HAWK

CHAPTER TEN: FLY (4/4)

The five robots waiting for her were not like any Kas had ever seen.

They were hovering perfectly level with the Calista as if suspended from an invisible web. Each was about half the size of Hik, but instead of being upright humanoids like he was, these guys looked like giant floating spiders.

I hate spiders...

Their abdomens were large black spheres, on the sides of which were ten long, spindly legs that were bent like three-foot fingers. A flash of green alerted Kas to one of their bodies and she felt her heart skip a beat. The familiar green digits were unmistakable.

X1's...

Kas had never seen an X1 look anything other than Hik, but then she'd also never left the solar system. X1's were designed differently across the many Federal systems to make them resemble their hosts, which is why Hik and all other X1's in Primi were humanoid. Wherever these guys had come from, presumably their intelligent life forms resembled spiders. It suddenly occurred to Kas that these were probably some of the hundred thousand X1's that Kiko had sent to maintain order in Primi since the attack on Selva.

'Come out,' an inhuman voice said.

Kas didn't like spiders at the best of times, but the alien X1's sent a shiver down her spine that managed several laps before she remembered to breathe again. Though they had no eyes, Kas knew they were looking right at her, examining her every move. She exhaled her fear and regained some focus.

Time to fly, Hawk...

She kicked herself away from the wall and glided gently to the centre of the circular door frame, grabbing onto its edge with her left hand to counter her momentum. She hovered there like a hummingbird guarding a cave, which is about as dangerous as she felt right then. The artifibre in her Domino skinsuit was working overtime to keep her calm and in control.

The five alien X1's had fanned themselves out in a wide semi-circle that made it impossible for Kas to keep them all in her vision at any one moment. Unsure which one was the leader, she scanned her eyes across them from left to right.

'What is your name?' the cold voice said as she reached the one in the middle. She kept her eyes on it when she spoke, trying to make her voice sound strong.

'My name is Kas Balera. I am a licensed bounty hunter and I have committed no crime. Why have you stopped me?'

The spider that Kas was looking at suddenly glided several feet towards her.

'What is your destination?'

'Undecided.'

'You are over one hundred million miles from the nearest planet.'

'One hundred and twelve, if you're talking about Vesina.'

'Your ship's trajectory suggests you are travelling towards the asteroid belt. Doing so is forbidden by the Federation.'

'Am I in the asteroid belt now?'

'You are not.'

'Then what have I done wrong?'

The spider paused. A flurry of green digits crackled over its body.

'You are travelling with a rogue X1.'

Kas swore silently. There was no use in denying it; Hik was standing in the centre of the hold directly behind her. 'Yes, I am.'

'Owning an X1 is a federal crime. What are you doing with it?'

'I retrieved him on a previous mission and was on my way to return him to Selva when it was attacked. And since there's nowhere else to take him and I can't legally abandon him anywhere, I'm kinda stuck with him.'