Chapter 87—Nera
Early the next morning, I found Rain dressed in a striped overall dress in what was left of my ship. I’d been restless, nervous, not so much about the wedding, but about what came after—the downfall of Earth Space Fleet.
Brought about by a single Xenoxx scale though? No, I needed something more, like Rain’s proof.
“Nera. Hello.” She smiled, her whole face brightening like she was surprised I was here.
Well, me too.
I closed the brig door behind me, one of the few that still worked. My crew had arrived long before to start the repair process.
“Congratulations on your engagement to Maxx,” she said, her voice almost musical. “He’s quite the catch.”
“Uh-huh. Thanks,” I replied as conflicting emotions surged within me. “Did you know that I would end up with Maxx, a Faid like you, when you signed me up for this show?”
She tilted her head, causing her silk-spun blonde hair to swish against her cheek. “Why do you say that?”
“That’s not an answer, Rain.”
“But…I didn’t make him love you,” she said softly, shuffling her feet in her sensible shoes. “I can do some things, but not that. Love can conquer even the most complex of obstacles, even him being a Faid. Besides, it’s not that hard at all to love you. Even me. Especially me, even though I didn’t have emotions already built into me like Maxx did.”
My stomach twisted while a strange sense of sadness washed over me. I didn’t want to talk about this anymore. Despite the tension coiling between us like an invisible thread, I pushed on to what was most important—the plan.
“That’s it?” Rain asked after I explained it. “You think a maximum of twenty years in prison for one person who might—might—try to sell the Xenoxx scale on the black market will bring about the end for Earth Space Fleet?”
“Yeah, that, and all the proof you have once it’s leaked.”
She shook her head. “Most of it’s encrypted.”
“So decrypt it.”
“It’s not that simple. Their firewalls and anti-hacking measures are a lot more advanced than the word search I emailed you.”
I blinked. “The what?”
“Never mind,” she said, gazing down at the floor. “I can decrypt everything, sure, but decrypting and leaking the files from their original source will hold much greater weight than a Faid doing it. That way, Earth Space Fleet can’t say the files were tampered with.”
“Not if it comes directly from them,” I said with a nod. “Okay, so what do you suggest?”
“Plug a decrypted into any of their computers and then send them out to every news agency in the universe via the same computer. That can be done at the same time the Xenoxx scale is planted, if you still want to go that route, but I would suggest you bug and track the scale.”
“In case we overhear any tasty nuggets of Space Fleet wisdom,” I agreed hesitantly, trying to quell the doubts gnawing at the back of my mind. This was a lot to ask of Pete to do for us. “Mosely can get me a tracker and a bug.”
“And I can get you a decrypted small enough for transport.”
I nodded slowly and couldn’t help but wonder if I could trust her. Was she really as dedicated to our cause as she claimed, or was she simply using us for her own gains? But what kind of gain would that be? Continue existing on a rogue planet that she’d created while in her weathered house with furniture and decorations from our old home? Avoid being killed by me? Punish herself for ripping away my favorite part of life ten years ago?
I glanced over at the computer in the corner billowing up blue bubbles, all of which popped steadily. This was part of Rain’s anti-hacking measures to prevent herself from being taken over by Earth Space Fleet again, and since she hadn’t tried to kill me once, I supposed it was working.
Perhaps she really did want to take down the enemy as much as I did.
“Anything else?” I asked with a sigh.
Thinking about Rain exhausted me, which was part of why I’d avoided it for so many years.
“There is one more thing.” Rain winced as she pulled up a holographic news report on her built-in computer.
The image showed a doctored photo of Maxx and me, our faces twisted into sinister sneers. Below the picture was a bold headline: “Nera Cotrobin and Maxx: Enemies of the State.”
I snorted. “Seriously? Those pics have obviously been doctored. I’ve never had abs like that in my life.”
“Of course I don’t have any proof of this, but I would bet this is all Earth Space Fleet. They’re aware of the tightening noose around their necks, so they launched a massive propaganda campaign against you. They think that if they manipulate public opinion with skillful precision, spreading false information and painting you both as villains in the eyes of the unsuspecting masses, no one will believe anything you have to say.”
She zoomed in on part of the article that claimed I abandoned my crew during a critical mission, leaving them to die while I fled to save myself.
“The bunch of cheese dicks,” I whispered.
“I don’t think they were counting on Maxx’s proposal yesterday, and since that aired on live TV, with your crew right there, it proved that your crew is still very much alive. If you want, I can send stills of them from yesterday to this tabloid news rag to counter it, as well as video of a certain respected Space Fleet captain throwing a tantrum by destroying his own ship.” Rain smiled diplomatically, as if all of this would be the polite thing to do.
“A little bitch clap from us to them. I’m for it,” I agreed with a nod. “Do it.”
Her right eye twitched, and her holographic computer sprang up out of it, held in place with orange holographic cubes that stemmed into her artificial retina. “Earth Space Fleet’s desperation is showing. The more they lie and act out, the closer we must be to exposing their crimes.”
“Let them come at us with their lies,” I said, determination sizzling through my veins. “We’ll tear down their house of cards, and when we do, the whole universe will know the truth.”