Nova Flare (slow updates)

Chapter 3: Beta Zane

Beta Zane: the fourth planet in a blue dwarf binary system hanging on the edge of Vorsact Hegemony space.  The Hegemony, a powerful mundane confederacy of several member species, used Beta Zane as both an outpost and a rim trading and supply station for hundreds of thousands of beings living out on the fringe of explored space, making it out of the way of the main trade routes through this sector of space yet busy enough to escape notice, a smuggler's haven.  And, according to Geft, where Ben would pass on the information he now smuggled inside his cerebral cortex to the Union contact there.

If he had been forced to use public transport to make it here, or even his own ship, the wiry human would've been hard pressed to do so without attracting at least a little notice.  Each time his name or face popped on a grid somewhere, to resupply or refuel, buy a ticket or purchase a meal at a vendor, he would've been visible to anybody looking for a human that survived the cleanse of the asteroid mining operation at Fenril Station.  Each moment of visibility increased the chances of being caught by the technomages who were, undoubtedly, looking for him.

As it turned out, however, it was Kahri's name and face being entered into databases between Bronwyn's home planet and Beta Zane, not his, making him much more difficult to spot.  And her cutter, fitted with the latest engineering and hyperspace drive models, was able to cover the intervening distance in half the time his much older ship would've taken, without needing to travel a main shipping route anywhere.  So they found themselves approaching the night side of the cloud-wreathed world with its green-tinged oceans and rocky continents eight days after leaving Bronwyn and Bartholemew, undetected.

Ben couldn't help the pleased grin that creased his lips as he dropped into his now-favorite sling hammock in the crew cabin, the cutter on its final approach with Kahri, as usual, at the controls.  He couldn't have planned it better himself.  'Drop dirtside, find the contact, download the data and off before any's the wiser.'  He mused with a nod.  'Money in the bank!'  He should've known it wouldn't be so easy.

"We've got a problem," Kahri said in a throaty hiss as an alarm began to flash on her instrument panel.  Several displays flickered to life, lighting her face with dancing hues as she peered into them with a frown.

"Sensors are picking up several technomage vessels in orbit around the planet.  Three of them are heavy battle cruisers."

"What?"  Ben sat bolt upright in the sling.  What the bloody hell were technomages doing here, of all places, out on the edge of explored space??  "Have they detected us?  Can we get past them to the planet surface?"

"No and probably."  Kahri's answer was typically curt.  She hadn't said two words more than she absolutely had to, for the entire journey.  Which, considering the promise she made to him about insulting her and not living to regret it, was just as well.  A sculpted eyebrow lifted in a gesture so subtle, Ben almost missed it.

"Then again, I don't think they're actually looking for this vessel.  All the technomages know is that somebody tried to escape from Fenril Station with their missing data and they destroyed it, along with every transport that left there.  As far as they're concerned, the data has been eliminated as a threat."

Ben frowned at the terse line of logic, practically a speech from the taciturn drowess.  It made sense.

"So, if they're not looking for us, why is it a problem they're in orbit?"

Kahri turned her purple eyes on him, their depths glimmering with the barely restrained fury and passion within.

"Because their sensors are good enough to detect me."

Ben opened his mouth to reiterate his question.  Only to close it with a click of teeth on teeth as he realized why it was such a problem.  Kahri was a creature made with magic.  Considering the technomages' considerable obsession with all things magical in their desire to reproduce them with technology, discovering her coming towards them would garner a great deal of attention from them.  One sensor sweep and they could find themselves being reeled in with a tractor beam, their mission, and quite possibly the known galaxy, in deathly jeopardy.  Yeah, that was a problem, all right.