Star Force: Perquisition by Aer-ki Jyr Page B

corridors.
    “As long as necessary. Perhaps longer if a few
subsequent inquiries pan out.”
    “You’re getting close?”
    “Closer. I have been able to formulate some guesses
though, which we’ll get into later. Right now we need to get this equipment set
up.”
    “How long?”
    “Two hours tops,” the hardware tech answered when
Vortison deferred to her.
    “How soon do you want the volunteers?”
    “About 15 minutes later.”

 
    Prentha and four other
Protovic stood next to Brad in a medical lab off limits to the rest of the
colony as a handful of medtechs worked their various devices setting up for the
first trial run…which was to be him. Previously he and the others had been
recruited in a pool of some 500 that they had to earn their way out of. All of
them were high level veterans within the Protovic faction of Star Force and the
competition had been fierce. Prentha was surprised
he’d been one of the five to make it through, then he’d been brought into the
trailblazer’s office for a private conversation in which he was told what this
program was about.
    He’d been asked then if he wanted to continue, with
Brad noting that four others had declined when asked. That meant Prentha may have been in the top 9 rather than top 5, but
that ultimately didn’t matter. However the candidates shook out, he’d been
selected for an experimental biological upgrade that was apparently only
applicable to Purples. The other four with him were the same, and they’d been
told what was actually happening was an unlocking of some dormant genetic code,
so even the medtechs and the Archon didn’t know what would happen…hence the
potential danger.
    Knowing that this was the first time they’d ever tried
this made him unbelievably proud, as was the presence of the Human medtechs
that had come out here all the way from Earth. He’d never been to the Star
Force capitol before, nor had anyone else he’d known. Travel there was highly
restricted, more so than the other factions. Axius had open access, but like
this world Earth was off limits to general tourist traffic, as was the entire
star system. One had to get permission to go there or have a free pass ID that
he did not have, so whenever someone that lived and worked in Sol came here he
knew they were on a special mission.
    How long Nym would be closed
to outsiders he didn’t know but other factions, including the Humans, had some
worlds where travelers could come and go, Star Force citizens or not. Thus far
the Protovic had been shut off completely, with rumors that that was going to
change in time, but all the factions kept some worlds exclusive to themselves
and Earth had always been the most secluded of the Human worlds. He didn’t know
what it was like there, but all the most important people in Star Force had
ties to it. If there was a problem that couldn’t be solved, you sent it to
Earth…or had people from Earth come out to solve it, including the Archons.
    The fact that they had a trailblazer of their own on Nym running and growing their faction was impressive
enough, but now that these medtechs had come out it meant something big was
going on and he was glad to be a part of it. Star Force had taught him that no
one, anywhere, at any time was ever completely safe, so if there was extra
danger in this procedure he was ok with it. The experts from Earth were here
and so was Archon Brad. If he couldn’t trust them, he couldn’t trust anyone.
    “ Prentha , you ready?” the
Archon asked.
    The Protovic nodded. “Still not sure what this is all
about, but ready and willing to dive in head first.”
    “We’re not sure either, hence you five are the
prototypes. Step into the machine,” he said, pointing to the slightly altered
copy of the V’kit’no’sat medical station that Star Force was now using in a few
exclusive locations. It wasn’t quite as advanced software wise, but they’d
finally been able to replicate the hardware and had fashioned a