Chapter XXII: . . . Elsewhere

Wilma hesitated in surprise for a moment and then stepped inside the small ship's airlock. The hatch slid shut and she heard the seals lock into place. "Please come to the cockpit, Lieutenant Denton." Lights flickered on in the corridor on the other side of the airlock, leading her in the right direction.

She followed them, and came to the cramped control room. She stuck her head in, half-expecting to see someone, even though she knew that the ship was reported to have come in on automatic pilot. The voice didn't sound like a computer's though.

"Hello? Who are you? Where are you?"

"I am an AIAT-three generation AI computer, currently in command of The Star Ghost. I answer to the name of Aia. Please have a seat, Lieutenant."

Wilma cautiously entered the bridge and slid into the right-hand seat. "O-kay. So why did you let me in and not the Commander? If it's important, shouldn't he be informed?"

"Negative. Information that I have is Need-to-know only, and you are the only one authorized to view the information," replied Aia.

Wilma's eyes grew wide. "Me? Why? I'm just a lieutenant. What am I authorized to view? What is going on?"

"You are a trusted associate of Lieutenant Raygunn, and he has authorized you to view this information in case something went wrong."

"Rick?" If possible, her eyes grew wider, then a dark scowl crossed her face. "What do you know about Rick?"

"Lieutenant Raygunn is on a secret mission assigned to him by the Psi Corps. Commandant Gunn was ordered to assign Rick to unattached duty based on information gathered by the Psi Corps prescient division."

"That's not possible. Commander Gernas is a Psi-Corps officer, and he told me that Rick was a Ferlonian. Some sort of shape-shifting race with advanced mental powers. Rick was killed three years ago and replaced by one of these shape-shifters."

Aia was quiet for a minute. This caused Wilma to feel uneasy, and she began to get the idea that she should leave the ship. Something here wasn't right.

Aia finally spoke up. "The entity known as Rick Raygunn, Lieutenant in the Stellar Patrol, serial number ncc-2001-007-42-d, that was aboard this vessel within the past matched all identification and genetic records on file with the Stellar Patrol. Probability of being a doppelganger less than point zero zero three percent. Entities known as Ferlonians not in records other than Lieutenant Raygunn's log. He felt it was his mission to locate the homeworld of the Ferlonians, and perhaps negotiate a treaty with them. He felt that they were potential allies of pirates and/or the Dark Worlds. From his encounter with the Pirate Blackcoat aboard a garasian ship, it was clear they were seeking Ferlon as well."

"But Commander Gernas reached into my mind and found a mental block of the accident that killed Rick, and of the Ferlonian taking his place," said Wilma. "He's the Psi-Corps officer assigned to the Feist. He showed me everything…" Her voice trailed off.

"Commander Gernas is not in my records as a psi contact. I have no listing for a psi officer assigned to the SPS Feist."

Wilma was silent as she digested this information. Either there was a huge communications gap, or someone was lying to her. She didn't know much about the AIAT's capabilities, but as an objective computer, she felt fairly sure that it wasn't lying to her. Then there were the memories that Commander Gernas dredged up. They were so real, forcing her to relive the assassination attempt and the accident back on the jungle world of Tendarus.

Could have a shape-shifter fool her for three years, or were her feelings for Rick hiding the small mistakes, dismissing any anomalies in his behavior to a maturing young man? He hadn't seemed any different after the accident than he was afterwards. She scratched her head and pulled on her bangs, but she couldn't decide. Finally, she decided to change the subject, and to let the matter rest for a bit.

"You said there wasn't much time. What's happened to Rick, or the thing pretending to be him?"

It might have been a trick of the odd acoustics of the small bridge, or a coincidental noise of the air recycling equipment, but Wilma thought she heard a faint sigh just as the Star Ghost's computer responded.

"Due to the nature of Lieutenant Raygunn's cover, the Stellar Patrol has accused him of the murder of an SP agent on Jameson III. We traveled to Salkar in search of information concerning Ferlon. He was detected and arrested by the local authorities. However, before the Stellar Patrol arrived to take custody, Rick, with unknown accomplices, escaped in the company of Blackcoat. My last transmission from lieutenant Raygunn was to evade capture and to seek assistance.

"He told you to come find me?"

There was another pause, and Wilma was pretty sure there was an embarrassed tone to the computer's voice. "Not by name. However, I know that he considers you a more trustworthy contact."

Wilma raised an eyebrow as she stared at the main console, where the voice of the computer seemed to emanate from. "And how did you come to know that?"

The computer's voice was definitely embarrassed. "From my records, I know that you two were roommates and were assigned together for most of your training missions. Also…" Wilma's other eyebrow raised as the computer, Aia, paused in speaking. It was getting hard to imagine that she was talking to a machine. It seemed so lifelike. "Also," repeated Aia, "he spoke of you in his sleep."

Wilma shrugged. "Yeah, so? What does that prove?"

"Uhm," Wilma could tell that the computer really didn't want to tell her.

"Come on, Aia, how does that prove anything?" prompted Wilma again.

"He was sleeping with another woman at the time."

Wilma felt as if several buckets of ice water poured over her. "WHAT?!" She jumped up and started pacing in the very small cabin. "Four years I roomed with him, and he was so chaste I was beginning to think that he gay, and he sleeps with the first floozy he comes across?" Her fist smacked into her palm. "That… that…" Words failed her.

She whirled around to the console. "Who was she?"

"She was only identified as Jamie. She was a prisoner Rick rescued from the pirates when he escaped from them the first time."

"The first time?" Wilma sat back down. "I think you better start from the beginning." However, before Aia could begin her report, Wilma cocked her head at the console. "You called him Rick, not Lieutenant Raygunn that time."

"Rick requested that I speak with him informally, Lieutenant Denton."

"You like him, don't you, Aia? I hear it in your voice. And please, call me Wilma."

"Yes Wilma. I do. He was very good company, and a good tactician. I enjoyed working with him. I would like to continue doing so."

"Yeah," sighed Wilma. "He's like that. Everyone likes him."

Commander Gernas was halfway to the bridge of the Feist before he realized that Wilma was not with him. He spoke with an exasperated tone into his wristcomm. "Computer, where is Lieutenant Denton?"

"Lieutenant Denton is aboard the Star Ghost."

Gernas came to a halt and stared at his wristcomm in disbelief. "What?" his voice became low and calm.

"Lieutenant Denton is…"

"Never mind, never mind. I heard you the first time." He took a deep breath in an attempt to collect his thoughts. "How did she manage to get aboard?"

"Unknown."

"Patch me through to her," ordered Gernas.

A moment passed, then the Feist's computer replied. "Unable to connect. The Star Ghost is refusing all communications."

He glared at his wristcomm for a moment and then he turned from his original destination of the bridge and headed back to the hanger bay.

Wilma let out a heavy sigh as Aia completed a summary of Rick's activities. She still wasn't sure if Rick was really Rick, or if it was the imposter that Gernas claimed he was. She really wanted to believe that Rick, her Rick, was still alive out there somewhere. Then motion outside the ship caught her eye through the forward viewport.

She looked out and saw that there was a squad of SP troops, in full battle armor, preparing to deploy what appeared to be heavy duty emergency boarding spike. Normally used for breaching the hulls of ships for either rescue work when an airlock was jammed or inaccessible, it could be used to force entrance into an enemy ship at point-blank range.

"Aia, what's going on out there?" She glanced down at her wristcomm, but there was no indication that it had received any messages, which was odd, considering that she had been inside the Star Ghost for at least an hour. Certainly Commander Gernas would be wondering where she was by now.

"The crew of the SPS Feist is preparing to board us. I have cut all communication with the ship, and they have been somewhat concerned for your well-being. I cannot allow them to board me."

"Well, let me out and I'll explain…"

"No," interrupted Aia. "They would attempt to use your exit as a means to gain ingress, and if Commander Gernas is a psi, I cannot allow him access to you again. He does not have clearance for this information. Please strap in."

"Now wait a minute. You can't get out. The hanger bay is seal…" Wilma's voice trailed off as red warning lights flooded the hanger bay outside the Star Ghost.

Up on the bridge of the SPS Feist, Lieutenant Harris of ship operations looked up at the captain in alarm. "Sir, hanger bay doors are opening, and the Star Ghost is powering up."

The captain turned in his char to face Harris. "Override. Shut it down. Repeat the order to the Star Ghost to surrender its occupant."

Harris shook his head. "Can't sir. It's using a security command override, sir. I can't stop it."

Captain Hemdael slammed his fist onto the arm of his chair as he watched helplessly as the interceptor overrode his own ship's systems and escape the confines of the hanger bay.

Commander Gernas watched with a sinking feeling in his stomach as the Star Ghost lifted off and coast out the open hanger door, through the protective atmosphere forcefield that maintained the pressure in the bay. Well, the plan is shot now, he thought. The admiral is not going to be happy about this. Not at all happy.

To Be Continued...