Cloaked Read online

  Paige lunged over the distance of the sofa between them and flung her arms around Molly. Molly stiffened at the sudden contact, but then after a moment relaxed a little and returned the hug.

  Von watched over the camera, her face soft and head tilted to one side.

  After a short moment Molly straightened up and Paige let her go, returning to her side of the couch. “Ok, so I think we’re all set,” she declared. “Paige will be there at your first lecture, and if you need anything between now and then, just reach out.”

  The ladies said their goodbyes and ended the call.

  “I’m. So. Excited!” Paige squealed quietly, careful not to infringe on Molly’s personal space again.

  A moment later, Molly was watching her disappear out across the ops room muttering something about needing to call her boyfriend.

  Molly smiled, amused at Paige’s capacity for happiness at the smallest of things. And her happiness at learning new skills. That was something she could get behind, one hundred percent.

  Fjallabaki Bar, Uptarlung

  Sean and Brock stepped into the bar.

  Brock looked at Sean. “Sure this is it?”

  Sean shrugged. “It’s the only one on the right on this block,” he said, recalling what the guy on reception had told them.

  Brock took a deep breath. “Wow. Well, if this is where all the freight people come when they’re in this hostel, then no doubt we’ll find some of the people we’ll be crewing with.”

  Sean ignored the commentary and strode deliberately up to the bar. “I’ll have a pint of whatever moves the fastest.” Brock joined him. Sean opened his hand to Brock. “What will you have?” he asked.

  Brock considered for a moment, and then went with the safe option. “Whatever he’s having,” he said to the bartender, tipping his head in Sean’s direction.

  Brock turned around and surveyed the layout, looking for the others. He spotted Maya and Jack over in the far corner. He started to wave, and then remembered that without an excuse to talk to them there is no way that he should know who they are. He replaced his elbow on the bar, and continued looking around.

  “Looks like some of our folks are over there,” he said in a low voice to Sean.

  Sean grunted something, and then when the man near them had moved away, he added quietly, “don’t even look at them.”

  Brock turned back around, and pulled out a bar stool, sitting himself down. Sean did the same as they waited for their drinks. They pretended to make awkward small talk, each mentally trying to figure out a way to make contact with the other two so they could start building a relationship.

  Eventually their drinks arrived, and Sean used it as a way to hide his lips as he mumbled across to Brock. “Maybe it’s better that we don’t know each other that well until we’ve had a bit of time on the ship. It wouldn’t be natural for a group of crew to meet just one night ahead of them shipping out.”

  Brock nodded. “Sure,” he said, taking a sip of his beer, and then standing up. Sean looked at him a little alarmed.

  Brock slapped his hand on the bar. “It’s ok. I’m just hitting the head!” he chuckled, walking away.

  Sean laughed quietly to himself as he took another swig of his beer, deliberately keeping his eyes in front of him and nowhere else.

  Brock was back in no time, and was about to sit down, when an Estarian guy brushed past him. “Excuse me,” Brock said spontaneously.

  The guy turned around, and instead of nodding or muttering some similar polite apology he glared at Brock. He was holding a glass of beer, and it looked like he had slopped some. “Excuse you, indeed! You dreifbýlistútta (trans:= hillbilly) of a asswit!”

  Sean tensed, but kept his eyes forward, not wanting to draw attention to them.

  Brock however, had never been concerned about an audience. “Dreifbýlistútta, yourself!” he said in disbelief. “You bumped into me! I was just being polite.” His colorful attitude complete with hand-waving snapped into action.

  Sean shifted in his seat, trying to turn his face away so he wouldn’t get pulled into whatever was starting to go down. This was the first rule of espionage. Become invisible. Unremarkable.

  It was all he could do to keep from rolling his eyes.

  The dispute escalated in volume, and the Estarian turned and put his beer down on the table, and started pushing the sleeves of his atmosjacket up his arm… more in a menacing gesture than it looking like it was going to actually help in his reach if he were to throw a punch.

  Brock had his hands up. “Look I didn’t come here for trouble,” he said.

  “Yeah?” the Estarian said, stepping forward. “Well you found it anyway!” He lunged in Brock’s direction, and Brock winced, closing his eyes and quickly pulling his arms around his head, and leg up to protect his body. He’d had enough ass-kickings in a bar to have developed a form of physical self-preservation.

  Even if his mouth hadn’t quite cottoned on.

  Brock braced himself for pain. But the punches didn’t come.

  He opened one eye, and the guy was no longer in front of him. In fact, it looked like he had been pulled back away from him.

  Cautiously Brock lowered his leg and arms, and opened his other eye, to find Jack holding the Estarian by the scruff of his collar.

  “I don’t think so,” she told the Estarian.

  The guy scuffled a little and got free, turning to face her. “Oh yeah, and what’s it to you?” he challenged.

  Jack looked him square in the eye. “I don’t like seeing other people fighting,” she told him firmly. “Especially if I’m not a part of it,” she added, a glimmer flicking across one eye.

  Likely due to his state of inebriation the guy was oblivious to Jack’s confident movement and superior musculature. He hadn’t bothered to notice the ease with which she had already whipped him around, and used her weight to counter his lunge. Having not noticed her skill and cat like balance, he could almost be forgiven for his next words.

  Almost.

  “Oh yeah. You want a piece of this?” he asked, dramatically raising his fist behind his head. “You and whose army?”

  She smiled. “Oh, just me,” she answered sweetly.

  With that, the guy swung his fist at her as hard as he could. Jack adeptly and casually ducked, allowing his momentum to take him off balance. A second later he felt the wind being knocked out of him as he landed.

  His head thunked dully on the floor.

  Shocked, it took several moments before he could even feel the pain.

  His body couldn’t respond, but he was peripherally aware of Jack leaning over him. “The next time you want a fight, why don’t you let me know, and I’ll teach you the meaning of manners in civilized drinking establishments.”

  And then she had disappeared from view.

  He lay there for several more minutes aware of talking and activity around him, but still in too much pain and disorientation to do anything about it.

  ***

  “Hi,” Jack said brightly to Brock, extending her hand, human-style. “Griselle. Griselle Oriel.”

  Brock took her hand, not even bothering to pretend not to be impressed by her moves on the guy that was now sprawled out at their feet. “I’m Tallus. Copernican,” he added.

  “Nice to meet you Tallus Copernican,” she smiled, satisfied with herself. “Are you here on your own?”

  Brock shook his head and turned looking for Sean. “No. I’m here with my new work colleague. This is…” Brock scrambled in his memory for Sean’s new name. “Sorry, erm, I’ve forgotten your name,” he said, tapping him with the back of his hand on his upper arm to get his attention.

  Sean turned around in his chair to look at them. “The name’s Rex,” he said simply, nodding at Jack.

  Jack waved back. “Ah great. So - you’ve just met?”

  Brock nodded. “Yeah, we’re here for Bravo Freight company. Shipping out tomorrow night.”

  Jack made an expression of mock surpris
e. “No way? Us too?” she told him, indicating back over at where she had been sitting. “I’ve just met my colleague Marissa, over there. She’s some kind of tech engineer or something.”

  Brock grinned. “Nice.”

  Jack looked awkward for a moment. “Do you… do you want to join us?”

  Brock glanced back at Sean, who had gone back to ignoring them both. He turned back to Jack. “Sure!” he said.

  Jack led the way back across the bar, and Brock slapped Sean on the arm. “Come on, man. Meet some of your new crew mates!”

  Sean ignored him a moment more, taking another swig of his beer. And then he followed.

  Just as the three of them were sitting down and making the introductions to Maya’s alter ego, a female Estarian came hurrying up to their table.

  “Greetings of the day. I’m… I’m sorry to intrude. But I just saw what you did to that guy over there. I’m so sorry for any trouble. He’s not a bad guy… he’s just been drinking all day. And…”

  The woman’s explanation came like a torrent.

  Brock turned to face her better from behind Sean who was again, practically non-responsive to any kind of interaction. “You know that guy?” he asked.

  She nodded. “Yeah. I’ve worked with him for years. He doesn’t do well the night before we ship out. He hates the work and each time he swears he’s not going on another run… but each time…” Her eyes hit the carpet, trying to avoid the feelings of shame she had over he friend’s behavior.

  Brock’s eyes narrowed. “You’re shipping out too?” he asked. “Who’s your company?”

  “Bravo,” she told him.

  “Oh, us too!” Maya exclaimed excitedly, pointing at each of the four of them. “I’m May… Marissa. This is Griselle, and this is Tallus, and…. Erm. Sorry… I forgot your name already.”

  “Rex,” Sean added, still less than enthusiastic about meeting another person, and not amused that it was becoming a thing for them to forget, or pretend to forget, his name.

  Maya grinned at him briefly, waiting to see if he showed any signs of her little dig.

  “I’m Jayne,” the woman told them, waving and nodding at each of them.

  Maya smiled at her. “You must join us,” she said. “The more, the merrier.”

  Sean gruffed. “Unless you’re talking about dickwad,” he interjected, tilting his head in the direction of the laid out Estarian on the floor in front of the bar.

  Everyone politely ignored his comment, and rearranged themselves so that they could add another chair to the table for Jayne.

  Jack picked up the conversation with Jayne. “So how long have you worked for Bravo,” she asked.

  Jayne’s eyes rolled up to the ceiling.”Oooo, must be fifteen years now. The time just whizzes past. You say, I’ll just do it for a few years, to get some experience, or money together, or whatever, and then it’s just one more run, and before you know it you’re part of the furniture.”

  Jack bobbed her head. “Yeah, I know that feeling. I took this thinking it will be a change… though I know what it’s like. It’s all great while it’s new and exciting… but then…”

  Jayne rolled her lips inward, bobbing her head sympathetically. “So what’ve you been recruited for?” she asked.

  She and Jack continued their conversation, and the others chatted and pretended to get to know each other too. After another round, Brock and Sean returned from the bar with drinks and noted that the guy that Jack had laid out was no longer there.

  Jayne looked immediately worried and excused herself for a few moments to go and look for him.

  As soon as she was out of earshot Sean shook his head. “Shoot me now,” he said, his enthusiasm for this mission waning by the minute.

  Maya grinned at him. “Come on, it will get better once we get into investigative mode. This is all just the preamble. It will be fun. Besides… it’s kinda cool pretending to be someone else for a while.”

  Jack nodded. “Yeah. It’s kinda liberating. Like stepping away from leadership for the first time…”

  Sean scoffed, raising his glass up to his mouth. “Like I get to know what that feels like…”

  Maya frowned at him. “Yeah but you’re never in charge. Molly is.”

  Sean shook his head. “Maybe. Of you lot. I still report to the General though, as well. It’s like having two bosses-”

  Maya shut him up with a warning glare that Jayne was returning.

  Jayne arrived back at the table, this time with the drunk delinquent in tow. “Everybody, this is Auggie. Auggie, these are the nice people who will be your crew mates for the next several weeks. I suggest you use this opportunity to apologize.”

  Auggie took a deep breath and shifted his weight where he stood. His shoulders still slouching as if he were being dragged somewhere he didn’t want to go, he turned to Brock. “I’m sorry I tried to pick a fight with you,” he said. And then he turned to Jack. “And I’m very sorry for throwing a punch at you. I don’t normally hit humans, given how delicate you are… so I’m glad you were able to stop me. I would have felt horrible if I’d actually hurt you.”

  Sean was rubbing his forehead, one arm folded across his chest. He pointed at a chair at the next table. “Looks like you need a chair. Pull one over,” he said, ending the social awkwardness.

  Auggie was introduced to the rest of the party and given some water to drink, as well as being encouraged rather sternly by Jayne to sober up.

  Gaitune-67, Molly’s Conference Room

  Pieter sat back in his seat with four telemetry feeds up on four different holoscreens. Each one looked normal. Or at least within normal parameters. They differed significantly from each other. Jack’s heart rate was the most steady and stable.

  Like her personality, he thought, wondering if its consistency had anything to do with that or her regimented training routine.

  Sean’s heart rate was low. Supersolider-athlete kinda slow.

  If he weren’t walking around breathing, I’d swear he were asleep, he thought, tapping on the desk at double the rhythm.

  Maya’s was a little all over the place. It sped up then slowed, probably depending on what she was thinking or doing, or the emotional pressure of the situation.

  Brock’s seemed to have a musical rhythm to it. The display would shift and change, as if the guy were standing in front of him dancing.

  Pieter smiled to himself, excited to be getting to know his team mates so intimately.

  Just then there was a tap at the door, and Molly stepped in.

  “Everything ok?” she asked, standing behind him off to one side, looking at the array of screens.

  “Uh huh,” he confirmed, ruffling his hair and looking a little stressed. “They all checked in with their quantum beads about ten minutes ago. Maya was a few minutes late, and scared me a little, but I guess she’s still getting used to the routine.”

  Molly pulled out a seat next to him. “Nothing unusual in the medical exams? Anything we should be aware of?”

  Pieter shrugged. “I dunno. We opted not to activate the link until after they were clear… Just in case the signals showed up. Only the quantum beads were live, coz well, they emit no signal.”