Starship For Rent 2 by M.R. Forbes

Author:M.R. Forbes [Forbes, M.R.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-03-25T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

Twelve hours had passed since Matt and I met with Princess Goloran. After retrieving Tyler and Alyssa from the tavern and paying our two new engineers, we returned to the motel while Tarvik and Lantz diverted to pick up what they called a few supplies. Within an hour, a robo-carriage pulled into the alley behind the old motel, and the two men set about unloading an astronomical load of equipment that Tee, Matt and I humped into Matt and Tee’s room for them to hook up. When we were done, a tangle of cables snaked across the room’s stained carpet to a custom-built router patched into the single data port.

Lantz hunched over what looked like an ancient terminal, eyes glued to lines of incomprehensible code scrolling past. His focus excluded everything else, fingers dancing nimbly across the keyboard, seemingly of their own volition. He’d claimed that while the board inside the machine was slow compared to modern kit, it predated some networking standard I didn’t really understand and, as a result, would be much less likely to trip alarms across Zariv’s firewalls. I was sure it would be more difficult to tie the computer back to Lantz if things went sideways.

Tarvik leaned against the wall near the foot of the bed, studying something on a separate tablet and occasionally tapping out notes while munching on a bag of chips. I’d had a handful of them and thought they tasted like salty spinach. Four empty takeout containers and multiple drained boxes of snacks and drinks littered the table where the engineers had eaten dinner, evidence of the long hours already invested.

The rest of us lounged tensely around the room's periphery, trying not to distract the programmers. Hzzt paced with his spindly arms crossed.

"This is taking too long!" he fretted. "We should leave before trouble finds us."

"Chill out!” Tyler said from his spot in the corner armchair. “You’re making me nervous just watching you pace like that."

Hzzt speared him with a glare. "Perhaps that means you should listen! I warned you this scheme was risky!”

"Hzzt, maybe you should take your ten thousand steps outside,” Matt suggested from his seat at the foot of my bed. “Let's try to keep tensions low so these guys can concentrate. We don't want to disrupt their focus."

Hzzt made a soft chittering noise before settling on the bed. Silence but for the engineers’ rapid-fire typing again claimed the cramped room. Lantz hadn't spoken a word in over an hour, his features set with fierce determination. His intensity almost made me believe we had a chance.

Almost.

My gut still insisted we were doomed to fail spectacularly. What chance did a couple of washed-up boozers have against Zariv? The man’s network was likely defended by impossibly complex encryptions and intelligent counter-intrusion measures, all managed by undoubtedly high-end AI.

I shifted restlessly where I sat, leaning against the headboard of Tee’s bed. The Aleal poked its head from my pocket, tendrils questing. I shook my head faintly. Nothing to report. It drooped before withdrawing.

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