Nico led Max to the hangar next to where Cleansing Light was usually stored and stepped in front of the scanner to unlock the door. There was no keypad, and no retinal scanner, so this room could only be accessed by someone who could hack it without a keyboard or touchscreen.
It was a nice touch, and the interior of the room was even more impressive than he had expected. It was a construction bay, and every surface was lined with Terraforming Devices to create a full 3D array out of the bay. That way, they could create nearly any object inside this space in a matter of hours, including this ship, which currently looked like a large government research ship with a cargo storage bay at the back.
It was just as plain and inconspicuous as any other design they could have picked, but it would also remain that way as they travelled since research ships could be found in every corner of the Universe, looking into random things for no apparent reason except a study that had been commissioned Galaxies away by someone who likely didn't even know that the spot the ship was in existed before they began the project.
"Hop in, and we can get going. I've got us on the schedule to depart in five minutes as a Government Vessel with the Callsign IX42." Nico informed him.
That would make the ship an Innu-built experimental design and would greatly decrease the number of people willing to ask questions about their presence.
Not because of some super-secret classification or out of respect but simply because it was virtually impossible to get an Innu to stop talking about their newest project once you asked them about it. Many Alliance species were very conscious about being rude to others, and it left them learning random facts about Innu developments for hours at a time before the researcher realized that the target of their lesson actually had other things to do.
[IX42, you are clear to depart. The Portal will be closing in two minutes.] Admiral Penner informed them on behalf of the Envoy vessel that had opened this Portal to bring other Government vessels through.
[Copy that, Admiral. Departing now.]
Nico guided the ship out of the bay while Max looked over the specifications on the computer terminal, so he would know what they had to work with should the ship come under threat while they were searching for traces of the origin of the Klem infestation.
The Portal closed behind them, and Nico moved the ship to a smooth sublight speed exit from the busy port region around the planet they had arrived beside, preparing the ship to go to Warp speed.
A strong sense of amusement, like a wordless giggle, startled Max enough that he looked around to see what was going on. There shouldn't be anyone else in his mental range, and he could hear Nico's thoughts as she prepared the ship for its journey.
"We have a stowaway." He whispered to her before she could engage the Warp drive.
"Hmm, so we do. Give me a moment, and I will deal with it." She agreed and removed the plasma pistol from her waistband.
Nico headed for the upper floor of the ship, where the crew quarters were, and Max sensed panic a second later, then fear and nothing. She must have found and dealt with their stowaway.
But when she came down the stairs with a smile on her face, she wasn't alone. There was an Innu child in her hand, passed out from terror.
"She hacked the door and was exploring the ship when we entered. It's actually impressive. Even most adult Innu wouldn't be able to get that door open in under four hours. She took under a minute before the code reset." Nico informed him.
"So, whose child have we stolen?" Max asked.
"Annabelle of the Research and Development department. If I recall correctly, she is on shift right now. This is Annabelle Junior, who should be in school. I suspect that if we check the records, there will be a masterfully altered transmission excusing her for a sick day." Nico replied.
"Well, we can't just keep her." Max reminded the little cyborg.
"We can't go back and return her either. It would be entirely too suspicious." Nico countered.
That left him with a conundrum. He had Nico and a tiny Nico, who also enjoyed hacking security locks and ending up in places she wasn't supposed to be, aboard the ship for a critical mission. It was too far to open a precision Portal without a main portal open, and if they lingered any longer in the shipping lanes, they would become a nuisance.
"Inform her mother that the little one is in trouble but safe, and inform the school that she is on extended sick leave." He decided.
"Sounds good. Done and done. I will strap her in here. Watch her once she wakes up, the seatbelt is computer locked, and she will have to hack it to get out of the chair. I think you'll be impressed with her skills if she isn't too frightened to try to run." Nico laughed as she locked the child into a security chair, intended for combat situations when the gravity control might go offline.
Nico took the ship to warp and left the system, headed for a nearby nebula, where it would make sense for a Research Vessel to be studying some sort of phenomenon. From there, they would wait a while to see if they were being followed and then Portal away closer to their destination.
They wouldn't go directly there but to one of the spots where they suspected that the Klem might have originated, an asteroid field a half dozen stars away from the first infested planet. From there, they would try to trace any signs of the Klem's passing, as well as any ship signatures in the region, and see what they could come up with.
If the same ship appeared at more than one possible location, it would be a solid clue, and if they had time, they would try to trace its route and see where all it had gone, hoping to find another clue.
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