Gadget

Tobitha Morris closed her eyes and checked on her cargo. All cryo units were online and functioning at full capacity. Her ship had a belly full of escaped convicts and it was in her personal interest to make sure they stayed calm and unconscious in the belly of the ship.

The wires and wireless connections that kept her in control of the
Dark Fairy
were integrated into her body, and it was times like this that she enjoyed the plugs and wires supplementing her neural systems. She was in the most secure part of her ship, she could sense a germ with the sniffles on any deck with the scanning units she had onboard.

In her command deck, she had her favourite music playing. Despite six years in space and her exposure to dozens of other species, it was the sounds of home that relaxed her on long voyages, though she supposed music styles back on Earth had changed by now.

The feeling of looking inside herself and outside at surrounding space had taken some getting used to, but now that she embraced her life as a Guardian Transport Specialist, it was just another new sensation that she had adapted to.

“This is the
Dark Fairy
Guardian Transport with the escaped prisoners. Requesting aid with transfer.” Speaking through her thoughts and having it turn into an audio broadcast was one of the freakiest side effects of her newest implants.

“We are ready and security has been increased to assist in your arrival. Do you want to dead drop or have us extract them?”

Toby had no interest in landing her ship in the prison. “I will do a dead drop. They are all in stasis, but the moment they disconnect, the waking process will commence.”

“We understand and are ready to decant your cargo.”

Toby watched as the drop coordinates ran across her screen. She overlaid a projected grid on it and doubled checked against existing specs. She cut the audio feed. “Damn.”

It looked like the prisoners were still running the facility. The drop zone was in an unsecured area and retrieving the drop box would allow some of the more slight species to hitchhike back onto the next vessel.

“I have changed my mind. I am coming in. Be prepared to meet me at the dock.”

She heard a spluttering on the other end of the com, and she grimaced as she loaded up her bio-weapons via the ship’s chargers. Toby didn’t like to use her built-ins—they made her skin feel too tight—but it was the best way to deal with the situation when her own body wasn’t up to the challenge.

She called in the situation to Guardian control at the Nyal Imperium and began the slow descent to the prison world where the situation was unknown, and it wasn’t going to get better.

She kept herself calm as she hooked into the prison systems and looked for the life signs of the guards. She found eight of them in one cluster near her landing site and forty of them in a distant area of the prison. If she freed the eight, they would be able to regain control of the rest of the facility.

Eight was doable. She could rescue eight.

She settled the
Dark Fairy
down gently and moved into position, attaching her ship to the lock plates. Toby detached from her ship and grabbed the pack of breathers. The eight were going to need them.

Her dark suit was armoured and lined to keep her alive, but it was also quite stylish. As she made her way through her ship, she thanked the designer who had crafted it as part and parcel of her transformation.

There was nothing like facing battle properly attired. It made a girl feel like she could take on the world, or at least a penal colony.

Toby stood in front of her cargo hatch and switched her breathing over to minimal oxygen. It was show time.

The door hissed open, and she stepped down the loading plank and toward the approaching men in ill-fitting uniforms. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. The cryo tanks are off and to the left, I will leave you to bring them in one at a time.”

Toby smiled brightly and the man who seemed to be leading the charge scowled. “Why did you land the craft?”

“I am not heading back to a repair depot in the next few days and my release clamps are not quite up to a smooth drop.” She shrugged helplessly and smiled, giving him her best girly look.

His eyes narrowed at her, but he gave her a slight smile.

Toby moved past him.

“You aren’t helping us unload?”

“Oh, no. I am merely transport. It is your job to pack and unpack.”

The men in the hall who hadn’t entered her ship drew closer. When they were close enough, she released the cryo gas from the interior of the ship, and on her inner monitor, she watched the bodies drop within her ship as the gas cascaded out, propelled by her interior fans.

The man across from her took a step toward her before the gas struck him, and he dropped to the ground at her feet in a heap of tangled limbs.

His men shouted and ran for the ship, which was the worst thing they could have done. When they were all done and the gas had formed a solid cloud in front of her, she sought out the guard life signs that were still glowing on her inner monitor.

If anyone had told her that she would have her own walking Wi-Fi, she would have called them insane, but the
Dark Fairy
was part of her now. She was part of its systems, and it was part of hers.

The guards were shackled to the walls, so she slid breathers onto them before she undid their restraints with short blasts from her left knuckles. A sonic thunder punch was her favourite weapon, but it also made for an excellent tool. She was delighted with the use that she had gotten from it over the last year and a half of travelling around the Nyal Imperium.

She reset her right fist to a mild stun and zapped the guards to bring them around. The men jerked and stared at her with wide eyes, but she winked at them until they were all up and mobile. “Good afternoon, gentlemen. I am Guardian Transport Specialist Morris. I have your missing prisoners, and the others who tried to free them are out cold in the hall.”

The warden, based on his rank marks, asked. “What is in the air?”

“Oh, cryo-tank sedative. I always carry extra. It’s only sensible.” She winked at them. “What kind of help do you need to regain control of the facility?”

He straightened. “The gas is quite enough. If we can get to the control room, it will all come around within the hour.”

“Let’s get to the control room then. I have a hair appointment three systems away, and I would hate to be late.”

They trooped out into the hall, and the blue-white mist curled and twisted its way ahead of them. For safety, Toby turned up her stun punch and kept herself at the ready.

They recovered control of the facility and locked everyone in their current positions while releasing the held staff into the halls.

Toby leaned back, and when she got the signal from the warden, she cut off the gas so the forty men on the other side of the blast door could come through and stay upright.

Each face she saw was matched with a name in a file, so it was with relief that her ship was finally unloaded, and she was free to go on her way.

She ran four scans of her ship before she nodded to the warden. “I really hope that they are all gone.”

He frowned. “I am sure that you could manage a single prisoner.”

“Oh, I am about to do an acid wash. This isn’t a bus or a city transport. If they are on board, they are about to die.”

He quickly did a confirmation call on his men. They all confirmed their locations, and he sighed in relief.

With a quick nod, she sent a broadcast out to the interior of her ship, warning any intruders of the upcoming wash, and when there was no reply, she sealed the ship and started the heavy scrub cycle.

None of the cyber systems were accessible if you didn’t have a welding unit, so she ran the bio-toxic acid through the ship while she waited. The cycle took five minutes before the rinse neutralized it.

She dusted imaginary specks of dirt off her suit while she waited, and when the door opened, she saluted the warden before she turned and entered the
Dark Fairy.

Inside her ship, her home, her body, she smiled brightly and headed for the bridge. It was time to hook back in and take off. She had a hair appointment to keep.

She leaned back and squinted at the elaborate braids that had been wrapped and tied up on her head. “I think there has been a mistake.”

Exile sat up and laughed. “I got yours and you got mine.”

Exile’s normally purple and black hair was in a sober dark brown and brushed back into Gadget’s usual braid.

Meeting her Guardian friend for the occasional makeover day was a treat, but treats rarely resulted in towers of hair that ended in long, cascading tails.

Toby grimaced at the solid mass of hair. “I only have one question for you, Exile.”

Her friend was playing with her single braid. “What is that, Gadget?”

“Why the hell is this your normal hairstyle?” Toby snorted.

Exile laughed, and the attendant returned to their room. She looked from one to the other and paled. “I am so sorry. We will correct this problem immediately.”

Exile’s wrist pinged. “Well, I am summoned. If you want to get it chipped off, you are welcome to it. It was good seeing you, Gadget.”

“Have fun, Exile. Don’t freak anyone out too badly.”

“Where would the fun be then?” Exile swanned out with a bright wave, her peach skin glowing brightly as she sashayed through the salon.

Gadget sighed and shook her head, feeling the heavy weight of the style as she swung the tails. Her own alarm pinged, and she groaned. “I will have to fix my hair another day. I have a call.”

The attendant looked surprised. “You are a Guardian as well?”

Gadget sighed, “No. I am merely a transporter. I will settle the bill.”

A few minutes later, she walked the streets of Hakatha VI and headed off to the shuttle port. She had had her time off and now work called. Just once in a while, she wished that work would lose her number.

“We need a Guardian moved to Jennila, and Shatter will be on escort duty for a diplomat. Take him with you.”

Gadget frowned at her dispatcher. “You have to be kidding.”

“Nope. You are going to be playing host to people, so lay in supplies on Jennila and have fun.”

Gadget growled. “Where are we going?”

“The diplomat will tell you. It is highly classified. So, pick up Scarlet Light and get your ass to Jennila. You have your assignment, Transport Specialist Gadget.”

Gadget scowled at her dispatcher again. “I have told you before—”

Nitza laughed. “I know, but every time I check, your name has been changed from Morris to Gadget. It must be one of your partner’s at work.”

“Fine. I will see if I can find out who precisely is hacking your system.”

“It would be most appreciated. It makes me look bad to have a leak in my computer system.”

Gadget grinned. “You can weather it, Your Highness.”

“Shh! That is our secret.” Princess Nitza Amouretti Garrz looked from side to side and pressed her finger to her lips.

“Yes, dispatcher. Anything you say, dispatcher.”

Nitza laughed and waved her off. “Jennila has been sent the supply order, so you are good to go, now go!”

Grinning, Toby disconnected her call and settled her arms on her throne to have the ship jack into her. It was time to go to work.

After two days of travelling with the chatterbox known as Scarlet Light, Gadget was more than ready to change from taxi to limousine.

She settled her ship at the port of Jennila near the city of Feural. When she opened the door and saw Lera, a grin crossed her features.

Frisk stared at her. “What the hell happened to your head?”

Gadget chuckled. “It was an accident, but I am thinking of making it my signature. It might scare some of my clients into behaving.”

“Don’t you normally transport prisoners?”

“Exactly.” She giggled.

Toby hugged Lera tight. It was so good to see another Terran in this empty sector of space.

Scarlet Light cleared her throat.

Frisk stepped back and smiled. “Welcome to Jennila, Scarlet Light. I am Frisk, Guardian Liaison.”

Scarlet Light inclined her head. “I am pleased to meet you. Where is the rest of my team?”

Frisk jerked her thumb over her shoulder.

The Guardian moved forward and smiled, “I have looked forward to meeting Lance.”

Frisk grinned and winked at Gadget. “She can meet him, but he isn’t going to be receptive. He spends all of his spare time with me.”

Gadget grinned. Two months ago, she had visited Jennila to retrieve another batch of escaped convicts. Frisk had been a Peacekeeper at the time. Apparently, things had changed. “Married?”

“What passes for it. I didn’t have to wear a big white dress, but the registry is official. I am the wife of a Guardian. Now, as to your passenger…” She looked around. “I have some things to tell you.”

“What?” Gadget moved aside as Frisk whispered to her.

A shadow parted from the small group of Guardians. “Now, Frisk, what are you telling the dear transporter?”

Frisk frowned. “Something she needs to know, Shatter. I am not going to have you surprising her with the information the moment that you are alone. She is going to know before you get on that ship with her.”

“Now, my dear kinswoman, please allow me to inform her.” Shatter smiled and inclined his dark head with its midnight skin and the slide of his silky back hair. The slightly paler mask of pigment around his eyes gave him an intense and mysterious look.

“No, Shatter. She needs to know from one of her own kind. That is me.”

He frowned. “Give her the basics. I will show her the images.”

Frisk grinned and tugged Gadget back into her ship. “All right. Here is the gist of it. Charm’s wife is another Terran. She is a seer and an artist. She paints answers to questions that her clients ask.”

“Nice talent. How do you know it works?”

“She has been trying to set up the other Terrans in Nyal space or at least show them their destinies. For me, I asked the question of who is the ideal mate for me. She painted me with Lance. For him, well, he asked for his perfect lover and the images of he and I in intimate poses were brought to us recently. Shatter asked the same first question, and you were the answer.”

Gadget blinked and looked over Frisk’s shoulder at Shatter. His glowing golden gaze was fixed on her. As she stared, he smiled, his teeth sharp and white. It was the smile of a predator that knew its prey had nowhere to go.

“You have to be kidding.” Her voice was a low whisper. “I am locked to my ship.”

Frisk whispered, “He knows it. He knows all about you. Your files are his evening reading. I just wanted you to know it.”

“Thanks, but how often is Charm’s wife wrong?”

Frisk smiled, “I don’t know of any instances of her being wrong. It may take months, years or days for her paintings to come true, but they always do.”

Gadget felt a peculiar sensation. If she didn’t know better, she would guess it was a cross between arousal and attraction. Being desired was heady stuff. “So, we are meant to be together.”

Frisk nodded. “Yup. In the portrait, I saw you had your thighs wrapped around him.”

“Oh. What was I wearing?”

“The suit you have on, but your hair was dark brown and down, the way it was when I first met you.” Frisk whispered it in low tones.

“Okay, so I will have to make an appointment at the groomers before that particular image becomes reality. At least I have time. Do you know which diplomat I will be transporting?”

“One of the Nyal royal family. Prince Naroz. You know, they have dozens of princes, but he is well thought of as a decent man and better diplomat. You are being upgraded from transport to mobile embassy.”

Gadget rubbed at the back of her neck. “Wow, the
Dark Fairy
suddenly got all fancy without me doing a thing.”

Frisk smiled. “It is an elegant ship. Are you fully wired to it?”

“I am. The Nyal will do a full cyborg setup while the Alliance won’t. It wasn’t too big a decision when my body had never been mine to use before I got here.”

“Did you want to go for that caf?” Frisk smiled. “We can let the Guardians get acquainted.”

Gadget grinned. “I would love to. Is there a place nearby?”

“There is. Come on.”

Shatter was standing next to the ramp, and he blinked as Gadget passed him. “Where are you going?”

“The last time I was here, Frisk offered to take me for caf. I am just obliging her.”

“She will be back, Shatter. Don’t worry. We just need some Terran girl time.”

An hour later, they were sitting at an outdoor café in Feural, and Frisk asked, “What kind of genetic disorder was it?”

Gadget flexed her fingers. “Okay, it was misleading to call it genetic. I suffered from dystonia. I would try to move my hand and my foot would jerk, or try to write and my arm would shoot out. All of my wiring was crossed.”

“You were fixed when you came out here?”

“Of course. The Nyal were willing to go along with all changes that I requested and even suggested a few extras that had never occurred to me. I am a fully functioning cyborg with defense and attack capabilities.”

Frisk sipped at her caf. “Isn’t it amazing that out here we can say things that would have sounded insane back on earth?”

Gadget laughed. “I think that every time I link with my ship and prepare for a mission. It is all so surreal, but then, so is having my body obey my commands.”

“Are you happy?” It was a direct question, and Frisk looked very sincere.

“I am happy. I like my life, but then, it is so different from life with braces, crutches and whatever else they thought to strap me into, I can’t help but enjoy it. Out here, I get to
live
, but back home, I just existed. My parents supported me, but they couldn’t afford everything I needed to make my life resemble normal. I was glad to leave and take the burden from them, I just wish they could see me now.”

She was wistful. Every time she clenched her fist without her hand jerking, she wanted to tell her parents. Each effortless stand or walk that she took, she wanted to tell her parents. It was lonely out here, but she had friends. Four other ladies from earth who had similar stories to her own were each wired to their transports in a symbiotic relationship. They even had a clubhouse at a tiny space station out in the far reaches of space where their ships were repaired and their own maintenance was carried out. Having circuitry inside living tissue made for regularly scheduled check-ups.

Frisk nodded. “I know that feeling. I wanted to introduce Lance to my parents but that is impossible. I never minded the contract until this one thing came up.”

“The one thing being the love of your life?”

“Yup.” Frisk sighed and stretched. “Well, they are probably going insane by now, so we should get back to them. The prince is patient but only to a point.”

Regretfully, Gadget got to her feet. It was time to return to her ship and her life among the stars. The odd thing in this case was that she would not be going alone.

She wasn’t sure how she felt about that, but she had time to work out her feelings. Space travel was rarely quick.