The Deal by J. N. Chaney

Author:J. N. Chaney [Chaney, J. N.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B08FWKND4Q
Goodreads: 55358922
Publisher: Variant Publications
Published: 2020-10-05T23:00:00+00:00

17

The windows on the side of the cockpit darkened as I took the Renegade Star into the atmosphere above Scartros. The holo displayed the dark expanse of nothing around me, the black interrupted here and there with the dots of distant stars.

I eased the Star into orbit, since we didn't need to go far. We still had to pick up the Carson kids, and perhaps I was being paranoid by keeping my connection to them a secret. After all, there was no telling if Fratley already knew and I wouldn’t be surprised if he had figured out Colt Lockwood was on my tail.

In the end, it was better to play it safe. Even if I was being paranoid, it’d be worth it if it kept me alive. The goal was simple: bide my time and let Fratley think I’d wandered off to my next job while I waited in orbit. Even though we had damn near a half day of waiting to do, I had the perfect thing to keep me busy while I waited.

“Let's test out our new toy, Siggy,” I said, rubbing my hands together as I scanned the dash in front of me. “How do we turn the cloak on?”

“The new cloaking device has already been integrated with my systems,” said Sigmond. “I can activate our cloak at any moment. Just give the word.”

“That easy, huh?” I asked, frowning a little at the idea of a stranger messing with the brain of my ship. “Are you sure they didn’t access anything they weren’t supposed to see?”

“I carefully monitored the entirety of Mr. Oxanos’s installation process, and everything was done correctly,” assured the AI. “There are currently no issues or errors detected, and I have several failsafe procedures in place should anyone attempt to hack me or my control over the ship. I can assure you all is well, Captain.”

“Alright, then,” I muttered, unable to bite back my grin any longer. “Activate the cloak.”

“Activating,” replied Sigmond.

I leaned forward, near breathless with anticipation. I’d waited years for this. To fly unseen through the black, disappear on a moment’s notice, and have the leg up after so many years of near-misses.

A Renegade with a cloak was a man who had the keys to ultimate freedom.

And now it was mine.

I waited for an alarm. For a disturbance on the holo. For some massive shift in the cockpit’s energy as the cloak took effect.

Nothing happened.

A small indicator popped up on the holo, but aside from that, nothing changed. I frowned, still not entirely sure I understood what was supposed to happen.

“Did it work?” I asked after a moment of silence.

“It did, sir,” said Sigmond.

I squinted at the relatively unchanged holo and looked again out the side window to my left. It looked the same as it had moments before. “You sure about that?”

“Positive, Captain,” promised the AI. “We are currently cloaked and almost entirely undetectable.”

“Okay,” I said hesitantly. “You said nearly undetectable, which raises flags for me. In what situations can someone

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