《You Only Smol Twice: A Smol Detective Story》 Chapter One In the previouschapterstories: There was a lot of things which happened and you should go read the other stuff now if you haven''t already or don''t I don''t care I''m not your mom GEEZE. In this chapter: Smols are being Naughty. A previous character Returns. Goodboyes gonna Goodboye.
When you pray for rain, you gotta deal with the mud too. - Robert McCall, "The Equalizer"
It was a lovely night for a burglary. Of course, almost every night on Hsrneanth-IV was lovely. That''s why the Jornissians started a colony here in the first place; a planet with a moderate axial tilt, orbiting at a sensibly temperate distance from its G-type star? It was a no-brainer. The planet''s resulting mild climate plus a biosphere free of nasty-things-with-big-sharp-pointy-teeth meant that, not long after the colony''s initial founding, the other two Senate races came asking the giant snake-like aliens if they could come in and start some populations of their own. After much debate (and oh, how the Jornissians love their debates) it was agreed that the other two could play...as long as the incoming expatriates followed Jornissian law, of course. The Dorarizin and Karnakians agreed, and the colony flourished for a long while in the pleasant manner that only a post-scarcity economy can manage. The end of that long period of blissful ignorance came when a new, fourth sapient species was discovered. This new species called the particular star that Hsrneanth-IV orbited some ridiculous name, something like "61 Virginis" if one could properly interpret the warblings of their peculiar speech. It was close-by in galactic terms, a mere [28 light-years] from the [human] homeworld known as [Dirt]. And, since Hsrneanth-IV had a stable period of peace that stretched back for many generations, its close proximity to [Dirt] meant that it was perfect as a secretive testbed for inter-species interaction. One unexpected consequence of that secretive testbed now wobbled at the edge of a perimeter fence. One [human] stood upon the shoulders of another, both of them cloaked in charcoal-gray skin-tight outfits that shouldblock most infrared radiation. At the moment, the two [humans] could only hope that their own tech-geeks were correct about that. What was certain was that the suits were hot as hell to wear; in spite of wearing a vest stuffed with ice-packs underneath, they were both sweating like crazy after only a few minutes. "Just take your time, why don''t you?" mumbled NORDIC. She wasn''t a slight woman by any [human] measure, but right now she was supporting the full weight of HISPANOLA on her increasingly aching shoulders. Her subvocal complaint was dutifully picked up by the microphone on her throat and relayed to the earbuds of her partner above. HISPANOLA, a broad-shouldered male, snorted in response. "I''ve just got to get a good grip...okay, there we go." NORDIC''S shoulders suddenly sang in delighted relief as his feet lifted off of her. She reached up with her right hand, only to feel that corresponding shoulder twang in fresh pain as HISPANOLA''S meaty hand grabbed hers and hauled her up to the top of the fence. The pair now crouched on top of the stout wooden beam. There was no moonlight to see by, but the two thieves had the proper eyewear to compensate. Below their feet stretched a small patch of purplish-black fuzz, the local equivalent of grass. Beyond that was a single-story prefabricated building that looked like a medium-size warehouse to the two humans. Of course, to any aliens it would seem more like a shed. There were a few windows towards one side of the building, and through one of them they could see a young Jornissian slumped in evident boredom as she wrote in a notebook. In front of the giant alien sat an line of holographic camera displays seemingly floating in midair. HISPANOLA touched the side of the goggles covering his eyes so that he could cycle through all possible EM frequencies. His voice sounded in NORDIC''S earbuds. "It still looks clean, there''s no lasers or drones. I can''t believe they don''t have more security here." "This place is a perfect example of a cognitive blind spot," replied NORDIC. "Now lower me down. We''ve only got fifteen minutes before we pass out from heatstroke."
Sn''snna''hhrel yawned wide enough to feel her jaw unhinge. Her long tongue blepped out as she resettled her jawbones back into place and continued writing. This essay was a ''fun'' last-minute surprise by her composition teacher. At first she''d wanted to throttle the dry-scaled old bastard, but now she was grudgingly thankful to have something to take her mind off of the soul-crushing tedium of her part-time job. She grumbled at the unfairness of having to do either. Her parents had ''arranged'' for her to get this position, saying that she needed some real-world experience in addition to her schoolwork. Sn''snna''hhrel found herself despising their admonitions about ''expectations'' and ''being a contributing member of society''. All she really wanted to do was play"Warmcuddle Protection Squad"with her friends. Her clan had fought (and fought, and fought) through the most ''grindy'' elements of the game, and now they were at the cusp of gaining enough points to advance to the newest level. By all accounts, that new level was an utterbeast. It involved some time-travel shenanigans that would plonk the clan members right in the middle of [Dirt] just prior to the [Karnakian] sort-of-invasion of the warmcuddles'' homeworld. They''d have to convince the local warmcuddles that they meant no harm while simultaneously trying to blunt the effects of the [Karnakians] suddenly showing up out of the blue. It sounded like a potent mix of diplomacy and bone-crunching action, and Sn''snna''hhrel couldn''t wait to take part in it. That assumed, of course, that she''d ever get out of this interminable job she''d been saddled with. The Jornissian''s attention was mostly on her essay, but as she wrote her eyes caught the merest flicker of motion on one of the monitors next to her. Her blunt snout snapped up in a quick motion that no warmcuddle could hope to follow. Without a further thought she sat up from her workstation and began to slither back towards the main room. She poked her head in and scanned it thoroughly. Storage lockers lined the walls, all made out of synthetic wood that gleamed in the harsh overhead lighting. There was no hint of motion or IR signatures. Still, it couldn''t hurt to check a few random cabinets. She needed to stretch her scales anyway.
NORDIC reached over and touched HISPANOLA''S hunched shoulder. "It''s okay," she murmured. "She can''t see us." I hopewas the unspoken addition to that statement. NORDIC pressed herself harder against the side of the big cabinet which held their prize. She cursed herself for getting sloppy at the last minute and allowing herself to be seen by the room''s lone camera. The thief could hear the Jornissian hum an off-key melody, which was accompanied by a sound like someone dragging a fully-loaded sleeping bag over a wooden floor. After a seemingly endless time, NORDIC heard the guard open a cabinet across the aisle, then swing it shut. The dragging noise got ever closer, and the two thieves shrunk back into the corner formed by the cabinet and the wall, hoping that the shadow cast by the cabinet would give them enough cover. There was a creak as the faux-wood door of their hiding place swung open wide, nearly hitting NORDIC in the shoulder. NORDIC heard the alien give a satisfiedhmphas she swung the door swung shut, again with a substantial creak. The pair of thieves relaxed as the dragged-sleeping-bag sound receded again towards the front of the building. Fortunately, they''d come prepared in case of creaky doors. NORDIC reached into pouch at her right hip and withdrew a small squeeze-bottle of oil. Tall as she was, she could only apply it to the bottom hinge. She stepped back and motioned to HISPANOLA, who nodded and moved up to her original position. NORDIC put a foot into the cradle of his hands and she was promptly boosted up onto his shoulders. A few more squeezes, and their creaky-door problem was solved. NORDIC clambered down off of HISPANOLA and peeked around the corner. The Jornissian guard was once more hood-down in her notebook and oblivious to the world. The human nodded to her partner, and the pair crept out into the main aisle of the storeroom. Given the cabinet''s size, they knew they''d both have to use their strength to open the door. HISPANOLA gripped the door handle just over NORDIC''s own grasp, and with a mutual wince of anticipation they swung the door open. They breathed out in relief at its silent motion. Once more HISPANOLA boosted NORDIC onto his shoulders, and for the first time she settled her eyes on their goal. On the shelf before her was a large tray lined with foam, and nestled in hollows in the foam was a line of sleek black objects. They looked a little like large eggs, each the size of her clenched fist. As NORDIC peered closer she saw an intricate fractal-like pattern on the surface of each ''egg'', a pattern which was different for each one. "It''s the one on the right, yeah?" asked HISPANOLA from below. "Third one from the right," replied NORDIC. "Trust me, I know." Her long, nimble fingers ever-so carefully scooped the chosen ''egg'' from its hollow, and her prize went into a pouch at her left hip. From her original pouch she pulled out a sleek duplicate of her stolen ''egg'' and with great care settled it into the original''s hollow. She took a few moments to make sure it was aligned just the same as the others. "Good to go," she said, and once more climbed down off of her partner. With another silent mutual shove they got the door closed again. Due to his balaclava NORDIC couldn''t see HISPANOLA''S expression, but she knew he must be grinning just as wide as she was. They gave each other a silent high-five. Unfortunately, HISPANOLA was a little too enthusiastic and the high-five wasn''t as silent as it should have been.
Sn''snna''hhrel turned around far enough to make any other species'' spines snap, her eyes narrowing as she regarded the empty aisle of the storage room. She wassureshe''d heard something, something almost like a soft slap. With a grumble she set her notebook aside and once more slithered into the room. She checked a few more random cabinets, seeing nothing amiss. She also checked around the cabinets themselves, just in case some local toddler had somehow stumbled into the place. Finding nothing, she gave a shrug of her hood and headed back again. Her essay was almost done, and even better her shift was almost over. Then she could head back home and playWPSuntil her parents yelled at her to get some sleep.
NORDIC felt positively slimed in sweat as HISPANOLA lowered her from the top of the cabinet. She leaned against their refuge and acted as a step-stool for him. After the big man was down she gave his shoulder an angry-but silent swat. He just shrugged in apology, then the pair headed for the window that was their original point of entry. After another stand-on-each-other''s-shoulders bit to get back over the fence, they both were able to strip off their balaclavas. The night air felt wonderfully cool on NORDIC''s short blonde hair, which right now was matted flat to her scalp with about ten gallons of sweat. She turned and glared at her partner. "Idiot," she hissed. HISPANOLA grinned, oblivious to her irritation. "We got out without being seen. Let''s just focus on getting back to base, okay?"
Martin nodded cordially to his next-door colleague, a dour-faced Dutchman named Heidemann. The blonde-haired man shifted his coffee to his other hand as he let himself into his office. It was a small one, appropriate to the mid-level managerial function that was his official title. Martin''s desk was just a little smaller than the room itself, and he had to squeeze by the piece of furniture to settle into his chair. He sipped some coffee as he regarded the clean surface before him, feeling a little regret at how cluttered it would surely become once he signed in. He leaned back and allowed himself one more moment of peace, then set down his paper cup and placed a palm on the desk''s surface. A holographic display sprang up in front of him, showing an inbox already overflowing with unread messages. Martin muttered a curse and started plowing through it all. Much of it was busywork, forms that needed his digital stamp of approval before getting passed onward and upward. There were times the spymaster wished his organization wasn''t so paranoid. With no cover job he wouldn''t have to deal with such mundane crap all the time.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. After a hour of tedious stamping, one of the unread messages seemed to leap out of the display. It was an ad for a dating website that had somehow snuck through his spam filter, with the subject line ''Looking for a change of pace?'' Martin leaned back again, this time feeling a flutter of excitement in his gut. He leaned over and did a ''shave-and-a-haircut'' knock on the wall next to him. Within moments, Heidemann had squeezed himself into the room. He was bigger than Martin (of course, most people were) and his gut stuck out over his belt as he raised an eyebrow. "Tank. Now," was all Martin said. With a shrug, Heidemann led the way. After one long elevator ride down below bedrock later, the two men walked into a room so enclosed that there weren''t even vents into it. Instead, a small portable HVAC unit sat in one corner, humming away and adding a little bit of white noise to the room while the two men seated themselves at the cheap particleboard table which sat at the room''s center. "What''s the rumpus?" asked Heidemann. His usual hangdog expression was now replaced with curiosity. In spite of himself, Martin looked around. The vault-like door into the room (unofficially known as The Tank) was shut and locked, and there was at least a few tons of lead and other metals shielding them. But yet he still looked around before turning back to Heidemann. "Project GIDEON MARKDOWN just had its first success." Heidemann gave a silent whistle. "Shit. I guess the longshot paid off, eh? What did we get?" "Something that might actually give us an edge over the damn xenos for once. All I''ll say right now is that it''s an object containing data. I need you to pull a black team together to reverse-engineer the dingus once we get it back. I''ll need experts on both alien and human biochemistry, and they''ll have to be sequestered during the process." "For a piece of true xeno-tech? Reverse engineering could take years," "Then it takes years. Just get me the best people you can." Martin chuckled. "In the meantime, I''ve got to figure out how to get the dingus back to Earth." What Martin didn''t say to Heidemann was that he''d also have to beg for forgiveness from his superiors, seeing as how he''d never gotten proper authorization for GIDEON MARKDOWN in the first place.
Oscar Williams smiled at the large werewolf-like alien as it swung the door open for him. The Dorarizin was of average size, but the large scar over one side of his snout was definitely not average. The human figured that Scarface must be going for intimidation, seeing as how he was a member of a society where limbs could be regrown to order. "Thanks, my man." Oscar scratched at his chest casually. For this operation, he''d chosen the best outfit for not-blending-in, namely a garishly loud Hawaiian shirt. Scarface didn''t reply, he just unsheathed a claw and pointed at the door. Oscar nodded and walked forward, feeling the weight of the messenger bag on his shoulder as he tried to make his stride look casual. Oscar hadn''t been subject to any search, but he was sure that he''d been scanned thoroughly at least three times before making it this high up in the building. The room beyond was impressive. Floor-to-ceiling windows looked out over the twinkling lights of a cityscape at night. The polished stone floor reflected that light, which was added to by soft indirect lighting from above. The occasional aircar sped by, but no whirr of their passage intruded into the church-like silence of the room. In the middle of those windows squatted a larger Dorarizin with a well-brushed mane. One of his ears had been damn near bitten off at some time in the past, but his suit was immaculate and clearly expensive as hell. Beside him was a fidgety Karnakian male with a bright red feather-crest and a much less impressive outfit. The four-eyed raptor turned and goggled at Oscar. Oscar ignored the alien''s scrutiny. He also tried to ignore the heavy tread of Scarface behind him and the soft thud as the only door out of the room slid closed. The squatting Dorarizin rose and turned, giving Oscar an impassive look. His face was not quite as scarred at his ears, but for sure he''d been in a scrap or two in his life. In spite of his fearsome-looking countenance, his translated voice sounded quite pleasant. "[Mister Holden, I presume?]" Oscar gave a nod-bow that imitated a Dorarizin greeting. "That''s me. You surely must be Grnahrg-of-Awrnoth." The floor shook ever-so-slightly beneath Oscar''s feet as the mobster chief padded closer. Grnahrg''s nose twitched as he scented the human. "[Of course. I must congratulate you on your pronunciation, it''s almost correct.]" Oscar shrugged. "What can I say? I''ve been out here a while, I pick up things. Thanks for agreeing to meet me in person. I know you don''t do that very often." Grnahrg looked up at Scarface. "[He''s been scanned?]" "[Thoroughly, boss,]" replied the bodyguard. "[Nothin'' in him or his clothes except for the translator bead. All he has in the bag is what he said he''d have.]" The mobster looked down and gave Oscar another up-and-down appraisal. "[So this is what you meant by having an ''unobtrusive'' pipeline. You seem more...noticeable than I''d expected.]" Oscar smiled. "That''s the idea. People see me but they don''t think of me as bein'' up to anything nefarious, ya know?" "[Thus you hide in plain sight. Ingenious.]" The mobster cocked his head to one side. "[But I can''t say I like your asking price. You''re [thirty] percent more expensive than my normal suppliers.]" "Pardon my French, but that''s because your normal suppliers sell you shit. By the time you get ahold of the stuff they''ve stepped on it so much that it''s what, fifty percent purity if you''re lucky?" Grnahrg looked back at the Karnakian, who gave a shrug of his crest. The Dorarizin turned again to Oscar. "[It''s the cost of doing business. I assume you''re offering much higher purity.]" "You got it. I''ve got a direct line deep into Karnakian space, so I can get you at least ninety percent purity every shipment. Do the math! With dilution, you can increase the supply in your own distribution network by another forty percent while only paying for an extra thirty. That''s more money in your pocket, amirite?" Grnahrg scratched at his chin with a polished claw. "[You make a compelling argument, but can you back it up?]" Oscar reached into the messenger bag at his side, and heard a little warning scrape of claws-on-stone from behind him. He ignored Scarface''s wordless threat and pulled out a large plastic-wrapped packet of fine crystalline powder. The powder''s green hue seemed to glow in the indirect lighting from above. "Let''s call this a trial run," said Oscar. He nodded towards the Karnakian. "I''m assuming your boy back there is your Gre...stuff expert, yeah?" "[He is.]" Oscar set the packet down on the marble floor and then backed away. "Have him test this. If that shit ain''t over ninety percent pure you can have it for free." Grnahrg turned and gave a curt nod of an ear to the Karnakian, who trotted forward. The raptor held a small brick-like device in one clawed hand, and in the other he held a small needle-like sampler. With a glance towards Oscar, the Karnakian plunged the needle through the plastic and into the powder within. He tapped at a few controls on his readout, then gave a soft warble of approval. "[[Ninety-six] percent purity, boss.]" Grnahrg let out a softwurfas his mangled ears rose up in obvious interest. Oscar spread his arms out and grinned. "Toldja. For a man of your stature, only the best will do. Now, can we do business?" Grnahrg stared for a long moment at Oscar before giving a shrug. "[I believe we can. We''ll need to set up a different procedure for future deliveries, of course. One that results in less exposure for me.]" "Of course, I understand," replied Oscar. "You''re a busy man." "[Now as to the matter of your payment...I''m assuming you want standard GRC chits?]" Oscar started to feel a little uneasy. This operation was going far too well for his comfort. "Sure, that''s what I expected." "[Excellent. Hhgnrif will escort you to where your payment awaits.]" That was a little hinky, but Oscar decided to play along. After all, he was watched over by the best of the best. He gave Grnargh a final nod-bow and turned to follow Scarface, or rather Hhgnrif. The mobster''s next word was soft but final. "[Stop.]" Oscar did so, and felt a little bit of damp sweat start to form on the back of his neck. "[Why did you agree to be separated from your product without any payment in hand?]" asked Grnahrg. Oscar turned back towards Grnahrg and gave a shaky laugh. "Why wouldn''t I? You''ve got a reputation for being a man of your word." "[Perhaps. Still, I expected at least some protest. But no, you would have left this behind for us to do with as we please. You also carry no recording devices that we can detect...]" Grnahrg clicked his upper two rows of teeth together in thought, then turned to the Karnakian. "[What was the other four percent?]" The flunky floofed his chest out in fear. "[Boss?]" "[The [four] percent thatwasn''tGreen, you idiot! What was it?]" After some hasty button-pressing, the Karnakian''s crest rose up in surprise. "[That''s odd. The rest of it is silica, asorbic acid, gypsum, and starch...and the percentages of those four compounds are identical to each other. It''s not poisonous to [Dorarizin], if that''s what you''re afraid of.]" Grnahrg rubbed his forehead in exasperation. "[It''s not to poison our customers, idiot. It''s to trace the product back to us. Those specific impurities will link any Green that shows up in the street with this package, which I''m sure has already been logged as evidence. I believe our friend Holden here is with law enforcement.]" Oscar stayed very still as a big paw settled on his shoulder. Hhgnrif slipped the messenger bag off of his shoulder with surprising gentleness, then tore the bag into rags with a few casual flicks of one claw. "[Nothing but cloth, boss,]" said the scarred Dorarizin. Grnahrg nodded. "[Now Holden, or whatever your name really is, are you going to cooperate?]" There was another scrape of claws-on-stone as Hhgrnif placed his fore-paws on either side of Oscar. The human stood very still and swallowed. "I guess it''s either that or you guys eat me." Grnahrg smiled wide, showing all of his many, many teeth. "[Why would you think that we would be so cruel?]" "Well sir, you do have a reputation for cruelty as well." Oscar ran a shaky hand through his short-cropped dark hair...which was the signal to his team that it was ''Go Time''. "[I''m glad to hear that. Now, if you''d like to keep your intestines where they are you will speak honestly...and keep in mind I cansmellif you''re lying. Are the police listening in right now?]" "No. We couldn''t risk you finding a wire on me. But they do expect me to come back out in another twenty minutes." Grnahrg clasped his paws behind his back. "[And can I assume that if you don''t come out they''ll try to force their way in here?]" Hhgrnhif''s breath was hot on Oscar''s ear. It smelled like the bodyguard hadn''t brushed his fangs in a while. "That''s the idea." "[And who, exactly, do you work for? Is is that irritating [Lieutenant] Drgn''ral? I thought I had bought off enough of the police to avoid this type of nonsense.]" Oscar glanced past Grnahrg''s shoulder. A passing aircar slowed, then stopped. Its lights shut off as it pointed its blunt nose towards the huge floor-to-ceiling windows. He hoped that his adopted pack was precise enough in their timing; having Hhgrnhif hovering right over him made this whole thing kind of tricky. "Police?" asked Oscar with imitation innocence. "Who said I was with the police?" Grnahrg''s eyes widened. "[Senate-]" was all he managed to get out before everything kicked off. A softphutsounded throughout the room as a small black object splatted itself against the center window. Oscar dropped to the floor, curling himself into a ball as the room exploded with disorienting light and sound. Fragments of tempered glass surrounded Grnahrg as the mobster spun. The room was now filled with the howl of wind from outside, and through that cloud of window-shrapnel barreled a huge gray shape which smacked into the mobster''s chest. The giant lifted Grnahrg clear of the floor with no apparent effort before body-slamming him into the floor hard enough to crack the stone beneath. Oscar opened an eye and peeped above himself. Hhgrnhif was simplygone, and as he turned his head to look behind him the reason why was obvious. A shorter, leaner Dorarizin held Hhgrnhif''s arm twisted behind him while with her other paw she repeatedly smacked his head into the unyielding floor. Finally satisfied, she released her prey and stepped back. From the way Hhgrnhif''s head lolled around, he was clearly out cold and most certainly out of the fight. Oscar uncurled himself and stood up. "Hey honey-babe. I guess you were able to sneak in behind me after all." Myyreh-of-Relgreh grinned at Oscar. "[I said I would, didn''t I?]" Oscar blew out a shaky breath as he turned to look over the room. A red-feathered ball of fear huddled off to one side while in the room''s center a giant Dorarizin with blue-gray fur squatted on Grnahrg''s chest. The mobster wheezed and tried with one feeble paw to get her off of him, but he might as well have shoved at a mountain. Captain Rgrarshok-of-Ngraz, Alpha female of the pack ''We Who Hunt Between The Spaces'', spoke with no hint of anger in her penetrating voice. "[Grnahrg-of-Awrnoth, you are under arrest by the Senate on [three hundred and six] counts of Green distribution, [twenty-nine] counts of first-degree murder, and [eighty-seven] counts of second-degree murder. You have the right to remain silent until you have an advocate present. Do you understand these charges and your rights?]" With that, the Captain stepped up off of Grnahrg. He wheezed again as he rolled over and got to his knees. "[This is...an outrage. I''m an upstanding businessman!]" He took in another breath and seemed to inflate with confidence as he stood. "[You have no proof! This is a pathetic attempt at entrapment-]" "You. Stupid. Mother. Fucker," interrupted Oscar. "You are, as we humans like to say, oh so very busted. We had the goods on you two weeks ago." Grnahrg blinked in surprise, then grasped the lapels of his jacket. "[I will say nothing further until my advocate is present.]" Rgrarshok nodded. "[As you wish.]" The aircar outside maneuvered closer and pressed its side up against the shattered window. Its door slid open, disgorging another Dorarizin with dark green fur and the same gray uniform as the Captain. "[XO, please book him," said Rgrarshok. "[Give him his [phone call].]" Ngralh-of-Arzgar nodded and produced a pair of Dorarizin-sized handcuffs. In the meantime, Oscar strolled over and tapped on the balled-up Karnakian. "Hey, buddy? You okay?" The raptor uncurled himself enough to peek up at Oscar with one eye. "[Is...is it over?]" Oscar gave his warmest smile. "Yeah, it''s over." After a few more gentle head-pats, along with a lot more verbal coaxing, the human managed to get the Karnakian unfurled and upright. The alien peered down at Oscar. "[If you had enough evidence to arrest [Grnahrg], then...why did you put yourself in such danger?]" "That''s because we weren''t after him, we were after his network." The Karnakian fidgeted his claws together. "[Oh, I see.]" He looked on as his former boss was led off in cuffs by Ngralh. Meanwhile, the Captain was busy cuffing the still out-cold lump of Hhgrnhif. As she did so, Rgrarshok gave the flunky a similar spiel as she had to Grnahrg, even though the flattened Dorarizin was clearly incapable of hearing it at the moment. "[I am to be charged too, yes?]" asked the Karnakian in a quiet tone. Oscar decided to go into full-on ''good cop'' mode. He slipped an arm around the raptor''s elbow, making the big alien twitch in surprise. Oscar shook his head in mock regret as he started to lead the alien towards the now smashed-open door. Myyreh took up station on his other side as the trio exited the room. "I won''t lie to you," said Oscar. "You are in for a world of hurt at the moment. But like I said, we''re only interested in your boss''s distribution network. Anything you can tell us aboutthat would be a big help, and we''d be very grateful for it. I''m sure Grnahrg wasn''t very fun to work for. He probably threatened you a lot, right?" The human could practically hear the gears turning in the Karnakian''s head. "[Of...of course! To be fair, he didn''t beat me very often. But I may be able to give you some names, if it would help me...er, I mean if it would help with your investigation.]" Oscar patted the Karnakian''s feathered arm, making the big alien practically wriggle in delight. "Like I said, we''d be very grateful." Chapter Two At the moment, Rrre''nansh was deep in a regretful funk over his decision to run for office. Sure, being a planetary governor was great for having an impressive title and getting to rub scales with the elite. He had a suitably impressive office as well as lots of interest from the ladies...and, best of all, he had the first-ever warmcuddle base outside of the small aliens'' home system. That was something that he really wished he could rub in the snouts of other colony governors, but sadly he had to keep quiet about the base. The governor now sat in a loose pile in the middle of that aforementioned impressive office, which was a combination of dark wood and big windows letting in a nice amount of sunshine. He took in a sizable breath, forcing his hood to relax as he breathed out and opened his eyes. Unfortunately, that meant that now he saw Hnnresnthsh. The viper-like, red-scaled Jornissian fidgeted his fingers together as he sat in a tight coil of fear before his boss. "" Rrre''nansh asked with a deadly calm. "" "" Hnnresnthsh told him, and the governor''s hood twitched in puzzlement. "" The obvious answer fell into Rrre''nansh''s head a moment later. "" "" The archivist trailed off. Rrre''nansh thought for a few moments about simply burying the whole mess. He could reassign Hnnresnthsh and his minions to some remote supply depot and threaten them to keep their snouts shut, then act as if nothing was amiss. It would be the simplest solution. But tech-transfer to the warmcuddles was, without a doubt, the most tightly regulated and inspected area within the Senate''s domain. That was only natural, given the near-disaster caused when the [Karnakians] had innocently given the newly-found sapients a couple bits of obsolete technology. If the Senate found out that the warmcuddles had stolen this data, and worse still traced the theft back to him? No, he couldn''t take that chance. "" he asked. "" Rrre''nansh tapped his tail-tip against the polished wooden floor. " " Hnnresnthsh''s hood spread out in shock. "" The governor sighed. "" "" Rrre''nansh nearly lashed his tail out at the irritating functionary, then realized he''d brought up a good point. "" He rubbed at his snout while he felt a fresh spike of dread poke at his guts. "<...and then, I get to call the Senate.>"
"[So what went wrong, people?]" Oscar leaned back against Myyreh''s chest as he pondered the Captain''s question. He glanced around the rec lounge of the good ship Furious Claw of Inquiry, where the rest of his pack squatted or reclined. "The big problem was that the head guy was smarter than expected," said Oscar. "Everything we had on him said he was meathead, and he was anything but that." "[All right. What other lessons did we learn?]" "[Not to try this again, for starters,]" said Ngralh. Oscar shook his head. "I think the idea is sound. But the next time we try planting some Green we need to use a tracer that won''t stand out so much. At least we had a Plan B." Rgrarshok gave out a muted growl. "[Not good enough. You were still in too much danger, not to mention we failed in our primary objective. Bgrarh, I want you to work on a less obvious tracer.]" "[On it, Captain,]" said the big brick-red Dorarizin. It was hard for Oscar to look in his direction. Since the team debriefing was taking place during ''off hours'', Bgrarh-of-Arhraz was not in uniform. And when not in uniform he''d taken to wearing Hawaiian shirts, each new garment more eye-watering than the last. This latest one was a practically radioactive mix of red and neon-green flowers. The Captain turned to Egwreh. "What sort of protection can we provide [Oscar]?]" "[Nothing active, for sure,]" replied the engineer. "[Not if we want it to slip through scans.]" "Can''t we just have Myra come as well?" asked Oscar. "If I''m acting the part of a Green smuggler, me having a bodyguard wouldn''t be suspicious." The Captain considered the idea. "[Perhaps. My worry is if somebody does a DNA scan. Our own networks aren''t as secure as I''d prefer, and if they find out that Myyreh is with law enforcement that would be...bad.]" "[Only bad for them,]" growled Myyreh. She hugged Oscar tighter against her. "[Nobody lays a finger on my sweetie.]" The last word spread a happy glow through Oscar''s chest, and he patted her embracing arms in silent appreciation. "[Now the good news,]" continued Rgrarshok. "[Thanks to [Oscar''s] convincing, Grnahrg''s Green expert has given us a lot of names to work through. We might be able to take down most of the distribution network anyway. It''ll be a lot to plan and execute, so everyone make sure you get some rest. We start first thing tomorrow...]" The Captain stiffened and stared off into the distance, wearing the distracted expression of someone receiving a message via implant. Oscar saw her eyes widen, then she shook herself. "[Apologies. I''ve just received new orders. We''re to depart immediately.]" Ngralh straightened up. "[What? We''re not done here!]" "[We''ll just have to leave it for the local police to mop up,]" replied Rgrarshok. "[This is a top priority mission.]" "Did another sacred relic get stolen?" asked Oscar with a grin. Rgrarshok glanced at him, and for the first time in a long while she looked troubled. "[I''ll brief everyone at the proper time. For now, we need to get moving to [Hsrneanth-IV] at full speed.]"
On most nights, Oscar was able to put away any thoughts of work and focus on snuggling with Myyreh in their shared quarters. Even if sex wasn''t on the menu, it was still lovely to lie back and luxuriate in the feel of her warm fur on his bare skin. But tonight he stared at the ceiling, unable to get the Captain''s final expression out of his head. Finally he decided he''d ask Myyreh. "Do you think the Captain looked at me weird, right at the end there?" Myyreh snuggled her head into Oscar''s bare chest. "[What do you mean weird?]" "Maybe I''m reading Dorarizin expressions wrong, but it was as if she was going to say something more, then decided not to because I was in the room." His lover pressed her head more forcefully into him, pinning him into the bed-pile. "[My take on it is that she''s not allowed to tell us until we get there. I think you''re being paranoid.]" Oscar absently scratched through the fur on top of her head, earning a full-body wiggle against him and a click-purr of delight. "Well, I am human. Paranoia comes with the territory." Myyreh picked up her head and clasped his head in between her paws, staring deep into his eyes. "[But you''re a pack-member. That''s not some mere job title. Pack means that this...]" She leaned in to kiss his chest, right over his heart. "[This belongs to us, just as our hearts belong to you.]" The little knot of tension in Oscar''s gut unsnarled while he stroked her head. "That''s...well, I guess I know it in my head but not my gut. Sorry, I know I''m being silly." Myyreh''s voice took on a playful tone that Oscar had come to know very well. "[My silly monkey-boy, do you know what part of you belongs to me?]" Oscar smiled. "I have a good guess, but maybe you could show me?" "[Hmmm, perhaps I will...]"
In the Claw''s hangar deck, a large blue-green globe hovered in the air. Rgrarshok stood in front of the hologram as she addressed her pack. "[This is [Hsrneanth-IV],]" she began. "[Started as a [Jornissian] colony, founded about [three thousand] years ago. It now holds a mixture of races, though the colony still follows Jornissian law.]" That bit of news made Oscar wonder why they''d been sent here in the first place. His adopted denmates investigated crimes which crossed between species, or where the jurisdiction was muddled. But for now he kept his mouth shut as the Captain continued. She gestured to the hologram, which obligingly zoomed in to one of the planet''s continents. The terrain whizzed by, stopping finally on a sprawling cityscape. "[This is [Hsnrah], the colony''s main city. About [one hundred thousand] people. And here..." she gestured again, causing the hologram to zoom in further to a small, single-story building. "[This is a secure storage facility for sensitive data. It is air-gapped, with no network connections.]" A picture appeared of an egg-shaped object with an intricate fractal pattern etched into its black surface. "[Seven days ago, during a routine scan, it was discovered that this storage device within that facility was a fake.]" "Do we know what was on it?" asked Oscar. "[That information is need-to-know. Suffice to say it contains sensitive military information.]" "Ah, got it. I was wondering why they''d called us here so fast. Are we going in as ourselves?" Rgrarshok nodded an ear. "[No cover identities for this one. But I must impress on everyone that this case is to be considered utterly secret. Only three people on the planet know about the theft. We''ll be working in the open, but we will not discuss with the locals any details, no matter how small.]" "[That''s going to make this complicated,]" said Ngralh. Rgrarshok shot another inscrutable glance at Oscar. "[There is one additional complication. This colony also has a significant [human] contingent present.]" The crew made various growls of surprise while Oscar felt the knot of tension return. "What? The only colony I know of is Selene, and they''re just getting that underway. Why haven''t I heard of this?" "[This not a true colony, think of it more as an experiment. The Senate and [human] governments agreed to keep it dark for many reasons, chief of which is avoiding a public relations disaster if the experiment fails.]" She gestured to the hologram, which sped with dizzying speed over to a sprawling complex that reminded Oscar of Greek architecture. If he read the scale correctly, the place covered many hundreds of acres. "[This is the main governmental building of the colony.]" Rgrarshok pointed at one peninsula-like portion of the complex, which lit up orange. "[An entire wing of it here was renovated for [human] occupation and fortified for their protection. Passage in or out of the fort is controlled, but not prohibited. There are about [one thousand] [humans] living here, most of them members of the military. It''s officially a military base, not a colony.]" "[Does the general population know about this [human] presence?]" asked Bgrarh. "[Of course. That''s the main goal of this experiment, to see if [humans] and the other species can live in close proximity without having a horrible accident every other day.]" Oscar crossed his arms as he regarded the complex. Something about this didn''t add up. "Don''t the Zephyr stations prove that already?" "[No. They''re entirely staffed with people who have been trained to interact with [humans], not to mention they''re outfitted with automated defenses and drones. This is more of a real-world environment.]" Oscar felt that unwelcome knot of tension grew tighter as a suspicion formed in his mind about why the Senate was so panicky about this theft. "So what''s the story for our visit?" Rgrarshok''s nose twitched, as if she sensed her pack-mate''s troubled mind. "[For now, we stay unobtrusive. Officially, we''re doing a routine security check at various points within the colony. We''ll be arriving towards the end of the local day, when the storage facility is closed. The plan is to visit it the next morning, so we keep up the pretense that it''s all routine.]" Upon hearing that, Oscar figured he''d put his suspicion on the back burner for now. "Seeing as how we''ll have the evening off..would we be able to visit the human base? There''s gotta be a huge wait list to get in." The Captain smiled. "[Less than you''d think. They hold a lottery every week to award passes to the base. But as a [human], you can go in at any time. Better yet, you can bring a guest.]"
The twilight air of Hsrneanth-IV was fresh, and the overall climate put Oscar in mind of California with more humidity. He smiled up at Myyreh with real happiness, although that knot of unease was still present in his stomach. "Thanks for agreeing to come along, honey-babe." Myyreh grinned back down at him, showing a lot more teeth. "[Why wouldn''t I? A chance to see [humans] in their own environment? I''d be an idiot to turn that down.]" The pair strolled along the brick-paved courtyard of the government complex, with Oscar''s smaller hand clasped in Myyreh''s larger paw. Ahead of them loomed the monolithic ten-story-tall wing that held the ''human experiment''. They''d have to approach it from outside; all entrances from inside the massive complex were sealed shut. "It''s not going to be all fun and games," said Oscar. "I''m sure they''re going to give you the hairy eyeball..." As if to prove his words, a section of brick smoothly slid open and the metal sphere of a security drone popped up to confront them. "[Attention. You are approaching a restricted area. If you enter, you will be subject to [human] military law.]" A red grid of glowing lines appeared over Oscar, then over Myyreh. "[No contraband or weapons detected. [Human], so no passes required. You may proceed.]"Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Myyreh''s ear twitched in curiosity. "[Military law?]" "Yeah, this place sounds like a combination of embassy and FOB." Upon seeing another curious ear-twitch, Oscar continued. "Forward Operating Base?" "[Ah, understood.]" As they approached the only entrance into the human wing, Oscar saw a (for him) normal-sized figure slouched against the gateway. That figure straightened up as he and Myyreh drew closer, eventually resolving into a kid in a khaki uniform who couldn''t have been older than twenty. Oscar gave him his most disarming smile as the kid scratched absently at one ear. His other hand rested on a carbine slung over one shoulder, and Oscar wondered if he''d actually done any qualification on the weapon. "Evenin'', folks," said the guard. He flicked his eyes towards Myyreh, then down at their clasped hands. "Any non-human species who wanna enter must have a security drone following them at all times, and if directed to leave you must do so immediately." As he spoke, another spherical drone floated with a faint hum around the square arch of the gateway. It spoke in the same neutral voice as the first. "[Identification, please.]" Myyreh shrugged an ear. "[Myyreh-of-Relgreh, ship ident Furious Claw of Inquiry. I have [Level Ten] certification in [human] interaction, if that makes a difference.]" Another grid of red lines appeared over her, and after a long pause the drone spoke. "[Identification and certification confirmed. No drone chaperone required.]" The guard let out a little grunt of surprise. "Well, okay then." He swept a hand towards the entrance. "Have fun. There''s a map just inside showing you where everything is, just keep in mind the red areas on the map are off-limits to all but base personnel." Myyreh gave the guard a deep, respectful bow. "[Thank you.]" Oscar had expected the guard to comment or give him a leer over their hand-holding, but to his surprise the kid seemed to treat it as no big deal. He gave an internal sigh of relief as he walked through the doorway. As Oscar did so, twenty separate cameras captured both his and Myyreh''s faces from a myriad of angles. The resulting data was dutifully forwarded to an expert system and, after chewing on the images for a bit, the program sent the resulting red flag to a control room deep in the human base.
The human on duty in that control room was a skinny guy named Stefan. He looked up from his dog-eared automotive magazine as the big display in front of him lit up with a blinking red exclamation mark. That mark overlaid the usual camera view of the base entrance. "Scheisse," he muttered as he set the magazine aside and started to do some actual work. A few key-strokes and gestures later, and Stefan was presented with a puzzle which filled him with dread. He''d have to call the base commander. Stefan cleared his throat, then ever-so-delicately tapped on one particular button that he''d never, ever hoped to press. The voice that filled the room was guttural and Russian in accent. "What?" "Sir, this is the Monitor Station-" "I know that, durak! What is problem?" "I have a red-flag alert from two people who just entered. One human male, one Dorarizin female." The voice''s harshness faded a bit. "What is issue with Dorarizin?" "It''s not her, sir. It''s the human. The facial recognition software shot me a red flag on him, but it won''t tell me why. I keep getting an ''insufficient security level'' message. And I''m logged in properly, I''ve checked three times now." Stefan could practically feel the Slavic judgement wafting through the speaker. Finally, the voice spoke again. "All right, I am coming down. This had better not be screw-up on your part." There was nothing to do but wait, and Stefan did that with an ever-heavier heart. He was sure that he''d somehow messed it up, and that he would soon be sporting a boot up his ass courtesy of the commander... The door to the control room slid open, and the compact, wide-shouldered figure of Commander Maksimov Valentin Ivanovich strode in. That stride suggested that, if a Dorarizin had been standing in front of the door, the alien would now be sporting a Valentin-sized hole through its body. His black hair and mustache all but bristled as he glared at Stefan. "Call it up." Stefan dutifully pressed the keys, and in the main display appeared the face of a man with a tan complexion, short dark hair, and a myriad of laugh-lines around his eyes. Other than that, his face appeared smooth and ageless. "This is the man, sir." Commander Valentin grunted, then leaned forward. "Interesting. That face is familiar, I might actually know this ublyudok..." He tapped a few keys of his own to log in, and after a bit more Russian swearing he managed to call up a personnel file. A slightly younger version of the same man stared out of the screen, with a lot of text to the side and beneath his picture. Much of that text was covered in the blacked-out rectangles of a heavily-redacted document. "Oh, cyka blyat," said Valentin. "It''s him."
Oscar stopped dead upon entering the human base proper. He was expecting a series of gray, uninteresting corridors like many of the barracks he''d been stationed in. But instead, they''d hollowed out the wing and turned it into a shell which overlaid a grid of smaller human buildings with an actual street running through them. In the center of the base squatted a taller, brick-like building that must be the base''s main redoubt. Oscar had no doubt that any path to that redoubt was covered with overlapping fields of fire from a myriad of disguised and armored pillboxes. The whole place felt like a combination of Disneyland and next-level paranoia. At the moment he saw only humans walking about, most of them dressed in military fatigues. There were some here and there that wore more civilian attire. Oscar stood for a moment and reveled in the feeling of being surrounded by normal-sized figures for the first time in a long while. He saw a couple of curious glances at his and Myyreh''s clasped hands, and wondered if human-alien romances were at all common here. Right next to the entrance was a small billboard with the promised map on its surface. "Care for a bite to eat?" asked Oscar as he looked it over. "They should have a restaurant here." Myyreh looked around, her ears twitching with uncertainty. Even though she was on the short side for a Dorarizin she still towered over everyone else. "[I don''t know. Will I fit in one of your eateries?]" "We can only try...huh, looks like they have a Chinese place, plus a coupla pizza joints. Which would you like?" "[You choose, sweetie. Lead the way.]" "Then Chinese it is." Oscar tugged at her paw and headed up the center boulevard. Myyreh let him take the lead as she walked with caution among the humans streaming to either side of them, her ears spinning like radar dishes all the while. They only passed one alien, a pythonesque Jornissian who sat frozen on the ground. She looked to be positively vibrating out of her skin in delight as she stared at the humans surrounding her. After a short stroll they stood in front of a yellow-painted building with guardian lions formed of fake stone flanking the entrance. "[Should you ask them if I can come in?]" asked Myyreh. "Nah, it''ll be fine. They gotta expect your species in here on occasion." She had to duck to follow Oscar through the doorway. The dour-faced Asian woman near the entrance raised her eyebrow upon seeing Myyreh, but all she asked was "Table for two?" The place was almost full, and bigger than Oscar expected. It wasn''t the oversized alien architecture he was used to, but the place was clearly designed so that xenos wouldn''t keep banging their heads on the ceiling. There were even a few Jornissian-style floor divots in place of booths. The other patrons (all human at the moment) took Myyreh''s presence in stride and the Dorarizin visibly relaxed at the lack of commotion. Her ears rose as she squatted across the table from Oscar, and he could hear the subtle swish as her tail wagged against the carpet. "Why are you so nervous?" he asked. "[Just...well, it''s a bit overwhelming having this many humans around me. During my training we worked on simulacra, but only a few at a time. I worry that I''m going to bump into somebody by accident.]" The imperturbable woman brought them menus. "Special number three causes allergic reaction in Dorarizin," she said. "Do you get many of your, er, hosts here?" asked Oscar. "About fifty per week. The Szechuan Beef is popular with them." Myyreh shrugged. "[I''ll try that then.]" "That might be kinda spicy," said Oscar. It was perhaps ridiculous to warn her, seeing as how her species ate things that would kill a human stone dead. "No complaints so far," said the woman. "We can make it less spicy, if you prefer." Myyreh grinned. "[That sounds like a challenge. Make it as hot as you can. What do you want, sweetie?" Oscar shrugged and ordered a few dishes to share, along with a pot of tea. "[Nothing stronger?]" asked Myyreh as the woman bustled off. "Nah, we''re on the job tomorrow. Gotta be sharp." Myyreh looked around the restaurant. Garish gold wallpaper lined the walls, broken up by vertical red velvet stripes at regular intervals. "[So this food is from a specific region of [Earth]? I really should read up more on your different cultures.]" Oscar grinned. "Well, this place isn''t culturally accurate, if I''m honest. But it''s kind of a tradition. Wherever humans go, Chinese restaurants follow." They both relaxed and engaged in small talk until the food arrived. Myyreh''s dish was Dorarizin-sized, and the vapor coming off of it made Oscar''s eyes water. They divvied up the various dishes, but Oscar chose not to take any off of Myyreh''s beef dish. She speared a few pieces of beef as well as the surrounding peppers, then popped the fork into her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "[Hmmm. That''s really good.]" "I don''t know how you can eat that. My nose is nowhere near as good as yours and that stuff is clearing out my sinuses even way over here." "[It does have a unique scent profile. Are you sure you don''t want some?]" "When I was a young man, I went for anything really spicy. But what goes in must come out, and...aw, hell with it. I''ll try some." Oscar transferred a few mouthfuls of the beef-and-pepper extravaganza to his plate, and with great deliberation took a bite of his own. "Wow," he mumbled as he chewed. "This really is tasty..." His eyes widened as the first wave of searing heat spread through his mouth. He almost spat out what was in his mouth, but manfully fought through it and chewed until the little lump of fire was liquid enough to swallow. Then he grabbed his cup of tea and downed it in one slug. "HOOAH! Oh man, I''m gonna regret that later on." Myyreh reached out and refilled his cup with a gentle smile on her face. "I knew it. My brave little warrior never backs down from a challenge."
Oscar stood in the center of the storage facility. He was surrounded by storage lockers and the muted whirr of camera drones mapping the place. He could hear Rgrarshok''s muffled voice from the small office at the front as she grilled the Jornissian in charge. Bgrarh let out a grunt of interest as he leaned towards a window at the rear of the facility. "[There''s a small gouge in the frame here. Might have been [jimmied] open.]" Oscar looked at the small window...small for an alien, that is. That knot of suspicion began to form again. He moved to the cabinet of interest and reached up to the handle, opening the heavy door with some effort. The shelves within were lined with Eggs all similar to the stolen one. As he peered closer, he saw that the fractal-like patterns on them differed from Egg to Egg. "No numbering scheme," he muttered. The foam nestling the Eggs had no markings either. Oscar poked his head around the door and called back to Bgrarh. "Hey, do we know which one it was?" Bgrarh loped around the door. "[It''s the empty slot here,]" he said, pointing to a shelf well above Oscar''s head. "[Oh, would you like me to...?]" Oscar sighed and held up his arms like he was signaling a touchdown. It was his adopted shorthand for asking for a boost. Bgrarh reached down and hoisted Oscar up, and the human didn''t miss the little wag that started in Bgrarh''s tail as he did so. Oscar put the slight humiliation out of his mind as he looked down at the now-empty cradle. "Just the one, eh?" "[Yes.]" Oscar hummed thoughtfully as he tapped on Bgrarh''s paw to ask to be put down again. Once his feet were on the floor, he looked around the room again. "Find any DNA?" "[A bunch of fragments, but nothing that could give us a positive ID. This place is a few hundred years old. A lot of people have been through this room.]" And that was the main thing that bothered Oscar. This place was not some kind of super-duper bank vault, it was a glorified storage locker. There were no motion sensors or drones, just a few cameras and a night guard. He suspected that the reason for the latter was only to give someone a job. If the stolen Egg held information sensitive enough to call in his team, then why was it stored here? He strolled out into the front office. Hnnresnthsh, the Jornissian in charge, was in the middle of waving his arms as he protested to Rgrarshok. "[...there''s no way she could be in on this! She''s just a student! Not to mention she''s the one who brought it to my attention.]" "[I appreciate your point, but we must examine all possibilities. Who else knows the details of what is stored here?]" The Jornissian looked down at Oscar and chewed on his lip. "[Er, I don''t know if I should say in front of...]" He trailed off with an apologetic set to his hood. Rgrarshok turned to regard him as well. "[[Oscar], would you mind excusing us?]" His knot of unease clenched tighter. "[Sure. After you''re done, can I speak to you in private?"
Oscar stared out the shuttle''s side window with folded arms. Myyreh sat across from him, twiddling her paw-pads together but otherwise staying silent in the midst of his brooding. The vehicle rocked slightly to one side by the Rgrarshok''s entrance. She seated herself next to Myyreh, her nose twitching as she automatically inhaled Oscar''s scent. "[You are troubled, my little pack-mate.]" He waited until the shuttle door slid closed, taking the time to choose his next words carefully. "Captain, may I speak freely?" Rgrarshok cocked her head. "[Of course.]" "I don''t think we''ve been told the whole truth." The Captain crossed her arms. "[Go on.]" "I''m going to tell you what I think is going on, and then you can tell me if I''m full of shit. Whatever''s on the Egg isn''t classified. If it was, you guys would''ve kept it in a more secure location." He waved in the direction of the building. "This place is a joke. The night guard is a kid, for Chrissake!" Neither Dorarizin said anything, so he plowed on. "My guess is this facility is some kind of offline storage site or archive where you stick historical information so you don''t clog up the networks with yottabytes of obsolete data. But when they put the human base here, the higher-ups forgot that what''s useless to you isn''t useless to humans. Someone from my species must be the culprit." Rgrarshok sighed. "[I have my orders, [Oscar]. That includes not telling you details of the Egg''s data or why it''s stored here. What you''re saying is only conjecture.]" The knot of tension in Oscar''s stomach turned into a flare of anger. "Dammit, I''m not an idiot. The Senate must suspect humans are behind this. It''s the only reason they''d freak out about such a minor theft and pull us in so fast. It''s why you can''t tell us what''s on the Egg. And on top of that, Bgrarh thinks the facility''s rear window was the point of entry. It''s barely big enough to fit a skinny Jornissian through, and way too small for either a Karnakian or Dorarizin. Even a Jornissian would have left a lot more physical evidence than a single scrape. But a human or two could get through there no problem." Myyreh reached over and put a big warm paw on Oscar''s knee. "[Is that what has you so worried? You don''t want to track and arrest your own kind?}" Oscar blinked in surprise. "Eh? Oh hell no, I''ve busted plenty of my own people over the years. No, it''s that we''re hamstrung by this damn secrecy. Captain, I understand need-to-know and all of that, but how are we going to be able to do our job like this? There''s no real physical evidence thus far. They do scans of the Eggs every twenty days, so we can''t narrow down the time of the break-in any closer than that. We''re down to working on motive, and we can''t do that without knowing what''s on the Egg." The Captain leaned back and let forth a click-growl of frustration. "[At the moment, all I can ask is for patience. The secrecy will be less of a hindrance than you think.]" Myyreh shot the Captain a look that could only be described as ''guilty''. Oscar realized that the Captain had been specific when she''d mentioned her orders to not tell him anything. He felt that flare of anger grow larger. "Wait one damn minute. Are you kidding me? The rest of the crew knows the Egg''s contents? Myra, do you know?" She looked at the deck, unwilling to meet his eyes. Finally, in a small voice, she said. "[Yeah.]" He threw up his arms. "Well that''s just fucking great." Rgrarshok''s face was stony. "[We have our orders.]" "Orders can fall down and go boom." Oscar stood, his fists clenched. "You''ve turned a blind eye to the regs plenty of times for me, why not now?" "[Technology transfer is a very sensitive area where Senate interactions with [humans] are concerned.]" "Oh, so they think I''m gonna turn around and steal the Egg myself? After all of the shit we''ve been through together, you don''t trust me?" Rgrarshok stood faster than Oscar was used to, and he flinched back in surprise as her head brushed against the roof of the shuttle. "[Again, I understand your anger. But I can''t go against my superiors, not on something like this. This conversation is over.]" Oscar watched her go with his teeth clenched hard enough to hurt. Just before she stepped down out of the craft, he called out to her. "Humans aren''t the only ones involved." The Captain froze, then turned her head back towards Oscar with narrowed purple eyes. "[Explain.]" "There''s no serial numbers or glyphs on or near the Eggs, no way to distinguish any one in particular. They went for one on a shelf above human height. And they only took that one, not a bunch of ''em. Which means they knew exactly what they were looking for. Somebody here in the colony told them where it was." "[I''ll take that under consideration, [Oscar]. Thank you.]" She turned her head back and hopped down out of the shuttle, which again rocked gently. "[You see?]" asked Myyreh. "[You''re still able to help, even if you don''t know...]" He swung his head to Myyreh, and the big alien actually flinched at the fury in his eyes. "[I''m sorry, [Oscar],]" she said in a quieter voice. "[The Senate told us not to say anything to you.]" He said nothing, just clenched his jaw tighter with his arms crossed. Her ears folded back flat against her head. "[When our Alpha orders, we obey. You understand? Just as the Captain is doing what she''s been told. Don''t blame her. Please, don''t be angry with us...with me.]" "I''ll be angry if I fucking well feel like it. After that stuff about your heart belonging to me, and mine to you...if y''all had straight-up told me you''d been ordered to keep quiet I''d get it. I wouldn''t be happy, but I''d understand. But no, I guess the Senate thinks I need to be kept in the dark like a fucking child and you all went along with them." He took in big lungful of air, trying to calm himself before he said something he''d regret. Myyreh stared with watery eyes at him as he dropped his hands wearily to his sides. "Myra, I know you care for me, but I have to deal with a lot of shit you don''t. I live in a ship where everything''s built too tall for me, I never hear a human voice except in a recording, I work in a risky profession where I''m always the weakest guy in the room. The only thing that''s kept me going is the knowledge that you, all of you, have my back." Myyreh did the same blurry-fast standing that the Captain had just performed. "[But we do!]" she protested. "[I do! Don''t you know how much I love you...]" "Then why are y''all treating me like a fucking pup? I know you have your orders, but couldn''t you trust me to keep my mouth shut? It''s not like I''d go tattling on you to the Senate." Myyreh sniffled and wiped her nose. She blinked her tears away, her eyes suddenly wider as she looked at Oscar in a silent plea. He held up an unamused hand. "Don''t do the puppy-eyes routine, okay? Not now." She looked away. "[So...what do we do?]" "I will try to do my damn job. I don''t care if what''s on the Egg is plans for a black hole gun or directions to build a planet-sized laser or recipes for the best fucking ever tuna salad. Somebody stole it and I''m gonna go find ''em." He turned and headed for the shuttle exit. "Right after I walk around for a bit and calm down." Chapter Three Rgrarshok pulled Ngralh into her quarters when she came back on board the Claw. The XO knew that something was up based on the sour tinge to her usual scent. She didn''t waste any time. "{Little-Sniffer has figured out that the tiny-chompers are the primary suspects. He also realized that we know the Egg''s contents.}" "{But he still doesn''t know what those contents are, right?}" he asked. "{Of course. He''s not clairvoyant...at least, I don''t think so.}" Ngralh relaxed upon hearing the latter bit of news. To him, their orders to keep [Oscar] completely in the dark was just typical bureaucratic overreaction. Under normal circumstances his pack would officially ''follow'' such idiotic orders while unofficially telling their smallest packmate what was really going on. But not this time. This particular case was also under scrutiny by the Inquisition of the Dorarizin Empire, and for a crime of this magnitude everyone was operating on a strict zero-tolerance policy. "{At least they can''t censure us if he figured some of it out on his own,}" said Ngralh. "{How mad is he?}" "{He''s furious. To be fair, I understand why. Tell the crew to tread softly around him for a while. He did bring up a good point. Someone among the other races must have told the tiny-chomper thief exactly where that particular Egg was located.}" "{That makes [Hnnresnthsh], the archivist, the most likely suspect. He ran the place, he knows its layout the best. What about [Sn''snna''hhrel], the night guard?]" Rgrarshok rubbed the topside of one claw under her chin. "{I don''t like her for it. By all accounts she''s just there to have a part-time job after school...but we should be thorough. Let''s have Little-Sniffer interview her. If she was involved, she might let her guard down around him.}" Ngralh nodded an ear. "{I did check [Hnnresnthsh''s] bank accounts. Nothing out of the ordinary, so if he did tell the tiny-chompers something he wasn''t paid for it.}" "{Maybe he was paid in other ways. During Little-Sniffer''s interrogation, the rest of us will search [Hnnresnthsh''s] apartment. Maybe he''ll have some suspiciously expensive-looking gifts.}" "{He may push back on that,}" replied Ngralh. "{Let him. I''ve got authority to pursue this investigation as I see fit, and if he gets really upset he can take it up with the governor.}"
Oscar walked a good ten feet in front of Myyreh as they were led down the corridor by a trotting Karnakian who was clad in a blue suit. The raptor''s claws tick-tacked on the wood floor of the hallway, which sported a rich polished sheen that befitted the domicile of the governor of an entire planet. Oscar wondered if the Jornissians found such a smooth surface harder or easier to slither on. Wondering about mundane crap like that kept him from ignoring the cold atmosphere emanating from the Dorarizin behind him. Ever since he''d walked out of that shuttle, Myyreh acted towards him as if he was nothing but a co-worker. The chilliness hurt, but Oscar was going to be damned if he''d apologize for getting justifiably angry. He wondered if the space-werewolves had a phrase that translated to ''sleeping on the couch''. Their escort stopped at a thick wooden door which was just as grandly polished as the floor. "[She''s in here. Call me when you''re done...oh wait, do you have an implant?]" "[I do,]" said Myyreh. "[I''ll let you know when we''re ready.]" Her tone was flat and neutral. The Karnakian nodded his crest and, after a final long look at Oscar, tick-tacked off down the hallway. Oscar checked that his uniform was set right, then knocked on the door. After a minute of silence he knocked again, harder this time. He looked at Myyreh in puzzlement. "Wrong door?" Myyreh said nothing, just stepped forward and grabbed the door handle. She swung the door open as Oscar stepped back to avoid getting whacked. Judging by the shout that sounded out right as Myyreh cracked it open, the door was soundproof as well as heavy. "[...DOES ANYBODY HAVE EYES ON THE SNIPER? WHERE IS THAT HARSAK-CRUSHED MENACE?]" Framed in the doorway was a large nest-room with a bowl-shaped depression big enough to house several Jornissians, but at the moment only one occupied it. The sky-blue female twisted upon her nest''s cushions, forming a complicated tangle with her body. She wore a wrap-around silver visor which encased her eyes entirely, and she gestured and pointed as if firing pistols in each hand. "[I see him! I''m on it!]" Oscar edged into the room, and just as Myyreh closed the door behind them the Jornissian pointed both hands forward as she unloaded her virtual weapons into an invisible foe. She shoved one fist into the air and shouted a triumphant "[HA!]" Oscar started to approach her, only to get stopped by Myyreh''s paw on his shoulder. "[Wait here.]" Without waiting for a reply, she brushed past him and stalked towards the be-goggled Jornissian. Oscar couldn''t even follow Myyreh''s paw as she snatched the headset off of the alien. The Jornissian blinked in confusion, her eyes focusing on Myyreh for a second before puffing out her hood indignantly. "[Hey! What''s the big idea, I''m in the middle of a raid...!]" With another blurring movement Myyreh pressed her unsheathed claw into the middle of the girl''s snout. "[You''re [Sn''snna''hhrel]?]" The girl was smart enough to not bluster. "[Y...Yeah?]" "[You were just sent five separate messages requesting you to come to an interview.]" Sn''snna''hhrel''s hood drooped. "{Oh, is that what those PMs were about? I thought it was my mom bugging me.]" "[It wasn''t. Therefore the interview has come to you.]" She took her claw away and swept her other paw towards Oscar. "[Answer his questions and you can go back to your virtual slaughter.]" The snake-girl''s amber eyes widened. "{Wow! Is he really a [human]?}" "Nope, I''m an espresso machine in disguise," replied Oscar. He caught an ever-so-slight twitch of Myyreh''s lips as she almost smiled. Sn''snna''hhrel didn''t notice as she babbled on. "[I mean, I''ve seen a few of them here and there when they go out of their base, but only from a distance...oops, was I supposed to say that to you? We''re not supposed to tell people from off-planet about the [human] base. You must be off-planet, I don''t recognize your uniforms, hey are you here about the fake thingy? Crud, I wasn''t supposed to say anything about that either...]" Oscar waved an arm to get her attention. "It''s okay, we''re both with the Senate. Like you said, we''re here about the ''fake thingy''." Sn''snna''hhrel uncurled out of the bed-nest and approached Oscar, but got no closer than ten feet before Myyreh let out a warning growl. The girl froze and glanced behind her, then lowered herself to Oscar''s height with her hands clasped in front of her. "[What, ah, what did you want to know?]" Oscar sighed and look a small notepad and pencil from his pocket. It was handier than lugging a terminal around, even if his packmates gave him grief about it. Egwreh had asked him why he didn''t just use a rock to carve his notes into some tree bark. "Let''s start at the beginning, when you ran that scan on the Eggs..."
Hnnresnthsh sat in a grumpy lump in the entryway of his apartment. He folded his arms and tucked his hood in tight against his head and neck. In the main room beyond, the Senate team hustled about. The team tossed the functionary''s dwelling with casual efficiency, making sure their disruption was minimal yet effective. "[I can''t believe you suspect me!}" yelled the Jornissian. "[I brought this to Rrre''nansh''s attention!]" Ngralh patted him on the shoulder. "{We just have to be thorough. Don''t worry, when we''re done it''ll be like we were never here.}" "[It''s still ridiculous. If I had planned this theft no one would ever find out.]" That statement brought to Ngralh''s mind something that had bothered him since hearing Little-Sniffer''s assertion. If someone from the colony had indeed plotted along with the tiny-chompers to steal the Egg, any competent plot would surely include a functioning copy. That would have made it impossible for anyone to find out the theft had ever occurred. For that matter, if Hnnresnthsh was involved he''d have simply swapped in a functioning copy, pocketed the original, and dropped the original Egg right into the tiny-chompers'' hands. It wasn''t like there was anyone watching over his shoulder. Not for something as mundane as this. Egwreh poked her head around the corner to the entryway. "{Sir, we found something. Please follow me?}" Hnnresnthsh''s hood twitched. "[What? What is it?]" Ngralh gave the agitated Jornissian another pat. "{Probably nothing. Just wait here.}" From his tone, Ngralh made it clear that the latter statement was not a suggestion. Egwreh led him back through a short hallway to Hnnresnthsh''s bed-nest. Brgrarh straightened up from the bowl-shaped depression, and with one paw held up a labeled evidence bag. Inside the bag was a small, square plastic chip. "{Found this stashed between the bed-cushions, sir,}" said Bgrarh as he handed it to the XO. "{It''s a media chip, so what?}" asked Ngralh. "{Turn it over,}" said Egwreh. Ngralh did so, and squinted at the tiny markings on the back of the chip. "{Wait. Is this tiny-chomper writing?}" Bgrarh nodded with a feral and sharp-toothed grin. "{I didn''t find any tiny-chomper DNA on the chip itself, but we''ve found some areas with tiny-chomper DNA in the apartment.}" Ngralh matched his packmate''s smile. "{Finally some physical evidence. Can we identify whose genetic material it is?}" "{No. It''s been severely degraded, as if it''s been exposed to cleaning agents.}" Ngralh handed the bagged chip back to Bgrarh. "{Get that up to the ship ASAP. Call Tiny-Sniffer and tell him to hustle back once he''s finished his questioning. Don''t tell [Hnnresnthsh] that we found this chip. We''ll only mention the DNA evidence.}" The XO clasped his paws behind his back and strolled back down the hallway to face an increasingly nervous-looking Hnnresnthsh. His voice was butter-smooth as he gave the archivist his most winning and be-fanged smile. "{Sorry about that, sir. Like I said, it''s not a big deal. We did find a few patches of tiny-chomper DNA in the apartment. Do you know where that might have come from?}" To Ngralh''s surprise, Hnnresnthsh didn''t get more nervous. Instead he looked rather relieved as he drew himself up to Ngralh''s height. "[Well, of course I do! I held a party for some of my colleagues, and one of them brought along a [tiny-chomper] from the base.]" "{You wouldn''t happen to remember the tiny-chomper''s name, by chance?}" "[Oh, I couldn''t possibly remember. They call themselves such ridiculous things, like [Steve] or [Cathy].]" "{That''s unfortunate. If we had a name, we could match that with the DNA and verify your story.}" Ngralh clicked his teeth together in simulated regret. "{Oh, wait, we can''t. It looks like the DNA was exposed to a cleaning agent...as if someone was trying to get rid of it.}" Hnnresnthsh gave a steady hiss of laughter. "[Well, it was a very successful party. I was cleaning up for a long time afterwards, you know?]" "{Oh, I understand completely.}"
"[...I mean, sometimes I''ll see something move, and I go check it, ya know? Like I should. But it''s always a phrnar or something running across the lawn.]" "What''s a frng...fnal...phrnar?" asked Oscar. He was still getting the hang of Jornissian inflections. Sn''snna''hhrel held out her hands about a foot apart. "[It''s a little burrowing animal, about this big. They''re harmless.]" "Got it. So you have no recollection of any particular night where something out of the ordinary happened? How many of these false alarms do you get per night?"The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The girl shrugged. "Usually one? Most nights they don''t happen." Oscar gave a mental grumble. The signal-to-noise ratio was too high; if he really pressed her for a specific date they might wind up chasing shadows. He tucked away his notebook and pencil. "Well, that''s all I have for now." Sn''snna''hhrel''s eyes gleamed. "[So we''re done?]" "Yep." As Myyreh silently handed the gaming headset back to Sn''snna''hhrel, Oscar regarded the device with curiosity. "So what were you playing? It sounded something like the Jornissian version of Call of Duty Five Billion." The Jornissian glanced at him with an abashed tilt to her hood. "[No, this is a game called...don''t get angry, but it''s called [Human] Protection Squad.]" Oscar wasn''t sure if he should be flattered or offended. "You''re shittin'' me." "[I''m not! You wanna see? Hang on, I''ll put it in ghost mode so you can have a look around...]" She whipped on the headset, made a few quick gestures in the air, then took it back off and handed it to Oscar. He raised an eyebrow at the very much oversized goggles unit, then shrugged and placed it over his head. After a bit of fiddling, Oscar found he had to hold it well away from his head and close one eye to see anything; the headset was clearly built for somebody with eyes set much wider apart than any human''s. The first thing he saw was an overpass. A human-scale overpass stretched about a hundred meters in front of him, crossing over the four-lane highway where he stood. He also saw a lot of crashed cars. Crashed into guard rails or dividers, crashed into each other. A few of the vehicles were on fire, adding a pall of black smoke that hung overhead. The area seemed to be deserted. He turned around, trying to get his bearings, and as he turned back to the overpass he saw the armored head of a Karnakian soldier pop up over its railing. In moments a profusion of bright beams and glowing projectiles smashed into the soldier''s position and some triumphant alien yelling filled Oscar''s ears. "[Yeah! Got him good!]" "[How long before the time portal closes?]" "[Another [twenty minutes]! The convoy with the [human] prisoners should be down this [highway]!]" Four Jornissians now emerged from concealment among the wreckage and began slithering towards the overpass. One of them passed right through Oscar, who instinctively tensed at the sudden closeness. He turned and looked again as the quartet receded in the distance. Something about the terrain and the place looked familiar. Then it clicked. "Waitaminute. This is Atlanta! Just north of the airport!" "[Yeah, it''s the latest level.]" Oscar lifted the headset off of his head and handed it back to Sn''snna''hhrel. "Rewriting the invasion of Earth, eh?" She looked at Oscar uncertainly. "[It''s just a game. I hope you''re not offended.]" "Nah, knock yourself out." Sn''snna''hhrel quirked her hood sideways in puzzlement. "Er, I mean go right ahead. And we''re working on this as fast as we can, so hopefully you''ll be out of seclusion pretty soon." The girl hummed happily as she donned her headset. "[Take your time. I''ve gone up [twenty] levels in the past week!]"
Oscar held the bagged chip closer to his eyes so that he could read the tiny English print on its surface. "''Good Times''? That doesn''t tell us much." Rgrashok gestured to the rec lounge''s main display, which right now showed pictures of both Hnnresnthsh and Sn''snna''hhrel. "[The archivist''s story checks out. He did indeed have a party at his apartment about four weeks ago, and a [human] from the base attended. One of the command staff, a Colonel [Jacobs].]" "[There was too much [human] DNA, though,]" said Bgrarh. "[Too much to be from a single visit.]" Oscar set the evidence bag back down on the central table. "Well that all depends on how much fun Jacobs had at the party, eh?" "[What of the night guard?]" asked the Captain. "She couldn''t remember anything suspicious. There was one incident where some local kids tried to use the archive''s grounds as a make-out area, but that was about three months ago. Well out of our window of opportunity. As for the girl herself, she didn''t know much about what was stored there or where anything was located. The scans themselves are just a ''wave the wand at an Egg, wait for the [orange] light'' kind of thing." "[Hmm. Going back to the media chip, what sort of data''s on it?]" Egwreh shrugged. "[It''s full of data corresponding to a standard [human] video codec. I haven''t done an actual playback scan, just in case what''s on it is banned by the [OIH].]" Oscar crossed his arms. "Do you want me to look at it first?" Rgrarshok stared at him for a few moments before responding. "[If you''d be so kind.]" The human looked around the rec lounge, seeing a sea of worried eyes staring down at him. He figured that the Captain had spread the word that he knew that they knew, and everyone must be waiting for him to curse them all as faithless. He wasn''t going to do that. Until they had this whole mess figured out, he was taking the high road...unless some more damning information came along, of course. Oscar chewed at his lower lip a bit before speaking. "I will. And unless what''s on here is some really banned data, I''ll tell you what''s on it. Deal?" "[Deal.]" "Good. Emma, do you have a wireless setup for reading this chip? I don''t wanna take it out of the bag."
Myyreh glanced around the semicircle of her packmates, all of them staring at the door to Little-Sniffer''s quarters. He''d been in there for at least [thirty minutes] and she was starting to get worried. Well, more worried. This whole mess was getting to her. Her initial sadness at having to lie to Little-Sniffer had veered into anger at his stubborn refusal to understand that they were all acting under strict orders. He seemed to think of it as proof that they didn''t trust him. Couldn''t he see how their paws were tied? "{We should at least tell him the Inquisition is involved,}" said Bgrarh. She couldn''t help but agree, but Myyreh''s guts clenched in further anxiety as the Captain shook her head. "{No. That''s part of our orders as well. I agree that it''s ridiculous, but we have to play this absolutely straight. Nobody''s turning a blind nose to this case. We could all be put to questioning by a Veridicator before this is over.}" Myyreh felt a bit of her unease loosen as Little-Sniffer came walking back out of his quarters. He rubbed the back of his head as he regarded her and the other team members. With his other hand he handed the still-bagged media chip to Egwreh. "[How do I put this?]" he started, then paused. "[It''s, um, definitely contraband media.}" "{What else can you tell us?}" asked Bgrarh. "[I can tell you what it is in general. It''s porn.]" Rgrarshok''s ears rose in curiosity. "{Eh?}" "[The chip. It''s filled with videos of [tiny-chompers] doing the nasty.]" "{What?}" Ngralh looked equally nonplussed. Little-Sniffer rolled his eyes, then made a circle with his thumb and forefinger before poking his other forefinger repeatedly through the resulting hole. "[This. Do I need to spell it out for you?]" Rgrarshok sighed. "{It seems our archivist has a fetish. How, er, ''extreme'' is the material on there?}" Little-Sniffer shrugged. "[Not really that far out there. I mean, it''s pretty graphic as far as showing what bits fit into where but overall it''s pretty tame all things considered.]" He paused and did the lip-chewing thing again, a gesture that made Myyreh want to hug him to her chest in the worst way. "[I''m missing something. I can''t put my finger on it, but there''s something about the videos on that chip. It''s gotta be related to this case, somehow.]" Rgrarshok crossed her arms. "{Perhaps. Even if we confront [Hnnresnthsh] about this, he could just shrug and claim that it''s someone else''s chip. He could claim that the mysterious ''someone'' dropped it during that party with the tiny-chomper.}" "[It''s still all tied together somehow.]" Little-Sniffer rubbed the side of his face. "[Something about...hey, [Ngralh], you mentioned that [Hnnresnthsh] actually got more relaxed when you told him about the [tiny-chomper] DNA you''d found?]" "{That''s right.}" "[And before that he was pretty agitated?]" "{Again, you claw directly at it.}" Little-Sniffer smiled. "[What if he was scared that you''d found that chip? Maybe he forgot about it until you showed up at his door to search the place.]" Myyreh couldn''t help herself. She had to speak up. "{That''s ridiculous! If this chip had anything do to with such an important theft he''d have destroyed it.}" "{Unless he did simply forget,}" mused Ngralh. "{It''s possible. It would explain why he was so chipper after I mentioned the tiny-chomper DNA.}" They all stared at the bagged chip dangling from Egwreh''s paw. "{This could have nothing to do with our case,}" said Rgrarshok. "{We''ll only get one shot at confronting [Hnnresnthsh] about it.}" "[Okay, so we need more info,]" said Little-Sniffer. "[Let me scout out the [tiny-chomper] base. There''s gotta be a black market set up for [tiny-chomper] media.]" Upon the Captain''s nod, Myyreh stepped forward. "{Okay, let''s go.}" Little-Sniffer stared at her with a neutral expression. "[For now I should go alone, without you or Junior.]" Myyreh''s head-fur bristled. "{That''s not happening. I''m supposed to protect you.}" "[Nobody is gonna talk to me about criminal activity while you or some alien drone looms over my shoulder.]" Her combined fear and anger made Myyreh''s next words just slip out. "{Oh, is that your excuse? I know why you don''t want me along. You still think we''ve betrayed you somehow.}" The other packmembers shifted uncomfortably at her words as Little-Sniffer looked away. "[We''re not having this argument, [Myyreh]. Not in front of the others.]" Myyreh moved closer, planting herself in front of him. "{You still don''t get it, do you? We can speak in front of them. They''re my family. They''re...}" She reached out and tucked a finger under his chin, gently forcing him to look up at her. "{They''re your family. Please believe me, we don''t think of you as a pup.}" "[I know, I know. Orders.]" He moved his head off of her finger and headed down the hallway without a glance back at them.
The bartender set the glass of beer in front of Oscar. She was a wider, matronly-looking woman with a florid face and a long black ponytail hanging down against her flannel shirt. "You want anything else?" she asked. "Shot of Jack, please," said Oscar. As the bartender moved away to pour the drink, Oscar looked around the saloon. Cheap and pre-made composite panels formed the walls, which were by now festooned with pictures and various knickknacks. The bar itself was just a big slab of epoxy-coated particleboard with a line of stools along it. This was not a place to go and admire the decor, this was a place to go and get drunk. And even though he was technically on the job, Oscar felt the urge to get drunk. He nodded his thanks at the bartender as she set the shot beside his beer. He downed the whiskey in one slug, then sipped his beer and turned his attention to the patrons. It was mid-day, and there were only a few hardcore drinkers in the place. One greasy-looking skinny guy in jeans and a flannel shirt hung by his elbows at the far end of the bar, while three other, much fitter men in olive-colored military fatigues sat at one of the tables. The trio had a bottle sitting in the middle of the table with only a few millimeters left in it. That, plus their whooping, told Oscar that they were the ones who''d killed the bottle. Oscar figured that Mr. Greasy was his best bet, and picked up his beer. "How''s it going?" Oscar asked as he set the beer back down and seated himself on the stool next to the man. Mr. Greasy responded with a shrug. "Same old same old. You''re from off-planet." He didn''t phrase the latter sentence as a question. "Yeah, we got here a couple of days ago. Let me tell ya, I was pretty surprised this was here." Oscar waved his glass in general at the walls around him. "A pleasant surprise, though. Feels good to be back in a normal-sized place." Mr. Greasy gave him some side-eye as he sipped his own drink. "Whatever you''re fishing for, I ain''t talking." "''Scuse me?" "Word''s gone out. Nobody''s gonna talk to you." Oscar raised a curious eyebrow while he drank some beer. "Why not?" "Because you''re working for a buncha damn alien police, that''s why. Nobody trusts you." Oscar set the beer back on the bar with a thump. He stared down into the glass, then gave a dark chuckle. "Story of my life." The whiskey in his stomach now gave off a pleasant warm buzz, and that warmth loosened his tongue. "I thought I was trusted, ya know? I thought I''d proved myself, back there at the beginning. Two years, I''ve been with ''em. Two years, and we''ve caught a looootta bad guys. I thought they had my back. I never even questioned it. Until now." If Mr. Greasy was going to respond, he never got the chance. A fragrant wave of booze and halitosis came wafting over Oscar''s shoulder, followed by a slurred, mocking voice. "Awwww, is the human pet getting all upset about his owners?" Oscar smiled and picked up his beer. He cradled the glass against his stomach with one hand as he slowly spun around on his stool. One of the trio now stood over him with crossed arms, the posture making his substantial chest and shoulders strain against his fatigues. He sported a buzz-cut and had aviator sunglasses pushed up onto his forehead. His two compatriots stood on either side, with similar flexing postures and unfriendly grins. Oscar looked Mr Buzzcut in the eye as he sipped his beer. He said nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Mr. Greasy pick up his own drink and sidle away. Mr. Buzzcut grinned wider. "We saw the pictures of you and that alien bitch holding hands. Tell me somethin''. When you do the deed, does she make you wear a collar?" "I bet she does." said the one to Oscar''s left, a black-haired guy with a jagged scar down one side of his face. "I bet she makes him walk around on all fours while she spanks him." The one to Oscar''s right snorted. "Big as she is, I''ll bet she don''t even feel him when they fuck. He must have a thing for big ol'' sloppy alien pussy." Oscar took a swig of his beer and still said nothing. Mr. Buzzcut leaned in. "Well? You gonna speak?" Oscar leaned back against the bar. "Y''all seem pretty fond of the sound of your own voices. I figured I''d give you the floor." The bartender''s voice sounded from behind Oscar. "Come on, guys, not here. If you''re gonna fight, take it outside." "It''s all right," said Oscar. "There''s not gonna be a fight." The trio surrounding him laughed, adding to the miasma of bad breath and alcohol fumes surrounding Oscar. "You think so?" leered Mr. Buzzcut. "Only way we let you walk out of here is if you lick our boots." Oscar sipped again at his beer. "Allow me to elucidate. You see, the word ''fight'' implies at least some equality between the combatants involved." He waited for the fancier words to sink through the four inches of Mr. Buzzcut''s skull. Finally Mr. Buzzcut figured out Oscar''s vocabulary. "You think you can take us? I don''t care how big you are, it''s still three on one." "Very true," mused Oscar. "Not to mention y''all are pretty big yourselves. You must do a lot of lifting. Plus you''ve been in a lotta fights too, am I right?" Mr. Scar traced a finger down the old injury on his face. "We''ve been in plenty." Oscar''s gentle smile grew wider as he realized that, for the first time in a long while, he was now the most dangerous motherfucker in the room. "That''s all veeerrry impressive. Now me, I''ve been puttin'' people in the fuckin'' ground since before y''all were just a gleam in your mommas'' eyes. So. How about...I buy y''all a drink, we shake hands, and then I don''t have to throw y''all a beatin''." Mr. Buzzcut snarled as he reached out. He grabbed the front of Oscar''s uniform and yanked hard, expecting to have to pull Oscar up towards him. Instead Oscar went with the pull, surging off of his stool. Mr. Buzzcut stumbled as the force of his backwards yank made him over-correct. Oscar took that opportunity to threw his beer into the eyes of the attacker on his right. At the same time his left elbow slammed up into Mr. Buzzcut''s trachea, and as the man gagged Oscar used his beer-hand to shove the idiot backwards. As Mr. Buzzcut toppled to the floor, Mr. Scar at Oscar''s left swung with a wild hay-maker. Oscar shrugged up and took the blow on his shoulder instead of his ear, while at the same time he smacked the bottom of his beer glass hard into Mr. Scar''s temple. The man went sideways onto the bar, his eyes already dazed as his head thonked off of the unyielding wood. He slid down off of the bar into a puddle of tangled limbs on the floor. Oscar turned. The last one standing finished wiping the beer out of his eyes as he stared in horror at seeing his two buddies now lying on the floor. Mr. Buzzcut grasped at his own throat with a pained gurgle, while Mr. Scar wasn''t making any sort of noise at all. The remaining man screamed and charged. Oscar slipped the oncoming punch as he stepped aside to trip the man. As his attacker sailed past, Oscar gave the back of the moron''s head a good push as well. The charging man flopped forward like a beached whale, his skull bouncing off of the floor with another satisfying thonk before the man went limp. The saloon was once more silent. Less than five seconds had passed since Mr. Buzzcut''s initial yank. The bartender was now pale as a sheet. "Holy shit." Oscar sighed and stepped over the prone form of Mr. Scar. He gave the bartender a sheepish shrug as he set his now-empty beer glass back on the bar. "Yeah. Sorry about that. You''d better call the MPs." Mr. Greasy spoke up from his new position, which was tucked into a corner and as far away from Oscar as possible. "There''s cameras everywhere, they gotta be on their way..." As if summoned by Mr. Greasy''s words, Oscar heard the saloon entrance door slam open behind him. He turned with exaggerated care and saw three men standing in the doorway. They also wore khaki-colored fatigues along with white armbands, and they all held exotic-looking carbines held in the low-ready position. Their eyes went wide as they surveyed the carnage in the room. Moving with the same slow care that he''d used to set down his beer glass, Oscar raised his hands. "Relax, fellas. I''m going quietly." Chapter Four Oscar shifted on the steel bench in a valiant attempt to prevent his ass from going numb. His view was nothing but cast concrete walls to either side, with a lovely set of vertical steel bars in front of him. Beyond that was another concrete wall, completing the whole Brutalist theme of the stockade. A man in fatigues sat slouched next to the door out of this place; he''d not so much as looked at Oscar since the MPs had chucked the latter in here. It looked like he was here just in case his prisoner had any bright ideas about bending apart the cell''s bars with his bare hands. Oscar knew that the crew of the Claw would be getting worried right about now. The translator bead was a transponder too, so they''d know he''d been in one place for over two hours. He was also sure that Egwreh had hacked the human database enough to know the location of the base''s jail. Given that there were no worried Dorarizin voices in his ear, it seemed that the stockade had enough shielding around it to block vocal communication. "Hey, could I get my phone call?" he asked the guard. "My crew is gonna be looking for me. I''d like to avoid any complications, yanno?" The guard shifted his gaze and looked at Oscar as if he was a piece of navel lint. "You''ll get one. Eventually." Oscar held up his hands. "Okay, fine. Just don''t blame me when you get a buncha Dorarizin commandos bustin'' through your walls." In spite of his words, he wondered if his so-called ''family'' would really do anything so extreme. For starters, storming the base would result in a huge diplomatic clusterfuck. His pack might instead decide that it was easier to leave him on ice for the moment. They could act more freely in their investigation without having to keep him in the dark. If they did go that route, he hoped that at least Myyreh would put up a token protest. The door slammed open, breaking Oscar out of his mental funk. A fireplug of a man with slicked-back black hair and a substantial black mustache marched into the room just as the guard scrambled to his feet and snapped out a salute. The newcomer turned his head looked the guard over. "Open cell. Then get lost." "Sir?" The only reply the guard received was an imperious pointing finger at the cell door''s lock. He fumbled a set of keys out of his pocket and unlocked the cell with a dull metallic clank. Oscar didn''t make a move towards the door, instead he leaned back in a manner which said louder than words I will not try anything stupid. In spite of that posture, the guard still felt the need to speak up. "Sir, are you sure you''ll be all right alone with him? I saw the video from the bar, he''s really damn fast..." The commander (and by now Oscar knew this guy had to be the commander) just jerked his thumb towards the door. With another, more apologetic salute the guard did as told, closing the door as he left. Oscar remained leaning against the wall while the commander slid the cell door open. He paused for a moment, perhaps waiting to see if Oscar would do something as foolish as charge him. When Oscar remained seated, the commander shrugged and hauled the guard''s chair into the cell with a faint screech of metal legs on concrete. He plopped the chair inside the cell and next to its door, across from Oscar. With a grunt he thumped himself down on it before reaching into a breast pocket and fishing out a battered, half-full pack of cigarettes. He stuck one in his mouth, where it hung like a decaying shop sign on the verge of collapse. After a moment of consideration, he offered the pack towards Oscar with a raised eyebrow. "I haven''t had one in about twenty years," said Oscar. "But why not?" He reached forward and plucked out a cigarette of his own while the commander fished out an equally battered lighter and flicked it open. With a few quick, precise movements he lit Oscar''s cigarette then his own. Oscar leaned back and drew on the cigarette; as he expected the harsh smoke made him cough. He was well-disciplined, however, and managed to hack up only half a lung before getting himself under control. The commander''s face didn''t so much as crack a smile. He took in a deep lungful from his own cigarette and regarded Oscar with a steady gaze while smoke drifted out of his nostrils. Finally Oscar spoke up. "Do I know you? You look familiar." "Prague, Mr. Williams," said the commander. "Ah, shit, that''s right. You''re Valentin, you were guarding Anatoly. How''s he doing?" The commander took in a drag, making the cigarette''s coal flare bright before he spoke. "He''s doing well. Getting fat and happy in retirement, except when the weather changes. Then he curses at anyone who will listen about the ''damned Amerikosy'' who broke his knee." Oscar winced. "He, ah, could get that regenerated. I got a new foot, myself." He motioned at the appendage he hadn''t been born with. "Hell, I''ll even pay for it." Commander Valentin waved a hand to dismiss the notion. "Echh, you know Anatoly. Very set in his ways. There''s no chance that he''ll allow himself to get shot up with some alien technology." They both smoked in silence for a few seconds before Oscar spoke. "You were former spetznaz, am I right? I figured you were, you were pretty fast." "Not fast enough, eh? What I was is irrelevant. My government ceased to exist the moment they instigated the..." Valentin didn''t complete the sentence, instead he made an arc with his index finger to mime the path of a missile in flight. "I know you don''t believe me, but I''m glad that you and Anatoly are still alive," said Oscar. "After Prague, things got really crazy everywhere when that Karnakian medical tech went worldwide." He snorted. "I still can''t believe it. Humanity was given everything we could ever want, and we still managed to fuck things up." The commander''s eyes narrowed as he leaned back in his chair. He pulled his cigarette out of his mouth and regarded its glowing ash as he spoke. "Da, I did live through the Troubles. As did you. Things were worse in Russia, thanks to...well, thanks to Russians, but I know it wasn''t a picnic for you Amerikosy either." Oscar took a much smaller drag on his cigarette. "So why are you here? This command has gotta be strictly volunteer. Why place yourselves right in the middle of these guys?" Valentin shrugged. "The aliens say they are friendly, that they have nothing but good intentions towards us. I am merely following ancient Russian proverb. Trust, but verify." He pointed his cigarette at Oscar, its tip glowing like an accusation. "And you? Why are you here?" Oscar blew out a smoke-laden breath. "To feel useful, I guess? It was either that or sit on a beach and wait to die." "I''m not asking about your overall motive, idiot." Valentin leaned forward, his hazel eyes hard. "Why is your team here? Why are you snooping around my base, and why do I now have three gopniks in my infirmary?" "Well. As for that last bit, I can only say that they started it." "And you finished it, hmm? I''ve seen the camera footage and talked to the bartender myself. I''m still waiting to hear reason you''re here." Oscar figured that he''d try a little fishing, using the cover story. "We''re doing a routine check of the colony''s security. So far everything seems fine, although we''ve gotten reports of non-OIH-approved human media cropping up. I was ''snooping around'', as you put it, to see if it came from here." The commander leaned back with a sigh. "You are referring to the porn? There''s a lot of it in the colony. The governor has done nothing but complain to me about it these last seven months. I''ll tell you what I tell him. If media comes from this base, it does not come from anyone under my command." There was a hesitant rapping on the door into the room. Valentin growled in annoyance, then roared out, "What?" The door edged open, and the guard poked his head in. "Sir, we have a situation at the front gate." Valentin twisted himself around in the chair to glare back at the man. "More specific, please?" "Um, there''s a couple of Dorarizin demanding entrance. The guard said that one of ''em is the alien that came in yesterday with this guy. The other one is, quote, ''The biggest fucking werewolf I''ve ever seen in my fucking life,'' unquote." In spite of himself, Oscar felt his spirits lift at the news. "Ah, that''ll be Myra and the Captain." Valentin untwisted himself to shift his glare onto Oscar. "I do not respond well to threats." Oscar spread his hands. "I tell you truly, Valentin Ivanovich. I did not call my crew, and I don''t like them threatening you either. If you wanna look more into me or into that bar brawl, I''ll wait right here. Let me call the front gate and talk to them, I''ll let ''em know I''m okay and tell ''em to vamoose." Valentin didn''t say anything. Oscar waved a hand towards him. "It''s your call, you''re the boss." The commander took a last drag on his cigarette and stood, then dropped the butt to the cement floor of the cell before grinding the butt under his boot. "Da. I am boss as you say. So here is boss''s decision. You will not be charged. You will call front gate, tell your friends you are coming out. To avoid any...misunderstanding with your friends, you will not be marched to gate under guard. But I will have eyes on you every moment you are in my base. Once you leave, never set foot in here again." Valentin then shook his head. "''Routine check of colony security''. You must think me a thick-headed peasant." He spun on his heels and marched out the door. Oscar stood, grateful that his butt hadn''t gone to sleep yet. He nodded at the guard and walked out of the cell, then out of the door beyond. His suspicion about shielding proved correct; as soon as he crossed the threshold out of the room his ear was suddenly filled with the sound of the Captain''s imperious and stressed voice. "[He just came back online! [Oscar], report!]" Oscar winced and pressed a finger to his ear. "Ma''am, please relax? It''s cool, I''m on my way out. Just hang tight for a few minutes."
Oscar knew that Valentin was testing him. He figured that if, during his walk to the gate, he did something stupid...like, say, question anybody about bootleg porn...then he''d get thrown right back into the stockade. At least Rgrarshok and Myyreh had come for him. He did feel better at that bit of news as he walked along the pseudo-Disneyesque boulevard towards the main gate. That lift in his heart was tempered by some annoyance that they thought he needed to be rescued like a kid. Still, he couldn''t pout forever about being kept out of the loop, and he needed to show his appreciation for them. As he thought that, he glanced left. Next to him stood a shop with an awning which sported red, white, and green stripes. The words ''Pizza Express'' stretched in a rainbow-like curve on the front window. Somebody had taped a smaller sign printed on paper below that rainbow; this sign stated ''Now delivering to the Galaxy!''. Maybe a couple of pies would make a decent gift. He touched his ear again. "Captain? I''m gonna make a quick stop, okay?" Her voice was still tense. "[For how long?]" "I''ll let you know in a minute." The door emitted a soft ding as Oscar crossed into the pizzeria''s small lobby. A familiar mixture of smells washed over him, that of cooking meat and vegetables overlaid with the tang of yeast and baking crust. The odor gave him a little pang of homesickness. The place sported a few token red-leather booths against one wall, but this was clearly a pizzeria that subsisted on takeout and delivery. The man behind the register perked up as he entered. He was a skinny guy with a pencil mustache, and wore a red apron with green stripes. "For here or takeout?" "Takeout," responded Oscar as he scanned the menu above the cashier''s head. "Um, how long to make five...no, eight extra-large pizzas?" "Ten minutes," said the man casually. He nodded towards the back. "It''s all automated, the main wait-time is the cooking." "Then give me eight extra-large supremes with added pepperoni." Oscar touched his ear. "Hey, Captain, I''ll be out in about fifteen minutes." The cashier grinned as he rang up Oscar''s order. "Word''s gotten around about your alien friends. Going to introduce them to the wonder of Terran pizza?" Oscar chuckled and felt his dark mood finally dissipate. "Yep. I saw your sign. Is it really that popular?" The man shrugged. "For the food itself...eh? All of the other races have their own version of flatbread-with-things-upon-it. But what they don''t have is fresh delivery." He pointed out the front window, to a similarly tri-colored restaurant which sat diagonally across the way. "About six months ago, ''Il Tricolore'' started letting delivery drivers go to places outside the base. Although ''driver'' isn''t really the right word. The aircars are all automated, so it''s more like they just carry the pizza to where it''s supposed to go." "That seems pretty wasteful," said Oscar. "Couldn''t you have drones do the same thing?" The man shook his head while grinning. "Naw, that was the genius bit that Tobias realized." "Tobias?" "Guy who owns Il Tricolore. Anyway, the pizza is irrelevant. It''s having humans deliver it, that''s the key." He smiled and shrugged again. "I thought the guy was crazy, but damn if it doesn''t work. His business went through the roof, and I had to follow suit." Oscar turned to regard the other pizzeria. "In-person delivery?" He''d long since known the deep dark secret of the universe (namely, that all of the alien races found humans adorable), and yet he hadn''t expected that attraction to extend to having humans deliver one''s pizza...er, one''s ''flatbread-with-things-upon-it''. A corner of Oscar''s brain started yelling at him. Somehow this was tied to the case. "Yeah, the real bottleneck is having enough drivers to keep up with demand." The owner sighed. "I''ve had to hire on some of the military guys to deliver during their off-shift. I''m still making good money, though, even with the increased outflow in salaries."Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Oscar wanted to dig more into that, but knew he needed to keep the conversation innocent for the sake of anyone listening in. He made a noncommittal grunt and waited for his mega-pizza-order while his mind churned through the various possibilities. Maybe a delivery driver, one of the off-duty grunts, overheard something about the Egg while dropping off a pizza. The driver reported it to Valentin, who then...stole the Egg from his hosts while sitting smack in the middle of them? No, that didn''t make sense. In spite of his demeanor, Valentin struck Oscar as a pretty stand-up guy. Or maybe this ''Colonel Jacobs'' character was up to something? During Hnnresnthsh''s party, with the alcohol flowing freely, maybe the archivist had let something slip. Jacobs might have organized the Egg''s theft for pure profit, and Valentin was none the wiser. Oscar gave another grunt, this time one of annoyance. If only he knew what was on the damn Egg, he could start narrowing things down. As he ruminated, the owner came out of the back with a stack of boxes. "That''ll be thirty GRC, sir," Oscar patted his uniform''s breast pocket...and didn''t feel any credit chips. For one heart-dropping moment he wondered if he''d fell afoul of a pickpocket, then breathed a sigh of relief when he felt the proper lumps in his other breast pocket. He turned and stepped up to the counter. "Whew, for a second there I thought I''d have to wash some dishes," he said as he handed the man a fifty-GRC chip. "Got robots for that," said the man as he rang up the sale and plugged in the chip to record Oscar''s change. Oscar''s eyes widened as things clicked into place inside his head. Paying for pizza through other means, plus having humans deliver in person...only now, he realized what was bugging him about that bootleg porn chip. He snatched the stack of pizza boxes off of the counter. "Keep the change, gotta go." He hustled as fast as he could towards the gate without running. Running would attract Valentin''s attention, and he didn''t want to trip and wind up with a face full of pizza. The same kid Oscar met during his first visit still manned the gate, only now the kid had his carbine clutched in white-knuckled hands instead of slung over a shoulder. To his credit, he was still pointing his weapon at the ground in front of him. Beyond the gate stood the reason for the guard''s anxiety: two sizable furry forms, one much bigger than the other, squatted on the ground and stared at the youngster with laser-like intensity. Myyreh''s tail wagged furiously when she spied Oscar. Much to Oscar''s surprise, the Captain''s own tail also gave a few swishes. "[Sweetie!]" Myyreh called out. "[Are you okay?]" "Fine, no problem," said Oscar. He nodded at the guard. "You can put that away now." Myyreh leapt to her feet as he walked through the gate. She spread her arms in preparation for a hug, but then stopped and looked at the boxes in his arms. "[What are those? Food?]" "Yep. Consider it my olive branch to y''all." "[That''s not a branch,]" said the Captain. "[That''s a bunch of boxes. They smell nice, though.]" "Good to hear, let''s get back to the ship before they get cold." Oscar kept walking at a brisk trot, determined to get out of range of any of Valentin''s cameras before saying anything. His alien comrades looked at each other, shrugged, and then loped after him.
Oscar plonked the stack of boxes up onto the Claw''s mess table. "There we go!" The table was about chest-height on him, so he was able to slide the boxes off of each other and arrange them in a line on the table. "It''s all the same, dig in." The crew of the Claw stared as he flipped open the nearest box and pulled out a slice which was in danger of losing its structural integrity from all of the toppings piled on it. Oscar took a bite, chewed, and pronounced himself satisfied. Bgrarh''s choice of shirt today was hot pink and neon blue. The colorful Dorarizin shuffled forward and pulled out his own slice. While the rest of the crew began to descend on Oscar''s offering, the big Dorarizin downed the slice in one bite. As Bgrarh chewed, his tail began wagging. Oscar turned to Egwreh, his voice muffled by his mouthful of admittedly delicious pizza. "Emma, I''m gonna need that chip again." Emma tilted her head. "[I can''t understand you.]" "Oh, sorry." Oscar finished chewing and swallowed. "The porn chip we found in whatsizname''s place, the archivist. I need to look at it again. I just had a brainwave."
Oscar sat back from his terminal and massaged his temples. His hunch was correct, and that made things oh so much more complicated. The chances of the Egg''s theft being a simple crime-for-profit now hovered right around zero. For something this elaborate it just had to be an intelligence operation. What''s more, he had a pretty good idea of precisely which little blonde menace was behind it. But he couldn''t just walk out and tell the pack, not yet. As much as he hated to admit it, maybe the theft was for a just cause. Maybe the tech stored in the Egg would be a real boon to humanity, something that would help alleviate the problems back on Earth. Although what tech that might be he couldn''t guess. The aliens already showered humanity with all of the resources they could need...which had kinda-sorta caused some of the problems that he and Valentin had suffered through right after the Invasion. There was one area of tech, however, that was strictly off-limits to humans. That meant the Egg''s data was military in nature...probably. Which made him swing back towards telling the pack everything. The last thing humanity needed right now was for Martin and his cohort to get their hands on some planet-cracking bomb or whatnot. On the other hand, Oscar couldn''t deny that the thought of humans finally achieving military parity with the aliens gave him a warm fuzzy feeling. Cute humanity or not, Earth couldn''t rely on the xenos'' goodwill forever. His mind kept bouncing back and forth. At the end of the day, where did his loyalties lie? With those who''d adopted him into their family, or to his own damn species? Oscar sighed and slouched further in his chair. He needed to talk this over with someone, someone who was not over nine foot tall and covered in fur. After another moment of deliberation, he leaned forward and called up the Holo-Skype software on his terminal. He hoped he didn''t wake her up. She was feisty enough as it was... A petite woman with olive skin and long black hair blinked into existence on Oscar''s bed. She was seated in the lotus position with her eyes closed. "This had better be good, Muscle Boy," said the hard-light hologram of Maria Vargas. She cracked one eye open. "I see you''re still eating your Wheaties." Oscar crossed his arms and smiled. "I see you''re still a smart-ass. You took up meditation?" Maria growled as she opened her eyes fully. "It''s either this or I throttle feathered necks 24/7." "You''re still dealing with Karnakians? I thought that business with the Sacred Claw of McGillicuddy would be enough to make you swear off of ''em." "Yeah well, the boss is an expert in ancient Karnakian history. Dealing with nut-job raptors comes with the job description. What''s up?" Oscar leaned forward and stared at the deck, resting his forearms on his thighs. "Do you think we''ve sold out?" She raised one eyebrow. "Sold out who?" "Humanity." "Short answer, no. What brought this on?" Oscar rubbed his forehead. "I can''t tell you. I don''t know a lot of the details, plus I don''t know who might be listening in. Just know that I''m conflicted. Is what we''re doing a benefit to Earth? Or are we just going off and doing our own thing, humanity be damned?" Maria uncrossed her legs as she pondered the question. "You''re worried about depopulation?" Oscar wanted to keep his worries vague just in case someone was tapping the line. "Among other things, yeah. We''re not exactly setting a good example." She chuckled. "Speak for yourself! I don''t intend to be out here forever. I''m gonna work for the boss for a decade or so. Once I get enough experience and reference material, I''m creating an in-depth version of Karnakian history. One written by a human for humans. Then I''ll come back to Earth, semi-retire, and find myself a cute nerdy boy that I can wrap around my finger. I figure we''ll have five, maybe six kids. That plus teaching should keep me busy." Maria looked at him with narrowed eyes. "But somehow I don''t think population stats are what''s eating at you." When Oscar didn''t respond, she shrugged. "If you won''t tell me details, then I don''t know how much advice I can give you." Oscar thought over his next words carefully. "Do you think we can trust them? Forever?" Maria snorted. "What kind of question is that?" "Exactly what I said. The aliens are friendly now, when we''re weak and primitive. What happens when we get stronger?" "But...why would they stop being friends? The other Senate species get along with each other fine, and they''re all at the same level." Maria shook her head. "Sure it''s not entirely peaceful, there''s pirates and a warlord or two here and there, but no big wars or genocides. I think you''re being paranoid." Oscar rested his forehead in his hands. "Maybe. Yeah, once we''re all built up and as strong as them they''ll treat us the same as they do each other. But what about before that? What about when we''re powerful enough to be a nuisance but not powerful enough to keep the rest of the Senate from doing whatever they want to us?" "You really are paranoid." said Maria. "You think they''d wipe us out?" "No, but they could exile us to our own solar system and keep us there. I don''t know, maybe you''re right and I''m jumping at shadows. I keep going back and forth." Maria pondered anew for a long while. "I think...I think that using ''trust'' in the same sentence as ''government'' is meaningless. Governments don''t trust each other. Organizations don''t trust each other. But people do." She laughed. "The first time I met Hrathra, I was so nervous. It''d finally hit me that I was committed. I was leaving home, and I wasn''t gonna see another human for a very long time. So there I am, pacing around my ¨¹berduffel and staring at the hangar deck in a funk. Then suddenly I''m face-to-face with this huge green Jornissian. She''s right at my eye level, giving me the most intense glare I''ve ever received. Her face looked so angry, like I''d somehow wronged her by simply existing." "That''s just because of the way their eyes are set," said Oscar. "Yeah, and I knew that from training. But it''s one thing to read it on the page or see a picture...and quite another to have one of ''em practically touching noses with you. I thought for a moment about screaming ''fuck this'' and running. But I decided to trust her. I took a deep breath, managed to squeak out a hello, and shook her hand. And it worked out after all. Now she''s one of my best friends. Not to mention if I ever wind up in Hell, I know that Satan is gonna find himself eye-to-eye with one very pissed-off Reshy." Oscar leaned back and laughed. "If that particular throw-down ever happens, my money''s on the Jornissian. Even without powered armor. Thanks, this helps a lot." "Anytime, Muscle Boy. Now I''m bowing out of here before your girlfriend comes busting through the door. There are some things which cannot be unseen." Maria''s image winked back out of existence.
By the time Oscar returned to the mess room there was no more pizza, just empty boxes. Bgrarh looked a little ashamed. "[Sorry, [Oscar], I know you only got to eat one slice but they were so tasty...]" "Nah, that''s fine," said Oscar. "I got ''em for you guys anyway." "[Thank you]," said Myyreh. She peered at him in a shy, sideways manner. "[Does this mean you''re not angry any more?]" "I''m still a little cheesed off," replied Oscar. "But you guys did come to my aid, even if I didn''t need it." "[Yes, about that,]" said Rgrarshok. "[Why were you incarcerated? And what''s this [brainwave] you mentioned?]" "The answer to your first question is simple. A bunch of drunk guys thought they could beat me up and I showed them how very wrong they were. The MPs only held me long enough to determine it was self defense. Bad news is, I''m not allowed back in the base." "[That is unfortunate,]" said Ngralh. He flicked an ear in thought. "[The rest of us might be able to enter there if needed. We have the authority, but pressing the issue might draw too much attention.]" Rgrarshok crossed her arms and stared down at Oscar. "[Unless our colleague''s [brainwave] makes that unnecessary, eh?]" Oscar pulled over his chair and hopped up on it so he could look his comrades in the eye. They all gathered around the table, and Oscar noted that Myyreh sidled over so that she was parked just to his right. He leaned forward. "Yeah, about that. I had to do a lot of thinking about this, but I''m going to..." He took a deep breath. "I''m going to trust you. All of you. I''m going to tell you what I may have figured out, no strings attached. After that, I trust that we will sit down together as a team and figure out what to do next." Bgrarh gave a puzzled sniff. "[What''s to figure out? We''ll just go get the bad guys, right?]" Rgrarshok''s eyes narrowed. "[I can''t promise anything, [Oscar]. There is a time-sensitive element to this affair. If what you say confirms it we need to move fast.]" Oscar held up a hand. "I understand. I''m not saying we deliberate for hours, but I do want to talk it over before you go steamrolling in and arrest everyone. You want the Egg back, yeah?" "[Of course,]" said the Captain. "If I''m right it''s no longer on this planet...but I think we can track it, as long as we can get the drop on those who stole it. Understand?" Rgrarshok shrugged. "[I''ll listen to you before acting, that I can promise.]" "Okay." Oscar placed his palms flat on the table. "First, that porn chip is definitely a part of this whole mess. I had another look at it, and about eighty percent of the videos use the pizza delivery trope. That''s what was bugging me earlier." "[Pizza delivery [trope]?]" Myyreh''s curious look turned into horror as she beheld the empty boxes strewn around the table. "[You mean, [humans] having sex with pizza?]" "No, no, no, not that! Geeze, we''re not that perverted. Well...most of us aren''t. The sex is with the delivery person. Just a story to get the action rolling, okay? ''Oh, no, I can''t find my wallet, can I pay you with a blowjob'' kind of thing." "[Oh, is that what you call it?]" asked Myyreh with a saucy wink. "[You always ask me for ''that thing I do with my tongue''.]" Oscar felt the heat of embarrassment rise in his face while the rest of the crew let forth some Dorarizin snickering. Rgrarshok remained stone-faced. "[And this is related to our case how?]" He cleared his throat, trying to get his brain back on track. "While I was in the base, I found out that both pizzerias are now delivering to the city at large. They started that service about six months ago. I also found out that the porn chips started showing up around town seven months ago. That timing can''t be a coincidence. The chip isn''t some horny snake''s private stash. It was given to him." "[For what purpose?]" asked Ngralh. "Advertising." "[Eh?]" "Think about it. One theory is that the archivist went to some human or humans and offered to tell them what''s on the Egg and where to get it in exchange for something. Cash, gifts, some sort of reward." Bgrarh leaned forward, his deep blue eyes sparkling. The big Dorarizin was now in his element. "Another possibility is that [Hnnresnthsh] said something by accident during that party where the [human] was present. The other party goers said there was a lot of drinking.]" Oscar nodded. "That''s another theory. But it doesn''t explain why there was so much human DNA all over his apartment. So Benny, if you combine the DNA evidence with what''s on that chip, what do you deduce?" Bgrarh sat back on his haunches, his obnoxious shirt seeming to glow slightly in the overhead lights. "[Hnnresnthsh] was [diddling] the pizza delivery people? But...no, that''s just a [trope] like you said. You couldn''t pay for [pizzas] with sex, not in real life.]" "He was paying them," replied Oscar. "The pizzeria is a front for a human brothel. I''ll bet our archivist likes to indulge in what we call ''pillow talk'' after doing the deed. Er, do you have brothels?" Rgrarshok stared off into the distance as she thought. "[Not as such. I know [Jornissians] have something similar, but I think you''d call it a ''sex club'' rather than a [brothel].]" Bgrarh''s ears drooped. "[Oh. I see why [Oscar] was reluctant to tell us about this.]" "[Well I don''t!]" snapped Myyreh. "[This is not a mere criminal enterprise,]" said Rgrarshok. "[Everyone in the base, even the support staff, would have been thoroughly investigated and vetted by the [human] governments before arriving.]" Oscar nodded with his mouth set in a sour frown. "We''ve been using sex to gather intelligence since Babylon was a going concern. That brothel must be a spy operation. For what it''s worth, I don''t think the base command staff is in on it." "[I still don''t understand why you''re conflicted, sweetie.]" said Myyreh, more gently. Oscar took another deep breath. "If it''s a human-led intelligence operation, then whatever''s on the Egg might be useful to humanity. That''s why I debated with myself if I should tell you." Myyreh scooted herself over against Oscar''s chair and ever-so-gently leaned into him. "[But we''re your pack, why wouldn''t you tell us?]" "[He is of our pack, but he is also [human],]" said Rgrarshok. "[Would you have him betray his own kind without a moment''s reflection? Would you consider him worthy of respect, to be so unthinking? No, I understand his dilemma.]" To Oscar''s surprise, the Captain leaned forward in a deep bow towards him, her nose damn near touching the tabletop. "[Yet you told us anyway. To show such trust does us a great honor, my pack-mate.]" Myyreh''s lean into him became a little more insistent as Oscar felt tears sting at his eyes. Damn it, no, he was not going to lose it now. Rgrarshok straightened up, and nodded towards Egwreh. "[Do it.]" The engineer leaned forward and placed a shoebox-sized black cube in the center of the table. She tapped its surface, and Oscar felt his scalp tingle as if charged with static. The air around him felt oddly heavy. The Captain spoke again, her voice now flat and muted by the field surrounding them. "[We only have a short time to talk freely. If the Inquisition has listening devices on board, they''ll notice any substantial gap in their recordings. Do you understand?]" Oscar whistled. "Shit, you have the Inquisition breathing down your necks? No wonder you didn''t say squat to me. I wish I''d figured that out earlier...sorry, shutting up now." One side of Rgrarshok''s mouth curled up in a slight half-smile. "[As you deduced, the facility is an archive for obsolete data. Each ''Egg'' contains the complete description of a different aspect of ancient technology, along with the necessary power source and nano-tech to ''grow'' a readout device for its data if required.]" "In case of apocalypse, break glass," said Oscar. "[Something like that. The stolen Egg contains information on ancient military biotech, specifically how to augment muscles and tendons for the various Senate races. It dates from a time when super-soldiers were all the rage.]" "You don''t do that anymore?" asked Oscar. "Seems like it would still be useful." "[Genetic tinkering over [milennia] made much of the augmentation redundant. Powered armor is more capable, not to mention easier to upgrade and repair. You now have a decision to make, but least it''s an informed decision. My orders are specific, [Oscar], and I have no choice but to pursue the thieves. But if you wish to sit out this mission...I will understand.]" "[We will understand,]" added Myyreh. Oscar sat back, his face slack with surprise. "Really?" "[Of course. You will always be of our pack, no matter what.]" Rgrarshok nodded again at Egwreh, who tapped the black box once more. The silencing field shut off with a faint snap. Oscar sat and stared at the table while he mulled over this new information. While he thought, Myyreh ever so slowly edged her arm around his shoulders. Without noticing, Oscar leaned into her sideways hug. And ever so slowly, Myyreh''s tail started to wag again. Chapter Five Oscar tried to ignore the weight of his next decision. At the same time he tried (and failed) to ignore the warm furry arm wrapped around his back, the pawpads squeezing his shoulder, and the soft swish of Myyreh''s tail against the ship''s deck. His new problem was that the Egg''s data wasn''t something truly destructive, like some sort of super-thermonuclear bomb. In that case his choice would be obvious: prevent the Egg from falling into the wrong hands no matter what. But this was more mundane, something that could be a real benefit to humanity. What human wouldn''t want the ability to safely shake hands with the average xeno citizen? The xenos could do away with their rigorous human-handling training as well. But that in turn might accelerate the depopulation of Earth. The human governments would have to impose harsher limits on who could leave, just to avoid the species scattering to the four winds. That assumed, of course, that the Egg''s data could be reverse-engineered. It might take decades to achieve the same type of ''super-soldier'' augmentation for human biochemistry. Then there was the additional problem of what would happen on Earth once the Egg was reverse-engineered. One could only keep such a thing secret if it was never used, and Oscar knew that wasn''t likely. The technology would leak out to the general public. Oscar''s already-troubled homeworld might have to deal with a slew of would-be supermen trying to carve out their own little warlord fiefdoms, using an army of similarly-enhanced soldiers at their command. He felt the burden of his pack''s collective stare while he pondered. If he didn''t help them out, then it was more likely that the theft would be successful. After all, he was pretty sure that Martin was behind this whole mess and therefore they''d have to think like Martin to get the Egg back. But to be fair, the Captain was pretty wily in her own right. Maybe she''d nab his old boss after all. Maybe Oscar could just sit this one out. Myyreh''s hot breath washed over his ear. "[It''s okay,]" she whispered. "[I love you, regardless of what you choose to do.]" Oscar closed his eyes and clenched his fists in frustration. How could he be expected to make such a choice? He was just a grunt, a front-line type of guy. The higher-ups pointed and he went while never giving a single thought as to why. Oscar never wanted to think about the ''why'', but now he had to. In the midst of his despair, he remembered his conversation with Maria, and what it all boiled down to. Trust. He''d trusted the pack enough to disclose his intuitive leap, and they trusted him enough to make this decision. The Jornissians trusted humans too, trusted them enough to let the humans build what amounted to an armed camp right in the middle of their colony''s nerve-center. And now some humans had betrayed that trust. They''d taken advantage of their giant scaly hosts, using the newfound human ''power of cute''...well, to be honest, it was more the ''power of horny''...along with a cognitive blind spot formed from thousands of years of difference in technological prowess. If word of this theft became general knowledge, the Senate might become suspicious of humanity in general. At the very least, any humans wanting into the placement program could expect to jump through a lot more hoops. Hell, the xenos might even insist on humans having nanocams on them at all times, just to make sure they weren''t up to anything nefarious. Was that worth letting the Egg remain in human hands? Oscar wanted to help his adoptive family, truly he did. But he was also self-aware enough to know that he might just be using that desire as an excuse to get back at his old boss. Finally Oscar looked up and met the Captain''s eyes...then nodded. Myyreh let out a happy little squeak and hugged him harder against her side. The Captain relaxed. "[Good. Now, as to next steps. Right now we have an interesting theory but no real evidence.]" "I agree," said Oscar. "I mean, I know that''s what happened in my gut. But we''re only going to get one shot at nabbing these guys. We need to catch them red-handed, so to speak." "[Which means we need to follow their customers, eh?]" mused Kgrashak. The medic glanced over at Oscar. "[It''s a pity they found out who you are. You could have infiltrated the spy ring.]" "[We first need to find out which restaurant it is,]" added Bgrarh. Oscar leaned back in his chair. Now that he''d made his decision he felt like he''d started a HALO jump. He was rocketing towards the ground and hoping not to crater into the ground. "My money''s on Il Tricolore. They started the human delivery service. Do our warrants on this case include hacking the comms into and out of the human base?" "[We have the authority to do that,]" said Egwreh. "[Consider it done. What am I looking for?]" "Start with Henry, the archivist," replied Oscar. "Go back through his records and see if he placed any calls to Il Tricolore in the last six months. Would his calls be recorded?" "[With certainty,]" said Ngralh. "[[Hnnresnthsh] is a government official.]" Myyreh drew Oscar into herself even tighter, and the human found he had to move his head to avoid inhaling her chest fur. "Great. We''ll then go through those recorded calls and see if there''s anything suspicious. We need to also record every single call to both pizzerias, try to see if there''s a pattern." "[We shall do as you suggest,]" said the Captain. "[In the meantime, I think you two [lovebirds] need some alone time.]" Acting on some subtle cue he couldn''t see, the rest of the pack stood and bowed. They filed out of the mess (with Bgrarh giving Oscar a grin and a wink as he went past), and in moments he and Myyreh were the only ones left in the mess. Oscar turned and buried his face in her chest, while Myyreh sniffled and put both her arms around him. After a long, wonderful while of mutual embracing, he picked up his head and motioned for her to bring her head down to his. She did so with a puzzled look; as her head drew even with his mouth, he leaned forward and brought his lips right next to one of her big, shell-like ears. "Sorry, I didn''t know the Inquisition was involved," he whispered. "Can you forgive me for being such an idiot?" Myyreh sniffled again, her eyes shining with tears as she drew back and gazed fondly at him. She brought her own snout next to his ear. "[There''s nothing to forgive, my love.]" she whispered back. Then she said, more loudly, "[Can we...can we, um, go and...]" She trailed off, damn near blushing through her fur in embarrassment. Oscar chuckled and scratched deep into the fur behind both of her ears, one hand per ear. That made the big alien shiver all over while her eyes started to roll back into her head. "Go ahead," he murmured. "Whatever crazy stuff you''d like to do, I''m game for it." She focused her eyes on him again with deliberate effort. "[Can we go back to your quarters and hold each other all night?]" "That sounds just perfect."
Rrre''nansh looked at the list on his datapad, then up at Egwreh-of-Grharf with a distinctly skeptical set to his hood. "[You need this much access to our communications network?]" She shrugged. The engineer stood at parade-rest in front of the governor''s desk while doing her best to act as a put-upon middlesapient. "{I''m not asking for it, I''m only doing what I''m told, okay? The Captain says go get this stuff and I go. So here I am.}" The Jornissian coiled himself tighter behind his desk. "[Still, this is for the entire colony. Surely my citizens can''t all be suspects?]" "{We are being thorough. What''s more, we''re also trying to look as if we''re being thorough. Especially to my superiors. Understand?}" The governor''s eyes narrowed. "[This colony is only subject to Jornissian law. I won''t allow any [Inquisition] nonsense, not here.]" She held up her paws, palms out. "{Sir, no Inquisitor will set so much as a toe-claw on your planet. You have our assurance of that. But my team is not subject to Jornissian law, and the moment our ship breaks orbit we''re going to have a Veridicator shoving their nose right up our hinders." Egwreh caught the slight shudder that ran through the Jornissian''s body upon the mention of Veridication. Even among the other species the Special Forces of the Inquisition had gained a definite reputation. "{So you see,}" she continued, "{we need to demonstrate the proper zeal in getting to the bottom of this case,}" He rubbed one edge of his hood. "[All right, I''ll allow it. I want this over and done with as soon as possible.]"
Oscar looked up at the rec room''s main display while he strummed on his guitar. The big holographic tank now showed a list of recording files and dates. Oscar was finally getting the hang of alien script, and if he had his dates right then Hnnresnthsh was one of Il Tricolore''s most regular customers. Bgrarh and the Captain lounged nearby, with her head in Bgrarh''s lap while he groomed her head and shoulders. Another furry pile consisting of Ngralh and Egwreh sprawled next to them, although in that case it was Egwreh grooming her mate. Oscar kind of wished he had Myyreh here so that he could dole out some headpats as well. But thanks to her rigid exercise routine his sweetie was off dispatching virtual foes in the gym. In spite of their causal positions, all of the Dorarizin stared with intense focus at the display. "[in total, [Hnnresnthsh] has made twenty calls to [Il Tricolore],]" said Bgrarh. "He''s tried several different types of [pizza], but for the last ten calls he''s only ordered a large with double [pepperoni].]" "Nothing else?" asked Oscar. "There must be some kind of code for the Nookie Special. Can we listen to the latest call?" Bgrarh gestured at the display, and the room suddenly filled with the voice of a cheerful human man. "Il Tricolore, is this for pick-up or delivery?" Hnnresnthsh''s voice sounded a little on-edge to Oscar, but he wasn''t that familiar with Jornissian verbal cues. "[Er, delivery. Extra fast delivery, please. One large with double [pepperoni].]" "Sure thing, sir. The usual address?" Now Oscar could definitely hear the nerves in Hnnresnthsh''s voice "[Yes, thank you.]" The recording ended, and Oscar plinked a little while he thought. "No pricing given," he mused. "[If he''s a regular customer, he''d know how much the [pizza] was,]" said the Captain. "[It sounded like they already had his phone ID and address.]" "He also sounded nervous." "[Or he was just excited about getting some [pizza],]" said Bgrarh. Oscar sighed. "Maybe I am full of crap. Can we listen to the other calls?" After wading through the rest of the orders, Oscar was ready to throw in the towel. Every call was just as short as the last one, with the exception of Hnnresnthsh giving his address during his first order. If there was a code, it was a subtle one. When the last recording finished, Bgrarh''s tail started to wag. "[I think I''ve got it.]" "You''re doing better than me, Benny. Whatcha got?" "[He only asked for extra-fast delivery during the last ten calls. That was when he switched to ordering only larges with double [pepperoni].]" "Hmmm. So maybe that lets ''em know that he''s asking for sex...and maybe the toppings order is code for who they send."Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. "[That would work,]" said the Captain. "[I''ll set the trawler to look for all calls asking for extra-fast delivery...]" Now it was the Captain''s turn to gesture at the display. It filled with a dense three-dimensional matrix of filenames, and faster than Oscar could track many of those files melted away. At another gesture, the resulting grid shuffled itself into multiple lists of calls, each list indicating one particular caller. Oscar set aside his guitar and stood to walk closer to the display. "So if Bennie''s hunch is right then they have fifteen regular clients including Henry." Egwreh tilted her head as she scanned down the list of clients. "[It looks like they mainly target middle managers in the government. Why not anyone higher in authority?]" "[They''re trying not to let the prey catch their scent,]" replied the Captain. "[Somebody like the governor or, say, the planetary defense coordinator would be a lot more cautious about spilling secrets.]" "Nate, does our current Senate authorization allow us to tap Il Tricolore''s calls?" asked Oscar. Ngralh let out an amused snort. "Hey, I''m just checkin''. How about we monitor all incoming orders, and the next time there''s an ''extra-fast delivery'' order we track the driver to the client''s dwelling. Then we bust ''em in the act." "[Would they still be running the [brothel] service?]" asked Egwreh as she gently scratched at Ngralh''s headfur. "[It seems like a big risk, now that they''ve succeeded.]" "They run an even bigger risk if they just stop. Their clients might start asking questions or worse yet start comparing notes with each other. No, they want to keep this looking like just some illegal side business." Rgrarshok clicked her teeth. "[That is the main problem with your idea of busting in on a client. Prostitution is legal under Jornissian law.]" "But not under human military law, so the driver could be brought up on charges by the base commander...but that would tip off the spy ring that they''ve been rumbled. They''ll destroy whatever evidence they have. Shit." "[Would you trust the base''s leader to prosecute the case?]" asked Bgrarh. "[He had you arrested.]" "No, the MPs arrested me. Valentin''s the one who let me go. As to whether I trust him? Yeah. He''s not involved with this. Valentin is paranoid enough about you guys, there''s no way he''d allow something like this." "[We could go to [Valentin] with what we have.]" said Egwreh. "[He could investigate from his end.]" "He might not. He''d say all we have is a theory," said Oscar. He crossed his arms and stared at Hnnresnthsh''s name and image at the top of the ''client'' list. "Which at the moment is true. Henry is the key. He hasn''t ordered an ''extra-fast delivery'' since the theft was discovered, so he''s gotta know that he screwed the poo...that he messed up. We have to get him to admit that he leaked info on the Egg. That''s gotta be illegal under Jornissian law, right?" "[Not exactly,]" mused Ngralh. He tilted one ear forward. "[But it does count as unauthorized tech transfer to a [human], which comes under Senate jurisdiction. He''d be in big trouble for admitting it, so if we''re going to make him confess we''d better have an iron-clad case.]" "Shock and Awe," muttered Oscar. He scanned down the client. "If we can find out who Henry leaked to and we have that human in custody, then we just might get him to crack. But finding that out requires more information. What if we stake out the clients? Then we can tie the orders to whoever drops off the pizza. That''ll tell us who he was, er, ''entertaining''." "[There''s only eight of us,]" said Bgrarh. "So we take the eight most regular customers."
Bgrarh-of-Arhraz stretched his arms over his head, resulting in a dull crackle of realigning vertebrae. He settled himself back against the wall of the small apartment, pretending to read from a datapad while keeping his eyes on the doorway visible through the window. It was the entry to a modest-looking house on the boulevard below. In the end, they''d staked out the seven most regular customers. Little-Sniffer was just too noticeable, a fact that the tiny-chomper had finally acquiesced to after much complaining about "being turned into a damn [switchboard operator]", whatever that meant. Right now Bgrarh would happily trade places. Three solid days of confinement in the this Pale-Moon-cursed dwelling was making his limbs itch with the need to run. He kept his complaining to himself, of course. The rest of the crew had to be just as bored as he was. At first, the pack had streamed the calls to [Il Tricolore] into their implants, but after a day of nothing interesting they left it to Little-Sniffer and the Claw''s expert systems to catch any ''special fast delivery'' orders. "[Heads up, folks,]" said Little-Sniffer''s voice. "[We just got an extra fast delivery order.]" A parade of excited click-growls resounded in Bgrarh''s implant until the Captain''s voice cut through it with an abrupt bark. "{Silence! Little-Sniffer, who placed the order?}" "[[Lnrgah-of-Abhnr]. Looks like [Bgrarh] won the jackpot.]" Bgrarh allowed himself a small but triumphant smile. "{I''ll be waiting for them. What did he order?}" "[A large Supreme.]" The big Dorarizin set aside his datapad and stood, humming a happy tune as he walked out of sight of the window and checked his gear. He had a full IR sensor suite which could see through walls, plus some strategically-placed nanobugs in the doorway outside that could catch any conversation in the house. Everything was in order, so all he had to do was wait. The next twenty [minutes] felt even longer than the last three days. At long last, an air taxi settled down outside Lnrgah''s door with a muted whirr. Bgrarh settled himself back into his ''reading'' position as he looked the scene over. A larger, male tiny-chomper emerged from the taxi bearing a familiar flat square box. The taxi lifted off with another muted whirr and receded quickly into the distance. "{The delivery person is a man,}" murmured Bgrarh. "{He dismissed the taxi.}" "{Planning on staying awhile, then,}" said Rgrarshok. "{It seems Little-Sniffer was right.}" "[Of course I''m right! I''m always right.]" "{Door''s opening,}" said Bgrarh, and the voice channel fell silent. Lnrgah was a medium-sized Dorarizin with red-brown fur. He smiled at the tiny-chomper in front of him, and stepped aside as the small alien also smiled and entered. As the door closed, Bgrarh darted away from the window to his IR display. With a few blurry-fast taps on the control panel, he switched his implant to take in the audio stream from the nanobugs. "{It''s good to see you, [Jaime]," said Lnrgah. On the screen, the false-color image of the Dorarizin took the box from the tiny-chomper and trotted away, his tail wagging. "[Likewise,]" said Jaime. "[You haven''t called in a while, I was beginning to think you didn''t like me any more.]" As he spoke, the tiny-chomper walked into Lnrgah''s dwelling while Bgrarh swiveled his IR sensors to keep Jaime centered. Jamie took off his jacket and threw it carelessly aside, then with practiced speed shed the rest of his clothing. Bgrarh felt a sudden and very unexpected wave of angry protectiveness rise in his chest when faced with the false-color image of the naked tiny-chomper. Lnrgah trotted back into view, and Bgrarh saw that he''d shed his clothing as well. The way that Lnrgah''s tongue lolled out in evident lust made Bgrarh''s anger rise further. "{No, it wasn''t that!}" said Lnrgah. "{I can never get enough of you. I''m so glad you''re here, I''ve had such a stressful day.}" He reached out and dropped a credit chit into Jamie''s hand, then combed one extended claw through the tiny-chomper''s headfur. Jamie tossed the chit onto his pile of discarded clothing. He then took the extended paw and placed it alongside his face. "[Bad day at work? Then I''m here to make you feel better. Now lie back and tell me all about it.]" Bgrarh spun away from the screen as the two figures intertwined, but he could still hear Lnrgah complaining about his boss and coworkers while Jamie made soothing noises. Both voices eventually devolved into pants and moaning, and at that point Bgrarh reached behind him to shut off the audio feed to his implant. It took a lot of deep breathing before Bgrarh finally felt his anger abate.
Oscar gestured to the rec-room display above and behind him, which now showed three human faces with small text beside each portrait. As a reward for sitting on his ass he got to deliver the summary of what they''d discovered thus far. All but one of his pack sat in a semicircle around him, their tails wagging ever so slightly. Oscar didn''t have the Dorarizins'' keen sense of smell but he could detect the calming, almost woodsy scent of a contented pack. Most of that contentment was due to their adopted human now working hand-in-paw with them instead of being in a snit. He tried to sound professional and confident, which was undermined a little due to the last member of the pack, Myyreh, sprawling on her back next to him with her head in his lap. With one hand Oscar groomed her head while with the other he pointed at the first image. This was of a darker-skinned man with brown eyes and an aristocratic set to his features. "This is Jaime D¨¢valos, AKA ''Large Supreme''. Born in Barcelona. His file is spotless, no red flags. Applied to the placement program about a year ago, but failed the safety training. His assignment as base support appears to be a consolation prize." His finger moved down to the next image, that of a round-cheeked Asian woman with a merry smile. "Tam Ji-Min, AKA ''Large Hawaiian''. In spite of her ''code name'', she''s actually from South Korea. Never applied to the placement program, and was a member of her country''s military until she volunteered to be part of this colony experiment. As in Jaime''s case, her file is clean." Now he pointed at the last picture, that of a woman with short-cropped blonde hair and pale, flawless skin. "Last but certainly not least, we have Thora Nedergaard, AKA ''Large with Double Pepperoni''. A native of Denmark, no military or civil service on her record...which is just as suspiciously clean as the other two." "[Do you think their files have been altered?]" asked the Captain. "I think their files are purest fiction. They''re all too short, for starters. We have no idea if these are their real names, my guess is not. Anyways, we now have video and audio evidence of all three of ''em taking cash in exchange for sex." "[Don''t remind me,]" said Bgrarh. He ground his teeth in evident anger, a sharp contrast to his bright and cheerful floral-print shirt. Oscar made a mental note to ask his big friend what had him so worked up. Bgrarh had never so much as batted an eye at any of Oscar''s public displays of affection with Myrreh. Oscar continued. "I think we have enough to pay a visit to Henry. My only question is if we should arrest Thora beforehand, during her next ''extra-fast delivery''." The Captain stood and crossed her arms. "[Not yet. The evidence we have so far isn''t admissible in a [Jornissian] court. The clients we''ve filmed will claim that they were recorded without permission while performing an act which isn''t illegal. [Hnnresnthsh] will know that. He''ll remain silent and admit nothing. His advocate could tie this case up in the courts for years.]" "And without Henry''s confession, Valentin will only go after the pizzeria for the prostitution, not the spying." Oscar let out a growl of frustration. "[We need more evidence,]" said Myyreh. Her eyes were half-closed in bliss as Oscar stroked the fur between her ears. He looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. "We''ve got enough evidence to choke a horse!" "[Sorry, I meant we need to make our own evidence.]" Oscar sat for a moment, then grinned. "Oh, I get it. Dang, that''s some first-class thinking Myra." The lean Dorarizin wriggled at his praise. The Captain tilted her head. "[I don''t understand. Surely you don''t mean we falsify evidence?]" "Nope. We''ll do a sting operation. One of us poses as a new arrivee on the planet. We give ''em a fake ID, make ''em look like the type of mid-level functionary that these spies go for. Then our fake bureaucrat calls and orders some pizza with double pepperoni." "[Catch [Thora] in the act,]" mused the Captain. "[We won''t have problem of recording without our pack member''s permission. The evidence will be perfectly admissible.]" "[We could also drop [Hnnresnthsh''s] name before the bust!]" Bgrarh''s tail wagged harder. "[If [Thora] admits he''s a client of hers, that''ll be more pressure on him to confess.]" "Good thinking, Benny." Oscar then looked in a calculated fashion at Bgrarh, and noted a similar scrutiny of the big Dorarizin from the rest of the seated pack. Bgrarh was no dummy, and he picked up on the implication of those stares. "[Wait, no! It can''t be me!]" "[Well it sure can''t be me,]" said Myyreh from Oscar''s lap. "[I''ve been in the base, they''ll know me by sight.]" "[I''ve visited the base as well,]" said the Captain. "[So I fear I''m also out of consideration.]" Bgrarh stood, his paws held out as if to ward off a charging rhino. "[Please, Captain, no. I couldn''t betray you like that!]" The Captain stood as well and placed a calming paw on his shoulder. "[You do realize you''re not actually going to have sex with the [human], right? We''ll stop it before anything untoward can happen.]" "You would be ideal, Benny," said Oscar. "You''ve got that ''innocent and nervous'' vibe going for you." Bgrarh glanced around at his pack, then straightened and saluted the Captain. "[Permission to speak privately with [Oscar], ma''am!]" The Captain raised a curious ear, but nodded. Myyreh sat up with her own curious head-tilt as Oscar rose to his feet. "All right, Benny. C''mon and step into my office."
Once they were in Oscar''s quarters, Bgrarh dropped to one knee in front of the human. Oscar still had to look up to meet Bgrarh''s eyes, but at least he didn''t have to crane his neck way up like usual. The big Dorarizin''s ears were still flat against his head in anger. He put a hand on his friend''s shoulder, feeling the tense muscle under Bgrarh''s fur. "Benny, relax. What''s wrong?" "[You do know I''d never harm you, right?]" "Of course. You''re my friend." "[And you are mine, as well as my packmate. Please, can you talk the others out of this? I''ll do it if I have to, but...]" He trailed off. Oscar squeezed Bgrarh''s shoulder, which felt a bit like squeezing granite. "Why does this have you so wound up? You know that Myra and I do more than kissing and handholding." "[Yes, but I trust her! She''s a packmate, and she''s been properly trained. When I saw Lnrgah with that [human], it just made me so angry. He could have hurt the [human]!]" Bgrarh dropped his head to stare at the deck, not meeting Oscar''s eyes any more. "[Now everybody wants me to do something like that with [Thora]. I know it won''t go all the way, but what if I hurt her?]" Oscar took his hand off of Bgrarh''s shoulder and reached up to pet the Dorarizin''s head. At first Bgrarh trembled at the touch, then as the human repeated his caressing he relaxed and gave a few wags of his tail. "You''re trained to be around humans, Benny. I trust you. And Thora has, er, ''been with'' plenty of aliens who aren''t trained. She''s a big girl, whatever she does is something she chose to do." "[I know. Just like I know in my head that [Jaime] is an adult, and he was the one taking advantage of Lnrgah. But I can''t help myself. On instinct I still think of both of him and [Thora] as defenseless pups. And that makes me angry with myself. No matter how long I''ve worked with you, no matter how many times you''ve proven yourself brave and capable, I still have this reaction to ''protect the [human]''. I should be smarter than that.]" "Speaking as a human, I''m very glad you keep that instinct. Speaking as your packmate...if you''re really dead-set against this, I''ll talk to the Captain. But you would be ideal. If you go through with this, I''ll be watching over you. I promise, I''ll be right beside you, every step of the way." Bgrarh pressed his head forward into Oscar''s hand. "[You promise?]" Oscar smiled. "Pinky swear." He''d taught the crew about that particular human idiom. Bgrarh smiled as he picked his head back up, shaking Oscar''s hand away. With utmost care, the Dorarizin reached out and hugged the human to his chest. "[Thanks, [Oscar]. If you''re watching over me...I''ll do it.]" Oscar returned the hug, then leaned back and tapped Bgrarh right in the middle of his loud Hawaiian shirt. "Let me guess. Magnum P.I.?" Bgrarh gave a sheepish shrug of his ears. "[Of course. [Higgins] is the bomb! Did I say that right?]" Chapter Six Bgrarh smoothed his shirt front with trembling paws. This wasn''t one of his garish ''off duty'' garments; instead he wore a sober dark blue outfit as befitting his fake identity. He looked around the large apartment as he felt another set of smaller hands neatening the back of his shirt. Little-Sniffer walked around to Bgrarh''s front, making tiny adjustments of his own. Finally the tiny-chomper stepped back and nodded his satisfaction. "[There. You''ll knock ''er dead, [Bgrarh].]" "{What?}" "[Sorry, that was a poor choice of idiom. Remember, this is the trial run. What do you do?]" "{I call the pizzeria and ask for delivery of one large with double pepperoni. But I don''t ask for extra-fast delivery.}" "[Good. Now if [Thora] is the deliverer, what do you do?]" "{I ask her to come in while I get her payment, and see if she makes a move.}" "[Good. Remember, for us [tiny-chompers] the gender roles are reversed from what you''re used to. The women are the ones pursued, so you''ll have to be more overt about your interest.]" Little-Sniffer flicked a few errant bits of lint from Bgrarh''s sleeve. "[Remember, you''ve got a license to kill.]" Bgrarh groaned. "{Stop using phrases with death in them!}" That earned a chuckle from Little-Sniffer. "[Just channel your inner [James Bond] and you''ll do fine. You ready?]" The Dorarizin took a deep breath. "{As ready as I can be.}" "[You''ll do great. Remember, the Captain and I will be watching over you.]" After Little-Sniffer left the room, Bgrarh shook himself and activated his implant. "[[Il Tricolore], is this for pickup or delivery?]" Bgrarh placed his order and gave the apartment''s address without his voice squeaking, which he counted as a minor victory. Then there was an endless wait for the pizza to arrive while Bgrarh tried to calm down by focusing on his breathing. "{Just another assignment,}" he muttered to himself. "{You''ve got this...}" There was a knock at the door, and Bgrarh had to control himself to avoid literally tearing the door open as he ran up to it. To his relief, the tiny-chomper outside was indeed [Thora]. She was tall for a tiny-chomper, about as tall as Little-Sniffer but nowhere near as wide. The tiny-chomper wore a blouse-and-jeans combination that was a lot less formal than Bgrarh''s own clothing. She grinned up at him as she hefted a familiar flat box with one hand. "[Hi! You ordered a double [pepperoni]?]" Bgrarh''s tail wagged on autopilot when he saw that grin. "{Yes, I''m Nghnar-of-Ahgnr...}" He looked around and gave a growl of annoyance. "{Sorry, I forgot to grab the chit. Come on in, I''ll get it for you.}" [Thora] stepped across the threshold without complaint as the door slid shut behind her. She placed the pizza on a nearby entrance table, and Bgrarh swore he could feel her eyes on him as he walked off. "[I don''t recognize you,[Nghnar]]" she called after him. "[You new around here?]" In the main room, Bgrarh stopped in front of a footlocker and began rooting through it. The apartment had only a few bits of furniture and a lot of shipping crates, to match his cover story. "{Yeah,]" he replied. "[The Senate just transferred me here from Ghnsnr-Eight.}" He almost launched into his prepared spiel about his new ''job'', but waited to see if she''d pick up the scent. "[Aw, that''s too bad. I bet you had a lot of friends on [Ghnsnr-Eight].]" Bgrarh pulled out a credit chit. "{I did, but this new job is a big step up for me! They''ve got me in charge of supply logistics for the entire colony. Emergency rations, equipment for the police, things like that.}" As he walked back towards the [tiny-chomper], Bgrarh picked up a new scent from her which smelled like fresh-brewed drzulr. From his time with Little-Sniffer he knew that smell indicated interest. He held his paw out to her with the chit in its center, trying to act casual. "{Besides, now that I''m here I get to meet you. That definitely make it worth getting reassigned.}" [Thora''s] grin grew wider. "[Well, on behalf of the local [tiny-chomper] delegation...my name is [Thora], and I bid you welcome. Am I the first [tiny-chomper] you''ve ever met?]" Bgrarh nodded, reminding himself to breathe as she stepped closer. [Thora] placed her hand on top of the chit in his paw, and the contact with her furless, warm skin made him shudder. The tiny-chomper''s voice deepened as she kept her eyes locked with his. "[Hoo-ee, you are a tall drink of water aren''t ya? You''re the biggest [Dorarizin] I''ve ever seen.]" [Thora] gave him a wink that earned another shudder from Bgrarh before she plucked the chit up and out of his paw, then strolled back towards the door. As it slid open, [Thora] gave her firm backside a very definite wiggle and looked back over her shoulder. She made a satisfied hum at seeing Bgrarh still staring fixedly at her. "[I hope you order again real soon, big boy.]" The door slid shut, leaving Bgrarh alone in the foyer. He remained staring at the closed door until he felt a tapping on his forearm. He realized he was still holding his paw out in front of him. Little-Sniffer patted Bgrarh''s arm again as he looked up at the Dorarizin with clear concern. "[Buddy? you okay?]" Bgrarh shook himself again as he came out of his trance. "[Fine. Fine! I''m fine. Do you think it went all right?]" "[Oh, yeah, you did great. We''ve got the bait in front of ''em, now we need to wait and see if they''ll bite.]"
HOOSIER furrowed his brow as he regarded the robot''s control panel. He changed a few of its settings, watching with a critical eye as the multiple metal arms in front of him folded and spun a wad of dough with an organic-like fluidity. The resulting disc was still not quite as round as he wanted, so HOOSIER again bent his head to the panel. He glanced up as NORDIC walked into Il Tricolore''s kitchen with a satisfied smirk on her face. "You gotta stop tormenting that ''bot." she said. "It''ll go nuts and start making rude shapes." "Keeps me busy," he replied. "I''m guessing the delivery went well?" "Yep. Got us a new fish," said NORDIC. "A doggo from offworld. Built like gods-be-damned Mount Everest, but he puts out that ''dorky cute'' energy. He''s been put in charge of supplies for the colony." "You work the ol'' razzle-dazzle on him?" The blonde woman waggled her eyebrows. "Ooooh, yeah. His tongue was all but hanging out of his head when I left. Now we just have to wait until he talks to one of our other ''customers'' and finds out what could be his...if the price is right." "Good." HOOSIER sighed and closed the control panel''s protective cover. "Any word on our quisling?" "I''ve asked around, and nobody''s seen him since those Senate doggos came to claim him. Apparently Valentin told him to get lost and stay lost." "Hmm. Speaking of the Senate, that investigation team showed up too soon after our op for my peace of mind." "From what you-know-who told me, they only scan the Eggs every twenty years," she replied. "The odds are in our favor." HOOSIER shrugged. "I''ll feel better about our odds once that team''s off the planet. If they leave, then we know we haven''t been made. There''s a lot more Eggs in there for the taking." NORDIC gave a low but still ladylike growl. "We should have taken more." "It was a calculated risk to steal even the one. If we got caught, it was a mundane-enough technology to avoid a galaxy-wide panic. Still...maybe we should ease off on, ah, ''recruiting'' new customers until the team leaves." NORDIC put on a show of exasperation, slumping her shoulders and rolling her eyes. "Come on! We can''t stop now. I got this guy just where I want him. What if he calls for an extra-fast delivery and doesn''t get it?" "Admit it, you just want to get into his pants," replied HOOSIER with an amused shake of his head. "You''ve found a larger mountain to climb, am I right?" "Yeah, I''m a size queen. So what? I have to be, in this damned job."
Rgrarshok kneaded Bgrarh''s shoulders, and he knew his Alpha felt the tension in them. "{Bgrarh, talk to me,}" she whispered in his ear. He rolled over in their denpile until he faced her. Without a word he buried his head and mane into her neck. Rgrarshok''s arms tightened around him in an instinctual hug. Between them weaved a complex array of scents both sweet and sour which resulted in an understanding that was almost telepathic in nature. She stroked the back of Bgrarh''s head, then trailed that hand down to run through his mane. "{There''s no shame, my love.}" "{I thought about it!}" he finally burst out, sobbing into her shoulder. "{I wanted to grab her and hold her down and maybe...take her? What''s wrong with me?}" "{She was seducing you, that''s all.}" Bgrarh sniffled and pulled his head away to look at her. Rgrarshok''s warm purple gaze calmed him, and he was able to speak without sobbing. "{But that''s my role. I show my interest to you, and you pursue me. I''m not supposed to respond like some cock-crazed Alpha. And [Thora] was so small! The next time she comes over, what if I...do something by accident? I could kill her-}" Her paws clamped tight on either side of Bgrarh''s head, forcing him to stare into her eyes and shutting off his rant. "{Stop. You are my love. Do you believe I have good judgement?}" Bgrarh nodded, not trusting himself to speak. "{Do you believe that I would offer myself to someone who does not have good judgement?" He shook his muzzle, making the tip of his nose brush against hers. Rgrarshok leaned forward and kissed his nose-tip. "{Then be at peace. When dealing with alien body language, your instincts can become cross-wired. You might find yourself thinking things you never expected. But I trust you. We all trust you. When the time comes, you will do the right thing. We''ll step in before anything bad happens.}"
"{...and could I have that as an extra-fast delivery, please?}" As he spoke the words, Bgrarh was certain that he''d been found out. Somehow the sneaky tiny-chompers would see through his deception, and the next thing he''d hear would be a burst of derisive laughter. Instead, the voice on the other end of the call was as smooth as ever. "[Of course, sir. The same address as before?]" "{Ah, yes! Yes, that''s right.}" "[It''ll be about [twenty minutes]. Thank you, sir.]" If the wait before seemed endless, this one seemed as if time had slowed to a halt. Bgrarh could do nothing but sit and clench his paws together while trying not to work himself into a nervous wreck. Little-Sniffer''s voice sounded from his implant. "[Breathe, [amigo]. We''ve got your back. Remember, we gotta wait until she starts taking your clothes off before we can bust ''er.]" Bgrarh nodded without speaking, then jumped almost five feet into the air when he heard a rapping at the front door. "{[Bond, James Bond], license to kill,}" he whispered, then stood and smoothed his shirt one last time. The door slid open, revealing [Thora]. She wore the same casual outfit as before, but now also donned a loose-fitting red jacket. The familiar pizza-box sat supported in one hand, while her other hand sat on her hip. The latter was cocked out in a decidedly non-innocent fashion. "[Ordering again so soon, [Nghnar]? You must have liked what I brought you.]"This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it. Bgrarh leaned against the doorframe, mirroring her saucy swagger with a bit of his own hip-sway. Now that he was back in familiar mental territory, he felt some smug satisfaction at seeing one of [Thora''s] eyebrows raise in curiosity. Bgrarh knew he turned ladies'' heads just due to his sheer size, but this was the first time he''d received lustful interest from someone outside his species. Now that he was faced with that lust, Bgrarh realized to his surprise that he was just fine with that. "{I did, [Thora]}" he purred. "{I liked it very much.}" Bgrarh looked up from her and saw no aircar parked on the street. His heartbeat increased with a mixture of fear and excitement as he realized [Thora] had taken the bait. "{Please, come on in while I get your payment.}" He turned and trotted into the foyer, not looking back to see if she followed him. [James Bond] wouldn''t, so he didn''t. Bgrarh stopped at the entrance to the main room and, with his hearts pounding, turned to face [Thora]. She''d set the pizza on the entry table, and now stood looking him up and down like he was an erzet caught in the open by an entire pack. "[Well. Seems like you''re interested in more than [pizza]. Are you ready for a fun time, my big boy?]" A fresh pulse of that maddening scent filled his head, so like drzulr and yet not. The smell chased out any thoughts of channeling [Sean Connery]. He couldn''t keep up the pretense, not when he was faced with this...this infuriatingly cute and oh so unexpectedly sexy creature. "{I, I am,}" he stammered. "{How, ah, how do we do this? I''ve never done something like this before.}" "[I can tell. First things first. It''s fifteen hundred for the hour. Okay?]" Bgrarh was no market analyst of prostitution, but that seemed a little rich. Though he had to admit it hard to focus, what with [Thora''s] excitement in his nostrils. He knew she wanted him, and that made this whole thing even worse as far as his instincts were concerned. Everything in his body was screaming at him to leap on her and tear her clothes off. He cleared his throat. "{That''s more than okay! Let me get some chits together for you...}" Bgrarh turned away, but the assault on his nose didn''t let up. [Thora] walked right behind him as he made his way to the same footlocker he''d used before. As he opened it and bent over, Bgrarh froze as he felt her small hand grope one of his rear cheeks, fondling him right through his pants. "[Mmmm,]" hummed [Thora]. "[I gotta admit, I''m looking forward to this.]" With ever-more-blurry vision Bgrarh fumbled through the footlocker until he found what he hoped was a few chits with the right denominations. "{Me too!}" he squeaked. "[Mind if I ask who told you about the, heh, ''extra-fast special''?]" He turned and held out the chits, not caring right now if he was handing over a million GRC. "{It was [Hnnresnthsh]. I was telling him how much I liked your [pizza], and he mentioned...well, he told me about the ''extra-fast'' thing.}" [Thora] took the chits from his paw and set them in the pocket of her jacket. She stripped that garment off in a slow and calculated manner, never breaking eye contact with Bgrarh the whole time. Finally, she set her jacket aside on top of a nearby crate. "[How very fortunate for me. [Hnnresnthsh] is a good friend of mine, he and I have shared a lot. Are you ready to share with me as well, big boy?]" Bgrarh felt like he''d just played two Hunt games back to back. He could feel his fur dampen with sweat as he licked his lips. "{Sure, I mean I don''t know what you offer or how you want to, er, you know, do it...}" [Thora] laughed, but it was a delighted laugh. "[Oh, you are too perfect! I can''t wait to corrupt you.]" She stepped closer, and it took every ounce of Bgrarh''s self-control not to turn and run. "[Now let''s set some ground rules. You can hurt me really bad without meaning to, so I''m gonna be doing the driving the whole time. You understand?]" Bgrarh nodded, not trusting his voice right now. She held out her hands, palms up. "[Gooooood boy. Now give me your hands.]" Her voice was now as rich as the syrup Bgrarh''s father drizzled over pitcher-cakes when he was a youth. He wordlessly held out his paws, and [Thora] grasped them with her own, much smaller hands. She gave his paws a gentle squeeze. "[You''re so tense.]" "{I am? I mean, maybe I am a little bit because I really don''t want to hurt you by accident and I''m really curious what this will feel like and oh by the Pale Moon your hands are so soft-" [Thora] squeezed again, cutting off his rambling. "[Shhh, baby, it''s okay. I''m tougher than I look. I promise that by the time I leave you''ll be a lot more relaxed.]" She stepped right up to his chest as she let go his paws, placing both of her hands on his chest and squeezing at his rock-hard pecs. "[As we [tiny-chompers] like to say, holy [shit]! Do you lift buildings as a hobby or something?]" "{I, er, did some athletics when I was young,}" he replied. "{Played in a few semipro Hunt leagues, that sort of thing.}" "[Oh really?]" [Thora] sported a triumphant grin as she slipped one hand down to grope at his crotch. Bgrarh blushed, and without his meaning to his excitement rose from the unexpected fondling. "[My oh my! What do we have here? You''re a big boy in every way, aren''t you?]" Bgrarh''s claws twitched in and out of their sockets as conflicting instincts fizzed through his brain, instincts fed by the unfamiliar scent and touch cues from [Thora]. He was torn between two urges. One urge wanted him to shove the aggressively lewd tiny-chomper away from him and run. In the other, darker urge he wanted to reach forward and crush the tiny-chomper against his chest in a fearsome hug before throwing her to the ground and... ...and... ...and where was his pack? he wondered in a daze. She''d thrown herself at him without hesitation, surely this was more than enough evidence? Forget the mission, Bgrarh knew he had to slow her down before this went too far. "{You know, if I''m, um, if I''m too big I understand. We don''t have to, you know...}" All the while he was chanting an internal mantra of please be too big, please be too big... Her hand didn''t let up on its gentle assault on his crotch. "[You just let me be the judge of that, baby. Either way, I''m gonna make sure you get your money''s worth. Lie down on your back. Now.]" Bgrarh was completely frazzled by now, and so he obeyed [Thora] as he would his Alpha. She shucked out of her jeans as he lay down flat. Her disrobing displayed some lacy black underwear which was in stark contrast to her casual outerwear. Before Bgrarh could protest, she thumped her panty-covered crotch right down onto his. The Dorarizin let out a click-squeak as she lay forward onto him. [Thora] ground herself into him, feeling his size through his pants with her own nethers. "[Oh, I am so ready for this, baby. Are you?]" By now Bgrarh was ready to do almost anything for her, but he held onto that small sliver of himself that was true to his pack. As much as he feared his own instincts, he had to trust that his Alpha...and Little-Sniffer...would make good on their promise to intervene at the right moment. "{I am,}" he whimpered. [Thora] slid herself back and began to unzip his pants with those small, nimble fingers of hers. Bgrarh clamped both of his paws hard into the floor, the convulsive motion of his claws leaving deep scars in the carpet as he tried not to engage his misfiring instincts. To her credit, the tiny-chomper sounded concerned. She stopped mid-zip. "[Baby? Are you okay?]" Bgrarh managed to gasp out, "{Just...wanted to make sure I let you...do the...driving.}" [Thora] slid back up, rubbing her own nethers against his half-unzipped manhood in a maneuver that made Bgrarh whine. She clasped his head in her tiny hands, unconsciously mirroring what the Captain had done to him earlier. "[Babyyyy...oh, my poor sweet baby, you''re so tense. Lie back and let me help you relax, okay? I have the magic touch.]" Before he could respond she wriggled back downwards (earning another whine) before she grasped him with one hand and kept unzipping him with the other... "[Alright, sunshine, that''s far enough.]" Hearing Little-Sniffer''s voice was the most wonderful thing in the world, and almost made up for Bgrarh''s embarrassment at his half-undone situation. [Thora] tumbled off of Bgrarh with a yelp, and he took advantage of that to clasp both of his paws over his groin. She crouched and glared at Little-Sniffer, who stood nearby while sporting the usual cute-but-infuriating grin he wore while making a collar. "[You''re under arrest,]" said Little-Sniffer. "[You have the right to...]" His tormentor snatched up her pants and jacket with surprising speed for a tiny-chomper, spun and ran for the door. It slid open to reveal a gray-furred wall blocking the entryway. Rgrarshok ducked her head under the door-frame as she walked forward with the inevitable tread of oncoming doom. [Thora] backpedaled away from the oncoming Captain, her face tense but neutral. The Captain''s voice rumbled the very floor of the apartment. "{[Thora Nedergaard]. You are under arrest for assisting in unauthorized transfer of technical knowledge or engineering to the species known as [tiny-chompers], under Senate statute number Two Thousand Eight Hundred and Ninety-Five, Paragraph B. You have the right to remain silent until you have an advocate present. Do you understand these charges and your rights?}" [Thora] spun away from the oncoming Captain, only to see that Little-Sniffer now had Myyreh and Egwreh looming behind him in an unspoken message of you are oh so surrounded. By now Bgrarh had managed to get himself zipped back up again, and stood to the side with the air of someone trying very hard to look like he hadn''t been literally caught with his pants down. He crossed his arms and added to the general glower in the room towards [Thora]. The blond tiny-chomper slumped, and let the clothes in her hand drop to the floor. "[Can I at least put my pants back on?]" She reached down for her jeans, only to find that they already dangled from the Captain''s paw. "[No,]" said Little-Sniffer. "[Keep your hands out and away from your sides. If you don''t, my buddies here will have to restrain you.]" [Thora] snorted in derision. "[Oh really, [bootlicker]? You think I might pull a gun on your alien pals?]" If Little-Sniffer was angry at her words, he didn''t show it. "[Nah. But you might have some kind of beacon or pager to let your pals know you''ve been rumbled. We can''t have that now, can we?]" [Thora] leaned forward and spat at the carpet in front of Little-Sniffer''s feet, but she did as instructed and stood with her hands out to her sides. Bgrarh took several deep breaths to clear her scent out of his head, and now that she was no longer putting out a pheremonal signal of interest he felt himself get more under control. He still couldn''t help but notice her long bare legs, so oddly devoid of fur, and how those bare limbs went up and up towards those lacy panties... Bgrarh shifted his gaze away and kept breathing as Little-Sniffer walked forward with a tiny-chomper-sized pair of handcuffs. As his colleague patted down [Thora] and cuffed her, Rgrarshok touched her ear. "{Ngralh? You''re on.}"
Hnnresnthsh sat in the loose sort-of-coil indicating Jornissian despair as Ngralh flicked photos and printouts down onto the carpet of the archivist''s apartment. The Senate investigator spoke with a clipped precision as he laid out the case. "[Item Number One, your calls to [Il Tricolore]." Flick. "[Ten times in two months you ordered an ''extra-fast special'' with double [pepperoni].]" "[Item Number Two.]" Flick. "[This is the [warmcuddle] who shows up when one orders a double [pepperoni], one [Thora Nedergaard]. She simply drops off the [pizza] for payment, unless one orders an ''extra-fast special''.]" "[When that happens, [Thora] does Item Number Three.]" Flick. The last picture showed [Thora] straddling a huge Dorarizin male, grinning in triumph as she unzipped his pants. "[Provided one pays her, of course,]" continued Ngralh. "[Fifteen hundred for an hour''s session. Was it worth it?]" Hnnresnthsh swallowed, feeling like he''d tried to consume something too big for his throat. He tried to go on the offensive. "" Ngralh''s voice didn''t rise in response. "[Because you''re one of the only people on this [Harsak-crushed] planet who knows the contents of those Eggs. And [Thora] said you''d ''shared'' with her.]" The Dorarizin gestured, and Hnnresnthsh heard [Thora''s] voice in his implant. "[[Hnnresnthsh] is a good friend of mine, he and I have shared a lot. Are you ready to share with me as well, big boy?]" As Hnnresnthsh stared at Ngralh in shock, the Senate operative flicked a printout down onto the growing pile on the carpet. "[See this list? This is who the [warmcuddles] target with the ''extra-fast'' delivery. All middle-managers in the government, people who know things but who are also low-profile. People just like you. We have several other videos of these [warmcuddles] engaging in ''small talk'' with their clients after providing their, heh, ''services''. That talking is anything but innocent. They''re digging into the colony, finding out how its government is structured, where its weak points are.]" The Dorarizin gestured at Hnnresnthsh. "[You were such an unexpected [gold mine], eh? I''ll bet [Thora] was very persuasive, showing such interest in what you did for a living. You stumbled over your own tail to tell her, didn''t you? She all but said so.]" Hnnresnthsh crossed his arms and hunched into himself. "" "[Oh? In that case, why haven''t you taken advantage of her services since the Egg''s theft? It''s been a couple of weeks.]" "" In response, Ngralh flicked a final photo down in front of the archivist. This one showed [Thora] in handcuffs and no pants, glowering at the camera in defiance. "[We have her in custody,]" said Ngralh. "[We have a strong case as to what she and her friends are up to. We''re going to bust them all, with or without your help. They will confess, to ease their sentences if nothing else, and those confessions will implicate you in this whole mess.]" Hnnresnthsh slumped further upon seeing [Thora] in shackles, but said nothing. Ngralh''s tone shifted, becoming much warmer. "[You know, a lapse in judgement is nothing to be ashamed of. I understand, and so will the courts. It''s not as if you did anything deliberately nefarious.]" The tension in the archivist, which had been tightening for weeks, now snapped. "" Hnnresnthsh slapped a hand over his mouth at the unexpected outburst, then dropped that same hand in despair. Ngralh didn''t gloat or smile, instead he just nodded. "[Like I said, sir. I understand. You told her of the Eggs?]" Now that the dam had burst, Hnnresnthsh found himself tripping over his own tongue to tell of what had happened. "" Hnnresnthsh slithered over to a nearby window and gazed out over the city, not really seeing it as he pondered the ruin of his life and career. ""
Oscar touched his ear and grinned up at Bgrarh, who sat on the bench across from him in the shuttle''s rear compartment. His Dorarizin friend still looked anxious. "Jackpot, Benny! Henry just confessed. Little Miss Special over there got a private tour of the storage building." He tried to ignore the steady glare which Thora was sending his way. She sat sandwiched in between Rgrarshok and Myyreh, looking as dignified as someone could while handcuffed and without pants. Bgrarh''s mane fluffed out in an unspoken gesture of distress as he shifted his blue eyes down towards Oscar. "[That''s good. At least this wasn''t in vain.]" Oscar leaned forward and patted Bgrarh''s knee. "Dude, you did fine. I don''t understand what you''re so upset about." Bgrarh didn''t respond. Instead, Thora''s throaty voice sounded out. "He lost control." She still looked daggers at Oscar while she spoke. Oscar glared back. "Got something on your chest, friend? Other than a nice pair of tits?" "I wasn''t talking to you, bootlicker." Thora pointed her chin at Bgrarh. "Look at him. Big as anything, and yet he would have done anything I asked him to." Bgrarh''s furious answering growl filled the shuttle compartment. "[You LIE! I would never betray my pack!]" Oscar squeezed Bgrarh''s knee, trying to distract his angry comrade. "We know that, Benny. She''s just trying to get under your skin, get us working against each other." "Trying and succeeding," responded Thora with a smirk. That smirk went away very quickly when she saw Rgrarshok''s own lips peel back in what was very much not a smile. "[You will be silent,]" said the Captain. "[Now, [Oscar]. Do you still trust the base commander?]" Oscar nodded. "I do. We need to get him in the loop. Without him, we''ve got no chance of arresting the others in time." Chapter Seven Commander Maksimov looked up from his paperwork when his comm unit buzzed. The unit, a flat black panel, hung on the wall next to his desk and was without a doubt the direst bane of his existence. It was even more of an annoyance right now since it didn''t show the face of his caller or their ID. "Who is it?" He drummed his pen on the edge of his desk in annoyance. "It''s the damned Amerikosy, Valentin Ivanovich...don''t you dare hang up!" Valentin''s hand stopped just short of tapping the ''off'' button on the comm''s face. "Why not?" "Because you''re in trouble and don''t know it yet. But I can save your ass. We have to meet in person, I''ll tell you why I''m really here. But it has to be fast, within the next twenty minutes." Valentin leaned back and rubbed his jaw. "I can bring escort?" "Of course. Bring whoever you like, but make sure they''re really your guys, get me? Remember Havana." The commander felt the beginnings of an involuntary twitch behind one eye as rage started to simmer in his gut. "Ah. It''s like that, is it?" "Yeah. I''m sorry, dude." Valentin checked his watch. "Very well. I''m going to do a surprise inspection of our perimeter, meet me at the point opposite the main gate in exactly fifteen minutes. If you''re not there, I leave and lodge a complaint with the governor." There was no reply, instead the comm just shut off. Valentin slid open the bottom drawer of his desk and retrieved a chipped shot glass and a hefty plastic bottle of vodka. He poured himself a generous dose and tossed it down, then threw both items back into the drawer. "Fucking politics," he muttered as he hauled himself to his feet.
The ever-present cigarette dangled from Valentin''s lips as he shuffled through the set of photos and printouts which Oscar had just handed him. It was the same set of evidence which had loosened Hnnresnthsh''s tongue, along with a hastily hand-written summary by Oscar at the top. Oscar glanced around. Myyreh had parked herself at his elbow as usual, while Valentin had brought a big shaved-gorilla type with him; he''d only introduced the latter as his ''adjutant''. The ''human'' wing of the Jornissian complex loomed to one side like a crashing tidal wave, while in the huge paved plaza to the other side there slithered a few scattered groups of Jornissians. The aliens gave the huddled quartet curious glances while trying not to seem too nosy. Valentin plucked the cigarette from his mouth, spilling a few flakes of ash onto the printouts. "You are sure of this?" "As sure as anyone can be. We have Henry''s confession, plus the video and photo evidence of Thora seducing Benny. This has been going on for quite some time." "[But now the Senate''s involved,]" added Myyreh. "[It''s become a pretty big deal...behind the scenes, for now.]" The commander took a long, dramatic drag on his smoke; the coal at its tip flared bright as he regarded Oscar and Myyreh with eyes that were like two chips of black ice. "For now. You both took big risk, telling me this. Maybe I am in on it?" "Valentin...Valya," started Oscar, and he didn''t miss the narrowing of the commander''s eyes at the informality. "I know you''re a smart guy. Way too smart to try something like this. You''re deep in enemy territory, fer chrissake!" He waved at a few distant scaly forms for emphasis. "Why would you risk your people like that?" "Why indeed." Valentin looked down at the sheaf of papers in his hand, then thrust them out towards Oscar. "Will arrest the others all at once, also check their facility. You will observe, I will allow this one," and here he stabbed his cigarette at Myyreh, "to accompany you. No one else, no drones. Take it or leave it, as you say." Oscar didn''t need to look at Myyreh to sense her excited acceptance. "That''ll do nicely, Valentin. Thanks."
Tam Ji-Min, AKA ''Large Hawaiian'', AKA ''JOESON'', slipped the stack of boxes into an insulated bag with an ease borne of long practice. "I''ll be back in ten minutes, okay?" Tobias Ram¨ªrez, AKA ''HOOSIER'', nodded absently as he rang up the sale. "The boys in the base must be having a big party." The balding, portly man winked at her. "If you do see some opportunities to get some juicy gossip, don''t hesitate." "I won''t. This isn''t my first rodeo." Insulated bag in hand, Tam walked out of the front door of ''Il Tricolore'' and weaved her way through the throng outside, a throng consisting mostly of humans but with a few larger forms here and there. Each of the latter had a spherical security drone hovering next to their shoulder, ever alert to the aliens'' movements among the relatively fragile base population. Tam continued to thread a path towards the gate of the base''s central complex, and as she approached the guard on duty waved her through the entrance without so much as asking her name. That was odd. Commander Maksimov was a hard-nosed bastard, and such casual disregard for security would surely invite his wrath. But Tam put that out of her mind as she walked towards the ground-floor conference room where she''d dropped off many an order before. The door was open, showing the uninspired and pre-fab beige paneling which constituted much of the base. Tam walked in and saw a trio of soldiers lounging about; one stood near the door, while two more lounged on chairs next to the long table in the center of the room. She set the insulated bag down on the table and slid out the stack of pizzas. Her round, cherubic face lit up with a familiar grin at them all. "Here you go, my lovelies. It''ll be forty for the lot." Her good mood evaporated when she heard the door lock click behind her. Tam didn''t waste time; her hand darted into her pocket as the two seated soldiers lunged to their feet... A sudden and considerable pain shot through her as the soldier by the door lunged forward and grabbed her forearm back out of her pocket. He squeezed, earning a gasp from Tam as the device in her hand clattered to the floor. One of the formerly seated soldiers swept the small black box up with one hand. "Looks like a pager, Sarge." The one who had hold of Tam nodded while he kept her arm cranked at an painful angle. "Thought so. Gonna tell your friends, eh?" Tam gritted her teeth and didn''t reply.
Jaime D¨¢valos, AKA ''Large Supreme'', AKA ''HISPANOLA'', cracked his eyes open as a slight gust of air woke him. He lunged one hand under his pillow for the pager underneath just as what felt like a five-hundred pound gorilla landed on top of him. "Ah, ah, ah," said the gorilla. Jaime''s attacker pulled the arm free and dislodged the pager from his hand. "Naughty. Can''t have you spoiling all the fun, now can we?"
Tobias knew Tam should have been back ten minutes ago. He figured he''d wait another ten before hitting the panic button...just in case. That would incinerate their physical notes and other materials, but he knew that Martin would prefer he take the paranoid route. He turned from the register and strolled into the restaurant''s kitchen. He glanced towards the robotic arms busy kneading and forming dough, noting with satisfaction that they were working just as he wanted. That satisfaction vanished when he heard the metallic flick of a lighter. Tobias froze, then turned to look to his side. He let out a shaky laugh when he saw Commander Maksimov leaning against one wall of the kitchen with a lit cigarette dangling from his lips. He didn''t look angry or happy, just...neutral. "Surprise inspection, Commander?" asked Tobias. "Um, I know you''re the boss but health regulations don''t allow you to smoke in here." He flicked his eyes towards the rear door, judging the distance to it if he needed to sprint. But any hope of escape died as the rear door of the restaurant swung open. The human quisling strolled in and crossed his arms, showing forearms corded with muscle. He wore the same neutral expression as the Commander. Beyond Oscar, Tobias could see the much larger shaggy shape of the quisling''s alien girlfriend. Tobias thought about making a run for the front door, but he knew he was no athlete. Even without the alien outside, Oscar could probably catch him within twenty feet. He glanced towards the front door anyway. Sure enough, there were three soldiers now parked there with unfriendly grins. One of them was almost as big as Oscar. Still, Tobias was was not going to roll over that easy. "What''s this all about?" he asked. "You know damn well what," replied Oscar. "Your people are in custody. We know what you were up to and what you stole." Tobias laughed and slapped his paunch. "Really? Me? You think I''m some kind of thief? I''m not quite built for climbing through air ducts." Maksimov pushed himself off the wall and moved towards the door of the big walk-in freezer that took up a good amount of the kitchen''s volume. "In here, you think?" "That would be my guess," said Oscar. The Commander flung the door open and disappeared into the frosty mist that came pouring out of the now-open freezer. "Hey, now!" Tobias'' half-hearted protest turned into a wordless yelp of complaint as a big bag of sliced pepperoni came sailing out the door, followed by an equally big bag of olives. More bagged toppings started pelting out of the freezer on random trajectories. "Please, STOP!" yelled Tobias. Oscar shrugged. "You want him to stop, tell him where you got the shit hid." "What shit? I don''t know what you want!" Maksimov appeared again from the frigid interior of the freezer, bearing a large chest. He thumped it onto the floor, squashing a bag of mushrooms in the process. The Commander looked down at the chest, then up at Tobias in an unspoken question. Tobias tried to keep his face still, he really did. But some sort of telltale flicker must have crossed his eyes, because the Commander grunted in satisfaction. Maksimov leaned down and unlatched the chest, then flipped the lid open. Wrapped blocks of white cheese stared back at the trio of men. The Commander leaned down and started tossing the blocks out of the chest, ignoring Tobias as the latter kept making little noises of protest. Finally the chest lay empty before the Commander. He put both hands inside, measuring the depth of the chest from its top to the inside bottom. Maksimov then repeated the process on the outside; the depth he measured was clearly more than that of the inside.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. "He''ll have an incindiary in there," said Oscar. "Da. Will have to be careful. Unless our friend wants to shut it off for us?" Tobias swallowed. "I...I don''t know what you mean." "Very well." The Commander then traced his hands along the bottom edges of the chest''s interior, pressing downward every so often. One section of the bottom gave way to his questing fingers, making Maksimov freeze. The Commander swiveled his head up to glare at Tobias. "If I blow my hand off, I will beat you to death with stump." He leaned back down and with greatly exaggerated care began fiddling at that same section of the chest''s bottom. Oscar softly cleared his throat. "Did you want me to give you a hand?" "No, seems to be standard unit...ah!" Maksimov pulled out a small package the size of a ballpoint pen and tossed it to Oscar. The quisling caught it easily and looked it over. "Yep, it''s a standard charge." The Dorarizin outside poked her head through the rear door. There was a slight creak of stressed composite material as she gripped the doorframe with her paws. "[Is it dangerous?]" "Not now. Valentin disarmed it." With a grunt of effort Maksimov gripped one edge of the false bottom and gave a huge yank. The taut fabric gave way easily, and he tossed the rectangle of fabric aside. Tobias slumped in defeat. Several fake Eggs sat in the bottom of the chest, padded with scraps of cloth as well as many, many pages of notes. The Commander nodded sourly, then reached in and picked up one of the false Eggs. He regarded its black, swirled surface for a moment then looked up at Tobias. "Anything to say?" asked Maksimov. Tobias shook his head. The Commander''s mustache bristled in rising anger. He tossed the Egg back into the chest and beckoned to the soldiers near the front door. The trio trotted double-time into the kitchen, making it that much more crowded. Maksimov jabbed a stubby finger at Tobias. His voice was now a low growl. "Arrest him. Keep them all separated from each other. I have to make phone call."
The waiting room outside of the Commander''s office was almost big enough to let Myyreh sit comfortably. Almost. Right now she had her head wedged awkwardly against the ceiling while Oscar sat beside her. Maksimov''s adjutant, the big gorilla-looking dude from earlier, sat across from them with crossed arms and no expression. Myyreh let forth a few little whines of distress, but it was not because of her physical discomfort. The reason was the bellowing voice of Commander Maksimov, clearly audible through the thin door. "...I KNOW THE ALIENS ARE TAPPING THIS LINE! I DON''T GIVE A GOOD FUCKING GODDAMN! I WANT THEM TO HEAR! I WANT THEM TO HEAR EVERYTHING!" A brief pause. "DON''T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! DO YOU IDIOTIC SWINE HAVE ANY IDEA OF OUR SITUATION? DO YOU KNOW WHERE WE ARE? THESE MONSTERS COULD END US ALL IN A HEARTBEAT!" That earned a louder whine from Myyreh, followed by a comforting pat on her arm from Oscar. "I WANT TO KNOW WHO! I WANT TO KNOW EXACTLY WHICH PUS-NUTTED, LIMP-DICKED, SHIT-BRAINED, NEKULTURNY, BASTARD OFFSPRING OF A USELESS TOLKACH AUTHORIZED THIS FARCE!" Another, briefer pause. "THAT IS THE ABSOLUTE PUREST HORSESHIT! YOU KNOW WHO, SO YOU TELL THEM! TELL EVERYONE! TELL THEM I''M GOING TO BURN THEM DOWN!" A crunching noise sounded from within the office, the sound of a fist driving into the face of a flat-panel display. More crunches sounded out, punctuated by the Commander''s screams. "TELL! THEM! TELL! THEM!..." Eventually the crunching and the screaming stopped. The office door slid open and Maksimov''s comm unit spun out of the entrance like a large and very ungainly shuriken. The adjutant''s face didn''t so much as flicker as the unit sailed past his head and landed with a thud onto the carpet beyond. The panel looked as if it had been attacked by a baseball-bat-wielding chimpanzee. The Commander stomped out through the doorway. He ran a shaky hand through his black hair to slick it back into place; the knuckles of that hand were torn and bleeding. When he spoke, his voice betrayed no remaining hint of anger. "The official word is that there was no authorization for this operation. Have no idea if true or not." Oscar patted Myyreh''s arm again, but he wasn''t sure if it was more to calm her or to calm himself. "It might be true after all. I think I know who was behind this, and he''s a bit of a cowboy. Don''t worry, Valentin. My people are good, we''ll track down the Egg." Maksimov sighed. "You do that. In meantime I need to talk to governor. Figure out what to do about this whole mess. And what to do with prisoners." "Speaking of which, do you mind if I talk to them?" The Commander snorted. "Flay them alive for all I care." He looked at his adjutant. "Get him whatever he needs." Maksimov then pointed his chin back at his office door. "And get me a new phone."
The base didn''t have an interrogation room as such, so Oscar had to improvise. He chose a storage room which was hastily emptied of supplies, leaving a bare windowless room with appropriately harsh lighting. He had a table and chairs brought in, which was usual. What wasn''t usual was that he also insisted having all four of the prisoners there at once, handcuffed to chairs and separated from each other by a good five feet. Oscar took care not to seem smug or satisfied. He walked into the room with a businesslike stride, ignoring the glares from the four handcuffed spies as he tossed a folder onto the table in the center of the room. He sat behind that table, lacing his fingers together and looking at each of them in turn. Thora, in particular, looked like she wanted to eat his heart while he watched. "Right, let''s dispense with the pleasantries," he said. "Y''all are in big fucking trouble, and you know it. We have extensive evidence of your, shall we say, unique method of collecting intelligence. You''re operating under non-official cover, and we''ve just heard that the UN has disavowed any authorization for your activities." The last words hung in the room while the prisoners digested that news. "They''ve hung you out to dry," continued Oscar. Jaime glanced at his comrades and opened his mouth as if he was about to speak. He subsided upon a glare from Thora. Oscar smiled a friendly I am only here to help everyone out, yessir smile. "Now. I know this isn''t how it''s supposed to go. I''m supposed to interrogate each of you on your own and keep you separated so that I can get you all worried that one of you might be cutting a deal behind the others'' backs. Get y''all working against each other, that sort of thing." He shook his head. "But we got no time for that nonsense. As we speak, Valentin is getting ready to talk to the colony governor. He''s going to eat shit and hope that the governor doesn''t just kick every human off of the planet. If he does manage to make a deal then part of that agreement will, without a doubt, involve handing you four over to the Jornissians for prosecution." He leaned back in his chair. "Trust me, you don''t want that." Tobias sneered, the bare top of his head gleaming in the room''s fluorescent lights. "You''re going to scare us with tales of how rough we''ll have it in an alien prison, aren''t you?" Oscar raised both eyebrows. "Did I say that? Noooo, they''ll make sure you''re kept nice and safe." He leaned forward again. "You''ll be kept safe for a very long time. Have you ever seen a Jornissian trial? I''ve only seen part of one, myself. They can drag on for years. For a case like this, with alien defendants? I''m guessing it''ll take a couple of decades at least." "Cut to the chase, bootlicker," grated Thora. "You must want something from us. Or did you set up this whole charade just so you can gloat?" "Fair enough. We need to get the Egg back. It''s not on this planet anymore, is it?" No one said anything. "Come on, I know Martin. He wouldn''t keep something like that just sitting around. Especially once he know I was on the planet. Y''all told him I was here, right?" He didn''t miss the little flicker that crossed Tam Ji-Min''s face, and he pressed onward. "I know Martin set this up. It''s got his fingerprints all over it. You help us now, any of you, and you can save not only yourself but also your comrades." That was met with nothing but still silence. "I tell you truly, guys and gals, this is as good as it''s gonna get. No separate deals. One deal, for all of ya. I''ll even sweeten it. At least one of you must have done work for Martin in the past, right?" Oscar stared steadily at Tobias before continuing. "And in Martin''s mind, once you''ve worked for him you work for him forever. He likes to threaten people, or at least threaten their family. That''s what he did to me. If he put any undue pressure, on any of you...well, that is something that the Jornissians do not like." "Says you," muttered Jaime. "I''m serious," replied Oscar. "I''ve dealt with a lot of Jornissians in the last two years. They''re very independent of mind. It''s a point of pride with them. Using physical or emotional threats to get someone do to what you want? They view that kind of shit with disgust. Trust me, if any of you have a story of coercion they''ll be very understanding." Tam Ji-Min dropped her head to stare at the floor. "My son," she whispered. "Dammit, Tam!" yelled Tobias. Tam''s mouth worked silently. "Stay strong," said Thora. "This is all bullshit. There''s no way anyone, human or alien, wants a public trial over this. It''s way too embarrassing The worst they''ll do is ship us back to Earth." The smaller woman whipped up her head to glare at her comrades, her face contorted in a snarl. "You can''t possibly believe that!" Her snarl subsided as she looked towards Oscar. "I have a son who''s done some unwise things..." Thora lunged to her feet, or tried to. Unfortunately her dramatic movement was brought up short by the handcuff which shackled her quite well to the chair...which in turn was bolted quite solidly to the floor. "STOP!" Oscar stared at Thora steadily as her yell echoed through the room. She stood awkwardly bent over, glaring right back at him "Sit." he said. After a long pause, Thora complied. "Anyone tries to interfere again, I''ll put ''em to sleep. You know I can." Oscar looked back at Tam. "Sorry, you were saying about your son?" "He was looking at serious jail time. Martin offered to squash any prosecution." "If you worked for him," said Oscar. "If I worked for him." Oscar tapped a finger on the tabletop in thought. "Did he tell you the nature of the job?" "He did," said Jaime. The young man slumped in defeat, not meeting the furious looks he was receiving from both Tobias and Thora. "Martin warned us it there was some physical danger, given that we''d be seducing aliens." "Mighty big of him." "Oh stow your high-and-mighty attitude, bootlicker," said Thora with a sneer. Oscar tilted his head. "I''m going to let you call me that, oh about one more time. After that, if you break out that word again I''m gonna break your nose." He pushed himself up to standing. "But we''re getting off topic. Where''s the Egg? You must have shipped it off of the planet by now." No one said anything. Tobias glanced right and left at his underlings, then sighed. "What kind of a deal are you proposing?" Thora shook her head. "No, sir. We can''t give in..." "We''re screwed," interrupted Tobias. "Even if they do just exile us back to Earth. There''s no way Martin will let us go. If we''re lucky he''ll just lock us up. More likely he''ll be more...final about it." "We can put a stop to that," said Oscar. "We''ll let Martin know that the Senate is watching his ass very closely. That way he won''t try any funny business with y''all. As far as a deal, if you tell us everything you can about where the Egg might be, the Captain will also talk to the governor." Thora snorted. "That''s all you''re offering? Just talk to him?" "Right now she''s the only thing keeping the entire Senate from climbing up his scaly butt. I''m sure he''ll leap at any bone that she can throw him." "My people need to be protected," said Tobias with finality. "That''s non-negotiable." Oscar raised an eyebrow. "What about you?" "I don''t care about that, so long as my people are safe. I figure you''re going to need somebody to blame for this. It might as well be me." The investigator had to admit he was impressed with the guy''s bravery. "All right. The captain and I will go pitch a deal to the governor. We''ll do what we can."
Rrre''nansh twirled his own long, scaly body around itself in a complicated Moebius-loop of stress. It gave Oscar a headache just to look at, so he stood at parade rest next to the Captain and stared at a point on the wall. On the other side of Rgrarshok, Valentin finished up his summary. "...so they are on ice, as we say. Wanted to see what you wanted to do before taking next steps." The governor stopped his endless reeling. His hood slumped in clear distress. "[I thank you for being so proactive about stopping this. At least we''ve prevented any further thefts.]" "I''m also performing a recheck of all base personnel," added Valentin. "If any of them have ties to the four under arrest, I will ensure they are confined to quarters until we can clear them." He clasped his hands behind his back. "I also wanted to extend personal apology for this fiasco. Did not know about it, but it happened on my watch. Take full responsibility. You would be well within your rights to tell us all to leave." Rrre''nansh looked a little more settled, now that the news was sinking into his mind. "[Let''s not jump to such drastic measures yet. Do you believe that this is truly an unauthorized operation?]" Valentin shrugged. "If it was unauthorized, the UN will find the bastard responsible and offer him to the Senate for punishment. If it was approved, they''ll instead offer up a scapegoat." Oscar figured he''d speak up. "I know the human who was behind it. It''s more than likely he did this on his own." The governor fixed his intense viper gaze on Oscar. "[In that case, maybe we can...negotiate for the return of the Egg? Even if it''s back on [Earth], there''s no way they could have reverse-engineered it already.]" "I don''t think it''s reached Earth yet," replied Oscar. "My guess is they''ll have put it in a bulk cargo shipment, in a nondescript package. But that''s just a guess. We''ll need more info from Tobias and the others." Rgrarshok performed her species'' version of clearing their throat, a sound which resembled a chainsaw ripping through a ripe melon. "[Getting that information will be easier if we can promise certain concessions to the prisoners. I would recommend making that sort of deal rather than trying to negotiate with their superior.]" Rrre''nansh wrung his hands together. "[But surely there''s something we can offer him! I''m willing to pay whatever he wants, if it means we get the Egg back quietly. We can offer resources, credits...]" "Sir, with respect that''s not what Martin''s after," said Oscar. "He wants the tech on that Egg, and he doesn''t care what kind of a shitstorm he kicks up in the process." The governor sighed. "[All right.]" He looked up at Rgrarshok. "[Whatever you recommend, I''ll do it. I want this all over with as soon as possible.]" Chapter Eight Rgrarshok touched Oscar on the shoulder just outside Rrre''nansh''s office. "{[Oscar], can you hold back a bit?}" Valentin stopped as well. The neutral mask he''d worn in front of the governor now slipped back into its usual suspicious squint. "What is problem? Has to do with Egg?" At the moment, the Commander and his underlings were still in the dark with respect to the Egg''s contents. Rgrarshok had insisted on that, with the unspoken implication to Oscar that she needed to keep her nose clean due to the Dorarizin Inquisition worming their way into this affair. Valentin had accepted her denial with a pessimistic shrug, and thus far hadn''t pressed the matter. The Captain nodded towards him. "[Nothing regarding that, I assure you. This is an internal matter.]" Oscar glanced at Valentin and gave him a little nod. With that nod, he tried to get across the message of If it''s important, I''ll tell you later. Valentin let out an annoyed grunt, turned, and stalked off down the hall muttering Slavic curses under his breath. "What''s this about?" asked Oscar. "Is it about Benny? I hope he''s okay, he was pretty stressed-out after the sting went down." "[His scent is still troubled, but he should recover soon enough,]" replied Rgrarshok. She actually winked at Oscar. "[Especially after I, heh, ''relax'' him tonight.]" Before he could register any astonishment at her unexpectedly lewd statement, she plowed on. "[No, this is about the Inquisition.]" "Aw, crap." "[You said it. I''ve just received word that they''ve sent a Veridicator. Her shuttle will be arriving in orbit in several [hours], after which she''ll immediately transfer to the Claw.]" Oscar paused before asking the obvious question. His team pursued those who''d broken Senate laws, and thus far he''d only gotten a cursory understanding of the Inquisition and how it slotted into the overall politics of the Dorarizin Empire. Most of his current knowledge consisted of the statement If You Value Your Balls, Keep Them Very Far Away From The Inquisition. "What is a Veridicator, exactly?" he asked. The Captain filled him in while they walked towards the shuttle. "Aw, crapola."
Oscar followed Valentin and the adjutant into the stockade; his nerves were still jangled from the Captain''s news. Tobias looked up from his clasped hands; the ringleader looked to be in the middle of a silent prayer. Thora and Tam sat or stretched out as best they could in the cramped cell, while Jaime paced in a little circle nearby. "So what''s the news?" asked Tobias. "Pizzeria is closed," said Valentin. "Official story is problem with health inspection. You four will be turned over to this one''s crew." He pointed his thumb back at Oscar. "You tell them everything you know, in return they will drop you off at Earth. Permanent exile, will not be allowed back into space." "We''ll also take steps to make sure Martin''s unable to harm you or your loved ones," added Oscar. Thora sat on the floor, her back propped up against the cell''s bars and with her previous sneer gone. She relaxed a bit at Valentin''s words. "No charges pressed?" "None on either end," replied the Commander. "Colony governor wants to keep this quiet." Jaime stopped his pacing and looked up. "What about the Senate?" Valentin looked back at Oscar with a questioning eyebrow. "At the moment, the Senate has left any prosecution to Governor Rrre''nansh''s discretion," said Oscar. "He, in turn, wants this treated as a state secret. In his eyes, if the four of you show the appropriate zeal in getting the Egg back then he''ll accept exile back to Earth as sufficient punishment." Tam shook her head. "I don''t like it. What if we do as you ask and you still don''t get the Egg back? You could just turn around and tell the governor that we didn''t play nice. We''d wind up right back here, but this time in a cell with aliens." "It won''t be up to me or my pack," replied Oscar. "Your performance will be judged by a more neutral authority, and that''s all I can say right now." "Judged by neutral authority, and also by me," added Valentin. "Wait, what?" Oscar stepped around to face the Commander. "You didn''t tell me that." "I have great many issues to discuss with my superiors," said the Commander. "Your ship is best method at moment to achieve that, da? Besides, Stepan here is quite capable of running things in my absence." Valentin nodded towards his adjutant and the big man just grunted in response. Oscar looked over at the shaved gorilla, then back down at Valentin. "You do realize this is not like stepping onboard a cruise liner, right? Dorarizin are pretty...um, they don''t really believe in personal space. I''ve been around them long enough to make them pretty nose-blind to our smell, but you will need to get scented eventually." There was something else, something that gnawed at the base of Oscar''s brain. He''d forgotten one very important bit of information, but whatever it was eluded his conscious mind at the moment. The Commander shrugged. "Will deal with whatever necessary. Have already told your Captain." "''aight." Oscar turned to the four prisoners. "Satisfied?" Tobias stood. "As much as I can be. All right, then. Quid pro quo. We''ll tell you what we know, in exchange for exile for the four of us."
Thora looked around at the metal corridor of the Claw. Oscar was right at her shoulder, with Bgrarh''s much larger figure taking point. Thus far Bgrarh had not spoken a single word to the four prisoners. Behind them stalked Myrreh, her body language making it clear that she really hoped one of the spies would make a break for it. None of them were stupid, so thus far none had. "So does your brig have the appropriate drippy ceiling with chains on the walls?" Thora asked. "I think we should be sticking to the classics." "[It''ll be more comfortable than you deserve,]" growled Myyreh. Thora glanced behind her. "What''s got you so wound up?" "Drop it," said Oscar. "You inflicted emotional distress to one of her pack. Be grateful she''s only going to snipe at you verbally." The blonde woman looked to the front again, towards Bgrarh''s broad back. One corner of her mouth curled up, and Oscar knew she was about to start needling his friend again. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "I said drop it." Her smirk didn''t go away. "Or what?" "Or I will tie you up and tape your mouth shut." Thora looked in defiance at Oscar, but saw no hint of bluffing in his eyes. She looked away and allowed herself to be led along with no further verbal sparring.
As it turned out, the temporary ''human'' brig set up on board the Claw was a suite of several dormitory-style rooms leading into a common area. The latter now held the four captives, who sat on a curved sofa in the middle of the room facing Oscar. He pointed behind him at the only door out of the place. "We''ll be monitoring the lot of you twenty-four seven. If you need something, sing out and if the item''s allowed then the drones will bring it to you." Thora crossed her arms. "What about our mandated media time?" Oscar smiled. "That''s meant for solitary humans assigned to an all-xeno position. There''s three other humans here to talk to, so y''all have fun figuring out who''s got the top bunk." He turned and headed out the door, which slid shut behind him with a satisfying and solid thunk. Next, he checked the control screen next to the brig. The lock''s code was already active, as it should be. But Oscar remembered a time not too long ago, when a few crazy Karnakians had gone and bypassed a lot of the Claw''s security systems. Oscar had picked up enough programming in the last two years after that to add on his own separate security code. If anybody tried to take out one of the prisoners without disarming that code, it would raise holy hell. Satisfied, Oscar turned and headed back for the hangar. Now all he needed to do was figure out what had his subconscious so riled up. By the time he reached the cavernous space, Valentin''s shuttle had already departed. The imperturbable Slav stood next his one large duffel while he shook hands with the Captain. At the moment, he wore only a set of unmarked camouflage fatigues. "Appreciate you accommodating me on such short notice," said Valentin. "[It''s no trouble,]" said the Captain. "[We''re already retrofitted for [human] life support anyway. Egwreh''s almost finished setting up your quarters.]" Oscar jogged up to the pair. "What about our other guest?" "[She should be arriving in a [few minutes].]" Valentin raised one eyebrow as he looked at Oscar. "This is the neutral party you mentioned?" Oscar blew out a breath and nodded. "Oh, yeah. It sounds like she''s gonna be a real barrel of laughs. We should get out of here so they can start depressurizing the hangar." Instead, the main entry door to the rest of the Claw slid open and the the crew started filing in. "[The Veridicator didn''t want to waste time on such a thing,]" said Rgrarshok. "[She''s coming across in a suit through the personnel airlock.]" She turned and raised her voice into a near-shout. "[Attention, people! Present for inspection!]" With a brief and apologetic nod to Valentin, Oscar trotted off towards the forming line of his comrades. As he jogged, he made a few surreptitious adjustments to his uniform to ensure that all was as per Dorarizin regulations. By now inspection was old hat, and without thinking he was able to line up properly with those on either side of him. The Captain stalked down the line, reaching out to tweak an errant bit of clothing here and there. Oscar received a little fussing of his own, but nothing which made the Captain break her stride. Finally she turned and regarded them all. "[Good. After she is on board, we break orbit ASAP. We have the package information from our other, heh, guests, along with the name of the cargo ship it left on. We''re going to try to get ahead and intercept it.]"Stolen story; please report. As she finished speaking, a chime sounded through the hangar. The noise came from the smaller door next to the hangar''s main shuttle-sized airlock. Oscar realized that the Veridicator had entered the airlock without needing to ask for permission. Such a flaunting of her privilege made him wonder if she was the Dorarizin equivalent of Martin. The inner airlock door slid open and the Veridicator entered, clad in a pressure suit of purest white. She was tall but more slender than Oscar had expected, with a build that put him in mind of a Dorarizin marathon runner. The suited figure reached up and twisted off her helmet with a soft hiss of equalizing pressure. Her fur was just as spotlessly white as her suit; her sharp amber eyes scanned the hangar like a machine. Thanks to Rgrarshok''s briefing, Oscar now knew what lay behind those eyes. From the time she was young, this person was put through rigorous training both physical and mental that honed her ability to detect the small ''tells'' which indicated Dorarizin falsehood. As if that wasn''t enough, she also bore within her body a separate cybernetic nervous system. The latter keened her senses to near supernatural levels. If the Veridicator''s organic brain missed something, it was a sure thing that the other system would not. When she spoke, her voice was soft and husky. "[Hnrahnan-of-Narzghr, Senior Veridicator, reporting as ordered by the Inquisition of the Dorarizin Empire. Permission to come aboard?]" "[Permission granted,]" replied Rgrarshok as she lumbered forward. To Oscar''s surprise, the two embraced. The smaller Dorarizin all but vanished within the Captain''s hug. "[It''s been too long,]" said Hnrahnan. "[Indeed, far too long. You''re looking well,]" replied the Captain. They broke apart, and Hnrahnan smiled. She gestured up-and-down at Rgrarshok''s much bigger body. "[And you''re looking as healthy as ever.]" The Veridicator stepped back and touched a few points on her suit, which obligingly unfolded itself away from her body. Underneath she wore a pale blue uniform with no insignia. Her pressure suit continued to fold itself into a compact package which the Veridicator then dropped into her helmet. "[I fear I had to travel light,]" said Hnrahnan. "[The suit''s all I have on me.]" "[We can fab up anything you need,]" said the Captain. She swept a paw at the assembled crew. "[Did you wish to perform an inspection?]" The Veridicator nodded an ear. "[I''m sure all is as it should be, but I should at least introduce myself.]" The newcomer walked down the line of crew, shaking hands and getting names. When she came to Oscar she paused and smiled wider. "[I''d heard that Rgrarshok was able to get a [human] on her crew, but I didn''t believe it!]" She reached out a paw for a handshake, her eyes still calculating in spite of her friendly manner. Oscar privately called bullshit on her words. He knew this person knew everything about him up to and including his underwear size. Outwardly he smiled back and shook her paw. "Investigator Oscar Williams, Ma''am. Pleased to meetcha." She gave his hand a little squeeze, then dropped it and moved on. Oscar had expected her to be a flinty-eyed hard-ass on the level of a Puritan witchfinder. Now he knew she was even more dangerous. She was the type who used an outward jovial manner to get her prey to drop their guard. Hnrahnan reached the end of the line and tilted her head curiously at the one remaining person in the hanger. Valentin stood off to one side of the line of crew, his arms crossed and a bemused expression on his face. "Commander Maksimov," he said in response to the unspoken question, and stuck out a hand. "[The Commander''s been very helpful to our investigation,]" said Rgrarshok as the Veridictor took Valentin''s proffered hand. "[He''ll be assisting us if we have to deal with certain bureaucratic elements on Earth.]" "[Ah, I see.]" She smiled even wider at Valentin. "[A pleasure to meet you.]" Hnrahnan''s husky voice went even deeper at that last word, she almost sounded...distracted? "[I was excited enough to meet one [human], I didn''t think I''d be meeting two in the same day!]" She didn''t drop Valentin''s hand. The Commander''s taciturn face started to look a little puzzled. Hnrahnan looked down at the duffel next to Valentin''s feet, and her ears perked up even more. "[Oh! You just arrived as well?]" Her tail started to wag. "...da?" "[You must let me escort you to your quarters!]" Oscar''s puzzlement grew. This was not any schmooze-the-suspects routine; the Veridicator now sounded positively chipper. "Is not necessary, madam." Valentin tried ever-so-politely to withdraw his trapped hand, but that particular appendage might as well be buried in cement. With her other paw, Hnrahnan reached out and fussed at his fatigues, smoothing out what few wrinkles there were. "[Can you send me a map of the ship, please?]" asked the Veridicator. "[I''ll take him to his quarters and then drop my suit off in mine.]" Rgrarshok''s head tilted in puzzlement, but she must have done as asked since Hnrahnan''s face lit up in genuine glee from the information flowing into her implant. "[Wonderful! Let''s be off.]" "Madam, I assure you that''s not necessaryyyyy..." Valentin let out a surprised yelp as the Veridicator scooped her free paw under his thighs. In an eye-blink the Commander found himself cuddled against her chest. The Captain stood frozen, clearly torn between wanting to intervene but also not wanting to wrestle someone who outranked her. "[Hnrahnan, what are you...]" The Veridicator clasped Valentin tighter to her, earning another protesting yelp from her now-captive. "[He''s tired! He needs his rest!]" She spun and jogged for the hangar entrance...well, her species called it a jog, whereas to a human it looked more like a flat-out sprint. The door slid obediently open at her approach, then closed behind her rapidly-wagging tail. Rgrarshok shook herself as if awaking from a nightmare. "[What.]" Oscar smacked his own face with his palm. "Shit. Scenting. That''s what I kept forgetting. The Veridicator''s not used to human scent like the rest of you guys. She was going to react to him right away." The Captain actually looked upset. "[How could I have forgotten that? Taking care of everyone is my job!]" Oscar held up a palm. "It''s okay, Captain. We''ve all been running around trying to deal with ten things at once. Now. How much danger is Valentin in?" Ngralh looked a little less stricken than the Captain. "If you mean physical danger? Not much. My guess is she''s got him in her quarters, making a nestpile for him. Give her a couple of hours and she''ll be calmed down enough to let him go." Oscar groaned into his hand. "Fuck. Valentin is gonna be soooo pissed."
Valentin sat with crossed arms as he tried to ignore the giant wolflike being whose lap he currently occupied. Claws that could rend steel instead combed gently through his slicked-back hair, neatening what was already neatened. He''d long ago given up verbal pleading as useless, so now he sat in grumpy silence. All the while, his ears resounded with an array of clicks and growls which his commbead dutifully translated. "[...oh, yes, that''s much better. Now you must lie down and close your eyes. You need your sleep, my dear.]" "Not sleepy, madam," He tried not to grind his teeth at his ridiculous and yet still terrifying situation. "[But you must be! Here, I''ll lie down with you...]" His position became even more ridiculous as Hnrahnan all but fell over in her denpile, dragging Valentin onto his side. Within moments he found himself swaddled in fur-covered muscle as she hugged him to her, acting Very Definitely as the big spoon. "[Yes, that''s good, I need to keep you safe and warm.]" Her paw stroked his scalp. "[Sleep now...]" Valentin couldn''t deny that her snuggling was comfortable. But sleep was the farthest thing from his mind as he racked his brain, trying to figure out her strange behavior. Wait...there was something he remembered from his briefings, something about how Dorarizin visiting the base had to wear special nose-plugs before entering. And then there was Oscar''s mention of ''scenting''. His commbead gave a soft, unobtrusive chime before Oscar''s voice sounded in his ear. "Valentin? If you''re hearing this, don''t freak out. Hattie''s running on instinct, her hind-brain is telling her you''re an abandoned youngster. We...well, we screwed up and forgot that she hasn''t been around humans. The Captain''s going to come in and try to get her to let you go. Don''t worry, you''re not in any danger." Now Valentin did grind his teeth. No danger? He was currently in the embrace of a creature shich could tear him apart like a loaf of bread. A creature that was acting on pure instinct, it seemed. Hnrahnan''s furred arms tightened fractionally around him. "[Why are you so frightened? You reek of fear.]" Her jet-black nose snuffled into his scalp. "[Don''t worry dear, [momma] is here to protect you...]" Her voice trailed off. "[By the First Pack, what am I doing?]" Valentin was very glad to hear some calculated reasoning come back into her voice. "Wish I knew, madame," he replied. The door slid open to reveal an empty corridor. Captain Rgrarshok ever-so-carefully poked her head around the edge, taking in the scene within Hnrahnan''s quarters. To Valentin''s eternal gratitude she didn''t snicker or even crack a smile. "[Veridicator? May I enter?]" Hnrahnan paused for a very long while before replying. "[You may.]" Moving with the same exaggerated care, Rgrarshok stepped around the doorframe and walked into the Veridicator''s quarters. Valentin didn''t have a Dorarizin''s nose but he could almost smell the stench of embarrassment from his current furry captor. He felt his fear abate somewhat, and figured that he''d try to defuse the situation with a bit of humor. He looked up at Rgrarshok from within the cradle of Hnrahnan''s arms. "Is not what it looks like, I swear." The Captain''s mouth turned up at one corner, and even Hnrahnan snickered once. "[Can you let him go, please?]" asked Rgrarshok. In response, the Veridicator opened her arms. Valentin tried to look dignified as he stood up and wobbled to the edge of the denpile. His once-straight fatigues were now very much in disarray from all of the cuddling. He glanced back at Hnrahnan, who now sat up in a cross-legged position in the middle of the denpile as she regarded her paws. The fingers on those paws twitched, and he realized the Veridicator was suppressing mightily the urge to reach out and grab him again. "[Just get him out of here, please,]" she growled. "[I need to clear my nose.]" Valentin was all too happy to oblige her.
After some hasty scenting from Bgrarh, Valentin was declared to be no longer a danger to the dignity of a Senior Veridicator. They all convened in the Claw''s rec lounge, with Valentin doing his best to stand as far away from everyone else as possible. Veridicator Hnrahnan stood in front of the main holographic display. She was upright as a Dorarizin could get, and her voice held no trace of embarrassment. "[Thank you for your understanding of my recent behavior. I should have thought of the scent problem myself, but my orders were issued at the last moment.]" Valentin cleared his throat. He''d straightened his hug-rumpled fatigues back into neatness and now stood with a gimlet eye that dared anyone to so much as crack a smile over the recent debacle. "Pressed Captain to be on board at last moment myself, no way for you to know I was here. We call it a learning experience for everyone, da?" Hnrahnan gave him a shallow bow in reply. Oscar decided to act as the ignorant yokel. "Speaking of your orders...what are they? If you can tell us, of course." The Veridicator''s return gaze was steady and unreadable. "[A polite way of asking what the teasing prey-stink I''m doing here, eh? My presence is to demonstrate to the Senate that the Dorarizin Empire is taking this affair very seriously, and that their orders to you are carried out to the letter.]" Oscar kept his face neutral and hoped that the Veridicator''s lie-detection didn''t extend to humans. The crew had already disobeyed those orders by telling him of the Egg''s contents, and he hoped their bluffing game was on point. "[Can you give us some idea of what''s going on in the Senate?]" asked Ngralh. "[We haven''t heard much.]" Hnrahnan sighed. "[I can''t tell you everything, but I can say that it''s devolving into a squabble about what to do next. The Empire''s senators are leaning towards public disclosure of the theft and a public retrieval of the item in question.]" Her eyes flicked over to Valentin. "[He knows what [Oscar] knows,]" said Rgrarshok in reply to the unspoken question. "[Very well. The [Jornissians], on the other hand, want to give local democracy a chance. They''re following Governor [Rrre''nansh''s] lead on keeping the theft quiet. They insist that any attempts to retrieve the Egg must be done with no publicity. On the third hand, the [Karnakians] are just happy that for once they''re not the ones who screwed up. They''re also leaning towards secrecy, so for the moment that''s how we need to pursue this matter.]" "What about humans?" grunted Valentin. "[At the moment, the [human] senators have recused themselves from any decision. My understanding is that they wish to avoid any hint of conflict of interest.]" Valentin''s face settled into a scowl. "My superiors claim that there was no higher-level authorization for this nonsense." Hnrahnan bowed once more to him. "[So they claim. They still wish to avoid any accusations of profiting off of it.]" She then bowed to the room in general. "[I assure you, my only desire is to assist you. Captain Rgrarshok is still in overall charge of the investigation.]" Oscar crossed his arms as he wondered just how true that statement was.
Valentin managed to corral Oscar on the way back to the latter''s quarters. "What is she up to?" asked the Commander without preamble. Oscar leaned against the nearest bulkhead and let out a grumbling sigh. "My guess right now? Exactly what she said. Veridicators have a reputation for telling the truth and nothing but. It balances out the fact that she will follow her orders to the letter, no matter what the consequences are." "She stinks too much of a zampolit..." began Valentin, only to be silenced by an upraised finger from Oscar. He touched his ears, then motioned at the air around them. Valentin gave a grim nod. "Understood." Oscar figured that there was one big advantage to working with Russians; they started out with a built-in paranoia when it came to politics. "Just follow my lead. Okay, Valentin?" The Russian half-smiled and patted Oscar on the shoulder as he walked away. "Valya." Oscar turned towards Valentin as he left. "Really?" Valentin chuckled. "Just spent an hour being embraced by one of them. Nearly pissed myself the whole time. But you...you actually have one of them as your malishka. Must admit, you are braver man than I." The Commander strolled off down the corridor without looking back. Chapter Nine Oscar shuffled around the hard-light avatar, his wrapped fists up on guard around his head. His virtual opponent was humanoid in shape and his own height, but it appeared as if formed from swirling multicolored smoke. That in turn made it harder for Oscar to read when the thing was going to throw a punch or kick. As if to demonstrate, the avatar threw a fast straight at his head that he just managed to slip. His counter-jab made the avatar back up. He kept up his attack, following the jab with a snap-kick to the avatar''s knee. The blow connected with a solid crack, making the avatar stumble onto one knee. Oscar saw his opening, and as his front foot touched back down he immediately threw a viscous round-house with his back leg. His instep smacked into the avatar''s ''head'' and the virtual enemy flopped over onto the mat. He backpedaled just in case the thing was faking, but it didn''t move. "Stop program," he called out, and the avatar obediently vanished. Oscar played through the fight in his head as he walked over to his water bottle, panting deeply. In a real bout that knee-kick would have gotten him disqualified, but his intent was to train for survival rather than to score points. Oscar had been going at this for ten minutes straight, and his gray tee shirt was now plastered to his torso with sweat. He downed about half of his water bottle in less than twenty seconds, still breathing heavily through his nose. "[Very good,]" said a voice from the gym''s door. He cocked one eye at the entryway and saw Hnrahnan leaning on the wall next to the door, her arms crossed and a gentle smile on her lips. Shit. Oscar had just been in the middle of a punishing sparring round, but he still should have heard her enter. It seemed the Veridicator was just as sneaky as Myyreh, which was not a good thing for his peace of mind. He picked up his towel and mopped his forehead. "Good for a human, you mean." The Veridicator shrugged. "[I''ve examined your record since you joined ''We Who Hunt Between The Spaces''. I certainly wouldn''t underestimate you.]" Oscar toweled the back of his scalp and wondered if Hnrahnan also had access to his other file, the one with his Earth-based service record. The Captain had gotten ahold of his unredacted file, but to his knowledge she hadn''t shared that info with the Senate or the Empire. He settled his towel on his shoulders and stared levelly at her, wondering how much he might be giving away just through his body language. He waved at the now-empty gym. "I''m done for now, it''s all yours." Her gentle smile increased. "[Oh, I''m not here to work out. I wanted to get to know you better.]" Oscar didn''t look at her as he drank some more water. "What''s to know?" Hnrahnan tilted her head. "[[Oscar Lavell Williams]. Born on [Earth], thirty-five years before your species'' First Contact. Member of the [American] military, grievously injured in the line of duty which earned you an honorable discharge. You then worked as contractor for military law enforcement, after which your record becomes excitingly vague.]" He chuckled. "You find that exciting?" She extended the claws on her thumb and forefinger, then pinched them together in a motion which mimed plucking something out of thin air. "[Digging out secrets is my calling. You worked as a contractor until retiring about seven years after the [Karnakian]...incident. The next couple of [decades] are mundane, until one day you applied for the placement program. Why?]" Oscar shrugged and gave his stock answer. "My bar burned down. I took it as a sign to get off my ass and do something constructive with my life." Hnrahnan''s eyes narrowed, but she didn''t lose her gentle smile. "[So you say.]" He didn''t smile back. "So I say. Hey, I''m an open book. Your dingus got stolen so I''m gonna help get it back for ya. You don''t want me to know what''s on it, that''s fine by me. I just want to do my job." "[Your job...now, as to your previous job, you mentioned on several occasions that you know the identity of the one who orchestrated the Egg''s theft. This [Martin] fellow.]" "All I said was it might be him. It feels like the kind of thing he''d do." "[And you worked for [Martin].]" It was not phrased as a question, and Oscar realized that there was another reason for the Veridicator''s presence on board the Claw. "You''re here to keep an eye on me, aren''t you?" Her smile faded. "[That''s part of why I''m here. Given that this theft was perpetrated by [humans] and given your previous record, it''s only logical to suspect you.]" Oscar polished off the last of his water to give himself time to think of an appropriately neutral reply. "Is that suspicion from you, or from the Senate?" Hnrahnan continued her level gaze at him. "[Both. I can''t speak for the Senate, but in my defense I''m a professional paranoid and I suspect everybody.]" He gave a bemused grunt. "That sounds like a lonely way of life." "[I serve the Inquisition, who in turn serves The Throne-at-The-Center-of-All-Things. My position is indeed solitary, but I am content.]" Oscar gestured at exit. "Are we done here?" "[For now.]" He walked towards the door, which to his relief slid open without delay. Even though he could feel the Veridicator''s eyes on him, he didn''t so much as glance at her as he left.
The assembled crew stood on the Claw''s bridge while Ngralh gave his briefing. The two newcomers, Valentin and Hnrahnan, stood as far away from each other as they could get. He gestured to the front display, which now showed the rocky cratered blob of an asteroid. "[Our destination is this way station, [Kn''''arnt]. It''s the next stop of [Lucky Thnnrasnnn], the cargo vessel which contains our package of interest." Next to the asteroid appeared a cylindrical craft with lines of trapezoidal nodules hanging off of its sides. "[The latter is a Jornissian vessel, captained by one [Nnnsrnshrnah]. They''ve made two stops since leaving [Hsrneanth-IV], and this station is their last scheduled stop before they reach Zephyr Station Ten at [Earth]. The crew seems clean, no weirdness in their finances. It appears they don''t know what they have on board.]" "That fits with what Tobias told us," said Oscar. "It''s just one more package among many." "[I''m assuming the station itself is staffed by [Karnakians], correct?]" asked Myyreh. Ngralh nodded. "[They built it a few years after the discovery of [Earth].]" Oscar looked at the ship''s image and tried to estimate how long it would take to search the damned thing. "When do they get there?" "[They''re scheduled to arrive tomorrow. The ship will only be there for [twelve hours]. Even at maximum speed we''re not going to arrive until well after they dock. Our window of opportunity will be [six hours]." Egwreh flicked an ear in puzzlement. "[Wait, why don''t we just stop them from leaving? We have the authority.]" "[The Senate wants this mission carried out with the utmost secrecy,]" said Hnrahnan. "[Officially we are only stopping at [Kn''''arnt] to resupply.]" Rgrarshok stepped up beside her XO. "[We have one day to figure this out, people. We have to get the Egg off that vessel without its crew or the station''s staff knowing our true business, and somehow do it within [six hours]. Go away and think about it. We''ll reconvene at the beginning of the next sleep cycle and see what we can come up with.]"
If one had told Valentin ten years ago that he''d wind up on board an alien starship, he would have believed it. But he wouldn''t believe the bit about his sleeping accommodations. Unfortunately those arrangements were all too real, and unless he wanted another unexpected ''kidnapping'' from the Veridicator he''d have to endure it. Valentin though about the Captain''s directive as a way of ignoring the wall of fur pressed against his bare back. At least he had pants on to preserve what remained of his dignity. "Getting on board that ship will be difficult," he mused. "[Yep,]" replied Bgrarh with a yawn. He sleepily hugged the Commander tighter to his chest. "[My guess is we''ll have to spoof the system somehow. Make it look like the package''s delivery info has been updated, so the crew will drop it off at [Kn''''arnt] instead.]" Valentin wondered what the galactic equivalent of UPS was like, and how hard it would be to hack into such an entity. "Sounds equally tough. Shipping network servers are very protected, da?" "[It''s doesn''t work like that,]" said Bgrarh. "[The number of packages involved is truly astronomical. Moving that much data around would crush any centralized system. Each package has an on-board [ID] chip that lets the carrier know where it came from, where it''s going, and if what''s in it is hazardous or not.]" The Commander pondered that for a bit. "Chip must talk to ship''s network, so they know when to drop off that particular package." Bgrah settled his big chin onto Valentin''s head, and the latter had to suppress a shudder. The huge Dorarizin was a friendly fellow, but he also had a mouth big enough to easily encompass Valentin''s entire head. "[That''s right. It does give us a possible way in, but hacking into the ship''s network will take time. Egwreh''s the real expert in that area, but my guess is it would take her at least [ten hours].]" "And we''ll only have six." "[Right. Now get some sleep, we''re gonna be busy tomorrow.]" Eventually Bgrarh''s breathing slowed into a gentle rhythm against Valentin''s back. In spite of the fear at the back of his mind, the human felt his own eyes begin to close as a result of that metronome-like sensation. Then Valentin''s eyes snapped open. Surely the ship''s network paid more attention to certain incoming channels. If that was the case, perhaps they could gain access to those priority channels and use their influence to gain access that much faster? Due to his colorful past Valentin always made sure to always have some sort of writing implement on him. He wormed his hand down past Bgrarh''s encircling arms and fished into his pants pocket. His fingers found their target; a small pen. Valentin retrived his prize and pulled it back up to jot a quick note on his palm. Bgrarh''s voice was slurred from sleep. "[What''re you doing?]" "Just making note to self." He put away his pen and patted Bgrarh''s arm. "Go back to sleep, comrade."
Oscar''s very first case after joining his pack was in a mining colony called Pak''tahl; that place was nicer than he''d expected. Kn''''arnt, in contrast, was kind of an armpit. That was perhaps an unfair comparison, since Pak''tahl was a lot older. This station was only a few decades along, and still had the air of being banged together using prefabbed components. He lounged in what passed for the ''central square'' of the station, a vaguely cubical expanse with a few xeno-sized entryways scattered about and a large holographic ''sun'' overhead. The floor was mostly taken up with transplanted shrubs and grass from Earth; the latter gave him an unexpected pang of homesickness. Egwreh settled herself on other side of the bench from Oscar. "[We''re on,]" she muttered, never looking towards him. "[Myyreh''s in place and the doorway sensors are temporarily disabled. You''ve got [five minutes].]" Oscar sighed. Their chosen course of action meant that he now had to act like an idiot for the next few minutes. He stood, squared his shoulders, and headed for the appropriate doorway. The ever-present Jeeves Junior hovered at his elbow. Myyreh was nowhere to be seen, since they''d need her particular talents for this hack. His destination was the central complex which functioned as the station''s ''town hall''. Oscar rounded a corner and blinked in sudden sunshine. One entire wall of this particular corridor looked out into the black vastness of space. He could see the complex itself, a collection of pipe-shaped constructs bundled together on the outside of the asteroid. The habitat lay ahead of him, hanging out into space. Oscar didn''t bother looking for Myyreh, even though he knew she was clinging to the exterior of one of those pipes. His lover was wearing armor with state-of-the-art holographic camoflauge, which when combined with her innate sneakiness made her all but invisible. The entrance to the complex was an un-ornamented set of double doors which were flanked by a couple of bored-looking Karnakians. One was a slim green while the other was a very floofy blue. The pair became a lot less bored as Oscar came into view. Both cocked their heads and their crests rose as excited peeping filled his earpiece.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation. "[Hello, [human]! Are you well?]" asked the green one. By now Oscar was within a few feet of them. "Doin'' great, guys. Keep up the good work! Wouldn''t want anyone to steal those doors, eh?" The two Karnakians goggled at him, then at each other. The green guard started a trilling laugh which was rapidly picked up by the blue. Just as their laughter reached its zenith, Oscar tripped. He made it look pretty good, although in his heart he knew he''d never match up to the true masters of the slip-''n-fall routine. But still, he managed to go down on one knee with an appropriately audible ''crack'' and then rolled over while clutching at that same knee with an appropriately horrible pained grimace on his face. "AAAAHH!" he yelled. Well, it wasn''t originality he was aiming for. The guards froze, then one of them reached towards him. "[DON''T!] screamed the other, at the same moment there sounded out a warning blat from Oscar''s drone. They gathered on either side of him, making sure to keep well away from his body as each of them glanced at Jeeves Junior. "My knee," groaned Oscar, "Oooooh, it hurts..." "[It''s okay, you''re going to be okay...]" The blue guard''s claws twitched, his ''protect the nestling'' instinct warring with his quite sensible precaution of ''don''t piss off the drone and/or get yourself in real trouble''. Oscar risked a peep towards the double doors. One of them now cracked open ever so slightly, and if he squinted he could make out the faint heat-shimmer of a cloaked drone slipping itself into the complex. The door closed silently, and to cover that motion he clutched more fervently at his knee and give another whimper of pain. A loud and imperious Dorarizin voice sounded in the corridor. "[What''s going on here?]" Simultaneously Myyreh''s voice sounded in his earpiece. "[I have eyes on the porthole into the server room. It''s clear. Send in the drone, Egwreh.]" Oscar continued his clutching and wailing, making sure that the two guards had eyes only on him or on the lean, white-furred form of Hnrahnan stalking towards them from the other direction. "[We didn''t do it!]" yelled the green guard. "[He tripped!]" "[Is that so?]" Hnrahnan continued her unstoppable march towards the trio while Oscar let his wail trail off into a pity-seeking whine. "[I hope for your sake that is true. Stand clear of him.]" The two guards backpedaled away from Oscar, both of them holding up their hands. Hnrahnan leaned over Oscar with exaggerated care, showing that she too didn''t want to touch him. "[What''s your ship ident?]" "It''s the Furious Claw of Inquiry," said Oscar through gritted teeth. "Can you call them?" Hnrahnan smiled in gentle reassurance. If Oscar didn''t know her better, he would have sworn she was being sincere. "[I will. Just wait here...]" Now Egwreh spoke into Oscar''s earpiece. "[The drone''s almost done installing the bypass. Give it a few more minutes.]" Oscar sighed inwardly. He already felt ridiculous enough. But he dutifully continued to grasp his knee and give appropriately pained and attention-drawing whines, to the point where the Karnakian guards shifted on their feet and looked about the corridor. "[Maybe we should call our superiors?]" said one of them in the tone of voice of one who really hopes you don''t take them up on their suggestion. Hnrahnan shook her head. "[I don''t think we need to involve them, do you?]" As she spoke, the doors behind the guards cracked open again to allow the almost-invisible drone to exit the premises. "Sure!" Oscar almost yelled, just to make sure all eyes were on him. "It''s my own fault, I tripped." Egwreh appeared at the other end of the corridor from Hnrahnan and ran forward. "[I came as soon as I could!]" she cried. "[Oh the poor dear, is he all right?]" "I''m fine, Emma, it''s just a bruised knee..." Oscar whoofed as the engineer swept him up from the floor and hugged him to her chest. "Urk...too tight." "[Sorry,]" she muttered into his ear as she relaxed her hold. Louder, she said, "[I can''t thank you enough for looking out for him. I''ll make sure he gets back okay.]" Egwreh spun and moved at a much more sedate pace back the way she came. Oscar noted that slower speed and was pretty sure he knew the reason. "Admit it," said Oscar. "You just want to take more time to cuddle me." "[Cuddling is not all I want to do to you, cutie,]" she growled. Oscar stared up at her in blank surprise. Egwreh was a handsome Dorarizin, but he''d never thought of her in any romantic way. "But I thought you and Nate were paired off?" She winked one green eye at him. "[For now. We''re all one pack, [Oscar]. Pack members share things. And I''ve always wanted to know why Myyreh looks so [damned] satisfied after one of your encounters.]" Oscar carefully cleared his throat. "Er, what would Myra think of that?" "[As a matter of fact, she suggested it to me. She knows how curious I''ve been. Ngralh is fine with the notion as well.]" "When was I gonna find out about this?" "[Later.]" She nuzzled at his neck as she trotted along. "[Relax. We''ll wait until after this mission to work this all out. Can''t have our resident devious little [bastard] being all distracted, now can we?]"
Valentin massaged his knees and told himself to relax. The pile of packages from the Lucky Thnnrasnnn sat a little ways away on the loading dock. His own perch was an oversized ''park bench'' type of furniture placed against the rocky wall of the dock''s interior. Next to him sat Myyreh, who looked almost like a superposition of still images as she tried to track everything going on around the two of them. A pale-blue Jornissian slithered out from one of the over-sized entrances to the dock, a small package in his hands. "That''s it," he murmured. Myyreh reached over and placed a paw his shoulder. "[You do know we''d never hurt you, right?]" "What?" He was not an expert on Dorarizin expressions, but he could have sworn she looked stricken. "[That day in your office. When you were yelling at your superiors. You said something about us ending you in a heartbeat.]" Valentin gave a wry chuckle as he patted her paw. "Was mostly act for my idiot bosses. Mostly. You have to understand, Russians are paranoid because universe has given us good reason to be such. Did not intend to cause you pain." Her paw squeezed his shoulder. "[Thanks for saying so.]" Myyreh looked up. "[Shall we?]" "I suppose." Valentin heaved himself up off of the bench and headed for the package-pile. The blue Jornissian now standing guard over it gave him and Myyreh a double-dose of stink eye as they strolled up. "[Can I help you?]" Valentin smiled. "Sure! Picking up a package, last name of Jesperson." The Jornissian''s eyes unfocused as he accessed his implant, then he blinked as he stared down once again at the human. "Right, looks like it''s the one I just brought out...]" He turned and after a bit of scanning plucked up the same small package he''d just retrieved. "[Here you go! Can you sign for it, please?]"
Oscar held his breath as Rgrarshok slit the small box open with one of her claws. She, along with Oscar and the rest of the crew, stood around the package. It now sat on a low table in the middle of the rec lounge. With utmost care the Captain folded back the package flaps and pulled off the wad of padding underneath them. Underneath the padding was... The Egg''s black surface gleamed from the overhead lights, a gleam interrupted only by the fractal pattern etched into its surface. "[Excellent,]" whispered the Veridicator. "[But we need to make sure.]" Rgrarshok produced a small wand-like device from her uniform and waved it over the Egg. The Captain''s face set into a grimace. "[It''s another replica.]" Hnrahnan''s face did not set into grimness. Instead her eyes blazed and her lips pulled back as if getting ready to strike. "[Those filthy spies. They lied to us.]" Oscar did not like the look in her eyes. "Hey now, let''s take this easy and figure it out..." But he only addressed empty air; the rec lounge door was already sliding shut behind the furious Veridicator. "[First Pack''s nethers,]" growled Rgrarshok. "[Bgrarh, get down to the brig. You''ve got to beat her there.]"
Thora looked up in surprise as the door slid open. It was several hours before their scheduled meal. She was curled up on one of the sofas and reading from her tablet, trying and failing to distract herself from the never-ending trickle of fear in her stomach due to their imprisonment. Bgrarh-of-Arhraz squeezed himself through the doorway and into their little common room. His expression was stern, in contrast to the cheerfully colorful shirt he wore. She noted with unease that there were a few tears on one shoulder of that shirt. The Dorarizin''s eyes didn''t so much as flicker as he stared at her, then at each of the others. "[I''ll need to scent all of you,]" he said. "Why?" asked Tobias. The pudgy man stepped up and stood between the three others and Bgrarh. "What''s going on?" "[There''s somebody on board who wants to question you.]" Thora slid off of the sofa. She walked forward and put a hand on Tobias''s arm. "It''s okay, chief. We''re not in a great bargaining position." Tobias shook his head. "No. We cooperated, we told them everything we know, how we shipped out the Egg." "[Your information is suspect. We tracked that package and retrieved it. It only held a fake.]" The four humans stared at each other in shock. Finally Thora broke ranks and walked towards Bgrarh. "All right, let''s get this over with." There followed a round of silent, uncomfortable hugging. Thora was last, and as she dangled off of the deck she tried to relax in Bgrarh''s arms. The intimate position put her in mind of her interrupted ''session'' with him, as well as what she''d said after her arrest. It seemed prudent to try and...well, not mend fences but at least apologize. "Sorry," she murmured, only loud enough for him to hear. "[Eh?]" "What I said after my arrest, about making you betray your pack. I shouldn''t have said that. In my defense, I was pretty pissed off." Bgrarh shrugged, making the fur sticking out of his shirt rub against her face. "[It''s all right. I was also in an emotional state.]" He gave a bonesaw-like chuckle. "[If it''s any consolation, you were very good at your job.]" Bgrarh set her down carefully and withdrew. He was replaced with a leaner, white-furred Dorarizin. This newcomer had a flinty look in her eye that Thora didn''t like at all. "[I am Hnrahnan-of-Narzghr. I have authority from the Senate, and you will answer my questions.]" Tobias stood upright in front of her, his hands not quite trembling. "There''s nothing more to tell. I put the Egg, the real Egg, in that package and shipped it." Hnrahnan took another step forwards, now looming over Tobias. "[You personally handled it?]" Her lips peeled back in a snarl. "[You didn''t leave it somewhere else on the base where some associate could pick it up?]" "No!" The Dorarizin placed her paws on either side of Tobias and growled. Thora tensed, ready to throw herself at the alien if necessary...for all the good that would do. Hnrahnan flicked her eyes over at Thora. "[Be still.]" "Then you behave yourself," Thora snapped back. "He told you the truth. We all did." Her voice wavered in its resolve as Hnrahnan''s claws extended and gently dug into the metal deck with a dull, soft squeak. Tobias was damn near hyperventilating at this point, but to his credit he didn''t turn and run. "I can''t tell you anything more! If it wasn''t in there then Martin must have swapped it out before now!" Hnrahnan continued to dig channels into the deck. "[Ah yes how very convenient for you, to blame this mysterious ''Martin'' for all your crimes. You four got off too lightly, you should all be in prison...]" Thora took a deep breath and tensed her legs. Physical intervention was stupid, but it was all she had now. But then a calm, carrying voice cut through the room. "Veridicator! Stand down." Thora could just see Oscar''s head behind the Dorarizin''s much bigger body. Hnrahnan turned her head to show Oscar her fangs. The human ignored the silent threat display and walked around her. He pulled Tobias by the shoulder, back from in between her paws. "[Don''t interfere,]" snarled Hnrahnan. "[My authority exceeds that of you AND your Captain. I don''t care what sort of plea-deal you concocted with these lawbreakers, I WILL get to the truth!]" Thora looked on in disbelief as Oscar scooted Tobias behind him, then walked right back onto the spot where her boss had been, right in between Hnrahnan''s clamped paws and beneath her slavering mouth. Oscar planted his hands on his hips and glared up at her. He was a big human, but still miniscule compared to Hnrahnan. "How, bitch? How are you gonna get that truth? By scaring the shit out of them? News flash you idiot, they''re already terrified. They''re in a brig on board an alien vessel, trusting that those same aliens are gonna make good on their end of the bargain and not just chuck ''em into jail." Hnrahnan leaned down, dripping a little saliva on Oscar''s forehead. Thora caught a quick blur of brown fur out of the corner of her eye, just past the brig''s door. She shifted her weight, ready to throw herself out of danger if this whole shit-show kicked off a Myyreh/Hnrahnan wrestling match. "[They are not terrified enough,]" whispered Hnrahnan. Oscar still didn''t flinch. "Okay, then. What next? You gonna break out the thumbscrews and the rack? Are you going to be the first alien to injure a human in space? Do you really want to cross that line?" Hnrahnan drew back a bit, her lips closing back over her teeth. But she didn''t respond. Oscar pressed on. "Let me talk to them alone. Give me five minutes." The Dorarizin loomed over him for another long, endless moment before she stood up. She spun on her heel and stalked out of the brig without a look back or another word. The door slid shut, and Thora let out a breath she didn''t realize she''d been holding. "Thanks," she said in a barely audible tone. "Don''t mention it," replied Oscar. He looked at the four humans who now circled around him. "Well folks. As you doubtless have guessed, this is your ''Come To Jesus'' moment. If there''s anything extra you can tell me, now''s the time." Tobias spread his hands and shrugged. "I wish I could. We haven''t contacted Martin as per schedule, so he''s got to know we''re compromised. Maybe he had some contingency plan to intercept the package." "I don''t get why the xenos are freaking out so much," grumbled Jaime. He crossed his arms. "What''s on the Egg isn''t that big a deal, it''s only..." "Stop. Right. There," interrupted Oscar. He held up a finger. "Right now, what''s on the Egg is on a need-to-know basis as far as the Senate is concerned. They''ve decided that I don''t need to know, and I want to keep myself in that state of blissful ignorance, you got it? Otherwise I''ll have to have a long chat with that charming lady who just departed the premises." Thora shook her head. "I don''t understand why you side with all those monsters." Oscar glared at her. "To answer you and your colleague, it''s a matter of trust. I''ve trusted my crew, those ''monsters'', with my life. They''ve never let me down." He waved at the door, indicating the now-absent Veridicator. "As to why they''re ''freaking out'', you''ve got to understand how this is a serious breach of trust between us and them." Tam snorted, her cheerful face now set in a smirk. "Oh, come on. Even among allies there''s always some intelligence gathering going on. It happened all the time on Earth." "This isn''t Earth!" Oscar looked around at them all. "How old are y''all, anyway? A lot younger than me, I''ll wager. I was there when the Karnakians tried to rebuild us too fast. That was the start of a long, gray period. Universal draft. Make-work projects. Nothing left of value, hell even gold was worthless. There was lots of riots and wannabe warlords. And that was just from the dinos giving us their equivalent of batteries and band-aids. Whatever''s on the Egg, one thing I''m sure of is that we''ll somehow fuck it up and make it ten times worse." "At least we''ll be taking charge of our own destiny," said Thora. "We won''t be relying on handouts." Oscar gave her a half-smile. "Yeah, instead we''ll be relying on lies and deception. I''ve done a lot of soul-searching on this, and my worry is that if we can''t behave like adults then the other Senate members might just send us back to the kiddie table." He looked around at them again. "Last chance, folks. Trust me, if I find out later you''re holding out on me I''ll burn y''all down myself." Tobias and Thora exchanged a glance. She knew he was thinking the same thing she was. He gave her a microscopic shrug to let her know it was her call. She took a deep breath and thought of her cousin. Even if she herself somehow dodged any consequences, Thora was sure that Martin would follow through on his threat to make her relative''s life a living hell. "Can you absolutely guarantee our families'' safety?" she asked. Oscar raised an eyebrow. "Me personally? No. But the Captain said she''d protect both you and yours. That''s the best guarantee you could ask for." "You trust her that much?" asked Thora. "I''ve seen her in action. When she says she''ll do something she means it." Thora took one last glance at Tobias and rubbed her forehead. "All right then. We don''t know how Martin replaced the Egg in that package. However, Tobias and I have a pretty good idea of where Martin will stash the real Egg. Once it''s on Earth, I mean." Oscar pursed his lips. "That''s not much use. He knows you''ve been pinched, he''ll move it to a different location." "Yes, he would...if he knew that we knew," replied Tobias. "Thora and I dug up the information ourselves." The other two prisoners looked at their comrades in shock. Tam was the first to speak. "What? Why didn''t you tell us?" "There was no need," replied Tobias. He looked back at Oscar. "It was an insurance policy for the four of us. Just in case Martin reneged on his promises." Oscar gave a dark chuckle. "A wise move. Do you have details of the security around this place?" Thora nodded. "We do, for what that''s worth. It''s a fortress." "Okay." Oscar blew out a breath. "I''ll let the pack know. That info should be enough to cool down that damn Veridicator. I just hope Myra''s not gonna throw down over Hattie''s threatening me." Chapter Ten Oscar didn''t see anyone in the hallway after leaving the brig. But he sure did hear someone. Several someones, and what he heard wasn''t mere voices raised in anger. It was a chorus of growling, an almost subsonic vibration that came up through the deck, shivered its way along his spine, and pressed a little button in the back of his brain conveniently labeled ''FLEE''. In a moment of weakness, he nearly followed that suggestion. He wanted nothing more than to go and hide away in his quarters, to curl into a ball on his bed and let the galaxy sort itself out for once. But instead Oscar took a deep breath, squared his shoulders, and headed in the direction of those terrifying noises. Around the next corner, he saw Myyreh and Hnrahnan facing each other with their fists on the deck, looking like sumo wrestlers waiting for the go-signal to charge. The Captain stood a little ways away, not quite in the same stance but ready to leap forward if needed. Her voice was nearly inaudible among the snarling from the two furious Dorarizin. "[...Hnrahnan was only following her orders, Myyreh. Now stand down, you know she has the highest rank here.]" Myyreh''s growling resolved into a discernible voice. "[That rank is the only reason my teeth aren''t already around her moon-cursed throat!]" Hnrahnan''s growls also became speech. "[You dare? You dare to threaten me?]" Rgrarshok slapped her paw across the Veridicator''s chest. "[You WILL stand down too. You may have your orders, but this is MY ship. Those prisoners are my responsibility and you did not ASK before you decided to launch that [half-assed] interrogation. You also threatened [Oscar], who need I remind you is MY packmate as well as Myyreh''s.]" The Veridicator shifted her amber gaze to the Captain, but didn''t lose her bristling posture. "[My duty is to the truth, Captain. I don''t care who gets in my way.]" Myyreh glanced over at Oscar, and her furious blue gaze softened. "[Are you okay, sweetie?]" "Oh, I''m fine and dandy. I''m sure that Hattie was looming over me for show, just to scare the prisoners. Isn''t that right, Hattie?" The Veridicator stared at him for a long moment, then her bristling fur subsided. She stood up and backed away. "[I wouldn''t have hurt you, if that''s what you mean.]" Myyreh remained in her battle-ready crouch. "[I don''t care about motives!]" She glared anew at Hnrahnan. "[You have no training in how to handle humans!]" "[This bickering is not going to help us,]" said Rgrarshok. "[It''ll just waste time that we don''t have. We need to figure out what to do next.]" "[I will figure out our strategy,]" said Hnrahnan, her upper lip lifted in a snarl. "[I followed your lead before, and we still don''t have the Egg in our hands.]" "That''s not the Captain''s fault, okay?" said Oscar. "That''s on me." The three aliens swung their snouts around and stared at him curiously. "No, I mean it. I fucked up big time. I knew Martin was running this thing, and I knew that he knew that I was involved in the investigation. He''s always got a Plan B up his sleeve. Hell, for something like this he''s probably got plans all the way down to Z. I should have known he''d get that package swapped out ASAP and leave us chasing after it while the real Egg got spirited away." Hnrahnan''s demeanor relaxed, her white fur settling back into place. "[How?]" "Does it matter? We know that ship made a few stops before here, maybe he pulled a similar hack-job like we did." "[How it was done might be important, [Oscar],]" said Rgarshok. She scratched her chin thoughtfully. "[Do you think [Martin] or his people have the technical knowledge to perform such a feat?]" "I dunno. We should talk to Emma...oh, crap. I see what you''re driving at." Myyreh still looked puzzled, then her eyes widened. "[You think he''s getting help from a [non-human]?]" Now Hnrahnan had a thoughtful look on her face similar to that of the Captain. "[It''s possible. There are political factions in the Senate who think the [human] uplift project is too timid.]" Oscar rubbed the back of his neck. "Let''s table that for now. We could backtrack and try to figure out how Martin pulled it off, but like the Captain said that''ll waste a lotta time. I think we have to assume that the Egg''s made it to Earth by now." Hnrahnan slumped against the wall. "[Then we''ve lost. If [Martin] has the Egg, he''s made copies of it. We''ll never be able to get them all back.]" Rgrarshok didn''t look as defeated. "[Not necessarily. The Egg is a very complex mechanism and most fabbers wouldn''t be able to handle its duplication. Any fabbers with that level of precision are on board the Zephyr Stations, kept under very tight security.]" The Veridicator looked a little more upbeat upon hearing that. "[That helps, but not much. The Egg could be anywhere on an entire planet. Oh, and there''s the little detail that only two people on board this ship can set so much as one [damned] toe on that planet.]" Oscar cleared his throat. "As to the former problem I may have a solution." The three Dorarizin raised their ears in anticipation as he filled them in on what he''d just heard from the prisoners. Rgrarshok crossed her arms. "[Hmm. That takes care of the ''where'', now we need to figure out the ''how''.]" "[We''re gonna get it back?]" asked Myyreh. Her tail started wagging. "I''m gonna get it back, honey-babe," said Oscar. "Well, me and Valentin will get it back. But first..." He pointed at the Veridicator, who narrowed her eyes at the gesture. "You and me need to talk. Privately."
Hnrahnan trailed after Oscar as they entered the gym. She looked around the padded expanse. "[Did you wish to spar?]" "Nah." The gym''s door slid shut, and Oscar fiddled with its control panel to set up a temporary lock. "I want to set a few things straight. To start, just how fanatical are you?" "[What do you mean?]" He turned to face her, his arms crossed. "Oh, come on. You''re not an idiot. You know when I said I''d ''get'' the Egg back, what I meant was ''steal''." Hnrahnan sat on her haunches in front of him, staring down into his face. "[I know. I also know the necessity of such an action, deplorable as it might be. But my feelings are irrelevant. [Earth] isn''t in Dorarizin space, so when we''re there my jurisdiction will only extend to this ship.]" "Your jurisdiction also extends to the actions of its crew." "[And to you as well.]" She leaned down, letting Oscar get another good look at her dentition. He hoped that was just her version of a devious smile and not a threat display. "[The Captain claims you are her pack-mate, after all.]" Oscar snorted. "Combining that factoid with your hard-on for pursuing justice makes any Egg-theft impossible. If we do this, you''re gonna see me getting up to some questionable shit. Probably illegal shit. What guarantee do I have that you won''t just haul me and my pack in front of an Inquisition board the moment I hand the Egg to you?" "[I can''t give you any guarantees.]" She leaned back out of his personal space. "[What I can say is that if you get the Egg back I won''t dig into exactly how you all pulled it off. Just don''t break any regulations in front of me.]" Oscar sighed. "Okay. You know that...if you do fuck with us afterwards I will not rest until I tear you down." Hnrahnan took in his threat with her usual imperturbable air. "[Of course.]" He turned and unlocked the door. "[So what''s the next step?]" "My next step is that I need to call in a...consultant. That''s all I can tell ya."
The little email packet flitted its way through the endless spider-web snarl of the GalNet. It headed for a particular inbox; the name on that inbox was a long, trilling Karnakian name which roughly translated into ''Pillager-Of-Back-Of-Thigh''. The inbox''s owner chose that name after seeing a particular Little-Needs-Protecting advertisement for one of their restaurant chains. A pair of clawed hands tapped excitedly on a terminal, and a green-feathered crest rose in excitement as the inbox owner read the short email. Anyone reading over their shoulder wouldn''t have understood the reason for that excitement; as a matter of fact, the hypothetical eavesdropper would have found the email''s text rather rude. Hey doofus, long time no steal. Got a bit of a challenge for you. Maybe we can make a deal? Me and the gang will be on ZS Ten in seven days. Get there and I''ll make it worth your while. O.
Oscar relaxed against a very fake-looking ''tree'' as he basked in the sight beyond the far transparent wall. This place had even less of a ''park-like'' atmosphere than Kn''''arnt. There wasn''t even a holographic sun to cheer things up. None of that mattered, however, because of two reasons. The first reason was he wasn''t the only human here. A multitude of his fellow sapients sat or stretched on lounges, with a few aliens scattered here and there among the mix. All of them looked as one towards the second reason, namely the view. Earth hovered before them all, a blue-white globe streaked with clouds that obscured most of the continents. He could just make out Australia towards the bottom. A pale blue Karnakian trotted into the viewing lounge and scanned the place. She carefully picked her way through the throng until she was on the other side of the ''tree'' from Oscar. She mirrored his leaning posture, and the pair stared in silence at the planet. After a few minutes, she broke the silence with a quiet statement. "[Nice planet.]" "Thanks. I agree." He looked over and up at the newcomer, who continued to stare fixedly out the window. "Glad you could make it." She didn''t respond verbally, instead she gave the lounge another careful scan. "[This had better not be some stupid attempt at entrapment. Where''s your bodyguard?]" "She''s around. Just ta keep an eye on me, not to record what we''re saying. You have a good trip?" The Karnakian snorted. "[It was a gigantic pain in my tailfeathers. Do you have any idea how strictly they regulate traffic to [Earth]?]" Oscar chuckled. "Consider it your audition. We had to find out if you were nothing but talk." The thief known only as ''The Silken Feather'' finally turned and glared down at him as she poked the sky-blue feathers covering her own keeled chest. She kept her voice low in spite of her evident anger. "[it was a real and true pain in my sphincter, you little menace! This isn''t a hologram, I had to dye myself!]" She looked back out at Earth and let out a hmph of annoyance. "[It''s gonna be ages before I''m the proper coloration again.]" "So why come at all?" asked Oscar. "That job you pulled on Ngrnahsh-Six must have netted a pretty penny." She sighed and slumped against the ''tree''. "[You knew that was me?]" "Weeell, more like I suspected it. Seriously, though, I figure you cleared twenty million." The Silken Feather shrugged. "[Close enough. I now have what you [humans] call [fuck-you money].]" "And yet now you''re here." "[I''m here because I''m really [fucking] bored! Now, do you have a challenge for me or not?]" Oscar reached up and gave her chest a few calming pats. "I do. Short version is we''re dealing with something like that Claw nonsense. Somebody stole something, we need to steal it back." The Silken Feather let out a thoughtful trill. "[Yes, it would make sense you would need my expertise. The security systems on board these Zephyr Stations are first-rate.]" "Oh, it''s not here," said Oscar. He pointed silently out the window towards his homeworld. Her crest went flat against her head in shock. "[Oh.]" She rallied and her crest fluffed up again. "[Well, yes, that''ll make this caper much more interesting. What are you offering me in return?]"The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "Amnesty." She reacted with a chirping laugh that she quickly muffled by throwing a hand over her own snout. A few of the spectators looked curiously over at her, then back out the window again. "[You''re joking,]" she muttered to Oscar. "[There''s no way that straight-laced Captain of yours would tolerate such a thing.]" "The offer''s not from her. You don''t understand just how badly the Senate wants this particular dingus back. If you help us achieve that, they''ll wipe your slate clean. You can be an upstanding member of Galactic society again...provided you keep out of trouble, of course." "[Of course,]" she responded absently. "[It''s funny. Two years ago I would have laughed in your face. I always thought that what I wanted most was a giant pile of money, enough so that I could live like a queen without a care in the world.]" She continued to stare, and after a minute of silence spoke again. "[This item of interest...I''m assuming it''s in a secured facility?]" "Yep. Very secure, if our intel is correct." "[I''ll help, on one additional condition. I need to be there when the theft goes down.]" "Be there?" Oscar''s eyes widened as the penny dropped. He lowered his voice. "There''s no fucking way. No aliens are allowed on Earth, period." "[I know.]" "There''s not gonna be any sightseeing, if that''s what you''re after. You couldn''t so much as poke your snout out of whatever bolt-hole we stash you in." "[That''s not my motive. Something like this will involve very delicate timing; I can''t be sitting up here at the mercy of a communications lag in case things go wrong. I''m not asking to take part in the theft itself, but I will need to be close by.]" Now it was her turn to give Oscar a few chest-pats. "[I know you''ll be able to convince the others. Consider it your audition.]" She turned and trotted off while Oscar shook his head.
Oscar paced along a bare metallic corridor as he made his way back to the Claw''s docking cradle. He turned a corner and nearly ran face-first into Myyreh, who leaned casually against the wall with crossed arms. "[The Captain won''t accept it,]" she said. "[She still believes that thief put you in mortal danger.]" She bared her fangs. "[And so do I.]" He growled. "I know. It''s gonna take a lot of buttering-up for all y''all. Can you call the others? We definitely don''t want this conversation within earshot of that Veridicator."
Valentin stretched out on his bed and gave a soft sigh of contentment. He''d taken advantage of their current location to rent a suite in the human sector of the Zephyr Station. It was wonderful to know that there were no giant frightening aliens anywhere near him, know that he didn''t have to put up with being sleep-hugged by some slavering furry monster. Now he could finally relax and at last get a decent night''s sleep. The doorbell buzzed. Valentin grumbled as he roused himself back off of his bed and threw on a bathrobe. He padded in his bare feet over to the door''s control panel. It lit up as he tapped it, its screen showing a smiling Oscar standing in the hallway. Valentin tapped the ''open'' button with another annoyed grumble. "What you want at this hour..." he began as the door slid open. The Commander glimpsed a blur of gray fur before found himself hoisted in the air by a pair of giant paws clamped around his hips. Those same paws very carefully and very quickly set him back on his bed in a standing position. "[Very sorry,]" said Rgrarshok. "[Emergency meeting, can we borrow your room?]" Valentin looked at the triple rows of fangs now mere inches from his face and swallowed his instinctive refusal. "Er, of course?" In another eyeblink his apartment was packed tight with fur and fangs as the rest of the Claw''s crew squeezed into the less-than-spacious accommodations. Valentin wound up pressed right against Rgrarshok on one side and Bgrarh on the other as the pair sat on his bed. He glared up at Oscar, who now sat on Myyreh''s shoulder like an ungainly parrot. The target of his anger responded with an apologetic shrug. "We''ll be out of your hair in no time," said Oscar. Valentin tried to worm his way out from in between his giant bookends, only for Bgrarh to reach down with one paw and lift him up onto the Dorarizin''s shoulder. "[Sorry, is that better?]" It was humiliating, but at least now he didn''t feel suffocated. "Da, thanks." He looked around from his new perch and realized there was one particular giant alien missing. "This involves that zampolit?" "[In a way,]" said Rgarshok. "[[Oscar] has met with the ''consultant'', and he wanted to give his report without her presence. So what did our person of interest say?]" Oscar gave a disgusted grunt. "She''ll do it in exchange for amnesty. But she insists on being nearby when shit goes down." "What? You mean she wants to be on Earth?" asked Valentin. "Impossible." Rgrarshok growled, and the vibration from that shook through Valentin thanks to the tight quarters. "[I agree with [Valentin]. I was barely able to tolerate offering amnesty to that [twerp]. I can''t allow her to violate [Earth''s] sovereignty, even if we manage to keep it a secret.]" "Is the thief''s help necessary?" added Valentin. "Emma, you were able to hack that Jornissian ship''s network. Human security should be piece of cake." Egwreh let out a grunt of protest, smashed as she was in between Myyreh and Ngralh. The engineer wriggled herself around to face Valentin and shrugged an ear in response to his question. "[It''s not a simple matter of hacking. We''re after a physical object, not information.]" "[True,]" said Rgrarshok. "[A theft like this will require the appropriate experience. Experience which most of us don''t have.]" She looked pointedly at Oscar. "Hey, whaddya mean by that?" protested the object of her study. The Captain''s gaze didn''t waver. "[Don''t act all innocent at me, you little snot.]" Oscar sighed. "All right, all right. Regarding expertise...neither me or Valentin can take direct part in this heist. Martin knows us, knows we''re gunning for ''im. He and his people will be looking out for us. So we need to recruit other humans for this. I know a couple of guys who can help. How about you, Valya?" Valentin managed to suppress a shudder as a host of alien eyes focused on him. "I too know some people. If they are still alive, of course." "Naturally," said Oscar. "Thora''s filled me in on the security around the Egg. Even with a first-rate crew it''ll be a coin-toss as to whether they succeed or not." "I agree," said Valentin. "Especially since Thora''s information is out of date. Will need to do our own reconnaissance, which increases chance of being caught." Rgrarshok let out a soft growl of frustration. "[With the aid of that...errgh...''Silken Feather'' creature, I assume those odds become better?]" The two humans nodded in tandem. "[All right,]" sighed the Captain. "[I''ll look the other way. Just make sure that Hnrahnan doesn''t catch the slightest whiff of this.]" "Should at least brief her on the Egg''s location and security," said Valentin. For once the Captain looked surprised. "[What? Why?]" "She may have some notions of what to do." He shrugged. "And if you need her distracted, I could use her help with something less secret." He looked down at the aliens packed in around him. "Now all of you get out of my room. I need to sleep."
The next ''morning'', Valentin found himself back in the Claw''s rec lounge with the rest of the crew. He deliberately chose a position next to Hnrahnan; the Russian still wasn''t quite at ease around the Veridicator, but he was now able to stand there without flinching. Hnrahnan, in turn, wasted no time in getting to the point. "[I told you, I don''t want to know what you''re up to. Why involve me in this?]" "[You still have valuable experience,]" replied Rgrarshok. "[We just want to show you the scope of the problem. Any ideas you have would be welcome.]" Oscar stepped towards the main display that stretched along one side of the rec lounge. "Captain, can you call up Thora''s schematic?" As Rgrarshok nodded an ear, the display lit up. An aerial view of an air base appeared, complete with multiple runways that ran at angles to each other. A forest of buildings surrounded the runway complex, and the whole affair was in turn surrounded by real forest. "Back when the USA was a going concern, this place was called Elmendorf Air Force Base," said Oscar. He pointed at a square metal building set towards the end of one runway. "This here is officially a warehouse for storing excess food rations. Unofficially, of course, it''s the top floor of an underground complex." The display rotated to horizontal, and beneath the indicated building was a cruder sketch of various subterranean levels. "Ten levels overall," continued Oscar. "The Egg is probably here, in a lab on the bottom level." He pointed at a small room in the very center of the bottom level. "The security system requires biometric scans and IDs to descend into each successive level. Every inch of it is covered with a camera network that ties into a central server room here." Oscar pointed to another room located on the fifth level, again set in the very center. He turned away from the display to address Hnrahnan. "Without going into incriminating detail, the current plan is to put together a human-only team, break into the place, and retrieve the Egg." The Veridicator clicked her teeth as she thought. "[You know some competent, er, ''retrieval experts''?]" "Yep," replied Oscar with a grin. "[Part of that excitingly vague portion of your career?]" "I can neither confirm nor deny that, ma''am." "[Hmph. I hope for your sake they''re good.]" Valentin placed a hand on her bicep. "Da. Between he and I, we know the best of the worst." She looked down in surprise at his comforting hand, then back up at him with an expression that the Russian couldn''t identify. "[Very well.]" She turned to address the room in general. "[I thank you all for keeping me up to date. I''ll have a look through those schematics as well, if I think of anything I''ll let you know.]" As the meeting broke up, Valentin turned to leave only to be stopped by a white-furred paw on his shoulder. "[May we talk?]" asked Hnrahnan. He controlled the unease in his stomach as he turned towards her. "Of course. Problem?" "[No, I just wanted to make sure things were...what''s that [human] word...''cool'' between us?]" Valentin laughed. "Da, we are ''cool''." His smile relaxed into an utterly evil grin as he realized she''d given him a golden opportunity to pursue his other plan. "Actually, there is one thing you might be able to do for me." The Veridicator''s tail wagged ever-so-slightly. "[What do you require?]" "First, need to know just how high your Veridicator rank goes when on board a Zephyr Station..."
Antal Soma leaned back in his office chair and massaged his temples. He felt the tiny warning throb of an incipient headache. His ''official'' position meant that he had to deal with a lot of stupid paperwork on top of dealing with any behind-the-scenes drama. That latter drama had become so very heated as of late, and for the umpteenth time Antal cursed the American cowboy whose headstrong behavior had kicked off the current crisis. His comm unit beeped. The deep bass voice of his secretary emerged from it. "Someone to see you sir." The latter''s face didn''t appear on the screen, which was odd. What was odder was that Antal didn''t have any meetings scheduled for today. One of the perks of his position was the intricate and interleaved layers of bureaucracy and secretarial neglect that shielded him from having to deal with anything resembling the ''general public''. Antal took his fingers away from his head. "What? Send them away. Tell them to schedule a proper appointment." His secretary''s voice rose an octave. "I can''t, sir! Not this one! Hey, you can''t go through there..." Antal heard a dull squonk as five jet-black claws speared through the door leading to his office. The bureaucrat gripped the arms of his chair in panic as those claws dragged his office door aside with a shriek of protesting servomotors. He lunged for the comm unit next to his desk as a barrel-chested man in unmarked fatigues stepped through the now-open doorway. Before he could touch the unit, the intruder pulled its screen away from his fingers. With a casual strength, the man in fatigues tore the unit from its supporting arm. Antal shrank back in his chair as a white-furred Dorarizin squeezed her way into his office behind the newcomer. The human handed the comm unit over his shoulder to the giant alien, who tore it in two with the nonchalant air of someone breaking apart a fresh-baked dinner roll. "Greetings," said the intruder, "Do you remember what I promised you? I know you were on that call." Antal recognized his voice instantly, even though that voice had been screaming the last time he''d heard it. "Maksimov?" he squeaked. The Commander leaned forward and planted his fists on Antal''s desk. "Promised I would burn down whoever authorized it. You know who it was, you know how to reach him. Tell Martin. This is his one chance. Give it up, we go quietly. Nobody needs to know, all trouble goes away. He keeps it, All. Bets. Are. Off. Understand?" The bureaucrat sat in shock, unable to speak until Valentin reached across the desk and slapped him. "Understand?" The mild blow seemed to give Antal his voice back. "You...you can''t be in here! You have no authority!" Valentin''s mouth curled up in a lopsided smile. "Beg to differ." He pointed a thumb behind him at the pure-white Dorarizin looming over the pair. "She makes a zampolit look like a janitor. Give Martin message, or we come back. She can''t hurt you, but she has no problem standing aside and watching while I hurt you." With no further word, Valentin turned and marched out of the office. The Dorarizin followed suit after giving Antal a long and unreadable stare.
Rory Jenkins let out a faint wheeze and brushed his shaggy brown hair out of his eyes. He continued his climb up the stairwell, wondering for not the first time why he''d chosen the top floor of a five-story walk-up for his residence. The answer to that question was obvious; it started with an ''M'' and ended with ''Oney''. Rory''s threadbare suit hung off of his slope-shouldered, bear-like frame like a carnival tent under imminent threat of collapse. He reached the top of the stairs and turned left, heading down the shabby hallway towards his apartment. He paused outside his door when he didn''t see the the small hair which he''d left plastered next to the doorknob. Rory didn''t give any outward sign of distress; instead, his right arm moved very slightly against his chest and brushed up against the small pistol holstered under his armpit. Thus reassured, he smoothed his fingers against his neatly-trimmed beard and then without further hesitation opened the door. The door led into his kitchen, and his hazel eyes scanned around the nondescript, beige-colored room as he shut the door behind him. There was nothing out of place; at least, nothing he could see. The living room beyond was mostly dark, lit only by the bulb from the kitchen''s overhead light. Rory walked towards the kitchen''s entrance and as he entered the living room he caught a flicker of movement to his left. With a fluid movement that belied his ungainly appearance he drew his pistol and aimed it at the hulking shadow sitting in the far corner of his apartment. That shadow leaned forward and placed a open bottle on his coffee table, sliding it forward. With its other hand, the shadow set a pair of glasses next to the bottle. The intruder spoke in a voice which Rory instantly recognized; it was a voice that he''d never expected to hear again. "Relax, my man. I come in peace." Rory kept any shock off of his face. He cocked the pistol and brought up his other hand to support his firing stance. "Oscar. What do you want?" Oscar leaned forward into the cone of light from the kitchen. His face was set in a smug smile. "Why do you think I want something?" "Because you''re you." His ''visitor'' sighed and leaned back, casting his face back into shadow once more. "I suppose I deserve that. I do have a job for you, but it does pay well. Have a seat. Have a drink. Let''s talk." "You drink first, then we talk." After a brief pause, Oscar shrugged and poured himself a shot of brown liquor. He downed it in a single gulp, then coughed. "Whoof! Shit, I guess I''m out of practice with this stuff." With slow caution, Rory un-cocked his weapon. He then stowed it with the same liquid competence with which he''d drawn it. "Mind turning on a damn light?" Oscar reached up and snapped on the lamp behind him. He smiled at Rory while the man seated himself across from his unexpected guest. Without a word Rory reached forward and grabbed the bottle to pour his own and more substantial shot. He took a sip of that portion and closed his eyes in momentary bliss. "Sure can''t fault your taste in liquor," said Rory. He opened his eyes. "Now what the fuck are you doing planetside? Word on the street was you went into the xeno placement program." "Word on the street was right," replied Oscar. Rory gave a grunt of surprise. "Hmm...so it was all a ruse, eh? What''s the play?" Oscar''s smile settled down into a slight Cheshire grin. "No play." The shaggy man blinked as Oscar''s words sank in. "Wait. So this job is from...?" He trailed off as he pointed his thumb at the ceiling. "Yep." Rory took another long sip. "How good''s the pay?" "How good do you want it?" "This is that big of a deal?" Oscar nodded. Another sip. "Alright. How hard is the job?" "The hardest. But then again, you''re the best damn legerdemain I''ve ever seen." Rory narrowed his eyes. "You''re not wrong and I regret teaching you anything. That said, flattery will get ya everywhere." After another moment of consideration, he sighed and leaned back in his chair. He propped his glass on top of his protruding belly. "All right. I sure could use the cash. Write this amount down..." Chapter Eleven The bartender slid a half-full tumbler towards the leggy blonde. "Here. One Old-Fashioned." Zara Spencer smiled, her face dimpling in a most adorable yet calculated manner. She wore a blue knit dress which stretched over her toned body in a similarly calculated way. "You''re the best, Tommy. Mind putting this one on my tab?" Tommy''s lined face settled into a sour frown. "Your tab is getting up there. I will need some cash." The blonde smiled wider. "Just this one, then. I''ve got a sure thing comin'' in any day now. Pleeease?" He huffed and rolled his eyes. "Fine. This one and no more." The woman''s obsequious grin settled into a smug smile as Tommy turned away and headed for the other end of the bar. Her grin fell away as she felt somebody settle onto the barstool next to her. Without turning her head, she knew that the newcomer was big and male. There were plenty of empty stools along the bar, and yet he''d chosen to sit right next to her. She sighed and waited for the inevitable come-on line. Non come-on was forthcoming, so she took a sip of her drink while her mind worked furiously. Her worrying turned the once-flavorful cocktail into ash in her mouth. If this wasn''t a seduction attempt...maybe it was an old enemy? She glanced to her side, seeing nothing but a shaved head and a muscular arm signaling to Tommy. She''d lasted a long time in a risky profession by remembering the smallest details. And now Zara realized she knew the owner of that head, even though she couldn''t see his face. "The fuck are you doing here?" she hissed. Oscar turned to her and smiled. "Hey, Zara. I see ya moved on from gin-and-tonics, eh?" Zara opened her mouth, then closed it again as Tommy came hustling back. "What can I get you?" asked the bartender. "Beer and a shot of bourbon, please," replied Oscar. He nodded towards Zara. "And I''ll pay for her drink as well." Benny raised an eyebrow and grinned at Zara. "New friend of yours?" "An old acquaintance," she said, making a conscious effort to un-clench her teeth. "Haven''t seen him in ages." Oscar waited until he had his drinks in front of him as well as a definitely-departed Tommy before speaking again. "How''s life?" She gave a shrug that somehow looked more elegant than a curtsy before the Queen. "Eh, makin'' a living. You here to catch up on old times? Run out of beach bunnies to seduce?" "Nah, I''m married...or near as dammit by this point." Zara raised both eyebrows. "Reaaallly," she drawled. "She must be one hell of a woman." "You better believe it. Got anything in play?" "A millionare who thinks he knows how to pick ponies. Got another who fancies herself a commodities broker. I figure I can milk a couple million out of ''em before they wise up." "I''ll pay you ten times that. Half up front. Team effort, single target, very high security." She took a sip of her drink, and it no longer tasted like ashy failure. "That''s a generous sum, even for a high-sec retrieval. What''s the catch?" "Short term. Less than a month prep." "Fuuuuuck that noise." "The Senate will owe you a very big favor." That made her pause for a while. "Go on." "That''s all I can say for now, until I know you''re in." She glowered at her own image in the mirror behind the bar, unwilling to meet Oscar''s eyes. "I need a world-class Face, Zara. Rory''s already on board." Zara gave a low, cynical laugh. "Of course he is. That shaggy doof never had two coins to rub together." She sighed. "But I gotta say...I do miss his ugly mug. And your jobs were never, ever boring. Fuck it, I''m in."
Martin stormed into the Tank and shut its door. One couldn''t really ''slam'' the aforementioned door thanks to its substantial weight, but he gave it the old college try. "Is this really necessary?" he demanded of the secure room''s only other occupant. Heidemann sighed. "You know, there''s being a cowboy and being monumentally reckless. Why didn''t you get permission for GIDEON MARKDOWN?" Martin snorted. "Because I knew I''d never get it. The higher-ups are too worried about treading on the xenos'' feet. Has somebody complained?" "You might say that," said Heidemann. "The powers that be received a very excited phone call from one Mr. Antal Soma on Zephyr Station Ten. Seems he had a visit by Commander Maksimov." "Ah." "Yes, ''Ah''. Our unpleasant Russian had a companion, a Dorarizin who somehow managed to get into one of the most heavily-secure areas of any Zephyr Station without getting herself filled full of holes." Heidemann leaned back in his chair. "As you can imagine, this has caused a bit of a stir." Martin started pacing, his mind working over all the angles. "Let me guess. They demanded we hand the Egg back." "No, they wanted to offer you a back-rub. OF COURSE they want it back!" "Absolutely not," replied Martin. "We need this. They''re not using this tech, why kick up such a fuss?" Heidemann leaned forward and set his elbows on the room''s single table. He massaged his temples as he spoke in a defeated tone. "Because the last time they gave us some ''obsolete'' technology it caused huge societal dislocations that we''re still cleaning up after. Where is the Egg?" Martin stopped his pacing and stared steadily at Heidemann. "Are you taking their side?" "I''m on humanity''s side." "Bullshit. Don''t go all wobbly on me." Heidemann lunged to his feet. "DAMMIT, Martin! This isn''t about ''wobbly'', it''s about common goddamn sense!" Martin crossed his arms and said nothing. "I know how fragile our situation is. I know you want to change that. But pulling an op like this only breeds mistrust." Heidemann spread his hands pleadingly. "Do you really want every human off-planet put under tight surveillance? Because the Senate could do just that. They have the resources. Is that really worth us getting some obsolete super-soldier tech?" "Did you see the feeds from Atlanta?" Martin''s lips peeled back in a snarl. "I sure as shit did, in real time. One Karnakian without power armor managed to rip a man''s arms clean off. We nearly wound up with Armageddon because of that." "The Karnakians managed to stop the nukes..." began Heidemann. Martin slammed his palm down onto the tabletop. "That is irrelevant! The Karnakians set off the Dead Hand in the first place! I will NOT allow our species'' survival to hinge on the charity of others!" Heidemann''s shoulders slumped. "One more time, Martin. Where''s the Egg?" "You''ll never know." Martin jerked his head up towards the ceiling. "They''ll never know. If they try to pressure me or my people, I have plenty of compromising files in my personal stash that will quickly become public." Martin pointed a steady finger at Heidemann. "That goes for you too." He spun and headed for the door, only to be stopped by a statement from Heidemann. "Martin. If you go through with this, even if you succeed in reverse-engineering the Egg...there will be hell to pay." "So be it," replied Martin. "At least I''m not giving up on my species'' future due to political bullshit." This time he managed to slam the door on the way out of the Tank.
Valentin walked around a polymer composite crate; the container happened to be just a little bigger than average-Karnakian-sized. "This seems too easy." The Silken Feather paced behind him, looking over her future ''lodgings'' with a similarly critical eye. "[Looks are deceiving. There''s a lot of shielding built into this crate. It should pass through normal scans with no problem.]" The Commander cocked an eye behind him at the Karnakian. "And if somebody opens the crate during a routine inspection?" "[That''s what hard-light holograms are for,]" replied the thief. "[Don''t worry, I''ve done this plenty of times, into places with much tighter security.]" Valentin stopped his circuit and crossed his arms. He let out a Slavic grumble. "Hrmmm, if you say so. Just remember, you get found and our whole plan goes down the..." He stiffened and trailed off as a set of claws settled onto his head. The claws began to gently comb through his scalp. While the sensation felt nice, those claws were also attached to a giant sapient carnivore. One with lots and lots of teeth. "Um..." The Silken Feather snatched her hand back. "Oh. Oh! Sorry. It was just instinct, I swear!"Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. Valentin waved her off. "No problem. I suppose we are ready, da?" She nodded with typical Karnakian enthusiasm and trotted off. Valentin watched her go, rubbing his freshly-petted head as he put two and two together. Then he stomped off to hunt down the damned Amerikosy.
Oscar walked towards the Claw''s hangar, clipboard in hand as he went through what he figured he''d need for the upcoming operation. To any onlooker, the actual list would read more like grocery shopping, with lots of references to various types of onions and breads. It was all code for more nefarious items, just in case a certain Veridicator happened to peer over his shoulder. A stubby finger thumped into his chest, stopping his forward momentum. Oscar looked up in surprise into Valentin''s unsmiling face. "How long have you known?" demanded the Russian. "What?" "The aliens. First that Dorarizin treating me like a pup, then me getting groomed by that idiot Karnakain. I''m not stupid." He leaned forward, staring daggers up at Oscar. "They find us...milyy." Oscar thought about denying it for about two seconds. But Valentin was no idiot. "Yeah. They do." "Fuck." Valentin turned away and glared at the corridor''s wall as if daring the composite material to find any humor in humanity''s current situation. Finally he gave one brief snort of laughter. "Eh, suppose it could be worse."
Oscar walked into the warehouse and set down his backpack on a large table in the center of the expanse. Rory walked up beside him and plonked a battered valise onto the same table. The slight-of-hand artist wore a parka that added to his already substantial bulk. "Where''s our other compatriots?" asked Rory. "Or are you planning on me ''n Zara doing this all by our lonesome?" Zara sashayed up beside him. Her parka was just as functional as the other two, but somehow she made it look like she was stepping down the center catwalk right in the midst of Paris Fashion Week. She set her own much more small and elegant bag next to Rory''s. "Now why would you think we''d need anybody else?" she purred. Rory rolled his eyes. "Let''s see ya try to seduce a CCTV system." "The others on their way," said Oscar. He looked up at the big crate which sat ten feet away from the table. "One of ''em''s here already." A side-door opened, admitting a drift of blowing snow. Valentin entered, wrapped in a heavy parka. Two figures walked in behind him. They were even more swaddled in winter clothing, complete with goggles obscuring their eyes. "Reminds me of summer!" called out the Russian. He had a big challenging grin on his face. Oscar rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, Russians aren''t bothered with cold. Who are your partners here...?" Oscar trailed off as both of Valentin''s companions removed their goggles. Two pairs of brown and definitely female eyes stared unamused back at Oscar and the other two humans. Valentin kicked the snow off of his boots. "Don''t know their names." Rory glared at the Russian. "What is this, amateur hour? You plaster some signs on a lamppost or something?" The Commander grinned wider. "Not to worry!" As he spoke, the two newcomers began unwinding their scarves and throwing back their hoods. Just from viewing their faces, Oscar had to admit that they were both very fine examples of Slavic femininity. "Don''t know names, but know them well," said Valentin. "For job like this, could not ask for better." He waved a hand at one of the women, a brunette. "This is Thing One." Another wave at the other woman, a sandy blonde. "This is Thing Two." Oscar snorted. "Yer shittin'' me." "We are not shitting you," said Thing One. Her voice was a lovely soprano, but her face was set in a serious frown. "Nobody knows our names," added Thing Two. Her voice was lower and smokier than her compatriot. She pointed her chin at Valentin. "Not even him." Zara''s mouth curled up in a slight smile. "Hmm...I can see how that would be valuable." Thing Two met her eyes and smiled just as slightly back. Rory pulled his valise back off of the table. "Right! Oscar, it was good to see you again but next time leave me out of your half-assed bullshit, okay?" He turned to leave. "If you leave, you don''t get paid," said Oscar. The shaggy man stopped in mid-stride. "Money does me no good if I''m warming a jail-cell bunk with my ass." "Not to worry!" said Valentin. "Thing One is best scrounger on planet. IDs, vehicles, you name it she can get it. Thing Two is best sneaker I''ve ever known. A true ghost." Rory sighed and walked back to the table, thumping his suitcase back onto its surface. "All right. I''ll withdraw my objections for the moment." He raised one bushy eyebrow at Thing One. "I do expect to challenge your collection capabilities in the near future." "Bring it," replied Thing One. Zara tapped a finger on her chin. "We may be light on direct technical expertise. Unless our formidable-looking Russian here is taking that role?" Valentin shook his head. "No, that''s a job for our final team member." He nodded over at the crate. "We should introduce her." "Yep." Oscar set out four earbeads onto the table. "You''ll all need these." Zara regarded the translator devices with suspicion. "Why?" In response, Valentin walked over to the crate and tapped a few buttons on its keypad. One side of the crate cracked open with a hiss, then slid aside. Inside was neat stacks of freeze-dried food...stacks that shimmered as a huge, clawed foot pushed its way through the illusion. As the foot settled down onto the warehouse floor the ''food'' vanished to reveal The Silken Feather. The dyed-blue Karnakian pulled herself out of the crate and stretched, resulting in an audible series of pops from her spine. She grinned down at Valentin. "[You see? A, how you say...piece of cake!]" She looked up at the humans ranged around her in evident delight. "[Hello, everyone! I''m ever so glad to make your acquaintance!]" Thing One, Thing Two, Zara, and Rory stared in disbelief at the very obvious and oh sweet Baby Jesus so very illegal Earth-trespasser who stood before them. Rory spun on his heels and screamed right into Oscar''s ear. "ARE YOU. FUCKING. KIDDING. ME?!"
After a lot more soothing of frayed nerves (helped along with reminders of just how much they were all earning), the team arranged themselves around the table. Both of the Things and Rory put themselves as far from the Karnakian as they could. Zara, on the other hand, seemed fascinated by the alien and stood right next to her. Oscar unrolled a set of printouts in front of them all. "Until we can get a proper holographic display set up, these''ll have to do." He placed a picture of the Egg on top of the stack. "This is the target. Very valuable, and that''s all you need to know." "I''m not an idiot," said Rory. "The Senate wants this thing, so either it''s something we made that they decided we shouldn''t have...or it''s something of theirs we lifted. My money''s on the latter." "What money?" asked Zara with a grin. Rory narrowed his eyes at her. "Maybe I should lift your makeup kit and replace it with a barrel of sludge." "[This is very exciting!]" said the Silken Feather. "[I get to witness authentic [human] banter!]" "Banter?" asked Rory in puzzlement. "Nah, Miz beauty queen here''s just being a jerk." "[Beauty?]" The Karnakian swooped her head down in front of Zara, staring right in her face with a big fanged smile and all four eyes open wide. "[Are you considered beautiful among [humans]?]" Zara swallowed hard when she viewed aaall of those teeth. "Um, yes. Yes I, I am. Do you mind if I ask the same question of you?" "[Not at all!]" The Silken Feather preened her crest back with one hand. "[Half of my exploits I achieved through appealing to my species''...baser instincts. Even in this ridiculous color, I could seduce most anyone I desired.]" Oscar cleared his throat. "IF we could get on with the briefing? Y''all can speculate however you want, all you need to know is that when I get this thing in my hand y''all get your second half of your payments. So. Here''s schematics of the facility, plus overhead views of the base." Now that they had some hard data to look at, the group became all business as they pored over the prints. "Seismic warning sensors," muttered Thing One. "Won''t be able to dig our way in. Assuming Egg-thing is in this bottom storage room here?" "That''s the most logical place," replied Oscar. "But we''re still gonna need to get eyes on it before final execution of any heist. We''re also gonna need to put together a schedule for patrols, plus do a survey of the security systems to see if this intel is still fresh." "What''s the turnover like for the base personnel?" asked Rory. Valentin waved a meaty hand, palm up. "Mostly high. The support staff tends to be replaced often. Lots of them go for the xeno placement program, and a lot of them succeed." "That might work," mused Rory. "Me and one other, maybe Thing Two, if we get in as janitors that could allow us to do a goodly bit of recon." "And what am I, chopped liver?" demanded Zara. She drew herself up and stared down haughtily at Rory. "You also tend to stand out in a crowd," said Oscar. "We''ll need you to work at getting us some proper base IDs so that we can duplicate ''em." Thing One raised a hand. "Can I ask obvious question? Why don''t we just use her?" She gestured at The Silken Feather. "She''s alien. Got access to technology we can''t even guess at. Our best computer security systems would be as joke." The Silken Feather fidgeted her claws together. "[It''s not quite that simple. Yes, human systems are easier to crack but that is not the same thing as easy. And my means are rather limited. I brought some...items with me,]" she gestured towards her crate, "[...but I should limit their use. If I''m caught with them I''ll be in serious trouble. They''re far to advanced to be used around [humans].]" Thing Two snorted and spread her arms, indicating the entire warehouse. "You''re standing on Earth! I''d say you''re already in it up to your feathered neck!" She dropped her hands, grinning to take the sting out of her words. "Just like the rest of us." The Silken Feather peered at Thing Two for a long moment, then gave a piping laugh. "[Exactly!]" Rory crossed his arms and frowned. "If we need to, can we get more resources out of the Senate?" Oscar shrugged. "Not exactly. This whole thing has to fall under ''plausible deniability''." "And what about you and our Russian colleague here? Are you two just acting as bagmen?" "We can''t participate directly," said Valentin. "Our faces are too well known to the opposition." The bear-like man grunted. "Then I guess we''ll have to get creative." He reached forward and picked up the picture of the Egg and regarded it for a moment. He rolled it in between his thick palms, crumpling it into a loose ball. He held the paper ball up in between a thumb and forefinger. "See, this is the target. We want it, but they know we want it. We could try to steal it..." Rory cupped his other hand over the paper ball and lifted it away from its cradle. He held the grasped ball out in front of him and pointed his other index finger at it. "...but they''ll be expecting anything obvious." He opened the fist, revealing nothing but empty air. The Silken Feather clapped her hands together. "[OOOH, I like it! I saw you do the drop, it''s in the middle of your other hand!]" Rory gave her an evil grin. "Are you sure?" He opened his other ''pointing'' hand, displaying its palm to the Karnakian. She stared in amazement at his now very empty palm. "See, misdirection is not distraction," Rory continued. His manner was like a professor lecturing a postgraduate class. "Distraction is making a ruckus somewhere over there while you pull off your sneaky stuff over here. That''s amateur hour bullshit. True misdirection is all about putting the audience''s attention exactly where you want it, when you want it." "Should I check my pockets?" asked Oscar. "You probably should," replied Rory with a smug smile. Oscar did so and sure enough felt an unfamiliar lump in his pocket closest to Rory. He pulled it out to show the paper ball to others before un-crumpling it. It was, as expected, the by-now well-creased image of the Egg. "That''s very impressive, but what''s your fuckin'' point?" asked Zara. Her smile was now not quite so sardonic, and her eyebrow arched elegantly. Rory smiled back. "I''m just saying we shouldn''t dismiss any ideas out of hand. Now let''s go through the security systems again..."
The watch leader straightened up as Martin strode into the facility''s main control room. Both the watch leader and his subordinates looked out upon a multitude of monitors, each one showing a different angle of what appeared to be the same set of bland beige corridors. "Er...sir?" the leader asked in a half-hearted challenge. "Never mind that, you know who I am. Have you received any odd requests?" "Odd, sir?" Martin stopped in front of the much-taller man, his hands on his hips. "Don''t make me ask again." The leader rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, we did receive a request to account for any nonstandard items in our inventory." "And what did you tell them?" "Nothing." Martin avoided sagging in relief. "You acted correctly, of course. It''s a standard test." He reached up and patted the man on his shoulder, turning away to regard the sea of similar hallways on the displays. Behind his pleased exterior his guts churned. It couldn''t be coincidence; if Commander Maksimov was last seen in Earth orbit, then Oscar couldn''t be far behind. Martin knew his former prot¨¦g¨¦ was somebody he couldn''t dare underestimate. The only silver lining in this whole affair was that the Senate couldn''t move openly against Martin; they''d want to keep things secret, which meant he''d have the advantage. An advantage on paper, at least. Martin held no illusions about Oscar. The man had thrown his lot and his life in with the very xenos he''d been sent to investigate, in the worst case of Stockholm Syndrome that Martin had ever seen. If possible, the traitorous bastard would try to stage some sort of break-in to steal the Egg back. Martin''s eyes flicked back and forth ceaselessly over the monitors. "Where are you?" he murmured. "I know you''re out there..." Chapter Twelve The woman known only as ''Thing One'' stared down at the holographic display that appeared to float ''within'' the table. A few blue feathers brushed against her shoulder as she leaned forward and gave a thoughtful hum. She was surprised at how quickly their Karnakian ''guest'' became just another member of the team, although when the Silken Feather smiled her fanged rictus still gave Thing One a queasy thrill of fear. Oscar stood on the other side of the table from her, lost in his own pondering. "This should be do-able," said Thing One. She looked up at the broad-shouldered American. "It will be tight quarters for you." Oscar shrugged. "I''ll deal with it. We need to keep the diameter as small as possible." "It''s your coffin," she replied. "Most of these components I can get ahold of, but we''ll also need a very compact yet high-output power source." "[I''ve taken care of that,]" replied the Silken Feather. "[One of the items I brought with me is a zero-point energy device.]" Thing One kept her face neutral. Money didn''t mean so much anymore, but still...such an item would be worth a fortune on Earth. She began thinking through how to discreetly get hold of it afterwards. The Karnakian''s snout lowered and her four eyes stared deeply into Thing One''s face. "[I will, of course, need that device back after the job.]" "Of course!" replied Thing One, far too cheerfully. She knew without looking that Oscar would be sporting an infuriating smirk and felt a flare of mild anger in her gut. A soft thwap sounded from nearby. Upon a stool sat a large block of foam with a crudely spray-painted bullseye on it. A playing card now sprouted from off to one side of the bullseye''s center. Thing One spun to take her irritation out on the card-thrower. "Do you have to do that?" "Yeah, it helps me think," replied Rory. He stood about twenty paces from the target, holding a deck of playing cards. He slipped the next top card off of the deck and squinted at his target, pinching the card in between a thumb and forefinger while holding it parallel to the floor. In a sudden swift move he snapped his hand forward, spinning the card like a Frisbee. The card sank neatly in the center of the target, just next to its predecessor. Thing One performed a sarcastic golf-clap. "Congratulations, now we can rest easy in case we ever get attacked by a rampaging bit of foam." The Silken Feather, in contrast, looked absolutely delighted at the feat. Her toe-claws clacked against the warehouse floor as she walked over to Rory. "[May I try one?]" The cardsharp looked up at her in surprise. "Um, sure?" He slipped another card off of his deck and handed it to her. She looked at the small cardboard rectangle in her claws, then back up at Rory. Maybe it was Thing One''s imagination, but she could swear that the huge alien''s expression and posture could be best described as...coy? "[I''m afraid I didn''t see exactly how you held it. Can you give me some pointers?]" Rory stared blankly for a moment, then shrugged and pulled out a card for himself. He took up the same throwing position as he had before. "All right, you want to hold the card like so, okay?" The Karnakian nodded, her face split in a very fanged grin as she mirrored Rory''s posture. "Yeah, that grip looks good but you need to hold it...do you mind if I move your arm?" "[Not at all!]" He reached out and adjusted her feathered appendage, and Thing One didn''t miss the little thrilled shudder in the Karnakian''s tail that resulted from the physical contact. The Russian sidled over to Oscar. "Is that monster flirting with him?" she whispered as the Silken Feather made her first throw. It sailed up and over the target, missing the block completely. Oscar gave the barest shrug and his own whispered response to Thing One. "Who knows? Maybe she''s got a thing for portly guys with beards." The Karnakian''s grin grew even wider. "[Can I try again?]" She took every opportunity in the following lesson to initiate or ask for touching by Rory. He was a patient tutor, seemingly oblivious to her advances (if that was indeed what the feathered alien was up to). After another ten minutes of coaching, the Silken Feather''s card landed almost dead-center in the target. "Good job!" said Rory. Then he added a muffled "Hnnngmmph!" as she hugged him into her floofed-out chest feathers. His cards fell to the floor in a sprawl as he wriggled against her grip. The side door to the warehouse opened with a thump, bringing in a cold draft of air and one pleased-looking Zara. She strode in, her aquiline face set in smiling triumph. "I found our pigeon. He''s got the right security level, also has a thing for gambling..." She trailed off and raised an eyebrow at the bit of intimacy before her. "Should I give you two some alone time?" Thing One smirked as the Silken Feather hastily released Rory. The man straightened his jacket and tried to look dignified and composed, as if he hadn''t just been swept off his feet. "[No, haha!]" said the Karnakian. "[I was just thanking [Rory]! He taught me a new skill!]" "Did he now," replied Zara, her voice dripping with sarcasm. That sarcasm went sailing right over the Silken Feather''s head like a badly-thrown playing card. "[Yes, he''s quite skilled!]" The huge alien looked down at Rory and winked one eye. "[I like it when my partners have skills. It makes interactions much more fun.]" Thing One had to bite her lip to avoid laughing at the resulting look of panic on Rory''s face.
Oscar, to his very great not-surprise, found himself confronted by Rory not long after. He was in the middle of figuring out a bit of tricky fingering for an old Dorarizin drinking song. It wasn''t easy; the xenos had never heard of Guido D''Arezzo, so as far as humans were concerned the aliens'' musical notation was something out of a cross-eyed nightmare. In the midst of his musical musing, he felt a large bearded presence standing in front of him. He looked up with a mild smile into Rory''s face. "What the fuck is she up to?" Rory hissed. His normally half-lidded eyes were now wide and staring with fear, the look of a deer who might just have caught wind of somebody nearby wearing an obnoxious orange vest. He had his hands on his hips, and he darted his head around in obvious fear of catching the attentions of a certain blue-feathered teammate. The larger human reached up and booped Rory in the middle of his forehead. "Don''t ask me, buddy. I haven''t been around Karnakians all that much." Rory bared his teeth, but it was more a show of exasperation than anything else. "Oh, as opposed to us plebians who never FUCKING set eyes on one of the gods-be-damned raptors until a certain shaven-headed menace and his Russian buddy decided to just let one of ''em loose on Earth, right?" Oscar raised a finger. "Let''s be specific, here. Valya is not my buddy." "Fuck. You. With. A. Moldy. Breadstick. What is she UP TO?" Rory put a hand over his mouth at his near-shout towards the end. Oscar set aside his guitar with a sigh. "Karnakians, whatever their other faults, are very much like us. They''re kinda enthusiastic and very spiritual, but beyond that they can vary just as much as you or I." He made a rueful grimace and shrugged. "Shit, dude, I don''t even know her real name. But from what little I know she views herself as the ultimate thief." Rory blew out a breath. "Yeah, so?" "So? So you just so happened to demonstrate quite the ability in that area, what with that little slight-of-hand demonstration when you first met." Oscar slung his guitar back into his lap and plinked out a few alien chords. "And then you went and did that card-throwing act. At the very least, my guess is she wants to recruit you to join her in her life of crime." Oscar''s face settled into an even more evil grin. "But who can say? Maybe she just wants to marry you."
Captain Rgrarshok stood at the front of the empty bridge, drinking in the sight of the lovely blue-and white crescent planet Dirt stretching to either side of the holographic display. She heard the tick-tack of toe-claws behind her. From the cadence of that tapping, she knew those claws belonged to a certain white-furred Veridicator. "{No news yet, Hnrahnan,}" Rgrarshok said without turning around. "{This is intolerable,}" growled Hnrahnan as she stepped up beside the Captain. Her head barely came up even to the giant Dorarizin''s shoulder. "{We agreed to give them time to complete the mission.}"Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! "{It''s been three weeks with no word!}" "{Not exactly. We''ve gotten ''everything proceeding as planned'' messages from Little-Sniffer, but nothing else.}" Hnrahnan crossed her arms and huffed. "{We don''t even know what their plan is.}" "{That''s also by design. We''re not involved, so this remains an affair between tiny-chomper factions and out of both of our jurisdictions.}" "{Yes, yes. It makes sense, but that doesn''t curtail my craving for information.}" The Veridicator''s muzzle twitched briefly into a sad smile. "{I guess that''s what one could call an occupational hazard.}" The Captain chuckled. "{I suppose so.}" The pair stood in silence as they regarded the planet below. Rgrarshok exerted every bit of her considerable self-control to act natural. She''d participated in circumventing one of the most important laws of the Senate by letting that feathered menace travel to the surface of Dirt, and if the Veridicator caught the slightest hint of worry in her posture or voice then...well, then Hnrahnan would not rest until she''d dug the truth out of her. "{I''m glad to see you doing well,}" said Hnrahnan after a while. "{I was worried about you for a long time.}" Rgrarshok looked down at her with a surprised set to her ears. "{Really?}" "{Of course. Leaving the Inquisition as you did was...well, I didn''t know where you''d wind up. The best I''d imagined was as a mid-level XO on some tramp cargo-hauler.}" The Captain settled a giant paw on Hnrahnan''s shoulder. "{You should have had more faith in me.}" Hnrahnan sighed and placed her own paw over Rgrarshok''s. "{You''re right. I''m glad that you''re still an investigator, even if it is for the Senate. And I like your crew. Not to mention I''m pleased with Bgrarh, he seems to be a good and steady mate. You deserve that.}" Rgrarshok knew there was more coming, so she waited. Hnrahnan said nothing else, so she finally prompted her. "{I sense an unspoken ''however''.}" "{It''s Little-Sniffer. I know you trust him, but I don''t. Not yet. His history is far too obscure, especially where [Martin] is concerned.}" The Captain could smell what was coming, but played along. "{There are ways to get around that obscurity.}" Hnrahnan stepped around in front of Rgrarshok, blocking the view of the fertile planet outside. She had a gentle half-smile on her face. "{Such an action would cross too many lines for me. I''m a servant of the Empire, not the Senate.}" She peered up at the Captain. "{Whereas you serve the Senate, not the Empire.}" Rgrarshok sighed. "{Ask your question.}" "{Oh, there''s no questioning about it. You''re far too canny to let some random tiny-chomper run loose on your ship without knowing everything about him.}" Hnrahnan leaned back and crossed her arms. "{Tell me I''m wrong.}" The Captain stared back steadily, and then shrugged. "{Very well. I committed a gross invasion of privacy and got ahold of Little-Sniffer''s un-redacted file.}" "{Does he know of your actions?}" "{What do you think?}" Hnrahnan''s nose twitched, and her posture relaxed as she silently took in information from the Captain''s scent, her posture, every micro-expression on Rgrarshok''s face. Finally Hnranan nodded an ear. "{He knows. And he''s okay with that, for some reason...why? He held a secret of his own? Ah yes, that''s it.}" Rgrarshok bared her teeth. "{Enough of your [parlor tricks]. If you must know, he was reactivated by [Martin] before he joined our crew.}" The Veridicator dropped her arms to her sides, and now she was very much not smiling. "{Your reports mentioned nothing about that.}" "{Because it was a purely internal affair as regarding to my pack. He was forced into it by [Martin], in the same manner as that [bastard] did to our prisoners. Little-Sniffer was not sent to steal secrets or cause trouble, his only task was to find out why tiny-chompers are in such demand.}" Hnrahnan snorted. "{You told him that too, I suppose?}" The Captain kept her face placid. She knew she had to admit to the small infractions to conceal her much larger ones. "{I did. We arranged a deal with [Martin]. He released Little-Sniffer from his obligations, and in exchange I agreed to keep Little-Sniffer''s mission a secret.}" "{Because otherwise you''d reveal [Martin''s] treachery. I see. I can''t say I''d have done the same thing.}" Rgrarshok leaned forward, nearly touching her nose against Hnrahnan''s face. "{Oh, I know exactly what the much-vaunted Inquisition would do. You''d officially interrogate Little-Sniffer, bring everything out in the open, arrest everyone, punish the guilty to the fullest extent possible.}" The Veridicator''s eyes widened. "{I-}" "{Shut up. You want the truth? Here it is. You would have sent Little-Sniffer home in disgrace. You would have advertised the mendacity of certain tiny-chompers and weakened their species'' position in the Senate. You would have torn it all down, destroyed everything in the name of your holy crusade to expose wrongdoing.}" Rgrarshok leaned back as she continued. "{You would have robbed this crew of a superb pack-mate and ally. Little-Sniffer has proven himself time and again. I trust him with my life, as do we all.}" Hnrananh''s teeth ground together, a soft but deadly sussuration that resounded throughout the bridge. "{You always were too optimistic, Rgrarshok. Why''d you ever join the Inquisition in the first place?}" "{Because I foolishly thought it was the best way to serve the Throne-at-The-Center-of-All-Things.}" Without waiting for a reply, Rgrarshok spun on her heel and marched out of the bridge. She could feel Hnrahnan''s eyes boring into her back the entire time.
Martin held one arm across his chest, using that arm as a rest for his other elbow and in turn propping up his chin as he regarded the glossy black ovoid in front of him with something akin to lust. The object of his desire sat in a white, sterile-looking cradle surrounded by a bevy of instruments and scanners. The lab around him and his companion was equally pristine, with soft white lighting and a sound-deadening rubbery floor. "When can we start?" he asked. His companion, a balding and stoop-shouldered man by the name of Daniel, wrung his hands together. "We have to be very careful, sir. This is the one and only sample we have." "I know that! But the data in this thing is designed to be readable no matter what. Why is it taking so long?" The scientist rubbed his forehead. "We know the code phrase to trigger the Egg''s display mode. If your intel is accurate-" "It is." "-er, well then I should just need to supply the Egg with ordinary raw materials. Silica, mainly, with some organic compounds. That''s not the problem." Martin dropped his hands to his sides and rounded on the scientist. "Then what is the problem?" Daniel''s eyes went wide and he held up his hands to ward off the furious Martin. "First, I need more help. I''m all alone here." The spymaster nearly snapped at the man to stop sniveling and get on with it. But then he figured that it was a good time to show magnanimity. He placed a hand on the scientist''s shoulder and gave his warmest, most sincere smile. "I know, and believe me I appreciate what you''ve done so far. But this is incredibly secret. I can''t just pull people in willy-nilly, I have to vet them thoroughly. Another week or so at most, and I can get you a couple more people. Chaudhari''s looking very promising." The name seemed to give the scientist fresh strength. The harried look in his eyes turned into a gleam of hope. "Really? Well, if you can get her in here then that''ll help tremendously. But there''s another problem." Martin rolled his eyes and made a ''get on with it'' motion with his free hand. "It''s the translators, sir. You do understand that they''re not stand-alone components, yes? Every translator is linked with the others in a non-centralized matrix. It has to be that way, for naming conventions if nothing else. I can''t just type in the trigger phrase. By now the xenos will be looking for it. It would be like sending up a signal flare from our location." Daniel walked away from Martin, causing the latter''s comforting hand to drop away from his shoulder. He didn''t notice as he started pacing around the Egg''s resting place. "And that''s just the start. If we get the Egg to ''grow'' into its display mode, then any data we pull off of it will be in Jornissian. Can we trust our translators at that point? The xenos will have real-time access to the matrix. It wouldn''t take much effort on their part, just some errant mis-translations here and there and then the data on the Egg would become useless. We wouldn''t know which bits to trust." By now the scientist''s hands were almost white with the force of his wringing. But that wringing slowed as Martin''s delighted laugh echoed through the lab. "Oh, is that all? You should have said that sooner." With a magician''s flourish, Martin pulled a data chip out of his coat pocket. He held it out to the scientist, who took it with curious caution. "What is this, sir?" "A complete Jornissian-to-human translation matrix. One that you can use without accessing the GalNet." Daniel stared in awe at the little fleck of plastic and silicon in his palm. This was the Holy Grail for just about any government on Earth one could care to name. "Where...but...sir...how did you get this?" Martin crossed his arms and smirked. "You know I can''t tell you. Let''s just say it''s a donation from a benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous."
Christian Murphy glanced sideways as an unfamiliar woman seated herself on the stool next to him. He resisted the urge to do a double-take; she was way too beautiful to be stuck up in this frozen neck of the woods. He played it cool, however, and waited until the bartender was near before making his move. "An Old Fashioned, please," said the woman. Her voice was just as gorgeous as the rest of her, smoky but not hoarse or grating. "Put it on my tab," said Christian smoothly. He smiled and raised his own glass to her. "My thanks," she replied. "But I don''t know if I should accept drinks from strangers." He waved his free hand in a ''aw shucks'' fashion. "I''ve got no, whaddyacall, agenda here. Just welcoming a newcomer to our sunny paradise." Christian motioned with his glass towards the nearest window. It was pitch-black outside, and the window itself sported a considerable layer of frost. She smiled at him, her dimples making his heart sing. "So what do you do?" "I work at the base." The woman arched an eyebrow playfully. Her drink arrived, and she accepted it with a graceful nod towards the bartender. "That sounds exciting. Do you get to play with weapons?" Christian knew this broad was way too sophisticated to fall for any horseshit. No, for her he had to downplay it and act all self-deprecating. "Nah, nothing like that. Mostly it''s just watching TV screens while my butt goes numb." "Aw, too bad." "What about you? What''s a dazzling urbanite like you doing in a place like this?" She gave him a sly look from under her eyelashes as she traced one delicate finger around the rim of her glass. Something about the motion made it seem as if she''d like to do the same to his lips. "I''m afraid that I am affected with wanderlust. Normally I have a more substantial nest egg to assist me, but it''s become a little depleted. I''d like to replenish it. I have some moderate skill at games of chance, do you know if there are any local games that are worthwhile?" Christian''s heart-rate increased. This woman was not only a stone-cold stunner but also a gambler? He tried to assume a casual slouch as he replied. "I might. I''m not too shabby myself when it comes to cards. There''s one local game I''ve been to a couple of times. I know they meet tomorrow, if you''re interested. I could go with you." "Really? I''d like that, but I''m kind of in a bind. I''m almost broke...," she shuddered ever so slightly. "...and, well, I''m worried about such a game going south. If that happened, I''d need someone in my corner who is quite able, both in cards and in dealing out violence." It had been many years since Christian had done more than his employer''s standard small-arms training, but he still felt compelled to respond. "I can help with either of those." He leaned onto the bar and flexed as much as he could. "Don''t you worry." She shot him a panicked look from under her eyelids, as if she was a stag caught in the open by a pack of wolves. "Don''t just say that. I really need your help." "I''m here for you." For the briefest of moments, Christian actually meant it. Chapter Thirteen Valentin strolled around an outside corner of the team''s warehouse in a Very Casual manner. It was not a manner that indicated that someone was about to indulge in any sort of Filthy Vice, no sir. Valentin moved like he had not a care in the world...until he was carefully out of sight. He leaned against the warehouse corner and grumbled, then darted his head to look in both directions. A light dusting of snow stretched over black pavement as far as he could see, and the bitter winter wind stung his cheeks. He didn''t notice the latter, because the coast was clear. Besides, their ''guest'' was not supposed to be outside anyway. It should be safe as he only needed a couple of minutes to indulge. With a relieved sigh Valentin reached into his right lapel pocket and pulled out a single cigarette. His left lapel pocket gave up the lighter therein, and with something approaching religious ecstasy he flicked the lighter on and brought it up to the cigarette now held in his mouth... Valentin started in surprise as his cigarette all but vaporized, torn from his mouth and shredded by invisible claws. "[I told you how bad that is for you,]" whispered a chirping voice from nowhere. "Oh, come on!" Valentin hung his head. "Please, just need one. You promised you wouldn''t step outside." "[True, but then again I''m a professional liar. Don''t worry, nobody can see me.]" "Not unless they have infrared sensors." Valentin looked around in a panic as his nicotine cravings faded in the face of a much more severe concern. If The Powers That Be caught wind of a Karnakian actually on Earth...well, jail would be the least of his worries. "Get back inside!" "[I''ll make a deal with you,]" replied the invisible Karnakian. Valentin clenched his teeth. "If it means you stop trying to get yourself and me in all the trouble, then yes!" "[I''ll go back inside and stay there if you promise not to smoke until the job''s over. Then you can go back to abusing your lungs.]" "Why do you care?" he whispered furiously. "[Because you are little and need protecting. Not to mention the smell of [tobacco] smoke makes me heave.]" Valentin hung his head in defeat. "Fine, we have deal. Now get your tail inside!" There was no verbal response. Instead, he felt the caress of gentle but very sharp claws on his scalp before his invisible companion vanished.
¡°With respect, Daniel - and to you, sir - you don¡¯t understand what we have here!¡± Chaudhari¡¯s olive-skinned face split in a huge smile, and her hands spread out in front of her in a pleading manner to both men. The gesture made her look like a used-car salesman trying to close a deal with a pair of finicky customers. Daniel gave a shrug of his stooped shoulders and looked towards his boss. Martin didn¡¯t look back. Instead he rubbed his temple and regarded once more the Egg in its cradle. He was beginning to hate the sight of it, what with all the trouble trailing in its wake. ¡°I know exactly what we have,¡± he snapped at her. ¡°The data¡¯s why I had the damn thing stolen in the first place.¡± The Indian scientist shook her head, causing her perfectly coiffed ponytail to sway gently. Her pleading gesture shifted towards the Egg. ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the data on it, I mean the Egg itself! This is a piece of alien nanotech with none of the restrictions of the standard fabbers. It¡¯s designed to operate with no infrastructure! Of course, it only does the one thing, buuuut...¡± She trailed off hopefully. Martin set his jaw as his frustration reached maximum pressure, but just as he was about to go full Vesuvius on her the penny dropped. As he realized her implication, his eyes widened and he let out a rare curse. ¡°Holy...fuuuck. You think we could reverse-engineer the nanotech itself?¡± Martin eyed the Egg again, this time with trepidation. For one moment he wondered if he''d at last bitten off more than he could chew. If the Senate ever realized the full implications of what she¡¯d said, the xenos just might stage another invasion of Earth. Daniel blew out a breath and gave voice to Martin¡¯s trepidation. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we want to go down that road. Unrestricted nanotech is something that the xenos don¡¯t allow even amongst themselves. We''re talking a gray goo scenario here.¡± Martin thought through the possibilities. ¡°True, but those restrictions apply only to the xeno''s citizenry. Certainly their governments have such capabilities, and they haven''t become gray goo yet. Let¡¯s at least think through our various options. What would it take for a successful effort?¡± Chaudhari stared off over Daniel¡¯s head. ¡°We¡¯ll need as much analyzing hardware as possible while the Egg does its thing. Full EM spectrum at a minimum, plus microscopic samples of it during the various stages of ¡®growth¡¯.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll want X-ray images at key points,¡± added Daniel. His face was now as thoughtful as Chaudhari¡¯s. ¡°It¡¯ll be vital to figuring out how the nanotech moves the, well, ¡®nutrients¡¯ around while inside itself while the structure grows.¡± Martin gave the Egg one final look as if daring the thing to raise any objection. ¡°Get an equipment list together. Whatever you need, I''ll get.¡±
Christian bundled his dark blue uniform and ID badge into a small duffel, whistling tunelessly through his teeth while he did so. "Well somebody''s in a good mood," said a nearby coworker. The man was in the middle of stripping off his own uniform. "Got a date tonight," replied Christian. "New gal in town. Her name''s Zoey, and she''s one helluva looker." He shut his locker with a smirk and wondered just how grateful Zoey might be if the game went really well for her. Maybe they should set up some ways to signal to each other, just to tilt the odds in their mutual favor. Then she''d be very grateful indeed; maybe he could even get some hot and sweaty good times out of the deal. Christian slung his duffel over one shoulder and headed for the exit. On second thought, he decided not to even think about cheating if Zoey was involved. He had no inkling of her competence, and didn''t want to find out midway through the game that she sucked at signaling. The guy in charge of the game was maybe-kinda-sorta involved in organized crime. Of course, that hadn''t stopped Christian from cheating a few times...but he knew when not to press his luck.
The two of them looked around the dingy back room. Christian tried to look calm and composed, as if it was perfectly natural for him to be standing next to a stone-cold stunner of a woman. Before them sat a green-felted round table ringed with well-worn leather chairs. "This is it?" asked the aforementioned stunner. She''d hung her parka near the door and now wore a slinky blue dress that complimented her azure eyes. "This it is," said a voice from behind them. A man that Christian knew only as ''Max'' strolled through the sole door into the space. Max was a lanky fellow with a truly impressive scar that meandered up one of his cheeks. He liked to spin stories of how he''d received it, and no two were the same. Christian suspected that it was probably due to something mundane like falling off a ladder. The man fixed Christian with pale, predatory eyes. "Who''s the newcomer, Chris?" "This is Zoey, she''s looking for a good game. I told her yours was the best." "Thanks, I think." Max sketched a slight bow in Zoey''s direction. "At least you''re prettier than your companion. We do a standard five-card draw, minimum buy-in is one thousand." Christian didn''t miss the slight flicker of dread that crossed Zoey''s face. Her voice, however, showed no sign of fear. "I can handle that," she declared. Max smiled, but it was not a friendly smile. "I guess it''s a night for new faces. Nalin found one of his own, they should be here shortly." Within the next half hour, the rest of the players arrived. Christian gave cordial nods to the familiar faces; they were more than ¡®acquaintances¡¯ but definitely not at the level of ¡®friends¡¯...with one exception, a cheerful and round-faced guy named Akihito. He''d hit it off with Christian from the start, and he took a moment to give Christian a smile and a handshake. Christian also took a moment to size up the other ''new face''. The guy was a shorter, more bear-like man named Rick who wore a neatly trimmed beard and a permanent hangdog expression. The group paid up with Max and seated themselves around the table. Christian set his duffel under his chair and hoped that Zoey would sit next to him. Alas, it was not to be. He found himself seated with Rick to his right instead of Zoey, while the latter sat across the table from him. He supposed he¡¯d suffer through such a hardship; at least he could look at her without getting a crick in his neck. Max set out the rules along with the chips, then performed the first deal. It started out okay for Christian and less okay for Rick. The man¡¯s dour expression turned to anger as his pile of chips diminished. Zoey was a deft hand in contrast, winning a few big rounds. She won one of the larger pots by bluffing on a pair of threes to the point where everyone else folded. The feat earned chuckles of grudging admiration from most of the players and a deeper scowl from Rick. Christian didn¡¯t mind losing that round, since it meant he got a nice long look down Zoey''s dress while she raked in the pot. A few deals later, it was Rick¡¯s turn to deal. The guy might not be great at poker but he seemed at least competent at shuffling. As Christian peeped at his hand he found himself having to really work on his poker face. A pair of Jacks looked up at him as if to say that tonight was his lucky night. After the first betting round, Christian decided to draw two. His posture stayed casual, but inside he was jumping up and down like a loon; one of his new cards was a Jack as well. He eyed his stacks of chips and decided that there was no way he was folding, not on this hand. Several people folded soon after. It came down to a three-way showdown between Christian, Rick, and Akihito. A few rounds of raising later and Rick folded with a grumble. "You must have a good hand, Chris," said Akihito.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Christian responded with a casual shrug. "Only one way to find out. I raise you a hundred." He tossed his bet into the pot. "Very well. I call," replied Akihito. He laid his cards in front of him in a smooth manner. "Triple eights." Christian decided to be magnanimous in victory and not cackle like an evil overlord. "Pretty good! I got three Jacks." He matched Akihito''s smooth layout as he put down his own cards. Rick gave another little grumble. "Christian wins," he said. He picked up the discards and reformed the deck. He waved the latter in Christian''s direction with an ironic air. "Congrats." Akihito shook his head and chuckled while the winner half-stood out of his chair to rake the pot towards him. Christian sat down with a satisfied sigh and quickly segregated the chips into their proper denominations. Then he accepted the deck from Rick with a little nod and began to shuffle. The next few deals passed pleasantly; Christian didn''t win, but he didn''t lose much either. On the fourth deal after Christian''s big win, however, things went entirely to shit. Rick won a relatively small pot, but he creased his forehead as he looked through the hands on the table. "I coulda sworn...where''s the fourth Ace?" It was Max''s turn to deal, and he raised an eyebrow as he collected the cards and began to shuffle. "Whaddya mean?" "I haven''t seen the Ace of Clubs in a while," said Rick. "I think somebody''s holding out." Max rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, that''s ridiculous." Rick tapped the felt tabletop. "Just spread out the deck, okay? We should make sure." With an exasperated sigh, Max complied. His put-upon air evaporated as he began sorting through the face-up cards, pulling out the Aces. He went through it four times, but was only able to find three of the Aces. Sure enough, the Ace of Clubs was nowhere to be seen. Max''s face set into a frown. "Everyone, hands on the table, now. Keep ''em there." A staccato series of thumps sounded through the room as everyone complied. Christian felt a little pang of fear, but quashed it with equal suddenness. For once he was innocent, and he wondered with some curiosity who was the guilty party. "Here''s what we''re gonna do," said Max. "Starting with me, we''re gonna each stand up in turn and keep our hands out and visible. Move real slow." He pushed himself up with slow care, keeping his hands up and out. "See anything, Harry?" The guy to Max''s left looked down at the now-empty chair and the floor under it. "Nothing." "Okay. Now you stand." As Harry obeyed, a new and horrifying thought struck Christian. He glanced across the table to Zoey, whose face was set in an impassive mask. Surely she wouldn''t be stupid enough to cheat? But what if she was? He''d brought her, after all. Max would not be too happy with him. The knot of tension in Christian''s stomach cinched tighter as the wave of standing players inched its way oh-so-slowly towards Zoey. She didn''t so much as glance at Christian the whole time, instead she kept her cool and indifferent expression. Her face didn''t so much as flicker when it was her turn to stand...and revealed nothing. Christian blew out a silent and relieved breath as the wave continued its way around the table to him. When it was his turn, he imitated Max''s caution as he stood up slowly. His heart rate was just about back to normal. Once they''d found the cheater they could get back to playing cards... Rick and the man to Christian''s left both yelled simultaneously. "What the hell?" Forgetting to move slowly, Christian spun and stared down in utter panicked disbelief at the Ace of Clubs sitting neatly in the center of his own seat. Rick surged to his feet, his face contorted in anger. "I knew it! You damn cheat!" Before Christian could so much as draw breath to protest he found himself staring down at a pistol held in Rick''s mitt-like hand. A pistol that was aimed right at Christian''s heart. Max settled a hand next to his hip. "Rick, I''m only gonna say this once. Put that fucking thing away..." Rick didn''t pay the slightest attention as he continued his ranting. "What about your lady-friend over there? She in on it too? I bet you got some signals set up, eh?" "I didn''t-!" began Christian. Two sharp successive cracks sounded out, and for one moment Christian thought himself a dead man. But instead it was Rick''s eyes who went wide with shock. The bear-like man looked down at himself, his gun slipping from suddenly nerveless fingers as a pair red blotches spread out and across his chest. Christian whipped his head towards Zoey, who stood with that same emotionless expression and a pistol of her own pointed at Rick. Before he could even scream another protest, multiple bloody holes erupted in Zoey''s chest simultaneous with the sound of rapid gunfire. Her now-boneless body toppled inelegantly backwards before Rick''s own corpse could even hit the ground. Max bared his teeth as smoke wafted from the muzzle of his now-drawn pistol. The players all stood in a frozen tableau around the table as they each tried to parse the carnage they''d just seen. "God. Damn. SHIT!" Max roared as his furious gaze swung towards Christian. "I didn''t!" yelled Christian, gesturing at the Ace on his chair. "I didn''t put that there!" Somehow that declaration was the signal for ''everybody panic.'' Christian stood like a stunned ox as the room filled with lot of screaming, flailing limbs, and running around. A tug at his shoulder snapped him out of his trance, and he turned to see Akihito. The man''s face was no longer cheerful as he yanked again at Christian''s arm. "WE GO! NOW!" he screamed. Christian''s self-preservation instincts kicked in, and he managed to beat Akihito in a sprint out the door.
Max sighed as he sat down on his heels next to the woman''s body. Her blue eyes stared lifelessly upwards. Her mouth hung open as a trickle of red dripped downward from one corner of her mouth. The blood mingled on the floor with the gore oozing from her shredded torso. "Alas, poor thing," he intoned. "Such a sweet rose of summer, come to spread her cheer to these poor wintry climes only to be cut down in her prime by a cruel and fickle fate..." Zara''s eyes ceased their death-stare towards the ceiling and focused on him. "Oh bite me, Max." He grinned. "Anytime you want, darlin''. And anywhere you care to name." He stood and reached down with one hand to help Zara to her feet. Meanwhile Rory already had Christian''s duffel on the table and unzipped. He sorted through it while humming a happy tune, unconcerned with his own seemingly bullet-ridden chest. "Ah!" He pulled out a white ID badge. Max let go of Zara''s hand. "Seriously, are you okay?" he asked. "That was a damned good flop you pulled. So good, in fact, that you just about gave this poor old heart of mine a serious stoppage. For a moment there I wondered if I''d used real bullets by accident." "Eh, I''ve done better," replied Zara. She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Rory rummaged around under his own chair and retrieved a small black case with a slot on its side. He set Christian''s ID card within it and touched his ear. "Hey Silk, you reading me? Yeah, you should be able to scan it now." The case emitted a faint whirr while Rory''s expression turned from happy to put-upon. "Yes, I''m fine...I told you I''d be fine! It was just a couple of squibs, they''re perfectly safe!" He rolled his eyes as the person on the other end continued their harangue. "Look, just scan the damn thing, wouldja? Lemme know when you''re done." Max strolled over to Rory. "Somebody on your crew wants to be your mother, eh?" Rory sighed. "Only if my luck holds." He stuck out his mitt. "Thanks again for helping us out." "No thanks are necessary," replied Max as he shook Rory''s hand. "The money is quite nice, but frankly I''m just happy that I got to see the master himself in action. You did a center deal to give Christian that third Jack, didn''t you?" "Yep." Rory''s smile was as smug as a cat who''s just knocked something very fragile and hideously expensive off of a counter-top. "God. Damn. I was looking right at your hands and I still couldn''t see it." Max held up a finger. "In my defense, I did see you flick that Ace onto his chair when he stood up to collect the pot." Zara walked around the other side of the table with a duffel bag of her own. She unzipped it and pulled out a pristine dress, a shirt and jacket of Rory''s size, and a few large stacks of cash. She began stripping out of her own ruined clothes, revealing quite a bit of skin along with the now-empty packs of fake blood strapped to her midsection. She yanked off the packs and bundled them into the duffel along with her original and ruined dress, leaving her clad only in a bra and panties. Max tried and (for once) succeeded in not ogling a near-naked woman. Zara was easily young enough to be his daughter, which quashed any erotic feelings on his part into something more akin to a wistful longing to be young again. He distracted himself by pulling the stacks of money towards him and and sorting them into smaller, equal piles. Meanwhile Rory started undressing himself as he argued with his unseen comrade. "I know it''s an explosion close to the skin! But, and here''s the important part, it''s a very small explosion." Zara smirked as she helped Rory out of his shirt and jacket, then out of his own blood-pack-filled undergarment. All the while he continued to protest. "I''m not gonna argue about this any more! Are you done? No, I mean with the card! You know, the thing we''re going through all of this nonsense for?" Max looked across the table at Zara. She''d just finished pulling on her new dress. "You guys must have something big in the works," he said. She glared at him in sudden suspicion. In response, Max mimed zipping his mouth closed, locking it, and throwing away an imaginary key. Then he grinned again. "Hey, I''m gettin'' paid enough to not be curious. I just want you two to be careful, alright? You need to look after this schlub." He nodded towards Rory. Zara''s glare softened. "We will, and I will. Thanks." The door to the back room swung open a crack and Akihito slipped in. "Is our boy all set?" asked Max. Akihito nodded. "Last I saw he was running home as fast as his feet would take him. I don''t think he''s realized yet that he left his stuff here." Rory gave another exasperated sigh as the black case let out a soft beep. "Okay, Silk...okay, yes, I hear ya. You sure you got all the data you need? Good, tell Big O that we''re on our way back." He pulled the ID out of the scanner and tossed it back into Christian''s duffel. "This is all yours." Max reached over and zipped up Christian''s duffel, then handed it to Akihito who in turn accepted it with a little bow of his head. Meanwhile, one by one the other players also slipped in through the half-open door. By the time Rory finished dressing, the rest of the original group stood ringed around the table. Max looked around at the assembled group. "Good job, everyone." He motioned to the stacks of money. "You all earned your pay. One stack per person. Akihito has one last bit to do, and then we''re finished. We reconvene at Francine''s place in two hours, and I''ll make sure she breaks out the good stuff." His scarred face smiled at them all in turn. "The first round''s on me, but after that it''s outta your own pockets. Ya buncha degenerates."
His feet gave the beige carpet quite a workout as Christian Murphy paced back and forth in the living room of his modest apartment. Once he''d gotten over the adrenaline shock of watching two people fucking die while in bad-breath range, he''d realized that his uniform and ID badge were smack-dab in the middle of an active crime scene. Christian rubbed a hand over his mouth as he wondered just what might happen. If Max decided to just split and leave the bodies there, the police would be paying a visit soon enough. They''d find the corpses along with his duffel. Hell, they might be ringing his doorbell at any moment. Even if that never happened, he''d still need his ID to get back onto base. He''d have to get a replacement. Maybe he could claim that he''d been mugged? Or maybe he could sneak back to the location and see if he could snag his stuff before it became state''s evidence. Either way, he had to decide now. If he reported a theft before any report of shooting or murder, that would count in his favor... His frenzied musing ceased as the doorbell rang. Christian sidled up to his front door, taking care not to put his body directly in front of it. He risked moving in front of it just long enough to glance through the peephole. Akihito stood on Christian''s front stoop, glancing from side to side in barely-controlled fear. Christian cracked his door open. "What the fuck?" Akihito shoved a familiar duffel bag towards the just-opened entryway, and in surprise Christian let the door swing open wider to admit the offering. Christian''s duffel thumped to the carpet next to his feet. The unexpected visitor kept up his side-to-side scanning. "I must have dropped my wallet, okay? I snuck back in there to get it and saw nothing but some blood stains on the floor. Got my wallet back and saw your bag, I figured you''d want it. And this is it, understand? It''s my last favor. No more sticking my neck out. From now on I don''t know you and you don''t know me." "You didn''t see Max?" hissed Christian. "No. Maybe he was off chopping up the bodies of those two idiots, just so he could burn them easier. Just lay low, okay? Like I said, from now on we''re all strangers to each other." Without a glance back Akihito turned and walked away. Christian shut the door and regarded the duffel at his feet with something akin to sexual hunger. "Oh, please be in there..." He dove for it and unzipped the top with alacrity. "Please...," He dug one hand into its depths, moving it over the bulletproof fabric of his uniform. He sagged in relief as his fingers encountered a familiar square of plastic. Christian pulled out his ID and regarded it with an emotion akin to hunger. He''d somehow gotten free of the whole mess. His superiors were not very forgiving, and he knew that if they caught wind of his infidelities they''d be very harsh with him. So all he had to do was say nothing and wait for the garbage pile to fade away into the distance. Chapter Fourteen Rory slapped away a pair of clawed hands as they tried to unbutton his shirt. He shook an annoyed finger up at the looming Karnakian. "I told you, I''m fine!" "[I just wanted to check]," said The Silken Feather. She lowered her head to Rory''s height and nuzzled his chest. "[I don''t smell any blood. Did you hurt your ribs?]" He clenched his jaw as he heard a chorus of snickers behind him. Ah, it was a wonderful thing to have such supportive colleagues. Rory turned and gave Oscar, Zara, and the Things a good dose of the Hairy Eyeball. The sight of Oscar''s grin made up his mind; he''d had enough of this nonsense. He needed to know what the hell was going on. Before Rory could reconsider he reached up and grabbed at the feathers dangling from the Karnakian''s wing-arm. "Silk, follow me," he growled as he tugged the alien towards the opposite end of the warehouse. The giant raptor blinked in surprise, but allowed Rory to tow her in the desired direction. Once they were out of earshot of anyone else, he rounded on her and crossed his arms. "What is all this?" he demanded. For her part, The Silken Feather folded her hands together and appeared as the very picture of innocence. Or, at least as much as she could manage while sporting a mouth full of teeth the size of steak knives. "[All of what?]" Rory waved a hand back-and-forth between themselves. "This...this thing you keep doing with me! Zara was squibbed just as much as I was, but you''re not fussing over her!" The Karnakian glanced over at Zara, who was in the middle of a huddle with Oscar and Valentin. "[True, but to be honest I''m more interested in you.]" She lowered her head again, this time peering intently into Rory''s eyes. That intensity didn''t soothe Rory''s nerves. He sighed in frustration. "Interested how? You know...I mean, I hear stories of humans and aliens...er, yanno." She tilted her head. "[You refer to us having sexual intercourse?]" Her bluntness made him cough in embarrassment. "Yeah, that." The Silken Feather sidled closer, her eyes never leaving his. Rory swallowed and forced himself to breathe slowly while a feathered arm snaked its way around his shoulders. His nose practically touched the tip of the pebbled skin at the end of her snout, and he could feel the warmth of her breath washing over his face as she spoke. "[My dear [Rory], shall I tell you what I''m offering you?]" Rory took a deep breath. Shit, she really was interested in him in that way and now he''d have to figure out how to turn down the amorous advances of a sapient apex predator that could kill him with a single claw-flick. "Yes! After all, I did ask," he replied with a shaky laugh. "[It''s the most beautiful phrase in any language.]" He swallowed hard again. "Um, okay. Lay it on me?" The Silken Feather moved her snout forward, brushing her thin scaly lips against his cheek as she whispered into the almost-terrified human''s ear. "[Fifty Percent.]" Now it was Rory''s turn to blink in surprise. "Wait, what?" She pulled back and grinned. Not even the sight of so much teeth could break Rory''s befuddlement. "[I''m offering you a fifty percent cut, silly billy.]" "I don''t get it. You want to give me half of your share from this job?" Now the Silken Feather turned to the wall of the warehouse, hugging Rory sideways as she gestured. Somehow he knew the expansive sweep of her arm indicated the galaxy at large and not just the chipped cinder blocks in front of them. "[I''m not talking about this job. I''m talking about the future! You''ve got far too much skill and potential to just sit here on [Earth] doing petty [grifting].]" Rory breathed out a sigh of relief upon hearing she wasn''t about to throw herself on him. Then his eyes widened. "You mean...you and me, partners?" "[Why not?]" He began ticking off points on his blunt fingers. "One, I''d need to apply to the placement program. Two, thanks to my, heh, colorful past there''s no way they''d accept me. And that leads to the very bigly Number Three, which is that no humans are placed with Karnakians. We''d have to do the whole thing on the sly and hope to Jeebus Christ nobody gets wind of it. If the OIH finds out they''ll lock me in a room and throw away the room." She reached over and gently poked a claw into his chest. "[You let me worry about that. Think about the possibilities! You and me, roaming the starways, stealing anything that isn''t [nailed down]...and if it is [nailed down] then we [pry up the nails] and steal it anyway.]" Rory smiled at the thought. "It would be really nice..." He trailed off as she brought her muzzle close to his ear again. "[And as for the other thing? Well, let''s just give it time. Maybe we''ll find out that we''re even more...compatible with each other than I imagine.]"
"You keep slouching too much!" Thing Two stopped her stride and glared at Zara. Such a simple thing as ''walking'' now seemed like an impossible task. "Why am I doing this? Am better at sneaking through vents." Oscar leaned over the nearby display, going through the base''s blueprints for what had to be the millionth time. He looked up at the women. "Because the vents in this place have motion sensors. They''re hardwired, so we can''t disable those until you two can access the control room. Hence your little lesson." The petite Russian snorted. "Am better at playing janitor, just as Silk has set up for us." Thing Two waved a hand at Zara. "And then she becomes general. Simple! Why you need me?" Zara let forth a smile that managed to be soothing without patronizing. Thing Two''s irritation smoothed over from the the sheer force of that smile. "Did you ever see a general go anywhere without an aide?" Zara asked. "No matter how good Silk hacks the UN network, if I just show up and start marching around and yelling at everyone all by my lonesome somebody on that base will get suspicious in ten seconds flat." Thing Two let out a growl that tried to get across the idea that she was really trying, honestly. "This is, how you say, not my bag." Zara held up her hands. "And I understand that. You''ve played the role of the beaten-down proletariat, right up until it came time to show them that you weren''t so beaten-down, am I right?" "...maybe," admitted Thing Two. She stared at a nearby wall rather than meet Zara''s eyes. The blonde woman''s smile settled into something more familiar, more warm and welcoming. "I understand. I''m sure I have much the same background as you. But you can''t just ''walk'' as you''re used to. We can take care of the facial recognition systems, but the cameras might still be able to identify you by your walk. You need to act like you''re supposed to be there, and that anyone who questions you is a fool who needs to be taught a lesson in manners." Thing Two shifted her eyes towards Zara, and her smoky voice dropped an octave. "I understand. Have to admit, would love to teach such a lesson." Zara''s smile grew wider. "Good. Now, imagine that I''m the one you need to subjugate." She stepped backwards, a good distance away from Thing Two, and spread her arms. "Walk towards me, and this time imagine that the better you perform the more I get punished." The Slav stood more upright and fixed her gaze upon Zara. This time, as she walked, she imagined a cross-hairs target emblazoned on Zara''s forehead. She drew herself up as tall as she could and stared fixedly at her so-called ''teacher'' with the beginnings of a sneer on her face. After a few more practice attempts, Zara pronounced herself satisfied. Thing Two felt good for all of about five minutes, until Valentin came storming into the room. This wasn''t his usual get-out-of-my-way storming, this was a good deal more, well, stormy. He jerked his head at Oscar in a silent command to follow him, and proceeded the big Amerikosy as he stormed right back out.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Oscar looked down at the printout and felt dread settle in his stomach. "How long ago did they order this stuff?" "[About two days ago,]" replied the Silken Feather. The two men and the Karnakian were crammed into a space too small for them, but it was the closest thing they had to a secure room. "[The first pieces of equipment will start arriving in about three days.]" Valentin smoothed his mustache, a tic which betrayed his anxiety. "Is there any chance the Senate has done the same hacking as you?" The alien shrugged her crest. "[Not that I can detect, but it''s certainly possible.]" She peered back over and down at Oscar. "[Do you really think [Martin] is trying to reverse-engineer the Egg itself?]" "We''ve got to act as if he is," said Oscar. "Which means we''ve got to accelerate our timetable." The Silken Feather started to protest. "[It''s tight enough as it is-]" "If the Senate catches wind of his plan, it''s game over. At the very least the Senate will say ''screw it'' to all their secrecy and make this a very public diplomatic crisis. Hell, some of the xeno Senators might just up and propose a re-invasion of Earth." The Karnakian shuddered, making her chest feathers rub against Oscar''s scalp. "[They wouldn''t dare!]" "Pointless to argue about if they might, only fact is they can," said Valentin. "If we move faster, we must not tell team true reason. We say that Silk discovered plan to move Egg." "[You don''t trust them?]" asked The Silken Feather. "[Well...I suppose that question is a little silly coming from me.]" Oscar rolled his shoulders as if getting ready to step into the ring. "Right, I''ll break the bad news to the team."
The team took the news of the shortened timeline with surprising aplomb, although Oscar did have to throw in a bonus payment to sweeten the deal. His transportation was the long pole in the tent, and hence Thing One and the Silken Feather became even more frantic in their work. Finally, it came time to test that vehicle, which turned out to be its own special brand of horribleness. Oscar felt overwhelming relief as the vehicle''s control panel swung up and away from him, revealing the roof of the warehouse. Thing One''s face appeared over the edge of the opening, peering in with clinical detachment. "Good. You are not dead." He unlatched the oxygen mask from his face and sat up, climbing out of the tube-like contraption. "Thanks for the concern there, friendo." "How is ride?" "Slower than we planned for, and very sweaty." Thing One planted her hands on her hips and looked down at her handiwork. "Sweaty you will just have to deal with. But slower...hmm, maybe I can tune the power output to put more into the front end. But then we''d have to get bigger cables, I don''t know where we''d fit them..." Oscar waved off the notion. "It is what it is, and we''ll just have to build some extra transit time into the plan. We can''t afford the time to fine-tune it."
Valentin settled the transparent collar around his neck, where it lay unobtrusively against his shirt. Rory donned his as well as he grinned at the fidgeting Karnakian. "Showtime, eh?" "[Just please be careful,]" said The Silken Feather. "Tch, no big deal," said Valentin. He slapped Rory on the back. "I will take good care of him, da?" With that, the Russian reached up and tapped the collar. Rory stared in amazement, even though to Valentin nothing seemed changed. "Huh...this might just work after all," said Rory. He repeated Valentin''s tap on his own collar, and with a split-second blur his familiar shaggy features became replaced with a stranger''s. The Silken Feather told them previously that the hard-light hologram should be proof against pretty much any visual inspection, but that if anybody touched their face the toucher would feel something that was clearly not skin. The two disguised men trouped out to a pair of battered vans parked just inside one of the warehouse''s roll-up doors. One of them was red with closed doors, and Valentin headed for that one. Rory headed for the other, which was white and had its rear door open. Oscar sat inside the back on top of his transportation, his tanned face set in a grin. "Ready when you are, gents." Valentin only shook his head in reply. "Showboating Amerikosy." He hauled himself into the driver''s seat of his van and started the engine.
What with Chaudhari''s expansion of their plans, Martin decided to hell with it and just stayed at the base rather than try commuting back and forth from DC. He''d found an unused dorm room next to the secure facility, an unused desk in the facility itself, and spent his days breathing down everyone''s neck and generally making a pain in the ass of himself. So it was with trepidation that the aide approached him that morning. Martin sat slouched over his desk, muttering about stupid paperwork and drinking from an extra-tall paper cup filled with coffee. "Um, sir? Sorry for interrupting." Martin shrugged without looking up. "Hey, I don''t mind getting interrupted when I''m doing this nonsense. What is it?" "We just got a ping from the facial recognition system. It detected one of those faces you gave us, on one of the town''s security cameras." Martin jumped to his feet. "Show me." Within a minute they were inside the facility''s security center. Martin walked up to the person manning the console, trying to remember his name. Curtis? Christian? Something like that. "What did you see?" The subject of his question looked pale. "It was just a glimpse, sir. We were accessing the town''s security cameras, just like you asked." He tapped keys as he talked, and called up a black-and-white image of a street next to a small park. Christian pointed at a van that rolled into view. "He parks here and gets out..." As the man on the screen alighted from his vehicle, a brief network of lines crossed his features as the VI did its computery best to match the face to any in record. "He didn''t trip the software at first." The man from the van moved in a stuttering, jerky motion as Christian went frame-by-frame through the next few moments. "There, when he turns to look to see if any cars are coming..." Christian zoomed in on the man''s face, still overlaid with that network of lines which represented the idiot-savant VI''s continued attempts to match his face. "There!" For one brief moment, the face shifted into somebody with much darker hair and a prominent mustache. The VI-overlaid network glowed bright with a match, followed by a name printed out on top of the screen. "Maksimov Valentin Ivanovich," said Christian with satisfaction. Then, with much less certainty, he added "Um, what did he do? And where did he get hold of a hard-light hologram like that?" "Shut up, I''m thinking," snapped Martin. He paced as he considered the situation. Was this a trick, or a simple glitch in Maksimov''s disguise? "Can you backtrack that van to its original location?" "No joy there, sorry. The cameras only extend to the edge of town, our boy drove directly from there to this spot." "Where is he now?" Christian rolled over to another screen. "Looks like he''s waiting for someone. He''s just sitting on a park bench." Martin growled. This might be a feint to draw his attention. If this was his chance to take down Oscar and Valentin, he had to grab it. Besides, if this was a feint after all then if he ''pretended'' to fall for it Oscar would make his move. Either way Martin could draw the bastard out. He''d have to use his own goons, of course. Most of the facility''s staff remained ignorant of what was in the basement lab, and Martin wanted to keep it that way. Now that he had a plan of action, he relaxed. "All right. How far back in time does the town''s camera system extend?" "About forty-eight hours," replied Christian. "Good. Set the VI to see if that van crops up anywhere else." Martin rounded on the aide. "And you. I''ll be off-base for a bit with some of my personal staff. The facility will be on high alert while I''m gone. If a mouse so much as farts in here you contact me, understand?"
Zara and Thing Two walked into the supply room on the heels of Norman, the ''head janitor'' in charge of getting them set up. He was an older guy with iron-gray hair and a serious beer-gut, and wore the same shapeless dark-blue coverall as the two disguised thieves. "All right ladies, this is where the magic happens. Cleanser is on the shelves over there, the faucet and hose is over here along with the buckets. I recommend hot water, it tends to make the cleanser smell stronger and the higher muckity-mucks won''t climb up our butt so much about not cleaning enough. Lemme know if you need anything." He turned and pointed at the badge clipped to Zara''s lapel. "Your badge will let you into anyplace you should be. If you come to a door and it doesn''t open, you don''t belong in there. Likewise if you''re following somebody through a door you might see a red flash from the sensor. If you see that, back up toot sweet or you''ll have a squad of MPs on you before you can so much as break wind." "Sounds ominous," said Zara. "What, do they have the Ark of the Covenant stashed somewhere in here?" Norman replied with a shit-eating grin and a shrug. "Not my place to ask. We just mop the floors." A soft and synthetic voice sounded from above the trio. "Attention, this facility is now on high alert. All non-essential personnel are required to remain in place until notified that the alert is ceased. Please remain calm." Norman threw his head back and let out a phlgem-laden grumble. "Aw, fuck." Thing Two looked scared, and Zara was pleased to see that she managed to really make it work. "Are we under attack?" Their minder settled a big hand on Thing Two''s shoulder. "Nah, this happens about once a week. Some bird probably set off a sensor or somethin''. We just gotta wait here until they give the all-clear. I''m guessing about half an hour." The petite woman placed her hand on top of his in a surprisingly intimate gesture. "Really? Thanks, I just get kind of nervous around alarms." Norman''s face creased into something more of a leer than a grin. "Don''t worry, I''m here to protect you." The two of them kept smiling at each other, right up until the point that his eyes rolled back in his head and he collapsed. Zara caught him as he toppled, easing his bulk down to the floor so that he wouldn''t crack his head on the cement. "Sounds like he was getting ready to proposition you." "Da. Or at least ask for my number." With her other hand, Thing Two pulled a latex glove out of her pocket and managed to don it one-handed. Moving with great caution, she reached over and plucked off a small square of clear plastic from the center of the palm that had just been in contact with Norman''s hand. Then she stripped off the glove with the square in its middle. Only then did she relax, now that she was safe from its topical anesthetic. Meanwhile Zara checked Norman''s pulse. "Good, sleeping like a baby. It sounds like Valentin''s peek-a-boo act worked as planned." She stood and unzipped her coverall, then shucked her way out of it in a move that was unconsciously seductive. Of course, that seductiveness was reduced since underneath she was wearing a blinged-out UN dress uniform instead of a bikini. Thing Two followed suit, revealing a not-quite-so-blinged-out uniform which matched well with her intended role. As with Zara, she had a white plastic badge dangling from her lapel which would admit her to everywhere in the lab...provided that The Silken Feather had accomplished her work, of course. The two women spent a few precious minutes to check each other''s medals and insignia before squaring their shoulders and heading out the door to start the next phase of the job. Chapter Fifteen Hnrahnan-of-Narzghr scratched above her eye with an irritated talon. As a Veridicator of the Dorarizin Inquisition, she was used to a certain degree of deference if not outright fear. Yet the pilot sitting on her haunches across from Hnrahnan looked about ready to fall asleep. "{What''s this all about?}" asked Grawfren. Hnrahnan made a great show of leaning back and giving Grawfren a narrow, calculating look. "{You know.}" Grawfren yawned wide and clicked her upper rows of teeth against each other. "{I''m quite sure I don''t, Senior Veridicator.}" The Veridicator''s face settled into her species'' version of a feral grin. "{Your trip with the shuttle last week. Why did you perform it?}" Grawfren sighed and interlaced her fingers together over her chest. "{Because I''m going damn near [nuts] just sitting around here. I''m a pilot, I need to be going places. Just like you need to question everything going on around you, eh?}" "{Nevermind my motives! You took the shuttle over and docked with the Zephyr Station. This ship is already connected via umbilical, so if you wanted to stroll around you just needed to walk there.}" "{You neglected to say that I performed a fully manual docking.}" Grawfren''s answering grin was wide and friendly. "{No automated assist whatsoever.}" That threw Hnrahnan off of her mental stride. "{Really? That''s quite impressive.}" "{Gotta stay sharp.}" After a bit more fruitless questioning, Hnrahan allowed the pilot to depart. She rippled her teeth together as she stared thoughtfully at the wall of her temporary quarters. Something was up. Her intuition screamed at her that the crew of the *Claw* was somehow working with Oscar''s team down on [Dirt], and furthermore that this ''working together'' broke ninety million regulations and laws. Injustice was afoot, and it was her sworn duty to dig it out. But she also had to be patient. It would do no good to exercise her authority and shut the whole operation down. Then the Egg was as good as gone. No, she had to figure out what she could and then later, once the Egg was in safe hands...only then she could strike like the pitiless avatar of justice she was. A thought struck her, and Hnrahnan tilted her head. Yes, she hadn''t spoken with the prisoners in quite some time. They might be a source of more intel on the crew, not to mention she''d have the chance to apologize for her...rather fraught behavior the last time. Now that she had a goal in mind, the Veridicator''s tail began wagging as she left her quarters.
Oscar felt sweat drip all down his face; he was now in a confined area no bigger than a coffin, and the pod''s cooling system was doing its best just to keep him from literally cooking. He leaned forward and stared at the small screen showing his current location; he''d been stuck in here for an hour and probably would be for at least one more...if all went well, of course. Just as he started to get antsy, he heard the voice of The Silken Feather in his ear. "[Just heard from [Zara] and [Thing Two], you''re a go for moving to Position Two. I''ll let you know when it''s safe to proceed. [Valentin] is waiting in Location [Alpha], and I see that [Martin] and his two companions are en route. I hope he''ll be okay.]" Oscar smiled. "Valya''s a tough bastard, Silk. Don''t worry about him." Valentin''s role as distraction was not a safe one, but then again his own part in this was not without risk. Besides, at least Valentin got to enjoy some cool air on his face.
Valentin saw the nondescript car pull up behind his parked van. It was not, as the movies would have you believe, a giant black SUV with overtinted windows. Instead it was a family sedan, with windows that allowed him to see the three figures inside. The man in the back was clearly shorter, with close-cropped blonde hair. "Martin," murmured Valentin as he studied his adversary. It was the first time he''d actually laid eyes on the man, in spite of working against the Amerikosy spymaster for many years both before and after the Karnakian invasion. Then he shifted his gaze away as the men in the car made ''casual'' glances in his direction. They waited like that for twenty minutes, Valentin pretending to enjoy the sunshine and the men in the car pretending that they weren''t watching him like the proverbial hawk. Finally Martin must have decided to stop playing around and arrest him. The car''s doors opened and the other two men emerged. They both sported shaved heads; from the breadth of their shoulders and the spring in their step Valentin guessed they were some ex-spetznaz types. The two men strode across the street, heading directly for his park bench. Valentin sighed and stood. He casually ambled away from them, trying to make it look like an innocent movement on his part. Inside he began counting. If they started sprinting for him the moment his back was turned, then they should be reaching him right...about...now. He heard a soft thump of a footfall and a grunt of effort just behind him, and then Valentin sprung forward and began sprinting with a speed that belied his barrel-chested appearance. Another, louder grunt of surprise sounded from behind him as his pursuers redoubled their efforts. Valentin slid out of the park''s exit in a move that would have made Michael Jackson jealous, then spun and kept sprinting. He did a little head-fake as he ducked into an upcoming alley, while at the same time he fumbled up towards his collar and its hidden ''disguise'' projector. He tapped a specific button on his projector, then stopped and pressed himself up against the wall and waited. The first goon reached the alley and wisely decided not to go pelting in, especially since Valentin knew it appeared empty to the man''s eyes. The goon''s gaze swept over the alley, and Valentin tensed as those eyes peered directly at him...and then moved on with no apparent recognition. He let out a silent sigh of relief; The Silken Feather''s optical camo seemed to actually work. The man stepped into the alley, his hand next to his lapel. Valentin figured he must have a shoulder holster; fortunately it was on the other side of the man from his current location. That would give him a few more seconds before the man could bring the muzzle to bear on him. Valentin drew back an invisible fist and waited. Some bit of noise must have alerted the man, because he spun and stared towards Valentin. He in turn didn''t hesitate and sent that cocked fist flying at the man''s jaw.
Martin waited for an agonizing few minutes while all he heard was pained grunts and thumping in his ear. Finally he heard one of his men, a no-nonsense guy named Bartok, speak in his ear. "All good, boss. We got his disguise off, it''s him." Martin slipped out of the car and walked across the park, following the path of the foot-chase. He put a hand on his own holstered weapon before peeping around the edge of the alley''s mouth and saw Valentin struggling feebly while one of his men had his arm clamped tight around the Russian''s neck in a sleeper-hold. As Valentin''s struggles weakened, Bartok slapped a pair of handcuffs on him. "Had some optical camo too, boss," said Bartok. He looked up at Martin and slumped back against the far wall in evident weariness. "He tried to hit me, but Albert was right behind me and got the drop on ''im." Albert grinned up at Martin and slightly relaxed his choke-hold. Valentin''s head lolled to the side, his eyes unfocused and unconscious. "What now?" asked Albert. Martin glanced around the streets. There were a few pedestrians out, and some of them were directing curious glances his way. "We need to get him back to the facility for starters. I''ll bring the car around."
Christian jumped in surprise as the door to the control center slid open. He stood, expecting to see Martin or one of his goons. Instead he saw framed in the doorway a statuesque brunette with a square figure, a general''s star on her beret, and absolutely no pity in her flinty green eyes. Another, smaller woman stood next to her with an equally upright bearing. He stood and saluted, then tried to protest. "Ma''am? We''re under high alert. You can''t be wandering the hallways." "I''m not wandering!" snapped the general. She returned his salute with much more crispness, then tapped her left lapel. Upon it swung a plastic badge with her name and picture on it. "If I wasn''t allowed to be here, then this door would have remained closed, correct?" He swallowed hard as he regarded the impressive amount of fruit salad on her right chest. "Um, that may be ma''am but I still have to ask that you..." "Oh, shut it." The aide''s voice matched her sour look. She stomped forward as the door slid shut behind the pair. "Why do you think we''re on high alert?" She motioned with her head towards the general. "It''s a test, and she wants to see how well you all perform." Christian stared at the pair in confusion, but mixed with that was a bit of relief. "Oh. So that thing with the face recognition was planned?" The general rolled her eyes. "At least you''re not completely stupid. Yes. Now, brief me on the current base situation." She stepped forward next to Christian and waved at the bank of monitors overseeing his workstation. He cleared his throat and tried not to look like he was ready to piss his pants. "Well, ma''am, we have everything pretty much on lockdown. No foot traffic through the corridors except for the security patrols. Um, I really should call my superior, he said to call him if anything strange happened." Her voice was as upright and crisp as her bearing. "You can call him in a minute. What''s that?" She pointed to one monitor in particular, one which showed an egg-shaped object held aloft in a specially designed cradle. A petite woman fussed around the mystery object with some sort of hand-held analyzer. "I...don''t know, ma''am, other than it''s in the bottom lab area. They don''t tell us such things." The aide snorted behind him. "Hmph. At least they practice basic OPSEC around here." She clapped a hand on Christian''s shoulder, and he started away from the sudden contact. But not before her index finger brushed against his neck in a surprisingly intimate gesture. He moved away from the touch and narrowed his eyes, knowing that something was wrong. He needed to call Martin or sound an alarm...but even as he made that determination he felt things start to go woozy. Christian knew he only had seconds before passing out. He swayed a bit, acting as if their drug was acting quicker than it was. As he saw the aide relax Christian lunged forward with sudden speed. His fingers fumbled open the cover over the big red button, a button he''d been told to never push unless the world was ending. The aide grabbed his arm away but he still managed to fall forward and whack the button with his head. The lighting in the corridor outside turned red as a klaxon wailed. Christian tumbled inartfully off of the console and onto the floor. As he faded away he took a little bit of satisfaction in in hearing the shouting of an approaching security squad. That, and in hearing genuine panic in the fake general''s voice. "Shit! Lock the damned door!"
The Silken Feather''s four eyes widened as she crouched in front of her console. "|We have another problem! Somebody pressed the base''s alarm button!|" Her clawed fingers skittered over the controls with fluid grace; any onlooking human would have just seen a blur of blue-feathered arms. "|Extra security protocols coming on line...oh, no.|" Oscar''s voice was still cool as ever. "[Talk to me, Silk.]" "|I''ve just lost all connections into the base. Including those to [Zara] and [Thing Two''s] commbeads! We won''t know if they''ve succeeded! And I still can''t raise [Valentin]!|" The human was silent for a few agonizing moments, then sighed. "[Eff it. I''m proceeding as planned.]" She thought about protesting, then realized the human was right. They were far too into it at this point, herself included.
Martin cursed as Bartok drove their car towards the facility at definitely illegal speeds. "What do you meant the control center''s on lockdown?"This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. "The tech on duty pressed the Big Panic button. We''ve got a separate feed on the camera in there, looks like a couple of people in UN dress uniforms doing something with the controls. The tech is down, but it looks like he''s just knocked out." "Never mind him! What about the rest of the facility?" "Locked down tighter than a penitent nun''s behind." "Are you sure any others didn''t get further down?" "We were already on high alert, sir. I''ve got three hand-picked teams sweeping the hallways and there''s nobody else here who shouldn''t be. Don''t worry about the two in the control center either. They''re not going anywhere." The tow-headed man rubbed his forehead in relief. It looked like they''d tried to pull off an infiltration posing as high-up brass. It wasn''t a terrible plan, but one prone to failure if anything went wrong. When he got back he''d have to find out how they''d gotten that far into the facility to begin with. "I should be able to get you back into the control room. Use this code for the doors..."
Zara spun around as she heard the door hiss open. Both she and Thing Two raised their arms automatically at the sight of about ten million rifle muzzles staring back at them. "On your knees, hands on your head!" yelled someone from behind all the weaponry. She figured another bluff attempt couldn''t hurt. "Stand down, people, this is a live exercise. You performed very well, and my report will emphasize that." None of the rifles wavered. "You''ve got five seconds." Zara sighed and looked over at Thing Two. The smaller woman nodded back, and they both slowly knelt and equally slowly placed their hands on their scalps. Only then did the weapons part and admit a gray-haired man with a tactical vest and no mercy in his dark brown eyes. "Move and you''re dead," he snapped to the kneeling women, then strode over and tapped a few codes into the console. In response the klaxon mercifully shut off and the lighting snapped back to normal. The leader placed a finger on his ear. "Sir? We''ve regained access. The intruders are in custody. Where do you want me to put them?"
Chaudhari looked up in relief as the klaxon shut off. She tucked away the flashlight she''d been using during all that red-lighting shenanigans. The first alert didn''t bother her; it was the third such bit of nonsense she''d gone through since arriving at the facility. Somebody must have wandered into the wrong section yet again. The second alert was more irritating, especially that damn siren. In any case, it just meant she had more of an excuse to stay in the lab with her pride and joy. As she bent back towards the Egg, she stopped. Chaudhari was sure she''d heard a soft cracking noise, followed by an equally soft thump. She patted the Egg as if to assure it that she wasn''t going far and walked off in the direction of the noise. Her brown eyes narrowed as she scanned the rubbery floor material, wondering if they''d somehow gotten rats in here. Chaudhari''s gaze widened in surprise as she saw a chunk of cement lying on the black material. She reached down and picked it up. "The stink is this?" The scientist looked up and saw where the chunk used to be; there was a neat crack in the cement, in the center of which was a divot that matched the piece in her hand. She looked closer. "Maybe it''s just the ground settling?" she mused aloud as she looked closer at the divot. There was a small black hole right in its center, and as her face approached it she heard a faint hiss. Her nose wrinkled as the gas hit her face. "Strawberries? It kind of smells like strawbarwhargmglnfhlpmphh..." Chaudhari''s eyes glazed over and she slumped to the floor.
"Keep them in the conference room on the second level," said Martin. "They are not to speak or be spoken to except by me, is that clear?" The car rocked through another bit of fast cornering, causing the trussed-up man next to Martin to mumble through his gagged mouth. Valentin blinked and stirred as he came to. "Morning, sleepyhead," said Martin with a triumphant smile. Valentin''s eyes narrowed but he didn''t even try to respond. Martin couldn''t resist rubbing it in. "We got your two playmates as well. Sounds like you somehow made some pretty good copies of our access cards. You''ll have to tell me how you all accomplished that." Valentin pointedly looked out the window. Martin felt his guts relax as he leaned back. The theft was a failure and the precious Egg was safe. His only regret was that they hadn''t caught Oscar as well. It didn''t matter; Valentin would talk. The Russian was tough, but with enough pain anyone would break. His head sank back against the armrest...and his eyes shot open as a new, horrible thought hit him. Suddenly he knew exactly where Oscar was. Martin sat upright, his heart pounding as he touched his ear. "Chief? Check the network again. Are the seismic warning sensors still active?"
The squad leader flinched back as Martin strode through the lab''s doorway. He looked around the domed and circular space, taking in the sight of Chaudhari slumped against the sloping wall. A medic hovered over the dazed woman. "Is she all right?" snapped Martin. "A bump on the head and a little dizzy, but okay otherwise," replied the medic. Martin''s eyes finally coming towards the center. A center which held a cradle. A cradle which now held a distinct lack of any Egg. The spymaster''s jaw tightened, then his gaze swept towards the other new feature of the room. A one-meter-wide hole now festooned one of the pristine concrete walls of the lab. He stalked towards it and on instinct reached out to touch the edge, then jerked his hand back with a hiss of pain. The melted concrete at the edges of the hole was still scalding hot. He regarded the hole with building fury. "Get a drone in here and fly it up that hole. We need to find out its exit point. They might still be around here."
Rory stepped back from the removable bottom of his van as a huge, pencil-like tip erupted from the already-melted tunnel underneath the vehicle. The pod''s tip was dark and no longer a furious pure white, but Rory still edged his way around the thing''s nose with caution. Even if it was no longer hot enough to melt through earth and rock it was still hot enough to burn the ever-loving fuck out of his merely human skin. A hatch below that sharp tip popped open, and Oscar slithered out. His overalls, now damp with sweat, stuck to his muscular frame. He opened one eye and regarded Rory''s hovering form with exhausted happiness. "Got it?" asked Rory. Oscar held aloft a black egg-shaped object, its surface etched with fractal-like runes. Rory reached forward with his stubby-fingered hands and plucked it from Oscar''s grip with ease. He regarded the object with something akin to religious awe. Even though he didn''t know what it was, he knew that with this one single item he could name his price. He could go anywhere, do anything he dreamed of... Then Rory looked down at the man he''d once trained as a pupil. Oscar''s eyes were half-lidded, and he panted in exhaustion from having just been stuck in a confined and hot space for far too long. Rory actually had a chance to overpower him, or at least run away. Then he sighed, tucked the Egg against his lapel with one hand...and with his other, he reached down towards Oscar. The bigger man slapped his hand against Rory''s, and with a grunt used the assist to haul himself to his feet and up into the van. "We need to get going," said Rory. Oscar''s panting eased. "No shit." Rory grinned at him. "Speaking of which, you smell like ass." The big man stood and stretched his arms over his head. "Gimme a break, my man. I was just jammed in a overheated coffin for two hours." "Whatever. Let''s the hell out of here." "Just a minute." Oscar swung open a panel further back on the pod and removed a nondescript silver box the size of a loaf of bread. This was the other priceless artifact in the van, namely the zero-point energy generator provided by The Silken Feather. He then reached into the open ''cockpit'' and touched a few controls. As he stepped back, the pod''s doors obediently closed and it sank back into its tunnel. Oscar let out a sigh of relief as he settled into the passenger seat and buckled in. "No word from Valentin?" "Nope, looks like he got nabbed along with Zara and Thing Two." Rory threw the van into gear and began driving away at a sedate pace, one that was calculated to not draw any attention. "Got it." Oscar touched his ear. "Silk? Get the team on the horn and let ''em know that Option Three is now confirmed." Then he stiffened as his commbead emitted a soft synthetic chirp. "Aw, shit." Rory looked over in concern. "Problem?" "Not yet. I set up an alarm for a certain place on board my ship. Somebody just went in there, and I really hope it isn''t who I think it is."
Hnrahnan-of-Narzghr leaned back and smiled, this time taking great care not to show her teeth. "{So how are they treating you?}" [Tam Ji-Min] shifted on the couch and smiled back, her jittering foot betraying her nervousness. "[Um, fine! Really they''ve just left us alone.]" "{No mistreatment to speak of?}" asked Hnrahnan. "{You may speak freely in front of me, I am not beholden to the Captain.}" "[The only time we see them is when the big guy, [Bgrarh], comes in to scent us,]" said [Tobias Ram¨ªrez]. "[He doesn''t really speak to us either, just hugs us for the right amount of time and then leaves. To be honest we''re going a little ?erroruntranslatederror?]" "{Sorry, I didn''t understand that last bit.}" The human woman hugged her knees to her chest. "[It''s a term for when [tiny-chompers] are stuck in one place for too long, we go a little crazy.]" "{Ah, I understand. We Dorarizin have a similar condition if we don''t run enough. Do you have any media access in here?}" Tobias shrugged. "[A little, but its mostly alien movies and such.]" "{Hmm, I''ll see if I can request you some tiny-chomper films.}" She made a great show of looking around. "{Where are your two companions?}" [Tam] blushed, and the Senior Veridicator had to fight like mad the urge to scoop up the tiny-chomper and cuddle her. Damn the Pale Moon, these little aliens had a way of short-circuiting your concentration with their unfair cuteness. "[They''re, um, occupied.]" [Tam] pointed at one of the closed bedroom doors. "[Lots of time and little to do, you know?]" Hnrahnan cocked an ear towards the shut door...and heard a few faint moans of passion. She didn''t laugh; she knew that a Dorarizin''s laugh tended to make tiny-chompers nervous instead of better. Instead she nodded. "[I''ll come back later and speak to them as well. I just wanted to check in and make sure they also have no complaints...other than the isolation, of course.}" "[Sure, no problem,]" said [Tobias]. "[You might want to give ''em a few hours, they just got started.]" A few...hours? Well, she had heard about the tiny-chompers'' notoriously high libido. It made sense. The Veridicator nodded an ear and stood, careful to move slowly so as not to spook the little prisoners. "{In the meantime, I wished to apologize for my behavior earlier. I was a little...less professional than I should have been.}"
Martin strode up to the squad leader, who stood outside a painted steel door with one of his men guarding the other side. Bartok and Albert lumbered along behind him. He glared at each of the guards in turn. "Listen very carefully. You will not tell anyone that these people are here, understand? Not the base general, not a Senator, not God Himself. You will also disregard anything you might hear from that room. As far as you''re concerned, the inside of that room is on the other side of the galaxy. Got it?" They both nodded hastily, and Martin strode forward. The door slid open at his approach, then slid shut behind his two goons. "Lock the door," said Martin. Bartok nodded and moved over to the panel next to the door as Martin surveyed the room. The conference table lay against the far wall. The three captives sat strapped to chairs in the now-bare center of the room. Valentin''s eye now started to show a shiner from his tussle with Bartok and Albert, while the two women still wore their fake dress uniforms. They looked frightened but otherwise unharmed. Next to the chairs sat a small pile of commbeads and collar-like devices. Martin smiled at the trio like a lizard sighting an unguarded clutch of bird eggs. "We''ll forgo the light-shining-in-your-face routine for now. So. Your little ruse was a success. You deactivated the seismic sensor nets, which allowed my wayward employee to come in and snatch the Egg. Congrats." He stepped forward towards Valentin and untied the cloth gagging him. Once his mouth was freed the Russian spit at Martin''s feet, barely missing his shoe. "You know the drill, Valentin. What was the next part of the plan?" "Plan was we get away," said Valentin with a small insolent smile. Martin drew back and backhanded Valentin across the face. The Russian''s head rocked to one side, and as he looked back at Martin his smile never wavered. "I have no time to waste," said Martin. "I''m giving you one chance. Any of you tell me and you''ll all just go to jail for the rest of your life. If you don''t start talking I''m letting these two loose on you." He pointed his thumb back over his shoulder at Bartok and Albert, who loomed behind Martin with knowing grins. "These two like dishing out pain. I''m sure you''re all tough, but let''s be smart for once. You''re not getting out of here until I know where Oscar is." "We don''t know where he is," said the smaller woman. Martin tried and almost succeeded at looming over her. "You''re full of shit. You know where he is and you will tell me sooner or later. You''re gonna tell me everything down to your favorite sexual position. Why not say something now, while you still have all your toes?" The small woman spat as well, this time hitting his face. Her aim was better, and she actually connected. Martin leaned back and wiped the spittle off of his face. He looked over at the taller woman. "You''ve got a very pretty face. I''m sure you want to keep it pretty, right?" She stared back in disgust but said nothing. "Fine," sighed Martin. He stepped back and waved his men forward. "Have at them." "Which ones first, boss?" "The women. Let''s see how chivalrous our Russian friend is." Valentin growled. "You touch either of them, I kill you." Martin laughed. "You''re very good at threats, but not so competent on the follow-through. Get to it, guys." Bartok stepped past Martin and leered down at the smaller woman, who shrank back into her chair as her eyes darted towards her bound compatriots. The goon made a great show of interlacing his fingers and cracking his knuckles before turning back towards Martin. "You might wanna leave the room, boss. This will get messy pretty quick." Martin crossed his arms and shook his head. "I''m staying." Bartok shrugged, drew back a fist...then spun and drove that cocked fist right into Martin''s stomach. Martin wheezed as the punch drove the air from his lungs and he stumbled back in shock, dropping his arms to protect his injured belly...only to feel Albert''s arm clamp tight around his neck in a sleeper hold. "Nighty night, boss," ''Albert'' growled in his ear. It was not the voice he expected, but it was one he knew well. The voice of Jaime D¨¢valos. He stared in pained shock at Bartok, who reached up to his collar and pressed. A familiar blonde-haired woman with aristocratic features and flawless pale skin suddenly grinned back at him, and that was the last thing Martin saw for a good long while.
"Oh, that felt sooo good!" said Thora Nedergaard. If satisfaction was syrup one could drizzle her voice over pancakes. "What''s with the build-up?" snapped Zara. "The plan was to knock him out when he came into the room! I thought the alleyway switch had gone bad, I''m just about ready to shit myself here." The still-disguised Jaime eased Martin''s unconscious form to the floor while Thora tapped her ear. "Sorry, there was a delay with Rory and Oscar getting to a safe distance. We had to let my overly dramatic ex-boss monologue for a bit." The two thieves moved with quick precision, with Jaime stripping Martin down to his underwear while Thora let Thing Two loose. Thora then unstrapped the other two captives while Thing Two shucked out of her uniform and donned Martin''s clothes. It didn''t quite work; her chest was not the largest but still strained against the upper buttons of Martin''s shirt. Meanwhile Jaime manhandled Martin into the aide''s uniform and strapped his hands behind him. Thora handed one of the holographic collars to Thing Two, who snapped it around her neck. With the press of a button, her face wavered and snapped into Martin''s blonde-topped features. The holographic device''s image projected down in front of her as well, which took care of her disguise''s chestal issue. Thing Two straightened, the hours of training with Zara now paying off as she strode over to Martin in a good imitation of his get-out-of-my-way gait. The spymaster now sported a holographic collar of his own, and as she looked on it wavered and formed into the image of her face. "I wish we didn''t have to get tied up again," said Zara. "It''ll look too suspicious otherwise," replied Thora. She grinned and reactivated her disguise. "Don''t worry, I''ll be gentle." Zara sighed and put her hands behind herself. Chapter Sixteen The squad leader chewed the inside of his cheek. In spite of his prior threatening of the thieves, he wasn''t a sadistic man. He didn''t like the thought of what might be going on beyond that door. Sure, the prisoners were part of some plot to break into the base, but there was no need to go that far...right? As far as he was concerned, once any wrongdoers were safely in custody they should be just chucked into a cell and given their phone call. But he''d heard stories about Martin. The squad leader had a security clearance high enough to give someone a nosebleed, yet even that wasn''t enough for him to fully understand just who his temporary boss was. All he knew was that, compared to the shark of Martin, he was still very much a minnow. But did that mean he just had to stand by while three people got brutalized not ten feet away from him? The door slid open with a faint hiss, cutting short his internal moral dilemma. Martin walked out of the room steering one of the captives by her shoulder. The latter''s features were hidden under a cloth bag over her head, and she had her hands bound behind her back. "Good news!" said Martin with a smug smile. "Our guests decided to see reason and talk. We''re taking them out of here." Behind Martin, the squad leader saw the twin man-mountains of his goons. One of them had the smaller captive slung over his shoulder in a fireman''s carry, and that captive also sported a head-bag. The squad leader eyed the latter with some distrust. "What''s wrong with her?" Martin shrugged. "Poor thing fainted before we could do any proper threatening. Show him, Albert. We wouldn''t want to be thought of as cruel, now would we?" Albert gave a one-shoulder shrug and slung the captive down into the cradle of his arms. Martin reached over and yanked up the figure''s bag to reveal the unconscious face of the smaller woman. "See? Not a mark on her. Nor on this one." Martin performed another yank on his own captive, revealing the blonde face of the other female thief. She stared at the squad leader for a moment, then dropped her gaze as if embarrassed. The squad leader spoke before he could think twice. "Ma''am? You all right?" She didn''t look back up at him as she gave a curt nod. Martin grinned as he pulled the bag back down over her face. "I''ll be in contact with you shortly," said Martin. "Sir, this is a crime scene. We''ve gotta get the MPs in here, forensics, the works!" "We will, I assure you. We know where the rest of their gang is holed up, and while we collect them I''ll make sure my people get you whomever you need. Just hang tight for a bit, okay?" The three men and their three head-bagged captives swept out of the room and up the hallway. The squad leader watched them go, wondering not for the first time just why he''d ever chosen this crummy job.
Martin ran his tongue around the inside of his mouth as he kept his eyes closed. From the bitter aftertaste in his mouth he figured there were three possible drugs they might have used to keep him unconscious. "Well, fancy meeting you here," said a very familiar and unwelcome voice. Martin sighed and decided to open his eyes. Oscar sat on a turned-around chair a few feet away, straddling it with his arms crossed on top of its back. Martin regarded Oscar with amused contempt. "I''m surprised you had the nerve to show your face." He glanced around and realized he was in a warehouse. He was also strapped to a chair with a number of restraints that he considered overkill. The only other person in the cavernous space was Valentin, who leaned on a nearby wall with a neutral expression. Next to the Russian sprawled a pair of still-out-cold and trussed-up men. His men. The spymaster stared at his two subordinates, then up at Valentin. "The alley. You made the switch in the alley. You had Jaime and Thora hidden and waiting with optical camo in place. Three versus two, so you were able to knock them out no problem. Then they used their holographic disguises to imitate Albert and Bartok before I showed up. Plus voice changers, right?" Valentin smiled and arched an eyebrow. "You were right. He is sort of smart." "Sort of," replied Oscar with a dismissive wave of his hand. He fixed Martin with a more intense glare. "I have an offer for you." Martin sneered, using the facial expression to mask him biting down hard on one particular rear molar. He felt the little click which told him he''d switched on his emergency transponder. "Let me guess. You walk away with the Egg, I walk away and don''t retailate, and we call it even." "Sounds fair, da?" asked Valentin. "No. You two don''t get it, do you? I won''t stop. I can''t stop. Not if humanity is to stand a chance in this fucked-up universe we''ve found ourselves in." He glared up at Oscar. "You should understand better than most. You live with them, for chrissakes one of them''s your girlfriend. It''s a miracle you''re not a grease stain on a deck somewhere. You were a smart guy once. Someone whom I could trust. Can you just be that person again and listen to me?" He had to stall them; the transponder in his tooth was now silently calling for help. Albert and Bartok weren''t the only two on his payroll. All he had to do was wait for some hand-picked hard-cases to kick down the door and rescue him...and, oh yes, haul these two bastards off in shackles for ''questioning''. "Why should I?" replied Oscar. "We could just knock you out again and leave you here. Or maybe we could kill you." Martin shook his head. "You wouldn''t do that." Oscar sighed. "Yeah, you''re right. But that''s mainly because Henry''s been a good friend to me. He''d be a mess if you died, and I''m not having that on my conscience." "No, it seems you prefer having ''traitor to mankind'' as your epitaph." Martin grinned at Oscar and then over at Valentin. "I will not accept your deal. And I will not forget your part in this." Valentin didn''t seem upset by Martin''s words. He merely shrugged. The spymaster gave his tooth another bite, just to make sure it was activated. "I have a counter-proposal." Oscar leaned back with skepticism all over his face. "Okay. Make your pitch." Martin took a deep breath to stall for more time. He had maybe five minutes before the rescue squad would arrive. "How about this. You hand the Egg back over temporarily, long enough for us to read the data off of it. It won''t change anything in the near term anyway. Chaudhari figured it''d be decades before we could even start human trials of the super-soldier tech. Xeno biochemistry is too far removed from ours." "What do we get in return?" "Peace. I meant it, you''d have to kill me to stop me from pursuing you two. But if I have the Egg data, I''ll drop the whole thing. That''s the only deal I''ll accept. You can''t keep me locked up, somebody will notice and ask questions. If you let me go, I will not stop until I get revenge on both of you. You know I will." "Yeah, I know," sighed Oscar. "Just like I know you were planning on reverse-engineering the Egg''s nanotech. Are you fucking nuts?" Ah, good. Another something to debate, to stall for time. "You can''t prove that." "Can''t I? We have the list of equipment you''d ordered. It''s pretty clear what you were up to. Be a shame if that bit of info was to make it to certain people in the Senate." "Oh, like you having access to certain kinds of forbidden alien tech on Earth itself? I can play the blackmail game too, buddy. I know there''s no way your little rock-melter could have worked without a zero-point energy device." Martin''s sense of time was good in spite of his recent drugging. He had maybe two minutes left before the extraction team arrived, which meant he had to keep drawing out this discussion. "But, like I said, I''m willing to let the whole matter drop. If I get the Egg data." "You''re in no position to make demands," said Valentin. "Really? There is nothing I won''t do to further my goals, whereas this big bastard just admitted there are things he won''t do." Martin motioned with his chin towards Oscar. "That''s a weakness. You have two choices. Kill me or give me the Egg. I know you won''t do the former, so your only choice is the latter." Oscar said nothing. "You know I can still hurt you," said Martin. "And your alien friends won''t be able to protect you or your loved ones." "They''re not my friends," replied Oscar. "They''re my family." Any moment now. At any moment a breaching charge would remove the outer door to the warehouse and the rescue team would come swarming in, guns at the ready. "Well isn''t that precious," spat Martin. "Make your choice, traitor. What''s it gonna be?" His smile grew wider. Before Oscar could respond, there was a very polite rap on the outer door. Martin managed to keep any surprise off of his face, but only barely. "Now who could that be?" asked Oscar, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "You should probably answer that," added Valentin, his face now matching Martin''s evil smile. "Yep." Oscar held a palm towards Martin''s bound figure. "Relax, I''ll get it." He strode over to the door and opened it, revealing the very last person that Martin expected. "Heidemann?" The dour Dutchman walked into the warehouse, preceded by his substantial gut. A few tactically-suited members of Martin''s rescue team trailed after him. One of them was a darker-skinned Hispanic who lit up upon seeing Oscar. "Oso! My man!" Oscar grinned back. "Martinez!" The two men went through a complicated round of handshakes which started with a fist-bump and wound up with them smacking elbows together. Martinez''s smile didn''t subside as he motioned at Oscar''s substantial figure. "Damn dude, you got even bigger! You do realize you''re supposed to lift the weights and not eat them, right?" "Aw shit, I knew there was something I was forgetting." The pair laughed and embraced while Heidemann stomped over towards Martin. The man''s usual hangdog expression was now settled into grim finality. "Heidemann! What the hell, did they pay you off?" Heidemann shook his head. "You couldn''t leave it alone, could you? You just had to keep pushing." Martin decided to play innocent. "I have no idea what you''re talking about..." The Dutchman leaned over and shoved his face right up next to Martin''s. "Shut up. Oscar sent me the list of equipment you requisitioned, and we are questioning Chaudhari right now. We know exactly what you were planning. Are you trying to goad the Senate into another invasion, or are you just that fucking stupid?" Martin gritted his teeth together. "You let me loose now, or I''ll..." Heidemann shook his head. "You''ll what? Release damaging information on our superiors? That kind of threat only goes so far, especially if your efforts bring our bosses into direct conflict with the Senate. Besides, we now have credible intelligence that could bring you into a whole world of hurt if it''s made public." He straightened back up and folded his arms as he regarded Martin''s furious countenance. "Drop it. Just drop it and walk away." "Or what?" Heidemann gave a disgusted grunt. "It was not a suggestion, you bastard. Risking military conflict with hideously advanced aliens is never a good idea, no matter what kind of knowledge we might gain. We''re pulling the plug on the whole thing. GIDEON MARKDOWN is now finished." "It isn''t." Martin bared his teeth at Heidemann. "No? I also just had a little chat with Daniel. He told us you''d given him an offline Jornissian translation matrix. Where did you get ahold of that?" Martin set his jaw and said nothing. "Figured as much. You''re finished as well." Heidemann turned and walked away. "You work for me!" yelled Martin at the retreating man''s back. "You can''t do this! YOU WORK FOR ME!" Valentin pushed off of the wall and strolled by Martin. "Warned you. Said I''d find out who did this and burn them down."
Valentin waited with his usual Slavic imperturbability as Bgrarh hugged the Russian against his chest. After a few endless minutes, the Dorarizin set Valentin back down. "[You should be safe now,]" he said, his tail (of course) wagging up a storm. The Commander wished he''d been able to find a commercial liner back to Hsrneanth-IV. It would involve less ''unconventional bunking'', with a bed all his own and less humiliating hugging. But the only possible commercial route back would have delayed his arrival by a few months. His adjutant Stepan was a capable man, but even so Valentin wanted to get back ASAP. Valentin squared his shoulders and marched alongside Bgrarh into the personnel airlock of the Furious Claw of Inquiry. Even though they were attached to the Zephyr Station, the inner door remained closed in the name of safety. It hissed open as they entered, revealing the four spies arrayed in line. Myyreh flanked them on one side while Hnrahnan stood on the other. The Veridicator''s tail started wagging ever so slightly when she saw Valentin. Tobias gave the Commander a guilty nod of the head. "Sir. Is it over?" "Da. Item is retrieved." "What about Mar...our former boss?" asked Tam. Valentin smiled. "He is, let us say, far too busy at the moment to be a problem. Don''t worry, deal still stands. The Senate is watching over you and your families, and he knows it." "[I still say they should have prosecuted him publicly,]" said Hnrahnan. "[But it''s out of my jurisdiction, so I suppose I''ll let it go.]" She looked down at the four humans. "[In any case, you all have done what you can to repair the damage you caused. Stay safe, and I hope you don''t take it personally when I say that I hope to never see you again.]" She smiled, showing all her teeth.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. Thora let out a shaky chuckle. "Well, ma''am, I speak for all of us when I say I really hope that too. No offense." Myyreh waved a paw forward. "[We should get going if you''re going to catch the next car down.]" She trotted off, leading the four departees into Zephyr Station proper. As the remaining trio made their way into the hangar, Valentin felt himself relax. From what he''d heard, Thora and Jaime had made it back to the Claw just in time before the Veridicator returned to their cells. They''d pulled off the Egg''s retrieval and the zampolit was none the wiser. "[They do make a cute couple,]" said Hnrahnan. "Er, who do you mean?" "[[Thora] and [Jaime]. I went to interview them yesterday but they were otherwise occupied.]" Hnrhanan let out a bonesaw chuckle. "[They were off in one of the rooms with the door closed, but I could still hear them.]" Valentin shrugged. "It might be boredom, not necessarily romance." Hnrahnan sighed. "[True, but I kind of hope you''re wrong.]" She stopped suddenly, an action which caused both Bgrarh and Valentin to follow suit. She peered at them both with amber eyes now suddenly full of glee. Valentin did not like that look. "[There''s one strange thing, however,]" she continued. "[I could hear them, but I couldn''t smell them. It sounded like they were pretty far into it. You''d think with all sorts of [shenanigans] going on I''d have smelled some, heh, evidence of their excitement.]" She looked intently at Bgrarh. "[Wouldn''t you agree?]" Bgrarh stared back stoically. "[I don''t know, ma''am. Depends on how good their door seals are.]" "[Hmm, that''s true.]" She shifted her gaze down to Valentin, who tried to look just as stoic. He hoped his alien body language would throw her off. "[What do you think?]" Valentin spread his hands. "Who can say? I don''t know what they were doing. Maybe they weren''t as far along as you thought?" Hnrahnan held his eyes for a long, horrible moment. "[Yes, that makes sense,]" she replied at long last. Just as Valentin thought it was over, she let forth with another sharklike grin before giving him a big, human-style wink that let him know without words that she was on to them. "[I suppose it doesn''t matter anyway, now that the Egg is back.]" Her smile faded into a more pleasant expression. "[I apologize. I wind up questioning everything, It''s an occupational hazard. Now, gentlemen, if you''ll excuse me.]" She turned and loped out of the hangar. Bgrarh and Valentin looked at each other. "[I''m in the sudden mood for a drink,]" said Bgrarh. "You are a mind reader, comrade," replied Valentin.
Oscar hummed and all but danced along the corridor leading to his quarters. He''d received a text from Myyreh, short and to the point. Quarters. Now. Those two words were the equivalent of throwing up the Bat Signal. Instead of summoning a mentally deranged billionaire the words summoned Oscar for some fun human-and-werewolf sexy times. His anticipatory smile faltered as his door slid open to reveal Myyreh relaxing on the floor and chatting with two people he didn''t expect to see. Ngralh leaned against the far wall while Egwreh squatted on Oscar''s bed. He and Myyreh wore their standard ship''s uniforms, while Egwreh was wearing a pale blue dress which complimented her eyes. They all looked up at Oscar, and the two alien women started sporting predatory grins. For a moment Oscar was flummoxed. "Hey guys! Good to see you, um, how were things on the ship while I was gone?" "[Tense but manageable,]" said Ngralh. His smile was a lot more gentle that his two packmates. "[Anyways, I''ll leave you three to it.]" He loped for the door and Oscar stood aside to let him pass. Oscar''s heart performed a kick-flip as the penny dropped. Now he remembered Egwreh''s statement back on the Karnakian base, about how she wanted to do more than hug him. He grabbed Ngralh''s arm as the alien started to walk away. "Um, Nate, are you really cool with this?" The XO turned and patted Oscar''s head. "[Of course. We''re packmates. Have fun ladies, try not to break him too badly.]" "That had better be a joke!" yelled Oscar at Ngralh''s departing back. He took a deep, shaky breath and stepped into the room. It was just his imagination, but the door sliding back closed sounded more like a thud of doom rather than a soft hiss. He regarded the two Dorarizin remaining, who still grinned at him like he was a wounded wildebeest. "Myra? You''re okay with this too?" Myyreh arched her back like a waking cat, a move designed to call attention to her lithe body. "[Of course, as long as you are too. We don''t want to pressure you into anything.]" Oscar opened his mouth, and for once couldn''t think of a single thing to say. "[Perhaps this will convince you?]" Egwreh stood and in a smooth motion pulled her dress off. She wasn''t wearing a stitch of clothing underneath it. Oscar stared. "Humina." Egwreh tossed the dress aside with a flourish. "[I''m not a hardbody like Myyreh, but I think you''ll agree I''ve kept in shape.]" He had to admit she was right. Her muscles weren''t as prominent, but her white fur shone pearlescent in the overhead lights. Her fur was immaculately groomed, and looked so inviting and soft. The buzzing sound of a zipper cut into his fugue, and he looked over to see Myyreh undoing her own clothing. She took her time in writhing out of her uniform, a familiar smoky look glowing in her eyes. Oscar finally found his voice. "I, I care for you Emma, and if it''s not gonna throw a wrench in between you and Nate or me and Myra I like the idea, it''s just that..." His voice trailed off as Myyreh finished disrobing. He looked back and forth between the two naked but oh so very much larger aliens. "It''s just kind of intimidating, yanno?" Egwreh''s smile relaxed into something less of a rictus. "[I understand, dear. How about we start with some gentle three-way cuddling and work our way towards me molesting the [living hell] out of you?]" Oscar laughed. "I swear, I don''t know where Kirk found the stamina." He reached for his shirt''s topmost button.
Rory squared his shoulders as he waited in line. In spite of the placement program''s incredible and uplifting promise (Go work with aliens! In space! Tour the galaxy!), all of their offices were gray prefab affairs that made him feel like he was only there to renew his driver''s licence. He shuffled forward as the overhead synthetic voice called out numbers. The fluorescent lights overhead flickered and gave an ashy pallor to everything around him. Rory looked down at the file clutched in one paw-like hand while his other hand held something more precious than gold. It was a triangular tag with a number on it, and if he lost it he''d lose several days of progress while he got sent to the back of the queue to start the whole tedious process over again. His dour musing was cut short by the vaguely feminine synthetic voice sounding out overhead. "Number Eight-Nine-Seven-Nine, please go to Desk Twelve. Look for the blue marker." He took a deep breath and marched forward around the partition separating the line of applicants from the room proper. Row upon row of desks sat in a neat grid, completely filling the cavernous space. A bit of scanning revealed the desk in question. As the voice promised, it had a holographic blue arrow floating in space over it. Rory made for the desk without any outward sign of concern. This was not going to work. He knew that for certain. Somehow Silk''s promised interventions would fail, they''d find out his true line of work and if he was lucky he''d be just thrown out into the street. If he was unlucky...well, then he''d get to find out how nice the jails were in this particular jurisdiction. The woman behind Desk Twelve was a chipper-looking redhead who gave Rory a big smile as he set his dossier onto the desk and seated himself across from her. "Hi there! First time here?" He nodded, not trusting his voice as she picked up his file and tapped agile fingers at a holographic display set on one side of her desk. "Ah yes, you''re already in the system. Rory Jenkins, noted slight-of-hand expert and magician. Hmmm, what''s this?" Rory''s heart sank as she tapped more intangible keys, her brow furrowing as she did so. "Huh, I''ve never seen this before." He glanced behind her, half expecting to see a few big-shouldered security lads there ready to give him the bum''s rush or slap cuffs on him. But he saw nothing but in back of him but a sea of desks. "What do you mean?" he asked. "You''ve been fast-tracked. You''ll still need to do the basic placement program training...learning how to use a pressure suit, that kind of thing. But after that your slot is already chosen. There''s a Jornissian magician who''s looking to learn human magic techniques." She looked up at him. "That''s assuming, of course, that you''d agree...?" Rory let a natural look of surprise form on his face. This had to be Silk''s handiwork. "I''d be fine with that."
"Hey, Tommy!" The bartender groaned as he heard Zara''s voice from behind him. Damn it, he''d strung her out long enough. He was not extending her tab, no matter how cute or pretty she looked. He put on his Adulting Face and turned to meet her eyes. She looked spectacular, as usual. What wasn''t usual were the two women flanking her. Both had brown eyes but different hair colors. They both stared back at Tommy with stoic expressions as if daring him to try any sort of pick-up line. They didn''t need to worry about that, since Tommy never mixed work with pleasure. "Good to see you again Zee, but I can''t extend you any more..." Zara slid a credit chit across the bar to him. "This''ll cover my current tab and then some, wouldn''t you say?" He took the little wafer of electronics with a suspicious glance towards Zara. That suspicion turned to surprise as he checked the amount on the chit. "Uh...yeah. Yeah! Holy shit." Zara smiled, showing her dimples. "As you can see, my ship has most definitely come in." She rubbed her hands together. "Now, what do you have that''s really good and horribly expensive? The three of us are in a splurging mood."
"[So center dealing is the hardest?]" asked Nssnranahnth. The big blue Jornissian peered down at Rory''s hands with a predator''s fixation as the human shuffled a deck of cards. Thanks to Nssnranahnth''s perpetual scowl, it looked like the alien was getting ready to bite his damn hands off. Rory was well used to such things by now, and didn''t even have to work to keep his voice steady. "Yeah, but that takes years to get good at. Let''s start with second-dealing." Nssnranahnth''s ship was small, or at least small for a xeno. The Jornissian was an itinerant performer of magic whose main claim to fame was never resorting to any technical trickery such as hard-light holograms. The lounge/mess room currently held mostly the blue-scaled muscle of his body, which surrounded the mess table and Rory. "It''s not so much about the moves, it''s about the timing. You can''t alter the rhythm of your dealing in the slightest when you switch from dealing out the top card..." The next few hours passed in a pleasant whirl, with Rory demonstrating the proper technique using face-up cards to show when he dealt the second card instead of the top one. The readout mounted over the door to the cockpit dinged softly, breaking the two out of their focus. "[Ah, good, we''re almost there,]" said Nssnranahnth. "[It''ll be good to have a stage-hand again.]" "What, I''m not a good enough distraction?" asked Rory. He smirked, since he had a pretty good idea of the true identity of this mysterious ''stage-hand''. "[Karnakians are harder to misdirect, what with their second sight.]" The Jornissian tapped up on his hood past his own eyes. "[Having a [cute dino-babe] up there to act as my assistant will help add to your own unique distraction.]" Nssnranahnth uncoiled from around the table and slithered for the cockpit entrance. Rory trotted alongside him, not wanting to miss another chance to see cool space stuff. Traveling in warp was great for getting places fast but it meant that the view was pretty damn dull until one arrived at a port. "Is the OIH is cool with having me and a Karnakian on the same team?" he asked. "[Officially you are partnered with a [Jornissian]. My other assistant''s species is unknown to them, and I don''t see a reason why they should be bothered by such details. Don''t you agree?" Nssnranahnth waggled one edge of his hood in the Jornissian equivalent of a wink. "Absolutely," replied Rory. Oh yeah, he knew exactly who this new ''assistant'' was. What followed was a standard hailing and docking procedure, but of course Rory spent most of it pressed up against the ''windows'' like a kid. He knew that it was an illusion, a holographic display of the exterior, but he didn''t give a damn. The sight of the massive space station growing ever-nearer made him grin. The ship rocked slightly as it settled into its docking cradle. Nssnranahnth stood up from the ring-like control center. "[I''ll double-check our new partner''s quarters. Why don''t you go and welcome her on board?]" He wriggled out of the cockpit after giving Rory another ''wink''. Rory''s grin didn''t fade as he jogged for the airlock. A muted thump sounded through the deck as the station''s umbilical made its connection to the outside. He muttered in annoyance as he reached the inner doors; the control was now readable by humans, but the redesign hadn''t seen fit to put it at a more manageable height. He reached up and tapped the proper sequence into the controls, trying not to feel like a perpetual manlet. The human told himself to stop complaining. After all, he''d signed up for this. The inner doors hissed open to reveal a emerald-feathered Karnakian with a yellow band of color around her neck. She gave a deep, overly dramatic bow. "[Permission to come aboard?]" "Permission granted." Rory wasn''t sure if that was strictly proper since he wasn''t the captain, but to hell with it. "A pleasure to meet you, um, M''kk''kt''''rit. Was that close?" "[Hardly. It''s all right, you [humans] have a hard time with the upper-register piping.]" "Not to mention I''m not know for my singing voice...Micky." The Silken Feather picked up a duffel bag next to her and trotted into the ship. "Um, how much does Nessie know?" whispered Rory as he fell into step beside her. The Karnakian waggled an eyebrow down at him. "[Oh, he''s in on the whole scheme. We''ve done lots of jobs together in the past.]" "Ah. So he''ll have some of the cut as well?" "[No, [Nessie] prefers a flat rate...one that''ll come out of my fifty percent, don''t worry. It''s a great cover identity when you think about it. Plenty of excuses to travel to exotic locations, see wonderful sights, meet rich people...]" "...steal all of their stuff, give none of it back," continued Rory. She grinned and swept Rory up into a one-armed hug that had him spitting feathers and chest-fluff. "[Exactly!]"
Oscar leaned back against Myyreh''s stomach as the pair relaxed in the Claw''s rec lounge. A subsonic thrum vibrated through the deck below them, a distant echo of the ship''s engines under full power. Both of them held datapads. Myyreh''s reading was heading into more human territory. Thanks to Bgrarh''s enthusiasm she was becoming quite the connoisseur of Terran murder mysteries. Valentin''s departure was a few weeks in the past, and to his surprise Oscar found himself missing the dour bastard. They''d dropped off the Veridicator two days ago, and already the atmosphere of the ship was notably free of tension. "[What are you reading?]" asked Myyreh. He shifted a little in her lap, resisting the urge to groan from a few aches he''d picked up during his last ''session'' with Egwreh. The engineer was an enthusiastic lover, but still had a little ways to go in taking his relative fragility into account. "Eh, some trashy fantasy stuff," he replied. "There''s a farmboy who''s just found out he''s the long-lost heir to a kingdom and the person he thought was his aunt is actually his great-great-many-greats-aunt. She''s a powerful sorceress tasked to protect him. Now they''re getting a diverse team of adventurers together so they can go kill an evil god." The door hissed open and Captain Rgrarshok stalked in. Both Oscar and Myyreh started to get up, only to be waved back down by the huge Dorarizin. "[At ease,"] said the Captain with a smile. "[You''re both still off duty. Here''s the details of our next assignment.]" She handed Oscar a datapad. He took the device and wondered why she hadn''t just sent the files to his terminal. "What''s the job?" "[It''s a missing persons case. Unfortunately it''s a [human] that''s vanished, so the Senate is using every available resource...including us.]" Oscar sighed. He''d worked a couple of missing-person cases in his previous career with Army CID, and both of them had turned into tragic shitshows. "You coulda sent this to my terminal, ma''am." "[The missing person''s complete file is in there. It''ll need to be kept secure for privacy reasons, so make sure you keep that datapad with you.]" She stared at Oscar with a peculiar, fixed expression. He raised an eyebrow. There was more going on here than was being said. He activated the datapad''s screen and saw that there was indeed a human''s data file, along with a preliminary police report. As he worked he felt Myyreh''s hot breath against his neck as she looked over his shoulder. There was also another folder marked ''E1'' off in one corner of the screen. A quick check revealed that this folder held far more data than could be expected, tens of terabytes of data. He opened the folder itself and found it stuffed with thousands of data files; checking a few at random told him nothing, they were full of gobbedygook, just strings of letters. Wait...there were strings of letters, but the strings only used the same four letters, repeating in a chaotic-looking sequence. Something like a genome. Or like the data he''d expect to see from the Egg. Oscar heard a small gasp from Myyreh as she came to the same realization. He bounced the datapad in his palm. It was such a small thing, to have such a weight. The human looked up at Rgrarshok. "I...appreciate this, Captain. I''ll take good care of it." The Captain nodded an ear. "[I know you will. I trust you to do the right thing.]"
"No sir, Martin still hasn''t told us anything." Heidemann hated having to deal with Senators, but it was an unavoidable annoyance thanks to his newly-advanced position. "I recommend we hand the translation matrix chip over to the Jornissians and see if their forensic IT dweebs can tell us anything. But we need to be careful who we give it to. It''s clear there''s a mole in their ranks, and it might even be a Senator. I''ll make some calls and see if I can figure out a safe contact." In the holographic display on his desk the human Senator leaned back and sighed. "All right, I''ll do some digging on my end as well. Call me tomorrow at this time. If you hear anything in the meantime, let me know ASAP and I mean that. I don''t care if you wake me up. This is your top priority." "Yes, sir. I''m on it." Heidemann grumbled after the display winked out. He already had about fifteen brush fires to deal with thanks to his newly elevated position, and now he had this nonsense. He opened a drawer on his desk and withdrew a manual Rolodex. It was an anachronism, but handy for avoiding e-thievery. Heidemann flipped through the device, mentally noting particular numbers of particular people as he planned his next moves. "Package, sir," said a fresh-faced kid standing in the doorway. Heidemann looked up with a frown. "I''m not expecting a package. Was it scanned?" "Yes sir, nothing but a data chip and a sealed envelope inside it. The outside of the envelope says that we''re to put this directly in your hands and no-one else. We scanned the envelope too, no bio or chem hazards. Just a piece of paper inside." "All right then, better give it here. Close the door when you leave." Heidemann accepted the small box with another internal moan. Now he had this overly dramatic nonsense as well to deal with. He barely noticed the door clicking shut as he opened the envelope. His mental bitching faded as he read the short note within. Have a look at this. I''m counting on you to make sure this tech doesn''t get misused. You know I will be watching. O. Heidemann pulled the data chip out of the box, a slight tremor in his hand the only thing betraying his inner emotions. Then he threw it back in the box and with much more surety turned and opened the safe behind his desk. He placed the box and the letter within, then after a moment''s thought he pulled out the letter and locked the safe. Then he reached again into his desk and withdrew two memorials of his smoking days, a large glass ashtray and a lighter. Heidemann methodically tore the note into little pieces and with a little flourish set them on fire. He leaned back and watched the small streams of smoke from the ashtray waft up towards the ceiling. "Don''t worry big guy, I''ll make sure we do it properly." He let out a snort of laughter. "Shit, the next time you might just steal the whole goddamn base."