Page 62 of Ava Greasemonkey

Ebel took a moment to study it, typing fast on the liquid screen.

Nuor moved up next to Ava, tilting her head toward her and talking softly while Ebel worked. “Obviously you have chosen them for more than this mission,” she said, nodding her head back to where Vox was waiting. Then she looked closer to Avaand whispered, “Be careful, okay? And I don’t mean with just what you’re doing now with the rescue. If you need an out, or anything, you find a way to get a message to the Vali. I want to know how you’re doing.”

Ava looked into Nuor’s earnest eyes. “Okay. Thank you. I wish there was something I could do for you . . . for everything.”

Nuor eyed Vox where he stood behind Ava, keeping watch. “Keep it going with these Vorbax and there just might be something, someday. They’re . . . something else.”

Ava grinned, a small secret smile. “Tell me about it.”

They watched Ebel as he clicked around a minute, not wanting to interrupt him. He eventually looked up and motioned them closer.

“Do we have any idea where Ava needs to go? The city is very large. She could be wandering for hours.”

Vox took a finger and pointed to a region in the center on the tablet’s aerial map. “We were last informed the females are being held here. There was a . . . closed off area that was converted for them to stay in. We can try to get her as close to there as we can. The information is fresh, so it should be fine to plan on.” His hand traced all the way across the city to the docking area. “We will be docking the Phor ship here.”

“And . . . fighting your way to them?”

Vox nodded. “Their minds are puny. Mostly we will make them fight each other and conserve our strength until we need to physically enter the battle. We will see how many will rush to be brave and die.”

Ebel shuddered and looked at the tablet in thought. “Ava said she would go in one of the Haroo vessels?”

“Unless there is a better option.”

Ebel didn’t contradict that thought, instead focusing on the map again.

“This city has defensive mechanisms, here.” Ebel pointed to the top of the domes. Ava looked closer and could see the barrel of a gun pointing from the sides. “And here. What’s the plan for getting past those and landing close to the vents?”

“We have Tuxa husks still here that can be deployed to pass any security clearances,” Vox replied.

Ebel nodded, asking him more logistical and technical questions. Ava’s mind spun. Ebel, despite slacking off, had always been brilliant. If anyone could figure it all out to make it work, he could.

“Relax your arm,” Ebel said, pulling down Ava’s arm and holding it. “I can’t place it right with you tensing up.” In one of Ebel’s top arm pairs he held an insertable tracker that he was going to put under her skin. They were back in the med bay, minus Nuor, who went back to the cargo bay to sit with the other Phor still being held. Ava sat in that detestable gray chair that she was in earlier for the scans.

Erox was still hovering over her, not hiding his delight in having her back to gather more information. He was easy to ignore, however, as Ebel was holding the tracker above her arm and Ava was sweating thinking about how he was going to insert it.

This was usually not a problem. Normally when she used the tracker, he simply tied it to her alongside her com. After thinking it through for this mission, though, he decided it needed to be more permanent on her when she went on Torga. With this one inserted, whoever was monitoring could get vital readings on her as well.

Ava saw his point on why it needed to be inserted, but had trouble agreeing to this part. She looked around and met Vox’s eyes. He walked forward and held her other arm and hummed. It helped, it truly did, but she was still nervous. She swallowed as Ebel hovered over her, turning her arm this way and that to try to get the position correct.

Vox pinched her finger and Ava glared at him. Ebel took the opportunity of her being distracted to put the tracker in. Ava felt a sharp prick as it happened. She inhaled fast from shock.

Ava took her hands back once he was done and rubbed both arms. “Nice distraction,” she muttered to Vox, who looked smugly back.

Ebel had already turned back to the screen and was checking through the calibrations. Erox watched, interested, and interrupted to ask several questions. Ebel answered some coldly and ignored others.

Ava remarked, “Wow, you can’t even see that it’s there.” She poked where it had been inserted and felt it under her skin. Her arm ached at the insertion point, and a red dot remained, but otherwise it was completely hidden.

“Getting good vitals. The locator is accurate. Should be good to go,” Ebel said, eyes still on the screen.

“How do I get it out of me afterward?” Ava asked.

Erox answered, “I have been absorbing the medical logs. It should not be hard to retrieve.”

Ebel grunted in agreement. “Out is easier than in. You gotta place it just right.” He clicked more on the tablet. “It has a solid placement. Even if something hits your arm it won’t dislodge.”

Ava put her hand on Ebel’s fuzzy shoulder. He tensed a bit before looking up to see it was her. “Thanks,” she said softly.

Ebel just sighed, holding the handheld tracker out with her stats on it. “Who wants to be in charge of this?”

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