Oculus Grandi

Tejeda thought he would have difficulty figuring out where the meeting between the Universal Consensus and the Alpha Pirates was about to occur. Fortunately, the Syndicate of Cosmic Freedom was in possession not only of the Interstellar Police's database but those of both the Universal Consensus and the Alpha Pirates.

Reading the quantum-zip files, Tejeda scratched his beard that was starting to itch him badly. But Shayla told him that Kalden Deltak would have never shaved it clean. It was sort of a trademark, showing everyone that he had the capability of growing hair. Just not on his head.

Shayla was next to him, reading the QZs and leaning forward at the desk. Oh, QZs is the short form for the quantum-zip files. Try to keep up.

Carmen was still hung around her neck. Tejeda simply couldn't ask Shayla to give it back. It looked too good the way it was. The two were gorgeous together.

Realizing that he was staring at her chest, Tejeda coughed. When Shayla turned to him, he spoke with a bobbing Adam's apple. "I really need to meet this hacker of yours. He is tremendous! He must be one of a kind to be able to get all this information. This data is more than enough to make a sound plan for us to get in, take the Oculus Grandi, and get out."

Tejeda swiped right and a picture covered the screen. It looked like a gigantic eye with a black iris and a red pupil. Next to the picture, there was a short note.

[The Oculus Grandi is a mass destruction weapon created by the biologist Arundus Grandi. It harvests the power of a black hole and releases it concentrated on a single point using a super-precision laser beam. The exterior is an actual eye that its creator donated for finalizing his masterpiece. Oculus Grandi can destroy a class H planet in a matter of seconds, with no debris remaining.]

Shayla's eyes kept widening as she read further. When she finished the note, she turned toward Tejeda. "I am in. Let's go get it. But it looks huge. Is that a real eye? How will we get that out of their hands?"

Kalden Deltak's laughter was not easy on the ears. "Has anyone told you before how funny you are? That is a real eye of normal dimensions. Just the picture you saw now was at a larger scale. 50x I think."

Shayla pouted. She raised from the chair and crossed her arms around her chest. "You haven't responded to my other question. What is the plan?"

"Oh, my dear Shayla, the plan is quite simple. Fortunately, the data your hacker got includes the coordinates of the meeting. I will contact the Universal Consensus and tell them about the wonderful item we want to trade at their meeting. It will require a magnificent presentation on my part to make it seem like something they don't want to miss. They rarely agree to a third party coming, especially at the last minute."

Shayla didn't look impressed with the plan. "Why do you want to go for the Universal Consensus and not for the Alpha Pirates? With their hive mind, they have a lot of information and it will be harder for you to sell them your bullshit."

The spark in his amber eyes made Shayla remember her former captain. "They are our only chance. The Alpha Pirates are ruthless mercenaries and they have no interest in trading anything that is not a new weapon of mass destruction. I will not bring such a thing to their nest. Also, the Universal Consensus may be more inclined to accommodate a person they can relate to. Do you know their entire species is bald, right?"

Shayla clicked her tongue in desperation. "Some parts of your plan actually make sense, while others seem pure childish fantasy. What are you going to trade?"

When Kalden Deltak's eyes went to her left, Shayla followed their gaze and found E00 powered down in a corner. "That piece of old junk? If you are planning to sell this useless thing, then you have to have superpowers. At least max levels of cunning and trickery."

That made Tejeda laugh wholeheartedly. "Of course I have those. How else would I be one of the best in the Supervising Unit?"

Her relentless gaze didn't soften up at his words. Tejeda felt the need to continue. "Besides, I don't think E00 is a wreck. I think he is an undiscovered treasure that awaits to be exploited."

"Are you sure?" Shayla asked. When Tejeda nodded, she sighed. "Ok, but I will power it up to test it more thoroughly."

The Nubilae rested his nape in his palms, slumping on the chair's backrest. "You can go ahead. I won't approach that thing until it is necessary."

A sly grin made the right corner of her upper lip curl. "Are you afraid of this tiny little rusty robot?"

Neither of them expected that question to receive an answer. Shayla got the power core from the shelf next to E00 and placed it in the empty spot on its chest. Its eyes were again glowing purple.

"Hey, E00. I am Shayla. Can you tell me more about yourself?"

"Hi… Shayla! I… am… glad… to… meet… you… As… I… told… before… I.... am… an… energy… being… I… need… energy… to… live… That… is… why… I… am… able… to… speak… only… when… you… power… me… up… Please… give… me… more… energy… so… I… can… function… properly… Also… I… am… sorry…"

"Sorry for what?" asked Shayla, not understanding what the robot was saying.

"I… am… sorry… that… moment… passed… too… quickly… and… you… could… not… find… out… what… that… tentacle… can… do… in…"

Again, E00 couldn't complete its speech because Shayla grabbed the power core from its chest. She turned around, her eyes innocent and her cheeks flushed as she looked at Tejeda. "There is an issue with its circuits. I should take it to the tech team for a thorough evaluation."