Untold Stories of a Galaxy - Kysaek: The Beginning
Back on Central

Act 5: SIM Jupiter 33

“I haven’t seen anything like this since the Solaris War,” Re’Lis marvelled. She sat in the transport’s modest infirmary, at a tissue scanner, evaluating the data from the analysed piece of thorn that had been stuck in Tavi’s arm “This is the same organic-metallic tissue that made up most of the foot troops of Solaris and the First. However, there are microscopic nanomachines in this piece here - that’s news to me.”

“But Tavis is all right, isn’t he?” asked Kysaek, and for the third time. “He’s not going to be one of those ... things now?”

“It doesn’t happen like that. At least that would be new, and I haven’t found any signs in his wound that it’s any different.”

The Palanian patient was in the same room, with a neat bandage around his arm. “The doctor has poked me often enough,” Tavis sighed. He had been professionally treated and examined by the Galig doctor on her return. “Please don’t encourage her to another round of stabbing Tavis. You know you need something stronger than conventional needles for Palanian skin.”

Kysaek smirked meanly. Even before the almost unproblematic return flight, she had helped the Palanian pull the thorns out of his arm the good old-fashioned way. It was risky because anything could have happened with that thing, but because of the conspicuousness alone, they had no choice. Fortunately, nothing happened and the wound, not too deep, had been provisionally dressed. “I was just trying to be nice,” Kysaek said sincerely. “And they really can’t track us with that pointy thing or anything? Because I don’t want to sleep and see that monster above me in the middle of the night.”

“The nanomachines are inert, as I mentioned earlier,” Re’Lis repeated. “But still, I’m just not trained enough for more detailed investigations or more insights into this matter. We would need a top scientist for that. So you’d better burn it and dispose of the ashes in the angles. I’m sure that will make us all feel much better.”

“I give you permission. Torch the thing, Doctor Askar,“,Kysaek nodded. She knew the piece of dorn was useless and no good as evidence. After all, it could have come from somewhere else or even been used against her.

“Not trained enough,” Tavis said clammily, squinting at his bandage “Okay, Doctor Askar - prick me again, please, just to be sure.”

“No,” Re’Lis shook her head authoritatively. “Get out now.”

“Come on Tavis,” Kysaek said, gently escorting the Palanian out of the room with her. The masquerades had long since fallen, even if she was once again wearing an intact bio-layer. On the flight back, Thais and Kysaek had told the Palanian the truth and what they had experienced so far. “We have some work to do, it will distract you.”

“Distract? One thing at a time. I’m still stuck on the hole in my arm and the knowledge of you all,” Tavis replied. For the time being he had accepted the situation as it was, calling such nasty surprises occupational hazards. He was, by all accounts, sticking strictly to his rules about not taking the whole thing personally, or he was just a real pragmatist and took life as he had to. “That being said: Do you think he’s more talkative now?” asked Tavis effortlessly knocked unconscious, “I’d rather keep a lot of distance from the guy.”

“He’s been given a sedative,” said Kysaek. At the discretion of the circumstances, she had brought Dorvan here with her, but the Davoc was turning out to be a lot more complicated than she had initially thought, and on the return trip he hadn’t exactly been cooperative. Just thinking about what had happened sent a shiver through Kysaek as she said it “And I warned Thais not to get too close. But that was a blow ...” The Talin had suffered no permanent damage, but was recovering from the rigours of the journey in the group’s hideout while Kysaek and Tavis paid Dorvan a visit.

The hulking Davoc sat quietly in the company’s workshop for bots, a well-equipped and deserted chamber, but one where the most they could work on was normal and light models, not larger types or a Void Body. The chair under Dorvan’s buttocks was almost too narrow for his needs, but he coped with it and fiddled with one thing, which he shielded well with his broad body, though.

However, because the Davoc had informed her on the way back, Kysaek knew that her guest was in the process of assembling his special bot. The hacker had had it shipped to Capona from Warehouse Three via several routes in the confusion, as soon as he had emerged from the sewers and knew where he was going, and Kysaek was curious to see what the machine looked like when completed. “I see you’re managing?” she asked, getting no reply from the Davoc. He stirred only to make further hand movements. Then she wondered if it was the work or the man’s sedatives. “Should we come back again or are we about to get beaten up?”

“I-I...,” Dorvan murmured shyly.

“Yes?”

" ... I ...”

“We’ve been that far. Take heart, go on.”

“I feel ...”

“Hungry?” guessed Tavis, and was looked at askance by Kysaek. “What? He’s big and the journey was long. The man with the thorn in his arm is definitely enormously hungry.”

Dorvan pulled his shoulders together stiffly and pressed his arms uncomfortably against his ribs, resulting in a cramped posture. “Uncomfortable - I’m uncomfortable.”

“Still?” asked Kysaek. The medicine probably wasn’t doing the trick. “What else can we do?”

“Get out, p-please get out.”

“And how shall we talk then? Through the door?” retorted Kysaek, but the longer she and Tavis stood in a room with Dorvan, the worse the Davoc’s stiff posture became. “All right, all right. We go.”

Dorvan was left alone again and outside the chamber Tavis said with relief. “If I had to choose between my current self and what’s sitting in there, I’d rather be me. Extraordinary abilities or not.”

“Aren’t you a criminal exceptional talent?”

“Talent, yes. Prodigy, no, and that in there seems to be the model image of a prodigy, with a price for his gift.”

“Cannot be denied in this case ...” admitted Kysaek, secretly glad that she was not plagued with such a thing. After all, as Dorvan had told it, he suffered from a mental illness or even several. Kysaek had not quite got through it. She was only aware that the Davoc often had anxiety and panic attacks and could not stand crowds. “He said he needed a safe place and that his bot was the gateway to the galaxy for him. It’s possible he’s about to come out on the machine?”

“I could well imagine,” Tavis replied, before the possibly became a fact.

A fine bot game of Eldar steel and high tech electronics not seen every day among the machines came out of the workshop instead of Dorvan, rivaling him in size but not too hunky. Anatomical resemblance to him and humans existed in places, but there the similarities ended. Heavy, restricting steel masses or really thick points were almost in vain on the mechanical body, which was even rather slender at the ribs and his back had a pronounced hollow back. Well-worked, gossamer-thin cable strands ran openly over the surface of the machine in some places and in the middle of the higher torso section, a friendly aquamarine energy matrix glowed, a colour that emanated from every light on the body. It was not, however, the most dominant colouring on the avatar, for the alloys and places where the bot was medium armoured shone in radiant silver, giving it something honourable, dignified - a knight of interstellar time and like a knight, the right shoulder resembled a fluted protective armour, the highest notch of which went to head level and finally there was the head. It was both angular and round cut, a bulwark whose curved, transparent eye glass strip shimmered as blue as Kysaek remembered it from other bots and instead of a mouth, the machine had a well-integrated, round voice box. The latter flickered on as Dorvan spoke. “That`s better.”

“Yeah, you look a lot fresher,” Tavis commented exaggeratedly. “Really perky and radiant.”

“That’s because of the light. It makes this sterile avatar burst with life,” Dorvan replied naively. He was not joking. “Machines can be extremely colourful and mine is even modified, so it’s even more striking. Nevertheless, I am still quite exhausted and very uncomfortable in this chamber, but it will do for now. I won’t let anyone else in here.”

“Just like that? Without our consent?” asked Kysaek, but she was not angry. She inquired more as a matter of form. “You do realise this is ours?”

Although he could now talk about his bot, Dorvan continued to act awkward and wooden, like a robot. “You freed me and now I am in your care. Those are the rules, correct?”

“Actually, it was never planned for you to come with us ... but I guess you’re right.”

“I usually am, in objective matters, and it’s better for you to protect me anyway. If someone caught me, well, I would hardly stand up to interrogation and your true identity would be revealed,” Dorvan said freely. This was not a threat from him, but fact, and he spoke straight on. “Alternatively, my elimination would be another option.”

Kysaek raised her hand to stop. “You want me to kill you?”

“Oh, no. Not at all. My words were not meant to be a suggestion. I was merely reciting common methods in such a case.”

“I wouldn’t have done it anyway, and you know what? After all the action on Themis, the identity thing will soon be meaningless. We’ve got a lot coming up.”

“Well, he’s safe in the chamber and only we have to worry,” Tavis agreed. It was hard to tell if he was being considerate of the Davoc or using his eloquence, but the Palanian’s tech-savvy side definitely came through. “And for such an impressive masterpiece of a bot, the workshop is, after all, the least you could do as a refuge. What can you do with it?”

“It’s not back to one hundred percent power yet,” Dorvan explained as a protective metal iris enclosed the glowing core. “But even now I can draw on a rich hardware selection, as well as helpful main and secondary programs. Modifiable slots are available and not included in the power process.”

“Let me see some hardware.”

Dorvan’s shyness was blown away. He did everything simply, as if following a pre-programmed procedure, and demonstrated some technical gadgetry. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said, and poof, his right hand became a slender cannon barrel. “Secret plasma cannon.” On his back it hissed and flaps opened: the flying technology of the Aether Pack. “Suitable for short flights and long jumps.”

“Wow,” marvelled Tavis.

“Liquid steel,” Dorvan continued, and within seconds, over the back of his left hand, he was forming myriad work items from liquid metal, such as a hammer, a knife and even a small chainsaw.

“That sure wasn’t cheap. Is that the New Two Point Four version? Because the transition is pretty snappy.”

“Honestly, it’s the two point four point one version,” Dorvan corrected, pretending he had to keep that a secret from Kysaek. “I hacked into Multi Fence Tech Resources’ Company systems before I was captured and copied the prototype blueprints, for my own use.”

Tavis didn’t care about the personal use part. He only cared about one thing. “Could you build this for me? I never wanted to spend the foreign currency on it before.”

“Your order is noted. I’ll get it done when time is available.”

“Great.”

Had Kysaek been forgotten or blanked out? Because that’s how she felt, and with all the tech talk, she’d tuned out anyway. She didn’t mind being a technological layman, but still, she had to curb her tech enthusiasm. “Eh boys?” she cleared her throat. “I think it’s great that you two are so eager, but right now you need to put the toys aside and focus on what’s important. I want my answer at last.”

Tavis didn’t mind, but Dorvan’s bot immediately backed away, like a child who had done something wrong, and he avoided all eye contact. “I-I. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to.” The davoc became nervous and showed it with choppy robot movements. The head didn’t know where to look and rotated.

“It’s all right,” Kysaek sighed, trying to reassure her guest. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It was just something I said.”

“But you were angry about it ...”

“Is that what you call it? Then what happens when I get really pissed off?”

“I just assumed you were.”

“Then I know what to expect at worst,” Kysaek noted, but she didn’t want to have to apologise every five minutes and decided on a new variation of the conversation. “Tavis, you go ahead and get something to eat. I’ll talk to Dorvan alone.”

The Palanian took the hint. “And just when I was warming up with him,” Tavis replied before rubbing his stomach. “There’ll be plenty of time for more after dinner, won’t there?”

“If you wish,” Dorvan’s bot nodded. “I am available for questions about my equipment and skills.”

The corridors did not accommodate public traffic, but even after Tavis had left, Kysaek preferred more privacy and brought Dorvan’s bot into her office. “We should be undisturbed here.”

“That’s very obliging of you,” Dorvan thanked him, but while Kysaek preferred to sit, he remained standing with the bot.

“You know, I’m interested in one thing - how did you do it before when you talked to people? Did you react the same way there without being directly beaten up or enslaved? I mean, especially on Themis. You said you live there and the tone is extreme.”

Maybe it was the isolation of the room or because Dorvan was alone with Kysaek or even both together, but he could talk less inhibited. “It may be a repetition, but I ask you to consider my circumstances. The capture, the escape, being out in the open and without Reed’s sedatives, indeed just everything up to now - I’m honestly rather proud of myself for holding out so well.”

“I want to be considerate, but I’d rather not feel like I’m talking to a child or a dolt. Do you think we can manage that?”

“My social talents in the real world have never been particularly strong, but I think you and I can make a working interaction happen. We just have to make an effort.”

“Yes, we have to make an effort ...” murmured Kysaek. To her, it sounded like Dorvan thought she could use some tutoring in interacting with others as well. That was not a good conversation starter, but she still gave him the point. “We had already found out on our own that PGI and Roskor Reed had a close partnership and you were part of the next big deal. Do you have any idea what was in store after prison?”

“Trayden.”

“Trayden?”

“Yes, I was to be delivered to Trayden.”

The galaxy was bloody big and Kysaek needed a hint. “What is that? A city? A planet? Or something bigger?”

“I’m retrieving more detailed information,” Dorvan replied. The glow in his bot’s eye increased and he projected the familiar Milky Way galaxy with its lens, where it rapidly zoomed in on the galactic northeast, not far from the edge of the galaxy. “Trayden is a habitable world in the Shaggith system, in an area of space called the Frontier. It’s primarily a place of research and development, a planet perfectly suited to the needs of industry.”

“So Cipi’s twin sister?”

“No, there’s no comparison,” Dorvan replied dryly. “Cipi is a world ruled by the Talin, with regular, largely appropriate laws. Trayden was discovered and developed hundreds of years ago by a company that no longer exists, but corporations still rule there, in a kind of oligarch republic. Things are done, built and explored there that you wouldn’t get a licence for or have the right to do anywhere. Mostly really not pleasant things, but they also make considerable progress from time to time.”

“And how does Trayden get around galactic laws? I thought everyone who wanted to be part of the community had to bow to Central and the Spectrum?”

“Trayden is autonomous and by definition does not want to be part of the galaxy. The planet gets no support or any protection from the Spectrum, but the planet is also left alone by politics in return.”

“Really great,” Kysaek commented cynically. “The more I hear about the galaxy, the less confidence I have in a lot of things.”

Dorvan took a purely analytical approach to this. “It’s more to do with centralised government,” he opined. “Barring the major powers, almost all power is concentrated at Central and the further you are from that or the rest, the greater the risk of corruption, loss of interest or lack of influence. There are only a few notable exceptions to this, such as the consulate, and that’s why PGI on Cipi must have seemed overpowering to you.”

“And since you’re so good at explaining just now, tell me how you know about Trayden.”

Dorvan took that too literally. “Well, the information about the planet is available to everyone. All you have to do is go into one of the many, public data banks of the galactic-”

Kysaek smiled that away. “I meant what you, PGI and Reed have to do with Trayden.”

“Oh, ah. That question makes a lot more sense. I was beginning to think you had lost focus on the subject and were slightly limited.”

Kysaek had strangely really missed that, someone telling her she was stupid. The difference with Douglas Phonor, however, was that Dorvan certainly wasn’t doing it on purpose and she smirked confidently. “I can be lazy and who knows. Now that you’re here, I’m sure I’ll learn a lot, like about this PGI trade.”

“Reed told me personally when he visited me in my cell.”

“The boss came to see you personally?”

“Yes, which speaks to my tremendous value. He told me I would be transferred to Trayden to a PGI research facility, but before that he wanted to make as much profit from me as possible and even lied to PGI so he could keep me longer. That would also be in my interest, he said. He would protect me because lately there seemed to be some kind of problems on Trayden.”

“That’s what I call a great partnership. And problems? Did he tell you what exactly was going on on Trayden or what you were supposed to be doing there?”

“It’s only hints, I’m afraid, but look,” Dorvan said, and as he had done with the galactic map, he now did with alternating images of monstrous creatures, all of which Kysaek knew from history lessons, literature or films. These were creations of the First, their preferred ground troops in the Solaris War. “Reed said I would help advance research on the creatures of the First, but that is illogical. While I possess exceptional intelligence, I am not a researcher, geneticist or the like, nor would it make sense to convert me into a Rampage.”

“Yes, turning a clever mind into a brainless one would be quite a waste,” Kysaek agreed, perfectly matching to the image of a Rampage.

Rampage were imposing, broad-bodied creatures, a good two and a half metres tall, whose purpose was pure, brute destruction and to achieve that they endured a lot as their dark grey, leathery skin was imbued with layers of steel. At the same time, it made them slower and more immobile. They had to compensate for this with their much longer, exaggeratedly stronger, claw-spiked arms on which they supported themselves with their knuckles, but it was the Rampage’s three eyes that made it abstract. These they had taken from their original form, only several sizes larger, a fearsome, almost sickly red, and while one eye lurked in the chest, the remaining two were on the back, on the shoulder blades, so that the eyeless, earless head was nothing more than a growth of sharp teeth.

“I’ve been thinking in my captivity and have come up with a theory of my own,” Dorvan noted. He still hadn’t quite got the hang of speaking freely and was waiting for permission.

“No one is stopping you,” Kysaek replied, lighting a cigarette. Meanwhile, among the creature images, she also saw a Runner she had encountered in the PGI labs. Fast creatures and good climbers created from humans, but they were not the most robust and only a variant. “Are these actually pictures from PGI labs or where did you get them?”

“I’m sorry, they’re just downloads from a public area of the Virtual System so I could better illustrate my theses to you and I suspect PGI wanted to analyse my brain twists and try to apply my neural processes to the First’s creations to make them considerably smarter.”

“Even smarter monsters? No thanks,” Kysaek said in frustration and disapproval as she looked at the next monster, created from a Calanian.

The abnormality, with its bony spider legs and throbbing mushroom head, was called Changer and could appear in three colours: Green, red or snow-white: poison, fire and ice.

Kysaek was distracted by this. “Enough of the demonstration,” she said, and Dorvan ended the freak show. What remained was a feeling of dissatisfaction in Kysaek, as if it had all not been worth the effort. “So this is it? The big secret? A few sentences and a planet?”

“You sound disappointed. I’m sorry if I’m not as valuable to you as you had hoped.”

“It’s not like that now,” Kysaek said thoughtfully. After all, the point was to find evidence against PGI and with his testimony, Dorvan had given her a new clue after all and what was better than the location of a research facility? “Maybe I was just expecting too much, a miracle and that it would all come to an end in one fell swoop thanks to your information.”

“I can’t help with miracles, but if it’s all right with you, I’d like to join your cause and help.”

“Join?” blinked Kysaek in confusion. After all, she had already said that Dorvan was now in her care. “I thought it was settled that you would stay with us?”

“Staying with you or supporting you are two completely different things,” Dorvan said hairily. “After all, our agreement is now fulfilled. You rescued me, which makes you responsible for me, and I gave you the information you requested. We’re even, but I can see your disappointment and considered it an option to offer my services to increase the chance of the desired miracle.”

“Now that you mention it,” Kysaek reflected. Inwardly, the thought didn’t sound so good the second time around, for she wasn’t sure her guest was fit for what was to come. On the other hand, he was a PGI target anyway and seemed, despite his disability, an upright and good man. Kysaek, however, wanted to be sure. “So you feel sorry for me mh? That’s not a sensible reason to risk one’s life. You do realise that it is very dangerous here? Now surely you could still go underground, just as a super hacker and live your life.”

“And you could have left the rest of the prisoners behind, but you didn’t. You never should have cared about the people in and around Capona, but you did.”

Dorvan hadn’t been here that long, which is why Kysaek had to ask. “How do you know what happened here?”

“Cracked frequencies of vortex cuffs, port connections and internal messages from kits. I’m completely unfamiliar with this environment and I need to learn as much as I can, and what I already know - people are happier than they were some time ago, thanks to your group and you.”

“More appearance than reality,” Kysaek raised her shoulders. She wasn’t playing to the Davoc. “I think people exaggerate to some extent.”

“Possible, but irrelevant. Joy and your name are close and I’ve seen it myself on Themis. You are doing good and bringing down PGI is something that could help many and who knows who else you will do such kindness to along the way. I would love to be a part of that.”

“It is not our priority ... but your request is decent and how could I refuse such sincere help?” asked Kysaek rhetorically, standing up to shake hands with the bot. “Welcome.”

“You prefer the personal option? A good sign,” Dorvan countered as he shook hands, and for a machine, the handshake was delicate and strong at the same time, though the cool steel brought with it a prickling chill. “So are we going to Trayden?”

“Slowly, slowly,” Kysaek said gently. “First we must see to our departure and a new safe haven. Trayden will come after that.” She needed to discuss that with the team, though, and she was eager to hear what the rest had planned or set in motion in her absence.

However, because Re’Lis was busy and Thais was sleeping, Kysaek later merely ordered Dios, Kuren and Tavis to join her and Dorvan’s bot in the office via vortex cuffs signal, which was sufficient. After all, the twins also knew and had worked with Re’Lis on the escape plan, as instructed by Kysaek before leaving for Themis.

However, the Sororanian women were distracted by the new, mechanical companion. “Fascinating design,” marvelled Kuren, who had to fight with her sister for the front seat. Constantly the other wanted to be at the front.

“Are you a gifted technician?” asked Dios, scanning the surface of Dorvan’s bot without inhibition. The intimate distance was nil. “Fine polish.”

Like the robot it was, the bot stood there iron-faced, merely turning its head around. “I’m amazed.”

“That the two of them don’t screw you right apart?” guessed Kysaek.

“No, from the process of approach,” Dorvan said, ignoring the continued groping around at the same time. “Normally, my contacts with my avatar are limited to errands and agreements. There is no deeper, social interaction, but against all expectations, I seem to have a knack for it. I’ve never made new acquaintances in the real world so quickly.”

Kysaek merely gave her thumbs up, leaving the three of them to themselves for a moment. She knew it had to be, otherwise the twins wouldn’t give it a rest and Dorvan didn’t need a crash course on how that was rather unusual behaviour right now.... “What exactly are you eating?”

The question was directed at Tavis, who was sitting close to her, eating a soft, crumb-making bar. “A Palanian cake roll. You don’t want any of it, do you?”

“Bite into it and die? Some would like that,” Kysaek grinned, for Palanian food was taboo for humans and vice versa as well, unless you were keen on lethal poisoning.

“Some don’t think about it,” Tavis said impassively, remembering. “It happened to me once on Themis, though I just couldn’t look away, when a human turned blue as a berry and because he’d eaten far too much you could literally hear his insides dissolving in bubbling acid.”

“Well, I’m certainly not hungry now.”

“Then distract yourself with the important things,” Tavis suggested, and he was right - time was short and the twins had had enough to play with.

“Dios, Kuren,” Kysaek cleared her throat loudly. “When we are away from Central and safe, I will give you permission and all time with Dorvan, but now I need to know what Re’Lis and you have planned.”

Kuren started directly. “’We’re stealing a ship.”

“A ship?”

“Yes, a light frigate we have located. It is perfectly suited for our purposes and has been lying in a bay in the middle plains for over a week because the crew is on shore leave. Almost perfect timing.”

Kysaek took up the last point, stressing. ”Almost perfect?"

“We have to wait two more days,” Dios explained. If there was one thing she and her sister knew about, it was flying, ships and the workings around them. “The crew may not be on board, but the frigate is being inspected by the bay staff. A standard routine and it doesn’t end for two days. After that, the ship will lie empty in the bay for another week. We’ll just have to get past the bay’s security then.”

“Two days is pretty close,” Tavis remarked. The looming threat of Reed’s retaliation was an unknown factor in this plan. “And you don’t just steal a ship out of a bay. We need the control codes and the captain has them, as well as the bay owner.”

“That’s why we have to get past security,” Dios repeated confidently. “And we have a great hacker now. Can we finally call that luck? - It’s definitely going to be easy.”

“Will it?” inquired Kysaek brightly.

Dorvan replied bluntly in the negative. “I must interrupt the burgeoning euphoria. Ship systems are finicky and even old, rickety models have some of the best protection matrix you can have. As far as the ship, I can guarantee comprehensive, rapid assistance, but cracking a ship without credentials ... that would take me an estimated ten minutes or a little more, and if you want to steal a ship, that’s a long time. For more specifics, I need details on the model.”

Details made Kysaek think for a moment. At first she wanted to ask who she was actually stealing from, but on the other hand it didn’t matter to her. Her galactic reputation could hardly get any worse, she thought. “Why a ship, anyway? Why haven’t you booked seats on a transporter long ago? It would be much quicker and easier.”

“It’s independence,” Kuren agreed, but she couldn’t suppress a certain romanticism. “If we have our own ship, we are always mobile and don’t run the risk of being trapped. On our ship, we say where we are going and where we stop. As passengers we are powerless, dependent and at the mercy of others. Imagine our transporter being stopped and searched by a PGI ship - where would we go? We could put up a brief fight, but then what happens? A real death trap.”

“You’re not suggesting that just so you can fly?” asked Kysaek simply, raising an eyebrow.

“Re’Lis had the idea,” Dios asserted, filling in another part of the plan with her sister. “”We merely chose the ship, as experts in these matters.“”

“Very good and have you already planned how we will get the control codes?”

“No, because after the idea, we had to do reconnaissance first and that already took time.”

Time. The luxury commodity the group didn’t have and Tavis never tired of reminding them. “Reed could be here by the morning of the third day and everything would have to fall seamlessly into place for us to succeed.”

“The morning of the third day?” retorted Kysaek appraisingly. “But that’s your worst estimate for us, isn’t it?”

“Yes. We might have four, five or a few more days, but to rely on that would be negligent. That hothead could put a hit squad on our doorstep tomorrow as well.”

Dorvan supported the thesis of several days. “I meant what I said in the sewers of Themis and since you told me I didn’t have to ask any more, I created certain irritations and sprinkled them in various departure systems. It should take Roskor Reed a while to figure out where we really flew to.”

“You are good,” Tavis said respectfully, but the Palanian did not rely on the Davoc’s skills. “”However, you forget the analogue method.“”

“The analogical method?”

“Good, old-fashioned questions. Reed’s people and informers will be all over the place on Themis giving out foreign currency or breaking bones. All the data falsification in the galaxy won’t help.”

“A valid point,” Dorvan agreed dejectedly, lowering the bot’s head. “But I can try to track the arrival of Reed’s people and use some systems in our vicinity for surveillance.”

“Yes, digital definitely beats analogue there,” Tavis nodded delightedly.

No matter if Dorvan could warn the group. The three days, or rather the two days of waiting for the ship, plus the following morning, Kysaek factored into the plans. “As Tavis said, everything has to fit perfectly, in a very tight window of time. We’ll leave the captain alone, though.”

What had worked before was working for Tavis now. “Why? We could capture him and force him to give us the codes. At least it worked with Arolac.”

“If the captain disappeared, it might set off alarms. He’s not of mediocre importance like Arolac and he’s not one of many you wouldn’t miss and even if we get the codes, what do you think security will think if someone shows up in the bay with the control codes but without the captain?”

“What if we force the captain? Little threats si-”

That didn’t even occur to Kysaek. “No threats, no torture, none of that!”

“We’re on your side,” Dios said, standing in for her sister. “But how about someone sneaking into the bay, as a worker?”

“I don’t think that would work out like it did on Themis with the club,” Kysaek reasoned aloud. There was much for her to say against the suggestion. “We don’t have anyone vouching and it’s in the middle levels you said? That’s where we should expect decent business, where you apply for things and you can’t buy your way into everything ... Time we can’t risk, with behaving by rules.”

“If only we could just manipulate people to our will, like the Talin,” Tavis murmured less seriously. He wanted to bring calm to the group. “A lot of things would be so much easier.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Never heard of it? Supposedly there are Talin who can control living beings as they see fit.”

That sounded like brainwashing Kysaek had never heard of. “I’m sure that’s some underworld legend, not my area of expertise.”

“Legend is the apt term,” Dorvan’s bot commented as his lights shimmered on high as if he was just scanning his systems for information on it “The existence and ability of these beings is disputed to this day and officially denied.”

“I know,” Tavis replied, sitting down on the room’s sofa. “I have never met such a Talin or known anyone who would claim that. Stories are just stories. Would still be great to have that opportunity at my disposal.” The Palanian slowly pointed to his neck. “A blink of an eye, a pretty smile or the right whistle from the tube and bang, we have an obstacle on our side.”

“Would that it were,” Kysaek agreed, but it was no use fantasising and she made everyone aware of that. “Wishful thinking doesn’t help us, unfortunately. An implementable plan, on the other hand, does.”

“And if we, um, um,” Kuren stopped. It wasn’t so much a hesitation on her part, but a thought she had forgotten and now remembered. “Security beats safety! We could pose as Central police and say we need to search the ship!”

“Not a bad idea,” Tavis said thoughtfully. “However, to do that we would need authentic uniforms, IDs and a credible search warrant.”

“Well as I said before! We have a terrific hacker now!”

It wasn’t pejorative, but neither was Tavis downplaying his attitude. “Is that going to be their solution to everything now? The hacker?”

“Why not? If we’re lucky enough to have one! And interstellar civilisation is just characterised by machines and programmes. Jackpot!”

“Some of you have misconceptions about what I’m doing,” Dorvan objected. The Davoc was not acting out. To him, these were normal things. “Kits, simple doors and bots or public systems I normally infiltrate in a split second, but what you ask for takes time - if it’s to be done right.”

Everything was important for the escape, but Kysaek weighed the effort. “How long would it take you to do what?”

“A warrant I could construct in a day and with IDs it depends on the number. If it stays at the current number of seven people in our group, I can’t do it in two days. For that I would need more like four or five.”

“And for less? Shall we say four?”

“If I start now, I could be done by the morning of the third day.”

“Then get to work,” nodded Kysaek, whose ideas were now clear. “Craft an ID for Dios, Kuren, Re’Lis and yourself .... Should there be more time, still Thais, Tavis and myself - in that order.”

Tavis was conscientious, even perhaps a little suspicious. He was new to the group, dependent in a way, but he didn’t blindly agree to everything without further ado and wanted to know more. “What do you imagine? Why this order?”

“Because we definitely need our pilots on the ship, plus Dios, Kuren , Doctor Askar and Dorvan are unfit for combat,” Kysaek assessed, although with all the toys of Dorvan’s bot she wondered if he was really defenceless. “And we may not need a warrant ... With a clever lie and Dorvan’s skills, the four of them might make it onto the ship too.”

Which was unsurprising, Dorvan admitted sheepishly. “I’m not a good liar, and I told you that the warrant thing takes ti-”

“I haven’t forgotten. Someone else will do the lying,” Kysaek smirked slyly. “If time is not our friend, we’ll have to try mean tricks. As policemen, the ship group could show up at the bay and claim that the warrant should have been in the system long ago, and if the overseers see that it isn’t, you might well suggest that they call the head of police in charge in that district ... and diverting a call should be child’s play for you, or what do you say, Dorvan?”

“A risky strategy on your part, but yes, I could do that with ease.”

That was enough for Kysaek for the moment. “Great, so that’s the preliminary plan. Maybe we can improve on it, but just in case, there’s one more thing we need badly.”

“More weapons?” guessed Tavis, which wasn’t so wrong.

“Right, but less for us,” Kysaek decided. “But more hands to hold them, for our escape will not be an easy one in spite of everything. While Dorvan takes care of the IDs and the others prepare our departure, we’ll hire some good mercenaries. So get some rest Tavis, we’ll be on our way in a few hours.”

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