Vastum

Getting into the car, I set it to auto-drive as Sazzy waited patiently at the passenger seat. Then once we left the warehouse, I started to explain my reasoning.

"When she asked for the favor, I don't think she really expected us to say yes. Or rather, I don't think she was telling us the whole favor. As you said, practically all our acquaintances and friends are victims of the Colonizer's actions, and I don't think she is unaware of that. But since she is still asking us for a deal that is obviously going to go south, I think she has another favor she is not telling. After all that space wasn't truly private and people could be eavesdropping. "

[...But what if she's just ignorant or clueless about all this?]

Sazzy objected in a small voice, which was slightly trembling with guilt. As if she had personally experienced a similar situation before.

"I don't think she doesn't know about this. I looked into her eyes, and she seemed to be too hopeful for someone proposing a real deal. I'm guessing that favor she talked about was a cover for something a little more confidential. That was why I gave her my personal terminal ID, So we can maybe hear about the real favor."

Opening up my personal terminal to check my messages, I saw that Liz was really fast in taking action.

"Thank you Chef for agreeing to come to Vastum. I will explain the details when you arrive, but before that I hope you can tell us when you want to depart. I will arrange a private vehicle to transport you here. I also hope you keep your identity a secret when you come over."

Showing Sazzy the message, she let out a sigh of relief and melted against the seat.

[I guess the next planet is set. I'll post a chirp that we will be taking a break for a month for personal reasons. And since your brother is coming at the end of that month, it will serve as a valid cover for our trip!]

Searching for some information about Liz, I conversed with Sazzy.

"I suspect that her favor might be related to Ken and Barbie."

I showed her Liz's social media page, where there was a repost of the news article covering the mass poisoning in Aquarius, and the chirp right before that announcing her arrival at Aquarius. And meeting a cheerful and kind girl in the inn she was staying at.

"This may be the real reason why she asked us for a favor. She might have gone to Aquarius, became friends with Barbie and then was pulled into this whole mess when Barbie was poisoned."

Closing my personal terminal, the car stopped outside our house. Getting out of the car, I carried the bags into the house myself while Sazzy stood to the side, a thoughtful look on her face.

I looked at the newly set-up cameras outside my house. They were colored to blend in with their surroundings, so it took a little while for me to spot them even if I knew all their positions.

I gave a small wave towards one of the cameras and took out the contents of the bag in a designated blind spot. After a long while of thinking, Sazzy came over and helped me keep the objects along the route of blind spots that we had arranged.

Once we kept everything, even including the bags, I texted Sazzy on my personal terminal to discuss how to cover up our trip to Vastum.

[Since we are covering our trip with your brother's return, we must act like we are going to the hospital or any medical institution. So bring only a couple sets of clothes, like 1 to 2 sets. Medical institutions usually have malls attached to them to accommodate waiting patients and visitors, so don't bring too much. Maybe make a packed lunch or something to give the impression you're going to visit someone. Make it easy to digest food though, so light and healthy snacks. Other than that I think that's it.]

I listened to Sazzy's explanation while noting down the important points.

"Since we don't have anything planned, I'll ask Liz what time is convenient for her. It's been almost a month since I have handed over the poison to Jenny and her family. I would prefer we get Ken his solution as fast as possible."

While chatting with Sazzy, I was also conversing with Liz and confirming the date I was going over.

"Ok we are going over to Vastum tomorrow. Liz says she booked the private space ship to pick us up at the AT center."

Sazzy nodded her head and we took out the traveling bag we just kept.

"This is going to look so dumb on the camera."

Joking with Sazzy, I threw the old clothes into the wash and took out some new clothes from my closet. Listening to Sazzy's instructions from the side, I packed everything we deemed necessary. Then after double checking, we called it a night.

The next morning, when the alarm on my personal terminal rang, I woke up and groggily stumbled into the bathroom. Then after preparing a 'packed lunch' to be eaten on the way there and doing a triple check, I dragged the luggage to the car and threw it into the back seat.

The two of us drove to the AT center and parked the car at the warehouse again. But this time, instead of heading to the waiting platforms, we headed to the clearing right next to the AT center. Waiting for us there, right on time, was a spaceship.

Its white body was quite conspicuous against the green surroundings. It looked like a white expensive car, with a certain company logo printed conspicuously on the side. Leaning on the spaceship was a man in a black uniform smoking.

Noticing I had arrived, he took out something from his chest pocket and put out his smoke, then placed the cigarette into it. Keeping that object, he then gestured for me to follow him and boarded the space ship.

Going in after him, he then gestured to sit at any seat before heading into the piloting area.

[A man of few words. I see.]

Grumbling, Sazzy and I sat down and saw the spaceship door close. Then we felt the air pressure around us change as the spaceship lifted off.

Pulling up my personal terminal, I saw a message from Liz asking if we had left already. Confirming that we were on board the spaceship, Liz then gave an apology if the pilot was a little too quiet.

"I noticed. He's a man of few words, I see."

[Hey! You copied me!]

Liz then apologized once more.

"He's not a bad person, he's just a little quieter than the others."

[Now where have I heard those words before.]

Sazzy gave a look at the direction of the piloting area.

Consoling her a little, I waved off Liz's apology.

"It's fine. Anyway, what do we do after we land?"

I adjusted the mask on my face and scratched my hair under the wig that we picked up from the post office just now after ordering it last night.

"I will meet you right after you land. Then we will go to a cordoned off area that I have control over. There will be several researchers there that are my people, so we don't have to be too worried about talking about something confidential."

Giving a rough run down of what we were going to do for the rest of the day, as well as what kind of area I would be sleeping in, Liz then left saying we would continue talking later when I landed.

Moving my personal terminal to the side, I leaned back on the soft seat and talked with Sazzy for the rest of the flight.