Chapter 6

She turns and walks to the kitchen.

"I just made some coffee, want some?"

"No." Zylis says,

"She doesn't drink anything but the best." Max says,

Megan smirks, "This is the best. Chocolate Belgium, lot of races, but we still make the best coffee."

"Half human." Zylis says,

Megan smiles.

"Zylis." Max says harshly,

Megan shakes her head, "It's okay, she's right. But, you want any?"

"No one just makes chocolate Belgium coffee for people...what's in it?"

Max sighs, seeing this needs to play out. Megan giggles and gives a confused look. "You think I'd poison you? Or drug you?"

"I don't know yet."

Megan's smile reappears, she turns, opens a cupboard and pulls out a mug. Then she grabs the pot of coffee and pours some into the mug, she sets the pot back and sips it. She frowns and hums.

"Mm! Still a bit hot. If it makes you feel better, I made it for him. But I didn't want you to feel left out."

Zylis folds her arms, glaring at her.

"Zylis we are making friends. We're fine Megan."

Megan shrugs, "Suit yourself. Now, tell me what it is that you need from me."

"Tracking someone."

Megan looks at Zylis, then Max.

"Jeez Zylis hates them like crazy." Kiara says to Max,

"Who?"

Kiara speaks his mind for him, "She is testing us. She might be wondering if we are talking about me."

"An Atalipi." Zylis says,

Megan nods in acceptance, "Ah, the race that is supposedly dead."

"Supposedly? How many are left?!" Max asks,

"I would have thought your little AI friend would know, why do you need me? Is she limited?"

"Who are you talking about?" Zylis asks,

Megan raises a questioning eyebrow at her. "This must be your first time hearing about me." She says, then looks at Max,

Max wishes she wouldn't have brought it up. He'd hoped she hadn't known. "She limited."

"Want me to improve her?"

"How?" Zylis asks,

"Give her a body of her own."

"How did you even know about Max and her?"

"I hear everything, a phantom that captured the AI? Successfully avoided three giant ships that were hot on his tail? That's Max."

"Shoulder this convo Megan, the Atalipi. Why are you avoiding it?"

Her smile fades, "Because, a lot of people want him dead Max...you've never faced this many."

He shakes his head so subtly before Zylis turns to look at him. When he stops and Zylis looks at him, her eyes widen for only a moment.

She knows now that Zylis is unaware. "We will avoid them, beat them there."

Megan interprets is as, "We'll improvise."

She opens her mouth, but no sound comes out. She closes her mouth and sighs.

"Alright Max. But. You bring me along."

"Hah! Yeah right."

Max studies her for a moment silently arguing with her.

"Max. I'm coming. That's the condition. I'll be valuable and you know it. That or, you get your information elsewhere. Hopefully it's accurate."

"She's not coming Max. No way!"

"Zylis we need to know where he is. No one else will know until long after it's too late."

Zylis grits her teeth. Not daring to voice her hesitant agreement.

"Good. Glad it's settled, I'll tell you when we are on the ship."

Zylis clenches her fists, "I'm ready now if you are?" Megan says,

They leave immediately and find Zylis's ship. "This is my ship." She says

"I understand. Zylis, whatever quarrel you have with me, can we please forget it? What is it?"

Zylis narrows her eyes, "I never trust Sylvieats."

Megan gives a sympathetic look, "I know we get a bad reputation, just about everywhere. But most of what you have heard, if they weren't rumors, they were the bad Sylvieats. Most stories are from the same Sylvieats, most of us are good. But you'll never hear that because the good ones hide."

Zylis ignores her, Megan sighs, "Our..." Megan looks around at the people around them going back and forth and looks back to Zylis and Max.

"Our target, is being hunted by Genkai the race, not individuals. He is on Haemeth."

"What's Haemeth?" Kiara asks,

Max stops and grabs Megan's arm. Zylis stops and looks at Max. He raises his hands and gently grabs her head, his hands over his ears.

"Just calm down Megan, it'll be okay." He says for show,

She frowns, then almost instantly, "I'm connected."

Megan's eyes widen, "She hacked in to my implant? How's you know I'd have it?"

Max continues walking, the other two quickly follow.

"I like her!" Megan says,

"Not too bad yourself. What's Haemeth?"

"A planet, far, far beyond the space that we know. Accessed via black hole, about as big as my torso. It's easy to get through, the tricky part is finding where it will be located."

"What?" Zylis asks,

"It's tiny, has a verrrry weak gravitational pull, never grows in size, it orbits around the third moon of Turpin."

"And it takes us to this planet?"

"Correct."

"Have you been there before?"

"I have Kiara. Once. A very beautiful planet. By now? It's filled with the-err-our target's kind."

"So they grew again. They aren't gone."

"Far from it. However I don't trust the scene."

Zylis frowns, "What do you mean?"

"Something, is coming. Something big. I can feel it. I don't know what it is, but I don't think it's good. Forgive me, but...I can't help thinking Kiara is connected to it all."

They arrive at the ship, dropping the conversation. They awkwardly look at each other and agree to shoulder the conversation for now. They climb aboard and fly off and start to Turpin.

Megan smiles, "Oh! So, our first discussion, about getting a certain someone a birthday present."

"Can you explain?" Kiara asks,

"Yes, so there is a lab there on this paradise planet, and! It creates robot sentries for the planet. Security system, we can teak the code a bit and give her a look of her own. Even give her one of the weapons if she wants, she should be able to retain her AI powers." Megan jokes,

"Could still hack things?"

"Mm, and scan people and the area around you. Just a think on it." She says,