s an emergency call with an unknown identifier and a location marked in sensor quadrant S52.”
“You mean an SOS? Someone is calling for help?” Robin asked in confusion while Alena configured the scanner.
“Well, theoretically yes.” Proto hesitated, “But, no. This should be something else.”
