“But still, everything points towards that one conclusion - absurd as it may seem.” He muttered and took a seat, “They will probably ask me questions about it that I’m not willing to answer. Why the fuck did that stupid AI have to shout my name like that?”
Robin took a deep breath, calmed his mind and activated the comm.
“Mr. Tulward, you’ve kept us waiting!” A thin woman in a military suit greeted him with displeasure on her face. Robin had learned that Franny Bolster was of the same rank as Thomas M. Eston and represented another faction within the UAS. Her people were trying to
elevate mankind’s status by using all available sources and resources - from unknown or experiential technologies to alien genetic codes. They were willing to bend most moral and ethical standards if it helped their research and also were known to have more than a few black sheep among their members. A prominent one was Mr. Ramones, the commander of the military research facility on Gaunus. Robin had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting him once and it didn’t go too well.
“Greetings, Mrs. Bolster.” Robin said without commenting on her snarky remark, “Mr. Eston, Mr. Khánh, a pleasure to meet you.”
He nodded at the two other men. The one to Eston’s right was Hammond Khánh who represented the factionless majority of mankind in the UAS. Robin didn’t know much about the small man, but from what little he heard, Khánh was a righteous man who tried to find a way for mankind in cooperation with the other races.
“‘tch…” Bolster scoffed at his disrespect but Eston took over before she could continue.
“Mr. Tulward, we are glad to have you back. Please excuse my colleague’s mood but there was some discontent about your departure from the Mereus Cluster even after we canceled your mission and called you back. Care to explain what had happened?”
Robin shrugged and kept a neutral face. He was sure this was but a show and they long knew what had happened.
“Just before we dropped off Keran Bex we had an unfortunate encounter with a Cetro mother ship. We had to turn off all communications until we left the system. We got your message only after arriving on Terulos in the Goya system. The interference from the dying star made communications even more difficult.” He said and squinted his eyes, “But you did know that already, don’t you? I don’t believe you didn’t talk to Keran after you got no response from us.”
“Don’t be cheeky!” Bolster scowled, “You could have turned around after you got the message but decided to ignore a direct order from your superior.”
“Orders? My superior?” Robin laughed, “Ma’am, I think you forget that I’m not a member of the UAS. This is a cooperative collaboration, not one of submission.”
The women wanted to interject and raised a finger but Robin continued.
“Also, shouldn’t you be happy that we finished the mission? I’m sure my team already sent you the data we salvaged from the monolith together with my detailed report. Shouldn’t we talk about the fact that the mission was compromised? That someone tried to sabotage our ship and kill me and my crew?”
The more Robin talked, the more he felt the rage welling up in him. This was nothing but cheap politics, a way to shift the blame. The real questions weren’t even asked. As such, he continued while his voice slowly rose.
“There is a traitor among your people, someone who used or sold insider knowledge and wanted to steal the data. We had to fight for our lives. Many people died on Terulos!”
“None of yours, as I heard.” Bolster pointed out.
“Yeah, luckily none of my crew died. But that is not thanks to you. You are the ones who had put us in that situation!”
“What a lucky coincidence that none of these supposed enemies survived and you were unable to bring back any evidence. I always thought of you as a research-oriented crew rather than a group of shrewd and experienced fighters.”
“I’m not sure what you want to imply. It was a close call and we had to depend on luck way too much to survive this excursion. As for the proof you’re asking for, we took some samples from their blood. You can run them through your system when we reach Rucasur.” Robin growled and then looked at Mr. Eston, “You gave us a mission. We went to the planet, found the monolith and brought back the data. We even fought off those that attempted to sabotage the mission. Why does this feel like the hearing of a criminal and not like a ‘Thank you for your hard work!’?”
Robin wasn’t surprised that Franny Bolster was so antagonistic, but he expected more support from Eston. They got along well and respected each other’s privacy. None had crossed the unspoken lines they had drawn before.
‘Is this about the capture of Guard? Is he under external pressure or are his hands bound in this matter?’ He mused.
“You are right, Mr. Tulward.” Mr. Khánh said, stood up and began to pace around, “You did a good job and shall be compensated as agreed. Don’t take the harsh tone personally.The UAS is under stress right now. Much is happening around us that we do not fully understand.”
“Like what?” Robin asked with a tilted head, “I hadn’t time to fully catch up on what had happened while we were in the Goya System.”
“There is much unrest in the Drel territory and we are struggling to get reliable reports about what they are dealing with. It seems like there is some kind of unknown enemy that is attacking them and, as far as we know, the Drel didn’t come out on top in even one encounter. Whatever it is, it’s approaching the edge of UAS territory. We need to prepare, but we don’t even know what for yet.” Khánh said, “And then there are the Zulbano who are behaving suspiciously and posing a very real threat to us.”
“Khánh, that is enough, don’t you think? As he just pointed out himself, Mr. Tulward is an outsider.” Franny Bolster spat through gritted teeth.
The officer looked over to his colleagues with an unreadable expression. Eston just shrugged but Bolster threw him an angry glare.
“There are more things, but I think you get the general idea.”
“I do?” Robin was confused. The conflict in the Drel territory was expanding and even concerned the UAS? He had thought they would question him about the captured hacker and his relationship with Guard. That they didn’t mention it at all worried Robin more than the looming threads of some other races.
“What does all that have to do with me? I don’t know any Zulbano and never had contact with a Drel…”
It was Eston who took over.
“There are some details about your discovery of the Drel outpost that we want to discuss in more detail. You are about to return the Hubble to the UAS, right? Why don’t we have a personal meeting when you reach Rucasur?” He suggested, “You have earned much credit with your work over the last year. I have already discussed it with the others and everyone agreed that you can freely choose any ship from the list that Katalina Hutton gave you. We even extended it a bit. That’s your goal, owning your own ship, isn’t it? Just send me a message with your choice and I’ll make sure that it’ll be delivered to Rucasur as fast as possible.”
‘If I didn’t already know about the message from Guard, I would think this to be an honest offer. But… damn. This isn’t good.’ Robin’s mind raced and panic began to rise. He had to put his everything into not showing fear on his face.
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With a slightly strained voice he agreed.
“Wow, thank you! That’s great news. I’ll let you know in a few days. But there is one small issue we have to solve first. The Hubble unfortunately is pretty wrecked…”
***
“Last match, then we need to prepare for immediate departure.” Robin announced when he returned to his friends. They were in the fitness room, watching one of the rare fights between Patience and Happy. While it looked like the small woman had the upper hand, Robin assumed it was only because Patience was holding back, wary of hurting her friend. Still, Niu shifted around her opponent in fast and hard to predict movements. She scored many small hits and jabs, however nothing could destabilize Patience who remained rooted to the ground like a heavy tank.
There were a few close misses, but ultimately Niu was too nimble to get caught by her much slower foe. Just as it looked like another tie, Niu gave a small shout and landed a pointed kick in Patience’s side. While she hoped back out of reach, Patience finally showed some reaction. Her left leg, which was the main target of Happy’s assault, gave in for a moment and the woman had to take a sidestep to stabilize her stance. After a few short breaths she returned to her calm and stable position.
“That’s it?” Happy whimpered in exasperation.
“Yeah, sorry!” Patience chuckled, “But you really managed to disrupt me. That’s great!”
“After ten long minutes!” Niu scowled, “Ah fuck this shit. Hulky, give me a beer!”
Sevastian threw her one of their last cans and then sauntered over to his girlfriend.
“You did great!” He said with a grin and leaned in for a kiss.
“Exceptional!” Ang’Tue said and Alena nodded, “You are making rapid progress, young miss. You only need a bit more practice and this technique will be a great tool in your repertoire.”
“Thanks coach, sorry I couldn’t do more.” Niu said, head hung.
“No, he is right. You are learning this adaptation of the brachial stun quickly, it is perfect in combination with your mutation. Patience is one of the hardest opponents for this. Everyone else would have succumbed completely and probably much quicker even.” Alena agreed.
“Thanks!”
“You are learning to fight?” Robin asked when he joined them on the bench.
“I can fight already. But Ang’Tue knows a technique from the Eltaran that he is teaching me.” Niu said and Robin raised an eyebrow. The Eltaran don’t share knowledge lightly.
“It’s nothing. I’m just happy that it is of use to you.” The old man said with a grandfatherly smile on his face, “How was your meeting with the UAS, Captain?”
“Ugh…” Robin sighed and everyone looked over expectantly, “I think we need to change plans.”
He explained what he had learned and that the three officers didn’t mention the capture of the AI.
“That isn’t good. If they withhold information about that incident even though the AI requested your attendance, they have a plan in mind.” Landom said.
“I think so, too.” Alena agreed, “Sounds like they want to make sure you come to Rucasur in person.”
“Why would they need to make sure of that?” Timothy asked in confusion, “Maybe they just think it’s safer to talk personally and not over the network now that they know there are traitors in their ranks.”
“They want to make sure he can’t run away when they decide that he has to stay with them.” Sebastian explained.
“What? They would never do that! We’ve done nothing wrong and there is no reason to detain any of us.” The researcher strongly objected.
“Let’s hope you are right, but I fear that is unlikely. They want to have Robin in a cell, safe and secure, shielded from anyone else. The fuse is burning, we are on a timer now.” Alena said.
“They probably also learned the real impact your mutation can have in the powerplay of the UAS and other races.” Ang’Tue mused.
“So, we’re not going to Rucasur?” Patience asked hesitantly.
“No, we will.” Robin shook his head.
“We will?” Happy gasped, “That is reckless!”
- She is right, there is a high risk of this meeting being a trap (68%)
- Calculation alternative options…
“Let me explain, will ya?” Robin stopped ROMAS and Happy alike, “First of all, I promised to give you all the chance to depart when we reach Rucasur. I’m not going back on that. If I would drop you off somewhere else while I’m running from the UAS, you would be impacted too much by my problems.” He said and his tone left no room for discussion, “Also, they agreed to give us a loaner for the Hubble. We can switch ships at the outpost of the UAS academy on the other side of the asteroid field. That allows us to hide the Keeper ship and continue to Rucasur at our own pace.”
“You want to travel to Fulan Point, the facility where Guard is contained, before going to Rucasur?” Sevastian asked and Robin could see the unrest some of his friends tried to hide.
“No, that would be too risky. I just want to make a short stop on Seavis.”
“Oh? You are going after TechnoBlood?” Patience asked and Robin could see conflicted feelings rising in her.
“Yeah, I could sell that to the UAS as a quick personal stop. Would that be okay for you? It will cost us a few days at most.”
He saw Happy and Timothy nodding immediately and Ang’Tue just gave a relaxed shrug to which Landom also agreed after a moment of hesitation.
Niu and Timothy were just looking for exciting things to do, not caring or expecting any consequences, while Ang’Tue was just happy to be able to travel around some more. Robin assumed Landom agreed because he himself was motivated to solve the case of Jim’s murder.
It was Patience and the Vlasov siblings he was unsure of. He didn’t know the exact plans of the siblings and wasn’t certain Patience wanted to follow that road any longer. Maybe she was ready to let things rest and continue-
“I’m in!” His friend growled after spending only a moment to think.
“So am I?” Sevastian said with a questioning gaze to his sister who just gave a nod, her face cold and unreadable as ever.
“Great, thank you all. That means a lot to me!” Robin said and turned to Happy.
“I have to stay on the Hubble as it is possible that the UAS wants to contact me again. Can you take the Keeper ship while I fly the Hubble through the asteroids? Timothy will be there with you. He knows how to use the few systems we managed to activate and can help you navigate. The manual piloting however will be up to you. I have no idea how to maneuver a ship with four joysticks.”
“Pah, no worries. That’ll be fun!” Happy cheered.
“Uhu… I feared you would say that.” Robin sighed, “Fine, let’s go everybody!”
***
A short time later, Robin was sitting in the pilot’s seat of the Hubble and carefully nudged the joysticks. The ship turned but slowly and, depending on the direction he wanted to go, was reacting faster or slower.
“I have no idea how Niu managed to take-off with the ship being so damaged…” He marveled.
“I think there was more luck at play than we like to admit.” Landom said, once more sitting in the seat of the captain.
“No, I don’t think that she would risk so much without confidence.” Robin chuckled but then became more serious, “Thank you for your support, Landom. I know that you are risking more than most of the others. You know, we could drop you off somewhere before we do things that could impact your career.”
“I think we passed that point the moment we claimed the other ship.” Landom laughed, “But don’t misunderstand my intentions. Yes, I do miss my family and I know I’m putting my career at risk, but these were the most exciting months in my life since forever. I’m looking forward to returning to my old life, but agreeing to prolong this adventure wasn’t a hard choice at all.”
Robin looked at the confident smile on the man’s face and thought back to their first meeting.
‘He does look more at ease, more content. Seems like he really didn’t regret his decision to follow me.’
Not saying thanks once more, Robin just gave him a friendly nod to convey his feelings.
“Not that I want to interrupt you two, but do you think Happy really knows what she’s doing over there?” Alena asked and pointed towards the window.
There the huge, black ship from the Keeper was floating in front of them. Its legs should be raised and pointing backwards. They were like this since they left Terulos and Robin assumed they were used as a combination of landing gear and VTOL in atmosphere and as propulsion and maneuvering thrusters when in space.
Right now however, the legs were waving around in chaos like when Sevastian flailed his arms. The ship rotated wildly and made movements in all directions at the same time.
“Uhm… maybe we give her a bit more space!” Landom suggested with an awkward flinch.
“Yup, full throttle backwards!” Robin hastily agreed and pulled the Hubble back a few kilometers.
In awe the three watched as Happy tried to tame the alien ship and bring it under her control