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I slide in, only for a squeak to leave my lips when the seat starts moving all around me. The guy the Commander was talking to turns around when he hears me. “ Everyone’s did that at first; it will stop when you quit squirming.”

Making myself sit still, it does just as he said. “ Thanks . I’m Lacie and this is Briar .”

“ I’m Ricky . Hey , I’m not trying to be pushy or anything, but when we touch down, no matter how safe you feel, don’t wander off. Make sure you stay in sight of the shuttle the entire time. We have no idea what we’re heading into.”

“ Thanks for the advice. Things have been so crazy, and I’ve been spacing out a lot lately, so I could see me walking off into the horizon.”

We seem to sit there for a bit longer than I expected, and just as I’m getting ready to ask what we’re waiting for, the Commander comes up the ramp. Hitting a button on the wall, he closes it quietly behind him as he walks past us toward the front.

“ Sorry for the delay. This trip will happen in three parts, and I will notify you so that you are prepared at each interval. Please remain seated until we clear the Destroyer , then you are welcome to get up and move around if you want. Also , there is a refreshing chamber in the rear of the ship for your convenience.”

I can see there are several seats in the front of the ship, but he doesn’t take any of them.

He simply braces himself with one hand against the wall and I can see from the front windshield that we are slowly moving toward the blackness in front of us.

Without thinking I blurt out, “ Who the hell is driving?”

His smile takes my breath, and I almost miss his words. “ Let me introduce you all to SCOUT . He will be our pilot for this trip.”

If the magic seat hadn’t been holding me down, I believe I would’ve been hiding behind it and screaming. Because out of thin air, a huge ass guy simply appears in front of us. I’ve watched tons of military shows with Papaw , and still, this guy makes all the bad boys of Earth look like wimps.

His helmet retracts, and I’m shocked to see such a human face attached to all those muscles. He maneuvers his considerable mass easily into the oversized chair in the front and I have to make myself release the death hold I have on the chair arm. I glance over at Briar , and she mouths, “ Wow !”

I don’t know if I should be impressed or terrified. The Commander has a smirk on his face when I glance up at him. The asswipe knew how we were going to react, ugghhh.

“ Everyone , brace for takeoff.”

Those words surround us, and before I can blink, I find myself pinned to the seat. Turning my head, I attempt to look out the small window next to me, only to close my eyes as things streak by so quickly that my stomach lurches. I have to concentrate to hear the words the new guy is saying.

“ We will be traveling at this speed for a few more tics, then I will navigate us into hyperdrive. This will allow us to arrive at our destination in half the time, and without others noticing the bulk of the Destroyer near the area we are trying to keep secret as long as possible. Once we are stable, your seats will release, and you can move around. There is a much larger viewing area in the back of the shuttle if you would like to see the surrounding planets.”

Briar reaches over, grabbing my hand tightly in hers, “ God , remind me again why I’m in this tin can?”

“ You wouldn’t let me come by myself.” I can’t help but laugh when she sticks her tongue out at me.

The Commander’s voice slides over my skin, and I actually shiver; Lord that man’s voice. “ You are going to feel a jerk, then the ship will level off.”

Even though I try to focus on everything else in the room, my eyes keep returning to him.

Who would have thought the color gray could look anything but sickly on a guy?

Something moving on his chest prompts me to nudge Briar , and he simply raises an eyebrow when he notices both of us staring at him.

But I’ve never seen a person’s skin—or maybe it’s a tattoo—move like that.

The ship seems to level off, and Briar releases the death grip she had on my hand.

“ We are now in hyperdrive and will be for a few tics, so if you want to get up and explore, you are welcome. There is also a free chair in the captain’s area that you are welcome to use as well.

I will be in my private quarters until the next phase of our journey.

If you have any needs, SCOUT will be glad to assist.”

The Commander walks past us, and I turn my head to watch. Briar nudges me, a playful smile on her face. “ Would you stop drooling over that man!”

“ I can’t help myself, because I seem to have zero control over my senses when he’s around. How is anyone or anything that damn perfect? I’m not sure I’ll ever look at a guy the same way again. I think he’s ruined me for all others.”

“ Well , heads up, here comes your stalker.”

Briar slides out of her chair and just as I’m getting up, a large hand reaches out toward me. “ Here , let me help you out of that crowded space.”

“ Oh , hi Eric . I didn’t see you come on board.”

“ I was sitting toward the front and you were talking to Briar when I slipped in.”

The moment I’m out of my seat, I maneuver my hand out of his. Briar is still giving him a death glare, and once again, I wonder what she’s seen or what he’s done to make her dislike him so.

“ You headed to the back?”

“ Nahh , I think I’ll head up front actually, but we may make it back there in a little bit.” He smiles, but I can tell it’s forced. Walking around him, I grab Briar’s arm, and we make our way to the front of the ship. Looking over at the guy driving this rig, “ Is it ok if we share this seat?”

“ I have no issues.”

“ I’m Lacie and this is Briar . How did you just pop in like that? Do you have like a transporter or some other device that simply moves bodies from one place to another?”

Briar leans forward as if she’s trying to see through the windshield, which reveals nothing but darkness surrounding us. The moment she touches the console, a clear panel extends, covering the entire area in front of us and preventing us from hitting any of the buttons.

“ That’s probably smart. With my luck, I’d accidentally hit the eject button on my side.”

“ If it makes you feel any better, that seat is not equipped with that option.”

“ Huh … not sure if I’m happy or sad about that. You still didn’t answer my question.”

“ Are you prepared for the answer?”

“ Now that you’ve added even more mystery to it, then yes.”

“ The image you are seeing right now is my solid holo form. I am a weaponized AI that can operate multiple scenarios simultaneously. My home base is located in a floating city called Solanar , which resides on the planet Darverius .”

“ Wait , are you saying you’re not real?”

“ Do I look real to you?”

“ Absolutely ! A little overwhelming actually, but you still seem almost familiar to me, but I just can’t place where I’ve seen you.”

“ I have taken my chosen form from several locations, melding them into the image you now see.”

“ Ohhh hell, how did I miss it? You’re Master Chief . Man , it’s been years since I played that game. When I was little, he was my favorite character.”

“ Ok , you two back up a little bit; I feel like I’ve missed something important while I have been in La - La land over here.”

“ Were you a gamer when you were little?”

“ Yeah , but I played like Mario , and Pac - Man , and crap like that.”

“ Never mind then, you wouldn’t have a clue. But the big guy over here was just getting ready to tell me how he simply popped into view.”

“ Are we gonna get to say something like ‘ Scotty beam me up,’ because I was a Star Trek junkie since the captain was a hottie.”

We both look over at the huge, overwhelming presence sitting in the other chair only to notice he isn’t actually touching anything.

“ SCOUT ?”

“ Yes , Mistress Lacie .”

“ Don’t you think you should keep your hands on the wheel, or whatever is driving this ship?”

“ I am controlling the ship remotely, actually. The hologram in the seat is only there to make you more comfortable.”

“ Well , it’s not working.”

He turns his head toward me before reaching his large, glove-covered hand out, but my hand passes right through his as if he isn’t even there. I jump back, practically landing in Briar’s lap.

The small smirk on his way too human face would make most girls’ hearts flutter, but I’m too freaked out to really appreciate it.

“ Please forgive me. If my mate knew I had caused you any distress, she would not be happy with me. Let me provide you with some comfort. There are several of us who can form a solid holographic form: SAGE , ANDI , Falcor , myself, and soon the Destroyer that you are residing upon. We created this form in the beginning as a safety feature for the subjects we are responsible for. In time, this became the easiest way for us to interact and appear before the other humans. My mate, SAGE , was the first to request a solid form after the Commander’s mate was almost stolen from within her own dwelling, and SAGE was helpless to assist her.

We were allowed to pick our chosen forms. Even though SAGE changes her appearance regularly, I have found that males from most worlds respect size and dominance above all, which brings us to the form you are now positioned next to. ”

“ Wow , you know that’s just too cool! I can’t imagine just being able to change my appearance at will.

Even so, I’m sure I would overload the system and end up freezing with half my body missing or something, so it’s a good thing I don’t have that option.

Looks like there are a few others wanting to come up here as well, so unless you want to tell this story over and over, I would use your superpowers to at least look like you’re maneuvering something. Thanks for putting up with us, SCOUT .”

“ It was my pleasure, Mistress Lacie . I am sure this is just the first of many conversations we will have together.”

“ Awesome setup you have here big guy, and thanks for letting us hang out.” Before SCOUT can reply, Briar slips past me. Then , because I can’t help myself, I gently touch his shoulder, only to giggle when my finger disappears into his suit.

Most of the others who came up here with us have already returned to their seats.

This gives Briar and me a clear view all around us in the back of the ship.

Hesitantly , I take baby steps forward, trying to get as close as possible to what looks like the edge of the floor.

Reaching out, I find that the glass, or whatever is keeping us safe from the vastness in front of us feels spongy.

“ Lacie , would you get the hell off the edge? You’re making me nervous.”

“ Sorry Briar , I’m just curious about everything. It’s so different here, and I’m having a hard time grasping it all.”

“ Well , curiosity killed the cat, so quit jumping into everything headfirst.”

“ Fuddy -duddy!”

Something streaking by has both of us leaning forward.

Space looks nothing like I imagined it would.

Some places remind me of the northern lights, while others are pitch black, with not a single star or light in sight; it seems to create a sense of endlessness.

I have never felt so small or insignificant.

The Commander’s deep voice makes both of us jump. “ Ladies , if you would return to your seats, we are getting ready to come out of hyperdrive, and sometimes that’s a little bumpy.”

“ Wow , you snuck right up on us there.”

“ That has been mentioned to me several times by your kind. My Kira has threatened to put what I believe she calls a ‘bell’ around my neck.” He motions for us to go ahead of him. On the way back to our seats, I look up at him.

“ I take it the pretty blonde you were kissing back there was Kira ?”

“ It was. She is my mate, a term you will hear often.”

“ Mate ! Wow … and thanks for confusing me just a little more. Have you been to this new planet?”

“ No , this will be the first time I set foot on it as well, but I have read all the scans, and I trust SCOUT’s opinion. And technically, it’s a moon currently named E -311.”

“ Yuck … well, we’ll have to come up with a better name than that, for sure.

I can’t speak for everyone else, but thanks for all you’ve done for me and my kind.

I can imagine a completely non-pleasurable outcome if someone else had found us.

We were sent out, ignorant of what the outcome might possibly have been. ”

“ You can thank my Kira because if not for her, your kind would have been nothing but a myth in our world. Finding her set the course we are now on. The Lord of Light puts us exactly where we are supposed to be, young one. When in doubt, pray, and a path will be provided even if it is not the one you wished for.”

Before I can say anything else, we are back at our seats. When he sees that we are all settled, he walks back to where he was standing earlier. He glances over at SCOUT , then back to us.

“ In the next tic, you are going to feel a tremor go through the ship; this is normal, so there is no need for concern. We are coming out of hyperdrive early so that we can observe the moon and the gas giant it is revolving around before taking a smaller, dropship down to the surface.”

The ship starts to shake, and Briar squeaks before clamping her lips together. Once again, she has a death grip on my hand, only releasing it when the ship steadies out.

“ Sorry , even though he warned me, that still scared the shit out of me. I don’t think I’ve ever been this skittish, but I have decided I’d prefer not to ride in any more tin cans if I can keep from it. Commander , can I ask you a question?”

“ Proceed .”

“ If this moon is acceptable, how long before we can keep our feet on the ground.”

“ Not as quick as you like, I fear.”

I bite my lip to keep from laughing when she puts her head down and literally starts whispering cuss words with every breath.