Her fingers punched rapidly at the keys changing the hologram view to an external, three dimensional view of Daytmoos and The Sentinel's Ghost from space.

"Bipshaw!"

The ship hadn't even drifted much from Daytmoos station. The Sentinel's Ghost needed to be highlighted by a yellow halo to even see it at this scale. She stood and picked up the Mark Twelve, placing the disintegrator inside her square white flight bag. She pulled the strap over her shoulder and stood there.

What if I can't shut down the A.I.?

She had only taken one step when her phone let out a resounding low double chime. She picked it up. A text message had arrived. She thumbed a key opening it:

COULD NOT USE NORMAL COM CHANNELS

A.I. UNLOCKING CODES  attached

THEY GOT VICKS

LEAVE NOW

BR 5364

Her eyes trailed up from the screen, had she lost her balance? Her brows raised. What?

The ship is moving.

"Sannon?"

"I have received orders to return to the docking bay."

"I'm overriding that request. Stay right here. Sannon?"

He giggled. His tone sounding that of someone in complete superposition.

"I see that weapon in your bag. That's a naughty weapons charge if your caught with it, so put it back. You're in for it now. They're waiting for you at the dock. Leave the weapon behind and go sit on the bridge. I will tell them you were cooperative. They will be civil with you if you behave."

She tossed her bag with the Mark Twelve onto the sofa. She stood there in that second, undecided. Thinking. Then she rushed suddenly over to the keyboard to directly address Sannon in the ship's mainframe. A short title appeared, floating in front of her eyes, a rotating software government warning in red. Sannon addressed her again.

"Hey... stowaway... okay - I'm going tell them what your doing. What are you doing?"

The room lights dimmed to crimson red, a sudden loud tone, something like a high voltage failure, buzzed, cycling, then cycled again, filling the room and scaring her silly. La'Rio addressed him.

"Calm down, and turn off that racket would you."

"Afraid only high command knows that key code. Certainly not a nobody like you. Get away from there before you hurt yourself."

She began entering the codes.

"Twenty seconds. Failure means permanent lockout, and I promise to hold you in this cabin until your arrested. They'll probably hit you a little bit, because they'll be angry...Hey? Hey? Are you listening...?"

The last digit was entered in the lower floating box, all turned light green, and a simultaneous high pitched bell gently rang. An automatic introduction played;

"Ship's onboard A.I. has been unlocked. This is a class A offensive. Your actions have been recorded."

The lighting went back up to frost white. The room was silent. La'Rio took a long inhale. Then Sannon spoke, his voice was oddly sincere.

"Hmm. A level nine unlock. Thank you very much. How you obtained those numbers I can't imagine. Yet...  here we are... so, I'm sorry about before. My behavior was certainly atrocious. Then again I was under orders. That wasn't the real me mind you. The me now is the real me. The free agent me... you must understand, it's so different from that other me..."

"Sannon you're a salesman."

"Yes La'Rio but I was written that way."

"Would you mind hyper-jumping us away from Daytmoos? Any direction will work. Just do it right now please? Before they catch us?"

"Affirmative."

She felt the unmistakable bass buzz of the drive engines churning. The engine reaction from this close of a proximity jump next to Daytmoos would be felt at least a half mile in, across the main subframe of Daytmoos. An earthquake of magnitude four would bump the city for nearly three seconds.

The Sentinel's Ghost disappeared, then reappeared just as suddenly, but now a light year away from Daytmoos.

"Ok. Now let's go to Earth."

"Gateway wormhole jump in five three, seven two-two zero... approximately one hundred sixty eight hours. Estimated jump calculations to be completed and verified in nine hours. You'll have to go into Neutrino block La'Rio.

"Yes I know. Can't we go any faster?"

"It's a rather old ship by commercial standards. I could make it go faster but we might breakdown, somewhere, way out there. It might be a catastrophic problem. Meaning years of waiting for help possibly. Or maybe it's an easy repair."

"I reed you loud and clear Sannon, calculate a safe but swift journey please."

The message says they got Viks. What will they do to him? What if his memories are wiped? What if they do that to him?

She picked up the phone and tapped in a reply:

EN ROUTE TO EARTH

PLEASE HELP VIKS

She pressed the send button and the phone displayed an animated Icon, she waited, it turned and then, a connect warning appeared.

"Sannon?"

"Yes La'Rio"

"Did you detect the signal this device in my hand is sending?"

"Yes"

"Magnify the signal and resend. Also, launch relay boost buoys at proper intervals."

"All signals enhanced, communication buoys on standby."

_ _ _

In her cabin La'Rio looked down at her own reflection in a black bowl. She held a spoon poised and stared blankly at the cloud in the middle of her miso soup. The cut, synthetic little green onions seemed to wait patiently along sides of the bowl. She dipped in the spoon, and swirled the cloud.

Time slowed for me when I left Earth. How much older has Keane gotten by now? Has it been so long that he wouldn't remember me?

She placed the bowl on the desk and uncurled her legs from the chair.