Allison got a ride to the Ark Royal the moment she could. The Ark Royal’s captain had ordered her to report directly to the bridge when she arrived. She intended to do just that and was waiting for the transport tube that would take her there when she received new orders, redirecting her to the med-bay. She did not like that. Maybe her mother took a turn for the worse. She directed the tube to take her to the deck with the med-bay on it instead. When she arrived she was faced with Oozie being her old stubborn self. The chief medical officer for the ship saw her enter, he was an older man of Indian descent.
“Oh, thank the Dark Mother. Do something about this… thing. It is refusing to let us take her to the operating room.”
Allison snapped her fingers.
“Oozie. Come here. Mom is hurt and needs help.”
The nargle ran to Allison’s side and sat down beside her. Allison looked at the chief medical officer who was a commander.
“I am sorry sir. I should have realized she’d get in the way.”
He waved his hands.
“It’s fine, we needed time for the sedative to take effect. Please, get her out of my med-bay, Lieutenant. Your mother is stable, we’re just repairing some blood vessels to alleviate pressure on her brain. She’ll be out of surgery and awake in an hour. You can come visit her, but that thing is not allowed here. She is a menace, and she is getting fur everywhere.”
Allison nodded.
“Aye, sir. Understood, sir.”
Allison left the med-bay and Oozie trotted along beside her with her tongue hanging out. Allison shook her head.
“You need to chill. I know it’s been a stressful day but… ugg. We’re going to the bridge now, not a peep out of you. Behave or I’m sending you home with Aryna on the first ship I can find.”
Oozie gave her an innocent look with her big blue eyes. Allison wagged her finger at the nargle.
“Oh, that is not going to work on me today. Did you really think you could chew through a cybernetic leg? You’re lucky they didn’t shoot you. And you knew perfectly well those two corporals weren’t there to hurt you, you just wanted to let them know how angry you were after being locked up. You are such a drama queen.”
Allison finished her rant just before they reached the bridge. This was an escort carrier fleet. So, the ship at the center was much smaller than her grandfather’s dreadnought class carrier. Thus, the bridge was smaller. Allison had not had a chance to helm one of these carriers before. She didn’t think it would happen today with the Captain’s opinion of her. Allison stood at attention.
“Reporting as ordered, ma’am.”
The captain stood up.
“At ease Lieutenant, please join me in my ready room. I have new orders for you.”
Allison tried not to show how annoyed she was at the thought of new orders. What did they want from her? She just rescued thirty hostages and took out eight terrorists after risking her life getting a data leech installed on the Syndicate’s systems. Allison followed the captain into her ready room. The captain sat down at her desk and motioned to a chair across from her.
“Please, have a seat, Lieutenant.”
Allison sat down. Oozie laid down on the floor beside her. The captain looked down at the nargle.
“I heard she caused quite a commotion in my sick bay. I’m glad you could sort it out so quickly.”
Allison nodded. The captain seemed hesitant to continue. Allison spoke up.
“Ma’am, I apologize but it’s been a really long day, could I get my new orders please?”
The captain sighed and nodded.
“Lieutenant, we got off on the wrong foot. I was unaware of your character. Before we continue, I just wanted to say, I was impressed by your actions today. My medical staff informed me, had your mother’s enhanced interrogation continued she likely would have died. You showed great restraint. Many soldiers in your position would have sought to even the score. All that is to say, giving you these new orders considering your mothers condition and what you’ve been through personally, gives me no pleasure.”
Allison nodded. The captain continued.
“You are to report back to Pleasure Dome 3 and attend a party to which you were extended an invitation. You are to maintain your cover. I was assured by Special Operations Command you would know exactly what I’m talking about. Furthermore, you are to extend your stay by one day, during which you will take part in a recruiting event in full uniform, along with your starfighter. I believe it is your ride.”
Allison sighed. She couldn’t really argue with the captain, she was just passing along her orders. She stood up.
“Aye, ma’am. Understood, ma’am. I’ll need a ride.”
The captain nodded and stood up. She handed an envelope marked top secret to Allison.
“I was told you would require this. Lieutenant, given the circumstances, it is alright to say you are not capable of performing your duties due to emotional distress. I will back you on it. Going back in with your mother in the condition she is in, no one would blame you.”
Allison shook her head.
“I am fine, ma’am.”
The captain nodded.
“You’re dismissed. Use any resources you need from my ship.”
Allison nodded.
“Understood ma’am, I just need to drop Oozie off with Tearyna Quasitori before I leave.”
“I will have the location of her quarters sent to you. Good luck, Lieutenant.”
Allison stood at attention before leaving the ready room. Once she got into the transport tube she leaned against the back of it and rubbed her face. How on earth was she going to maintain her cover when it was already blown when she had apparently vamped out and dined on two of Ed’s men? Not to mention he’d basically told her he was going to force her to marry his son. The whole idea seemed ludicrous.
She opened the folder and found a fully vetted and backstopped identity, the difference with this one was that it was an actual legal identity created by System’s Alliance intelligence. There was also the fake ID she’d created in the Pleasure Dome systems. Their plans started to make sense when she realized the date of birth was 1972. The ID was a vampire. The age of death was listed as 1988. In other words, she was a thousand-year-old vampire who had been turned at sixteen years old. Her name was Victoria Allison Michaels. Her records indicated she’d had the surgery so she could have children. She was wanted by the Vampire Council and Alliance internal security for numerous violations of the cybersecurity legislation. They had even created a few hacker aliases for the ID and a criminal record. The Allie ID was dodgier, it was backstopped but it had holes. The ID said sixteen for the age. Nothing about vampires. Authorities had files on her but the only alias they could link her with was Vector. A concentrated effort would reveal it was a fake ID. A truly dedicated investigator would link it to Victoria’s ID, probably only with DNA. The Allie ID was a student at a private boarding school on a colony in Ursa Minor Dwarf galaxy. It was definitely the ID Ed Carter’s investigators found. Allison shook her head and looked down at Oozie shaking the folder.
“Welp, you are definitely staying with Aryna. Sorry.”
Oozie pouted. Allison led the nargle to the temporary quarters that had been assigned to Aryna. Allison beeped at the door and Aryna let her in. The pair hugged. Aryna checked Allison over.
“How is your mother? The doctor threw me out.”
Allison shrugged.
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“I don’t know. She was going in for surgery to reduce pressure on her brain. The doctor seemed to believe she was going to be fine. Look I need you to watch Oozie for me and stay with mom when she wakes up. I need to go back to the Pleasure Dome for work.”
Aryna shook her head.
“No, you can’t. You need to be here for your mother.”
Allison sighed.
“I… just trust that it has to be me. I can’t really explain. Just take care of things for me, please.”
Aryna frowned.
“I suppose it is the nature of duty. There were many times my mother would rather have been elsewhere than the circle, but she still showed up. It is easy to forget such things living as a teenage human. I will care for your mother and keep Oozie out of trouble. May the ancients guide your steps while you walk in the dark places, sister.”
Allison hugged Aryna tightly before doing the same to Oozie. After she said her good-byes she headed to where Bit had been berthed. She hopped down into the cockpit and started doing her pre-flight checks along with an extra damage assessment, which indicated there was no damage and all systems were good to go. Bit came out of sleep mode as Allison finished her pre-flight checks.
“Allison, where are we going?”
Allison opened comms to Ark Royal’s launch control.
“Shadow One, requesting a launch tube, I am on a priority assignment.”
She received an immediate response.
“You are cleared for launch tube two, Shadow One. Your launch time is in one minute. Loading time in thirty seconds”
Allison closed her canopy and patiently waited while bit was lowered by elevator into the bowels of the carrier and brought to a launch tube. As they traveled through the dimly lit tunnel she answered Bit’s question.
“I have to go back undercover. Then I need to take part in a recruitment drive. Don’t worry, you can sleep through all of it once we land. You just need to look pretty. You might even get a polish.”
Bit sounded upset when she spoke.
“Allison, they killed you once already. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours.”
Allison laughed.
“Killed me? What are you talking about?”
Ark Royal launch control advised Allison it was ten seconds until launch. When the timer hit zero there was a flash and Bit was accelerated to tremendous speed by the launch tube. It was for all intents and purposes a giant rail gun for shooting fighters. Allison took the controls and started towards Titan.
“Okay, I’m not dead, so obviously you had bad data.”
Bit seemed to disagree with Allison’s assessment.
“No, you showed catastrophic damage to your left ventricle, severe blood loss and your heart stopped. Shortly afterwards all brain functions ceased. I have an alert linked to your life signs that wakes me up from sleep mode. You were clinically dead. I only realized you were alive when I saw that the false identity you created was in custody and not the morgue. I intercepted Alliance communications about your mother and Aryna being on a hijacked ship. I realized you would need assistance to get to her. That was when I initiated one of the emergency extraction plans I created for you.”
Allison took a few minutes to take in the fact that she had been legally dead less than twenty-four hours before. Though she was still sure it was a false positive.
“Okay, let’s just agree to disagree on the whole me dying thing and discuss the fact that you have emergency rescue plans for me? When did you start doing that?”
Bit didn’t answer right away and sounded sheepish when she did.
“Since you and I started working together. You are my pilot and my friend. It is my purpose to protect you from harm and yourself, if need be. You are a human adolescent, all my research indicates you are likely prone to impulsive actions, and risk taking. So, I always have a plan to rescue you no matter where you are. I am unable to fully enter sleep mode until I am sure I am prepared for any contingency where you are concerned.”
Allison’s first reaction was to get very quiet. Her AI companion had just called her impulsive. To her ears, it sounded like Bit didn’t trust her judgment. After several minutes she calmed down enough to think about it rationally. Bit was technically older than human civilization. She was also very similar to most of the aunties she knew on Eden Prime. While she was still upset, she decided to be diplomatic about it.
“Thanks for looking out for me.”
“I’m glad you feel that way, I was worried it would anger you.”
Allison smiled.
“No. You’re like a guardian angel with antimatter torpedoes.”
She was actually pretty angry about it, but she decided to just let it slide. No use upsetting Bit and then sending her into a pouting spree. That wasn’t fun for anyone. Allison received clearance to land on the beach. She landed on the black tiles that had been spread out for the express purpose of the recruitment display. She patted Bit’s control surface.
“Go to sleep. I’m going to a very public party. I won’t go into any hotel rooms with strangers.”
Bit started shutting down her systems. Allison opened the canopy and jumped down without bothering with the ladder. The same corporal who had tried to block her access to Bit approached her.
“Sorry… about before, ma’am. I didn’t recognize you.”
Allison nodded.
“Its fine. I would have done the same thing. I’ll see you tomorrow. If you get bored, could you give my starfighter some TLC? I think the System’s Alliance wants everything all shiny and new looking.”
He saluted her.
“We’ll take care of it, ma’am.”
Allison saluted him back and gave a small wave. She had time before the engagement party, and she needed to find out exactly what happened during the period she blacked out. That meant she needed the investigation files and her personal holo-phone. Her first stop was the security office. She let her helmet sink back in and walked into the administration offices for the dome. A security officer was manning the front desk. Allison likely could have overrode their security with her System’s Alliance access but she decided to at least pretend to respect their status as a semi-autonomous dome and corporation.
“Hello.”
The woman at the desk smiled at Allison.
“How can I help you?”
“I am Lieutenant Allison Wanjala, System’s Alliance Intelligence. I need to access an investigation file, along with evidence collected during it.”
The guard accessed their identity recognition system. Whatever she saw seemed to get her attention. She made a call; She was requesting an escort. Allison waited patiently for the promised escort to arrive. She couldn’t believe her eyes. It was the same woman who she had watched Demi stun three hours before. It seemed it was their destiny to cross paths. The guard looked Allison up and down.
“Have we met, ma’am?”
Allison shook her head.
“No. I have been in the news a lot recently, and the dome is advertising me being at a Military display tomorrow.”
Allison pointed at a screen.
“I do know you. You are the one who was guarding the prisoner that escaped. One the System’s Alliance has an interest in.”
The woman looked quite embarrassed at this point. Allison decided that was enough fun at the woman’s expense and waved her hand dismissively.
“It’s not your fault. The same crew hit a BMC storage facility over at the corporate dome. Advanced weapons and tactics. Your prisoner was a high value target. I cannot say more, but if you’re still alive, you’re one of the lucky ones. Are we going to evidence storage?”
The guard shook her head.
“No, ma’am. Head of Security wants to vet your request first. Sorry.”
Allison really wanted to meet him and possibly shoot him. The whole escape wouldn’t have been necessary if he’d just done what he was told. She doubted her patience would extend to being nice to him. In fact, she was rethinking just using her System’s Alliance override access. They arrived at a large office. The head of security had a military buzz cut and a thick mustache. He was an average sized man. He was wearing a very expensive black suit. The office itself screamed corporate excess. It also had holo-posters of various fleet flag ships and models of the entire line of starfighters from the Talon Mark 1 from three hundred years before, up to the newest fighter, the Athena, which Bit’s new airframe was based on. He stood up as soon as he saw Allison and offered his hand. Allison shook the offered hand.
“Lieutenant Wanjala it is a pleasure to meet you in person. My daughter is demanding we go meet you on the beach tomorrow. Please have a seat.”
Allison sat down, he sat in his chair and folded his hands on his desk.
“I understand the System’s Alliance is interested in a security incident that occurred and the evidence pertaining to it. I would like to assist you, but those are property of the PD3 corporation. If you could provide a court order, we would of course comply.”
Allison prepared to unleash a dazzling display of bullshit combined with a good dose of somewhat hollow threats. Perhaps she was getting more mature or Aryna was rubbing off on her. Allison a year ago would have done just that or tried to bully her way through. Today, she chose a different path, negotiation.
“I can’t get a court order. I don’t have time. Also, it could compromise our operation. What I’m about to tell you is strictly confidential and if you divulge it to anyone you could face imprisonment or execution, that isn’t a threat, just the law. Do you want me to continue?”
He nodded.
“Yes, it will let me determine how to proceed.”
Allison continued.
“There is an ongoing, classified operation taking place here that your people have been getting in the way of, over and over again. The teenage girl that escaped from your custody is an unwitting asset. My vacation here was a cover. I was forced to expose my presence here to intervene in a hostage situation involving two members of foreign royal families. Your people unwittingly caused that situation when they took that girl into custody. I thought the whole op was blown but she is still trying to complete her own mission. Who she is, what she is doing, I will not share, just that, we need her to believe her attempts to erase herself from your records succeeded so she will surface and keep using her current fake identity. She enlisted one of our assets to recover the items you confiscated. I intercepted them and I am here to ensure she gets them back. With some… modifications. Her meet up is in less than three hours now. If she thinks you can track her, if she doesn’t get her items back, she’ll vanish again.”
He nodded along.
“My request is simple, provide me with all the files you have on ‘Allie MacDonald’, delete them, give me her holo-phone, contacts and translator, delete all records of those. Any other evidence collected from the scene, such as blood samples should be released to me, I will ensure it is disposed of. A scuffle between her and two criminals is of no interest to anyone. We are after much bigger targets. She’s a registered guest again. I’ll need you to pull any security teams that have had interactions with her out of rotation until she leaves tonight. She is extremely paranoid at the moment so any sign she’s compromised she will go off the grid and switch identities.”
He leaned forward.
“That all seems… doable. I just have one question, what is in it for me?”
Allison pursed her lips. Everyone had an angle.
“You can feel good about the fact you’ve helped make the System’s Alliance safer. If that isn’t enough, how about I take you and your daughter for a flight in my fighter. I believe we’re scheduled for some slow flybys and submersible stunts in the dome. Your daughter gets to meet me and my fighter, you get to actually ride in one of the starfighters you seem so keen on.”
He shifted and looked very interested, but he still seemed to have some hesitance. Allison leaned forward. Allison motioned at a holo-recording of his young daughter running across the beach smiling that was displayed on a projector at the corner of his desk.
“Mr. Bell, please, help me do my job, and give your daughter an experience with you that she will cherish. It’s the kind of thing my dad and I would do when I was younger.”
He looked at the holo-recording and smiled.
“Alright. You’re right. Three criminals trying to kill each other is just the recycling taking care of itself.”
He offered his hand; Allison shook it again.
“Thank you, Mr. Bell.”