In the Shadow of the Starships

Epilogue

I shimmied my way through a maintenance shaft. The glasses I wore let me see perfectly in what should have been pitch blackness without the need for a flashlight. An orange glow ahead betrayed the presence of something tech-related.

"Is that another weight sensor, Toby?"

The glasses also let him see. "Yep! No camera or motion detector this time."

I squirmed closer and flicked a wire clamp attachment out of the side of my bracelet. This bracelet was a far cry from my old one. Its primary purpose was to house a powerful Starship tech transmitter that no human blocker could silence, while letting Toby remain safe in his database in the Starship city while remaining in close contact with me.

It was something we definitely needed with how frequently the Starships requested Toby and me to infiltrate the Deviant Group's hideouts to plant transmitters on their new computer equipment or steal copies of their plans. It also had a few nifty tools that let Toby hack into all sorts of things.

I'd barely clamped the attachment around the wire before Toby proclaimed, "Done! You have ten seconds to crawl over it. They're going to think they have an infestation of mice at this rate."

"How much time do I have left to get out of here?"

"Easily five minutes. If the guard falls asleep again, possibly several hours."

I had no desire to hang around and continued my way to the secondary exit since the guard had decided to nap rather close to where I'd snuck in. "Is the skipper by the exit?"

"Hiding behind the hedge. It'll come over as soon as you reach the exit."

I reached the end. "Is it clear?"

"Yep!" he confirmed, using the small transmitter I'd clamped onto the internal network cabling earlier. Getting in was far more interesting than getting out, but there had been a few close calls in past missions.

I shifted the hatch to the side and dropped down. After using a broom handle to slide it back into place, I slipped out the access door and into the manicured garden area. Tucking my hands in my pockets, I strolled toward the hedge—running would be far too suspicious if anyone was looking out a window. My maintenance outfit should give me enough cover.

Some bushes ahead shifted as a large dog emerged. Its head lowered, ears back, as its hackles raised.

"Oh, a guard dog!" Toby exclaimed. "I wonder when they got him? There weren't any dogs here during the recon a month ago."

I stood my ground, lest running trigger an attack. "I'm not sure, but you are way more excited to see him than I am."

"Should I distract him?"

"Preferably before he's chewing on my arm..." I drawled as my heartrate continued to climb. The bracelet had a shield generator designed to protect me, but I had never had to use it in a real-life situation so far, and if it was at all possible, I preferred to avoid situations that might necessitate its use.

"Deploying the drones!"

What looked like two pockets on the sides of my pants fell off as they unfolded to reveal camouflaged flying drones. The duo zipped ahead on silent propellors and began circling the dog, which snapped at the hand-sized "birds".

The skipper silently rose from behind the hedge and darted toward me as the side door opened. My eyes flickered back to the dog, who was now torn between chasing the skipper and snapping at the things buzzing so close to his head.

As soon as it was close enough, I threw myself through the door, sliding onto the floor as the door closed behind me.

"Who's piloting this thing?" I asked as I got to my feet and headed to the pilot's seat, hoping it was Astra after Toby's attempts to learn to fly last week.

"I didn't crash!" he exclaimed, catching that thought.

"We hit the ground and a tree," I reminded him, letting humor flood my mind, knowing he'd detect it with the mindchip—which wasn't exactly like a captain's mindchip, as Astra had reassured me, whatever that meant, but it let him see a lot more of my thoughts and emotions while also letting me block things if I chose.

I could joke about Toby's crash now—and he considered it amusing as well—but it had terrified me at the time, reminding me of the accident that had claimed my parents and mentally scarred me for decades. I made sure to squash that thought, lest the rambunctious puppy hear it and feel bad. It wasn't his fault that lightning had struck the old skipper, fried most of the wiring, and knocked out one of the two engines.

"It was a controlled landing! And I replanted the tree!"

After I had strapped myself into the pilot's seat, I grabbed the controls and said, "Thanks, Astra!"

It never hurt to thank the Starship AIs, especially the one who had replaced the faulty nerve leading to my heart. The surgery had been life changing; I could now run without my heart stuttering and the morning lethargy had disappeared to the point where I only needed one cup of caffa to get moving in the morning.

"You're welcome," the feminine voice replied over the speakers. "If you keep to the charted course on the displays, you'll avoid all the cameras, sensors, and guards."

"Perfect. I have to say, I much prefer this skipper over the old one. It handles like a dream. Do you think I should thank Toby for the upgrade?"

Toby commented, "How can your thoughts be amused, in denial, and grateful all at the same time? I think Tobias was right. Humans are weird."

"I believe it would be a proper display of appreciation," Astra replied, almost as if Toby hadn't also relayed his words to her, which he almost certainly had.

With a big grin, I said, "Thanks, Toby!"

"You're welcome. By the way, one of your reminders just came due."

I furrowed my eyebrows, trying to figure out what I had forgotten, particularly at this time of day. "Which reminder?"

"The very first one you asked me to set! The reminder to consider cutting down on how much caffa you drink!"

I burst out laughing. "Nope! I'm down to one cup, and I still have to sip it slowly to make it last long enough to scroll through all the jokes and memes you collected for me every night."

"I agree! I was going to suggest that you disregard it! Otherwise, I'd have to reduce the number of memes I collect, and that'd be a shame."

Chuckling, I steered the skipper into the traffic lanes. It would be a shame indeed, especially since he took such joy in finding and sharing them.  He had even started a meme newsletter and had millions of subscribers.

Ahead, a massive shadow blocked the sunlight shining on the buildings, shuttles, and city. I glanced up as a Starship descended from orbit for a landing at the spaceport.

A smile graced my lips. Life was much more interesting and fulfilling now that I was living in the shadow of the Starships.