Gabriel found himself reassigned back to rescue, salvage and profit recovery. It was an insult. He knew Alice was in a human host. Most didn't believe him, they thought that the cybernetic implants in his brain, his eyes, his hands and elsewhere had finally driven him to the edge of human reason.
On record they made him sound half mad, machine obsessed, but to look at him, to know him as a man, there were no visible additions or changes to his body. In fact, he looked more human on the outside than anyone who used wrist computers or dermal attachments to access information and aid them in their work. His frustration was eventually replaced with a renewed resolve. He was denied access to her file, but watched for any information that could lead him to her. One of his processor nodes were always looking across the millions of interconnected networks for her.
Almost a year later he found something. A ship registered to Alice Valent. She was so far away, it would take him weeks to get there, so he began to send priority messages. Somehow she had the impression that he meant her harm, even though they had never met. The only message he ever received was; ' leave me alone!' That didn't stop him. He repeatedly sent appeals, threats, explanations of why he thought they were the perfect mated pair.
It only drove her further away until she came for Jake Valance. Under everyone's nose she and her partner, Bernice, made off with his stasis tube and disappeared. To Vindyne fleet security's utter embarrassment they could never explain the entire incident. She had not only been the first artificial intelligence to make the transfer from a digital existence to flesh and blood, she was also capable of so much more than any normal human. Breaching a high security secret Research and Development laboratory was nearly impossible. Getting out alive with one of the most important resources in the entire Company was impossible but there it was, it had been done.
He continued his search in private. Every spare moment, every extra processor clock cycle and terabyte of excess storage was dedicated to tracking her. Years passed and he was always aware of where she had been no more than two months before. She had gone so far, separated herself from her enemies so well and for a time she had many. It seemed beneath her to do what was common to most as far as occupations were concerned. Rescue missions, smuggling runs, freelance fighter piloting, even the occasional theft was performed for payment. In underground circles she was gathering a reputation for herself, in more legitimate law enforcement data bases she was earmarked as dangerous, not to be trusted and occasionally as a fugitive. He was in awe of her accomplishments.
At last count three government agencies and nine corporations had charged her with a variety of crimes and most of them gladly contributed to one bounty pot or another. The largest of which was over three million Core World Credits. Vindyne had contributed two thirds of that amount, claiming she was their property. Before they could see the day of her capture their stock crashed.
The rising expense of running a war on several fronts along with more and more frequent civil uprisings were a large part of their downfall. They had also overextended themselves and were falling out of favour with bigger corporations like Lorander. When the stock was down to a percentage of its former average he took the opportunity to purchase Jonas and Alice Valent's files along with all property associated with it. The ships he commanded were actually stolen from the weak, crumbling Vindyne Corporation. In the end he was only as good as any looter on the street but that didn't matter. He could afford to pay the crew for years to come and there was always work for a small fleet of armed capitol ships.
As soon as all the materials associated with the Valents were aboard his flagship he made for the last sector Alice had been spotted in and began tracking down her various cohorts. He used Vindyne technology to reprogram who he could with the simplest of subliminal instructions. In the end they suffered through the process of capture, but no long term harm was done. He couldn't allow that, they were almost like family if they were friends to his beloved Alice.
He watched nervously through a large control room window overlooking the main hangar. The Clever Dream was guided in by a tractor beam. He would make her welcome, treat her as she deserved to be treated and when the time came they would be closer than any mere humans could ever be.
The Clever Dream was brought down onto the deck and a team of soldiers in black Vindyne armour moved up the main gangway carefully. It was a beautiful ship, he would ensure that it was well maintained and ready for her. Someday he knew he would be able to allow her to leave and trust her to return of her own accord.
The ten soldiers disappeared into the belly of her sleek, black ship. “Captain, report. Is she inside?” Asked Meunez.
“We're in the first corridor. This thing has a lot of living space sir. She hasn't presented herself yet.”
“All right, I'm sending beta team in.”
“Yes sir.”
Another ten soldiers rushed up the ramp. Their rifles were slung, sidearms in their holsters as instructed. They weren't to present an immediate threat if they could help it. The last of them disappeared into the ship and Gabriel counted the milliseconds for as long as he could stand it. “Anything on thermals or motion detection?”
“No sir. Wait, I see something on thermals. Stand by.”
The gangway slammed shut. A communications officer turned to him with a worried expression. “We've lost our link to the teams sir.”
A moment later the gangway lowered slowly, at it's normal speed. “Theta team, check on alpha and beta,” Ordered Meunez.
Ten more armoured soldiers rushed up the ramp and a moment later the Captain's report came. “Dear God, they've been incinerated.”
“Get out of there!”
The gangway slammed shut once more and communications between the ship and the team dropped off.
Gabriel looked on in horror as all the weapons on the ship activated. Panels slid aside to reveal missiles and guns as though the ship itself was sneering, bearing its deadly teeth for all to see. The deck Sargent took Gabriel's arm. “We should go sir!” he shouted, pulling him out of the room.
As he was dragged away from the window he could see Alice drop out of a rear engine compartment. A slim figure in a blue vacsuit and old flight jacket armed with a rifle, a case slung across her back and a sidearm dropping out of her black nightmare of a ship.
Seconds later he was behind the door to the control room and he could hear the explosions and thunderous impacts as the main hangar bay of his flagship was decimated.
Shadows
The patch of ground was as level as you could find in the swamp hell that had been chosen for their meeting place. In the middle stood Stephanie, dressed in the Captain's coat and scarf. Her vacsuit was sealed and the faceplate was blacked out so no one could see her face.
As a severe looking craft that looked like it was made from harsh angles and a collection of various triangular sections landed, she stood stoically. Before the main gangway at the front of the thirty meter long ship came down she drew the Captain's sidearm. Four soldiers in white and grey vacsuits, completely out of place in the misty darkness, walked down the ramp.
“Drop it,” One of them commanded.
She hesitated a moment, as the Captain would, and tossed the gun between them. “Don't lose that. I'll want it back later,” she said through the voice disguiser. It sounded exactly like the Captain's voice.