attack that command carrier. I was able to listen in on their central command channels. They didn't see it coming, and several decks have been disabled. Their timing couldn't have been better, the enemy had taken more than half of Triton and were about to concentrate their efforts on the bridge.'
'So, what's the plan?'
'I can't tell for sure, but I know having a pilot hooked into a secure secondary control node will help, so that's where I'm taking you.'
'Fantastico, we get to be big heroes.'
'No, you get to be a big hero. If anyone asks, you woke up and sealed us in the primary medical conference room.'
'Oh, yeah. I guess the truth would pretty much break your cover wide open,' Ashley didn't know if his secret was one she could keep. Stephanie had been looking for him for weeks. The West Watchers on the Triton were being killed, strangled to death one by one. Evidence that they were linked to the Order of Eden always appeared along with the bodies, which was too convenient. Jason and Stephanie were both after him but she owed Larry her life, or at least her virtue, and she knew that regardless of how he secretly frightened her, it would earn him at least a temporary reprieve.
'Everything I do is for the good of the ship, Ash. I'll let the right people know who I am when the time comes, but until then I need to operate quietly.'
'Does anyone else know?'
'No.'
Ashley's train of thought was derailed as she spotted a small thermal outline in the corner of her eye. She glanced towards the artificially imposed image and her visor display zoomed in. 'There's someone left in medical.'
'It's a soldier, move on.'
'No, that's too tiny to be a soldier.' Her thermal display had picked it up, and the tactical system, which she still wasn't used to, directed her to the next vent to get to her. Crewcast marked the little one as Zoe, and the quick details listed her simply as; ‘Pandem orphan, nafalli, approximately eighteen months of age. Admitted to medical for swallowing a toy boat. Object was extracted while the patient was under light anaesthetic.’ The admission time was an hour before her own, and before Larry could do anything she was through the vent and inside the two bed treatment room.
'Ashley! We don't have time for this! She'll be fine until we have control of the Triton again.'
'Oh hush, there's time. Get down here and make sure no one comes in,' Ashley said as she slowly opened the cupboard door between her and the youngster. A sudden flurry of medical supplies inside told her that she'd found her, and that the youngster was in a panic.
Ashley fussed with her command and control unit for a moment before she managed to deactivate the cloaking system and release her hood. 'It's okay, you're safe.' She peered into the near darkness of the cabinet and met two pale blue eyes. They were a wide, fearful pair.
Larry lowered himself down into the room behind her and checked the locking mechanism on the door.
'Get me that blanket,' Ashley said quietly.
Larry didn't move.
She half turned towards him; 'Larry! Gimmie that blanket!' she ordered in a harsh whisper.
'She doesn't know either one of us; she's not going to come. Besides, what good is a blanket? She's nafalli, she’s got plenty of fur.'
'You don't know anything about children, do you? I bet she's really hungry and wouldn't mind a friendly face or a pair of arms right now. Got any food on you?'
'I put some ration bars in your pocket.'
Ashley dug for a moment before she found a thigh pocket filled with ration bars. She pulled three and examined them quickly. 'Mango, vanilla and chocolate. Well, I think I know what'll get your attention,' Ashley said in a pleasant tone. She was careful not to let any of her anxiety slip through the gentle smile she wore. The smell of sweet chocolate filled the air between her and the young girl the instant the wrapper was torn aside. Ashley feigned glad surprise at the sight. 'What's that? Ever have one of these?'
'Seriously, Ashley, if we take her with us we can't use our cloaksuits, and our mobility will be seriously restricted.'
Ashley ignored him and went on; 'My name's Ash, I'm here to take care of you for a while, okay?'
There was still too much fear in those blue eyes, and for a moment Ashley didn't know what to do.
'She's not going to come,' Larry repeated.
'Shush,' she retorted. She didn't want him to be right, and even more importantly, she didn't want to have to capture the little one with the blanket, she'd been through enough. Another tact came into mind then. With a sigh she looked at Zoe and pouted. 'You don't wanna play?' She slowly put the bar down in front of Zoe and left it there.
'Oh, this is ridiculous.'
'Go take care of your friends out there, I don't think we'll be taking the vents to wherever we're going,' Ashley instructed in an artificially sweetened tone.
'What? She'll fit, if you manage to get her under control.'
'You really don't know anything about children, do you? She might feel safe in this dark little spot, but you'll see some real water works if you try to get her into another one. I don't care how you do it; just give us a safe place to be until this all blows over.'
Larry shook his head and chuckled softly.
'What? I'm not kidding.'
'Look.' He nodded towards the cupboard.
Ashley looked back to the rewarding sight of Zoe happily chomping at the chocolate meal bar, which seemed too big for her. Taking a risk, she wrapped the blanket around the little girl and drew her into her arms. Zoe was focused on her meal, but her free hand found a thick tangle of Ashley's hair and gently clung. She pushed her legs into the folds of the blanket and snuggled against Ashley, quietly chewing chunks of the bar all the while. 'Someone's movin' in,' Ashley chuckled.
'Wonderful,' Larry sighed. 'Just wonderful. I'll see if I can get us behind a couple security doors.' He unlocked the door and crept out, closing it behind him.
She looked after him, worriedly for a moment. After a moment she realized that little eyes were watching. Ashley returned her attention to Zoe and forced her levity to return. It wasn't difficult. 'Can I have a bite?' she asked, pretending to make a try for the bar.
Zoe pulled the meal bar to her chest playfully and shook her head exaggeratedly. Her long, pink nosed nafalli snout waved in the air, making the gesture even more comical. The youngster's coat was a swirl of light brown and blonde, visible even in the dim emergency lights. She returned to taking big bites of the bar, but her blue eyes were fixed on Ashley.
'Good stuff, huh?'
Her little passenger nodded, not taking her mouth away from her meal.
'Well, I s'pose I'll just have to settle for vanilla,' Ashley sighed as she opened another meal bar with one hand.
Chapter 27
'Is this right? Ayan struck a deal with Patrizia Salustri?' Stephanie demanded as she arrived on the bridge of the Samson. 'The last time we dealt with that crazy bitch, we ended up chasing royalty straight into Chinbotsu Prison! I still have an outstanding warrant for that!'
The creaking of the deck underfoot and the sounds of the thrusters trying to keep the ship level invaded the cabin. 'We were very well paid. Besides, we don't have a choice. We've already lost one ship to customs, if we stay
