Hunter No More

Chapter Eight

The cable in the back of Keith's neck retracted into the chair and he sat up. Roger was standing idly beside him, his elbow leaning upon the armrest.

"What are you doing?" Keith asked.

Roger turned around. "You're back."

Keith knocked Roger's arm away.

"Hey!"

"Don't invade my space," Keith said, raising a finger.

Roger grimaced, and rubbed his arm. "Why did I agree to come again?"

"Hmmm."

"All right, all right," Roger said. "Did you and Josella sort everything out?"

"We have a viable plan," Keith declared.

"Viable is not the word I would use," Josella added via the intercom.

Keith raised his head. "Thank you, Josella."

"Enough," Roger cut in. "How do we beat them?"

Keith focussed on the white icon moving towards the third planet in the display. It was getting dangerously close.

"We need to make the Hunter deal with us until the Ochre are ready."

Roger shrugged. "Sounds simple enough."

"It isn't," Keith said. "The Hunter is not only faster than we are; it has full power and superior weapons systems. If they chase us, they will catch us."

Roger stroked his beard. "And shoot us down."

"No," Keith said. "At most they will incapacitate us and then send a boarding party. They will want to examine our systems, learn what they can, and only then will they destroy us."

Roger frowned. "And you know this how?"

"They are too young to think independently. They will follow protocol. To simply destroy us out of hand will preclude them learning how and why the mission was not completed. They will want to know, if only to avoid the same fate. They might even believe the Ochre are responsible."

"And me?" Roger asked. "Why do you need me?"

"The Hunter will only be expecting Josella and I to be onboard. We are going to hide you until we need you."

"What?"

"There is one catch," Keith said.

"Sounds like there's more than one."

"Neither Josella or I will know you're onboard either."

Roger raised his hands. "I'm not getting this."

"First of all the Hunter will examine our memories remotely and then they will send a biotech construct onboard to examine our hardware. You will wipe our memories of the last fifteen years. It should knock them off balance, because as far as they are concerned, we are innocent of any transgression."

Keith registered the confusion on Roger's face. "When the time is right you will restore our memories and we will escape, leaving the Hunter to face the Ochre weapon."

Roger opened his mouth wide. "That's your plan?"

"Yes," Keith said. "It's rather ingenious I think."

Roger laughed. "Oh, you've been around humans too long."

"That is what I keep telling him," Josella said.

"It's the maddest thing I've ever heard."

"It has the advantage of being unlikely." Keith said. "Will you do your part?"