The Space Spoon novel Chapter 89

"We’re heading for RK10." Tejeda spun around in his chair, but his demeanor was different than usual. As he sank deeper and deeper into the twirling seat, his chin rested on his knuckles. "This is not an authorized mission. The planet is beyond the Interplanetary Police’s territory, and if things go wrong, I might get more than a discharge from the force."

He stopped spinning for a while, looking at everyone’s faces. The entire crew came to the meeting room right after he had ordered an emergency meeting.

Going after Rahul like this was the point of no return in Tejeda's career, maybe even in his life. Choosing whether or not to bring his team into this was more difficult than he had anticipated. It would have been best if he had given them a choice.

“Since when do you concern yourself about your job so much? Do you really think any of us cares about those funny guys in blue suits?” Hanga toyed with one of his droids in a corner. “Any of you who joined this ship to work for the police raise your hands.”

No one moved; no fingers sprang up into the air.

"I think that solves everything." Shayla reclined back in her regular stance, arms folded over her chest. "Tell us what this is all about now. At the very least, we deserve it."

“Okay, okay.” Tejeda sighed. “I was just trying to give you guys a way out. Any of you can drop out now without any repercussions.”

“I don’t care about repercussions as long as I’ll take revenge on the system that killed my brethren.” Cato’s fists clenched over the table. “From the inside or from the outside, as long as you’ll help me someday, I’m with you.”

“I’m not going anywhere either.” C1313’s voice sounded as calm as ever. “I want to see more moons.”

“Ok, say no more.” Tejeda rose from his chair and paced the room, scratching his head. “I’m going after Rahul, another Nubilae who kept meddling into our affairs for quite some time now. Hanga met him when he came asking for bits of Carmen in exchange for the equation and rare material needed for the self-sufficient repair droids.”

Hanga raised his head, starting to follow Tejeda’s speech more carefully.

“Rahul was the one who taught the Spreahs how to build a trap for me. We share the same weaknesses, so he knows how to mess with me. Then, he broke inside Jackeye’s World and scrambled with his stuff there.”

“What?” Jackeye yelled, his voice echoing throughout the room. “That son of a bitch almost killed me inside my own safe place. Where is he? Is there some clue that can help us track him down?”

“He was also the one who gave info about Shayla and started her hunt. Now he was on Genoria Prime, but he escaped. We’re following him to RK10.”

"I don’t know how to stress enough the fact that Rahul being on RK10 isn’t a certainty." E00’s voice came through the speakers. "The planet was on his trajectory vector when he departed Genoria Prime, but he could have changed directions at any time after entering the quantum string."

“Yeah, yeah, I know that. Let’s focus on the problem at hand.” Tejeda slumped into his chair again. “On RK10, we have no authority. I can’t flash my credentials since they don’t obey the rules of our sector. Also, it’s a planet considered a safe haven for technological oddities and non-biological lifeforms.”

“Do you have any plans on how to approach this issue?” Shayla asked.

“Why me?” Jackeye frowned. “You know damn well that I’m no good out in the field. I haven’t signed up for this.”

“True, but are you truly willing to let C1313 go there unescorted? I thought you were a gentleman.” Seeing how Jackeye’s cheeks started to blush, Tejeda pressed the matters forward. “Besides, no one else can go there with her. You are the proud owner of an augmented pair of golden eyes. And if you can tap into a console there, even better.” Tejeda winked. “So, what do you say?”

To relieve the pressure on the poor cornered Jackeye, Shayla intervened. “You need us for this plan to work, Tejeda. So, the whole thing with ‘Now is your chance to drop out’ was just a ruse to reconfirm our allegiances.”

“Heh, maybe. Who knows? I’ve already forgotten what I said at the beginning of the meeting. You have such a good memory, Shayla!”

She glared at her captain underneath a mockingly raised eyebrow.

Jackeye took a deep breath. He didn't like the idea of going on an unknown planet. But he couldn’t deny that Tejeda had a point: he couldn't let C1313 go alone.

“Ahhh, I know I’ll regret this, but I’m in,” Jackeye burst out. “What now?”

"Great!" Tejeda clapped his hands together. His idiotic sneer reappeared on his face. "Let's talk about how you and C1313 will have a memorable date night!"