Chapter 3

She hands it to Max. "Is this a joke?"

"Sagé, Atalipi and...Coordinates?"

"Max, you got ears in the neighboring room." Kiara says,

"An Atalipi?! That doesn't make sen...."

Max silences her with a finger. She looks around the bathroom. And raises her spider like limbs, ready to defend herself.

Max motions her to follow, they hurry out of the bathroom.

Bam!

They jump and look at the door as it swings open. Zylis dives forward and rolls to her feet, as they come through, she swings her spider legs and stabs and the three heavily armed men.

The last one, she rips her spear leg out of the man's stomach and grabs his shirt to keep him from falling. She pulls him close, he yells out in pain.

"Who are you?!"

He groans and coughs, "Never..."

He exhales and goes limp, she sighs and drops him. "Sorry. I thought I hurt him less."

"Let's get out of here." Max says,

They hurry out of the room and to the stairs rather than the elevator. They casually walk out to the lobby and out of the building.

"What now?" Zylis asks,

"We go after the coordinates."

"How did you know they were there?"

He glances at her and looks forward again. "I'll explain once we leave."

"We should take my ship."

"Her ship IS faster Max. It also has autopilot."

Max thinks for a moment and nods, "Okay, you lead then."

Zylis speeds her pace ever so slightly and guides Max.

"Do you really think we can trust her? With me?"

"I think we can, but on the off chance she betrays us. I can take her, and we'll run."

"Okay."

They climb onto the kunai shaped dark gray ship. Max looks around and smiles, "This is pretty nice. Why the red lights though?"

The entire interior is lit by red light. "The Tunimoth race sees better in the dark like all arachne races. But red light doesn't affect Tunimoths either. Whether you realize it or not, being engulfed in red light entrances and or surprises most races. They aren't used to it, so even if for a millisecond, whether they realize it or not, it throws their focus off. Not to mention it's harder for most others to be able to tell what's what, just by glancing."

"Giving you the advantage. It doesn't bother you at all?"

"Nope."

She smiles at him, even in the red light, her four eyes are still purple. "So, explain to me, how did you know Max?" she asks as they take off,

"Zylis this stays between us, okay? No one else can no. At least until I say otherwise."

She narrows her eyes at him, studying him silently. Finally she nods, "I understand. You can trust me."

Max shows the inside of his arm to her. "Kiara, you can reveal yourself."

She appears, as if standing on the inside of his forearm. Zylis looks at Max, perplexed, and looks back to Kiara. She looks forward and then back again.

"What?"

"I am Kiara, the universe's first fully functioning, fully self thinking, Artificial Intelligence."

"W-was she there this whole time?! Wait what?! Are you serious?! This isn't a joke?"

"No, it isn't, as you have guessed by now, I was the one that sensed the other soldiers."

Zylis shakes her head, as if trying to wake from a dream.

"Are you kidding me? So those rumors aren't rumors?"

"No. I barely beat these other people that were hunting for her."

"Jeez that's all the talk right now! Is every bounty hunter after her? I mean, it's a lot of money."

"No, they weren't bounty hunters Zylis. I'd...I haven't seen any ship like that before. It wasn't an army, but they were more than mercenaries. That's for sure. No bigger than a Qren ship."

Zylis goes wide eyed and looks at Kiara, then at Max. "So. Someone wants her for something bad."

"Most likely."

"Any idea what?"

"Not a clue."

"Hmm."

"Could the hunt for me be related to Pilo?"

"It's possible. Why were you in space? Was she alone?"

"Yeah, in a graveyard. Been there for fifty plus years. Alone."

"Which means that someone obviously learned about me and wants to use me."

"If they are throwing big threats like this, it's for blood."

"Zylis, I trust you, but I still need to ask. What's going through your head?"

Zylis looks at Max and back out the window again.

"Max. I know she's important. I may be a bounty hunter but I have standards and lines that I don't cross. You can trust me."

"Heart rate steady, she's telling the truth."

"Thank you Zylis."

"We owe you one." Kiara says,

"So Pilo for now? Not Kiara?"

"Yeah, let's just see where this leads."

Zylis sighs, "Man all this is putting me on edge."

"Me too."

Zylis looks at Max with a hint of fear in her solid purple eyes. "Well now I'm freaking worried."

Max scoffs, "Relax, we'll be fine."

"I found a public record on the Atalipi, but...this isn't what happened."

"What are you talking about?" Max asks,

"The Atalipi were surprise attacked and killed off in their home world, at least so we thought. This record says that they killed each other to the last man standing."

"Wait, hold up. How do you know they were surprise attacked. Were you there?"

"Yes. I was. It was my second mission, sixty six years ago. We were responding to a distress signal, when we arrived, half the planet was covered in fire. The other half was where the Atalipi were being slautered."

"What happened?"

"We were too late, we tried to hold them off but we were getting our butts handed to us. We fled, after the Buliumari Nike hit the planet."

Zylis and Max again look at each other with confusion and caution and fear slapped on their faces.

"We are starting to shine a lot on something really dark." Max mutters loud enough for the other two to hear,

Zylis nor Kiara need to say anything, they all know that the feeling is mutual.

"We're gonna be fine. It's fine. Kiara, you're going to be fine, I'll be fine and Max is going to be fine."

"Thanks."

"Welcome...I said that to encourage myself." Zylis says,

Kiara looks at her, Zylis glances at them staring and shrugs. "Sorry."

"You're right, it's going to be fine. Focus, we're arriving."

"Planet T. Why here?"

"It's more deserted I guess?" Max says,

"It's still not the safest planet however." Kiara chips in,

"Alright setting us down."