The Space Spoon novel Chapter 7

Kalden Deltak’s shiny head leaned over technician Trong Kell's desk. The captain circled his fingers in the air above a tiny device. “Oh, what does this do?” Kalden’s fingers went straight for an even tinier red button in which all the circuits converged.

At the last second, the technician grabbed his wrist. His index finger was grazing the top of the button. “Captain, that is the self-destruct button. It will blow us to bits, and it will take half of the ship with us too.”

“Aha, so this is a bomb!” Tejeda grinned as if he was the smartest being in the universe. “Why do we have this here?”

Trong Kell moved his glare toward Shayla, who was standing a bit further away near the door. Following his gaze, Tejeda understood its meaning. “Don’t worry, Kell. Shayla is on board with everything. Now, answer my question.”

“Well,” the technician mumbled, “it's one of the bombs you have requested for the Omega mission.”

Kalden Deltak smiled, his amber eyes beamed. “Go on! I need to know that you remember all the facts correctly.”

“Yes, sir. The Omega mission is to infiltrate the starbase O11 in the Black Directorate’s territory. The team will put these devices in strategic points for maximum damage. After the extraction of our team, the starbase O11 will explode, and the total casualties will go beyond millions.”

Shayla stepped forward, her face a mask of hatred. “Reason?”

After gulping, Trong Kell started with passion. “Slaves who don’t fight for their freedom don’t deserve to live. Their enslavers even less. This is the motto of the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom. Starbase O11 is the main hub for the Black Directorate, the most ruthless slave traders in the galaxy.”

The real Kalden’s plan was brought to light. He was keeping it from Shayla since he knew she wouldn't consent to it. Tejeda could read everything on her face. The feeling of betrayal was obvious, and a sickly pallor was now on her cheeks.

Kalden Deltak’s lips widened in a warm smile that creeped out the technician. It wasn’t working at all with that face. The captain’s hand slapped Trong Kell on the shoulder. “Well done! You know more than I thought. Keep it up! In the meantime, dispose of the bombs. Tsk! Let’s keep one just in case we may need it. Oh, and the Omega mission is canceled. I will announce it later.”

The captain turned towards the shelves crammed with all of Kell’s inventions. “I need something to trade at the meeting with the Alpha Pirates and the Universal Consensus. They won’t let me in if I don’t bring something worthwhile. What is this?”

The technician's eyes shone, and even the pimples on his chin shined. “That is one of my best inventions. It is a memory zapper. Simply click the button and speak a few calming words to replace a memory with something else. I got the idea when I accidentally bumped into Harland King and spilled his vials all over him. I reasoned that if I had this, I could wipe his memory and replace it with the picture of someone else colliding with him. But I didn’t manage to make that part work, the memory insertion. And the memory-erasing part works after a few tries, hmmm, more like a thousand.”

“I get it,” said Kalden Deltak. “You would need to tie him up and make him stare at this for several hours. Any kind of hypnosis would work. Some punches in the head would work faster.”