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  The room went silent when the members of EMEF Team 1 won the match...

  For the twelfth time.

  ###

  Colonel King finished his last report with a signature and the press of the transmit button. "Not bad for a day's work, Titus. You returned a pack of miscreants to prison, got a big ship back on course, saved two League citizens from certain death, and established trade relationships with a lost tribe of Alturans. Yep, definitely a good day's work."

  The comm bleeped. Titus tapped a button on the desk. "Go for King," he said.

  "Hey, you. I hear you've been busy," Queen Lansing said as her image appeared on the wall viewer.

  "My Queen! Isn't it kind of late at the castle?"

  "A little, but I just had to call and congratulate you on a job well done."

  "Thanks, but it wasn't just me. The whole team pitched in on this one."

  "I see. So, whose idea was it to use Kalana as bait?"

  "Hers, though I wish it were mine. It was brilliant."

  "Putting your second in command in imminent danger was brilliant?"

  "Yes, it was risky, but she decided that the danger was minimal, and it was outweighed by the near certain death of Myriam. I agreed with her then, and I agree with her now. My Queen, you can relieve me of command if you think I erred."

  "No. You are there, and we are here. I just wanted to make sure that our feisty captain didn't just run off willy-nilly to protect you and the team."

  "Kalana is growing into her position as my first officer. She presented an idea and it was a good one. I'm certain she would have left it at that if I had disagreed."

  "You mean our little girl is growing up?"

  "Our fine captain is maturing into an officer that she didn't think she could ever be."

  "Then I stand corrected, Colonel. All of you keep up the good work, and keep me posted. Lansing out."

  King smiled while powering down the viewer. He reached into a drawer and pulled out a bottle of Scotch and a glass. "Yep, definitely a good day."

  ###

  Kalana sat back in the lounge chair with drink in hand and eyes closed while her tail drooped over her shoulder in exhaustion. She had just finished a call to her mate, Hamish, and their daughter, Anna, and though she was happy to get a chance to call them, she was worried that some of the fear she was feeling had leaked into the conversation. The experience of having someone invading your body, though academically interesting to her physician side, was abhorrent to her unscientific side.

  "How are you feeling?"

  Kalana opened her eyes and saw Maddy sitting across from her. "Maddy? I thought you were back on the Ricerca."

  "I am. I've 'borrowed' the comm system to see how you're doing. What you did was crazy brave, and I wanted to make sure there were no aftereffects."

  "I'm fine. The Mekla's chief medical officer and ship's councilor checked me over and gave me a clean bill of health. Then it was Parker's turn. I promise you, I'm fine."

  "Good. Can I ask a favor of you?"

  "Sure."

  "I put in for a transfer from survey to OffSec, specifically Stryker Team 2"

  "Gabe Adon's unit. I heard that he had convinced the higher echelons that OffSec needed their own stryker team."

  Maddy nodded. "They needed an AI ever since the unit formed. His old partner, Siv was just too busy to return to field duty."

  "And you want the job?"

  She nodded. "I've already contacted two necrue who jumped at the chance to be part of a survey team."

  "Did you give Captain Ceta notice yet?"

  "Yeah. He was pissed until I introduced him to my replacements."

  "Good, because Gabe already called. I told him he would have to be senile to pass up hiring a cop as good as you. He should be contacting you shortly."

  "I... I don't know what to say."

  "You could say thanks, but not to me. Thank Reton. I talked to him right before we left the croison colony ship. He's impressed with what you did, and he let me know it."

  "What I did? When they took over the ship, I ran off and hid. I didn't realize I was dealing with my own kind until we met Kress. That's when we I got angry both at the merged and myself."

  "You did fine. Sean and Myriam are only alive because of your efforts. You're going to make Team 2 damn proud."

  "Thanks. I think Gabe is calling on a more conventional line. Bye."

  "Bye." Maddy's image disappeared.

  Kalana laughed at the thought of a two-million-year-old being that lives in computer systems asking her for a job recommendation. Then she stopped laughing and made a hurried call.

  ###

  Murph, Nova, Parker, and Maddy sat around an old wooden table inside a virtual representation of a tavern from the American Old West of Earth, circa 1870 CE. The tavern was lit by oil lamps and candles. The four necrue sat and drank from a bottle of rotgut whiskey. Murphy filled the four shot glasses before tipping his back and draining it in one gulp.

  "Are you trying to go blind?" Parker asked as she sipped her drink.

  "Perhaps."

  "What's eating you, Murph?" Nova asked. "The threat’s over. The mergers are back in prison, and the prison is on its way to the Tombs aboard the Cube where it will never see the light of day again."

  "Yeah, Boss, what's up? Sure, we lost a few smuggler’s, but they knew the risks when they loaded a cache of weapons aboard their ship. Ask Prince Lucien about the dangers involved with the smuggling life," Maddy added.

  "It's not that," Murph replied. "I'm worried that our past will continue to haunt us. We spent so much time hiding in fear of our indiscretions coming home to roost that we lost sight of who and what we truly are."

  "Troublemakers?" Maddy asked.

  "Immortal beings with a sense of style?" Parker added.

  "Lovers of junk food?" Nova pointed out.

  "No. Teachers of the younger races. We could have guided them, but instead we hid from them."

  "Well, we're guiding them now," Parker noted. "Better late than never, so cheer up and get some better booze. This shit could pickle cast iron."

  The comm--patterned after a 1909 Western Electric wall phone--rang. Being the person closest to the infernal machine, Parker got up and answered it. "Parker. Hello, Kalana... Yeah, he's here... Hold on. Yoh, Murph, its Kalana."

  Murph got up and walked over to the set. Taking the ear piece from Parker, he placed it against his ear while speaking into the mouth piece. "This is Murph... Yes, I know where it's supposed to be... No, I have no idea how it got here... Have you informed the Colonel? Good... We'll be there. Murph out." He hung up the phone, sat back down in his seat, and poured four more drinks.

  "What the hell was that all about?" Parker asked.

  "Yeah, Murph, you look like you've seen a ghost," Nova noted.

  "I have, sort of. Kalana just reminded me of something that slipped past all of us."

  "And that is?" Maddy prodded.

  "She asked if I knew where the containment unit was supposed to be and if I knew how it got here."

  "Shit!" Maddy said before downing her drink. "How the hell did I miss that?"

  "Miss what?" Nova asked.

  "We stored all containment units at a facility similar to the Cube's Tombs. Fully automated and ultra-secure, the facility can only be accessed by me and the peace keepers, yet someone stole a containment uni.,"

  "So, who stole it and what else did they take?"

  "Come, ladies, we have a meeting to attend," Murph said as the room dissolved around them.

  <<<<<>>>>>

  About Frank Carey

  Frank Carey has been formally writing and publishing works of science fiction since late 2013. Over the years prior, he had dabbled in various forms of writing including haiku poetry, but that all changed when he and his wife, Jo, decided to try their hand at writing and self-publishing. All his work, to date, has been in the science fiction genre.

  Most of his stories take place about two centuries
in the future when Earth joins the League of Planetary Systems. Many of his protagonists are strong females. He is an inveterate pantser who believes the story will go where the story wants to go.

  Frank’s background includes degrees in physics and extensive work as a scientific programmer and technologist.

  Frank and his wife produce a podcast—Xtreme Self-Publishing—which details their self-publishing efforts.

  Frank can be reached through his podcast at xtremeselfpublishing.podbean.com or via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]