Page 22 of Agrippa's Acceptance

A month later they stood looking at the ship the chosen team will use to infiltrate the clone ships. It had taken Anatu and Agrippa and Amelagar as well as several human engineers to get it done.

The others arrived and they all stood staring at the ship that had to carry them safely across galaxies to destroy a very dangerous enemy. Agrippa had doubts about their ability to merge with a clone ship and then convince the clone to destroy itself. But she kept her doubts to herself. Everyone needed to believe they could do it.

“Our first priority, is deciding what exactly we are going to do. We will have to be fluid in the situation, but we need to know exactly what outcome we want.” He glanced down at the human tablet everyone used. “The marines have been taught Tunrian and to aid them in their efforts, they have requested that we all speak Tunrian to them. Balthazar will announce the names of the people going on this mission. I wish we could all go, but this ship cannot take more than eight people.”

Balthazar walked in and stood quietly while they speculated on entering the cargo hold of a clone ship unseen. Or if it would be better to merge with the hull of the clone ship.

Balthazar stood with his hands behind his back. Patiently waiting. Amelagar assigned everyone the tasks for the next week and then stepped back and Balthazar stepped forward.

“Amelagar will be in charge of the mission to the clone ship. Everything happening on earth will be handled by the president. He named the four marines.

“Carry on,” Balthazar said and left.

Two weeks later, Amelagar assembled everyone in the large hangar. He stood in front of the small hybrid ship that was ready to launch the moment the cloaking devices worked.

“Our mission is to sabotage as many of the clone ships as we can, before they reach earth.”

He looked at the four marines, Colonel Farnham, Sargeant Bjorn, Corporal Jack Black, Sargeant Scott, Anatu and Agrippa. He would be the only male cyborg on this mission.

“We have all trained together, but please introduce yourselves again and mention your area of expertise, before I continue the briefing.”

Chapter Eighteen

The marines trained everyone in hand-to-hand combat, what they called close quarter combat and collapsing a sector which was clearing a room and a host of other tactics. That was fun, but Agrippa loathed the shooting and running what felt like running millions of miles. As their departure came closer, they all sped up their training and the work they had to do on the ship.

The first tine sergeant Bjorn ordered Anatu to run around the hanger and then climb the rope obstacle, she’d stared at him, blinked once and said, “I have to go kiss babies.” Then she’d simply walked away.

Since she wasn’t coming on the mission, no one tried to insist. Except for sergeant Bjorn, who seemed to believe that everyone on their team should be trained. Whether they were travelling with them or not. He did not care about cyborgs strength, insisting it can only take them so far.

In turn, the marines were trained in everything from piloting the ship to fixing the engines. None of them could be trained with Agrippa and Anatu’s skills, but they had to at least know the basics. Most of them were chosen because they had backgrounds in engineering.

Amelagar came the closest to being able to take over the fixing of the cloak and engines and when they heard this, the marines tripled their efforts.

Anatu loved being part of the team. They’d even given her a uniform and boots, like what the marines wore. She hated the physical workouts, but loved being dressed like one of the team. Sometimes they even helped her if she struggled over an obstacle. Her own family had been too scared to touch her, afraid the clones would retaliate against any perceived threat to their pet natural scientist.

Never had she been part of a group of people with such a noble mission. The Souls may have recruited her, but she had never been part of them. If only her family could see her now. Maybe they would be proud of her. She shook of those melancholy thoughts. Amelagar was proud of her, she did not have to yearn for more.

They tested the cloak several times and it didn’t work. They adjusted and it didn’t work. Agrippa did a shutdown of the cloak, the engines and computers and groaned. “My back ache from sitting in this position.” She rubbed the injured area. “If this cloak doesn’t work soon, I am going to end up with a permanently crooked back.”

Anatu checked their code with a speed Agrippa envied. “I have a cyborg spine, I don’t have to worry about ending up crooked.” She looked at Agrippa. “If your back becomes skew, I will ask Balthazar to authorize a new cyborg strength spine for you.”

Agrippa laughed a little grimly. If only the cloak would work, she’d put up with any amount of pain. “I’m starting up everything. Again.”

Anatu shook her head. “Wait, check this.”

She read the code on Anatu’s tablet. “Slower remember, I cannot read as fast as you.” For the first time she realized that among the cyborgs, she was slower and weaker and that seemed to make the difference. No one has rejected her yet for being too clever. Among this group Anatu was brilliant and she didn’t have to be ashamed of that. Excitement shot through her ryhov. She pointed to a particular part of the code. “That might be our problem.”

They fixed the program, tested it, and the cloak still wouldn’t work inside the ship.

Agrippa went to the cabin she shared with Amelagar. He was already there, working. He looked up and pushed away his tablet.

Each night she and Amelagar made love and as the time to leave came closer, there was a desperation to it. Both knew they could die if they did not get the cloak figured out. Even if they did, they probably would die anyway when the clones reached earth

He held out his hand and she rushed over to him and crawled into his lap and held onto him with a desperate need for his strength. “We can’t make it work,” she whispered. She felt guilty, as if she was letting him down.

His chin resting on the top of her head, he kneaded her back. “You have worked hard. If it works, it will be because of you. Because you didn’t give up.”

“Anatu worked just as hard.”

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