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  “Thank you so much for reaching out to us, Mister Cadel,” she said and moved a stray, golden lock of hair from her eyes. “I'm Doctor Ellen Rupert. It's a long story, but I'm the acting ‘person-in-charge’, since our lead researcher unfortunately passed away.”

  “That's very tragic, Doctor Rupert. But, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

  Jord gave me another thumbs-up and nodded in an exaggerated manner, as if I couldn't understand what a thumbs-up meant. If it weren't for me being on camera, I'd have called him an idiot.

  “So, Mister Cadel, obviously, you read my message. What sort of work does your business do?”

  Oh no, she threw a wrench into my gears. I didn't know what to say. Jord was waving his arms again, so I glanced over but tried not to be obvious. “Independent contracting. Threat liquidation, transportation, armed security, and escort services, things like that.”

  I looked back to the screen. Beads of sweat formed on my forehead and cheeks. “We offer a wide variety of services, such as threat liquidation, transportation, armed security, armed escort, and stuff.”

  I knew when I said “and stuff” that I’d sounded stupid. Jord shook his head and mouthed the words: No, man.

  “You're not… hitmen, are you?” Doctor Rupert asked. She sounded concerned.

  I knew I had to smooth it over. “No, no, Doctor. You misunderstand; we don't deal in illegal activity. ‘Threat liquidation’ is just trade terminology.”

  “Good save,” Jord whispered.

  “Oh, thank goodness. You had me worried for a moment. Now, does your company deal with handling dangerous animals often?”

  I looked over at Jord. He wasn't there. He’d vanished. I scanned the crew cabin for him. He was talking to someone on his PCD. Damn it! I couldn't call for him. I'd blow the whole interview! We'd look like complete amateurs. I had to pull something out of my ass, and quick.

  “Yes, Ma'am. All the time. In fact, you'd be surprised how many of those requests we get in a month.”

  “That is such good news!” she said with a big smile. “When can you arrive? Our research here is very important. We haven't been able to return to the ruins since the attacks.”

  Ruins? Was it some kind of archaeological research? I decided not to ask about it. “We're based out of Anura, and we need to ensure we are properly equipped for the job. I'd estimate a few days at the most.”

  “Fantastic!”

  “Now, I do have a question for you, Doctor. What kind of animal is this? What do you know about it?”

  She frowned a little. “Unfortunately, not much. All we know is that it's aquatic. I wish I could tell you more, but everyone who has seen it has either died or is in critical condition. Will that be a problem? I hope not. You sound like the ones for the job.”

  Jord ended his conversation and returned his original spot. He had a sinister grin and gave me a double thumbs-up. “We got it.”

  I should have returned my focus to Doctor Rupert, but I mistakenly kept my eyes fixated on Jord. “No, Ma'am, not a problem at all.”

  “Excellent! I'll instamail a contract to you! See you soon!”

  She ended the call before I could even say goodbye. That was it. We were going to Melville.

  “We got the job?” Jord asked.

  I nodded. “Told her we'd be there in a week, tops. Who was that?”

  “It was the professor guy,” Jord answered. “He's at the Hub. Said he wants to meet with us as soon as possible.”

  “Wait, he wants to meet us in person? Why?”

  “I'm not a telepath. Those were his conditions.”

  While I put a pair of work trousers on and changed my shirt to something looser, I hoped it wasn't some sort of robbery set-up. I'd heard stories about people who posted web advertisements and ended up getting murdered. Although, I'd have Jord with me. Nobody messed with me when he was around. That made my nerves subside.

  “Guess we better get moving,” I said. “To the Hub?”

  “You bet. Let's get off this stinkin' swamp.”

  I socked him in the arm for insulting my beautiful homeworld, then put on my bomber jacket and headed to the cockpit. I flicked the ignition switch, and the Lady Luna rumbled and roared to life. The nunu birds in the distance fluttered their wings and flew away. I took one last look out the viewing window at Ritan City.

  “So long, home,” I said and set the prograde thrusters to max speed, sending the Lady Luna screaming into the atmosphere.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Beyond Your Comprehension

  The Galactic Transit Hub was all that its name implied: The main travel center, where all the possible routes met at a focal point. Thousands of Wyn Gates surrounded a massive space station, simply named, ‘The Hub’. It was circular in shape, like a tiny moon or planetoid, and isolated in the cold vacuum of space, with an outer ring acting as a stardock. From the outer ring, hundreds of tubes housed the tunnel lifts. For about a dozen lightyears in all directions, there were no planets or stars. Why the Wyn built a station in such an uninhabitable place, nobody knew.

  But, everyone did know about the Hub. Even little kids. Not only was it integral to galactic travel, but the Galactic Council met there. I don't know exactly what they did; only that leaders from all over met up to discuss boring topics like trade, and to declare wars and whatnot. Somebody told me once that two million people were crammed inside it, like a metropolis in space. Too packed for my tastes. No way I could have lived there long-term. I just liked the place because I could refuel, relax between jumps, and find some neat stuff to buy, like my jacket.

  As I neared the outer ring, a klaxon howled behind me. My head rang as it pierced my earholes. I made a mental note to lower the volume when I had some downtime. That was surely at a decibel that caused permanent hearing loss. A buttery smooth, presumably male voice came from the tinny speakers on my control console. I flicked the switch to accept the transmission.

  “Unidentified vessel, please state your name and ship serial number,” the voice said.

  “Captain Sai Cadel,” I answered and reached for the Lady Luna's documentation in my pocket. “Serial number… V7591-B24668.”

  “One moment, please.”

  I waited for what felt like five minutes. If I was remembering correctly, the process had taken just as long the last time I was there.

  “Captain Cadel, you are free to land at Dock Number 901. Cost of admission is fifty bitcreds per day. The total will be charged per diem to a temporary account. Please register your temporary account at the kiosk on your way out of the dock. Failure to register your temporary account will result in the seizure of your vessel. Thank you, and enjoy your stay.”

  I engaged the route tracker and set the coordinates for Dock 901. Greenish-yellow rings outlined my path toward the stardock. Hundreds of ships, both big and small, flew in and out of it like insects around a hive. They reminded me of the lakala bugs back home. Vicious little suckers. They'd swarm around you and lay thousands of eggs under your skin in mere seconds. In a few days, they'd hatch, and the larva would eat their way out, leaving you looking like an unpaid extra on the set of a zombie movie.

  As I approached, Dock 901's single door slid open to reveal a landing pad, illuminated with yellow flashing lights that seemed to scream, “Land here, stupid!” I engaged the landing gear and cut the prograde thrusters. The Lady Luna drifted into the dock, and I set the retrograde thrusters to slow us down to a crawl. When it felt like I was right over the landing pad, I cut the retrograde and set us down. With a jerk, the ship landed, and the dock re-pressurized with air, creating a loud, hissing noise.

  I heard Jord's cybernetic leg clanking as he walked into the cockpit. I swiveled around in my chair. He was clutching two plasma pistols. “Ready?” he asked and held one out for me to take.

  “Sorry, Jord-o,” I said. “Firearms aren't permitted on the station.”

  “What? You're kidding. When did that
happen?”

  “A couple years ago. I don't remember why, but they had signs posted everywhere. Why do you want to bring those, anyway? You planning on shooting somebody?”

  “You never know,” Jord said. “A gun is the only thing that's ever kept me alive.”

  “This place is pretty safe. I've never had a bad experience here.”

  “‘Safe’? Coming from the guy who was too scared to even leave his crap job?”

  I pointed at him. “I didn't decide to go into business with you just to start shooting at everyone who gives us a dirty look. We're trying to land some clients. Now, leave the damn guns here.”

  Jord stared at me. His cybernetic eye whirred as it focused and adjusted. “Fine.”

  He tossed the plasma pistols on the cockpit control console.

  I hopped down from my seat. “Don't worry; you'll get to shoot at something in no time.”

  We left the Lady Luna and registered for our temporary account at the kiosk at the end of the dock. According to the kiosk, we had already been charged fifty bitcreds. What a bunch of cheap bastards. They used to only charge for each full day. Whatever. If things went as planned, we'd have fifty-thousand bitcreds in the company coffers, and we’d be off to a good start.

  We left the dock through a single, pressurized, steel door and entered a sharply-curved hallway. It smelled of strong cleaning chemicals. When I looked to my right, there was a custodial droid, scrubbing the floors with a spinning mop. At least they were still keeping up with the place.

  Up ahead and around the corner was an elevator that took us down to the tunnel lifts. From there, we could take one of them to the station proper. The narrow, outer ring was crowded with all sorts of people, but mostly Anurans, Humans, and the freaky, four-armed Celyrians with their weird, nearly translucent skin — they were nicknamed “ghosties”. I won't lie; I liked to give Celyrians a rough time because they were the only species shorter than us Anurans. They were okay guys, though. Pretty peaceful.

  We stopped for a moment to figure out where we needed to go.

  “So, where does this professor want to meet us?” I asked while attempting to dodge the crowds.

  Jord tapped on his PCD. “Looks like he wants to meet up at a place named ‘Lenny's’. He says it’s in the market sector.”

  I looked up at the neon signs. On the opposite end of the room, there was a green sign that read “To Market”. I tapped Jord's arm and pointed at it. “There it is.”

  We joined the crowd that was waiting to board the tunnel lift. Within a few minutes, it returned and unloaded its current cabin of passengers. Our crowd fanned out to allow them through, then rushed aboard. I followed behind Jord's long, heavy coat as he pushed through. We managed to get aboard just as the cabin filled to capacity. Two pressurized doors sealed behind us. The lift's clamps detached and jolted forward. Everyone stumbled a bit, but it didn't look like anyone had fallen.

  “You know, I was thinking,” I said. “During the interview with Doctor Rupert, she mentioned something about ruins. What do you think they're doing there?”

  “Probably digging up something they're not supposed to,” Jord said nonchalantly. It was almost like he already knew the answer. “Or again, something they don't want anyone to know about.”

  “So, you do think the research is shady.”

  “Honestly, I don't know. It could be that we won't even see whatever it is they’re doing there. They might have us sign a non-disclosure agreement. I don't know. I don't care. I'm here for the action and to make money.”

  “Maybe we can probe this professor guy,” I said. “He might know something.”

  “You can try, but I don't think he is going to budge at all. He sounded like a prick when I spoke to him.”

  The lift jolted to a stop, causing everyone to stumble again. The clamps locked us in place, and the doors hissed open. As we left the cabin, I was bombarded by bright, flashing, neon lights and signs, and the sounds of a few hundred voices engaged in idle chatter. Small, personal hovercraft flew above the foot traffic below, engines humming as they went. I’d forgotten how noisy the Hub was. Despite it being only one-hundredth of Ritan City's size, it was twice the volume. Maybe it was because the enclosed space trapped all the sound inside of it.

  I looked to Jord and asked if he knew where to go. He checked his instachat with our potential client. Nothing. Then, I saw a directory. We walked over to it, but had to dodge pedestrian traffic, traveling in both directions. It was ten blocks to the market sector.

  We joined the flow of traffic for the next ten blocks, until we saw the blue-and-white sign reading, “Lenny's”. It was a little place but packed with customers. A bar stretched from the left side of the room across the back wall. Outside, there was a wraparound deck with booth seating.

  “Did he tell you what he looks like?” I asked Jord while scanning Lenny's.

  Jord shook his head. “No. Wait, he just sent a message.”

  “What's it say?”

  “He's in the back of the deck area. Around the corner.”

  We rounded the corner of Lenny's. No one was there. Jord received another message. “He wants us to stop.”

  “What? Why?”

  I felt something jab into the back of my neck. Damn, Jord had been right. We should have brought our guns. I didn't dare to move or even turn my head to see who it was. I put my hands up. It was the second time in a week I'd been mugged.

  “Tranquility is a virtue, gentlemen,” a classy, baritone voice said. “And put your hands down.”

  I followed the orders, then felt a hand start patting me down all over. Then, it stopped. I assumed it had moved on to search Jord.

  “Oh, what's this?” the voice said. I glanced over and saw a hand pull out a plasma pistol from underneath Jord's long coat. I gave Jord a disappointed look. Despite my plea, the asshole had still smuggled a gun in. (Although, in this situation, his point had been proven correct.) “I'll be keeping this for the duration of our meeting. Walk over to that booth.”

  We sat down at the booth at the end of the deck. Our assailant was a Human, with hair around his lips and chin, and dark brown, almost black eyes. He wore a strange, blue, hooded cloak that shimmered with gold-and-silver embroidery. Honestly, he looked like something out of a Human fairy tale. What I mean by that is he looked ridiculous.

  “Professor?” I asked.

  He nodded. “Your powers of observation serve you well, Anuran.”

  I couldn't tell if that was meant to be an insult or a compliment. But if I asked him which one it was, then it would have definitely become an insult. So, I decided to say nothing.

  “What do you want?” Jord asked. “Hm? Money? Do you even want a ride to Melville? Are you even a professor? Or was that all a lie?”

  “Be calm, ogre,” the professor said. “I am not here to rob you. I simply wanted to ensure you would not commit such an act on me.”

  Although I wasn't sure what the guy's real intentions were, I decided to play it cool. “Relax. Let the guy talk.”

  Jord raised his voice. “Why? All he had to do was say, ‘Hey, I'm at this bar at a booth in the corner.’ Instead, he's running us through the ringer.”

  I hushed Jord. I had to. He was going to blow an easy one-grand.

  “Perhaps the Anuran is the one I should be speaking to. At least, I know you are who you say you are. What are your names?”

  “Sai Cadel, Founder and CEO of Omnigalactic, LLC,” I answered. “The Tresedi here is my partner, and the co-founder of the company. Now, tell us who you are.”

  “Professor is fine,” he dodged.

  “Answer us,” Jord demanded, slamming his metal hand on the table. “Don't piss me off any further.”

  The professor held out his gloved hands. “All right, all right. I am Professor Daniel Glennsworth.”

  “So, Professor, we are here to fulfill a service,” I said and clasped my hands together. “Are you still int
erested in traveling to Melville?”

  “Shhh. Keep your voice down.” Glennsworth looked over our shoulders. “Indeed.”

  “Are you some kind of fugitive?” Jord asked. “I bet you owe someone money. Let's go, Sai. This was a waste of time.”

  “No, no, no. I am merely a man who prefers to keep anonymous. Subtlety is a passion of mine.”

  “Pardon me, Professor,” I said. "But, you're about as subtle as a gunshot with those wizard robes on.”

  “He has a point,” Jord added.

  “These are not ‘wizard robes’,” Glennsworth said while making air-quotes.

  “Whatever you say,” I said. “So, are we ready to—”