Chapter 12

By the time they docked with the Massive, Ariva had changed out of the hospital gown and into dark blue pants, a long-sleeved lilac shirt, and plain black shoes.

She had checked on her wound; it was looking a lot better, but still hurt when she touched it. She'll just have to make sure she keeps it clean and covered.

She sat up as the cruiser parked inside a huge bay filled with similar cruisers.

Mico looked around. "The Tallest aren't back yet. Their personal ship parks there." He pointed at a raised pedestal, which currently had nothing on it. "But they'll be back soon. Let's move."

They headed for the entrance to the rest of the Massive. A guard was waiting, and Ariva started to get nervous, but Mico said, "He's on our side. He won't tell anyone you're here, not even the Tallest."

"Are you sure?"

"Completely. He hates them and would much rather see you in their place."

They striped at the door, and Mico handed over a card. The guard swiped it across a device he was holding, then handed it back. "Welcome back." Then he looked up at Ariva and smiled, nodding. "And welcome, Taller Ariva. I eagerly await the day when your height exceeds that of Red and Purple, and you can replace them."

"Thanks. I'll try not to get run over, assassinated, or shot until then," Ariva replied.

"We'll do everything we can to keep you safe," he promised, then let them through.

Mico led Ariva through discrete hallways, where they passed very few people.

"We're taking you to a technician who will temporarily disable the tracking device in your PAK. All of us have one, and someone with the right equipment can track down anyone using it. That's how the Tallest have known exactly where you are. But if we turn off the signal, you'll be untraceable. Hopefully, they'll think you ran off and died somewhere."

"Okay, do what you must. But can I call my friends?"

"Too risky. We'll make sure they're informed, but right now, it's too dangerous for you to call anyone."

Ariva didn't like that, but she understood his reasoning. "Okay."

After five minutes of walking, they entered a decent-sized room with banks of computers and other equipment. A group of about a dozen irkens in assorted uniforms came to meet them.

"Taller Ariva," a female with bright blue eyes said, shaking her hand. "It's such an honor to meet you."

"Oh, thanks." Ariva knelt down, making herself more level with the others as they each came to greet her. Many told her how much they couldn't wait to see her as the Tallest. She was even asked for a hug from one or two of them, which she gave.

Mico stood by and watched, nodding a little in approval. "She'll make a fine leader…"

Spotting someone standing near the back, Ariva stood up, trying to see him more clearly. Then she realized who he was. "Hey, you're my bodyguard. I saw you at the restaurant before I fainted."

He didn't look at her, instead sighing. "And I failed you. I had just been assigned to you that day, and I let that happen."

She walked over to him. "Hey, it's okay. What could you have done? It happened so quickly, and you can't really stop a laser…"

"I suppose. Still, I feel there was something I could have done…"

"It's in the past. And look, I'm okay now. So don't worry about it."

"As you wish, Taller Ariva."

She leaned down to hug him briefly, and then returned to Mico. "Okay, so where's this technician you told me about?"

"Right here," a female voice said. An irken of medium height, with red-violet eyes and long antennae, stepped forward. She held out her hand. "Jen, at your service."

Ariva shook her hand. "So… you're going to disable something in my PAK?"

"Yes. It shouldn't take long, and can be easily reversed. There will be no other effect. You'll simply become untraceable."

"All right, then. Let's get this over with."

"I'm going to head back to the bridge," Mico said. "The Tallest will be back any minute and I don't want to be absent."

"Good idea," another irken said. One by one, they all departed, until only Ariva, Jen, and the bodyguard remained.

He explained, "I'm a guard for the prison sector, but it's not my shift. So I'll stay here."

Ariva nodded, and Jen pulled over a stool. "Sit down."

She did, and Jen pulled on rubber gloves before picking up a few tools from a table, and then moved around behind her.

"This won't hurt, will it?" Ariva asked.

"No, but it may feel odd. Just stay calm. Can you open your PAK for me?"

Ariva ordered her PAK to open. With a click, the outer shell slid up, exposing the machinery inside.

"All right…" Jen used her gloved fingers to carefully sort through it. "You're a civilian, so your PAK is simpler than a soldier's. Basic legs… no universal translator or atmospheric processor. Of course, they can easily be installed. Hmm…"

Ariva could vaguely sense the movements of the other's fingers, as the circuits in her PAK sent electrical messages directly into the nerves of her back. But she didn't let it bother her. This was for her own good.

"Ah, found it." Jen used a thin metal tool to detach the wires from the chip. "Did that hurt?"

Ariva shook her head. "No, but it tingled a little."

"That's normal. Hold still, I'm almost done. There should be a switch here… ah, found it."

There was a click that she felt rather than heard.

"That should do it, you should no longer be putting out a traceable signal. But I'll check." Jen walked over to one of the computers. She already knew Ariva's ID, and entered it into a program after giving a complex password.

After several moments, a message appeared: Subject Not Found

Jen sighed in relief. "Well, it worked. If the Tallest try to find you, they'll get this message. They'll assume you're either thousands of light-years away, or dead, which is more likely."

"Now what?" Ariva asked, standing up and closing her PAK.

The bodyguard answered. "We have a place for you to stay, in some unused advisor's quarters. The Tallest have very few advisors, so there's plenty of room, and hardly anyone goes down that way. There are cameras inside, but we disabled them."

"So I can just stay in the room?"

"Yes, we'll have food and drinks brought to you, and we've already stocked it with clothes and toiletries."

Ariva wasn't too keen on being stuck in living quarters for an indefinite amount of time, but she was also not keen on being killed.

"All right, I guess that's okay… do you think you could find a way to bring me my books and laptop from home?"

"We'll do what we can. Follow me, please." He led the way out.

Ariva called a thank you to Jen before following.

Noticing cameras every so often, Ariva said, "Is anyone watching through those?"

"Those cameras? Nah. Not much happens down this hallway, they very rarely tune in to these cameras. They mostly watch the bridge, the halls that lead to the Tallest's quarters, the many docking and loading bays, and the prison sector."

"Okay. Because I don't want to be seen and reported to the Tallest."

"Trust me, you're safe." After a few minutes of walking, he asked, "How's your chest?"

"Hmm? Oh." Ariva glanced down, though the patch was covered by her shirt. There was an ache earlier, but she was used to it by now. "It's healing. It hurts to take deep breaths, but other than that, I'm fine."

"We'll have a medic check on you every so often. Would you like someone to bring you painkiller?"

"Yes, I might need it."

"We'll have it brought to you with your dinner in a few hours."

"Sounds good."

They stopped outside a door that looked no different from the others in the hallway. The bodyguard opened the door and let her in. "Well, this is the living room. Small, but there's a couch and TV. No kitchen, all crew members eat in the cafeteria, but like I said, we'll bring you food. There's a bathroom over there, with a shower. You can put clothes down this chute and they'll be cleaned and returned to this cabinet." He gestured. "They don't check to make sure the rooms are official inhabited, they just do their job." He pointed to a door. "And over there is the bedroom. The bed's made and the dresser has clothes. There's a desk, which you can use if we manage to obtain your laptop. And… that's about it."

"All right." Ariva went to sit down on the couch.

The male started to go, and then paused, putting on his communications headset. "Yes?" He listened for several moments. "Ah, very well. I'll tell her." He put it away. "Your friends have been notified of your location. They're worried but have promised not to contact you until it's safe, the Tallest have already tried to get information out of them, but they kept quiet. They're all okay and wish you well."

She nodded. "Okay. Thanks."

"I must go. See you, Taller Ariva."

"See you."

He left, closing the door behind him, and Ariva flopped back on the couch. She knew it was for her own good, but she just knew she was going to be very bored here…