Fannec Records - Book 1: Outlaw - Chapter 6

Robert crouched in the cockpit of the dilapidated spaceship, his leg hurting and exhaustion setting in. Cold sweat dripped from his brow and trickled down his spine as his eyes darted about the darkened space, searching for any movement.

“Hello,” a deep, soothing voice filled the air, causing Robert to jump. “You seem troubled.”

“Who’s there?” He pressed himself back against the cracked leather seat as if that offers him protection. He forced the raspy cadence of his voice to slide near the bottom of the register. He sounded commanding, and he meant it to be so.

“Ah, allow us to introduce ourselves.” A small orb floated into the dim light, casting a soft glow around it. Its surface shimmered with colors that shifted like an oil slick. “We are Ace, at your service.”

“Us? We?” Robert peered at the floating orb through the corner of his eye, becoming more uneasy by the second. He thought of all the horror stories about rogue AIs he’d read about. He could only assume it was an AI; it didn’t have a ‘body,’ which ruled out Mechs and Synths. A robot would appear more useful in a physical sense, and drones don’t communicate. “I’m pretty sure I’m only seeing one of you.”

The orb spun in the air, slow and methodical, content with its complete lack of explanation.

“Fantastic,” said Robert under his breath. “Just what I needed, a mysterious floating orb.”

Ace emitted a soft chuckle, a sound that was both comforting and unnerving together. “Fear not. We mean you no harm. In fact, we believe we can be of assistance to you.”

“Assistance?” Robert raised an eyebrow, skeptical. He was unsure if he was supposed to be flattered or terrified that this strange AI wanted to help him. But as he considered his present situation, he wondered if he needed this.

Robert’s gaze swept the cockpit, taking in the dusty viewports and peeling paint that revealed the ship’s age. The once sleek control panels lay obscured by a layer of grime and dust, yet beneath the disarray, he sensed potential.

“Quite a fixer-upper, wouldn’t you say?” Ace’s soothing voice cut into his thoughts, the floating sphere bobbing without a care beside him.

“Fixer-upper is an understatement, but yeah, I guess there’s something here.”

“Indeed,” Ace spun, as if looking over his nonexistent shoulder, as he surveyed the dismal scene. Acting like it might be the first time he had seen it. “And we are eager to help you realize its potential. It’s time we left this gods-forsaken moon.”

“Help me?” Robert’s curiosity piqued, but doubt lingered in the back of his mind. “Why?”

“Let’s say that we have our reasons, reasons that align with what appear to be yours.”

Robert was silent for a moment as he weighed his options. The idea of having an AI as a partner filled him with anxiety, but the possibility that it could help him leave this moon was too promising to ignore.

The clanging of heavy boots reverberated through the shipyard, startling Robert from his reverie. He pressed his face to a grimy porthole, his heart pounding as he spotted a squadron of SLPS storming through the yard. The sight of their uniformed figures filled him with dread.

“Uh, Ace.” His voice was an urgent whisper, fear prevalent in his tone.

“Ah, yes. We have anticipated their arrival. You know that being caught here will lead to some rather… unpleasant consequences.”

Anxiety gnawed at him as he regarded the officers. “Unpleasant? That’s putting it far beyond what I considered the required delicacy level. I’d be lucky if they threw me in a cell for a few years at this point.”

“Indeed.” Ace bobbed up and down with amusement. “But fear not. We have a plan.”

“Wait a minute.” Robert’s eyes narrowed with suspicion now that he realized that a rogue AI was offering help, and he glanced between the approaching officers and the AI orb. “Why are you so eager to help me? What’s in it for you?”

“Must we have ulterior motives?” Ace’s surface shifted with patterns of light. “Perhaps we share your desire for freedom.”

“Or maybe you’re setting me up.” Robert’s voice was tense with distrust. “I don’t even know who you are or where you came from.”

Ace adopted a tone of mock offense. “We assure you, Mr. Fugitive, that our intentions are genuine. Our reasons may be our own, but our loyalty to you is unwavering until we leave this moon.”

Robert grumbled, biting his lip in uncertainty. “And I’m supposed to take your word for it? My name is Robert Fannec. Call me Robert.”

“Would you prefer to face the officers alone?” Ace countered, spinning in place like a tiny, sarcastic globe. “We’re afraid that our presence here is non-negotiable. You are free to doubt us as much as you would like, but we won’t be going anywhere. Besides all that, you need our guidance.”

“Fine,” Robert huffed, knowing he had little choice. He turned his attention back to the encroaching SLPS officers.

“Alright, Ace. What’s the plan?”

“Ah, Mr. Fannec, the first step is always the most daunting,” Ace’s voice was dancing with amusement. “A small amount of work is required to pick this marvelous hunk of junk up off the ground. As much as we would love to assist you with physical tasks, we regret to inform you that we cannot lift things. Also, our connection to local networks is, shall we say, nonexistent?”

“Wonderful,” Robert glanced at the approaching officers. “So I’m supposed to fix this heap of scrap by myself while dodging the SLPS? That sounds like a foolproof plan.”

“We didn’t decide this situation either. We would love to connect to networks.” Ace spun with a jitter around Robert’s head.

“Alright, let’s do this. Tell me what I need to do.”

“Very well.” Ace’s glow intensified, as if feeding off Robert’s resolve. “Let us begin our grand adventure together, one dilapidated wire at a time.”

Amid the wreckage of the broken-down spaceship, Robert surveyed the tangled mess of wires and stared at a control panel that appeared to have been through several wars. He scratched his mop of unruly hair and grimaced.

“Alright, Ace. I have to level with you. I wouldn’t know the first thing about fixing any of this.”

Robert had only ever operated the equipment at his day job at the factory farm. Maintenance and troubleshooting weren’t foreign to him, but he was never paid to work on such machines.

“Ah, we had our suspicions. No matter! We shall guide you through the process, one catastrophic misstep at a time!”

“Your faith means a lot,” Robert said with a raised eyebrow as he eyed the hovering sphere. “But what about those SLPS officers? They’re getting closer, and if they catch us…”

“Worry not. We have more than enough tricks up our sleeves to keep them away. Think of it as a game of chess. You shall be the victor if you can outwit your opponent!”

The words triggered a memory in Robert’s mind of the countless hours he had spent playing chess with his grandfather when he was young. His grandfather had taught him to think several moves ahead, to expect his opponent’s actions, and always to be prepared for the worst.

“Great, so we’re playing repairman roulette with the SLPS breathing down our necks. What could go wrong?”

“We love the spirit, Mr. Fannec.” Ace spun around the cockpit in a playful orbit. “This is why we will make such a marvelous duo! You bring cynicism, a complete lack of technical know-how, and the simple ability to lift heavy objects, while we provide boundless enthusiasm and unlimited knowledge.”

“Fantastic,” Robert rolled his eyes. He crouched down and began sorting through the tangled web of cables, trying to discern which one’s might be salvageable. As he worked, Ace hovered nearby, providing guidance and the occasional sarcastic remark.

“Careful with that one,” Ace said as Robert reached for a frayed wire. “We wouldn’t want you to get an impromptu shock therapy session.”

“Thanks for the concern.” Robert gritted his teeth, pulled his hand back, and wiped the sweat from his brow. “So what’s our plan if the SLPS actually show up? Do we have some secret escape route or something?”

“Ah, we could tell you, but it wouldn’t be a secret, would it?”

“We’re going to end up in handcuffs and a lot of trouble.”

“You are a glass-half-empty kind of man, aren’t you, Mr. Fannec? But worry not! With our combined talents, we shall prevail!”

Robert agreed, although the ever-present specter of capture consumed his thoughts. He focused on the task, determined to make the most of this unlikely partnership and find a way out.

Robert continued to repair the ruirat’s nest of wires. Ace guided him on the process, providing context for each wire as it was fixed. After the task was complete, Ace informed him that the next step might be noisy.

“Let’s wait a few minutes, okay?” Robert sensed the weight of anxiety.

“Very well,” Ace conceded. “We understand the importance of caution in our current circumstances.” The floating orb settled into a gentle hover beside Robert. The AI emitted a nearly imperceptible aura of impatience.

As they waited, the silence in the cockpit was punctuated only by the distant sounds of clanging metal and the faint hum of Ace’s inner workings. Robert’s thoughts were a whirlwind of uncertainty and anticipation; his gaze fixed on the decrepit control panel before him.

“Mr. Fannec,” Ace chimed in, breaking the tense stillness, “we feel it is only fair to regale you with a snippet of this ship’s history while we bide our time. A bit of trivia to lighten the mood, if you will.”

“Sure, why not?” Robert said, tearing his eyes away from the viewport and giving Ace his full attention. “I could use a distraction.”

“Excellent!” There was a note of excitement in Ace’s soothing voice. “Did you know this ship once hosted a raucous zero-gravity dance party? It was quite the event; we must say, the attendees had quite the time attempting to maintain their footing or lack thereof.”

Robert couldn’t help but chuckle at this anecdote’s image of tipsy partiers flailing through the air, helpless against their situation, limbs akimbo like untethered marionettes. A slight grin creeped at the corners of his mouth. “Hard to believe this old junker ever saw that much fun.”

“Ah, yes,” Ace started, adopting a nostalgic tone. “The mining vessel was appreciated in its prime. It’s a shame to see her reduced to this state, but with your help, she will get at least one last trip!”

“Here’s hoping.” Robert’s concerns about the SLPS crept back into his thoughts like uninvited guests.

In the worn pilot’s chair, Robert leaned back and sighed as the dim light of the compartment cast shadows around him. He glanced around at the messy interior of the ship.

“Mr. Fannec, have you ever wondered what it would be like to soar through the cosmos without a care?”

“Every damn day.” Robert’s gaze was fixed on the puzzle of broken wires and a shattered screen before him.

“Ah, we thought as much. The thrill of adventure calls to you like a siren song. And yet, you remain tethered to this… dreary place?”

“Thanks for the reminder. And for your information, I was on my way to Zorath! I was supposed to leave the moon to win a competition and get wealthy.” He picked up the distant sound of footsteps outside the ship, his body tensing like a spring wound too tight. “Ace, did you hear that?”

“Indeed. It appears the SLPS may be getting closer to our position. Perhaps we should consider initiating the repairs sooner rather than later?”

“Are you trying to get us caught?” He ran a shaking finger over the array of buttons and switches, reading their labels in an attempt to make sense of the technology before him. “We can’t risk making any noise right now.”

“Very well,” Ace conceded, though his voice betrayed a hint of disappointment. “We shall remain here in silence and hope for the best.”

As they sat in tense stillness, Robert’s thoughts wandered back to the image of himself hurtling through space, far away from the grasp of the SLPS, Foreman’s Gang, and the debt collectors. The promise of freedom was a shining light amidst the darkness surrounding him.

“Hey, Ace?” he whispered, breaking the silence after a few stretched-out moments.

“Yes, Mr. Fannec?”

“Promise me we’ll get out of this mess.”

“Of course.”

“Ace?”

“Yes?”

“Stop calling me Mr. Fannec.”

The faint sound of footsteps on gravel and dirt approaching the broken-down spaceship sent a shiver down Robert’s spine. Ace’s soft, concerned voice pierced through the tense silence. “Mr. Fannec, we must act now or risk capture.”

“Fine,” Robert conceded, his voice meek and laced with uncertainty. His heart raced as he chewed on his lower lip, weighing the risks of trusting Ace against the imminent threat of SLPS officers closing in. He took a deep breath to steady himself and nodded with a resolute expression. “Let’s do this.”

“Excellent choice.”

“Alright. We need to be quiet and efficient. What can we do?”

“First, let’s get to work on the power supply.”

Robert nodded as he processed Ace’s advice. His mind whirled with images of makeshift tools and jury-rigged repairs, each more ludicrous than the last. The absurdity of it all threatened to bubble up into a hysterical laugh, but he bit it back, knowing that the stakes were far too high for such indulgences.

“Lead the way, Ace.”

Robert squeezed through the narrow passageway, following Ace’s soft glow as the orb glided ahead. The ship creaked and groaned around him like a living thing, its innards pockmarked with evidence of years of idleness. Shadows danced on the walls, fleeting phantoms of the past that mocked his every step.

“I’m starting to feel like we’re in the belly of some ancient beast. An old, rusty, metallic one.”

“An apt description,” Ace chuckled. “We will revive this ship despite its current condition.”

“Right, if we don’t get eaten by ruirats first.” Robert shuddered at the thought of the rat-like creatures of gigantic size that lurked in the shadows of the moon’s craters, forests, and bogs. Even rats were frightened by them, scurrying away if they drew too close.

“This vessel is not infested with such creatures. Or at least, not that we are aware of.”

The air grew colder and more oppressive as they reached the ship’s back. The walls closed in, claustrophobia threatening Robert. He shivered, an involuntary chill slithering down his spine.

“Here we are.” Ace’s light cast a sickly pallor on the dilapidated machinery surrounding them.

“Looks more like a graveyard to me.” Robert took in the rows of corroded consoles with cracked screens and frayed wires—the place reeked of decay, a musty scent that clings to his nostrils like a shroud.

“Appearances can be deceiving. You are about to fix her up.”

“Or die trying.” Robert’s humor was dark and tinged with unease.

“Indeed, Mr. Fannec. But let us not dwell on such grim thoughts,” Ace said, attempting to lighten the mood. “We need to act fast, as we have some work to get through in a limited time.”

“Right.” Robert shook off his apprehension and rolled up his sleeves. “Let’s get started, then. And pray that those SLPS officers don’t decide to come snooping around inside this ship. I’m sure they have the shipyard surrounded by now. Getting this thing off the ground is my only way out.”

As they set to work, the tension in the air thickened to a palpable force that threatened to crush them both beneath its weight. Yet Robert refused to give in to despair, fueled by a desperate hope that drove him onward, daring him to dream of a brighter future beyond the confining walls of this decaying behemoth.

“We might leave our prison at last,” Ace whispered.